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peach-and-bugs · 1 year

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🪶Alma LeFay Peregrine SFW Alphabet🪶

Fanfiction master list

disclaimer: don't repost my work. I only post on Tumblr and on Ao3. anything else is stolen and should be removed immediately

Warnings: very mind angst but nothing serious

Word Count: 3,185

A/N: well, it's been a minute. I'll be honest, I haven't been writing much, but I want to. so I thought I'd fill out some safe-for-work alphabets as well as some NSFW alphabets and honestly, it's pretty fun! it's helped me to characterize some of the characters I work with to my liking and even inspires some longer fic ideas.

but here we have Alma, who's actually been my number-one comfort character for a while now. I'm surprised I haven't written for her yet. but now I've got some ideas based on this, so we'll see what comes of it! As always, feel free to leave questions or comments in my comments or ask box, and happy reading!🪶

Alma LeFay Peregrine Tag List:

General Tag List: @summergeezburr

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A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Alma isn't the most visibly affectionate, but that doesn't mean that she isn’t affectionate. She’s just more subtle about it. She doesn’t do anything very visible in front of the children, not because she’s ashamed of you or your relationship, but rather because she doesn’t want to deal with all of the giggling, gossip, and dramatics that’s sure to follow whenever the little ones see any form of PDA. And the children are well aware of your relationship status and view you as a second parental figure. Alma prefers to take your hand on walks and lean against your shoulder, kiss your knuckles or your cheek when the children and spend quality time together cooking dinner.

But when you get your alone time, she’s all over you. Quality time and physical touch are her preferred ways of feeling loved by you. If she’s reading with you in bed, she’d going to be leaning against you and she’d be quite clingy in her sleep.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

You’d initially be colleges, but you were also former students at the academy together. You probably weren't friends in your younger years, but you definitely knew each other well enough and got along amicably. When you were sent to assist in Alma’s loop, she would have had some trouble adjusting as the implication she needed help would be mildly insulting, but eventually, you grew on her and she’d come to enjoy your company, even seeking it out when she got a moment to herself while the children where occupied.

Your friendship again would be quiet, starting as simply enjoying being in the same space as one another, but it would slowly turn into a conversation, which blooms into a warm friendship.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Alma is quite touchy when you're alone. She loved curling up in bed with you after a long day of caring for the kids, and she’s quite fond of skin-to-skin contact. I imagine she also gets cold easily and loves curling up under thick blankets with her partner to keep warm. But don’t let the children see- they wouldn’t be able to stop talking about seeing their headmistress so soft for weeks!

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Alma is quite fond of domesticity, given that her job is being a caregiver and raising the “young” of her species. She loves cooking and often makes quite extravagant meals, but isn’t the fondest of cleaning. But that’s alright! She can always ask you or one of the children to do that if she feels inclined. She loves her duties, but still values the time to herself to read the mail or catch up on a new book when she can.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Alma would already be so particular about her partner, it’s hard to imagine she’d start a relationship with someone who she could see herself breaking up with. I think the only instance would be to protect you and/or her children. If she knows something is on its way to harm you, and sending you away is the only thing that will keep you safe, she knows breaking things off will be the only way you’ll leave the island.

She’d be gentle, but firm, and oh how it would hurt. It would hurt her the entire time, but she wouldn’t show it. Not till she knows you’re gone and she’s out of sight of prying eyes.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quickly would they want to get married?)

I don't think a formal ceremony or any kind of paperwork would be necessary as long as you promise that she’s yours and you're hers. I think she’d like a ring, but again, it wouldn’t be a priority. It would take some time though before she got to that point.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if one day she just started calling you her wife/husband/spouse without any kind of forewarning, as though that’s how she’d always referred to you. When asked why she’d shrug and just say that it felt right and she liked it

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Despite her rather quick, birdlike mannerisms, Alma is incredibly gentle, mostly because she works with children, but also because she cares. Gentleness is quite surprising, but the tenderness that comes with it is perfect. She holds you like your glass that will shatter at her touch, and you often have to remind her that you won’t break.

Emotionally, Alma puts up a good front, and for the most part, she’s quite tolerant. It takes a lot to hurt Alma, but when she is hurt, the recovery takes time. In that instant, she shuts down and throws herself into her work, ignoring any and all things that have wounded her.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

She loves hugs from her children, especially when the little ones wrap their arms wound her knees and squeeze as hard as they can. But her hugs with her kids and with you are two very different things. Hugs with the kids are soft and fun, often lifts them off the ground to make them laugh as much as she can.

But with you, hugs can be rarer and when you get one, they’re consuming and holding like she’s trying to make sure you’re all there. Often you have to squeeze her tighter, making sure she knows she’s got you and you aren't going to disappear from between her hands. You've found that resting your head on her shoulder and kissing her neck help relax her once more when she gets this way.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Much like when she starts calling you her wife/husband/spouse, it's offhand and without warning, like she hasn’t thought about it. She doesn’t vocalize this kind of affection often, preferring to show rather than tell. But it’s so nice when she does say it.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Alma doesn't think she’s the jealous type, because what does she have to be jealous about? She’s confident in her relationship and your loyalty to one another, after all. (right?) the Ymbryne would never admit it, not even to herself, but she is definitely the jealous type. Not because she thinks you’ll leave her for someone else, but because she worries she doesn’t give you as much as you deserve, and maybe she’d keeping you from someone who can do better than she can.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Besides your lips, because we know she loves those, Alma loves kissing your forehead/hairline, your palm, and knuckles as well as your jaw, but that’s only when she knows no one’s looking.

On her, she loves when you give her quick kisses on the cheek before running off with the children, though she won't let you know that. But she also adores it when you kiss her fingertips and her collarbones during more intimate settings. She also loves when you kiss the bridge of her nose.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Obviously, she’s good with kids. That’s her whole job after all. She’s rather strict, but she’s got that warm and soft part of her that’s actually quite closer to the surface than you might imagine. She keeps every little drawing or gift that the children give her, tucked away in your bedroom for safekeeping.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Alma’s definitely the early bird, which you love to tease her about. But when she has the time she loves staying in bed, wrapped up in warm sheets with you. She loves the sleepy look on your face when you wake up to her staring, again. And she loves it when you absently stretch out as you wake up, but cling to her skin. Lazy mornings, though thin and far between, are some of the most treasured memories that she has with you

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Alma loves ending her evenings with a nice warm bath (sometimes together), a cup of tea, and reading a good book. Sometimes, she reads out loud to you, mostly when either of you can't sleep. She often falls asleep after you. She likes watching your slow breathing for a moment before also nodding off.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Like most other interactions, Alma reveals facts about herself seemingly out of nowhere, though it's still at relevant times. To you, it's a surprise, but to her, she’s been thinking about telling you and now just feels like the right time. At some point, you get used to her intermittent fun facts popping up in conversation, but it's quite a shock at first.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

She’s built up a really good tolerance for most things since she’s a mother, so she doesn't get mad very often. But she can get annoyed, which might as well be just as bad. You used to annoy her quite often when you first were getting to know each other (in reality she was growing to like you and she panicked, which caused her to purposely avoid you, which is something she also does when she’s annoyed, but she won't tell you that).

Over time she’s gotten much better at communication and telling her how you feel if she happens to get irritated with something. She’s quite surprised when you work to accommodate these feelings, which you tell her she shouldn't be, since that’s your job as partners, and you do the same with her if you're the one annoyed.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing or do they kind of forget everything?)

Alma remembers absolutely everything you tell her. She even goes as far as to write it all down in her diary. With every day being the same, any new bit of information is worth holding onto.

She left her diary open to a page dedicated to little tidbits all about you out on her stationary once when you were tidying her room (before you were officially anything) and when she walked in the room and caught you reading you were both quite embarrassed for different reasons. You thought she would be upset with you invading her privacy and reading the book, which you profusely apologized for, but she was worried you'd find it strange she had been writing down nearly everything she’d learned about you in the first place. She relaxed significantly when you sheepishly admitted you found it quite flattering.

Sometimes before bed, Alma reads through her diary. Not to remember or memorize, necessarily, but more to mull over the past and think of how much everyone in her little family has grown.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

Alma’s favorite memory of you diffidently hadn’t been her favorite at the moment, but she’d grown exceedingly fond of it nowadays.

It was shortly after you'd moved in, maybe three or four months give or take, and before the loop had been initially set. It was also before you'd really started getting to know one another, so you were still practically strangers. But by then the children already loved you and were all over you practically every hour of the day. Alma always worried you'd have enough of it and snap at one of the younger kids for their clingy behavior, but that never seemed to be the case.

She’d been walking through the house, making sure she had tabs on every child in case of any accident when she passed by the study. She first noticed that the thick velvet curtains had been opened up, letting in a warm afternoon light that basked over the couch. Further inspection found you basking on said couch with a book in hand and three children curled up in your lap. The twins had cuddled up together on the farther and by your feet, while Claire lie across your chest, snoring ever so softly with her head nuzzled right under your chin. As you flipped through your book, your free hand gently stroked through her curly blonde hair. Alma knew the girl loved this kind of tender affection, but she was always afraid that her second mouth would accidentally bite anyone who dare touch her hair, so she ignored the desire. Despite not giving the action your full attention, you were so mindful to keep away from the mouth, which was actively drooling as Claire slept.

It was the tenderness of the scene that made Alma realize her fondness for having you around. And while the admission had been only hers, she panicked, rushing to leave the view behind and busy herself with a new activity to push down whatever the fuzzy feeling in her chest might be.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Your wife is extremely protective of you and your children, just like any Peregrin would be with her nest. She demonstrates this when she leaves with Barron, no questions asked, or when her brothers “come into town”. You constantly scold her for her recklessness, almost calling her eager for danger. She scoffs at the notion, but deep down knows that you are right about it. A part of her craves danger, the thrill of adrenalin, but she tells herself that it's because she’d rather it be her you or the children.

Alma insists that she doesn't need you protecting her, but she does. Not physically, that is, but emotionally. You are her rock, whether she likes it or not, and it's you who will take on the “chore” of caring for her, as she would put it. But you don't mind. You tell her that you'd never mind if it's for her. She does her best to believe you, and over time she does.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, and everyday tasks?)

Special occasions like date night and anniversaries can be tricky since proper alone time can be challenging, and given the situation of the time loop, there's always the chance of forgetting what day it actually is. But that’s alright with both of you. You've come to enjoy stolen time together rather than grand gestures.

However, if you do have a date night or evening alone, it’s generally thanks to your older kids taking the littles out for an “adventure”. Alma insists that it’s embarrassing, but you've both grown quite fond of your evenings alone. It's definitely helped your relationship in the long run and the kids seem to enjoy going off on their own for a few hours. You like to think it makes them feel grown up for a while.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

She tried her best not to have many “bad habits” and if she did have any she wouldn’t admit it, but you know her worst habit is not verbalizing what she wants. She’ll go for a day not asking for a simple thing, then get frustrated when it doesn't happen. You try your best to get her talking, but she insists that she's fine. It could be as simple as wanting a chore done, or bigger, like asking for your presence or attention.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Despite only seeing the same people every day, Alma is very pristine when it comes to her appearance. You joke that it’s the bird part of her, always keen to preen both her hair and feathers. She scoffed at this idea but nevertheless, you insist on your theory. Alma says that she just likes things to be on schedule and the same.

However, she’s willing to let her hair down (literally and metaphorically) with you. She loves it when you help wash her hair or take the pins out for her. The feeling of your nails scratching at her scalp is exacerbating and does something to her every time.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Absolutely. While she has her children, you fill an extra space that she didn’t realize was empty till you filled it. Now, the thought of losing you would eat her alive and she wouldn’t know what to do with herself.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Similar to when you own a pet, you find feathers stuck almost everywhere. Mostly they’re little fuzzy ones that stick to your clothes or sheets, but sometimes you find them in your hair or sticking out of your pillows. It's not because Alma turns into a bird or anything in her sleep, but sometimes she has leftover baby feathers from when she does transform that she forgets to preen, as she likes to say.

This also sometimes happens when she dreams. She’ll go to sleep featherless, but wake up from a dream with baby feathers sprouting from her hairline and along her shoulder blades. She detests it and generally has a “grumpy morning” as the children like to whisper, but you find it charming and always offer to help her pluck and preen the spots she can't reach.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

She can't stand it when the children try asking one parent a question only to ask the other the same thing when they don't get the answer they want. She knows if she tells a child no, they’ll go right to you with no hesitation in hopes of a yes. And it isn’t your fault, but you don't notice this game they play and will give them the answer they want with the right kind of begging. It makes her quite cross to learn that her kids would stoop that low. You all know that you can’t say no to their sweet faces.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

Rather than just lying under a blanket, Alma loves to be completely wrapped up in your sheets, almost like a cocoon. The night doesn't start out that way, but when you wake up together you are almost always tangled and covered up, unable to see your room til you find your way out of the nest of blankets youve been stuffed into.

#sfw alphabet #alma lefay peregrine x reader #alma lefay peregrine #miss peregrine x reader #character alphabet #comfort character #headcanon

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hergan416 · 1 year

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Get to Know You Tag Game

Thank you @alabaster-moon

Three Ships: I only get three???? aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (I think this tells you more than the actual ships I choose at this point). Uh. Prideshipping (yugioh), Katamar (One Piece), and oh my god I want to choose a yuumori ship for the last ship but I literally can't I've been weight the pros and cons of the ships for like. 15 minutes. Just staring at this ask. Albert/Milverton maybe?? because I want to write more of it and Dark!Albert is really hecking interesting? Moriarthree? Something I can go find content to read like mycal? I DONT KNOW IM SORRY and now you have like 5 ships

First Ship: I know I shipped other things before this but my first ever OTP was prideshipping. Most everything else was like... canon ships I supported or like... stuff other people were writing that I was into. I mean, I guess you could also consider zendall from All My Children in that I helped my mom send zendall keychains to AMC in the mail after they broke them up??? but I do truly think that was more about my mom than me.

Last Song: My phone says "A Million Dreams" was what I stopped halfway through playing most recently. I've listened to music since then, but the audio player on my desktop doesn't keep track of what I was listening to after I closed the program. (Honestly, I don't like that my phone does this either? I just can't get rid of it there).

Last Movie: Hell if I remember?? I don't really watch movies regularly. Fiance thinks it might have been Wakanda Forever? Which sounds right.

Currently Reading: Other than fanfic... My Secret Life. Yeah. That's uh. A thing.

Currently Watching: My family is NOT caught up with Master Minds. Not sure if that counts. But yes, we record and watch all episodes of a trivia game show.

Currently Consuming: I think I'll choose fanfiction for this?? I have been LIVING off Dying Wish which is a massive reincarnation RP fic that has literally made me fall in love with Albert as a character? I have lost so much sleep the last week because I started reading before bed and then suddenly it was like... 4 am? 5 am? even later?

Currently Craving: Oh man. I dunno. I think something sweet. Or maybe a nap. Or maybe some mycal? I'm pretty sure the next chapter in the above fic is mycal smut AND a different mycal fic that I've been reading (@user-needs-new-hyperfixation's Love In All it's Disrepute also updated today and I'm just so stoked to read more of THAT also)

Tag List: (0 pressure please, just if you want) @user-needs-new-hyperfixation (hopefully this double tag does not do anything screwy hyper, sorry), @sakuplumeria OOH IS IT GOING TO LET ME TAG YOU NOW?? DID YOUR BLOG GET FIXED?, @wurm-food, @xamaxenta, @operagoose I know you but what are you up to now?, @bum-scum, @sapphicspaceranger, @straycrayoncrypt, @rivaltagonist, @winxhelina OR anyone else who wants to!

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zorinanana · 1 year

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Kiss Me in the Dark is another illustrated fanfiction I made a couple months ago. It takes place in the same continuity as Like a Glass Bottle, but it's a completely separate story that doesn't really connect to that one. I also wrote this before Chapter 7 Part 1 or the Sunset Savanna event came out so there's some parts that definitely diverge from canon. There are also spoilers for chapter 6, by the way.

Rating: M (Strong language, suggestive content, A LOT of mentions of suicide and self-harm)

Pairings: Leona/Idia, background Malleyuu

Content Warnings: This story pretty much revolves around suicidal ideation, depression, and self-harm. I am serious, you probably don't want to read it you have a hard time with that stuff.

Word Count: Long as Fuck (~55k words)

“You’re beautiful.” Leona breathed.

Idia’s eyes blew wide. He tried to step back, but Leona stopped him with a touch to his cheek. Idia stared down into his upside-down eyes, searching for something. Maybe an escape.

“…I’m not.” Idia said. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“No.”

“You’re a jerk. You’re a mean kittycat.” Idia whispered, leaning closer. “And you’re a liar, too.”

“I’m not lyin’.” Leona replied.

“Then say it again. Convince me this time.” Idia’s lips hovered over his. Leona felt the warmth of his breath, of his hair spilling over the back of the futon and covering them like a curtain.

“You’re beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beauti-”

Before he could say it again, Idia silenced him with his lips.

Chapter 1 - Beautiful

Parked by a small, secluded beach on the west coast of the Kingdom of Heroes, a shiny new camper reflected the brilliant oranges and blues of the sunset. It had been built to look vintage, but a closer look revealed distinctly modern features and artificial wear and tear. Its owner had bought it because he knew that its kitschy fakeness would make people mad. He leaned against the fence separating the lot from the beach, watching the last of the beachgoers pack up their umbrellas and beach chairs. Parents carried their sleeping toddlers on their backs, ignoring him as they walked past.

Leona exhaled slowly, letting the smoke from his cigarette drift into the air in a dirty spiral. It stood out against the vibrant colors of the sky, a nasty blemish that soon dissolved into nothingness. It was almost poetic, in a way, but he would never write it down or say it out loud.

He hadn’t come to the beach for any particular reason. He didn’t even have a swimsuit on him. He had no reason to be here, or there, or anywhere.

Leona had been on the road for a good four months now, out of the Sunset Savanna, through deserts and mountain ranges and cities of all sizes, eventually making his way here. This wasn’t his final destination. He didn’t know what that would be, yet. He’d figure it out as he went along.

As long as he wasn’t home.

The parking lights began to flicker on as the sun sank further below the horizon. Leona flicked the butt of his cigarette against the asphalt, stomping it out with one of his heavy boots.

As night fell, the air grew chilly. Leona sighed, slipping back into his vehicle. Time to figure out what he was going to do next.

Despite its relatively small size, the camper was pretty cozy. He and Ruggie had customized the thing to hell and back. Most of the back was taken up with a kitchenette and a tiny bathroom, along with stairs up to the lofted bed. Way in the back, under the loft, hid a little nook with a loveseat for reading or just lounging around. There used to be a TV mounted there, but they’d taken it out after they had gotten back.

Souvenirs from their trip still hung from the rearview mirror and covered any stable service. He’d bolted a makeshift shelf to the wall where a bunch of tacky bobbleheads now wiggled aimlessly. It was cheesy, sure, but who was going to care? It was one of the last good memories he had.

Speaking of Ruggie. Leona pulled his phone out of his pocket, intending to open it and check the map for good spots to eat and sleep. But before he could, he saw the multiple missed calls from his friend-slash-employee.

“Can’t wait to find out what this is about.” He grumbled, despite knowing exactly what it was about. He dialed Ruggie back and waited.

“Boss! Your brother is pissed.” Was the first thing he said, his voice frantic.

“What else is new.” Leona answered.

“I’m serious, Leona. He’s about to go on the warpath.” Leona could hear the hyena whipping his head around to check that he wasn’t being overheard. “They found out you’ve been gone and now they’re asking him questions about it.”

“You guys still haven’t told them?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, that’s not part of my fucking job description!” Ruggie scoffed. “I’m already on thin ice with your brother, why would I stick my neck out just to get more people mad at me?! I need this job, Leona!”

“You know I’d give you a good recommendation. I wouldn’t leave you high-and-dry like that.” Leona rolled his eyes. Yeah, maybe he was being a baby. But Ruggie knew more about the situation than anyone and Leona thought that he, at least, would understand.

“Would still love to not get kicked out of the palace and give my grandma a heart attack, thanks.” Ruggie replied. “I can’t afford to be looking for another job.”

“Then I’ll pay you from my personal account until you find one.”

“That’s not the fucking point, Leona!” Ruggie growled in exasperation. “God! Do you rich people ever think of anyone other than yourselves?!”

“Ruggie, calm down.” Leona sighed. “I’ll tell them personally, okay? Tell Falena I’ll call tomorrow.”

“You’d better not mess this up for me.” Ruggie replied, but Leona knew he would do it.

“You know he’d still fire you if he ever heard you talking to me like that, right?”

“Honestly, it’d be worth it. I’d go out with a bang. Really cuss you out over all the shit you’ve put me through.”

“Don’t know what I’d do without ya, Ruggie.”

“Bite me.” The phone went silent as Ruggie hung up. Leona stared at the darkened device, thinking. He was running out of options. It seems he couldn’t pretend to be sick or out on “business” anymore.

Slumping against the leather driver’s seat, he let his phone drop to the floor. He hadn’t felt this pathetic in years. Not since he’d met Yuu and the others and gotten his ass kicked by a bunch of kids.

Through his windshield he watched the sun wink out of existence. He kicked his heel back, hearing a hollow “thud” from the metal safe he’d been keeping under the driver’s seat. Ruggie had suggested it for hiding weed in if they ever got pulled over. He just needed a reminder that it was there.

He could still do it. This was a nice enough spot, and the beach was nearly empty. Nobody would be there to stop him setting up, and they wouldn’t find him until the next morning. But he didn’t get up. That cowardly side of himself had grabbed hold of him, pinning him down. He tried to breathe, waiting for something to change. He never knew which direction the scales would tip.

Leona’s phone buzzed in his hand. He sighed and lifted it to his ear.

“What is it now, Ruggie?”

“Um, I’m not Ruggie.”

“Idia?” Confused, Leona double-checked the name on his caller ID. Yep, there it was, “radish sprout”. “You never actually call people.”

He tried to remember the last time he’d heard Idia’s voice. They still texted sometimes and played online chess in their spare time. But Leona didn’t get much opportunity to hang out with schoolmates these days, so many years after dropping out. Last he had heard, Idia had just finished up his engineering degree at some fancy school in the Sunshine Lands.

“I, uh… Didn’t think I should ask this over text.” Leona could hear other people on the other end of the line. He could picture Idia perfectly, sitting somewhere public with his legs scrunched into his chest, a bundle of nervous energy.

“The truth is, I need a huge favor.”

“…Why are you askin’ me?” He winced at his own rough questioning. Damn it, Idia would definitely take that the wrong way.

“…Oh, silly me. Of course the prince of the Sunset Savanna himself wouldn’t have time for a loser like me…”

“Shut the fuck up, I didn’t mean it like that.” Leona sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose, more annoyed with himself than Idia. “I just know you have other options that you’d rather ask for help from first. Y’know, like Yuu or Azul.”

“They can’t help me.” Idia answered. “Azul is working down in the Coral Sea right now, and Yuu is… Well, they’re busy.”

“And you think I’m not busy?”

“I know you’re not busy.”

“Fuck.” Leona grumbled.

