#‘serious’ → in which I attempt an actual look at his character that’s not

[reduxulousoctopus]

X-Men '97, Post-Episode 7, ~2500 words Morpherine established relationship, missing scene (unless the show actually does explore what happened during that fight, in which case boy is there egg on my face).

I follow established show canon by referring to Morph as he/him in diegetic works (fanfic and fan art) and they/them in non-diegetic works (my episode analyses and reblogs), because that's the stupidest option and, like Morph, I am also an enby with a terrible sense of humor.

Now come watch me struggle to write two whole lines of dialogue for one of my favorite characters in the series, Beast, because Me Too Stupid to Write Smart Talk Good.

--

“You wanna explain what the hell happened back there?”

Although he considers pretending he didn’t hear the question, Morph reluctantly glances across the center aisle of the Blackbird to see Logan glaring back at him with an expression as hard as the adamantium underneath it. Although it’s a look he’s seen plenty of times before as an innocent bystander, Morph has only been the target of that glare on a handful of occasions. Usually when he’s severely fucked something up. Or when Logan is completely out-of-his-mind, cuckoo-bananas worried about him.

Morph suspects that this time, it’s a little Column A, a little Column B.

A wiser person might realize they were in a hole and stop digging; Morph smirks and asks, “What, the Summers Family Reunion? Well, you see, when a man and the clone of his wife love each other very much…” Morph chuckles. “By the way, this might be a bit creepy to say as one of his honorary uncles, but Baby Nathan grew up to be a serious hottie—emphasis on serious.”

No laugh. Okay, maybe that wasn’t his best material, but not even a lip twitch? Logan must be pissed.

Morph sighs and slouches in his seat. God, he doesn’t want to talk about this right now. Or maybe ever. He can feel his throat literally closing up to stop the words from coming out.

When enough time has passed that what little patience Logan had left in the tap completely runs dry, he goes right for the jugular: “I thought you were dead. Again.”

Morph winces.

“I saw that… ‘Trask Sentinel’ blow your goddamn head off. Then, next thing I know, you’re up and walkin’ around like nothing happened.”

“Not that you’re complaining, right?” Morph asks with a weak attempt at a laugh. “You know what they say about gift horses. Although, you’d think the lesson from the Trojan War would be that you should look gift horses in the mouth.”

From the seat behind him, Morph hears: “Although it’s a common misconception, that phrase actually has nothing to do with the Trojan Horse. The proverbial ‘gift horse’ is a literal, living horse, and to look it in the mouth—”

“With all those books you read,” Logan grumbles, “I thought at least one of them would've taught you it's rude to eavesdrop.”

“It would be difficult not to overhear, given the two of you are speaking quite loudly in a confined space while surrounded by people,” Beast points out. “Have you considered that this perhaps isn’t the best venue for a private conversation?”

“He is a super-genius. We’d better listen to him,” Morph tells Logan. “We’ll talk later, okay big guy?”

The stubborn set of that heavy jaw says Logan knows damn well ‘later’ means ‘never,’ and he isn’t gonna let Morph weasel out of this that easy. “If you ever want me to let you off this plane, you’ll talk now.”

“Let me?” Morph scoffs. He transforms into Quicksilver, puts on his best smug speedster grin, and says, “Just try and stop me, slowpoke.”

To his shock, Logan actually flinches. It’s a subtle thing, Morph might not have even noticed if he didn’t know Logan so well. The cause eludes him, however—until Morph remembers that he looked like Maximoff when the Thrask Sentinel… when everything went dark and quiet for a few seconds.

Funny. There was a time when Morph, blinded by youthful naivety and hero-worship, would have insisted Wolverine wasn’t afraid of anything.

Returning to his default form, Morph mutters out an apology. He tries to imagine what it would be like to see Logan die, only for him to get up a few seconds later and act like nothing happened. With that healing factor of his, they’ve gotten damned close to that exact scenario more than a few times.

How much worse would it feel, if Logan had kept his quick-healing abilities secret and Morph had to find out the hard way?

Morph takes a breath, looks out the window at the black clouds rushing by, and starts from the beginning.

“You know how most of us don’t know we’re mutants until we hit puberty, and our powers manifest? Well… I didn’t have to wait that long. Problem is, since I was just a baby, I had no idea how to control my powers—no more than a normal baby is born knowing how to walk or talk.

He holds out his hands with his palms cupped together to form a shallow, makeshift bowl.

“When I was born, I looked like a wriggling lump of white clay, about yay-big. No arms or legs, no face, no ears, no eyes. Just a mouth that would appear somewhere on my body whenever I was hungry or wanted to cry.”

Whatever Logan was expecting to hear, from the look on his face, it clearly wasn’t that.

“But even at that tender age, someone clearly recognized my star potential. I was only two days old when I made my media debut: Severely Deformed MUTANT Born In Pittsburgh Hospital.” Morph shrugs. “Not the most positive review, I’ll admit, but you know what they say: all publicity is good publicity. After all, that’s how the professor found me.”

Logan’s frown returns, more confused than angry. “You told me you didn’t meet Xavier until you were thirteen—after your mom passed.”

“That’s when I moved to the Institute. Turns out we actually met quite a lot earlier than I remembered, which is pretty embarrassing. Ideally, you don’t want to meet your future high school principal, college instructor, mentor, and world famous civil rights leader while wearing a diaper. Even worse, I was wearing a diaper, too—and I told him, mister, one of us is going to have to go home and change his outfit and it sure isn’t going to be me.”

That gets him a smile and a huff of a laugh, which would be an encouraging sign if he didn’t know how the story ends.

“So Xavier talked to my parents, explained the whole ‘mutant thing.’ Dad wasn’t happy. Then again, I’m not sure he ever was. He would have been disappointed to have a girl—a sentient lump of polymorphic biomass was right out. Thankfully, Xavier was able to use his telepathy to coach me through my very first transformation. He showed me how to turn into a normal baby boy, who would eventually grow up to look like this.”

Morph transforms into his old default, the one he still uses whenever he wants to pass: pale (although not that pale) skin, brown eyes, brown hair, hooked nose, pointed chin, gaunt cheeks, arched brows. Not exactly Fabio, but it’s the face Logan used to know him by—the face he sometimes worries Logan might secretly still prefer.

“Then he put some psychic blocks in place to limit my powers to something a bit more… manageable. Don’t give me that look. It sounds shady, but the professor messing with my head was the only reason I got to have a normal, happy childhood with my parents. God only knows what would have happened otherwise—if I’d even be alive now.”

The worry and suspicion that appeared on Logan’s face at the mention of psychic tampering grudgingly fade away. “When did you find out?” he asks instead.

“A couple months after the professor… y’know,” Morph sighs. “I hacked his personal files. Since he wouldn’t be around anymore to help you recover your memories, I hoped that maybe I could find something small he overlooked, some clue that might give us an idea where to look next.”

Logan’s eyes widen and his mouth goes slightly slack. “Morph…”

“I didn’t find anything, before you get excited. Not about you, anyway. Sure found out a lot about myself, though—a lot more than I was bargaining for.”

“That’s when your default form changed,” Logan realizes.

“Yeah. It was kind of hard to think of this,” Morph replies, gesturing at the face of his human-passing form, “as my ‘real’ face after that. Not that my new look is any more real, of course.”

“Who else knows?”

“Other than our friends listening to this conversation right now?” Morph asks pointedly, causing an entire plane full of X-Men to each make their best attempt at looking busy. Nightcrawler’s method of peering thoughtfully at the radio controls with one hand on his chin is particularly masterful—Logan mentioned he used to perform in a circus, so it’s no wonder he’s got such a good instinct for stage-business. “I told Hank and Moira not long after I found out. Seemed like a bad idea to keep that information from my doctors. Especially when one of them is also my therapist.”

At receiving a glare from Logan, Beast develops a sudden and convenient fascination with the view through the Blackbird’s window.

“But you didn’t want anyone else to know.” Logan could accept that, even if he doesn’t like it. Nothing personal. A man’s business is man's business, after all—even for a not-quite-man like Morph.

Too bad it wouldn’t be the truth; no more ‘real’ than any face that Morph wears.

“I didn’t want you to know.”

Morph can handle Logan’s anger, no problem. That’s almost charming, after all these years. But it’s the flicker of hurt, just like that little flinch earlier, that really cuts him to the quick.

“Not because I don’t trust you, or want to keep things from you or anything, it’s just… I didn’t—I couldn’t—”

He sighs and looks away again. He transforms back into his new default: smooth white skin, mask-like face. Obviously inhuman.

