#which means i'll get to it between fall of this year or spring of next

[hetchdrive]

"I should read Persuasion," I say, forcibly ignoring my stack of 7 library books and 15 other books by my bed.

[stu-dyingstudent]

Sakura Haruno fic recs: SasuSaku

Sakura and Sasuke are my personal favourite couple from canon Naruto. I know that as much as fans love them, there are also plenty which truly hate them together, but I believe that just stems from a lack of understanding of their characters.

Their relationship as a whole is very complicated and if the slightest detail is done wrong, then everything falls apart. However, when done well, they are really quite beautiful.

I've decided to create this list dedicated to them as a pairing. Most (if not all) of these recommendations will be fairly accurate to their characters. Anyway, I'll probably add onto this list soon since I need to go through my ffn favourites.

Started: 2025.04.17

Last Updated: 2025.04.17

note: feel free to check out my master list which has a bunch of Sakura Haruno fic recs (all organized)!

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In due time - plumblossomed || ao3 || M || sasusaku || modern AU || one-shot complete

Sasuke and Sakura meet and fall in love in their 40s.

In Due Time is a lovely modern AU that follows Sasuke and Sakura finding love at a later stage in their lives. With both of them being skilled doctors, love just took a little longer with them being more career focused. It's a very sweet read and I thoroughly enjoyed their ages here. Sasuke and Sakura's relationship feels genuine. It's not about extravagant gestures or lengthy love confessions, but rather just finding someone you can enjoy your time with.

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Approaching Sun - ANerdInAllHerGlory || ao3/ffn || M || sasusaku || blank period || ongoing

After 2 years of traveling on his own, Sasuke returns to the village where friends anxiously await him. Still troubled by the mysteries of Kaguya and his personal guilt, Sasuke is split between friends and his journey. Troubled by rising casualties and international dependence on her abilities, Sakura is torn between her love for Sasuke and her duty to her village. Taking a chance on love, Sakura joins Sasuke on his next mission in his search for traces of the Otsusuki in the deserts of Sunagakure.

Approaching Sun is the ultimate slow burn blank period fanfic!! And when I say slow burn here, I mean it haha. I cannot rave about this one enough because I genuinely think it's so well done. The characters feel very accurate to themselves and the details included are such a treat. For those of you that read the novels, this might be for you since there are plenty of references here. Also, Sakura and Sasuke's relationships with Kakashi is precious. I believe the author is just finishing up too.

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Rays of Spring Sunshine - sparklyfaerie || ao3 || M || sasusaku || childhood friends AU || complete

Sakura had been by his side since he lost his family, following him around since they were seven years old, trying to ease his loneliness in whatever way she could. He didn’t even know why he allowed it. He just silently allowed her to claim the seat next to him at the beginning of every term.

Perhaps one of the most canon accurate depictions I've read of their characters. I will note that things stay pretty close to the manga in Rays of Spring Sunshine, but things definitely get shaken up near the end and for the next in the series. Ah yes, I should mention that this is the first work. Anyway, I highly recommend if you like reading about them during the genin days. Sasuke is rather gruff and aloof, but deep down he does care for Sakura a great lot. Really well written.

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The Long Way Home - thegeneralgirl || ao3 || T || sasusaku || amnesia AU || complete

Sakura finds Sasuke again in Wind Country five years after the war. He's supposed to be dead and she's supposed to be beyond caring, but neither of them likes to live up to expectations.

Sasuke is living the life of a civilian in his state of amnesia when Sakura finds him. Nonetheless, upon meeting Sakura he finds himself intrigued by the ways of shinobi. Loved it!

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Choosing Fate - plumblossomed || ao3 || M || sasusaku || no chakra AU || complete

They married for duty, not for love. She was fresh air and spring breeze while he was scorching flames and summer heat. Still, they’d come to find out they were two halves of the same whole.

In a world without their powers, Sasuke and Sakura are forced into an arranged marriage. I enjoyed how they slowly warmed up to each other. Sakura feels that she's been stripped of her freedom and person, but through small actions on Sasuke's part she is able to find herself once again.

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Synergy - bttrmllw || ao3 || M || sasusaku || Mulan AU || complete

AU. Mulan-inspired. In which Haruno Sakura poses as a man to join the ranks of the Konoha army and General Uchiha Sasuke is very, very confused.

For those of you that love secret identity! Set in a very interesting AU where only men can enter into the shinobi ranks and women are left as medics. Sakura infiltrates, left under Sasuke's command, to save someone precious to her and proves her strength while she's at it. Definitely BAMF Sakura!

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Something Left to Save - helena3190 || ao3 || M || sasusaku || post-war || ongoing

In the aftermath of the shinobi war to save the world, from their own war to save Sasuke's soul, Team Seven adjusts, mends severed bonds, and strives to love.

Something Left to Save is another favourite of mine! Most fanfics that take place after the war are during the blank period; however, this here covers the time directly following. Sasuke isn't quite forgiven and Sakura is still struggling with all of the recent events. There is more of a focus on team bonding than romance, but it's certainly present as well. Such a lovely slow burn and lots of just character healing all around. With that said, don't go thinking that this is fluffy because there is a lot of hurt. Also, Sai and Yamato are included, which makes me so happy!

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Markings - CatFlorist || ao3 || M || sasusaku || post-war || complete

After the war, Sakura steals the hearts of Team Taka. Sasuke doesn’t know how to feel about this. All about healing and friendship for Sakura and Sasuke (and Team Taka/Team Seven).

Markings is a super cute and fairly short fic that follows Sakura bonding with Team Taka directly after the war. Sasuke gets a little jealous and Suigetsu is flirtatious! I think Team Taka are all super fun characters, so I found this quite enjoyable.

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A Day Apart by rabbitholessk || ao3 || T || sasusaku || orphan AU || incomplete

Sasuke and Sakura go through similar traumatic experiences a day apart from the other. They are placed into a tough situation after their experiences. How will two traumatized eight year olds deal with growing up and their pasts. Canon divergent, slow build/burn. Ratings may change.

Oh, how I hope this gets continued! Sakura and Sasuke both lose their families just days apart and are assigned to live together in a shared apartment. Honestly such a sweet yet sad read. You watch them struggle with their own trauma, puberty (yikes), and how to deal with each other. They slowly warm up and now on Team 7 together they have a new family.

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Changing Chance by DancingInTheDark282 || ao3 || G || sasusaku || time travel AU || complete

Sakura had experienced many weird things in her life. But travelling 17 years into the past, saving Naruto's parents, battling Madara Uchiha, and doing it with Sasuke of all people, had to be at the top of her list.

Ok, so this actually got completed today!! I love time travel AUs and Changing Chance has both Sakura and Sasuke go back together. To make matters even better, Minato, Kushina, and Kakashi are all fairly major characters.

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Hatsukoi - sparklyfaerie || ao3 || sasusaku || gen || non-massacre AU || complete

Sasuke leans away as the girl turns to him, and his mother doesn't need to be any closer to guess as to the expression on his face. The girl's body language changes in an instant, and Mikoto recognizes the posture of a little girl in love. It's kind of adorable.

Probably one of the cutest sasusaku fics I have read as Hatsukoi follows them from genin to marriage! It's told in multiple perspectives and it's full of tooth rotting fluff. You get to watch the slow progression of their relationship over time and how they grow even closer in Naruto's absence. Definitely read is you want something light!

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Louder than Words - SouthSideStory || ao3 || T || sasusaku || non-massacre AU || complete

Sakura hasn’t uttered a single word since the day her family died, but Sasuke is determined to hear her, one way or another. (No Uchiha massacre AU.)

Louder Than Words is another short read where Sakura joins the Uchiha household after Fugaku finds her on a mission. She's non-verbal here, but Sasuke finds a way to make it work nonetheless.

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Hit Me With Your Best Shot - Tozette || ao3 || T || sasusaku || blank period || one-shot complete

Sasuke is actually eighteen the first time he looks at Sakura and realises abruptly that he wants her.

I think we all know by now that Sasuke has always been attracted to strength, power, so why not when it comes to romance? Essentially, one day on a mission, Sasuke discovers he has a strength kink. Watching him continuously get flustered throughout the fic because of his admiration towards Sakura's strength is so entertaining. Really fun read

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Heat - Lady Otori || ffn || M || sasusaku || blank period || incomplete

Sasuke's temperature has always run higher than most, and Sakura has always, always burned for him. Moments of heat, spent together in the time after his return. [SasuSaku] [Blank Period] [Team 7 Friendship] [Slow Burn / Eventual Smut]

This screams summer to me, so I thought it was fitting to recommend Heat considering the time of the year! I love how Sai is included and how Kakashi jokes around with them. Not to mention just general team bonding!! The characterizations are all quite well done and this is just overall a great read.

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Most of these are from ao3, but I have loads from ffn that I read and loved, so I will definitely share at some point. However, I just find it such a pain going through my favourites on that site haha.

[goldenavenger02]

cause we survived the great war

For @badthingshappenbingo . Prompt: Fainting.

"Did you stop him?" Zuko interrupted, his vision growing more and more blurred from the salty water that was building up in his eyes as he squeezed Aang's hand tightly, "d-did you stop him?"

"I took away his bending. He's powerless."

Despite popular belief by those outside of the Fire Nation, Capitol City did get cooler at night.

Zuko had always assumed it was from the wind that came down from the high peaks of the volcanoes blowing down into the capitol city, or maybe the pushback from the waves that surrounded the smaller islands.

Either way, the chilly breeze was passing through once again which only made the fiery pain in the center of his torso more apparent as it engulfed him whole and pulsed through his blood with every thump of his heart.

He refused to make mention of it to Katara despite his arm being wrapped around her shoulders to keep him on his feet as they walked towards where they had agreed to meet up with the others on the shoreline; just like her, he needed to know that the others were alive, that Aang had done the impossible and had ended the hundred year war.

Even if that meant that he was now an orphan.

"Sokka!" Katara shouted, pulling away from Zuko to run forward and pull her limping older brother into her arms, resulting in a particularly strong thump of pain to hit him right in the chest.

He couldn't hear the exchange between the siblings and Suki from where he stood, but despite the throbbing in his torso, he couldn't help but let his lips curl into a smile as he watched the trio hug.

Only for him to be knocked back into reality by a harsh punch in the arm that he knew belonged to Toph.

"Glad to see you're alive."

"Same to you, Sparky," her grin was wide even in the dim light of the setting sun before her nose wrinkled, "ooh, but you stink."

"I'm sorry, you're saying that to me?"

"Ha ha," she said with sarcasm laced in her words before they turned serious, "what happened, did you fall in a fireplace?"

"Azula plays dirty, Zuko gritted his teeth as he spoke, letting an arm wrap around the wound to support himself, "Is Aang-"

"He's on his way, but he's in the middle of- Zuko!" Sokka cut himself off with an arm around Suki as he limped towards him, "that almost killed Aang! How are you sti…"

The ringing sound replaced any voices that impacted him as he tried to blink away the sudden dizziness and his mouth filled with a coppery taste, only to look back up at the four blurring faces surrounding him.

"-hat's wrong?"

"I can't…" he swallowed, trying to pull in a breath that remained just out of his reach while the edges of his vision started to dim, "I can't breathe…"

"-eartbeat's too slow, catch hi-"

Zuko's world went black as he crashed to his knees.

…

"Please, Katara."

"You need to rest, we all do. I don't even know when he'll wake up."

"I haven't seen him for two days and…he deserves to know about what I did."

Katara's sigh echoed through the room, only returning his attention to the searing pain in his torso that was once again returning with a vengeance.

"Okay, you're right. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Katara? You should get some rest too."

Zuko didn't hear her response, he was too focused on the feeling of a small, gentle hand looped around his own; he knew it wasn't Toph, not with how gentle the voice had been, which could only mean one thing.

He opened his eyes slowly and carefully turned his head to focus his vision on the figure next to his bedside before managing to speak, "Aang."

"You're awake," Aang took a breath that sounded a bit too shaky to just be exhaustion and the look in his eyes told Zuko that if it wasn't for his injuries, he would have been pulled into a tight hug, "Katara told me, about the Agni Kai."

"Aang, my…my f-father-" Zuko hissed through his teeth from the pressure that the inhale had put on the burn that adorned his chest, tears involuntarily springing into his eyes.

"Don't strain yourself. We can talk later, once you're feeling better-"

"Did you stop him?" Zuko interrupted, his vision growing more and more blurred from the salty water that was building up in his eyes as he squeezed Aang's hand tightly, "d-did you stop him?"

"I took away his bending. He's powerless."

Zuko loosened his grip. 'He can't hurt anyone any more.'

"Thank you."

Aang squeezed his hand tightly with a smile on his face, the closest thing to a hug that he would give right now, before speaking again, "go back to sleep. You're safe with me."

It was Zuko's cue to let his vision darken and let the pain dissipate once again.

…

It didn't elevate the pain when she focused her attention on the pink edges of the wound and it trailed away from his torso onto into his arm from where he had tried to push it out through his fingertips.

In fact, when Katara bent the water over his right arm to try and sooth the angry nerves that laid underneath, it was cooling and actually helped ease away a fraction of the built-up tension in his shoulders.

It made sense why she started there and worked her way inward towards the center of the attack during every healing session.

"Do you need to take a break?" Her voice was sincere as she looked up at him, the glassiness of tears apparent in her blue eyes.

"Do you?"

"I'm…" she stopped, raising an arm up to wipe away the tears in her eyes, "I'm fine."

"Katara-"

"Why did you do it?" She cut him off quickly, "you know what this did to Aang, so why would you do it?"

"I didn't t-think she'd aim for you."

"Just answer me, Zuko," she begged, the tears falling from her eyes to the point where she discarded the water she had been using into the nearby bucket due to contamination, "why did you risk so much for me?"

He pondered on her question for a moment.

He hadn't been thinking about anything but pushing the lightning away from himself and into the ground, trying to emerge victorious against his unstable sister; but the crazed glance and the blue twisting around her fingertips had him running forward before the impact and-pain pain pain-

He looked back up at Katara's eyes, teary and demanding as they searched for an answer that only he could give.

"Because we're a team, r-remember?"

She wiped her tears away again and pulled in a long sniffle before looking over at him with a smile before she spoke, her voice shaking from her crying, "I…I know I already said it, but thank you."

Zuko nodded, wrapping his fingers around his sheets as he watched her bend fresh water out of the basin and braced himself for the pain.

"I'll be as fast as I can, okay?" Her voice was comforting and quiet now that the tears had finally stopped running down her cheeks and she had received a satisfactory answer, but Zuko knew that as soon as he agreed, he would be launched into unbearable agony.

"Okay."

The cry of pain that escaped his lips didn't shine a light to the intensity of the fiery, searing pain that engulfed him and fought back against the healing water; he gripped the sheets tightly in his palms and squeezed his eyes shut.

"I know it hurts," he made out as she hit a particularly sore spot that had his back arching in protest, "I'm almost done."

When she finally pulled the water away, he was struggling to get full breaths into his lungs as he opened his golden eyes that were now filled to the brim with pain-induced tears.

"It's going to get easier," Katara's assurance was sincere as she gently cupped the right side of his face in her hand to wipe away the tears that had leaked from his eyes and onto his cheeks, "for both of us."

…

When he awoke again, there was no sign of Aang or Katara.

Instead, he was greeted by a soft humming of a familiar song that he had heard his whole life. A song that had filled the halls of the palace whenever his uncle, as well as his cousin, were safely within the walls rather than on the front lines.

"Well," The humming stopped, replaced by the familiar voice of his uncle, "look who's awake."

"I thought you w-were in Ba Sing Se." Zuko managed to speak, his tongue heavy in his mouth.

"I was, but when the news of you defeating Azula in an Agni Kai reached us, as well as the defeat of Ozai, I knew that my efforts would be better here. After all, someone has to weed out his loyalists and you, my nephew, are in no state to do that yourself."

"I did try, to r-redirect the lightning."

"And master Katara thinks that was what saved you. While she has expressed gratitude that you saved her life, it would be wise to follow her advice until you are healed."

It wasn't like Zuko planned on rebelling against her, not while his chest burned with every inhale.

Despite the pain, he still managed to push himself up on his wrists and sit up with the support of the pillows behind his head.

"Y-You were humming the song," he changed the subject, watching as his uncle raised an eyebrow while sipping from the teacup that was a part of the tea set sitting on the dresser, " the one you u-used to sing it to Lu Ten and I."

"Yes, I was. Here," Iroh nodded as he grabbed the second teacup, like he knew that Zuko was going to wake up, and pressed it into his shaking palms, "you should drink and go back to sleep."

Zuko slowly brought the edge of the cup to his lips and tipped the warm tea into his mouth, letting the familiar flavors of jasmine and chamomile coat his tongue, washing away the coppery taste from his mouth.

He let his uncle gently take the glass cup out of his palms before laying back down, his vision spinning by the time he was laying flat on the mattress once again; he closed his eyes, reducing everything to black.

Zuko allowed himself to drift back off to the sounds of his uncle singing softly, just loud enough that he could make out the words "Brave soldier boy, comes marching home".

…

"Absolutely not."

"Katara, the coronation is in a few days-"

"My judgment wouldn't change if it was in a few hours," she shook her head as she wrapped the new bandages around his torso and up around his right shoulder, "you are on bedrest until further notice, and your uncle said you listen to me."

"He said it would be wise to follow your advice." Zuko hadn't planned on fighting against her judgment at all, let alone so soon after he was advised not to go against her, but he needed to know what was happening outside of the walls of his childhood bedroom.

"I wouldn't poke the bear if I was you, Sparky." Toph remarked from where she was lounging on the ottoman, her head hanging just above the floor.

