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mandalhoerian · 28 days ago

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I have a confession. I rhonk about what would change if Caleb were a didi and not a gege because it causes a lot more drama and also gives us more of an underdog love interest vibe. Too many cool and accomplished men in the lineup, make him even more of a loser. Even if it's just a month younger or a year, the dynamic of him wanting/needing to be her protector becomes more complicated and heartbreaking, especially if she is just as protective of him.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this ever since I got your ask anon. It affected me answering my asks, honestly. I got put in the ADHD dysfunction jail until I answered this one.

Being older gives gege structure. Authority. The quiet dignity of someone who’s always one step ahead, always holding the umbrella before the storm hits. But make Caleb a didi, and everything is upside down. The gravity aspect of him is about reaching now. The protector standing steady in the rain becomes the boy chasing after your shadow, sprinting to catch up, hoping that growing taller will make him feel older, stronger, enough. His love goes beyond being a promise of safety, and becomes a question he’s terrified to ask:

"What do I have to do for you to see me the way I see you?"

Let's talk about it.

In both Chinese and Japanese media, sibling terminology is never just familial, it’s loaded with hierarchy. “Gege” and “Nii-san” come with gravitas and respect. They mean: I go first. I carry the weight. The older brother archetype comes with authority by proximity. It places him above you. He was there first. He knew you first. He sheltered you when you were small and scared.

But “didi” (弟弟 / otouto) is a different creature entirely. He’s the one you stood in front of at the doctor’s office so he wouldn’t see the needle. The one who trailed you at school with scraped knees and untied shoes, clutching whatever you told him was important. He was the excuse you gave when you lied, the person you protected your entire life because you had nobody but him. He isn't the shield like gege is. He's the reason you needed to be one. Didi Caleb is not being relied on.

He's the one being taken care of in this scenario.

And yet, the moment you tell me that this version of Caleb is trying to be your protector anyway, it gets so juicy because this means more instability. That he's trying to reverse the roles so desperately.

Let's start with the physical aspect of it. There’s something unspoken about height in this kind of dynamic. Caleb is canonically 188cm, built like a hero. It's be more interesting if didi Caleb still has his original self's appearance. So now picture this: this beefcake towers over you. He can lift you with one arm. He blocks out the sun when he steps forward.

But every time you tilt your head to look up at him, he remembers a time when he used to tilt his head up at you and got his hair ruffled. He used to be the one enveloped in your arms. You used to be so big to him back then, his immovable mountain. But how small you are now, compared to him, but still able to make him feel so small.

That physical reversal is humiliating, in that sense. Because no matter how much taller he gets, part of him is still that boy — the one you once held, and still treats as such.

It disrupts Caleb’s clean, golden-boy narrative and turns him into something the story lacks — an underdog as you say. I know the word gets used in a scrappy comic-relief way nowadays, but I mean in the most emotionally bruising sense of the word.

Canon Caleb, as gege, is tragic and noble. His story is about sacrifice and distance and crossing lines and rewriting what they were to each other and the yearning and all those complicated stuff, about smiling while holding the knife by the blade, showing that he has been harboring a different person inside and he can't be the Caleb he's carefully curated for you anymore.

But as a didi, his tragedy becomes internalized in an entirely different register.

“I don’t want to be protected by you anymore. I want to stand in front of you now — and not because I’m strong enough… but because I love you. Look at me. See me as more. I've become so much more.”

It turns his competence into a coping mechanism. His strength becomes the performance. His medals, his rank, his years in the DAA — they're desperate proof. Proof that he’s no longer a kid. Proof that he's grown into someone you might look at differently. I can imagine that he still has the househusband skills of gege Caleb, but he's picked them up so you would would depend on him entirely.

And he knows it still isn’t enough.

He knows you see him. But not like that.

You still look at him with those warm, older-sister eyes. Still cups his cheek when he’s hurt like you used to when he was twelve. Still praises him with that gentle, knowing tone—“You’ve come so far.”

And it kills him. Because he doesn’t want to be commended. He wants to be chosen.

In canon, Caleb protects the MC because he always has. It’s natural. It’s part of their shared history.

