#so i wanted to wait assuming it'd be out and now hours later and it still isn't out

[nyxypoo]

KIRYU SISTER REVEAL

my site hasn't updated ☹️

[moon-fics]

Hey there! 👋

Can I request a Bob Floyd xreader where the reader loves food, and when they first meet each other (like he walks into a restaurant and see her), she's stuffing her face (not too crazy though) with food cuz she's hungry and she looks up at him with a deer-in-headlights look and he thinks it's adorable but she finds it embarrassing. It's something I would do, and I think it'd be hilarious to read 🙃

Do you even have to ask? I'd write this happily even if you demanded it rudely! Love it!

It's been a long, long day. Work had you up at 5am, and you slept in, so breakfast wasn't an option. You missed lunch because your boss called you into a meeting. Now, it was finally dinner and your friends had made plans with you.

Unfortunately, they weren't there when you arrived. They texted you saying traffic was so bad that they wouldn't make it until an hour later. So, you're stuck with reservations for three with just you there.

You decide not to let your reservation at this fancy restaurant go to waste. You order something off the menu that you cannot pronounce correctly, and decide to just stick with it. The worst thing that could happen is it taste terrible, but you'll eat it anyway.

The universe smiles on you because the food is divine. It's as good as the price, and you're so hungry you basically stuff your face with it. Of course, you keep your manners and wipe your lips after every bite. You're so engrossed in finally eating you don't notice the man at another table staring at you until his friends begin laughing.

You freeze at the realization that they've probably been watching you eat and have been using you for entertainment. You slow your bites and try to recover your dignity. That stops when the man staring at you approaches your table. You're stuck mid-bite when he reaches your table, and all you can do is stare up at him with wide eyes.

"I, uh, I just wanted to say you have really pretty eyes," He says nervously. His glasses fall from his face an inch, and he pushes them back up. You realize he's wearing some sort of uniform, but you aren't sure for which branch. His brown hair is neatly pulled back and cut short. You know there's a base near here, but you barely see anyone in uniform. "That's all. Thank you!" He coughs out.

He's about to scramble back to his table when you swallow your bite and stop him. "Wait, is that why you were staring at me?" You ask firmly. He spins back around with a mortified look.

"You noticed?" He sounds surprised. As if he were somehow being the sneakiest man in the world, and assumed you didn't even notice him. "No, that wasn't- I mean, yes, I was staring because you're beautiful. It was also because my friends kept telling me to approach you," He admits.

You glance past him to see his friends with wide smiles. One of them gives you a thumbs up, and it's almost laughable. This is such a romcom type of thing to happen, and yet it's happening to you. You return your focus to him.

"So, you were just going to say I look beautiful and leave?" You rest your head on your hand. Did he even think this encounter through? What did he even want to gain from it other than saying he told you? "I mean, it's nice, but usually guys ask for a number or social." You point out.

"Yeah, I was going to ask. You just looked busy with your food, and I really didn't want to be the guy who randomly asks women for their numbers." He mumbles. You feel bad for him because he clearly wants to talk to you, but he has no idea how. He probably faces dangers regularly, but this is anxiety-inducing for him.

"Ok, so why don't you join me?" You suggest while gesturing to one of the empty chairs at your table. "You seem sweet, and it would be nice not to eat alone." He nods at your proposal and pulls out the chair across from you.

You spend the rest of the night talking and learning about each other. He's a lieutenant in the Navy and a back seater. It's much more interesting than your job, so that takes away the need to bring up your terrible day. With every new topic, his eyes light up and his lips grow into a wider smile. The more time he's with you, the better he feels about approaching your table. He doesn't want the night to end and he'll make sure to thank his friends for forcing him over here.

By the end of the conversation, he offers to pay for your meal and even asks if you want dessert. You're surprised at how much of a gentleman he is, but you don't let him pay.

"So, Bob, is this more than you expected to get from saying I was pretty?" You ask as you both exit the restaurant. The mood has shifted to a more playful atmosphere. It's much better than the awkward tense one you had when first meeting.

"I said your eyes were pretty," He corrects with an amused tone. "But after spending time with you, I'd say you were more than just gorgeous." His words make your heart race. You haven't had a man act this way towards you in a long time, and suddenly he appears while you're eating food like an animal. It's humiliating and satisfying at the same time.

"Well, you'll just have to call me for more time then." You wink. It doesn't dawn on you that he doesn't have your number. It doesn't hit him either.

You only realize when you get home and check your phone. The amount of screams you unleash into your pillow is too many. There's no way you'd run into him again. You don't even know how long he'll be in the area. Your luck ran out and you're paying for it.

--

It hasn't even been two days, and you've found him. Somehow, somewhere in the cosmos, a star is fond of you. You're staring at him from across the coffee shop. He's already gotten his order, and he's about to leave. You can either let him go and get your breakfast, or risk not eating this morning to stop him.

You'll just have to starve because you don't even get to consider the choice before you're grabbing his arm. He's a lot firmer than you thought, and it catches you off guard.

His head snaps to you, and his surprise changes to relief instantly. "I don't have your number!" He blurts out. The first thing he thought about when seeing you was the reason he never reached out.

"I know!" You laugh. "I forgot to give it to you. I didn't think I'd see you again, so when I did, I didn't want to lose you," You explain. You let go of his arm and hide both behind your back. Now, it's your turn to be timid.

"I-I carried around mine on a card in case I saw you," He confesses. He pulls out his wallet and shows you a ripped-out notebook paper with his number on it. Next to it was your name with a tiny heart next to it.

[ghostly-bat]

Wanted something light and cute, me and @ily-ilysfm were messaging each other about headcannons and I absolutely loved the one they had about Damian just burrowing himself against Jon when they slept, that was a huge inspiration for this one.

I put our boys at around 17 & 18

------

"Don't you think you spoil him too much?"

"Mh?"

Jon looked over at Tim from where he was lying, on his side with Damian burrowed into his chest.

Both boys had just gotten back from school, later than usual since Jon had baseball practice afterwards, and Damian always stayed behind to watch until Jon was finished.

It gave Jon butterflies to look over at the stands and see Damian amongst the girlfriends of his other teammates. It made Jon incredibly happy that even if Damian didn't care much for sports, he was always there to watch him and wait just so they could go home together.

Plus, he also tried harder during practice when he knew Damian was watching.

And now both boys lay on the family living room couch in one of the many living rooms of the labyrinth that Damian called a home.

Their homework, (mostly Jon's), had long been forgotten on the coffee table, books and papers sprawled everywhere.

Damian told Jon he needed a five-minute nap before he could continue helping him with his calculus, and before they knew it, Jon was trapped between the couch and Damian, who was nuzzled into him.

It'd been a little over an hour. Way past 5 minutes.

Jon, of course, did try to wake Damian, but every time he tried, Damian would just grumble nonsense and move himself closer to Jon.

You could see where the problem was.

"I'm saying that I've seen you try to get up and get water like three different times, and every time you do, he just clings to you, mumbles something about not leaving, and you give in."

Tim had come home at some point after Jon and Damian but didn't immediately join them in the living room. He was now, however, seated in the loveseat, having watched Jon struggle three times already to free himself from his younger brother.

"You're allowed to get water, Jon. You can say no to him."

And by God, Tim was going to make sure that Jon got his water because it was just really sad to watch him struggle.

Jon sighed. "I know, it's just..."

Jon looked down at the smaller body pressed up against him. Damian always seemed to like curling himself into Jon, nuzzling and burying himself against Jon's chest like a cat attracted to a heater. Jon always ran hot, so he assumed that Damian just liked the heat he emanated, and while yes, that was one of the reasons why Damian liked to burrow himself close to Jon when he slept, it wasn't the only reason.

To Damian, Jon was a safe place. A safe place for him to actually feel secure enough to let his walls down, to not be on guard all the time, to feel like even if he wasn't on high alert, he'd still be protected because he had Jon.

Jon's arms were Damian's favorite place to be, wrapped in warmth and security.

Jon was his safe space.

Jon also kept the nightmares away.

And lately, it was getting harder and harder to sleep without Jon, though Damian wasn't ready to admit that yet.

As for Jon? Well, cuddling wasn't that new to them, they'd been dating for a while now, but Jon took immediate notice that whenever he made a move to try and get up from one of their prolonged nap sessions, Damian would let out the sleepiest protest of:

"Don't go... Please..."

And how was Jon supposed to say no to that?

So Tim waited. Waited for the excuse that Jon was about to give his baby brother.

"He's cute," Jon said, almost dejectedly, like he lost a battle.

"Who's cute?"

Just then, Jason decided to come into the family room only to see Tim giving Jon a deadpan look and Damian sleeping soundly curled up like a cat against Jon.

"I've been watching Jon try to get up and get water for the past several minutes, and every time he moves, Damian's like 'nooo, don't go,' and Jon just complies..."

Jason looked over to Jon.

"He's cute when he sleeps..." Jon said like that was an understandable reason for one to deprive themselves of water. Not that Jon didn't think Damian was cute any other time; it's just that an especially sleepy Damian was an especially cute Damian.

At least to Jon.

"Just push him off," Jason suggested as he made his way to the other loveseat opposite Tim's.

"No!" Jon yelled in a quiet whisper so as not to startle Damian too much. "He'd ignore me for like 3 days tops!" He pulled Damian closer to him, one arm wrapped around the smaller boy's waist and a hand cradling the back of his head like it was something fragile.

In response, Damian whimpered a quiet sound and cuddled himself deeper into Jon, if that was even possible.

Jason just shrugged.

"Then I guess no water for you."

Jon rolled his eyes before trying to get up once again.

"Mm... Jon..."

And almost as if on cue, Damian tiredly wrapped his arms around Jon's neck and made himself comfortable in the space between Jon's shoulder and neck.

"Stay..." he said in the softest voice that seemed to only be reserved for his pets and occasionally his boyfriend.

It melted Jon immediately.

Tim and Jason watched the whole ordeal with cringe and a slight sense of pity because Jon truly was a weak man.

"Okay, well... I don't really want to see the two of you cuddling in front of me, so you mind taking it upstairs?" Jason said. He really did not want to see the whole thing play out again, much less three times.

"God, Tim, why didn't you just leave?" Jason thought.

Jon nodded in understanding. He knew he wouldn't want to witness Kon cuddling with his significant other either, so he gets it.

Jon did his best to sit up with Damian still wrapped around his neck, and the other started to wiggle slightly.

"Hey..." Jon began in a soft whisper. "I'm gonna carry you upstairs, okay sweetheart?"

Tim and Jason were gagging.

Damian just clung tighter.

"I'll be with you; I'm not going anywhere." Jon gave a soft kiss to Damian's cheek before standing up with him in his arms.

Damian instantly wrapped his legs around Jon's waist while Jon hooked his arms just under Damian's legs for better support.

Carrying Damian was nothing new to Jon; he did it frequently and he actually enjoyed it. He'd take any chance he could to hold Damian; it's been that way since he was a kid.

Of course, after all the fighting and finding Damian to be straight-up annoying that is, he started to develop a crush around age 13 on his childhood best friend.

After laying himself and Damian onto the bed—a bed that Jon still couldn't believe was as big as it was.

"who needs a bed this big??"

"I do."

He remembered questioning it and Damian's real answer was more along the lines of:

"I like to share the bed with Titus sometimes."

That made sense.

He gently ran his hand up and down Damian's back, watching the other lay on his chest while Jon himself laid on his back against the mattress and soft covers.

He watched as Damian rose slightly whenever Jon took a breath in and lowered whenever he breathed out. Damian looked so peaceful and delicate whenever he slept. Most of the time when he and Jon would nap or fall asleep together, Jon was always the first one to wake up, and in those quiet moments, Jon couldn't help but stare at Damian, curled up against him like he didn't want to be anywhere else in the world.

It was both the cutest and most beautiful thing Jon had the privilege of seeing.

Very carefully, Jon brushed his thumb against the softness of Damian's cheek. His chest warmed as Damian nuzzled into it, like he knew it was Jon's hand against his cheek.

Jon's lips curved into a gentle smile as he cradled Damian's face slightly upwards to place a soft kiss against the other's forehead.

"I love you..."

He said it ever so quietly, ever so softly. It's words he'd been wanting to say for a while now. He wanted to be sure he meant them when he said them and that he wasn't so nervous and overthinking the whole situation when it came down to it.

But he knew he loved Damian; he had probably loved him since he was 14 (him and Damian didn't start dating until they were at least 15). He knew that they were still young, still teenagers, and because of that, it was hard to tell what being in love actually felt like, but Jon knew. He knew what love felt like, felt it in the way whenever Damian laughed, how whenever he smelled rain it made him think about how Damian would open all his windows when it poured. The safety and comfort of knowing that Damian would never judge him, even if he was doing something stupid. How he couldn't pass the manga section of any bookstore without taking a picture of it and sending it to Damian, asking, "Which book don't you have? I'll get it for you!"

How he loved growing up with Damian and how he'd love to grow old with him too.

Jon loved Damian, there was no doubt about it.

"I love you too..."

Jon froze.

"What?"

Damian grumbled, "I love you too..."

Jon was processing.

"Are—are you coherent enough to know what you're saying? Are you coherent enough to know what I said?"

"Yes, I'm coherent, tired but still coherent," Damian said, making himself more comfortable on top of Jon.

"I... I thought you were out cold," Jon was stammering.

"I was before you decided to move us upstairs..."

"Oh..."

Well, might as well say it again just for good measure, Jon told himself.

"I do really mean it, though... I love you..."

Damian nuzzled against Jon, feeling the softness of his shirt and the smell of the laundry detergent that Jon's mom used.

Lavender.

"I know... I love you too..."

And Jon couldn't exactly tell when Damian went back into deep sleep, but he had to restrain himself from the giddiness he felt bubbling up inside of him, so he settled for just wrapping his arms around Damian, holding him as closely as he could, and smiling like an idiot as the other slept.

He couldn't be happier.

He also never got his water...

Though he could honestly care less.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Now I'm imagining a courtnapping sequence with Wukong and Macaque. Like... for soem reason I get the feeling it'd be Wukong who gets kidnapped in one of these? Tbw Great Sage Equal to Heaven would be a very tempting potential mate and it's not like her and Macaque were very public before.

Well. It's about to become VERY public when a very young Macaque goes full jaiju for the first time in an attempt to save Wukong and reverse courtnapping him. The reason Wukong couldn't fight back was because he was young, arrogant, and drugged. This was during the Journey, but Wukong doesn't remember it happening due to the fact he was knocked out for the majority of the time.

Years later, DBK tells the story to a very embarrassed MK who throught the way he acted when Redson was taken was unbecoming of the Monkey King's successor. He'd heard it from Tieshan, who heard it from Macaque.

Prev.

When MK finally snaps out of his feral state, he's apologetic af. He comes to in his apartment, his whole sleeping area turned into a makeshift nest, and wrapped around Red Son like he's a body pillow.

MK, nearly jumping to his feet: "OHMYGOSH! RED SON, I AM SO SORRY!!!" Red Son, chilling: "What for?" MK: "Didn't I like-!? Demon kidnap you!?" Red Son: "Yes, and you reverse-courtnapped me from that despicable mara. You have my gratitude... and my unending loyalty." MK, not understanding: "Wut?" Red Son, disappointed sigh: "You don't even know what courtnapping even means do you?" MK, quickly hides phone: "Maaaaybe... maybe I knew about it, and sorta forgot when I thought that guy was gonna hurt you...?" Red Son, moves to get out of bed: "I should have know..." MK: "Does this mean we're like, dating and stuff? Cus Pigsy says Tang did this to himself before they got married." Red Son: (*chokes on air, flames briefly flicker pink*)

Even if MK seems to be oblivious to the situation... it's more that he's genuinely happy but unsure if Red even thinks of him "that way". He doesnt want to rock the boat, especially in case Red is only sticking around cus of the Egg.