"What did you just call me?" Katara turned away from his tight bandages to presumably glare at Toph, like it would make much of a difference.

"Relax, sweetness. I'm telling him to listen to you and not to piss you off, especially while you're gone."

'Wait, what?'

"You're leaving?"

Katara's sigh acted as confirmation even before she started speaking, "not for long, just for the rest of the day. There are a lot of injured people in both Ba Sing Se and the Fire Nation, they need all of the healers they can get," she explained as she finished wrapping the bandages around his chest, "these aren't too tight?"

"No, they aren't."

"Good. You're doing a lot better and Sokka's leg has been healing up well enough, which is why I'm going with Aang and Suki," she explained as she stood up and pulled her bag over her shoulder, "but you are staying in bed."

Zuko raised his hands in surrender, resigning himself to staring at the ceiling for the rest of the day, allowing Katara to leave the room without another word.

However, just as he was starting to let his eyes flutter shut in relaxation, it was shattered by the young earthbender who had taken residence in his room that afternoon after his uncle had left.

"Do you want to get up?"

"What?"

"She just left the palace and I'm not gonna snitch. I used to run away all the time!"

"Toph-"

"You can't get better just laying down all day," Toph cut him off as she walked over and held her hand out, "besides, I still wanna know what's in this place."

"I don't-" Zuko started, but it quickly clicked in his mind just what Toph wanted and why she was encouraging a rebellion against Katara, "you still want your life changing field trip."

"Fine, you caught me," her voice was much sadder as she sat on the end of his bed and flopped backwards onto the mattress, "I know it won't be life changing, since the war is over and you're still hurt but…even if it isn't a new thing to you, this is the first time I've ever been anywhere outside of the earth kingdom."

"Are you gonna go back?"

"I'm not sure yet," she shrugged before standing up and offering her hand out again, "but right now, I'm gonna go to the garden and you should come with me."

"Okay, okay." He relented and pushed himself onto his feet, wincing at how the pain ricocheted up into his shoulder which forced him to grab the bed frame for support while his knees threatened to collapse from under him.

"On second thought, maybe you should stay here."

"Just give me a second."

"I don't want you getting hurt again."

Zuko's knees stopped shaking and the pain ebbed into a dull ache instead of the strong stabbing-like pain and it didn't return when he let go of the bed frame or when he walked forward to slide on his sandals.

"I'm fine," he insisted as he pulled one of the many robes around his shoulders in order to conceal the bandages around his torso and tied it closed, "but, just to be safe, can I-"

Toph didn't let him finish before taking his right hand and guiding it to her shoulder as support, "just tell me where to go."

And with that, the two of them began their walk through the palace.

No matter how much Zuko attempted to focus on the task at hand, he was still using his left hand to shield his vision away from the glaring pictures of the former Fire Lord all while thinking that this place was in serious need of redecoration.

Because while he understood the importance of the portraits of the Fire Lords before him, as to not to forget his lineage, he would be unable to rule under the glaring gaze of his father for the rest of his life.

Luckily for himself as well as Toph, the garden was not far from his room and soon enough, she was taking his hand off of his shoulder and helping him lower himself to sitting on the ground next to the small pond as the exhaustion began to seep into his bones.

"Are you still doing okay?"

"Oh yeah," Zuko breathed, resting his hand over his bandaged wound to try and sooth the renewed throbbing while resting his head against one of the tree trunks, "never better."

"I don't know if that was just sarcasm or just a load of monkey feathers, but your heartbeat is going crazy, Sparky."

"Why did you want to come out here?" He asked, trying to change the subject in order to give himself a chance to relax and let his agony dissipate once more.

"It's too hot in the palace, it makes my feet hurt," Toph explained as she pulled her knees in, "and I feel more in control out here, that if something were to happen, I'm surrounded by the earth so I can stop it faster. Also, Aang said he was able to hold one of the turtle ducks yesterday."

"We should have grabbed some bread from the kitchen first." Zuko chuckled but still pushed himself forward and rested one of his palms into the pond just like he had been taught by his mother when he was a kid.

Sure enough, one of the small turtle ducklings swam right up to his palm and gently pecked at it in search of some sort of treat, allowing him to gently scoop it up in his hands before turning to Toph, "hold your hands out."

She was obedient, cupping her hands as she held them out which helped him set the small bird into her palms before guiding her left hand to cup over it to keep it secure, "you have to be careful though, the mothers are notoriously ruthless when it comes to protecting their young."

"It's so soft," Toph murmured, running one of her fingers over the top of its soft head which resulted in a few content chirps, "and so small."

"This one is probably a few months old, it'll get bigger as it gets older."

Toph continued to hold the turtle duck securely in her palms, but Zuko couldn't help but swallow when the image of the young earthbender was replaced by a memory of his little sister.

They were just five and seven when she allowed him to place the turtle duckling in her open palms only to carelessly sear a hole right through its delicate shell.

There had been a lot of tears shed on both his as well as the baby turtle duck's part, but his mother arrived quickly to send Azula to her room before bringing the turtle duck and Zuko to the palace infirmary in order to do her best to soothe the burn.

It had resulted in a loud argument between his parents that night, one that echoed all the way into his bedroom; he hadn't been able to decipher the words back then while covering his ears, but he could only guess that his father had been displeased by the heir to the throne sobbing in response to an attack on an innocent animal.

He hadn't even noticed that Toph had let the turtle duckling swim back to its mother until she rested her hand on his left leg in complete silence.

"After we went to the play on Ember Island, I asked Aang about your scar," Her words were sudden but not unexpected as he turned his face towards her only to see her staring straight ahead at nothing, "he said it starts over your eye and spreads all the way over to your ear. Is that how you know how to describe stuff to me, because you know how it is?"

"Yeah," Zuko managed to say as he looked down at his fingernails, even if there was no point in avoiding Toph's non-existent gaze, "I got it right before I was banished from the fire nation."

"It was Ozai, wasn't it?" Zuko's tongue went dry at her words, he couldn't lift it to respond as tears welled up in his eyes from the statement.

He had never confirmed the rumors when asked, despite the tale being a popular propaganda piece during his father's rule, about what he would do to those who disrespected him. Given her next statement though, it seemed as though his silence was confirmation enough.

"Unless you ask me not to in the next five seconds, I'm going to hug you."

He didn't respond, allowing Toph to throw herself into his lap and wrap her arms around his neck while pressing her head against his shoulder.

Zuko ignored the renewed fire in his abdomen and wrapped his arms just as tightly around Toph.

…

"That one looks too stuffy," Sokka commented as he bit into the apple he was holding while leaning against the wall to seemingly avoid putting weight on his splinted leg, "and the sleeves are huge. You'll firebend once and woosh! Erupt into flames!"

"It's a flame resistant fabric, like all of the clothes produced in the fire nation," The tailor explained while wrapping the line of measuring tape around Zuko's bandaged abdomen, "it would be preposterous for the new Fire Lord to be unable to firebend in their regalia."

"I'm just saying, maybe it's time to update the regalia! Make it more Zuko and less Ozai. Right, Zuko?"

Zuko just wanted to get down from the platform he was standing on, away from the gaze from the tailor who had been part of the palace staff since his grandfather had been on the throne; even though he had been questioned extensively about where his loyalties lied, his chest still felt tight every time he looked over at the elderly man.

"Zuko, you with us?"

Zuko blinked a few times, his arms still extended outwards while he met Sokka's concerned glance but when he tried to respond, his mouth was dry as he lowered his arms while a shiver of fear went down his spine.

"Zheng, can you give a second?"

The tailor left the room with a bow in his direction, but all Zuko could focus on was Sokka's hand gripping onto his wrist as he helped him step down from the platform and sit on the lone, padded bench that sat in the corner.

"Are you in pain? Because I can get Katara-"

"It's stupid." Zuko swallowed, resting his face in his hands to try and get his heart to stop beating so fast. 'You're safe. No one is going to put you in a room with people that haven't been thoroughly questioned. You're fine.'

No matter how much he knew those statements to be true, his chest was burning with panic and paranoia.

"I once tried to keep us from going to get supplies because I had a dream where food ate people," Sokka's hand was gentle on his shoulder, just enough pressure for him to know that he was there, "I'm pretty sure it can't get more stupid then that."

"Just…worried, about all of this."

"About being the Fire Lord? Because that's not stupid, I'd argue that it'd be more stupid if you weren't."

'I shouldn't be scared. They shouldn't put a coward on the throne. The last thing that the Fire Nation needs is a coward ruling over them.'

"Look," Sokka spoke again, despite Zuko unable to respond as he rested his face in his hands, "this is a lot of responsibility, I get that. I was too young to go with my father but too old to be protected which meant that before Katara and I met Aang, I was the head of the Southern Water Tribe. I know it's not the same scale, but if I can do it, you've got it in the bag."

"You shouldn't doubt yourself, Sokka." Zuko finally managed to lift his head out of his hands and rest it against the wall instead as he responded, his heartbeat starting to fall back into its normal rhythm.

"Neither should you," Sokka argued, "even if the crown wasn't your birthright, which it is, you beat Azula in an Agni Kai."

"Aiming at someone else results in a forfeit."

"You saved my little sister's life, Zuko, and I…" he looked over as Sokka wiped his face on his sleeve before looking back to him, "I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you."

"You don't need to."

Sokka shrugged, which gave him permission to rest his heavy head, the head that would be crowned as the new Fire Lord in the morning, on the shoulder of one of the bravest warriors in the world.

"So, are you gonna kick me out of here then?"

"I didn't say that."

"Good, because someone needs to be here to tell you that these sleeves are so," Sokka smiled as he lifted up the edge of one of the sleeves and wrapped his hand around it to prove that Zuko still had plenty of room for his wrists in the robe, "so impractical."

…

"I should count myself lucky. The new Fire Lord has graced me with his presence in my lowly prison cell."

His vision was spinning when he finally returned from the Boiling Rock; it was real, he was the Fire Lord and he had proven his father wrong.

And yet, as he held onto the doorframe, his heart pounding in his chest and his ears filled with high-pitched ringing, he couldn't help but wonder if somewhere in his jail cell, his father had been hoping for this outcome.

That his son would be put on the throne and maybe he would be able to worm his way into his mind again. It made Zuko's stomach fill with nausea at the thought of being the puppet on his father's string again, like he had been just a year ago.

"There you are! Katara wants to check how everything is healing before we head to the Earth Kingdom…Zuko?"

Zuko had just been able to hear the voice over the ringing in his ears and looked up to see the blurry shape of Aang staring right at him.

"Zuko, are you-"

Zuko let go of the doorframe as his vision went dark, feeling hands grab his shoulders on the way down that were accompanied by a scream.

…

The first thing he heard when he opened his eyes was "don't move" followed by the familiar sting of water being passed over the lightning mark.

Zuko wasn't planning on it, not with how much everything was aching just from breathing; that was, until he heard a second voice that had him lifting his head from the pillows and propping himself up onto his elbows.

"He's awake?" Before he could even speak, Aang was rushing over to his side with relief tinged in his words, "you're awake."

"And he needs to lay," Katara cut herself off to use her free hand to press on his chest and guide him back onto the pillows, "back down."

"Is it bad?" He asked, wincing at how dry his mouth was and how hoarse his voice was.

"I'll get you some water." Aang insisted as he disappeared from view once again, leaving him to look up at Katara's squint of concentration.

"Everything is irritated. The nerves, the skin…it's all irritated. We put off the trip to the Earth Kingdom till tomorrow and King Kuei sends his regards," she stopped for a moment before looking over at him, "where were you?"

Zuko swallowed; he didn't want Katara to know that he had gone much further than anyone was comfortable with permitting, especially without security, not to mention that he had gone to see the former Fire Lord.

Even with his reasoning, he wasn't sure that any of his new found friends would be comfortable with the fact that he had gone in the first place.

"Here," Aang's return with the glass of water returned Katara's eyes to his burnt abdomen and gave Zuko, at the very least, a temporary scapegoat and took the lack of questioning eyes on him to lift his head and let the water coat his aching throat, "we told General Iroh too, since we'll be staying with him when we get there."

"Thanks." Zuko nodded even though he knew that it was going to be more difficult to keep his visit from his uncle then it was to keep it from Aang and Katara.

"No problem, Fire Lord Hotman" Aang smiled as he took the glass despite the quick glare he shot at the airbender, glancing at the burn for a moment before looking back at Zuko, a half-hearted giggle in his voice while gesturing to his back, "what do you know? We match now."

Zuko couldn't help but laugh despite the pain it caused him.

After all, Aang had saved the world and he had stopped Azula; the next few weeks, months, maybe even years would be hard as the nations settled down now that the war was over and started to rebuild.

But that could wait; for the next few hours as he rested, he didn't have to be the Fire Lord; he had the permission to just be Zuko.

[kelyon]

Tell us something about the old fandom days?

Have you ever heard the legend of the Chipped Dagger fandom?

Back in the day, when season 2 was airing, both Rumpelstiltskin's dagger and the chipped cup were having a rough time. They were being stolen, broken, threatened--it's a hard life for inanimate objects.

Apparently, during a livestream (probably the ancient and storied Rumbelle Movie Club) the topic was brought up of how Rumple could go about protecting his most important possessions. The answer the hivemind eventually came up with was to turn them human. The dagger and the cup would have agency to protect themselves (and each other). They could run and hide from attackers. At the very least, Chip could fall moderate distances without shattering.

Somehow, the names we decided on were Chip and Dax. They were kind of a mirror of Rumbelle. Chip was an ultra-femme ray of sunshine and Dax was a living weapon. I think somebody had the idea that Dax had all the dagger etchings tattooed on his back. Chip was blonde and had a chipped tooth.

I want to put into context that the original airing of season 2 had a lot of "mini-hiatuses." Because of award shows and sports, there would be two or three week breaks between episodes. They fixed that in later seasons by having the half-season arcs and a several-month break between fall and spring. I bring this up because we were all suffering from hiatus brain. Belle would get shot at the end of one episode and we'd have a collective panic attack for two weeks before the next episode where it's revealed that her memories are gone and the chipped cup means NOTHING to her and SHE BROKE IT!!

We were looking for any way to make things better.

I don't recall any plots involving Chip and Dax. They didn't go off to fight crime or anything. But there was fanart, and some fics, which I may or may not have contributed to. It was always kind of hazy how romantic the pairing was. Chip was always portrayed as childlike, even though she's a teacup that's at least 28+ years old, and Dax is an ancient symbol of all the dark magic in the world. Usually he was her protector.

Like I said, they were kind of a mirror of their owners. I read somewhere that the animal sidekicks in fairy tales represent the hero's subconscious. (The animals in Snow White are suspicious of the old crone as soon as they see her. The castle objects in Beauty and the Beast are looking for love even when the Beast himself has fallen into despair.) Chipped Dagger came at a very uncertain time for Rumbelle. We were going through amnesia and Lacey and "well, I'll just have to kill him." It was nice to have something that was happier, more wholesome, less complicated. Just a ray of sunshine and her protective stormcloud.

That was what we really wanted at the time.

[tomyo]

Welcome to a nearly year old follow up!

So I'm would call myself decently far into the game, halfway through restoration #4 and Yuri is currently my yellow/orange heart girlfriend.

As I suggested before, my goal was to marry Yuri and complete the story mode but now I think I might curb that goal. I think if I get to restoration #5 and unlock all the villagers I can call it a current win. But honestly I do not think I am going past marriage right now. The game simply is too fucking demanding.

For those unaware or if what I said previously didn't express it; trying to progress in this game is stressful, tedious, and slow. Now to be fair it seems like a lot of them want to to experience multiple years in game but that is time I just do not feel like I have. So much of the game is reliant on chance, daily, unguaranteed chance. In previous games there were those I could accept for wait time but things like the late game gem requirements, wool requirements, and animal levels are frustrating. There will be requirements asking for 120 stone when 10 at most spawn a day and everything requires it but one can simply put that off for buying it all from the store only open 3 times a week (just hope you remember to actually visit at an open day at the open time and not during lunch when everyone sits down and becomes uninteractive) but then you'll need 10 things of wool on multiple projects, a season's worth from one sheep. It doesn't sound like a lot when one project is in the works but it adds up so fast especially since progression is linear while the projects aren't necessarily so. Right now I'm trying to at least finish the restoration 4 houses and I'm fighting against Michelle's house and my marriage since both have requirements for 10 wool of which I have exactly 10. It leaves my to debate which goal I sit on since either goal can't be progressed for an entire month after that. As much as I want it jump into the restoration, I still would not be able to finish it due to requirements like winning tournaments and 3 season long participation events. I am by all situations unable to move onto restoration 5 until SPRING (I'm in Fall right now).

All of this could have been fine as well if the main meat of the game, farming was fun and not tedious. Sadly, it's tedious. Animals that don't unlock until 3 years into the game, several care mechanics that move slowly and just add onto animal care juggling, and no means to mitigate it. I will express that I recognize these games are ones you are supposed to play over several weeks/months, not play several in a month like I am but I feel like this is the one point where I give stardew it's credit. I am a massive Stardew critic for the way I don't feel like people like each other in town. Having just asked Yuri out, several townsfolk commented with their congrats over finding someone where as Stardew folk often just have complaints about their situation. Maybe indicative of the cultural difference between developers, every Bokumono game makes you feel like the people in it want to do something about their situation where Stardew folks just feel isolated in their misery. The flip side to that though is progressing through Stardew removes the chore of farm care as you progress; auto feeders and sprinklers and the like.

Probably the last thing on the table is the transing I mentioned I was gonna do. Gender affirming care is....far off. I had a day to put towards a haircut but otherwise for the previously mentioned wool shortage, I barely have touched clothing. Unfortunate.