Still a lot more human than he looked when he was born, though.

“So, yeah. That’s why I’ve apparently gained the ability to survive having my head blown off. It sure would have been handy to know that my organs were optional the last time a Sentinel put me down. Now, instead of being out of commission for two years I’ll never get back, I can just squish myself back together and keep on keepin’ on.”

Logan doesn’t respond, and slowly, the mutter of other conversations step in to fill the void. Morph stares at nothing, sick with nerves. It’s deeply unfair that he can still feel nauseous even though he doesn’t have a stomach anymore.

He would say it’s all in his head, but if he can survive without one, maybe he doesn’t have a brain, either.

Badum-tch.

Good line. Hopefully he’ll remember it after the existential horror wears off, in the brief window when things will be funny again before the heartbreak sinks in.

Because there’s dropping a bombshell on a relationship—then there’s dropping a fucking nuke.

Oh God. There isn’t going to be a window, is there?

“Morph. Look at me.”

Although he considers pretending he didn’t hear the command, Morph reluctantly glances across the center aisle of the Blackbird to see Logan looking back at him with an expression as soft as the heart he usually tries to hide.

“No matter what you look like, there’s one thing you’ve never been able to change,” Logan tells him. “That’s real enough for me.”

A wiser person might realize they were in a hole and stop digging; Morph can’t stop himself from opening his big stupid mouth. No wonder that was the one feature even Baby Morph knew to give himself. “There are more blocks Xavier left behind that I haven’t pushed through, yet. Maybe I’ll even figure out how to change my scent, someday.”

From the look on his face, Logan clearly hadn’t considered that possibility. Morph immediately wishes he could take it back, feeling like he’s just tarnished something sacred.

It’s always been strangely intimate, the way Logan can recognize him by scent alone. Even from the beginning, when Morph decided to pull a prank on the grumpy new recruit, only for Wolverine to sniff him out mere seconds into his planned routine—it was as if, like the Emperor’s New Clothes, he suddenly realized he had been naked the entire time.

Another, smarter shapeshifter might have avoided Logan after that; Morph couldn’t get enough.

One-sided pestering turned into an unlikely friendship, turned into friends-with-benefits, turned into… whatever they have now. That which dares not speak its name.

The thought of losing that connection, the idea that someday he may be able to change himself so thoroughly that even Logan won’t be able to recognize him anymore… It’s too awful. Cursed knowledge. Like learning about the solar cycle when he was a kid, and suddenly having the horrible realization: if even the sun is going to die someday, what makes him so sure Mom will get better?

Out of the corner of his eye, Morph sees Logan’s hand start to move, stop, then start again, reaching across the aisle towards him. For a insane, terrifying moment, he thinks Logan’s about to hold his hand, outing them in front of God, the other X-Men, and everybody—but of course, that enormous, rough mitt lands on his shoulder instead. Perfectly platonic, approved for all audiences by S&P.

Though they’re shooting through the air at supersonic speed, under the heavy weight of that hand, Morph feels rooted to stable ground. He closes his eyes and takes a few slow breaths he doesn’t actually need, with lungs he only has when he remembers to make himself some.

If there are any people left when the sun finally burns out in a few billion years, they’ll still be telling each other jokes as they go into that endless good night. Just think of the money we’ll save on sunscreen. Maybe, but you know the light-bulb companies are gonna take us to the cleaners. Ha ha, freeze frame, theme song, end credits.

Even as her body slowly wasted away under the combined onslaught of cancer and chemo, Mom always laughed at his jokes, no matter how many times she heard the one about the chicken who crossed the road. His most appreciative audience, to the very last curtain call.

The world is pretty fucking scary right now, and only getting scarier. Sinister. Genosha. Losing Gambit. Sentinels again, in all new and even more monstrous forms. Even worse: total war between humans and mutants looming over the horizon, shaking the ground with each step, getting closer and more inevitable every time someone mentions it, like a demon whose power grows every time you says its name.

But just because things are scary doesn’t mean the world's turning into a horror movie, and just because things are sad doesn’t make it a tragedy. Everyone gets to choose the genre of their life story—and Morph will always pick comedy.

He gives the hand on his shoulder a friendly pat, and uses the motion to disguise a slightly more-than-friendly squeeze. “I’m alright, just a little airsick. I think it’s making me maudlin.”

As he pulls his hand back, Logan frowns a little in confusion—he knows Morph is experienced enough in the air that he shouldn’t be getting nauseous over what are, for the Blackbird, barely above pleasure-cruise speeds.

“How unfair is that, by the way?” Morph asks. “I don’t even have a stomach right now.”

Logan chuckles. Nah, baby, don’t give it up for me that easy, Morph thinks, fighting a grin. You gotta make me work for it a little…

He needn’t have worried, though. When he does make it to the punchline, Logan laughs so hard that he snorts, the laugh-lines Morph has personally carved into that seemingly indestructible face creasing and growing deeper still. And as their friends who Definitely Weren’t Eavesdropping join in—even Rogue, so teary and congested that her laughs would sound like sobs if she wasn’t smiling—Morph knows all their attempts to hide their relationship have been for nothing, because there’s no way that all the love he feels for Logan in that moment isn’t writ large all over whichever face he's wearing right now.

That’s real enough for him.

[mysteriousdragon2]

Howdy everyone, I think it’s time I talk about OVA Hol Horse with my very exhausted brain lmao.

But like…just look his face. He looks so comforting! I’d bet it’s so calming, that it’ll soothe anybody’s worries away. And in these trying times, he’d likely comfort the person that’s in need of it.

Gonna feature OVA Polnareff in this post too, because why not? Anyhow, man….just the transition of this scene…it was so, goofy yet menacing at the same time? It’s just like. Yes, you start with the whole “Oh what’s that? I can beat your bum? Oh, you’re into that stuff!” by OVA Polnareff, then OVA Hol laughs with him like silly adult men. Then the whole action of OVA Avdol risking and sacrificing himself to OVA Pol. And just…OVA Hol having such an ominous looking shot with the most hilarious laugh known to mankind lol. Like. And the OVA Pol shot…so many shadows, it’s just so impactful. Also look at OVA Pol’s face, he looks so upset I swear this man is so unbelievably expressive, it’s amazing.

OVA Hol has a golden Emperor, but I’ve already said that before. But I still believe it’s a neat little difference between that and what we see in the anime Part 3 for Hol. Plus…

…seeing Emperor being summoned the way it is, that’s so..wow. I mean, Part 3 Hol usually has Emperor either faintly spawn into his hand, or spin, which is cool, but OVA Hol Horse has it where it comes out of his hand like his flesh is getting ripped, or summons into his hand like wind. And this scene is interesting too because OVA Hol actually attempts to shoot DIO! It’s so cool…I love analyzing minor characters that aren’t often spoken about, and Hol Horse is special in my heart for that. OVA Hol even clenched his teeth so hard, that his cigarette broke off…it’s a small but neat detail.

Love this scene, I mean, he’s just laughing and then the transition goes to: “YOU! I’ll fuckin’ kill you!”, then spits his cigarette into the air as it rotates until he makes his shot at OVA Pol. His shots are so cool everytime OVA Hol is on screen…

Having a motorcycle instead of horses or elephants is also quite the change. Honestly, there’s many things the OVA changed and with Hol Horse, it’s been a lotta changes, but I am satisfied with them. From having a more southern accent, to making him more sassy and serious, and such more but my brain is so worn out right now LOL.

As OVA Hol Horse says: “The gun is mightier than the sword, my friend.”

Thank you for listening/reading.

[hyperfixatedbastard]

how to get the First Man™ out of bed

Soft!Adam x GN!Reader

Turns out the 'First Man' himself is actually super clingy. And he is a big baby when it comes to getting up in the mornings. Good luck convincing him to get his ass outta bed!

Word Count: 1.1k

WARNINGS: mentions of sex, implied sexual content, withholding sex, kissing (it's still SFW!)

A/N: Here is the Adam x Reader fluff, finally! I didn't mean for this to have so much sex-adjacent content but I think that's just too integral to Adam's character lmao. It's still SFW though so it's fineee. I didn't mean for the 'withholding sex' part to be manipulative, it's all fun n' games here, so apologies if it comes across as too serious. (It was originally 'one week', not 'one day' - I changed it just in case lol)

Dividers

Beneath the douchebag exterior of the First Man™, Adam’s really just a big ol’ softie. Just deep, deep, deep down. It took a long time to find that part of him, but as his partner, you’re one of the only people that even knows this side of him exists.