But here? He’s trying to rewrite their roles. He’s fighting upstream against the current of every time you picked him up when he fell, every time you handed him the bigger slice, every time you stepped between him and something frightening.

So what does he do?

He overcompensates. Trains until his hands bleed. Takes on impossible missions. Volunteers for frontline danger. Tries to stack achievement on top of achievement like he’s building a ladder out of childhood.

But the heartbreak is that you never asked him to. You never demanded he become your shield.

Because you never stopped seeing him as someone you needed to guard.

Colonel Caleb with this context is more jarring. When he comes back hardened and unrecognizable in the Farspace Fleet uniform, it’s still a seismic moment. The same explosion. The same presumed death. The same return from the grave, standing across from you with a stranger’s voice and a soldier’s posture.

But as a didi, that moment is like realizing the kid you once put band-aids on has grown into someone you can’t read anymore.

Again, it’s the same reunion scene. Though he emotional footing is different now.

He’s returning as someone who outgrew you while you weren't looking. And you don't know what to do with that.

Because with gege Caleb, the rupture is spiritual. He returns changed, yes, but still playing the role you remember, gentle, playful, achingly loyal. He acts the same after they skip past the interrogation.

But with didi Caleb, the rupture is personal. It feels like a betrayal you don't have the words for. Didi Caleb's personality shift adopts the Colonel more and hangs onto the title and the authority that comes from it because that's exactly what he's been looking for all his life. He doesn't "drop it" like gege Caleb does around you.

From your perspective, he grew into someone who doesn’t need you anymore. Who might never have. And that realization burns more than his absence ever did.

There’s a dissonance between who you see and who you remember. The sense of not recognizing Caleb is stronger with the didi version of him precisely because he took that opportunity to assert he's not the younger brother and he doesn't intend to reassume that role. You aren't sure if it’s safe to speak to him the way you used to. If you're allowed to be the way you used to be with him. He’s bulkier now. His shoulders broader. His jaw is set differently when he’s thinking. And he watches you with an intensity that makes your skin prickle, because it’s not the wide-eyed look of a little brother hoping for approval.

He doesn’t want your grief. He doesn’t want your relief. He wants recognition. He wants permission.

You’re responsible for Caleb. That hasn’t changed, not in your bones. It doesn’t matter how old he gets or what rank sits on his chest — you raised that boy in the ways that counted. You taught him to keep his laces double-knotted and to stop lying with his face. You were the one who pulled him through his clumsy years and every heartache he couldn’t name.

And now you’re standing in front of him again after mourning him for an entire year and he’s acting like you’re the one who needs handling.

Yes, your check-ins became less frequent after he was cleared for flight. Yes, you didn’t exactly love the whole “don’t treat me like a kid” phase.

But you're not sure if this is a phase. It's as if he’s managed to get so good at keeping you out that he can now do it with a smile. And the part that drives you completely insane is that he’s become too clever to be caught.

He withholds now instead of lying, that's a technique he's mastered. Redirection. Dissolving arguments with jokes. When you press him, he grins and says something like, “You’re worrying too much again, Jie/Nee-san. You always do.”

And maybe that’s what stings the most. That somewhere along the way, he learned how to disarm you, to dodge the questions that matter. Weaponized taking cover behind the version of himself you still remember fondly while keeping everything that actually hurts buried six layers beneath the surface.

You want to scold him. You want to make him sit down and explain what the hell happened to turn him into someone who treats your concern like static in his comms. But you can’t. Because he’s too smooth with it. So cheeky, in that maddening way he gets when he knows he’s winning a fight you weren’t even sure had started.

You can't even compute as he shuts you in his house while smiling through it all like he doesn't have you under lock and key. Who has this kid become? Where have you gone wrong with him? It's this place, the Fleet. They must have done something to him, you're sure. You have to take him away from here, this can't go on. Your Caleb wouldn't even dream of doing something like this.

So when he corners you on that couch and tells you he's not playing house anymore and is certainly not going to keep being your younger brother, it's solidified that this is a clone that must have taken his place. Even after you leave Skyhaven in the aftermath of that disaster of an investigation, a part of you believes that ridiculous notion. There is no way your heart would be racing for your didi.