My revised goal right now is to maybe play a few more sessions and see if I can reach spring year two and my wedding. I have a goal of 10 Harvest Moon playthroughs this year and I'm currently the equivalent of 2 and two half's through as I'm also playing DS Cute this month; Skye is just as slow of a process. If I'm lucky then I'll be moving onto HM3 and Trio of towns next month.

Harvest Moon: A New Beginning (its trans)

So I've finally hit a point where I feel like I can breathe again which means its time to get back into my backlog made majorly of Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons games. Admittedly the moment I get into the DS era and beyond, I get overwhelmed by all the mechanics but I spent....a dumb amount of money on these games and I have to push myself to try. Between Trio of Towns and A New Beginning, I chose ANB for two reasons; 1.It might be simpler to jump into 2.You can back door hack yourself into being gay....kinda.

You see the thing is you still can only date hetrosexually BUT you can just change your character to basically look completely like a girl. Trans rights??? Except you'll get misgendered all the time...unless this is a transmasc story instead for the fuckers like me that like to be he/him'd while in full femme mode. Either way, time to romance Yuri!

So admittedly this is a little bit mixed of a guide slash person road map, I am using a Fogu guide but that doesn't necessarily make it easy. So, I'm only on spring 14 but here's what to know thus far:

The game is as handholdy as ACNL/NH and will slowly dole out mechanics over thankfully in game days. Only worry about mechanics as they come.

You will spend per usual a good part of the start will be foraging. Sell the bugs but save flowers/herbs/mushrooms. You will need moon drops for the start of the town restoration. Also save Honey Bees for the second part of it too. Blue flowers are for Emma to befriend her. Hold onto all logs and stones for when Iroha comes.

Talk to all villagers to increase friendship, show them an animal as well but be careful of preferences. Most villager friendship is required to progress to more stores/upgrades.

When you unlock crops, only buy two things of grass. You are given all you need for most of your farm already. Plant and water the grass in the barn area so you'll have fodder in time for the free cow you get a few days later.

Work on shipping tons of potatoes in spring, this will be a headstart for Town Restoration #4 where you need to ship 30 of them.

Events Process: You arrive>>You unlock crops>>Neil arrives and gives you a cow>>Iroha arrives and gives you an Axe and Hammer>> Rebecca arrives and needs house help which unlocks blueprints>> Town Restoration #1>> Town Restoration #2>> Town Restoration #3 start>> Tailor Shop Blue print should unlock if you befriended Emma enough.

Yuri also seems extremely easy to woo honestly, her special like is one of the early recipes which is also important to eat regularly. In general I just love her and its a crime she can't be romanced same sexly but its okay because again, we are transing ourselves which she and Allen will help with. Wow! What a little gay gender affirming circle that is lmao.

The goal is to get Yuri in my town by early to mid fall, the biggest road block is during restoration 2 you need to ship 10 honey which will take 6 days to make so the more hives the better from the start. Clearing out the farm during summer is imperative. Hives are made out of small lumber and honey combs which is why collecting as much as possible is important (and collecting bees for them too!).

After Yuri is unlocked, the only goals are to raise a lot of sheep for wool. hatch 10 chicks, and get one yak when the chance is given. Side goals include birthing three Cows, sheep, and Alpaca during my second year. Most of Restoration 3 and beyond involves mining and wool so I expect to spend winter doing a lot of digging while also being aware that I'll probably not complete the storyline until at least late into year 2. There's more focus on festivals in the final two restorations as well as a lot of odd gems.

Post main plot is for clothing, house decoration, and child rearing. Emma, Neil, Olivia, Sanjay, and the travel location people are important towards gift exchanges. Outfits will just unlock as I go thanks to Yuri. I might also do a split save before marrying Yuri simply because Witch Princess is always kinda cool but is so late game that having to rebuild everything to marry her might honestly kill me.

It seems partially ridiculous to be so early in the game and to be writing so much already but its one of those series where you need a huge planning stage before you even start anything. To which I find fun the preplan. Admittedly also because the current game play is so repetitive; Watering and animal care in the morning, chasing after Emma for her daily gift, and then wrapping around foraging a couple of times before the night watering. It doesn't help either that there is no quality of life improvements as you go, apparently not even power berries this time.

The path to repairing a town is kind of a fun mechanic to be real; ACNH widely disappointed me for not really being the civilization maker it promised, Hometown story is interesting for a similar was in how it runs, Pioneers of Olive Town sometimes is the perfect amount of town rebuilder, and of course the ever popular stardew valley is great for slowly building up additions to an already pretty sound townspace, and I yearn for easier access to Animal Parade for how lovely the area is even if a bit of a travelling nightmare at points. I don't expect ANB to be revolutionary necessarily but I'm excited to GET to the point where I can suddenly dish out a bunch of town support. It's kind of cool how there's barely love interests as well because of it.

[ms-demeanor]

Hey which of these seems the least terrible:

The class I want to take (about the cultural impact of food) isn't actually offered by my school. The green circles are classes that I've already taken and passed, but that was more than five years and a different degree ago so I would need to re-take them to have them apply, but I know I can do the coursework for those classes. I'm pretty ambivalent about all of these, and I'm torn between "take something new and learn more stuff" and "take something easy."

Development Psychology would probably be best in terms of learning new stuff, Cultural Anthropology would be best in terms of "I've done this before and this is a low-stress option," and Public Address is offered online by a professor whose comm class I took and did well in.

Other classes I'll be taking are Pre-Calc and Object-Oriented Programming. The Pre-Calc is a late-start 14-week class, the programming class is an 8-week late-start course, so my semester is going to be more stressful and busier toward the end.

I'm basically halfway between majors. The classes listed here are the ones that would apply to a nutrition degree and I'm enrolling in fall on the off chance that I'll be able to apply to an in-state nutrition program in the fall. If that doesn't work out, I'm switching schools to a community college with a better CS program next spring; the only other classes that would apply for a nutrition major aren't available online so I would have to take them as in-person classes in the spring if I got accepted so I'm seeing if I can front-load CS classes with the extremely thin offerings at my current school in case the nutrition program doesn't work out.

I could also just *not* take any of the classes in the screenshot, but if I do manage to get accepted to a nutrition program it means I'd need to take an additional class in the spring (which I'd prefer not to).

[birlwrites]

I was wondering what Dumbledore's role as chief warlock of the wizegamot means in this universe?

ok the short boring answer is that i forgot that was a thing 😬

the LONG MORE INTERESTING answer is going to be me talking through how i can retcon that - which i absolutely can because we haven't really gotten into wizengamot politics in ttdl yet!!! so the only people who will know that i totally forgot will be the people who see this post afhslgkshkgjskhldjfs

SO. my immediate thought with 'chief warlock' is that dumbledore is kind of a master of ceremonies. he's not a wizengamot lord - his job is to introduce bills, hold the votes, and all sorts of things like that which are mainly ceremonial/logistic but in the hands of someone particularly motivated CAN be political tools. once again taking inspiration from the united states congress because i know how that works and i don't know how other governments work, dumbledore can control what order bills get introduced in, whether they get introduced in the first place, etc.

now, there's definitely a failsafe. the wizengamot would not stand for some plebeian controlling what they get to vote on. so if they can get together a critical mass of lords, they can force through a vote even if dumbledore doesn't want to introduce the bill. it means there's a tug of war between dumbledore and the dark lords for power

next question: how did dumbledore BECOME the chief warlock? my guess is that it's an appointed position by the minister of magic. at the moment, that's harold minchum, i believe, soon to be replaced by millicent bagnold (probably as the war gets worse). idk when exactly that will happen, i'll figure out a moment that works with the plot

dumbledore's been chief warlock for a WHILE, though. minchum reappointed him because he's functionally an institution. once he defeated grindelwald, plenty of people were calling for him to run for minister - he didn't do that because he's smarter than that, but he did accept the position of chief warlock when it was offered to him several years later, and that's a big part of how he stays in the public eye. (i think he probably also writes op-eds whenever there's something Sufficiently Important to write about)

in atfhv, wizengamot sessions happen twice a year, in fall and spring, and they run for exactly 2 months each (march 7 to may 7, september 7 to november 7). in that time, dumbledore's quite busy, seeing as he has that AND a school to run. plus a war to fight.

and that means that orion knows dumbledore PERSONALLY. as does pretty much the whole wizengamot, and not just because they were students when dumbledore was a professor

which now makes me really want to have orion do a take your child to work day in which regulus casually shows up to a wizengamot session and stares dumbledore down the entire time. the dark lords are pleased with this behavior. he clearly knows who the enemy is

[rose-bookblood]

Holiiii!!!! Happy Tiny Scene Sunday, Rose! I hope you are having a really good day/night!

now

pls write that scene of BBtS and Winter Holidays????🥹🥹🥹🥹

Thanks, I love you! you are the best!

(@ink-fireplace-coffee)

Anything for you <3 So sorry it took me this long, I was actually debating not posting this until next winter because it's just so late. But it is technically not spring yet, so...

I had a lot of fun with this, even though writing the gang all together is chaotic and hard as hell, their dynamics come very naturally to me. I don't think I ever showed you guys the wild Cecilia-Jeremy duo before, but here it is, basically summed up.

Set during the third year, so the one before when the books’ events happen. It ended up being fucking long, oops.

Just a note: Ruby is Evelyn’s younger sister (yeah, lots of BBtS characters have siblings I’ve never mentioned lol).

CW: brief mention of food

“I never say this,” declared Evelyn as she let herself fall on the sofa, “but I’m so full I might explode.”

Andrew, half-perched on the armchair, glanced at her. “I told you not to eat the chocolate lava cake.”

At that, she sprung up and almost jumped off the couch. “The chocolate lava cake is sacred. It’s the only thing I’d be tempted to sell you for.” A pause. “Besides pizza. And ice cream from that parlor we always go to when we come back home. And a particularly good salmon and mango uramaki.”

“What I’m extrapolating from this conversation is that there is a lot of food you’d sell your literal best friend for.”

Evelyn wiggled a finger. “I said tempted to sell you for. But I would resist the temptation.”

“I’m not sure,” intervened Nathan, seated on the other side of the sofa, “that is the compliment you think it is.”

Andrew shot her a resigned look. “We grew up together and it’s the best I’ve ever received from her.”

“That,” – Evelyn crossed her arms, nose wrinkled – “is a blatant lie and you know it.”

“I am,” chimed up Victoria, “so glad you’re enjoying yourselves. If you could also appreciate the effort we made decorating the room for tonight, that would be great.”

Heat stung Evelyn’s cheeks. “Sorry. You did an amazing job.”

The apartment had transformed into a winter wonderland, a perfect match to the snowstorm outside. Pine tree branches and garlands sprinkled with snow hung on the walls. Between one of Serena’s potted plants and another, icicles-studded twigs stood inside vases wrapped in white knitting. Fake snowflakes dangled from the ceiling, their texture so fine it was impossible to grasp what material they were made of.

Lily furrowed her brow. “Did you kidnap a plant bender to get all those wreaths?”

“And,” – Andrew dipped a finger inside a small heap of snow – “an ice bender too, apparently.”

“We didn’t kidnap anyone,” huffed Victoria. “We have friends other than you guys, you know.”

“Which means we asked for a favor,” added Annabelle from Jeremy's lap.

Victoria scrunched their nose and shrugged with their arms crossed. “Yeah, that was subtextual.”

“I'm getting kind of lost here.” Nathan did, in fact, blink repeatedly.

Andrew stopped playing with the snow, then rubbed his palms one against the other and plopped back on the armrest. “Right. Let's get back on track. I was telling Evelyn she's not going to be able to fit even a cracker in her stomach tomorrow.”

With a background of snorts from Victoria and Jeremy, Evelyn tsked. “It's not like you to underestimate me so badly. I'll have enough space to devour an embarrassing number of latkes and enough energy left afterwards to argue with Ruby over whether they're better with applesauce or sour cream.” She paused, tight-lipped. “The answer is sour cream.”

A moment of silence fell on the room. Cecilia, who had been twirling a fake snowflake on itself, stopped it between two fingers and quirked both eyebrows, while the others exchanged blank glances.

“I really thought she was about to say something meaningful,” said Annabelle.

Lily had a resigned stare. “Rookie mistake.”

“We were talking about food,” puffed Evelyn. “Did you expect a treatise on… I don’t even know what!”

“You looked particularly passioned, though.” Nathan offered a half smile.

Once again, Victoria barged into the conversation: “Tell me we’re not going to spend the evening discussing how underwhelming Evelyn’s conclusion was on a scale from one to ten.”

Annabelle didn’t miss a beat, “Eight.”

“A solid seven.” That was Andrew.

Jeremy smirked. “Twelve.”

Evelyn’s mouth hung open, then turned into a pout. “You’re all assholes.” She turned to Andrew. “I’ll text dad that you’re banned from every single Hanukkah meal this year.”

“But would you have the courage to tell your mom?”

“Ok, that’s enough.” Before Victoria could kick everyone out, Serena stood and pulled out three board game boxes from a cabinet. “What are we playing?”

Cecilia picked up the colorful boxes one after another. “Our options are Game of Goose, Man, Don’t Get Angry!, or Battleship.”

“Game of Goose.”

Cecilia side-eyed Andrew. “That’s so boring. I vote Battleship.”

Evelyn lifted her hand. “I also vote Battleship.”

It was Lily’s turn to side-eye her. “We already knew.”

“There was a fifty percent chance I’d choose Man, Don’t Get Angry!.”

“You know I hate it.”

“Because you get angry before the game has even started.”

Meanwhile, Cecilia had gone back to spinning fake snowflakes like a miniature blizzard. One dangled in front of Jeremy’s face and hit him on the nose. His jaw set, he slapped the snowflake with his knuckles, sending it straight into Cecilia’s cloud of curls.

“I choose Man, Don’t Get Angry!,” said Annabelle from Jeremy’s lap, oblivious to their and Cecilia’s shenanigans.

Lily’s head whipped in Annabelle’s direction, her eyes aflame as if she had committed treason. “I’m with Andrew. Game of Goose.”

Nathan shut his lips to stop himself from chuckling, then just said, “Agreed.”

Serena held up her hands, each one with two lifted fingers, and the gems – a ruby, amethyst, opal and tiger’s eye – embedded in the gold bands of her rings glinted as they caught the light. After Nathan spoke, she lifted a third finger on her left hand. By her side, Victoria made a thumb up.

“Ok, Game of Goose is winning with three points,” they announced. “Battleship and Man, Don’t Get Angry! are tied at two.” They wiggled their index to leave no doubt on whose the second vote for Man, Don’t Get Angry! was.

“Make that three,” said Jeremy.

Victoria leaned over the coffee table to high five him, then grinned to Serena. “You’re last, babe.”

“Vote Battleship,” stage-whispered Evelyn.

“So nobody wins?” deadpanned Jeremy.

Serena looked genuinely contrite about her role as tie-breaker. “Sorry, but I have to side with my partner.”

A loud smack reverberated through the room when Victoria clapped their hands once, then blew a kiss in Serena’s direction. She pretended to catch it with a giggle.

“Please, stop.” Lily grimaced, more in the game’s direction than the couple’s, and started setting up the board and the pieces with a frown and wrinkled nose. “We need to form the teams.”

Even with the six-players version of Man, Don’t Get Angry!, they were too many.

Lily turned the board so the blue side faced Evelyn and Andrew, who had interlaced their arms, Hanukkah ban forgotten. “The usual, I assume?”

“You bet!” Evelyn closed one hand for emphasis. “Don’t mess with success.”

“You two lost the last time we played.”

“We got third place.”

Andrew shrugged. “Sorry, Lily, my teammate is right.”

“Yeah, hit it, teammate!”

While Andrew and Evelyn bumped fists with their free hands, Lily addressed first Serena, on the couch between Evelyn and Nathan, then Victoria, opposite from her. “And you too?”

As soon as they nodded, Lily stood from the recliner and switched places with Serena, who jumped onto Victoria’s lap.

“Jeremy and I are the last team,” said Annabelle, “so you, Cecilia and Nathan are playing solo.”

Cecilia abandoned the fake snowflakes and moved from her spot to sit in front of the yellow circles on the board, elbows propped on her crossed legs.

With her usual meticulousness, Lily handed everyone their respective pieces and dice, then announced: “Now you can roll them.”

The clatter of wood against wood filled the room, immediately followed by disappointed noises. A single six stood out among a series of twos and threes.

“I go first.” Cecilia tilted her head in the die’s direction with a stoic look.

She positioned her first piece, then rolled again. Another six appeared and Cecilia repeated the motion. Six.

“You’ve got to be fucking shitting me,” muttered Jeremy.

Cecilia barely blinked before rolling the die a fourth time. Six.

“You’re cheating.” Jeremy glowered at her while another of her pieces entered the game.

“I am not.”

“It’s impossible to score a six so many times in a row. You’re not rolling the die well.”

“Statistically speaking, it is possible.”

This time, Cecilia made a great show of shaking the fist that held the die, and threw it on the coffee table with enough force to send it under the couch.

“No one touch the goddamn die,” roared Jeremy as they removed Annabelle from their lap and sprung up.

“Babe,” her placid voice rang across the room as her partner urged Andrew, Evelyn, Lily and Nathan to get off the sofa, “it’s a game. Don’t get so worked up about it.”

“Yeah,” – Victoria’s wide grin threatened to turn into roaring laughter – “it’s in the name.”

Jeremy ignored both and, with Nathan’s help, hoisted the couch. When the die caught the fluorescents’ light, he almost dropped it.