Mei, look of disbelief: "You're having a baby together, bro." MK, drinking cheese tea: "Yeah. But like, as friends." Mei: (*looks at her livestream audience like she's on The Office*)

MK of course apologises to DBK and PIF; bringing Wukong to vouch for him. The Monkie Kid is disappointed in himself for losing his self-control in that moment, pregnancy hormones or not. But all the adults look... amused?

DBK, fond chuckle: "This all reminds me of a certain sneaky simian, who rushed to reclaim what he thought was rightfully his King." PIF, smiling with a hum: "A simian who nearly stopped the Pilgrims' Journey in its tracks because he believed they were keeping his mate from him." MK: "Wait. Do you mean-?" Macaque, popping out of the shadows: "I know you ain't gossiping about me, sis!"

The demon bull couple proceed to dunk on Macaque for the next hour; regaling MK and Red Son with stories of how often Macaque would fly off the handle at any perceived rivals for Wukong's affections.

Turns out MK isn't the most possessive of the monkeys! XD

Wukong: "How come I don't remember that story?" PIF: "I'm not surprised. Your suitor had drugged you. It was during your Journey, and though you were not on best of terms; Macaque felt it necessary to save you from a dishonourable courtnapping. I assumed he already told you." Wukong, amazed: "Really, plums?" Macaque, blushing and hiding face in scarf: "Is' no big deal." DBK, bellowing laughter: "HAHA! No big deal?! You transformed into your Smoke-giant form and tore that demon to shreds! I'm surprised that you had the sense to return him to his Pilgrim brethren afterwards." (*Macaque sinks deeper into scarf as DBK and PIF laugh. Wukong smiles at him with a newfound appreciation. MK feels a little offended hearing that his actions reminded them all of Macaque.*)

Note: if a similar courtnapping of Wukong were to occur in the modern day; Macaque would still show the same level of ferocity. He'd just have backup in the form of adoptive-cub MK wanting his mentor back.

Pigsy can't say anything about how MK busted out his Kaiju-form out of jealousy. Lets just say a certain scholar got hit-on at a bar once, and they came face-to-face with a giant snorting boar demon glaring them down. Tang brags about the incident to this day. ("It was hot.")

[awkward-halfhug]

once more, with feeling | warren peace x reader

summary: warren says something that has you questioning your place in his life. he apologizes later, but can he undo the damage he's done? (aka the one where you make warren grovel)

requested here

contents: warren being mean (just for a second), kinda sunshine!reader but we give her anxiety, little bit of angst, groveling, obviously,, origami, area reader discovering cognates in real time, i make warren even MORE multilingual, fluff

4.5k

(also on my ao3)

You're excited.

You're often excited, but right now you're extra excited. You've raced to the Paper Lantern on your bike, arriving right around when you knew Warren would be getting off work.

You wait outside, peeking in through the windows to see if you can catch a glimpse of him. You're maybe a little early.

Looking at your watch you realized you were a lot early.

You check your wallet and mentally calculate how much you can afford to spend right now. Deciding you don't really need that cool keychain you were going to get at the mall later, you enter the restaurant.

You bob your head around, looking for Warren, until the hostess catches your attention.

"Just one?"

"Yep" you smile wide at the lady.

With an eye roll, the hostess brought you to an empty table. It was one that would probably be considered undesirable, considering its proximity to the kitchen, but it suits your needs just splendidly.

Thanking the hostess, you set up your homework, since you have some time to spare, after all. And when the waiter comes, you put in an order for the smallest thing on the menu.

The first time Warren leaves the kitchen, bin and rag in hand, he doesn't see you. Which is odd, considering you were literally right outside the door, but it'd happened before and he was always happy to see you. He showed it very subtly, mind. But you always knew he was happy.

Warren finishes bussing a table, and when he turns toward the door, he finally sees you.

You were expecting a smile, a little one but still. Or a softening of features. You did not expect what actually happens.

Warren sees you, and you immediately know something is off. His face sort of dropped when he sees you there. That's a look you've seen before, sure. But never aimed at you.

"Hey Warren!" You smile extra cheery when he comes close enough to talk with you. You figure he needs some extra cheer.

He takes a heavy breath. "Hey."

Your smile falters a little at his reaction but you press on. "So I was thinking, after your shift we could see that new movie we've been talking about! There's a showing in an hour and a half."

"You've been talking about."

"Excuse me?" You tilt your head in confusion.

"You've been talking about that movie. I haven't said anything about it."

"O-oh. Well, I guess maybe I just assumed you wanted to see it too. It seemed like your thing. But we can go to a different movie, if you want!" You could've sworn he had said he'd wanted to see that movie, but maybe your memory is playing tricks on you.

Warren rubs his face. "I dunno. Maybe. I gotta get back to work."

You nod dumbly. He must've had a rough day at work.

You decide to not bother him the rest of his shift, just eating your egg rolls and finishing up your math homework as best she can. It was hard, considering Warren's mood. You don't like seeing him unhappy or overworked.

Checking your watch, you see it's finally time for him to clock out. You collect your things, pay for your food at the front desk, and wait for Warren at the kitchen doors.

Several minutes went by as you rock back and forth on your heels.

Something must be wrong, you think. You've just decided to peek your head in the doors, just to see if he's okay, when the doors open out and there Warren is.

He drops his bag and things fall out of it.

You quickly drop down to the floor and help him gather his scattered things, hearing him grumble to himself.

"Sorry!" You feel awful. He's already having a rough day and you made it worse!

"It's fine." Warren said, swatting your hands away.

You pick up a few more pens and put them in his bag. "No, I got it, don't worry."

"I said, it's fine." It's barely said any louder than he usually speaks, but the way he says it makes you pause.

You drop your hands. "Sorry." You can't help but say, again. You don't know what else to say that would help the situation.

He gets up and you get up at the same time. You notice his jacket on the floor at the same time  as him and your body acts before you can tell yourself to quit while you're behind.

Your heads collide as you both reach for the item, and Warren hisses in pain. You're in pain too, but the next words out of his mouth steal your attention.

"Can I get some space? You're just, you're everywhere, all the time! Can I get a moment to myself, please?"

You're shocked into silence. Into stillness.

You're staring at him, stock still and eyes wide, when it clearly dawns on him what he's said. You see his eyes widening and his mouth opening to say something, but you don't stay to find out what it would be.

You stumble out of the restaurant, ignoring the shouts of your name. You pedal all the way to your house with numb feet. And when you go to bed, far earlier than usual, you may or may not cry yourself to sleep.

——

You spend the weekend in your room, not coming out unless hygienically necessary.

You just can't get Warren's words out of your head. You can't believe he said them. But now that he has, you find herself questioning everything. Yourself. Warren. Your friendship.

Has he always found you annoying?

Are you really always in his space?

By Saturday you cry yourself into self pity.

But by Sunday, you've found a bit of self respect.

Can you be a bit much? Maybe? Ypu can possibly acknowledge that. But you are not always in his space. You can think back rationally and recognize even on that very day, when you tried to give him space.

And even if you were in his space too much, he should've said something before. And he definitely should've said it in a nicer way.

By Monday morning, you've decided to respect his feelings about your relationship, which he made abundantly clear two nights prior.

——

Warren finds you at your locker on Monday.

It surprises you. Usually it's you that's waiting for him at his locker.

Like the hanger-on you are, you think bitterly. You turn your head so he doesn't see you pout at your own thoughts.

He stands there, awkwardly, as yoi don't greet him.

Good. Let him be awkward.

"I've been looking for you."

You nod in acknowledgement. You're nice like that.

"Where were you?" He asks.

"Why do you care?"

You're sulky in your answer, you can feel yourself sulk. And maybe you're being a little petty, but he hurt you! And if he doesn't want you around so much it shouldn't matter to him anyway, should it?

You hear him sigh, but you don't look to see his expression.

"Look, I'm sorry for the other day. I was just stressed and I took it out on you. Forgive me?

You shrug, as though indifferent. "It's fine," you say. "It was good actually, now I know how you feel and I can stop pestering you like I do."

"That's not–"

"No, no, I understand now. It's fine. And I'll keep what you said in mind for the future."

He goes to say something, but you interrupt him again "I really gotta get going, can't be late. See you later Warren. " And then you walk away.

It was rude. You know it. You should've let him speak, but you also didn't want to hear it. Let him think you're rude. He already thinks you suffocate him. Might as well add to the list. She try very hard not to pout as you make your way to first period.

——

During lunch, he corners you again. You're sitting outside under a tree. You haven't done that in a while but it's kind of nice.

Warren towers over her, his expression a little annoyed, but mostly confused.

"Hey. I just. Why aren't you at the table?"

You shrug. "Just felt like a change." You know neither of you believe what you've said, but you don't correct yourself. You very pointedly go back to eating your applesauce, staring down at it as though it required all your attention. You spare none for the boy standing before you. Or you pretend you don't.

"Right. Well...do you...do want some company?"

You don't look up. "I'm good."

You hear him sigh.

"You sure? You can have my pudding." Warren tries to entice you. There's a wheedling in his voice you haven't heard before, and it amuses you for a minute, until you remember his words from the other day.

You do want his pudding, but you will not be enticed.

"No, that's okay. I know how much you love your sweets." And then, even though you know you shouldn't say it, "You should have things you actually like in your life."

Warren splutters above you.

You pay him no mind as you collect your things and stand up.

"I actually have to stop by somewhere, anyway. See ya, Warren."

You pass him by and hear him choke on whatever it was he was about to say.

———

The next day, he finds you at your lockers again, this time there's a furrow between his brow.

"You didn't find me after school."

"No, I didn't." You grab your books and notebooks without looking at him.

Warren edges closer, practically hovers. "You always get a ride with me after school." He states it like you forgot.

"Yeah. I know. I force you to take me to the mall, which you hate."

"Hate is a strong word."

You slam your locker closed, unintentionally loud. "You hate the mall. But I usually pester you until you give in."

"You don't pes–"

"But I won't do that anymore, don't worry. Anyway, I want to use the bathroom before class starts." You give him a placid smile that doesn't reach your eyes and walk away from Warren.

You think you hear him curse under his breath but you can't be sure.

———

Mad science class ends and you pass Warren's seat on your way to the door. He starts getting up at the same time you do, seemingly waiting for you.

You almost collide with him. Just barely pivot so you just brush arms.

Warren sucks in a breath at the contact and your lips purse.

"Sorry, that was an accident. I didn't mean to invade your personal space. I know how that bothers you."

"Invade my space!" Warren practically shouts, or what counts as shouting for someone as quiet as warren. You're taken aback.

"Invade it. I don't want any personal space anymore. I don't want you to leave me alone. I want you to find me after school and bat your eyelashes until I take you wherever you want to go. I want to see you show up everywhere I go. I want you in all of my business. I swear I do, please can you just, can you forgive me? Forget what I said and just—"

"I can't forget what you said."

Your voice is quiet but it stops his tirade the same as if you'd shouted at him. He's just looking at you, with a helplessness you can't stand to see in his eyes. But you've never lied to him before, and you can't start now, even to ease his guilt.

"It replays in my head all the time. I can't pretend you didn't say what you said, because it's changed everything. I can't help rethinking all of our interactions. Our whole friendship. What we had, or what I thought might've..."

You swallow that last thought before it can reach the air. Sighing, you shake your head.

"I guess I should be glad to know how you really feel, but I don't feel very glad."

"But I don't–" Warren takes a step closer and you take a step back.

"Then why'd you say it?" You cut him off.

Warren opens his mouth and seems about to say something, but then shuts his mouth again.

"Right." You nod once, in acknowledgement of what his silence means. Then you're nodding fervently, like you can't stop. You feel tears threatening and know you have to get out of there.

You shoulder your way past Warren, even as he opens his mouth again. You're out the door, and Warren doesn't follow you.

——

You don't head to the Paper Lantern after school like you normally do. Not that night, and not the following week after.

Warren keeps trying to get your attention at school. He showed up at your locker the next day and you politely asked him to stop.

He looked like you'd slapped him.

"Are you serious?"

"Look, maybe you were right, before. Maybe we do need some space."

"I said I didn't need space." Warren runs a hand through his hair..

You can relate to his frustration. "Yes, and before that, you said you did. You see how I'm getting mixed signals here?" You don't mean for the sarcasm to leak into your voice, but this whole situation is grating on you.

Warren appears at a loss for words. Finally, "I understand."

"You understand?" You should feel happy he's giving you the space you're asking for, but instead you feel dread clawing at your throat. Like you're losing something. But you can't take it back. You weren't lying to Warren, you are confused at your and Warren's dynamic now. At why he wants to go back to normal if he had such a problem with it just a few days prior.  You're just confused in general, and Warren is making your confusion worse with his behavior now.

Reluctantly, the boy in front of you nods his head.

You try to smile at him, but it's brittle. He doesn't smile back.

"Okay. I'll...leave you be then." Warren holds your gaze for a moment, before starting to walk away. Before he gets too far, he turns around and adds "For now."

You feel such relief at his last words that you're embarrassed for yourself.

You nod in acknowledgement, and he's gone.

——

Life without Warren is exactly how you knew it would be.

It's boring, even with a stink bomb being set off in the lab, and your classmates laughing and groaning in disgust around you. You try to laugh with them, but it feels false. The spectacle is juvenile at your age, and If Warren were next to you, instead of at the other side of the room, he would likely make some dry comment about it that would have you genuinely amused.

It's lonely, even though you have other friends to interact with. They're nice enough, the kids in class. They let you sit with them at lunch. Some of them are funny. But they're not Warren.

It's quiet, even if the school is loud. And even though Warren never adds much to the decibel level. Everything seems muted without him.

You wonder what life is like for Warren without you in it. In his space.

Can I get some space? You're just, you're everywhere, all the time! Can I get a moment to myself, please?

He might be enjoying all this time without you around.

You get to your locker to switch out books in between classes. You reach for the handle; stop short.

There's a sticky note on it with unmistakable chicken scratch, almost illegible, making a joke about the stink bomb from earlier.

Invade my space! Invade it. I don't want any personal space anymore. I don't want you to leave me alone.

Then again, maybe he does miss you a little.

——

It's been a few days since then and Warren's kept his word, technically, about leaving you be. In that he hasn't physically sought you out. You haven't spoken words to eachother verbally in almost a week. But you've lost count of how many sticky notes you now have.

Every time you return to your locker there's another one.

Witty remarks about a teacher. Doodles and caricatures drawn so poorly you know he's doing it on purpose just to make you laugh. You do.

One day you opened your locker and an origami butterfly fell out. Since then, you've gotten several more. You keep them carefully placed in a pocket of your backpack you emptied out just for them.

When you're missing Warren a little too keenly, you unzip that pocket and peek in to see your little swarm of origami butterflies, in different colored papers.

You don't know if they're supposed to be apologies, or I miss you's, or just little reminders that he's thinking of you. You pet the wings of one and allow yourself to think they might be all three.