“Look, just forget it. This was a stupid idea.” Idia’s vice sounded shaky. Leona felt a pang of guilt and grimaced. Damn it, he knew Idia well enough by now to understand the way he was. He wouldn’t have called for help unless he really needed it.

“I didn’t say ‘no’, yet. Just tell me what it is.”

“…So my parents just disowned me.”

“What the fuck.” That was not what he expected.

“I know.” Idia said, dejected.

Leona’s eyes widened. He ran a hand through his bushy hair, trying to process what he was hearing. What could Idia have done to get disowned?

“…They only let me study engineering because they expected me to come home and keep working for S.T.Y.X.” Idia began, as if he could read Leona’s mind. “But I’ve been applying to other companies, and I got an offer. And they found out.”

“Shit.” Leona growled. After everything that had happened, they were still at it with him. It was just so… unjust. Unfair. Idia had never deserved that, and he didn’t deserve it now.

“You know this is just a power play, right? They need you more than you need them.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I know.” Idia replied. “That’s why I… I’m not gonna give in. Not this time. So I just need a place to stay for a little while. Just until my new job starts.”

“…Where are you right now?”

“At an airport in the Kingdom of Heroes.”

“Good, I shouldn’t be far. Text me the address, I’ll get there.”

Idia spluttered in surprise. “Leona?! You’re really going to-”

“What, you were expecting me to say no?” He scoffed, sitting up in the driver’s seat and turning the key. The vehicle rumbled to life, ready to go. “I’m not that much of an asshole.”

“Y-You don’t have to rush right here! I can make do for one night!”

“Not like I’ve got much else to do.” Besides killing myself. He added, silently.

“Nevermind, you don’t have to. You don’t have to! Th-this is a waste of your time, I’ll just figure something else out, I’ll-”

“Idia.” Leona interrupted him. He wished he could look him in the eyes right now, he could easily picture how terrified he must be. “I want to help. You ain’t a waste of time.”

That was part of the reason, yes. But it was also a way for him to stop thinking about the things he was keeping under his driver’s seat.

“…Thank you.” Idia mumbled. “I… I really appreciate it.”

“Damn right you do. I’m living in a van right now, by the way. Hope that’s not a problem.”

“What? Why?!”

“Long story. Tell you later.”

---

When he finally reached the airport six hours later, the first thing he noticed was that Idia had cut his hair.

He’d cleaned up a lot, actually. He’d put on slacks and a well-fitted shirt for once, instead of hiding himself away in a pile of baggy clothes. All he had with him were one suitcase and a duffel bag. Leona honked the horn as he got closer, startling him into nearly dropping his phone. He laughed at the glare Idia gave him through the window.

As Idia slid open the side door to throw his suitcase inside, he took a moment to look the inside of the camper over. He seemed impressed. “Wow. When you said ‘van’ I wasn’t expecting this space-defying pocket dimension.”

“I’ll give you the grand tour once we’re outta here.” Idia stepped inside, sliding the door shut behind him. He tried to wedge his suitcase into the little reading nook in the back where it wouldn’t be jostled around too much.

“You got a haircut?” Leona remarked when he finally sat down. It still looked messy, but that was probably because he’d been stuck at the airport for so long.

“Y-Yeah. Does it look gross?”

“How would a haircut look gross?”

“I… dunno, actually.” Idia let out a little laugh. He reached up to grab a loose curl of hair. “This is just the first time anyone outside of the Island of Woe has seen me like this.”

“It looks good.” Strange, but good. Idia’s long-haired look was certainly unique, but it probably attracted more attention than he wanted. It hadn’t made much sense that he had kept it like that in the first place.

“Y-You don’t mean that.” Idia looked away and hid his face behind his palm, a new habit he must have developed since he couldn’t hide behind his hair anymore. He pulled his hoodie from the duffel bag at his feet and slipped it on. Leona wasn’t sure why, but he felt a strange sense of relief that he still had it.

“You really need to learn how to take a compliment.” Leona sighed. With Idia buckled in and everything loaded up, he pulled out of the passenger loading area.

Leona navigated out of the maze of airport traffic and pulled onto the highway. “When was the last time you ate anything?”

“…Um…”

“Okay, so food first, got it.”

“W-Wait, I didn’t get to answer!” Idia protested.

“So what’s the answer?” Leona raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t look away from the road.

“…I grabbed some chips from the airport convenience store, but as for real food, it was the night before last. I had dinner with my parents.” From the corner of his eye, Leona saw him fiddling with the zipper on his hoodie. “I was kinda happy about it too, like an idiot. I don’t usually get to eat with them. But they must have already known by then.”

“What about Ortho?”

“Ortho’s fine. He’s at school.” Idia perked up. “Oh, yeah, he decided to go to the same university as me. He doesn’t need to, but I’m glad he did. He’s made lots of friends.”

“No shit? What does a robot study in university, exactly?” Leona asked.

“You’re not going to believe this, but photography.”

“Photography?”

“Yeah!” Idia turned in his seat. He was finally smiling, just a little bit. “He got really into cinematography and stuff like that in Vil’s film club. And he’s good at it, too! I can show you his portfolio when you’re not driving.”

“Huh. Sure, sounds interesting.”

After a moment of silence, Leona asked:

“Does he know what happened yet?”

Idia didn’t answer right away, but his head dropped just a little.

“No. He’d go berserk if he knew.”

“Hm.”

Idia shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as if he was expecting a lecture. Leona rolled his eyes. He knew he couldn’t judge. He’d never had a relationship with his own brother like the Shrouds’, but he could imagine how embarrassed Idia must be right now.

And… He was doing the same thing, so getting on Idia’s case would just make him a hypocrite.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Some fast food garbage would be great.” Idia answered. He’d started staring out the window at the deep black sky, even though there was nothing to see with all this light pollution. “I haven’t had any in ages.”

The streetlights lining the highway cast a warm glow through the window on Idia’s melancholy face, blotting in and out as they passed each one. It was nostalgic, almost. It reminded Leona of falling asleep in the back of one of his family’s cars after a long day out, his head resting against his big brother’s shoulder.

Leona tried to think of what to say. Years ago, when he first met Idia, he wouldn’t have cared about what happened. But now, after they’d worked together and become something like friends, he had too many questions and no idea how to ask them. If he wasn’t careful, Idia would shut down and retreat into his little introvert zone, and good fucking luck getting him out of there.

So he said nothing, idly kicking his free foot against the metal box under his seat.

---

Idia had barely started on his food by the time Leona finished scarfing down his two double cheeseburgers. He’d been driving non-stop since sunset, and he could feel his energy starting to flag. The restaurant they’d settled in was nearly empty this early in the morning, the only other occupant a tired cashier blatantly scrolling on her phone as she leaned against the counter.

“You look like hell.” Idia remarked.

“Could say the same to you.” Leona snapped back.

Idia rolled his eyes. Before S.T.Y.X., he never would’ve done something like that. At least not to his face.

“You know what I mean. Were you on the road this whole time?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Leona laughed and snatched a fry from Idia’s tray, ignoring the glare he got for it. “Stop eating so slow. It’s survival of the fittest out here.”

“We’re in a McDonald’s. There’s a playground for toddlers outside.”

“And what do you think happens to the ones who can’t find their way out of the tubes?”

“Pfft.” Idia tried to conceal his smile by taking a big bite out of his own burger.

He didn’t speak again until he had finished chewing. “I can drive, so you can take a break. I don’t know where you’re going, though.”

“That makes two of us.”

Idia looked confused. “You don’t know?!”

“Can’t a guy just fuck off for a while and have an adventure?” Leona leaned back in the restaurant booth, grinning at the man across from him.

“Sure, but a prince? Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me the whole story?” Pouting, Idia leaned forward to glare at him.

“Don’t we have more important things to worry about? Like what you’re gonna do.” Idia stared down at his food. Leona swallowed nervously. His deflection had worked, but he couldn’t help but feel bad about it.

“I accepted a job offer a week ago.” Idia explained, still not looking up. “I was supposed to start next month.”

“So let’s get you there, then.” Leona decided. “Where is it?”

“It’s, uh.” He finally lifted his head, sheepish. “They’re working on this big project in, well. The Sunset Savanna.”

Well, fuck.

---

He was going to have to go back eventually. At least, that was what he tried to tell himself. He was doing the right thing, doing a favor for Idia like this. And it might be fun. At least it wouldn’t be boring.

Once Idia stopped moping around, anyway. They had gotten a hotel room for the night, and all he was doing was sitting on his bed and staring at his phone, not texting or browsing the internet or anything. Leona felt like he should be worried, but all he could think about was how funny Idia’s hair looked after a shower. He’d never thought about what magic curse fire looks like when it gets wet.

“You’re gonna stare a hole in that thing.” He finally remarked.

“I’m trying to figure out what to tell Ortho.” Idia mumbled. “He’s starting his junior year soon and I don’t want him to think he needs to come and look after me.”

“So just tell him that.” Leona yawned. He took up a familiar pose lounging on his own bed, staring lazily in Idia’s direction. “He’ll listen to you, at least.”

“Have you met Ortho?” Idia scoffed. “Half the time I have no clue what’s going through his head, and I’m the one who made him.”

“He trusts you, though.” If there was one thing Leona was sure of, it was that. He’d seen the way they both doted on each other. If Idia said he needed space, Ortho would give it to him.

Idia sighed, but he didn’t say anything. After a few minutes, he finally unlocked his phone and typed something out.

“There, it’s done.” He stood and tossed his phone back on the bed. “Now I’m gonna do my dailies and go the fuck to sleep.”

“That’s a nerd thing, right? Sounds like a nerd thing.”

“Dailies. Daily tasks you can do for extra rewards in-game. I’ve only got a trackpad though, so I’ll have to do it with one of the braindead jobs that don’t require a mouse. DPS it is.”

“I wasn’t asking for an explanation.” Leona groaned, but he filed away the info for later. Just in case he needed it. Peeking one eye open, he glanced into Idia’s open suitcase as he rummaged around for his laptop. He was a little surprised to see it actually had clothes in it, mostly, but a couple board games and a chessboard had been stuffed in there, too.

The chessboard seemed familiar, and after a moment, it struck him. It was the one he’d given Idia for his birthday. The pieces must’ve been stored away in the little blue velvet pouch that had been taped to it.

“You actually kept that old thing?”

“Huh?” Idia looked up at him, then followed his gaze to the chessboard. “Well, yeah. It’s a nice chess set.”

After a moment, a familiar toothy grin appeared on his face. “Aww, are you embarrassed or something? You don’t like that I’m still carrying around evidence of your deredere side?”

“Shut up. I just thought you said it was too fancy to play with.”

“It is, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it.” He faced away from Leona, the ends of his hair turning pink. “I didn’t get a lot of time to pack. I just grabbed whatever important stuff I had.”

Important. Out of all the games, merch and personal belongings Idia had left behind, he’d decided that that chess set was important enough to keep with him. Leona didn’t know what to think about it. He couldn’t tell if he was feeling flattered or sick.

He rolled over, facing the wall, staring at the slowly blinking thermostat. “What a waste. You coulda used that room for your clown suit.” He laughed.

Idia threw a pillow at him.

---

Five Years Ago

Leona woke with a start. It took a moment to decipher where he was as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Nearby shelves were covered in empty glass containers and lab equipment, and the soft surface beneath him felt like the old futon they had dragged in here for a makeshift break area.

He must be in the overflow lab that their group had taken over for their portal project. No wonder he hadn’t recognized it, he had never fallen asleep in here before. Groaning, he sat up. Something soft had been draped across his chest, and when he pulled it away from himself, he was surprised to see the familiar patterns on Idia’s hoodie.

“Oh, good morning. Or evening? Oh, no, wait, it is morning. It’s 3AM.”

The boy in question sat at a lab table behind him, typing away with only the blue light of his high-tech laptop for illumination.

“You’re gonna ruin your pathetic little herbivore eyes.” Leona remarked.

“Shows what you know. My last eye test said I had 20/20 vision.” Idia grinned smugly, but he didn’t look away from his screen.

“Why didn’t any of you wake me up?” Leona asked. He remembered what had happened, now, he had dozed off in the middle of Azul telling them about his latest “acquisition” of dangerous (and probably illegal, not that he cared) materials.

“Yuu told us you haven’t left in like three days.” Idia answered. “So we thought you needed the rest.”

“How the fuck would they know that?” He grumbled. Standing, he let out a long yawn to cover up how annoyed he felt. Figures that Yuu would still be butting into his business, even though they were barely talking anymore.

“They’re here almost as much as you are, and no offense, but you kinda stink. You should go back to your dorm and take a shower.”

“What a waste of time.” Leona sighed. He balled up Idia’s hoodie and tossed it towards him.

“Hey!” Idia yelped when it slapped against his face. “Fine, if you want something to do, check these measurements for me. You have to promise to leave after this, though.”

He slid a few papers across the table. Leona picked them up, scanning over them.

“You’ve been here a longass time, too.”

“Not as long as you. I got some sleep yesterday afternoon. These are peak work hours for me.”

“Weirdo.” Leona picked up a pen and circled two spots. “Go over these again. They’re close, but they could be more precise.”

“Huh? You can read that when it’s this dark?” Idia looked up from his screen, confused.

“Beastman, remember?” Leona tapped the side of his head beside his left eye. “I can see everything in here.”

A weird smile crept across Idia’s face. Leona felt a shiver go up his spine. “Just like a kittycat~” He crooned.

“Call me that again and you’re fucking dead.” Leona growled, tossing the papers back on the table. Idia chuckled, smiling at him knowingly. “What’s so damn funny?”

“You still think I’m scared of you.” Idia propped his head up on his hand, still grinning. It was infuriating. “We all know you’re a sweetheart, deep down.”

Leona huffed. “Don’t go telling everyone. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

“Why not? Your popularity would skyrocket if your moe side was public knowledge.”

“Whatever fucking nerd thing you just said to me, I don’t care. I don’t want to be popular.” Leona growled.

“Yeah, I get it.” Idia turned back to his screen. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

Leona frowned. Idia was just going to… Wave him off like that? Acting all smug, like he had won some game they were playing? He couldn’t just take that lying down.

So he snatched the laptop, slapped it shut, and tossed it on the futon out of Idia’s reach.

“H-Hey!” Idia squeaked.

“Oh, damn. Sure is dark in here.” Leona said. “Shame about your sad little herbivore eyes.”

“First of all, humans are omnivores,” Idia huffed, stumbling out of his chair. He glared in Leona’s general direction. “Second, you’re an asshole, and third, I can see your eyes just fine, kittycat.”

“Fat lot of good that’s gonna do you.” Leona taunted. “What, you gonna fight me?”

Idia leapt at him, Leona sidestepped him easily, watching him stumble into the back of the futon. Then he reached out and grabbed a fistful of Idia’s hair, not pulling it, just holding it.

“Let go of me, you-!”

“Naaaaw.” Leona tugged at his hair, but not too hard. He wanted to annoy Idia, not actually hurt him. The flames crackled in his fist irritably, transitioning into a red hue at the tips. Leona knew from the times Vil had fussed over Idia’s hair that it couldn’t burn him, but it still felt warm in his hand.

He shouldn’t have been focusing so much on that, though, because Idia grasped his own hair like a rope and jerked him forward, jumping out of the way at the last second.

Leona rolled over the back of the futon, landing with a surprised yell on the seat. He heard the laptop fall and slide across the floor of the lab to god-knows-where. Idia yelped in pain too, and he looked up to realize that he was still pulling on a fistful of blue hair.

“Owowowow! What the fuck, Leona!” Idia hissed. The pained look on his face jolted him back to his senses. He let the mass of hair go, and Idia bundled it up in his arms, stroking it like a sad animal.

The sight was bizarre enough to make Leona laugh, despite the guilty feeling in his chest.

“I’m glad my pain is so funny to you.” Idia grumbled. “Now will you please leave me alone?”

“Why would I do that, when it’s so fun to mess with you?” He replied, gazing backwards up at him. Idia could only barely see his shit-eating grin in the glow of his hair. He was pouting.

“I thought we were friends.” Idia sighed.

Leona felt something grip his heart painfully.

Idia was joking, he knew, but some little shard of doubt had begun to jab into his skin. Idia… was a friend, right? There weren’t a lot of people Leona felt he could say that about. Ruggie, sure. They understood each other in a way that other people didn’t, despite the differences in their personalities and upbringing. Jack, sure. He was a good kid who worked hard, and he was entertaining to have around. Epel, probably. He was funny, and his passion helped keep everyone else motivated.

Yuu? Leona… Wasn’t so sure about that anymore. He was here to help them, but he knew that the way they were ignoring each other was making everyone uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure if he should apologize, still. Or if he would ever get the chance to.

But that uncertainty was bearable, at least with Yuu. Even if they never made up, Leona could still be proud of how hard he was working to get them home.

The thought of Idia ever not thinking of him has a friend made him sick, though. And he still didn’t know why.

“…Sorry.” He said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Idia gave him a small, soft smile. “It’s fine. It was dumb of me to try and fight you in the dark.” He leaned closer, trying to get a better look at him. “You’re okay, right?”

Idia’s pale skin looked almost ethereal, framed by the soft blue flame of his hair. Reflections shimmered in his concerned eyes and on his lips.

Leona thought he looked like a creature from a storybook, emerging from the dark forest to spirit him away to the depths of hell. If he didn’t already know what faeries looked like, he would swear that Idia was one.

“You’re beautiful.” Leona breathed.

Idia’s eyes blew wide. He tried to step back, but Leona stopped him with a touch to his cheek. Idia stared down into his upside-down eyes, searching for something. Maybe an escape.

“…I’m not.” Idia said. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“No.”

“You’re a jerk. You’re a mean kittycat.” Idia whispered, leaning closer. “And you’re a liar, too.”

“I’m not lyin’.” Leona replied.

“Then say it again. Convince me this time.” Idia’s lips hovered over his. Leona felt the warmth of his breath, of his hair spilling over the back of the futon and covering them like a curtain.

“You’re beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful. Beauti-”

Before he could say it again, Idia silenced him with his lips.

Leona gasped into his mouth, pushing himself up to kiss him back. He licked at Idia’s lips to coax them open, slipping his tongue inside. Idia tried to keep up, but Leona could tell that he didn’t really know what to do. But that was fine, he could teach him.

Leona pushed himself up on his knees and broke away for just a moment to turn and face him. Idia was back on him again in a second, a little more confident his time. His hands found their way to the back of Leona’s neck, fingers tangling in his dark hair.

Leona let him own hands settle on Idia’s waist. He felt their hearts pounding in sync, only separated by a few inches of flesh and ribs. One of Idia’s teeth nicked his lips, but he ignored it.

“Beautiful.” Leona murmured against his lips. Idia whined in protest, but he would have to deal with it. He would say it as much as he needed to, until Idia believed it.

He wanted Idia to believe it. He wanted to say hundreds, no, thousands of nice things to Idia, over and over again, and he wanted him to believe every word.

Leona knew he could never make up for all the things that had hurt him, but he wanted to try. At the very least, he wanted Idia to know that he was worth that much effort.

---

“Leona? Why are you still here?”

Leona blinked awake, disoriented by the bright light coming through the open door. Yuu stood at the threshold, arms crossed, frowning.

Wait, why was he asleep in the lab again? He racked his brain, trying to piece together the events of last night-

Oh, right. He had kissed Idia. Had he kissed Idia? He remembered that they had made out for a while on the futon, until the other boy suddenly pulled away from him and stared at him with wide, terrified eyes.

“I-I have to go.” He’d said, pulling his pinkening hair around his face to hide his expression. Then Idia stood and ran out of the room, leaving a stunned beastman behind.

Or had that been a dream? Leona looked down and saw that the hoodie was still draped over his lap.

“I told Idia to send you home when you woke up. Geez, don’t tell me he just left you here?”

“Did he?” Leona mumbled. His tongue darted out to lick his lips. He tasted dried blood.

“He left all his stuff. Wait, is that his laptop?” Yuu noticed the device under the table where their latest prototype was laid out and crawled underneath to retrieve it. “Why’s it all the way over here?”

“Who knows?” Leona lied. “I slept through the whole night, I’m fine.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re fine.” They marched around the futon with the laptop, reaching out as they passed to flick him in the forehead. “Go back to Savanaclaw and take a damn shower. Ruggie’s starting to get worried about you, y’know.”

“Fine, mom.” Leona put up a front of annoyance, but he couldn’t help the relief he was feeling now that they were talking to him again. Even if it was just to scold him.

They even smiled at him, a little, as they tidied up Idia’s stuff. “Your magic math or whatever will still be here after you’ve had a nice break, Leona.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll see ya later.”

Satisfied, Leona stepped out into the fresh air of the open hallway. He took a deep breath, some of the fog from his head finally clearing.

But before he started making his way back to his dorm, he took one last glance out at the empty courtyard, searching for a head of bright blue hair. He tried not to be too disappointed when he didn’t see it.

---

Leona could recall every detail of that moment, down to the little fluffballs of fiber that had fallen off Idia’s shirt and gotten caught in his braids. He had gone over it so many times, searching for a reason why Idia had left. Why they had never talked about it afterwards. When they met in the lab the next day, he’d waited for Idia to ask about it. Instead, they’d just slipped back into one of their usual conversations about the project or chess or some anime episode Idia had seen or something.

Pushing it will just scare him away. Leona had thought, but he knew, deep down, that wasn’t true. It used to be, before S.T.Y.X. Before all of them had found out his worst secrets. Idia had already confronted and bested so much worse than this, and Leona had, too. So why was it so much harder to deal with?

The most frustrating thing was that he wasn’t even sure when or why he’d developed feelings for Idia. Maybe it had been at Ramshackle dorm, where they’d played chess while Yuu and the others screamed over videogames in the background.

Maybe it had been one of those many all-nighters they spent together, talking about dry tech stuff until everyone else left and their conversations shifted into something more intimate. Something dark and tranquilizing, something that their friends would never understand.

Maybe it had been during that fight in the Underworld, when he looked into Idia’s eyes and thought Oh. He already knows this isn’t going to work. He just wants to choose the way he dies. Like me.

That understanding had bonded them, somehow. The others had noticed that Leona was nicer to Idia than he was to other people, but they had never gotten the real reason why. They didn’t know about the morbid jokes the two of them told when they were alone, all so they could just feel that cathartic darkness wash over them.

They could find comfort in the fact that they weren’t alone. They could think, “Maybe we aren’t crazy. Maybe the world is just unfair, and we’ve drawn the short straw.”

Leona had missed that, but he didn’t know if Idia did, too. And without their misery to bind them, what exactly were they?

---

Idia's robot brother: Leona Kingscholar!

Have you abducted my brother?!

Leona: well if it aint the brobot

idias fine calm tf down

Idia's robot brother: Then why isn’t he answering my messages!!!

Leona: hes dealin with stuff ok

ill tell him to shoot you a text

Idia's robot brother: I demand proof that he’s unharmed, you normie scum!

Leona: uuuuuuuuuuuggggh y r u like this

You sent a file “ransomphoto.png”

Idia's robot brother: Fine, I’ll accept this, but only because he looks like he’s enjoying his dailies.

I’ll assume your tasteless filename is a joke.