One thing you really hadn’t expected from the man is how clingy he can get—it probably has something to do with the abandonment issues, but you’ve never tried to broach that subject. It’s currently early in the morning, and Adam doesn’t seem to plan on letting go of you anytime soon. You’re cuddled up with him in bed, his mask and robes absent as he sleeps. His wings are wrapped around you like a protective blanket. And now you have to try and convince his stubborn ass to get the fuck up. You’ve already been awake for about fifteen minutes, hoping your boyfriend will wake up on his own, but of course, that’s not going to happen. 

Getting Adam out of bed is always a struggle. Despite the promotion of Heaven as the ‘perfect place’ with ‘no bad days,’ there’s still a schedule to abide by, and angels still need sleep. And Adam really hates those damn schedules, and loves his beauty sleep. There are a multitude of ways to try and get him out of bed, and every morning is a guessing game to see which one will work.

1. Be sweet and try to gently encourage him to get out of bed.

“Adam, babe,” you murmur softly, opting for a gentle approach this time around. You pat his arms where they’re wrapped securely around your waist—you would try to get a look at his face, but he’s spooning you from behind and giving you absolutely zero wiggle room. “You gotta get up, we have shit to do.”

“Mm…fuck off,” Adam grumbles, only tightening his hold on you and nuzzling his face into the nape of your neck. Which was about what you expected.

2. Be a little assertive.

“Adam, c’mon,” you warn in an attempt to convince him to get the fuck up. “I’ve already given you an extra fifteen minutes.”

“Then gimme fifteen more,” he insists, his voice sounding almost whiny. His childishness would be adorable if you didn’t actually have shit to do today. 

3. Be a little more assertive.

You sigh. It’s never easy with this asshole. “Adam.”

The angel in question makes a little ‘mmpf’ sound into your back.

“Get the fuck up.”

He doesn’t even respond this time—he just holds you tighter, his wings copying his arms and trapping you in his embrace.

4. Bribery.

Actually, fuck no. You refuse to bribe him again. He’s already gotten that out of you several times before, getting anything from sex to food to picking what movie you two watch that night (you’ve watched Die Hard three times this week alone)

No, this is a game you are not losing this time.

5. Threats.

“Okay, you’ve got three options,” you offer, your voice less stern than your last attempt but not as soft as your first. “One: you get up.”

Adam makes another noncommittal little grunt of acknowledgment.

“Two: you don’t get up, and Lute breaks into our apartment again to drag your ass out of bed.”

He lets out a sound that sounds kind of like a chuckle, but it’s muffled against the back of your neck, so it’s hard to tell. But he’s clearly not intimidated by the warning.

“Three: you don’t get up and we don’t fuck tonight.”

That gets him. He tenses up for a moment before scoffing in disbelief. “Yeah, right, like you could go a day without this dick.”

A smirk pulls at your lips. You’ve got him now. “Try me.”

Adam’s silent for nearly a full minute. He has a much higher libido than you, and he knows you’d be fine without sex for a day. Him, on the other hand? He’s got a high sex drive and is downright spoiled. 

You’re worried he’s fallen back asleep, but eventually, he sighs. His wings unfurl and his grip around you loosens, though not letting go entirely. “Fineee,” he groans dramatically. “But only because I don’t wanna deprive you of my amazing dick.”

You chuckle and turn to face him, now that you have the ability to actually move. His hair’s all messy, as it usually is, and his golden eyes are just barely cracked open. 

“Oh, how generous of you,” you joke, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. He instinctively pushes his face into your palm ever so slightly. 

“I know, I’m fucking great,” he agrees, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. He knows you were being sarcastic, but he’ll turn damn near anything into a compliment that strokes his ego.

You just roll your eyes at his response, albeit fondly. He’s a dumbass, but he’s your dumbass.

“Alright, you big baby, time to get up,” you tease, moving to sit up before his arms tighten around you once more, pulling you back down.

“Hey—” you start, but are immediately cut off by a pair of lips on yours. His lips move slowly and languidly along with yours, and you’re all too happy to reciprocate.

You sigh into the kiss, unable to stop yourself from smiling against Adam’s lips. There’s a big difference between your usual hungry, eager make-outs and the sweet, lazy kisses you get when he’s all soft and sleepy. Both are great, but you really savor these tender, gentle moments with him. In the mornings, he’s too tired to keep up that arrogant ‘too cool for all that mushy, affectionate shit’ persona. And while you love him all the time, sleepy Adam definitely holds a special place in your heart.

He’s smiling when he lets you pull away. The kiss wasn’t a particularly long one, but you could’ve let it go on forever. But you’d be one hell of a hypocrite if you stayed in bed just to kiss your boyfriend after making such a point to get his ass out of bed.

“Now are you ready to get up?” you ask softly, still basking in the warmth of his embrace and the memory of his lips on yours.

“Mm…” Adam hums in consideration. His smile quickly turns to a smirk as he tightens his hold on you yet again and wraps his wings around you. “No.”

“Oh, for the love of—”

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

Needless to say, you do not stay true to your word about the consequences of Adam not getting out of bed. And Lute does, in fact, break into your apartment half an hour later to be confronted with a sight she sees far too often for her liking. 

Fuck him for being so damn stubborn. Literally.

Taglist - @3sire-777

[wisteriaw0rld]

-ˋˏ ༻confessions༺ ˎˊ-

||characters: Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke, Genya, Muichiro, (confessing: separately)

||additional tags: Fluff, Gn! Reader, Headcanons + short oneshot

“do you think we’ll be in love forever? Do you think we’ll be in love?” -Lana Del Rey

˚ʚKamado Tanjiroɞ˚

♡The two of you are the definition of: Fell first and fell harder, with him falling harder without a doubt.

♡Tanjiro is most definitely the type to wait for a romantic moment to come, and if the moment he’s looking for is taking too long to come, he’ll set up his own romance moment.

♡When confessing he’s 100% the more nervous type instead of the confident type. It’s not that he’ll overthink little details, it’s that he’s afraid if you were to reject him, his friendship with you would be ruined completely

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘

“Tanjiro, When can I open my eyes?” You questioned impatiently, one of your hands hovering over your eyes while the other was holding Tanjiros gentle hand.

A small smile appeared on the boys lips as he began slowing his pace before halting, you doing the same. “You can open them, now.” He finally replied, letting go of your hand.

The moment you did open your eyes, you saw a great view of the stars as it was night time. He took you to the top of a hill, a small blanket on the floor at the edge of the hill for both of you to sit comfortably. You already liked him although you did know better than to get your hopes up.

When it comes to talking to you in general, he isn’t nervous at all. But when it comes to the actual confessing part, he becomes nervous. Really nervous.

“Y/n, out of all the people I’ve met so far on my journey, you’ve treated me the kindest and I love you more than anything.” He’ll definitely say it too fast so he’ll have to repeat himself. But when he repeats himself slowly, he definitely stutters more.

˚ʚAgatsuma Zenitsuɞ˚

♡He’s impatient when it comes to confessing. And he can’t at all wait for a perfect moment.

♡And with the way he acts and randomly out of nowhere tells you to marry him, when he actually confesses, you think it’s another one of his attempts to get out of the demon slayer corps.

♡So it’s needless to say you thought his confession wasn’t serious. Especially with when he chose to confess.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ 

Being assigned missions with Zenitsu was something you eventually got used to. But getting assigned missions with him without Inosuke or Tanjiro was new.

Usually, Zenitsu would choose to cling onto Tanjiro’s arm. Although with Tanjiro at the Swordsmith village, he chose to cling to you instead. Which you didn’t exactly mind.

You held the handle of your Katana closely as you heard a demon approaching. With Zenitsu’s hearing, he of course heard the demon just as you did. 

And fearful as he always is, he chose to confess the very moment the demon died in the middle of the town you two were in.

“Y/N! I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA DIE! YOU SAVED ME! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.” He clung onto you in a hug when in reality, he had fallen asleep last moment and beheaded the demon, waking up right after.

When he realized you though the confession he made wasn’t serious, he had to explain again in a less fearful tone while still keeping you in a tight hug.

˚ʚHashibira Inosukeɞ˚

♡When confessing, He sounds completely loud and confident as he always is. Although on the inside he’s nervous. But It’s hard to see.

♡With any means necessary, He won’t let you see that he’s nervous. It’s not like you can tell so in your eyes, it doesn’t really matter too much.

