#I PROMISE TO DRAW MORE STUFF THIS YEAR!THAT IS MY NEW YEAR CONFESSION!!!!!

[nerdycanible1]

Am back! :D

Omg guys! Almost forgot I had this ((joking)) but nah seriously! It had been years since I've posted anything here! 💀

Anyways imma go back to my roots!! Y'all remember the days of Legend of Korra where I've only simped for Lin Beifong? 👀 But I've found a new lady, well not really but I've got a new love!!

So y'all remember (if not don't worry about it) the whole genderbent au thing I've created and it was female Tenzin and male Lin and stuff like that? Well I've got some stuff for y'all!

So first and foremost, this is Tenna. She is genderbent Tenzin (female Tenzin). She is literally so hot and I cannot stop drawing her! Currently working on the backstory and this will be nothing like tLoK, actually it will in some places but yes! A lot will be changed!

But look at her! She's gorgeous! 🥺 Also I just wanted to show y'all my improvement of art over the years! QwQ it has improved so much and I'm so proud! Anyways I'll stop rambling and let ya get to the photo!

Tenna: 55 years old

Tenna in swimsuit enjoy 🗿

Side note: Tell me this isn't the most Tenzin expression ever xD

Anyways, my thoughts are simple. Make hot women. :D I am smooth brained and frankly I've been a simp for my genderbent Tenzin for years.

I wanted to update her concept instead of the one I've created years ago (plz forget that 💀) and frankly I love this version better. She looks kind, soft, hot, and first and foremost Tenzin-ish.

What I have for her so far:

She is 51-50 just like Tenzin in tLoK

She has one confirmed boy that I've come up with and one confirmed girl.

Their names are Jin (Jinora) and Ming (Meelo). I haven't come up with anything else for the kids as of yet.

She is pansexual. No discussion on this xD

She is currently in a relationship with Peng (Pema). But ma'am is known to wander around.

Tenna is also more in tune with her nomadic life style instead of the whole business stuff.

Tenna left RC at the ripe age of 16, leaving Ling (Lin) in the process but no hate. It was a mutual break up. Ling wanted to keep RC safe and promised Tenna that everything would still be up and running whenever she wanted to settle down.

Tenna fell in love with an air acolyte (whom I haven't decided to name as of yet) and stayed there for a year before the world called for her once more. It was a short but painful romance, one that Tenna often thinks about.

Once she was back on the road she fell in love with a non bender (Not Peng yet), got pregnant and went to RC for Air Temple Island. She stayed on the island for a few years raising her newborn son Jin.

Ling helped with all he could, being there for Tenna, taking care of her and feeding her and dealing with her grumpiness. He took care of her and once the baby was born, Ling knew he would protect the child as if he were the one to help make the baby.

Tenna couldn't have thanked Ling enough and felt horrible she was "holding him back" from finding his true love. Ling wanted to confess right then and there that he loved her but knew it wasn't the right time.

During the time of the whole pregnancy and the raising of Jin, Ling and Tenna fell into a romance. Stealing kisses, sharing deep secrets, touches that crossed the very thin line of friendship.

It wasn't until Jin started talking and walking that Tenna thought it would be a great time to start exploring the world. Jin barely being the age of 3 or 4. Ling confessed to her that he loves her and that she wished she'd stay for him but told her it was a selfish request. He instead kissed her goodbye and told her to look at the Northern Lights for her on one of her trips. Tenna never felt such sadness and sorrow but she promised to keep in touch. She watched as Ling got smaller and smaller as the boat began to leave the harbor and leave behind her very best friend and lover.

Sorry friends but this is where imma stop it before I bore you! Let me know if you want more Headcanons or if you want more art of this fine wine of a milf!

Send me asks, or ask simply in the comments or Dms about any of this au. I'm happy to reply and I'm excited to say that I'll be posting here regularly soon! And you know of course that there's gonna be more Lin Beifong art so prepare yourselves!

As usual, all art belongs to me. If reposted please credit. Thank you!

[covenofwives]

The God Under the Blossoms

GeorgeHD has a peaceful life as the God of the Overworld. He is with the love of his life and God of the Nether, Sapnap4k, and the two can raise their younger brothers, George and Sapnap in peace. But during a day out, the Gods and their siblings stumble upon another Realm God...and another sibling.

My new AU to do with the Dream Team and their God siblings is here!

A few details are still unknown for this AU for now, but a quick backstory is after "something" happened, HD and 4K were blessed to be Realm Gods and they stayed in contact. They both confessed their feelings early and became husbands. HD and 4K were given their brothers on the same day and have been raising them together ever since. So the AU will focus on just daily life stuff but there will be "lore".

The Dream Team are all the same age because I just can't math so they are about 4 years old in this fic. This fic does have a lot of lore, but there are tickle moments between it so hopefully people can still enjoy it.

This fic will also be tagged as "GodSiblingAU" just for ease rn. I understand that's confusing but if I think of another name for it I'll change it in the future.

Enjoy~

---

It was a perfect day on the Overworld. The sun was high and warm and the air was gentle and cool. It was predicted to be warm until the evening, then rain would start. GeorgeHD couldn’t think of a more perfect ending. A warm day in the sun to then be lulled to sleep by the soft patters of rain. A very perfect day.

But what made the day so perfect for HD was the fact he could spend it lounging in the arms of his true love.

Sapnap4K was a God blessed with a tall, built body and his arms were always open for HD to fall into. Which is how HD found himself this morning.

While the brothers, George and Sapnap, played out in the meadow, HD and 4K lounged at the top of the hills, watching over them. HD had started on 4K’s lap, and now he was laid over the Nether God’s chest and using his bicep as a pillow. He had absolutely dozed off a few times to the sound of their brothers laughter and 4K playing with his hair. But just when he really settled in for a nap, he felt a poke at his cheek which roused him.

It was a small tap of a claw on his cheek, but it was enough to get him to peek open his eye and look up to 4K. Smiling down on him.

“I think you’ve napped long enough.” 4K said. His voice was warm in HD’s ears and his chest rumbled with his words. All these things did not help wake HD up any more.

HD stretched himself out, taking up more space of 4K’s lap, before settling back down over his bicep once again. “I can decided when I’ve napped enough, thank you.”

“Oh can you?”

HD had shut his eyes again, but he could hear 4K’s smirk and the poking claw returned, except it targetted on HD’s side. It wasn’t enough of to draw out a big reaction, but it was enough to make HD squeak, and try to cosy himself in further to 4K’s arm.

“Dohoooon’t…”

“Come on. You said you wanted to take a walk to the cherry biome.” 4K’s voice turned soft instead of teasing. The hand returned to HD’s side, but it was laid out flat instead of trying to poke. His fingers stretched and rubbed soothingly over HD’s stomach and sides. “The boys want to go too.”

While HD was always alert to 4K’s voice had more of a lulling effect than coaxing. “The boys are happily looking for the largest stick they can find right now.” HD was confident they were right, but they peeked their eye open ever so slightly just to check. Sure enough George was trying to pull a stick out from under a bush while Sapnap was trying to pull the entire bush from the ground.

“Well I want to go.” 4K almost huffed. HD gave a look up, making sure 4K was still giving his overdramatic pout, and wasn’t actually upset. When he’d confirmed it was a pout, he settled again.

“I just want to nap for five more minutes.” HD sighed as he nuzzled against 4K’s bicep. “Then we’ll head out to the biome when the boys are ready. Promise.”

4K scoffed. “I think you just want to have an excuse to use my bicep as a pillow.”

“Prime gifted you with perfect biceps. It would be a sin to waste them.”

4K scoffed again and HD waited for the smart reply but it never came. After nothing for another minute, they relaxed again. The focused onto the sound of the rustling leaves and grass as their mind stilled and settled. Then, just on the brink of sleep, another prod into their side.

HD wiggled slightly, giving a look up to 4K. The Nether God was happily watching George and Sapnap play. After a moment HD settled again. Perhaps 4K’s hand just twitched without thinking. HD settled back in, letting the moment pass but then another poke came to his side. And this time the offending finger wiggled.

He was past the point of believe it was a mistake. HD wiggled while trying to keep his voice in a warning tone, but the giggles didn’t help him sound serious. “F-Fohour Kahahahay…!”

“Yes, my love?” 4K was keeping his voice calm, but his wide grin betrayed him.

“Yohoho’re tihickling!”

The fingers had stopped kneading into his sides, now they were skittering and poking up and down his sides and hips. Even his other hand joined in on the other side so HD’s giggles quickly turned into laughs. “4K!”

“I’m not tickling you.” 4K said so innocently while he loomed above the tickled God. “But you happen to be laying on a tickle bed.”

“Nohoho Ihi’m nohohot!” HD tried to pull himself up, but as well as tickling, 4K held him down and any slight freedom he got HD was immediately pulled back down. “Stohohohop!”

“You must have fallen asleep on the tickle monsters bed!” 4K gasped. “And the tickle monster always punishes those who fall asleep in his bed!”

“Nohohoho hehe d-dohoesn’t!” HD’s reasoning ended with a yelp, as 4K’s fingers went back to focusing in on his hips. His hips weren’t his most ticklish spot, but being so close to his sides put him overly on edge. And 4K was skilled at faking out going for his spots. “Plehehease!”

“What are you doing?”

HD opened his eyes, his cheeks blushing furiously as he saw George and Sapnap making their way towards their brothers. He opened his mouth to respond, but all that came out was a surprising squeak when 4K tweaked his ribs.

“HD fell asleep on the tickle monsters bed.” 4K answered. His fingers still continued their tickling, now getting to skitter over HD’s stomach as the God tried to turn on his side more and curl up. “And he’s been caught!”

The boys eyes widened with an overdramatic gasp from Sapnap. “He tried to nap!” He called out.

The realisation made George gasp as well, though HD could barely focus on where the conversation was going as his hips were mercilessly tickled.

“Stohohohp!”

“You said we’re going to the cherry trees!” George pointed accusingly.

“Wehehe ahahahre-EEK! FOHOUR KAHAY!”

4K went right for his sides then, buzzing right into them as he was distracted and then when he brought his arms down to protect them, 4K went right back to his hips.

“He needs to be tickled awake.” 4K playfully growled at the two kids. “And the tickle monster needs the little monsters help!”

The boys expressions went from accusing to mischievous and they leapt at the opportunity. Literally jumping into 4K’s lap with HD to get at him.

“NO! Dohon’t yohou dahahare! I am awake! I ahahaham!” HD tried a mix of threats and pleading until 4K moved his hands up.

The Nether God lifted HD’s arms up off his sides, taking advantage to tickle his armpits as well, and stretching him out nicely for Sapnap and George to get at his sides, which they did immediately.

George was on his left and Sapnap on his right, their little hands squeezing, skittering and fluttering all up and down his most sensitive spot. Merciless. George and Sapnap had no want for anticipation or build up, they wanted to get at the worst spots right away and Prime sake they really went for it.

HD shrieked as he wiggled. His body was screaming to struggle and fight with everything he had but he was cautious of his brother and Sapnap being so close and didn’t want to hurt them. Being tortured in his worst spot and not being able to move from consequence just made the torture worse. His skin prickled with his over sensitive nerves and he begged.

“OHOHOHOKAHAHAY! WE-WEHEHE CAHAN GOHOHOHO! WE CAN GO! JUHUHUST STOHOHOHOHOHOP!”

4K stopped right away. He lowered his hands, grabbing at George and Sapnap’s to get them to stop while HD curled up as tightly as he could and sucked in air like he’d been on the verge of suffocating.

“He’s trying to sleep again!” Sapnap accused again before looking up as 4K chuckled.

“No, he’s just catching his breath.” 4K said, one hand patting over HD’s back. “But hopefully he’s learned a valuable lesson about taking the tickle monster's bed.”

HD cursed so softly under his breath only 4K could hear it with a twitch of his ear. His smirk widened as George partially climbed over HD’s back.

“What did you say?” He demanded.

“I said, let’s go.” HD lied, catching majority of his breath. He called forth one of his helper hands, an almost opalescent looking white hand that materialised from nothing, that grabbed the back of George’s overalls and lifted him off. The little brunette squeaked and giggled to the lift, as HD turned on his front and pushed himself up.

“The cherry biome isn’t far. We can walk.” 4K suggested casually, and grinned when HD glared.

“Absolutely not.” HD huffed. When he’s sorted himself out mostly, the ephemeral hand dropped George into his arms and disappeared into white mist. “Teleport. Now.”

It was tempting to tease HD more, but Sapnap and George were growing restless, both of them vocally voting for the teleport option. With a sigh, 4K relented and stood up with Sapnap in his arms after HD. In a split second, all four of them were gone from the meadow and appeared in the midsts of a cherry grove.

The biome was located on a small mountain structure, though it was thankfully free from any sudden cliff drops. Since it was higher than their meadow it was colder, and windier but that just made the pink trees sway more and more of their petals danced through the air. The lime green grass was littered with fallen petals and small pink flowers.

George and Sapnap were enchanted and then suddenly energised, squirming out of HD and 4K’s arms to run off.

“Let’s see who can catch the most petals out of the air!” Sapnap challenged, already grabbing a few mid run.

“Don’t wander off too far! Stay where we can see you!” 4K called after them and while the two shouted back a ‘yes’ they were already lost in their own game.

“Are you happy now?” HD grumbled. “We are here.”

“I am very happy.” 4K beamed. He curled his arm around HD’s waist, pulling him in close to his side and purred in his ear. Even though HD tried to keep his grumpy pout, he couldn’t resist the smile pulling at his lips. “I get to take a walk with my perfect husband through the cherry grove.”

“You’re such a sap.” HD tried to play it off, act like the purring and words weren’t getting to him. It was impossible to act since near everything 4K did made HD’s heart leap.

“Aaaand…” 4K carried on. “After the walk we can all take a nice nap under the cherry blossom trees.”

That did sound nice, despite how much HD wanted to scoff. Cuddled with their love while the pink petals rained upon them both was a picturesque sight. “I suppose that sounds nice…” HD replied coolly, but the grin over 4K’s face told him he wasn’t buying it. HD wanted to kiss that stupid grin off his face, but just as he grabbed 4K’s chin to pull him in a chilling sound pulled them apart.

George and Sapnap had screamed. Not like the scream of them playing they were so used to hearing, but as though something terrible had jumped out at them and they screamed in terror.

Immediately the Gods pulled apart and rushed to their brother’s sides. They were far, but kept in sight as they promised and the Gods crossed the distance in less than a second.

“What happened?!” HD grabbed George as soon as he could and lifted him into HD’s arms. He looked fine, at least not hurt, but his eyes were teary and HD’s helper hands appeared to worry over him.

“There-there’s someone here!” George sniffled, his voice high pitched and wobbly.

It was common that others would come across the Gods and their brothers during the day. It was never a problem as they were well known so it was either a friendly greeting or people giving them space to carry on. But this was clearly not that.

“Who?!” 4K asked, already picking up Sapnap. He was teary eyed as well and buried his face into 4K’s neck. “Where are they now?”

The boys didn’t need to answer that one. They were stood in front of a small cherry blossom tree, with a thin trunk and branches it looked more like a bush. And from that bush something leapt out.

It leapt back from the bush, putting as much distance as it could between them and the Gods. It was a somewhat humanoid shape, and covered in green, but those were the only details HD could make out as it tried to sprint off.

“Hey!”

George was quickly handed off to 4K as HD pursued the stranger. They had already crossed a large distance of the biome, but now they quickly went for the edge of the mountain to jump down to the forest below.

HD was faster, able to close the distance between them quickly just as the stranger got to the edge of the grass. However, before they had a chance to jump, HD formed a cobblestone wall in front of the stranger and partly curved it around them.

They stopped just before they smacked into the wall. Their arms braced on the walls, feeling around it desperately before they turned around and saw HD.

It was not a mortal, as HD had suspected. No human could have been that fast. HD could feel it was someone powerful and he concluded it must be another God. Gods were common to meet for them as well, but HD had never seen this one before. They were tall, taller than HD but probably not reaching 4K’s height. They had pale blonde hair, a little frayed and messy, and their eyes were covered in bandages crossed over one another. They had a large green cloak on, though it was ripped on one side, showing the God had four sets of arms. The top two were braced onto the wall behind them, and the other two huddled under the cloak.

If the God had meant to hurt them he was certainly in no condition for a fight. Still, HD kept his guard up as he approached. He left a wide enough space between them so the God wasn’t crowded in or cornered and before he could speak, the God opened his mouth first.

“I-I don’t want trouble. I did not mean to...just let me leave, please!”

His voice sounded desperate and doubled, like there was a second voice repeating the words but in an almost growl. Similar to an effect HD and 4K had with their own voices.

HD wanted to remain calm, but his eyes kept looking to XD’s lower arms huddled in the half of his cloak not ripped. They were curled, like they were holding something and HD couldn’t risk it. “What’s in your cloak?” He asked, keeping his voice calm but firm.

A weapon would have no effect on him, but if this stranger was dangerous and had anything that could threaten the boys, HD had to be ready.

The God contemplated his choices. HD could see he was looking between his arms and HD with a twitch of his head. Then he seemed to look around, as though trying to find a way out. HD was about to ask again when the God relented and they slowly opened their cloak.

It was a boy in the God’s arms. He could have been no older than George or Sapnap and he was the near spitting image of the stranger, with blonde hair and a matching black jumpsuit. But the boy only had two arms and one of them was horribly burnt.

HD’s suspicion fell to sympathy 0and he looked back up to the God. “Is he your brother?” He asked calmed. The stranger tensed to the question and HD slowly raised his hands to show he meant no harm. “What is your names?” HD asked.

The God hesitated before answering. “D-DreamXD...this is Dream.”

Of course! HD felt so stupid he hadn’t realised it before. While he knew the stranger was clearly another God there were only few who felt that strong. HD should have known it was the God of the End. The illusive DreamXD who never left or invited anyone to his realm.

“P-Please. We are sorry. Just let us go and you will never see us again!” XD pleaded.

It was becoming clear there was some misunderstand somewhere. George and Sapnap had clearly been spooked by XD, but it was nothing malicious.

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding here.” HD spoke calmly and slowly put his hands down. As he did he lowered himself down to kneel on the ground, trying to keep himself as less threatening as he could. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

He watched for any sign of XD relaxing, but it never came. Tried as he might his eyes also kept wandering back to Dream and his burnt arm.

The boy stared with wide green eyes at HD under the shadow of the cloak. He was clung to XD’s side and held up by the God’s lower arms. Well...one of his arms clung to XD. His left arm was limp by his side, and twitched every once in a while. From the back of his hand to just below his shoulder, the skin was purple and burnt and while he never took his eyes off HD, he’d wince every once in a while to the twitching of his arm. The burn seemed new, and still painful.

HD’s attention turned back to XD who pressed himself further back into the wall as HD heard the shuffling approach behind him. He quickly turned his head to see 4K walking closer with George and Sapnap in his arms.

“Is everything okay?” 4K asked, looking from HD to XD. “What’s going...oh!” His eyes saw Dream, and widened with realisation. “He’s…”

“We’re fine here, everything is fine.” HD soothed. He turned back to XD, thankful he hadn’t bolted and then looked back to 4K. “We’re just talking.”

“Just let us leave and we won’t trouble you!” XD pleaded.

“There’s no trouble.” HD quickly soothed and turned back. “We just want to know what happened.”

“We saw him!” George said excitedly. HD looked back to see he was pointing at Dream. “We saw him in the bush. Then the man took him away.”

The events were starting to make a little bit more sense in HD’s head, clicking together slowly but at least they were clicking together. George and Sapnap must have come upon the small tree and seen Dream. Either he had wandered off or he wasn’t mean to be so close to them, DreamXD had quickly grabbed Dream and tried to flee.

“I-I did not mean to scare them.” XD quickly defended. “Please.”

“No, no it’s fine. You did nothing wrong.” HD quickly soothed. “Listen. I can help you. Dream, was it? He’s hurt. I can heal him.”

It was the first time XD had relaxed, even just slightly. His expression faltered a little and he looked down at Dream in his arms. He looked less guarded and worried to just show a speck of concern and maybe hope.

“I’m GeorgeHD.” HD carried on. “I’m the God of the Overworld. The God behind me is Sapnap4K. He’s the God of the Nether. And those are our brothers, George and Sapnap.”

XD looked between them as they were introduced. His eyebrows drawing together slightly when he looked and George and Sapnap and HD could see slow realisation.

“I…” XD looked down at Dream again and then back up. “Can you...help him?”

Without wanting to seem too eager, HD nodded slowly. “Yes. I can heal that burn. Why don’t we heal Dream first, and then we can have a talk. Okay?”

XD did nothing for a long while. It was only a few seconds but the crawl of time felt so slow. The blonde God bit his lip before taking his attention off HD and down to the little Dream. He whispered something too soft for HD to really hear, but Dream shook his head to it and tired to bury himself further into the cloak. XD whispered something else and it took Dream a while before he pulled his head out of XD’s side. His green eyes were filled with tears but he didn’t try to hide again when XD looked back up to HD and spoke. “Please heal him. If-If you can.”

HD smiled. “Of course.”

HD found it easier to be calm and softer when he had to heal. He knew he could come off as brunt and distant even when he didn’t mean to, but when it came to a matter of well being, HD found it easy to slip into that soft role again.

He approached the two slowly, not getting off his knees, and he was thankful when XD knelt down and came just a bit forward to meet him. HD took in every details he could of XD. His face was young but his eyes completely covered in wraps. HD used to wear similar wraps over his eyes before he could control the shine they would give off. He wondered if it was something similar with XD but all his attention focused on Dream when XD unwrapped his cloak.

Instead of clinging to XD’s side, Dream now wrapped his one good arm around XD’s lower arm. His injured arm lay as limp as he could make it by his side, but even the slightest movement made Dream wince.

“This won’t hurt, okay?” HD spoke to both brothers but he smiled at Dream. Dream just watched him with a blank expression that was broken up every once in a while by a flash of pain or to look up pleading to XD.

HD had prepared himself for a panic and struggle but he was surprised and thankful when Dream remained calm. He watched HD’s hand approach him like a hawk, his eyes getting bigger and bigger as it approached, but he never cried or tried to run even as the hand was just an inch over his burnt skin.

As HD suspected the burn was infused with some sort of magic, but it was nothing he couldn’t heal. He started at the top, just under Dream’s shoulder and watched his own palms glow ever so slightly. The burnt skin under his hand slowly started to mend, and more and more disappeared as HD slowly worked his hands down. He was careful not to move too fast and make sure his magic kept Dream from feeling any pain. He could see it working, as the fear in Dream’s eyes slowly melted away with the pain and then turned to wonder as he watched HD heal him.

When the last burn on the back of Dream’s hand was healed, HD pulled back his hand. “See? All better.”

Dream quickly pulled his arm up, inspecting the skin with awe as XD was as well. The blonde God looked back up to HD, the guarded expression dropped to gratitude...and exhaustion.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

There was a thousand questions HD had, but XD didn’t look up for answering anything. Dream didn’t either. They were both tired. Their hair and clothes a mess, matted or torn. The End realm was closed off from everyone for years. Even Gods could not go in. Something had to have happened to cause XD and Dream to flee to the Overworld, but HD felt it was cruel to ask.

Instead, he slowly lifted himself up off the ground. XD slowly followed his lead, still holding Dream close to his chest.

“Listen. I don’t know what’s happened but...are you...trying to live in the Overworld now?”

HD wasn’t sure how to phrase the question delicately, but it was clearly wrong since XD’s expression went to worry again.

“We-We would not be a bother. We will go as far away from you as we can, you won’t even know we are here!” XD quickly babbled and HD felt guilty.

“No, no. That’s now what I meant.” HD quickly soothed. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant… I’m trying to…”

“What HD is trying to say,” 4K voice suddenly spoke up, and HD looked back to see the Nether God had came right behind him. He was no longer holding George and Sapnap, they instead hid behind his legs and looked up to the new God and brother. “Is that it’s no trouble if you want to stay in the Overworld. You are welcome.”

HD gave a small sigh of relief, thankful 4K could convey his words better. XD made a similar sigh. His shoulders relaxed, no longer tense and he gave his first smile. “That...th-thank you.”

“But,” HD continued, determined to find the words. “If you don’t mind me asking. How long have you been here?”

XD looked worried, but not as scared as he had before. It probably helped that HD lowered the cobblestone wall behind him. “A… A few days I think…”

“Four days.” Dream’s small voice whispered. The way he clung so close to XD’s chest and turned away from the others meant the whisper was only for XD, but HD’s ears twitched and picked it up.

“Do you have a home? Or shelter set up?”

HD could see the answer immediately. Neither looked like they’d been sleeping easy. XD looked away, almost ashamed. “I… I can’t… We can’t craft...here…”

HD’s heart lurched, thinking of Dream with his arm burnt and in pain, living rough in the wild. Clearly it effected XD as well. Sleep was not needed for Gods as it was for mortals, but they still needed rest and still showed the signs of fatigue. XD looked like he hadn’t slept for a week.

“Listen, I’m sorry your first few days on the Overworld haven’t been good for you two. But, just so you two can rest easy for tonight, I’d like to invite you to stay with us.”

The offer settled uneasily with XD. He kept looking away, but he also would look to Dream and something in his voice told HD that he was considering it for his brother’s sake. “I… We would not want to intrude…”

“You wouldn’t be intruding at all.” HD quickly soothed. “We have more than enough space and if you don’t want to I can give you the ability to craft here and you can go and make a home for yourself and Dream. But if you just wanted to rest for the day and start fresh tomorrow, we’d more than welcome you.”

XD paused for a long while, and HD was just the little bit hopeful that they’d agree. After a moment of silence, XD spoke. “I would like to discuss it with Dream.”