And the subsequent cards and memories that unfold have no hesitancy and the quiet yearning of gege Caleb who was benefiting from the status quo and being your protector despite having a love-hate relationship with the restrictions. Didi is assertive to establish that he's a man and that he wants OUT of that zone, he doesn't want to be regarded as a younger brother and hates being treated as such.

God, I yapped SO MUCH. This AU fascinates me, thank you for sharing it with me and allowing me to talk about it anon!

#an ask for shai #fandom: lads #love and deepspace #caleb x mc #caleb x reader #xia yizhou #caleb lads #caleb love and deepspace #calebmc #caleb xia #cw pseudocest

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especiallyhaytham · 4 months ago

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Assassin's Creed: Rogue | Complete Timeline

Full document for download

A comprehensive list of all important dates and events related to Assassin's Creed: Rogue.

If you'd like to use this as a source or share to other platforms, all I ask is that you link back to this post for credit. This is just information compiled from other sources for the purpose of accessibility. Please do not edit the existing document or remove my name.

If you notice any mistakes, please leave a comment (with a source link if possible) and I'll fix it asap! I do update this regularly.

**I did not go into great detail on Haytham's POV sequence in AC3, and I also excluded events from Forsaken/Haytham's Journal. It was way more than I wanted to do at the time. However, I do want to expand this in the future to also cover AC3, and when that happens I will be more thorough. If for some reason you need information that I left out, hopefully this document at least makes it easier for your organization!

I will make a pinned post soon where this will be permanently linked. Thanks!

#assassin's creed rogue #shay cormac #haytham kenway #especially haytham #//#i think i did post this awhile ago but it was just an ask response #ive made so many updates since then i figured it was time to make a better post

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teecupangel · 6 months ago

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New idea:

Something happens, Desmond time travel to the past... But...

He become something like the Eldritch! Desmond, except that:

He adopts the child versions of his ancestors (and the others protagonist).

Like he take Arno just after his father dies.

Or he just adopt them before the canon is about to start or the start of the canon (like Shay is recently survived the Lisboa).

The Eldritch God Desmond idea that technically has an ending. Sorta.

He can only leave the Gray thanks to this holes that he can crawl out of.

The holes turn out to be the shadows underneath the bed or the shadowy part of a barely opened closet.

His form takes on a grotesque turn, as if reality itself tried to create a form for something shapeless enveloping the Gray.

That’s right.

We’re turning Desmond into the boogeyman that visits children at night XD

He first visits Altaïr after the death of Umar. The chest that held Umar’s possessions was left slightly open, almost empty because Assassins have already taken some of them back. He finds Altaïr crying and missing his father. The child wasn’t even afraid of him, not at all.

He was too tired from crying but he couldn’t sleep because, when he closes his eyes, he would see the head of his father rolling in the ground.

Desmond comforts him each night after their meeting, staying by his side and letting the boy sleep on his monstrous inconceivable body.

He was there when Abbas’ father tried to take his own life and all the Brotherhood knew was that he had gone inside, calling Altaïr a monster in his grief-stricken madness.

Altaïr grows up under the care of the monster inside his father’s closet and he’s… strange. He doesn’t see the world the same way others did. He had no loyalty to the Brotherhood. He stayed because Desmond told him he had to stay.

When he saw what the treasure was, he knew immediately that Desmond would want it.

Ezio is different. He first saw the boogeyman when Claudia was born. He had screamed in fear and the boogeyman left.

The next time he sees the boogeyman, it was when Petruccio was born. He thought he was just dreaming and ran away to Federico’s room to hide.

The final time he sees the boogeyman, it was the night before the Auditores would be arrested. The boogeyman crept from underneath Cristina’s bed and pinned Ezio, covering his mouth before he could say anything. Cristina slept peacefully as the creature whispered to Ezio.

Ezio thought he was just dreaming.

Then he learned his father and brothers were arrested and…

The creature grabbed his hand just as he opened the chest that held his father’s Assassin robes.

