#this is by no means an exhaustive collection these are random moments i saved

[ashimetsu]

Getting Cara-away'ed 【 Reader x Leona 】

Staying up late while studying for your alchemy exam has left you exhausted in the middle of the library. Having lost all hope, perhaps a deal with Octavinelle could help you... or a stubborn lion trying to sleep.

-fluff, comfort, You're Really Bad At Chemistry, good thing leona is a genius ~600 words

"Waaaaaauuuuugggghhhhh!!!!!!!!"

A groan ripples from your mouth that echos across the empty library. It's nearly midnight, and any hope of getting studying done is out the window. After all, you still have class tomorrow morning. You let your head fall on the table, arms sprawling across scattered papers. Chicken scratch of chemical reactions, lab results, and poor drawings of organic compounds are etched into the leaflets. You let yourself feel pathetic for a moment, the weight of studying impossible equations and random shapes has left you with a throbbing headache. No matter how much you study and practice, the reactions don't turn out and the numbers just don't make sense. Frustration bubbles up your throat as tears prick your eyes, losing confidence of ever understanding alchemy.

"If you're gonna moan and groan over some homework, can you at least do it somewhere else?"

You jump at the deep voice interrupting your negative ruminations, turning your head to see where the noise came from. No one seemed to be in view, were they hiding somewhere?

"Uh, hello?" You thought you were here by yourself.

Suddenly, a hand grasps your shoulder from behind you, opposite of where you were looking. After being startled once again, you turn this time to face the perpetrator. Tall, muscular, with short brown ears; none other than Savannaclaw's housewarden peering down on you. His intimidating gaze has you shrinking in your seat as you try to increase the distance between you two. If you had ears like him, they'd be pointed back in defense mode.

"C-can I help you?" you stammer, growing uncomfortable with Leona's judging stare and the awkward silence. Though, he seems unfazed by the interaction and instead looks across your notes. Rather than replying, he releases you and grabs one of your papers.

"Um, I'm trying to st-"

"This is wrong. S-carvone is caraway, you need spearmint for this reaction to work. Should be R-carvone instead." Leona interrupts you.

"What? But that is R-carvone... S-carvone would be the other direction, wouldn't it?"

"Look, do I need to explain everything to you? It's a chiral atom, meaning it has four unique bonds. Caraway and spearmint are isomers, yet they react differently here." Leona takes a seat next to you, figuring how you're not understanding a word he's saying.

"...why are you even trying to help me. I don't get it, and I won't get it, no matter how much you explain it to me. So just leave me alone and go nap somewhere else." You can't even bring yourself to make eye contact with him, fearing tears will spill out if you do. Leona may not notice your wavering voice, but he'd definitely see your blotchy eyes if you looked up. What was his goal here? To make him look genius and for you to look stupid? You already gave up on learning this nonsense, having an intimidating upperclassman school you on basic alchemy is just embarrassing.

If you didn't know any better, you would have thought he disappeared into thin air by now. Silence settles in the room, save for your occasional sniffles.

"Are you done yet?" Leona breaks the silence while leaning in closer to you. "I get it's not simple, but you really shouldn't be getting so worked up over something like this."

"And what would you know?" you growl back. "I don't expect a genius to understand how hard this is for me! You nap all day and skip class, just to what, wander around and show everyone else how dumb they are? Is that your goal?!" Your voice breaks and a few tears betray your eyes and slip down your cheeks. In a huff, you start collecting your papers to pack up for the night as Leona turns and walks away. Finally, that jerk is finally going to leave you alone.

As you stand up with your bookbag to head back to Ramshackle, Leona appears next to you again, setting a box of tissues on the table. You look past him and try to walk away, but he stands in your way instead. Your height difference is staggering, but you stand your ground regardless.

"You work as a better door than a window, Leona. I'd like to walk by and get some real help from someone else. Working a couple of shifts at Mostro Lounge will do me better than listening to you lecture to-" you're swiftly interrupted by a thumb firmly wiping your eyes. You didn't realize you had begun to cry again. A quick swat released Leona's thumb from your face.

"I'd rather you fail than get help from that cephalo-punk. Besides, he's gonna have a nasty price for you to pass alchemy. I suggest taking my help over playing house with those freaks." Leona states flatly. "Besides, I don't require a payment, just consider this a treat from me."

You sigh. Leona's not going to let you back to Ramshackle without agreeing to him. Although you're not signing a contract, being trapped between a table and Leona himself feels just as binding.

"Promise you won't make me into a Ruggie 2?" you ask.

"Promise."

"...you're not gonna make me go to class for you? Or do your homework? Or make me into Savannaclaw's personal maid?"

"Can you just take my words at face value? I don't want your favors or labor. Plus, seeing how your homework is going now, it'd be more of a hassle for me if you ended up doing my homework." Leona sighed as he tried to convince you to trust him.

"Or you could decline and lose your free will to Octavinelle. Your choice." he continued after a pause.

Leona hands you a tissue to blow your nose and takes your backpack off your shoulder. The ultimatum was clear, Leona wasn't going to take no for an answer. With a quick motion, he pulls you over his shoulder without room for consideration. Your words of protest are no use as Leona is hauling you out of the library. You struggle for freedom from his firm arms, but it appears resistance is futile. You let it pass this one time, allowing Leona to carry you to Ramshackle. He puts you down and stands at the door for a moment before leaving.

"You sure you're gonna be alright?" he asks quietly.

"Yeah. Sleep and some quality time with Grim will clear my head. Thanks for helping me back there, or at least trying to." you reply.

"Heh. Don't be a stranger, prefect. You have a so-called genius next door willing to help you. For free, mind you."

"Yeah yeah, I hear you." you pause for a moment. "...thank you, Leona. It means a lot that you want to help me out. I'll make it up to you, someday." A small smile rests at your lips.

"Don't mention it. Goodnight, prefect."

"Night, Leona."

As you turn in for the night, you can't help but wonder what made Leona so interested in helping you in the first place. Whatever the case, you're glad someone wants to help you succeed. Maybe you'll have to pay Trey a visit to help make him a thank you gift...

#twisted wonderland #leona kingscholar #leona kingsholar x reader #twst leona #twisted wonderland leona #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #disney twisted wonderland #twst reader insert #twst scenarios #twst #disney twst #x reader #twst imagines #rio writes #enjoy this for now

[swagcoolcat]

RANDOM THINGS FROM BE MORE CHILL BROADWAY THAT I REALLY LIKE: CLIPS

(Note before we begin, LGW and MitB aren’t from Broadway here. LGW is from off Broadway, and MitB is from a rehearsal. I couldn’t get Broadway versions, and I can’t clip longer than a minute, so that’s how I tried to resolve that.)

Act 1:

The SQUIP telling the audience not to record (x)

Jeremy looking exhausted the moment he walks onto the stage (x)

The bus effect during More Than Survive (x)

The way Christine acts when Jeremy is singing about her, 1. (x) and 2. (x)

Jeremy seeming to agree with Christine’s ‘touch of ADD’ (x)

“There’s also a part of me that wants to do this!” (x)

Mr Reyes explaining the play (x)

Jake slapping his bicep (x)

“Leave me alone, I’ve had a bad day!” (x)

Rich flopping onto his back and Jeremy leaving him there to die (x)

Jeremy quietly whispering “drugs” (x)

Michael’s whole thing with Crystal Pepsi (x)

Michael’s shimmies during “cool in college” (x)

Michael’s body rolls, More Than Survive (x), Two Player Game (x), The Play (x)

The spin thing Jeremy and Michael do at the end of Two Player Game (x)

The box of squips being the only light source on stage (x)

Intro to BMC Part 1 (x)

Jeremy exaggerating while following the SQUIP’s directions (x)

“LOOKANG PRETTAY SEXAY BROOKUH” (x)

Chloe breaking a hanger at the mention of Madeline’s name (x)

“She is a life 👏 ru 👏 in 👏 er 👏 uh 👏” (x)

Brooke slapping Jeremy with her straw (x)

Jeremy trying to floss (x)

Chloe kicking away Christine’s backpack (x)

The whole Bowling Alley Performance Art scene (x)

Jeremy lifting Christine toward the end of A Guy That I’d Kinda Be Into (x)

“Eminem is dead?!” (x)

“I’m tired of being the person that everyone thinks that I am” round (x)

“Sever your ties, or you both drown.” (x)

All of Loser Geek Whatever (x)

Act 2:

Brooke talking about why she likes Halloween (x)

“Right, I’m Prince!” (x)

The SQUIP dancing with the students during Halloween (x)

Chloe falling backwards onto Jake’s parents’ bed (x)

The SQUIP face planting onto the bed (x)

“Yeah, unless you use it like you!” (x)

“I’m having my period!” (x)

All of Michael in the Bathroom (x)

Christine talking about her feelings on her costume (x)

“Seriously, where the FUCK can I get some Mountain Dew Red?!” (x)

Christine’s pucking pun (x)

Christine and Jeremy vocally stimming (x)

Christine simply saying no, followed by ‘I’m sorry’ instead of explaining why she turned Jeremy down (x)

The SQUIP entering with a “hello, Jeremy” after Jeremy’s had the worst night of his life (x)

Rich making the choice to burn the house down (x)

Brooke throwing her banana during the smartphone hour (x)

George Salazar and Jason Sweettooth William’s entrance in the Smartphone Hour (x)

“A house party? You took my car to a house party? And the house BURNED DOWN?!” (x)

Jeremy getting angry with his dad (x)

Michael being visibly uncomfortable during the pants song (x)

The whole “say it like you mean it” thing (x)

Mr Heere flashing Michael, then the neighborhood (x)

“WAAAAIIIIT!!! How? Are you? Doing? Today?” (x)

Jenna’s vocals during The Pitiful Children (x)

Michael mocking Jeremy during the play (x)

Jeremy flipping off his SQUIP (x)

Michael being punched in the face twice during the play, by Jeremy (x), and by Jenna (x)

The arm crawl thing Rich does on Michael (x)

Christine’s SQUIP being Ruth Bader Ginsburg (x)

Everyone dancing together at the end of Voices in my Head (x)

Tags:

@emotional-moss @silksong-when @happistar @thesquirrelqueer @stoptestingme @cleanupyourlooks

Final notes:

I’m sorry this took me so long! Even after collecting all the clips, it was just really tedious to organize them and list them, and at one point I accidentally closed the app without saving so I lost a ton of progress. Plus, I’ve just been kinda busy. But! It’s here now!

If you’d like any other moments from the show clipped, I can do that for you! I can also clip most (not all) of these from a different video that’s not from closing night. This one zooms in on the characters more, so I’d be able to get clearer shots. Just let me know, I’ll grab it for you, no problem, as long as it’s not closing night exclusive.

Thanks for your patience, and I hope you enjoy!

#be more chill #bmc #long post

[hleonaa]

#i have a normal amount of feelings about wei wuxian in white

#the untamed #theuntameddaily #chen qing ling #wei wuxian #xiao zhan #cql #another one to the collection #i have a normal amount of feelings about wei wuxian in white #this is by no means an exhaustive collection these are random moments i saved

[peachysamu]

When Five Turns Into Three

Summary: pillow talking with Makki, these are candid, late night conversations that help you weather the storm of an uncertain future

Word Count: 2.7k

Genre: angst; angst adjacent? there are fluff elements; slice of life maybe? idk help me please; inconclusive ending; heavily inspired by Head in The Clouds by Joji and 88rising; which means this a songfic?

Warning: Implied nsfw, no explicit mention; alcohol consumption; suggestive content

A/n: this was supposed to be dialogue practice. How in the heckle did it get this long?

Your dorm room, 2015

5:12am

The ceiling of your dorm has never been more interesting in your life. What shade of white did your university choose? It’s so, very, characteristically, white. Fascinating.

Okay, you’re lying. In actuality, you’re not quite sure what happens next. Now that you’ve made your morning salutations, you don’t know what to do, but there’s a heavy need to fill the air. If anything, it’s to stop yourself from fixating on his breath so close to your ear.

“That was fun.”

A swell of sheets distorts the sliver of sunlight in your room. Makki then bends an elbow and casually places his head in his palm. “You said you needed some fun. If I remember correctly.”

“You’re right,” There’s a vague memory of you complaining all night to Makki about how exhausted you’ve been with your internship, work, and school in the middle of a party. Alcohol, more moaning and groaning about school, more alcohol, then more moaning and groaning about other things led to this. Yuck. “I guess I did say that.”

“Glad to be of help.”

“Do you do this often?” It’s time to acknowledge this. ‘This’ being whatever Makki tells you ‘this’ is.

“What’s this?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I know what this is.” With his freehand, he brushes the top of your head. “But I want to know what your pretty, little brain is thinking.”

“I don’t know.”

You don’t. Everything feels surreal, even this very moment. It’s like you’ve got your head in the clouds. But Makki waits patiently despite however long it takes.

“A tryst? A one night stand? A hook up? A hit it and quit it kind of deal?”

“Hit it and quit it. Is that what the kids call it these days? I need to incorporate that into my vocabulary.”

“Makki.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be serious.” His tone betrays him, wispy and light.

“This,” he gestures between the two of your bodies that lay parallel in the same bed, “is something I don’t do often.”

“Don’t lie.”

“I’m being serious! You told me to!” He says as if it means something. The poor pillow wheezes air as his head falls back onto it. “This only happened because I like you.”

You side eye him, “You’re bold in the morning.”

“I’m naked in your bed.” He moves closer to you and the airy puffs that you’ve been trying to ignore reappear across your face. “What else do I have to lose? My pride? That’s Oikawa’s thing.”

You turn yourself, lifting the sheets closer to your chest. It’s the first time you notice the freckles the dapple across his cheeks and over the bridge of his nose. An omen, it is a sign of gentle weather.

“You’re something else, Makki.”

A careful touch traces his cheeks, makes shapes out of dots, and allows Makki to take your hand.

“No shit.”

He leads the way, head in the clouds.

Hanamaki Takahiro dorm room, 2016

2:39am

“I don’t think I’m gonna make it.”

Makki’s dorm is a maze built of fallen clothes and priceless knicknacks collected from random concerts and festivals. Every day must be monsoon season because each time you visit, the confines are rearranged in a different direction. You trip over a poster of a D-list band (but they try really hard, you’ll give them that) until Makki reaches for your hand, saving you.

“Hey, watch our takeout!” Okay, maybe saving your late night dinner.

Giving up, you flop onto the floor. “Ugh, I am never going to drink again!”

“We just turned twenty-one. You can’t say that.” Makki plops himself onto the bed, two hefty bounces reverberate before he unravels a burger from its packaging. “We’ve got our whole life ahead of us.”

“Drinking legally isn’t as fun as when you do it illegally.”

“Oh gods,” Makki sits up so fast it almost triggers a visceral reaction from your esophagus, “who are you and what have you done to my goody two shoes significant other?”

“Shut up.” Your voice is muffled behind a palm because you can’t quite trust your body’s natural reflexes. “I’m no goody two shoes.”

“Straight A student who has never ditched a single college course in their life.” He shoves another bite of the burger before falling back against his bed. “You’ve shown up hungover in club clothes and still took notes.”

“It’s called being studious. I’m just trying to get my life together.”

It takes a crunch of lettuce for Makki to gather himself.

“What do you wanna do? For life, I mean.”

It’s a hefty question. The time it takes you to conjure an answer has Makki elaborating once more. “Like where do you see yourself in five years?”

“In a prominent company. Maybe mid-level position.” You have your life planned out; clear as day, every calculated step leads to the goals you have lying ahead. “I’d want to start soon, get my name out as quickly as possible, and then have children.”

“Hmm.”

Silence manifests another question. You blame the alcohol for thinking this way, and the room darkens into a dreary overcast in fear of his answer.

“How do you feel about children?”

“They’re nice.”

“That’s it?”

Paper crumples as Makki rolls his garbage into a ball. “Maybe one day. Five years from now, but,” the ball arches over you and into the trash in a trajectory that can only be completed through many times of practice; like a pretty rainbow, “I’m just enjoying life. I still feel like a kid myself.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” You sit up and grab a burger from the paper bag. “That’s a problem twenty-six year old us can handle.”

Hanamaki Takahiro apartment, 2017

11:08pm

You’ve been standing here for at least two minutes now with your arms crossed, waiting for Makki to feel the rage he’s conjuring within you. However, the stupid shouts and grunts he makes has your patience running thin.

“Babe, can you keep quiet. I need to get up early in the morning.”

Makki looks up with visible remorse forming on his face. “My bad, babe. I gotta go boys.”

He throws his headset to the side and makes his way towards you.

“My bad,” He rubs your arms and places a kiss on your forehead, “I didn’t mean to keep you up.”

“This is why I don’t like sleeping over sometimes.”

“I know, I know.” He grabs your hand, “Come on, let’s head to bed. I’ll cuddle you to sleep.”

“Are you not tired yet?”

“No.” Despite his words, he slots himself into your comfort with your back pressed against his chest.

You yawn. “Your sleeping schedule is so messed up.”

“Yours is too normal.”

“Because I have a job.”

“Right,” The bristle of your words has him disappear as quickly as he came, “And I do not.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” You sit up and reach for him, but a cold front passes between you two, rendering him unreachable.

“But you think it.”

“I guess I just don’t understand.” It’s a whispered admission that has Makki’s eyebrows twitch the smallest inch, “Even if you don’t like that job, why don’t you just keep it while you find another? Why do you have to quit?”

It’s never made sense to you, but you’ve never faulted Makki for it. People are different, you have to remind yourself when Makki makes a questionable decision in your eyes. He is fickle with his dreams, feathery and lighter than air. You are steadfast, anchored by the passions that you have carried since you were young.

Makki sits himself up, twisting his neck to take a good look at you. It feels like he’s gauging your worth.

Upon making a decision, he leans his back against the headboard. “I don’t want to waste my time doing something I hate. Because then I’ll get stuck in the capitalist trap. I’d go to work, get home and be too tired to do anything else because doing things you don’t love is draining. So you don’t have any hobbies. You work and sleep and do it all over again. There’s no joy in that.”

He expels a gust of wind from his chest, almost deflating into the cushioning of his bed.

“Okay, okay. I understand.” And snuggle yourself into the crevice of his arm and side. He relinquishes, morphs his body against your own.

You don’t quite get it, but you know you can’t push your ideals on others. You’ve known this about Makki ever since you’ve met him and accepted him for it from the get go. But the floor is raising. The sky is falling. Where does Hanamaki fit?

Hanamaki Takahiro apartment, 2019

12:40am

Flaky bits powder and snow onto your shirt, but thankfully most of it lands in your mouth. “You’ve got it down babe. This is way better than last week’s.”

“Right?” He reaches for his second creampuff. “The secret is in the cream. I added a bit of instant pudding in there.” A bite, he speaks with a mouth half full, “I saw it in a video.”

“Why don’t you become a baker?” You surprise yourself with your ingenuity. It perfectly aligns with his hobbies, “What are they called? Patissier?”

Makki pauses for a moment to give it some thought. It has you on the edge of your seat. Maybe the thought is so revolutionary you’ve paved the course of his future.

“In those white poofy hats?” Makki snorts. “Doesn’t sound like my thing.”

The same answer tests you once more. Today, you believe you might fail.

“Then what does? Where do you see yourself in five years?”

It’s a question you deliberately ask after being questioned it during your biannual performance review. Professionally, you know exactly what is going to happen. You see yourself staying with the same company. Halfway into year two, you visualize yourself overseeing a project which will then catalyze your promotion that should happen within year four. Personally? You know what you want, but your own future teeters on someone who seemingly lacks the foresight to even think two seconds ahead.

“Ideally? Living my best life out in Singapore. I hear the nightlife’s crazy out there.”

“Babe.” You’re not amused.

“What? A guy can dream.”

“That’s all you do.” Just like that, a storm erupts. Makki’s words strike the precise lightning rod you’ve been trying to hide. “You’ve got your head in the clouds. When are you going to come down from up there and live in the real world like the rest of us?”

“Wait, you’re using that against me now? You said you understood.” It’s a pointed accusation that addresses more than offense. There’s hurt and ripples of betrayal at the way his voice emphasizes at the final word.

“For how much longer, babe?” It pains you to even look at him so you turn away. “I’ve been trying to be patient but I’m getting tired of waiting.”

“Not everyone does this at the same pace.” He sounds objectively stable, as if it’s rehearsed. It sounds as if he’s canted this song too many times. “I just need a bit more time.”

You can do that. You just need an answer. “But how much longer?”

“I don’t know. Until I figure it out.”

The tide is turning. Your eyes are burning.

Your apartment, 2021

3:56am

“I’m thirsty.”

“Of course you are.”

The handy glass of water on your nightstand is swallowed in large, desperate gulps. An exaggerated exhale, you note the way Makki’s heavy eyes trail. It bobbles its path up the same way a fly would when coursing upwind. You know you shouldn’t be disappointed at the distant look on his face, but you can’t help the turbulence that manifests within.

“You’re pretty.” He finally says when his gaze lands on you. “I’ve told you that right?”

“You’ve said it before. Once or twice.”

“Gods, I hope I said it more than that. You’re really pretty. Too pretty.”

“Yes, I’m kidding. You’ve said it plenty of times.”

“Good. You’re not sleeping though.” He pokes at the hollows underneath your eyes. “What did I say about getting caught in the capitalist trap?”

“It’s not the capitalists, Makki.” You brush his hand away and it falls to your lap. You let it linger. “You’re the one who showed up at my door at this stupid hour.”