——

It's a whole three weeks since that terrible night at the Paper Lantern, when your doorbell rings.

You hear it, but let someone else get the door, your curiosity not enough to make you leave your bed and the carefully placed nest of homework splayed all around you.

When you hear the voice at the door, however, you take off like a shot, English worksheets falling victim in your hurry.

Slightly out of breath, you bypass whoever got the door, and stand in your own doorway.

"Warren."

He breathes your name in return.

He looks down and it's then you see that he's carrying something. Several somethings. He's juggling in his arms a box of chocolates from that expensive place in town, a giant stuffed bunny, a bouquet of red and white roses, and a couple pieces of paper grasped in his fist.

You're well and truly gobsmacked. "Warren?"

He clears his throat and attempts to pass you the flowers.

He drops them.

Cursing under his breath, he bends to pick them up at the same time as you do, causing a collision of heads. More cursing.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, again. For your head. And for before and, I just..." Warren shakes his head, at a loss.

Gently, you take the box of chocolates and then the stuffed bunny (so soft) from his hands, leaving him with the bouquet and the paper in his hands. You squint to see what they are.

"Are those–?"

"Oh! Uh...yeah. I got us tickets to that movie we were talking about."

"You mean that I've been talking about?" You couldn't help it, it just slipped out. But the words still chaffed.

Warren flinched and you instantly felt bad. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

You nod. "'S okay. You didn't have to do that, though. Buy tickets for a movie you don't want to see."

"Look...that whole day I was a mess. Something happened and I dunno, I took it out on you. I know it's not an excuse, but I just want you to know why I was acting like that."

Concern tugs your features into a frown. "What happened?"

Warren gives a self-deprecating laugh. "It was stupid."

"Warren, it's not stupid if it made you that upset. What happened?"

Warren's face closes off a bit, and suddenly you know what it's about. Or rather, who it's about. Warren always gets that look on his face when he talks about his dad.

"What did he do?"

Warren's eyes flash in surprise. "Uh, nothing. Or, actually, he must've done something I guess. He just, he got himself thrown in solitary again, and he knew I was coming to visit."

Pulling Warren through the door, you lead him to the couch in the living room. His hands are pliant as you take the rest of the apology gifts from him and put them on the table next to you. And then you pull him into a hug.

He sinks into the embrace readily.

"I don't even know why I care so much. I should know better by now. I told you, stupid."

You tighten your arms around him and make your voice gentle. "It's not stupid to expect your dad to show up for you, in whatever way he's able at the moment."

He snorts. "Show up for me. Yeah."

"Warren, you know your dad loves you, right? Even if he's bad at showing it right now?"

Warren doesn't say anything in response to that.

You pet his hair the way he likes and he chuckles.

"What's so funny?"

Warren shakes his head softly. "I came here to apologize for being a jerk, and here you are, trying to make me feel better."

"Is it working?" You pull back just enough to see his face.

"Yeah. It's working." He rolls his eyes like the schoolboy he is. Then he pulls back further and looks at you seriously. "Does this mean you forgive me?"

You smile softly. "Yeah. I forgive you. Ya big dingus."

Warren's eyes close and he deflates like a weight was physically taken off his shoulders. "Good. Because I really missed you."

You do forgive him. You do. But, since he's on such a roll with the gifts and everything...

You fake a pout.

His eyebrows furrow at the sight, and he jumps to rectify it.

"What's wrong? What is it?"

"It's just..." You heave a theatrical sigh. "I know you're busy, so I don't want to bother you. But I really want to learn mandarin. And I know I could learn some other way, but the couple words you've taught me? You're just such a good teacher..."

His brows furrow at your abrupt subject change. "Okay, yeah I am busy. But I can make time, okay? We'll figure something out. Maybe, on my breaks at work I can teach you some more."

You feel like cheering. Or maybe doing a little happy dance. And you should definitely stop here, but...

"That sounds amazing. Oh, but you have to buy something to sit there, I know your boss is getting frustrated when I come."

"I'll talk to her. And if that doesn't work, I'll pay for you to get potstickers or something."

You can't help but let out a delighted grin, but you reign it back hopefully before he sees.

"And you know–"

Warren's eyes narrow. "Wait a minute. You're just playing me now, aren't you?"

You try to feign shock. "What?! Why, I, I wasn't–"

Warren's already folding his arms and giving you an "I see right through you" look.

You sigh. "Okay, fine, I was maybe milking it a little."

Warren shrugs and turns to leave. "No, no, it's fine. There I was, baring my soul, and you chose to take advantage."

You start to feel panic rise. Have you undone all the progress you'd both made in getting your relationship back to normal? You really shouldn't have pushed it!

But then, you see the little upturn of Warren's mouth he was trying to hide. He's messing with you!

You feel relief flood through you. Touche, Mr. Peace.

Snaking your hands around Warren's bicep, you poke your head around to his line of vision and give him your most winning smile.

"Warren..." You sing his name.

He continued to try to get up, but you're dead weight on his arm. And from your vantage point, you could see his lips twitch.

"I'm sorry, Warren... could you ever forgive me?" You bats your eyelashes at him, your tongue sticking between your teeth as you grin at him. You know he can't resist this look.

Warren rolled his eyes, and finally stood up fully, despite her weight. You make a mental note to ask if superstrength is a secondary power of his and he just never told you.

"Fine." He says it mock-reluctantly.

You enjoyed the groveling, you acknowledge, to yourself if to no one else. Just a little bit. But you like it best when Warren is relaxed and happy.

Wrapping your arms around his arm more fully, you lean against him.

Resting your head on him, you sigh, happily. You're glad everything's sorted out. You've missed him, so, so much.

He shakes his head, in fondness you've come to realize, and it fills you with a rush of warmth.

"Kyut ka" he mutters under his breath.

Tilting her head, you ask "Is that my first lesson? What's that mean?"

Warren smirks. "I only agreed to teach you mandarin."

Your eyebrows raise. "Is that not mandarin? Warren Peace, how many languages do you know?!"

His reply is a mysterious shrug. The stinker.

You're not deterred, however. "What language was that? What did it mean?"

You continue your barrage of pestering questions all the way till you get to the movie theater, after being reminded of the tickets' existence.

Sitting side by side as the previews roll, you stare at Warren's profile.

You take a deep breath.

He takes one to match you, like physical proof you're both in sync again.

"Kyut ka!" You whisper-shout to him.

You only say it in retaliation for earlier. You still have no idea what it means, but you're sure it's nothing that bad. Maybe something along the lines of "You're annoying". If you're getting back to normal, you might as well tease eachother like usual.

What you did not expect was for his cheeks to darken before your very eyes in an unmistakable blush.

You grin widely in delight and triumph, as well as confusion. He's blushing! You wish you had your camera out.

Then it hits you. If what you said made him blush, and he had said it to you...

It's your turn to blush now. You think back on the words themselves again. If they mean what they sort of sound like in english, then...

You feel the warmth in her face at the very idea. Butterflies erupt in your stomach.

Warren told you you were cute.

You told Warren he was cute.

You don't know if you want to die from embarrassment or giddiness. You think giddiness.

Warren has continued to stare at the screen, looking like he was trying to ignore what you said entirely.

"You didn't see this movie yet, did you?" He says it casually. Or, he attempts to say it casually.

You beam while you inform him, "No, Warren. I didn't see the movie yet. I wanted to go with you."

"...I did want to watch it."

Your voice is soft when you say it now. "Kyut ka."

His ears are coloring now too! Oh this boy. You can't believe you were ever mad at him in the first place.

Well, actually, you can. But looking at him now, clearing his throat and avoiding eye contact, you feel all the residual insecurity drain out of you.

You're going to be okay, the both of you.

Warren reaches over, without looking at you, and throws a piece of popcorn at your face. You laugh in surprise and throw popcorn back until you're shushed by the couple behind you.

Settling down, you rest your head on Warren's shoulder.

Maybe a little more than okay.

thanks sm for reading! If you enjoyed, please consider commenting/reblogging , it means a lot! ♡ and if you have any requests or ideas, please let me know in my ask box :)

[uselessmoonlight]

Stranger part 2

Reader is Telemachus' friend, and when he leaves for his "diplomatic mission" he asks her to watch over his mother.

Later, once the king has returned, she stumbles upon an injured Poseidon.

Previous / series masterlist / Next

Content specs: she/her pronouns used, afab reader, Platonic!Telemachus x reader, unrequited love, blood, fighting, nudity, illusion, possibly more?, trying to avoid using y/n, slowburn, suggestive themes, but no smut, English is not my first language, sorry if it's too much exposition, it's my first fic.

Also, I'm aware a God would have gold blood, but he's disguised himself, so somehow he's also changed the colour of his blood, idc.

However tired she was, sleep would have to wait. This person needed help, and it was her duty to provide it. While he was technically not her guest, this part of the shore was basically her backyard, so she felt obliged.

It took quite some effort to get the man inside her home, even more to get him onto the bed, where she'd be able to attend to his wounds. The man almost had more wounds than flesh on his torso. It was rather surprising that he was still breathing at all.

With this strange man on her bed, she didn't really have anywhere she could rest. Not that she could, with a stranger in her home. She lived in a very modest house, if you could even call it that. She had 2 rooms, one for bathing and one for everything else. The latter only fitting a bed, a table with two chairs, and some kitchen essentials. Most of her cooking she did outside, but for rainy or cold days, she did have a pot inside.

Until high noon, she'd sat on one of the chairs, watching the man, not even daring to wash herself. She had treated her wounds, however. Well, to the best of her abilities, at least. Her chiton was splattered with blood, both her own and that of the suitors, and most of her body was also covered with splashes.

But fatigue was winning from fear and caution. She'd been awake since yesterday morning, had fought hard through the night, and was injured herself. Trying to stay awake was like fighting a losing battle, pointless, only to preserve ones pride, and peach would not go down without a fight.

She's only been asleep for about an hour when she awoke from the noise within her home. The man had woken up and was struggling to get out of bed. Hundreds of questions flashed through her mind, questions she'd wanted to ask this stranger, but according to Xenia, it would be rude to do so.

"It'd be best if you were to remain still." She warned gently.

The man's head snapped towards her. He'd either not seen her yet or hadn't expected her to wake up so soon.

"You're rather injured. It would be a shame if your bandages became undone, took quite some work to put them on." She was met with silence as the man studied her.

His silence irked her, but at least he’d stopped struggling. Perhaps he was too injured to speak, mute, or he’d travelled too far from home and did not share her language. Now that his eyes were open, she’d found them to be a striking blue.

“I was unable to go to the market today, so I haven’t got any food to offer you, but I can catch us some fish and get some fruit to eat.” She said to the man “I’d just have to leave you, some stranger, alone in my house, with all my possessions.” She muttered under her breath. Peach could’ve sworn she’d seen the man smirk at her as she’d whispered to herself. Did he find her predicament amusing? Or had she correctly assumed his intentions to rob her?

Either way she herself was starving too, and fishing could include an improvised scrub to wash away last night. “I’ll be close by, just call out if you are in need of assistance.” She paused. “You are able to do so, right?”

“Yes.” The man grunted, his voice like honey and smoke. She half expected him to say more, to berate her for asking her guest a question before offering him a proper meal. She knew her question was not the kind Xenia spoke of, but still. Hospitality laws were a delicate thing, she did not want to offend the man, or worse, invoke the wrath of the Gods. Peach nodded her head in acknowledgement, and all but sprinted out the door. She grabbed her axes on the way out, not wanting to give the man the opportunity to arm himself while she was away.

First she scrubbed off the grime, the dirt would lure back the fish she’d scared away by disturbing the water. Then she sent a prayer to both Glaucus and Poseidon. She did not have a patron God, or at least not yet, just like she did not have a job. Well technically she did have a job, but she did not get paid for it. She was a protector, she’d protected the queen for a week, she’d protect the priestesses of Dionysus during their intoxicating rituals, and there were many other instances where she’d protect those who could not protect themselves.

She helped around the village, too. Harvesting the fruits that were too high up to reach, when the farmers boy got too heavy for the branches of the trees. Helping the shepherd find his lost sheep or protecting them from wolves. Going out with the fishermen when the tides and fish were not in their favour. This was what kept her fed and clothed.

But now she found herself protecting this stranger. Peach was protecting this man from the elements, by allowing him in her home, protecting him from injury, by cleaning and dressing his wounds, and now she was protecting him from starvation, by catching him food.

It had not taken peach long for her to catch a nice, large fagri. It would be enough to feed them both, had she been alone she could stretch it at least 3 days, combined with the peaches from her tree. Alas she was not. The peach tree next to her house, the one that had been the reason for her nickname, or part of, had not a lot of ripe fruits yet. Only those at the very top would be good for eating, and even then they’d not be quite sweet enough to eat just so. While peach didn’t hold a candle to the palace chef, she was not a bad cook.

On the fire outside she’d made a surprisingly tasty meal, and now she sat once more in her home, watching the stranger laid in her bed. Normally she would not allow anyone to eat on her mattress, but this guy was too injured to move himself, and she was not going through the struggle of moving him again.

As peach was picking at her food, she wondered, if he was sleeping in her bed tonight, where would she rest?

Next

A/N: possible only one bed trope?

[rummigumi]

Short Anger Management (Jazz/Jason) scene I've been rotating in my head. Cross-posted on AO3.

Rating: T, due to suggestive themes and talking about sex

Jason did not want to be spending his evening sitting around a table in the Batcave with most of their ragtag group, but he was. Apparently, Bruce was going to be gone for at least a month for League business so they were all called in for a meeting to coordinate his absence, or something like that. Jason wasn't really paying attention, nor did he care. The only reason he'd shown up was because he'd been promised some intel on a new group planning on making moves in his territory - except it'd been nearly an hour and he was starting to think there was no intel.

The only thing keeping him from completely losing his mind or storming out was no one seemed to care how little he was paying attention. Jazz had texted him nearly fifteen minutes into the meeting asking if he was going to be late and he hadn't put his phone away since.

It was difficult keeping a straight-face, almost all of her messages making him want to smile, but Jason knew if his lips so much as twitched upwards attention would be drawn. The others probably assumed he was texting his men and he didn't want to give them any reason to doubt that. Again, the only thing keeping him seated at the table with the rest of them as Bruce droned on was being able to read Jazz's live-time thoughts about what was happening in the latest episode of one of her guilty pleasure reality TV shows and exchange reaction images. It was a normal, almost domestic, conversation between them - until it wasn't.

He probably should've suspected something from the long pause between messages and the text, 'Can't wait for you to get here,' but Jason wasn't expecting an accompanying image to load a few seconds later to reveal Jazz posed on the bed and clad in nothing but a black teddy. Despite having seen her naked on many occasions, Jason still felt the tips of his ears flush and he quickly locked his phone.

But apparently not quick enough.

"Holy shit, are you sexting?"

Jason held back from smacking Tim as every head whipped to look at them.

"Why the fuck were you reading over my shoulder?" Jason gritted out from clenched teeth.

"That's not a no," Duke very unhelpfully pointed out and Jason didn't know if he wanted to start yelling or make a run for it.

"Please, as if someone out there finds Todd desirable," Damian scoffed.

"Social media says otherwise, though I think they'd all prefer his helmet stay on. And you were the one holding your phone out like this," Tim held his arm out in an exaggerated pose, "with the screen bright enough to blind someone. It'd be harder to not spy on your messages."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw Bruce pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh. If he wasn't currently in the shenanigans spotlight he'd roll his eyes, because what else did Bruce expect to happen? They once derailed a meeting two minutes in arguing about the correct way to pronounce caramel, the old man should be happy they made it as long as they did.