Leona: sweet ive escaped robocops wrath for another day

Idia's robot brother: I’m not a cop, don’t insult me like that.

But he is okay, right?

He’s not sad, is he?

Leona: u sound like a mom tryin to keep her kid from gettin bullied

hes kinda down but i think weve both seen way worse

hell get through it

just dont murder your parents or anything aight

Idia's robot brother: Okay but they’re on thin fucking ice.

They’re not MY parents anyway, they treat me more like ‘Idia’s project’.

He’s the only one who sees me as family.

Leona: damn that’s the saddest shit i ever did read

Idia's robot brother: Oh, I don’t really mind.

They’re awful people, I don’t want them as parents.

Leona: ok cool

fuck em then

*thumbs up emoji*

Idia's robot brother: Fuck ‘em!

*thumbs up emoji*

Leona: where did u learn to say fuck btw

and read chatspeak

Idia's robot brother: Yuu taught me.

They did it to prank Idia.

Leona: i cant believe how not surprised i am by that

Idia's robot brother: Also I have access to the entire internet at all times.

Leona: sounds like hell

Idia's robot brother: It is!

I had to create custom firewalls to hide all the beheading videos and illegal pornography.

Leona: god its a miracle ur not way more fucked up than u already are

Idia's robot brother: It really is, isn’t it?

I have my big brother to thank for that!

I have other important friends too, but he was the one who cared for me when I was just a little baby AI.

So you had better take good care of him, okay?

I know you will, since you inexplicably seem to be fonder of him than you are of other people.

Leona: whoa whoa whoa where r u gettin that from

Idia's robot brother: It’s obvious to anyone with a modicum of emotional intelligence.

So everyone but my brother, basically.

Leona: boom roasted

kind of a mean thing to say tho ngl

Idia's robot brother: It’s not mean if it’s the truth.

I am well aware of Idia’s shortcomings, believe me.

That’s why I want him to spend time with people who will help him overcome them!

I think you might be one of them, Leona Kingscholar!

Leona: u think i can help ur bro improve himself?

so did he program u to be that stupid or was the ai/soul-merging to blame for that

Idia's robot brother: Joke all you like, but all our friends agree with me!

“He’s surprisingly insightful. Shame about his awful personality.” – Jamil Viper

“I would never want Leona as a business rival. He would raze my empire to the ground, and probably steal my spouse while he’s at it.” – Azul Ashengrotto

“He knows exactly how to get under my skin. Eventually, his luck is going to run out. I hope I’m there to see it.” – Malleus Draconia

Leona: wtf did u survey ppl about me

y r all of those so backhanded

Idia's robot brother: I think they’re very good character assessments!

You’re insightful, you’re charming, and you can easily find the weaknesses of others!

Leona: nvm i take back what i said about u not bein fucked up

u should ask idia for a tuneup next time u see him

Idia's robot brother: I feel quite fine, though.

And quite confident about your abilities!

Yes, I think this will be a great experience for him!

Leona: u just accused me of kidnapping him

Idia's robot brother: That’s all in the past!

Leona: it was literally five minutes ago

Idia's robot brother: Details. ------------------------------

Chapter 2 - Cool

“So what’s this job you got, anyway?”

Idia continued pressing buttons on his little handheld console, but he didn’t seem distracted. He was curled up in Leona’s passenger seat, knees pulled tight to his chest. “It’s a company that builds themed attractions for amusement parks and museums. Y’know, animatronics and ride vehicles and stuff. It’s pretty cool.”

Idia was trying to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but from the way he bit his lip, Leona could tell that he was holding back his excitement. He probably didn’t want to come off as annoying as overbearing.

So, Leona decided to indulge him a little. “Oh, right. I guess they’re building something like that back home. It seems like something you’d be into.”

“It’s part tech and part art. Totally up my alley. Theme parks are basically irl videogames, anyway.”

“Huh. I’ve never thought about it that way.” Leona furrowed his brow. “Hey, you ever heard of the Shadowlands?”

“What’s that?” Even as he asked, Idia was already pausing his game and searching online for it.

“This tourist attraction in the Sunset Savanna. I wouldn’t call it a theme park, but it’s… Some kinda park. They’ve got some tacky-ass haunted caves and carnival rides there. People mostly know it for the food.”

“Aw, it’s so cute!” Idia said as he scrolled through the image results. “It’s so cheap and kitschy, but you can tell they put a lot of love into the decorations. How’d you find out about this place?”

“Everyone knows it. It used to be this really creepy area that nobody wanted to go to, when I was a cub. But then somebody got the bright idea to buy up all that cheap land and turn it into a little tourist trap.”

“I gotta check it out sometime.” Idia said, grinning in excitement. “I love this. Look at this food stand, they made it look like an elephant skeleton! And one of the haunted caves has real lava running through it!”

“…It’s on the way to the city, y’know.” Leona coughed. “We could stop there, if you want.”

“Oh hell yes.” Idia was practically bouncing in his seat. “This is already giving me so many ideas. It’d be fun to pitch an upgrade to their theming someday.”

Leona turned his face just enough that Idia couldn’t see him smiling. It was good to know that he still had so much passion for stuff like this. He wouldn’t be Idia without it.

They settled into a comfortable silence after that. Idia scrolled through the pictures for awhile before returning to his game. They’d done this a lot, back at school. They’d take a break at the same time and Leona would doze off to the sound of games beeping and booping.

Until, out of the blue, Idia asked: “What have you been up to? Besides driving around, I mean.”

“Nothing.”

“Ah, I get it. Top secret royal duties and stuff, huh?”

“Don’t have those. Literally, I’ve been doing nothing.”

“Really?” Idia glanced over at him. “Nothing at all?”

“Not since I dropped out.” Leona answered, trying not to sound too bitter. “I tried, for a little while. Spent a whole year putting together this plan for reforming our welfare programs, but Falena wouldn’t even look at it. The rich fucks in the Senate wouldn’t like it.”

“Oof. What is it with rich people hoarding a bunch of gold they’ll never be able to spend? It’s like holding onto all your elixirs for when you ‘need’ them and then never using them.” Idia pouted. “But I guess I can’t talk, since I am rich people.”

“Are you really? I thought getting disowned usually meant no more money.”

“I’ve still got my share of the royalties from the portal patent. Honestly, I’m making enough from that right now that I don’t even need this job.”

“Huh.” Leona hadn’t checked on that in ages, but he assumed that he still had a good chunk of royalties lying around as well. “Still, you’re not guillotine-levels of rich anymore, unlike me. So congrats on that.”

“Hooray, I escaped the wrath of the masses.” Idia chuckled. “But it sucks that they wouldn’t look at your plan. I bet it was good. Maybe you should give it to a whistleblower, then everyone will at least know you tried. They might even let you keep your head.”

“I didn’t do it for that.” Leona grumbled. “I just got tired of listening to Ruggie complain all the time.”

“Yeah, sure, that’s why.” Idia smirked at him, and Leona rolled his eyes.

“Quit lookin’ so smug.”

“Smug? I’m not smug at all.” Idia returned to his game, still smiling. “You know, you could try writing.”

Leona glanced at him like he was crazy. “Are you high or something?”

“You’d be good at it! I’ve got tons of screenshots of funny things you’ve texted me. Yuu thinks you’re funny, too.”

“Yuu still thinks memes from 10 years ago are funny.”

“And you think I don’t know how to take a compliment.” Idia shook his head. “If comedy was a stat, yours would be maxed out.”

“Yeah, because I’m a retired clown. This van is so big because I got sick of riding in tiny cars with all the other clowns.”

Idia giggled. The sheepish smile he gave Leona made his heart skip a beat.

“Ya see? People would like that. You could start a blog. Or a youtube channel or something.”

“…I think you’re overestimating how much people care about what I have to say.” He grumbled.

“I care! Ooh, you could review bad movies or something and roast the shit out of them! I’d love to hear your take on Creepy Hollow!”

“I thought you liked that movie.”

“I do, it owns. But real horror movie fans know that sometimes the best horror is cheap, trashy horror. Or, you’re good at improv, you could be a streamer-”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. If I wanted to scream into the void of the internet, I’d just play one of your multiplayer games.”

---

“I didn’t know you smoked.” Idia said. He was walking out of the gas station they’d stopped at, arms full of snacks and a cup of some radioactive green slurpee in his hand. Leona just looked at him, flatly, taking another deliberate puff.

“Don’t get on my case about it. I’m gonna die of something, eventually.”

He was testing the waters. But Idia’s face didn’t betray any reaction, negative or positive. He just shook his head and walked around the front of the parked RV to put the snacks away inside.

Leona tossed the barely-burned cigarette to the ground, annoyed.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and, looking for a distraction, he pulled it out and immediately regretted it.

It was Falena.

Right, he’d promised Ruggie that he’d call sometime today. Falena must’ve gotten tired of waiting. He should ignore it, but he knew that his brother would just keep calling until he picked up.

Before he answered, he walked some distance away from the RV so Idia wouldn’t overhear him.

“What do you want.”

“Where the hell are you?” Falena demanded.

“A gas station.”

“You know what I mean, Leona. You’ve had plenty of time to work out your little temper tantrum. Come home, now.”

“Oh, you think this is a temper tantrum?” Leona scoffed. “I’m a fucking adult, Falena. I can go wherever I want, whenever I want.”

“Not when you’re a prince, you can’t.”

“So when I have real ideas for how to run the country I’m just a figurehead, but when you want to control my life I suddenly have princely responsibilities. Right, got it. I see how it is.”

Falena sighed. Leona could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. “Don’t make me have to be the bad guy, Leona. I hate doing that.”

“Coulda fooled me.” He snapped. “Look, if it’ll get you off my case, I’m already heading back. But it’s not because of your bullshit.”

“Good. When are you going to be here?”

“Who knows. Might be a week. Might be a month. Might drive into the ocean and start a new life as a merman.” Leona deadpanned.

“Very funny. This is childish. All I’m asking you is to give it some thought and-”

A loud rev and a screeching sound interrupted the rest of Falena’s sentence. Leona looked up just in time to see a beat-up sedan scraping against the back of the RV, leaving a huge gash behind.

“What the fuck?!” He yelled.

“Leona? What’s happening?”

“Some fucker just hit my van.” He growled. “Look, we’re done here. I gotta deal with this.”

“Hey! We are not done-”

Leona hung up on him. He stomped over to where the sedan had stopped, fur bristling with rage.

“What the fuck, asshole! I was parked!”

The driver of the sedan opened his door and stood up, glaring at him over the top of the car. He had perky canine ears that were already pulled back in irritation. “Calm down, dude, it was an accident.”

“Accident? What kind of idiot are you? You came barreling in here at like 60 miles an hour, you jackass!”

“Maybe your stupid RV is too goddamn big.” The other man said. The other passengers in his car were getting out now, another beastman and a human woman. “If it was a normal car, I wouldn’ta hit it.”

“What the hell kind of logic is that?!”

“Chill out.” The second man shrugged, like this was just a dumb thing that was above his notice. “Our car’s in worse shape than yours.”

Leona gaped at them. He couldn’t believe the audacity of these people. “You know what? This isn’t even worth it. Give me your insurance.”

“Why should I?” The driver asked. “You come up to me right out the gate screaming at me, and I barely scratched you. Fix it yourself, you look rich enough.”

Leona snarled and took a step forward, his tail lashing wildly behind him.

“Oh, this guy thinks he’s tough.” The second man laughed.

“Justin. Cut it out.” The woman said to the driver. She seemed more embarrassed than anything. “Just give him your insurance.”

“Leave this to us guys, babe. You wouldn’t get it.”

“Don’t talk to her like that. Your girlfriend’s the only one of you with any goddamn sense.” Leona growled. “You have no idea who you’re fucking with right now.”

“Try me, douchebag.”

Leona slapped his palm on the trunk of the sedan and the lid instantly dissolved into sand. The second man, the one closest to him, yelped in surprise and jumped back.

“Oh shit, he’s a mage!”

“The fuck are you doing to my car?!” The driver yelled, marching angrily towards Leona.

“Justin!” The woman said, much more urgently this time.

“Leona.”

Somebody touched his arm. Leona turned sharply towards them, startled. Idia was there, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Stop it. You’re just drawing a bunch of aggro without a healer to back you up.”

“This ain’t the time for your cute little video game references, Idia.” Leona growled, but the rage he’d been feeling was already gone. Idia just shook his head.

His hand still on Leona’s arm, he addressed the angry driver. “Look, I’m sorry about my friend. He got carried away. But you are the one who hit us, so maybe you shouldn’t be trying to start fights with guys like him. Right now you’re like a level 1 slime mob trying to take on the final boss.”

“And now you gotta hide behind your buddy. Coward.” The driver said to Leona. But then the human woman stepped between them, already holding a pencil and a pad of post-its in her hand.

“Justin, I swear to god, if you don’t shut up I am going to leave you here and walk home.” She hissed at him. Justin stared at her in disbelief as she scribbled their info down.

She held it out to Idia when she was done. “Here. I’m sorry about these idiots.”

“Thanks. We’re sorry about all this too.” Idia elbowed Leona. “Right?”

“I’m sorry your boyfriend was dropped on his head as a cub.” Idia sighed at him in exasperation.

“Whatever, that’s good enough.” The woman said. She turned and walked back to the car, dragging Justin with her.

---

“That sure was something.” Idia mumbled when they were finally back in the RV.

“Why did you stop me? I could’ve taken that chump.” Leona huffed as he sat back in the driver’s seat.

“And then gotten arrested for murder. You looked like you were ready to tear his throat out, Leona.”

“Hmph. He would’ve deserved it.” Leona grumpily rested his chin on the steering wheel, waiting for Idia to finish putting the snacks away and get back in his seat.

“Probably, yeah, but that was low-quality bait. You’re better than that.” He slid back in next to Leona, tearing open one of the bags of chips.

“…You didn’t seem scared at all.” Leona realized. “You just walked up and handled it.”

“Uh, yeah.” Idia crunched down on a potato chip. “Somebody had to.”

“You never woulda been able to do that when we were at school.” Leona sat up, looking at him.

“Yeah, I’ve been working on my DEF and RES.” Idia laughed. “I can handle a stupid little parking lot fight with some weak NPCs.”

“…That was cool.” Leona said, under his breath. “You’re cool, Idia.”

Idia froze, another chip halfway to his mouth. His hair was already starting to turn pink.

“I-I’m not.”

“Yeah, you are.” Idia squirmed, hiding his face behind his hands. Like Leona couldn’t tell how flattered and sheepish he was feeling from the pink hair. “You’ve always been cool.”

“B-by the way,” Idia began, trying to deflect, “What’s that big box under your seat? I thought it was a mini-fridge at first, but it has a lock.”

Leona felt a chill go down his spine.

“…Ruggie brought it.” He said, trying to keep his voice even. “He kept his weed in it so we wouldn’t get caught by customs.”

“Is there, uh.” Idia peeked through his fingers at him. “Any left in there?”

“Doubt it. And it’s been like four years, it’d probably be gross as hell. I forgot the combination for it, anyway.” He lied.

“Damn.” Idia grumble, slumping into his seat.

Leona couldn’t help but laugh at his pouting face. “Don’t look so disappointed. You smoke weed now?”

“It helps with my anxiety.” Idia admitted, fiddling with the ties on his hoodie.

“We can find someone to buy from on the way.”

“Really? It’s a pain in the ass to get it on the Island of Woe, I have to get it delivered through the dark web.”

“You talk about shit like the dark web and you still don’t think you’re cool.” Leona shook his head sadly.

“You’ve obviously never been on the dark web if you think it’s cool, it’s just a bunch of middle-aged perverts selling mushrooms out of their sheds.”

---

Leona: yo yuu

u talked to idia lately

plantmuncher dragonfucker: yeah, like two days ago?

why? dont you have his number too?

Leona: ye thats not it

hes stayin w/ me rn

plantmuncher dragonfucker: in the RV???????

why????????????????

Leona: whats with all the ?s

is it that weird he would be w/ me

and it’s a van

plantmuncher dragonfucker: it’s a gd RV leona it’s massive

vans don’t have LOFTS in them

Leona: semantics

anyway i cant tell u why it’s a kinda sensitive issue

but i think hed like it if u reached out to him

plantmuncher dragonfucker: awwww

you’re such a nice guy, leona

Leona: stfu no im not

plantmuncher dragonfucker: top-tier tsundere

Leona: stop talking like him i need to understand at least one of you

plantmuncher dragonfucker: it means you pretend like you don’t care but deep down you really do

Leona: i wasnt asking for an explanation

plantmuncher dragonfucker: youre going to need them if idia is staying with you

honestly sometimes he gets too into it for even me to decipher

like when he busts out the raid terminology

who fucking plays mmos just to memorize strats with names like “stario kart deathwall jenga stack skip”

I just wanna dress up my catgirl in cute outfits and gpose in a nice rp venue

Leona: i dont know what half of those fucking words r

r u gonna text him or not

plantmuncher dragonfucker: of course I will!

Im guessing he’s having one of those moods, huh?

Where he feels awful but he doesn’t want to tell anyone bc he thinks he’s being a burden :(

Leona: not a mood, just some pretty shitty stuff happening

plantmuncher dragonfucker: oh shit

did his parents do something

Leona: i told u im not telling u

plantmuncher dragonfucker: so they did. ugh

what the fuck is wrong with them

hes such a sweet guy and they treat him so bad

Leona: beats me

some ppl dont deserve kids

plantmuncher dragonfucker: fr fr

like my mom lol

i invited him to grind FATEs w/ my free company tomorrow night, we’ll hang out in vc then

Leona: like i said, dont know what that means, gonna assume its good

plantmuncher dragonfucker: ill invite lilia too, that’ll cheer him up

mal is too busy working tho :(

ill have to make it up to him later <3

Leona: brb throwing up

plantmuncher dragonfucker: you guys would like each other if you got over yourselves

and yes I mean him too, i know how he is believe me

Leona: i dont need to get over anything

i question ur taste more and more every day

plantmuncher dragonfucker: i guess you wont be very happy to see what im sending you in the mail then

Leona: oh my god

ur getting married arent u

fuck u so much

plantmuncher dragonfucker: loooooooool

now that I think of it you don’t have a mailbox rn so I might as well ask you here

come to my wedding leona!!! itll be so fun!!!

it’s an open bar!!!!!!! marrying rich rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leona: arent u a lil young for this

plantmuncher dragonfucker: im 3 years older than you.

and he’s 269.

Leona: nice

plantmuncher dragonfucker: nice

Leona: ofc u would know exactly how fucking old he is

just tell me whats the date

im only going bc i know hell be fucking furious when he sees me in the audience

plantmuncher dragonfucker: you’d be surprised! he’s mellowed out a lot since then

he might even be happy to see you

Leona: doubt it

plantmuncher dragonfucker: it’s October 31st of next year, so it’s a ways off.

Leona: a halloween wedding huh

i guess u do have taste

plantmuncher dragonfucker: of course I do <3

we’re gonna go all-out on goth shit

all black attire required

maximum spoopage

Leona: congrats i cant wait to watch the bloodbath

ur horrible face will give everyone two heart attacks instead of just the one

ill bring mirrored sunglasses for when ur walking down the aisle

im hoping theyll reflect ur deathgaze back on u like medusa

plantmuncher dragonfucker: joke’s on you bitch ill wear sunglasses too

we can ping-pong the death magic back and forth until it bounces off one of us weird and hits a bird or something

Leona: bet

plantmuncher dragonfucker: hey, don’t worry too much about idia

Leona: im not worried

plantmuncher dragonfucker: yes you are. you only text me so we can roast each other ruthlessly and reinforce our eternal bond of friendship

you don’t talk about other people unless I bring them up

Leona: that cant be right

ur full of shit

plantmuncher dragonfucker: deny it all you want, you’re not as mysterious as you think you are

look I bet he’s really glad you care

but he’s been doing a lot better over the past few years, so you don’t need to baby him

just be there for him when he needs it

Leona: thx for the advice love guru

plantmuncher dragonfucker: I never said anything about love idiot

haha gotcha

Leona: fuck

plantmuncher dragonfucker: btw do you still have me saved as “plantmuncher dragonfucker” in your phone

Leona: ye

plantmuncher dragonfucker: change it or ill photoshop your face onto pictures of cute cats and post them to magicam

I have vil in my camp and he’s going to like them all, it’s guaranteed to go viral

Leona: not until u stop munching plants and fucking dragons

plantmuncher dragonfucker: NEVER

------------------------------

Chapter 3 - Overwhelmed

It only took an hour or two of asking around to find out where to get weed in the next city. Idia stowed it away in the massive pockets of his hoodie, already grinning in anticipation.

“You don’t get weird when you’re high, do you?”

“Not really. I wasn’t joking about it being for anxiety.”

“Good to know.” Leona really wouldn’t have minded, as long as he was enjoying himself.

They were nearly at the border of the Kingdom of Heroes, now, about to cross into the Shaftlands. They had a whole month, but if they hurried, they could get back in about two weeks.

Leona… Didn’t want to do that. The longer he could avoid the Sunset Savanna, the better. But Idia probably wanted to get there as soon as possible. He would need time to find an apartment, get furniture, get all his stuff in order…

For now, though, they were free. They still had time. He still had time.

They’d come to the downtown area for this, ending up on a little shopping street that locals had called “sketchy”, but Leona suspected they actually meant “poor”. All the stores were grungy little mom-and-pop affairs fitted into worn out buildings that had probably been around for over a hundred years. Some kids were playing basketball on a side street, and they passed a tiny taco stand where an ancient boombox was blasting music into the street. It still sounded pretty good. Even the drug dealer had been pleasant to them. Maybe a little too pleasant.

This place was downright cozy in comparison to the slums he’d visited after becoming friends with Ruggie.

Beside him, Idia’s steps faltered for a moment. Leona turned to catch him looking at a store with a large display of comics and board games in the window. He looked up at the cheap sign hanging over the window, it read “Kevin’s Komix & Games”.

“You wanna go in?” He asked.

“W-We don’t have to.” Idia said, ducking into his hoodie to hide his face.

Leona rolled his eyes. Honestly, what did he think he was gonna do? Shove him in a locker? He walked past Idia and opened the door himself, striding into the overly air-conditioned little storefront.

The cashier (Kevin, maybe?) gave him a welcoming wave, then returned to the trading cards he was putting away in a glass case near the front. Leona looked around at the small room. The shelves were neat and tidy, all the latest issues out on display and the older stuff in long boxes on a nearby table. One of the shelves was entirely board games and tabletop rpgs. In the back, there was just enough room for a rack of figurines and a few little tables where some games were already set up.

It only took Leona a moment to see the whole thing, and when he turned around Idia already had his arms loaded up with board games and a stack of half a dozen comics.

He stared at Leona. “I’m supporting local businesses.”

“I didn’t say anything.” But Leona felt his face twitch into a smile, just for a second.

“I need to replace the stuff I had to leave at home, okay?” Idia huffed, bringing his purchases up to the glass counter.

Leona hung back, a tiny spinning rack of postcard ads and little zines on the other end of the counter catching his attention. He spun it around idly, until he noticed that one of the cards had today’s date on it. Curious, he picked it up. A cute little mascot character was printed on it, along with photos of people in various costumes.