He whispered the same thing once more.

“Give the evidence to House Medici. Uberto Alberti betrayed your father.”

Ezio was scared, of course.

But…

He also knew that the creature was trying to help.

So he heeded his warning and went straight to House Medici.

Ratonhnhaké:ton first encountered him his first night in Achilles’ home. The closet door creaked open and he slipped into Ratonhnhaké:ton’s room. A being older and more powerful than anything Ratonhnhaké:ton had ever seen.

But he wasn’t afraid.

There was no need to be afraid.

He knew that he had not done anything to offend the being so he greeted him in his native language.

He used a thousand voices that whispered all over the room.

He simply told Ratonhnhaké:ton to not forget to eat dinner next time and left.

He became a nightly visitor, sometimes moving out of Ratonhnhaké:ton’s room to wander the manor in one of their regular walks.

Achilles confronted Ratonhnhaké:ton one morning about his nightly visitor.

“He’s a ghost that has haunted the Brotherhood. Seeing him means he’s marked you.”

“Marked me?”

“You will do great things, Connor. Maybe you will guide the Brotherhood and lead us to greater heights. Maybe you’ll leave the Templar Order in a storm of fire and ashes. You will leave your name in the Brotherhood and one day… you will disappear from this world and will never be found.”

Other possible adoptions:

- Edward would start seeing him in the chest in the captain’s room in the Jackdaw.

- Arno would see him underneath the bed in the room he was given in the de la Serre mansion. He runs away from the de la Serre once Desmond learns they’re Templars and ‘whispers’ to Arno that Monsieur de la Serre may have something to do with the death of his father.

- Jacob and Evie starts seeing him after their mother died and their father left for India. Desmond has his own ‘room’ in the train where he would slip in and out of.

- If you want to include Shay, Desmond could slip out underneath his cot in Morrigan’s captain room after they left Lisbon and Shay starts seeing him as a ‘nightmare’ haunting his guilt over what happened in Lisbon.

- Bayek would start seeing him after Khemu’s death and he thinks he’s one of the old gods, reminding him to avenge his child. (maybe Khemu even talks about Desmond as a friend who helps him sleep)

- Instead of Kassandra, we can make Desmond adopt Alexios as Deimos and turn this into ‘tired dad and chaotic mass murdering gremlin’ XD)

- Basim starts seeing Desmond in the shadows of Alamut and tries to ignore him, thinking that a spirit haunting this place would not ‘talk’ to him if he pretends that he can’t see him. Jokes on him, Desmond is there because he can ‘see’ the Isu sleeping inside Basim.

- Eivor sees Desmond her first night in Ravensthorpe and assumes he’s a spirit of the land so she treats him with respect.

#assassin's creed #ask and answer #teecup writes/has a plot #fic idea: assassin's creed #desmond miles #altaïr ibn la'ahad #ezio auditore #ratonhnhaké:ton #connor kenway #edward kenway #shay cormac #arno dorian #evie frye #jacob frye #bayek of siwa #kassandra of sparta #basim ibn ishaq #eivor varinsdóttir

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shaibonbon · 1 month ago

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Ok, after a delay of 2 days, think I'm finally ready to show my new OC, Cinnamon!! She is fox girl, part of Bonbon universe (sorry Anita) and if you haven't read my stupid long lore posts, the tdlr she is Bonbon best friend for most of their life's.

I wrote down an unorganized list of curiosities/info about her in this "semi-sheet", to help give an idea on who she is

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house-of-hamartia · 2 months ago

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Edit: I updated the artwork because I saw a mistake and so Itouched up Shay's face and hair a bit lololol.