The whole room erupted into laughter as Jeremy grumbled a “It’s a fucking joke”. Victoria’s body shook so hard they sank to the floor and dragged Serena with them. Cecilia made a chocking sound, then fell on her back. Nathan’s arms wavered with each wheeze and Evelyn raced to grab the die, in between snorts, before disaster struck. They were on public property.

A string of curses left Jeremy’s mouth and prompted a second wave of chortling. Actual tears clouded Evelyn’s view as she set the die back on the table.

“We’re playing Battleship.” Fire lit in Jeremy’s glare, and Evelyn could have bet the tart smell of smoke permeated the living room.

Cecilia raised herself from the parquet and moved the first piece as though nothing had happened, despite the fact that Victoria still banged a fist on the rug, meanwhile Serena suppressed her laugh with one hand on her mouth. “Why? You voted Man, Don’t Get Angry! yourself.”

Jeremy’s left eye twitched.

Lily was the first to collect herself and sit back in the same spot. Nathan and Evelyn followed suit, whilst Andrew and Serena helped Victoria off the floor.

“Can we resume the game?” Lily scanned the friend group with an arched eyebrow.

Cecilia nodded and fiddled with the die.

“If she scores a six, I swear—”

His words cut off as Cecilia rolled the die. It landed on the coffee table corner, then plopped near Evelyn’s feet.

She knelt, glanced at the die, then at Jeremy. “You don’t want to know…”

Jeremy stomped toward the kitchen, leaving a series of words that sounded like ‘fuck’ and ‘shit’ and a mix of both echoing in their wake.

Evelyn snorted, then passed the die to a now narrow-eyed Andrew, who buried his face in his free hand and sighed, “It’s a four.”

Serena’s fingers reached for the die, then she called to the kitchen, “Jeremy! Jeremy, it’s a four!”

Everyone else cackled loud enough to be heard across the hallway.

Blue Below the Surface taglist: (lmk to be added or removed) @tommie-hildebrandt @stormharbors @chaotic-queer-disaster @mel-writes-with-her-dragons @vellichor-virgo @lividdreamz

@ink-fireplace-coffee

[sylverstorms]

Cassandra x Maiden ----Anonymity Ch. 6

Ch.1 Ch.2 Ch.3 Ch.4 Ch.5

It becomes a sort of evening ritual between the two of you, waking Cassandra up at sunset.

You're always cautious with your movements and how much light you allow in from the hallway as you enter her lavish bedroom, but the cold fear that used to grip at your chest is no longer there.

Measured steps take you to the edge of her bed.

Cassandra usually sleeps on her side, yet today she's on her front, firm back and creamy thigh tantalizingly on display against satin crimson sheets. Her pretty face is turned halfway into her pillow, a river of rich brown waves falling behind her ear and over one shoulder.

The sight makes you stop and stare for a moment. A strange feeling —accomplishment?— swells within your chest at the thought you know just how smooth and sensitive that skin is.

Then you shake your head at yourself. Pull it together. It's one thing to accept you're in a mutually beneficial arrangement with a killer —you remain intact, she scratches an itch, both of you share the pleasure as a means of escape or passing the time— but it is entirely another to be proud of it.

She's nothing of yours. Not your lover, certainly not your girl. That would imply you stand on equal ground which you most certainly do not. You're exactly what she calls you;

A plaything.

The question is, inside your head, what do you call her?

"My lady." you say, keeping your voice low. She doesn't stir but somehow you know she's awake.

"Either wake me up nicely or don't wake me at all." the words come semi-muffled against her pillow. "If I wanted to hear 'my lady' I'd have another maid come."

Well. She does seem to enjoy when you take some creative liberties. So you lean forward and press your lips just over her knee, then move a tad higher on her thigh, then kiss the veins visible on her hand.

Cassandra's mouth slowly pulls into a pleased smile as she turns onto her side. Her fingers then curl on the neckline of your shirt and tug you forward, into a quick little kiss that ends with a nibble on your tongue.

You always get anxious when she does that —it's probably why she does it in the first place— that you'll end up with a piece missing, but so far you haven't even been cut. And if you're honest with yourself, which you're not, but if you were... the thrill is a turn on.

Cassandra licks her lips and scoots back, patting the spot she just vacated on the queen-sized mattress. You look at her, confused. Surely she isn't suggesting...

"Come, now. I don't bite." A devilish smirk curls her mouth while she tells probably the biggest lie of the year. "Keep me company until dinner."

You climb onto her bed like it's a freaking minefield. As carefully as you lower yourself onto the crimson sheets, however, the bruises across your sides still protest. You subtly suck in air through your teeth.

Cassandra's fingers slide over to you, to the exposed part of your waist from where your shirt has risen up. There's a visible patch of purple there that she traces —the coolness of her skin is so soothing— until she presses into it. The brief flare of pain makes you gasp. She giggles.

"You make such nice expressions to pain." she says, as though tempted to draw more from you.

"I've been told my pleasured ones are better." you reply quickly.

Cassandra chuckles. "Is that so?" Her yellowish eyes are gleaming with amusement as she pushes you onto your back and straddles you.

The sight is enough to steal your breath away. The sinful black of her underwear peeks through the royal red of the sheets tangled around her waist, all a wonderful antithesis with her incredibly pale skin.

You want to touch. But then you may lose your hands, so you lock your muscles down and wait for her move.

Cassandra slowly trails a slender finger up your neck, all the way to the underside of your bottom lip. "...yeah, they're good too." she breathes, although you've almost forgotten what you were talking about.

"Can't hold a candle to yours." you whisper back. At this point, you're not really capable of rational thought.

You loathe the effect she has on you. How everything she's done can just be bypassed in your head whenever she gets like this with you.

Cassandra's mouth twists into a near coy little smile. "I'll take your word for it." she says. "There hasn't been anyone else to see them, so."

Wait. Your mind stutters to a halt. Wait. What?

According to rumor, the Dimitrescus have been around for over one hundred years. From what you've seen in the castle, probably longer. And you... you're her first?

"Cat got your tongue?" she giggles again, taking your chin between two long fingers. "I think I may like surprise on you best."

You want to ask if nobody's ever interested her before, but you're afraid to overstep. Cassandra seems to know, though and has no problems answering your unasked question;

"The first few dozen years after the mutations were... very bad. The hunger and thirst were enough to drive one mad. Didn't leave much room for anything else." she explains. "And humans in general are only attractive to me chained up and bled out."

Something inside you recoils at how casually she says it. Like she's simply commenting on the weather.

"But you... you have a little spark that I like." She smirks down at you.

"What about before?" you ask.

"Hm?"

"You said after the mutations. What about before?"

Cassandra's smile gets swallowed up by the abyss so quickly you wonder if you imagined it there. Tension builds at her temples and her eyes take on an icy quality that feels like it extinguishes all warmth in the room.

"There is no before."

You've never heard her voice like that. You hope you never will again, either.

The conversation drifts to lighter subjects, then. She asks you about the world beyond the village and you share what you remember from your childhood, until it is time to escort her to dinner.

But even as she eats and talks with her family, even when she leaves with her mother and sisters and you're left alone, to clean after bloody plates with the other maids, you can't shake off that look in her eyes when you dared ask about her life pre-mutations.

The more you linger on it... there's only one word that comes to mind as an accurate description.

Haunted.

-

-

Deep in your slumber, you hear the telltale buzzing of flies.

Something winged flutters against your cheek, but you merely stir. It prods at your jaw and you grunt. Leave me alone, you want to protest, brain muddled with sleep still.

Until.

A nip that cuts a thin line on your jaw has you springing upright in bed. "Agh!" Your hand flies to the wound, eyes wide.

A familiar form materializes out of an insect swarm, right in front of you. Cassandra grabs at your hand before you can start flailing and panicking any harder than you already are. Your lungs empty of hair in the milliseconds it takes you to realize she's not here to kill you.

Probably.

"Calm down." she says it like you're overreacting.

You try to take a deep, relaxing breath, but she leans forward in the meantime, running the tip of her tongue over the fresh cut on you. So much for oxygen. She even hums against your neck. Despite the sting, your stomach flutters.

Cassandra pulls back, licking her lip. "There. All better now?"

No. Your heart is trying to jump out of your chest. Has she never heard of knocking? For the love of everything Holy out there, it's the middle of the night.

"W-what are you doing here?" you ask.

A dramatic huff escapes her. "I'm bored."

Ah, yes, that makes a lot of sense. You spare a moment to wonder what your life has come to, then accept lack of proper rest and sit back against your pillows. Cassandra takes it as an invitation to push off her hood and plant herself next to you.

"Do you... want to go for a walk outside?" you suggest, uncertain.

Her eyes light up like a Christmas tree for a moment. Then she seems to remember something that dims the glow. "Ugh. Can't. It's way too cold tonight."

That... shouldn't be and issue for her, should it? It makes you wonder.

"Well, if I stay here I'm going to fall asleep." you sheepishly admit.

Cassandra's gaze darkens as she runs her fingertips down the taut skin of your bare middle, leaning over you like a lioness cornering her prey.

"I don't mind biting you awake if you do."

You want to say that you mind, yet her lips are on top if yours, smooth, tasting of strawberry lipbalm and that's the end of that conversation.

"But I am willing to cut you a deal." A manicured nail presses a bit at the middle of your chest. "Put that smart tongue of yours to good use and I'll let you get your sleep."

So spoiled and so demanding, you think. But then, looking at her face this close up... So beautiful.

You forget all about sleep for the next half hour or so as you focus solely on Cassandra, your bedroom filling with her quiet sighs and moans.

True to her word, she does ease back when she's satisfied and you're so tired your eyes start drooping before you've even lowered your head to your pillow.

She doesn't move to leave though... and you find that you don't mind.

When you drift off to sleep this time, your last thought is that the gentle chill of her body beside yours is almost...

Comforting.

[ladywinterwitch]

Run Away (Ten - Strangers)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Avenger! Reader

Summary: You and Steve complete each other. Your love is that strong and devoted kind of love that pushes people to things like marriage, making a family. You couldn't imagine that a baby would be something you really wished, until the possibility wasn't your choice anymore.

Warnings: pregnancy talk, fluff, A N G S T, I think that's it??

Words Count: 3739

A/n: Next chapter is longer and INTENSE

Series masterlist , main masterlist

(GIF not mine)

Y/n and Steve ended up falling asleep, which was a bit embarassing especially on his part. In the end tho they woke up around two in the afternoon and were starving. You also thought about the fact that Helen must've already set in by now. After cleaning up a bit and getting redressed the two actually went to separate directions, Steve to the gym because he had a bunch of new recruits to train by three sharp, while Y/n was heading to the kitchen.

-FRIDAY, would you call up ms Simon for me?- she found Tony, Vision and Thor in the common room so she quickly greeted them.

-Hey guys, taking a break?- she smiled when Thor got up to greet her properly. He was such a physical and affectionate person. He reminded her of a golden retriever; huge, with long hair and a heart of gold. Your smile widened when he bent down to press his ear to her belly.

-Well yes darling, do you forget that aside from kicking some ass every now and then we're basically jobless?- Tony joked. Both he and Vision were looking at you two.

-How is your pregnancy going, Y/n?- Vision asked in his posh and polite manner. She tilted her head to the side. Thor still touching the smooth and round surface. She didn't mind at all.

-It's going smoothly, thank you. Tho if I have to be honest I can't wait to at least give birth. I love my belly but it's so complicated to live with. I also miss actually moving around and exiting the tower. I don't think I've ever been so still and babyed in my life.-

-If it was an easy job, God wouldn't have gave it to women.- they all turn around when you hear an unfamiliar voice, which they soon found out to be Helen's. Thor stands straight in all his tallness and gets in front of her protectively.

-Who are you?- he asks suspiciously. She put a hand on his arm to calm him down.

-It's okay, Thor. This is Helen Simon, she's my new midwife. The one me and Steve hired this morning.- her head turns quickly to Tony then back to Helen. Tony stands up, fixing the invisible fold in his tracksuit pants and smugly walks to the older woman.

-Stark. Tony Stark. I actually hired you, but I'll let the happy couple have the glory.- he joked and you shook your head amused. They shook hands and then Vision introduced himself as well. Thor just acknowleged her with a nod. It's not like the God of Thunder had to introduce himself.

-Okay guys, see you later. I'm starving so.- you decided to cut it, but obviously Tony had to sneak in a joke. Had to.

-I'm sure cap worn you out.- Thor, which didn't know what timing was, bless his heart, decided to burst out laughing. You rolled your eyes not looking back.

-Jealousy doesn't match with your shoes Anthony.- you clapped back, still hearing Thor laugh and Tony calling him out.

A few feet down the corridor there was the kitchen, and when Y/n finally tought that her and Helen could have a minute alone, they found Wanda intently reading a book while she mover her finger around to spin the teaspoon in a mug. She looked up when they entered the room. Her finger stopped working and so did the spoon, the faint magenta colored aura disappearing.

-Hello?- she said, tentatively. Y/n ignored her cold stare and walked to the fridge taking out the leftover chicken and some salad to mix.

-She's Helen, the midwife me and Steve talked about.- there was a subtle warning in Y/n's voice. She thought 'Be nice' in her mind, and when Wanda sighed she knew she read her mind.

-Nice to meet you. If you'll excuse m- - Wanda was about to get up from the stool but the old woman's voice stopped her.

-You aren't eating that chicken cold are you? How old is it?- she walked closer, grabbing the plastic box from her hands. Both her and Wanda were a little taken aback by her bluntness, and shared a look.

-Uh..Yeah? I was actually going to put it in the salad. And it's..I'm not sure, a couple of days old? Still perfectly fresh and untouched.- she answered trying to reassure her, but she wasn't having it at all.

-This isn't eating healthy. If you want a healthy baby you need to eat properly. I'll take care of your meals from now on. - she stated, putting the box aside. - The non pregnant teammates can risk getting sick with that chicken. - Wanda's gaze darkened and her eyes took a light shade of red.

-What's that supposed to mean, old lady? - Y/n saw her fingers starting to move around with the corner of her eye and put her own hand on hers.

-Helen didn't mean anything, Wanda. She just meant that I have to be extra careful in comparison to the rest of you, ok? Don't you have to be somewhere right now?- she asked in the most calm way. The last hting she needed was Wanda yeeting Helen out of the tower on the first day. Wanda closed and picked up her book and mug, walking towards the exit of the kitchen.

-I mean, I'd like to go to the terrace to chill, but I can't.- Y/n frowned while sitting on a stool. Meanwhile Helen had already started to inspect their whole frige.

-I can feel Bucky and his girl going at it so yeah, I did not plan to watch a live performance.- she choked on water and the old lady turned around with a rather disgusted face. Wanda just shrugged and left them. The girl turned towards the older woman with an awkward smile.

-Welcome I guess.- the short fake laugh was over as soon as Helen sat in front of her, her hands conjoined in front of her.

-This isn't good.- the girl shifted uncomfortably, then uncosciously starting to rub her belly as a sign of comfort.

-What isn't?- the lady sighed. -First off, there are way too many people here. This place is chaotic, the people aren't giving you the peace that you need. This isn't a baby-space. At all. I just looked into your frigde and there isn't a single thing ready or 100% healthy probably except vegetables. Y/n if you want to be a good mother and be healthy for your baby you need to change a few things.- her words at first irritated her, setting off her protectiveness towards the people she called family, but then as she went on, she made her feel little. Like a little girl who wasn't good enough. She sighed silently.

-What would you have me do then?- she asked. Helen shrugged, still mantaining her perfect posture.

-I'm not gonna suggest you to buy a new place, because where you'll live after the baby is born is your business, but..- she paused, -I can offer you to come live at my place for these last two months or so. I have a nice, peaceful place a little outside New York. I already had eight of my patients do this, it's not so absurd.- she explained like it was the most normal thing in the world. Y/n was listening, but she wasn't convinced. She decided that she had to think about it first. She had to know for sure that she was professional and competent.

-I don't know, Helen. I'll admit that it isn't the most tranquil place to live, but...these people are my family. They have always been by my side, pregnant or not. And what about Steve? The father of my firstborn?- she marked the last phrase, tilting her head to the side. A little habit she probably took from Wanda.

-Because they care about you. But in truth, tell me, aren't you feeling like a burden? Like you get into their business?- she mirrored the young woman's expression. Y/n didn't answer at first.

-You're really not going soft on this are you?- Helen released a dry laugh. Shook her head and paused before talking.

-Yes. I began working as a nurse unofficially when I was 13 years old, during the Prague Spring reforms in '68. The hospital was in short of nurses so.- she explained, -That time wasn't easy. Not that the one before it and after it wasn't, that is. You either grow a thick skin or you don't survive.- Y/n felt for her, as she had a very similar destiny. First she doesn't know how she ended up in an orphanage, and then when she was fifteen and nobody took her, they kicked her out. She was homeless for a year until SHIELD recruited her, and the rest is history.

The older woman got up and took some vegetables, washed them and then placed them down to slice them. Y/n got up as well and started helping. She eyed the fresh eggs, so she guessed that Helen wanted to make a quick frittata.

-How did you end up in America? As midwife, nonetheless.- she asked.

-Why most foreign people come to America? Certainly not the food.- The woman responded with a slight hint of irony. The girl chuckled.

-Touché.-

-In any case, I've been here more than half of my live, moved many states mainly for my own choice. Being a private midwife pays decently.- she paused to dump the sliced vegetables into a pan with a little oil and salt.

-I became one because I was fascinated by the whole process that the woman's body goes through both before, during and after birth. I assisted two of my older sisters, and in the end ended up doing it as a job.- Y/n nodded, listening.

-That's actually amazing. But if I can ask, you do not have kids yourself?-

-No. Didn't have the possibility at first. Then decided that just it was my profession but not my future. No regrets.- she answered even tho the girl could sense that something was off. She decided not to intrude.