HD nodded. “Of course. Please do.”

HD and 4K gathered their brothers and let the End God and kin have a moment alone. HD kept them in his vision still, making sure they didn’t run off though he promised himself he would not chase after them. If XD and Dream wanted to remain alone, he couldn’t force otherwise.

“If he bolts off again, we can catch him.” 4K lightly bumped his shoulder into HD’s, snapping him out of his somewhat daze. The Nether God’s voice was in half joking, though when HD looked up 4K almost looked serious.

HD felt a little guilty. “I’m sorry I offered them to stay without talking to you first.”

“Hey, don’t apologise.” 4K shrugged. “If you weren’t going to offer, I certainly was.”

“Are they coming home with us?” Sapnap asked, pulling himself up from 4K’s arms till he was practically climbing up over his brother’s shoulder.

“Hopefully.” HD wished, and as he glanced over to XD just to make sure he was still there, the End God was approaching the group again.

Dream had retreated back into the cloak, but he was now held up by XD’s upper arms and clung into XD’s chest. “If the offer still stands, we would be happy to take you up on it.” XD spoke slowly.

HD controlled his reaction, trying not to be too excited. Instead he just nodded. “Of course! Please, join us.”

A thin mist crawled through the cherry tree biome, eventually forming into a cloud that took the shape of a large door. It open up to a wide, grand room. The walls a soft looking blue, looking like they were made of clouds themselves. Stars twinkled down and disappeared from the floor above and a large spiral staircase lay at the back of the room.

4K took George and Sapnap with him to another room down one of the hallways, despite George and Sapnap’s protests. It was easier for HD to show them around without an audience and XD clearly relaxed more when it was just himself, Dream and HD.

HD watched carefully as XD followed him up the spiral staircase. He took careful, unsure steps. Wispy clouds softly fell over the steps and once XD saw they were harmless he followed more easily.

The upper levels of the palace were a dark blue, like clouds on a night sky. Golden sparkles shimmered through the walls like stars in the distance, and Dream seem intrigued, peeking his head out to watch them before realise HD was watching him and shuffling back in.

There were many empty rooms just waiting to be used in the palace. There was one just a couple doors down from HD’s room and with a quick thought it was morphed into a bedroom, filled with standard furniture. A wide bed on one side of the room, with soft fluffy pillows and sheets. In the middle of the room was a set of comfy chairs and a table beside a dresser, and off to the side there was a separate wash room with a bath almost as big as the bed.

“You should have everything you need.” HD explained while giving a quick tour of the room. “But if you need anything more, my room is down the hall and I will find you if you call on me.”

HD knew he was babbling and he could only hope he wasn’t coming on too strong but XD looked far more relaxed than he ever had, and he smiled warmly. “This is fine. More than fine.” He quickly assured HD. “Thank you.”

HD was eased seeing the God smile for once. He wanted to offer anything to the two of them at that moment, but instead he nodded and quickly left to return to the others.

4K had taken the boys to the playroom, which was a perfect distraction for them. George and Sapnap were attempting a floor jigsaw, but that was quickly abandoned when they saw HD walk in and they rushed over demanding answers.

“Are they staying?!” “Where are they now?!” “Do we have a new friend?!” “Can we see them?!”

“Calm down.” HD tried to settle them. It was easier when 4K came over and took Sapnap in his arms, and George was calmed when HD gave him a bit of his robe to rub between his fingers.

“They are settling into their room just now, and they are not to be disturbed.” HE warned, getting a chorus of ‘aww” from the two.

“Yous almost scared them off before, you want that again?” 4K half joked.

The two gave grumbled responses defending themselves but it raised and interesting point.

“What actually happened?” HD asked as he sat down on one of the many beanbags around the room. 4K follow to sit in the one beside him, letting Sapnap crawl all over his arm. “In the cherry biome. Did you see Dream first?”

“Yes!” Sapnap nodded, almost jumping out of 4K’s arms. Luckily the Nether God was an expert in catching his brother. “We were looking in the tree for the biggest stick! The boy was behind the leaves!”

“He jumped when he saw us. Then the man quickly grabbed him and ran off.” George finished.

HD put the timeline of events in his head together. “So you two screamed then? He scared you?” HD asked.

“We didn’t scream!” George defended his tiny pride, his face burning red. “He didn’t scare us!”

HD and 4K gave each other a look, remembering the tears and scream they both heard that kicked them both into brother mode.

“Was Dream okay?” Sapnap asked softly.

HD decided it was best to keep details of the injury vauge. He didn’t know how much the two saw but he wasn’t going to say anything more than needed. “He was a little hurt but he’s alright now.” He assured Sapnap.

“Will we see them today?” George asked, his eyes almost wide with hope.

“Only if they want to.” HD calmly explained. “Until then, we’ll give them their space.”

The boys were upset, and even more upset when they couldn’t go back to the cherry biome for the day. 4K quickly distracted them with a treasure hunting game, which they started begrudgingly but then started getting into it. Especially when 4K promised a prize for whoever wins.

As the boys played HD quietly offered to 4K that HD could stay in the palace, being available for XD and Dream, and 4K could have taken the boys back to the biome but 4K refused, citing he wanted to be there for support to HD. While HD called him sappy, he had to remind himself to thank 4K properly later.

Despite HD remaining hyper alert, XD and Dream did not leave their rooms for the rest of the night. The sky outside dipped to a lilac as the clouds started to burn a sunset orange. The walls of the palace reflected the change and when it became night, the whole place was a dark blue with stars shimmering through.

George and Sapnap claimed they weren’t tired while almost falling asleep in HD’s arms. They had asked to both sleep in George’s room, where they had already made a pillow fort and the Gods let them settle in for their sleepover while they retreated to HD’s room.

It was exactly the type of room HD was suited to have. The bed took up majority of the space, with sheets that looked like rolling night clouds that hung over the bed’s edge. There were golden stars and phases of the moon hanging from the ceiling, between the hanging blue fabrics and netting. The moons bathed the room in a soft silver glow, and made everything calm.

HD could have melted into the bed as soon as they lay down, but they refused to allow themselves that calmness. Though it was much harder to fight off when 4K was kissing their cheek and cuddling in close to their side.

“You did a good thing giving them a place to stay.” 4K’s voice was soft and purred the right way to make HD weak. They wanted nothing more than to curl up into 4K’s arms, but the nagging worry of their visitors needing them kept them up.

“It was the right thing to do.” HD shrugged. Partly to play off his good deed and another part to stop 4K’s kisses. “But I also think maybe… I’m making up for something, in a way?”

4K pulled back ever so slightly, propping himself up with his arm. “What do you mean?”

“I just…” HD searched for the right words. It was a growing thought he’d had ever since he’d realised who XD was. “I feel like… When we were given George and Sapnap I thought it was because we were...connected? I just thought we were somehow blessed. But then XD also has Dream, and it’s no coincidence since they’re a realm God too. So we were all given brothers, but because we never knew XD we didn’t know.”

“You think it means something?”

“It has to, right? We checked when we got the boys, no other Gods got any siblings. It’s only us Realm Gods. So we were given these brothers for some reason. And while we had each other to help with it, XD was alone.”

“We’re not to blame for that.” 4K quickly defended, though his tone was more in assurance than defensive. “He closed off the End to others, even we couldn’t get in. And before that Prime didn’t want us meeting XD.”

“I know...but it still doesn’t sit right.”

But there was nothing HD could do about it now. He could try and offer support to XD if he decided to stay, but that would be up to the End God.

“You need sleep.”

4K poked HD’s nose, pulling him out of his thoughts. He blinked, looking over to 4K who was settling over the bed again and he remembered his resolve to stay awake.

“You sleep. I want to stay up in case XD needs me.”

“If he calls, or even moves an in inch out of his room, you would know.” 4K quickly replied, as though he was waiting for this. Of course 4K would know HD’s plan. He knew HD’s thoughts before the Overworld God even knew them sometimes. “And you are stressed, starlight. You need sleep.”

HD was never one to turn down sleep, but he kept to his guns, and shook his head. “I will be fine. You sleep.”

4K sighed through his nose as he shuffled himself just a little closer. His arms wrapped around HD’s waist and he settled in like he was going to sleep.

But of course he wasn’t. HD absolutely knew he wasn’t. He kept on edge when he felt 4K’s hands slide around his sides, and while it took a little longer than he thought, he felt the first skitter of claws against his side and making him squeal and jump but he was held down in 4K’s arms.

“Fohour Kahay…” HD warned. His voice wasn’t as stern as he would have liked but he was proud he only had some giggles in his voice.

4K’s eyes were closed with a stupid small smile on his face, but he gave a low him, showing he was listening.

“Stohop tihickling…”

“Hmm…” 4K hummed again. His eyes still closed as he spoke. “I don’t know who this ‘4K’ is. I’m the tickle monster. And you are in the tickle monster’s bed.” 4K’s fingers trailed up, over to HD’s ribs where they stayed. HD tried to grab at 4K’s wrists but it was a futile attempt. “And if you’re in the tickle monster’s bed, you must want tickled to sleep.”

His thumbs just pushed in ever so slightly, kneading over his lower ribs. It didn’t tickle as much as his sides and 4K knew it. He knew every spot over HD’s body. He knew the spots to make him scream, the spots that worked him up into a frenzy and the spots that made him melt.

On cue, HD melted. He gave a low whine, breathy little giggles pouring from his lips and he tried fruitlessly to struggle. It was more like a kitten wiggling with his strength. His bones felt like mush and refused to listen to him. 4K may have been right. He was stressed and tired, but he wasn’t letting 4K win so easily.

“Y-Yohou tickled mehehe awahake earlier whehen I was ohon yohour bed. N-Nohow you tihihickle mehe to slehehehep…” HD sputtered. “Yohou tihickle monsters are vehery f-f-fihickle!”

“F-F-Fickle?!” 4K gasped dramatically. “You insult the tickle monster now?! Oh now you’re in for it!”

4K rolled over on his front, squishing HD into the bed. Struggling was near impossible now, but HD foolishly believed that to mean it was harder to tickle him. Very wrong. 4K wrapped his arms under HD, setting his hands over HD’s ribs again. It was a perfect position to get at HD’s ribs again, and even tickle the back of them.

“No no no no nooohohohohoho…” HD giggled again. He shook his head, trying to bury it in 4K’s mane of hair. “Thahahat’s tihihicklihihiy…”

“Well yes, that’s entirely the point.” 4K spoke in a purr. His tail looped around HD’s leg, it’s fluffy tip brushing over HD’s ankle so gently. “I’m going to tickle you into a deep sleep.”

“Nohoho yohohour n-nohohot…” HD giggled back, but even he could hear the fight leave his voice. He couldn’t even muster up enough strength to pull his foot away from the fluffy tail curling around his ankle again and again.

“Yes I am~” 4K cooed. “You’re soooo sleepy already. No-one can resist the tickle monsters sleepy tickles.”

“Nnmmm…” It was less giggling now. The tingles still ran through their body, and tickled over their ribs, but HD had no energy to fight it. 4K was warm and his weight was comforting on them. It was useless.

“Ohohokahay. Ohohokahahay…” HD giggled and sighed when 4K’s fingers stopped. His tail still kept softly swishing though. “Ihihi’ll slehehep for a bihit…”

“Perfect.” 4K purred, pressing a kiss under HD’s chin. He pressed another to HD’s ear as he whispered. “You will be more help to them after a good nights sleep.”

HD hummed softly as 4K settled down. He placed his head over HD’s chest, listening to his heart while HD lazily draped his arms around his back. “You’ll feel better once you sleep.” 4K’s words were more slurred purrs than words.

HD could only hum again while his fingers played through 4K’s hair. The purrs on his chest eventually turned into soft snores and the silver light in the room dimmed. The stars twinkled above and HD slipped his eyes closed.

If he was called upon, he would wake. Until now, HD slept.

[miikromeda]

intro <3

so uh my two friends on tumblr have intros on tumblr and i felt left out so im making one now :3

Technically my name is Cara, but like idk, I don't like been called by my name. My pronouns are She / Her, but honestly I don't really care. Gender is complicated. (i'm already ranting and i haven't even started someone stab me) So like here's my surface level stuff (i go more into depth below if your interested ig, my links are down there too)

Likes: K-pop, Grunge Music (Specifically Nirvana), Writing, Reading, Space, Geography and shows I like, but if you're really interested in what I'm into I go in more depth below. Dislikes: School!!!!, Art block / Creative Block, Conservatives, People who think everything is 'embarassing', people that hate fun and whimsy, homophobes, sexists, racists etc, the heat, bugs, tbh i complain about a lot of things even if it's minor, yeah it's a red flag, just tune me out i can say some stupid shit Music: Loona, Nirvana, Green Day, Ive , Dazey and the scouts, MSI, MCR, Twice, Red Velvet, Deftones, new jeans, Mitski, Tv Girl, there's more below

Kpop

Hehehehehehehe, I've liked K-pop for 4 (??) years now, I own a couple of albums and went to the IVE concert in Australia. Best day of my life, comparable to my birth. My ult groups are Loona (Loona is an encompassing term of the re-debuts and everything, who knows what's going on in loona island) and IVE. I love nwjns too, but god all the drama going on with them is too much. Other groups I stan: Red Velvet, Triples, New jeans, Le sserafim, Rescene, illit, gidle and more that I can't remember.

Music (In General)

Nirvana is my favourite band of all time, why wasn't I born in the 80's 😔. I mostly follow Grunge, Rock and Punk music as well as other alternative music genres. I don't plan to make a huge paragraph discussing all the genres I like so here is a list of my favourite artists atm: mitski, beabadoobe, laufey, gigi perez, nirvana, alex g, tv girl, green day, weezer, she wants revenge, dazey and the scouts, mindless self-indulgence (i don't support their actions), destroy boys, my chemical romance, radiohead, mommy long legs, deft tones, hole, bikini kill, arctic monkeys, phoebe bridgers, chapell roan etc. There's more but i'm lazy suck it. I ALSO PLAY GUITAR!! I play both electric and acoustic and consider myself pretty cool (ladies, ladies on at a time 😼😼) Yeah i love love love my guitar it is my gf Songs I can play: Come as you are, About a girl, buddy holly, in bloom, apple cider and im still learning more !!

Games

Tbh I don't play a lot of games bcs I'm poor asf 😔 but my favourites are: Mincecraft, Roblox, The Sims, Killer Chat, Undertale and Deltarune!! (spamton hangs on my wall)

Art

I am an avid artist, i mostly either draw using pencils or digital :3 I don't know what else to mention on art but it is a huge part of my life and maybe i'll post some art on here !!

Writing

Yeah I may not seem like but I love writing. I swear every other writers intros are so put together and poetic but I'm here geeking out cries. Yes I may seem silly and idiotic but I have thunk some very deep thunks 😼😼 (don't take me seriously please, i assure you i have the capacity to not act like a child) My current projects are Project Card and Project Tunnels, you may see me post about them occasionally 😽 Uh and my favourite characters I have ever written are Seven, Yuhong and Mingsheng (girl no1 gaf)

Reading

I LOVE READING‼️‼️I have nerdy interests sue me, i love reading either classics or fantasy (though I will not turn up my nose at romantacy) I need some more book recs, I'm currently reading to kill a mockingbird and holy shit scout is so me i want to be her friend so bad aofjaiwefiweyghiyaaoiufhqwyeufgqyegfygqywegfasdclhifqwergfitygOQSDIEYGFIADADIYG (sorry i have habit of going feral from time to time, im not contracting rabis i promise)

Space

I will cry if I fail a physics class, i love space so so so so so much, confession time anytime anyone ever mentions space, esp when it's from a tiktok trend or something ("omg titan is so cool") i will absolutely have very violent thoughts, no get away from space she's mine 😾😾 grgrgrgr i don't know i think it's weird to try gatekeep space of all things, and i'm aware of this, but i still will try.

Geography

WHY AM I HYPERFIXATED ON FLAGS FREE ME FROM THIS PRISON. Anyways i know all the flags of the world and some territories (come fuck w/ me 😼) trust i will geek out anytime geography is even barely mentioned i love the world and countries so much (no not countryballs stay away) anytime one of those 'fictional countries' on tiktok makes a flag i think i die a little inside. NO YOUR FLAG WAS NOT MADE UP OF PASTELS. Anyways actual pretty flags: Seychelles, Libya, UK, Russia, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Canada, Bhutan, South korea, Estonia, Kyrgyzstan, Confederation flag (is that weird???), Iceland, Norway, Turkey, Tunisia, Micronesia, idk there's more

Philosophy

no comment, i need to stop having weird interests and freaking people out because i randomly have existential crisis. if anyone wants to listen to me rant about anything and everything hmu ig???

TV

okay so idk how to go about this, i usually like shows but like drop them for a new one?? so i'll go through the shows i loved for more then a week. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Doctor Who, Big Bang Theory / Young Sheldon, Squid Game, House MD. I think out of this list my favourites are Squid Game and Doctor Who :3 I got a tardis blanket for Christmas !!

Links

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/user/31wyfkzcto4d5ejgl5vrcabkhrge?si=da8cceace9c94007

Pin - https://pin.it/40BWRGv9t

Spacehey - https://spacehey.com/theangelshavethephonebox

Fun Facts

I tried to learn both Organ and Saxophone b4 finding my one true love (guitar)

Ive been a girl kisser since i was 9 years old

My longest writing project is currently 31k words !!

l'm literally a purebred Australian, my dads side have literally been here since colonisation, i mourn having culture every day

HUGE THRIFTER, more then half my clothes are second hand, thrifted or from my lovely mother :3

Massive fan of Graffiti but i'm a tad bit of a pussy, i'm like that for most things, finding out and knowing how to do things or by passing rules but never doing it because i'm too scared

anyways thats it, yeah that's it i got tired, i may add to this, anyways byeee 😽😽

[daysofourlivesrecaps]

Friday, 14 July 2023

A couple of weeks ago, I thought I might be getting a little burned out on this show. At the very least, I wasn’t feeling particularly engaged in most of the plots, which didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Boy, it did not take them long to turn THAT around.

Let’s start with Marlena, who’s still confronting Kristen over the whereabouts of Rachel (Kristen’s daughter, Marlena’s granddaughter). Kristen continues to insist that she has no idea where Rachel could be.

Then she pivots to that old standby: “but hypothetically, if I did know where she was, I might be more inclined to tell you if there was something in it for me.”

Marlena is, as I have mentioned many times, the moral center of this show (when she isn’t possessed by the Devil, anyway — and it’s been over a year since that was true). But she’s been making some pretty weird choices lately. Like this one, where she just agrees to Kristen’s hypothetical scenario and swears to use her Main Character powers to convince Brady to revisit the custody agreement that currently doesn’t allow Kristen to see her daughter at all.

So Marlena leaves to do that. And then someone emerges from the secret room. OH NO, IT’S A BEAR!!

Oh, whew. It’s not a bear. It’s just the daughter that Kristen is illegally hiding here. That’s entirely fine.

Apparently Rachel was hiding in plain sight up in the attic, amidst a vast assortment of stuffed animals that we apparently don’t have the budget to show.

They have, by my accounting, paid for two bear suits now, though: this child-sized one, and the adult-sized Duke. Duke’s heyday was a storyline from over a year ago, but he still makes the occasional appearance — one as recently as a couple of months ago!

Marlena finds Brady and Belle chatting in the town square and goes over her “just give custody back to Kristen and she’ll tell us where Rachel” plan. 

Brady thinks this is a terrible plan and so does Belle, but Marlena has Therapist Powers and Main Character Powers and, over these two particular people, Mom Powers, so there’s absolutely no way they can resist. My god, no wonder Satan keeps coming after this woman. She has an entire town under her thrall.

So Belle uses her Lawyer Powers to draw up a new custody agreement. 

Which Brady then takes over to Kristen.

Then, after making a big show of having Kristen sign it, he tears it up in her face.

Which… is a highly impractical way to make your point, but also, 10/10 for handling it in the most melodramatically soapish way possible.

And while all of this really was quintessential soap stuff that really delivers everything you want out of a show like this… trust me when I tell you that it was the much less interesting B-story today.

First, we pick up where we left off with Lani confronting Jerry about his part in Abe’s disappearance.

Lani might only be on temporary furlough from prison, but she’s still one hell of a detective. Jerry endures her questioning for all of about thirty seconds before essentially collapsing to the floor in a fetal position, weeping openly and confessing every last detail of Nurse King’s very stupid plan.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Nurse King is being questioned by Steve.

She also folds almost immediately, but her plan is to just throw Jerry under the bus and resume fleeing town with Abe’s poor, drugged-up body.

So they’re all getting pretty close to finding Abe, who’s still zonked out on Nurse King’s couch watching Body and Soul. AND NOW HE’S SEEING HIS OWN ACTUAL SELF IN THE SHOW.

This is the dumbest thing I have ever seen and I love it so much. Best of all, they actually deliver on everything that “beloved character recovering from amnesia think’s he lives in a soap that exists inside our soap” promises. Up to and including an appearance by a fictionalized version of his wife, Paulina!

Jackée (best known for the 80s sitcom 227) has always looked great on Days, but her Body and Soul appearance is some real next-level shit. Honestly, sometimes I find myself wishing she was a little better at selling some of the heavier emotional stuff on this show but this camp comedy stuff is completely her wheelhouse and She. Fucking. Nails it.

TV Abe sort-of recognizes his wife, and other elements of his actual existence start seeping into the show. He even starts to remember that he and Paulina have a daughter together: Lani.

Fictional Paulina (whom they’ve given the surprisingly not-over-the-top name Sandra Clarkington) doesn’t know what he’s talking about. They’ve never even met before, so how could they possibly have a daughter?

But then Abe’s viewing is abruptly interrupted by a tap-tap-tapping on Nurse King’s chamber door and IT’S LANI! HIS ACTUAL DAUGHTER! SHE FOUND HIM!

Days of Our Lives, I am truly sorry that I ever doubted you.

[fear-crazy-eye]

Heeeeeey~ Happy New Year, guys! Have a wonderful new decade!♥

[halesandy]

Ana’s BTS fic recommendations - April 2022

It's been a long time, yeah. Long story short, I'm back.

Here's the list of things I've read in February and March.

Previous lists -> *click*

Enjoy! 💜

Please feel free to send me an ask or a message with your favorite BTS fics or writers, I’ll make sure to check it out and include in future parts. I’m still going to reblog my favorites, so if you want to keep up with my recommendation lists - let me know and I’ll tag you.

💜 Please reblog this post so more people can read good stuff and/or send me new great fics! 💜

Please take a note that some of the works might be for people who reached the age of 18, and don’t interact if you’re a minor, thank you

Make sure to support these writers and their work!

KIM NAMJOON

💜 @ahundredtimesover

How I Love You

M (18+)

Sometimes distance isn’t a space between two people, but cracks and crevices that build up over time. It’s what you learned after being married to Namjoon all these years. But all it takes is a trip back home and the acknowledgement of what your relationship has become, and the realization that it might be the final puncture that would make everything else break.

💜 @realifefairy

I'm Nothing Without You

M (18+)

Most people find their brother annoying. You do, too. Most people also find their brother’s best friend annoying, but that’s where you differ. Kim Namjoon is one of the most important people in your life. After years of hiding your enormous crush on the boy with a dimpled smile, you finally gather the guts to confess before he moves away for university. Only to be rejected.

It’s not until a few years later when you temporarily move in with your brother and his best friend that you two realize that you may have been better together than you were apart.

💜 @sugalaritae

New Books

M (18+)

You used to have mornings like this, wrapped up in each other and drinking each other instead of your morning coffee. the day turns into a day spent together with your boyfriend, looking at books, and admiring each other.

KIM SEOKJIN

💜 @hobipost

Friends Get Married All The Time

G

The silly promise you made ten years ago comes back to bite your asses, and you’re both too weak to pretend it never happened.

💜 @taleasnewastime

Second First Meeting

M (18+)

Four months. You’ve been speaking to, falling slowly in love with, and seemingly getting made a fool of by a man you matched with online for four months. There’s always an excuse why he can’t meet you, always some convenient reason why he can’t make something. But it’s valentines and he’s booked a fancy meal and that’s him, sat at a table, finally ready to meet you. Only it might look like the guy you know but it’s not the person you’ve been speaking to, no, this guy has no idea who you are.

MIN YOONGI

💜 @wwilloww

The Seventh Muse

M (18+)

As a writer, your favorite place in the world is the library. But you're quickly coming to realize, that it might not be the books that keep drawing you back, but the handsome, smart librarian who always knows exactly what you need

💜 @mypersonmyg

It Comes In Waves

The man who owns the music shop along the shore has long since caught your eye and you wait sunrise and sunset just beyond the rocks to hear his lovely strings OR you certainly hope yoongi doesn’t want to eat you.

💜 @inkofyoonkoo

Blow

M (18+)

In which Yoongi loves you but never said it out loud. Sometimes, gestures speak louder than words.

💜 @yoonjinkooked

Watermelon Sugar

M (18+)

Travelling alone to your dream destination had sounded like a good idea at the time. And you don’t regret doing it, of course not - you’re in Greece! The food! The sun! The smell of the sea! The white walls and blue chairs, the hills, the warm days and colder nights. A little company wouldn’t hurt, though. That’s how you end up talking to Min Yoongi, your next door neighbour with whom you practically share a balcony. He’s quiet, he barely leaves his room but when you reach out, he doesn’t push you away. That’s how your Greek adventure begins.

JUNG HOSEOK

💜 @crystaljins

By It's Cover

Your annoying little brother Jimin accepts a dare and summons a demon into your living room. There are multiple problems with this.

1) Demons are the most hated species on earth.