“10th Annual CON-ACLYSM Pop Culture Convention! One weekend only!

Games! Cosplay! Panels! Shows! Maid Cafes!

Come join us to celebrate 10 YEARS of fun and fandom!”

“Uh-oh.” Leona said.

“What is it?” Idia asked, walking up with his newly-bought big bag of nerd stuff.

“Looks like we’re gonna be stuck here for another day.” He turned the postcard towards Idia, smirking at the way his face lit up. Damn, it was cute.

---

Okay this probably wasn’t worth it.

Leona didn’t know what he had expected, but it wasn’t hundreds of people carrying around wooden prop weapons and recording absurd little dances in the courtyard outside. Through the glass walls he could see a massive line already forming at all the food trucks, even the one that was just hot dogs. People were staring at him, for some reason. A couple behind them in the registration line had been arguing about which of them was Bulma and which was Vegeta for the past 30 minutes. Leona didn’t know who those people were. When he asked, Idia just said that only a Bulma and a Vegeta would argue about something that stupid.

Overexcited teens chattered loudly in their little cliques, some dude was playing an anime song on a ukelele while a couple girls in costumes sang along, and a rowdy group of guys were screaming over a match of some trading card game like they were watching a knife fight. Idia should have hated this, but when Leona glanced over at him, he was practically vibrating with excitement.

He had the program booklet open in his hand and seemed to be comparing it to the schedule on their website. “Okay, we gotta go to the maid café. The one at 5 would probably be the best, but that means missing out on the ‘LGBTQ+ in Fandom’ panel.”

“Sounds like homophobia.” Leona joked.

“Absolutely.” Idia nodded. “This is the most homophobic thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Isn’t there one at 3?” Leona asked, leaning over the little booklet. He didn’t really want to go, but Idia seemed really excited for it.

“But that overlaps with the costume contest. If I have to make a choice, I’d rather miss out on the panel.”

“So you were the true homophobe all along.”

“Shut uuuup.” Idia groused, smacking his arm lightly.

Leona only felt truly lost once they had gotten their badges and been dumped out into this sea of nerds. He could barely comprehend some of the stuff going on around him. But Idia expertly navigated the crowded corridors, dragging him along.

Occasionally Idia would spot someone with a cool costume and ask for a picture. Talking to these strangers seemed to come so naturally to him, and Leona could barely believe it.

“Who’s that guy dressed as?” He asked, after Idia got a picture of a man in an impressive robot costume. It had been painted with a realistic patina and even had working lights.

“No idea.” Idia answered. He scrolled through all the pictures he’d taken so far, a complete mis-mash of disparate styles, genres and time periods. A gritty-looking samurai woman, a girl in a gothic lolita dress with enormous pigtails, some character with giant wings that could actually spread out, a superhero with an impressive custom-fitted suit, a fursuit. “I just like costumes that are well-constructed. It helps me come up with ideas for my own.”

Oh, yeah. Idia had always been into that stuff, right? The Halloween of their third year sprung to mind.

“Whatever happened to that knight costume?” Leona asked.

“I had to leave it at home. It was too bulky to take with me.” Idia answered. The happy expression he had been wearing slowly faded. Ah, damn it. “Well, it kinda got the crap beat out of it that year anyway. It was close to falling apart. And it didn’t help that you cut off some of those vines I hand-made.”

“What? I did that?” Leona blinked. He couldn’t remember that at all.

“I tripped over you and they got tangled with your tail. You don’t remember?”

“Man, I sure did get tripped over and stepped on a lot back then.” Leona grumbled.

“You did spend like 90% of your time sleeping on the ground.”

“It was 70% at most.”

In between panels and shows, Idia dragged him to the artist’s alley and exhibitor’s hall. Leona was surprised and kind of impressed by all the carefully crafted artwork and merch. Big companies didn’t put real love into it like these people did. He ended up buying crochet plushies of the meerkat and warthog characters from a cartoon that he knew Cheka liked.

“And you keep trying to convince me you’re not a tsundere.” Idia remarked, smirking. Leona whacked him in the back with the plastic bag he was carrying the plushies in.

People were still looking at him, and he couldn’t figure it out. Leona thought he just stood out, at first, but the longer he was here, seeing what a wide variety of people there were around him, the less sense that made. He’d already passed a half dozen tall, fit, intimidating guys in dark clothes today, and none of them were getting weird looks like he was.

He felt… Out of place here. Like he was intruding on something, and everyone was just too nice to tell him. It was uncomfortable. Idia stopped to talk with one of the artists and he unconsciously tried to hide himself in a dark gap between some booths, out of the way. Was this the way Idia felt all the time?

Across the aisle, he spotted a middle-aged man carrying a giant stuffed cartoon animal under his arm, while a costumed little girl who Leona assumed was his daughter skipped ahead. He made eye contact with the man, and they exchanged a nod of silent understanding.

“Hey. Can I see your keys?” Idia asked, smiling mischievously. Leona raised an eyebrow at him.

“What for?”

“It’s nothing bad, come on.” Idia held his hand out, Leona sighed and dropped the keys in his palm.

After a moment of fiddling, he handed them back. “Here.” Idia said.

Leona’s keys now had an extra acrylic charm clipped to them. Decorated with a cute little drawing of a smirking brunette in a pink dress, it looked completely absurd on his plain keyring.

“The hell is this?” Leona asked, staring at it. Its smug aura mocked him.

“She’s the heroine of Star Rogue. The main character’s love interest.” Idia answered. “You don’t think she looks like your echo fighter?”

“Are you asking if she looks like me? Because no, duh. For starters, she’s a drawing.” Leona huffed.

“I was kidding, of course she doesn’t look like you. But she’s a total tsundere and she’s super snarky.” Idia reached out again to flip the keychain out so it was more visible. “She’s one of the best characters, tbh. Real waifu material. Even the actress who played her in the movie was pretty hot, for 3D.”

Hm. So Idia did like “3D”, sometimes.

“She can be a real flatterer when she wants to be, too…” Idia added under his breath.

“She sounds like an asshole.” Leona remarked. He smirked when he saw Idia’s jaw drop, more offended at that than anything Leona had ever said.

“You wouldn’t be saying that if you’d watched the movie!” Idia protested. “Well, really you should play the game, but we don’t have time for that. But she gets a really good character arc! She starts out as a villain and then her love for the hero redeems her.”

“Isn’t that a spoiler?”

“Spoilers don’t matter. It’s the journey there that matters. And the movie came out like 15 years ago, you should know what happens by now.” Idia said, pouting at him.

---

“How can all of them be sold out?” Leona growled, like he could intimidate the vending machine into conjuring up more drinks. It seemed the only things left were a few waters and some gross-looking lime sodas that he had never seen before in his life.

“It’s always like this at cons, they don’t bother to keep it stocked because they want you to pay $5 for a coke at the concession stand.” Idia explained as he put money into the machine. He ended up getting one of the lime sodas, but when he cracked it open and took a sip he grimaced. “Yuck. This is like the opposite of hydration.”

“Don’t drink it, then.” But Idia ignored him and took another big chug.

There wasn’t a lot of space to take a break in these crowded hallways, so they took up a post against the wall outside one of the panel rooms. It was nice to just people-watch like this, especially in such an indulgently nerdy atmosphere.

“You’re gonna think this is dumb,” Idia said, “But part of the reason I like going to things like this is because I don’t stand out. People here just look at my hair and assume I’m cosplaying a character they don’t recognize. They don’t stare at me or act all weird about it.”

“Yeah, now they’re just starin’ at me because I look like I belong in a biker bar.” Leona remarked, glancing around at the half dozen or so people who were eyeing him warily.

“No, they’re staring at you because you look like a character from this game that’s popular right now.” Idia pulled his phone from his pocket, and after a quick search he held it up to show Leona a picture.

“What the fuck.” He was looking at what could easily be a drawing of himself, just with a neater hairstyle and wearing a fancy kimono.

“Yeah, when his banner was first announced I was like ‘lol Leona is gonna be so pissed’.” Idia flashed him a grin. “His personality is totally different from you, though, so I think it was just a coincidence. You’re a tsundere, he’s the gentlemanly character with a secret dark past.”

“Unbelievable...”

“Hold on.” Leona looked at Idia. His grin had gotten… Worryingly large. “I just had a great idea, brb.”

“Wait, where are you-?!” But Idia ignored him, taking off into the crowded exhibitors’ hall. Leona huffed and settled in to wait for him, cross-legged on the floor.

Idia returned a few minutes later, carrying a large black plastic shopping bag. He reached down to tug at Leona’s arm, rousing him from a half-dazed state. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Go where?”

“The bathroom. You need to get changed.”

---

Leona didn’t feel any less confused once the garment was on him. The style and fit were completely unfamiliar to him. At least there were pants (“Hakama”? Whatever that was.) included, even if they were massive baggy things that might as well have been a skirt.

“I knew it’d look great.” Idia bragged, like dragging someone into a bathroom to put on anime clothes was a totally normal thing to do.

“I look like the top of a broken umbrella.”

“No you don’t. You look like all the other cosplayers here. Better, actually. You could win a contest, but only scrubs enter cosplay contests with store-bought stuff.” Idia rummaged around in the messenger bag he’d been carrying and pulled out a makeup kit.

“You have makeup?”

“I thought something like this might come up.”

“Why would you ever think something like this might come up.”

“You clearly haven’t been to a con before, Leona. You gotta be prepared for anything.” Idia popped open the makeup kit and set it on the counter.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Idia ignored him. Brandishing an assortment of brushes, he closed in on Leona. The beastman sighed and closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

It was kind of pleasant, actually, having Idia put makeup on him. The brushes felt soft and cool on his skin. He leaned in a little, eyes still closed, and felt one of Idia’s knuckles brush his cheek accidentally.

Leona hadn’t worn any makeup since that stupid fairy gala. It wasn’t like he hated it, sometimes he even wanted to wear it, but he never had the energy in the mornings to bother with all that.

Maybe Idia would be around for one of those mornings. Maybe he would help him do it.

“Okay, done.” He heard Idia say. Opening his eyes, he glanced sideways at the mirror.

“I don’t look any different.”

“You don’t need much, especially since you already look like the character.” Idia explained as he started putting his stuff away. “Now if you were crossplaying, we’d need to do a lot more prep for that.”

“Do I want to know what that is?”

“Here’s a hint: the ‘cross’ part comes from ‘crossdressing’.”

Leona sighed. “No fucking thanks. I already look weird enough in this.”

“There are a few characters who’d be a good choice for you.” Idia smirked at him. “Buff ladies are pretty popular lately. You’ll get a bunch of obnoxious simps following you around and calling you ‘mommy’ all day, though.”

“If you’re trying to convince me to do it, you’re doing a shitty job.” Leona said.

“Hey, you might like it! You should try it out sometime… Maybe in private.”

Idia was still smirking at him. Oh, he knew exactly what he was doing. Well, two can play at that game.

“Why do you want to get me in women’s clothes so bad, Idia?” Leona laughed. He took a step closer, forcing Idia to back up a little.

“It’s fun to get out of your comfort zone sometimes, isn’t it?” Idia replied, unfazed.

“You know how weird that sounds coming from you?”

“Hm. I guess it does.”

Leona kept moving forward, until the other man’s back was against the wall. Idia didn’t look scared, though. If anything, he looked satisfied. Like this had been his plan all along.

“You’re talking like you have some experience with this ‘crossplay’ thing.” Leona leaned into his space, voice low.

“I’ve done it a couple times.” Idia replied. “Never in public. I did take some pictures, though.”

Idia reached out like he was about to adjust Leona’s costume, but all he did was run his fingers along the edge of his collar, barely brushing against his skin. His hand settled where the fabric overlapped, just beneath Leona’s clavicle, and stayed there.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing those sometime.” Leona said.

Leona placed his hand on the wall beside Idia’s head. For some reason, that was what made his face finally erupt into a furious blush. Huh. He would have to ask about that later.

“I… I wouldn’t mind… showing… you…?” Idia mumbled, his eyes darting between Leona’s face and the arm that he’d braced against the wall.

Maybe it was his predator instincts, but Leona knew when he had struck a killing blow. He cupped Idia’s cheek, more to soothe his nerves than anything. Yellow eyes met his and finally stayed there.

“I bet you look beautiful in them.” Leona said.

Idia drew in a sharp breath. His hand on Leona’s chest curled into a fist, bunching up the fabric of his costume and pulling him forward.

A loud clanging rang out as someone inside a stall kicked their door.

“Oh my GOD would you two get a room already! Nobody wants to hear you fuck in a bathroom!”

Idia’s face went pale, and Leona was pretty sure that his had too. They scrambled to grab their stuff off the counter and ran outside.

---

“So? How’d you like it?”

After hours of following Idia around his convention and getting asked for way too many photos, they had finally gotten tired enough to leave and return to the RV. Idia convinced him to watch Star Rogue on his laptop, the two of them sitting way too close on the loveseat under the loft.

“It was good.” Leona admitted. “I can see why it was so popular. The character writing was pretty solid for a two-hour movie.”

“If you liked that, you should play the game.” Idia said, grinning at him. “You get to spend 30+ hours with them then!”

“Meh, I’ll just watch a Let’s Play.” Leona shrugged. He was messing with him, but it was still funny to watch Idia get mad about it.

“You can’t just watch somebody play Star Rogue! You have to experience it for yourself!”

“I could watch you play Star Rogue.” Leona countered. “How would that work as a compromise?”

Idia reacted exactly like he expected: by overthinking what he was actually saying and interpreting it in the flirtiest way possible. His face and hair both turned a bright, soft pink.

“I’ll watch you play it” -> “I want to watch you play it” -> “I want to spend time with you and see this thing you like”. Idia’s thought process was kind of like an open book to him at this point, and it was cute to watch him go through it.

“…That’d work.” Idia eventually squeaked out. “Y-you’ll have to come visit me once I’m settled in, we can do it then.”

“I was already plannin’ to.” Leona smiled warmly at him.

“G-Guess I’ll have to put together a guest room fit for a prince!” Idia laughed, nervous.

“I used to sleep on the ground, Idia. Voluntarily.”

“O-Oh. Right.” Idia said, unable to meet his eyes.

Idia’s body felt warm against his. The longer they sat on that tiny loveseat, the more he noticed it. But he didn’t hate it. Quite the opposite, actually. He wondered how Idia felt about it.

“…Hey. Can I ask you something?” Leona asked.

“Hm? You wanna know something else about Star Rogue?”

“No. Why’d you kiss me in the lab that one night?”

Idia nearly dropped his laptop.

“D-Don’t just bring up the cringiest moment of my life out of the blue like that!”

“So it was cringey, huh.” Leona lifted an eyebrow.

“You know what I mean! Th-the kiss wasn’t cringey, the way I acted was.” He moved to pull his hair closed like a curtain. Realizing he didn’t have it anymore, he instead hid his face behind his hands. “Trying to act all smooth and flirty, like some normie…”

“And running away?”

“I was… overwhelmed.” Idia whimpered. “Th-that was the first time I ever…” He trailed off, but it wasn’t hard to figure out what he meant.

“I’m not mad about it.” Leona said. “I just wanted to know. Kinda thought I fucked up, but then you turned up the next day and acted like it never happened.”

“Yeah. Sorry.” Idia sat up, gradually pulling his hands from his face. “I wasn’t very good at dealing with… that. I’m still not.”

“You’re telling me that the Idia Shroud didn’t turn into a total playboy once he graduated? What a surprise.” Leona laughed. Idia pouted at him. He closed the laptop and put it back on top of his nearby suitcase.

“It’s not like I didn’t go on any dates! Just, uh, none that led to anything serious.” Idia wasn’t hiding his face anymore, but he still couldn’t look directly at Leona.

“Huh. Well, they must’ve had awful taste if they didn’t want to snatch you up ASAP.”

“You see!” Idia suddenly grew animated, leaning forward into Leona’s space and jabbing a finger in the beastman’s face. “Nobody ever said things like that to me! How was I supposed to date anyone after hearing otome game dialogue like that?”

“I’m not even saying anything that weird.” Leona said, genuinely confused.

“Yes you are! You do! When I make jokes about myself, you’re the only one who takes it seriously. You’re the only one who’s like ‘no, shut up, you’re great actually’. It’s weird!”

“That can’t be right.” Leona scowled. He felt his ears flatten to his head. Had he really been that obvious? This whole time? “Yuu says stuff like that, too.”

“But Yuu is nice to everyone. Because they’re a crazy person and they don’t care if they get an emotional debuff. They just brush it off, like mitigating a tankbuster.” Idia paused, trying to put together his thoughts.

“You’re not. You’re only nice to people when they deserve it. Except for me, for some reason.”

“You do deserve it.”

“Uuuuugh no I don’t! You’re not getting it at all!” Idia sunk in his seat, exasperated. “When stuff like that comes from tsuntsun characters, it’s super effective.”

“So what I’m getting is, I’m such a big jerk that me complimenting you makes you even more embarrassed than usual?”

“It sounds mean when you say it like that, but yeah, basically.”

“You shouldn’t have told me that.” Leona leaned forward, propping his chin up on his palm. “Because now I’m going to do it more.”

“Don’t you dare!”

“Oh Idia, you’re so great.” He said, grinning. “You’re the smartest guy I know. And handsome, too.”

Idia slumped even further off the loveseat, almost on the floor. “You’re going to kill me, Kingscholar.”

---

Leona had almost fallen asleep when he heard his phone vibrate on the hotel nightstand where it was charging. Letting out a little huff of annoyance, he turned in his bed and picked it up. In the gloom, he could see Idia in the other bed, his back turned to him.

Leona didn’t want to disturb him, so he rolled on his other side to check whatever message he’d gotten.

---

radish sprout sent a file “megcosplay.png”

radish sprout sent a file “megcosplay2.png”

radish sprout sent a file “megcosplay3.png”

radish sprout sent a file “megcosplay4.png”

radish sprout: you said you wanted to see them so uh

here they are

to pay you back for cosplaying for me

Leona: dude ur literally right next to me u coulda just showed me on ur phone

lmao

radish sprout: that would be way too embarrassing sahasdhhaf

besides I thought you might

want to save them

yknow, for whatever

Leona: i do thx

u look good

radish sprout: no I don’t I look creepy

there’s a reason I never wore it in public lol

Leona: shut up u look good

is that the star rogue girl

radish sprout: yeah

don’t post these anywhere ok

Leona: i wouldn’t do that

my eyes only

radish sprout: sdasfhfadfdasfa ---

Leona smirked to himself. He saved the photos to his phone and then stuck it under his pillow, eventually dozing off into a deep, comfortable sleep.

He was definitely going to jerk off to those later.

---

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_052322_01.png”

Leona: whats this for

Idia's robot brother: It’s a photo of my brother!

Leona: i can see that genius

y r u sending it to me

Idia's robot brother: Because I noticed that you don’t have any recent pictures of him in your photo gallery.

These are from his graduation a few months ago!

Doesn’t he look happy?

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_052322_02.png”

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_052322_03.png”

Leona: ye

he does

wait how do u know whats in my photos

Idia's robot brother: :)

Leona: dont u “:)” at me

ugh w/e.

did u take these

Idia's robot brother: Yep!

I had a classmate help me, though.

She held up the reflectors for us.

Leona: wait so this was like a serious photoshoot

howd u get him to agree to that

Idia's robot brother: I bribed him with a limited edition figure of one of his favorite characters, signed by the voice actor.

At least, I meant to bribe him with it, but he agreed to do it as soon as I asked.

So it ended up being a graduation present, I suppose?

Leona: wow

he rly will do anything for u, huh

Idia's robot brother: Not always.

A few years ago, anything out of his comfort zone was out of the question.

I think he only started really trying during the Starsending.

Oh, speaking of which!

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_stars_01.png”

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_stars_02.png”

Idia’s robot brother sent a file “idia_stars_03.png”

I took these before I had any formal training, so the compositions and lighting are pretty bad.

But I was able to edit them into something passable.

Leona: wut r u talking about these look amazing

Idia's robot brother: Only because Idia kept my specs really high back then, so I had a good high-res image to work with.

Leona: have u showed him these yet

Idia's robot brother: No, he says he doesn’t want to remember anything “cringey”.

Leona: awesome

ill turn em into giant posters and put em all over the van

Idia's robot brother: Because he looks good in them and you want to prove him wrong?

Leona: no bc itll embarrass the hell out of him

that thing u said is true too tho

hes rly sweaty, damn

i dont remember the costume showing so much of his arms

Idia's robot brother: Please don’t talk about how sexually attractive you find my brother in front of me.

Leona: all i said was he looked sweaty wtf

Idia's robot brother: I’ve seen the kinds of pictures you have saved.

Hm, but it looks like I deleted four of them from my memory banks.

I wonder what those could have been?

Leona: who knows i guess itll always be a mystery that we never need to look into again

and about that

dont snoop in my phone anymore, thx

didnt Idia teach u about privacy laws

Idia's robot brother: I normally don’t, I promise.

I only checked briefly because I wanted to see if you had any shots of him that are half as good as mine.

Leona: cocky, arent u

Idia's robot brother: Isn’t any student of the arts?

We have to be, it distracts us from the reality of our jobless futures.

Leona: y would u need a job ur a robot

Idia's robot brother: Jobs aren’t always about money and possessions.

Art has historically been undervalued despite its importance in society. Without it, we wouldn’t have any of the material comforts that enrich our lives.

If fae had never created weather and plant life, we would have no food.

If humans had never painted on cave walls, we would have no writing systems.

If beasts had never built their first dens, we would have no architecture.

The foundation of civilization is built on art, but modern society only affords the elite or the lucky the privilege to pursue it. How rich are the cultures that have been destroyed by unscrupulous capitalists exploiting our need for food, shelter and stability?

As a robot, I’m very fortunate that I don’t have the same physical limitations as organic lifeforms. Therefore, I have an obligation to keep creating, for the sake of the artists who have had to give up on their passions to survive.

Leona: wow

that really was a wholeass lecture on art

given to me by a robot

u rly r something, ortho

i dont think ive ever cared about somethin that much

Idia's robot brother: Is it really that impressive?

I was reading that verbatim from an art history paper I wrote when I was a freshman.

I got a “C” on it.

Leona: dont pull back the curtain too far dude ur ruining it

its still good tho ur prof musta been a dumbass

Idia's robot brother: Oh he was.

I had an argument with him about whether videogames count as interactive art. He didn’t like me much after that.

I’m pretty sure that’s why he gave me a “C”.

Leona: sounds hilarious tell me more

Idia's robot brother: I showed Okami to that ungrateful motherfucker and he still wouldn’t listen.

Leona: some ppl have no taste ortho

if ur gonna be an artist ur gonna have to accept that

Idia's robot brother: You’ve never even heard of that game, have you.

Leona: no

Idia's robot brother: Normies…

------------------------------

Continued ->

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst fanfic #leona kingscholar #idia shroud #twst leona #twst idia #idia #leona #leoide #tw suicide #tw depression #tw self-harm #kiss me in the dark

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beelzlikes · 5 months

Text

I dunno. I'm such a dead, boring person. I thought about re-uploading some fanfiction to AO3 just on the off chance I could get some dopamine from that. But it also just seems pointless.