♡He doesn’t really know when a romantic moment is. But he’s also not the type to randomly rush in like Zenitsu whenever he see’s a girl.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ 

You sat on the engawa of the butterfly mansion, still in the uniform you were given when you had first arrived. You were completely bored out of your mind and you couldn’t exactly sleep. You weren’t sleepy and you had too many thoughts running through your head.

Suddenly, a small creak from the wooden floor was heard, making you turn over quickly, only to see Inosuke walking towards you, his boar mask in his hands instead of on his head.

Upon realizing it was just him, you stopped being tense, your body turning the other way once more. Until Inosuke took a seat next to you, making you turn your attention to him again.

Just as you were about to turn your attention back to the moon again, you watched as one of the Onigiri’s in Inosuke’s hands got tossed onto your lap.

“You should be glad I like you enough to share.” He stated before turning the other way while munching on his own Onigiri. If you couldn’t get the hint then he’ll clarify more loudly the next morning.

˚ʚShinazugawa Genyaɞ˚

♡Definitely acts all tough and prideful when confessing but his face is burning and completely red while attempting to make eye contact but failing to do so.

♡He’s really nervous on the inside and the most He can do for a romantic moment is pick some flowers in a nearby field and give them to you. If he does anything more than that, he fears that something will co completely wrong.

♡If you were doing something before he was about to confess, he’ll politely drag you off to a more secluded area before giving you the flowers.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ 

Your own face was a light shade of red but you couldn’t exactly be embarrassed as Genya’s face was worse, practically shoving the small but nice colored flowers into your own hands.

“Genya, are you okay?” You questioned, gently taking hold of your favorite colored flowers. You stared at him, his gaze averted somewhere else, too nervous to look you in the eye.

“Kanroji said this was the best thing I could do for you.” He finally spike after a few moments of silence between the both of you.

Finally, Genya looked over at you, watching as you played with the flowers he gave you. “I really like you Y/n.”

˚ʚTokito Muichiroɞ˚

♡He’s mostly blunt about it, and if he were nervous, it wouldn’t show. Not even a little bit.

♡Since he’s a little new to love, especially romantic feelings, he doesn’t really know when The Perfect Moment would be. And he wouldnt ask Mitsuri for help either.

♡He went to mitsuri when he first started experiencing feelings for you, but just as she was about to offer how he should confess, he left her Estate without another word.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ ❀ ˚ 

You laid on the soft grass, cloud gazing with Muichiro laying right next you, his long hair sprawled all over the soft grass. A few moments ago, Muichiro knocked on your estate, asking you to watch the clouds with him.

He had a reason he was asking you. That reason was to tell you about his feelings while watching the clouds. But the moment he got lost in the clouds as usual, he forgot why he asked you to join him.

So he Just began to enjoy the Company, ignoring the feeling that he forgot something more important than usual.

“How cute, that one’s shaped like a heart! Reminds me of Kanroji.” Your finger pointed up at a cloud that was shaped exactly like a heart.

‘Oh, right.’ Muichiro’s head fell to the left to look at you. His eyes Soon drifted down to your hand. Before he knew it himself, he intertwined his pinky finger with yours, making you turn your head over to him with a confused expression on your face.

“Y/n. I love you. More than a friend.”

[etheries1015]

Hellooo 1st I just wanna say that I love how you write! The fics you post almost always puts a smile on my face when I’m stressed and I just wanna thank you for that <3

Anyways I’ve been accidentally rizzing my friends up lately on accident with sweet words and I ended up thinking what would the biggest tsundere (literally) in twst do with an s/o who’s very generous with compliments and poetic with words and is shameless with how cheesy they can sound sometimes

I’m so sorry if my request is too vague huhu, have a good day! <3

THHAANNKK YOU *SMOOCHES* *GNAWS ON UR LEG* I LOVE U and may happier and less stressful times come ahead for you!

although you didn't specify which character...I picked who I believe to be the top three tsudneres of the game. Heuheuehu.

The prefects muse~

In which you find yourself utterly bemused by him, throwing out compliments and lines of infatuation that leave him a flustered wreck. How does he react to someone as valiantly passionate as you regarding your sweet words of honey?

Featuring: Idia, Riddle, Azul

Idia

Idia convinced himself you were just another introverted loser who had no care in your mind for other people, keeping to yourself, enjoying video games, and always open for degernate hours of playing video games.

what he did NOT know he was signing himself up for, was some sort of weird poet club bullshit. Yet there he was, sitting on the couch of the ramshackle dorm playing away at the new console he had gifted you he could feel your gaze burning the back of his head. Turning around slowly and almost with dread, your shit-eating grin blinded him with words of sweet-sweet cringe.

"Watching you play video games you can truly see how serious you are, it's adorable," Idia groaned with cheeks burning a bright shade of pink, burrying himself into the couch, "Ah~ I wish you would look at me like that, with such passion..."

"ugh..whhyy..." Idia murmured embarrassingly avoiding your gaze and remaining strong in holding himself together at your routine daily compliments.

"I can't help it!" You cried out theatrically, "Idiiaa...I can be like a video game. Play me, too!" That comment broke something inside of him that was supposed to be stayed hidden, his blue hair changing a bright shade of pink to signify the extent of his flustered state. You only giggled at this, as Idia attempted to hold in all self control by taking his hoodie, hoping the couch would just take him then and there.

Over time he became used to the fact that you would openly flirt with him, although that never stopped the second hand embarrassment that came along with it. What he wont tell you, though, that behind the rosey cheeks and tsundere display of dislike for your antics, was a heart that beat quickly and mind that secretly enjoyed your poetic and "old cringy" way of loving him.

Which just means your flirting is working, keep it up! <3 But maybe try to hold back in front of other people, he isn't sure how much more he can keep deflecting their raised eyebrows and teasing remarks...

riddle

Being someone who is well versed in the world of poetry and literature, he could often pin point where some of your lines may come from. His way of deflection is either correcting your sentences, or retorting with the next line. What he DOESN'T know how to deflect, is the string of compliments you give him on a day to day basis. At first he simply thought you were being kind in complimenting the way his hair shone in the sunlight- until Cater pointed out that your remarks were anything but the norm. That's when Riddle took more notice to it, realizing that your lines of poetry was not an exercise of the brain, yet an actual technique to flirt with him.

and it was working.

"Riddle~" You sang in the halls of heartslabyul, skipping much to his annoyance.

"Do not jump around in the halls," He chastised you, "What is it?" You gave him a mischievous smile with a toothy grin to match, clearing your throat and standing straight.

"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite."

Silence reigned for a few moments as Riddle blinked a few times, squinting his eyes to give you his typical "poker face."

"Is this another one of your attempts to 'flirt' with me?" He asked, you leaning against the wall and running your fingers through your hair in a flirty and playful manner. You nodded eagerly, to which Riddle gave a sigh and walked past you to continue whatever he was doing prior to your poetic interruption. Your jaw slacked open and you skipped (again, to his annoyance) to catch up to him.

"I swear I saw a smile! Turn around and show it to me, Riddle! Was that one good? Did I capture your heart finally?" You giggled, seeing how Riddle was obviously ignoring your feeble cries of searching attention.

Yet you were correct, he couldn't help but find his cheeks as red as a rose and lips curling up in a bashful smile. He would not allow you to see how you affect him, however.

Riddle tends to just ignore your flirting, now that he has come accustomed to it. Even in front of people when you would openly compliment him, Riddle continued sipping his tea seemingly unbothered. Whenever he would get strange looks to find an explanation to your questionable behavior, he simply shrugged.

"Do not mind them, they are always like this."

But at night by his lonesome, he was repeating your words in his head a million times over, that same rose colored tint upon his cheeks and smile with a blanket hard on his grip. Perhaps giggling a time or two to himself...for he never met someone as brazen as you. Not that he was actually complaining, though.

Azul

Flirting with Azul was always a treat. His reactions were the most flamboyant out of the other tsundere boys, he never failed to get some sort of remark and complaint out of his mouth whenever you sang praises his way. He attempted to be calm and collected, but the blush that painted his cheeks betrayed his cool demeanor.

"Is that a new coat, Azul? Ohohoh you do look dashing, If I do say so myself. Did you style your hair? The way it frames your face really brings out your features-"

"Stop, stop stop! Why must you feel the need to shower me in complimets?!" He cried out, burying his face into his arms upon the deak. The pink on his ears was also unforgiving for the poor merman. You chuckled and sat next to him, patting his shouders.

"I can't help it! If I see something I like, I must voice it out. Is it too plain? I can try and be more poetic. Let's see..." You used your hand to pull his chin, forcing his gaze to meet with yours. You inwardly teased him at the vibrant hue of his cheeks and flustered face, keeping it in as you leaned forward to gaze deeply into his eyes.