"Oh really? Then what were the texts before it, hm?" Jason couldn't help but shoot back an argument to Tim's excuse.

"I don't know or care, but that was definitely a picture of a woman in lingerie."

Tim didn't flinch at the angry finger shoved in his face as Jason growled out, "You, wipe that image from your brain now." He spun to point at the rest of the table, "And the rest of you, not another word. I'm not out there doing weird foreplay or fucking on the rooftops like some of you degenerates, so shut it." Bruce's face pulled a bit tighter at the call out and Dick mimed zipping his mouth close, though Jason knew it was just to appease him. He was still keeping his distance from the others, and this whole conversation was solidifying why he stayed away. But, he'd bet in less than a week Dick would find a reason to create a 'bonding moment' and try to bring it back up, especially if he was going to be in town. As if Jason would tell him anything.

"It's just a bit weird to think you're getting some action. I totally had money on you being a virgin," Steph said it nonchalantly, as if they weren't still discussing Jason's sex life. He didn't know if the heat spreading across his cheeks was from anger or embarrassment.

Probably both.

"What does that mean?"

"You just give 'Saving Myself for Marriage' vibes is all," Steph shrugged.

"Or at least, 'Not Until the Third Date'," Duke chimed in again, and Jason was quickly moving him down in the rankings for vigilantes he didn't mind. He wasn't wrong, it had taken two or three months of dating before he and Jazz were intimate. But it implied the others thought he was just hooking up with people, as if there was no way someone would actually stay with him long enough to reach a third date.

Jason almost said something, but bit his tongue. If he even hinted that he was in a serious relationship, he'd be stuck all night with their questions and having to deal with them inserting themselves into his life trying to learn more about Jazz.

There was a reason he kept his distance.

"Well I'm out there being a sexually active adult, so guess again." Jason knew how childish he sounded, but it was better than spilling his secrets.

"Can we please move on from discussing Todd's sex life?" Damian's face was scrunched up in disgust. Jason gestured towards him in agreement, "Yes, thank you!"

But Bruce's mouth was still pulled down in concern, "You should stay after the meeting, it's been a while since we screened you for STDs."

Jason slammed his hands down on the table as he stood, "And we've reach my capacity for 'Bats' Bullshit'. So glad I subjected myself to this pointless meeting." He ignored the protests as he began to leave, but one voice stood out from the others.

"Just remember, wrap it before you tap it," Tim called out, and Jason thought he showed great restraint by merely flipping him off instead of going back to punch him. He felt his phone vibrate as he started his bike, but ignored it in favor of speeding off - he'd make it up to Jazz when he got to her place.

Though, as he quietly entered her apartment and kicked off his shoes, Jason realized he was still agitated. Letting out a small, irritated huff, he made his way to her bedroom.

"There you are! Is everything okay?" When he entered Jazz was sitting on top of the covers, but she immediately picked up on his mood and put her phone aside while pulling her legs under her.

"Fucking Nebby Nose Tim couldn't help but air out my personal shit to everyone," Jason told her as he checked the windows. Satisfied that even if someone had followed him, they'd have a tough time breaking in and the curtains were drawn tight, he turned to flop face-first onto the bed. Jazz let out a sympathetic hum as he shimmied up to rest his head on her thighs. His arms wrapped around her as he nuzzled into her stomach, letting out a pleased groan as she began to run her fingers through his hair.

Oh, how he wished he could hide his face against her forever.

"So, what was it he told the others?"

Jason tensed, eyes popping open as he realized it wasn't actually his business, but hers. Jazz's hand stilled.

"Jason?"

"It was, uh...you know that picture you sent me?"

"Please don't tell me..."

"He saw it over my shoulder and loudly let the others know I was 'sexting'."

Jazz was still under him for a moment before letting out a long exhale; Jason didn't say anything as his head moved with her breath.

"He was the only one to see it?"

He nodded.

"Alright then. What did the others say?"

"They just said a bunch of shit about how weird it was that someone would be into me, or they couldn't believe someone would want to date me. And you're sure you're good?"

Jazz went back to stroking his hair, but he still lifted his head to look at her as he asked the last bit.

"It wasn't the raunchiest picture he could've seen, and I'm assuming he didn't see much so I won't dwell on it. But that sounds like what Danny says to me."

Jason snorted as he let his head fall back to her lap, "Please, we've been dating for how long and he still doesn't think I'm good enough for you."

"And he also finds it incredibly weird that anyone would actually be into me, or want to date me. I feel the same about him - I want the best for him, but I also don't understand why anyone would want to date him. It's a sibling thing."

Jason thought a moment before replying, "I don't think it was like that."

Jazz let out another small hum. "Then fuck them." Jason pressed a grin against her at hearing her swear. Sometimes he was tempted to introduce her to the others, if only to watch them struggle to figure her out, but he knew it was something that couldn't be undone and he didn't want them to ruin the peace he had found.

"You know, for the point two seconds I could enjoy it, I really liked the picture."

He could hear Jazz's smile as she replied, "You can still enjoy it in person."

Jason pressed a kiss to the bare skin of her thigh, "I think I will."

[necrotic-nephilim]

For the au ask game

What do you think would happen if damian got a crush on dick and a good while after he proposed to dick in front of the 'bat-fam', they weren't dating so obviously dick is surprised but do you think they'd get together, how would the rest react?

for the ask game!

oooh, this is fun, bc there are a lot of directions to take it, how i think i'd write it tho is-

Damian would wait until he's an adult. he knows that's when it becomes Permissible to court Dick publically. everyone's always sort of known that Damian had a childhood crush but hey, he can join the club, most of them have gone through it at some point. no one says anything, bc they assume Damian will grow out of it, and even assume he has, by the time he's an adult. maybe he's dated and had brief flings that never worked out. no one realizes how *planned out* this is for Damian. he's in it for the long haul, having distractions thrown up to throw everyone off his scent. silently sabotaging Dick's relationships in ways no one even realizes, especially not Dick. Damian has been waiting for this, and he plans to do it the way he's been raised: romance is a lifetime bond that cannot be severed, and thus, it includes marriage. i like the idea that no one *told* Damian this explicitly, but how his mother taught him about love and how he sees Western relationships naturally led him to this assumption.

when Damian properly proposes, i think everyone would be so baffled, Dick included, that it'd come across as a joke. Damian planned it in front of others on propose- he wanted to mark his territory clearly and put the social pressure on Dick to have to navigate the situation correctly. bc Dick never wants Damian to feel embarrassed or humiliated. so there's a long, tense silence. someone maybe laughs and tries to crack a joke, with Damian calmly saying he's deadly serious. he expected the ridicule and it's not getting to him. i think it's extra fun if Dick quietly asks Damian to talk in another room about this and they leave and everyone is trading jokes and comments about what Dick is saying and why on earth Damian would even do that, trying to decide if this is a weird version of a prank. so an hour later when Dick and Damian come back out and DIck is *wearing the ring*, everyone is baffled.

Dick intends to say no. he's going to be *kind* about it but of course he's saying no. Damian might be in his 20s now, but he's still a *kid* in Dick's eyes, and Dick could never see him that way. but Damian lays out his reasoning, because he expected a rejection. he's very clear about the logistical aspect of it. how he objectively makes a good partner for Dick, and how getting married would provide stability for the family dynamic as well as the legal aspect of Bruce's company. it's all so well laid out Dick can barely get a word in edge wise. Dick tries to bring up how they're basically family and Damian calming corrects him that no, Dick was only ever Bruce's ward. Damian even brings up instances where Dick expressed a romantic love. bc i do think it's fun if Dick briefly Noticed Damian in that way. never deep enough to develop a full crush, but he definitely noticed when Damian went from a scrappy kid to an adult with toned muscles and his father's jawline. and Damian concludes his speech by saying if Dick has no arguments, then Damian assumes they're proceeding. and well, Dick *has* no real arguments. besides the fact he doesn't want to, which given Damian knows there's attraction there, he's able to easily combat that argument, saying Dick does want it, he's just doubting himself. so, frustrated and not prepared for this argument, Dick says yes, mostly bc of how flustered he is.

Dick's intended plan is to show Damian how bad of an idea their relationship would be. which is what he tells everyone, saying he's just doing this so Damian can learn how terrible their relationship would be and Damian will get it all out of his system. it's like indulging a child trying to set their own bedtime and letting them so they learn why they need sleep. and that works well for about a month, until Dick is realizing, he kind of enjoys this relationship. Damian is a dotting lover, and he's *right*, that he well balances most of Dick's worst traits in a relationship. it has been canonically said that Dick would do best with a partner like Bruce and well, what's Damian if not a more feral clone of Bruce. he has the same intensity that Dick needs, while also respecting he can't control everything about Dick's life. he doesn't expect or demand intimacy of any kind out of Dick, but Dick somehow finds himself sleeping in Damian's arms. (i'm a fan of Damian being a brickhouse as an adult and actually slightly larger than Dick) their first kiss isn't a surprise, bc Damian calmly asks if he can kiss Dick, what's surprising is that Dick says yes before he even thinks about it. he tells himself he's just curious. and it's a *good* kiss, which is even more frustrating. it's the sort of kiss where his hands wander and he's pulling Damian into his lap before Damian pulls away and calmly says he needs consent from Dick to go further. which makes Dick go pink bc, all of this was *not* how this was supposed to go. this was supposed to be a bluff, and now he thinks he's actually dating Damian.

the reactions would take a while to settle in. everyone still sees this as a ridiculous thing that'll blow over, eventually. bc Dick promised this wasn't a *real* thing and well, it *sounds* so ridiculous it can't really sink in. Damian's at that age where he's *just* now transitioning into being seen as an adult by the family. everyone who's on the younger side of the family will know, there's when you become an adult legally, and then there's when you become an adult socially, and those are very different times. Damian's just on the cusp, where a lot of the Batfam still see him as a kid. so it's difficult to grasp that he's old enough to be dating, let alone dating Dick. the longer it lasts the more the hidden laughs become shared looks as it sinks in. i think Bruce wouldn't know *how* to react. so many emotions just cancel out to the point that if he's asked, he just walks out of a room. Tim would be on the more negative side of reactions, whereas Cass is on the more positive. it's heavily varied, with the typical concerns being brought up. but no one can really *do* anything about it. and Dick is *Dick*, he's more trusted than Bruce is by the family, so they sort of have to go along with whatever he does. and more importantly, they trust his judgment. if he's riding this out, then everyone's riding it out with them. eventually, it sort of just becomes part of the dynamic. it goes from a joke to accepted so easily no one really notices when they started taking it seriously. which is the fun of it being so normalized that they don't realize it as a Thing anymore. it's just how Damian and Dick are, which is my favorite brand of things.

[into-deepspace]

Hello! Hope you're having a great day!

May I request for Rafayel's reaction when MC comes out as non-binary? It's something that's never left my head since I started playing lnds. I can't help but worry if it'd change things for him even though I know it won't (insecurity did a number on me🥹). What if MC wanted to present themes as masc/femme? How would he react?

Sorry if this is too long and complicated and I understand if you don't want to write for this but if you do write it it'd mean the world to me. Thank you for reading this ask🌸🌸

aaa of course!!! dw it wasn't long or complicated at all! i had a lot of fun writing this, and i rlly hope i did rafayel justice here <33 i feel like it ended awkwardly but ah what can u do. anywayyyy:

as you are

rafayel/mc • nonbinary mc • 1.6k • ao3 link requests open, reblogs appreciated! mild hurt/comfort || coming out || tooth-rotting fluff || established relationship

MC stares at themselves in the mirror fixing their hair nervously. In twenty minutes, they’re meeting Rafayel at a cafe, one of their favourites. They’d made the plans several days ago, and have been nervously thinking through every possibility ever since. After all, coming out, no matter who it’s to, is nerve wracking.

“I need to talk to you,” they’d sent him, late in the evening when both of them really should have been asleep. Despite the late hour, typing bubbles immediately popped up from Rafayel’s end. He sends a sticker of a distressed yellow bird, then a message.

Rafayel, 11:48 PM are u breaking up with me :(

A bit frantic, MC typed back a quick response. Of course Rafayel, ever dramatic, would assume the worst.

MC, 11:48 PM No omg?

Rafayel, 11:48 PM DUN SCARE ME LIKE THAT THEN???? Those are FIGHTING WORDS. fighting words i tell u!!

MC sighed, but couldn't help but laugh a bit. It was never a dull moment with him around, one of the things they have always loved about him. They explained that no, they're not breaking up with him, but they did have something a little more serious they needed to talk with him about.

Rafayel, 12:03 AM okayyyy spill the beans cutie wait no serious I Am Prepared To Listen To Your Words. Please Begin.

MC, 12:04 AM Actually, i wanted to talk in person Can we meet @ our usual cafe on saturday

They waited nervously for Rafayel's response, picking at a stray thread in their blanket. But as usual, they had nothing to worry about

Rafayel, 12:05 AM ofc ofc ill buy u a tea and a cake and we can talk <3

They couldn't help but smile at their phone. He was always so sweet, so ready to adjust and accommodate. They just hope he’ll be the same way about this new revelation.

Now, MC has been going by their chosen name for a long while, so long that most people don’t even know the name they were given at birth. They’ve always presented a little more [femme/masc] than their peers, and Rafayel didn’t seem to mind any of that. If anything, he encouraged it, saying that the way they expressed themselves was art in it of itself. But would this, their coming out, be a piece of the puzzle that he wasn’t okay with?

MC sighs, smoothing their clothes one last time and telling themselves that they really do need to get going. Sitting here and stewing in their anxieties isn’t going to make anything better. They grab their bike helmet and make their way down to the street, setting off.

An uneventful drive later, they arrive at the cafe and park, fixing their hair in their phone camera after they take their helmet off. It seems Rafayel hasn’t arrived yet, which means they can go in and order for themselves. Usually, they’re fine with Rafayel paying for their treats, but what if he’s upset this time? What if he realizes he’s spent money on someone he can’t accept.

Just as they’re pulling their card from their wallet to pay for their drink and pastry, an arm wraps around their waist and lips press against their cheek, startling them.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Rafayel says, tone light and joking as he slips their wallet from their hands, tucking it back into their pocket. Ignoring their protests, he turns to the person at the register. “Add a vanilla iced coffee to that please, with… hm, six sugars.” MC can only watch as his drink is added to the total and he slots his card into the reader, looking pleased with himself.

Rafayel takes their hand and walks them over to a table by the window, pulling out their chair for them with a dramatic flourish. Normally, MC would laugh at his antics, but they’re too nervous right now to manage anything more than a tight smile. Rafayel, of course, notices right away.

“What’s wrong, cutie?” he asks, taking their hands as he kneels in front of their chair. MC takes a shaky breath, trying to school their expression into something at least neutral.

“I’m okay,” they say. “I promise.” For a moment, Rafayel tilts his head and searches their face. Then, with a sigh, he stands, pressing a kiss to their knuckles as he does.

“Okay,” he smiles. “We’ll talk once you’ve got something tasty to keep you company, okay?” This prompts a smile, a little more real this time, from MC.

“Okay,” they whisper.