2) That demon happens to be Jung Hoseok, the most popular guy on campus

3) The fact that Jung Hoseok is a demon is his biggest secret and

4) Jung Hoseok hates your guts. You’re in for a wild ride.

💜 @kinktae and @httpjeon

Hot Rod

M (18+)

A 1950′s inspired fic where greaser Hoseok can’t keep his eyes, or hands, off the new waitress at his and his boys’ favorite diner.

💜 @ughcore

But Hating You Is Half The Fun

M (18+)

“Do you ever drink actual coffee? Like an adult?”

The voice you knew all too well broke you from the mini-movie in your head, and your shoulders tensed at the infuriating sound of it. Swivelling in your cubicle, you were met with the man, the myth, the disappointment himself. Editorial assistant, Jung Hoseok, all long limbs and quirked brows.

God, how this man managed to get on your last nerve without fail.

“You are what you drink,” You replied in a sing-song voice, your cheerfulness the sure fire way to piss Hoseok off the most, “I guess that’s why you like your coffee bitter”

💜 @yoongiofmine

All It Takes

M (18+)

After months of quietly pinning after Jung Hoseok, your friends decide to give you a little push. Sometimes a New Years Eve party and a round of Seven Minutes in Heaven is all it takes.

💜 @yoonjinkooked

Blind Date

You go on a blind date. The end.

💜 @sunshinerainbowsbts

Cheap Wine & Second Chances

M (18+)

Valentine’s Day has brought Hoseok, your best friend from college, back into your life. Is this your second chance to get the one that got away?

PARK JIMIN

💜 @personasintro

One Time Thing

M (18+)

What are you going to do when your best friend asks you to have a sex with her boyfriend?

💜 @kaddiiction

Off Limits

M (18+)

You thought your crush on Jimin was long forgotten. If you only knew how wrong you were.

💜 @taegisms

Lover

KIM TAEHYUNG

💜 @kth1

Tanzanite Treasures

M (18+)

You’re met with a handsome man who hands you back your missing necklace given to you by your late grandmother. What you didn’t know is that the necklace holds such a powerful secret about life under the sea.

💜 @lovelytaes-blog

Colors

M (18+)

When you meet a little girl at a park by chance, who would’ve thought that you’d be falling in love with the man who had the exact same boxy smile as her in such little time?

💜 @taetaespeaches

"I May Or May Not Met Someone"

How does one find themself in a toxic relationship? And how does one get out? Sometimes, the pain that comes with the love becomes addicting. Fighting becomes an act of passion, cruelty becomes perceived truth, the periods of calm become potential for what the relationship could be if only you could meet in the middle.

Peaches/reader meets someone who she quickly falls in love with. As she grapples with the fact that this man is not who she thought he was, and as her sense of self diminishes as a result of the relationship, her closest friends slowly learn of the toxicity of the union.

JEON JUNGKOOK

💜 @taeshobipop

I Heard A Rumour

M (18+)

One slip of a finger, and you realize you've liked an Insta photo of college hotshot Jeon Jungkook... from two years ago. You manage to unlike it within seconds, except it's too late - Damn Kim Namjoon and his lightning-fast eyes. Do not tell a soul, you hiss. The man merely smirks. Next thing you know, a rumour is spread throughout campus. Y/n likes Jungkook... and now he knows.

💜 @jeonqkooks

Tongue Tied

“Jeez, you’re acting like I asked to peg you or something.”

OT7 and POLY

💜 @angelicyoongie

Love Sick

M (18+), yandere!ot7

You dreamed of the day you would get your very own soulmark. Though, you didn't expect to wake up to a searing hurt in your arm, the phantom pain of your shoulder being dislocated and your forearm fractured. As if dealing with the worst possible soulmark ever wasn't bad enough, you also have to come to terms with the fact that you're being stalked. When the letters and gifts you recieve begin to escalate and the police offers no help, you have no other option than to figure out who's behind it yourself - and hopefully before it's too late.

💜 @sugalaritae

Starstruck

KTH, MYG

M (18+)

You first see him at the gym, a place that is both a safe and not-so-safe place. you’re used to gym bros staring at you but you’re not used to the way he stares at you. it’s easy for misunderstandings to happen and you’re eventually going to have to let some walls down.

[bratkook]

almost. (m) jjk.

not yet, almost, right now

pairing. jungkook x reader genre. fluff, baby angst, smut word count. 6.4k warnings. two idiots!!, pining, masturbation (m. and f.), use of vibrator, accidental voyeurism?,  more feelings come to light!! summary. jungkook tries to be the best wingman he could be in your new venture after your breakup. he could do it, right? note. part two of not yet, some more feelings are exposed, please don’t hate oc she is but a pendeja that doesn’t see the obvious feelings jungkook has but she has good intentions i promise<3 there will most likely be a final part,,if you guys are into it lmao okie bye

The cool summer breeze flows around you as you’re sitting under the shade, eyes focused on the chaos of runny yolk and hashbrowns that is your breakfast. Jungkook on the other hand, is focused on you. His signature yellow shades block out the sun reflecting from passing cars, concealing his eyes just enough for you to not see him blatantly staring at you while you stuff your face. 

The charmed smile he has falters slightly when you look directly at him, hashbrown lingering by your lip as you repeat his name. “Sorry, what?”

Your brows come together as you smile at his zoned out state, something you had grown fond of in the years of knowing him, always enjoying the small dazed look that graced his face whenever he was lost in his thoughts. His lips push out slightly in question, curious eyes wondering just what you could have been asking him. 

“I was saying that I think I’m giving up on crushes and love.” You say it so easily, mind made up as you grin at him before continuing to shovel hashbrowns into your mouth, only pausing to take a sip of your iced coffee. 

Jungkook tries his best to seem unaffected, nodding along in interest as he takes a steady bite of his own food. “Really?”

“Yeah,” you sigh, taking a look around at the people surrounding you: friends having breakfast together and snapping photos, couples feeding each other food with smiles on their faces, a lone man with his dog perched on the seat across from his while he worked on his computer. You briefly wonder if all of them, even the dog, have better luck with love than you do. 

“I think I’m cursed,” you continue. “All of my exes have been assholes, and I’ve always been too blind to see it until it’s over and I’m left crying over Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.”

“Maybe you’re just looking for love in the wrong places,” Jungkook shrugs, internally screaming because he’s who you should be looking at if you wanted love. 

Not to toot his own horn, but Jungkook liked to think he was a good guy, a great boyfriend even. His previous track record of relationships could attest to that, all of them ending on mutual terms, still friendly and civil with each other. He’s almost certain if there was a Yelp page for him it would be at least 4.5 stars with comments raving about how great he is, even little anecdotal touches about how he always gave away his hoodies or offered to cook breakfast. 

He was a god damn catch, why couldn’t you see that?

“Maybe prince charming is a lot closer than you think,” he grumbles out, stabbing his omelette with a little more force than necessary, fork clanking against the plate. And when you gasp in realization he freezes, slowly looking back up at you and seeing the way your eyes widen. 

“Wait, maybe you’re right!” Your hand shoots across the table, gripping onto his forearm and it sends a shock throughout him, skin tingling at your touch. “You know that coffee shop below our building? That cute barista always puts a heart next to my name. Do you think I should ask for his number?”

Jungkook blinks once, slowly twirls his fork in his hand and blinks again before staring up at the sky, mentally asking why he couldn’t just go out and say it. “Hm, I don’t think you should.“

With a defeated sigh you retract your hand, slumping back into your seat and grabbing your iced coffee once more, stirring the straw and ice around as you nod. “True. What if he feels obligated to give it to me just because he doesn’t want to get fired in case I go all Karen on his ass.”

That wasn’t why Jungkook had said not to, but sure, that works too, so he hums along. 

“I bet he draws hearts on all the other girls cups too.” You huff, playfully wiping a tear under your eye with a smile. 

“I’ve actually—“

“You know what I—“

You both freeze mid sentence, Jungkook’s cheeks tinted a light pink as he stutters on his words, wide eyes staring at you as if he had caught himself before you cut him off. But as you’re about to tell him to go on, he waves you off and urges you to speak first. 

“I was just gonna say that maybe I should go through that wild phase people usually go through after breakups.”

He sets his silverware down on the plate and sips his water, giving you an odd look. “Wild phase? Like you wanna dye your hair red and get bangs?”

“No,” you cackle, ruffling a hand through your own hair as you picture yourself with that combination. “I should just go out and hook up with people. I feel like I’ve either been in a relationship or entirely single, so it could be fun right?”

“Uh, maybe...” he trails off, rolling his lips together in thought, not exactly fond of hearing you say that when he had felt the confession about to roll off his tongue. He takes a slow breath, trying to see this from a neutral point, the point of a supportive friend wanting to help you get over a breakup. 

“How do you go about it?”

“Me?” he chokes, pointing at his chest as if there was magically some other person you could be addressing. 

“Yes, you. Need I remind you, we share a wall between our beds.” You roll your eyes, but the smile on your face shows that you’re speaking of this lightly, not entirely annoyed by the fact that you had heard Jungkook during his own fair share of hook ups. 

He’s not ashamed of it, but considering he never really brought up being able to hear you, he thought you’d pretend to never hear him. It wasn’t too often that he had a girl over, the number of hookups only increasing after you got with Hajoon and loosely cut ties with Jungkook. But from what you had heard—and seen thanks to your nosey self looking through peep holes once they left—it was very rarely the same girl. 

So to you, Jungkook was a pro at the art of hookups. 

“Right, sorry,” he grimaces, a sheepish smile on his lips as he wonders just how many times his activities kept you up at night. 

“It’s fine, consider us even.” A teasing laugh follows your statement, enjoying the flustered look on his face, how his cheeks get even darker in embarrassment. Jungkook was used to the two of you talking like this, neither of you having a filter especially when it came to sexual aspects, but he hadn’t had a conversation like this since before you got with Hajoon. It would take some getting used to again. 

“So, give me the tips. Where do you find people?”

Jungkook leans back into his chair, arms stretching out on either side of him, short sleeves of his black tee bunching up and revealing more of his tattoos and the rippling of his muscles. With a small laugh he rakes his hand through his fluffy hair, giving you a small smile. “Honestly? Anywhere. I’ve gotten girl’s numbers at the gym and at coffee shops, but bars are the best bet for something quick.”

“Ugh, fuck you and your pretty privilege.” 

“What?” he guffaws, smiling wide and showing you his adorable smile as he laughs loudly, not caring about the attention he draws to your table. He doesn’t even realize how the table full of girls is now trying to discreetly stare at him, because his eyes are on you. You see it though, and it further proves your point. “What the hell is pretty privilege?”

Your wild hands gesture towards him, a look of disbelief on your face as you do so. “You! Of course girls line up to hand you their number, have you seen yourself? Pretty privilege,” you jab your fork at him in time with your final words, a smirk on your glossy lips. 

Jungkook feels his confidence grow at your casual compliment, tongue prodding at his cheek as he stares down at his food, trying not to smile too hard. You thought he was pretty, that was a win in his book. 

“C’mon,” he teases, foot gently nudging your leg underneath the table. “You could totally score someone's number. Plus there's always apps if you just wanna test the water.”

You give your plate a contemplated stare, “Sure, how hard could it be?”

Admittedly, the answer to that question was: not hard at all. You had met all your previous boyfriends in person, through mutual friends or shared classes back in college, never once dipping your toe into the world of Tinder or Bumble. Who knew all it would take was a couple of selfies and the strategic body shot to have boys circling around you like some new-age, slightly filthier version of rapunzel. 

Jungkook knew though, not at all shocked by how quickly you get a match the following day when he’s at your place. His eyes are focused on the screen in front of him, helping you beat a level in your favorite game that you had been stuck on. But the second you gasp as if you’ve won the lottery, he pauses the game entirely and gives you an odd look. 

“What?”

His answer comes in the form of your phone thrusted in his direction, lit up screen displaying your profile picture and the one of the boy you had just matched with. Jung Hoseok. Jungkook’s eyes narrow as he reads the name, trying to remember it in case he somehow had a friend in common that knew all the dirt on him. 

He has a similar pair of yellow shades on his own head, thicker black rims around them and a charming smile on his face. Jungkook chuckles to himself. Yellow shades? How original. 

“What do I say?” you question, eyes looking nervous as you wiggle the phone in his face. The small white bar beneath your match urges you to start a conversation, and coming up with the right words to say makes you overthink it all. 

“Just say hi and tack on some cute emoji. It’s not that hard,” he laughs, pushing the phone back at you. Jungkook knew you could start the message off any way you wanted and this Jung Hoseok would eat it right up. How could he not, the alluring smile in your profile photo would draw anyone in. 

“Okay, I did it.” Your phone is instantly locked and chucked aside in an attempt to be forgotten, choosing to grab the remote out of Jungkook’s hands for another distraction. It only lasts a brief second before you’re killed by the boss Jungkook was trying to defeat. 

“Really?” Jungkook huffs, yanking the remote back into his hands, needing a distraction himself. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that you were searching for a fuck buddy while he sat beside you. How crazy would it be if he suggested being your fuck buddy, offered to help you through this so called wild phase you were searching for. 

No. That’s not what he wants. 

Would he enjoy it? Sure. But he could already imagine how much worse his heart would hurt if his feelings came to light and yours were non-existent. That is if you’d even agree to it. 

“Relax, he’s probably thinking of what to reply.”

You make a noise of disagreement, fingers itching to unlock your device to see if it was true, slowly inching towards it until you finally grab it and go back onto the app. Jungkook just chuckles as he goes back to helping you with your game, not wanting to look at you as you giggle at your device. He could already imagine what this guy was telling you for you to turn into a giddy mess not even two minutes in. 

He tunes it all out, eyes focused on the screen, fingers gripping the remote with a little more force than needed. His concentration helps him though, finally passing the level you’ve been stuck on for the past two weeks. 

“You’re welcome,” he sighs, making a show of stretching out and sending you a smile, having it falter slightly when he sees your eyes still focused on the screen of your phone. With a frown he looks back at the television, saving the game before turning it off altogether. 

Once he gets up from the couch, making his way over to the media console to store the remotes, is when you look up at him. “You’re right, this is easy!”

Jungkook doesn’t feel the usual pride that comes with being right, but the cheerful look on your face prevents him from feeling salty. Coming back towards the couch, he sits beside you once more, facing you as he rests his elbow on the back cushion to lean on. “Told you so.”

He keeps that same smile on his face as you mention how quick Hoseok was to ask you out on a date, even as you bring up the fact that this date would be at his place, and Jungkook could decipher netflix and chill any way some greasy boy tried to conceal it. 

“I hope he knows I don’t want anything serious,” you mumble, chewing on your fingernail as you scroll through the messages. 

Jungkook could almost laugh at how blissfully unaware you were of the piranha infested water that was the great sea of Tinder. Of course this yellow sunglass wearing wannabe version of him knows you don’t want anything serious, why else would he be so quick to invite you over with the cheeky excuse to watch movies. 

All he can do is shrug as he stares at you, lips pressed together in an effort to not say something that would totally ruin everything. Instead, Jungkook does everything he can to be the best version of a wingman you could get. He tells you the ins and outs of hookups, how you should definitely not text him the minute you leave his place and tell him you had fun, don’t talk about anything super personal involving family or your work, and if he doesn’t offer to go down on you but expects a blowjob he’s a loser. 

It’s solid advice that you mentally jot down, subjecting him to further questions your mind comes up with and even asking him for help on an outfit via text the night of your hangout with Jung Hoseok. 

Jungkook stares at the photos for a little too long if he’s being honest. They weren’t spectacular selfies that you had taken much effort for, their sole purpose being showing off the outfit, but the way you look so focused as you snapped the shot had him zooming into your face and smiling like an idiot. When you double text him with a long line of question marks he snaps out of it, deciding on the second option you picked of mom jeans and a cropped shirt. Cute and casual, and definitely something Jungkook preferred, but he’d never tell you that. 

When you finally text him a thumbs up and tell him you’re on your way out he just hearts the message before locking his device and trudging to the living room. It’s not often that he wallows in self pity, spacing those days out so far he barely remembers them. But they usually went exactly like this, ordering a large meat lovers pizza with extra cheese, drinking far too many Mike’s hard lemonade—because despite how much they made his stomach hurt they were tasty so he didn’t care—and binge watching his comfort show: Modern Family. 

But even as he sulks on his couch, practically sinking into the cushions with horrible posture and a slice of pizza resting on his chest, he can’t find it in himself to chuckle at Cam and Mitch’s usual banter. He’s too busy thinking about which movie you’re currently watching, if you were watching it. Who’s Jungkook kidding though, you were totally getting your guts rearranged right now. 

Taking an aggressive bite out of the crust he frowns and raises the volume up on his television, attempting to drown the mocking voice in his head calling him a loser for not admitting to his feelings. He knew this, knew he should have said something when he wanted to at breakfast, but Jungkook was afraid that if he confessed as you were talking about hooking up, that you’d see him as taking advantage of a situation instead of being genuine. I mean who wouldn’t? You say you want something casual and suddenly he’s spilling his heart out and you’re supposed to believe he’s not some pig trying to butter you up. He didn’t want to get labeled as a creepy neighbor after the good times you’ve had. 

“So stupid,” he grumbles to himself as he takes another swig, the last drops of the alcohol hitting his tongue with a tangy aftertaste. As he sits up to place the empty bottle onto his coffee table his muscles ache, neck stiff from the unfortunate position it had been subjected to for the last three hours. With a small huff he’s rolling his shoulders, reaching for his discarded phone to see the time—and also check if you’d sent him some SOS text—but he finds nothing besides the bright numbers indicating that it was nearing midnight.

In true pity party day fashion, he doesn’t even bother cleaning up after his mess, just tossing the dirty dishes into the sink to be washed tomorrow when he would force himself to be in a better mood. Instead, he grabs a water and his phone and waddles into his bedroom. 

The moonlight illuminates the space enough for him to keep the light switch off, undressing from his crumb covered sweats and shirt, choosing to remain in his boxers as he slipped under the cold duvet. The sheets feel fresh against his hot cheeks, flush from the alcohol, cooling him down and making his body relax. 

Jungkook knows he should sleep, needing to be up early tomorrow for work, but he can’t stop his mind from wandering into dangerous territory. His buzzed brain has no qualms imagining exactly what you were doing right now, wondering if you’d be the type to act shy at a guy’s house for the first time, if you’d initiate the first move or not. Jungkook had only seen it up close once under the flash of strobe lights and the haze of alcohol, but he can still picture the soft smile on your face before you go in for a kiss, and he grumbles under his breath when he realizes that he wouldn’t be the one kissing you tonight. 

What he doesn’t know, is that you wouldn’t be the one getting kissed tonight either. The Jung Hoseok you had perceived through Tinder, assuming he was all casual and DTF with his netflix and chill suggestion, had been anything but. What you thought would be a steamy night, ended up becoming a nice dinner and comedy watched, morphing into some version of game night where you discovered he was a little too competitive than you were used to. The only action you got was a kiss to your cheek as he walked you to your car and a promise for another date. A promise you would not be keeping. 

So as Jungkook lays in bed while his thoughts turn into some fantasy of you moaning out his name, you shuffle into your bedroom and slip into your pajamas with a defeated sigh. You had already texted your best friend telling her what a bust tonight had been, deciding to just tell Jungkook all about it tomorrow because you knew he was most likely fast asleep now. And as you settle under your own covers, inches away from Jungkook with only a wall seperating you, you decide to just call it a night and pretend it never happened. 

Just as you shut your eyes, nuzzling into your pillow, you hear the first moan come from behind the wall. A small cry of despair escapes you as you bury your face into your sheets, tugging them up and over your head to block the sound of Jungkook getting some action the same night you had been left high and dry. Of course he would, assuming you’d be getting the same treatment at your date's place, why wouldn’t he take advantage of your absence and not have to muffle his partner’s moans the way he usually did. 

You’re just going to ignore it, until you hear a moan that sounds strangely like your own name. Maybe it's wishful thinking on your part, your horny brain deciding to pretend that Jungkook was calling for you instead of whoever he was with. It might be a little wrong for you to have that fantasy of your neighbor, but you aren’t blind. He’s hot, and adorably sweet, the perfect package for any girl he tried to swoon. And judging by the cries you’ve heard of lucky girls prior, you know he was good in bed. 

You’re just desperate now. That’s the excuse you tell yourself as you slowly settle onto your back, feeling your body warm up when you focus on his muffled groans, desperate and needy. As your hand slowly slides down your shirt, you shut your eyes, biting down onto your lip to muffle any sound you could make when your fingers slip underneath your pants and past your underwear. 

Jungkook on the other hand doesn’t care about his volume. His boxers are tugged down his thighs, knees bent as he slowly ruts into his sticky palm. His hand is tacky with the lube he had messily squirted on, thick cock glistening in the light coming in from his window. He can’t look away from it, mouth dropped open as he groans, imagining it was your hand tightly wrapped around him, your spit covering his cock instead of that strawberry flavored lube. 

“Ah fuck,” he moans, shutting his eyes and throwing his head back onto his soft pillows when his thumb rubs along his slit. It continues to leak beads of precum, quickly wiped away to join the mess on his cock when his hand slides back down and squeezes along his base. 

You hear that loud and clear, and when the female voice you’re expecting never follows, you realize he must be taking care of himself. It makes you feel a little less guilty now as your fingers trail along your slit, collecting the slick coating your folds before you softly circle your clit. A choked gasp fills the air at the small sensation, your body already wired after having expected to get some action tonight; it totally had nothing to do with your hot neighbor jacking off inches away from you. 

With your eyes fluttering shut, you strain your ears to make out any other noise, muffling your own groans with a hand pressed against your mouth. The bed creaks lightly underneath you as you roll your hips into your hand, getting into a smooth rhythm that makes your body buzz. 

Slowly, your imagination runs wild, and you wonder just what Jungkook was thinking of as he did this. Was he watching some porn as he did it, using his own filthy thoughts to push himself to ecstacy, or was this just something he needed to do to be able to sleep? 

“Shit, so good,” he groans out, voice raspy, but you can sense his desperation through the drywall. It’s what has you sinking a single digit into your drenched entrance, biting down onto your lower lip when you feel the glide of your walls as you start to thrust into yourself, easing in another and mewling at the slight stretch. 

Jungkook would absolutely give his left leg to know what your pussy felt like, he didn’t even care how disgusting he sounded by admitting that to himself, it was true. Blame it on the hard lemonade that made his stomach ache and his mind unfiltered, but he could almost visualize how you’d look above him, could practically feel the warmth of your core wrapped around him, dripping down his length as he fucked into you. 

He knows you’re loud in bed, never being one to conceal your cries of pleasure and he would die happy to hear his name come out of your mouth as you creamed his cock. But for now, his hand would have to do. 

His lids feel too heavy, jaw slack as the pleasure flows through his body. The wet squelch of his palm fills the room, mingling with his pants and groans, air growing thick around him. It’s been a while since Jungkook had jacked off, and even longer since he’d been able to do it shamelessly in bed without the fear of you hearing him, but now that he thought you were gone he can’t find it in himself to cover his mouth or groan into his pillows like he usually did. 

The pent up frustration fogs up his mind, cranks the lust up to 11 until his free hand is gripping his sheets beside him, bed frame creaking as his thrusts speed up. The thuds of his headboard hitting the wall come from behind you, a choked moan blending in with it, and it has you scrambling for your bedside drawer. 

The pajamas you wear get yanked off your legs and tossed aside after you grab your trusty vibrator, settling onto your back once more with huff. All it takes is a press of a button for the device to come to life, buzzing in your hand as you trail it up your thighs. A gasp escapes you when you pass it over your mound, brushing against your clit and sending a jolt of pleasure through you. 

“Oh my god,” you whimper when you finally press the vibrating head directly onto your sensitive clit, legs spreading further apart as you increase the intensity. You could clearly hear the raise in Jungkook’s moans, and that's when the first irrational thought pops into your mind. 

How easy would it be for you to head over to his place and deal with both of your problems. Surely Jungkook wouldn’t have an issue with you offering to suck his dick, wouldn’t mind letting you sink down onto him if it was just a friendly favor. 

The little devil on your shoulder tells you it would be mutually beneficial, urging you to get up and walk to Jungkook’s with the vibrator still in your hand, but you can’t. This alone felt like enough of a dirty secret, a secret you’d have absolutely no problem keeping because although you feel slightly ashamed, you couldn’t deny how turned on you are. 

The flashes of all the times you’ve heard Jungkook with other people play in your mind, the screams of his name that he tried to muffle, pleas for him to go faster, the resounding smack of his palm on flesh that always left you wide eyed when you heard it. And you start to wonder if maybe you’d be into that, the feeling of his large tattooed hand connecting with your ass, gently tapping against your cheek for you to open up for his cock. 

That fantasy is like the first ember needed to start the fire inside of you, spreading uncontrollably until you’re bucking into your vibrator, teeth biting down on your lip to keep any potential moans of his name from slipping out. 

“Fuck, fuck,” he chants, the same fire burning within him. Maybe your minds are linked telepathically, his thoughts gravitating to the same filthy fantasy you had. Jungkook was very much an ass man, knowing very well how good your butt looked in jeans from how often he stared at it, he could only imagine how good it would look as he fucked you from behind. Picturing the way it would bounce back from the force of his thrusts, eyes glued to the way you’d soak his cock, mimicking the tightness of your walls with a firm grip of his palm. 

Jungkook can sense his orgasm approaching, leaves his chest feeling tight as he pants, legs gliding along his sheets for leverage to continue fucking into his hand. You’re not far off either, vibrator set to the highest setting you can practically feel your bones rattling, free hand slipped under your shirt as you pinch at your pebbled nipples. You’re both on the brink of falling over the edge, the same question playing in your mind: where would you want Jungkook to cum?