So, I received a lovely ask earlier today, regarding the Starrick-Cormac children, and I have to be honest, I just couldn't resist and draw a small artwork with Shay and Dora and ALL the children :)

So, allow me to present Lorcán, Saoirse, Mebh, Órlaith and little Muirgen :)

They all have their peculiarities, of course:

Lorcán is the bold, daring one, with a silver tongue and a very sharp mind, and the one that will sure as heck follow in her father and mother's footsteps; He and Grandmaster Haytham intend each other even too well lol;

Saoirse is the sweetest of the house, the one that doesn't give a dry fig about the Templars but instead adores the sea and spending her time on the Morrigan with her dad to learn all about how ships work; also, she a future cartographer and a small bookworm in the making;

Mebh is basically her father's copy in small, unable to sit still for a moment, always joking around and just pestering Gist and climbing around the Morrigan, bringing along baby Órlaith wherever she goes;

Órlaith is Shay and Dottie's little angel, but do not get fooled by her sweet demeanor, for she is a spitfire, pretty much like her older sister Mebh (and I love how Mebh and Órlaith's dynamic truly mirror Dottie and Theda's one);

And finally Muirgen, the Child of the Sea, for she is only ever happy whenever she is close to the sea. She is the artist of the house, and the XVIII Century Wednesday Addams. Her big brother is the only one that actually manage to make her laugh (even though she still would bite his hand, if he pats her head ONE MORE TIME), and she will join him in the Templar Order.

I have to be honest, I *totally* headcanon that Shay is just a girls' dad: he has that kind of vibe to him that just tells him that he would be the sweetest among his princesses.

Thanks, Nonnie for the ask.

It gave me the right push to try to draw all of them together, and it was actually fun to finish their designs :)

#artists on tumblr #Assassin's Creed Rogue #Assassin's Creed #Shay Cormac #Dorothea Starrick #Guilty Pleasure #“The Bliss of the Fall”#The Wolf and the Doe #Shay//Dora #Shay/OC #My oc #Nemo Sketches #my art #Ship: Starshayde #i have the other ask also in the making #and the old suggestion for Shay and Dora as a god and his priestess :)

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fanfenomenon · 2 days ago

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Hi! I’d love to make a request!

I’d really like to see a full-body version of the “Shay cookie” you drew in your header image. I absolutely love this Shay...🥺❤️ I want a whole set of those cookies!

It doesn’t have to be cookies, though—plushies or anything else would be just as cute. Shay is adorable no matter what form they take!💗

templar cookies for sale!!!

i enjoyed making this a lot! thank you for your request ❤️

#assassin's creed #assassin’s creed rogue #ac rogue #asscreed #shay cormac #shay patrick cormac #assassin’s creed fanart #ac fanart #digital art #my art #artists on tumblr #answered asks #art requests

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wavesalwayscrash · 4 months ago

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Does the king actually love Lain? Or does he just say that as manipulation. I see it as both, he loves him but cares for his own goals more.

The King does love Lain, yeah, and he is also manipulating him, but I don't entirely see it as him "caring for his own goals more". I don't think he would've put this much effort into Lain if he did actually care about his goals more. He let Lain gain a very high rank at a very young age for no other reason than he wants Lain close. Doesn't sound like the action of someone who's more focused on the war front.

Lain makes him feel wanted and loved in a way the rest of the army doesn't due to their personal connection. Other people admire him, but Lain loves him. Which is why he switched from "Tough Top Dog Military Man" routine to "weird parental grey area" talk with Lain once they were alone. It's to make that personal connection clear, and to keep Lain close to him.

#ask #shay-meadow #Can't believe no one caught that The King switched to calling Lain ''Lain'' instead of ''Chamberlain'' as he said the last line #I genuinely have a lot of thoughts on The King's reasoning/actions and i'm gonna be honest guys #dude's like a super loser #all abusers are just pathetic losers even the ones under a seemingly charming and tough facade

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shaykesqueer · 2 months ago

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what abt F1 + FOREST for mr mountain 💚

You got it crow 🫶 one mountain man comin up!

emotion and palette challenge here!

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its-a-me-mango · 8 months ago

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How would mangos splits look if you had any (like the one fan fic split into three)

Oh boy glad you asked, I'm not super up to date or familiar with Split Into Threes so I apologise @shygirl4991 l if I'm messing it up BUT!!!!!!!! Here you go, split into Mangos

Not super original with their names so they're just Red, Yellow and Green lol but I'll try and explain them a lil

Green - Super smart, always in pursuit of knowledge, basically making it his life mission to become a walking human encyclopaedia, does it for the benefit of helping others

Yellow - Silly and carefree, this is literally just Mario like some of you forget Mango is just a version of Mario so Yellow is basically normal Mario lol.