Silence fell between them while they were cooking, and the younger woman took the popularity to think about what she said. The woman was practical, a bit harsh maybe. But she also had a lot of experience. She didn't like the thought of leaving her family, but she had to admit that she often felt like a burden lately. More than once someone stayed behind to look after her, and even tho they didn't seem to mind at all, she did. She wasn't used to being so pampered and looked after, and sometimes she almost felt suffocated. Guess that spending many years of your life having to take care of yourself takes a toll on you.

She didn't want to decide anything without talking it out with Steve first. And it wouldn't be permanent, just for the last couple months or so, until she had the baby. If she really thought about it maybe she needed some time to reconnect with herself, to learn how to take care of her baby in the best way possible. Even the stupidest thing like cold chicken could potentially make her sick, and it was such a small thing. But that doesn't change the fact that she didn't knew. She wasn't one of those moms who surrounded herself with books teaching her every do's and don'ts, but at this point insecurity was kicking in. The last thing she would ever want was to be a bad mother even before actually becoming one.

-

Between a baby shop and another, and a whole new diet including an embarrassing amount of tea, Y/n finished her eight month of pregnancy. She was feeling as tired and as big as ever. Helen actually helped a lot both with the cooking, the health tips and with the shopping. She actually sobbed when they bought the crib. Both because she was emotional, a bit because hormones and also because Steve was again away on a mission. The whole team was actually. They had new leads in the Hungarian case and another completely different mission in South Korea, a tough one. So it required the whole team split up. That was the fist time Y/n was left alone since she knew she were pregnant. It all went smoothly, the tower actually felt quiet for once.

Y/n and Helen had found a nice dynamic, and most of the time spent time in a comfortable silence, each doing their thing. A downside that she wasn't realizing was the distance that was slowly creeping from her to the team. They didn't really like the midwife that much, Wanda, Thor and Bucky especially didn't like her at all. But Y/n felt for her, she felt like she knew her better than them so she often took her side, which hurt them back.

Steve on the other hand wasn't realizing it almost at all. All he cared about was his wife being healthy and that she got along with the midwife. They didn't sleep together often anymore, due to the fact that he was often away and she was constantly tired. Bruce did warn her at the beggining that this 'enhanced' baby would've probably tired her out, and it did at first but then she was feeling very well. She and Helen both blamed it on the tiredness of the pregnancy as a whole.

The last straw was when some of the guys, specifically Sam, Thor and Peter, whom didn't live at the tower and was rarely involved in missions because of Tony, went to see them and in some way, nobody actually know how, they made a whole ass hole in the floor above the library. Fate wanted that Y/n and Helen were reading just a few feet away. If they were just a bit closer to the door, they would've been hit by the pavement pieces.

Helen gasped and jumped out of her seat, book still in her hand by the corner. The younger woman on the other hand was more mad than anything.

She rose from the armchair, struggling a bit and marched towards the now destroyed door. The damage wasn't so bad, but it was still damage and it could've been way worse. She was fuming.

-Y/n! Shit are you okay? - Sam yelled from above. The three guys looking down from the hole they created.

-I'm so sorry it wasn't me! It was Thor! - Peter joined in and caused the God to respond, and from that a whole lot of mess arose.

The people who weren't on a mission, which were Wanda, Bucky and Tony, came running.

Y/n didn't know where to look and all of a sudden started felling a bit suffocated. She brought a hand to her forehead, distubed by the chaos arouns her.

-Stop! Fucking stop it! - she yelled, groaning from frustration. Everyone stopped talking while the girl started to feel her eyes prickle with tears of frustration.

-Why is never, ever a single day if peace in here? There's always someone around, making a mess, making noise, complaining- - she almost stumbled on a piece of ceiling that had fallen, but Bucky and Tony were right behind her and helped her stabilize herself, but she shoved them off.

-Leave me be!- she exclaimed frustrated. She huffed, trying to take a deep breath. -I'm moving out.- a chorus of 'What' arose. Bucky stepped forward and grabbed her wrist gently.

-What are you talking about?- his eyes showed confusion and panic.

-And when would have you decided this stupid thing?- Tony crossed his arms and went straight up 'Tony Stark' on her. Y/n rolled her eyes, ignoring both questions and walked out of the now damaged library. Helen followed suit.

-At least wait for Steve to return!- Wanda said. Thor jumped down, through the new hole in the ceiling and followed her like the others.

-Y/n, we're sorry! Look, I'm gonna fix the ceiling myself okay? Please don't go- Y/n's ached to see them upset, but she was tired. Too tired. She was afraid that if she had stayed more than she could withstand, their relationships could've been ruined. That was the last thing she wanted. She didn't knew exactly what was that overwhelmed her so much. She felt constantly tired and in pain, all the noise, number of people..it had become just too much. She needed to finish this pregnancy alone, or at least in a more quiet place.

She stopped in her tracks and exhaled silently. Her eyes passed through everyone in the room. Even in that moment, they were decimated because of the mission, yet there were still eight people in the room. When normally it would've been around 15. That's too many people.

-It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault, specifically. I just.. I feel overwhelmed. There's too much going on here at the tower. And for me it's like seeing life go on without being able to do anything. I need some space, okay? It won't be forever. Hell, if everything goes well it's gonna be a month, at best. But I really, really need a break. I am going to pack and leave by afternoon, when Steve returns, just send him to the address that I'll leave for him. Okay? I love you guys, you're my family and I wouldn't be where I am today without you. Its just temporary.- she smiled softly, trying not to get emotional. Wanda was visibly upset, on the verge of crying. The others just looked sad, maybe disappointed. But nobody said anything, so she turned her heels and went straight to her room.

-

By five pm she and Helen were already gone. The older woman called them a cab, the driver took care of their stuff and then they were gone. Y/n was silent during most of the trip, both because of the extreme tiredness and sadness. She never changed home since she moved to the tower. She also thought about what she would tell Steve. She knew she couldn't contact him, so she didn't. They had left two days prior, so it was a bit early to know when he'll be coming home. But she knew a hundred percent that he would've gotten to her even before going home.

The two women were headed to the older one's house, which was in Avalon, New Jersey. Helen had told her about her beach house, quite far from the city. Y/n did actually fall asleep after the first hour or so, they had around three in total so she didn't worry about not waking up. By her surprise though, she did sleep throughout the whole trip, and yet, she was still tired. In those days her head gave her particular discomfort, so any noise at all really disturbed her.

Helen woke her up gently when they arrived, the she helped her get out of the car. Meanwhile the driver, which was a quite young man, probably around her age, which was 27, with curly black hair, stubble and dark green eyes, took their luggage off of the trunk.

-That's all. Have a nice stay.- he smiled slightly. Y/n frowned, what about the money?

-How much do we owe you?- she asked sweetly. He waved his hand dismissively, going back in the driver's seat.

-The lady already paid me, I'm ok. Bye.- he waved goodbye and drove off. Y/n and Helen dragged the luggage insider her villa, by which the girl definitely was taken aback.

-You didn't tell me that you live in a Villa?-

-Maybe, but I did tell you that being a private midwife pays well. I also need space if I want to take people living with me.- she explained. The first thing that you could see was the huge open space which showed a not exaggeratedly large living room with a window door on the right, on the left there was the kitchen and in the middle a staircase.

It wasn't very decorated, but the light palette of the whole place defines had a calming effect. Y/n was so used to the high rise and high technology of the Avengers tower that she had almost forgot how nice and intimate a normal house could be.

Helen showed y/n around a little, then ended up in the spare room, which had a large bed, a balcony and some essential forniture pieces such as a wardrobe, a vanity, a full length mirror, an armchair.

-This is really nice, Helen.- she smiled tiredly, caressing her big belly while she walked around. But as she was walking towards the balcony, she had a slight attack of vertigo, and her knees buckle for a second. The woman was at her side in a few seconds, helping her onto the bed. Y/n huffed, the back of her hand on her eyes.

-Why am I so shitty? I was pretty good until a few months ago.- she whined, and Helen shook her head while she stroked her arm.

-Every pregnancy is different, Y/n. You're just tired, from the car and that chaotic place.- the disdain in her voice didn't really pleased Y/n, but she didn't say anything. She didn't have the strength and besides, it's not like she was particularly liked at the tower anyway.

-I'll get you a tea, be right back.- Y/n chuckled.

-I drank more of your Hungarian tea than water in the last months.- Helen pulled a tight smile.

-Well, it is a traditional recipe for pregnant women. Not that you seem to mind it either.- the girl relaxed her eyes and discarded her sneakers to the ground.

-No, it has a peculiar taste but not bad.-

-Good.- and with that she left the girl alone. Helen went down the stairs, and turned on the stove to warm some water. She then opened a drawer, forcing the wood layer to come up by using her fingernails, pulling out an old fashioned phone.

She went to the contacts and dialed the only one there was. She waited a few minutes, when someone picked up.

-Igen?-

-Közeledünk. Készülj fel.- she said, hanging up.

************

Translation from Hungarian: ‘Yes?’ ‘We’re close. Get ready.’

Hiii, this is quite a short chapter but I wanted to end it with ✨ suspense ✨ the next one tho is gonna be way longer. Lastly, friendly reminder that my taglist and my ask inbox are open!

***********

Taglist : @polarcrystall @a--1--1--3  @jessyballet​

[sulphuryasecretcloset]

His children

(How did Davarax end up with his troubled children?)

“Davarax. A word.”

Slightly surprised, Davarax glances over as Mardsk walks towards him. The guy is one of the Teachers, one who rarely spoke to the Fighting Corps. Sure, Davarax had been a Teacher once too but that was years ago and most just consider him a Fighter now.

“What can I help you with, ner vod?” Davarax asks, curious.

Mardsk comes to a halt in front of him, seems to struggle for words and gives a big sigh before he just jumps into it. “Paz Vizla.”

Davarax frowns. The heir to the Vizla clan, he's seen the young boy around and knows he will one day be a valuable member of the Fighting Corps, judging by his size and love for battle. “What about him?”

“He's a problem.” Mardsk blurts out. “The boy is a bully. He keeps picking on my Spring Class, beats them up and terrifies them.”

Davarax' frown deepens and he crosses his arms thoughtfully. “Wait. Your Spring Class? Aren't they, what, three or four years older than him?”

“Yeah, so?” Mardsk replies with a slight edge to his voice. “The boy is a bully nonetheless. He's disruptive and constantly challenging my authority, thinking he's above the rules because he's a Vizla.”

“And what do you want me to do about it?” Davarax does not like where this is going.

“You train him.” Mardsk plows on. “You have experience with difficult kids and you know she would approve of us keeping the Vizla clan quiet.”

Not liking Mardsk using his connection to her one bit, Davarax still doesn't reject the request right away. He's always had a weakness for the outcasts. “Let me talk to him...”

And true to his word, later that day, Davarax hunts down the kid. He finds him sitting in one of the study rooms, reading on one of the datapads there.

Paz Vizla is big, Davarax has no trouble seeing how he can take on and defeat children years older than himself, but there is nothing menacing about the young boy right now. He is devouring the information on the datapad, which a quick peek reveals to be Mandalorian history. Interesting.

“Hey.” Davarax gets his attention. “You know who I am?”

Paz looks up at him, slightly curious but completely self-assured. “Yeah. You're Davarax. You're-”

Davarax nods. “That's me. Pleased to meet you, Paz Vizla.”

Now Paz frowns and he sits up a little straighter. “What do you want?” There is a challenge in his words as well as in the insolent stare. He is his father's son, alright.

“I wanted to meet you.” Davarax sits on the desk next to him. “Because they want me to train you.”

“Figures.” Paz scoffs with obvious contempt. “Mardsk is a coward.”

Amused, Davarax tilts his head and scans the kid's body language. It's a wonderful mess of arrogance and insecurity. He's angry, but also clearly hurt by Mardsk's action. Not completely corrupted by his father, then. Good. “He just knows when he's out of his league. That's not a bad thing, ad'ika. It can save your life outside the Covert.” Davarax sees the youngster wobbling between the lingering hurt and the inferred compliment. “So, would you be okay with that? Me training you?”

Paz looks at him, scans him in return and leans back in his chair. “Why would you want to do that? You're on the Fighting Corps. You don't do teacher stuff anymore.”

Davarax shrugs. “I might make an exception for you.”

“For me? Why? Because I'm a Vizla?” Paz drawls, suspicious.

“No.” Davarax says. “Because I think you have a lot of potential and you will do great things for the Covert. I also think that maybe you need someone who understands you a little better to help that happen.”

Paz shifts uneasily on his chair, his gaze flickers and ruins his pretend arrogance. He swallows and makes himself meet Davarax' gaze. “And that's you?”

“That's me.”

“And who is to say you won't just hand me off to some other teacher?”

Davarax shakes his head. “I won't do that.” His words are calm and secure, no doubt whatsoever.

Paz considers it, then turns back to the datapad and shrugs. “Fine. Sure. Whatever.”

And just like that, Davarax had the first of what would be known as the Fearsome Four.

It takes a long time for him to gain Paz' trust and respect, but with a calm and steady approach, not responding to Paz' tantrums but rather making him use his words; the boy's energy is eventually channeled where it is meant to go.

It doesn't mean Paz stops getting into fights, not by a long shot, but now he at least goes after the ones capable of defending themselves and guilty of some kind of offense, and not just some random victim that crosses Paz' path.

Then comes the morning when Davarax hears a knock on the door to his quarters, opens it and finds another teacher standing there with a tight grip on a tiny, skinny boy's neck.

The boy stares sullenly at the floor, curly hair poking up at all angles, the neckline of his shirt pulled a little to the side and showing a prominent collarbone due to his skinniness. His tiny hands are clenched into tight fists. That is how Davarax meets Barthor.

Unlike Paz, Barthor doesn't show much emotion at being 'handed off' to a new teacher, but those eyes speak volumes. He is furious and filled with spite. Being small and skinny in a society that values strength and fighting abilities can't be easy, but he's been getting back at them in inventive and sometimes fire hazardous ways. Davarax could smell the stench of singed hair through his air filter when the teacher had appeared on his doorstep with the little culprit.

Barthor had pulled one stunt after another,a proper troublemaker, but what Davarax admires is the fact that they were never able to prove it was him. Not once. That speaks of intelligence. So he agrees to train him as well.

Where Paz uses anger and brute strength to intimidate, Barthor immediately tries to sneak his way into Davarax' brain and heart, mapping Davarax' mind to manipulate him while trying to act small and helpless to appeal to his protective instinct. Sneaky little thing. He's going to go far in life.

It turns out that once Barthor realizes that Davarax doesn't fall for his tricks, but treats him with respect and actually talks to him and not over him, the little one thaws and becomes his shadow.

It's kind of cute, really.

Paz isn't pleased at first, but decides the runt isn't a threat or a challenge so he ends up mostly ignoring Barthor, who keeps a wary distance in return. They focus on Davarax, not each other.

“Please...” A third teacher pleads some time later. He holds out his arm and pulls up the fabric and shows the painful mark there. “She bit me! I pulled her off a kid she was pummeling and she bit me. She held on for so long I considered prying her jaws open with a stick!” The man lowers his arm and shakes his head. “You gotta help me, Dav. Please!”

Now this one Davarax asks for some time to consider. He has heard a lot about Raga Saxon, have seen her in action, and she might be the one child he's not entirely sure he can help. He has no idea how to deal with that kind of volatile temper. There is fearless and then there is reckless.

Somehow Paz finds out that Raga's teacher has asked to move her to Davarax and the boy instantly starts to hassle him to say yes.

“She's awesome. She really is! You gotta see her fight.” Paz pleads, walking next to Davarax.

“I have seen that very thing. That is what worries me.” Davarax mutters. “There is no discipline to her. She's basically feral, Paz.”

“I know!” Paz' grin is the brightest Davarax has even seen on the boy. “As I said, she's awesome. You got to let her join us. I'll look after her, I promise. You won't even notice she's there. Please?”

Paz rarely asks for anything so Davarax promises him he'll think about it. And the next day, he stays hidden and watches Raga. He sees the energy crackling under her skin, the wild hair and her complete lack of fear. It's the kind of personality that can ruin a mission and get other Mandalorians killed, but then he sees her with Paz and observes, to his surprise, the other side to her. She 'is' capable of team work, she can be still and patient, and for some weird reason it seems like Paz is the one who brings that out in her.

Fine. She deserves a chance as well. She's a tough little fighter, like a Mandalorian should be. They just need to work on her mean streak.

Bringing Raga in changes the dynamics as she instantly goes after Barthor, like a predator sensing prey. Davarax hopes that Paz will put an end to it, but no such luck. The bigger boy just chews on his snacks and watches with lazy amusement. Davarax is on the verge of interfering when Barthor strikes back.

Raga's shrieks of fury echoes through the hallways, Barthor runs for his life, while Paz chews his snacks with lazy amusement, and Davarax struggles not to laugh. Yeah, Barthor is going to be fine. He doesn't need help.

It is almost a year later when he opens a hatch and finds a frightened boy staring up at him. His name is Din.

Davarax reaches out a hand, Din takes it.

When the request comes if Davarax can train Din too, there is a lack of teachers and Din is severely affected by the trauma he's been through, Davarax doesn't hesitate. He found the boy, he feels responsible for him.

And against all odds, Din is the glue that makes them all stick together.

Paz' protective instinct is triggered hard, Raga senses Paz' approval and actually behaves for long enough to realize she likes Din, and Barthor is so happy to no longer be the lone one against the other two that he reaches out a hand in friendship as well. And Din finds safety from his nightmares in their presence.

It shouldn't work. Not at all. But it does.