"Your eyes," you started, "Shine far brighter than any I have seen, even the most silver and sparkly of diamonds pale in comparison to your-"

"e-e-enough! W-what is this?!" Azul pulled away, tucking his head back into his arms and groaning, "Just...go back to what you were doing before! None of this...diamond...and..." He trailed off, words failing him. Azul was not used to such praises from others, he spent his entire life believing the worst every moment he caught glance in a mirror with a life time of self esteem issues. So hearing you so openly compliment him always left the man flustered and blushing, cringing at every moment you tried to stroke his ego.

He never truly get's used to it, only finds ways to ignore you. When you're around others and began to make a sly comment about how his hands look nice or how his skin looks that particular day, he closes his eyes and avoids anyone's gazes with a face full of color that even the coral of the sea could not compare. He often gets teased by his fellow classmates for this, but never actually speaks up in distaste to you. He could never admit just how much your persistent compliments thoroughly means to him, and how with every word he finds himself looking in the mirror with a little more enthusiasm than he once had.

~~~

yes I like to use the headcannon that Idias hair changes color when he has really strong emotions aosdjflkasdjf

[126dvtn]

— siiiiiiigh.

summary : the genshin men are totally not jealous.

cw : jealousy ; miscomm ; implicit possessivness

genre : idk bros can't call it fluff ; established relationship

characters : childe, diluc, ayato, scaramouche

childe ; oh, the pain! the agony!

if there's anything you don't want to do, it's making childe jealous. he'll go about his way, strolling the city with you, all while heaving dramatic sighs that catch the attention of passersby. frequent are your attempts to get him to stop. and he does, for the most part- but only when your attention is on him. let's say, a friend of yours comes up to you to say hello; a long time no see. your lover, who was well-behaved up to this point, prepares himself to start his performance.

"childe, i'm telling you- they're just a friend i haven't met in a while!" you pinch the bridge of your nose, embarrassed. the friend in question could only laugh; whether from discomfort or amusement, you'll never know. "my sweetheart is leaving me for someone else, right in front of my eyes! oh, woe is me!" and you swear he'd contemplated falling to his knees on the spot. there're many responses from the strangers around you. some snicker, some scuttle away as fast as they can. you can only stare in horror. finally, after muttering a quick apology to your friend, you grab your wailing lover to flee his stage.

diluc rangvindr ; silent woes.

when diluc is jealous, he doesn't let you know about it; at least not directly. he'll spend hours in his office, only leaving the room to check if you're still there. asking him if anything's wrong would result in a nonchalant "nope"- and then back to his work burrow he goes. it's obvious, however, that something is bothering him, and you're going to get to the bottom of it. a knock on his door wakes him from his dejected trance.

enter you; diluc's antagonist on this dull day. as you lean against his desk across him, he turns ever so slightly away despite the magnetic pull of your concerned eyes. "i know something's up, luc. talk to me." silence greets your ears. so you try again. "diluc, tell me what's wrong- we can work this out together." and his looming eyes meet yours. the sulking man leans back, crossing his arms- his assertion diluted by the pout on his face. it's a full minute before his much anticipated explanation leaves his scowling lips- "why'd you hang out with kaeya without me?"

kamisato ayato ; i would never-!

now, ayato acts like everything is okay. the keyword here is "act", and it's a known fact between you that his acting only peaks when it comes to business. with you, however, his gestures give his jealousy away. all attention is on paperwork. not a glance spared, save for when you call his name and he responds with a restrained "yes, darling?". you best believe he doesn't plan to actually answer you until... well, until you pester him for long enough.

and pester him you do. ayato looks at your hand covering the documents before him with amusement in his eyes. "is this because i went grocery shopping with thoma just now?" your ask is genuine. but lord forbid he gives a straightforward answer, for his reply is an eyebrow raise, coupled with an innocent "oh?". frustrated, you clench your teeth- if he won't be straightforward, then you will. "you're jealous, aren't you?" he continues feigning ignorance. "me, jealous? as if!" he tilts his head, but upon your serious expression, he stops- his visage starkly turning stern. "yes, i am jealous. you do know that you're mine, do you not?"

scaramouche ; that of which is unusual.

acting normal is the last thing scaramouche does when he's jealous. the abnormality here isn't in his expression, no; the irritated twitch in his eyebrow is an everyday occurrence- what with the constant incompetency of his subordinates. it isn't in his words, either. you can almost proudly say that his berating of anything inconvenient is like white noise in the background. what is meant by 'unusual' here is his heightened sense of romance in a random situation.

"um... scaramouche?" your hand travels to your hip when a strange sensation graces it. "what." curt is scaramouche's response; but the sting in it isn't directed to you. "your hand-" "yes, i'm aware that it's on your waist. what about it?" well, you think, at least he's aware of it. you decide not to question it further. but it's a matter of time until you notice that his glare hasn't left a particular area in front of you- and tracing his line of vision leads to a person shifting stiffly in their seat. as if sensing your shared gaze, he finally speaks up. "the way they looked at you pisses me off. shall i show them you're mine?"

[tinkerbelle05]

I’m Just Worried About You

Characters: Jaime Reyes x Pregnant!reader

Genre: Fluff, Slight Angsty

Summary: Jaime being a worrywart while your in your 3rd trimester. Most days you think it’s cute and quite funny, but now your fed up.

Warnings: Pregnancy

-

“Oh, I got that for you!” Jaime said and reached above to grab the bowl you were trying to reach. “What cereal do you want?” He asked while looking at you.

You smiled, “Thank you for the bowl, Jaime. But I was gonna get some fruit actually.”

Before you could grab the bowl from Jaime, he walked over to fruit bowl. “What fruit do you want?”

You stared at him, “Jaime, I believe I’m fully capable of picking my own fruit from a bowl.”

Jaime cleared his throat, “Well yea but I wanna help you out, I don’t want you on your feet too much. Just tell me what fruit you want and you can rest on the couch.”

You sighed, this is what Jaime have been like your whole pregnancy, a curse and a blessing. Don’t get you wrong, you extremely appreciated Jaime’s willingness to help you out. Especially when you were dealing with morning sickness, fatigue, and headaches.

But did he have to do everything for you? At all times? It was like he saw you as a piece of glass, one fall and you’d shatter into several broken pieces beyond repair.

But, as annoying his overprotectiveness is, you understood it. You two were first time parents so everything was new, exciting, and downright terrifying.

Neither of you knew what anything meant. If you were tired in the mornings, was that a sign of something serious? If you were back began to ache or if you had a sore feet, that just a pregnancy symptom or something more.

And if you went to google, they’ll tell you the absolute worst of what you could have.

So you understood. Really, you did.

That being said though, you really didn’t need help when walking to the bathroom or getting a snack at night. Which was something Jaime frequently did, holding your arm and back as he guided you to your destination.

You sighed and gave him a stare, “Jaime.”

He looked up at you, “Yes?”

“I think I can manage getting on my own fruit,” you told him and attempted to grab the bowl from him.

His lips twitched in an all too familiar manner. He’s annoyed but he knew you was right so he so he didn’t how to proceed with it.

“Just let me do it,” he pleaded.

You narrowed your eyes are him, “Why?”

You watched as he fidgeted under your gaze. He was clearly hiding something but won’t tell you. Maybe it was embarrassing to talk about or he just didn’t understood his feelings to be able to voice them properly.

Either way, if this is how he’s gonna for the rest of your pregnancy, you at least would like to know why. And maybe you could work from there to get him back off a bit.

You walked closer to him and placed your hand on his arm for support, “Jaime?”

He looked up the ceiling for a second and exhaled through his nose. “I’m….I’m just worried about you, okay? I just…i don't want anything bad to happen so I thought that if I do things for you that would, I don't know, lower the risk maybe?” He covered his eyes with his hands, “I don't know it sounds stupid when I say it out loud.”

You shook your head, “No, no Jaime, it’s not stupid. Just…well…”

“Annoying?” he offered and cracked a smile.

You laughed softly as you nodded your head, “Yea, you can call it that. But I get it, yea? It’s scary and new. But I can do things on my own. It might take a bit longer and be a bit more difficult but I can do it.”

Jaime nodded his head and leaned into your touch, “I understand, I’ll try to be less overbearing. But please, if you do need help, ask. Okay?”

You nodded your head and smiled.

It was nice to come to an understanding.

-

Tags: @scryarchives, @asvterias, @renaimel, @allthingsvicf, @666kpopfan, @wintersdeadd, @dcnerd98, @alexa-33, @losingmywayyyy, @bluecray0nn, @sodacatz, @louiesdaydream, @nightwingandhissquad, @shslsimpette, @herrescasper, @fhhahaha12, @starii-light, @niluuuuu, @itsyagrillkat, @conicoroahre, @fullsiinner, @zerosinterweb, @marmar-c, @xiaryye