Red - Erratic and unstable, doesn't get close to people at all, constantly disheveled and upset, fucking haaaaaaate himself so much for everything even things that are out of his control.

They're all part of Mango, some are more represented more than others and some of them clash with each other a lot but they all make up Mango in some way! Again IDK how accurate that is but uhhhh lalalaaaaaaaaaaa

now someone split mr puzzles up so I can ship all of these with him even more /j

#mango art #mangos mystery ask box #hI SHAY I LOVE YOUR IDEAS SO MUCH SORRY FOR BUTCHERING THEM LOL </3 #SMG4OC: mango

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merrycrisis-if · 6 months ago

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can't wait to be the power sapphic couple of singapore with qiu like that's right boys and girls and opressively heteronormative society we're rich y'all you can't put us down!! jokes aside it is nice to see a same sex character be quite open about their desires and wanting a second chance and a life together and also be singaporean because i've never seen and felt that in any media before and it makes me feel as tho i can also have that as my future without having to leave the country just to find a partner and to have a happy life since lots are tightly closeted here :')

Hehe hell yeah!! In the context of singapore Qiu is definitely high-flyer (queer) rep while Shay is fak the normies (queer) rep, Nat is harhar I am not from here your rules dont apply to me (queer) rep. All extremely extremely valid ways of being.

#merry crisis #interactive fiction #if #asks #qiu #shay #nat

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mandalhoerian · 3 months ago

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Xavier seems like the type of guy who doesn't like his person using toys or vibes because they're not *him*

Gets pouty and jealous if they're even mentioned.

continuation of this ask

You are so big brain, anon. It's so in character of him 😭🙏 is it healthy? no. his partner is allowed private time on their own, they don't owe him their pleasure.

But for the sake of fanfiction, picture this:

You mention, offhandedly, that you bought a toy. Just a passing remark, not even thinking about it. Maybe you were joking. Maybe you wanted to tease him. But Xavier, sitting across from you, rapid-blinks like he always does when you catch him off-guard before his face turns blank. Not cold, not angry. Just… blank.

Then he hums, a little soft sound in the back of his throat, like he's contemplating something so profound it has to be philosophical, or science-related.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why would you need that when you have me?"

No change in tone, no outward display of irritation — just that completely neutral, sky-blue stare and a perfectly level, soft voice that somehow makes it worse. Like he's genuinely baffled by the concept of you needing anything else. You're utterly unprepared for this talk and don't even think about having it in the first place, so your go-to response is laughing. And when you do, he doesn't let it go. Oh no, Xavier is the king of petty jealousy masked as cold indifference.

The toy starts to go missing.

At first, you think it's a coincidence. A case of forgetfulness. You’re sure you left it in the drawer, right where it always is (since Xavier feels a disturbance in the Force whenever you so much as breathe in its direction and things escalate each time), but when you reach for it — gone.

You tear through your bedside table, lifting books, checking between the sheets, even peeking under the bed, but there’s nothing. Maybe you misplaced it and don't even remember? It was collecting dust, after all. Maybe it fell behind something? But a full sweep of the room turns up nothing, and you’re left standing there, confused, mildly annoyed, and a little suspicious.

It happens again. And again.

Every time you try to find it, it's missing. And yet, mysteriously, whenever you’ve resigned yourself to its absence, it reappears — tucked into your pillowcase, resting perfectly in the middle of the bed as if placed there on purpose, or sitting in the drawer exactly where you swore you had checked before.

It’s eerie. Almost calculated.

And then, one evening, you try again to confirm. You check the drawer. Empty. You inhale sharply, patience hanging by a thread.

“Xavier.”

Silence. But you know he’s home.

You walk into the living room, arms crossed, and there he is, lounging against the couch, book in hand, looking up at you with that barely-there expression of vague curiosity. A little too casual. A little too composed.

You narrow your eyes. “Where is it?”

He blinks once, slow. “Where is what?”