Ever the gentleman, Rafayel goes to retrieve their order, tasting his own drink before adding two more pumps of sugary syrup to it and sprinkling cinnamon across the top. He comes back to their table, setting MC’s portion in front of them. They taste their own drink and nod in satisfaction, cutting a piece of their pastry to place into their mouth.

“Do you want some?” they ask, offering a forkful to Rafayel. With an easy smile, he waves away their question.

“Nah,” he says. “This here is sweet enough.” He shakes his drink, the ice in it rattling as specks of cinnamon swirl around. MC nods, taking the bite for themselves.

They let themselves savor the moment for a bit before speaking. After all, they don’t know if this is something they’ll ever have again. They make their way about halfway through the pastry before they take another long sip of their drink and fold their hands in their lap.

“I have something I need to tell you,” they say, before they can lose their resolve. “...Please don’t be upset with me.” Rafayel smiles, reaching across the table with his palm up, gesturing for their hand. MC obliges, tangling their fingers together, and Rafayel squeezes reassuringly.

“I won’t be,” he promises. “You can tell me anything. I swear.”

MC takes a deep breath. They appreciate that he’s putting his usual jokes and quips aside, sensing the nervous gravity of the moment, but it almost makes them even more anxious. Biting their lip, MC decides it’s better to rip the metaphorical band-aid off in one go.

“I’m nonbinary,” they say simply. “And I’m sorry I’ve been keeping this from you.”

Rafayel blinks for a moment, silent. MC feels their eyes sting.

“What?”

“Uh.” Out of all the scenarios they’d mentally prepared for, this wasn’t one of them. “You know,” they begin, “like, I’m not a guy, but I’m also not a girl. It’s-”

“No, I know what nonbinary means, silly,” Rafayel grins. “Why would you ever think I’d be upset at you over this?” MC feels the sting in their eyes become welling moisture, and Rafayel scrambles to drag his chair around to their side of the table and pull them into a tight embrace.

“I thought you were gonna tell me that you were moving away, or that you lost your job or something!” he says, rocking them back and forth, gently, slowly. With a shaky breath, MC tucks their face into Rafayel’s shoulder, smiling to themselves. But he’s not done, continuing as he pulls them tighter.

“And if you come to me tomorrow and say you feel some other way, or that you want to change your name or buy new clothes or change your hair, that’s okay! MC, I love you no matter what. I promise, something like this is never ever going to come between me and you.” They’re full on sobbing now, the relief that comes with acceptance and the lovely promises spilling from Rafayel’s lips making all sorts of emotions surge in their chest.

Rafayel pulls back, cupping their face with one hand and wiping their tears away with the other. He smiles, a radiant and loving thing, and MC can’t help but give a breathy, relieved laugh as he leans in to place light little kisses along their cheeks.

“I don’t know why I was so nervous,” MC admits. “You never did anything to make me worried about this.” Rafayel shrugs.

“It’s a big thing to tell someone,” he says. “I’m proud of you. I know this took a lot.”

“It really did,” MC acknowledges. Rafayel ruffles their hair affectionately before scooting his chair back over to his side, keeping one of MC’s hands in his own.

“Okay, okay,” he says, buzzing with energy now that the serious moment is waning. “Finish your pastry and then we can go shopping.” MC blinks, surprised.

“We weren’t planning on going-”

“Uh-uh!” Rafayel cuts in, waving a hand in their face and startling a laugh from them. “Shhhh, we’re going shopping. You wanna go buy pretty things with me soooo bad. You would never think of saying no to this lovely face of mine.”

“Oh, my god,” MC laughs, nearly dropping their fork. “You’re so dramatic.” In response, Rafayel gives a pleased smile and makes a motion as if flicking hair behind his shoulder. MC shakes their head good naturedly, taking another bite of their pastry.

They do, in fact, end up out in the shops, and Rayafel buys them a jacket they’ve been eyeing for a long while. The two of them swing their intertwined hands between them as they walk, enjoying each others’ presence. It’s late in the evening by the time they decide to part ways, and even then, Rafayel convinces MC to sleep over at his house.

A couple hours later, laying in bed, MC watches Rafayel’s sleeping face with a soft smile. They never thought they’d be lucky enough for a relationship like this.

[off-brand-likes]

Post-Victory Collapse

Zeb folded his ears back against his head as he waited for the mine airlock to let him back indoors. The Wookiee-sized helmet didn't leave much room for his ears, and he had to hold the thing off his chin so he could see out the front of it. The rest of the environment suit fit badly too, but it kept him alive in the polluted air outside long enough to fix the communications array.

Hera would've made the repairs faster, but she only argued with Zeb about which of them should go outside on principle. She didn't really want to expose the growing kit in her belly to whatever banthacrap the Empire had loosed from this moon's rocky soil and spewed into its air before they left the empty mine to rot. Hera was having enough trouble finding an environment suit that came close to fitting her.

Now that the mine's communication array was blaring its distress beacon, the two of them had time to search for an environment suit for her. It would give them something to do while they waited for help to arrive.

A couple hours later, Zeb and Hera had found an environment suit which wouldn't trip her, now that she'd wrapped wires around the extra leg material. They were lucky the Imperials left so many in the mine when they abandoned it. Although Hera called this the best place to crash a stolen shuttle within three parsecs, that didn't say much.

While they sat in uncomfortable black chairs in the mine's control room, listening for a response to the beacon, they returned to their most common conversation topic unrelated to the war or keeping the Ghost stocked. "What about..." Hera shook her head. "No, that shortens to Get, that's a Basic word."

"So call him by the full name," Zeb said. "Assuming humans can pronounce it right."

Hera rolled her eyes at him. "Nobody's going to use his whole name. I'm a general and I can't make people use my name, and it has the same number of syllables as the rank. Sounds in the word," she added when Zeb frowned at the rare piece Basic he hadn't heard often enough to learn. "How about--"

"Mining Outpost Wesk Seven One, transmitting clearance codes now," said a familiar voice on the mine's communication system.

Zeb lunged for the mic on the console before Hera could push herself out of her chair. "Kriff the codes and land already," he told Kallus. "Hope you brought something to deal with bad air. This place reeks."

The full beat of silence wasn't encouraging. "I'll manage," Kallus said. "I didn't realize it was you. Who else is with you?"

"Just me and Hera. And, what, Get?"

Hera kicked his calf. "It's a big decision! I still have time to think about it."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." Zeb eyed Hera's belly with incredulity, which made her point firmly at the mic he was supposed to be coordinating their rescue with. "You coming down or what?" he added to Kallus.

Another long silence answered him. Zeb hoped that was Kallus finding a place to put the Glimmer down. The Imperials ripped up the ground outside with heavy equipment and explosives, so that couldn't be an easy job.

The communications system clicked on again. "The mine's landing pads were either bombed or melted. I had to land farther out. You said you had some kind of protection against this atmosphere?"

"We have environment suits," Hera said toward the console's mic. "Tell us where you are. We can walk to you." If Zeb implied her current, round condition would slow her down, she'd go out of his way to prove him wrong, so he kept his mouth shut.

"I can't direct you through the rock field," Kallus said impatiently. Whatever rock field he was talking about must've been easy to see from space. Zeb thought it was just some piled up mining waste surrounding the building he and Hera sheltered in.

"I'll launch a flare." Kallus must've brought a rebreather or something, too. If anyone would be that prepared, it'd be Kallus.

Soon Zeb and Hera were following a red flair's light through a maze of hazy sunlit rocks taller than Zeb and as wide as small asteroids. Stumbling through the rocks in the badly fitting environment suits made the walk take longer than Zeb would've liked.

Longer than Kallus wanted too, apparently. A second flare burned in the hazy sky twenty minutes after the first one went out.

By the time they reached the Glimmer, Zeb was holding Hera up with an arm around her waist to take weight off her sore ankles and feet. The Glimmer's boarding ramp was down. When Zeb and Hera walked up to the door at the end of it, it stayed closed. Zeb poked at the outside console. It was locked.

He banged on the door with a fist. "It's us, open up."

Some shuffling and thumping came from inside the ship. The door slid open. Kallus, red eyed, hunched over, and gasping each breath through his uncovered mouth, backed out of the way to let Zeb haul Hera into the ship and shut the door.

Wisps of haze lingered near the closed door. Kallus coughed and backed away from it, leaning on the Glimmer's wall like he couldn't stand on his own.

"Did you walk out in that poison without a mask?" Hera demanded.

"Twice?!" said Zeb.

"Obviously." Kallus continued coughing as he walked toward the Glimmer's cockpit. Every breath wheezed loudly in the quiet ship.

"Oh no you don't. Zeb, help me out of this thing, I'll fly."

Zeb held Hera's arm while she climbed out of her environment suit. He was still working on his when a thump from the corridor to the cockpit reached his ears. "What was that?"

Hera went to investigate. "He's on the floor." A pause and a grunt suggested Hera was intentionally joining him there. "He's breathing, but it doesn't sound good."

Zeb gave Hera a hand up from where she knelt on the floor beside Kallus. While she launched the Glimmer, Zeb prodded Kallus until he rolled over on his side, which had to make breathing easier than lying flat on his face. "Karabast. What if you'd passed out in that filthy air?"

Kallus's next wheezing breath sounded more like an offended snort. "Well. I didn't."

Zeb sat on the floor next to Kallus, since he didn't look like he'd be getting up anytime soon. "Who's the damn fool now?"

"It's not foolish..." Kallus had to gasp another wheezing breath in the middle of his argument. "...if it works."

[cheeseceli]

Falling in Love [deeper than I've felt before]

Pairing: Hyunjin × gn!Reader

Genre: fluff, slowburn

Warnings: reader drinks alcohol at some point, not proofread.

Request: part 2 of Moving On but can be read individually

a/n: it took a while to go to the plot but i promise y/n moves on lmao; the ending is a bit rushed? But creativity had left me sadly. Also this was posted accidentally so I'm so sorry if there is something which seems off

The day has come. And you still can't believe how dumb you were from accepting the invitation to go to your ex's wedding.

You were going straight to the biggest heartbreak you'd ever have, but there was no turning back now. You said you would be in the damn party so you will be there.

"Seriously Y/n, I think you shouldn't go." Yeji, a friend of yours, said while helping you figure out something to wear "Just tell him that you were sick or something. I can lie to him if you want"

"I said I'd be there and I'm not one to break a promise."

"It's barely a promise. He admitted himself that it would be awkward, it's better if you skip it. You're just torturing yourself at this point"

"I'm going. Besides, maybe that's what I need to finally move on. It's been 3 years already. I need that."

Yeji sighed. She openly disagreed with your point of view, there should be another way of moving on without shattering your heart into pieces, but she wouldn't insist anymore.

"We have some hours until the wedding. Let's go to the mall, we need something good for you to wear" she got up from the edge of your bed "unless you wanna go in pajamas."

And that's how, four hours later, you were fully prepared to the wedding. Even though you looked great, you still felt a pain in your chest because of the price you spent. The situation was starting to become a little ridiculous, you couldn't believe you wasted so much money on an outfit you'd never wear again because it'd probably bring a lot of bad memories.

This better have a good outcome.

But deep inside you were happy that Yeji made you put some effort in how you'd look because the place was beautiful. The decoration was really enchanting, with a lot of white and green flowers and you could even hear the sound of a piano. It looked like the wedding was designed to fit a disney princess' movie.

The guests were also gorgeous. Some of them were still your friends while some were "ex-friends", as you lost contact with them after the break up. There were a lot of people you didn't know there, friends and family of Changbin's partner you assumed. It looked like you could actually enjoy the night if it wasn't for the current scenario.

You ended up sitting in the table with all the other Itzy girls and for some moments you were able to forget the bad feeling in your chest. That was until the ceremony started.

Needless to say that you cried during the vows. They were so happy, Changbin was happy. At the same time that your heart was aching, you felt a a weight out of your shoulders. It was like you were finally given the chance to set free from your past and not be attached to it anymore.

Changbin wouldn't come back. You shouldn't wait for him.

It was less painful than what you originally thought. Seeing how he cried after seeing his partner and how he didn't hesitate to kiss them, you could even feel happiness. I'm happy you're happy at last. That's how you were able to clap and celebrate for the now married couple, along the rest of the guests.

Now, of course, you needed to drink. Realisation was still sinking in and you couldn't say congratulations to the couple while being sober. That's why you went straight up to the bar once people started to dance and sat down in the first free chair you could find.

"Y/n?"

You looked to the side and saw Hyunjin. The fact that sooner or later one of the stray kids members would show up slipped of your mind and you were actually surprised for seeing the boy in front of you. Even though you were still friends with Changbin, you barely talked to the kids. The last time you saw Hyunjin was two years ago, you think. He got even prettier, you noticed.

"Hey" you finally reply "it's been a while."

"I know right? Wasn't expecting to see you here though."

"I wasn't supposed to be here I guess... I might be leaving soon"

It seemed that Hyunjin understood the circumstances, it was reasonable your urge to leave. But at the same time, the night had just started and it's been a pretty long time since you last talked to everyone. They missed you. He missed you.

"At least have a drink with me" he proposes, already calling the bartender "I wanna know what you've been into." How could you say no?

So you and Hyunjin drank together while catching up with each other and God, you did miss a lot. Hyunjin was talking about every show they attended to while you gossiped about a drama that was happening in your work place. He showed pictures of his paintings while you showed pictures of your pets. He even gave you a minor spoiler of their next comeback. You laughed a lot during some hours.

While you were telling him about the last trip you did with some of your friends, a different song started playing and everyone got out of the center of the room. You looked at the commotion to find out it was when the just married couple begun their dance. You were observing them, so you failed to notice Hyunjin's gaze on you and his little smile. He truly missed you.

"Are you guys okay?"

You looked at him, taking a while to understand what he meant. By the time you comprehended it, he regretted and tried saying "I'm sorry, shouldn't have asked".

"We're okay" you answered "we should be at least."

"No hard feelings? Were you able to, you know, move on?"

"I'm moving on as we speak. I think this is my last chapter with him."

He was looking at you with curiosity. Like he actually wanted to understand your feelings, like he actually wanted to listen without judgements. So you kept explaining:

"Maybe I was ready for a while, I just didn't want to let go. I've never been good with changes. I just didn't want to lose the possibility of everything being fine without any change." you grew consciously of the man's attention on you, so you tried to brush it off by laughing "Sorry for the therapy session all of the sudden."

He giggled "Don't worry, I don't mind. I'm happy for you, to be able to keep going. Happy for both of you."

The dance was close to an end and everyone was cheering, but Changbin and his partner looked like they were in their own world, lost in each others embrace and smile. You could see their love in their eyes. That's what they deserved.

"I am happy too."

You were being genuine. Its like another weight was lifted off you. You were slowly collecting the pieces of your heart and putting them together. You were healing.

When the newlyweds finished their first dance as a married couple, the guests applauded in joy and went back to the dance floor when another song started playing. Hyunjin drank the last sip of the drink he ordered and stood up. You didn't want to admit but you were kinda disappointed that he was already going. You started to wonder if you had said anything wrong or said too much, that was until he offered his hand to you with a smile.

He saw your confused expression and explained it clearly“Let's dance. You're not planning on staying in this bar for the whole night, are you? ”

“I am, actually. Besides I'm going home soon, there's no need to-”

“C'mon Y/n. ” he interrupted you while moving forward to hold your hand “You cannot come to a wedding party and not dance to at least one song. I promise I'll stop bothering you after this.��

Hesitantly, you held his hand back and got up.