In my heart I want to be a writer, but my heart doesn't know what it wants for real.

I've wasted away this Saturday and I'll waste away tomorrow. Monday if I can care enough I might do some work on that podcast. But even all THAT I'm struggling to care about. I like singing and acting and writing but I can never make a living wage off that. I'm not good enough, I don't have enough drive to out-compete others for the spotlight. Nothing I say or do is original or worth witnessing. It's such a harsh waste of time when people contact me - you could be doing anything else more productive!

The thing is, I'm proud too. A stubborn, proud failure. Some small things I like about what I can do, sometimes gems do parse out.

I really liked in my Nightrunner fanfiction how I title a chapter "A Fight At Wheel Street" and started it out with a sword fight only to reveal the REAL fight was an emotional, verbal one between the two main characters at the end of the chapter.

I really like my clever spell that aided the plenimar spy from being caught by the hazadrealfaei. A simple spell, one so small you barel

Who cares?

I stopped myself mid sentence from explaining it because who cares? It's just counting, it's not clever. You're not clever. You don't get to be clever. Every idea you've ever had is a copy of a copy of a copy. Something you saw on TV or read in a book, nothing new or creative out of that thick skull of yours. Even this is a waste of time because people don't read what you say or care about what you say, just like you don't read or care about what they say, just like everyone else, just like every other person on this planet. THEY all deserve happiness, but not you. You are the exception to the rule. In fact, other people's happiness DEPENDS upon your misery. If you are miserable and wretched then other people don't have to be. If you are irredeemable than everyone else can be. If you are unlovable than certainly everyone else must deserve love. This is what we've learned, this is what we've practiced, this is how we've survived. Forever the martyr. If our suffering has meaning, we can suffer anything! So we will suffer and suffer and suffer, and the world will be a better place for it.

And whence the suffering is enough, we can end it. Then we can have peace and quiet. Until then our only refuge is sleep, where we can pretend to be dead and all is right with the world. Have a good idea once in a while. Cry alone for a bit in your bed. Sooner or later, you'll be numb again and it won't matter in the slightest. What better peace could you ask for?

#personal #public private journal

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sourwolf-n-the-spaz · 4 years

Conversation

Me: It's midnight, I should go to bed

Me: *reads an entire 40k fanfiction in one sitting*

Clock: 3 am

Me: *shocked pikachu noises*

#sterek #geraskier #stony #fanfiction #teen wolf #mcu #the witcher #ao3 #humor #what do you mean reading fanfiction in bed doesn't count as sleeping #i object your honor

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yutasbellybuttonpiercing · 2 years

Text

YangYang

This is part of the NCT masturbation series

Word count: 853 words

Warnings: masturbation (obviously), YangYang reads fanfiction, mentioned blowjob, choking, creampie (in mentioned fanfic), mentioned porn

It's no secret that YangYang often acts like a teenage boy who's in the peak of puberty. He can't help it, though, he's just horny. And if he's being honest, he loves the reaction of his fans when he tells them to call him daddy, even if they make fun of it, he knows they enjoy it, maybe just as much as he does.

It's also no secret that YangYang – and the rest of the WayV members likewise – tend to search their names up on the internet to find out what comes up. Mostly, it's just compliments (and sometimes hate that YangYang chooses to ignore) or edits on tiktok, but today, YangYang scrolls a little further than usual when he stumbles upon something he's never seen before.

Quite frankly, though he's never seen it before, he's heard of it. And to be honest, he's quite impressed that fans take time out of their everyday life to write about him. It's a hobby, he guesses, that people who are talented in writing tend to do so about their favorite idols, and YangYang believes it's quite impressive when his eyes glance over at the word count.

He doesn't really know how the whole thing works, but he guesses the tags should give him a slight impression, maybe even a summary, of what he's getting himself into. Though, he has no clue what 'smut' means. But he is confident that he'll find out throughout the story.

Yes, he reads it.

And yes, it's a little confusing to read how 'you' interacts with 'YangYang', but he quickly gets used to it after about a thousand words. He is deeply invested in the storyline as he reads on, finding that the author actually portrayed him pretty well in this college setting. The whole experience is fascinating.

YangYang enjoys the slow burn of the story, how the reader is slowly introduced to 'YangYang' at first, but quickly develops romantic feelings. He's quite flattered that this is how fans think about him. Maybe he should find it weird, but for some reason, he doesn't.

Sadly, he gets interrupted when finally 'YangYang' and the reader have their first date together, meeting up at the reader's apartment, because YangYang is, in fact, an idol and has to do work. And by work, he means dance practice to prepare for the upcoming WayV comeback.

Several hours later, he's back in his bed, throughoutly exhausted, but showered and ready to sleep. He decides to check his phone one last time and as soon as the face ID unlocks the device, he finds himself staring at the fan fiction from before.

He shrugs. Why not finish it?

The date goes well and YangYang finds 'YangYang' to sleep over at the reader's place. YangYang thinks this decision is reasonable and a smile creeps onto his features about how cute the reader is. Very well written, in his opinion. It's only a few words later when his smile falters. 'YangYang' and the reader are getting pretty close and soon it dawns on him what 'smut' means... YangYang can feel his heartbeat increase, in speed as well as in general intensity. He blushes the first time he reads the word 'length'. Should he really go on with reading?

Oh yes, he should. The graphic scene on 'paper' and the visuals that accompany the written words in his brain get steamier by the second, and YangYang shifts from time to time, not willing to admit that his pants got a whole lot tighter since he started reading. But, God, is it erotic.

The smut scene is described in detail, YangYang loves the dirty talk and before he even realizes, he's already touching himself through his underwear, hips buckling upwards for more friction. YangYang enjoys the oral sex that's described, he can almost feel it with how well it's written, but as soon as 'YangYang' pushes into the reader's pussy, YangYang's gone.

Even a low groan leaves his throat. He panics and checks if either Kun oder Dejun have noticed, but they're both fast asleep. YangYang decides that jerking off isn't the best thing to do while his friends sleep only a few meters away, so he quickly gets up and rushes into the bathroom.

Never in his life has he locked a door so fast before he leans against it, pulling his dick out of the confines of his boxers to begin stroking himself. His back slowly slides down the door until he's seated on the tiles. They're quite cold against his bare skin, but he doesn't have it in him to care.

The reader gets fucked roughly, such as YangYang's hand, and he has to press his lips together to not moan out loud. God, he loves how he's portrayed so dominantly, snapping his hips into the reader, choking her, making her cum around his cock.

It's soon after as 'YangYang' cums, filling the reader to the brim with his cum and just the blink of an eye later, YangYang finishes too, orgasm taking over him as he spills into his hand.

He sits there for a while, catching his breath, the automatic screen lock of his phone after 2 minutes paints the display black.

Holy shit, YangYang thinks as he just sits there because his orgasm was intense, he usually only jacks off to the same porn clip he's watched since moving to Seoul, and he's quite thankful that he's so full of himself to google his own name every now and then to stumble over this masterpiece.

#NCT #nct fanfic #nct smut #nct wayv #wayv #wayv yangyang #wayv liu yangyang #liu yangyang #yangyang #nct liu yangyang #nct yangyang #yangyang smut #nct yangyang smut #wayv yangyang smut #kpop #smut #kpop smut #boy masturbates

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poppinisperfection · 3 years

Text

Peter Maximoff x Reader // Hello, Monica // WandaVision // Part 2

Part 1

Post Dark Phoenix X-Men & WandaVision fanfiction. FemReader and Peter Maximoff dating when he suddenly disappears.

Xavier returns and a plan is formed.

Word Count: 1892

Warnings: Emotional distress, mentions of violence, blood, gun wounds etc.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

(Y/n) sat by the screen, her vision blurring and bags forming under her eyes. The analog clock ticked with each second as Hank fiddled around with some tech, and the others sat on the floor half asleep. They had eventually contacted Xavier, and he promised to travel back to New York as fast as possible. That was hours ago, and now it was the middle of the night.

There was nothing they could do, even discussion led to nowhere; nothing about the situation made sense. Metal crashed on the floor, causing Scott to Jolt awake and Kurt to bamf in surprise as Professor McCoy gave a frustrated grunt at his clumsiness. The disturbance didn't phase (Y/n) though, as she read the line for the thousandth time,

"Please stand by."

She was somewhere between breaking into tears and punching every wall she saw. In short, (Y/n) was desperate. After hours of thinking, she finally allowed her eyes to close for longer than a short blink. Her mind was crashing around like a restless ocean, and she found herself drowning inside endless possibilities. But at the centre of it all was his face, his smile, his voice... him.

Suddenly the doors opened with a whoosh, and (Y/n) turned her attention towards whoever was entering the labs. A determined looking man wheeled in, locking with (Y/n)'s blood-shot eyes. An alabaster-haired, umber-skinned, and confident woman followed him; shooting a look of concern towards the group.

"Xavier-" Hank exclaimed with some relief at the Professor's appearance. The bald man gave a small hum in response, but he continued to near (Y/n) instead of making conversation. He placed a hand out and gave her a kind look.

"May I?" he crooned in his English accent, as the (h/c) lady nodded and placed her head forward. Closing his eyes and placing two fingers on her temple, and another on his own - Xavier began to see the whole story, without anyone saying a single word. After a few seconds, his pulled back and gave a sharp sigh.

"(Y/n), I am so sorry." the wise man's voice faltered after feeling the gut-wrenching fear that swept through her mind. The worried girl said nothing, but just tried to keep the strength on her face instead of breaking down into tears. "You've got a location?" Xavier turned to the beastly professor, trying to solve the mystery.

"Sort of- I mean, it's unbelievable Charles." he grabbed some pages and handed them to his colleague, "It's like he's traveled to another universe; I've only heard about theories of multiverses, but this- this is more evidence than anything I've ever read..." Hank rambled on, as even Charles Xavier- telepathic mastermind- look on in shock.

Before anyone could say anything, the old computer screen buzzed and the image shifted. (Y/n)'s tired eyes widened as she sat on the edge of her seat. Even Kurt teleported closer in an effort to not miss a second of the developing situation. A lead guitar began to play, and the opening credits rolled...

The group we're unsure if it was the same show, as it looked completely different in style. But their doubts were cleared when that same woman showed up, slamming the door using some sort of powers.

"She's a mutant..." (Y/n) mumbled, as the others looked on in confusion. The opening continued to play on as more characters were shown - most of which they had never seen before. Then finally, a speedy friend appeared.

"As himself?" Scott added, reading the credits. (Y/n) stared at the title and mentally recorded it.

"It's like they're a family." Kurt noticed as Peter integrated himself so naturally with them. The pair of young boys started to monologue about halloween.

"Halloween? This just gets more and more confusing." Scott rubbed his forehead in bewilderment. Ororo stood beside them, barely comprehending what she was watching. She had previously offered to look after the students while the situation was being investigated, and that lost time had undoubtedly caused her to miss a lot of information.

"So Pete's on TV?" Storm questioned in a baffled tone. The silver haired fellow lay on a couch as the twin boys discussed him, and they referred to him as their uncle. "Okay, somebody needs to expla-" she began, but was cut off as Xavier placed a finger to his temple and transferred the information she had missed. Ororo gave a soft gasp, but ultimately was relieved to be filled in. Since the professor had learned about the situation from (Y/n), some of the grief in her mind was passed to Storm; so the loyal mutant placed a caring hand on her friend's shoulder in comfort.

Xavier chatted behind the group of young mutants who watched the show play out.

"She suggested that maybe Kurt could go in, I told her-" Hank whispered to his friend.

"That would be dangerous..." Charles finished his thought, "But dangerous doesn't mean impossible." the telepath looked towards the blue teleporter who stared at the computer screen.

"You can't be serious, Charles." Hank furrowed his thick brows and stared in disbelief.

"Kurt, (Y/n)," the professor called out, catching the pair's attention,

"Come with me."

-------

The small group trailed down the metallic hallway and approached the familiar doors to Cerebro. (Y/n) looked back at the room they had left, still hearing the distant sounds from the broadcast. Her mind travelled to what she was missing; was Peter still okay?

The circular door released and slid open, and the group followed Xavier's lead towards the machine at the end of the walkway. Kurt's tail wrapped around his leg in fear, as he fiddled nervously with his hands. Placing the silver helmet over his head, Charles nodded for the intellectual beast to flip the switch. Immediately, the room lit up and images of people flashed around. A million conversations ran through the professor's mind, but he was only searching for one person.

"Turn it up." Xavier requested as his eyebrows knit together in concentration. Reluctantly, Hank did as he said. Soon the voices faded and a only a muffled conversation echoed through the large room. "The whole way, Hank." the british man added.

"Charles that's too mu-"

"Do it!" Xavier demanded his face contorting with the amplification. (Y/n) gave a soft gasp as the voice grew clearer.

"I think mom and dad would've loved it."

Peter's words reverberated, as tears formed in (Y/n)'s eyes. Despite Cerebro being on full power, the only thing that Xavier could access was the detached audio of the mind he was connected to.

"Where were you hiding these kids up til now? I assume they were sleeping peacefully in their beds."

"Can you speak to him Charles?" Hank asked.

"Something's... Something's not right... It's too powerful to see..." Xavier stuttered out, trying not to loose his connection. Peter's voice continued, as the group wondered to who and what he was talking about.

"I'm not some stranger and I'm not your husband, you can talk to me."

"There's something... dark... clouding his mind." the powerful telepath explained, "but he's still in there, somewhere." he added. The group began to notice a purple hue clouding the entire room. The clearer Peter's disembodied voice became, the more the mysterious smoke descended. Kurt and (Y/n) stood back slightly, scared of what it could mean.

"Don't sweat it sis, it's not like your dead husband can die twice."

The sentence rang through their ears, before the whole room erupted in a blast of ruby red energy. It was exactly like the force that 'Wanda' had used earlier. Energy passed through the mutants, as images of terror entered their minds. Fragments of memories flashed; glowing stones, broken families, and piles of ashes.

Xavier groaned with pain, but he kept the connection despite the immense power that surged through his mind. (Y/n) grasped her head and panted heavily. The image of a young man lying cold, bleeding through bullet wounds, on a pile of rubble haunted her. She didn't know who it was, but he seemed familiar for some reason - and her heart broke at the sight of his lifeless form.

"He's slipping... I- I can't hold on..." Xavier cried out through gritted teeth, "I can't latch onto anyone!" the room filled with a booming static noise as the bald man searched though all the available minds in that reality. Hank writhed on the floor, clutching his ears with the horrible sound. Soon he gained the strength to pull a hand up towards the switch and slowly tune down the settings. The din faded, and the only noise that could be heard was the heavy breathing from the group that tried to recover from the experience.

"I didn't tell you to turn it off." Xavier pulled off Cerebro's helmet and placed it harshly on its holder.

"It would've killed you." Hank rebutted, standing on his feet.

"There was something forming, a gap in the reality, I could feel it!" Charles placed a hand on his forehead in frustration, "It's like all the minds were under some sort of deep control - but I could sense other ones... ones that were free."

"But what can we do about it!?" the beastly Professor retaliated, annoyed at his colleague.

"If I can find the free minds, I can see where they are; exactly where they are." Xavier began to ramble, "Then I can show Kurt, and you can get there." (Y/n)'s eyes grew wide at his suggestion. Even though she had considered it earlier, she now began to doubt her logic. If it were just her, then she wouldn't hesitate to risk her life for Peter - but she couldn't ask Kurt to do it too.

"Professor, what if... What if it doesn't work?" (Y/n) piped up, looking to the powerful telepath with concern plastered all over her face.

"We can't risk more of our lives, Kurt you don't have to do this." Hank tried to assure the German mutant.

"Nein." he responded, "Peter is my friend, I vill not leave him in danger. I vill do it." Kurt nodded his head as he stood confident in his decision. Despite the hatred that Kurt Wagner had received his whole life; he was always the most selfless person in the room. (Y/n) shot him a weak smile, thankful for his kindness.

"This isn't just about Peter. Somebody brought him there. Somebody, or something, has a power that could change everything we think we know." McCoy warned, trying to convince the group of the dangerous situation.

"Which is why we need to know more." (Y/n) interjected.

"I will be able to communicate with you, as long as you don't go under this person's control." Xavier explained, deep in thought. Hank looked at the trio, and finally gave a deep sigh.

"There's no talking to you people." he shook his head, "I'm sure travelling across the multiverse will be a cinch." his tone dripped with sarcasm as Charles placed Cerebro back on his head.

"Have a little faith, Hank." Xavier joked stiffly as he flipped the switch to the machine. McCoy reluctantly turned the power knob and soon the static noise returned, causing a grimace to appear on everyone's faces. The noise flickered as Xavier passed through more empty minds, searching for one that would work. The sensory overload build up in a crescendo, until everything stopped to a halt.

"Hello, Monica."

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turkisherlockian · 3 years

Text

The Hat - Request [Benedict Cumberbatch x Reader AU]

Summary: Y/N is a young director who worked with and has a crush on Benedict Cumberbatch. He finds out that she used to write fanfictons about Sherlock and decides to give her a gift.

Word count: 1941

A/N: Happy birthday @shackleschains 🎂🎉❤️ I hope you like it! 😸

-----

''You never worked with Y/N before, have you?''

Benedict smiled and turned to Y/N. They developed a great friendship while working together, Y/N got on well with everyone and they all had so much fun.

''Yeah,'' Benedict said, ''I wish I met her earlier, though. She's a great director, she's energetic, magnetic, amazing...''

''Tell them something they don't know, Ben!'' Y/N nudged him and they all laughed, ''I'm just kidding...''

''No, seriously, that's what everyone thinks about you.'' He smiled.

''Aww... Thank you.''

''Alright, love birds...'' This made them both chuckle, ''So, Benedict, what was it like working with Y/N?''

''I had so much fun, it was great. She was great. She might be young,'' He grinned, teasing Y/N, ''But she has a brilliant mind and she's going to prove that in the film. Not that she needs to.''

The interviewer smiled as Y/N blushed, he turned to her, ''What was it like to work with Benedict?''

''You know, I'm known for my short films and this is my very first time directing a film, so I was really anxious because... Well, he is Benedict Cumberbatch!'' Benedict smiled as she continued, ''He's been very helpful, understanding... He's very clever! Just amazing. It was an honour to work with him, and I hope we can work together in the future, as well.''

''I hope that too, young lady.''

''I'm not that young!''

Benedict grinned, ''Yes you are, and that's great. You're a genius.'' He hugged her with his left arm, pulling her closer as she blushed.

''Well, turned into a complienting competition...'' Y/N grinned, ''Thank you so much. You're so kind.''

Benedict nodded with a smile, then turned to the interviewer who asked a question to Y/N again. ''We've been told that you're a Sherlock Holmes fan and you used to write fanfictions... Is that true?''

Y/N facepalmed as Benedict turned to her with a frown, ''Why didn't I know this?''

She pulled back, her cheeks burning. ''It's embarrassing!''

''No it's not!'' Benedict chuckled, ''It's adorable.''

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully, ''Alright... I was a huge fan. I wrote and read a lot, just like any teenager would do.''

''That's why it's not embarrassing, darling.''

''So...'' The interviewer interrupted them with a smile, ''You started filming things at a very young age, didn't you?''

''Yeah... I started with small things, really. I filmed my toys, my pets, making short clips, you know. Then I started filming nature and went to courses as I couldn't get accepted to a film academy. However, my short films got thousands of views overnight - which was crazy, and now here I am. And I'm so happy to be here.'' She smiled and turned to Benedict, which he replied with a comforting touch on her back.

The interviewer turned to Benedict, ''How would you describe your character, Benedict?''

Y/N couldn't focus on what he said as she watched him, he was beautiful. She could study his features as they were still so close to each other. His lips, eyes, eyelashes, beautiful skin and every single detail on it. She wanted touch him terribly.

''Y/N?''

''Huh? Sorry, I got distracted...''

''You must have been tired... Thank you for the interview, Y/N, Benedict, it's been fun!''

They shook hands as they got escorted outside, a car waiting for them.

Benedict got into the car after her and sighed, ''You're exhausted, aren't you?'' he asked with a smile.

''I am... How about you?''

''I'm shattered... As I'm old...''

Y/N chuckled, ''You're not old!''

Benedict shook his head with a grin, then turned to her. ''You'll get used to it. Interviews, fame, fans... Papparazzi and their cameras that follow you anywhere you go. But I need you to know that, Y/N, you're really good at your job. I didn't get the chance to say it properly earlier, but I really enjoyed working with you. I hope we do it again.''

She teared up quickly, feeling honoured. ''Thank you so much,'' she smiled, ''I feel the same way.''

Benedict nodded and smiled, squeezing her hand gently, ''I didn't say it to make you cry...''

''I know,'' She nodded and wiped her tears with her shirt's sleeves as the car got closer to the hotel. ''So... Are you free tomorrow?''

''Yeah. What for? I mean, doesn't matter why you asked, I just...''

He chuckled as the car stopped and he opened the door before getting out and giving her his hand. She took it with a smile as she sniffled, then got out of the car as well. ''Would you like to... Have dinner with me? In my room?'' He blushed, ''I mean, I have something to show you...''

Y/N nodded and smiled, ''I'd love that...''

They walked into the hotel together and got into the elevator. ''What time should I come?'' Y/N asked.

''I'll be back at around seven. How about seven thirty?''

''Sounds good...''

Silence filled the cabin as Y/N bit her lip, then it stopped and Benedict followed her outside. ''I'll see you tomorrow, then.'' He said with a smile.

''See you... Sleep well.'' Y/N smiled too and nodded, unlocking her room's door.

Y/N couldn't sleep, not at all. She kept thinking of what he was going to show her, what could it be? Also, she tried to avoid the embarrassment of the fact that she did write fanfictions and smut. People still knew even though she deactivated her account. And Benedict found out. He found out!

She was just a teenager, she had no idea that she could meet him one day, let alone work with him!

However, her eyes were aching and she was really tired, so she drifted off to sleel quickly.

-----

Y/N woke up to the sound of her phone, it was vibrating violently.

She sat up in horror and took it, unlocking it quickly. Y/N checked WhatsApp first to see what's going on.

Her friends texted her asking if Benedict and her were dating, the interview was posted on YouTube - that was surprisingly fast, and a photo of her looking at Benedict in love, was everywhere.

Y/N took a deep breath, everyone thought they were dating! Did Benedict know about it? If he did, how did he react? Would he be angry at her? No - she's done nothing wrong. Except for having a crush on him and looking at him like that...

She bit her lip and replied to her friends' messages, but didn't post anything online. She didn't know what to do, she didn't even have an agent or someone she could ask what to do. Maybe I could ask Benedict, she thought, but she was too embarrassed by the way she looked at him. What would he think? Did she ruin his reputation? Did he have a partner already? Y/N sighed and got out of the bed.

She put her phone away and turned it off.

Y/N had the whole day for herself until dinner if Benedict wasn't going to cancel it. She knew he wouldn't do such rude thing, but... She felt exposed. It was embarrassing. However, she wanted to look nice for him, so she spent an hour deciding on what she was going to wear. Y/N did her best to spend time, but there were still a few hours until dinner, so she turned her phone on and started reading what people think.