He even finds them, more than once, sleeping in a pile together.

And as they learn, as they grow, they keep amazing him and there's not a single day that goes by where he doesn't feel proud of them. They are difficult, yes, complicated, definitely, but they are good students and will do good things for the Covert, he knows this.

The others start referring to them as the Fearsome Four, but Davarax calls them his children and he knows in his heart that he will love them until the day he dies.

[hufflautia]

The Small but Quaint Room in the West Wing

Requested by @dreamerinthesun✨(2/2)

A/N: I titled this one because this is a full-sized fic and I really really like it. Even though I said I'd write a drabble or a ficlet for each request and keep it short and sweet. And then I go and write a whole ass fic. I knew this was gonna happen, it always does. ENJOY!

026: "People are jerks, but not you."

Slytherin ran into a room on the West Wing and shut the door behind her. She listened as footsteps stomped through the hall, holding her breath when someone stopped in front of the door.

"When we find Lestrange, I wanna be the one to hex her," the person said. Slytherin scowled when she realized who it was. Ehione, she thought bitterly. You couldn't hex me if you tried.

"And who exactly are you going to hex, Ms. Ephyx?" an ancient but firm voice said.

Slytherin immediately recognized the voice and winced. She was glad she was behind this door and not out in the hall.

"Professor McGonagall," Ehione stuttered. "You must've misheard, I said vex, not hex!"

Slytherin held back a snicker - she could envision McGonagall's reaction right now: an eyebrow raised, lips pressed together tightly.

McGonagall clearly didn't fall for her bullshit because the next thing she said was, "10 points from Gryffindor. Now come with me, Ms. Ephyx. And the rest of you, get back to your classes before I give you detention too."

"Too?" Ehione fumed. "Why am I getting detention? Slytherin should be the one getting detention, she cast the Leek jinx spell on me!"

Only because you were talking shit about my family! Slytherin thought angrily.

"Yes, Ms. Ephyx, I can clearly see that," McGonagall sighed. "Now please come with me, we need to get you to the Hospital Wing. If you aren't given the counteract potion soon, you could have leeks stuck in your ears permanently."

Slytherin bit her tongue to stop herself from bursting out in laughter and giving up her hidden spot. What a sight, she thought, imagining Ehione walking around with leeks in her ears for the rest of the school year.

Slytherin let out a small breath of relief when the footsteps began to fade away. She walked up the steps and towards the spot next to the window, the place she always sat when she came to this room.

^Visual of what the room looks like. ALSO DOES ANYONE RECOGNIZE THIS PIC ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

She gazed upon the Whomping Willow in the distance, deep in thought. It wasn't that she liked getting in trouble. The jinx just happened to spill from her lips when she overheard Ehione talking badly about her family. That prick deserved it anyway.

Slytherin stiffened when she heard the creak of the door and whipped out her wand, lowering it when she caught sight of the intruder. Well, maybe not intruder, per se. Hufflepuff sometimes came to this room too. While Slytherin used this place as a quiet room to think, Hufflepuff used it as a space to hang freely with his creatures. They found this room on their own but had never been there at the same time until one day when Slytherin found him sitting on her spot the day that they first encountered each other. She was a bit irked - after all, it felt like her sacred spot, and to have someone sit on it was...well, annoying. But soon after he chose a seat somewhere else, she warmed up to him; he had a quiet nature and sometimes would show her the creatures he was caring for, and that always put a smile on her face. Though Slytherin would never admit it, there were days in which she walked towards the small but quaint room in the West Wing with a spring to her step, looking forward to sitting next to the window with him and escaping their worries.

But today was not one of those days.

A crooked smile hung on Hufflepuff's lips when they met eyes. Slytherin wasn't in the mood to smile back, so she looked away.

"Hello," Hufflepuff said, taking a seat on the floor across from her.

"Hi."

Slytherin could feel his eyes on her and met his curious gaze with a glare. "What?"

Hufflepuff shook his head and looked away.

"Nothing."

She narrowed her eyes but decided not to press him further. She didn't wanna drive her one friend away. Could she even call him that? She certainly hoped he considered her his friend. She's snapped at him on more than one occasion, but it was never because of him. It's just that she usually came to this room when she was in a bad mood and she needed a place to think. But time and time again, he never snapped back. He just took it. And not in a "use me as your punching buddy" kind of way. It was like he understood.

"People are jerks," she said quietly. "But not you." Never you. "Why is that?"

He scrunched up his nose. "Are you asking me why I'm not a jerk?"

Slytherin would've cracked a smile if she weren't feeling like complete shit. "I'm rude to you, but you never talk back. You don't get angry with me when I'm testing your temper. Why? Someone with common sense wouldn't want to hang out with someone who's mean to them."

Hufflepuff stared at a spot on the wall in thought as Slytherin awaited his response nervously. Why did I say that? I basically told him, "Hey, it would be in your best interest not to be friends with me anymore"—

"I don't think you're mean." Hufflepuff meets her surprised gaze. "I know that you come here because this is a place for you to vent and calm down. Sometimes you take your anger out on me, but I know it's because of whatever you have going on, so I try not to take it personal. You're just angry. But not always. When you're in a good mood, you're funny and witty. And you're also my friend. So why wouldn't I want to hang out with you?"

Slytherin swallowed with difficulty. That was a lot to take in. Not only did he just admit that, yes, he considered her his friend, but he also knew her. He understood.

Hufflepuff seemed to sense that she was at a loss for words, so he pulled something from his pocket and presented it to her. Slytherin smiled and gingerly took the Niffler from him, her fingers brushing against the palm of his hand.

"How's the little guy doing?" she cooed, running her finger over the Niffler's fur as he scurried across her robe, searching for anything shiny. "Caused any mischief lately?"

"Unfortunately so," Hufflepuff sighed dramatically, his bright eyes betraying his mock annoyance. "He stole Slughorn's watch the other way. This little minx would've gotten me into detention if I hadn't stopped him and returned it without Slughorn noticing."

Slytherin hummed, watching as the Niffler tried to pull her house crest off her robe. She pulled him off and looked puzzled when she felt something in his pouch. "What's this?"

Hufflepuff frowned and took the Niffler back, eyeing the creature when he felt it too.

"What'd you take," he said lowly, to which the Niffler looked at him with a smile and a gleam in his eye. He arched an eyebrow and turned him upside down, shaking out the contents of his pouch.

Slytherin's eyes widened as Galleons and other golden items poured onto the floor. Watches, necklaces, and earrings scattered on the ground. Hufflepuff looked aghast while Slytherin doubled-over laughing.

"Where in the blazes did you get that?!" Hufflepuff demanded. "Now we have to find out what belongs to who and return it to them!"

Slytherin wiped at her watery eyes and said between laughs, "Don't worry, I'll help you."

Hufflepuff glanced at her and felt a laugh of his own bubbling in his chest. When a situation as ridiculous as this came along once in a lifetime, one couldn't help but laugh. And that's exactly what they did. They laughed their worries away in this small but quaint room on the West Wing.

Fin.

~

DID SOMEONE SAY LETA LESTRANGE AND NEWT SCAMANDER😩😩 Also did the bit about the "this is MY special spot" remind anyone of the tree spot in the slytherpuff series??

This is by far my favorite request - I didn't expect this to be so wholesome and cute. Hope you enjoyeddddddd<4!

~

In honor of this blog’s one-year anniversary, I am taking requests! Pick from these prompts:

Fluff | Fluff, Angst, or Smut | Fluff or Angst | Smut | More Smut | Angst

[atsumiyass]

Hii back 👉👈

Well; I have like two main requests ideas and since I just can't choose, I'll send you both ! You can just choose your favorite or write both, it's reaaalllly like you want ❤ hope I'm not abusing 😳

So, my first request stems from your wonderful Symphony work (that I loved rrallllly really much, you may have understood it). I was wondering if we could have some High school sweet shared moments between Y/N and Todoroki-kun? I have no special demands, but since the end of Symphony is years later, when Reader and Shoto are pro-heroes, I was wondering if we could have a Drabble on some earlier moments, back to the time where Shoto and Reader where in a slow burn process. . . I hope I'm clear .//. And it's if you feel like it, of course !

If you need some examples, it can be some very casual, little yet significant things, like when Reader will call Todoroki "Shoto" for the first time, or vice versa, when they will train together... I just want to melt imagining their little yet intimate shared things ❤

Thank you so much in advance! ❤❤

hey bubs!! i just want to say before you read this thank you so much for your love and support of my work! it brings me so much joy to know you’re enjoying it 🥺 I absolutely loved your ideas and i will be writing your other one very soon! hope this is to your liking and enjoy! <3 - admin venus

Harmony (symphony prequel)

read symphony here!! 

synopsis: in which you remember the time you spent with todoroki during your three years at UA.

warnings: so much fluff you might cry from happiness (?)

The moment you met todoroki was like any other interaction for you.

It was your first day at UA high, so like any other first day of school you went around to greet your classmates whom you’d be with for the next three years.

When you got to greeting todoroki, his appearance wasn’t that surprising to you, you actually thought his hair was pretty cool.

Saying hi as politely as you could, you bowed and told him that you looked forward to being with him for the next couple years.

Boy could you have been any more right.

The first time you hung out with todoroki was when he asked you to train with him, saying that “your quirk is the most incompatible to mine”. You assumed that he would make small talk to lighten up the mood, but he did nothing of the sort.

Just training.

You were a little dejected, you wanted to get to know the heterochromatic boy then from a simple introduction. He was closed off and extremely antisocial from what you’ve seen, but you thought after a training session with him he would’ve lightened up a bit.

Guess that wasn’t the case.

A couple more silent training sessions later, he finally attempted at some sort of conversation.

“I like your voice.”

That was all he said, just a simple sentence. You weren’t sure how to respond so you just said a simple “thank you” and continued with what you had been doing previously.

After that he kept talking more, asking about yourself and your interests. But never talking about himself. You assumed it was just his introvert personality leading the conversation.

But in reality, he just really loved to hear your voice.

The first time he asked you to come into the city with him was a surprise to you, it was after school on Friday and you were studying in your dorm room. You heard a knock at your door and there stood Todoroki in his casual wear. 

He looked absolutely gorgeous by the way.

He told you that he didn’t want to go alone so he though he would invite you. So, you got dressed and headed out with him. To anyone else it looked like you both were out on a date, and the thought never left your head all night. Making you a blushing mess half the time.

That night in particular, it was cold and you had forgotten to bring a jacket since you were mostly focused on your appearance then belongings. “Are you okay? You’re shivering.” Todoroki asked, a gust of wind blowing in your direction making you shiver more. “I’m fine just, a bit chilly.” You laughed, rubbing your hands on your upper arms. Before you could reassure him, you felt him put his jacket around your arms. “I don’t want you to catch a cold…” He told you, to which you gave him a small smile. “T-thank you Todoroki, that’s very nice of you.” You told him, turning back to look at the sidewalk ahead of you. “You can move closer if you want. I don’t mind.” He said, turning his head to look back at you. “W-what? Theres no need to get closer! I mean we’re already close! Unless you want me to move closer? Or move farther? I-I can do either or.” You stuttered, flustered at the fact he wanted you to move closer to him. “whichever you prefer is fine.” He said in his usual monotone voice. Taking up his offer, you moved closer to touch arms with him. What you didn’t expect was that he would place his arm around your shoulders. You let out a sigh of content and kept walking side by side with him.

What was he thinking? Putting his arm around you? Surely you found it weird, uncomfortable even. But he kept it there, he didn’t want it to be more awkward than it already was.

That night, he went to bed with your scent still lingering around his body, and slept soundly.

“Todoroki….is everything okay? Its pretty late.” You whispered, wrapping your blanket around your frame tighter. It was the middle of your second year and the boy calling you to meet him wasn’t a surprise, but it was the middle of the night. What could he need? “This might sound stupid, but, I had a bad dream….” He said, keeping his eyes locked onto yours. “So a nightmare? Well uh, may I come in?” You asked. he nodded, opening the door wide enough for you to enter. As you walked over and sat on his futon, you examined the Japanese décor until you heard the door shut. “do you maybe wanna, talk about it?” You questioned, as he sat next you. “If you don’t mind, I trust you enough to know.” He said, placing his hands in his lap. So he did. his dream was about his mother, and what had happened in his past, which he also explained. By the end of it, you had tears welling in your eyes.

Todoroki had been through much more then you originally thought.

You offered to stay with him that night, to which he agreed. And there you were, snuggled up with him on the same futon. Maybe it was fate that he didn’t have an extra one, who knows?

What you did know, was that you harbored immense feelings for Todoroki.

December in Japan was always the coldest to you, snow falling and strong winds. But that also meant snow days. “here. be careful, its hot.” Todoroki said as he placed the cup of tea onto the coffee table. “Thank you, Todoroki.” You smiled, taking a sip of the hot liquid. “…Shouto.” He said, almost making you choke on your drink. “W-what?” you stuttered, blinking a few time to make sure you weren’t dreaming. “refer to me as Shouto, if you don’t mind.” He said, also taking a sip of his tea. “But…why?” You whispered, trying to think of reasons why he would want you to call him by his first name. “Well we’re friends aren’t we?” he questioned. “Youre friends with all our classmates though..” you continued. “But, your special to me, so I feel like you should call me by my first name.” He said, his face not faltering for a second.

You…you were special to him?

You felt heat rush to your cheeks after he said that, turning away to hide the red coating your face. “O-okay then, call me by my first name. its only fair.” You quickly said, trying to cover up your flustered voice. When you turned back, you saw him staring at you with a small smile, making your face even redder then it already was. “w-why are you looking at me?! Is there something on my face?” you stumbled over your words, waving your hands over your face. “no, your just a bit red. Are you running a fever?” he asked.

Was he doing this on purpose?

“I'm fine to-shouto.” You said quietly, looking down at your drink. Your mind swirled with thoughts about him, and his words replying in your head like a broken record.

“you’re special to me.”

“you’re special to me.”

“you’re special to me.”

It was an understatement to say that you could barely sleep that night.

Cherry blossoms coated the grass as a soft breeze blew through the outside. Spring was upon you, along with graduation. Your class was buzzing with excitement. Some have even already started packing up their dorm rooms. “So Shouto, what are your plans for after we graduate?” you asked, spinning around in your desk chair. you were both in your room, hanging out before you had to eventually start packing everything up. “I’m going to work under my father as his sidekick.” He said, looking at some picture of you and your dog on your nightstand. “Woah really?! thats great Shouto!” you exclaimed, stopping your movements to look at him. “What about you?” he asked, to which you smiled. “Ryuku called me to work under her, since she loved my dedication during my work study.” you said, fiddling with your fingers. “Looks like we both have places we’re going.” he said, as you went to go sit next to him on your bed. “Shouto, I know we’ll be far from each other. but I just want you to know, I loved these moments I shared with you.” you told him, taking his hand in yours. “ You’re my closest friend, never forget that.” You continued, looking down at yours and Todorokis hands. “I feel the same. Thank you for being my friend.” He said, as your eyes met his. Time seemed to stop for a moment, just you and him in the room. Alone. You subconsciously started to move your face closer to his, glancing at his lips and back up to his eyes. Your faces were inches apart.

Just a bit closer, and your lips would meet his.

Just a bit closer and he would finally understand how you-

“hey you lovebirds! We’re all meeting in the common area for one last gathering as a class, c’mon!” Mina said in her usual bubbly voice as you reeled back from Todoroki. “w-we’ll be there soon.” You sighed, moving your hand off Todoroki’s. After she shut the door, Todoroki sighed and got up from your bed. “they’re waiting for us…” he said, waiting for a response from you. “yeah, lets go.” You smiled, getting up as well.

You spent the last night together as a class like no other. Spilling secrets, reminiscing on moments from first year, how much each of you have grown, as well as the hardships and the many attacks you all overcame with the league of villains. It was truly a night to remember.

You would never forget the time with your class, especially the time you had spent with Todoroki.

“I’m so proud of you honey!” you mother exclaimed, leaving a sloppy kiss on your cheek. “yeah yeah I get it mom. Try not to slobber so much.” You laughed, wiping off the excess saliva that remained on your cheek.  “We’re just so happy for you dear.” Your dad chimed in, ruffling your hair a bit. “I'm gonna say bye to my friends okay? Then we can head out.” You said, waving to your parents. “think about what you want for dinner!” you mom said as you walked away, making you laugh more. “hey, webster.” You heard Bakugou call out, turning your head to see where he was standing. He kept that same nickname he had called you back in first year. “Bakugou hey!” you waved, walking towards him. “where are your parents?” you asked, looking around for the spikey haired adults. “they’re already headed back home, I’m going out to celebrate with Ashido, Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari. Listen, thanks for everything.” He mumbled the last part, looking away from your gaze. “no problem Bakugo, good luck with everything. I'm sure I’ll be seeing you on the cover of hero daily really soon.” You said, giving him a bright smile. He responded with a small smile and waved you off, going over to where Kirishima was standing. “y/n.” you heard Todoroki call your name from behind you, turning around to see him holding a single flower. “Shouto…I thought you had left already.” You trailed off, you eyes going to the pink rose in his hand. “I was but, I wanted to give this to you.” He said, holding the flower in front of him for you to take. “thank you Shouto, that’s sweet of you.” You said, taking the flower from his hand and placing it delicately in your bag. “Um about our…moment…the other day…” he started, making all the memories of a couple nights ago flood back to your mind. “I-I'm really sorry about that…it was just in the moment y’know…” you nervously laughed, looking down at your heels. “right. well, I’ll be off then.” He nodded at you, and turned to walk away.

You had to do something…you weren’t going to just let him walk away right

Right?