“Was my offer to stop bothering you so tempting? You're even smiling” he said, making you laugh.

“Shut up.”

The room was filled with couples and friends. You didn't notice that the song that was playing, falling in love by cigarettes after sex, required a slow dancing. You just noticed it after Hyunjin was really close to you, holding your waist with both hands and smiling dearly for you. You soon placed your hands in his shoulder.

“You weren't so bold before, you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“Normally you wouldn't invite someone to dance, you were always kinda shy. I remember I begged you to dance with me in my own birthday party and still you denied.”

“That was when I was a trainee, how do you even remember that?”

“Oh it made me cry for weeks”

He laughed, bringing you closer to him. You guys were barely dancing, you were just hugging each other and swinging from side to side.

“Were you always this dramatic?”

“You're one to talk.”

“Well...” Hyunjin said before sighing, like he was wondering what words to use for what he was about to say.“we can say that I regret not accepting your invite to dance back then. And who knows when I'll have another opportunity.”

You were the shy one now. You really didn't expect to Hyunjin to be so bold, even though he didn't say nothing considered too much and you probably were analysing to deeply. Trying to not blush, you decided to light the situation: "I say it was the alcohol that made you so straightforward."

"Oh that helped of course" he laughed. And you kept talking the most random things while being on each other's arms, dancing to a love song like it was something casual. When the first song came to an end, he was ready to say goodbye to you, even though that was the last thing he wanted in the moment.

"I don't mind dancing for another song" you said. You don't know what made you change your mind so quickly, but then you saw his smile and understood the change of heart. That smile was worth a lot of dances.

You probably danced for more than two hours. In slow songs you'd just hug each other while talking about your life, in happy songs you would dance like crazy and proceed to judge those who were better than you and sometimes you'd just follow hyunjin's lead to try to follow a dance routine. You just stopped when Hyunjin was covered in sweat and your feet couldn't handle anymore. Then you both went to the bar, laughing like that was the funniest thing to ever happen on your life.

"Y/N!"

Looking to the side, you were met with Yeji. You noticed that her breath wasn't even, which meant that she was probably looking for you for a while now.

“You're still friends with Yeji?”

“Yeah, we still go out sometimes. Why?”

“Just wanted to know.”

“I was looking for you everywhere” Yeji was now right in front of you, breathing heavily “Me and the girls are going back to the dorms, we need to be up early tomorrow. Do you want to go with us?”

You searched for your cell phone, wondering what time it was. It was a little bit past midnight. You wanted to be there for more time, you felt like the night was just starting, but sadly the Itzy girls were your only ride back home. That meant you needed to go now.

You glanced at Hyunjin, who was looking at with expectation. For a second you thought that he was trying to convince you to stay for a bit longer, to enjoy the night with him. But it couldn't be this, right? So you just brushed it off.

“Well, I'll be going then” he gave you a small smile, but he was averting his eyes, trying to not look directly at you, but still he got closer to hug you goodbye “I hope to see you around.”

“Don't go missing this time.”

You laughed at his little joke and he giggled back. You believe it would've been easier to go away if he kept looking at somewhere else, but now his eyes were on you and you felt like you couldn't move. You truly wished the night could be longer.

You had your thoughts interrupted when Yeji faked a cough by your side, making you and Hyunjin both come back to reality and making you get away from his arms. Only then you started to walk away, trying to not look as much as you could.

“Bye Hyunjin.”

He just nodded his head, trying to not say bye. You and Yeji started to walk away, saying goodbye to the ones you'd find in your way.

"Oh wait" you remembered your friend "I still have to congratulate Changbin and his partner, I didn't get the chance to do that earlier."

"They were talking to his parents last time I saw them. Do you feel better?"

"Kinda? I mean, it will take a while to be 100% over this but I already feel a weight off my shoulders."

Yeji smiled and, even though she didn't say anything else, you could see she was happy for your growth. Now you could only wish you would heal and find yourself in a better situation from now on. Maybe you could fall in love again, deeper than you've felt before.

Feedbacks and reblogs are very much appreciated!

[hearts4golbach]

The Night Shift.

Johnnie Guilbert x Fem!Reader.

Chapter 25

the morning of the party, i decided to shower and shave. i had already planned my outfit, which was a black mini skirt with a top tara had given me that was cheetah print. it really wasn't my style, but she insisted i try it on and wear it to the party.

from the way Jake described it, the party was way less formal. in his words, "more like a college or high school party." i had never been allowed to go to one, so i wasn't really sure what to expect. comparatively, this party started much later than the couple i've been to in the past. this one started around 8:30. Jake explained that the party was going to be packed. that was nerve-racking to me when the other parties were usually not too packed and had not too many people. he warned me that there'd be more drugs than i even knew about, which i highly doubted, considering he didn't know my history. privately, Johnnie reassured me not to sweat it and that he'd be by my side the whole time.

it was about a week until my parents would be in town, and as each day passed, i grew more anxious about what they'd think of Johnnie. i knew if they didn't like him, i wouldn't care all too much, but i wanted them to. i hoped and prayed that they had calmed down a little since the last time i had seen them, but i highly doubted it. although they were getting older every day. they were both retired now, which meant that they'd be stuck in the house much more than they used to be, which hopefully helped them be less stressed all of the time. i assumed that was the main source of their problem, but i wasn't too sure.

i had changed into a comfier outfit and went to help tidy up the kitchen. i tossed my hair up in a clip and began to do dishes. i had my headphones in, quietly humming to music as i did so. i felt a hand wrap around my waist and a head lean on my shoulder, making me jump. i pulled a headphone out and whipped my head around, "well, good morning."

"Morning," Johnnies groggy voice responded before he went to go search through the fridge.

"So, thoughts on the party tonight?" i asked in an attempt to make conversation. i finished up the last of the dishes. i leaned against the counter, keeping him company as he made a packet of oatmeal.

"i mean, i'm excited, but it's whatever." he shrugged, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes. "Are you still nervous over what jake said?"

i shrugged, "not really. tara gave me an outfit for tonight. That's what i'm nervous about." i joked.

"Don't be, you look good in everything, baby." he kissed my cheek, leaning against the counter next to me as he waited for his oatmeal to cook in the microwave.

"Awe, thank you," i replied, genuinely not knowing what to say to the compliment. i set my arm on the counter behind him, "So do you."

"Stop it," he flicked his hand, exaggerating his voice before taking his breakfast out of the oven. he pecked my lips before leaving the kitchen and going back into our room.

i spent the next few hours on the phone with tara. we spoke about anything that came to our minds just to pass the time. whenever she hung up, i joined johnnie. he was sitting on his PC playing a game whenever i walked in. i snuck behind him in order to get to the bed. i curled up under the comfy blankets and scrolled on my phone, as well as ordered new supplies for the cafe. eventually, i ended up falling asleep on accident.

johnnie woke me up not long after, telling me i should probably start getting ready since him and jake were. i decided to (straighten/curl) my hair for this, even though i knew it'd be messed up by the end of the night. same with my makeup. i took extra time just to make sure it looked perfect. one of my biggest fears was people thinking i was too unattractive for johnnie. i knew he didn't think that, but i also didn't want him to be embarrassed of me. i knew i was overthinking it, obviously, but what's the harm in a little extra makeup?

i slipped off my outfit last thing, making sure all of the smallest details were perfect. my mother had always called me a perfectionist, i wonder where she thinks i got it from. my beat-up black Converse was the final touch since i was not about to wear heels to this supposed "rager."

whenever we arrived, i realized jake was severely over exaggerating. as we walked up to the front door, johnnies arm snaked around my waist. his hand squeezed the bare flesh of my side, making my heart feel as if it was about to explode. jake walked behind us, speaking to nearly everyone who passed by him. although, whenever we walked into the house, i also realized jake was right about some things. this bitch was packed. i scooted closer to johnnie to feel more secure. even though i knew there wasn't really a way i could, i was terrified of getting lost in all of these people.

"you alright?" johnnie raised his voice so i could hear him over the music.

jake nudged johnnie over so he could stand by him. "i can't believe tonight is my fucking turn to be designated driver. out of all the nights i could've bee-"

"oh, shut up. it's your turn, cry baby." i teased, "yeah, i'm alright." i flashed him a bright smile. "let's go find drinks to chug in front of jake." i grabbed johnnies hand and dragged him away.

we began to search for whatever type of bar they had set up, and we found it on the dining table. johnnie got jack and coke while i decided to try the drinks i had never seen before. i never really got out into the world of alcohol, anyway. we took our first sip together, resulting in us cringing at the same time.

as the night went on and more alcohol flooded into us, both of us got more touchy and confident than we ever were before. there was never a moment where johnnies hands weren't on me or vise versa. we sat together on the couch, surrounded by a group of loud girls and another group passing around a joint. his hand slid up and down from my hip to my waist and back again in a soothing motion as he spoke.

"i'm getting kind of tired," i lied, only wanting alone time with johnnie. my words slurred together. "do you think jake is about ready to go?"

his eyes flickered down to my lips before meeting my eyes again. "maybe, let's go find out. i'm ready to go too." i noticed his words were also slightly slurring together, as well as his eyes drooping.

i stumbled off the couch, gripping his arm tightly as a wat to drag him with me. Johnnie kept me upright as we searched for jake, even though he was just as tipsy as me. whenever we had found jake, he was out on the poarch smoking a cigarette.

"jake, can we go home?" i whined. he looked over at me, and his nose scrunched with disappointment. "Please, im so sleepy, and i do not want to sleep here for obvious reasons."

"i guess," he let out an exaggerated sigh as he pulled the car keys out of his pocket. "Let's go, love birds."

johnnie and i crawled into the back seat as Jake started the car. nobody spoke in the ride home, only listening to the radio. johnnie leaned against the window, watching as the cars sped past.

i leaned over to whisper in his ear so jake couldn't hear us. "What's on your mind?"

he glanced over before wrapping his arm around me, "You." he whispered back.

i smirked. "Really? what about me?"

"im keeping that a secret," he shrugged.  "Just wait until we get home."

i sighed, accepting the fact that he wasn't going to tell me. i leaned my head on his shoulder until we got home. whenever we'd finally made it, we made short conversation with jake before rushing to our room.

the door was shut and locked, and johnnies lips were on mine. the kiss was passionate as our hands explored eachothers bodies as our tongues tangled together. his breath tasted of mint and alcohol, and im sure mine tasted the same.

our lips continued to glide together as he laid me back on the bed. i knew his intentions weren't sexual. i could feel it in the way he moved and breathed.

he pulled away, breathing heavily. his hair was a mess and his eyeshadow smudged. "youre so beautiful."

without commenting, i tangled my fingers in his hair and pulled him in again. i placed my lips on his, holding him close before we eventually pulled away.

he was still trying to catch his breath as he lay in the bed next to me. he pulled me close before we both fell asleep.

[duskspring]

Gifts - Dew/Everyone

Domestic December - Day 10

Summary: Dew gets the pack gifts for the season

Content (do let me know if I forgot anything!): Slightly anxious Dew, fluff, some quick kisses, talk of gender exploration and euphoria in relation to Rain

Word count: ~3.5k

A/N: Some parts of this fic are inspired by some headcanons I've posted before [My Main Masterlist]

The night was loud and unholy. The entire ghoul pack had gathered in their common room, celebrating the end of year festivities. Movies had been watched, board games played and so, so much alcohol consumed. It had, by all accounts, been a great night. But not for Dewdrop.

Yes, he’d been having a lot of fun, but there was a part of him distracted. He’d had an edge of anxiety all night, waiting for the right moment to resolve it. He knew he couldn’t wait much longer, since the night was starting to reach its natural conclusion in those wee hours of the morning.

He sat on a chair on the side of the room, leg bouncing. Two strong arms suddenly came down to lean on his shoulders from behind. He’d recognize those arms anywhere.

“What’s the matter, Droplet?” Swiss asked, “You’ve been a nervous wreck all night.” 

“I’m not.” Dew argued unconvinsingly, before sighing. He knew he needed to just get it over with.

He stood up without another word, moving to his room. Swiss immediately followed him in concern.

“Hey, I’m sorry, man. I didn’t mean-”

“Nothing’s wrong, Swiss. I just need to grab something,” He stopped his stride, turning to Swiss with an almost pleading look in his eyes, “Please just wait here for a second.”

The multi ghoul was confused, but didn’t want to overstep. He subtly nodded a few times, “Alright.” He took a step backwards, his eyes staying on Dew, before turning back to the rest of the pack.

On shaky legs, Dew quickly made his way to his room. He had two plastic shopping bags waiting there for him, as well as a little separate package on his desk and another item off to the side for later. He put the separate one in his pocket before picking up the bags and marching back. He couldn’t stop now. If he just kept walking and got this over with, it'd be done. It wasn’t a big deal. Worst case scenario, the thought was still there, right?

“Ooh, whatcha got there?” Aurora asked the second he walked in. All eyes turned to him and he froze.

Just get it over with.

“Find out for yourself.” He said dismissively, putting the bags down and plopping himself down on the couch.

Aurora immediately crawled towards the bags. Half of the pack came a little closer as well, while the other half sat back, though still curious and anticipating.

Aurora dug through the first bag, grabbing the first thing she could get her claws on. She examined the wrapped package, soon spotting the name ‘Mountain’ written in Dew’s messy handwriting.

“Mounty, it’s for you.” She announced, throwing it over her shoulder without looking away from the bag.

Cirrus luckily caught it, passing it to Mountain. He looked at Dew in pleasant surprise, looking at the little flat square in his palm. The wrapping was messy, even on such a small present.

“Can I open it?” He asked dew.

“It’s your life. Do what you want.” The fire ghoul’s anxiety was getting worse, making him act dismissive as if it would distance him from the gifts.

He delicately unwrapped the package, without tearing the dotted paper. The first thing he was met with was an empty rectangle of cardboard. He turned it around, causing dew, who was paying very close attention, to bring his legs up against his chest.

Mountain looked over the cardboard a second, then third time, wanting to make sure he was reading it all correctly. There was a bit of text on there, next to a shitty doodle of a flower and what he could only assume was supposed to be Dew, all made with black permanent marker. The words were hard to make out.

“Exchangeable for one… at- attemoon?”

“For one afternoon of help in the garden.” Dew quickly mumbled in explanation.

Mountain looked up in surprise, “You hate the garden.” He noted.

“Well, if you don’t like it you could just say so!” The fire ghoul said defensively, his anxiety reaching its peak.

Mountain’s expression softened, “Dew… Thank you.” He got up, awkwardly bending over to wrap his arms around his packmate.

Dew was shaking like crazy, ready to cry at the positive reaction.

Meanwhile, Aurora had thrown a few more packages over her shoulder. Rain, Aether and Cirrus all got theirs. The little multi ghoulette huffed as she reached the bottom of the first bag, quickly moving onto the next. After throwing something to Phantom, she finally reached her own. She squealed in excitement, forgetting the few people that still hadn’t gotten their own and immediately violently unwrapping hers.

She found herself holding a small ziplock baggie. She saw Sunshine’s face, photoshopped onto a sun through it, quickly opening it up to investigate. It quickly became obvious that she was holding a little pile of different kinds of stickers. Apart from the Sunshine one, there were stickers based on everyone in the pack, all shitilly photoshopped in some relation from their element or name. There were stickers further referencing inside jokes, as well as some logos from Aurora’s favorite bands.

“Dewy, these are awesome!” She giggled, happily shaking her hands.