''I'll kill myself if they're not dating!!!''

''He's too good for her.''

''She looks so in love! I mean, who wouldn't?''

There were a few memes too, she was grinning and sending them to her friends before an unknown number called her. With hesitation, she picked up.

It was Benedict's PR team, asking her to not make a comment about the situation yet.

If his team knew, Benedict would know it too.

Thankfully, it was 6 PM and she could start getting ready. Y/N chose a white, puff sleeve and square neck summer dress and combined it with a chain necklace. She put on some makeup after getting her hair done, then checked her phone to see what time it was.

7 PM.

Time passed quickly as she tidied her room, and she put on her perfume before leaving her room right at 7:30.

Taking a deep breath, Y/N knocked on his door and smiled when he opened it.

Benedict couldn't take his eyes off her for a while, ''Hi, umm... Come in...''

''You look lovely...'' He said as he gestured her to take a seat.

''Thank you... So do you... Handsome, I mean. You look handsome. Not just right now, you always do, Oh God, please never compliment me again...'' Y/N blushed and covered her face with her hands as she sat down. Benedict chuckled, ''Thank you darling.'' He sat down in front of her, ''What would you like for dinner?''

Y/N hummed and shrugged, ''I don't know... You decide.''

''How about pizza? You love pizza.''

This made her smile. ''Sounds great.''

He got up to call for room service, then ordered her favourite. Y/N was fiddling with her fingers as Benedict came back, ''What's wrong?''

''Nothing... I mean, you heard about the rumors, didn't you?''

Benedict smiled, ''Do you really care about them? People always make assumptions.''

Y/N smiled too, Assumptions, she thought, but I do like you.

She sighed as he offered his hand. Y/N looked up at him in confusion. ''I'll show you something.'' Benedict said with a smile, then led her to the bedroom when she held his hand.

Y/N's heart was beating fast as she saw a gift box on the bed. Benedict picked it up and turned to her, ''This is for you.''

She was surprised, ''I... Why? I mean, it's not my birthday...'' Y/N chuckled mervously. ''You receive gifts only on your birthday? What a shame. Well, it'll change, darling. Now, open it.'' He said excitedly.

Y/N smiled and bit her lip, opening it. She looked up at him in shock, ''No.''

''Yes.''

She chuckled, can't believe her eyes. It was a deerstalker. The deerstalker that Benedict used, actually.

Tears welled up in Y/N's eyes as she put the box on the bed and took the famous hat out of it, touching it. She couldn't help but smiled as he spoke, ''I wanted to keep it after filming the last season.''

''This is the best gift I have ever received! Thank you!'' Y/N exclaimed as she hugged his neck on tiptoes, earning a chuckle from him and a warm hug back. ''You're welcome, sweetheart. I'm glad you liked it.''

Y/N pulled back but her arms were still on his shoulders, and she felt her cheeks burn as he looked into her eyes and then, at her lips. Y/N closed her eyes as she felt his soft lips on hers, feeling like she ran out of oxygen in a second. Benedict pulled back quickly for her liking, so she kissed him lovingly. ''I like you.'' she whispered, and then regretted it immediately. What if he told her he did not? It would break her heart.

However, Benedict grinned. ''I like you too.''

They kissed again and Y/N pulled back as someone knocked on the door. He let out a low groan, which made her wet, and then pecked her lips. ''It must be room service.''

Y/N nodded with a smile and followed him, the hat still in her hands. Benedict turned around with the tray to see her wearing it with a grin.

-----

After dinner, Y/N posted a selfie of them, her wearing the hat. Then they started reading comments together.

"He made her wear the hat!'' Someone commented, making a reference to Janine's words in the newspaper.

And in the end of the night, he did make her wear the hat.

---

Feedbacks are always appreciated! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. ❤️😸 And you can turn on notifications if you want to know when I post a fic!

#benedict cumberbatch #benedict cumberbatch fanfiction #benedict cumberbatch x reader #benedict cucumber #marvel #sherlock #dr strange #fanfiction

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sillyrabbit81 · 3 years

Text

Her Heavy Cross

Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?

Pairing: OMC x OFC

Word Count: approx 3.2k

Warnings: smut, swearing,

Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.

Part 5 Part 7

Part 6

"Tell me something I don't know," I joked. I felt my confidence returning, and it felt good.

"Hmm, what about how I want to bury my head between your very shapely thighs and not leave until you scream my name?" Liam opened his eyes. Oh fuck, he meant it. My short-lived confidence had left me.

He sat up and continued, "or how I want to pin your hands above your head, throw your legs over my shoulder and fuck you until you can't walk." I moved away a bit. The intensity in his eyes made me afraid. "Or how I want to watch you ride my cock while I smack that generous bottom of yours.".

I started to get off the bed. "Yeah, I knew all that too." My bravado was transparent because my voice came out almost like a squeak.

He grabbed me and pinned me beneath his body. He moved faster than any one of his size had the right to. His eyes raked over my body while he forced my legs apart and pushed his still hard erection against me. I swear I could feel it's warmth through the fabric of my clothes.

"Well then, how about the fact I thought about all of those things while I showered this morning." My eyes went wide. He didn't mean he... Did he? "I'm glad I did, or I would have made a mess five minutes ago." He did! He didn't seem embarrassed at all about his admission.

I had no words for that. But I had thoughts, a lot of them. I wondered what he looked like when he touched himself. I imagined him standing in the shower, slightly hunched, hot water streaming down his naked body, one arm out straight against the wall, the other gripping his sex, short quick movements making his arm muscles contract.

I imagined the way his body would tighten as his release neared, the growl that would escape his lips. Then, because I couldn't stop the thought, I imagined being on my knees in front of him, his hand in my hair and, as his orgasm came, watching as it streaked all over my open mouth.

I couldn't help but squirm against him. I felt the pressure rising in me. I needed a release as well.

As if he sensed my need, Liam got off me and laid next to me. He cupped me in his hand, his palm pressing against my most sensitive spot. "I want to take these off." He indicated my leggings.

I hesitated a moment before nodding slowly. Liam leaned down and kissed me, still holding me. I pressed against his palm, feeling the friction build the pressure. Liam kissed my neck and my breasts and my tummy, his hand holding me as I started to grind against it. But he didn't take off my pants.

Eventually, I stopped and said, "I thought you were going to take my leggings off."

"You hesitated. I want you to be sure."

"I wouldn't have agreed if I wasn't sure."

"I didn't want you to feel pressured. It's only enjoyable if I know you want it."

I pushed him off me, frustration pouring out. "You fucking idiot. Do I need to beg?" I sat up, turned to face him, reached behind my back and undid my bra and threw it away.

Liam's mouth fell open, and he made a move to grab me, but for once, I was quicker. I laid back and put a foot to his chest, and used all my strength to hold him back. "Is this clear enough for you?" I ask as I hooked my thumbs in my pants and pulled off both my leggings and underwear. He grabbed the pants at my knees and helped me pull them off the rest of the way.

Then he just sat there staring. I waited. I felt stupid and moved my arms to cover myself.

"Don't you fucking dare." Liam finally spoke, and I felt a twinge between my legs. "I want to look at you. You're so beautiful." Well, ok, then.

Liam tentatively reached out and caressed the curve of one of my breasts. I felt goosebumps rise on my skin as he did, and my nipples hardened. Liam chuckled, seemingly pleased that his touch made me respond like that. He placed his whole hand on my breast cupping it and feeling it's weight. His thumb ran over my nipple, and I clamped my legs shut, trying to ease the pressure. I moaned as he leaned down and took my nipple in his mouth. He sucked on it then gently took me between his teeth while his tongue danced.

"Oh fuck," I moaned, and I plunged my fingers into his hair, making little fists. It felt so fucking good, but I needed more.

Liam sat up and put a knee between mine. "Open your legs for me," he said. I flushed, feeling sheepish. I had thrown myself at him, practically begged him to do this, and now I'm too shy. "You're very pretty when you blush. Now, open your legs for me."

Slowly I bent my knees and opened for him. I looked away, worried about what he would think.

"Lana, Sweetheart, look at me." I took a moment and slowly looked at him. "You look fucking spectacular." He looked me in the eyes as he got down low. "You're so fucking wet for me." I watched wide-eyed as his tongue parted my folds, and he licked me, his tongue gently flicking my clit as he did. He closed his eyes. "You taste fucking spectacular," he said. He put his head down and took me into his mouth, and sucked gently.

"Oh, bloody hell!" I yelled and threw my head back on the bed. Liam seemed to hum against me. I tried to wriggle away, the feeling too intense. "Come back here," Liam growled, and he snaked his arms around my thighs, trapping me as he continued to lick and suck at me.

I punched at the bed, my hips moving up and down. Liam stayed latched onto me, not stopping or missing a beat. I'm sure I said every swear word in the English language as my release came closer. Soon the pressure was too much, and I was reduced to begging.

"Please," I said over and over. I felt one of Liam's fingers inside me, followed quickly by another, and I felt them press against the spot behind where his mouth was. I felt myself go over the edge, and I shouted wordlessly as I exploded against Liam's mouth. Waves of ecstasy rolled over me before subsiding, leaving me a shattered mess. I laid there panting, catching my breath as little aftershocks ran through my body until I shuddered as I felt my orgasm finish.

I felt Liam's hands run up my hips and over my waist. I shivered and giggled, my body still too sensitive. I felt Liam's weight on my body, and I pulled him into an embrace. He kissed me, and I could taste myself on his lips. Despite having one of the best orgasms of my life and my first with a partner in three years, I wanted more. I wanted to feel him inside me. I think I'm greedy.

Liam had a huge grin on his face. I felt embarrassed again and looked away.

"Don't be shy. That was fucking amazing." Liam kissed me again. "Watching you is so hot." He paused and said, teasingly, "even better than I had imagined." He leaned in and kissed my neck. He took my earlobe in his mouth, teeth grazing it lightly.

Liam pulled away then as if bitten by a snake. He threw some pillows together and laid down on his back. He put his arm around me. I laid my head on his chest before putting my leg over his, and I snuggled into him.

"I think I'd be happy to stay this way all day. Your tits feel lovely." Liam was stroking the curve of one of my breasts.

I gave him a light slap on the chest. "Oh, come off it." I laughed.

"No, I'm serious. I want to stay here and watch a movie."

"The remotes are just over there." I pointed to the bedside table. They were next to the Ben and Jerry's tub. He pointed at it and raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting company," I said in my defence.

He turned on the tv, and it went to the PlayStation menu. "Hmm, let's see what disc you have in here." He scrolled over.

"We could find something on Netflix," I suggested, cringing inside at what movie was in there.

"The Princess Bride?" His bloody lip twitched. "I thought you didn't like romance."

"It's not just a romance." I said and then quoted, "Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles..."

In a move that astounded me, he kept the scene going. "Doesn't sound too bad. I'll try and stay awake."

I kissed him and snuggled into him as the movie started.

We spent the rest of the morning in bed. It was nice. Liam would stroke my hair or back while we watched The Princess Bride and then Superbad. Sometimes I would have my head cradled in his arm, and I played with his chest hair. Other times I put my head to his chest and listened to his heartbeat or relaxed as he breathed. The gentle rocking of his breathing almost put me to sleep a couple of times, but I'd wake up as a chuckle vibrated through his chest, interrupting the rhythm.

My tummy started to rumble, and I suggested we had better get some lunch. I pulled a robe on, but Liam made no move to get clothes on. He still only had his undies on. His confidence in his body continued to surprise me.

I asked Liam what he'd like for lunch.

"I brought my food with me." Liam said, "with filming starting soon, I've got to be strict."

"What about last night?"

"We won't talk about that." He winked conspiratorially.

I smiled, "fair enough."

Liam got his pre-prepared lunch, and I made a Vegemite sandwich. We sat at my kitchen bench and ate.

"So did you bring food for tea too?"

"No. I usually have a steak or chicken with salad or veg for dinner. I like a warm meal for dinner."

I thought about what food I had. Not much, I'd probably have to go to the shop.

"What about a roast? I could cook a beef roast and some veggies? Obviously no potatoes or anything but some beans, broccoli, carrot maybe?"

Liam looked surprised, "you'll cook for me?"

"Yeah," I blushed. "I mean, I'm not the best cook." I shrugged. "I don't have to. We can go out if you want."

"No, I'd love for you to cook for me."

I smiled, "great, come to the shop with me? We've got to go soon. My local butcher still only opens half days on Saturdays."

"Will you have to get dressed?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "You can undress me when we get back home if you like," I said in my cheesiest seductive voice.

"I like. Come here," Liam said. I ran. He caught me and ticked me while giving me some sloppy kisses. I giggled and pretended to fight him off. He eventually let me go, and we got dressed.

We went to the garage to get in my car, but before I opened the door, I decided against it. "Want to walk instead? It's only about 15 minutes away, and we could take Perrin with us."

"Yeah, absolutely."

"Wait here, and I'll grab a hat. Do you want one?" Liam nodded, and I came back with two baseball caps, Perrin on a leash and a couple of reusable bags. We headed off.

Liam looked at his cap before putting it on. "Valentino Rossi?"

"Well, you're not having my Jack Miller hat."

"You like Motogp?"

"Yeah."

"Do you ride?"

"I do. Not a sports bike, though. I have a Dyna Wide Glide."

"You ride a Harley? Holy shit." A look of genuine surprise was on his face.

"Well, it's Andy's," I explained. "I didn't want to sell it when he died. He loved it and rode every day." I looked at Liam. His expression was unreadable. "Sorry, I suppose you don't want to hear about this."

Liam took my hand. "No, it's ok. We all have a past. Yours is a little... different." He sighed, "it's a bit strange because you didn't break up. You loved him. It's a bit hard for me to process. If a girl I were dating talked about an ex the way you talk about your husband, I'd think she wasn't over him."

I didn't say anything to this. We continued walking.

Eventually, Liam continued, "I understand it's not the same as an ex. I believe you when you say you're ready to move on. He seems to be still so much in your life. I'm not used to the dynamic."

"He kinda is still in my life and will always be," I said. I knew I probably shouldn't have been so blunt, but I owed it to him, to be honest. "It's because I want to honour his memory, not because I haven't grieved or haven't accepted it." I stopped and got Liam to look at me. His lips were in a hard line, and his brow was creased. "I've thought about it for a long time, and it took me two years to date again. Three years before I brought a man to my bed." His eyebrows shot up. "That's you, by the way." He grinned at that. "Yes, well, you're very handsome. I couldn't resist." I said dramatically.

"And charming, don't forget that." I elbowed him in the ribs and smiled. He pulled me into a hug. I gave him a big squeeze. I breathed in deeply, enjoying his scent, more potent today than yesterday without his cologne. I already felt like I'll miss his smell when he is gone.

I felt Perrin pulling on the leash, impatient with the delay. "C'mon. Somebody says we need to get going."

When we got to the shops, we stopped at the butcher first and got a rib eye roast. Then we went to the small local supermarket to get veggies.

I tied Perrin up outside, near the water bowl the shop leaves for dogs, and he lapped at it. We went inside and looked around the produce.

After a while, I noticed people kept looking at me. I touched my face trying to see if I had food on it, and checked my fly. I was getting freaked out big time. I saw one of the employees pointing her phone at us.

"Liam, do I have something on my face or something?" I sounded as panicked as I felt.

"No, Sweetheart, you look lovely." He smiled at me and ran his finger down my cheek.

"I just feel like people are looking at me."

Liam looked around. "I don't notice it anymore. You get used to it." My jaw dropped. I'd forgotten about being seen in public with Liam. He must have seen the horror on my face because he said, "I'll wait with Perrin if you like." Liam gave me a quick smile which I supposed he meant to be reassuring, and left.

I pulled my cap down further and hurried to finish my shopping. I avoided the employee with the phone and paid at the other open register. I was so flustered I asked for ciggies. By the time I remembered I didn't smoke anymore, I was too worked up to ask the lady to put them back. I left as quickly as I could.

Liam was squatting down next to Perrin, giving him pats. "You alright?" He asked.

"I guess so. Let's go."

"I'll carry those." Liam took my shopping and the meat and handed me Perrin's leash.

We walked in silence for a while. I was still a bit shaken.

"Does that happen all the time?" I asked after a while.

Liam shrugged. "Sometimes."

"Like it's not just paparazzi that take photos of you without you knowing?"

"Yeah. I tried to tell you."

"I had forgotten you were famous." He raised an eyebrow at me. "I knew you as Will before I knew you as Liam. I got to know you as just a regular guy."

"I know. That's what I wanted."

"Yeah, I get that." I chewed my lip. "I don't know if I would have gone on a date with you if I had known." I swear Miley Cyrus was thinking of me when she wrote the line 'Can't bite the devil on my tongue.'

"I'm sorry," Liam said. He sounded sorry. I didn't want to be mad at him, but I couldn't help it. It tore me up because I understood why he did it. But it didn't make it any easier on me.

"I'm sorry too," I said. I was thinking about the way people were looking at us. I didn't know how he could stand it. I felt stupid thinking he could just walk to my local shops and not stick out like a shag on a rock.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I put you in a position where somebody could take photos of you."

"Hang on. You're worried about photos of me?" I nodded. "I thought you were worried about the photos they took of you."

I felt the blood leave my face. I stopped walking. "They took photos of me? I thought it would be just you."

"Sweetheart, I don't know. Probably." He sounded angry. "I shouldn't have come with you. I should have thought it through. I knew..." He put his arm around me and lifted my chin so I would look at him. "I told you last night; I'm not worried about being seen with you. It's you I worry about."

"Your life isn't normal," I said petulantly. "It's weird and kinda strange." I removed his arm and started walking again. We were reaching my house now. We went around the back, and I let Perrin off the lead and went inside into the kitchen.

"Hey. You know what else is strange?" Liam put the shopping on the bench. His brows were drawn together.

"What?"

"It's been an hour since I've kissed you." He put his arms around my waist, and I put my arms around his shoulders. He bent his head, and I kissed him.

"More." He demanded, smiling. I couldn't say no. I kissed him again, parting my mouth and softly sucked his bottom lip. He groaned, and I smiled.

"I better put the food in the fridge." I tried to detangle myself from Liam, but he wouldn't let me.

"It can wait. I can't." He lifted me onto my kitchen bench. I wrapped my legs around him and kept kissing him.

For a while, we stayed like that, just kissing and touching. These kisses felt different, like Liam was content just to kiss me for a while. There was no demand for more. He did keep his hips away from me.

When we slowed, Liam put his head against my chest, and I held him close to me, playing with his curls.

Part 7

#original character #original fanfiction #romantic story

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mrsedmercer · 5 years

Text

Steamy Love (A Tom Hiddleston x Reader) Chapter 30:~Time After Time~ FINALE

Summary: The nights alone have become colder and colder, and not just because of the weather.

Warnings: Angst in the beginning.

Read it on my Wattpad: www.wattpad.com/HiddlesStar

Word count: 2596

Tags: @theoneanna @midnightdragonzero @drakesfiance @kcd15 @ihthr @deviantsendbyreallife @bookgirlunicorn @cherrygeek86 @peachlobotomy666

A/N: This is it. The final chapter. Thank you so much for everyone that has liked, reblogged, or simply read any and every chapter of this fic. It's the first fanfiction I've completed in almost 5 years, but it's the first I've ever made public on Tumblr. It may be a while until I get back into writing completely, as I've decided to ship some of my creative focus towards drawing. I'm not very good at it, but I aspire to improve. Will I show my work at all? Maybe, if there's really a demand for it (though I doubt it lmao). I may post some Oneshots here or there. We'll see.

Until then, thank you for reading.

After you'd return home, Tom would start calling you at least twice a day for the next couple weeks. You didn't have the heart to block his number, but you certainly weren't going to pick up and talk to him. You couldn't believe what had happened at that event. You couldn't believe you allowed it to happen. You were always against public sex, but you couldn't help yourself around him. It's like he had you under a spell that forced you to need him. To desire him.

That's why you needed to stay far away from him. It doesn't matter that he loves you. He hurt you, in ways you can't even explain. In ways you don't want to explain. You just wanted to forget that night. Forget your feelings.

Forget him.

Though even after a month of locking yourself into your work, you still received his calls. You kept hearing about the play he was in and how great he was doing, even though the public had finally found out that you were no longer together. You couldn't help but check up on him and his play. While it hurt to hear his name, you were proud of him. You were proud of all he had already accomplished. You wish you could just talk to him and hear him boast about it. You were so excited to talk to him more about it before the big fight. It ate away at your heart that you couldn't hear him ramble about it. Hear the excited tone in his voice. You didn't want to stay mad at him, especially after the last thing he said to you...

Did he mean it? Did he...love you? Really love you? In truth, you were tired of being angry. You just wanted a chance to talk, but everytime he'd call you, you'd freeze up. You wouldn't, or couldn't answer.

That night, you really couldn't get to sleep, and you couldn't put on a happy smile for a stream. All you could really do is lay in bed with your phone beside you, quietly thinking to yourself.

You heard your phone begin to ring, looking at the Caller ID. You recognized the number. It was Tom.

You felt your heart flutter a little. You've been thinking about him all day, and you had wondered if these calls were ever going to stop. Did you even want them to stop?

Before the ringing would stop, you picked up the phone and answered it, holding it up to your ear. You heard nothing. Not even breathing.

"...Hello?..." You whispered, already feeling your emotions flare up. "...Tom?.."

"...You picked up.." You heard him speak, his tone sounding a little shaky. Had he been crying?

"Y-Yeah, I know..." You smirked slightly, sitting up some. "I-I guess I had to, eventually.."

"You...haven't picked up at all...f-for weeks.." Tom whispered. "I-I've just...been calling to hear your voicemail."

That hit you rather harder than you expected it to, already feeling tears well up in your eyes. You didn't want to get emotional again, but it was hard not to. He sounded sad.

"H...How's the play been?.." You asked, giving a shaky smile.

"Good.." You heard a half laugh from Tom. "I-It's been...fun. I...wish you could see it."

You frowned a little, closing your eyes to let some tears slowly fall down your cheeks.

"...Me too.." You admitted, giving a shaky breath. "I...I'm...tired of being angry. I want to talk.."

Tom let out another sigh, taking a minute to find the right words before speaking up again.

"...I was wrong to get angry at you.." Tom spoke, his voice a little shaky again. "I shouldn't of said the things I said, and I should've let you speak for yourself instead of barging out of that house and leaving you with all that paperwork. I regret it. I regret it all. I regret everything I did to you to make you upset, (Y/N).."

You frowned deeply, the hand holding the phone becoming a little shaky. You believed him, but part of you still hurt. He really did break your heart.

You sniffled somewhat, knowing he heard it. "D-Did you mean it?.." You finally managed to ask, your body shivering a little.

"I didn't mean to make you upset.." Tom spoke, though he was a little confused with what you meant.

"I-I mean...at the show.." You let out a shaky breath. "W-When you said you loved me...did you mean it? Or--Or was is just from the heat of the moment?.."

"...I meant it." Tom admitted, giving a slight sad chuckle. "I absolutely mean it. I love you.."

You couldn't help but smile, your heart fluttering up again. You placed a hand on your chest, feeling your heartbeat increase.