“Right, right. My bad. I had to tell you something, that’s why.”

“At four am?”

“It’s actually three.”

You glance at your alarm clock, its red, bold letters an unwelcome reminder of how little sleep you’re going to get. “Not for long.”

Makki’s head lolls forward. “It was urgent, okay?”

“You don’t look very urgent, Makki.”

“Shh. Shh.” He lifts a hand in time with his head. “Wait a second. Let me talk.”

He takes his time, gathering traction with a large chest full of breath. You don’t know if he does it for courage or if it’s an effort to stall as he accumulates his drunken thoughts. Regardless, you wait for him to unleash whatever has been forming inside of him.

“It’s about my five year plan.” He starts with a smack of the lips. He’s still clearly intoxicated but the way his eyes hold yours reveals it’s the most lucid he’s been. “I can actually expedite it into a three year plan.”

Your stomach churns. Not like this, “Makki…”

“No, wait, wait, wait. Really, listen.” The hand in your lap pats your thighs reminiscent of a toddler begging for their parents’ attention. “I’ve got this all figured out. Remember Watari? He got me a job at the aquarium. It’s not much, but it’s cool. I get to see the fishes and stuff. And they’re super flexible with the hours. I asked them and they told me they’d be willing to work with my school schedule. I’ll go back to school next semester and get my masters so I can actually do something with it. You know, like a good paying job that can afford a house and a family and all that. It’s just two years. I called the admissions office.”

You don’t fail to notice how that detail was particularly slipped in because he knows you. It even means more because he’s drunk. “And then I’ll give myself a year to get situated and then I promise, I’ll be ready.”

Your own heart hurts to hear him this way. Even if this is what you’ve wanted, you never wanted it to be like this. You wanted to share the joy with him rather than feel like the bad guy that has been tugging him along from the other side. It’s why you let him go two years ago.

It takes all of Makki’s strength to lean himself closer to you.

“I want to give you what I cannot do .” Small puffs of his breath kiss your face. “I want this. Me. This is what I want for myself.”

He looks at you, straight at you, so that his eyes may speak more than his tongue can procure. Rigid in tone, you understand him clearly. I want this because of you. Only with you. You.

The gravity of his statement pulls tears down your cheeks. Sorrow must be what Makki reads because he speaks without even letting you.

“Don’t say anything.” And he pulls you down on the bed with him. “Let’s not ruin this. Let me have this, for now.”

When Makki wakes, it is 2pm. Sunlight replaces the space you shared last night, keeping it warm despite it being empty. On the nightstand, he finds you left a note.

See me in three years.

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu #hq!! #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu oneshot #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu angst #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x you #haikyuu x y/n #hanamaki takahiro #hanamaki takahiro x reader #hanamaki takahiro x you #hanamaki takahiro fluff #hanamaki takahiro angst #Makki might slightly be ooc #rmb bed talk w/ mattsun that was among my ideas floating in my head? #well it transitioned into this #pillow talk with makki #also still struggling on categorizing my fics #so if y’all want to help a girl out #Spotify

[even-after-a-millennia]

So Much in a Word

This fic is to fill the prompt for @yusufalkaysanibingo​ a different meeting for Joe and Nicky! You can read it below or over on my ao3 account here.

Joe-centric fic with Joe/Nicky | Rated M | ~5.4k words

Yusuf al-Kaysani was fifteen when his future was foretold.

He was in the farmer’s market with his mother, picking up ingredients for a herb mix to help his father’s cough when a hand shot out from between the stalls and clamped down on his arm.  He yelped and spun around to face the person who had grabbed him.

The woman’s face was made of wrinkles but her eyes were clear as she stared at him.  She sighed, her hand gentling on his arm, her thumb rubbing the soft skin near his elbow.

“Poor boy,” she murmured.

“Are you alright?” Yusuf asked, worried for her and for himself.  He could feel the power surrounding the woman.  He glanced at his mother, who was watching the exchange with narrowed eyes, though she didn’t step in.  She could probably feel the importance of this interaction, her own ability to see moments of change flaring.

“My dear one,” the old woman continued, and Yusuf’s attention snapped back to her, “you will live a life blessed with love.  You will find the man who will uplift you and support you no matter the adversity.  And you will bring him ruination.”

Yusuf froze, staring at her.

No.

No, it couldn’t be true.

He couldn’t even focus on the fact that he was destined to love a man, something he had suspected of himself for some time, but that he would be the one to ruin him?

Impossible.

The woman’s hand retracted, but he flung a hand out and clung to her fingers. 

“Please, please take those words back.  I cannot- I will not,” he stuttered, desperate.  

“Oh, habibi,” she murmured, her free hand coming up to stroke his cheek.  “I know.  My gift can be the opposite, and to give such a radiant soul such news is not easy.  Remember my words, Yusuf.  For you are blessed and cursed and only those words will set you free.”

Yusuf blinked, and she was gone.

“Yusuf?” his mother asked, her dark brown eyes full of concern.

“I’m sorry, Mom.  Can I leave you to collect the rest of the ingredients as I go home?” he asked through numb lips.

“Of course, my love.  I’ll be back soon,” she said, pushing him homeward.

He walked home in a daze, but the second his foot crossed the threshold of his home, he snapped to attention.

No.

He would not do it.

Not if he could help it.

And he could.

He went to the family’s workroom and found it blessedly empty.  Going to the table strewn with ingredients, a pestle and mortar, and more books and pieces of parchment than he could easily count, he began pulling materials towards him, going on instinct alone.  He had been practicing magic under his parents’ tutelage since he was a toddler.  He had watched his father create tinctures and weave his ability to heal into charms, had seen his mother make decisions before the moment had arrived, her ability to see changes around her allowing her to avert burns and arguments, save money and receive more.  But he had not only been taught by them, but also by his teachers at school, learning the basics and, more recently, more advanced techniques of everyday magic that didn’t require a special ability to achieve.

While he might not know his ability yet, he knew enough how to make a talisman.  He just hoped it would be enough.

He wove his magic into the strands of the bracelet and put the ingredients he needed into the charm that would hang from it.  While he had seen his father chant incantations as he crafted talismans, he couldn’t bring himself to speak, his heart in his throat.  All he could do was hope, and say in his head, “Please don’t let me hurt him, please don’t let me hurt him, please don’t let me hurt him,” repeatedly.  He knew he was using too much of his magic, darkness starting to creep into the corners of his vision, but he pushed everything that he had into the bracelet.

Even as he faded into the dark, he couldn’t find it in himself to regret his actions.

It was worth it to save him.

His mother returned from the market twenty minutes later to find Yusuf unconscious in the workroom, the completed talisman clutched in his hand.

She sighed, because though she had seen this coming, it was no easier to have her vision actualized.  Prying his hand open, she wrapped the bracelet around his wrist and fastened the clasp.

Yusuf stirred, his eyes blearily looking up at his mother.  His head flopped to the side and he saw the bracelet around his wrist.

He smiled.  It was weak, but it was there, and it broke his mother’s heart.

“I did it,” he whispered triumphantly.

Then he once more fell unconscious.

_________________________________________

Joe was engrossed in his book as the train trundled along the track, rocking him side to side in his seat.  He was soothed by the gentle movement, grateful for it’s relaxing motion.  Friday’s were his longest day on campus, with three different lectures and office hours, and he was exhausted.

He had never seen himself becoming a professor when he was young.  But when he had been prophesied to ruin his soulmate, he threw himself into magical study.  There was so much to learn and he wanted to know all of it, in the off chance that something would be able to change his fate.  It had turned out that he was a quick learner and that he had a knack with teaching others his findings.

He had a way with words.  He could never put his personal power in a better way.  Nothing else pinned down the nuances of how he could use words to pin down a point, educate succinctly, highlight how he was feeling.

But no matter how much he thought of the prophecy that changed his life, he couldn’t find a way to change their meaning.  To change what would happen should he find his soulmate.

So in the meantime, his talisman rested against his pulse point, reassuring him.

Fifteen-year-old Yusuf hadn’t known what he was doing when he had created it, but apparently, he had done it well.  At age thirty-three, he had yet to meet his soulmate.  Or more likely, given the charm, he had and would never know it.

That was the charm's ability.  It blocked him off from his soulmate.  Joe could pass him in the street, their eyes could meet, and they would pass each other as strangers.

It was better that way.

He felt the tug in his chest that sometimes bothered him, letting out an involuntary flinch before he rubbed the area absently as he read on.  The pains had become more frequent as time went on, which he chalked up to his body rejecting the effects of the spell upon him.  It wasn’t natural to work against his soul’s call, but he would rather deal with random pains than the agony of ruining his soulmate.

“Scusa, are you alright?” a quiet voice asked him.

“Hm?” Joe hummed, pulling himself from his book to look at the man who had addressed him.  The man had sandy brown hair and multi-colored eyes Joe couldn’t pinpoint from the distance, with a beauty mark on the right side of his face, near his jawline.  He was looking at Joe with concern.

“Are you alright?  You seemed pained,” the man said again.  He had an accent that Joe thought might come from a romantic language.  Perhaps Italian?

Joe blinked, finally focusing.  “Oh, apologies.  It’s nothing, just a reverb of a spell long ago.  Can’t be helped,” he said with a reassuring smile.

The man frowned.  “Do you like chocolate?” he asked abruptly.

“Yes?” Joe asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I make foods, infused with health and well wishes, if you would have one.  The chocolates are all I have on me at the moment.  It could help relieve your pain,” the man said.  He started rummaging in his bag.

“That’s sweet of you, but I don’t know how efficient they would be on me.  It’s an ongoing issue, you see,” Joe said.  In the past, he had tried many ways to help curb the side effects of his talisman, but none had helped.  He had gotten to the point when he would be irritated with the person offering a seemingly effective cure for his ills.  But for some reason, that irritation wasn’t present now.

How odd.

“Ah.  There is nothing that can be done?” the man asked.  He didn’t have that pitying look on his face that many did when they heard that, just one that was understanding and somewhat resigned.

“I’m afraid not,” Joe said with a little shrug.  “I appreciate the gesture, however.  I’m Yusuf, by the way.  You can call me Joe, if you like.”

“Nicolò, though many of my colleagues call me Nicky,” the man replied.

“Pleasure to meet you, Nicky,” Joe said, reaching across the aisle to hold out a hand.

Nicky shook it and withdrew.

“Is that book good?” Nicky asked, gesturing to the book Joe had been reading.  “I have seen it many times, but not read it myself.”

“I’m enjoying it.  The author has a way of immersing the audience into the book, making you forget your surroundings, as you saw.  I’ve taken to only reading it when seated.  I wonder if that is their ability.  They certainly chose the right profession if so!” Joe said with a laugh.

“I’ll have to pick it up the next time I come across it,” Nicky said.

“I would recommend it.  So what do you do?” Joe asked.

“I run a remedial bakery and restaurant.  There are many who need healing, so I am baking and cooking most of the day to feed those that come to me, as well as sending my goods across the world.  There never seems to be enough time,” he finished quietly, almost to himself.

It was then that Joe noticed the dark circles below Nicky’s eyes.  

“Hey,” Joe said gently, leaning forward and looking Nicky in the eye.  “Every single person you help is one less person who is in pain.  There will be more, but don’t discount the work you have done.  It is enough.”

He could feel his power flowing through him, and saw Nicky blink.

This time, Nicky put a hand on his chest.  He looked down startled.  “What- how did you do that?”

“What is that?” Joe asked.

“I…  It suddenly feels like it is easier to breathe.  How did you do that?”

Joe relaxed.  He had been worried that what he’d said had hurt the man.  “I just used the right words, I guess.  And you seem like the kind of person to carry the hurts of others around with you, long after they are gone.  Was I right?”

Nicky regarded him.  “Have you eaten?” he asked Joe.

“Not yet,” Joe replied, taking his non-answer as an answer.

“Would you like to eat with me?”

Joe smiled, somewhat relieved that he had not offended Nicky with his observation.  “Yes, I would like that.”

He was intrigued by this man, whose heart was pierced by the pain of strangers and whose eyes were the color of a tumultuous ocean.  He could enjoy getting to know him more.

Joe was always ready to make new friends.

They ended up at a Thai restaurant that was close to Joe’s place.

Once they were seated, Nicky turned to Joe.  “I forgot to ask, what is it you do?”

Joe smiled.  “I’m a professor, specializing in the intricacies of magical intent and their outcomes.”

Nicky blinked.  Joe was used to that reaction when he said his profession.  It wasn’t a common one.  In fact, he had been offered so many positions when he had graduated with his doctorate that he had needed to phone his mother for advice on which school to choose.

Having a mother who could see the possibilities of choices had been a blessing throughout the years.

He hadn’t regretted his choice yet.

“I did not know you could get a doctorate in that,” Nicky finally said.

“Well,” Joe said, trying to not appear too proud, but sometimes it was hard to not let himself feel his accomplishments, “before me, no one had.  Not precisely, anyways.”

Nicky blinked again.  Then his slight frown cleared and he gave Joe a small smile.  “That’s very impressive,” he said.

Joe felt himself flush, then cursed at himself for it.  He knew it was, but it was different to hear it from Nicky.

Nicky sat forward, his elbows splayed and hands clasped on the table.  “Tell me more?” he asked.

Joe felt a little stunned at the request.  Usually on the dates he had gone on with people who were fine with casual dating, no soulmates required, they hadn’t been interested in the finer details of what he had spent years, decades at this point of his life, learning and honing.  

He cleared his throat, then began.  He kept talking even as their food arrived and then spoke between bites.  Nicky asked attentive questions, focusing in on details that Joe had glossed over because that would be another ten minute long explanation.  Joe kept checking him for signs that he was bored with what Joe was saying, but Nicky was leaning in, nodding along in places, the corner of his mouth quirking when Joe mentioned some of his failed experiments.  His eyes rarely left Joe’s face and Joe found himself stuttering more as he described his studies to Nicky than he had since his first year of teaching.

“And after this conversation, you could probably get at least a Master’s in the theory of magical intention and conclusions,” Joe said jokingly as he finished.

Nicky hummed, taking a spoonful of his soup with a pensive look on his face.  “I think that I could use some of those principles in my cooking and baking, to expedite the process.  You may have just saved me a lot of effort with that talk, professor,” he said with a smile.

Joe smiled back, trying to cover how flustered he felt.  “Of that, I’m glad.”

They finished eating soon after and Nicky insisted on taking the check.  “I need to pay you for your lecture somehow, sì?” he asked.

Joe laughed.  “I’ll allow it.”

They walked outside, pulling their jackets closer as a cold wind blew down the street.  Joe saw Nicky shiver and found himself asking before he had really thought it through, “Would you like to come back to mine for a cup of coffee?  It’ll warm us up and we could continue talking.”

Nicky looked at Joe and he felt like he was being scrutinized.  This man’s full attention was a powerful thing in itself, let alone his strong shoulders and angular jaw.

He suddenly felt awkward for asking.  There were certain protocols for interacting with other people that were usually based around how much someone cared about saving themselves for their soulmate or not.  There were those who wouldn’t be in a relationship until they felt that connection, the spark of their soul connecting with another.  There were others who didn’t care to wait and didn’t.  And then there was Joe.  Who was deliberately avoiding his soulmate.

But no one but his parents knew what the charm on his wrist was for, so he usually was put into the second category by people who met him.  Which was fair, he’d had casual relationships and flings with people before.  

He wasn’t really asking for anything from Nicky here, though.  He didn’t know how to say that without it becoming more awkward.

“I could drink some coffee,” Nicky said finally.

Joe relaxed.

They walked the blocks to Joe’s small house side by side, their shoulders knocking together here and there.  Their surroundings changed from the small stores and restaurants to a residential area.  They continued on until finally Joe stopped at a wooden gate.

“This one is mine,” he said softly.

He didn’t know why, but he wanted Nicky to like his home.

Joe watched as Nicky looked at the small house with its garden overflowing with plants for ingredients and random nick nacks that he couldn’t help but buy.  The house itself wasn’t big, only one story, with sand colored stone siding.  There were stained glass pieces hanging in the window, catching the rays of the sunset.

“Oh, Joe,” Nicky breathed, looking at it all.  “It’s wonderful.”

Joe felt that same embarrassed pride from before.  He knew that, he did, but it was just.  Different.  Hearing it from Nicky.

Joe waved his hand, unlocking the wards protecting his house, and opened the gate.  “Come on in.”

Nicky stepped through behind Joe and followed him up the path, stopping to look at the windchimes hanging from the roof.  Pieces of sea glass sparkled in the glow of the sun and the chimes rang as another cold breeze rustled past them.

Joe opened his front door and Sable’s black face and yellow-green eyes met him before she ran to her scratching post and began to claw at it to show her joy he was home.

Then his cat saw there was company and froze, then lowered herself to the floor.  

“It’s okay, little one.  This is Nicky,” Joe said, taking off his shoes and gesturing to his companion.  “He’s a friend.”

Sable wasn’t convinced and scooted across the room towards his bedroom.

Joe turned to Nicky.  “Sorry about that.  She has a hard time with newcomers.”

Nicky shrugged.  “I won’t take it personally.  I am in her space, after all.”

Joe smiled at him.  Not everyone handled Sable’s aversion to people as well, and Joe appreciated it.

The coat rack took their jackets and they stood there a moment, Nicky looking around Joe’s home.  Joe didn’t adhere to any particular style, unless comfortable counted.  His couch was overstuffed, with colorful pillows adorning it and soft blankets draped over the back for quick use.  He had many pieces of art hung on the wall, some of which he had done himself.  His desk in the corner of the room was cluttered at best and disorganized at worst.  But altogether, it was his home.

“Alright, coffee,” he said once Nicky had looked his fill.  The hallways had more art, as well as pictures of family and friends, hung on the wall.  Nicky looked at them but didn’t stop as they made their way to the kitchen.

Joe reached into a cabinet and pulled out his Moka pot.  Nicky grinned at him.

“Why do I feel like I just passed some test?” Joe joked.

“You did,” Nicky replied, his eyes sparkling.  “Top marks, professor.”

Joe gestured to one of the chairs, which pulled itself away from the table.  He was glad of the fact he had to turn his back to Nicky to get the coffee going.  His face felt very warm.  “Please, make yourself at home.”

“Thank you,” Nicky said as he sat.  “I wanted to ask, what was your pull to learn more of magical intention?  It seems like such a niche subject, based on what you told me.  There must be a reason.”

Staring at the brewing coffee, Joe contemplated whether it was worth telling Nicky.  He kept the prophecy to himself.  Not even his friends knew the truth behind why he hadn’t found his soulmate yet.  And yet, he found himself opening his mouth.

“Do you remember that spell I said had repercussions to this day?” Joe asked.

“Sì.”

“When I was fifteen,” Joe said, keeping his eyes on the pot, “it was foretold that I would be blessed with love.  And I have been.  My parents have been wonderful and supportive throughout my entire life.  I have many friends who lighten my days, colleagues who make me feel valued, and students who appreciate my work to educate them.”

He sighed.

“I was prophesied to have a soulmate who would be with me through adversity and uplift me through life.  And I would bring him ruination,” he said, his voice going flat and cold at the last sentence.

The house rumbled around them, the floorboards creaking and the windchime growing louder as it shifted more violently.

Joe took a deep breath and let it out and as he did so, the house settled.  It had accepted him as its owner and was therefore connected to him.  When feeling a strong emotion, he could expect some kind of reaction from the house.

Pouring the finished coffee, he brought the cups to the table and set one before Nicky, not looking at him.  

“I went home and created a talisman.  I was fifteen, knowledgeable but not enough.  But I had belief.  And desperation.  So I poured everything I had into creating it, so that I may never hurt him.”  He took a sip of his coffee, much too soon, and grimaced as it burnt his tongue.  

His free hand was clenched with nerves.  Lifting his fist, he showed Nicky his adorned wrist.  “So far, it’s worked.”

Finally, he lifted his head to look at Nicky.

And met eyes filled with tears.

“Joe… you are a very kind man,” Nicky said, his voice rough.

Joe snorted.  “It was a no win situation.  I did what I could.”

“No,” Nicky said, reaching out and placing a hand over Joe’s as it held his cup.  “You succeeded.  At great personal cost.  I assume there were aftereffects?”

Joe hummed in affirmation.  “Random chest pains.  More frequent as time goes on.”  He smiled grimly, his eyes tearing up.  “I think my heart is rejecting being blinded from its companion.  I don’t know how much longer-”  He cut off, already saying too much.  He hadn’t even told his parents what he had just revealed to Nicky.

He had known that there would be repercussions to cutting himself off from his soulmate.

He just hadn’t known at the age of fifteen that he would be slowly killing himself.

“Oh, Joe.”  Nicky stood, and stepped closely to him.  “Can I hold you?” he asked hesitantly.  

At Joe’s nod, Nicky’s arms came around his shoulders and neck, cocooning him.  Joe wrapped his arms around Nicky’s stomach and buried his face into his chest.  Letting out a shaky breath, Joe felt a lot of the stress from this damning secret leak out of him as he melted into Nicky’s embrace.

Nicky pressed his cheek into the curls on the top of Joe’s head, then tilted his head up so they could look at each other.  “I can help.  Maybe my ability could mitigate the effects.  Give you more time.”

Joe considered.  He had surrendered himself to the inevitable, he realized as hope bloomed in his chest.  He could have more time.

“I… I would like to try,” he said.

Nicky smiled, a small and fragile thing.  But Joe found himself answering it with a smile of his own.