As his moans get breathier, whiny in a way you’d never imagine them to be, you mentally decide that you’d want him to cum inside of you, wanting to see the way his cute face would twist up in pleasure as he filled you up. Jungkook hopes you would, throwing all responsible thinking aside for that sweet moment of ecstasy and the mental picture is enough to finally push him over. 

“Ah shit, baby,” he cries out in his room—thankfully having half the mind to not cry out your name as he came—eyes rolling back as his cock twitches in his palm, ribbons of cum splashing onto his stomach and chest. The warmth hits his skin, more droplets continuing to leak out as his palm milks his orgasm, stomach hiccuping and back arching from the stimulation. 

The choked moan is what has your own orgasm washing over you, your palm slapping over your mouth so hard you know you’ll feel the ache later but you don’t care. A muffled gasp blends with the buzzing of your toy, thighs tensing up as your body tingles and writhes around on your sheets. 

The only thing you can think of is Jungkook, the charming smile he’d give you when he listened to you rant about anything, his annoying habit of rolling up his sleeves to show off his muscles, the cute scowl on his face whenever you managed to beat him at Mario Kart, and the soft feeling of his alcohol coated lips on yours. It leaves you feeling warm as your orgasm flows through you, lying limp on the bed as you mewl at the sensitivity. 

When you realize your thoughts have strayed from ‘pure sexy Jungkook fantasyland’, and switched over to ‘Jeon Jungkook your adorable neighbor’, your eyes go wide, finger immediately going to turn off the vibrator. In your haste to shut it off, you click the wrong button, changing the pulsing settings and nearly screaming when the device starts to buzz erratically against your overly sensitive clit. 

With a strained gasp you yank it away from yourself, turn it off and throw it aside, horribly miscalculating the size of your bed and watching in horror as it lands on the floor with a loud thud. The complete silence from both sides makes the noise sound deafening, and all you can do is sit on your bed, half naked, and hope Jungkook is still too busy basking in his post orgasm bliss to hear the bang. 

Although the blood is still pumping in his ears, he heard the thud clearly. His heart stops in his chest as he lays there, too scared to breathe in case he’d somehow make too much noise, suddenly afraid of being too loud after he had just made a show of himself. Jungkook slowly sits himself up, grimacing at the stickiness on his stomach before pressing his ear against his headboard to try to hear anything else. 

All you want to do is yank the covers over yourself and go to sleep, pretend your horrendous date and your dirty thoughts about your friend never happened. The sobering mentality that comes after an orgasm settles into you, leaving you staring at the floor with a crease between your brows as you wonder what the hell came over you. 

When Jungkook hears nothing else, he sighs in relief, hauling himself out of bed to grab another pair of underwear before entering his bathroom to clean up. As he stares at his own reflection in the mirror, he frowns at how pathetic he feels. The throbbing headache of his earlier drinks is already starting to kick in, body now sweaty from exertion, stomach covered in his cum. 

“Such a loser,” he grumbles out, grabbing a wad of tissues to wipe away the mess on his skin before walking back out. Here he was, getting off to the thought of you, while you were out having your post-breakup wild phase. 

His hands grab his phone as he reaches his nightstand, flopping back onto the bed and unlocking the device. It’s now one in the morning, and you still hadn’t text him, which either meant you were having the time of your life, or Jungkook had to track down this Jung Hoseok. The slightly protective side of him won’t allow him to sleep until he hears back from you, fingers already typing out a message and hitting send. 

Jungkook 1:23am : you safe or am i gonna have to go all Liam Neeson on this guy?

When your phone vibrates on your nightstand you gasp, grabbing it before it could make any more noise. Seeing Jungkook’s name flash on the screen makes your blood run cold, already imagining what the text could be: calling you dirty for getting off on him, making fun of you, telling you to come ove—no stop that. 

Finally mustering up the courage, you open it up, a small laugh spilling out as you read his message, relief flooding through you as you realize that meant he thought you were still with Hoseok. 

Y/N 1:26am : oh yeah, you gonna show him your very particular set of skills? lol

Y/N 1:26am : i just got home though

Y/N 1:26am : like right now

Y/N 1:26am : still sitting in my living room

Y/N 1:27am : haha

He laughs at your string of texts, something you hear as he settles into bed. Jungkook ebbs away the small feeling of jealousy in his chest, trying to see the silver lining of this. You weren’t rushing to tell him anything about your date which meant it either went so good you wanted to keep it to yourself, or it was subpar and you wouldn’t be seeing this yellow sunglass wearing copycat again. 

Jungkook 1:29am : glad you got home safe, goodnight y/n!

Sending back a goodnight text, you lock your phone and slide deeper into bed, pulling the sheets up to your chin as you stare at the ceiling. You already know the only thing you’ll be dreaming about is your cute neighbor with a bunny smile and body proportions that contradicted it. And as Jungkook lays in bed, wondering if he’ll have to push the crush aside, you’re barely coming to terms with the fact that the small glowing feeling that came with being around him might be something else. 

Every single one of your interactions gets rewinded and played back like a seamless montage, remembering just how many almost moments there was between you. The way his eyes would flash down to your lips whenever you playfully argued on your couch, hands yanking the remotes from his in a game of tug of war that left you way too close in the heat of the moment. How he’d let you braid his hair anytime you found a new youtube tutorial, his starry eyes staring at you with so much adoration it made your stomach flip, brushing it off as love for a friend. 

Then came the jokes from your friends, constantly teasing you about Jungkook, playfully saying they would try to sleep with him just because they liked the scowl on your face, and how quickly you tried to play it off. How the sweet old lady from the convenience store downstairs always assumed you were dating when you came in together, the low jab she sent when you walked in with Hajoon and she said she preferred you with Jungkook. That argument had been one of the ones that left him bolting out of your apartment with a nasty slam of the door, spewing nasty words at you, calling you blind for not seeing it and dumb for acting like you had no idea what he was talking about. 

And for the first time, you come to the sudden realization that Hajoon was right. His deep set insecurities about Jungkook had stemmed from scraps of the truth, not just from him but from you too. The amount of times you’d find a way to slide Jungkook’s name into a conversation about anything, telling him funny stories about him, too lost in thought to see that while you were giggling as you reminisce, he was staring at you in disbelief. 

The final thought that makes you want a blackhole to swallow you up, comes in the form of you, grabbing Jungkook’s face before planting a kiss on his unsuspecting lips at the club. You want to scream into your pillow as you recall it, how he had almost leaned back in to kiss you again before you had sobered him up with your dumb question rooted in revenge. 

“Oh my god, I’m such a bitch.” you whimper. Subjecting Jungkook to be your wingman, jokingly telling him he should be your fake boyfriend more often, asking him for tips with hook ups. If everyone else could see it but you, he probably thought you were purposely friendzoning him. 

The guilt piles on top of you as you start to piece together every moment that flew over your head, only making you bury yourself deeper into your sheets. It makes your heart twist, taking note of how Jungkook was always so quick to put a smile on his face despite how naive you were to it all, wondering if maybe it was too late to try to make something of this now. How many times could you call Jungkook ‘bro’ and treat him like you didn’t see him romantically, before he decided there was no hope for him anymore. 

So as you force yourself to sleep, nerves and uncertainty weighing heavy on your mind, Jungkook snores away as he dreams of the almost moments that could have been.

[m-o-o-n-thatspellsblog]

The Drawing of the Fool- Part 1/2

Summary: Years after renouncing the Dark Tower, the ka-tet of the 19, now living as a true family, comes across another door. Fearing a resurgence of Tower business, the group grows apprehensive. Roland Deschain, their Dinh--their father--grows excited. It seems renouncing the Tower in favor of love is not without reward, after all.

Word Count: 13,255

Relationships: Roland/Cuthbert, Eddie/Susannah, Jake/Benny

AO3 LINK

She found him sitting in the grass in front of a thin stream, staring straight ahead. Eddie lay asleep, not far behind, in the place in which they had set up camp.

"Trouble sleeping, Suze?" Roland asked with a weary smile on his face. Although he looked right at her, his eyes seemed to be in another world entirely. This far away look, along with some other concerning signs, was precisely why she followed him.

"Not me. I've been sleeping just fine ever since I picked up that new bedroll in Calla Amity". And what a fine bedroll it is, she thought. They’d done good work for the Callas and the folken had been grateful.  "Actually, I wanted to check on you, sugar,” she said, placing her hand lightly on Roland’s shoulder and settling in beside him. “It seems to me something's been troubling your mind."

It seemed Roland hadn't heard her approach until the moment just before she crawled up next to him. Susannah was glad. During the years since renouncing the Tower, Roland's walls have come down, one brick at a time. That is, when he's with his family. When called upon to be a gunslinger, those killer instincts returned with frightening speed. These last few years have been spent freestyle gunslinging, as Eddie calls it. There hadn't been anything major since their Tower days, but they still lent their talents to the occasional town when requested to do so. After all, that's what they had all been made for and it was hard to give up. But, between the five of them, three now that Jake and Oy are visiting Calla Bryn Sturgis, Roland has become much more relaxed and Susannah could think of no one who was more deserving of a little peace.

Roland nodded noncommittally, still looking straight past the landscape. "Mayhap you're right about that."

"Is it Jake? Are you worried he'll want to stay in the Calla?" Jake was due to arrive back any day now. He’d promised not to make them wait too long, although he’d now been gone for quite a while. He’d gone there with a purpose, to see a certain boy and tell him something he hadn’t gotten a chance to back when they had first stayed in (and saved, say thankya) the Calla, years ago. With him being gone this long, his confession must have been well received. There was no doubt that he would come back to them, but Susannah thought he’d be returning with news. This was something she and Eddie had discussed in depth. Both she and Eddie agreed that if the Slightman boy reciprocated Jake’s feelings, Jake would likely wish to return to the Calla, permanently this time.

"No, that doesn't worry me in the slightest. That is what I hope for him. He loves the Slightman boy, and I want him to settle down if that is what he desires. He has missed so much of his youth and for that, I am responsible." Roland looked down and sighed deeply. When he spoke again, it was with a wistful tone. "When I was young, I dreamed of eventually giving up the guns forever, trading them for a quiet, comfortable life with a loving partner. Before that could happen, the Tower invaded my mind and forever changed the course of my life. Jake has a chance at the life I gave up, and I wish it for him very much." 

"I bet all of this stuff with Jake has gotten you thinking of Susan, huh?" That explained the sad, distant Roland that had come with Jake's absence. Jake went to be with his love, so naturally Roland longed for his lost love.

A pause. And then softly, "No, not Susan. Perhaps it should be Susan that comes to mind, but it's not. When I think about who I'd do anything to have back, who I'd like to spend my life with, I think of someone else entirely."

"Oh?" Susannah responded. This admission had taken her by surprise. She cast her mind back trying to think of another woman of significance in Roland's life. Over these last few years, she and the others become quite familiar with his long history. "Aileen, then?"

"Not Aileen. Although my love for each of those women was true, it is another who has captivated my mind and has been causing me such frustration. And why should I be surprised when this person was a dab-hand with frustrating me?" A cheeky, almost sarcastic smile appeared on his face as he said this last. A smile that Susannah recognized as it seemed to appear whenever he talked about--

And then it dawned on her. Suddenly it made perfect sense as to why Jake's love of Benny had brought this on.

Susannah was careful not to let her realization show on her face. If she was right, she wanted Roland to discuss this at his own pace. Feelings had always been a tough subject for him to speak of and she had no desire to discourage him from doing so.

They spoke for a long time, into the early hours of the morning. Roland had opened up in a way that made Susannah proud of him. That didn’t make it easy to hear, however. It seemed every thing she learned about Roland made his backstory just a little more heartbreaking. So much was wasted on the way to the Tower. 

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

“Susannah, do you see something?” Roland asked, pointing toward the horizon with one hand and placing the other on her shoulder. 

They had been drifting between the Callas, biding time. A few weeks had passed since his and Susannah’s conversation near the stream and Jake had recently returned to them. He came with the news that they all had simultaneously feared and hoped: He was going to be returning to the Calla to live with Benny, who was now officially his partner. But first, he had decided to spend time with his family, not ready to say goodbye just yet. He was content to travel and camp with them until they decided to move on, away from the Callas.

They were going nowhere in particular, simply enjoying their time together.

Susannah stepped up, looking toward the horizon in the direction Roland had pointed. “Hmm I might see something, but I’ll be damned if I can tell just what it is.” 

Five minutes later, Eddie spoke up. “Oh now I see something.” He’d been the last of them to notice it, Jake having spotted it just after Susannah. Susannah kept her eyes fixed upon the speck in the distance, waiting for it to take the shape her heart told her it would. 

Roland had already known what Susannah only suspected. It was a door. And in their road.

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

By the time they decided to camp for the night, they had all seen the object on the horizon for what it was- a door. After they ate their dinner by the fire (gunslinger burritos à la Roland) they knew it was time to talk. Neither Eddie, Susannah, or Jake knew how to start. Acknowledging the door would inevitably lead to discussion of whether or not they should approach it. This was something they were apprehensive about. All of the previous doors they had come across were part of what Eddie had dubbed their ‘Tower phase’. Certainly all of that was behind them, wasn’t it?

“I’m sure you all recognize the object which lies ahead of us.” Roland spoke. It was not a question, but they all nodded in confirmation.

“I recognize it, but I don’t understand it,” Jake said. “It’s a door.”

“Door! Ake!” Oy chimed in. Jake reached over and scratched behind his little friend’s ears. Oy didn’t speak much these days; He was getting up in his years for a billy-bumbler. 

“Roland, why, after all these years, is there a door? Is it for us, do you think? Or maybe it’s just always been there. Not related to us at all,” Eddie seized this idea with hope. “Do you think that's possible?” 

“I cannot say,” Roland responded.

“Oh, it has something to do with us for sure. I don’t know how I know that, but I do. Don’t you guys?” Jake asked. They all nodded. He was right of course, they all felt it.

“We must now decide, as ka-tet, whether to approach the door or turn away from it. By my estimate, if we continue on as we have, we will reach it overmorrow” Roland stated, knowing that no matter what the others decided, he was going to get to that door. He’d been having vivid dreams over the last few nights. Dreams in which he’d been living as someone else. It seemed to him that he’d been sharing khef with someone across worlds, someone he thought he might recognize. These dreams, paired with the appearance of a door, implied something he couldn’t possibly ignore.

“What if we open it and get sucked back into the quest for the Tower? Do we really want to run that risk?” Eddie asked.

“We have free will, Eddie. We cannot be pulled into Tower business unwillingly. Any door that opens can also be shut. If it’s Tower business, we will leave it.” Eddie nodded but was privately doubtful. He wasn't sure he was confident in Roland’s ability to resist the Tower if something truly tempting presented itself. He had been the original Tower junkie, after all. 

There was some discussion after that, but not much. Tower business or not, they were all too curious about the door to ignore it.

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

As the door drew nearer, Roland’s pace increased. As reluctant as the rest of them were, Roland appeared to be anxious to reach it. They had to fight to keep up with him, until suddenly, when the door was only about 100 feet away, Roland came to an abrupt stop.

“What’s wrong, Da’?” Jake asked, disconcerted by Roland’s strange behavior. Addressing him with any form of the word ‘father’ usually brought a faint smile to his face, but he appeared not to notice this time.

“Nothing. I’ve just come over a little dizzy. I’m getting too old to be moving so fast for so long. You three keep going.” Truthfully, he needed an extra moment to prepare himself for what they were about to find. If his suspicions were correct, everything was going to change. If he was wrong, it would be a disappointment for which he would need to be prepared. Even though he had tried not to let his hopes rise, keeping them locked away in the deep depths of his mind, he nevertheless knew that the disappointment would hit him hard. The others walked on and reached the door while Roland watched nervously.

"Uh-oh Roland” Eddie called with amusement. “Looks like this one's for me. It says ‘The Fool’."

Roland looked up sharply and fixed his eyes on Eddie's. Eddie didn't care much for the frenzied look in Roland's eyes, it reminded him too much of their Tower phase. "Read it again for your father's sake!" Roland shouted.

"It says ‘The Fool’, although I don't see--" Before he could finish, Roland darted for the door, moving with an eerie quickness that also didn't sit well with Eddie. He started to say so, but before he could, he was hit with a sudden intuition. The Western Sea was on the other side of that door. If Roland went through it, he'd be back at the beginning of his quest for the Tower. 

"No, Roland, Stop! Jake, Susannah don't let him get through!" Eddie screamed, but it was a wasted effort. Roland had been determined to get through that door, and when Roland of Gilead set his mind on something, nothing could stop him. Eddie grabbed him tightly and was rewarded with an elbow to the face. He felt Roland slip through his fingers. Roland yanked the door open and launched himself through. Eddie had time enough to catch a brief glimpse of what lay on the other side, confirming his intuition, and then the door slammed shut. Not good.

"No!" Eddie yelled, pulling desperately on the doorknob. It wouldn't open, the door had locked behind Roland. Another bad sign in Eddie's view. He started banging as hard as he could, actually attempting to break it down. "Guys, come on," he shouted at the others, "We need to go after him! We have to find a way! This door opens to the Western Sea! He's doomed to repeat it all!"

Jake moved to help Eddie, but Susannah stayed him with a firm hand on his shoulder. "Eddie stop."

Eddie appeared not to hear and went on ramming his shoulder into the door, all the while shouting Roland's name. Blood was running down his face, from where his nose had caught Roland's elbow. Susannah moved closer, and waved Jake over to help her.

“The door is locked!” Eddie yelled. “Roland always said not to let these damn magic doors close, because once closed they might not open again. And now it's locked and he’s gone! We can’t leave him there. There has to be something we can do. If we could just FIGURE! IT! OUT!,” the last three words were each punctuated with a hard slam of his fists on the door.

“Eddie please--” 

Eddie suddenly whipped his head around and looked into Susannah’s eyes. “You don’t get it! You don’t understand!” He was getting ready to yell some more, but Susannah cut him off.

“No,” She yelled, “I don’t understand! But neither do you, Eddie. Never think it! This business--ka’s business--has been and always will be over our heads!”

“Why are you being so calm about this? Why aren’t you helping me? Do you know something, Susannah, is that it?” She didn’t like the fierce accusation in his eyes, but it was deserved wasn’t it? After all, she did have an idea as to what, or rather who, the door led to, vague as it was. After the discussion she’d had with Roland near the stream a few weeks back, the appearance of another magic door was too coincidental to be, well, to be a coincidence. It had been years since they last came across a door, and they all thought they had seen their last. But even so, she could be wrong. She thought it best to withhold her hunch. 

Eddie continued: “If you know anything about what is going on you need to tell me! And Jake! Now!” He distractedly swiped some of the blood off of his face and then turned toward the door once again, raising his fists.

“The only thing I know is that your outburst isn’t helping anything!” Susannah leaned over and finally grasped Eddie’s hands as he was getting ready to bang on the door again. This was a rather difficult maneuver with the bulk of her wheelchair between them, a rather archaic creation that they had picked up from one town or another. Luckily, Eddie had been distracted enough for it to work. With a little help from Jake, she managed to pull Eddie into her lap. She wrapped her arms around him and held him securely. 

He half-heartedly wriggled around, trying to break free, but gave up quickly. He didn’t wish to hurt Susannah, and his anger was starting to fizzle out anyway. Now, he just wanted to understand the situation. “Suze,” He said apprehensively, “do you know something?”

“I know two things. The first is that the door is locked. All the banging and shouting in the world isn’t going to help anyone. The second is that the door is still here.”

“I don't understand what you're getting at,” Eddie said quietly, but Susannah knew that he did understand, he was just being stubborn. Perhaps he sensed that she was not telling all she knew. Regardless, Susannah’s embrace had calmed him, and she felt that the worst of his panic had passed. She loosened her grip on him and started rubbing his arms, from shoulder to elbow.

Eddie wiped his hand across his face again and finally seemed to notice the blood there. Jake handed Eddie a piece of cloth that Roland had saved from some old garment. Perpetually thrifty was he. Eddie pressed it to his nose.

“The door’s still here," Susannah said, "Meaning its magic has not been used up. And genuine, magic doors- not the cheap copies produced by North Central Positronics- open both ways. This one’s the real deal. Roland may still be able to come back through.”

“Is that our best bet, then? That he might be able to come back through?” Eddie responded, his voice muffled. When no one answered, he signed resignedly, “I guess it is, huh? What do you think, Jake, old pal? Anything to add to this discussion? You’ve been awfully quiet.”

Jake thought for a moment and then spoke: “On the way to the door, I tried to reach Roland, you know, with the touch. I wanted to know what he thought about the door.” Jake was embarrassed admitting that he intentionally read Roland’s mind. He didn’t normally like to use the touch that way. It felt wrong. “All I got from him was a sense of hope. I couldn’t see what he was hoping for because he was blocking it, maybe even from himself. Whatever is behind that door, all I know is that Roland thought it would be something good. And I trust him.”

They were all quiet for a moment, contemplating this information. Then, Eddie spoke up again: “That’s it, isn’t it? You know what he was hoping for.” Susannah was relieved not to hear any more anger in Eddie's voice, only dispirited acceptance. 

“I might have an idea,” Susannah replied, “But, I’d just as soon not say. For one thing, I could be wrong. And for another, if I am right, this is something that is very personal to Roland and he should get to choose when to share it. And he will, when he comes back.”

“How can you be sure he will?” Eddie said. “Come back, that is.”

“I guess I’m not.”

“So, what’s our plan? What do we do?”

“The only thing we can do. Wait.” Jake said solemnly. The possibility of Roland, his true father, being lost forever was unacceptable to him. He would come back. Of course he would. He wouldn’t leave them, Roland wouldn’t leave him.

Eddie looked at Susannah, who nodded in return. “Alright, yeah, I guess we wait,” Eddie said. “But for how long?”

“As long as we can. But you better get up off of me if we’re going to be waitin’ around a while. You’re starting to crush me, love.”

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

Roland slowly came to a state of confused consciousness. He was at the Way Station and the boy was pouring water over his face. Waking him. He felt the water run down the sides of his cheeks and felt a deep, aching sense of regret. He'd have to go through it all over again. The Way Station, Walter O’Dim, the lobstrosities, even Blaine the Mono. Gods help him, he was back at the beginning of a book he believed he’d finished and cast away forever.

But when he opened his eyes, he saw he was wrong. This was not the Way Station after all. No, this was the Western Sea. And the person attempting (desperately, as it appears) to wake him with water, was much bigger than Jake had been.

The confusion started to dissipate as his memory of springing through the door came back to him. Before he had time to fully process this, a face swam into view and blotted out all coherent thought.

"Roland?" Cautious. Confused. Hopeful.

"Cuthbert!" Even with the battered eye patch and the road map of years upon his face, it would've been impossible for Roland to mistake him. This was who he’d hoped to see, why he moved so quickly when Eddie read aloud the words writ upon the door. And could he have been privately hoping, in the underlayers of his mind, to come across a door that would lead him to Cuthbert even before that? Aye, it may be so.

They leapt towards each other and embraced tightly. Each man grasping desperately at the other as though he might disappear at any second. Before long, there were tears running down both of their faces. They sat like that, almost fused together, for several moments. They didn't speak during this time; they only held each other. Once it seemed he decided that Roland wasn't going to dematerialize any time soon, Cuthbert spoke.

"Gods, how cheered I am at the sight of you! Yet more than a little baffled. In truth, I fear I may have gone delirious. How could this be? You-- Roland, you died."

"I know not of this, but I believe I can explain much. We shall palaver and I would hear of your journey. Perhaps we can trade stories."

"You wouldn't believe it. I've come very far. I'm close to reaching it. Much closer than I ever would have expected, even in my most far-fetched dreams. I saw it. I saw the Tower! In a vision. I didn't understand it all, but with you here..." He paused in thought. "Yes, with you here, We can reach it. I know we can." Roland recognized the frantic compulsion in his old friend's voice, he knew it all too well. 

"We could, but we mustn't."

"What? But Roland, something is wrong there. And getting worse. You know it better than I do. We must persist. Not for our own sake-- our world has moved on-- but for worlds that have not yet been lost." His uncovered eye took on a conspiring look and he dropped his voice to a whisper, despite the endless emptiness of the beach. "I've come to suspect that all of existence may balance in its axles."

"Yes, we've much to discuss. Delah. But first, how long have you been here? For, there are creatures on this beach--"

"Oh I've been here long enough to grow quite friendly with those fuckers. Friendly enough that I let one borrow 2 of my fingers," he said sardonically, raising his right hand. "Although, I'm starting to think it won't return them."

Roland looked at Cuthbert's raised hand and something clicked in his mind. It could be that it won't be necessary for Cuthbert to share all of his story. "Bert, did you come here from yon cavern?" Roland asked, pointing toward a foggy mountain on the horizon.

Cuthbert looked a little surprised but nodded his head. 

"Were you traveling alone when you reached the cavern?"

Cuthbert cast his gaze downward and was uncharacteristically quiet for a moment. "No, not alone," he said with a shaky voice, and would say no more. This, said with a tone of deep sorrow and shame, was all Roland needed to confirm his suspicions. Enough to take a chance with his next words, anyway.

"The boy, Jake- He said something to you just before you let him fall. Something important."

"The boy... How could you-- Roland, how could you possibly know about that?" Even after all these years apart, the look of such utter despair still looked out of place on his friend's face.

"Because what he said was true. There are other worlds than these. I've just come from one, through that door. I've seen a few and if I were to leave you, I suspect you would see just as much. But it would come to you at a great cost."

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

Roland started walking and gestured for Cuthbert to follow. They walked in the opposite direction of the shore, away from where the lobstrosities would cluck their perpetual questions once darkness fell. After a moment, Roland spoke. 