Taglist & Masterlist & Anonlist & Request Info

[lazycats-stuff]

Hey! I was thinking about (a character of your liking for the beloved batfam) x male reader who doesn't take anything serious. Oh just got kidnapped? that's not that bad, getting stabbed, yeah that happens, and at least he got a cool scar! Getting absolutely traumatized and mind fucked, just a spicy backstory to tell their therapist.

And the character is just stunned at how the reader can be so happy and carefree. :3

I feel like Damian would fit this. He would like so worried and protective and (Y/N) would be all smiles after a kidnapping. And he would be losing his mind. Lol.

Summary: Damian takes everything seriously. (Y/N) doesn't take anything seriously. Opposites do attract.

Warnings: reader being kidnapped, attacked, and a whole lot of stuff, Damian is questioning everything, but he is a sweetheart towards the reader

Damian was a very serious man. That much was obvious if you just look at his face. Face always serious and behind those eyes he was calculating whether or not you were a threat to him or his beloved's safety. Or habibi as Damian called him often.

The only person who had the honor of seeing Damian smile and being happy was (Y/N), Damian's beloved or habibi in Arabic, which ever you prefer. His beloved was a complete opposite of Damian. Nothing is taken seriously by him.

Damian loves that in him, loves that he able to not take everything so seriously and help Damian just become a 180 from what he is.

But there was one issue though.

(Y/N) never took anything seriously and that included kidnappings or assaults or attempted murder.

Damian distinctly remembers the time (Y/N) has been kidnapped. He just went into detective mode just like his father and searched for whole two days. Turns out he was kidnapped by the Joker. Damian went though a lot of henchmen and once he saw (Y/N), he prepared for the worst.

(Y/N) was just the same. Even as Damian was fretting over him in the medical wing of the cave, (Y/N) was unserious as ever. He claimed it wasn't that bad and that Joker actually had good jokes.

To say that Damian was now worried for (Y/N)'s and his own mental sanity, or what was left of it, was an understatement of the year. That night, while he held (Y/N), he wondered what was happening with him. He would have to see if (Y/N) wanted to see a therapist.

The second instance where Damian question both of their sanities was the fact that he was mugged, but he fought back and in retaliation, they stabbed him. So what did (Y/N) do?

He walked to the hospital. Damian was on patrol when (Y/N) called him.

" Hey Damian, I have news. "

" I don't mean to be rude, but be quick, we are on patrol and we are expecting important information. " Damian said.

" I was mugged and stabb- "

" What!? "

" Yeah, I'm in Gotham general. " (Y/N) said before hanging up. Damian went straight to the cave to change before driving like a maniac to the Gotham general. He practically ran to the front desk.

" Good evening, I'm looking for (Y/N) (L/N). "

" Just a second. " The nurse said, looking it up on her computer. Damian was beyond impatient, but he couldn't lash out against the nurse who was doing her job.

" Room 110, it's just down to your right. "

He thanked her and went down that hall, looking for the numbers. he knocked on the room with the number 110 and entered. (Y/N) was laying down, covered with a blanket.

" Hey Damian. " (Y/N) said, waving at him.

" Beloved, I was very worried. " Damian started, moving closer to the bed. " You can't hang up on me like that after such news. " Damian said, taking his hand and giving it a soft kiss.

" The doctor had to stich me. " (Y/N) said, caressing Damian's hand with his thumb.

" Still. How are you feeling? "

" I feel great, I will have a very cool scar to show off. " (Y/N) said, beaming at Damian. Damian just kissed (Y/N), not ready to admit how he was worried for him. So carefree and so happy even after being stabbed or kidnapping. (Y/N) never showed signs of trauma.

Damian had asked (Y/N) to see a therapist after the mugging incident. (Y/N) said he was fine, but to calm Damian down he started going. Even the therapist was confused how (Y/N) could be so carefree and happy, despite being kidnapped and stabbed.

She said she will need more time with him. Damian didn't know what to think when she said that to him.

And the thing that really broke his mind was when (Y/N) was kidnapped by his mother and grandfather. Damian was was understandably freaking out about it.

If there is anything that the League of Shadows specializes in, that' torture. More so his grandfather and mother. Trying to locate them was proven to be even more difficult and Damian wasn't sure if he could find (Y/N) carefree about all of this.

(Y/N) has been gone for a month and Damian was sure that he was going to lose his mind. And whatever sanity he had left.

After locating his mother and grandfather duo and after capturing them, Damian look for (Y/N). And he found him with his hands bound to the wall and his body that was just covered in bruises and marks.

He untied him, taking him into his arms.

" Beloved, are you okay? " Damian asked (Y/N), brushing his hair out of his eyes. (Y/N) was unconscious and clearly not responsive. Damian wrapped him in a blanket he got from Bruce and he went to the Batplane, waiting for them to get home.

Alfred will have to check how bad it is, but for now, Damian was more than content of keeping (Y/N) in his arms.

(Y/N) woke up a day later, all smiles and giggles. Damian was more than confused.

" (Y/N), you have been tortured. Possibly brainwashed. How can you keep that smile of yours? " Damian questioned.

" Well, it wasn't anything to bad. And besides, I will be able to spice up my sessions with the therapist. "

Damian just sighed, putting his face into his hands. " If you say so beloved. If you say so.

[adamcoled]

jealousy | rhea ripley

rhea ripley x fem!reader

summary: you and rhea aren’t anything official, but you’re still jealous upon seeing her flirt with others. 

word count: 3,838

warnings: just slight sexual implications i think?

a/n: WOW um okay hi, i haven’t posted writing on this blog in YEARS but i recently got fully back into wrestling and have developed such a love for rhea ripley. so i decided to start writing again, but it’s been so long this definitely isn’t my best work. here’s to getting back into the swing of things i hope! (also i know samantha is engaged to ricochet and ofc all of it is just character work, but it made for a good plot soo)

Rhea was a flirt. That much was true long before you, and it was certainly not a secret to most. She had the charm, and of course the looks, so people were naturally drawn to her, and she loved that. Flirting, to her, was fun – harmless fun, for the most part – and typically it never went beyond cheeky comments or tantalizing gestures.

So when Rhea began flirting with you, initially you didn’t think much of it and really had no reason to. She was attractive – incredibly attractive – and her voice could melt you instantly if you let it; but this was just her thing. At first, you would catch her staring at you backstage or at other company events. Then, she started making it a point to tell you how beautiful you looked each time she saw you. From there, you were texting a lot more and hanging out outside of schedule. But still, it was never anything official and they were never labeled as “dates,” which you internally hated yourself for forgetting.

Because now, you were jealous. A fiery red jealousy that had you feeling betrayed without the entitlement to do so. For some reason, you thought things seemed different between you and Rhea. She seemed more serious and attentive, even remembering small details you’d told her about things you enjoyed. You couldn’t imagine she did that for just anyone she happened to flirt with.

Yet there you were last night, scrolling through Twitter and seeing endless posts about Rhea and Samantha. Rhea was being her usual flirty self, smiling, blowing kisses, and surely winking beneath those glasses, and it was obvious Samantha was enjoying it. Even worse, there were also comment threads with Cathy, and you knew it was all lighthearted, but it still made you feel some type of way.

You liked Rhea. A lot actually. Maybe that’s why you wanted to believe she liked you too and treated you differently from the rest. Clearly, you were wrong. And you weren’t going to be strung along in a game or play along with silly flirting when you genuinely hoped for more with her. That’s why now that she was here in front of you, you were going to be as indifferent as possible.

“Hey pretty girl,” Rhea greeted, smile beaming as always. She had finally found you backstage after you’d made it a point to not respond to some of her texts. It didn’t seem like she was too upset or phased by that judging by the greeting she’d given you.

“Hey,” you responded with only a half-smile of your own. That was something she definitely picked up on, because you swore you’d never seen her face fall faster.

“Are you alright?”

“Hm?” you hummed, dropping your attention back to your phone. Usually, she would have your full focus, but you were making every attempt to emphasize your feigned disinterest. “I’m fine, what’s up?” 

Rhea used her thumb and forefinger to grip your chin and tilt it upwards, forcing your gaze towards her rather than your phone screen. Hastily, she studied your face as if she would be able to read your thoughts merely by doing so; with her eyes looking you over so intently, you felt your face heating up quickly. 

“You seem off,” she finally commented, her finger tracing along your jawline from your chin before finally dropping back down to her side. You immediately missed the feeling of her touch against your skin, but that was something you would have to subdue. One thing you noticed was that Rhea seemed genuinely concerned, her eyebrows downturned and the smile she always wore - around you at least - nowhere in sight. 