You swear you see the corner of his mouth twitch.

“You know what.” You plant a hand on your hip, glaring. “My toy keeps going missing.”

Xavier hums, like he's actually thinking about it. “That does sound inconvenient.”

The audacity.

You march over, leaning down to snatch the book from his hands, but before you can, he moves — fast —catching your wrist and pulling you down until you’re practically in his lap, his other hand resting warm and steady against your thigh.

“I suppose,” he muses, tilting his head, voice as light as ever, “you should take better care of your things.”

Your eyes flick fast between his, and you recognize that look. That feather-light amusement. That quiet, infuriating smugness.

“You took it,” you accuse.

“I don’t know what you mean.” He’s still holding you, fingers tracing absentminded circles against your wrist. “But if you’re missing something… maybe I can offer a replacement.”

His grip tightens deliberately. Just enough to make his point. Just enough to tell you that he knows exactly what he’s doing.

And that he isn’t giving it back.

You glare at him, lips parted in an incredulous little gasp. “You—”

But he’s already tilting his head, studying you like you’re some puzzle he’s been waiting to take apart, layers peeling away with each breath. His fingers trace absent patterns along your thigh, as if he’s just idly thinking, and not actively playing with you instead of talking to you about it.

“You seem upset,” he comments, though it lacks any genuine concern. It’s all amusement, low and smooth.

“I am upset,” you shoot back, shifting in his hold, but he doesn’t let go, and worse — his grip tightens. Just enough to remind you that he’s stronger and is keeping you there for a reason. Does he want to have a conversation or else? Probably the latter. Even when he moves slow, there’s no escaping him. “Give it back, Xavier.”

He hums, running a thumb over the inside of your wrist. “What if I don’t?”

You inhale sharply, frustration bubbling over. “Then I’ll buy another one.”

His grip falters.

It’s subtle, but you feel it. A minute shift, his fingers pressing just a little tighter before his whole demeanor changes. You can see the realization flicker like a lightbulb.

He leans in — close enough that you feel the warmth of his breath against your cheek.

“That,” he whisper-says, reverent, “would be a waste.”

Your stomach does something weird at the way he says it. Low, almost contemplative, like he’s already made a decision and you’re just catching up.

You blink. “A waste?”

Xavier tilts his head, and then — finally — gives the tiniest of innocent grins. It’s the first real expression he’s given you since this whole thing started, slow and sharp-edged, something just a little too pleased with itself.

“Show me.”

You can visualize the silence that follows being captured by an imaginary camera from multiple angles for comedic effect.

For a moment, you’re convinced you’ve misheard him. But no, he’s watching you, waiting, eyes gleaming with something new. Something curious. The amusement is still there, but now it’s layered with something deeper. A slow-building, simmering interest.

“What?” you breathe, blinking up at him.

“Show me,” he repeats, completely unaffected. Ears beginning to gather color. “Let me use it.”

A rush of heat floods through you so fast it nearly knocks you off balance. This is new territory.

Your lips part, and you stammer, “Excuse me?”

Xavier doesn’t blink. Doesn’t budge. Just watches you with that perfectly unreadable expression that only makes things worse.

"You seemed very invested in this thing," he says, brushing his knuckles up your arm like he’s still thinking it over. "So I want to know what makes it so special." A pause. Then, a tilt of his head. "What makes it better than me?"

There it is.

Your heart stutters, and for a long moment, you just stare at him, caught between mortification and something dangerously close to intrigue.

“You’re ridiculous,” you mutter, trying to pull away, but his grip does not let up.

“And you’re stalling,” he counters easily. “Which tells me that you do want to.”

You make a noise — something in the back of your throat that isn’t quite a protest but isn’t quite acceptance either.

Xavier just waits.

And waits.

Until finally, with your face burning, you mutter, “Fine.”

His fingers flex around your wrist, and then, so very airily, he sighs,

“Good girl.”

And just like that — your toy is no longer missing. But now? It’s in his hands. And that might just be worse.

#an ask for shai #love and deepspace #xavier x reader #love and deepspace xavier #lads xavier #xavier lads #divider by cafekitsune

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