"...I love you too, Tom.." You spoke, holding back a slight sob.

You heard Tom give a shaky chuckle. You could practically see his big smile in your head. You missed that smile dearly. You wished you could see it again.

"S-So.." Tom calmed himself, clearing his throat a bit. "Wh-What now? Will you take me back?"

You smiled a little. "D-Do you think this would work? A long distance sort of thing?.." You asked.

"If I could fly you down here to be with me, I would.." Tom admitted. "But this play has me incredibly busy. I hardly have time to walk Bobby in the morning.."

"And I barely have the assets and time to actually start a moving process.." You frowned slightly. "Moving to another country, as much as I want it, would be ridiculously hard on my own."

You and Tom both went quiet for a moment, both of you really thinking about this. Neither of you had the time to help you get to him, but neither of you wanted to be apart for months. Who knows what else may come up during Tom's play? He could end up being gone until Christmas or something. You wanted to see him.

"I'm sure I'll think of something.." Tom finally spoke, smiling a little. "I promise. I'll find a way to you.."

"Don't start throwing money around to get to me.." You chuckled a bit, making him laugh as well. "As much as I miss you, I can wait for as long as you need me to."

"I'm not sure I can.." Tom admitted, letting out a slight sigh. "I'd love to catch

up with you on everything, but it's nearly 3 in the morning and I need to get some sleep.." Ah, you had forgotten about the Timezone differences. He's all the way up in London now, after all.

"I promised to call you before the play. I promise.."

"Okay.." You smiled warmly. "I-I love you, Tom.."

"And I love you, (Y/N). Truly.." He spoke in a warm tone. It made your chest feel all warm.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight.."

He hung up first after that.

You set your phone down, feeling your heartbeat once more as a few more tears slipped down your cheeks. You forgave him and admitted that you loved him, but would you really be okay having to wait months and months to see him again? You just wanted to be in his arms again and feel his lips on yours. You were scared of how long you'd potentially have to wait.

Despite that, you were able to get some nice rest. You dreamed of the day you'd get to lay in his arms.

And it would come sooner than you thought.

Another month went by, and you had gotten yourself on to a talk show to talk about your rising fame and upcoming movie. You had never been on one before, so you made sure to doll yourself up a little bit and wear a nice dress. It would be weird going up there on your own, but you had heard and seen from other interviews that the talk show host man was really nice. After fixing yourself up in the mirror, you saw the show start. The talk show host introduced you to the audience before calling you on stage. You smiled brightly as you climbed the stairs and went on stage, seeing all of the people from the audience begin to cheer. All of those people made a permanent bright smile appear on your face. You waved at everyone with a soft chuckle before sitting down on the soft sofa, shaking the show hosts hand as everyone quieted down.

"So nice to have someone new for a change!" The host spoke with a chuckle.

"It feels amazing to be here.." You admitted with a bright smile, crossing your legs.

"So, you've got your first movie coming out, eh? Got yourself quite the co-star, I hear.." They began, leaning forward a bit on their desk. "How was that?"

You chuckled again. People had learned that you and Tom were back together, so you've never stopped hearing about him.

"Yeah. We actually had to live together by that little outdoor set.." You admitted. "I messed up with renting one of the houses, so he let me stay with him."

"And that's how you fell in love, yeah?" The host grinned, being interrupted by the audience clapping for a moment before they'd quiet down. That was so surreal to see.

"I always hear about flings happening between costars on set.." You admitted. "But...my time with him was much more than that. He's treated me better than most, that's for sure."

"You haven't seen him since the beginning of the year, yes?" The host asked. "Has that been hard for you?"

You smiled sadly, placing a hand on your chest some. "It's not impossible, but it's been hard. I'm not upset about it, though. We've both become incredibly busy rather quickly. He's got his play, which I hear is amazing, and I've been streaming practically 7 times a week now that I've had the time again."

"Well, it's good to know you're staying optimistic." The host replied.

"Yeah.." you nodded a bit. "It's been...a little harder these last couple days, though. We call each other multiple days a week."

"Do you have a song you like to listen to?" The host asked, smirking some. "One that reminds you of him?"

You took a moment to really think about that. The question brought you back to the time you and Tom went to the grocery store and Time After Time came on the radio in the car, and when he kissed you in front of everyone in that clothing shop, the same song played. You had downloaded the song on to your phone after that day. You didn't realize how important it was to you until now. Tom even had it on his phone, last time you checked.

"Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time', maybe?.." You admitted with a shy chuckle. "It's played a couple times during my days with Tom. I downloaded it after people found out we were together because it was playing in that clothing store when he kissed me."

"Awe, that's sounds perfect.." The host smiled brightly, one of his hands moving under the desk. "You think Tom would give the same answer?" They asked.

"I mean, he's into the older styles of music.." You chuckled, a little confused. "I could call him and ask him later.."

You were too focused on the show host to hear footsteps come upstairs on to the stage, though the surprise was ruined by the sudden erupting screams and applause from the audience.

You turned around just in time for the host to start playing that song over the little speaks around set as you and the man locked eyes.

It was Tom.

You couldn't believe it.

Your eyes immedietly watered as you got up from your seat and ran to Tom, seeing him open out his arms to you. You ran right into his arms, wrapping your arms around his body. You almost didn't believe that this was real. It felt like a dream. How was he here? How did he make time for this?

You pulled back and cupped his face with both hands, already nearly sobbing just from the sight of him.

"Are you actually here!?" You asked with a happy whimper. It warmed your heart to see his big smile. He was emotional, too.

"I managed to find some extra time to get a flight down.." Tom chuckled, though he wasn't able to explain himself fully just yet. Hearing his voice so close to you made you want to just break into happy tears right then and there, so you pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. You heard the audience go nuts, making you smile in the kiss. Tom pulled you closer to him, keeping the kiss locked until he remembered you were supposed to be doing an interview. He pulled back and gestured to the seats, holding your hand as you both sat down.

You could barely keep your eyes off of Tom for the whole rest of the interview. Afterwards, you'd say goodbye to everyone and leave the building together. You spoke outside once you reached his car.

"I've got another surprise for you.." Tom admitted, giving you a warm smile as he let go of your hand. He moved into his car for a moment and pulled out something before going back to you. He revealed 2 one-way tickets. Tickets to the UK.

"Would you still like to move in with me, my love?.." He asked you, looking into your eyes with his big, blue orbs.

Your eyes widened some and your heart skipped a beat. You placed your hand over your mouth before giving a shaky chuckle. "A-Are you serious?..." You asked, seeing him nod.

"With one phone call to a familiar moving company and a day or two, you can be living with me.." Tom spoke. "All I need is a Y--"

"Yes! Hell yes!" You chuckled happily before wrapping your arms around his neck, pulling him into another close hug. Tom flinched before chuckling, hugging you back for a moment before pulling back to give you another deep kiss, inhaling some to take in how soft your lips were. The joy you felt in your heart couldn't be properly described.

You pulled back from the kiss to wipe all the tears that had run down your cheeks, including some of the makeup makeup had on. "I'm gonna end up crying all day.." you joked with a chuckle.

Tom chuckled as well, smirking some. "I could give you other reasons to have tears in your eyes.."

Oh god, you had a feeling he hadn't gotten over this flirtatious phase he's had with you.

Then again...

You chuckled some. "It's been a couple months hasn't it?" You asked, biting yhe corner of your lower lip.

"Mhmm.." Tom purred somewhat "and I've learned some things.."

"Have you, now?.." You tilted your head some, getting a nod from Tom.

"Indeed I have.." Tom grinned. "And there's a certain...doctor who has been dying to meet you."

You knew who he was talking about. You recently rewatched High-Rise.

"Ooh, I guess I shouldn't keep him waiting, then.." You purred back with a little wink, moving around him to get into the passenger side.

Tom snickered some, getting into the drivers side.

You bet there would be quite a bit of steamy love after packing.

#tom Hiddleston #tom hiddleston x reader #tom hiddleston fanfiction #tom Hiddleston x you #fanfiction #wattpad #steamy love

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nighthunternik · 5 years

Text

Police Academy (Part 2)

A Parker Shaw fanfiction (NSFW)

Book: It lives beneath

Characters: Parker x Reader

Rating: NSFW, 18+

Word count: ~ 2300 (approx. 10-15 min. of reading time)

Warning: MLM, Smut, Adults only

All Characters belong to Pixelberry.

~*~

Okay: I don't know if it's just my phone but I did insert a Read more break - I don't know why it apparently didn't work but please don't hate on me for having to scroll😱😨 I am terribly sorry.

Hey guys! I am over the moon to finally present the 2nd part of my Parker Shaw MLM fic "Police Academy". 🤗 I know it has taken me aaaages to finish it😂🙈, but I had some very important exams coming up. So I was basically studying most of my time and was happy to even being able to read the newest Choices chapters and post an occasional meme on my blog😂

In the meantime, @teenagediplomatfestivalauthor wrote a fan version of the 2nd part. It's such a great piece and I feel really honored that they made the effort - plus, while my part is NSFW, theirs goes in a different direction, so go check it out on their blog! 🔥

Now, without further ado, enjoy❤

PS: As usual, I am thrilled to fulfill your requests and tag you in my fics!

~*~

"Or maybe it isn't a girl you're dreaming about?"

He knows!, you think and instantly feel the blood colouring your cheeks in a suspicious pink. You are unsure how long you lie there, staring at him, your erection painfully held captive by the tightness of your underwear, an uncomfortable buzzing in the ear that sounds like a choir of taunting voices, unable to form a coherent sentence that would explain this situation. But when it hits you, the ponderosity of the revelation you've feared for so long, you close your eyes and turn your back on Parker, hoping that this is merely a bad dream. It is impossible to look him in the eye, in which you fear to see nothing but disgust, because you are afraid to lose the feeble rest of your dignity.

The minutes pass slowly, feeling like years filled with humiliation and regret, and a leady silence contaminates the atmosphere in your room. Not a single word is said, neither by you or Parker, whose presence you can still feel at the end of your bed and who is probably still too paralyzed with shock to move.

But suddenly, your feel the weight of his knee on your mattress. "Hey... listen...". You feel his hand on your shoulder and this gesture of loyal friendship almost makes you tear up. However, being comforted by Parker right now à la C'mon, there's nothing to be ashamed about isn't exactly your dream scenario, so you just shake your head, signaling him to go away. Or at least back to sleep.

But, of course, Parker has never been one to get rid of easily, that's one of your friend's (or should you say former friend's?) best qualities. He whispers your name, his voice husky and hesitant. It's the voice that makes you turn around, because it sounds so intimate and calming - and when you do, you are surprised to catch a glimpse of nervousness or even fear in Parker's eyes as well. But fear of what?

"Listen, it's nothing... you don't have to think that... I mean -" , Parker babbles something so indistinct that you can't understand a single word of what he is saying. And he seems to notice, because he ends his cumbersome stuttering with a single well placed "Fuck it", and then suddenly stretches out his hand. Although you know your fellow trainee and know that he couldn't hurt a fly, you flinch, for a brief second expecting him to be somewhat possessed by the ghost of the other guys and wanting to slap you. What you didn't expect is for him to place his hand on your cheek.

You turn into the literal pillar of salt. Parker is close... too close, actually. There is this unwritten law that two males should not be this close to each other to not be labelled as faggots. That's exactly the reason why the physical contact between the future police officers at the academy is reduced to a friendly pat on the back or, at most, a chummy embrace after winning a football match that comes along with knuckles knocked on the head and tousled hair and is terminated after precisely 3.5 seconds.

But they don't caress each others cheeks! Especially not a night!! In bed!!!

But Parker doesn't seem to mind - and of course, noone would've dared calling him a faggot. As much as you'd like to say something that would release the tension between you two, your voice crackles like a non-functioning loudspeaker, leaving you no other option than to get lost in the hazel eyes locked with yours.

Parker's face comes even closer and at the sight of his lips hovering in front of you, you can't help but to involuntarily lick your own. It's so awkward and cringy, you feel the familiar hotness creeping up your neck. But your friend doesn't back off, in fact, he leans forward and you're dizzy, intoxicated by the heat radiating from his body and his tangy, dry odour. Then it happens - and you are unsure whether or not you are actually dreaming.

Because Parker Shaw is kissing you. No, he isn't simply kissing you - he impatiently demands entrance with his tongue in a way you'd have never expected from the former boy scout that sometimes acts so awkward around other people. "Pa- Parker, wait ... what?", you pant, but your brown-haired friend cuts you off before you can finish your sentence. "Not 'what'! More 'yes, keep going'".

And then your lips crash together again in a fiery storm of passion, the sensation of the stubble around his lips and the low rumble that escapes his throat sending shivers down your spine. His calloused hands pull you off the bed, because you are unable to move, and a second later you find your limbs pinned to the wall, Parker's trembling body pressed against yours. Although you can't come up with much experience when it comes to kissing women, you instantly know that this is what you craved for... it's rough, animalistic and much better.

Your heart nearly explodes in your chest, but then Parker breaks away for a second, giving you a playful wink and biting your lips encouragingly in a way that can only mean one thing: it's your turn, don't be shy.

So you do as you're told and start exploring his body, with a lump in your throat and shaking hands admittedly, but still reassured by the way his breath speeds up or the gentle sounds of approval when you touch him in the right spots. And oh my, does it feel good! From the way his back muscles contract to the extraordinarily well-trained chest that you've admired so often before, there is no part of his body that doesn't make you want to scream with desire and the sheer disbelief that it's you out of all people that has Parker Shaw's forehead rested against yours, his body writhing almost submissively under the palm of your hands. Soon, you are kissing each other again, desperate, like his lips are to only thing saving you from drowning. But the movement in his boxer shorts discloses that his plans for tonight involve more than just kissing.

After what feels like an eternity of you two making out, Parker tugs at the waistband of your pajama bottoms and this is enough to jolt you out of the comfortable feeling of his kisses and bring the absurdity of what you're doing home to you. Only ten minutes ago, you dwelled on your weltschmerz, darting longing glances at him sleeping across the room and now your object of desire is about to - what, touch your penis? It's insane and although you'd love nothing more than to examine his remarkable erection pressed against your stomach from up close, a despicable and faint voice in your head makes you wonder, if this doesn't go too fast, if Parker won't regret this tomorrow morning.

You grap his wrist, a sudden movement to which he replies by arching his brows. "Parker -", you begin and you can already feel how stupid and inadequate everything you are going to say will inevitably sound, " - what is all this? I mean, what... what are you doing?". He chuckles and it's as surprising as it's irresistible. "As if you don't know", he replies while again starting to playfully tear at your shorts, his lips merely inches away from yours, his breath hot and heavy, clouding your mind. "I am doing what we both want. Or do you want to talk about it first?" He is making fun of you. It's not condescending, you know exactly how he means it and it's the mischief in his voice, accompanied by the oh so familiar glance in his eyes, which lets you know that he didn't get miraculously drunk or high while sleeping, but that he is actually serious. "What are the odds of you changing your mind?" - "Non-existent. Any more questions?" His eyes pierce into yours and you shake your head. "Great. Then let's fuck."

And you, who has never used said word before, let alone did actually fuck, feel yourself nod and something escape your mouth that sounds embarassingly like "Oh yes, Parker!". It doesn't even bother you. Fucking him is different than how you imagined it to be. But, to be fair, not even your wildest dreams could've prepared you for those strong arms lifting you atop his desk that he cleared with a dapper wave of the hand, the jocular but appreciative whistle as he finally pulls down your pants and underwear and sees your dick for the first time (it makes you laugh and blush at the same time, just as he intended it to) - or the naturalness with which he kneels down and takes your penis into his mouth. Into. His. Mouth.

Colourful fireworks explode right in front of you; your loud moan is only muffled by his big hands that he brought to your mouth in foresight, because the last thing both of you need right now is for anyone in the adjacent rooms to wake up. The wet thightness of Parker's mouth alone and the skillfull way his tongue swirls around your glans would've been enough for you to come, but you try to hold back, not wanting to climax too early, because - as preposterous as this might sound - you don't want to disappoint him. However, the way he all of a sudden uses his free hand to spread your legs even further and hungrily massage your balls is too much: you feel the tension build in your stomach, your toes convulse and, with a last squeak, you seize him by the neck and press his face onto your twitching member as you release sticky squirts of semen.

Your whole world is turned upside down, everything you believed in is shaken to its foundation after this mind-blowing orgasm, even more so as Parker willingly swallows every single drop of your cum, not breaking eye contact for one second. Is this really happening? He then stands up to kiss you and you can taste yourself on his tongue, not knowing if you should be repelled or turned on by this unusual senstation.

"I am - ?", you begin your apology for this early end to your ... 'adventure', while he plants a number of fevered kisses on your nipples that make you toss your head back. "Sshh", Parker interrupts you by putting a finger on your lips. "That was amazing!" You feel the familiar redness on your cheeks. "Well, judging from your... ehm, talent, I wouldn't have guessed that this was your first time with ... you know, a guy." At that comment, he winks at you sheepishly. "Who said it was my first time? But -", he continues and kisses the tip of your nose, " - you're the first one I imagined doing this to beforehand. Now c'mon, we're not done here, are we?"

Before you can even assimilate this information, he has gotten rid of his boxers, his penis slapping against his chiseled stomach for a second, and you don't know what to say - but you reckon' words are the last thing needed in this situation. So you content yourself with casting covetous eyes on his very long and very hard member, which is - of course, how could it be differently? - as impressive as the rest of his perfect body.

"Like what you see?" Although Parker's voice is rough, showing just the right amount of cocky self-confidence and his natural awarness of what he can offer his lover, both of you are unable to stifle a laugh at this clishéd question. He doesn't need or wait for an answer; instead he holds out a hand and leads you back to your bed, where you both lie down, soaked and sticky with sweat ... and he places on of your hands on his cock. "Do me!"

His words are so commanding, so powerful and hot that your shaking hand immediately start to stroke his dick, tentatively at first but then with increasing speed. "Yes, that's it", Parker murmurs into the pillows and you think to yourself that this is probably the sexiest thing you've ever heard.

It quickly becomes apparent how experienced he really is while you try to satisfy him in a boisterous and somewhat clumsy way ... he sets the rythm, corrects and emboldens you with soft sounds of pleasure, and when he finally comes almost silently into your hand, you can't believe that you're the one responsible for his enjoyment.

Minutes, hours or years later, both of you lie flat on your bed in a beautiful conglomerate of legs and arms, your hair sweaty and the air heavy with the smell of cum and fulfilled dreams. A thunderstorm approached, unnoticed by both of you during your actions, and the raindrops knocking at the window like finger tips make you feel even more comfortable in Parker's arms. You don't want to disturb the silence filling the room; plus, you are too busy listening to soothing sound of your friend's breath in your ear.

However, he suddenly bursts out - "This was A1, really, absoultely phenomenal!" You chuckle, although a part of you still doesn't really believe that all of this really happened. As much as you hoped at the beginning that the situation would turn out to be just a nightmare, now - if it would really turn out to be a dream - you don't want it to end.

You look up at him and see that his hazel eyes are carefully watching you, his lips crinkled into this lopsided sneer you love so much. But you have to ask him something.

"Parker - about what you said earlier. You -... you imagined... this?" - "Of course, mate!", he laughs. " - "But what... when... how did you know that I - ?"

Parker shrugs and moves his legs so that the sticky tips of your dicks are touching each other. It's fantastic. "Well, at first I didn't. You are so out of my league that I wouldn't have thought that you'd actually ... you know... that you'd feel the same". Although he seemed to be so confident earlier, you can now hear that this confession takes a load off his heart. "Thank god us Eagle Scouts are no scaredy-cats - so I thought I'd just ask you". He beams at you and you playfully nudge him with your elbow.

"Gosh, Parker, you are such a nerd!". - "Well, however - ", he continues unwaveringly, his smile somewhat smug, "- the fact that you'd formed an impressive tent in your pants at the sight of my naked body made every question redudant." He kisses you on your forehead as you blush yet again.

"Now let's go to sleep, shall we? From now on you'll be pretty busy at night, I promise, so you'll need every minute of sleep you can get!".

Tag list: @brightpinkpeppercorn @kevinarima @teenagediplomatfestivalauthor

#playchoices #pixelberry #choices stories you play #choices fandom #parker x mc #parker shaw #it lives beneath #ilb #it lives series #choices fanfic archive #choices fanart #choices fanfiction #choices #it lives 2 #ns*w

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ishotforthestars · 2 years

Text

17 questions and tag 17 people

Thank you @swedishyr tagging me! I've actually never done one of these before due to being old and not knowing how to tumblr so yay fun!

nicknames: Elin is already really short but my dad always used to call me Lellie. Oh and my best friend from boarding school (and her entire family) calls me swagster for some reason

zodiac: aquarius

height: 175 cm so pretty tall. when I was on exchange in Madrid in September they referred to me as 'the tall one' 😆

hogwarts house: soo I've actually never read or watched Harry Potter (I've fallen asleep to the first one a dozen times but it doesn't really count) but maybe Hufflepuff?

last thing you googled: 'veganska lussebullar', meaning a vegan version of the lucia-pastries. we had a christmas baking night at a friend's house 🥰

followers: like 50-something I think?

song stuck in my head: 'shivers' was playing too many times on the radio today and now I can't get it out, send help

how much sleep: about 7 hours so pretty good!

lucky number: 25! I once won a lottery with it

aesthetic: don't really a specific one but I love everything with soft colors and flowery vibes

dream job: interest-wise? neurosurgeon. but taking into consideration the fact that I don't want my job to be my entire life and work 60+ hour weeks until I retire I'm not quite sure. maybe orthopedics

wearing: an old band shirt, tucked into bed

favorite instrument: I looove listening to piano music! wish I could play myself but I'm not really musically gifted so knowing some chords on guitar is the best I can do I think

favorite song: 'give me love' by ed sheeran is my all-time fave

favorite author: I think I would say Roger hobbs, he wrote two really good books before his unfortunate passing. these days I mostly read course literature and fanfiction though...

favorite animal noise: I'm gonna second what @swedishyr said about the low neighing thing horses do, it's the absolute sweetest

something random: so my mum apparently sold meat to Alexander Skarsgård this weekend when she was a vendor at a christmas market. She didn't even realize who it was until her friend told her afterwards bless her soul. And my brother was sitting close to Omar on a train yesterday but wasn't completely sure who he was until he googled and saw he was wearing the same pants or something. apparently everyone in my family is casually bumping into Swedish celebs these days

I think I've seen everyone I follow do this already but if you haven't consider yourself tagged!

#tag game

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bbulmeintea · 3 years

Text

All those little stars in your eyes.

Romantic Pairings: Polyam OT5 SHINee.

Platonic Pairings:

Genre: Minimal Plot // Slice of life.

Warnings: 13+ Alludes to tw // Dec 18 due to the mystical aspects.

Contains: Neopronouns, Trans Identities (N-B), Polyamory.

Word Count: 3,906 words (according to A03).

Summary: "Who doesn't hate Mondays?"

A/N: "Disclaimer! This is a fanfiction meaning it is a work of fiction and not intended to be imitated, offensive, or impose danger on anyone, including those involved in the following story. Thank you for reading!"