"I know your story because I have lived it. I am from a world in which you died at Jericho Hill and I went on in search of the Tower. We must compare stories, although I suspect we'll find our experiences to be much the same.”

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

They start with the Battle of Jericho Hill, each recounting their version of events. They find the circumstances leading up to each of their deaths to be the same- Alain Johns dying by their own guns the night before, Jamie De Curry being shot down by a sniper, the overwhelming ambush. Roland tells of Cuthbert’s death. He speaks of calling for the gunslingers and Cuthbert responding that they two were the last. Despite knowing this, neither chose to cry off. Bravely, they went head-on into the battle, fighting as though they had a chance. Cuthbert had been shot through the eye with an arrow, but fought on with his wounds for as long as he could. Roland made sure to include that when Cuthbert finally went down, he went laughing until the very end. 

Roland had made it out by pretending to be dead, knowing that, above all else, he must find the Dark Tower.

Although Cuthbert remembers being shot through the eye- and presently bears the loss of said eye- he survived in his version. After being shot, he heard Roland start to yell, undoubtedly about to call for the gunslingers, but his call was cut short. Roland had been shot. Cuthbert watched in horror as Roland, appearing to be missing the top half of his head, turned in the direction the shot came from, and struggled to stay upright and moving. He went on for two more steps before being shot thrice more, knocking him to the ground and splattering the grass with blood and a gray substance that had to be the that which makes up the brain. Still, he lifted his gun, earning another shot, this time marking the permanent end of Cuthbert’s best friend’s life. 

Cuthbert made sure to include that when Roland went down, he went fighting until the very end, had in fact died with his finger pulling the trigger, firing off a final fatal shot at the enemy.

With Roland’s death, Cuthbert had been suddenly struck with the inarguable knowledge that he must make it out of this battle alive, for the fate of the world may depend on it. With Roland gone, he must take over the quest for the Dark Tower. He escapes by pretending to be dead, as Roland had done.

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

"Many things occurred after that. However, the real journey started in the desert. With the pursuit of the man in black." Cuthbert nodded and Roland went on. "Did you visit a town called Tull?"

"Ah yes. Visit, slaughter, what's the difference? I'm familiar."

“The man in black left a trap there,” Roland said.

“He certainly did. Brought the weed-eater back to life and set a trap. A man of many talents, though I must say, I am not fond of his work.”

“He impregnated the religious leader,” Roland stated bluntly. “I assume we both took action.”

Took action, Cuthbert thought, that’s one way to put it. Abortion is another. “Yes. I had to. I’m not proud of it,” Cuthbert said defensively. How often had his morals been corrupted in search of Tower? Enough to damn his soul, he surmised.

Roland, as always, had no use for shame over actions which cannot be reversed. Especially when the action in question truly was necessary. A forward thinker was he. “I understand. For she was the trap. She turned the town against you, did she not?”

“Yes, you say true.” Still, the shame did not leave him. 

There was a moment of silence as they each reflected on their experience. Then, a question occurred to Roland. "There, did you also meet a woman named Allie?" Roland asked with genuine curiosity, wondering just how similar their stories may be. Certainly not every detail could be the same, right? They were, ultimately, two very different people.

"Allie…” Cuthbert repeated, trying to place her. It didn’t take long, for he had always been good with names. “She with the scar. She was the proprietor of the saloon, was she not?"

"Yes," And then hesitantly, almost embarrassed, "You didn't, uh, you didn't... spend a night or two with her, did you?"

"Oh, uh, no, not me. I presume you did?" And why should he feel resentful that Roland had evidently slept with this woman? Roland had been solitary for years; it was natural for him to seek partnership, however brief it may be. Gods knew Cuthbert had done the same from time to time. And, of course, he had no right to feel anything about Roland’s romantic pursuits.

Roland nodded. "In any case, I'm certain this part of our intertwined history ends the same. The entire town...?"

"Dead. All dead," Cuthbert agreed.

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

"After Tull, did you make acquaintance with a dweller who had a bird?"

"Brown, you mean. And his raven, Zoltan. 'Beans beans the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot'," Cuthbert sing-songed in a raspy voice that was actually a decent impression of the bird in question. "Yes, I met them. Charming bird." 

Cuthbert didn't need to ask Roland if he'd had the same experience with Brown as he had. He knew the answer. They had both met Brown and told him of Tull. After that, Cuthbert knew, his story temporarily branched off from Roland's. It seems Roland had Allie and Cuthbert had Brown. Although Roland had been curious enough to ask about Allie, Cuthbert knew better. For all he knew, the shock of Cuthbert having... relations with another man could send Roland straight into a coma. He had always carefully hidden this part of himself and saw no reason to stop now. This aspect of his identity was between him and the occasional man with whom he'd pass the night. Only one other person had ever known and it was not Roland. 

What mattered was that the major details were the same. They stopped, they talked, they ate. Each had passingly wondered if Brown would kill them. And then, as was their way, they moved on.

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

At some point during their exchange of stories, Roland suddenly interrupted Cuthbert as something critical occurred to him.

“Wait!” Roland said, digging through the purse that he had on him when he went through the door. The rest of his gunna was on the other side so he could only hope that he had what he was looking for. It probably wouldn’t make much of a difference if he had to wait but Roland would rather not risk it. The medicines of his family’s world were still a mystery to him. His hand hit the object he sought after, and he pulled it out feeling immensely relieved. Plenty left. “Let me see your hand.”

Cuthbert held out his hand and Roland turned it over, getting a good look at the veins in Cuthbert’s wrist. Infected, just as he had been. “Here,” Roland said, holding out the package he had taken from his purse. 

Cuthbert took it, flipped it over, and then looked back at Roland uncomprehendingly. “Ah, many thanks, Roland. Now, do you care to tell me exactly what this is?”

“Cheflet. It’s medicine. Good medicine. You’re infected from the lobstrosity’s bite, as I’m sure you’re already aware,” Roland said, knowing that the infection was going to get a lot worse without treatment. He hoped to save Cuthbert from the near-madness that he experienced. “It comes from New York,” Roland added with a hint of pride. Cuthbert had no idea what New York was, but Roland sure seemed to believe strongly in their alchemy.

“Alright,” Cuthbert said, “but if this kills me I’d like the recording angels to note that you gave me the medicine and are thereby responsible for my death.”

“I would not risk your life,” Roland said seriously. “I’ve just gotten you back. I lament the years we’ve spent asunder. I’d not lose you again so soon. Never, if I can help it.”

Cuthbert was dumbstruck. Had Roland ever said anything like that to him before? Perhaps he had, but Cuthbert could not recall. They had a lot on their plates when they last knew each other. The circumstances at the time did not allow for many heartfelt moments. And Roland had never exactly been open-hearted. He felt his heart rise with Roland’s words and internally rolled his eyes at himself. Now was not the time for a recurrence of such foolish, juvenile feelings. He took the peculiar medicine as Roland had directed.

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

Cuthbert continued to describe his journey. When he got around to his palaver with the man in black, Roland listened closely. It seemed their experiences with the man had been quite different.  

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

The first card was turned.

“The Fool,” the man in black tittered. “It signifies adventure, optimism, and beginnings. You, gunslinger, are The Fool, a rather fitting title for you I must say, and you will soon be given the chance to start anew. You must decide for yourself whether you are worthy. You have already dropped one co-traveler into the pit, have you not?”

He turned the second card. “The Hanged Man. In conjunction with The Fool, this signifies a fork in the road, a divergence of paths. You’ll be faced with the decision to continue on as you have been, or go down a different path. The Hanged Man shows a change of perspective after facing hardship and acquiring new knowledge. He has been set free. Your paths may converge.” 

These two cards were followed by The Sailor, The Prisoner, The Lady of the Shadows, The Tower, and finally, Life. When Cuthbert asked for the meanings of these cards, the man in black gave no answer. 

After sending Cuthbert a vision of the universe, there was time for a short palaver. The man in black told him that he must go to the sea, which lay no more than twenty miles to the west, and there he would be granted renewal.

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

When Cuthbert finished recounting this part of his tale, Roland took a moment to mull over the differences. 

Their stories thus far have been much the same. They followed the same exact sequence of events. Of course, because they were two different people, some small differences were to be expected. However, from the end of Jericho until now, there were no major differences. And the palaver with Walter O’ Dim was a key part of their story. If Cuthbert was to go on as Roland had, why would their talk be so different? There was no talk of renewal with Roland. And had Walter not mentioned the power of drawing to Cuthbert at all?

As intriguing as it was, Roland dropped this train of thought for now. He wanted to finish this talk and get back to the other side of the door (with Cuthbert in tow) as quickly as possible. 

Cuthbert carried on, taking it all the way through to coming across a door marked ‘The Hanged Man’. Roland’s side was of course marked ‘The Fool’ and Cuthbert was amused to learn that Roland had immediately known who that had meant.

He inquired about what came next in Roland's story, for it was clear it went beyond his current situation on this seemingly endless beach.

"In order to hear of what comes next, Bert, you must come through the door with me. For I cannot tell this on my own."

"But the Tower... Roland I can't just leave now, not without knowing why." He had been through too much, had given up too much of himself, to turn away now. How could Roland not understand this when he had been through it himself?

"Trust in me, Bert. I have been where you are; I have felt what you feel. We will go through this door and you will hear every word of my journey. Should you decide to go on in search of the Tower thereafter, I would not stop you. You'll find that this door will bring you much closer to reaching your goal." 

"Will I be able to come back through?"

"That I cannot say. Not for certain." 

Cannot say is not quite the same as do not know, Cuthbert thought. "My progress will not be lost?"

"Beyond this door lie the Borderlands which mark the beginning of End-World, the land in which the Dark Tower resides. By going through this door, you would skip over a great distance, bringing you to the final stretch of what would be your Tower journey. Should you choose to continue, of course." Roland was being as truthful as he felt could be. He knew that after hearing their full story, Cuthbert would come to understand, but first, Roland had to get him through the damn door.

A moment passed, and then hesitantly Cuthbert responded, "Okay." 

"Okay?" Roland asked, wanting Cuthbert to be sure, but needing him to come through either way.

"Okay", he repeated, firmly this time. "Let's go before I realize how absolutely mad this is and change my mind."

"Ah, but are you not accustomed to madness?" Roland said, with a slight glint in his eye.

Cuthbert smirked, "I suppose I am, at that." He turned to look Roland fully in the face, steeling himself. "Go ahead then, brief me. What must I know before passing through?" He asked, flapping his hand vaguely toward the door.

"Three people and one billy bumbler wait for my return on the other side, for they would not have given up on me yet." Roland said this with a smile, knowing it would take a lot longer than a few hours for them to give up on him. "They are my family."

Family? Cuthbert thought. His brow furrowed but he said nothing in response.

Roland nodded as if Cuthbert had voiced his confusion out loud. "Aye, so they are. You will meet them."

They moved toward the door and Roland grasped Cuthbert's wrist, earning another questioning glance from his friend. "These doors can be unpredictable. It's best to maintain contact to ensure we arrive at the same destination."

Cuthbert, never one to let a prime opportunity get past him, turned his wrist so that he could properly grab Roland’s hand. “If there’s a chance one of us could get lost,” he said, I’d not risk it”. Each relishing the other's contact more than they would care to admit, they stepped through.

From the other side, the ka-tet--the family--watched as Roland stumbled back through, clinging to a weather-beaten man with an ancient eyepatch. This man appeared to be laughing wildly, and despite never having seen this man, each thought he seemed familiar.  

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

After a brief, but powerful, dizzy spell, Cuthbert could indeed make out a small group of people. His laugh tapered off. They seemed to be standing ready, guns drawn and prepared to fight if necessary. Roland saw this and raised his hands, a gesture of safety, and they put their weapons away. Cuthbert scanned the group, his glance momentarily coming to rest on the billy-bumbler, but just behind the animal-- 

"Jake!" Cuthbert exclaimed, staggering over to the boy, still a little dizzy. He ran over to Jake, who was more than a little confused but did not appear to be alarmed. Good for Cuthbert, because if Jake thought he detected any danger from the man ambling toward him, his trip to another world may have ended right there. Cuthbert briefly hugged the boy, and then pulled away to get a good look at him. "Look at you! Gods, you're nearly a man! Last I saw you, you were about 9 years old. Not to mention falling to your death." 

Jake winced and shot a confused look towards Roland. Roland did not acknowledge the look and instead responded to the man with whom he had returned. Jake thought he had a pretty good idea as to whom this may be, despite not understanding the situation unfolding before him.

"He wasn't 9, although I thought the same back then. He was actually 11 at the time, and currently 17." There was a faint, but unmistakable tone of pride in his voice.

"Wow," Cuthbert said, still openly staring at the boy in disbelief. "Jake, you don't know me, but I am so glad to see you."

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

"Come, sit," Roland said, gesturing for his family to gather around him and the familiar newcomer. Roland's face, normally an emotionless mask, sparked with frantic excitement. And for good reason. If this was the person they all suspected it may be, Roland's exhilaration was well justified. "We must speak an-tet, as we've done before, for the wheel of ka always comes back around, as you all know." None missed how the man next to Roland gave an eye roll at this.

They gathered close and sat in a circle, so all may speak face to face. 

"Alright, alright. Come on now, the suspense is killing me. Who's this guy? How does he know Jake? And what the Hell happened on the other side of that door?" Eddie said, with exaggerated impatience. This brought a smile to Roland's face, because for once, the man Eddie's dramatics always brought to his mind was sitting right next to him. Somehow alive and back in his life.

Cuthbert looked to Roland for direction, who gave him an open wave, palm to the sky, telling Cuthbert to go ahead. Only, go ahead with what? He mentally ran through the young man's questions again and realized he would of course need to start by introducing himself. He took a second to collect his thoughts and then addressed the group of strangers.

"Hile gunslingers. I come to you as Cuthbert Allgood of Gilead. Son of Robert. Ancient friend of Roland Deschain from days agone. As for your other questions, I will address them in time, but may I know all of you first?"

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

They went around their circle, making their introductions, beginning with Jake with whom Cuthbert was already familiar. “Jake Deschain of New York, son of Roland,” he said. Cuthbert looked momentarily surprised at this, though he stayed silent. “Former son of Elmer Chambers. Unfortunately.” He lightly tapped the billy-bumbler who was now sitting right against his leg. “Introduce yourself, Oy.”

“Oy! Eld!” the bumbler said.

Cuthbert watched astonished as the animal stood up and gave a bow. He turned to face Roland with a look of disbelief. “A billy-bumbler that still speaks?”

“Not just speaks, but communicates,” Roland responded with obvious pride. “Continue your introductions,” he said, turning back to the group. Eddie was surprised he hadn’t yet broken out the old twirling gesture.

“Susannah Dean of New York. Wife of Eddie Dean. Daughter of Dan, and now, Roland. I love my birth father with all of my heart, but he has gone to the clearing, as they say. I am proud to embrace Roland as my adoptive father.” Roland could not help the smile which lit his face as she said this. It never failed to touch his heart when they regarded him in such a way.

“I’m Eddie Dean of New York. Doting husband of this beauteous lady right here,” he said with a big smile, wrapping his arm around Susannah. “And, well, I guess Roland is the only father I've really ever known. I wouldn’t know my birth father if I passed him on the street. Although, I guess that isn’t very likely. I mean, can you imagine--”

“Ki-yet!” Oy barked cheerily. They couldn’t help laughing at this. It seemed the arrival of a new person had enlivened him.

Once the laughs started to die down, Eddie said: “Damn. Well, I guess it’s a pretty obvious sign that you’re running your mouth when even the goddamn dog tells you to shut up.”

“Aye, it would seem so,” Cuthbert spoke with a bemused smile and the hint of a laugh still in his voice. “In any case, we are all well-met. Very well-met”

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

“I suspect I will not have to tell you much of my history, for I believe you are all familiar with most of it,” Cuthbert said, raising an eyebrow at Roland who nodded in response. “I’ll share what I must, and you all may ask questions as you see fit.

In my world, Roland died at Jericho Hill and I went on in search of the Tower. I’d not go into details for what came between, for it’s not important and you would likely know a goodish portion of it. I’ll start with the true beginning of my quest for the Tower. Following the man in black across the desert.”

He then recounted for them his tale of tracking and catching up to the man in black. It didn’t take long for each to understand that he essentially lived the same life as Roland. Down to letting Jake drop. No matter how many times the tale of this betrayal had been told, it never got any easier for Jake to hear. His heart went out to this other version of himself that had been betrayed by Cuthbert, and who, evidently, would not be getting any redemption considering they poached Cuthbert.

Each recognized The Way Station, the Speaking Demon, the betrayal, The man in black, the vision, and even the lobstrosities (although Cuthbert had inexplicably referred to them as ‘patrolmen’). They actually knew a little more about some of these events than Cuthbert did, as they had been given some context over the years. For instance, the fact that The man in black had doubled back and was behind him and Jake for a portion of their travels. Assuming that Cuthbert’s journey would have taken the same course as Roland’s, which, on further rumination, it may not have.  After all, the door Cuthbert had found on the beach did not say ‘The Prisoner’, but ‘The Hanged Man’. As Roland had been wont to say ever since Eddie taught him the expression: “to assume makes an ass out of you and me”.

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

“After losing two of my fingers and part of my big toe--my favorite toe, mind you--to the fucking lobster-osities, as Roland calls them, I started to get feverish. I still kind of am, although Roland here gave me some kind of medicine. He was pretty cryptic about it, but it seems to be fast-working so I can only hope it won’t kill me.”

“Nah, he gave you the good stuff. T’wont kill you,” Eddie said. He spoke with faint admiration. This has been a truly surreal experience for him, meeting the man he had been continuously compared to. A man whom he had come to idolize. Kind of, he supposed, like meeting your favorite celebrity and finding out that they really are just like you. Don’t meet your heroes, they say, but Eddie was enraptured to meet his. “I saved Roland’s life with that stuff once upon a bye.”

“Do you say so?” He hadn’t thought the infection would get that bad, but if it had for Roland, it probably would have for him as well. “Well, anyway, I’ve been quickly losing strength since the infection started, and while stumbling across the beach, I came upon a door. It was marked ‘The Hanged Man’. I’ve heard of such magic doors in our teachings as children, but I had never believed in them.

I was still circling the door, trying to decide if it was real or a hallucination brought on by the infection, when this one,” he said, jerking his thumb at Roland, “came bursting through like a bullet out of a gun.”

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

“Did you know what to expect on the other side?” Eddie asked, directing his question at Roland. “You did, didn’t you? I mean, why else would you hightail it like that?”

“Not at all. I had dreams, vivid ones, but I thought I was simply reliving my time on the Western Sea. Only, in these dreams I was not myself. I thought I might recognize this other person that I was living as, but I could not understand what my own memories had to do with it. But of course, now I understand why I was living in the past. It was not the past at all, not for the person with whom I had been sharing khef.” He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. “As I said, I thought I recognized him, but I didn’t quite allow myself to believe that it meant anything. They were only dreams. When we saw the door, I still told myself it was merely a coincidence. When Eddie read the words on the door, however… I knew it had to be him. In my heart, I knew it. For hadn’t I always called him my very own ka-mai?

All the same, I cry your pardon for dashing off so suddenly. Especially you, Eddie, for I see the dried blood around your nose and it shames me. It was not my intention to hurt you.”

“No sweat man, I didn’t even notice. I was mostly just worried about you,” Eddie said, smiling sheepishly. “I kinda had an idea you weren’t coming back.”

“Yeah, we were real worried about you. Eddie told us that the door opened to the Western Sea,” Jake added.

“Say true, Eddie? You knew where the door led?” Roland asked, astonished. 

“Not until you started running for it. Once you took off, it hit me. I have no idea where the intuition came from, but it sure was strong. I thought it meant that you would be back at the beginning of your quest,” Eddie said, sounding embarrassed. He went on jokingly, as was always his way when he felt uncomfortable. “You should’ve seen the way I was banging on the door, trying to get to you. If I had an ax, I would have tried to cut through it like the crazy guy in ‘The Shining’.” Eddie jumped up on knees and smiled crazily. “Heeeeeere’s Eddie!” he shouted at Jake, not seeming to mind the fact that out of everyone here, only he himself could understand this reference. 

Jake laughed and pushed his brother’s face away from him. “Shut up, asshole.”

Susannah rolled her eyes fondly. She reached for her beloved’s hand and pulled him back down to the ground. Once he was seated again, she placed her hand on Eddie’s thigh. He immediately covered it with his own, taking comfort in the contact. It seemed he was more than a little embarrassed about his outburst over the door, and was covering it with humor. And he shouldn’t be, Susannah thought, for he reacted out of love for their father. 

Roland, having long been accustomed to Eddie's nervous bursts of foolishness, went on. “I must have hit my head on the door in my rush to get through, for when I arrived on the other side, I was unconscious. Cuthbert woke me with water and then we spoke. We quickly realized our shared history, and then he agreed to come back through the door with me.” Neither spoke of their long, sentimental embrace, for that was between the two of them. Too meaningful to be casually shared in such a setting. 

“Yes, I agreed, on the condition that you all explain to me why you have renounced the Tower. I cannot give it up without an explanation. If I find that explanation to be insufficient, Roland has promised me that I can pick up my quest from here.”

They all looked at each other in silent conference. And then, Susannah spoke: “I don’t believe we’ll need to worry about that. I’m sure it’s hard for you to imagine, but all I can say to sum it up for you is that there would be no satisfaction in reaching the Tower. There is, however, satisfaction in finding a family.”

“We will now tell our story,” Roland said, looking at his children. “I will start, telling my brief story of coming across the door, and then Eddie, you may pick it up. From there, we will take turns telling the story, much as we have done before. I warn you Bert, this is a long story. It's not unlikely that we will need to break for the night and pick it back up in the morning.” This was possible, however, Roland thought it wouldn’t be necessary. Although their tale was long, stories had a way of expanding the bounds of time. 

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

“Feverish and weak, I came upon a door on the beach, just as you had. This door, however, said ‘The Prisoner’ and although I had never seen a door such as this before, I knew I had to open it. I didn’t know if there would be anything that could help me on the other side, but I knew that there was certainly nothing to help me where I was. After examining the door for a while, I opened it. What I saw terrified me, and I immediately slammed it shut.” Roland paused to take a sip of water from his canteen.

“I sat, thinking about what I’d seen. It was the Earth, from what seemed to be an impossible distance in the sky. It terrified me so, because to step through such a door would be to fall to my death. Then, the voice of Cort spoke up in my mind, telling me that I had seen more. I recalled something he used to say about using the eye of your memory to see, because ‘the difference between seeing and not seeing can be the difference between living and dying’.”

"Aye, I recall how he always used to harry us about that,” Cuthbert said. “Took you long enough to make full use of your eyes. Always wanting to rush into things without a complete look, that was you. The both of us, really. Two foolhardy kids.” He smirked, “You eventually grew out of it, though."

Roland was nonplussed for a moment. He was struck with a fresh wave of fondness for the man before him. How many years had it been since someone shared an experience from his youth? Hundreds? Thousands? Long enough for him to forget what it felt like. Long enough by many-a wheel.

“Nevertheless,” Roland said, “the eye of my memory did not fail me this time. I realized that the view I had seen was framed with white edges. It was only a window. I opened the door again.” Eddie picked up the story from here, telling of his drawing, followed by Susannah with the tale of her own. 

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

Cuthbert listened raptly as they recounted the many adventures that preceded renouncing the Tower, each seamlessly picking up where the previous person had left off. Cuthbert followed each turn of the story, growing more incredulous as the tale went on. 

The tale of Blaine the Mono and Eddie’s heroism particularly stood out to Cuthbert, as Roland had suspected it would. “Good on you, Eddie!” He cheered, reaching over to clap Eddie on the shoulder. “Take that Roland! With your haughty attitude toward all forms of humor!”

Roland had accepted this ridiculing without comment. Cuthbert had meant it lightheartedly, but Roland knew it was well-deserved. He had been arrogant in the matter of Eddie’s jokes and it could have cost them dearly. He tried not to take it too hard though, for it had been Eddie himself who had pointed out that Roland couldn’t help his own nature, was in fact a prisoner of it as much as he was a prisoner of ka.

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

So much, Cuthbert thought. They have seen so much. And done more. This had been after Susannah spoke of the Green palace, their confrontation with Flagg, the reappearance of the pink glass, and finally waking up back in Roland’s world--their world--on the path of the beam.

“This next part is the sort of story with which you are familiar. A town in need, calling upon a group of gunslingers,” Roland said. It was the first time he had spoken since he told of going after Jake in the underground tunnels of Lud. He was content to let his brood take over the story-telling whenever possible. Speaking had never been his favorite thing. “As we continued our course along the beam, we soon became aware that we were being followed. Jake picked some muffin-balls and noticed that he was being watched.”

“Sure,” Jake said. “But you already knew about them. You knew about them as soon as they started following us.”

“Aye. ‘Twas a small group and posed no danger to us, so we decided to ignore them and let them follow. Before we speak of them, Eddie and Jake must tell you of their first time going todash.”

Jake took over this part of the tale and then Roland briefly told of following Susannah into the woods, to what she, or rather Mia, had seen as a banqueting hall. The implications of this, paired with Susannah’s experience with the incubus, were not lost on Cuthbert. Although Roland hadn’t gone into great detail, Susannah was embarrassed. She knew what she had been doing out there, even if she hadn’t known at the time. Once that had all been told, Roland circled back to the group that had been following them.

“One member of this group was a man who became an integral part of our ka-tet. When we come to his part in our story, Eddie will tell it, for this man has since come to the clearing at the end of the path. For now, know that his name was Donald Callahan, a man of honor and a priest of the Man Jesus. Known in the Calla as Pere Callahan or The Old Fella."