“No, Rhea, I’m really okay,” you shrugged. 

“Then why are you acting like you can’t wait to get away from me?” 

Her bluntness shouldn’t have come as a shock to you, but you were still taken aback when she asked so outright. While she usually oozed confidence, that seemed to be lost now. And it almost made you think you had been right about the two of you all along. But then you remembered how content she looked in those videos with Samantha, and how easily she could flirt with someone else when you had secretly been turning down advances in hopes there would be a real chance at a relationship between you and Rhea. 

“I’m not acting like that. I really don’t care if you’re around or not,” you lied, and it was meant to sound nonchalant and unbothered but you silently cursed yourself for making it come out more aggressively. 

“You don’t care?” she repeated incredulously, almost in disbelief of how drastically you changed. Just a few days ago, you were telling her how much you adored her smile with her head in your lap. Now, she couldn’t figure out why you wanted nothing to do with her - and it was crushing her. 

“Listen, can we please talk about this later? The show’s about to start and the Judgment Day is up first, I don’t want you thinking about this out there.” 

“Are we really gonna talk later?” Rhea questioned. “Or is that your cop out to avoid it altogether?”

And you hated her for knowing you so well, because it was partially your dread of the conversation. Still, you didn’t think it was a good idea to have it right before she was slated to go speak in front of thousands of people. At this point, she was frowning, yet still staring right through you. 

“We’ll talk,” you promised.

“I have your word? Whatever’s going on is important to me. It really is, Y/N.” 

The resolve of indifference you had was all but faded upon hearing how sincerely Rhea cared. You didn’t want to be just another game for her, but it was proving far too difficult for you to ignore your internal feelings. And she looked too pretty standing there, worried about you and looking at you in a way that made you feel naked beneath her eyes. Not in a sexually demanding way - not in the way too many people do - but in a way where you felt like she saw your very soul. 

“Find me after the show?” you asked. “I’ll let you take me back to the hotel. Can’t exactly hide from my ride.” 

You finally smiled wholeheartedly after making that joke, and Rhea had never been so happy to see a smile before. For a moment, she felt like everything was fine. 

“Yeah, I’ll find you, angel.”

-

From backstage, you watched as Rhea walked out with the Judgment Day and cut a promo just as good as any other, if not better. It was impossible to tell the kind of conversation you two had shortly beforehand, and for that you were grateful. You weren’t sure you could remain as unphased as her, and seeing as you had a match tonight as well, you made it a point to avoid any further interactions with her during show hours. Busying yourself with your phone, Rhea still found a way to affect you when you saw her name flash across the top of your screen, indicating a text. 

From: rhea :) 

Good luck tonight ❤️

Half inclined to simply leave her on delivered, you hesitantly opened it and sent back a “thanks.” Following the Judgment Day’s segment, the rest of the show seemed to go by quickly, your own match fast approaching. While you were waiting in gorilla to make your entrance, you saw flashes of jet black hair out of the corner of your eye. A subtle glance over revealed it to be Rhea, naturally, standing there talking with Damian. Call it coincidence, or - the more likely case - call it Rhea’s tendency to be methodical with her actions. And like clockwork, her eyes met your own, leaving you no time to look away before she was grinning at you slyly. You thought perhaps her getting into character in front of the WWE Universe took away much of the previous unease and disappointment she felt during your earlier conversation. Because before, she seemed well and truly worried about the state of you, and you were sure she still was to some extent, but now her confidence had returned. 

You had hardly any time to process it before you had to walk out, your theme hitting just as Rhea set her focus back on the man in front of her. That stupid, beautiful smile you thought to yourself. Right now, though, you needed to worry about your match against Zoey Stark, especially since you knew Rhea would be watching attentively. 

Once the match began, you fell right back into your element. Zoey was a fierce opponent, but you had a fire beneath you and after a well-fought match on both sides, you came out victorious. You were feeling extremely proud of both yours and Zoey’s performance and partially hoped Rhea had watched the whole thing.

(She absolutely did). 

Returning backstage, you noticed Rhea was now nowhere in sight. Your match was towards the last hour of Raw, however, which meant you wouldn’t have much time to kill before you’d have to meet up with her anyways. Thankfully, you found Liv, one of your closest friends on the roster, and knew you could spend the remaining time talking with her about anything and everything - the primary topic of discussion being you and Rhea.

“It’s just like, I think things are different with me and her,” you began, to which Liv nodded in agreement. “But then I see how she acts with other people, and I’m not so sure. Am I being delusional for thinking that way?” 

“You’d be delusional if you thought otherwise! The girl is a flirt, sure, but she practically fawns over you at any given moment and is always asking about you,” Liv countered. All too often, she’d be the one Rhea would come to when she wanted to find out your whereabouts, as if Liv had a constant read on you at all times. You knew that to be true, but it still wasn’t total reassurance.

“You’re right, I guess. And I kinda told her I’d ride with her to the hotel so we could talk, sooo,” you revealed.

“I thought we were riding together?” Liv questioned, only slightly upset to be losing her driving buddy. If she had to make that sacrifice to advance things between you and Rhea, she’d accept it wholeheartedly. Just as you opened your mouth to apologize, someone else’s voice interrupted. A certain Australian accent. 

“I’m sorry, did I steal Y/N away for the night?” Rhea quipped, placing her hand on the small of your back where Liv wouldn’t see. 

“Actually, I’m willingly handing her over so that you two can figure your mess out.” 

“Well, thank you so very much for that,” Rhea smiled, seeming genuinely appreciative. She redirected her attention from Liv to you. “Told you I’d find ya. You ready to go?” 

You glanced down at your phone, not even realizing how much time had passed with you and Liv chatting. The show was nearing the end, and Rhea already had her bag by her side, meanwhile you hadn’t even gotten your stuff together yet.

“I gotta go get my stuff real quick. You wanna wait here for me? I’ll be quick.”

“I can wait,” Rhea nodded, to which you took off with a promise to be no more than ten minutes. Once you were out of earshot, Liv had a few comments for the taller, raven-haired woman.

“I hope you do right by her.”

“Didn’t realize I’d done wrong,” Rhea retorted, confusedly. “...Have I done wrong?” 

Liv only shrugged, though she really did believe Rhea was unaware of how she’d unintentionally hurt you. “Nothing that can’t be fixed, I think.” 

“Liv,” Rhea started, her face becoming more serious. “I really like her.” 

“Then make sure she knows that.” 

- 

When you gathered everything and found your way back to Rhea, Liv was long gone and Rhea was leaned against the wall, her eyes shifted down and transfixed on her phone as she absentmindedly scrolled through Twitter. She looked too good even just standing there in her own world. But before you could admire her for much longer, she heard you approaching and glanced up from her phone, shoving it into her pocket immediately upon realizing it was you.

“Ready now, princess?”

The nickname rolled off her tongue so easily, yet it had your cheeks heating up within seconds. You nodded, following behind as she led the way to her car. Outside, she popped the trunk for each of you to toss your bags inside, and then she made sure to open the passenger door for you as well; it was the little gestures like that that made your heart flutter and your feelings for her to grow even stronger. 

“Well, I just wanna start by saying you were amazing tonight,” Rhea complimented once she had settled into the driver’s seat. 

“Thank you,” you giggled. “You watched it?” 

“From start to finish, like always.”

She diverted her attention from the road towards you for a moment, taking notice of how much your face lit up after hearing that. And it wasn’t like she was lying just to make you feel good, either, because she did genuinely watch you each time you stepped into the ring, and she admired you heavily. 

“I don’t believe you,” you laughed, although you only slightly meant that. 

“I’m serious! Ask Damian or Dom, they’ll vouch,” Rhea exclaimed, pushing her hair back as she did. You weren’t quite sure what to say now, because one, you were feeling quite flustered knowing this, and two, you could only ignore the real reason you were sat in her car for so long. She took note of your silence and decided to tackle the subject head-on, a brazen move from her as always. “You don’t seem like you hate my guts now, at least.” 

You rolled your eyes and chuckled at this. 

“You’re being dramatic. I never acted like I hated you.” 