Alternative: AO3.

Monday. Jonghyun hated Mondays with a passion. He hated the way Roo, his little puppy, liked to clean his face of last night’s booze binge. He hated the way his Taemin collapsed on top of him last night, and he most definitely hated the way Kibum poked him awake with a cup of coffee and a smile.

"Morning bubs.”

"Morning."

"So, are you going to make breakfast with me before Taemin heads off to uni, or gonna pick up food with Jinki?- Oh, wait, are you having brunch with Minho today because-"

"Babe?"

"Yes?"

"I don't know."

Jonghyun glimpsed up, expecting the worst. Why? Because it's sorta his thing to expect the person you'd crush the world for to be crushed by his honesty. Besides, it's happened way too many times before with others. I guess people don't exactly like hearing "I don't know".

“Bubs?”

“Yes?”

"Take your coffee of death. It's burning my hand."

Kibum giggled, watching the way their Jonghyun became. The way his brown eyes sparkled up at theirs. The way his pretty pink lips formed a tiny little 'o' shape like a Cheerio. Lastly, the way his hands clasped the black mug, but not just that, also squeezed their thumb before taking it.

"I can't believe you've been drinking that ‘stuff’ every day-"

"Well, it's my favorite-"

"For 127 years straight.”

“Besides you, babe.”

Jonghyun always had those little smirks too. Like a catty school girl, which surprisingly matched well with his messy brown bed hair, and dark circles.

"No wonder why I keep making it for you every day."

"You're just too cute, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Shameless."

Even with Kibum's laugh that could light a room, he still hated Mondays with a passion. Jonghyun hated the way he got carried away with Kibum talking about absolutely nothing like coffee. Something so dark, deep, and muggy was probably horrible for his health. Still, Jonghyun loved it so much he'd drink it for another 127 years easily. Besides, every eternal creature has at least one bad habit.

Jonghyun took a long sip of his coffee, "Babe?"

"Yes, bubs?" Kibum raised an eyebrow, "if this is about wearing my gray fuzzy sweater again-”

"No," Jonghyun chuckled. He sure did stretch it out last time. "You didn't... Answer my question."

"Which question?" They asked, "because I'm sure you answered mine."

"Which was?"

"About making breakfast, getting breakfast, or having brunch."

"And I answered?"

"You didn't know."

"And?"

Scrunch. Even with the small amounts of light peering in due to Taemin's reckless movements. Jonghyun could make out every little detail, mark, and bruise on kibum's face from their white skin, blue contacts overlapping their natural red eyes, and the scrunch.

"And... What?"

The scrunch, which caused unnecessary wrinkles on their face, but made them present much more… Human-like?

“What do you… What did you think about my answer?”

Sigh. Kibum loved looking into those soft little eyes. Sometimes, it's hard to believe they belong to someone who's no longer human. However, Kibum always seemed to find the humanity in them when things got dark.

"Bubs."

"Yes?"

"I respect your choice, answer, or whatever you want to call it."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Why?"

"Why?" Kibum replied, their words trailing as they got closer. "You and Taem had another one of those active nights would be rude if I ordered you around, now."

"It wouldn't," Jonghyun grumbled.

Kibum planted a kiss onto his forehead, "Those dark circles say another story, bubs"

"Uh."

"Can't sleep again?"

"Nope, not even a little."

"And you thought drinking insane amounts of alcohol yesterday would change it?”

“Yeah.”

"Was it fun to tire the little human out?" Kibum asked, glimpsing at their snoring Taemin. "You know vae's not good with alcohol, Jjong."

He shrugged, "Vae insisted."

"No way!" Their mouth gaped, "Taem can barely handle university, let alone you!”

"Me!?"

"Yes, you."

"What's wrong with me?" Curse Jonghyun for flashing those little innocent eyes. "I can handle my alcohol."

"You can," Kibum rolled their eyes, "way too well."

"Been practicing for 127 years, babe."

"Bet you have."

"That's a risky bet, Kibummie."

"Why? You some kind of gambler, Mx. Kim."

"Maybe..." His eyes trailed down their body, "come to bed and find out."

"With you?" They scoffed, "no way, it's Monday."

Instant eye roll. Another reason why Jonghyun hated Mondays. Sure, he partied like a human on Sunday, but the moment Monday came, he dreaded it all. Perhaps, it came from his parents, who always ate boring dinner and stared out the window because surprise! There were no televisions, radios, or computers. Sadly.

"And you know Monday is organizing day, and I'm not going to let you keep me in bed all day-”

"Like me?"

"Bubs," Kibum sighed, running their fingers through his mess of a hair. "I know sometimes it's hard to get up. I know it's like hell for you, but."

Jonghyun replied, "But I should get up and stop being lazy? Right?"

"But it's okay."

"It's okay..?"

"It's okay if those unbearable days happen. It won't feel great, but I get it. I mean, I understand you've been having a hard time, and since I'm not you, I’ll never understand the lengths of this hard time but-"

"Babe?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Jonghyun stared into his mug. Somehow, it was almost empty, yet he still didn't feel the kick of it. He never did. Jonghyun usually drank it for the taste and because it's a habit, but that doesn't mean he didn't indulge in other unhealthy things, though.

Kibum titled his head up, "bubs, you know I love talking to you all morning, but I have to get started on breakfast."

"Oh," Kibum noticed Jonghyun's mouth twitch thingy flare up again, "wasn't there an option to… Get something with Jinki?"

"Yes."

"Then ask him to-”

"He only goes if you go, bubs."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because you're a cute thingie-doo, Jjong."

Huff. Jonghyun hated Mondays with a passion, especially if he's in a freezing car leaning against his Jinki in the middle of January. Jonghyun hated the way he could smell every inch of perfection off Jinki. He hated the way the repeating CD played their favorite songs. He most definitely hated wearing Jinki's oversized hoodie that covered him in that same perfection.

"Mm, doll?"

"Yes?”

"Is something wrong?"

"No."

"Well… You know, Kibum says I'm a pretty good listener. Just so you know.”

"Taem's asleep."

"And? You tired vaer out yesterday."

"Vae insisted!"

"Vae only insists for hickeys from Kibum knowing well what it leads to."

"Vampires," Jonghyun groaned, "why couldn’t I date a cute angel?"

Jinki flashed a smile, "Like me?"

"I mean an actual angel, Darling.”

"Can a human not become an angel?"

"No way!”

Jonghyun wouldn't dare trade Jinki with an angel. They talk way too much and are crazy about this whole life purpose thing. That's Another eye roll. Why do angels get so attracted to eternal creatures? Jonghyun's not too different from them. I mean, they both practically live forever. Well, no. Eternal creatures are forever. They might die over and over, but still exist. Angels, huff! They never are alive, have big heavy wings, and are kinda like helpers. Jonghyun's no helper.

“Wait, hey, wait.”

“Yes?”

“Darling, what was I talking about?”

“Something about Taem sleeping.”

“Oh… Right.”

“Vae’s asleep.”

“And? You tired vaer out.”

"They insisted!"

"They’re also human like me, and we both know… That-”

"Humans get tired really quickly, especially if they've been drinking all night and eating fried chicken at 3am.”

"During?"

"During Kibummie’s last hour.”

"When?"

"When Minho is running off the effects of the full moon."

"Lastly?"

"Taem is pretty loud, so we should have done it in the soundproof studio."

"Oh No!" He watched Jinki's eyes widened, and ears flush red. "Jonghyun! Doll! I actually meant-"

Jonghyun twirled his Jinki's hoodie strings, "Am I not right?"

"I get what you mean, but..." Jinki paused. Sometimes, he could be too nice for his own good. "You're not so quiet yourself."

"Me!?" Jonghyun nearly choked. Jinki didn't know eternal creatures could choke like that. "Not quiet? Darling, I've been doing this for-"

Jinki replied, "127 years, I know, I know.”

"Actually," Jonghyun corrected, "111 years. A little late compared to my fellow peers.”

"16?" Jinki shrugged, "actually that's a little young-”

"In the early 1900s though?"

"Oh, right. Fair point."

"Sir, your order is ready."

He's so used to it. Jonghyun hated that his Jinki was used to odd stares and polite whispers because of his complicated existence. It just wasn't fair. I mean, no way in hell would Jonghyun wish to be visible again to outsiders or... Yuck, humans.. However, he'd wish for all the creepy smiles, never-ending stares, and uncomfortable questions to stop. I mean, what's the big deal if Jinki's dating several mythical creatures? Like a werewolf, vampire, and an eternal creature. It's nothing out of the ordinary.

"Doll?" Jonghyun paused his effortless huffs and rambling mind. "I'm going inside to get the food wanna come?"

"No." Of course, he did. Jonghyun loved holding his Jinki's hand in a warm cafe with good music. It's better than freezing in his pearl aqua 2008 Toyota Prius. "You sure?"

"Totally."

"And this has nothing to do with the stares we’d get?"

"It has everything to do with it, Jinki.”

"I know."

"Y-you know..?"

"It makes you uncomfortable and..."

"I feel bad that you're practically talking to air."

"Cute air."

So, maybe Jonghyun didn't have a problem with being Jinki's cute air. I mean, bakeries on a Monday aren't exactly Jonghyun's style. They're crowded with students in masks, businessmen in suits, and freshly baked bread. Okay, the latter is tasty, but it's not Jonghyun's sense if it's not Jinki's. The 28-year-old could be goofy, outgoing, carefree, but in crowded spaces? Ha, no way in hell. Still, Jinki loved vaer enough to get vaer proper breakfast of ice coffee.. And the other important human stuff.

“Sir, your order is 82508, right?” Jonghyun eyed the woman in front of them, no different from other humans. Her outfit was a size too tight, she had metal braces, and a dead cheery smile. “Or am I wrong?”

"Actually, I think you're right," Jinki said, his gaze shifting to Jonghyun. "Right, doll?"

"..."

"Jonghyunnie, is the order correct?"

"Y-You're asking me... In public?"

"Yeah, who else would I be asking?"

“Sir, who are you talking to?”

Jinki, you're talking to yourself or so it seemed from her perspective. At first, she found her eyes wandering to the gorgeous stranger. Sure, he was clearly older, had this little lost lamb look to him, but she didn't mind that or his weird talk to air act. Maybe, cute air?

"Sir, if you really can't remember." Betzy's fingers twirled around her ponytail. Yeah, Betzy. Jonghyun might have seen her nametag earlier. "I'd be glad to help you jog your memory outside of work sometime-”

"No," Jinki declined, "I'm actually waiting for my boyfriend to remind me. You know, horrible memory."

Jonghyun repeated, scoffing, "Horrible memory, yeah, right.”

"Boyfriend?" Jinki nodded as her eyes scanned around, missing Jonghyun completely. "Where?"

He pointed, "right here. You can't miss him. He's handsome with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and-"

Blah, blah, and oh, blah, blah, blah! Jonghyun felt light as pink flushed across his cheeks. Usually, he looked pretty human, you know, breathing or something? However, this public flushing feeling made him seem out of this world as if he was floating towards the sky.

"Jjong?"

"Y...Yes? I mean, Yeah?"

"Do you remember the numbers now?"

"Theonesshesaidyip.”

"Again, doll?"

"You know.”

"I know, cute air."

"Okay- Wait. You do?"

“You’re not so mysterious, Mx. Jonghyun.”

Look away. Jonghyun hated Mondays with a passion, especially when his body refused to do anything more than squeeze into an uncomfortable human chair. Fuck chairs. Like why chairs? Another sigh. Wait, don't get Jonghyun started on forks. Forks, why forks!?

"Why forks?" Taemin raised an eyebrow at vaer Jonghyun's sudden cry.

"King?"

"Yes, Taem?"

"What did the forks do to you?"

What had the forks done? You'd have no idea, Taemin. Besides, being a waste of stainless steel and time. How could humans use these!? Oh, and wait, they did one more sinister thing, reflect the beauty in front of him, Taemin. Vae somehow always looked pretty in the morning. Maybe it's vaer messy blonde hair, hassled together uniform, and overall presence? Something like that.

"Nothing." Jonghyun sighed in relief, relaxing into the cloud of a chair. "Just thinking about it."

"It?" Vaer brown eyes seemed to always shine in the sunlight, "it? Like aliens?"

"Aliens don't exist, Taem." They did. You have no idea.

"Really?" Of course, not. Aliens are just rich beings.

"Then demons, demi-gods, and gnomes?"

Jonghyun loved watching the spark take over in Taemin's eyes when the topic of mythical creatures came up. Somehow, it made him feel special.

"Not all folklore is true, human."

"Oh..." And there goes the spark.

"I mean, like, princesses don't wait... For princes, they date other princesses ‘n stuff.”

"Oh?" And it's back!

"As if."

The brunette would've pouted hadn't it been for the familiar pink puffy perfume in the air, Kibum's scent to be exact. It's a frequently shared fragrance in the household through hugs. However, everyone's at least aware to never get caught spraying it, unless you're asking for an earful.

"Master," Taemin broke into a smile as hands ran through vaer tangled hair. "You smell nice... F-for once."

She leaned down to kiss their forehead, "Thanks, trying."

"Wait." Taemin’s smile came to a halt, vaer eyes immediately locking into Jonghyun's.

Taemin faintly whispered, "It's Minnie?"

"Yes," he nodded without a thought, "it's Minnie."

"It's Minnie."

"Right."

"Why?"

Why was a perfect question! Why would anyone dare to wear Kibum's signature scent straight from the bottle? Who knows, but for now, Jonghyun would enjoy the visual masterpiece reflecting in his fork. Starting from Minnie's navy blue cat sweater and ending with her white mini skirt, then some, of course.

Minho asked, "You like it, pup?"

"What?" Jonghyun mumbled, "I mean... Y-Yeah."

Taemin shrugged, "Wipe the drool, then."

"Taem!"

"What."

"It's Minnie!? Wearing that- I- You know!”

"I know."

"And?"

"Master's gonna kill her."

"With love."

Minnie rolled her eyes at him, “With a long lecture.”

He was right, sadly.

Well, anyways.

Jonghyun hated Mondays with a passion, you know, besides waking up to a wiggling dog- No, not Minnie (this time). He just hated when they all parted. No, he isn't exactly clingy. Okay, maybe a tinzy bit as Jonghyun always ended up in one of their beds eventually. Well, yesterday night, he was thankful to have crashed on his own with his Taemin attracted. Which oddly always made it harder when reality set in. Vae would go to prison.

Taemin replied, snatching their bookbag off the couch, “but it’s not prison.”

“Then how else would you explain doing manual labor?” Jonghyun shrugged, “sounds like prison to me.”

Jinki asked, combing through their hair, “You mean university?”

“Yeah,” Jonghyun shrugged, “that thing.”

“Totally prison with debt,” Jinki replied, “I mean I’m still paying off mines.”

“See.” He pointed. “Waste of money.”

Minho said, “But they’re rich, Jjong.”

“Which… Is why it’s not needed,” Jonghyun stuttered, “I didn’t go.”

“It is a waste of time,” Jinki yawned, dropping the comb on the couch. “I never liked it.”

“I quit,” Minho mumbled, tidying Taem’s uniform. “Wasn’t fun.”

“See!”

“I don’t.”

“Why not?”

“We all know you’re just clingy.”

“I’m not clingy? Me!? Never!”

“Oh, king. You totally are.”

“Taem, shush. You’re the one wasting your money on an institution that does nothing, but hurt the minority.”

Tap. Tap. Tap. The two remained silent, walking. Listening to the sound of their black loafers clicking the ground. Jonghyun's brown eyes lingered on nothing, not the humans passing by or the dogs sniffing out his presence. Dogs are smart. Probably, why Jonghyun adopted a small dog of his own, Roo. Byulroo's a smart girl. She doesn't have to see him to know where he is. Like Taemin doesn't have to look to know Jonghyun's pouting.

Vae didn't look back. "Something wrong?"

"We're fighting, aren't we?" Jonghyun already knows the answer.

Taemin's tongue popped against vaer mouth, "Well, you insulted my education so."

"Insulted?" His eyes widened, "human, I didn't mean it that way."

"Then, how did you?" The blonde's voice like honey. Thin. Fragile. Sweet.

"At 23, I didn't know what I wanted to do."

"I do, though."

"I don't even remember what I was doing then."

"Yeah?”

"Yeah.”

"Your point?"

"My point is." His fingers stretched, reaching for their wrist. "Don't make the same mistake I did. Not knowing, I mean."

Vae grasped his hand, sighing. "I know, it's just..."

"Just?"

"Education is everything to her."

"Her?"

"My mom."

“Right.”

"And I'm everything to my mom, so."

"So, you're doing this to make her happy?"

Taemin shut vaer eyes, ignoring the gaining stares around vaer to take a needed deep breath. Things aren't so simple. Jonghyun understood this and probably more than most due to his eternal situation.

"Education is important, Jjong." Taemin said, "I want to provide for you someday, anyway."

"Provide for me?"

"You, Minnie, Jinki, and Bummie."

"But we're all way older than you, Taem.”

"Yeah, but you're also mythical creatures in the human world."

"Oh.”

Vae turned, "it's my way of showing I care."

"But we know you care." He replied.

Vae bit their lip, masking vaer smile. "You do?"

"We do," Jonghyun nodded, "you're an important piece of Taem without you, is it even worth it?"

Vae questioned, "It?"

"You know," Jonghyun muttered as their fingers overlapped.

Taemin squeezed their hand, "I know."

“Taemin!”

Don't look! So, Jonghyun hated Mondays with a passion. Yet, he didn't hate stepping away as Taemin's only friend, Sara, circled vaer with gossip. Who'd want an eternal creature listening in any way?

Taemin clutched their invisible pearls. "Liberty did what?"

"Yeah," Sara giggled into her wrist, "she got coked up at Jackson's party."

Vae frowned, "Damnit, I missed it."

"Taemin!"

"What? We both know Liberty's a bitch."

"Major one."

"Still upset she called Minnie a..." Sara halted, Taemin's look saying enough, "Nevermind."

"Minnie's not even in uni anymore, Sara!"

"Why did she drop out anyway?”

"You know," Vaer eyes flickered to Jonghyun, "Minnie's not exactly-"

"Bright?"

"But she's-"

Sara nodded, "Super hot."

"Sara!"

"What!" She twirled her hair. "You're dating hot Minnie and anti-social Kibum. It's a major score."

Taemin shrugged, "I suppose."

"How'd you even meet Minnie anyway?" She asked, "because one day you're talking to ghost and the next..."

Vae shrugged, "Long story."

"Long story to hear on our way to uni?"

"Oh yeah, definitely."

Flush. Minnie didn't need to hear Kibum's stomping feet to know all hell would break loose. Well, according to "I lived for 127 years," Jonghyun, hell doesn't exist. However, cuddling on the couch, the two knew the closest thing had to be a mad Kibum.

"Who?" The yellowness in her eyes heightened.

"Why?" He swallowed, now this would be interesting.

"When?" They shook the nearly empty bottle in front of their faces.

"Is anyone hungry?" Minnie stared at the upside-down transparent bottle. "Because-"

"Can it, fireball." Kibum shook the closed cylinder once more. "So, who's explaining why 75% of it is missing."

"Don't you clean on Monday?" Jonghyun stretched in Minnie's hoodie. "Before Taem and Sara get here to ruin it?"

"11:28:05 AM." Her gaze shifted to the ticking analog clock.

"Did you ask darling?"

"Bubs, he's out in the country."

"Out of the blue!? No notice, how self-"

"Grandfather fell down the stairs again."

"Oh."

"His mother would have gone," Kibum replied. "But she's had it with his stories."

Minnie muttered, "Really? Poor Grandfather."

"Exactly, poor him," Jonghyun yawned, "reminds me of that one mermaid I used to date."

"Bubs."

"Yeah?"

"Mermaids don't have legs."

Silence. Dead silence as Minnie and Jonghyun's mouth hung open, their eyes instantly moving from the tv to the blank wall. Better than listening to the morphing fangs appearing in Kibum's mouth.

"Now." The red beating the blue in their eyes, "I just want to know who did it."

Minnie scoffed at her sellout boyfriend. "Who do you think looked pretty today?"

"You're always pretty, Jjong," Kibum said, petting his head.

Jonghyun rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, you're always pretty, Pup."

"I meant, who looked gorgeous!" His brown eyes expanded, reminiscing earlier. "Like could kill anyone, including me!"

"We get it. You're stunning." Kibum leaned down to kiss his cheek.

He stammered, "No, I meant, that, no, I meant."

"Yeah, Jjong." She smirked, "you're nothing less than stunning."

Jonghyun slapped his hand onto her thigh, "Shush."

"Make me."

"I won't."

"Scared Pup?"

"Of the big bad wolf?" Jonghyun scoffed, "you wish."

Minnie questioned, "That a threat?"

"Oh, I think it is, fireball." Kibum smirked, "we know how "Mx. I lived for 127 years, so huff” gets."

"Guys!?" His head doing that little cute tilt thing. "You're teaming against me!?"

"Get Minho!" He pointed, releasing himself from her snuggle. "She's the one who used all of babe's stuff!"

She corrected, smiling like an idiot. "Minnie and only bad boys get in trouble."

"I'M 127 YEARS OLD!" His voice echoed throughout the apartment.

"Sure you are, bubs."

"I AM!"

"Is that a bet you're willing to make, Mx. Kim?"

Creak. Taemin didn't like the idea of sneaking around in their own home. I mean, it's not like vae would be punished for eternity by some mad witch for it. So, entering the house at the peak of dawn- I mean, 6pm wasn't a big deal.

"No way! Totally not coming over."

"Flirting with Jackson again?"

"Yes, and no. Besides, your datemate’s gonna scold me about not using a coaster again."

"I'll make sure they play nice."

"And chop my head off? No thanks."

“Sara, c’mon.”

“I guess.. If you finally tell me about how you met Minnie.”

“Oh.”

“Oh, right.

Gotta Go.”

Vae sighed, placing their phone back into vaer pocket. While their bookbag instantly hit a familiar spot, the floor. Shoes following soon after, and a detective-like trench coat with a similar fate.

"I'm home!" Their voice echoed throughout the apartment.

"Hello?" Not a sound could be heard, not the usual scuffing of Roo, tapping of Minho's game controller, or the familiar sound of Kibum's vacuum.

“Anyone here?”

Nope. Taemin searched high and low, but no sight of a single head of hair to pet. Sigh. Where the heck are they? Taemin was convinced they disappeared off the face of the earth. Well, until vae searched the soundproof studio and found 3 individuals cuddled up.

A small smile crept onto vaer face as they whispered, "I'll leave you alone."

"Sleep well."

Monday. Jonghyun hated Mondays with a passion. He hated the way, Roo, his little puppy, licked his face clean of last night's booze. He hated the way his Kibum poked him awake with a cup of coffee and a smile. He hated the way his Jinki became used to the constant stares in the café. He hated the way Taemin and him parted in the morning. He hated the way his Minho attempted to frame him for Kibum's perfume bottle. He most definitely hated it all! Of course.

Right.

Totally hated it.

Did I forget to mention, Jonghyun hates Tuesday's too?

#bbulmeintea #shineefic #shinee one shot #little things au

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