He hadn’t felt as safe as he did, protected from the world by Nicky’s arms and body, in a very long time.  Probably since he was fifteen, moments before being grabbed in that marketplace.

Yes, they barely knew each other.  But Joe felt a connection to this man, unlike anything that he had felt before.  And Joe had just laid out his ultimate truth before Nicky and he had met it unflinchingly.  Not only that, but he wanted to help.

As their smiles faded, neither of them looked away.  Nicky’s arms released Joe until his hands were cradling the back of Joe’s neck.  Slowly, Joe rose, his hands lowering from Nicky’s back to his hips.

He leaned in and whispered, “Is this okay?”

“That depends,” Nicky said, and Joe could feel his breath against his lips.  “What is this?”

Joe thought.  “Connection?” he said finally.

“Ah.  Well, then yes.  It is okay,” Nicky murmured, pulling Joe in with the hands on his neck.

Joe’s eyes slid shut the moment that their lips connected.  

At first, it was just a gentle press of lips, hands resting on neck and hips.  Then Nicky tilted his head a bit more to the side and nipped at Joe’s lower lip.  Joe let out a shuddering exhale and leaned further into the kiss.  They languidly explored each other’s mouths as their hands began to wander.  Joe’s hands slid up Nicky’s spine to feel his back muscles move under his hands.

Then Nicky’s hands reached Joe’s ass and he squeezed as he pulled Joe in, pressing their lower bodies together.

Their kiss broke as they both exhaled shakily at the sensation.

“Bedroom?” Joe whispered, wanting to make sure they were on the same page.

Nicky nodded, his nose brushing against Joe’s as he did so.

Joe smiled, taking Nicky’s hand and a step back.  Nicky followed close behind him, a wall of warmth at his back.

There was no sign of Sable as they entered the bedroom, but Joe left the door open in case she needed to exit while he was otherwise preoccupied.  

“Would you sit?” Joe asked Nicky when they reached the bed.

Nicky did, and Joe stepped into the space between his legs.  He caressed Nicky’s cheek, his neck extending as he looked up at Joe.  Joe was unable to resist ducking his head and pressing a kiss against the skin there, just below his beauty mark.  The hum Nicky let out urged him to continue and Joe pressed kiss after kiss into Nicky’s neck.  He reached the taut line of muscle on the right side of his throat and sunk his teeth into it.

Nicky’s hands tightened against his hips and he let out a shaky breath.

Joe released him and stepped away a moment to push Nicky’s legs together, before sitting on his lap.  Nicky met him with a kiss that stole the breath from Joe’s lungs.

He felt Nicky’s fingers fiddle with the hem of his shirt and he regretfully pulled back so that he could be divested of it.  While they were parted, he pulled Nicky’s shirt up and over his head as well.  

Pausing, he took in all the new skin that had been laid bare.

Nicky was strong, but his muscle wasn’t defined like Joe’s was.  Joe enjoyed going to the gym in the mornings after Fajr, whereas Nicky’s strength seemed to come from working in a kitchen, kneading dough and lifting boxes.  A casual strength, rather than a deliberate one.

Joe’s hands slid up Nicky’s arms, over his shoulders, and down his chest.  He could feel Nicky’s hands on his exposed back, feeling his shoulder blades.  Joe pushed gently on Nicky’s chest and he lay back on the bed, Joe following him down until they were pressed together from their lips to their toes.

They tried to keep as much contact as they could while taking off their pants and underwear, which made it somewhat awkward.  After Joe’s elbow found Nicky’s side, making him give out an “oof,” their eyes met and they began to laugh together.

Then there were no clothes between them and the laughter left them.

After, Nicky flopped off the top of Joe and let out a breathless huff.  

“Mother of God, Joe, I think you ruined me,” he groaned.

Joe froze.  “What did you just say?” he demanded, post coital bliss abandoned at the sound of that word.

Nicky cocked his head and repeated, “You rui- oh, Joe, I’m sorry.  That was a horrible choice of words.”

No matter how much he thought of the prophecy that changed his life, he couldn’t find a way to change their meaning.

For you are blessed and cursed and only those words will set you free.

It couldn’t be… could it?

“Nicky,” Joe said urgently.  “When I was told the prophecy, the woman said that only the words would set me free.  I have been trying to think of other meanings behind the words for over half my life.  You don’t think-  I mean, could it?”

Nicky’s eyes were wide as he stared at Joe.

“I, I don’t know.  It would be wonderful if you weren’t to ruin your soulmate in the traditional sense, but who knows what the intent of the prophecy was?”

“Nicolò,” Joe said, raising a hand to caress his cheek.  “You do realize that in this scenario, you would be my soulmate, right?”

Nicky stared at him, then he shot upright, his hand holding Joe’s to his face.  “How could we know?”

“Well…” Joe said, his gaze falling to the wrist with the talisman around it.  It was on the arm that Nicky held, and slowly, Nicky relaxed his hold until their hands lay clasped between them.

“Nicky, if I’m wrong and the word rings true, but you really are my-” Joe couldn’t even finish the sentence, overwhelmed at the implications behind it.

Nicky’s free hand cupped the back of Joe’s neck and pressed their foreheads together.

“Then we will face it together,” he whispered fiercely.  “Whatever may come next.  I’ve been looking for you a long time.  My soul doesn’t wish to be parted from yours any longer.”

Joe’s chest throbbed and he winced.  Nicky must have felt his flinch, because he tightened his grip on Joe, as if by holding him close, he could protect him from any pain.

“My heart, my soul, my very being wants to be with you so badly that it pains me.  But… I’m afraid.  I will not survive being apart from you, Nicky, but I couldn’t if I destroy you either,” Joe admitted.

“Yusuf,” Nicky said, his eyes shining.  He lifted their hands and pressed a kiss to Joe’s knuckles.  “You are worth it.”

Joe’s eyes were so clouded with tears that he had to feel for the clasp of his bracelet.  Nicky’s hand stopped him.

“May I?” he asked.

Joe blinked, and his vision cleared slightly as tears began to roll down his cheeks.  He reached up and pulled Nicky into a slow, soft kiss before he rested his forehead against his.

“A man who will uplift me and support me no matter the adversity,” Joe whispered into the small space between them.  “I could ask for nothing else.”

He felt Nicky let go of his hand, then his fingers against his wrist.

Joe closed his eyes.

Nicky undid the clasp and pulled the bracelet free.

And still, Joe could not open his eyes.

“Whenever you are ready, Yusuf,” Nicky murmured.

Uplifting.  Supporting.  Nicolò.

Joe took in a breath, pulled back from their forehead touch, and opened his eyes.

His breath froze in his lungs.

He had known this man before this moment, he knew that.  He had seen that beauty mark, those eyes, those shoulders.  He had felt Nicky’s skin against his own.  

But it all felt new.

This, this was the moment that stories were made of.  The first contact between soulmates, when the connection snapped into place.  The moment that said that this, this person, was significant.  Vital.  

“Nicolò…” he breathed, reaching out and stopping just before he made contact with his face.  

Nicky closed the last hairsbreadth of space between them and Joe felt an ache in his chest, totally different from that which he had felt when cutting himself off from Nicky.  His soulmate.  It was a feeling of relief, a loosening of a band long wrapped around his chest, until he felt like he had taken deep, filling breath for the first time in eighteen years.

“Hello Yusuf,” Nicky said, smiling at him, his cheek resting in Joe’s palm.

“Hello Nicolò,” Yusuf murmured.  He let his thumb caress the line of Nicky’s cheekbone.  “I have not breathed so easily in nearly twenty years.”

“I’m glad of your relief.”

“I’m glad that it’s you,” Joe countered.  They weren’t arguing, but it needed to be said.  “You, who wanted to help a stranger in pain.  You, who has already uplifted and supported me, before we knew we were connected.  You,” he continued, his voice turning softer but his free hand started to slide up Nicky’s thigh, “whose kiss thrills me and whose body I wish to learn like my own.  I am so blessed, Nicolò, that it is you.”

Their lips met once more and every brush, every touch of their hands, every thrust felt like a revelation.

Like a curse made into a blessing.

Like being set free.

_________________________________________

“Ya Allah!” Joe exclaimed later, shooting upright in bed.   “How am I going to tell my parents how we got around the prophecy?!”

#joe x nicky #kaysanova #the old guard #magic au #soulmates au #fanfic #my fic

[starlight-loki]

The Thin Line Between Life and Death (Loki x Mystic!Reader) -- PART 1

Or, That Time You and Loki Saved the World

Request: is it alright if you do a loki x reader fic where reader's got powers like strange and wields one of the infinity stones and almost dies trying to save everyone? -- requested by anon

Warnings: this is darker than other fics i've written so far: descriptions of nausea, mentions of anxiety, and major character deaths (but not Loki, I promise).

Word Count: 4.8k (hooo weeee man, if I didn't split this into 2 parts it would've been like... over 10k omg)

A/N: For context, please read this headcanon first if you'd like to know a bit more about the reader and Loki's relationship as well as to sort of set the scene for this fic -- otherwise, if you're cool with jumping right in, enjoy! This was so much fun to write :)

Also this doesn't follow the events of Infinity War/Endgame at all; this is sort of... my take on it, I guess you could say?

Everything started going downhill when you began getting visions.

They weren't anything concerning at first, in fact they were almost cryptic, really: manifesting themselves in your dreams in subtle -- almost metaphoric -- ways. First it was simply the colour orange, which then progressed to flashes of amber light at random occasions during the events of your dreams, then it became fire. For a while, fire consumed your dreams nearly every night, burning through cities, forests, and even planets.

The Ancient One had told you from the start that dreams carried messages from your subconscious. They weren't something to be dismissed, even the most simplest elements. They were to be respected, listened to, and were meant to encourage you to shift mentally and emotionally in indescribable ways.

You figured the fire was symbolic for the stress and worry you were feeling, with everything moving so quickly over the last few days.

After all, the threat of Thanos was looming more and more. No longer was he a whispered rumour that was occasionally passed around at dinnertime with the rest of the Avengers. He was an actual threat now, and the Avengers were holding meetings twice a day to try and develop a plan of attack.

He had the power stone. It was only a matter of time before he found the others.

Twenty-four hours before everything changed, a vision came to you differently than all the others.

You were in the kitchen preparing lunch for yourself when your ears began ringing. Whispers filled your mind from the inside and spoke to you in a language you didn't understand, yet chilled you to the bone at the same time. There was a blinding flash of light that nearly paralyzed you, and as you strained to focus your eyes, you noticed a small orange stone materialize in front of you.

The soul stone.

It glided closer and closer to you, and as it did so the whispers grew louder. The lives of thousands flashed before your eyes. Their deaths did, as well. It was showing you the cycle of humanity -- birth, life, death, repeat -- almost taunting you that this seemingly inevitable thing could be controlled.

You gasped, dropped the plate in your hands accidentally. It fell to the floor with an earsplitting crash, and as quickly as the soul stone arrived, it disappeared in a swirl of orange smoke.

Your hands were shaking as you knelt down to collect the bigger pieces of the now-shattered plate. A hand on your back made you flinch in surprise and you instinctively curled closer towards the kitchen cabinets in an attempt to protect yourself.

"It's just me." Loki's soft voice seemed foggy and distant as your brain continued to adjust from the voices and the ringing you had just heard. "Are you hurt?"

You shook your head and sunk to the floor, half in defeat and half in relief that you weren't alone anymore. These visions were growing far too intense for you to handle.

You looked up at Loki, who exchanged an anxious expression with you. His green eyes searched your face, seemingly looking for an explanation of what had just happened to you.

"I saw something," you whispered, absentmindedly gripping the plate shard in your hand tighter. "Loki, I think I saw the soul stone."

His eyes widened as he knelt down beside you and gently pried the glass out of your grip, setting it down out of your reach. He replaced the broken piece in your hand with his own, and you sighed shakily as his thumb gently stroked the top of your hand.

"Did it show you anything?" He asked quietly, and you nodded quickly in response.

"I saw life, death... everything." You felt far removed from you own voice, almost like it didn't belong to you. "It's been happening in dreams too, but I've never seen the stone itself before."

You gazed at Loki, who almost seemed to disappear into his own thoughts at your mention of the visions you saw. You knew all too well about the Tesseract, and the way it had tormented Loki once before. The infinity stones were not gentle to humans, or gods for that matter.

"Do you think this has something to do with Thanos?" You asked, your voice trembling as you whispered. "Do you think maybe he managed to get the soul stone?"

Loki shook his head slowly, but it wasn't without hesitation.

"The soul stone is far away on Vormir. It's guarded heavily. I doubt-"

"Hey, you two okay?"

You glanced up quickly just as Tony stepped into the room. His eyes swept over the mess of a broken plate on the floor before landing on you and Loki, huddled together in the corner of the kitchen as if your lives depended on it.

Tony looked as exhausted as you felt. No one had really slept well in the last few days, but you couldn't imagine what it was like for Tony: he had been staying up until ungodly hours of the morning with Steve, Vision, and Rhodey, trying to formulate a plan of attack.

"Yeah," you shook your head as you tried to clear the last of the visions out of your mind. "Sorry, that was an accident. I'm just... really tired."

Tony gave a perfectly-timed yawn as he knelt down and began to pick up the broken pieces of the plate you dropped.

"I feel ya, kid."

You watched as him and Loki exchanged resigned nods of acknowledgement, and you grabbed Loki's hand before he could step forward to help Tony clean up the mess.

Should I tell him? You asked telepathically. About the soul stone?

Loki gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Not yet. His voice echoed through your mind like the whispers from the soul stone moments ago, bringing you warmth rather than fear. Until we fully understand why these visions are occurring, I believe it would be best to not burden Stark with any more details. It would only cause more problems.

You nodded in agreement as you pushed yourself up onto your feet shakily. You stepped forward to help Tony clean up the mess, only feel your head spin violently. You lurched forward, grabbing onto the counter as you tried to stop yourself from falling.

"Hey, whoa!" Tony sprang up and grabbed your shoulders just as you felt Loki's arms wrap around your waist in an effort to keep you standing. "Easy there, kid. Jesus, are you okay?"

"I feel sick." You mumbled, squeezing your eyes shut in an attempt to keep the room from spinning. Even with two people supporting your weight, you still felt as though you were going to fall over.

"Go sleep, okay?" Tony told you sternly. You made a sound of protest and tried to help him continue cleaning up. Tony shook his head in response.

"Don't worry about this, we'll clean it up." His gaze shifted over to Loki, who still held you tightly. You could feel his hands trembling ever-so-slightly, and you placed your own hand over his weakly as you attempted to silently reassure him that you'd be okay.

"Loki, make sure Y/N gets some rest."

"I will."

Loki scooped you up into his arms in one fluid motion, causing you to wince as spots danced in your vision. You buried your head against his shoulder, squeezing your eyes shut as you tried to hold yourself together.

Has this ever happened to you? You manage to ask Loki telepathically as he set you carefully down on your bed. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of your face before crawling into bed beside you.

Not to this degree, he replied. You couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped your lips as he gently pulled you close, cradling the back of your head. The infinity stones all have variable levels of energy, but I have never dealt with the soul stone before.

Do you mean their frequencies vary depending on their roles?

Precisely.

You sighed defeatedly, troubled by the fact that -- out of all the infinity stones -- the one that boasted power over life and death itself just had to come find you.

You knew mystics seemed to have some sort of connection to the stones, seeing as Stephen knew the time stone and guarded it with his life. You had hoped, though, that if another stone were to find its way somehow to another mystic, it would be Wong, not you.

Loki nudged your chin up ever so slightly with his fingertips, encouraging you to look up at him. He gave you a warm, gentle smile as he caressed your cheek slowly.

"Rest now," he whispered, placing a kiss on your forehead softly. "I will stay with you, I promise."

You nodded halfheartedly in response. Every cell in your being longed for nothing more but rest, yet at the same time you were afraid to close your eyes in case the soul stone was still lurking somewhere in your mind. Waiting for you.

It felt as though you had only just closed your eyes, when the sound of thunder jolted you out of your sleep. You felt weightless as you opened your eyes slowly, taking in the purple hues of clouds above you. As you felt yourself float higher, you realized with a sickening sinking feeling that your body was still in your bed, far away from where you currently were.

Your spirit had separated from your physical body, and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't seem to be able to get back.

You glanced upward as you continued your ascent just as two towering structures came into view at the top of a cliff. The whispers that had filled your mind earlier that day resumed, and you cried out in fear, clutching your head in your hands. It only made them grow stronger.

As flashes of orange began filling your vision, your blood ran cold as you realized where you were.

Somehow, your spirit had found its way to Vormir.

Reaching the top of the cliff, you stepped carefully onto the platform just as a hooded figure glided towards you.

Never before has this stone ever summoned a soul into its presence. A chill ran up your spine as the guardian's voice echoed in your mind, crackling like ice.

Many have sought this stone, but it belongs to no one.

"So why did it bring me here?" You demanded, curling your arms around your middle in an attempt control your nerves. You were vulnerable here. You were powerless without your physical body -- incantations and even the mirror realm would be of no use to you in this state.

The soul stone seems to have taken a certain interest in you. It sees potential... for what is yet to come.

"I don't understand." Your own voice seemed to wrap around you in an endless echo. You instinctively took a step back as your head spun from sensory overload.

You walk the line between the living and the dead, mystic.

"But I'm not the only mystic. There's more out there like me, surely they experienced the same thing? I mean, there's Stephen-"

No. Your breath caught in your throat as the hooded figure raised its head to gaze at you, and your eyes met fiery blood red irises. You turned your gaze to the ground in an attempt to divert your fear and calm your racing heart.

Stephen Strange is already in possession of the time stone, the guardian explained slowly. There are no other mystics who possess the strength -- or courage -- to cross over into the land of the dead.

"But I'm not dead." You protested, ignoring the small voice in the back of your mind that drew your attention back to the fact that you were currently a spirit on another planet, far away from your body. "I... I've been training in the mystic arts for a few years now. Never in my life has anything like this happened. Why now am I suddenly getting visions?"

There is another who seeks the soul stone as we speak, the guardian replied. To your relief, it kept its distance from you. He yearns to own it.

"Thanos," you whispered, feeling a cold chill run up your spine as you spoke his name.

Yes, mystic, the guardian nodded solemnly. However, there are elements of the soul stone that the Titan has not tried to understand. Just like how life and death are two sides of the same coin, so too does the soul stone have another aspect.

You gasped as the soul stone materialized in front of you, hovering level with your line of sight just like when you were in the kitchen back at the Compound. You watched as it began to spin, gradually growing faster and faster, until it split neatly into two halves.

The soul stone embodies both the physical and the spiritual, and thus each aspect is acquired through complete mastery of its respective lesson.

The guardian's words echoed in your mind as you gazed at the fragments of the soul stone curiously. The fear you had felt in connection with your earlier visions was gone now. In its place, all you felt was awe.

As one of the pieces of the soul stone began gliding closer to you, you reached out your hand in an attempt to touch it. It looked so warm, so inviting. You longed to know what it would feel like to hold a piece of ancient power in your hands.

No.

You flinched, glancing at the guarding whose voice boomed in your head. As if to reinforce his words, the shards of the soul stone vanished into thin air.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" You asked quietly. "You said there's a connection between myself and the soul stone, I don't understand."

You must earn it. It does not come willingly to anyone.

"Then I don't want it." You shook your head, taking a step back. "I don't know why any of this is happening, but I want it to stop. I want to go home."

Very well.

The guardian raised his hand, and you felt yourself being pulled backwards slowly, back the way you came.

I offer you a piece of advice, mystic, the voice in your mind echoed out louder than ever. In order to gain the physical shard of the stone, you must lose the one you love. To gain the spirit shard, you must know the path that leads you back to them.

There was a sharp tug around your middle, and you felt your heart freeze in your chest as you began plummeting down the cliff. You squeezed your eyes shut as the wind echoed like a jet plane in your ears.

Remember this, the guardian's voice was distant now. You had to strain to register the words in your mind. The spirit shard cannot be found on Vormir. The fate of the physical shard is being decided as we speak. Use this knowledge wisely, mystic.

An image flashed in your mind of a titan ascending the mountain, towards the top of the cliff upon which your spirit had just stood. You caught a glint of purple, blue, and red flash from his hand.

You gasped, bolting upright as the heavy sensation that accompanied falling back into your body ran through you. You were trembling, drenched in a cold sweat, and you yelped as two hands planted themselves firmly on your shoulders.

"Relax!" Your heart sped up in your chest as you tried to fight off whoever was holding onto you. "Y/N, relax, it's me!"

Loki came into focus in front of you, his eyes never straying from yours as you tried to catch your breath. His hands were steady, but you caught a flash of fear in his eyes as he gazed at you.

"What happened?" He whispered, pulling you into a protective and firm embrace. Your breath caught in your throat as your mind wandered back to the visions that flashed behind your eyes moments before you woke up.

"Thanos." Your voice felt far away, almost foreign to you, as you replied softly. Your trembling hands reached up to pull Loki even closer to you. You were afraid you'd lose control and end up separated from your body again. You didn't want to be alone once more.

"What?"

"Thanos." You repeated again, glancing out the window into the now-darkened sky to make sure you were no longer on Vormir. You couldn't trust yourself. "Loki, I saw him. He's got more stones. He found the Tesseract."

Loki pushed you away, only to wrap his hands firmly around your arms. The fear he had hidden so well moments ago was dancing like fire in his eyes.