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

It was an easy enough story to follow. The town, finally fed up with losing their babbies, decided to make a stand. They couldn’t do this on their own, so they had enlisted the help of gunslingers. The Pere, knowing that he was in possession of something they would need, was the one to initially make contact with them and explain the situation. The gunslingers, bound by duty, agreed to lend their aid. Cuthbert had been horrified to learn that the Black Thirteen had a part to play in their tale. But, oh, there was so much about their tale that horrified him.

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

Eddie had just finished recounting Father Callahan's story, starting with Salem's Lot and ending with Lupe's death, when Cuthbert spoke up. Not for the first time either; filled with questions was this one. 

"So when you say he was in love with this... other man, what exactly do you mean?" Cuthbert was bewildered, he couldn't possibly mean what Cuthbert was thinking. 

"Well, you know, like, romantic love. Like how I'm in love with this beautiful lady," Eddie replied, putting his arm around Susannah and earning a smile from his beloved.

"You should have heard the way he spoke of Lupe. It was beautiful, but difficult to hear considering how things ended. That man was truly in love," Susannah added.

"And is that considered normal in your world? A man loving another man?" Cuthbert asked, genuinely curious. He fought to keep his voice normal, but he couldn't believe what he was hearing. And how casually they spoke of something he could have easily been killed for! 

Eddie saw Jake wince at Cuthbert's question, and although he didn't detect any disgust from the man, he still felt a little uneasy. After all, he had no real idea what the people of Gilead thought of gay people. Roland had never seemed surprised or bothered by the existence of gay people, but perhaps he was an exception. Was Cuthbert going to have a problem with this? 

Eddie looked at Roland and raised his eyebrows, wondering if he should waste time delving into what could possibly become an issue.

Roland waved his hand unhurriedly. "We come from a much different world, Eddie. If he wishes for more details, you may provide them."

"Alright then. It's normal, yeah. Nothing wrong with being gay. But not everyone jives with that. Some people hate gay people, and they point to things like the Bible to excuse their hatred, but I think they really just don't like people being different from them. The virus that Lupe died of, the one he got from the vampire- It disproportionately affects men who, uh, have sex with other men. You know, like, gay and bisexual men," he paused for a moment wondering if he would need to explain these terms. When Cuthbert said nothing, he continued. "Homophobia has always been around, but this made the homophobes worse because they had a new reason to stigmatize gay people" Eddie had no idea how much of this Cuthbert was even capable of understanding. He didn't even know if Roland understood it all. But he didn't exactly know how to explain it in Mid-World terms.

Although he was unfamiliar with some of the language Eddie used, Cuthbert was able to figure most of it out through context. There was one term that he could not decipher, though. "Homo Phobia?" he asked, carefully pronouncing this foreign word.

"Homophobia's when someone is prejudice against gay people, sugar," Susannah said softly, momentarily placing her hand on Cuthbert's arm.

"And for the sake of clarity, I would understand this very well, you--all of you--are against Homo Phobia?" 

"Of course," Roland said simply, completely oblivious to the rest of his ka-tet collectively holding their breath, nervous to see how Cuthbert would react.

"Okay, very well. You may continue on with your story," Cuthbert said with a smile. Despite being hard to read for most of that conversation, Eddie thought he seemed almost relieved now. As they all were. Had Cuthbert been, well, homophobic, it would not bode well for his place in their group. Jake is gay, and recently started seeing a boy. They were all very happy for him. Eddie wouldn't tolerate any hate toward his little bro, even if it was coming from the legendary Cuthbert, who their dinh--their father--dearly missed over all these long, strange years.

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

When this palaver had initially started, Cuthbert asked many questions. Eddie thought it would take half of forever to get through their entire story with how often they were interrupted. Not that he didn’t understand it. Hell, if someone recounted this story to him a few years ago, he’d certainly have had a lot of questions, the first being: ‘How stupid do you think I am?’

Cuthbert had been trying to wrap his brain around everything they had been through, but eventually gave up. There was just so much and after a while, he realized that it was easier to just sit and listen. Comprehension would come later, over time. A corporation to protect the rose--the rose which may also be the Tower? Sure. A spider baby with four parents? Okay. The death of this baby at the hands of none other than Walter O’Dim? Alright. A writer who created books--make believe books--about their lives? A group of telepaths working to break the Beams which hold the Tower, using the force stolen from the twin children of the Callas to enhance their abilities? Sheemie, Cuthbert’s dear friend, alive after all those years?

It’s the truth, Cuthbert thought. I know it’s the truth. That’s what makes it so hard to believe.

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

“We have come to the most important part of our story,” Roland said solemnly. They had just been speaking of freeing the Breakers and the chaos which broke out around them. “See this, Cuthbert Allgood. See it very well.” Roland said and proceeded to describe the spot in Pleasantville, the alley between the movie theater and the hair salon, where blood from the battle still ran into the gutters. This was where they had finally made their stand, the one that changed everything: Their stand against ka.

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

“Come here, Gilead,” Susannah said. “This is a group hug, and you’re part of the group.”

It took Roland a moment to understand Susannah’s invitation. Part of him would forever believe that they didn’t accept him as part of their group. He would always be an outsider among them. The three of them had come from the same world after all, and even though they came from different whens, this still gave them a deeper understanding of each other. They had grown up with the same stories, made wishes on the same stars, and shared inside jokes that Roland would never understand no matter how much he tried.

When he realized that she had meant him, he went over with a cheered heart. He stopped on his way to pick up Oy of Mid-World. Whenever Roland felt like an outsider, it helped to remember that they all loved Oy, who also hailed from a different world.

They wrapped their arms around one another, embracing in the aftermath of their victory. The beam was safe and they were together. Susannah kissed Roland’s forehead, causing Jake and Eddie to laugh. Roland delighted in the sound of their laughter and the feel of Susannah’s kiss, thinking that he had never been this happy, never in life.

He shifted and felt the weight of the horn on his belt, where he had placed it before the battle began, reminding him of his dear friend Cuthbert Allgood. One person, out of many, who had been lost in search of the Tower. How many more? He looked around at his ka-tet, currently embracing him, and knew the answer. All of them. All of the people he loved would be lost. No, not lost, killed. And whose fault would it be? Who else could be blamed but the one who brought them into this world and taught them the ways of the gun?

They'd all felt the ka-shume and Roland knew it was only a matter of time, perhaps only a few moments, before he'd lose another. Unless he did something about it.

"I renounce," he mumbled. The words got stuck and he choked them out. Some kind of mass seemed to appear in his throat, making it hard to speak.

"What, Roland?" Susannah said, still smiling. She started to pull away to look at Roland, but he pulled her back into the embrace. 

"No more," he said firmly. "I renounce." At this they all pulled away from the embrace and looked at Roland, shocked. And then, head turned up to the sky, Roland of Gilead shouted at the top of his lungs: "I RENOUNCE THE TOWER!"

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

It was quiet as they all gave Cuthbert a moment to fathom renouncing the Tower. Then, Eddie broke the silence, as he was wont to do. “I was scared. I half expected the Beam to break at Roland’s very words. But… nothing happened. The sky didn’t fall, the ground didn’t split open, not even a Beamquake. Nothing.” Eddie thought for a moment, and then spoke again. “Well, not exactly nothing…” he trailed off, unsure how to describe what he had felt.

“Lightness,” Jake finished for him, eyes wide, looking at nothing in particular. “It was like a ten pound weight was lifted from my chest and a shadow left my mind.”

“The lifting of the ka-shume,” Susannah said and Roland nodded. He had felt it himself. He had also been granted one clear insight at his decision to renounce- One more job to do, this to be done with the aid of the Breakers, and then…freedom.

“Yes, you say true Susannah,” Roland said. “The despair and dread of the forthcoming breaking of the ka-tet left all of our hearts. Our ka-tet--our family--was safe.” At this, Roland lifted his arms to embrace his children. Cuthbert was surprised to see his old friend openly weeping as he held them tightly. Watching them all share such overwhelming love for one another, he felt a little like crying himself.

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

“And what of the writer? The one who you say… created us,” Cuthbert said, still not quite grasping this concept.

“Not created, but facilitated,” Roland said. “Sheemie, with the help of some of the other Breakers, made a hole for us that led to June 19th, 1999. We went as soon as we finished at Algul Siento, giving us just enough time to stop him from going on his walk. That was the last act we ever did for the Tower.

“So, you see,” Eddie said, “things are pretty much taken care of in the two keystone worlds, and that's all that matters. We started the corporation to protect the rose, we freed the Breakers, and we saved Stephen King. The Crimson King is old and imprisoned and the one created to take his place is dead. Anything else you'd do during your quest, would be, well, redundant. Because this world and the one in which Sai King lives, are the only worlds that truly matter. And those things are already done. If you were to go in search of the Tower from here, the only thing you could accomplish is seeing it. And maybe that's enough to drive you anyway. God knows it was enough for me at some point, but not anymore. To be with the people I love is enough. Anything else, ka can take care of.

“What about Walter?”

“Ever since he killed the Red King's offspring in the Arc-16 Experimental Station, he's made himself scarce,” Roland said. “I suspect we need not worry about him for a long while.”

Everyone mused on this for a moment and then Roland spoke again: “I suggest we end our palaver here for now, as we need to eat and then take our night’s rest. We’ve discussed the most crucial parts of our journey; anything else can wait for tomorrow.”

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

After they had taken their meal--during which, not much was said (food and palaver don’t mix, as Roland had been wont to say)-- they all settled into the area in which they chose to camp for the night. Without discussion, Roland and Cuthbert took their bedrolls a short distance away from the others, who seemed to instinctively know to give the freshly reacquainted friends some space.

Cuthbert stopped near a copse of trees. “I like this spot, ‘tis a good spot, I think.”

Roland nodded, although he couldn’t see what made this spot in the woods any different than the rest. He laid his bedroll on a flat piece of ground behind one of the trees and sat upon it.

Cuthbert started to lay his own right next to it and Roland looked up at him. Cuthbert caught this glance and assumed Roland was about to tease him. “Do not utter a word,” Cuthbert said, the firmness in his voice was betrayed by the wide smile on his face. “I am in a strange place, in a new world, and you are the only thing here that is familiar to me. If I want to sleep right next to my best friend, who I’ve mourned over for Gods know how long, that is to be expected.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything. I was only thinking how long it’s been since the last time I slept this close to you. If my memory serves, we shared a sleeping space the night before Jericho Hill. The night before you died.”

“Aye, we did. Only, for me, ‘twas the night before you died. We needed all the comfort we could get, what with the upcoming battle. Not to mention our condemnable deed.” Cuthbert said, thinking of Alain, who had been their loyal friend to the very end. Had, in fact, died while trying to help them. And at their hands.

“Those are bygone days. And we look ahead, not toward a battle, but at unencumbered time. No duties, no fight, no killing. You may choose to go on gunslinging, as we have been doing for the past few years, or I suppose you may even choose to go after the Tower. But we can rest knowing that tomorrow, at least, will be free of all such worry.”

“When did you get so blithe?” Cuthbert asked, bemused. He was rather amazed (and impressed) at how different Roland was, how easygoing he sounded. “The Roland I knew was always raring for a fight.”

“The Roland you knew died. And good riddance because that Roland had no soul. I didn’t get that back until I met them,” Roland said, gesturing toward the direction in which his children lay. “Eddie said something to me once. He said that I saved more than just his life, I saved his soul. But he had it the wrong way around. Bass-ackwards, as he would say.”

“Bass-ackwards,” Cuthbert snorted a laugh, “I like that.” He chose not to comment on the rest of what Roland had said. It was too much for him to think about right now. If he thought about it for too long, he’d start wondering how much of his own soul was gone, and how much he could hope to get back. 

“I thought you might,” Roland said and lay back all the way, perhaps preparing to fall asleep. 

But Cuthbert wasn’t quite ready to try to sleep. He knew what little sleep he could hope for would be plagued by nightmares. “Do you know why I like this spot?”

“Nay. Looks like any other spot in the woods to me.” 

“Of course, for you’re just as dense as the woods. But it brings to my mind one particular place that held some significance to us.” Cuthbert watched as Roland worked this over in his mind. He seemed to be about to give up and ask when understanding suddenly washed over him. A bright smile took over Roland’s face, that slightly mad smile that Cuthbert had always cherished.

“The woods of West-Town,” Roland said with whispered excitement. “How could I have forgotten?” He was genuinely delighted by this memory, for those woods had been a sort of haven for the two of them. One of those secret places that only childhood friends could hold in such reverence. Whenever one of them had needed an escape--be it from a parental scolding or difficulties with their training--the woods were there for them. They had even used it in their young adulthood, whenever they were in need of a temporary reprieve from the many responsibilities and expectations placed upon them.

“Aye, behind the uprooted bush, right between the trees. That was our little hideout.” To Cuthbert, it held an extra significance because this was one of the few places that he could be alone with Roland. When they were there, he had Roland’s full attention. It was their little secret. Deep down, a part of him had always secretly hoped that one day, they might share a romantic moment there. And it would become a new kind of secret escape. “We thought we were right trig going down there.”

“Mayhap we were. No one ever caught us, did they?”

“Not that we were aware. Cort had probably known the whole time and oh, how he’d laugh at how clever we thought we were being”

“Nay, if Cort had known, he certainly would’ve used the knowledge to shame us.”

Cuthbert thought that sounded about right. “I’m keeping you up, aren’t I? Usually you would have told me to shut my gob by now. Honestly, it's kind of strange that you haven't."

"Bert, I have gone hundreds, maybe even a thousand years without hearing your voice. I wouldn’t mind if you never stopped talking." There it was again, that almost blunt sentiment, spoken with such a casual ease that the Roland he had known from days of old could never have pulled off. Not, at least, when speaking to Cuthbert. Perhaps he spoke so with Susan, or even Aileen, but when it came to friendships, expressing feelings had been difficult for Roland. As it was for them all; friendly affection had been effectively trained out of the crop of gunslingers. It seemed Roland's family, as a part of saving his soul, had helped him recover his emotional side.  

"Be careful with what you wish, Ro'," Cuthbert said, smirking. "For you never know what Gods are listening"

"I always am. I'd not utter a wish I did not mean."

Cuthbert considered this, reckoned he was reading too much into Roland’s words, and decided to change the subject once again. “Earlier, when you were speaking of the sky-carriage, you gave me a funny look. What was that for?”

Roland cast his mind back. They had discussed a great deal today. The sky-carriage though, that had been one of the first things. And now Roland knew what Cuthbert must have been referring to. He probably had given him a strange look, because for a moment, he felt like he had seen a ghost. 

“It was because I mentioned Cort, and not only did you know who he was, but you actually shared my memory. I'm used to talking to folken who weren't around during that time. I think that’s when it first started to sink in that you’re actually here. I am no longer the only one who has to bear the memory of Gilead as it was, before the world moved on.”

“Aye, I understand what that feels like, so I do,” Cuthbert said. “Sometimes it feels like those days never really happened.” Again, Roland was startled, because this was exactly what he was trying to say. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. Cuthbert had always had a way of articulating the thoughts and feelings that got stuck in Roland’s mind.

“When we had first arrived in the Calla, Ben Slightman the Elder said something to me. Something that troubled me. He said, ‘I heard of Jericho Hill and such blood-and-thunder tales of pretend’. To my face, he said that. What was the end of the world for me, was only a bedtime story to him.

“That careless statement would not leave my mind, Bert. I had known that the Battle of Jericho Hill and all the other events of that time were not simply tales of make-believe. I had lived through them. Piece by piece I lost everything. My mother, my teacher, my father, my home, my friends, each loss burning another scar into my soul. I still felt the effects of the ancient wounds that would never heal. But deep down, in a part of me that is immune to logic, I started to believe it. Maybe it had been make-believe, for who did I have around me that could confirm my memories? And would losing everything in such a tumultuous, chary succession ever truly seem real?

“But now, I have you. Finally, someone else who remembers what life was like in those days before Gilead fell. Someone who knows what it’s like to give up your youth to fight a losing battle. And to spend the rest of your life trying desperately to find a way to bring back the life you once knew.”

Cuthbert racked his brain trying to figure out how to respond to this. He wasn’t used to such heavy subject matter. He came up with and discarded several joke responses, figuring Roland wouldn’t appreciate humor at this moment (he rarely appreciated humor at any moment). He needn’t have worried so much, because after only a few moments, he realized he could hear soft, even breathing coming from next to him. Roland had fallen asleep.

[regarding-stories]

Roundup of the backlog...

I realized I watched more stuff than I even can keep up with writing about. So let's do a speedrun...

given ("Can't Say Goodbye, I'm Still Drifting With Your Echoes")

So, I got into this one because it was about musicians and being in a band. It also seems to be a boy-on-boy love story... as such, I don't mind. The characters are all drawing me into the story. And as a musician I can't resist the loving attention to detail - as an aspiring guitarist you could learn some things from this show. I certainly didn't know more than this as a teenager myself...

I'm just a few episodes in, and I like what I see.

TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You

An unlikely beginning - a boy promises a girl to marry her. Once he's of age, she shows up on his doorstep, ready to go. From this premise unfolds an incredibly cute story of two people figuring out life and romance together. She's probably a legendary character from a Japanese story, too. These blushing newlyweds are simply adorable.

Don't Toy With Me, Miss Nagatoro

A loner artist second year runs into a gaggle of trendy first year girls - and one just won't leave him alone. I gave it a chance because I was curious, and I don't regret it. Frankly, what happens in the first episodes would probably count as bullying, but very soon it becomes clear that there is something between especially these two characters, and Nagatori-san is not nearly as cool or experienced as she wants her Senpai to believe. Over time he also becomes friends with the whole gaggle. The show is changing from funny to cringe to adorably cute constantly. It's certainly entertaining.

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

Girls gets dumped for another girl, gets drunk, runs into young hot dude (who doesn't say much) and realizes he's the popular streamer her ex adores. Ends up passing out on his bed, too. She joins the MMO where he hangs out with his friends. Initially a very one-sided crush, but as the cast expands it becomes a rather chill and nice story about misunderstandings and friendship, plus a slow-burn romance. Airs on Crunchyroll once a week - and I find I look forward to every episode.

Tomo-chan Is a Girl!

Oh, I'm definitely sold on this one! Tomo is a high school girl that confesses to her childhood friend, except he doesn't seem to understand and only see her as his best friend. Over time both cast and backstory expand so by the end of the series you will understand why things ended up this way. Very satisfying, doesn't overstay its welcome, supposedly better paced than the original web manga. Wraps up in a single season.

First show where I recognized a Japanese voice actress again. The boyish Tomo has the same one as the not-very-girlish Anzu from Romantic Killer. Just listen when she is surprised or weirded out - you can't miss it.

Skip and Loafer

Very nice coming-of-age story, airs weekly. Girl from remote rural community joins Tokyo high school to realize her ambitious plan to become a public servant. Ends up being friends with laid-back guy whom all girls adore. Frankly the first episode is some of the best-paced funny stuff I've ever seen. The show then grows its cast organically and settles into high school life, plus it's a love story, of course, but not in a hurry.

Waiting for the next episode is hard...

To Every You I've Loved Before

Without knowing I watched a sequel! A very satisfying story on its own, this one is about parallel worlds and how we constantly skip between them. A boy is the son of the guy who's researching how choices create parallel worlds, and the first major branch in his life is when his parents divorce. Continuously throughout his life he is confronted with the impact of his choices as his life unfolds together with a girl that he ends up marrying and growing old with.

A story about love, loss, choices, grief, happiness... Very satisfying, told at the right pace, always engaging, and not afraid to go in a new direction even in its last half hour.

As I said - the story of a boy who makes a choice. But guess what? There's another movie, "To me, the one who loved you". Telling the story of the same boy, but making the other choice. I haven't watched it yet. Maybe I have spoilered myself by doing this in the wrong order. But even if only this movie existed, I would have been very happy with it. Fun detail: It may be sixty years into the future with pocket watches that measure parallel universe shifts and holograms everywhere, but apparently people still do the thing where they wear "belly pouches" diagonally over their chest. I guess they didn't make up a "future look" for all the filler pedestrians...

Alya sometimes hides her feelings in Russian

This was a chance buy - it's a light novel series. High schooler sits next to very pretty "solitary princess" - the platinum blonde Alya who's half-Russian. And sometimes she says the most outrageous things to him, thinking he does not understand - yet he does.

First novel was rather good, but then you can tell the author tries to drag it out. Protagonist ends up knowing all the most pretty and popular girls in his elite academy... yawn. Still, the story is at times rather charming and funny. Too bad it tries to keep the cat in the bag - it didn't have enough substance for what we're getting. Stuffed to the hilt with light novel tropes... she's probably secretly his childhood love he got separated from and learned Russian for in the first place, his sister has the hots for him (they grew up separate after some family fallout), student council this and that, let's obsess about girl's exact bust size, hints of harem, the works... and the artwork does not do a good job of keeping some of the girls apart except for the title heroine. Also, outrageously dumb hypnosis scene?

Still, the author can write and largely delivers an entertaining story with that nice little twist. I started disliking the protagonist because of his habit to prank Alya... not charming. Usually he's a very upright and forthright guy, and completely oblivious of his feelings for Alya.

Not exactly recommended, but readable.

[dem-obscure-imagines]

Nightcrawler and the Princess

Kurt Wagner x Reader

Fandom: Marvel/X-Men

Summary: Being the princess of a small kingdom has its perks. However, you’re not sure this is a secret you can share with the rest of your friends…

Note: Did I make this a subtle crossover with the Princess Diaries? Yes. Yes I did. Don’t worry about it.

Reader is: Female

Warnings: Swears

Word Count: 1.8k

You carried the large box to the lunch table and set it there, in the middle of your friend group. Jean eyed it curiously.

“What’s that?”

“Care package from my mom.” You replied, using the pair of scissors you kept in your school bag to cut open the packing tape. “She said there’s stuff for the rest of you in here too. Probably candy or something.”

“That’s nice of her.” Scott smiled, watching as you opened the cardboard box.

“Ah, yep.” You reached into the bag and pulled out several packages of Genovian chocolates. “Here you go, guys.” You told them.

Kurt’s eyes narrowed at the bags, his tail hovering behind him curiously. He recognized that packaging. “These…I know these chocolates. Does your mother live in Genovia?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I’m from there, actually.”

Peter thought for a second, already munching on chocolate. “Wait, I thought you were American.”

“Nope.” You laughed, reaching further into the box and pulling out a handful of little Genovian flags she’d sent. “Ah, right. Independence day is coming up.”

“Where even is Genovia anyway?” Warren asked, admiring the little flag once you handed it to him.

“It’s a tiny little country between France and Italy.” You explained. “It’s really beautiful there, though.”

“It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.” Kurt reminisced, sighing fondly.

“When did you visit?” You asked him.

“Several years ago.” He said. “The circus had a few shows there when I was young. The people were so kind, and the coast sparkled like diamonds.”

“You were with the Munich circus, right?” You asked him, trying to remember. He nodded proudly, a smile settling onto his face. “I was at one of your shows! I knew you looked familiar! Oh my god…” You laughed and shook your head. “I should have put those pieces together sooner.”

“You were there?”

“Yeah! My mom took me for my birthday.” You smiled, remembering the show fondly.

And Kurt knew then the information that you were withholding from the rest of the group. His eyes widened slightly and he studied your features. He remembered you. He remembered that day and he remembered the feeling of his heart hammering when after the show, the Queen of Genovia herself introduced him to her daughter, who was about his age. She’d taken her there because it was the princess’ birthday. Though your meeting was brief, he’d remembered it all this time, thinking of it every once in a while…the time he’d met a princess.

You didn’t look all that different now than you had then. Why you hadn’t told the rest of your friend group, he wasn’t sure, but he would keep the secret for you. Of course he would. He smiled softly, admiring you with his new revelation in mind. Even before he’d figured it out, you’d already been a princess to him anyway.

Peter studied the look on Kurt’s face and squinted. Something was going on. Something was going on and he would get to the bottom of it…

***

Over the weekend, your friend group had decided to go to the mall, but before you left, Kurt knocked on the door to your room.

“It’s open, come on in.” You told him.

He pushed open the door and stepped into the room timidly. You were at your desk, reading what appeared to be a letter written on a piece of paper.

“What’s up?” You asked, not looking up from the letter when you asked it.

“You’re coming to the mall, right?”

“Yeah, what time is it?” You glanced down at your watch. “Oh shit. Sorry I’m late.” You chuckled, folding the note and tucking it into your dress drawer. “My mom wrote me a letter with her package.” You explained.

“How nice!” Kurt smiled and you couldn’t stop your heart from fluttering at the way it lit up his face. “Do you write each other letters back and forth?”

“When I have time to, yeah.” You nodded, shoving your hands into your pockets. “Well, shall we?”

Kurt nodded and offered you his arm. You took it and in a poof of smoke, suddenly, you were standing in the living room, where the others were all standing.

Peter had a weird look on his face and you weren’t sure why, but you knew he was up to no good. He always seemed to be…

The squad piled into the car, as usual, and arrived at the mall in under thirty minutes. Jubilee picked the tunes, which was always a good choice, so the ride there was pleasant and relatively uneventful.

You all walked inside and started the routine of shopping around in all of your usual stores. The prom was coming up, so you all spent some time in the dress place on the upper level of the store.

“What color dress do you think you’re going to get, (Y/N)?”

“Mmm, I’m not sure.” You thought for a moment. “Maybe something pink. Or…blue?”

“I think blue would look great on you.” Jubilee grinned, flipping through the rack of blue dresses.