“Shouto!” you yelled, almost a bit too loud, running over to him before he could leave. He looked with you with a confused expression as you stood there.

Its now or never.

You leaned in and placed a light kiss on his cheek, making sure to linger for a bit so he would get the message.

“thank you, Shouto.” You smiled at him, and with that you turned to walk back to your parents.

You wanted to see his reaction, but you were sure he’d come and confess to you properly….in time.

So here you are now, years later, snuggled up on your couch in your shared apartment with the bi-haired male. Watching your favorite show as you waited for dinner to arrive. “My love, you seem lost…is everything alright?” he asked, placing his hand on your knee. “yes, I'm alright Shouto. Actually, I’ve never been happier.” You said with the biggest smile on your face, tears of happiness threatening to pour out.

If you were sure of anything, it was that all the time you spent with Shouto, was something you’d never regret.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[eveenstar]

𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒔 [𝑨 𝑳𝒐𝒌𝒊 𝑳𝒂𝒖𝒇𝒆𝒚𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒙 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏]

||➸𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐈: 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭||

Tags/Warnings: Possible amnesia, insomnia and a brief panick attack mentions.

Summary: You wake up back in your bed, with no idea how you got there in the first place. With a foggy mind, you notice that strange things are happening around your house.

Note: Honestly, I've been so excited to write this series. It's going a bit slow in the beginning but I promise from chapter 3 things will began to get serious! Can you guess what is happening in (Y/N)'s home?

Loki knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring, his eyes focused on yours and you felt everything stop around you two.

"Marry me, (Y/N), " Loki said softly, grabbing your hand on his. "You'll never have to be alone,"

You smiled, you smiled as if you didn't remember this never happened. Tears covered your vision but it really wasn't tears, you weren't crying, but everything slowly began to get blurry. You felt yourself fall, as if your own soul left your body and fell into abism. Loki's voice echoed in your mind.

"I love you and that's all I really know."

You woke up in a harsh gasp, hands sweaty. You were met again with a cold house, now dark due to how late in the night it should be. Not even threads of light escaped through the blinds, nor you could recognize where anything in your bedroom should be.

Turning on the bedside lamp, you pushed yourself from the king-size bed and grabbed your forest green robe and dressed it, glad that at least it's somewhat warm.

Wasn't it blue?

The bedside alarm clock read exactly 3:30 AM, and you felt a sudden deja vu. Lately, you've been awaking up at this exact hour of the night, for no other reason than strange dreams.

You decided that a nice cup of milk would suit this situation, as you recalled that your mother used to say that "milk helps the sleep" and even though you doubted that affirmation of hers, anything now would feel better if it meant to help you close your eyes and drift off to another world. Your feet felt cold against the floor tiles, and again you forgot to wear socks (even though you were sure you wore them the day before, for one reason you know couldn't think why).

As you poured the milk down on your plain white mug, it finally accured to you. Yesterday's call with Natasha and the drive trip to the Avengers Tower. You ran a hand through your hair and frowned slightly, everything afterwards felt like a distant memory. Foggy and confusing. How did you end up in your house, in your bed? How did you forget? Probably from the lack of sleep you've been getting lately.

Maybe you should call Natasha.

Ignoring how late it was, you pulled out your phone and noticed it was dead. Sighing to yourself, you put it to charge while you left to explore your house and re-make the steps you probably took when you got home the day before.

Your clothes were all messed up in a chair, your shoes looked like somebody threw them across the room and didn't bother to get them, otherwise everything else looked in place. You paced back and forth, getting a bit impacient at your lack of remembering such things.

The flowers.

The Narcissus flowers.

Where are them?

You grabbed the empty flower vase, which used to be filled every week with beautiful flowers picked from your personal garden. The house withhold a tense atmosphere, heavy as the rain that falls from the dark clouds. The pale-coloured brightness that the kitchen's lamp provided a ball of light around you, like a little angel was protecting you against the darkness and you hoped it not to go away.

Your body was frozen in place, you didn't even realize you weren't breathing until a hrash exhale left your lungs and the flower vase fell from your shaking hands, into the mosaic floor.

You ran to your bedroom as if a big, bad monster was chasing you and quickly closed the door. You blocked it with a chair and turned on your phone, which was fortunately (and the luckiest you've been in a good while, most likely) charged enough to call someone.

"(Y/N)? It's 4 am, are you okay?"

"Something is wrong, Natasha, I, I can't remember anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Can you please come by my house?" You heard her grab something, "Please..." you whispered.

..."And that's when I called Natasha." You finished explaining and took a drink out of the cup of water Steve gave you.

"How long has this been happening?" He asked, a worried look on his blue eyes. Natasha, who was sitting next to him, carried the same look.

"Few days, weeks I suppose." You looked in between both of them, and guilt took over you. "I'm sorry, it's silly."

"Hey, don't say that. It's completely normal." Nat caressed your arm sweetly. It felt good to see her again, even though it was only yesterday when you two met. She looked exactly the same as three years ago, but she had a different aura around her. Sadder, darker. Steve had it too.

"Hey, (Y/N), it may not be the best time but...There's a therapy group I know, and maybe it would be good if you take a look at it." Steve suggested, his arms crossed and a deep look upon you.

You gazed to the ground again, "I'll think about it."

"I just think something's weird here, " Natasha said, "You never ordered Narcissus flowers to your home."

If this was another situation, you'd laugh at it. But Natasha was serious, and you knew it. The Narcissus flowers don't grow in your garden, and you followed a specific order of plants to buy every week, and they weren't in the list. They never were. Not after Loki's death.

"I probably ordered them by mistake." Play it off. Act cool. It's nothing, it has to be just a simple mistake. You got confused and ordered them instead.

"If you feel safer, we can get somebody to protect your house. Just for good measure." Steve took the mugs and cups to the sink, and didn't miss the chance to give another helpful advice like the good friend he is. You pondered on it for a while, and you could enjoy the company.

"Yeah, that'd be nice." Natasha, who was staring at you again, opened her mouth to say anything but you got ahead of her first, "Well, thanks for coming but I need to get a couple of hours of sleep. Sorry for bothering you guys."

"You would never."

You walked them to the front door, and Natasha pulled you in a surprise hug. You didn't even know how to react. It's been so long since you've had human touch.

She pulled back, and you swore you saw a tear in the corner of her eyes. Those tears that come at the most unfortunate moments, where you can't most definitely break down. Natasha hid them well, not from you, because you too know that trick. Never break down, never show weakness to anyone or anything. The woman gave you a calm (but you knew the pain behind it) smile.

"Call us if you need anything else, okay?"

You nodded and replied with a vague smile back.

The hours passed, passed and passed. The clouds in the sky were as heavy as your soul felt, and soon they began to cry out. The rain slammed against your windows and warned about an upcoming thunderstorm was on its way. Spring felt more as a Winter 2.0 and in the blink of an eye, it was eight o'clock.

According to one of Natasha's texts, a security guard would arrive at ten AM. Until then, you prepared a nice breakfast for you (and for the guard, you wanted to be as kind as possible). Thanks to Steve, who brought enough food to last for at least a few days, you didn't have to worry about starving now.

You, relaxed for once in a lifetime, made your way to the couch to hopefully watch some pre-recorded tvshows. You were too lost in your thoughts that you didn't notice how in all framed pictures of yourself, your face was blurred out.

[lizacstuff]

Liza that 3rd fragman 👀 "if I was born a 100 times I'd fall in love with you everytime" Eda saying this is their last obstacle and nothing can separate them, serkan's "I'll be right back, close your eyes I'm here" If this isn't all a red flag for shits about to hit the fan then I don't know what is LOL (but also how cute to Edser look and them telling each other they love each other very much 😭😭😭)

That fragman is both the SWEETEST and the MOST OMINOUS thing I’ve ever seen. ALL AT ONCE.  

Friends... we’re gonna go through some things.  That being said, everything is going to be great. These writers have been solid so far, and I have faith they have come up with something really interesting to increase the longevity of this show. And I don’t know about you, but I’m prepared to go through some things if it means keeping Eda and Serkan for longer.  (I heart them)

This show is about Eda and Serkan and their love story, at it’s core it’s a comedy, it will all lead to happy things, but... yeah, buckle up! 

I have a lot of asks both about the fragman and last ep, so I’m going to answer a bunch under the cut. 

Anonymous said: The fandom theories about episode 28 have gotten so wild that I literally think the most shocking thing would be if they actually got married and were not separated (emotionally or physically). What if the earlier painful episodes were to make us believe that things couldn't possibly go right in 28 and it's a reverse psychology trick?

You could be right!  I like your thinking. I checked on twitter and I had to back away slowly. The juvenile temper tantrums were too much for me today.  

Look, I think it’s clear something big is coming. It has to, there has to be something that shakes up the show. Some of the theories are more upsetting and catastrophic than others, but the writers won’t do anything that dings either character or their love for one another.  Whatever happens will showcase the connection between these two and the chemistry between the actors, that’s the point of everything, and anything that does those things is gonna be a-okay with me. 

@jan31​ Hi Liza. Do you think we are going to see the wedding in 28 or they will leave it on a cliffhanger for next week. Lots of theories going round mainly cos of Neslihan saying new dimensions coming in episode 29, which could just mean married life etc. I have seen suggestions of memory loss, it's all a dream since episode one. I would personally love Eda to wake up like in episode one but for it to be a total turn around and she is the boss and Serkan the employee. Eda being robot yildiz appeals to me!!! I know it will never happen but leave me here with my dreams!!

I started the day at 90% sure they’ll be married in 28/29, but now I’m down to like 30% that they’ll get married in these episodes. I really, really want them to get married before whatever happens happens, because every scenario I can think of for this reset or starting again, seems like it would be better if they were married.  

However, the shooting spoilers from today, make me question that. Namely the videos where Hande appears to still be wearing the ring on her right hand. We shall see, that could be for many reasons. 

Honestly, though, I wouldn’t hate a memory loss storyline. Seeing one of them (and Serkan’s line in the trailer makes it seem like it might be him) lose their memory and have to fall in love all over again? There are worse fates for a shipper than getting to experience that all again but in a different way.  

Anonymous said: Your response to the fandom drama anon was so good, it's exactly how I feel. While I don't know what the old posts that were like are (that's shady as fuck) I did see all the other drama go down and wow. The actresses def need to stay in their lane and some of the fans, hoooo boy, it's obvious they're young based off their reactions alone. Had to unfollow some people once I realized what they were like. Also some of the IRL shipping reminded me of col*fer stuff, reading into everything and blowing it out of proportion (which then gets picked up by paps....). But you're right in that at least the show related drama is tame compared to OUAT. But still, people being too careless even while they know the paps see everything and harass Kerem and hande (omg did you see the video of hande the other day stopped in the van and she looked so overwhelmed 😔)

You’re referencing this post here about yesterday’s drama. 

Today Neslihan made it worse by addressing everything and claiming she didn’t like all those Hande-bashing posts because... wait for it... she was HACKED. Oy. Hackers got in and went back two years to like gross posts about Hande? Sure, Jan. While I don’t believe that for a second, I guess that at least gives her cover with Hande so they can all pretend it’s true and move on so it’s not awkward on set.  But, yikes, she needs to consult a publicist, she took a narrative that was circulating in certain circles in fandom and made sure all her followers were aware. Not very savvy. 

As for the paps coming after Hande, yes I did see her in the car, she did look overwhelmed. Back off vultures!!! That’s why I think Kerem sometimes throws himself to the wolves so that doesn’t happen. She always handles them like a pro, but you can tell she’d rather be anywhere else on earth than talking to them. 

The pap stuff is worse than I’ve seen before, they’re like vultures circling for any conjecture (sometimes made up out of thin air) they can turn into a question and blame fans. OUAT actors dealt with nothing like this. Also I can’t believe they never ask about the show. Like after last week? They could legit ask about the sex scene which probably would have given them some angle on the actors that they wanted, (especially since it was too hot for Turkish TV) but they let that pass them by, and instead asked the same questions about being together that they never answer. Dumbasses. They are not only awful people, they are awful at their jobs. 

In Van, the paps pay off crew members for info, they always know more than fans. Also I don’t remember stars of my shows getting this level of tabloid attention before. Except for on Riverdale, Lili and Cole generated that level of interest, and while I didn’t pay terribly close attention to them, I feel like they rarely talked to the paps, were just photographed. Also I don’t suspected the CW of calling the paps on them, but I suspect either the network or production company of sometimes calling them on Hande and Kerem. 

Anonymous said: Do you think it’s weird that they didn’t touch the kidnapping at all in either trailer? They might not have filmed it in time for the 1st one but certainly the 2nd. And I’m definitely not complaining about the ones we got because its like a fairytale but the kidnapping was the cliffhanger...? 🧐 I think they should’ve just left the princes storyline at “he went back to his country” but then they didn’t so......

If they’d left his story at just going back to his country, then the Prince really wouldn’t have served his purpose. He was brought on to cause some sort of trouble, so they probably need him to cause the trouble before he goes, lets hope it ends with this kidnapping!

And to answer your question, yes, I do think it’s weird that neither trailer touched on it. On any other show I’d think it was a huge red flag, but on this show maybe not as much because  a) there’s obviously a lot of romance in this episode, it’s not crazy that they are focusing on that to draw people in with the promos  b) this show likes to do cliffhangers that end up being no big deal, that happens a lot.  

Who knows it could turn out to be a big deal that shapes the rest of the episode in some unexpected way (Eda’s captured the whole episode and she’s dreaming about wedding prep, or... who knows) but I think it’s more likely that they resolve in the first 5-10 minutes and then move on.  Since we know from the summary (not that I trust those) that Serkan goes on the bachelor weekend, it feels like the Prince is taken care of prior to that. I don’t think he’d leave her alone for a second if there was a chance the Prince was still a threat. Perhaps Babaanne is pissed he tried to kidnap Eda and tells them she’ll handle it herself???

Anonymous said: Semiha not being in the promo is highkey suspicious. The actress is promoting the episode lol. She's about to Evil Queen this wedding ceremony but you know what, I'm fine with whatever she has planned if they end up married at the end of the day. What's funny is that since a lot of fans these days will assume that there will be shocking negative plot twists, not actually having one here would be a plot twist so I hope the writers keep them together for whatever's next haha

You’re not wrong, at this point, having this wedding take place would be a shocking twist for all of us!  As for Semiha... hmmm... it will be interesting to see what her reaction is to Eda being kidnapped by her pick of suitor. Serkan Bolat might be the son of the man indirectly responsible for her parents death, but he would never hurt her. Take note, Grandbag!  

Anonymous said: Do you mind sharing your speculative scenarios?

After the trailer today, I don’t know if I can even remember some of them. 

Memory loss

Grandma forces Serkan to choose between Eda and his company/wealth,  he chooses Eda and they start over from scratch with nothing

Time jump

AU starting over, showing a different path they might have taken together

Dream

These actors playing different characters in a new story

I don’t think the last three are likely, but they did spring to mind after some of Neslihan’s teases. 

Anonymous said: So this show doesn't get like fantastic ratings (it actually seems to be on the lower end compared to all other dizis airing) but the social media engagement is off the charts. Why is that?!? Is the show just extraordinarily popular internationally? or that this is a "shipping" show? I'm floored by the numbers - its like no other show/fandom is even trying

The ratings were terrific during the summer. But to your point, it has a huge fandom both in Turkey and internationally, but it’s worth noting that most of those charts you see where it beats every other show in every imaginable social metric is just for Turkey.  

It’s one of those lightning in a bottle situations where you get the right property and the right actors together at the right time and magic happens.  And, for sure, the number one reason is the shipping. Shipping drives fandom engagement, and a fantastic ship with a juicy, fun, tropey love story is what this show offers. It also offers up two extremely attractive, talented, likeable leads with off-the-charts chemistry (plus the added speculation about an off-camera relationship that has intrigued more than a few fans, tabloids and gossip sites and fueled interest) who have done a good job of building the fanbase through their social media engagement. Plus the timing is part of it as well. I don’t know about you, but this show hit the spot during this pandemic and the horror of 2020. We all needed this escape. 

Anonymous said:Do you think something happened in the writers room after the backlash of 25 and fan disappointment after Ayse's announcement? I feel like a switch flipped and now we're in fanficland with how much good content we've gotten in these last two episodes. Like I thought maybe they should wrap up the series soon before the characters got completely off the tracks but they may be finding their groove now and I'm interested to see what their next twist is after they can write out Balca/Seymen.

I don’t know about a switch flip, this show has been fanfic land since the first episode!  The tropes! That is how I described it to multiple people when I first started watching: an AU fanfic come to life.

As for the writing changes, no, I don’t think backlash after 25 affected 26 or 27, because 26 was already 90% shot, and 27 already written. However, I assume they themselves could tell that 25 got just too dark and had strayed pretty far from the DNA of the series. While I didn’t think it was bad, it was not fun to watch and this show ought to be fun to watch. 

Let’s hope, however, that the backlash affects future episodes in that they know what works... and what doesn’t.  The last two episodes definitely felt reminiscent of the first batch of episodes. Light, funny, romantic. If they can keep that tone... I’ll be thrilled.

Anonymous said: i didn't realize how much i missed "together" edser until watching 27.. it's been so long since they were "officially" together and we also had such few episodes of it.. ppl have been comparing it to 12 and while in some ways i agree, edser are always so different here than they were there. 12 was them navigating their new relationship.. they were more shy and finding their footing.. here they are very much established, as they should be after knowing their love for so long in comparison to 12!

Yes, it was lovely. You know I’ve preached a lot about how even though Eda and Serkan were broken up, they’ve still been together all this time. And it’s true, but there is something about them truly being together that is magical. We never got enough of that the first time around (a writing mistake in my opinion) and they’re so good together it’s lovely to watch. 