"That's impossible," he said slowly, and you weren't sure if those words were for you, or if they were an attempt to convince himself. "You hid the Tesseract yourself, you took it from me and-"

"I know what I did." You snapped. You winced as Loki recoiled away from you ever-so-slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm just... Look, you have to believe me Loki. Please. I was on Vormir, or at least my spirit was. The guardian of the soul stone was there, it spoke to me, I-"

"I believe you." Loki's soft whisper stopped the rambling thoughts that were pouring out of your mouth, and you nearly cried in relief at his words. His expression softened as he took in your torn, distressed expression, and he kissed your forehead softly.

"I believe you." He repeated again, pulling you close.

"We don't have much time." Your voice felt tight in your throat as you spoke. "Right before I woke up, I saw Thanos approaching Vormir. The rest of the stones are on Earth, Loki. I think he's coming here next."

"We need to tell the others."

"Will they know what to do?"

Loki's gaze burned into yours determinedly as he took your hand and helped you up off your bed.

"All we can do is hope."

The two of you raced down the hall, pounding on every door you passed as you tried to wake everyone up at once. Tired groans of protest echoed from within a few rooms, only encouraging you to knock even louder on the Avengers' doors.

"Everyone up!" You exclaimed. You couldn't ignore the way your voice and hands trembled as you made your way down the hall. "Emergency meeting, now!"

The Compound slowly came to life once more as you and Loki reached the end of the hall, and the two of you were met with numerous confused and somewhat alarmed looks.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, effortlessly keeping up with your strides as you made your way to the meeting room.

"Y/N had a vision." Loki explained, taking your hand and giving it a small squeeze in an attempt to comfort you. "Thanos is coming."

"What!?" Bruce's shocked exclamation echoed out from behind you as he jogged to keep up. "We were monitoring his whereabouts, just a few hours ago he was still light years away from Earth looking for the other five infinity stones-"

"Yeah, well, he's managed to get two more," You answered as you sat yourself down in a chair in the meeting room. Loki sat close beside you, resting his knee against yours in a silent gesture, as if to communicate he was right by your side through all of this.

"He's on Vormir as we speak," you continued as everyone took their seats around the table. "He's looking for the soul stone. That's infinity stone number four. He'll be coming for us next."

"How do you know that?" Natasha's question sounded out from the other side of the room.

"There's six stones in total, right?"

Your question earned slow nods from the Avengers sitting around you.

"I saw his glove. He's got the power stone -- as we know -- as well as the reality stone, and now the space stone too."

"The Tesseract was destroyed along with Asgard." Thor remarked, frowning as he took in your words. You looked over at Loki quickly, the two of you exchanging anxious glances, before you looked back at Thor and shook your head.

"The Tesseract was... misplaced." You answered slowly.

Everyone flinched as Thor banged his fist against the table, his gaze immediately shifting away from you as realization burned in his eyes.

"Loki!"

"I assure you brother-"

"I knew it was a bad idea bringing Rock of Ages here onto the team." Tony interrupted pointing an accusatory finger at Loki. Several other Avengers nodded in agreement.

"It wasn't his fault!" You exclaimed loudly. The room felt silent as everyone frowned at you in confusion. "It was mine. I should've destroyed it but I didn't. I just opened a portal and... threw it in."

"Do you know where it went?" Steve asked you.

"At the time, I didn't. I had no idea Thanos was out there looking for the stones at the same time. I just wanted that thing far away from us. It's caused enough trouble, and we didn't need any more."

Loki squeezed your hand and gave you a soft smile as he heard your reply.

"There are two stones left," you continued, glancing around the room worriedly as you thought about the threat of Thanos looming over your team like a dark shadow. "Stephen is guarding the time stone downtown. Assuming he's kept his guard up as usual, he'll be one step ahead of Thanos and he'll already be taking precautions to keep it out of his reach."

You paused, glancing nervously over at Vision. His eyes met yours in understanding, and he gave the slightest nod in acknowledgement.

"The other stone," you continued quietly. "Is right here in this room with us."

A strange humming sound caused a hushed silence to fall over the Compound. You frowned, straining your ears as you tried to listen.

"Does anyone else hear that-"

Tony's question was cut off by an explosion that took out the entire side wall of the Compound. The force of the blast knocked you to the ground, and your ears rang violently as you tried to orient yourself once more with your surroundings.

"This is too easy. Everyone in one room together, how... pathetic."

You glanced up to see Thanos looming over everyone, an already victorious grin on his face as he examined the aftermath of the blast he had caused.

"I would've thought you'd make it more difficult for me."

The stones on Thanos' gauntlet began to glow, and you felt an arm yank you backwards and into their grasp before a ray of purple light blasted throughout the room. You glanced behind you to find Loki, his jaw clenched as he stared in fear towards Thanos, before casting a protective spell over the two of you.

You tried to pull away, to gather up the other members of the team and bring them to safety, but Loki's grip was firm and unrelenting.

"They need help!" You exclaimed in protest. "Everyone's vulnerable, all our defense and weapons are two floors down-"

"You go over there, and you'll get killed." Loki muttered through gritted teeth. "I can't lose you. Stay here."

"But-"

"Stay here!"

Loki trembled as he tried to keep his shield up. Pressing yourself closer to him, you cast the strongest protective spell you knew and placed it overtop of his. Green and gold magic intertwined together, forming a tightly-knit dome over the two of you.

"I think I can get Bruce," you whispered, nodding towards the corner of the room. "He's not very far-"

Your idea was suddenly interrupted as Thanos raised his gauntlet, and the soul stone began to glow.

You watched in horror as every member of your team outside of your protective dome was wrapped in an orange aura, and lifted off the ground.

"No!" You yelled, stumbling forward and pushing your protective spell further outwards in an attempt to save those closest to you. A spark of energy backfired, burning your hands and causing you to stumbled back with a cry of pain.

"I can't get to them," you gasped, glancing at Loki in horror. "I can't get past the soul stone."

Thanos heard your words, and he shifted his gaze in your direction with narrowed eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" You demanded, watching as Steve and Tony, among others, struggled to be released from the titan's invisible grasp.

"Those who play hero only bring more war," Thanos stated, glancing behind your shoulder at Loki and smiling coldly. "I'm putting an end to this child's play, once and for all."

"Let them go!" You yelled, reaching forward in a weak attempt to save your teammates. Your gesture only earned a piteous laugh from the titan.

"You're choosing to play a bold game, mystic." Thanos continued. "By keeping that shield of yours up, you're creating more pain. All you are doing is delaying your death."

"It'll give us more time to plot yours." Loki retorted from behind you with gritted teeth.

"Bold as ever, Asgardian." Thanos smirked. "But not strong enough. Neither of you are."

You glanced desperately over at Tony for any sort of help, but all you exchanged were helpless glances.

"There will be no more heroes," Thanos boomed, raising his gauntlet triumphantly. The soul stone began to glow once more. "No more martyrs. No more humans. Only gods."

"I believe in you, kid." Tony gasped out. "You can do this."

"I can't." You cried out, your heart racing as you glanced between your teammates and Thanos. "I don't know how."

You managed to catch a determined nod from Tony, before a loud snap reverberated through the room, knocking you and Loki backwards.

There was a gust of cold air as Thanos opened a portal with the space stone, smirking victoriously down at the two of you.

"We'll meet again, mystic."

Thanos pulled a now-unconscious Vision towards him with his gauntlet and disappeared, the portal closing as soon as it opened. You lowered your shield to run for your teammates, who were still hovering unconscious in mid-air, only to be stopped by Loki.

"Look."

You watched in horror as, one by one, each member of the Avengers dissolved into ash and vanished before your eyes. Crying out in disbelief, you lowered your protection spell and raced forward before Loki could protest.

"Tony!"

You tried to reach for his hand, to pull him out of the orange aura that held him captive. As soon as your fingers brushed his, he turned to ash immediately.

You sunk to your knees, the sudden silence that fell over the Compound feeling like a graveyard. You heard Loki run towards Thor, calling his name over and over again, before he too fell silent.

You caught his gaze from across the room, and a cold chill shook your insides as his eyes mirrored the same terror you felt inside yourself.

Unable to find the strength to stand, you crawled over to where he sat and buried your face in his shoulder. As soon as Loki's arms wrapped around you, you were unable to stop the sobs that wracked your body. You felt him trembling and realized that he, too, was crying.

"They're all gone." You whispered, your voice distorted through your tears. "Everyone's gone."

Loki didn't reply. Instead, he pulled you closer and ran his hands in small circles upon your back, almost as if he were memorizing the feel of you in his arms.

The sound of your cries echoed out through the Compound and reverberated back towards the two of you, piercing your skin like little knives. You squeezed shut your eyes, hoping that this was all a bad dream and -- when you opened your eyes again -- the Avengers would be right back in this room with you and Loki, ready to formulate a plan of attack.

When you opened your eyes, however, nothing changed.

There was only one infinity stone left.

Everyone was gone, leaving only you and Loki.

Thanos had won.

END OF PART ONE.

Taglist: @startrekkingaroundasgard @delightfulheartdream @justasmisunderstoodasloki @marvels-mischief @k8obr @pastyoverlord265 @lowkeytesss @levylovegood

Taglist for this fic only: @littleredstarfish @treblebeth @taylordani03

#loki x reader #loki x mystic!reader #loki x gender neutral reader #loki imagine #loki laufeyson #mcu loki #the avengers #infinity war #endgame #loki laufeyson imagine #loki x reader headcanon #loki hc #loki headcanon #loki x reader imagine

[starcrossedkaiju]

Kingslayer AU: Chapter 14

This took a bit longer than I thought it would 😀 life kinda said lol to me for a while.

“Augh!” Scott cried out. He breathed in desperately, but his mouth filled with water.

Sitting up and rolling to his side, he coughed out a stream of water. Groaning when he finished. Scott sat up wearily, blocking the sun from his face.

It was warmer than usual. He was sitting in a waist high pool of water, around his shoulders as he was sitting down, which was a warm brown color. Behind him he could hear the roar of the river he had floated in from.

Scott rubbed his eyes and gauged the pain in his bruising shoulder. He felt like something was missing when he noticed.

“Tango?” He called out. A twinge of frantic concern escaped in his voice. Scott turned in every direction, scanning the surroundings for any sign of his friend.

What if they’d been separated in the river? What if his friend had drowned?

His anxiety was at its peak when another person sat up from under the water. Sputtering and flailing about, Tango had been hidden under the murky pond.

Scott fell backwards in surprise, his shock eased when he saw his friend, who looked alright enough. Tango seemed satisfied with the amount of water he discarded, looking up he met Scott’s eyes.

Tango’s eyes widened with relief, he laughed, it looked slightly painful, but he pulled the other into a tight embrace.

“Are you alright?” he pulled back, looking Scott over for any sign of harm.

“I’m fine, uh, except for the shoulder,” Scott replied.

“Oh, yeah,” Tango got to his feet. He held a hand out for the other to take.

Once they had waded to the mucky shore, Tango ordered Scott to enter the trees while he ran to the other side of the pond. Tango hastily did so, looking up and around the area. Scott could see a triumphant expression make it’s way onto his face.

“Come here,” Tango motioned when he got back to Scott, “look,” he pointed skywards.

Scott followed his line of sight up into the sky. Right above the trees, a line of grey smoke floated into the sky.

“What is it?” he asked.

Tango smiled, “The Crastle,” he exclaimed.

After a while of enduring wet socks through a lightly wooded area. The Crastle came into view. It was nearly sundown now, and Scott recognized where they were. Almost dead in front of the castle and it’s moat, the drawbridge was still down. For the sun was not gone yet.

Tango crouched in the last bit of trees, surveying the barren, icy field that housed the humble fort. Deciding they had to go at some point, he told Scott to come. They jogged low through the tall stretches of grass, then hastily across the drawbridge.

Kneeling behind a small decorative wall, Tango went to the door while Scott stayed in place. He knocked on the door politely, but hard enough to provoke any inhabitants to answer.

A few moments passed and a small circle of wood slid out of the door. A peephole, and an eye appeared in it. Tango leaned down to make his identity known, which may have been a stupid thing to do in hindsight. What if a member of Dogwarts had been visiting?

The door swung open. Cleo’s already wide eyes were impossibly wider. Although her face could not go pale, one could imagine that it did.

Quickly, all three rushed inside. The doors and windows were slammed shut and locked.

Without even a hello, Cleo whipped around to face the two fugitives. Hands poised on her hips.

“What on Earth are you two doing here?” she seethed. Her eyes were angry, her teeth gritted.

“We need help,” Tango replied. Putting his hands up in mock surrender.

Scott had never been aquatinted with the girl before. Cleo and her friend Bdubs lived a relatively secluded life in the Crastle together. They did not have to ask to be left alone, both were a force to be reckoned with when under threat.

Soldiers by nature, Cleo and Bdubs defended their small claim to a normal life with everything they could. Scott understood their seclusion. Had he not been doing the same?

“Yeah you do,” Cleo nearly laughed. Tango didn’t look very amused.

“Not funny, Cleo, we both almost died,” he said with a tired frown.

She dropped the mirthful expression. Nodding, “You shouldn’t have come here,” she looked away.

“Cleo. Please,” Tango reached for her thin hand, which was worn and frail looking from accumulating years of war and hardship.

Cleo’s eyes met his in a silent response. Not to his plea, she would never have said no to him.

“A week,” she bargained.

Scott felt like an outsider to their relationship. He knew they had been close for a long time. Then he knew of Cleo’s heartbroken anger towards the man for betraying their alliance. Even if he was pretending. Tango hid his truer feelings under various layers of hostility and irony. Now that they were all in the room together, it was obvious, at least in part, what had been eating away at his friend for the past months.

Back in the cow farm Scott always wondered why Tango made such an effort to help him through his guilt of lying to Jimmy. To Scott, there was no way anyone could understand what he was going through. Now though, he knew Tango was feeling the same way about the Crastle Folk.

“Thank you Cleo,” brightness returned to Tango’s eyes. He shook her hand gratefully.

A smile found its way onto the girl’s face as well. She pat him on the shoulders in place of a hug. They turned back to Scott, who was sat on a chest holding his shoulder.

“We should fix that,” Cleo pointed out the obvious.

After a bit of shuffling around in cabinets and chests, Cleo had started wrapping Scott’s arm in a strap of bandages. She talked about healing it up in no time, a healing potion once a day. Good as new. As long as he kept it in the cast.

She wrapped a piece of fabric around his neck to carry his Arm in, then gave him his first healing potion.

It was silent for a while. The three of them doing random tasks to pass the time, sweeping up the invisible dirt on the floor, examining the titles of a small collection of books on the countertop, and using one had to clean a wound.

A knock at the door halted the peaceful atmosphere. Tango and Scott instinctively found their ways to each others’ side. Suddenly aware of every curtained window.

Cleo quietly approached the door. She slid the peephole open slightly, squinting through. Turning around quickly, she whispered.

“It’s Impulse,” her expression was fearful.

Tango didn’t share her concern. At all. He smiled, going to the door.

“Alone?” he asked.

Cleo nodded.

“Let him in,” he said. Cleo looked at him like he had three heads.

He repeated himself and she hesitated, but she opened the door. Only slightly, so Impulse would only see her. They exchanged unintelligible words before Impulse was granted access to the Crastle.

He looked around. Scott and Tango both waved at him a bit awkwardly. Both of them immediately conscious of how haggard they must look.

Impulse sighed with relief. He put his sword down against the wall and went to meet his friends, pulling the both of the into a hug.

“Are you okay?” he studied each of their faces for any signs of being hurt, save for the now patched wound on Scott’s forehead and his broken shoulder.

“Somehow some way,” Scott muttered, retreating from the embrace.

This was the first time he was clearly able to see the other since their squabble at the desert battle. Impulse looked tired before anything else. Before relief or concern, he was clearly exhausted.

Scott looked away, a knowing part of him said “your fault,” which he made no effort to ignore.

“Impulse, I’m so sorry,” he admitted.

“It isn’t your fault. I’m the one who messed up, super bad. I understand how upset you are,” Scott worried with a strand of hair near the base of his head.

Impulse looked like he was forcing various thoughts off of his tongue, he simply said, “I’m glad you’re okay,” patting Scott on the shoulder.

He shifted his attention back to Tango. Scott backed away from the encounter, sitting on the staircase.

“What do we do now?” Impulse asked him.

Tango made a thoughtful face. His duty returned to him as he contemplated a new plan of action.

“Me and him will leave once it’s safe,” Tango gestured to himself and Scott, “we’ll hightail it to the Northern corner, in the border mountains. It will be safer there. Especially if we go underground,” he said.

Impulse nodded along, he asked, “when are we leaving?”

Tango hesitated, “you aren’t,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Impulse replied as if he’d been slapped.

“We’re going. We’ve been exposed, if I haven’t been as spy then I have as a traitor. Neither of us can stay here; but you can,” Tango said.

“You may have defied the Army at the trial today but you haven’t compromised yourself. Go back there and forget about the damn mission. Take care of him,” he ordered, hands coming to the other’s shoulders.

Impulse frowned deeply; but he nodded.

The moment was over seconds later. Impulse asked if he could stay for a while longer, just in case the Red Army showed up looking for them.

“Where should we stay while we’re here?” Scott asked Cleo.

She looked left in thought, then led them over to a double chest in the corner. It was full of many miscellaneous items. Broken pagers, cups, wood, and coal. Cleo lifted the bottom of the container up. All the contents came with it. They were glued to the surface.

Under the chest was a hole with a ladder. It went down some seven feet into what looked like a dark tunnel.

“Secret Tunnel!” Tango pumped his fist in the air, clearly amused.

Cleo and Impulse laughed along with him, clearly over a joke Scott didn’t understand.

Once everyone had clambered to the bottom of the pit, it became apparent what the “secret tunnel” truly was. There were rows of shelves lining the walls, each was stocked with various canned foods and bags of grain.

“Cleo! Have you been hoarding all the non-perishables on the entire map?” Scott exclaimed once he entered the cellar.

He picked up a can of corn, “How much of this do you have?”

Cleo stifled a laugh, “There’s still plenty being made in the village. It’s not my fault I actually take advantage of their generosity,” she said.

She plucked a can of carrots in gravy from one of the shelves, shaking it in his face. Scott grimaced at the prospect of eating carrots in gravy, but Cleo insisted they were fine heated up.

“So, this is home base, I’m assuming,” Tango said. He probably knew about the cellar already, having lived in the Crastle for a short time.

“Yes. For now. We could have given you the attic, but I wasn’t so sure you’d like to share it with the barn owls,” Cleo joked.

It was comforting that despite the circumstances, the small family-like clique could still be humorous with each other. The smiles of his servermates eased Scott’s racing mind. He leaned against a bare wall and slid to the dusty floor, near a furnace.

“It’s getting late, I need to leave,” Impulse piped up after an engaging back and forth about whether or not barn owls were actually in the attic, and if Tango was actually brave enough to go check.

The weight of a “goodbye” soured the mood immediately. Neither Scott, Tango, or Impulse knew how long it would be until they saw one another again. Nor did they know what unfortunate circumstances may arise while separated.

Tango shook Impulse’s hand, pulling it towards him and smiling reassuringly. Although it looked more like a grimace. Neither said goodbye, only good luck and be safe.

Scott’s heart dropped into the pit of his stomach, but when Impulse turned to him, he hung his head and hugged him; and they just stayed like that for a bit. Impulse ruffed up the other’s hair before pulling away. He shook Scott’s hand as well.

“I’ll be seeing you,” Scott said. Speaking it into existence.

“Soon”, is all Impulse replied before ascending the ladder. Cleo followed him to bid farewell.

The door upstairs shut and locked.

It was going to be a long winter.

#mcyt #mcytblr #3rd life smp #3rdlife #3rdlife smp #scott smajor #tangotek #impulsesv #zombie cleo #kingslayer au #cas types #the crastle #okay 👍

[wintrcaptn]

It’s You | Chris Evans 🖤

Summary : moving to a new place, not knowing a single person, wasn’t what you had in mind. But wanting a fresh start was the main goal. Little did you know, you were now living next door to none other than Chris Evans.

A/N : I had this dream and thought it would be fun to write a little story off of it. It’s cheesy and I honestly don’t even know if he has neighbors where he lives but oh well. Hope this makes you somewhat happy during these crazy times! Please be safe and don’t forget, wash your hands! (:

The house next door to Chris had been vacant for quite some time and he honestly didn’t even know it had sold.

Until now.

“Dammit.” You groaned to yourself as your books broke through the bottom of the box, falling to the ground.

All you could do was look up and let out a sigh. From driving all night, you were exhausted, stressed and beyond annoyed.

Chris had just finished changing his shirt when he heard the loud ruckus that came from outside, quickly catching his attention.

He watched you for a quick moment before Dodger snapped him back to reality after he bumped into his leg.

“Hey buddy.” He muttered, glancing back at you through the window.

You were struggle to push the broken box to your door. To get it out of the way.

Chris couldn’t help but feel bad. Without a moment to process what he was about to do, he started toward the door, making his way over to you.

It didn’t take long for him to walk over due to being literal next door neighbors. But finally getting to see you clearer he was captivated. Drawn into you for a reason he wasn’t sure as to why.

“Um hey, need some extra hands?”

The voice came from behind you, startling you. “Shit!” You exclaimed, holding your chest with your hand. “You scared me!”

You cut the word short once your eyes met his, suddenly, you were at loss for words.

“I—I’m so sorry.” He muttered. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I was—“ he stopped when he noticed your expression, one he has seen too many times on fans faces.