Cumulus came closer to her to look at the stickers, giggling at them herself, “Did you make these yourself?” She asked him.

Mountain pulled away so Dew could answer. He did so with a nod, “Aurora likes stickers. Easy.” Coming up with and putting together all the designs had actually been a nightmare, but he would never admit to that. He had zero regret, seeing Aurora’s reaction.

Based on the ghoulette’s excitement, everyone quickly dug into their own gifts. Cumulus handed out the few that hadn’t reached their reciprocate yet, including her own.

Phantom’s gift has a funny texture, only upping his curiosity. He rushed to unpack his, gasping and stuttering in excitement when he saw what it was. He could barely hold on to it with how much his hands shook.

“Whatcha got there, buddy?” Swiss asked, smiling at Phantom’s excitement.

Dew let out a sigh of relief. He’d been perhaps most nervous about Phantom’s gift, thinking it wasn’t good enough. Too lame or cheap, not personal enough. Seeing the quintessence ghoul’s eyes light up forced every last bit of anxiety to leave him.

The gift had indeed been simple, a little bat shaped fidget toy. You could spin its head around in circles, pull its wings back and forth and squish its little feet. Phantom immediately went to town on it, unresponsive to most outside stimuli.

Cumulus went next. Unwrapping her gift gracefully, much like Mountain had done. Her heart swelled as her hands grasped a book. Not just any book, but a photo album.

“Dew…” She said his name in adoration, flipping through the pages. Most pictures had been made by her. They were all labelled with a date and the place or situation in which they were taken. It was separated into three chapters: tour, home and Cumulus. The first chapter included photos from the stage, backstage and the tourbus. The second showed all the various shenanigans the pack experienced at the abbey. But it was the third that was most meaningful to Cumulus. She didn’t have a lot of pictures of herself, always being the one to take them of others. But Dew had somehow gathered just about every good picture ever taken of her, even some she had never seen before.

Cumulus quickly pushed the book into Cirrus’s hands, afraid she’d cry all over it. She sniffled, still seated on the ground. She made grabby hands to Dew, beckoning him over into her arms. The two entered a crushing hug while the book was passed around to everyone in the room, laughing and reminiscing.

“You fuckhead, really?!” Sunshine yelled in good spirit at Dew, holding up the book on a page containing a very unflattering picture of her napping on the tour bus. Drool leaked out the corner of her mouth, Swiss and Phantom posing next to her, pointing at the lewd drawings they’d made on her cheeks.

“It’s a good picture.” Dew argued with a smile, earning him a pillow to the face.

Sunshine rushed over in his disorientation, straddling his chest and miming punching him in the face a few times. They both laughed, Sunshine getting off of him again.

“Didn’t even get me a gift.” She mumbled, although her smile faltered a little. She’d been one of only two who didn’t have a gift in the bag. She was confused and hurt, but didn’t want to make a scene and risk ruining it for everyone else.

Dew looked at her face, silently reaching into his pocket and sliding her the little gift he’d kept separately in his pocket with a wink.

Sunshine immediately thought she knew what it might be, covering the package with her hand so no one could see. When everyone seemed distracted, she moved her legs up and unwrapped the gift behind them without looking down. She examined it with her hands, having a hard time not reacting. Quickly she let her eyes drift down, nearly screaming when she saw the lighter in her hands.

All the lighters she used to own had been confiscated for… reasons. And she technically wasn’t allowed to get any new ones.

She turned to Dew with a devious smirk, making him regret the gift almost instantly. But when she shuffled over and put her arm around his shoulders and rested her head against it, he knew it’d been a good call. He felt a lot calmer already, excited to witness the rest unpacking.

Cirrus went next. She tried opening it carefully, before just tearing it apart when it was taking too long. Her gift was one of the few in a proper cardboard box, also being the biggest. It carried the name of a clothing brand she was vaguely aware of.

She looked at Dew with squinted eyes. Curious, suspicious.

She opened it up to indeed be met with a sleek deep blue fabric. She picked and held it up, realizing there was another part of the same color in the box as well.

No way.

“Dew.” She stressed his name, putting her arms down again.

“Yes, dear?” He asked with a grin.

“Dew.” She looked again. It was unmistakable. He’d gotten her a suit. A full, fancy, proper suit, “I complained about not having a suit last week, how did you-”

“Guess I just know you really well.” His dismissive attitude came back with a shrug, not mentioning the fact that he’d run around town in a blind panic trying to get it on time during the busy season.

“I…” She struggled to find the words to express her gratitude.

“Well, don’t just stand there. Put it on!” Sunshine hyped her up.

Cirrus’ eyes lit up, throwing the jacket back down in the box and rushing out the room with it all.

“Alright, alright, now I’m done waiting,” Swiss said, looking straight at Dew, “I assume you haven’t forgotten about me.” There hadn’t been a gift for him in the bags either, but he knew better than to assume Dew didn’t get him anything.

The fire ghoul nodded, “One second.” And left the room.

His feet produced quick taps through the hallway, even though he was wearing socks. He hadn’t been able to bring Swiss’ gift in earlier, since it couldn’t really be wrapped.

“Dewdrop,” Right as he was about to pick it up, Cirrus’ voice came from behind him. He turned to the doorway, greeted by the sight of Cirrus in her brand new, impeccably sharp suit.

“I’m so glad it fits.” Was the first thing he said.

The ghoulette took quick strides towards him, hugging his head into her chest. She could be quite reserved sometimes, so she was glad to have caught Dew on his own.

“It looks great. Thank you so much. I love it.” Her voice shook a little with the sincerity it carried.

Dew stood semi awkwardly when she pulled back, “Phew,” He said stoically, though he did mean it and she knew that, “Guess you should show it to the rest then. I’ll be right behind.”

Cirrus nodded enthusiastically, skipping her way back to the rest of the pack.

Dew let out another relieved breath when she was out of sight. He really didn’t know why he'd been so scared to begin with. He knew his packmates well.

He could hear the excited oh’s and ah’s from the common room and knew he shouldn’t keep Swiss waiting too much longer. He waited another half a minute so Cirrus could have her moment, before picking up the gift and making his own way back.

“You did not!” Since Swiss’ gift wasn’t wrapped he could see clear as day what it was right off the bat.

“Maybe I did. Why don’t you have some fun with it?” Dew teased, holding out a very distinct guitar. At least it was distinct to Swiss.

He would recognize that damn thing anywhere. It was the first guitar he’d ever learned to play on, never allowed to take it on tour. When he returned from his first set of shows he was told he wouldn’t need the old model anymore, since it was best for him to get used to what he always used on stage. He’d never seen it again after that and a sentimental part of him had always missed it. But it was undeniable. This was the exact guitar.

The multi ghoul had never stood up so fast, making his way to Dew and practically yanking the instrument from his hands.

He inspected it, as if there was any doubt it was the right one.

“Hey, I know that! I learned to play with that thing.” Phantom mentioned.

“And it’s good that you did,” Dew interjected, “cause that’s how I figured out where they stored it. Don’t tell anyone.” The last sentence was said very quickly, giving Swiss a serious look that revealed that Dew did, in fact, steal the guitar.

Swiss looked at him with the same adoration he’d been shown earlier, but even more intense, “I cannot thank you enough.” The multi ghoul’s voice was low, soft. He’d never meant something this much in this life.

It almost caught Dew off guard, only able to nod and smile in response.

While Swiss excitedly moved to play a song, Aether had made his way to Dew’s side and led him back to one of the couches with a hand on his shoulder. Their legs touched when they sat down, making Dew move his head to Aether’s shoulder like Sunshine had done with him before.

“Should I be scared?” The quintessence ghoul asked half-jokingly, holding up the little box his gift resided in.

Dew shrugged, “Depends.”

“Depends on what?”

“Do you trust me?” Aether exhaled a laugh. Dew knew damn well he trusted him, he just wanted to hear him say it. He played this game a lot.

“Well, alright, alright. I trust you. Let’s see.” He removed the wrapping paper, not afraid to tear it but also not doing so in an aggressive manner.

He thought his eyes would bulge out of his skull with how wide they opened. Whatever he’d been expecting was nothing like this.

The little black ring box felt smooth in his hands, “I didn’t know you were so into human customs.” Aether smirked at Dew. The fire ghoul looked a little confused, until his friend clarified, “Are you asking me to marry you?” He already knew the answer was no, but it was fun to tease.

Dew scoffed, but couldn’t hide his smile, “You wish.”

Aether finally opened the box. The ring was a silver band, with dark purple waves decorating it all around.

“Saw it at a store, back in Cincinnati. It reminded me of quintessence, so I thought-”

The fire ghoul was cut off with a quick kiss on his lips. Aether’s face was so full of adoration, it made them both feel crazy.

“Four months,” Aether realized, “You’ve been sitting on this, and managed to keep it a secret, for four months.”

“I take it you like it.” Dew looked away from Aether’s face for a moment, a little bit of insecurity still lingering.

Aether forced him to look back with a hand on his chin, “It is perfect,” He kissed him again, “I just wish I got you something in return.”

“Please, don’t worry about it.” He nearly begged. Giving gifts had already been a struggle, let alone receiving them.

Aether dropped down, his head resting in Dew’s lap. He smiled up at him, fitting the ring onto his finger.

That left only one. Rain had waited with his gift, wanting to properly see everyone else’s reaction before getting caught up himself.

His was only a little smaller than Cirrus’ had been. He didn’t want to expect anything, afraid of being disappointed if he did. But he had a hunch. He tried not to focus on it, yet he couldn’t help a part of him hoping he was correct.

“Open it up already, I’m tired!” Aurora encouraged him, getting a poke in the ribs from Cirrus.

Rain took a breath, telling himself he'd be thankful either way. Because he would be. His heart swelled at the events of the evening, how much thought Dew had put into each and every single gift, finding things he knew everyone would like. And Dew knew him very well, right? Yes, he did, but Rain still scolded himself for his hope and expectation.

A strip of the wrapping paper tore away slowly, revealing the cardboard box underneath. Rain let out a shaky breath, forcing the rest of it out of the way.

Swiss jokingly started drum rolling with his hands on his legs, the rest of the room slowly joining in. It only made Rain take more time. He felt exposed with all eyes on him. What if he had an unfavorable reaction?

There truly only was one way to find out. He opened the box. His tense muscles relaxed in an instant. He knew exactly what it was. And god dammit he had guessed correctly.

Dew had not been anxious in the slightest about Rain’s gift, already knowing he’d love it. Although he hadn’t counted on Rain doubling over his gift, tears streaming down his face with a quiet sob.

The rest of the room couldn’t see the gift, some stares and raised eyebrows making their way towards Dew. But his face was confident, a small smile reassuring everyone that Rain’s reaction must be of joy.

The fire ghoul got up, knowing Rain would want to hug or kiss or fuck him on the spot. The second his ass touched the couch, Rain clung onto him, his cries somehow managing to sound overjoyed indeed.

The gift may not have seemed like a lot to most people. It was a blue ankle length dress with glitters on the top part and flowers embroidered on the skirt.

But it meant the world to Rain. He’d been wearing skirts more often, mostly in the privacy of his own room. It wasn’t that he feared judgement, he knew the other ghouls, as well as the siblings, would never look at him differently for it. But he just wanted to explore and experiment a bit at his own pace. Dew was the only person he’d discussed this with in detail, having shown him this exact dress. He’d been wanting to get it really bad for a while but always felt like something was holding him back.

Not anymore.

“No pressure,” Dew whispered into Rain’s hair, “but I’d love to see you in it some time.”

The water ghoul looked up, quickly wiping the tears off his face. He smiled, hurriedly getting up and running out with the box like Cirrus had done before.

“What was it? What was it?” Phantom quickly asked.

“Give him just a minute and you’ll see.” Dew responded.

Indeed a minute later, Rain shyly stepped back into the room. There was definite excitement for everyone, some showing it more strongly than others.

“Give us a twirl!” Cumulus encouraged, causing Rain to do just that.

He felt majestic in it. A fairytale princess come to life straight out of a storybook. It was euphoric, “How did you know my size?” He asked Dew.

“I don’t know if you realize, but I’m pretty familiar with your body.” He explained.

Rain smiled wider, walking up to Dew and picking him up right off of the couch. He twirled around again, with him in his arms this time.

“Thank you so much. This really means the world.”

“Everyone say ‘thank you, Dew’.” Aether said.

A big chorus of thank you’s sounded through the common room. Phantom came up to Dew, still suspended in Rain’s arms, and joined their hug. Soon enough it was a group hug with the whole pack.

Dew had already stopped worrying, but the reinforcement of everyone’s gratitude made him feel even sillier for ever worrying in the first place. He loved his fellow ghouls and they clearly loved him back.

[My Main Masterlist | Domestic December Masterlist]

[inkedinechoes]

TIMELOOP OC AU TIME

my favorite thing in media is when AUs exist and are canon. It's so fun, and that's exactly what these guys enable for me!

this is a veryyy long one since there's not nearly as much plot points and background story to explain as there is with the main universe- its just the one event. and also i want to ramble about this very much.

in this Comedy is the main POV because 1. she's half of how it started and 2. they are so fun to mess with like this specificly. she'd be the most affected by this kind of thing in like an Ángel Valdivia kind of way to me, though she'd approuch it similarly to how i imagen Odile would.

her and Crown were doing their experiments trying to make a way to travel universes but it didnt work, another dud they assumed resulted in nothing and they moved on to the next idea. Then an hour later at 5pm exactly theres banging at the door to the place they were all hideing in and they're raided. most are either injured or arrested, and some killed. Comedy can't believe they didnt realize they'd been found, she should have know it wasnt safe here, that they'd stayed in one spot to long and should have moved everyone out sooner, but she was too late she failed to protect them-

and suddenly time has turned back to right when Crown activated their supposed dud machine. instead of warping space to travel at their will they've distorted time back to this exact point, but what triggered it? was it somehow emotion based? that made no sense the machine shouldnt be able to have any connecting to that, so was there a time limit before it snaps back here? is it a perfect loop and everything is the exact same as before or have things changed somehow? she's immediately focused on finding the patterns and logic in the mechanics of the timeloop until 5pm rolls around again and the same thing happens. They failed again.

next time the decide to keep a close eye on the clock, if the loop is time limit based evacuateing everyone wont fix anything, they'll just be sent back to die again. but maybe they can wait out the raid, convince everyone to hide once it starts getting close to 5 and hopefully she can test a theory and keep everyone safe. unfortunately keeping a bunch of kids completely still and quiet for an unknown amount of time isnt easy and there aren't many places to hide. they fail again, but they now know that the time the loop restarts is set in stone! progress!

She's having a time especially since she doesnt exactly want to tell anyone else whats going on because thats a but of an odd topic to broach and she especially doesnt want to tell Crown, even though he is the best person who could help, because she doesnt want them to feel at fault for her being stuck. the most help they decide to get from Crown is bouncing more theories on how they can get the dimension travel to work. her running theory is if they can get out of this dimension, the time distortion won't affect them since it's likely confined to this one. This takes several loops of failed attempts to figure out and even longer to build with their progress constantly being set back and her needing to re-explain their findings each time. They're also getting noticeably more frantic each loop, especially when it gets closer to 5 since they're on a very strict time limit and need to fix things before everything goes wrong or else its pointless.

they actually get the thing finished just barley in time, and even more accurate than in the original universe! but it also uses a lot more energy, and she realized while planning that for this to work, someone will have to die.

and they promised to protect everyone.

i also haveee this from when i first came up with the AU

"You could blame him. he created this loop and trapped you in it, and they'd know better than you how to get out, you're sure, but you couldn't do that to them. you love him. it'd be cruel to tell him what you'd gone through because of them. what you'd done because you love them. if anything, you're proud of him! if he can make this, he's that much closer to their dreams! and if not for this, you'd have all died long ago. even with everything you've seen, everything you've done, everything you've learned, you're happy. because at least now you know the truth: no matter what time, no matter what universe, one of you will never make it out alive. and at least in this one, it was you."