“I agree.” Jean smiled, her eyes flicking over towards Kurt, who was on the other side of the store with the boys.

“Hey now.” You warned, your cheeks warming at the thought. “What did I say about reading my mind?”

“I didn’t need to read your mind. You’re more obvious than you think you are.” She chuckled.

“What she said,” Ororo agreed, causing your cheeks to flush even hotter. “Why don’t we ask the boys which one you should wear?”

“That’s a great idea.” Jubilee agreed, despite your shaking head. “Hey boys!”

“Yes? What’s going on?” Kurt bamfed over beside you, looking at Jubilee curiously.

“Which dress should (Y/N) wear to prom?” Ororo held up one pink dress and one blue dress.

“The blue one.” Scott said knowingly, crossing his arms and smirking. Okay. So he and Jean had talked, then. “Definitely the blue one.”

“I agree.” Warren nodded.

“What do you think, Kurt?” Scott nudged the teleporter.

“I think you’d look beautiful in anything. But I do like the blue one. It brings out your eyes.”

“T-thanks.” You blushed, giggling. None of you committed to dresses, so after looking around for a while the squad decided to hit the food court while looking over movie times.

“So…” Peter looked up at you and cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the rest of the group. “When were you planning to spill the beans…your highness?”

You swore your blood ran cold. You looked up at him, your heart racing in your chest and the color drained from your face. “Excuse you?”

“You heard me.” Peter raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair confidently. “When were you going to tell the rest of us your little royal secret?”

You froze, staring at him for a long time. “Maximoff,” you said through gritted teeth, your eyes glowing faintly. “Choose your next few words very carefully.”

“Oh I have. (Y/N)’s the princess of Genovia.”

“Pfft. As if.” Scott scoffed, chuckling, but he stopped when he looked at the look on your face. “Oh shit, is he serious?”

“Who the fuck told you?!” You asked him, your voice raising the teeniest bit. “The only people who know are Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy, so which one do I have to kill when we get home?”

“Neither. I snooped in Xavier’s office. Found your file.” Peter shrugged. “And of course, that begs the question: Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Listen…” You exhaled a long breath, looking to each of your friends faces for a moment before fixing your eyes on the table. “When people know, they treat me differently. I don’t think they mean to, but they do and it sucks. I like having friends and I love hanging out with you guys and I didn’t want to ruin that because of something as stupid as status.”

“You’ve got us.” Jean promised. “We’re not going anywhere. This doesn’t change anything. And…I already kind of knew. Not that you think about it often, but every once in a while…”

“I figured that might happen, yeah.” You chuckled. “Thanks for keeping it on the DL.”

“Of course.” She nodded.

“I knew too…” Kurt confessed, looking you in the eye.

You crinkled your eyebrows and then nodded, understanding. Of course he knew. You two had met before, after the show. You’d asked your mother if you could meet some of the performers, and she’d pulled some strings to make it happen. You distinctly remembered meeting Kurt. You remembered his smile and his adorable pointy ears.

“That’s right.” You smiled. “We met.”

“We did.” He agreed, nodding, a smile tugging at his lips and a faintly purple color creeping across his cheeks. “Although, I’ll admit, I didn’t realize it was you until…very recently. We aren’t kids anymore.”

“We sure aren’t.” You agreed, a chuckle escaping your lips.

And it was fine after that. It was normal. Much more normal than you’d expected it to be. Another week came and went. You finished your letter to your mom, Queen Clarisse, and when its response came back in the mail, you found it accompanied by a small picture she had saved all these years. As soon as you looked at it, a smile on your face, you knew you had to show Kurt.

So, you ran out to the courtyard, where you knew he was, and found him reading under the shade of a large tree in the front yard.

“Kurt!”

“What’s up?”

“My mom sent a few copies of this photo. Do you want one?” You asked, sitting next to him in the grass and handing him the photo. He looked it over, holding it very carefully in a large, three-fingered hand.

“This is us, ja?”

“Mmhmm.” You hummed, nodding. “A very long time ago.”

“We were so young…” He murmured, admiring the smile on his face as well as yours. He remembered you’d been nervous to meet him and at first, he thought it was because of the way he looked, but quickly learned it was because you’d been enamored by his performance. Absolutely blown away. You’d been so kind to him then, just as you were so kind to him now.

“We really were.”

“Do you mind if I keep this?”

“It’s all yours.” You told him. “So, what’cha reading?”

“Beauty and the Beast.” He told you. Ever since remembering that one of his best friends was a princess, he’d been on a bit of a fairytale kick.

“Mmm, that’s a good one.” You smiled and tilted your head, your eyes sparkling. “Read to me?”

“Of course.” He laid back against the tree again, holding the book open with his tail.

You got closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist and resting your head against his lean chest. His arm wrapped around you and tugged you closer, and without even thinking about it twice, he pressed a soft kiss to your hairline before starting to read again.

Kurt decided then that there was no place in the world he’d rather be than under his favorite tree, a princess resting contently against his chest.

Part 2?

[harryscherrypie]

Birthday surprise

Harry styles x gn!reader

Hi, this is my first time writing fanfiction so please tell me what I could do to make my fics more inclusive. Also I’m sorry for grammar mistakes but English is not my first language. If you like it, please give me some feedback, it would really help to know if you liked it. 

Summary: Happens in 2014, where boys are on tour and he is going to spend his birthday on tour. You were supposed to come and visit him but because of a storm in LA, you are not able to come and Harry is super sad. But, maybe your luck will turn and Harry’s birthday wish will come true. 

Warnings: mentions of needles, mentions of using needles for stick and poke tattoos(not described just mentioned), Harry and you giving each other stick and poke tattoos when you are under age, bad writing and grammar 

Word Count: 1,8k

^If the mention of needles makes you uncomfortable, I will put a warning before the ‘tattooing’ starts and will put a note at the end of a section so you can continue reading^

----

“What do you mean you can’t make it?” Harry asked on a verge of tears.

“I’m sorry sunshine, but the flight got canceled because of a bad storm here in L.A.” You explained gently, feeling really sad yourself. Harry shook his head as a couple of tears made their way down his perfect face.

“Love, please don’t cry.” You whispered and he looked at your face on his screen.

“It was the only birthday gift I wanted this year,” He confessed and you looked at him sadly.

“I am so so sorry, I am going to ask someone and see when the first plane can fly.” You said and Harry nodded sadly. It hurt so bad to see him crying, even when you knew him your whole life and have been dating for 3 years.

“Okay my heart, call me when you learn something, even if it’s bad news.” He said seriously and you chuckled. Oh, how you loved the boy.

“Okay sunshine, I’ll call you as soon as I learn something.”

“Bye Boo” you teased and Happy chuckled through his tears.

“Bye Nugget” you laughed and kissed the crooked tattooed heart on your thumb and he did the same.

You both drew each other little heart tattoos before Harry left for his first tour in 2011.

---

“You promise that you will call?” 16 years old you asked teary-eyed as you stood in his room the afternoon before he left for his first-ever world tour.

“Of course, do you think I would be able to go without talking to you?” he asked jokingly as he tried to hold back his own tears. He pulled you into his body and wrapped his arms around your waist as you burrowed your face into the crook of his neck.

“Let’s get tattoos,” Harry mumbled after a few minutes of holding you in his embrace and you looked at his face in confusion.

“What?” you whispered voice probably hoarse from all the crying you did in one day.

“Let’s get tattoos so you have a piece of my heart with you and I have yours,” Harry explained and your face lit up with excitement.

“We should do little hearts you know, the ones we used to do when we were younger.” You suggested and Harry nodded, looking super excited.

You and Harry used to draw hearts on each other’s thumbs, usually when one of you was anxious or scared to do something. You stopped this when you both got into the same secondary school and into the same class.

“Let’s go to Adam’s, he has the stick and poke stuff. We don’t have much time to convince our parents to get real tattoos.” You quickly nodded and both of you moved out of his house quickly.

----

“Thanks, Adam,” Harry shouted as you walked away from his front door with a plastic bag full of amateur stick and poke equipment, dangling from Harry’s left hand.

“Do you want to go first?” You asked, feeling a little bit scared. You never really thought about getting a tattoo and doing it in such a short amount of time made you extremely anxious. He took your hand into his and stroked your knuckles to calm you down.

“Sure, I can go first. If you choose to back out I won’t be mad, just so you know,” Harry tried to calm you down and it worked just a tad bit.

“I won’t back out, we are in this together.” You squeezed his hand in reassurance, as you walked hand in hand towards Harry’s home.

----

If needles scare, trigger you or make you uncomfortable, please stop reading and scroll. You can read once you see this symbol.  ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

 “Okay, are you ready?” you asked as you dipped the needle into the black ink. You were almost certain you knew what to do. You read a lot of articles and understood the basic stuff.

“Okay, here I go,” you muttered to yourself as you started.

“How are you feeling so far?” you asked as you looked at Harry concerned. He sat with his back against his bad, with his head lulled back and eyebrows furrowed in slight pain. You gently nudged his shoulder and he looked at you.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine, it just hurts a bit.” He confessed and you stroked his right cheek lovingly.

“I’m sorry, it’s nearly done but it’s a little wobbly,” You smiled and he shook his head.

“It’s okay love, nothing to worry about. Mine will probably be the same.” You both laughed and you got back to work.

In about 15 minutes, the tattoo was done and you were disinfecting the needle while Harry got ready another needle for you.

“You ready lovie?” He asked softly and you nodded, as you sat down with your back to his bed, just like he did when you were doing his tattoo.

“Is it okay?” He asked when he drew the template of the heart with a blue pen.

“Yeah, looks good,” you nodded as you closed your eyes shut and got ready for the pain.

“Okay, going in get ready,” he mumbled as he dipped your needle into the ink.

You can continue with reading, no needles ahead  ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

“So, how do you like it?” Harry asked after about 20 minutes.

“It’s finished?” you asked surprised. It didn’t hurt as much as you thought it would.

“Yeah, it’s all,” Harry smiled at you reassuringly. You raised your hand closer to your face as you admired the slightly wobbly heart, piece of Harry’s heart on your body.

“I love it so much,” you whispered to him when you both cleaned up the equipment.

“I’m glad my heart, I’m so so glad.” He whispered as you blushed from the new nickname.

----

“Hi, can you please tell me when the first plane to Detroit will be able to departure?” You asked the lady at the “reception”(I don’t know how it’s called but I think you know what I mean.)

“Well, the radars say the storm should calm down in the next 2 to 3 hours so in about 3 to 4 hours.” She explained and you nodded.

“Okay, do you think I will be able to get onto the first plane?” You asked and she looked at her computer.

“Yeah, some people canceled so I’m sure I can squeeze you in there somewhere,” she said and you quietly cheered.

“Thank you so much miss, you don’t know how much this means to me,” you thanked her as you handed her your own flight ticket.

“Okay, here you go, your new flight ticket and your seat moved a few rows to the front of the plane,” she said cheerfully as she handed you your new ticket. You thanked her once again and moved towards the gate that was written on the piece of paper in your hand.

After you went through security, you finally sat down in front of the correct gate and immediately dialed Louis’s number.

“(Y/N)?” Louis asked and you hummed in agreement.

“Yeah it’s me, you don’t have my phone number saved or what?” you teased and Louis chuckled.

“What do you need, is everything okay? Harry told me you won’t be able to make it today because of the storm,” he rambled

“Yeah, well I asked someone and they told me that the storm should calm down in about 3 hours so I can make it. But it will be during the concert,” you explained

“You should surprise him on stage you know,” Louis suggested and gasped, excited.

“That is such a good idea, Lou,” you squealed quietly and Louis chuckled on the other side.

“Okay, I’ll ask the manager and if he agrees, I’ll let the other boys know,” Louis told you

“Okay, you are the best Lou, love you,” you said your goodbyes and hung up.

Now, you just have to wait.

---

The storm calmed down in about 2 hours and you boarded the plane sooner than you thought would be possible. The flight wasn’t long, only about 4 hours. And you landed in Detroit 45 minutes after the concert first started.

You went straight to the arena where the boy's tour manager was waiting for you with a store-bought chocolate cupcake with a cheap-looking candle.

“Hi, how was the flight,” he asked. This was the only tour manager you liked. He was nice and was nice to your boys.

“Eh, it was fine. Even though I am like 8 hours late. How is Harry?” you asked nervously and he sighed sadly.

“Well, he is sad. He didn’t talk much and constantly checked his phone. It got annoying and he couldn’t concentrate so we had to take it from him. He couldn’t really hit his notes on rehearsals and forgot to sing his parts.” He explained and you could feel your heart crack and sink down to the pit of your stomach. You didn’t really think it would affect him that much. But here you were.

You quickly tossed your things to some arena stuff to take into the boy’s dressing room and you made your way to backstage. Just in time to see then finishing up with the performance.

You caught Louis’s eye and he waved at you discretely and smiled widely.

“Well, we should be finishing up but because today is a very special day, we have one surprise for the birthday boy,” Louis said into his microphone and the huge crowd cheered.

“Harry, turn to the crowd please,” Niall instructed and Harry rolled his eyes jokingly, turning towards the crowd and smiling at them.

“Now, let’s sing happy birthday,” Liam cheered and the crowd got loud.

When they started singing, Louis ushered you on stage and you walked out with the cupcake with a candle stuck into it. The crowd got even louder and their cheering became deafening.

And just as the song was ending, Niall stuck his microphone into your face and your voice rang through the whole arena. That made Harry freeze in his spot. He slowly turned around and when his eyes landed on your figure standing just a few meters away from him, he started running towards you.

He crashed into you and hugged you towards him and you were glad you handed the cupcake to Liam or otherwise it would be splattered on both of your shirts.

“How are you here my heart?” he asked, his voice sounding choked up as he looked at you with unshed tears of happiness in his beautiful eyes(Orbs).

“The storm calmed down a bit so I jumped on the first plane and now I’m here,” you explained as you held his face in your hands. He put a loving kiss on your right palm and grinned at him.

“Now, now lovebirds, let’s not get too sappy. Come on Harry, come and blow out your candle.” Louis spoke up and you separated from each other.

Harry wrapped one of his hands around your waist as he blew out the candles.

“What did you wish?” You asked quietly and he looked at you, happiness written all over his face.

“I’ve got everything I need right here with me,” he whispered and pulled you closer to him.

And you kissed as the sound of the crowd cheering grew only louder and louder.

----

So I hope you liked this, as I said at the start, please give me some feedback so I can know if you liked it or not. Also if you liked something, please tell me what part you liked.

Thank you for reading.

[seventhstrife]

SubScorp 2021 Day 1: First Kiss

These Grandmasters have ruined my life and I am SO GRATEFUL to the wonderful, brilliant minds at @subscorp-week for making this event!!!

I don’t really post my stuff on tumblr, ever, but I wanted to shamelessly pad the subscorp tag with new content lololol

If you want to read it on AO3, the link is here.

Fic under the cut!

The sudden weight against his upper arm and shoulder startled Kuai Liang and made his hand jerk, dangerously close to dropping the tablet he held.

He glanced sharply to his side and stilled, eyes wide, to see Hanzo slumped against him.

For a brief moment, he thought the worst—that Hanzo was injured somehow, or poisoned, no matter the fact that they had been sitting in companionable silence for the better part of two hours. But he noticed the deep, slow breaths that swelled Hanzo's chest, the smooth, calm set of his features at rest, and knew the truth was far less sinister:

Hanzo had fallen asleep against him.

The realization drew Kuai Liang up short, made deep affection and gratitude swell fit to burst in his chest before he mastered himself and pushed back the sudden, fierce tide of emotion.

Carefully, Kuai Liang set aside his device and reached over to pluck Hanzo's from his limp grasp in his lap to place it on the table before them. They had been going over reports from their clans, compiling the information so that they could compare it against those from General Blade, and they often met to do this; it was dull and mind-numbing at times, but easier to accomplish with company, they'd found, and they were both less likely to procrastinate the work if they did it together.

It wasn't uncommon that such tedious work would stretch into the long hours of the night, and this night was no exception. But this was the first time Hanzo had succumbed to his exhaustion.

And he'd done so in Kuai Liang's presence, no less. The swell of pride could not be wrangled, nor the way he relished this simple, profound display of unthinking trust. It spoke to a level of peace and contentment Kuai Liang had never thought to gain from him, a man who had once been his enemy, a man who had once wished him dead. The ink had dried on their treaty long ago, but it felt as if only now it had cemented.

Kuai Liang cherished every new facet of Hanzo he saw in the days since their alliance, and this proved to be no different. He'd seen Hanzo meditate many times, had even joined him, but he'd never seen him truly in repose.

He knew he should wake Hanzo, call their meeting to a close and encourage him home, but Kuai Liang never claimed not to be a selfish man. It was wrong, undoubtedly, to knowingly linger in a moment of Hanzo's vulnerability, but the warmth of his body pressed close, the soft brush of his hair against his shoulder—he was too compelling.

He had half-expected Hanzo to stir when he'd plucked the tablet from his grasp, but he truly seemed dead to the world. Kuai Liang, hesitant and curious, carefully brought up his arm, gently brushed a lock of hair from across Hanzo's face back over his shoulder where it had come loose from the bun—and still, Hanzo peacefully slumbered on, undisturbed.

A smile twitched on Kuai Liang's lips, a private one of unbearably plain affection. He would never be caught with such an expression, but here, alone in the small hours of the night, he allowed himself this moment.

Hanzo's hands, open and limp in his lap, were another temptation altogether—but he did not dare. He had been lucky, thus far, but he would not be foolhardy.

Only this, Kuai Liang told himself. Such a rare moment of reliance from the normally so disciplined Grandmaster—only extreme overwork and exhaustion had pushed Hanzo this far, and once he woke, Kuai Liang knew this incident would be the only one of its kind.

His heart ached in his chest, bruised and bittersweet, but Hanzo's friendship was something he would not give up for the world.

But the knowledge this moment may very well be the only one that he would ever experience Hanzo's closeness—outside of, perhaps, a spar—gave him courage. Enough that he pressed his lips—just the slightest bit of pressure—to the top of Hanzo's head; his first and last confession.

He regretted the motion the instant it was over. Immediately, he felt the change in the air, the sudden tension in Hanzo's body as he stiffened. It made Kuai Liang respond in kind, utterly still, face drained of blood.

For a moment, they both lingered in that horrible stillness, the silence screaming with panic and dread.

Then, very, very slowly, Hanzo raised his head from Kuai Liang's shoulder. His dark eyes were difficult to meet, but Kuai Liang would not balk, not even from this.

Aside from lifting his head, Hanzo did not move, did not burst into flame or send Kuai Liang crashing through the wall as he half-expected. Yet it was almost worse, somehow, the way he stirred, brows furrowed, expression dark and wary.

Slowly, voice still sleep-roughened, Hanzo spoke.

"...Did you just kiss me."

There was no question, only a flat, emotionless statement that filled Kuai Liang with dread and made him wish dearly for the blow he'd expected.

Mouth dry, already seeing their friendship dissolve before his eyes, Kuai Liang said, just as quietly, "Yes."

Hanzo's eyes widened slightly, as if he hadn't expected the confirmation despite knowing the truth.

He blinked. He searched Kuai Liang's face, but if he was seeking doubt or teasing, or even a lie, Kuai Liang had nothing of the sort to show him, only brutal, unvarnished honesty.

Hanzo glanced away and Kuai Liang braced himself for anything—a gentle rejection, a reprimand. Perhaps only a burst of flame and scorch marks left behind in the spot Hanzo sat.

A quiet breath, and Hanzo met his eyes, the set of his features determined and impassioned.

"Do it again," he commanded.

Kuai Liang was like a mountain, so absolute was his stillness. It was his turn to search Hanzo's face for deception, but there was none to be found, only fire, only a dark smolder—familiar and foreign at once, a dare, a challenge, a promise.

Kuai Liang did not dare try Hanzo's patience with indecision. He forced himself from the tight draw of his body, reached out, fingertips whisper-soft against the short hairs of Hanzo's beard.

"Yes, Grandmaster," Kuai Liang murmured.

For all that he'd longed for a moment such as this, Kuai Liang was unwilling to rush, eager as he was. He pressed his forehead to Hanzo's, soaked in the brush of their noses, of Hanzo's warm breath on his lips, the exquisite expectation that hung in the air, that made his heart slam against his ribs and his hands tremble with the repressed urge to snatch Hanzo close and never let him go—before he came to his senses and realized what he had asked for in his surely sleep-addled state.

But the anticipation compromised years of disciplined training and impatience won out. Kuai Liang tilted his head, just slightly, and kissed Hanzo.

One touch, and Kuai Liang understood why the Lin Kuei had once forbidden attachment. The swell of desire, of aching, near-obsessive addiction, was swift and all-encompassing. Hanzo's lips were warm and dry, just as tentative as his own as they met and parted and met again. And when Hanzo's touch came, one strong fist grasping at the fabric across his chest, Kuai Liang could not stop the tide of fierce, craving want.

Hanzo sucked in a sharp breath when Kuai Liang suddenly surged forward and pushed him back, but he did not resist being pressed to the floor. His arms wrapped around Kuai Liang's shoulders, helped erase even the illusion of distance as their chests met and they sank into one another. Their lips grew bolder, the kiss grew deeper, and it was as if the only air to be had was only what could be found in the other.

Kuai Liang could conceive of nothing more entrancing than the slight hitch of Hanzo's breath when their tongues touched, no sound more seductive than his quiet moans, coaxed out by Kuai Liang's own hands, by his own touch. Nothing had ever enthralled him like the sensation of Hanzo's body, strong and pliant and laid out, willingly, beneath his, nor the silky caress of Hanzo's long hair when he dragged his fingers through it.

Kuai Liang did not regret the reformation of his clan, but for the first time since he'd become Grandmaster, he reflected on the old ways with new understanding. Because this? This bottomless desire, that coaxed all reason from his mind and consumed him absolutely? It felt too good not to be forbidden.

At long last, the annoying, persistent need to breathe pulled their lips away, although they barely strayed more than a few inches as they panted.

Kuai Liang could not drag his eyes away from the rosy flush of Hanzo's skin, the soft flutter of his eyelashes when he opened them, so swept in their passion and only now brought back to reality.

They watched one another a moment, the only sounds to be heard their harsh breaths and the mad thunder of Kuai Liang's heart.

Then, slowly, Hanzo smiled. Pleasure warmed his face into an expression of quiet, almost shy happiness Kuai Liang had never seen before—a smile Kuai Liang had caused.

And when he pressed his lips to Hanzo's again, amidst his low chuckles of happiness, Kuai Liang was smiling, too.

[pineconesarecrunchy]

Pillow

Edelgard x F!Bylteh

(Byleth tries to help Edelgard sleep better at night, but things take a turn.)

Note: This is post time skip, minor spoilers for that!

...

Another day goes by means another busy day full of planning. Ever since your return, Edelgard has been excited to catch you up with everything, but being an empress has its own demanding duties. Edelgard has matured so much since your first encounter. Seeing her directing and giving orders makes you feel her power just by standing near her and being in her presence alone. Her stern and serious attitude remains as she keeps up a strong front defending her ideologies and carrying out missions in order to fulfill her end term goal. Her determination is astonishing and the front that she puts up has not changed at all over the five years. Two things haven't changed within those years, her soft spot for you and her persistent nightmares...

Edelgard's nightmares have gotten progressively worse since the last time you had discussed the sensitive topic with her before the five years of your absence. You notice recently that with each passing day that it has begun to take a toll on her. You wonder if proposing to stay by her side as she sleeps will help ease her fears.

It's a dark now, almost around midnight, and there are not many people roaming the monastery at this time except for you. You walk up to Edelgard's room door and give it a soft knock.

"El..." Only silence replies. She usually is awake at this hour, what could she possibly be doing? You slightly push the door open to see the room is...empty? You begin to give yourself to a self guided tour of her room. Her bed is neatly made but sitting atop of the duvet is an armored bear stuffed teddy you gave her when you first began your days at the monastery. She kept it. That thought brings a smile to your face as you walk over to her windowsill aligned with badges and medals. To the right of it is her desk, sitting on it are a stack or various papers. The one on top is a drawing of someone who looks...awfully familiar. It's not something Ignatz could conjure that is for sure, but is certainly a portrait of you. You open the desk drawer to see an uncovered box of hair pins and ribbons that she used to wear back in the day. You take one of the ribbons and bring it to your nose. It smells just like her and feels as if she's in the room.

"Professor?" You drop the ribbon and slam the drawer close almost immediately.

"E-Edelgard! You...startled me." You mumble as you examine the figure standing in the door frame. Edelgard looks disheveled and sweaty. Her white hair is up in a messy bun, but some strands have fallen and cling tightly to her face. Her nightgown clings to her damp chest and you realize how sheer her gown is and look away abruptly. "Sorry for intruding."

"Snooping are we. I never took you for a peeping-Tom, Professor."

"Byleth."

"...Byleth." She takes a step inside. "Is there something you need from me? It's awfully late."

"I just wanted to see how you were."

"Why?" She asks carefully, sounding like she already knows what you are eluding to.

"The past few days you have seemed more distracted and disorientated than usual, and I think your nightmares are the culprit. Your current state right now—"

"I am... I am not in the best appearance right now to be disagreeing with you." She says nervously. "I guess there is no use in hiding it from you. It's like you can almost read my mind." She chuckles.

"Perhaps I can."

"Then what am I thinking right now?" She seems like she genuinely wants you to guess. Her expression is curious, her thin eyebrows raised with a small smirk.

"Edelgard, you are avoiding the topic at hand. Please tell me what is troubling your dreams."