He didn’t mind really, but sometimes he wished he wasn’t so recognizable.

“You seemed like you needed a hand.” He flashed a smirk.

Swallowing hard, toy forced yourself to snap out of whatever the hell you were lost in. Which was harder than you thought.

“T-Thank you. But I’m okay.” You managed to get out. “I’m Y/N by the way.”

Chris’ lips curved at the edges, forming a soft smile. “Chris. It’s nice to meet you.”

As if you didn’t know who he was.

You tried to collect yourself and return back to moving the box full of books. But unfortunately, it was useless. With it falling apart and the weight of it all, you were having a hard time.

“Are you sure you don’t want any help?” He asked, his hands deep in his front pockets. “It kind of looks like you’re struggling.”

“Struggle is my middle name.”

Immediately, you winced are how horrible that joke was, which only created Chris to chuckle.

You knew having help would make things a lot easier, but you didn’t want to come off as creepy, mainly because you knew you’d probably stare too much or say the wrong things. It’s not everyday you move next door to your celebrity crush.

This whole thing felt like a fan fiction. Which you read from time to time whenever you got tired of the real world.

So it was hard to look him in the eyes and pretend to be cool about the fact that he was your neighbor. Of all people.

“I really am ok—“ before you could finish your sentence, the books fell through the box once again, but this time, one of them landed on your foot.

“Shit!!” You grunted.

Chris strode over to you in an instant, and helped you set the box down.

His hand grazed against yours, and for a moment, you forgot about the pain. Until you shifted in your stance.

“Damn, that’s going to leave a bruise.” You hissed.

Chris couldn’t help but start to laugh. As hard as he tried to hold it in, he couldn’t control it. Before you knew it, you were both standing in your driveway, laughing.

“Great way to break the ice, right?” You cackled.

“Definitely. One hell of a way to meet your neighbor.” He said with a cheeky grin.

You let out a soft sigh, and finally caved. Nothing could be worse than that right? Besides, you’ll be too busy walking back and forth, there won’t be time to talk or embarrass yourself even more for that matter.

“So about that extra hand?”

He nodded and went straight for the box you unsuccessfully moved.

“Where would you like me to put these?” He asked.

“Um anywhere is fine. Thank you.”

He flashed yet another smile and made his way inside, and suddenly you let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding.

‘Holy shit. Chris Evans is my fucking neighbor?!’ You thought you yourself. ‘Okay, be cool Y/N. Don’t be weird.’

As time went on, you were both going back and forth, transferring the boxes into the house. You shared a few glances here and there, and when you would catch each other’s eyes, you couldn’t help but grow bashful and quickly look away.

Feeling like a teenage girl all over again.

Chris on the other hand, he was amused by the way he made you fluster. It was something he was used to experiencing with some fans he encountered, but there was something different when you did it.

After a while, you had small conversations here and there. It started with talking about the weather, then turned into something a little more intimate.

He had asked you about your life, your hobbies, your dreams. And the way you talked about the thing a you loved, he was somehow drawn in even more.

You were funny, and not just in a typical way. It was the one where the laughter rolls up in your chest and bursts out without any restraint.

Talking to him, it almost felt effortless. The words kept slipping through and fell into place. You managed not to screw up.

“I had no idea people still liked the Backstreet Boys.” He chuckled, pointing to your shirt.

“Hey, dont hate on my boys. They have been with me through a lot of relationships and heart breaks.”

He chuckled once again, leaning against your truck, he arms crossed over his chest.

You couldn’t help but get lost in those damn beautiful blue eyes, that you didn’t realize you had unloaded all of the boxes.

“Oh damn, we did it.” You smiled, feeling relieved to have that part done with. “And now all that’s left to do is unpack those damn boxes.”

“But that’s the best part.” He said. “You get to set up everything the way you like and reminisce on all the random crap you find.”

“That’s true. But I’m too sober to get into that mess.” You chuckled.

He knew he should call it a day and let you be, but he wasn’t ready to say bye just yet. He wasn’t ready to walk away.

“Well, let’s crack open some beers and maybe order some pizza while we’re at it.”

You were taken aback by his words, you weren’t sure if you actually heard him right.

“Wait, what?”

“Come on, I’ve helped you this long. Might as well help you finish.”

You snorted and chuckled at the same time, shaking your head.

“What’s so funny?” He asked.

“I’m sorry, I just have a very dirty mind, and well—“

He paused for a moment before putting two and two together and laughing along with you. “I mean, you could at least take me out on a first date before hitting on me.” He winked.

In that moment, you swore you felt your knees wobble and your breath hitch to the back of your throat.

‘Did he just flirt with me?’

“Trust me, you’d know if I were hitting on you. I’d use some of my famous pick up lines.” You said, feeling a tad confident in that moment. “And besides, I don’t think you could handle me anyway.”

Things were intense between you two. Tension so thick, you could cut it with a knife. But after a long moment of locking his gaze on you, Chris cleared his throat and laughed it off.

“I have some beers at my place I can bring over, and I could order us some food.”

You shook your head no and pulled your phone out of your back pocket. “You literally saved my ass today, the least I could do is buy you food. Pay you for your service or whatever.”

A smirk formed on his lips, “are you calling me a hooker?”

“What? No! I wasn’t! I was just—no. I’m sorry if—“

Chris could see the panic in your eyes and stopped you before you rambled on. “Hey, it’s okay! I was kidding!” He cackled. “I know what you meant. Don’t worry.”

Letting out a sigh, you could feel heat begin to radiate off your body. This is what true embarrassment felt like. Something you were definitely used to since all you ever do is make a fool of yourself.

“I’ll be back. I’m gonna check up on my dog and grab some beer for us.” He said. “Then we can get started on unpacking all of your dark secrets.”

Before you could say anything, he turned on his heels and walked back to his house, leaving you to yourself.

“So much for focusing on myself. How the hell am I suppose to focus when he is my freakin neighbor?!” You mumbled to yourself. Walking back to your house.

Chris was immediately greeted by Dodger the second he opened the door, and his brother Scott who was staying with him for a bit.

“Who’s that?” He asked, pointing out the window. “Because she’s cute.”

“Her name is Y/N. She just moved in—obviously. And please don’t start.”

Scott presses his hands to his chest, pretending to be offended. “Start what? I’m just innocently asking who she is. That’s all.”

“Scott, there’s nothing innocent about you.”

His little brother chuckled and shrugged. “You have a point.”

“Well if you’re done, I am going to grab some drinks and head back to her place.”

“Oh? You two are drinking together already?! Christopher! At least take the girl out on a proper date.”

Chris rolled his eyes as he made his way over to his kitchen. This wasn’t something he wanted to get into at that moment. Especially with his brother.

But he knew he wouldn’t let it go. That wasn’t in his nature.

“She seems like she needs a friend, that’s it.” Chris muttered. “Now let’s drop this okay? Besides, I am in no rush to get into another relationship. I am doing just fine with the way things are.”

Scott pursed his lips, not believing a single word his brother said, but he wasn’t going to push it. “Whatever you say, bro. Just don’t run to me when you start catching feelings, okay?”

“I won’t. Don’t worry.” He chuckled, as he grabbed a six pack of beer from his fridge. “I’ll just be next door, if you need anything.”

“Mhmm.”

As he started back to your place, he kept mumbling to himself, that this was purely platonic. This can’t turn into anything, it just can’t.

And for the most part, he truly believed he had nothing to worry about. But as months come and gone, and you two grew closer each day....

He soon realized just how wrong he was.

——

Chapter Two

#i was bored #im sorry if this sucked #but i think im going to make another part #marvel #chris evans #steve rogers #marveledit #marvel imagine #the avengers #marvel fanfiction #mcu #chris evans x reader #chris evans imagine #cevans #andy barber #chris evans x female reader #fanfiction #imagines #fanfic

[mittensmorgul]

This is random sorry so you can ignore but, me out here mcThinking about how in beginning of s15 Sam shot cas on accident. And cas’ grace was failing, and they just :,) never did anything with that. Oh that coulda be so fun the drama of it all

Hi hi! I’m gonna start this out with a bit of a tangent to what I’m currently watching-- 10.18, Book of the Damned. Because this was the episode where Metatron taunts Cas with humanity, basically. “Don’t you miss this?” meaning the purely human enjoyment of food in this specific case, but Metatron opens it up more broadly--

Metatron: Oh em me. Food, glorious food. All the countless descriptions in so many books, but those were just words. The taste, I mean the actual taste -- I had no idea. And the process, comes in here, and comes out here. Sorcery. I mean you used to be human, don't you miss all this?

Castiel: No. I don't miss digestion, I don't miss indigestion.

Metatron: No-no not that. I mean don't you miss the feeling of all this; the taste of these waffles, the sound of a child's laughter. Look at us, we're a couple of angels who have touched not only the divine, but the mundane. You and I have a lot in common.

He was framing it under the same banner that Lucifer once did-- the “we have so much in common, we should be friends,” or at least allies. Except Cas couldn’t make that choice, because this entire mission was about getting his original grace back so he wouldn’t keep dying from the toxic stolen grace he felt he had no other choice but to take back. Cas DID canonically miss these human things, but he didn’t think they were an option for him, because he felt a duty to save the things he loved, and couldn’t do that without being an angel.

But we know that even his original grace was never the full grace that he’d originally lost. He was never back at full power again, and this plagued him for the rest of canon, being unable to bring several people back from the dead, most especially Mary in s14. If he could’ve, he would’ve, but his angelic powers were not enough to spare anyone he loved.

But the sacrifice of his entire self was enough to save Jack, which made everything else possible.

I digress, though, because we’ve followed this “I want to live!” from Cas since 9.06, and the unanswered question of “but as what, an angel or a man?” And his repeatedly choosing angel because he needed to be prepared, needed to be ready to fight, to do what nobody else could to save the people he’d chosen as his family, his loved ones. But it was never framed as what he would CHOOSE for himself if he was sure that the universe was finally free from cosmic meddling.

But back to your original question... They did carry this thread for a good bit of s15. 15.06, and his speech to the stunned djinn-sheriff shooting him in the chest several times as he closed on him and killed him, combined with the difficulty he had healing the boy’s sprained ankle (not even a terribly serious injury, but it took it out of Cas and left him visibly exhausted). At which point he knew he had to get back in the game, and couldn’t just indulge the fantasy of fishing, you know? And how much have we collectively written about THAT as a metaphor for humanity, of peaceful relaxation, since 4.20 and Dean’s dream that Cas entered?

So once more unto the breach for Cas, because the people he couldn’t help but love needed him. Like the narrative was saying he couldn’t have BOTH of these things at the same time... like it’s been saying about Dean and Sam both for years... literally since the pilot episode. They could never have the balance, because Chuck wouldn’t allow it. He’d keep forcing this choice on them to sacrifice themselves and their actual wants over and over again.

In addition to that, since 14.08 he’s had the additional anvil hanging over him of his deal with the empty. He literally COULD NOT choose his own happiness, because the moment he did the Empty would claim him. He’s known since making that deal that he’d effectively sacrificed any potential for his own happiness (and unbeknownst to him, also sacrificed any potential for DEAN’s happiness, because these idiots just have not allowed themselves to believe they might actually feel exactly the same way about each other all along), and was living ENTIRELY for duty. Considering the Empty is the world’s most painful depression metaphor, this... we truly expected this entire scenario to be resolved clearly in the finale. And for Cas to make one final stand against the blackness that had swallowed him up after his moment of True Happiness at admitting who he loves and what he wants, and thinking he could never have it.

So like... yeah, this would’ve been the logical through-course for this entire thread, if the finale had just not... done... whatever it was it did instead.

#spn 15.01 #spn 15.20 #spn 15.06 #spn 15.09 #for the purgatory confession and cas stopping dean from actually saying what he wanted to at the end of it #spn 15.17 #spn 15.18 #castiel winchester #destiel #we could've had narrative sensibility but no... #you learned it from the goats #which is my cas vs humanity tag #Anonymous

[morkofday]

pingxie thoughts (and prayers) pt. 1

i’m trying to make a series of my random thoughts on ultimate note pingxie (i might go to other versions too but who knows when). idk if this fandom really needs my two cents but here yall go either way. at least i get my screams out of my chest. (apologizing if my english breaks bc of my feels, this really isn’t my first language) 

The Jacket Scene 

This is about the scene where Xiaoge, Pangzi and Panzi discover Wu Laosi’s body with Wu Xie’s coat covering it and what happens before, during and after that scene. I had some thoughts on how this one moment connects the things that happened in the previous episodes, and what Pingxie seems like after this very small but significant ordeal. (placing under cut bc this is long. with some pics!)

The thing is, with this whole drama, that we’ve rarely seen the worried side of Xiaoge before this. We have seen him coming in and sweeping Wu Xie off of his feet and rescuing him from whatever situation the boy has put himself into but we rarely see his worry. And throughout Ultimate Note, we finally see a lot of that. (this post by @jockvillagersonly​ already talks about the snake egg scene and all the worry so I guess I don’t have to get into detail here.) But, ever since the beginning of this, ever since Xiaoge once again sweeps Wu Xie right off of his feet (figuratively) in Golmud Sanatorium, he shows a lot of concern towards Wu Xie. Though he gets it out in varying ways but. Let’s not blame him for that, shall we? 

First of all, he doesn’t want to rope Wu Xie into coming with them on this journey; he very blatantly wishes Wu Xie to turn back and leave. It sounds a bit rude and Wu Xie reads very wrongly into it. It’s just that Xiaoge doesn’t want Wu Xie to get hurt on yet another journey. He just wants Wu Xie to be safe and where does that lead him? Into worrying.

So, what gives us this jacket scene in the end is that even if Xiaoge holds very tightly onto his feelings and doesn’t talk about them or, god forbid, show them (especially to Wu Xie if they’re related to him), other ppl are still very much aware (e.g. Hei Xiazi, A-Ning and Pangzi). Example: When A-Ning talks with Wu Xie about him joining this expedition, she states that she doesn’t care about Wu Xie’s life but Xiaoge does (which,,, Wu Xie looks flabbergasted. Poor soul). She sees what Wu Xie, unfortunately and infuriatingly, does not. He understands Xiaoge’s silent and somehow reluctant care. 

All of this then means that when Wu Xie’s team goes missing as they explore the shipwreck (or they just can’t contact ppl with their radios anymore bc of reasons), Xiaoge is absolutely losing his shit. He is already doing this before that (cue the scene with Hei Xiazi a lot earlier, in the pic above) but this is his last straw. He flees the camp to go look for Wu Xie, all his deals be damned. He might look cool and composed while doing this but his eyes are very telling. He is losing his fucking mind and no normal guy stands in his way (Wu Laosi being the one in his way is somehow so ironic in the light of what’s about to happen).

Then Pangzi and Panzi walk in, taking Xiaoge with them. And I find it so very amazing that Pangzi is able to see right through Xiaoge. But this knowledge is comfortable, caring. Pangzi might speak about Xiaoge’s worry in a teasing way but it’s how he goes at these things. And with Pangzi, Xiaoge can show his worry (even if he’s being emo about it and sucks it in like the cool guy he is bc… idk my dudes, maybe for the same reason he doesn’t even look at Wu Xie when he gives him that compass in the desert, boy has problems ok). He’s safe with Pangzi who doesn’t force Xiaoge into admitting his feelings but shows him how ridiculous he’s being bc of course they can worry about Wu Xie. They’re all worried about Wu Xie.

Then, after all the wandering in Devil’s City, they finally get to the shipwreck and there’s a camp but! Surprise! It’s full of corpses. Killed by corpse bugs. And then we see Wu Laosi (A-Ning’s right-hand man? I think?) wearing Wu Xie’s jacket. Xiaoge spots the jacket like a blood hound, drawn to it in an instant. And we as viewers know that it’s not Wu Xie laying there, that he’s long gone and having a not-so-fun adventure through the Devil’s City with A-Ning, but our guys do not. Xiaoge does not. We can see how his face freezes as he notices the body and then goes to look at it. He doesn’t even touch it, he just stares. Pangzi has to pull the jacket off of the body bc Xiaoge is too shocked to move.

And maybe he does know that it’s not Wu Xie (like he lets Pangzi think later bc he’s Cool and Collected) bc he’s just so accustomed to that body but. For a second he really does believe. And if we think about him earlier, when he was saving Wu Xie from the desert, his first words for Wu Xie who regains his consciousness were, “Sorry, I was late.” Bc he wasn’t there early enough to prevent Wu Xie from collapsing and being in pain. He wasn’t there early enough to keep Wu Xie from harm. And at this moment here, Xiaoge comes to remember that perhaps, comes to think about how he might actually be late one day. He thinks about it so intensely and it makes him so frustrated that he just furiously slices that stray corpse bug into half with his sword (even if it has no point when Pangzi and Panzi already have their knives out and ready to go). He’s just so mad about the thought of someone or something harming Wu Xie and him not being there to prevent it that Xiaoge, our Poker Face, has a temper tantrum. What a day this has been for him. Might consider other emotions after a couple more years, it’s becoming exhausting and I feel him on that. 

But then this just leads us to the overwhelming protectiveness we see during their journey in the jungle before they get to the Heavenly Queen Mother’s Palace (and Xiaoge goes to the jade meteorite and forgets everything but let’s stay in this happy-ish place still). We see him attending to every tiny movement of Wu Xie. He’s there to steady Wu Xie when he stumbles, he’s there to keep branches off of his face, helps him to cut down damn vines. There’s that egg removal scene with overwhelming fear. There’s the snake repelling mud and them sleeping in that tent. There’s Xiaoge catching Wu Xie from mid air more than once. He just... pours over, in a sense. Suddenly, he’s come to face the mortality of this boy he travels with and he’s painfully aware that he is the reason why Wu Xie is there in the first place. Wu Xie even states it himself when he’s yelling at Pangzi about lying to him when he said he was going to Beijing. Wu Xie says he’s the only one who’s in Devil’s City and on this journey just for his own accord (and at this moment, Xiaoge knows it also means he’s the reason bc Wu Xie has promised him things). 

It’s a horrible thing to know for Xiaoge. And I think this jacket scene just brings out all of that, reminds Xiaoge of why he didn’t want Wu Xie here in the first place but had to accept his involvement still. Reminds him of what he can still try to prevent as he was given this chance. Wu Xie really becomes his first priority here, and it shows up even starker in the way he puts Wu Xie’s survival over his own mission while working with Chen Wenjin. He outright refuses to do things before Wu Xie is safe. He somehow accepts, silently determined as he is, that there’s no other option for him anymore. He’s stuck with Wu Xie as strongly as Wu Xie has stated that he’s stuck with him. And sometimes I just wonder how many times Xiaoge must’ve seen nightmares of Wu Xie dying, especially after the scare this one simple jacket gave him. How many times he blamed himself for those. How many more times he wanted to apologize for being late (bc maybe one day he would have to tell that to Wu Xie’s corpse).   

#ultimate note #dmbj #pingxie #wu xie #xiaoge #zhang qiling #pingxiethoughtsandprayers #yeah idk what to do with this #this scene just leaves me breathless #bc wow a way to fuck us all up #bc as soon as i saw wx throw that jacket i knew #it was gonna be a thing #and the journey that is zql's face #in every scene before they find wx #also the parallel with the desert scene #where wx isn't in such grave danger #and then xiaoge comes to him #bc of course he does #and his first thought is to apologize for being late #bc he can tell that to wx now #wx is still alive he can be sorry about getting him hurt #bc he blames himself ofc #but then this scene happens??? #as soon as xiaoge lets wx go alone #and he must be blaming himself again #he's ready to murder someone bc of this fear #he's ready to just yell and he's trying to hold it in #it's breaking me #and wx never learns about this bc ofc #that's how pingxie works yall

[lulaypp]

Snow Turned Avalanche And Maybe Something Worse - Alternate Chapter 3

-

Read The Full Fanfiction

A/N: This was my original idea for the chapter three that I scraped due to story flow. But i liked it a lot and it has Damian so I am throwing it here. Have fun <3

Oh. And I have a small bit where Damian calls Jason 'Bhai'. If I'm not mistaken, it is brother in urdu and I have a headcanon that that is what Damian calls Jason. Sorry if that causes any confusion or inconvinience.

Warnings for: Non-Graphic Referenced Torture, Light Mentions of Injuries and Bits of Flashbacks

--

There was something wrapped around his left hand and rubbing against his knuckles. It was a comforting, even if a bit odd, sensation to wake up to, the lulling strokes almost pulling him back under. However, a hissing sound and constant beeping didn't allow it. They were loud. And with it came the pain from seemingly everywhere. His chest most prominently, as it twinge with every breath, and his head and leg tied at second.

"Jason? Are you awake?" Deep. Warm. Bruce.

Turning to his left, Jason peeled open his eyes slightly to see the blurry figure of his father beside him.

"How are you feeling, lad?"

Horrible, he wanted to reply. But it came out weak and incoherent around the mask still covering his mouth, so he merely shook his head, fumbling to hold the fingers around his. The world around him cleared slightly and he could see the Cave's med bay around them.

"I'm sorry. We couldn't figure out what works for you. Your body seemed to override any painkillers we tried."

"'s fine..." he forced out. "Used to it."

A knit of a frown creased his father's brows. "...What do you mean?" He sounded hesitant, concerned.

Jason couldn't find the energy to shrug. "Pain... Used to it. 'nerally sleep i' off... Works fine..."