[yayforocs]

Day 7- Personality

i hadn't actually posted this yet and i realized this would work pretty well for today's prompt :V

this is a lil drabble i wrote out to kinda feel out the twins' characters after i drew em :0 so it technically fits the prompt i think!

anyway here's the twins \o/

---

Not that one.

Not that one.

That one might be worth it. He clicked it open in a new tab and then kept scrolling.

Not that one.

That one looked good, but was way too far of a commute, unless he didn't actually go back home after graduation and moved closer to the job. By himself.

Not that one.

Not that-

Russ didn't react as his door was abruptly burst open, knowing full well by the loud steps that it was his sister- who promptly slammed her phone down on the desk by his laptop.

He glanced over at it, screen dark. He looked up at her.

"Ok...?"

"I got-" Her eyes then darted down to her phone screen, and she jerked it back up. "Wait holdon I accidentally-" A second later she put it back down, albeit a little gentler, and holding it differently so as to not turn the screen off again. "I found something!"

Now when he looked at it, he saw what he was meant to see: a listing of available positions at the old Freddy's back home. He raised an eyebrow but didn't ask anything until he read over all of it.

Zoe beat him to it, anyway. "There's an opening for a technician and they're even offering training. There's also a couple other spots- one's a cook, which I guess I could do, but I'd much rather be a cast member, which is also available. Look, we can both go and do something together! Sort of! Might have different shifts, assuming we both get hired, but it'd be the same place. I don't think it'd be hard to get in, though, fresh graduates and all," she finished, inclining her head in an intentional look.

He stared at it for a few seconds more before giving in. "Alright, send me the link," he sighed, pulling up his messenger app. Her phone was back in her hands for barely two seconds before the notification popped up, and he clicked on it.

"Cool, if you're good with that I'll go send in mine, too." And as quickly as she came, Zoe left.

Russ pushed his mouth to one side as he re-read the information. Awfully convenient, if he had to be honest, but it was at Freddy's. ...Granted, last he'd heard anything of it, it was under new management and going well, or at least well enough. This opening though was specifically for upkeep of the big stuff- not just arcade games, but the lights and sound of the whole place, as well as... the infamous animatronic performers. He grew up there, he and Zoe went to Freddy's as kids, and he remembered liking it well enough, but then he got older and learned about all the stories and rumors and possibly/probably very real tragedies that happened there. Or if not there, at least in the franchise's history.

He opened a new tab, and searched up the place by itself. There was the first result, with all the business information- open hours and such- and reviews. He clicked. Three and a half star average, decent amount of reviews. He scrolled. Mother whose kids loved the place, babysitter who commented on how clean it was, someone upset that they didn't get a refund on pizza they decided they didn't want after eating half of, another mom that said she felt her kids were safe there- a bit of an on-the-nose review, considering, but it worked- a dad whose girls loved Foxy, and someone that praised a Mr. Schmidt. He supposed that was the new management. The reviews continued similarly. So mostly good, as the average said. Lots of blank reviews, but the ones that were written in provided what he was looking for.

He closed the tab and pulled up his resumé.

---

Across the hall and a door down, Zoe had already submitted hers and posted a motion-blurred picture of her laptop screen on her social media's stories tab, captioned "Just sent off my first job applications!!!" with several emojis accompanying, including some crossed fingers and prayer hands. There was a whole batch she'd sent out, but only the Freddy's one was something that'd actually keep the twins together, and bad history or not, she wanted that one to be the one that worked out the most.

Her phone dinged with a reply to her story.

< Did you do it? 👀

She laughed to herself.

Yeah girl ofc!! A jobs a job n I intend to get paid 👀 > < Wym a jobs a job????? Don't die over a dare pls I do not trust that place worth anything That was all years ago, doesn't matter. Besides have u seen the guy running it now 👀👌 > < Ong do not 💀💀💀 he'll sic the robots on u and you'll deserve it Nah he won't. Rusty'll get em to like me n then they won't do anything > < You covince him?? < Convinced Yeah I didn't even need to really he just took it, so fingers crossed for the both of us🤞🤞🤞 > Covince > < Shut up I corrected it :) > Fr tho nah idc bout him he's prolly like forty or smth I'm not abt that > < I thought you meant Russ at first 🤣 I > Am not going to comment on that > < And then I read the rest of it chill out!!! Do I even wanna know what u thought before u read the rest of it or no > < I thought you were calling him old idk!!!! < Anyway unimportant < If u get it u gotta give me updates I already told you I'm not actually interested in him > < Stoppppp :) > Lol yeah I'll let you know 🤞 > < Gl!!! 🤞

The online indicator grayed out, and she locked her phone screen. After a moment, her eyes wandered to the calendar pinned on the wall. Two weeks. In two weeks, they could be back home, with fancy bachelor's degrees that could mean nothing or everything, doing who-knows-what. Looking for apartments, probably. But they'd need a job for that, first. Proof of income and all.

She looked back over the twenty still-open tabs of sent applications, and crossed her fingers.

[violetjedisylveon]

Amnesia Chapter 10 - Rude Clones

Bad Batch Omega centric AU

Summary: Crosshair is a space racist and being a huge dick for no reason, Freyu(Pantoran OC) is very confused.

Word count: 1.6k

Warnings: xenophobia and space racism, also some mentions of blood and jokes at Crosshair's expense, he deserves it though.

A/N:

For reference of who's who, here you go:

ES-02 = Yaosney

ES-03 = Lanhass

ES-04 = Izzatrun

Es-05 = Elrani

Es-06 = Redwymo

Bad Batch Amnesia AU Masterpost

________________________________________________________________________________

The security system sent her an alert. Freyu paused what she was doing, the laundry, and pulled up the security feed onto the nearest screen.

The system was detecting a disturbance at the edge of its range. Human blood had been shed, and it was detecting predatory activity. It was raining and nighttime, perfect time for an ambush predator to attack, especially for those without the necessary advantages, like humans.

"Meg'ika, I'm going out, there's someone in trouble, stay upstairs, Cassony will stay with you." She called up to the human girl.

"Uh, okay!" Omega called back down.

"I'll be back within the hour!" She assured her anxious charge.

She glanced at Boa, the Chrysocy was sitting at the door and eagerly waiting to go out.

"Wanna investigate?" She prompted the fox.

Boa chirped happily and slipped out the door. Freyu rolled her eyes and grabbed her coat and blaster rifle. Between that, Asichi and Boa, she would be just fine.

XXX

CT-9904 aimed his rifle at the approaching creature, it was large and heavy, and looked dangerous. It was like the whole planet was trying to kill him, all because that stupid bounty hunter wasn't doing her damn job, and just fucking his subordinate whenever she got the chance.

Maker, he kind of hated them.

The creature skidded to a stop and he caught a good look at it. It was one of those horses he had been seeing so much, the ones with horns on their heads and tails. It had a rider too.

The rider immediately put their arms up when he aimed at them.

"Whoa! Don't shoot! I came to help!" They had a very high pitched voice, he assumed they were rather young.

CT-9904 lowered his rifle and stared the rider down. Something moved in the grass next to them, he swung his rifle to face it.

"Whoa! That's mine! Don't shoot her!" The rider exclaimed.

CT-9904 rolled his eyes and put his weapon away. The ambush predators were gone by now, scared off. The rider snickered.

"Something funny?" He prompted.

"They haven't gone. They're just waiting. If I'd been any later, you'd be dead." The rider explained.

"Oh really?" He grunted.

"Yep. I can see them, they aren't attacking because Asichi is here." She patted her beast's neck.

"So do you guys need help? Security system said you were hurt." She asked.

"Your security system told you we were hurt?" Lanhass asked.

"Yeah? Your security must be shit if it doesn't tell you that. How else are you supposed to know when the predators are around?" The rider said, leaning over a rifle strapped to her saddle.

"So who's hurt?" She asked, digging through some bag she had.

"I've got some meds, but it'd be better to treat you out of the rain, I've a storehouse not too far from here, you guys can rest up there if you want, can't promise it'll be the cleanest, but it's safe." The rider offered.

CT-9904 wanted to reject her help immediately, she sounded like a child, he had no reason to trust any of the aid a child could offer him. He was just about to say something when Yaosney stepped up.

"That would be greatly appreciated. Please, lead the way." She said with far too soft of a tone for a soldier.

CT-9904 glared at his subordinate, but knew better than to so soundly refuse aid.

"Okay then. Follow me." The rider said cheerfully.

XXX

CT-9904 watched the Pantoran treat his troopers with a careful eye. The storehouse was decent cover, and had some good food stashed in the cupboards and an actual kitchen that worked. There were sufficient amenities and facilities, for that, he was thankful to the Pantoran. Even if he ignored her request not to smoke on her property.

The Pantoran looked about as young as she sounded, he'd put her around her mid teens if he had to give it a guess. She was short, he was almost a foot taller than her.

No matter how young she was, she certainly knew her stuff, her stitches were military level, or perhaps just doctor level, she seemed to have some hand in the medical industry. The storehouse had housed some medicines and salves, which she was using to treat his troops' injuries quite effectively. Bacta wasn't too common on this planet due to its abundance of natural healing plants and substances.

So far, the civilian hadn't given too much personal information aside from her name, Freyu, and idle chatter to fill the empty space. In his opinion, his troopers were too comfortable with a non combatant. The alien could turn on them in an instant, could be secretly poisoning them.

The Pantoran glanced over at him, winced and asked Yaosney, who had foolishly given her name, something, his infuriating trooper laughed and patted the Pantoran's back, telling her to relax and slipping in an insult or two at him. As she tended to do.

"Something funny?" He prompted.

The Pantoran stilled for a moment, pausing her stitches on Elrani's leg.

"No, I just had a question." She said, quickly returning to her task.

She was fidgety, but most beings, most aliens, were around him. They were an ungrateful lot.

The Pantoran quickly wrapped up her work, getting more nervous by the minute, but only he seemed to notice the odd behavior. Something told him this behavior wasn't out of the ordinary, that he had seen many non-humans get nervous around clones, but something about this one just set him off.

She looks like that bounty hunter. He realized. Sure, they were different shades of blue, and had different hair colors, but there was an undeniable resemblance present. He scoffed, the bounty hunter would blame him for thinking all Pantorans looked alike.

They really did look similar. The bounty hunter, he was sure, was old enough to be this Pantoran's mother. And Yaosney, the bounty hunter's very committed partner, was being uncharacteristically nice to-

"Um, is there anything else you need?" The Pantoran asked, shaking him out of her thoughts.

Her question was directed at him, but she was refusing to look at him.

"I think we're all good. Thank you for your assistance." Yaosney said far too kindly.

"Alright then. I'll just clean up and be on my way." The Pantoran said.

"Yeah, get on it, blue skin." CT-9904 snipped.

The Pantoran paused what she was doing and shot him a quizzical, accusatory look. Her golden yellow gaze hardened. Behind her, Yaosney was shaking her head at him.

"What did you just call me?" She asked.

"Blue skin." He repeated, exhaling a puff of smoke.

Lanhass, Izzatrun, Elrani and Redwymo all looked away from him with varying levels of embarrassment or shock, Yaosney, infuriating as ever, just stared him down. The Pantoran's face flushed indigo with anger.

"It's true isn't it? You're a blue skin." He said.

"I'm a Pantoran, not a blue skin." She hissed.

"What's it matter? You blue skins are all the same anyway." He shrugged.

He had clearly struck a nerve. The Pantoran looked like she was about to kill him.

Before the situation could escalate any further, Yaosney stepped right between them, soundly killing the bit of fun he'd managed to have. She rested her hand on the Pantoran's shoulder, the girl in question flinched like she'd been struck.

"Let's calm down. I'm sure you know how thick headed clones can be, right?" She said, shooting him a fiery glare.

"After all, we don't want to offend our citizens, right, Commander?" She said with a subtle snarl.

"They aren't imperial citizens yet. And like I said, it doesn't matter what I call them. They're all the same at the end of the day." He flicked his burnt cigarette onto the ground.

The Pantoran made a sort of growling sound at him.

"Just like the animals." He sneered.

That got her to shut up and drop the situation completely. She abruptly turned away from him and busied herself cleaning some of her supplies.

Yaosney glared at him and gave him that disapproving sneer she always did whenever he smoked. She turned on him and went to talk to the civilian.

"Ignore him, kid, you know what bastards clones can be. This one just happens to be a big dick too, though with the way he acts, he probably has a tiny one." She told the younger woman.

Freyu snorted and nearly stabbed herself with the needle she was cleaning.

"Isn't he your superior?" She asked quietly.

"Ah don't worry about that, I can beat that guy any day. Besides, my girlfriend is absolutely going to rip him a new one for all the bullshit he pulls." She patted her back.

"I'd like to see that." Freyu chuckled.

Yaosney glanced at her clock, it was getting pretty late, and from what she had said, Freyu had a sibling waiting for her. She could feel the clone's gaze on them, he was certainly annoying today.

"You should get going, there's nothing that you can't do another day." She said.

Freyu glanced at her, then the commander, and nodded.

Yaosney made sure to keep herself between the young woman and the clone as she grabbed what she needed and left quickly.

Once she was gone, Yaosney turned on her infuriating superior officer.

"Is there something wrong with you?"

"Ask yourself that question." He snapped.

Yaosney's trigger finger twitched, her hand subconsciously moved towards her pistol. The clone smirked and flicked his cigarette onto the floor again. Fuck, she hated the stench of the vile substance.

"Watch your tells." He ordered.

"Watch your manners." She shot back.

________________________________________________________________________________

Crosshair, pissed and coming up with conspiracies: the bounty hunter had a secret child as a teenager and is avoiding this part of the planet to avoid the guilt over abandoning her child, but she knows and that's why this Pantoran is so jumpy. It's the only reason.

Freyu: actually it's cause my mom fucked your donor way back when and it's kinda awkward to think about.

Crosshair: what?

Freyu: what?

...

Chora*hears Crosshair's conspiracy through gossip*: I don't have a secret love child, I just have a personal rule! Humans are so fucking stupid!

Ngl I really did that bit just for pure shiggles, it was dumb and fun and I don't care if it makes sense or not, it's funny. It's especially funny cause Chora and Freyu look nothing alike, even by human standards they are very different looking.

I feel it is very important to state that

ES-02/Yaosney is about 30 and has been doing the whole fighting thing for way longer than Crosshair, the dude's 11, she has at least a decade of experience on him. So she can and will kick his ass if she wants too, that is why she has no respect for him, he acts very childish, in her professional opinion.

Also Freyu looks a lot younger than she actually is(I'm not too good at drawing that in my art sadly), she looks about 15 or 16, and has a naturally higher, younger sounding voice, so most people think she's pretty young, she's also short so that doesn't help her situation with xenophobia.

Sorry for the long end notes!

I hope you all have a good day, whatever that is for you!

VJS Out!