"Okay." She sighs and walks over to her bed and sits on it. she pats the empty space next to her beckoning you to join her. You walk over to her side and once you sit down she rests her hear on your shoulder. She entangles her arm with yours and grasps your hand. Your shoulder begins to feel hot form her extremely warm body. Edelgard's sweat seeps into your shoulder making your arm feel slightly damp, but you do not mind. You are fulfilling your promise you made to her all those years ago.

To be there by her side.

"My nightmares have been getting progressively worse."

"What do you think is the cause of them? Is it the next upcoming battle?"

"Yes. I...My dreams are vivid. The next battle I, I am a bit worried."

"You will be victorious; I am sure."

"That is not of my concern."

"Is it the enemy?"

"That is what I am worried about."

"Do you know who is the main target?"

"I have to fight family."

"Oh..."

"Yes."

"Dimitri?"

"Yes."

"You dream fearing fighting him?"

"I dream of being the cause to his demise. I dream of him being the cause of my demise." She squeezes your hand even harder. "I even have moments where I envision both of us living our final seconds looking into the eyes of someone we had loved and grown up with. I wish I did not have to fight him."

"You will cross that bridge when we get there."

"But, that bridge is soon."

"That battle isn't soon, it's not until about three moons or so away!"

"That is very soon for me. I — I cannot, I know it is business matters and it is inevitable, but I am so scared, Byleth. Being the reason of suffering to the one you care deeply for... It is unfair! It is so unfair!" She turns away to choke in her sobs. "Why did we have to be on opposite sides. If he had come to his senses, I wouldn't have to fight him, why is this so dastardly unfair!" She throws herself into your chest and cries, grasping onto your arms.

Edelgard's breathing is staggered and heavy. She shudders and trembles with every inhale and exhale. You can only imagine this is how she has been for every battle she has fought in the five years without your presence. You rub her back with one hand and pat the back of her head with the other. With every second passing, the clothes around your chest gets wetter with her tears. Suddenly she pushes you away and stands up.

"I should not be doing this." She says sniffling and rubbing the tear crust from her eyes and cheeks. "This, is unprofessional."

"No it is not."

"I, Edelgard von Hresvelg, Emperor, should not be crying over something so trivial as to fighting an enemy—" She sounds like she is getting upset with herself for being vulnerable. She shouldn't be.

"I would be upset too if I was in your place about to fight my brother."

"I am not upset!"

"You are being open about your worries to me, there is nothing trivial about that."

"This is so embarrassing." She groans.

"Being worried is nothing to be embarrassed or humiliated about, it is human nature."

"It is not what an emperor should do. I have to set an example and be fearless and—Why did you even come here?"

"Edelgard, I love you."

"What?"

"I love you and care about you."

"So you come here to listen to my anxieties and then confess your love to me when I am the most vulnerable—"

"I love and care for all of the people here. I simply noticed you were acting different and came to see if I could help in anyway and even stay by your side as you sleep for comfort. But, my intentions are clearly being mistaken and so I will see myself out." You head for the door. "Goodnight, Lady Hresvelg."

"Wait!" You stop midway in the door frame.

"What?" "I will take up your proposition."

"Excuse me?"

"To sleep by my side... It sounds...nice.... Hold on, come here." You turn around to see her pull out a stool from underneath her dresser. "Let me change out of this gown first." You go and sit on the stool. Edelgard goes over to her wardrobe and starts rummaging through.

"Should I turn around?" you inquire.

"Why? We have seen each other in the bathhouse before."

"Have we?" You cannot recall ever seeing Edelgard in the bathhouse before. You tend to go late at night of early in the mornings where there are no occupants. Has Edelgard seen you before, but not approached you? Edelgard...who would've thought you were one to act like that... "What were you doing this late at night?"

"I had woken up after imagining Dimitri's blood staining my gloves and axe handle; so I went for a walk."

"A fast walk I presume? You were sweating quite a lot."

"It was more of a ...run."

"Where to?"

"Just around the monastery, the bridge outside the cathedral looks stunning this time. What were you doing?"

"Looking for you."

"...Oh...What about before then?"

"I was scurrying around doing minor quests for people. Gardening, collecting items for people, returning lost items; the usual stuff."

"How helpful." You hear a final snap of her gown. "You may turn around now." The new night gown she wears is cream colored and reflects her pale skin. It is just as sheer... no even more sheer and see through than her first gown. Her messy bun is redone and her gaze rests upon her bed. She walks over to it and plops down. Propping her left arm up to rest her head upon and look at you.

"Are you going to watch me as you sleep?" You inquire.

"No." She mumbles and turns to lay on her back, starring at her ceiling.

You sit in silence for a bit. "Would you like me to blow out the candles?" You inquire.

"Yes, please." You walk around the room blowing out the candles around the room before returning back to the stool. The moonlight is now the only source of light in the room and it shines brightly through the large windows. A few more minutes past.

Then a few more.

Edelgard's face leaves a blank soft emotionless expression. Her skin looks so soft, if you were to touch it, it would probably be so smooth and smell of fresh carnations, her favorite flower. Edelgard groans.

"Is there something the matter?" You ask.

"Could you..." She pauses. The silence is deafening. "Could you get in with me?"

"Sleep with you?"

"...Yes. If it's not too much trouble." Why would it be too much trouble? That is the main reason you came here.

"But, I'm still in my outing clothes."

"It does not matter, you can borrow one of my night gowns if you so please." You hesitate. Accepting would be completely out of line for the Emperor and you as her aid. If anything it would feel awkward because a few hours ago she was yelling at you for misunderstanding your intentions. You really should not accept.

"Sure." To your reply, Edelgard quickly gets out of bed and rummages through her wardrobe again.

"This would look nice on you." She says holding up a royal blue nightgown. Royal blue is a pricey color of clothing. "Don't think about the color's wealth. Just try it on."

"It's like you're reading my mind, Lady Edelgard."

"Oh how the tables have turned and please, it's El."

"Thank you, El." you say and she smiles. You take the gown out of her hands. The two of you stand awkwardly there.

"I should... I will be waiting in bed."

"Okay."

"You can change here." She gestures to the unfolded room divider next to her wardrobe. You did not even notice its presence the first time. Maybe that's where she had changed when you were looking away.

You stand behind it and change while hearing her rustle the sheets and return to bed. You feel as if her eyes are scanning you through the paper frames in the divider, but how could you tell except for only the feeling of it. She could be watching but she could not...just like at the bathhouse. When you finish Edelgard is laying in bed facing away from you, you clear your throat to let her know you're done. She turns around.

"Byleth, it looks stunning on you."

"Thank you. Um, where should I put my clothes?"

"In the drawer next to the wardrobe, second drawer." You open the second drawer and place your neatly folded outing clothes in the empty space next to Edelgard's. The clothes there are of a deep crimson, each are neatly folded. You see a divider between the clothes and a small rectangular box. Glancing over your shoulder to see Edelgard isn't looking, you peek in the box. Then immediately close it once you see a glimpse of the assortment of lace—

"Is there an empty space there?" she asks groggily.

"Yes! Yes, I, I am coming." You say closing the drawer and joining Edelgard in bed.

You lay on your backside looking at the ceiling while her back is towards you. You were right, she does smell of carnations. She turns to face you and you cannot help but glance at her for a moment before looking away again. You feel her slender arm wrap around your waist and another one of her arms wrap around yours; pulling you closer to her. She places her head on your chest like it's a pillow. You can feel her breathe more slower than before now that she's calm. This feels nice.

What are you thinking? How this moment makes you feel is irrelevant. You are here to support Edelgard and help ease her nightmares. Only that and —She begins to softly snore.

How adorable...

...

The next few days Edelgard has been asking you to join her in her slumber to help ease her nightmares. This time you bring your own nightgown, but she insists you should wear one of hers as a thanks. You never give in though. She let you save the blue nightgown from your first night with her, but you never wear it. You keep it hung up in the front of your wardrobe as it smells of her carnation scent. Edelgard seems that she has returned to her diligent self. Working hard and focussed on the tasks at hand. You have not spoken about if her nightmares have changed. Sometimes she would start to sweat in the middle of the night and her breathing would increase rapidly. You would just hold her and tell her everything is alright and you're here for her until Edelgard ceases and calms down. She never uses the pillows in her room anymore, just your chest is a good enough pillow for her.

You can't help but wonder if the frequency of her nightmares are the same or if she's using that as an excuse to spend time with you...

Each passing day spent with Edelgard is a day closer to the reality of her nightmares...

...

SO I — Accidentally deleted the first half so it may not be as descriptive and well done as the rest because I was re writing it and not writing on the spur of the moment. But AAA my first Edelgard/Byleth fic! May/may not make this into a series lol who knows.

[mrs-dynamight]

Be Nice To Me

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou x fem!Reader, Denki Kaminari x fem!Reader

Warnings: Eventual mature content, angst, hurt/comfort, love triangle, the reader is lowkey toxic, everything will be adressed in every episode (:

Chapter warning: Swearing but just a little bit of it. Everything else is pure Fluff.

Chapter: 1/? I'm planning about 20, maybe even a little more.

Synopsis: You're in love with your best friend Bakugou, and you're cofessing to him but things get a lot more complicated when Denki starts to treat you different *wink wink*

Word count: 1.1k

Author's note: Heeey! This is my first fic ever in life, I had this idea rotting in my brain and I've been dying to write it for soo long, it is lowkey inspired of something that happened in mi DR. English isn't my first language so if you see any grammar mistakes please lemme know. Luv ya.

Chapter 1 I wanna be Yours- Arctic Monkeys

I’ve been in love with Bakugo Katsuki since our first year in the UA, I mean yeah, he’s got some issues to deal with, but he was able to go through a lot of stuff, he was kidnapped, marked as a problem child and been a victim of this disastrous “hero society”, but in the end he is just a loud kid who likes to win, there is absolutely nothing wrong with him wanting to be the no. 1 hero. Isn’t it?

Today is the day, the first day of our last year in this hero academy that made the promise of turning kids like us into saviours of the people, it’s been a long journey since the selection exam and at first I was kinda shocked that I really gotten into class 1-A, since there was people with better kirks than mine, I used to think that drawing things in my skin was way less impressive and useful than shooting lightings, make things float or throwing acid, but I grew fond of my quirk thanks to our talented teacher Mr. Aizawa and the marvellous All Might, and in this day I’m really proud of everything we have accomplished as students, and that is why I am going to confess my undying love for the ash blonde guy this year.

I’ve waited enough time I know, but there was so much more I had to know before telling him, at first I was completely sure he and Kirishima were boyfiends, but it turns out they just love each other in a soulmate-ish kinda way, and of course be sure Bakugo actually likes girls (although neither of us actually knows what does he like cause he never talks about that stuff), my best friends Deku, Shoto, Ochako, Tsuyu, and Tenya have been listening me rambling about Katsuki for two whole years so we made a 12 steps-ish program for confessing, but now that is time for the first step I’m nervous as I can be, sure it’s easy, it’s not like it is the first time actually talking to him but it surely feels different. I grab my stuff and wait by the class 3-A dorms stairs, but the one who comes up is no other than my favourite pokemon in the flesh.

-Well if it isn´t L/N Y/N in person- Said Denki Kaminari with a big smile and a non matching sleep deprived face – I appreciate you waiting for me to walk to class together but I have to eat breakfast first, Sero bought this new cereal who is basically just marshmallows and colourful tiny stuff and I’m dying for tasting it but you know how Aizawa don’t like when I eat sugar before class, or during class, or after, In fact I don’t think he wants me eating sugar at all, but it just tastes sooo good, Y/N wanna gab something for lunch?-

-No thanks Denki, actually I’m waiting for Bakugo, I have a couple questions about his internship, you know quirk related stuff, and… uhh just school things I guess, but please tell me if the cereal tastes good, now I’m dying to know- I say with a bit more nervous expression that I planned, but I don’t think Denki notices

-I’ll let you know, good luck with Bakubro, he’s angrier that usual today- Said the yellow haired boy.

And just as he said that a Redhair and a Blonde came downstairs, my heart skipped a beat when Bakugo looked at me with that gorgeous crimson eyes.

-Good morning Y/N!- Said Kirishima with his usual brighter than the sun smile

-Morning, draw- Said Bakugo in his usual raspy voice. C

onsidering how almost every one of us in class A were upgraded from “extras” to some sort of specific quirk related nickname “Draw” was one of the best, and I think it was because of how close he and I have grown, ever since we started training together after the UA sports festival of our first year, I was beat up so easily by Tetsutetsu that I had to practically beg for assistance and of course, Bakugo being the winner and also no. 1 in class was the perfect choice, two years has passed and I can say with confidence that he is my best friend, he would deny it completely if someone asked it, but I think he also enjoys my company, I have seen him laugh, cry, complain about family or whatever, and even blush when I asked if he and Kiri where a thing, and my feelings toward him only grew and grew.

-HeyBakugo, wannawalktoclasstogether? Ihaveacoupleofquestionsaboutinternshipsandthisthinghappendwithmyquirk and… – I was so nervous that I spoke way too fast.

-Have you been drinking that monster stuff that shitty hair and Pikachu are into? Because I didn’t understand a single word coming from your mouth, now besides tutoring you in kicking ass I have to make sure you know how to speak? – Bakugo said with his usual mocking kinda bully tone

-Hey, just wanted to walk you class, what if some crusty-looking guy wants to kidnap you on the way there? AGAIN – I said with some defiance tone, Denki busted into laugh and Bakugo give him a killing stare.

- ‘Tch, let’s go then, shitty woman- Was that a blush? Maybe I crossed the line but bitch I might be.

This was the first part of the plan, just casually invite him on a date, I know him, he can’t say no to 8x spicy ramen and a night at the arcade (anything were he can fight and win, thank God for Bakugos competitiveness)

-So Katsuki, I was wondering if you are free on Friday, there is this new ramen place, and they have this extra spicy ramen challenge that I just know you can beat- I say holding my breath to not sound so nervous, why am I so nervous? This is Bakugo, we’ve been friends for two whole years, we’ve hung out together a lot of times, sure with Kiri, Mina, Denki or Sero, but, it counts, right?

- Huh? Friday? Yeah why not, bet that I can beat you at eating too, should I tell shitty hair? – He said.

-Actually I have only two coupons so I was thinking we just both go after school, I also want to beat your ass in Mario Kart so maybe a ramen and arcade afternoon? – Yeah Y/N confidence, relax, you got this.

-Beat me in something? I doubt you can be able to do that woman, but sure, let´s give it a try then, just don’t hate me for being better than you in everything- He said with a smirk in his face, God he’s gorgeous.

-You wish Katsuki- Yeah that’s better, this is the friendship we have built for over two years, everything is going to be just fine.

OMG! Thanks for reading, if you wanna be tagged in the series please lemme know.

Part 2 here

[songbirdsingingthings]

This request (if it's still an option) might be a little odd and will admittedly stay more feminine, but if i may?

Might i request a small shoto x reader story where the reader is a practicing witch? It's something i personally am into and i think it would be fun to read. Imagine shoto learning about spell candles, crystals charging positive energy, tarot cards, that stuff, because the person he likes uses them a lot.

It might be a touch vague, plot wise, but from west I've read it's sure to be something you can make amazing. Thank you very much. (Anonymous because this is my first time ever requesting something like this and I'm way to shy about it.)

Intuition - Shouto Todoroki x Reader

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters, they belong to Kohei Horikoshi

MHA Masterlist - Main Masterlist

WARNINGS: Fluff, Swearing (It’s Bakugou, so, that’s kinda a given)

Requested by Anonymous:

A/N: Hi!!! I am so sorry that this took me freaking AGES to write. In between trying to research and find reputable sources to learn from about what you requested and dealing with school stuff (honestly, my teachers just think that all of my free time should be filled with school work smh) I finally FINALLY finished! I really hope you enjoyed, and I really found it interesting learning about all these things! <3

Word Count: 1.5K

“Y/N, may I ask you a question?” Shouto’s smooth voice cut through to your senses, rousing you from the book you currently had your nose in. Sitting just inches away from you was the red-and-white haired boy, the textbook he had been consulting now bookmarked and set next to him. With a raise of your eyebrow in curiosity, you marked your page and nodded.

“What’s on your mind?” You ask, leaning a bit closer to him. Shouto, being your boyfriend for now 2 months and comfortable with touch, wrapped a light arm around your waist.

“I was just curious about your choice of decor for your dorm, it’s quite unique.” A knowing smile graced your lips as your gaze left his handsome face and flitted around your dorm. On top of shelves, all over your desk, and even on the balcony windowsill you had, crystals and candles dotted the room. A smile graced your lips as you saw Shouto’s eyes on the various beloved items.

“I guess you can say it’s unique,” You start to say, standing from your spot on the floor and going over to your desk and taking your favorite crystal into your hand. It was a simple clear quartz cluster but it’s been with you the longest. You motion for Shouto to stand up next to you so he could see it more clearly. “This one is a clear quartz,” you explain as he bends down so that his eyes are eye-level with the crystal.

“It’s beautiful,” he murmurs, his gaze transfixed on the quartz. With a laugh, you carefully place it back down on your desk.

“Well, it’s not all just a pretty face. It’s actually charged with a lot of healing energy, so it’s provided some real tranquility in my life.” Shouto’s eyes narrow in confusion, looking back up to yours.

“You’re not telling me that this crystal has a quirk, do you?” He asks, genuinely perplexed. With a bark of laughter, you shake your head.

“No, no, it doesn’t have a quirk. I’ve just been charging the crystal myself.” Still sensing some bewilderment from your boyfriend, you grab a few different items - the quartz, a spell candle from your windowsill, and a pack of tarot cards from your desk - and lead him over to your bed to sit down. “A lot of the things I have in my room have a more… spiritual side to them. Basically with things like crystals, I charge them with positive energies. I do this by cleansing them and then emanating positive thoughts, intentions, or words to the crystals themselves.” Shouto nods, seemingly understanding that concept.

“Are the candles and cards similar?” He wonders. 

“Well, they’re all similar in the way that they’re part of witchcraft. People who are practicing witches usually have some, if not all, of these things and probably a lot more. I’m kind of in the low-key part of witchcraft since I don’t really cast spells or am part of a coven or anything, but I really enjoy it.” You gush, causing Shouto’s cheeks to heat up a bit. He’s always loved seeing you so passionate about things whether it be in classes or during hero training, but your passion here was on a whole other level.

“Interesting,” he says, “so what purpose do the candles serve?” His interested tone causes a giddy smile to flicker across your face, sending you into ‘explanation mode’.

“The candles are actually pretty cool. Like the crystals, it’s recommended that you cleanse and charge them in order for them to work. I usually buy these from that crystal store on mainstreet, and this one is one of my favorites! It’s actually one for my zodiac sign,” you tell him, holding the glass holder up in front of him so that he could read the label. 

“And the cards?” He asks, leaning over to view the pack of cards.

“Oh! Those are tarot cards.” “I’m assuming they are pretty different from regular cards?” He asks, a little smirk on his face.

“You would be right in assuming that, yes,” you say, giggling while sliding the deck out of its container. You give the deck a few shuffles. “They can help to gain insight on peoples’ futures by drawing cards that represent your past, present, and your future.” Shouto’s eyes widened.

“They can tell your future?” He exclaims, a little wary but also excited about the prospect of it.

“Yeah, you want me to give you a reading?” 

“Yes!” Shouto says quickly. Your heart warms at his enthusiasm as you let your shuffling come to a stop. Spreading the cards out in your hand, you hold them face down in front of your boyfriend.

“Okay, pick three.” You say simply, yet Shouto still hesitates.

“Is there a strategy for picking them?” He asks.

“Just go on your intuition. Pick what your heart tells you to.” You murmur. Shouto nods slowly and lets his fingers hover over the cards. He lets his fingers dangle for only a minute before picking his three cards and setting them on your bed covers. With a satisfied smile, you straighten up the rest of the cards, set them aside, and turn your attention to the three he picked. You turn them over one by one. His first card, representing his past, is The Tower. The second card, representing his present, is the Death card. And finally, representing his future, he picked the The World card. As Shouto’s eyes rake over his cards, they settle and widen comically at the middle card.

“Uh, oh no, Y/N I picked death.” He said, his breathing becoming a little shallow at his sudden spurt of panic.

“That’s okay Sho, just let me give you your reading, yeah?” You soothe, urging him to calm down. With a hesitant nod, he settles down a bit. “Okay! So for your first card, you chose The Tower. Now this card represents sudden upheaval, broken pride, and disaster. Think back to your past whether it be just yesterday or years beforehand. I know you had a tough childhood and growing up was never easy for you,” you say, trying to empathize with Shouto. He nods acceptingly, having already acknowledged his past.

“Yes, this card makes sense.” He simply says. Your gaze focuses next on the middle card - Death.

“I know this card can look a little scary, but I promise it’s not.” You say, trying to gently ease Shouto into the idea that his current present is represented by death. “The Death card represents the end of a cycle, new beginnings, and metamorphosis. Think and turn your consciousness to your thoughts right now. Think about how much you have changed from your past, and find solace in the end of that cycle and the beginning of a new one.” Shouto closes his eyes and unconsciously begins to smile, causing your own to shine brighter.

“That is a comforting thought. I never thought I could find relief from a card that says death on it.” He remarks, opening his eyes back up to yours. You could tell he was eager to hear about his last card - his future.

“And your final card is The World. I’m not being biased or anything, I promise you I’m not, but this is one of my favorite cards.” You admit, earning a sparkle to show in your boyfriend's eyes. “The World card represents fulfillment, harmony, and completion. Try and imagine your future. This completion and fulfillment could come in the form of many things whether it be your career, your friendships-”

“A romantic relationship?” He asks, his cheeks now burning with red. You feel yourself begin to fluster and the silly smile across your face causes you to look at your hands.

“Yes, this card could potentially apply to a romantic relationship.” You murmur softly. You busy yourself with cleaning up the cards and putting them back in their container, still flushed with the thought of Shouto hoping for harmony within your relationship. However, your thoughts are put to a halt when Shouto has a soft hand beneath your chin, gently angling your head so that your eyes meet his.

“I like the thought of a fulfilling relationship with you.” He confesses, his doe eyes causing you to melt.

“I, uh, Shouto the card might not be referring to that though.” You stammer, your eyes flicking in between his and his lips.

“You said that I should go on intuition beforehand, yes?” He asks, wanting you to confirm. When you nod your head, his smile turns into a smirk. “Well then my intuition tells me that the card is referring to us.” And in one fluid motion, his lips are on yours. Like always, they’re soft, slow, and sensual… and you can never get enough of them. With one hand going up to play with his hair and the other one wrapping around his neck, you press yourself closer to him as he kisses you more feverishly. 

“Thanks for my reading,” he says breathlessly, each word in between kisses. You yourself are breathless as well, sinking into his embrace like puddy.

“Anytime.”

[moonlit-mizukage]

Epilogue

Summary: U.A.’s third year student y/l/n Y/n, has had a crush for a long time on Todoroki Shouto. One day she decides to write an anonymous love letter, sticks it under his door. She confessed her love and asked him to meet under the Cherry tree Saturday at 4pm. She prepared with her friends for this moment, but what happens when someone else takes credit for the letter? (All characters aged up to third year!)

An: LAST CHAPTER 😭Posting a thankyou page as well!! The pic I used for y/n is a super random pic online of an anime drawing of a girl I thought looked cool, But please imagine it's you in the spot instead!! I just needed a pic for the tweet lol

Third person POV 

Todoroki entered his and y/n’s shared apartment. Seeing you in your fanciest y/f/c dress, he could feel himself instantly smile. 

“You ready baby?” She picked up her purse and walked over to him, wrapping your arms tightly around him. 

“Of course Sho.” 

He grabbed her hand and walked her outside. They walked in comfortable silence for some time before walking into a small park. Y/n chuckles, 

“We are dressed a little fancy for a park Sho.” 

“I promise you will love it y/n.” He smiled back.

Walking through the park as the sky soon began to light up with the stars. Walking up to a small picnic area she noticed a cherry blossom tree with string lights attached. A picnic table below set up with a beautiful table set and some candles. 

“Wow Shouto, this is beautiful.” She went to sit down as he stopped her and placed a blanket down on the seat for her to sit on without damaging her dress. “Where did you get this from?” 

“I just had it there.” He said motioning to a spot, “I must admit, I did have some help while I went to get you. I had Kirishima sit and guard the table, and of course watch the candles.” 

“It still looks amazing Sho.” He helped her sit down. He pulled a picnic basket, again y/n being confused where we kept getting everything from. He pulled y/f/f out from inside. 

“Happy anniversary y/n. I love you.” 

“Happy anniversary Shouto. I love you too.” 

After the meal, Shouto stood up and took her hand again. Leading her down to a small pound not too far away after packing up all the stuff. He left it on the table sending a quick text who you assumed was Kirishima. 

“Look over there y/n. It's so pretty.” He pointed to a random spot across the pond. 

“What is Sh-” She looked back speechless as he was now down on one knee. She placed her hand over her now open. “Oh my gosh…” 

“Y/n, from the moment we started dating and you showed me who you are, I knew you were the one I wanted to spend my life with. I love you more and more everyday. When I see you, you make me instantly smile. There's no one I would rather wake up beside, there's no one I would rather hold, so y/n.” He took a deep breath, “Will you do me the honor and marry me?” 

“YES!” She tackled him down to the ground, now laying on top of him giggling as he leaned up and kissed her. 

“I love you so much Sho.” She said as he pulled away. She sat up and so did he as he reached for the ring sliding it on her finger. 

“I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you y/n.” They stood up walking hand in hand all the way back to their shared apartment as y/n pulled out her phone to tell their friends the news. 

____________________________________________

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An: THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR COMING ALONG ON THIS JOUNERY WITH ME!! I will be posting a bigger Thank you after this is uploaded :D

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