Bruce's lips were pressed in a firm line before a the man sighed. "Why didn't you call for back up?" Jason's confusion must have shown as he added, "When you tackled Avalanche's gang alone last week. You only used the beacon." 'Which are meant for emergencies'

It all flashed through his mind. Jumping into a dark factory. Trying to collect any information he could find on the gang. Finding out that it was actually a trap. Attempting to take down as many henchmen as possible while trying to escape. Something swinging repeatedly into his head. Waking up to total darkness. The crowbar. The knife. The stun gun. The water.

Jason closed his eyes against the tiding memories, the hand around his squeezing when the heart monitor echoed his racing heart. He squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in a breath, the sound loud around the mask supplying him with oxygen.

He distantly heard Bruce talking, half-yelling, over the screeching of the crowbar and the constant splash of water.

Despite the sharp pain searing his chest, he forcefully slowed down and evened out his breathing, counting seconds in his head, until he could feel something gently running through his hair and the voice grew clearer. He suddenly felt drained as he opened his eyes again to meet Bruce's.

"You're back with me, Jaylad?"

Moving felt like too much work but he slowly nodded, lingering panic still fluttering in his chest, evident by the brisked-paced beeps of the heart monitor. The throb in his leg felt more prominent than before, the memory of the crowbar smashing into it echoing throughout the probably-broken bone.

Remembering Bruce question, he did his best to say, "Ambushed. Didn't have time," but it came out muffled and weak.

But Bruce seemed to have understood, a slight relief settling in his eyes. "But you know that we would come to help if you call us, right?"

Jason hesitated. He... knew. Rationally. He rationally knew that his family would and he even had past experiences to back it up. But a haunting, looming shadow would always hiss and whisper that they might not. Maybe this one time they decided to just abandon him. To leave him behind. He also knew why Bruce was asking him that. "You came," he had said in his momentary moment of weakness, his mind still scattered and vulnerable. And scared.

He nodded again, resisting the urge to shift slightly in an attempt to press harder against the hand in his hair.

"Know that," Bruce reaffirmed. "We would always try our best. We had tried to locate you as soon as Cass arrived at the factory and told us that you were missing. And you we couldn't find you for four hours, Jay."

The world grew fuzzy but Jason clamp it all down. He had assumed that it had been some hours, but actually knowing, getting a confirmation, that he was caught for that long...

"We were so worried. And by the time we managed to get you here, you weren't breathing. I nearly lost you." Again.

Ignoring the pain in his wrist, Jason moved his hand to hold Bruce's, hoping to assure his father. To tell his dad that he was still here, that his dad hadn't lost him again.

He whined softly when Bruce's fingers disappeared from his hair and saw that the man was looking at the other side of the room.

"Is he awake?" a quiet, young voice suddenly asked hesitantly. Damian?

"He is," Bruce replied. "Come here."

Jason did the tedious work of turning to the right and sure enough, there was his youngest brother, settling himself between the bed and a chair. He didn't try speaking, knowing that sounds didn't seem to come out as he wanted them to and he didn't want to make Damian felt like he was weaker than he actually was. So he mouthed a silent "Hey, Baby Bat."

The perpetual scowl lessen slightly and Damian spoke with a nod, "Todd." For a moment, he fidgets ever so slightly, a mist of hesitance and uncertainty crossing over his eyes. "...You seem better." Are you alright?

Jason gave a slight nod. He... would be alright. A lot pained maybe, but he had worst, he'll live. Damian didn't seem to believe him and he honestly would have rolled his eyes if his energy wasn't so sparse right now.

Damian's eyes flickered up, to Bruce probably, before going back down to him, still uncertain.

Jason remembered then that Damian had been there with Bruce and Cass when he was saved. And if Jason had... apparently stopped breathing on the way back... that meant Damian was there...

He internally cursed. No wonder the kid was acting this way. Damian had to see his elder brother nearly die. Despite knowing that he has no control over the situation, Jason felt a sinking sense of guilt. The kid had seen enough deaths and near-deaths situations in his life.

Dick once told Jason that, whenever Damian gets worried over someone, he gets comfort from being able to take care and cuddle with said person and stay with them. Jason had found that funny because it sounded like a fusion of Bruce and Dick. Right now he was just happy that Dick liked to share random sibling facts.

He twitched his right hand to pat on the matress.

Damian seemed momentarily confused, but years spent around Dick had probably familiarised him with the silent gesture, as he frowned. "You're hurt." I'll hurt you even more if I do that.

This time Jason did rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No, you won't," he mouthed.

"But I don't need..."

"I want to," he retorted, even though he honestly didn't but there wasn't any harm in both, the lie and a cuddle. "Please?"

Damian glanced up to their father again, probably to make sure that Jason wouldn't die just because of a mere cuddle (and everyone said that he was always being dramatic) before he shuffled closer and onto the bed. Once he had pressed close, Jason moved his head to press against Damian's, who, much to Jason's delight, gingerly started to card his fingers through his hair.

Just when he felt his eyes getting heavier, the weight around his left hand disappeared and he couldn't stop the whine from leaving as he saw Bruce getting up.

"Get some rest, Jay." Bruce seemed to hesitate for a moment before pressing a kiss into Jason's hair.

"Don't go," Jason tried to say.

"I'm sorry, lad. I need to go and check on your siblings, alright? I'll be back as soon as I can."

He could only watch and Bruce left the room before the body pressed against him shifted to sit up slightly, one hand still stroking his bangs. "Father's right, Todd. You need to rest if you were to get better."

He turned his tired eyes to meet the greens. "Brat."

Damian's mouth quirked up ever so slightly but a scowl was pressed against it. Before a glitter of mischief sparkled in his eyes. "You're like a cat."

Raising an eyebrow was exhausting, but Jason did it anyway.

"You like it when someone strokes your hair, you can be dramatic, your hair have two colours, and you are always causing trouble or throwing yourself into one."

He would have scoffed if he had the energy to. He felt himself more of a hyena most of the time; scavangers, said to be horrendous whether or not they are; and tried to tell Damian so.

"Hyenas are rather close to cats. And striped hyenas do share a lot of similarities with cats, behaviour-wise. So you can be a striped hyena, it would go with your hair. And how people always think that you are a heartless lunatic."

Jason listened to his youngest brother talk; about hyenas and the few different kinds, how they are always labelled as canine by the public despite the fact that they are not, the simmilarities they have with cats and Jason; until he eventually his eyes closed.

"Rest well, bhai." I'm glad to know that you are alright.

#Fanfiction #Batfam #Jason todd #Red hood #Bruce wayne #Batman #Damian wayne #Robin #Hurt/comfort #Deleted scene #Alternate chapter/scene

[buglife]

Bend and Not Break - Ch 5: Epilogue - Hands Down

Read here on AO3 :3

As much as Quirrel enjoyed having a ‘break’, it was starting to get on his nerves.

Ever since he woke up from his pseudo coma two weeks ago, he had been doing nothing but lie in bed and get doted on every single second of the day. He understood why, he had inadvertently scared his family and friends after the assassination attempt and they were still worried. It was a close call, and Ghost especially was more protective than usual because of it. Even when the Knights cleared the doctors on duty, they had been reluctant to let any of them near him. He had to reassure his love that doctors tend to know what they are doing and to let them do their jobs. After getting actual doctors involved, he started to feel better. They at least weren’t like his mother, having bugs spy on him to make sure he stayed in bed. She was serious about her threat and he didn't dare test her.

He was also rather surprised to get an entire sack of mail just for him. All of them were well wishes from various citizens, happy to learn that he’ll be okay. He quickly realized that it would be impossible to personally reply to them all, so he got some retainers to write some thank you notes in return. His mother raised him to be polite, after all, and he was touched by the letter. He resolved to keep them as soon as he could figure out where to put them all.

He felt awful. For a while it hurt to breathe and move. Apparently, the poison affected his nerves and the constant spasms had caused some damage. The high fever did not help much either, and it took several days before he could function without pain medication. He had decided after everything was said and done, to never see soup again as long as he lived. He had consumed enough soup to last an entire lifetime, and if Ghost brought him one more bowl of soup he would throw said bowl out the nearest window. Ghost promised not bring any more soup...only to bring him a bisque for dinner that night.

Sometimes he thought that his mother has had an adverse affect on his spouse.

Thankfully, there wasn’t going to be any permanent damage from the poisoning. He would still be tired and weak for a while as his body worked to repair itself, but he wasn’t in danger anymore. The bed rest however, he wasn’t too fond of, not when there was so much to do still. Sure...he slept a lot...but it was the principle of the matter. He was perfectly able to sit up in bed and catch up on paperwork, but he wasn’t even allowed to do that.

How miserable it is, to be on a mandatory vacation, especially for a bug that was used to just...getting up and doing things.

The only good thing about it was that Ghost would carry him to their personal hot spring in the bathroom and they could spend some time together. Being so busy, they often only saw each other briefly through the day and only had an hour or so before bed before exhaustion claimed them both. It was nice to be able to just relax together, listening to random gossip and updating the various running betting pools. So far, Quirrel had 100 Geo riding on Lurien showing up to court high next time they arranged a meeting together. Ghost bet that he wouldn’t, but Quirrel knows Lurien and Lurien deals with social anxiety by removing social anxiety entirely. It was good to laugh again after such a tense week. Eventually, Ghost started taking up duties again while Quirrel’s health continued to improve.

There came the matter of the prisoners left alive, but Quirrel needed to talk to someone first before he made a decision.

Once he was cleared to walk around again, he and his spouse headed to one of the royal suites. Once doctors were cleared, Poppy the scorpion had been moved from protective custody in the dungeon up to a much nicer room to recover in. From what Quirrel understood from both Xena’s reports and Ghost’s commentary, Poppy was an innocent victim in all this. Venomous bugs tended to get quite a bit of discrimination despite how hard they worked to turn public opinion around. Times were changing for sure, one of the archive researchers, a bee-fly, had recently became engaged to her tarantula girlfriend. It was slow going, however, and he wanted to be sure that Poppy would be alright in the end.

He paused outside her door and knocked. “Remember dear, to be gentle with her. It’s probably going to be intimidating to meet with both rulers at once.”

Ghost nodded. “I’ll behave.”

“You better.” Quirrel smirked.

“Hello! Come in!” Came a the voice on the other side of the door. Ghost took the knob, turning it and opening the door for the both to step inside.

The scorpion was sitting in bed, looking much better than what Xena had first described. The softer parts of her chitin was returning to a healthy golden brown and much of her bandages have been removed. Her damaged eye had started to heal, and besides the odd crack or two in her shell, there wasn’t much visible indication of her harrowing ordeal. From was understood, she still needed plenty of rest and food, but she was well enough to finally go home with an escort from Deepnest.

She was clearly only expecting a doctor or someone else other than a royal, because as soon as she spotted the two kings her eyes widened and she started twitching.

“Oh! Oh I am so sorry!” She clasped her many hands together, eyes darting about as she wondered if she should bow or curtsy or anything else other than just sitting in bed. Quirrel held up a hand before she could work herself into a panic attack.

“It’s alright. We’re just here to check up on you.”

She tilted her head. “Really? Um…” She nervously fiddled her pincers together. “I’m... I’m sorry that this all happened. I never wanted to hurt any bugs, I swear!”

“You aren’t in trouble. We know this wasn’t your fault. You seem like a sweet bug, I’m sorry you had to go through all this.” Quirrel said kindly, taking a seat next to one side of the bed. Ghost took the other side and chirped in encouragement.

“We just want to make sure you will be okay, before my sister comes to help you back home.” Ghost signed each word slowly to make sure Poppy could see it with her bad eye. They patted one of her hands, attempting to show a bit of comfort without completely freaking her out.

“Thank you.” She sounded relieved, most likely she thought she was about to get thrown in the dungeon for her unwilling part in this. “It was really nice of you to give me this room until I felt better.”

“To be honest, you deserved at least something nice after all of that. We aren’t even your rulers and yet you refused to work willingly with the conspirators.”

“You weren’t even a warrior, you are a flower bug. It takes immense courage to stand up for what is right even in the face of pain and fear.”

The scorpion blushed blue from the praise, looking like she wanted to duck under the covers and hide, but didn’t out of social politeness. “Um...thanks...your majesties.” She squeaked, deciding instead to hide her face in her pincers for a moment. She was clearly not used to such comments.

Quirrel sighed, thinking of the best way to word the question he wanted to ask. “I apologize for having to bring up what you went through...but there is something we’d like to know, if you would be so kind to answer. We still have some of the conspirators in the dungeon, including the ring leader. If you had a choice, what would you do with them?”

“You mean...like...keeping them in jail or executing them?” She twiddled her claws in thought.

Ghost nodded. “Yes. Technically it would be up to us because of the treason and attempted regicide. But you were also hurt and you are not one of our citizens, and Deepnest deserves an opinion too. We would just like to know your thoughts.”

“Well...um...I don’t...I don’t want more bugs to die.” She shrank a little into herself as she collected her thoughts. “I mean, my momma always said that you can’t um…learn a lesson if you’re dead, ya know? Maybe they could still learn to be good bugs if someone taught them how, if that’s okay…”

Quirrel smiled. “Those are certainly wise words. We’ll take that into consideration when we make a final decision together.”

“We’ll leave you be for now, your escort will be here to collect you once we are done with our meeting. Is there anything else you need before then?” Ghost tilted their head in a smile, echoing their husband.

“No, you all have been so nice! Thank you so much!” She beamed. “I can’t wait to go home and check on my flowers!”

“Good, who knows, we might drop In to say hello sometime.” Quirrel laughed, leaning in closer to mock whisper. “Don’t tell anyone this, but Ghost’s sibling, Hollow, loves flowers. Their room is practically a jungle.”

“Hollow the Kind? Oh! Oh yes we get some really rare and pretty flowers! I’ll save a few for when you drop by!” Clearly this was the route to go, because now Poppy was vibrating in excitement. Her eyes sparkled, now more busy thinking about flowers than being nervous. “If their room is as big as this one, they might like some Strongylodon macrobotrys! Cypripedioideae might also be nice, there’s enough humidity for those!” She started muttering under her breath, scientific names and common names blending together as she thought aloud.

“Don’t worry, once you are situated and back in business, we’ll come take a look.” Quirrel put a stop to her rambling for now. “I’m afraid we must leave for now, but do send a letter to the palace once you are open again.”

“Thanks! I will!” She was practically shining in joy. Both Ghost and Quirrel gave her a polite little bow, and then left her on her own. She was alone within moments, with nothing to do now but to wait for her escort to take her home again.

She started to vibrate again. Inspiration was coming to her, and she cannot be stopped!

She wondered if she could get a hold of a Amorphophallus titanum, something told her that it was a flower that the royal family would get a kick out of for sure.

---

Hornet sat, awaiting her siblings and adopted brother within the meeting room. Two weavers sat with her, one on either side. She wished she could be here for a friendly visit, she honestly did miss her siblings. Alas, the work of a princess is never finished, and she did not envy her mother, the queen, in any way shape or form. Sure her mother commanded respect and power, but the sheer amount of shit she had to put up with in a day makes Hornet grateful that it’ll be a long time before she has to pick up the crown. She thankfully just had this one matter to finish and then she could go home and hide away from other bugs for a while.

Unfortunately, she was stuck with Tiso, who kept making faces at her when he thought she wasn’t looking.

“Tiso, if you keep doing that, I will pull that tongue right out of your mouth.” She hissed, but her words weren’t completely full of malice. She fingered the needle in her hands, the urge to stab rising.

“Sorry, I’m already in a committed relationship.” He replied, grinning widely. “I don’t think my girls would like that.”

“I would stab you in the head, but I think I would miss your brain from how small it is.”

“Why do you have to be so mean, Hornet.” Tiso fake pouted. “I happen to have a nice brain...I think.”

“Because someone in this family has to be the mean one, and I take on that position with pride.” She bared her own fangs at the ant. She had more fangs than a spider ought to have for sure. Tiso however, had no fucks to give and thus wasn't intimidated at all.

Before Tiso could antagonize her further, the door to the room opened and in strolled the two rulers of Hallownest. Ghost made a beeline to Hornet, swiftly grabbing her up in a hug and purring loudly. “Sister!”

The weavers sighed, now used to all this. At first they freaked the fuck out when the eldritch god of a king picking up their crown princess and hugged her. Even more when they first heard the weird voice in their heads that belonged to said king. Now, it was routine.

“Hello, Ghost.” Hornet wheezed, getting thoroughly smooshed. With practiced ease, she wiggled herself out of their grip and dropped gracefully to the floor. She turned to regard the pillbug approaching her. “Hello Quirrel, I’m glad to see that you aren’t dead. I would have been quite disappointing in you if you died without my sibling’s express permission.”

He laughed and gave her a quick hug. “As if a little poison alone would kill me.”

“You’re a tougher bug than what I gave credit for.” She stepped back once the pleasantries were out of the way. “It boons well not only for my sibling, but for relations between our kingdoms.”

“You just say that because your mother loves watching you kick my ass up and down the village.” Quirrel sighed and took a seat at the table.

“She does enjoy seeing Deepnest having an equal and honorable relationship with the current diarchy.” She smoothly said, all but confirming Quirrel’s statement as she sat down as well. “It’s much easier to come to a mutual understanding when one honors the traditions and customs of the kingdom they are visiting. Only a bug willing to back up their words through conviction is worthy of mother’s time of day.”

“Yeah, but Herrah also gives us cookies after you beat us up. I didn’t know that was part of Deepnest’s honorable traditions.” Ghost added, sitting next to Quirrel and giving him a quick nuzzle.

“Of course it is!” Hornet snorted, tilting her head to the side and adding some amusement to her voice. “Only the worthy get cookies.”

“Am I worthy enough to get a cookie?” Tiso piped up.

“No.” She hissed.

“Mean.” He retorted, going back to guarding the door with a sigh.

“I believe we should get down to the nature of this meeting,” Quirrel finally cut in, arranging the quill and papers on the table. “Not only are you here to retrieve your citizen, but also to represent your mother in the discussions about the prisoners responsible for her harm.”

“Yes.” She cleared her throat, going into princess mode. “Under current Deepnest law, via our new treaty, citizens from Hallownest that commit crimes in Deepnest are to be extradited to Deepnest for punishment, and vise versa.”

“Well that makes things easier for sure.” Quirrel scribbled on a spare piece of paper. “We have prisoners directly responsible for the abduction and torture of your citizen. I believe Herrah already came to a decision on what is to become of them?”

“Yes. Ghost sent the letter a week ago, it gave mother plenty of time to think.” Hornet reached into her cloak, pulling out a letter written on spider silk. She slid it across the table for both Ghost and Quirrel. “She formally requests that the prisoners be transported to our dungeon, where they will be judged and tried by our people.”

“It will be done.” Ghost looked to Tiso and nodded. “Can you run that order down to the dungeons?”

“Sure, Squib.” Tiso saluted, and then was gone.

Hornet looked at Ghost with a frown after the ant departed. “You shouldn’t let him keep calling you ‘squib’ and the like, you are his king and he should respect you enough to use your title, even if you adopted him.”

“Can’t.” They just shrugged in response. “Big brother rights. It’s law.”

“I’m afraid that it’s true.” Quirrel nodded solemnly. “Especially since you let Hollow call you...what was it now? Their ‘Special Spooder Sister?' I’m guessing we should tell them to add a ‘Princess’ to that as well.”

“It’s okay love, clearly she wants to be referred to her proper title, Princess Angey Spooder. I apologize for not using it earlier, dear sister.”

“Next time we have an event, we will alert the guards to announce you with your proper title, Princess Precious Paws. Please excuse our ignorance.”

“OKAY, I GET IT.” She threw up her hands in frustration. “I’ll shut up about the nicknames!”

Both diarchs struggled to contain their laughter and were quickly losing. Quirrel was the first to crack, and quickly dragged Ghost down with him as they laughed.

The weaver guards looked at Hornet, who only returned a sigh and a head shake. “Yes yes, I exist to provide amusement to the both of you. Are we done here?”

Ghost snorted and wiped their eyes, reining in the lingering giggles. “Yeah, just be sure you are here next weekend for Sibling Day.”

“As if I would miss Hollow’s cooking.” She replied with a curt nod of her head. “Now, I will collect my wayward citizen and return to Deepnest. On behalf of Queen Herrah, Deepnest thanks you for your cooperation and care in regards of one of our own.”

“Hallownest is more than happy to work with Deepnest on whatever they need.” Ghost sat up straight and bowed their head, acting the part of a reining diarch. They tilted their head back up slightly, a hint of mayhem within as they looked directly at Hornet. “I will be sure to write a letter to Herrah, thanking her for allowing her most esteemed and beloved daughter to visit us, her Highness Princess Stabby Spider.”

It took all of Hornet’s grace and self control to NOT start a diplomatic incident. But boy...did she want to.

---

Quirrel looked over the crowd, spouse standing beside him as he once again found himself on a podium. Bugs were crowded in the streets and hanging off the buildings, all looking at him as he spoke. It was the same speech he had written what seemed like ages ago, but it seems like this time he’d be allowed to finish it. Any ounce of nervousness was squashed by a cool hand in his, squeezing once in a while to remind him that his spouse was there. It was very welcome, as he felt the constant urge to look to the rooftops of the buildings around them, ready to dodge in case another crossbow bolt came his way.

There were certainly more guards than usual, but it was understandable. He highly doubted another assassination attempt would be possible with how many guards were out and about. Most of the citizens didn’t seem to mind, watching and listening with smiles as he continued to prattle on. He didn’t feel like standing here all day, he had plans.