Anonymous said: Serkan not asking for help from Balca when asking his team for help with the marriage gifts preparations and refusing her offer of help when she asked made me so happy. Good job Serkan! He's learning! She's not trustworthy!

Yes, that was a good moment. And he was eyeing her very warily when she offered. The thing I don’t understand is how has no one caught on that she’s working with Babaanne? That entire office is filled with nosy people, has no one remarked on the number of times Balca has gone up to the office or they’ve disappeared for lunch at the same time? Come on Leyla! Come on Melo! Notice these things!  

Anonymous said: Fingers crossed that we finally make progress towards getting rid of Seiman & Balca now that all the girls were drugged and Eda was put in the car in the last episode. Unless Seiman has a change of heart and takes Eda back inside before anyone wakes & the guys get there then the show has to address it. Although I do not think Balca is going to back down unless Serkan straight up tells her he has zero interest in her and never will. Totally fine if that happens in the next episode.

Will Balca backdown even if she’s humiliated like that? She’s so delusional I’m not sure. What I am sure is that she’s dangerous. This came in before we saw the other two fragmans that have no mention of the kidnapping. Hard to picture how that is so easily resolved. Unless she frees herself (which seems unlikely in her groggy state) or maybe Melo’s future boyfriend is able to stop it before they get far?  Or I don’t know. I just know that I want to see Serkan lose his mind and all the other characters see Serkan lose his mind and then I want it to be over. LOL.

Anonymous said: As much as I am loving everything Edser, I cannot wait for Seiman, Balca and Grandma to be gone. And I am even more annoyed to think that the show might try to redeem all 3 characters. All 3 of them are truly awful people and no need to waste air time trying to make the audience think any different. Just my opinion...🤷🏻‍♀️. Show please finally expose those 3 for the psychos they are and get rid of them.

Bye bitches!  I don’t think there’s any redemption for Balca and Seiman. They both have poisoned/dosed people, hard to come back from that.  And there is no need to redeem them because neither is compelling enough to be a long-term character. But maybe Granny, we probably will see a redemption arc for her. 

Anonymous said: i know you were worried a few weeks ago that with ayse leaving as writer, we probably wouldn't have the same sort of comedy as previous episodes... but istg the whole kiz isteme scene, especially with chef alex, had me almost crying with laughter. especially when serkan off the cuff just goes "well if that's an option..." to everyone misunderstanding alex "wanting" ayfer for 2 nights and then eda ready to beat him with the flowers he bought her... comedic gold lmao.

SO GOOD! I was thrilled to see that sort of comedy, the sort of comedy we’d come to expect, from these writers. I think it bodes very well indeed!  

That scene was amazing. I know Neslihan said that much of it was improvised. Probably that line from Serkan (since Serkan is SO out-of-his-mind in love I’m not sure he could even joke about having Eda only two nights a week! LOL) was improv from Kerem, and Aydan asking about the other nights, and Seyfi bringing up the weekend. And Eda’s very Hande-esque “Ser-KAN.” 

I just love rewatching that scene and checking out everyone who is breaking character and just losing it. Cagri most of all. He’s blurred aback there but you can see Ferit spends the whole time laughing or trying to stifle a laugh. Reminds me of Cagri in the scene in 18 when they’re watching the security footage he was losing it in that scene as well. 

Anonymous said: i'm scared - I think they are really about to give us all of these happy EdSer scenes only to have something happen RIGHT before the wedding ceremony due to Babaanne. Based on the last episode, I don't think there's any chance of a breakup (knock on wood) but what if Serkan gets arrested, goes to jail for 2 years, and we get a time jump?

This was sent before the last two teasers, so yes I think something is gonna happen. We shall see!  I don’t really think Serkan going to jail for 2 years is in the cards, at least I hope not!  Besides if Babaanne did that she would have no hopes of ever reconciling with Eda, so that seems unlikely she’d follow through and leave him there for so long a time. 

Anonymous said: With the last week's sex scene, they did a lot of fade outs but the scene was basically still there so it wasn't much wasted effort for the actors. But for what they're teasing in episode 28 - idk how they can get away with showing them in the shower at all if Serkan lifting Eda with her clothes on had required blurring? Is Eda dropping her robe even pushing it? It's intriguing indeed.

Great questions. We’re 36 hours from finding out (well I'm longer than that because I wait for the English subs, hee hee) All I know is I want to see these scenes.. one way or another! 

[cherryblossomstars]

I. Oxford (W. Ushijima)

Taken from my AO3 series of one-shots & reposted here

Pairing: Ushijima x F!Reader

Word count: 2,636 (oops)

Genre: Fluff/Kinda crack

Summary: Aoba Johsai's volleyball team has never been able to defeat the Great Ushiwaka of Shiratorizawa. Their manager, however? She can bring him to his knees in mere seconds.

Or, Ushijima Wakatoshi is helplessly in love with Seijoh's Ace's twin sister, and the Aoba Johsai VBC is not appreciative of it.

Next

"Oh, really? When's your next practice match? I'll try to make it." You talk into your phone and you practically send the hinges on your twin brother's door flying.

Hajime lays on his bed and looks up at you from his phone with an annoyed face. You ignore the threatening glare being sent your way, and flop yourself onto his stomach. He groans quietly, trying not to interrupt your call, and tries to shove you off. His efforts, however, are futile and he eventually accepts his death by his sister's hands (or, more accurately, stomach).

Oikawa, who was sitting on the floor of your darling brother's room, looks away from the video game he was playing on the TV to send you a questioning look.

"Friday. Can you go?" Your boyfriend, the eternal rival of the man sitting on the floor, responds.

"Mm," You hold the phone slightly away from your face, "Hajime, did I have anything planned on Friday?"

"How the hell would I- oh, yeah, movie night." He answers.

You scrunch your face up and put the phone back against your ear, "what time's the game?"

Oikawa and Hajime immediately groan when they connect two and two together, realizing you were talking to none other than the great Ushijima Wakatoshi himself.

"She can't go!" Oikawa yells, "movie night's actually gonna be all day!"

"Then... why is it called movie night..." Your boyfriend asks. You can practically see the tilt of his head and the furrow of his brows.

"Ugh, ignore him," you stick your tongue out at your captain and lightly push your foot against his head, which he was leaning against the bed frame.

I will bite you Oikawa mouths at you.

Fucking try it you scowl at him.

He purses his lips and instead turns back around to play on your brother's Switch.

"So, what time's the game?" You ask again.

"If you will be watching movies with your team, then-"

You sigh, "seriously, what time is it gonna be? If it's before it starts then I'll be able to make it. Might have to leave early, though."

"Four thirty." He responds.

You hum in thought, "hmm... Movie night's gonna start around six. Think it'll last that long?"

"Maybe."

"If you finish early, wanna join?" You bite back a laugh when you watch Hajime and Oikawa's heads snap towards you. Oikawa looks like he might pass out at the thought of Wakatoshi crashing an Aoba Johsai movie night, and Hajime is furiously shaking his head at you.

"I'm not sure your team would like that." Wakatoshi concludes.

You lightly laugh, "you're right, they wouldn't, but that's why I'm asking."

"What kind of manager are you?! Traitor!" Oikawa yells in distress. "Gimme that!" He makes grabby hands at your phone.

You hold him back by pressing your foot against his head, "I'll be there, Toshi. See you then. Love you."

"See you then. I love you too." Click

You put your phone down and turn your focus to your two toddlers boys. Oikawa has once again paused his game and Hajime isn't sure if he's willing to intervene the stare down going on between you and your team captain. You try to crack a smile, but he's still not impressed.

"Zumi-Chan..." He rests his chin on the edge of the bed and pouts at you, "why would you do that?"

You can't help but internally coo at the face he's making at you. You sit up, finally releasing your brother from death by crushing, and run your fingers through his hair. "Sorry, Oikawa, you know I didn't mean it."

He sits up and leans towards you, "finally gonna profess your undying love for me?"

Your eye twitches and before you can respond, a pillow hits him smack in the middle of his face and he falls back onto the floor. "O-ow! Iwa-chan... So mean..."

"Stay the hell away from my sister, Kusokawa." He threatens, holding up another pillow in preparation for another unwarranted comment.

He puffs his cheeks out, "I know, I know." He takes one of the joy-cons off and waves it in front of you, "in the mood for a round of Smash? Iwa-chan's trash." Another pillow comes flying at him, but he effectively dodges it. Hajime takes another pillow from his bed and, instead of throwing it this time, just whacks him with it. Oikawa is only able to let out a whimper and crawls onto the bed, situating himself behind you.

You can't help but laugh out loud, "Oiks, you only call him trash cause you're a really sore loser."

"Not true!" He hands you a joy-con. "Now, c'mon. Let's play. You guys bought all the DLC and I wanna play as Joker."

"Prepare for a shameful defeat." You smirk and choose your character.

"Isabelle? Zumi-chan, you honestly choose the most awful characters." He huffs.

You shrug, "yeah, I know. It's gonna be a lot more humiliating if you lose to Isabelle. Prepare to get your ass handed to you, Oiks."

Until your third year at Kitagawa Daiichi, your world had been blue. Kitagawa Daiichi's school colors had been blue. Your brother and Oikawa have always worn blue. Those two had been your whole life. Hajime, your twin brother, who you loved dearly. When you were born, you were literally born blue. Because you were a weak baby, the nurse had stuck your twin into the same incubator as you. This resulted in an almost immediate improvement in your health, and the both of you are rarely seen apart. Oikawa, your brother's best friend (and also therefore yours), whose soul cannot be described as anything but a bright, burning blue flame has never failed to be there for you, either.

Your world has always been surrounded by blue. Aoba Johsai's colors were white and blue for God's sake. It's a color you've grown to love. It was familiar, it had an all-enveloping warmth. When you thought of the people and the things you loved, you'd have to think of the color blue, too.

And then Shiratorizawa brought in their new cannon, Ushijima Wakatoshi.

Being a star volleyball player yourself, you had been too busy with your own games and tournaments throughout your middle school career to make it to a lot of the boys' volleyball games to support Hajime and Oikawa. You'd heard complaints about the Great Ushiwaka from not only Oikawa, but the whole volleyball team. The first time you'd actually seen Ushiwaka in person was on the court against your junior high in your third year.

With the third year of junior high came the great Ushiwaka, who crashed into your life and completely and unapologetically shattered your blue world. With him came a drop of maroon, and suddenly everything was different.

Kitagawa had lost. Oikawa was beyond upset, but swore he would defeat Ushiwaka one day. You waited at the gymnasium's foyer for the boys' volleyball team to finish their huddle so you could comfort your friends.

Shiratorizawa had finished their huddle first and began to leave. While most of them had already left the building, there you stood right in front of the gym's entrance and pointing a finger at the ace of the opposing team. Said ace still recalls this memory fondly, since it was the first time the both of you had met.

"You're awful." You had said with an accusatory finger pointed directly at his face.

The stolid face of Ushijima Wakatoshi had broken into one of shock. This girl, who was wearing a Kitagawa volleyball jacket and had to practically tilt her head at a ninety degree angle just to look at him, had just called him awful.

"I apologize if I have upset-"

You dropped your hand to rest on your hip. "Your spikes are ridiculous. It's obvious your setter was having a hard time keeping up with you. You need to be more consistent with your spikes. And your form needs some fixing too. If you're able to maintain your form, you're open to a lot more options while you're still in mid-air."

He tilts his head, "why are you giving me advice? I am your enemy."

You shrugged, "volleyball is volleyball. As a setter myself, it pisses me off when your spikes and your setter's sets aren't connecting well."

"You are a setter?"

You nodded, "yep." A smirk made its way to your face, "that said... You're actually really impressive. No, actually you're incredible. Especially in middle school. You've got more room for improvement, but seriously... I've never seen an ace like you before. Good job out there today."

"You are not upset I defeated your team?" He was normally confused in the manners of other people's feelings, but you were another anomaly entirely.

"You've got amazing skills. Sometimes it just can't be helped." You explained. "Don't get me wrong though. I'm upset that my team is upset. But as for the loss itself... it was a fair game. It's not like you cheated." You see Hajime and Oikawa enter the foyer. "Sorry, gotta go. But consider what I said, 'kay?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Oh! I'm Iwaizumi [Name], by the way. I'll be going to Aoba Johsai next year."

He furrowed his brows, why was she telling him this? "I'm Ushijima Wakatoshi. I will be attending Shiratorizawa next year."

"Good." You begin to walk off, hands in your jacket's pockets, "I'd better see you at the spring high tournament next year, then. See you around, Ushiwaka."

Ushiwaka. Ah, so she's friends with Oikawa. "Set for me."

You spun around, "eh?"

"Set for me. You told me what I need to improve on and that my setter is having trouble keeping up with me. You said you are a setter."

"W-Well, yeah, but..."

"Then set for me. You want to improve as a setter, and I want to improve as an ace."

What Hajime and Oikawa don't know won't kill them. You held your hand out, and he gave you his phone. You quickly typed it in. "I'm usually free on weekends. I have morning practice on Mondays and Thursdays, so I'm free after school then. Afternoon practice on all the other weekdays. I'm out by six thirty on those days. Got it?"

He didn't, but he nodded anyway.

And thus, you were given the title of Ushiwaka's favorite setter.

Regardless, it was still hard to deal with the malice of Shiratorizawa when you went to their practice games. You were sticking out like a sore fucking thumb. You had come after school, meaning you were still in your Aoba Johsai uniform. You had gotten permission to be on campus, of course, but the intimidation just came with being from a rival school. You stood on the balcony, watching the boys stretch before their practice match. You gave a little wave to your boyfriend when you made eye contact, which he returned with a small smile. Tendou Satori watched him with confusion before turning to what he was looking at. When he noticed you, he excitedly waved at you.

"[Name]!" He yelled, a bright smile taking over his face. His exclamation caused not only the Shiratorizawa volleyball boys to turn to look at you, but the other team turned in curiosity as well. You mentally face palmed and felt your face grow red.

You gave a sheepish wave and the Shiratorizawa boys greeted you with glee before getting yelled at by Coach Washijo.

The first part of the game went well, but at the beginning of the second set the opposing team's setter landed the wrong way and hurt his ankle really badly. With him being the only setter, the opposing team wasn't sure what to do. Both they and Shiratorizawa wanted to continue, but without a setter...

"Iwaizumi, can you set?" Coach Washijo called from the floor, turning to look at you. Consequently, so did everyone currently on the gym floor.

"Eh? Me?" You pointed at yourself, "but... Um, I'm a girl."

"It's a practice match." He said matter-of-factly.

"I-Uh-I'm in uniform." You refute.

"You can't set in your uniform?" He asked.

Your eye twitches, "but... Why not make Eita-san set for them?"

"We need our pinch server." Ah, damn. You're out of rebuttals.

"Yeah, sure, I can set." You answer. "I guess." You mutter under your breath and make your way downstairs.

You strip off your school jacket, sweater, and tie and put on a practice jersey.

"Should you be playing in a skirt?" Tendou brings up.

"It's fine. I won't be jumping high enough for me to flash you guys, anyway. Besides," you smirk, "if you're paying attention to that, then your eyes aren't on the ball."

You turn to the team you will now be playing for, introducing yourself.

"Iwaizumi?" One of the players asks, "like the ace from Seijoh?"

"He's my twin brother." You explain.

"And you're a setter, huh? Good matchup. Did you learn from Oikawa, then?" He continues.

"Yeah, actually. I got into volleyball because of them. Everything I know about setting is because of Oikawa." You really hope your praise doesn't somehow make it's way to Oikawa himself. You didn't need to raise his ego any more.

"That's amazing! Let's do this, then." The team captain sets out the plan.

While Shiratorizawa had taken the first set, the addition of you on the opposing team had allowed your side to take the second set. Tendou had called you a traitor at the end of the second set. They had taken back the third set, anyway.

You were a few minutes late to movie night with the Seijoh team, but you shot the Seijoh groupchat a quick explanation before the third set began. Wakatoshi offered to walk you home, which you gladly accepted.

"You are my favorite setter." He says to you.

"Don't let Shirabu or Eita hear you say that." You joke.

"I think you have the same effect on me as Oikawa has on his own team." He explains to you.

You look at him in shock, "that's... that's a serious compliment, Toshi. Thank you." You've always looked up to Oikawa as a fellow setter. His skill was unparalleled. People could say he wasn't a genius or a prodigy, but he more than made up for it with the hard work he put into his career. Oikawa Tooru is what every setter wants to be. Sure, that first year from Karasuno (Kadokawa? You can't remember) could set with pin-point accuracy, but Oikawa's leadership skills and experience far outclassed his. Not to mention his charisma.

"Or perhaps it is because I simply trust you with everything I have." He brings up.

"Oh, so it's not because I'm a good setter." You jokingly pout, but when you gaze up at him he has a hint of a teasing expression on his face.

He simply hums in response and the both of you stop in front of your house. Before you can even open your mouth to say something, your front door bursts open.

"There she is!" Oikawa yells, standing in front of the doorway with the rest of the Seijoh team standing behind him, barely in view. His eyes narrow at the man standing next to you. "You."

You roll your eyes, "go back inside, Oiks. I'll be right there."

"You're already half an hour late." Matsukawa mentions.

"Seriously, do you have any manners? You even brought Ushiwa-"

"Maki, seriously? Right now?" You groan and turn to face Wakatoshi once again. "The band of idiots require me. I'll see you next time, Toshi. Love you." You press a chaste kiss to his lips.

"I love you too." He waves to you as you walk inside the house. When the door shuts, he walks off and touches his lips with a soft smile.

Fin.