“And so we formally declare that the Hallownest Memorial Greenhouse is now open to the public! Feel free to inside and have a look! Thank you all for coming today, and we hope you all enjoy it!”

Finally, it was done. Ghost leaned against him as they watched the citizens filter into the multi-story greenhouse. They seemed to be having a good time, and they obviously didn’t need the two rulers to keep hanging around if not needed anymore.

“You know what,” Came the whisper of Ghost’s voice in Quirrel’s head. “Since we are done here...why don’t we do something?”

“Like what, dear?” Quirrel stretched, working out the kinks from standing up for so long.

“We could do something...spicy.” There was a devilish edge to their tone, a hand reaching around to squeeze his side. “We don’t have anything we have to do, we got plenty of time to...experiment a little.”

The pillbug couldn’t help but shiver a little, flashing a grin. “Oh ho...feeling adventurous today, are we?”

“I am.” Ghost reached down to scoop up their husband, not caring on who was watching the amount of tooth-rotting romance going down. “Let’s not waste any time, I’ve been wanting to do this with you for ages.”

Quirrel grinned, this was going to be fun.

---

“Ghost! Don’t rub your eyes after handling the peppers!”

A sharp echoing noise of pain leaked through the closed door and drifted into the hallways, stopping a pair of retainers in their tracks. They stood still for a moment, listening, unsure if they were going to be needed. They could hear one of their kings talking and the other apparently flailing around and knocking things over.

“Why the hell did you buy Dragon’s Breath peppers then? They are supposed to burn!”

A few dishes shattered and there came a slosh of water.

“Love! Stop! I’ll rinse out your- WAIT, BE CAREFUL WITH THE STOVE-”

A bright flash of yellow illuminated the bottom crack of the door and smoke began to drift from under it. There came quite a bit of commotion at that, and they could hear the occupants inside run about and knocking even more things over.

One retainer looked to the other. “What the hell is going on?”

“They are trying to cook.” Replied the other. “I don’t think it’s going well.”

“What gave you that idea?” The first sarcastically snarked, watching the smoke get a little thicker.

The second sighed. “Wait here, I’ll go get the fire extinguishers.”

[The End]

-------

The end :D Thanks for being patient, my now fiancé was visiting and I didn't get much time to write! Now I'm back on track.

Chapter title comes from this song which is so romantic and sweet and it makes me think of two people genuinely in love and all the silliness it entails. These two especially, being NERDS.

What happened to the ones involved with the assassination plot that didn't get sent to Deepnest? They are down in the waterways, hand scrubbing that all clean. No mops, just good ol' buckets and sponges. Poppy did say that just killing someone means that they will never learn the lesson they needed, so both Ghost and Quirrel took that into consideration and put their asses to work to better the kingdom. Maybe after a few decades the lesson will be fully learned >)

ALSO if you are cooking with hot peppers, be sure not to touch your eyes, mouth, or nose, or it will BURN.

#hollow knight #fanfic #my writing #terra lumina #bend and not break #hornet #ghost #oc #poppy #quirrel #quirrel/ghost #two kings au #royalty au #ghost/quirrel #tiso #so much fluff #lurien shows up to court high as a kite #i love writing fakeouts #IM NOT SORRY FOR THE END #king ghost #king quirrel #hurt/comfort #hk oc

[fallingfor-fics]

Teachers Pet-chapter 17: wanting

All chapters

chapter 16

Potions seemed to drag on forever, Snape was just teaching a lesson, his velvety monotone voice going on and on about a potion we were gonna brew soon. I was trying my best to stay awake, I was still very exhausted and his voice was slowly lulling me to sleep. My eyelids felt heavy and I let them close for one second, or so I thought. I began drifting off and it was too difficult to open them again. I could hear his voice get quieter as I slipped into unconsciousness. I should have known better, I saw a kid fall asleep in his class once and he practically hexed them, he took away house points and yelled at the boy, which ensured he never made that mistake again. 

I jumped awake to a tap on my shoulders. My head was now on the table on my arms and I opened my eyes to see Draco staring at me. "Y/n, come on class is over." he said, collecting his books. "What?" I looked around and saw most of the kids had already left and Snape wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Where's Professor Snape? Why didn't he wake me up? Why didn't you wake me up!" I said lightly shoving his shoulder as we headed out of the classroom. "He left as soon as the bell rang, and I didnt think I needed to, I mean I tried and you didn't move so I figured you needed the sleep." He said smiling. "How odd that he did not get angry with me, did he even say anything?" I asked as we went to the Slytherin common room. "No, when he looked and saw you asleep he just rolled his eyes and kept teaching, I guess he figured if you have the time to sleep, then you don't need to learn haha" I thought over what he was saying, that's not like Snape at all why would he do that? And he knows I'm bad at potions so you would think he'd want me to pay attention.

We went to our rooms for our free period and I said I'd see him at dinner. I was alone in my room and decided to get the book out I had stolen from Snape's room earlier. I began from the start and read the first few chapters, I noticed it began getting dark out and looked at the clock, "Great I missed dinner." I realized I had gotten through almost half of the book, it was very informational, and sadly to say, was giving me some ideas. I mean there's no way I could earn Severus' affections but a girl can dream right? I got my bag and quickly headed out to make it to Snapes lessons. "Draco! So sorry I missed Dinner I got caught up reading!" I said seeing him in the common room, "Oh that's ok I actually saved you this dinner" he said handing me a dinner roll. I smiled taking it from him, "thanks so much I'll catch you later!" I took a bite of the roll not realizing how hungry I was and headed to the potions classroom. The door was closed so I stood there and knocked on it. Recalling when Severus rescued me from the weird encounter with Lockhart that one day, I smiled to myself thinking about how he's always been there in my times of need, so conveniently.

"Come in" I heard him say from the other side and I walked in smiling, taking another bite of my roll. "Evening Professor," I said, sitting down in Dracos seat. It was closer to Snape's desk, easier to hear him from here of course, no other reason. "Today I figured we would look over the Amortentia potion" he said looking up at me, I dropped my smile, that was the potion he was teaching earlier that I so happened to have fallen asleep during the lesson. "About that," I said, getting up and walking over to his desk, "I wanted to know why you didn't wake me up during class." I said fiddling with my fingers. He looked down at his papers thinking for a moment. "I figured you deserved it after last night, although you should have indeed been awoken, I didn't want to disturb the lesson either." He said not looking up at me. "About last night.." I began "No need to discuss the matter Ms.L/n, It was wrong of me to have not sent you back to your dormitory immediately." He interrupted. "What? No..I wanted to thank you once more, It was almost a miracle you showed up when you did, and not punishing me, it helped a lot, I've been having a rough time and i'm glad you were there." I said within a small smile, I hoped this wasnt to far a reach and he didn't find it weird, I mean he was just comforting a student, nothing more. He didn't say anything he just stared down at his papers, I had said too much. I turned and sat back down. "We should get started." he said, stacking his papers. "Right." I said not looking up at him. It fell silent and I needed to break the silence, "Professor how well do you know Professor Lockhart?" I said looking up at him. "As well as any teacher I suppose why?" he asked furrowing his brows. "If I tell you something will you promise not to get angry and get me in trouble?" I said looking around and then pulling my chair up to his desk. He straightened up and looked at me with worried eyes.

"I might regret it, but sure." he said with a sarcastic tone. "Um, well... During Defense Against the Dark Arts today, we were practicing the protection spell, and I didnt have a partner again, and so Lockhart made me practice with him. He said to do easy spells to practice against. And at the end of class I was arguing with him because he used a dueling spell and he proceeded to say it was because he knew I could 'handle' it," he continued listening to me closely growing more and more confused and concerned as I went on. "And he was like 'watch' and raising his wand, and I wasn't prepared and I didnt know what he was going to do.." I looked down at my hands scared to let out the last part, "And so out of defense I hit him with Expelliarmus and he flew across his desk." I said breathing out the last part. Snape's eyes went wide for a moment and then his mouth grew into a small smile. I let my shoulders relax at his response and let out a light chuckle. "Wow Y/n you really like to test this mans limits." he said back in his normal tone. "He just makes me so furious, and I was so shocked he pulled his wand on me without a heads up so I got afraid." I added. "Are you gonna tell Dumbledore?" I asked with furrowed brows. "Well what did Lockhart do about it?" he asked looking in my eyes, I shifted in my seat, he had such an intense stare and his dark eyes looked so strong. "You see, that's the weird part, he didn't do anything," at this he returned his face to its normal stern look and looked a tad shocked, "All he said was 'be careful, you never know the consequences of your actions' and then let me leave." I said using air quotes and mocking his voice.

But Snape did not seem amused, he just looked away and dropped his gaze on my eyes and looked at the wall in thought I presumed. He didn't say anything or the next minute and I grew worried, "What?" he didn't respond. "Severus what is it?!" I said raising my voice a tad looking in his eyes. He snapped his gaze to me and opened his mouth to speak, "Dont scold me for using your name, what are you thinking about." "Nothing Ms. L/n, it's fine I just wonder why he did not assign you a detention. And I told you not to call me Severus'' Wow. The way he said his own name was beautiful, but now's not the time for this. "Well we are friends now, and friends don't use formalities such as Ms. L/n and Mr. Snape" I said jokingly but he didn't seem amused, "Definitely do not call me Mr. Snape" he said in a cold tone, I guess I hit a soft spot, I mean it makes sense, he didn't like his father and I'm guessing that was what he would hear a lot. "We are friends though, I mean at least here in our lessons, I won't do it during school.." I said reassuring him. "If it will make you focus then fine, now let's get started we have wasted enough time."

Hours had passed and I suggested he teach me how to brew the potion now for practice, and to prevent me from any mishaps in class. But he refused and said to just wait until we did it as a class since it was already so late. I was sitting next to him at his desk since we were going over stuff in the textbook. I went to close it and my arm brushed against his, I paused for a moment and let the feeling linger on my arm, I looked over at him and made eye contact with him, I got up and walked over to my table putting my book down. "I uh was organizing the books today but didn't get to finish, I can do that quickly if you'd like?" I asked, looking at the last bookshelf. "No that's alright" he said, not looking at me. "I-I should probably go now anyways heh '' I said awkwardly collecting my things, "Yes that is probably best" he said shuffling random papers around. "Ok um I will see you in class tomorrow, Goodnight Severus." I said walking to leave, "Goodnight Y/n" I smiled and walked out down the hall. I got to my room and one of my roommates was still awake, I smiled at her as I sat my bags down and sighed, "Y/n you like to read right?" my roommate asked, her name was Ruth and she was pretty popular, she had long dark brown hair and beautiful green eyes. Lots of the boys liked her, but we never became friends, but she was nice. "Yeah I do" I said looking up at her. "Good here, my muggle friend had this sent to me, but I'm not gonna touch it so you can have it." she said, extending the book to me. "Oh t-thank you! Are you sure?" I asked looking up at her hesitantly taking it from her hand, "Yeah at least i'll get some use if you have it." she said smiling, "Well ok thanks" She just nodded and said goodnight turning out her lamp and going to bed. I laid it on my bed and went to get ready to go to sleep.

When I finished I sat on my bed picking up the book, "Lolita" hmm I said reading the title to myself. I put it in my bag and told myself i'd read it once I was done with the one I stole from Severus, I grabbed the small book and continued to read through it, it was actually very helpful, except for the fact I wasn't going to get to try any of these things with him. "If the one your heart desires, does not at first glance your way, find someone to make them envy and draw attention to thine self." Merlin this translation was kind of hard to interpret, unless it was really suggesting to make them jealous, my only issue was no matter who I dated, Severus still wouldn't look at me the way I want him to. I needed to get this idea of him eventually falling for me out of my head. I looked in the margin at at a note that was scribbled in, 'she has found someone' I frowned reading it. This poor person, they must have really wanted things to work with this other girl. I flipped to the beginning to where I left the flower. It was a little white one flattened from the pages. I grabbed my wand and murmured a small "Appare Vestigium" A swirl of gold went over the pages and the flower and a few small fingerprints appeared on the flower. This would show me any magic that was lingering but it was not helpful in finding out where the flower came from and who wrote in this book. I guess I was just gonna have to tell Severus I took it and ask him whose it was, that was going to be fun.

#snape x reader #snape imagine #severusnape #professor snape #snape #severus snape #severusimagine #severus x reader #severus snape x reader #Snape slowburn #slytherin #hogwarts

[kpop-zone]

Red velvet reaction to their s/o finding out that they started dating them for a bet pt.2

Warning: 2 curse words

Irene

Joohyun didn’t know how long she sat in the living room all on her own while silent tears streamed down her cheeks and her mind was being consumed by her bad conscious. Eventually, however, an endless fatigue took over her body and she knew that it must have been at least a couple of hours. It was probably already three in the morning and she would have to get up in a few hours for work.

“I should probably head to bed.”

Joohyun mumbled under her breath, trying to encourage herself to go the bedroom where you had disappeared a few hours ago. Hesitantly, she stood up and dragged her feet across the living room until she ended up in front of the closed door. She felt stupid for moving around like an intruder in her own apartment, but her bad conscious was telling her that she would indeed invade your personal space if she entered the bedroom now. Not wanting to feel completely exhausted during work though, Joohyun eventually pushed down the door handle and entered the room.

Like expected, you were already asleep, so she tried to get ready for bed as silently as possible before laying down next to you. Despite knowing that she would probably regret it afterwards, Joohyun couldn’t stop herself from taking a glance at you. You were peacefully sleeping now, but your puffy face was giving away that you must have had a hard time falling asleep too. Instant guilt washed over her again and Joohyun slowly reached out to gently stroke your cheek. She hated to make you cry.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I wish we would have met under better circumstances, but I’m still so glad that we did. I love you so much.”

Joohyun whispered before leaning down to press a kiss on your forehead.

“I know that you do.”

Your sudden voice caused Joohyun to almost jump off the bed in surprise. Apparently, you weren’t asleep. After calming herself again, Joohyun sheepishly cleared her throat.

“Will you forgive me?”

She asked hesitantly, not knowing whether she wanted to hear the answer.

You were silent for a while, causing Joohyun’s heart to almost jump out of her chest, but she waited patiently for your reply.

“Yes...eventually.”

Your words were more than Joohyun had hoped for and she sighed relieved.

“Ok. Good night, Y/N.”

She tried to accept your decision humbly, nevertheless, Joohyun couldn’t stop a soft smile from tugging on the corners of her mouth. You could punish her for her wrongdoing as much as you wanted to as long as her forever with you wasn’t at stake.

Seulgi

“Why didn’t you just come clean earlier?”

After Seulgi’s sobs had filled the room for the longest time, she eventually managed to calm down in order to talk with her members.

“I-I don’t know. I didn’t want to scare Y/N away in the beginning and then I started to repress the memories of our first encounter at one point. I was just so ashamed of it.”

She buried her face behind her hands, thinking about every lie that she had ever told you because of the bet.

“I just don’t want to lose Y/N.”

Seulgi sniffled and Seungwan comfortingly patted her back.

“Then go and talk to Y/N. You guys are perfect for each other. I know that you can fix it.

The other members nodded in agreement, causing Seulgi to anxiously chew on her bottom lip.

Shouldn’t she give you more time to process everything? Or would that make you think that she didn’t care? Seulgi knew that she couldn’t risk the latter.

“You’re right. I need to see Y/N.”

Determined, she jumped off the bed before grabbing a random pair of shoes and a jacket to rush to your apartment. In less than half an hour, Seulgi was standing in front of your door, looking like a mess, but with your favorite snacks and flowers in her hands. Nervously, she rang your doorbell and shifted from one foot to the other while waiting for you to let her in. The sound of movements on the other side were giving away that you were home, nevertheless, the door didn’t swing open immediately. It took Seulgi several more knocks and a near heart attack caused by nervousness until you finally revealed your puffy face to hear.

“Why? Why did you accept such a horrible bet? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Just...why?”

You blurted out immediately before allowing her to greet you. The hurt in your voice was bringing tears to Seulgi’s eyes again, but she was telling herself that she needed to stay strong now.

“Because I’m stupid and a horrible person. Believe me, I know that. I’ve already regretted the bet, the moment that I started talking to you. But then we got along so well, and I didn’t want to walk away.”

Nothing brought Seulgi more happiness, yet also pain than thinking back about the day that she had met you. Nevertheless, she kept explaining herself in order to try saving her relationship.

“And I just couldn’t get myself to tell you that I only talked with you because of a bet; I knew that you would have been scared off. Which would have been absolutely understandable; I was just too selfish to accept that.”

The longer Seulgi talked, the more she realized that she didn’t deserve you. What was she even doing here?

“If you are trying to win me back, you are doing a miserable job.”

You chuckled, causing Seulgi’s inner conflict to tear her apart. Wasn’t it selfish to fight for you?

Anxiously, she chewed on her lip, contemplating her options. But no option seemed to be the right one. Only thinking about living without you made her lose her breath. Making another selfish choice, however, didn’t seem to be right either. Several seconds passed while Seulgi was stuck on making a decision until you suddenly grabbed her wrist and piped up.

“If you really regret what you’ve done, then you’re not a terrible person.”

Your words made a tear spill from Seulgi’s eye and she let her head hang in shame. How were you still so nice to her?

“Why don’t you come in and we’ll talk about everything a little more?”

Without awaiting an answer, you tugged on her arm to pull Seulgi into your apartment. Uncomplainingly, she followed you inside, ready to pour her heart out. Maybe you were willing to forgive; she’d leave the fate of your relationship in your hands.

Wendy

When Seungwan had thought about where her home was in the past, she had always come to the conclusion that it was in your arms. Funny, how that could change in only one night though. She had promised to give you time, and she was exactly planning on doing that. But it was just so hard. You were on her mind 24/7 and with every day her mind was increasingly clouded by controversial thoughts. You needed time to process, but at the same time Seungwan was contemplating whether she should show you that she cared; that she was different now and willing to fight for you. Her thoughts were simply driving her insane and guiding her to your apartment almost every day.

After arriving at your door, however, her insecurities always came rushing back and she never dared to knock. Therefore, the hallway in front of your apartment had basically become her new home by now. She spent hours there, walking up and down and preparing words that you would never get to hear.

Until that unexpectedly changed one night.

Like so often, Seungwan was prowling the hallway in front of your apartment, when a voice suddenly made her jump in surprise.

“Seungwan?”

When she turned around, she could see you standing a few steps in front of her with some grocery bags in your arms. Sheepishly, Seungwan looked to the floor in hopes that it would swallow her in order to remove her from this awkward situation.

“Oh hey, Y/N.”

Seungwan said as nonchalantly as possible as if it had been mere coincident that she met you here. Expectantly though, your gaze bored through her for a while, waiting for an explanation until you realized that she wouldn’t follow up with anything.

“What are you doing here?”

You asked; your voice making it hard for Seungwan to detect your emotions. You weren’t necessarily sounding hostile, but your crossed arms were making it clear that you were still having your guard up.

Nevertheless, Seungwan decided that it was time to show a little more initiative. You had caught her lurking anyways, so she could also use this chance to disclose her feelings.

“I...um...wanted to ask whether you were ready to talk.”

She proposed cautiously while searching for your eyes.  You seemed to be contemplating her offer for a second, but then you walked to your door wordlessly. In defeat, Seungwan slouched her shoulders, ready to leave the building in order to give you more time.

“Are you coming in? Or do you want to talk here?”

Your question almost caused Seungwan to choke on her own spit in surprise, but of course, she immediately rushed to your side in order to enter the apartment.

You headed straight to the kitchen which reminded Seungwan of all the good times that you had spent in this apartment together. Her heart stung because of the memories and she hoped that those hadn’t been the last ones that she had collected with you.

“What do you have to say to me?”

You asked while rummaging around in the cupboard to pull out two mugs.

“I came to apologize once more. I know that it was an absolute gruesome thing to accept such a bet. I wish, I could tell you why I did it, but I can’t. It was simply wrong.”

Seungwan immediately got caught up in her emotions again and became incredibly frustrated with herself. Your relationship could be so perfect if she had only had the courage to ask you out without a bet.

“It was wrong.”

You stated coldly, causing Seungwan to avoid your gaze in shame.

“But I am very grateful that you told me about it. It showed me that I can truly trust you.”

Your words completely blindsided Seungwan, but her heart immediately beat twice as fast.

“Does that mean...”

She asked carefully, waiting for you to finish her sentence.

“That I will give you another chance to make it right? Yes.”

You smiled softly, but Seungwan couldn’t process your words.

“Really?”

She blurted out in shock and you nodded while chuckling in amusement.

Pure happiness washed over Seungwan and she leaped to her feet in order to fling her arms around your neck.

She would make sure not to waste this chance.

Joy

“Damn it...how did that get here so fast?”

Sooyoung picked up her pace when she saw you getting into a taxi in front of the restaurant. But her efforts were in vain. Before she could reach the vehicle, it sped off with you inside of it.

“Goddammit!”

She yelled while hastily pulling out her phone to call her driver. As soon as her car arrived, she hopped into it and told the manager to start driving.

“Where to?”

They asked and Sooyoung fell quiet.

Right, where to?

“Think...Where would Y/N go now?”

Sooyoung mumbled under her breath while thinking concentratedly.

You could have ordered the taxi driver to bring you to your apartment, but her intuition was telling Sooyoung that you wouldn’t have done that. You wouldn’t find the comfort there that you were seeking for. No, there was another place that you always went to when you were upset.

Namsan Park.

You had told her once that it made your worries seem so little when you looked at all the city lights. This had to be the place that you had run to.

“Please bring me to Namsan Park.”

Sooyoung asked her driver who immediately started the car.

Even though the car ride didn’t even take half an hour, Sooyoung became increasingly impatient. All of this was taking much too long. She couldn’t give you the time to come to wrong conclusions. Therefore, she leaped out of the car as soon as it came to a halt and started running through the park like a maniac. There were just too many paths, but Sooyoung remembered that you liked to sit right at the edge of the park, so she made her way to the very end where the view over the city was best.

There were hundreds of people enjoying this mild summer night, but it didn’t even take Sooyoung a second to make out your figure. You were sitting on a bench with your head hanging and slumped shoulders. The sight made Sooyoung’s heart clench, but she wasted no time before rushing to you and falling to her knees.

Perplexed, your eyes widened, and you looked at her in disbelief.

“H-how did you find me?”

You stuttered, seeming to be in a state of shock.

“Because I love you and know every little detail about you!”

Sooyoung exclaimed in despair while cupping your hands and pulling them to her lips.

“I know that the city lights make you forget about your worries; I know that your favorite Ramyeon is the one in Gwangjang market next to the booth with the eels and I know that you don’t sleep well when I’m not with you. I can go on and on for days. Do you really think, I know all of those things because of a bet? No, I know them because I love you.”

You didn’t reply and Sooyoung didn’t know whether that was a good or a bad sign. Therefore, she just kept talking.

“I’m sorry for taking that bet. I’m sorry for messing up the beginning of our love story, but I swear that I’m going to make the rest of it more epic than every romcom that you’ve ever watched.”

Finally, your eyes met and Sooyoung could see that the anger from before had disappeared. Therefore, she pressed her lips on your knuckles and stroked your hands lovingly with her thumbs.

“Please forgive me. Please?”

She asked nervously, hoping that her arguments had been enough to convince you of her sincerity.

“Fine.”

You replied, causing Sooyoung to squeal happily. She was about to crash into your arms when you lifted your hand to stop her.

“But...if our love story is anything less but epic, I’m going to leave.”

Your eyes were narrowed warningly, but a smile on your lips was giving away that you were just joking. Relieved, Sooyoung nodded before finally pulling you into her arms.

There wasn’t a wish that she wouldn’t fulfill you.

Yeri

Nothing had ever hurt Yeri more than watching you cry. Your tears streamed down your cheeks for what felt like hours and when the sobs finally died down in the room, Yeri was feeling completely dried out herself. You looked at her with puffy eyes, causing her heart to clench.

“What was the bet?”

You asked and Yeri avoided your gaze. She was too ashamed to look into your eyes while telling the story.

“I went out with some friends and we were having so much fun. We were playing truth or dare, and the dares started to get more and more out of hand until Doyeon dared me to ask you out. She bet 100.000 Won that I wouldn’t manage to convince you to go out with me.”

Yeri took a break and looked at you, just to see that you were nodding as if that was everything that you needed to hear. But there was more. Did you forget how much fun you had on your first date? This stupid bet was just a little bump in the road, everything after that was proof enough that you belonged together.

“Please, Y/N, let’s just forget about the bet. I swear I fell for you right on our first date. I never even took the money, because I knew that the bet was wrong, and I didn’t care about it anymore.”

You scoffed in response, the sadness in your face slowly being replaced by anger.

“Am I supposed to be grateful now? If you had known that it was wrong, why didn’t you just tell me earlier?”

Yeri winced when you hit her weak spot; yes, why hadn’t she told you earlier? Her bad conscious had been telling her all along to come clean, but her fear had mercilessly held her back.

“I didn’t want to lose you...”

She mumbled, aware of how stupid she sounded.

“That’s a really great plan that you had there... You know, if you had told me earlier, there might have been a way to fix this.”

Your words caused Yeri’s eyes to widen and she stared at you in panic.

“Might?? What do you mean? Y/N, please don’t leave me.”

Pure horror flooded Yeri’s body, causing her voice to crack.

“Then tell me how you intend to fix this.”

You replied, crossing your arms impatiently. Yeri was running out of time, she could feel it. She had to trust her guts now, otherwise, you would walk away for good.

“Let’s take a break, so both of us can think about everything. You can process this night and I can reflect on all my wrongdoings. Then we can decide how to continue.”

Although those words hurt Yeri more than anything, she figured that this was the best solution. You were far too agitated right now to make a decision and maybe it wasn’t the worst idea if she thought about her past mistakes.

“Ok.”

Yeri had secretly hoped that you would ask her to stay, but she wouldn’t disrespect your wishes. Therefore, she lingered for a second more to admire you one last time before leaving your apartment.

The following weeks were pure torture for Yeri. Every single day, she dialed your number or drafted a text message for you, only to never reach out to you in the end. She had offered to give you time and she would keep her word. There had been times that she had cursed herself for being so obedient, but when you finally sent her a text after four long weeks, she was glad about her perseverance.

Let’s meet

It was a simple text, but Yeri still danced through her apartment in pure joy. After pulling herself together again, she sent a reply, asking to pick you up in order to grab a coffee and thankfully, you agreed. Therefore, Yeri was standing in front of your door not even an hour later.

Nervously, she fixed her hair one more time before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. This was not a date. There was still the probability that you wanted to meet in order to break up. She needed to keep a clear head and give you space. With that thought on her mind, Yeri rang your door bell. But as soon as you opened the door, all of her good intentions vanished into thin air.

You were looking gorgeous.

Yeri knew that she had missed you, but seeing you again after such a long time, made her realize just how much, because all air was knocked out of her lungs. In pure trance, she stared at you, searching for the right words.

“I’ve missed you.”

Yeri suddenly blurted out, causing her to slam her hand over her mouth. Giving you space definitely looked different. Yeri was sure that you would probably close the door on her now, but instead, you chuckled.

“I’ve missed you too.”

And Yeri hadn’t heard such beautiful words in a long while.

#red velvet reactions #red velvet #red velvet imagine #irene #joohyun #seulgi #wendy #seungwan #joy #sooyoung #yeri #girl group reactions #girl group #kpop reaction #kpop #girl group imagine

[wolfcha1k]

"One look and I can't catch my breath Two souls into one flesh When you're not next to me I'm incomplete 'Cause I'm on fire like a thousand suns I couldn't put it out even if I wanted to These flames tonight Look into my eyes and say you want me, too Like I want you"

"All my life I've been looking for a place my parents wanted me to find, and I found it… but now? All I can think about is Eep. My best friend, my first… and only love."

Summary: Guy and Eep reflect on what has happened in the wake of these two crazy moons since their Tomorrow was challenged. There's damage that needs to be fixed and broken hearts to mend. - <3 - I used a ton of references from the movie as well as loosely traced bits, the kiss was referenced from the ending of "A New Age". I wanted to draw a proper cover for my new "chapter" for my "The Sun Was a Wayfarer" series, which is a bunch of one shots/little stand alone stories set in the same timeline despite it kinda skipping around a bunch. This one is "All I Can Think Of" as of now it takes place after "It's Our Nature" and before "A Tomorrow of Our Own", ngl, this chapter was mostly to practice writing kisses, I had some fun actually writing it. Usually I get hella embarrased lol I'm gonna paste the story beneath the picture, hope you like ~

The Sun Was a Wayfarer - Series

<Previous> Its Our Nature <next> A Tomorrow of Our Own

The moment Guy saw a chance to get away from the Pack he took it, quickly grabbing for Eep's hand to pull her down a random direction into the garden. She started in surprise before willingly following him with a trust Guy didn't feel he deserved anymore after last night. Guy didn't stop until he felt they were far enough away that nobody would find them without looking very hard, hidden behind some of the large gourds and corn.

He spun around to face her, letting out a long sigh. Guy just needed a moment to look at her, dark eyes worried and concerned as the adrenaline of what happened just a few hours ago finally seeped out of his body. Guy was covered in bruises and ached all over but it was nothing compared to the pain of when he thought he lost her forever three times in the span of just two terrifying days of his life. Somehow The End of the World felt miniscule in comparison now that Eep was his world.

His Tomorrow.

He rested his shaky hands on her shoulders, relief making him dizzy. Eep supported the sudden slumping of his weight, her green eyes wide with concern. "Guy! What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," he said, a tired smile on his face as he looked at her.

She held him up by the arms before lifting him up into hers. Eep sat down on the grass and positioned him on her lap, stroking the fringe of hair away from his face.

She could see the swollen purple bruises on his cheek and the black eye he had, his lower lip looked swollen and puffy. "You had a bad day," she sighed, cuddling him close.

"Yeah," he managed to chuckle, finding some amusement out of her words. "But it's better now that you're here…" He pressed a tired, sloppy kiss to her shoulder and rested his forehead there after. "Empathis on the better."

She just tugged him closer, as if her arms could squeeze the exhaustion and nerves right out of him. "I'm sorry," Eep suddenly said, muffling her face against his cheek. He felt moisture against his skin and the slight tremor in her arms and shoulders. "I'm really sorry."

Her warbled words cut him like a knife and he used his head to nudge her back so he could look at her. He could see the beginnings of tears on her eyelashes, gaze watery as she blinked it away stubbornly. Guy reached his hand to touch her face, feeling her recoil a bit before relaxing into his palm. He wiped his thumb under her eye, catching a tear.

He realized his own eyes felt moist all of a sudden, it'd been an emotionally charged couple of days. "It's okay, Eep. You didn't do anything wrong, I was just so stupid."

She sighed heavily, unwinding an arm from around his body so she could cover his hand with her calloused palm. Eep said nothing for several long moments, just clutched his hand like a life line.

"Eep?"

Eep finally looked at him, tearing her eyes from the random direction she'd sent her sights towards. "Yeah?"

"You're not hurt, are you?" Guy sat up a bit in her lap, cautiously letting his palms trace her broad shoulders, fingers squeezing tentatively to see if she would flinch. He knew she was good at hiding things like injuries, nursing them in private as to avoid upsetting Grug, it'd also extended to him now. She was strong but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to worry over her.

"No, I don't have a scratch on me," she assured him but Guy didn't stop checking her. Eep let him fuss though, knowing it would make him feel better if he came to the conclusion himself. His touch felt nice though, Eep realizing how starved she was for it since being separated from each other.

He touched her back, her arms, her ribs, anywhere his hands could reach in a modest way, careful in his examination. After running a hand down her leg, his eyes fell to where the prohestic was once on her pinkie toe. "I'm so, so glad you actually don't have a toe there," he sighed, knowing it was one of the most nonsensical, bizarre phrases he'd ever uttered in his seventeen years of life.

"Guess getting bit by that bearyena came in handy for once," Eep quipped, trying to lighten the mood a little.

He also was relieved she hadn't been ripped in half during the struggle, it had to be a miracle of some kind. Guy didn't voice this though, just traced his hands slowly back up her body so he could hold her waist. He missed her so much and he was quick to show her that, words failing him as he gently brushed her lips in a kiss. He let his hands slide up her back to lovingly stroke her shoulders, feeling the muscles ripple under his palms. She shivered and he shook, he pulled her closer as if to warm them both but still the trembling never stopped.

He always did love her shoulders and muscles, the clinical and practical part of him admired the strength and power there, how they could flex and be used to take down beasts twice her size. Then there was the simplicity of just being a man who loved a beautiful woman and it inspired a different kind of appreciation in him.

One that he knew Grug who absolutely skewer him alive for, his heart longing and aching as he hugged Eep. He never knew he could be so needy, it should have been pathetic as a puppy following its master for attention, never satisfied.

They'd shared an intense kiss over the raging flames but it still wasn't enough after the longest dry spell he had ever known since meeting her. After that first kiss in the ocean, he never got enough of her now. He was greedy and never was ashamed of that when it came to loving her.

He only wanted to be with her until there were no more Tomorrows that crossed the sky.

Eep quickly cupped his face in her hands and surged forward against him, her ferocity taking him by surprise. He practically squeaked when he felt the nip of her teeth on his bruised lip but somehow he couldn't care less. Just welcomed it, tilting his head and taking in the taste of her as he brushed her tongue with his. It was like fire and he was more than happy to be burned, letting Eep fly with him like the wild tiger in his stories.

He drew away a moment, just the slightest breath away as he spoke, pressing a few rapid kisses to her lips with each word. "You." Kiss. "Have." Kiss. "No idea." Kiss. Kiss. "How much I missed you," Guy finished in a rush, breathless as he lowered his head to trail a series of kisses down the column of her throat, grazing his teeth lightly on the skin of her collarbone.

There was a hitch in her breath at the affection. "Can't be more than I missed you."

He went to nuzzle her ear, placing a chase kiss on her earlobe. Eep arched into him and he clutched her tight as if she were water slipping through his fingers. "I thought I was going to die seeing you up there," Guy uttered in a strained voice. He could picture it so clearly, seeing her leaping and bounding across skeletal remains hanging precariously from old tendrils of vine. The spiny mandrilla closed on her heels and he could do nothing but watch, screaming her name out in desperation until his throat went raw. "I screwed up and almost didn't get to fix it."

Guy felt Eep nudge his head away from her so they could look at each other properly again. She just traced her thumb over his cheek, tender as she marked one of his hand print shaped bruises. "You saved me," she finally said, leaning forward to steal a kiss, smiling against his lips as they brushed, once, twice and finally a proper one that had Guy's toes curling and his head fuzzy. "I was so happy when I saw you again, Guy."

He'd been more than shocked to have seen Eep and the others arrive, riding Chunky and a pack of wolfspiders. He had practically given his last rights, resolving painfully he would never see her again, never fix what he had done to her. His first and only love, he didn't need to meet any other girls to know what he felt was real and it was more than just a beautiful teenage romance.

"You want to talk about heroics? How many people come swooping in on a tiger and take on a giant monster single handedly," Guy pressed his forehead against hers, awed by her courage and humbled by her love for him. "And here I picked a tree over you."

"It wasn't just a tree," she lightly scolded him much to his surprise. "I get it now."

Guy felt moisture collect on his eyelashes and without another thought, closed the distance between them once more. He let his hands roam, touching every part of her out of fear he would forget how warm and solid her body felt in his arms. It was almost like a dream, eyes shut tightly and listening to the soft little gasps in her breath, the way her chest heaved against his own. He hated needing to breathe when all he wanted was this, reluctantly pulling away as he felt light headed, exhilarated and breathless.

"Never again," he promised her, nuzzling his nose against hers. Eep practically purred at the loving attention, letting her palms rest on his shoulders to gently knead the tension there. He shuddered, forehead pressed into hers, knowing the gesture meant so much more than simple touch to her. "I'd rather chop off both my legs than lose you again. Please never scare me like that, I couldn't bare it."

She kissed his lips, gentle before in all her passionate nature, looped her arms around his neck and kissed him enough that Guy was convinced he'd forget his own name.

But that was okay, because she reminded him, pulling away. "Guy, I love you," she only said, beaming at him.

"Please say it again," he pleaded.

"I love you."

He felt his eyes growing glassy again and Eep kissed a tear away from below his eye, soft and tender. He smiled at her, embracing her tightly once more from his comfortable position in her lap. "I love you more," he murmured, kissing her shoulder.

"I love you more," she protested, lightly shoving him to nibble his ear, feeling his weight push into her.

"No, I said I love you more first."

"And I'm telling you I love you more right back," she purred, lifting her neck to give him better access to her jawline when he started to press an open mouth kiss there.

He felt her pulse rush under his lips like she'd ran a marathon, skin flushed as red as her hair. He couldn't help but kiss her again and again.

"You're so stubborn," he grumbled good naturedly, nuzzling her.

"Takes one to know one, babe." Eep grinned at him, stroking the nape of his neck and fiddling with his top knot.

It was just them now and feeling thrilled that he had her to himself, gently nudged her down, feeling her eyes bore into his. Guy braced his arms above her, not caring his muscles throbbed in protest. He could see the sun as it set shimmering there, burning with more than mere fire.

Her eyes were nearly amber in the low light of the evening, glinting with love. Those same eyes reminded him of the first night they met, curious and glowing as the fire flickered. He touched her face, fingers curling under her chin, taking in her flushed cheeks and kiss swollen lips. It was a good look for her. She was beautiful, and no amount of sleeping suns in the sky would ever compare.

There must have been something in his expression for he saw her tremble and emotion swelled within him as he shut his eyes. He ached in more ways than just the pain from the ordeal with getting pummeled by a bunch of punch monkeys.

No more words were spoken for a long time, whoever reached for whom first he didn't care. All that mattered was now she was in his arms, heart pressed against heart and the gentle whispers of breath against lips. She arched into him and it took all his might to remember how to breathe. She palmed his shoulder suddenly with a growl, pushing him beneath her and he didn't fight her.

No one and no thing would ever separate them again, he thought as he caught her lips once more in a fluid movement.

Grug had panicked when he realized Guy and Eep had disappeared. After today, who could really blame him for it? Everyone was quick to volunteer to find them, Ugga crouching to encourage Sandy to use that skilled sense of smell of hers. The fierce little tot bounded into the fields, disappearing into the tall grass and crops.

"She's got the scent!" Gran exclaimed, hobbling after her youngest granddaughter.

Grug just worried and worried, Ugga absently massaging a kink out of his large neck. "Relax, the farm is safe. I'm sure Eep and Guy are alright, Grug."

"Still," he began with a frown. "I'd feel better knowing that with my own eyes, honey."

They'd followed Sandy through the gardens, the farther they went the more Grug fretted. It felt too long when Sandy finally paused, several large bushes and crops shielding the view. She pawed in the direction of it, turning to giggle and pounce into Ugga's awaiting arms.

"Good girl, Sandy," she praised, pressing her cheek against hers fondly.

Grug lead the way, parting the foliage. Everyone shoved about behind him and attempted to peak around him, making the caveman huff in annoyance.

The family came upon the couple hidden amongst the fields of other worldly produce, cozy together on the grass as they traded needy little kisses. Alternating between whispering, giggling and pressing a small kiss here or there, Guy and Eep were content in their bubble. Guy was curled up as content as a house cat right in her lap, Eep's arms around him in a hug. The sight would have infuriated Grug once upon a time ago but he'd seen a lot in just two days.

Things changed and so did he. His daughter deserved happiness and having seen just how broken Guy had been over her, he knew it wasn't just puppy love.

It was full grown.

"Aw," Dawn gushed as she peeked over Grug's shoulders, standing on her tiptoes. "How cute, are they always like that?"

The typical young boy that he was, Thunk made a face, his travel window lowering. "Bleh," he only said. "Again already?"

Gran snorted and leaned over to Dawn to say inconspicuously, "You have no idea, smart girl."

Belt's only response from around Dawn's torso was to make a swooning gesture, unwinding an arm to drape it over his face. Dawn chuckled when immediately after the sloth was gushing over Sash who'd leaned down to nuzzle noses with Guy's little friend. "I get the picture."

Hope folded her hands to her chest, "I can't believe we tried breaking them up… who does that?"

The words Hope said affected Grug more than he wanted to admit and guilt swelled inside him.

Ugga patted him gently on the shoulder, rousing her mate's quiet contemplation. "Well?" Ugga asked him in that soft voice of hers, gray eyes shifting back towards Guy and Eep.

"Leave them be," Grug told her and the others, shaking his head with a reserved little smile. He felt sad but there was a fatherly resolve in his heart. Eep would always be his little girl but he had to accept she had her own life to live now.

One with many Tomorrows that he knew Guy could give her, there was no doubt the young man was going to give her the world on a silver platter. The thought of her leaving was like a knife in his heart, even Guy would be a tough bone to swallow, after all, Grug had called him son. And as a father, he only wanted what was best for them, even if it meant it wasn't here with him anymore.

Gran stomped her cane on the grass. "Who are you and what have you done with our Lunkhead?"

Grug grunted, "What? I'm not allowed to have a change of heart now?"

Ugga leaned her head against his fondly. "I'm proud of you, big guy."

Grug didn't want to get emotional, feeling the moisture gather in his eyes. Phil threw an arm over his shoulders on the side Ugga didn't occupy.

"Something on your mind, bro?" His eyes were sympathetic.

He sniffled, "Nothing, really." Grug shrugged Phil's arm off and sighed.

"You can tell me," Phil encouraged, lifting a hand in an encouraging manner.

"I don't wanna."

"I'm knocking on the door, big guy. Let me in!" He persisted.

Grug side eyed him, knowing no matter what he said the lanky Betterman was going to get his way. "It's just… gonna be hard to let them go," he said, the words slightly warbled. He was a big scary caveman but he'd always been soft in the heart despite the stoney exterior.

Gran scoffed, the old matriarch beginning to hobble away. "There's our Grug now. The big baby."

Phil patted him on the back, "There, there, it'll be alright. Besides, I have a solution to your little problem."

He looked uncertain as Phil led him away from the serene couple, the rest of the family following behind. "What do you mean 'solution'?"

"Let's just say it's a wedding present for our favorite pair of lovebirds, Gruggers. You can help me get it ready, they'll take one look at it and want to stay forever." Phil then fondly nudged his friend's back. "Just please learn to use doors, Guy won't be happy if you tear a hole in their little love nest. Knocking will save you a lot of grief too."

"Love nest?" Grug echoed and for a moment the protective father that wanted to smother his daughter peeked out.

Before he could regret his decision, it was a joint effort to shove him towards the large tree on the property, hefting a sigh and pouting as Ugga just laughed.

And oblivious to the world around them, Guy and Eep stayed stuck together, joint by the heart.

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