“Slightly detested my presence?” she tried again, clearly joking at this point. While things seemed so perfect in this moment, you couldn’t help but think back to everything you’d seen flooding your Twitter timeline and how silly you’d felt for being so upset by it. As much as you liked Rhea, as much as it appeared she liked you, the harmless flirting had really gotten to you and forced you to reconsider much of what you thought. You weren’t even quite sure how to ask everything you wanted to ask, and you were admittedly fearful of rejection. But the only thing worse than rejection is never knowing. 

“What do you think about me, Rhea?” 

She was taken aback by this, you could tell, because she opened her mouth to speak several times but didn’t let any words out. To her, it was because she didn’t really know how to put it into words; there were so many things she thought about you, so many ways you made her feel, but it had been a confusing thing for her to navigate, unsure of your own feelings.

“I think you’re incredible, amazing in the ring, beautiful and kind but still assertive and badass,” she answered, hoping she’d said all the right things. Truthfully, that was only a small fraction of what she thought regarding you, but she was still holding back. Liv’s words repeated in her head, and she knew if she didn’t make it clear tonight, she may never get that chance again. 

“And what do you think about someone like Samantha, or Cathy?” 

You had caught her off guard again, the randomness of your question completely perplexing her. She hadn’t a clue why either of those two would be relevant, because - in her eyes - she had already basically forgotten the silly interactions they’d had. It still hadn’t pieced together in her mind that you were even the slightest bit jealous. 

“They’re great,” she stated plainly. “Why?”

It was really now or never, you felt like. You had fed her pieces of the story, now she definitely wouldn’t stop until you told her everything, which undoubtedly included your own feelings. Rhea was focused primarily on the road, but she made sure to spare glances your way every so often, and each time you arrived at a red light, that focus was solely on you. She wanted to both try to read your expression and show you she was really, truly listening and wanting to hear what you had to say.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous,” you confessed.

“Jealous?” she repeated, even more confused now than before. But she noticed the way you retreated into yourself, suddenly finding more interest in your fingers. You could no longer look her in the eye, feeling nervous about the information you’d now divulged. This certainly didn’t deter Rhea, though, as she placed her right hand on your thigh and traced light circles with her thumb. “Why were you jealous?”

“I don’t know…it was dumb, I guess. I just saw the videos of you and Samantha, and then Cathy’s Tweets, and it made me feel like everything is just a game to you.” 

Her thumb movement stopped, and instead she squeezed your thigh lightly, causing you to lift your head back up to look at her. She was already looking right back, admiring how beautiful you looked with the moonlight creeping into the car and a shyness about you she wasn’t used to. 

“You’re right, that is dumb,” she affirmed. “Because do you think I know Samantha or Cathy’s top three favorite movies? Or their specific Starbucks order? The way they like their pizza? Do you think I’ve memorized all those things for anyone other than you?” 

Before you could answer, Rhea moved her fingers to your wrist and asked you to push up your sleeve, which you did. She tapped directly on a birthmark of yours without even looking. 

“Do you think I know each of their freckles and birthmarks?” 

You were dumbfounded, at a loss for words with how much she really noticed about you. And that was only scratching the surface. While your flirtation had only started within the last few months, she had known you for years and had plenty of time to take notice of all these little things no one else would. Because she always had a soft spot for you, but you were in a long-term relationship for most of the time you’d known her, and she would never be one to overstep any boundaries. 

“I just felt hurt thinking I may be falling for someone who only sees me as another person to mess around with,” you told her, taking note of how gentle her eyes were in this moment. She felt awful that she had hurt you, even unintentionally, and cursed herself for not being more aware and mindful. You weren’t committed to each other, but she still felt like she had made a mistake engaging in any kind of behavior that would make her feelings for you seem misguided. 

“Y/N, I promise you how I interact with just about anyone else is entirely me in character,” she comforted. “I’m sorry for making you second guess that, but I’ve never felt realer emotions than I do with you. It’s like I can be me, just me. And I love that you make me feel that way.”

“I love when you’re just you, Rhea.” 

“Then I’ll keep being just me, if I can start calling you just mine.” 

Rhea was undoubtedly nervous asking you so boldly, but she was so damn happy to do so. She was staring at you hopefully, looking happier than you’d seen her since her WrestleMania win. And you were just as happy, not even realizing you had gotten to the hotel and had been parked for a minute or two now. Your entire focus was on her, eyes filled with adoration while she waited for your answer.

“I’ve basically been yours, I just needed you to be mine,” you beamed. 

“I’m yours, love,” Rhea affirmed. “You are so damn beautiful.” 

You wanted to instinctively look away, still feeling flustered even after the months of flirting and now technically being in a defined relationship. But Rhea knew you too well and gripped your chin before you could do so, keeping your face towards hers. Neither of you could get rid of the smiles you wore, too overwhelmed with happiness and adoration and love. 

“Can I kiss you?” Rhea asked, eyes darting from your own to your lips. You nodded, and that was all it took for her to be all over you. Her lips melted into your own, and everything felt so right. Each time you pulled away, you were reconnected within seconds, physically unable to keep apart, both of you awaiting this moment for too long. You felt her smiling into the kiss, which in turn made you smile, and then you were two smiling, giggly messes. Finally, she pulled away for good (but not without one final peck) and laughed when she saw you pouting. She opened her door and made her way to yours hastily, scooping you out of your seat before you could even react. Then, you were pinned against the car with your legs around her waist. 

“I’ll take you to your room?” she offered, placing feathery kisses along your jaw. 

“My room?” 

She laughed at how offended you sounded. “Our room?”

“Mhmm,” you confirmed. “You’re not getting away from me now, Ripley.”

You unhooked your legs from her waist and she carefully released her hold, allowing you to plant your feet back onto the solid ground. She followed you to the back of the car, popping open the trunk; you leaned forward to reach your bag, and Rhea - sly as ever - took this opportunity to smack your ass, only light enough to be a tease. Once you’d grabbed your bag and stood straight up, she was smirking, all too aware of her actions. 

“Now why would I want to get away from you, baby?” 

From then on, you both knew you’d be stuck with each other, practically inseparable and surely obnoxiously in love around all your friends - which they didn’t really mind, because seeing you so happy together was more than worth it. Rhea made sure to tone down her persona a bit out of respect for you, even though you reassured her you didn’t mind too much now knowing she was yours at the end of the day. Still, you couldn’t deny that you were more elated to scroll through your socials and see videos of interactions between you and Rhea rather than her and anyone else; and it definitely helped that she loved letting the cameras know you were hers.

[misc-obeyme]

Omg yes lol the characters missing the hole and their reactions to it. It’d be so funny, and fun and realistic!

I'm sorry for the delayed response on this, anon, but I wanted to write some headcanons about it so bad lol! I hope you don't mind that I took the idea and ran with it.

Here they are, the demon brothers, awkwardly missing your hole and reacting in various ways to that scenario. I loved writing this lol.

Thank you for the idea!

GN!MC x the demon brothers

NSFW MDNI

Warnings: attempts at penetration? loooooool (reader receiving obvs), this is mostly jokes but it's obviously about sex so take that as you will?

Lucifer

He's embarrassed. Instantly blushing profusely. Can't look you in the eye. After a moment of strained silence, he asks if you're okay. Not that he hurt you or anything, but he's trying desperately to salvage the situation.

If you start laughing, he'll act annoyed at first, but it will definitely break the tension. After a moment, he goes into long suffering Lucifer mode. Might even say good grief. Hangs his head in shame and frustration.

Reassure him that you think it's hilarious and that it's nothing he needs to worry about. Tease him playfully, kiss him a few times, and lure him back into action. He might be stubborn about it at first, but he can't deny you anything. And so he gives in, like he always ends up doing.

He's just about to put it in correctly this time, but he pauses. You had better not breathe a word of this to his brothers, MC. He makes you take a vow of silence. You agree, giggling the whole time, which finally makes him laugh, too.

Mammon

He's surprised he missed, but he tells you not to move so he can try again. He gets real serious, concentrating on doing it right. You just bust out laughing because it's so funny. First he misses altogether and instead of getting embarrassed, he's just like wait let me try again.

Once you start laughing, he blushes and sits back, folding his arms indignantly. C'mon! Stop laughin' at him, MC! You're going to have to kiss him a bunch and hug him, too, because now he's just offended.

Eventually starts laughing with you, especially if you tell him how cute it is that he was trying so hard to get it right. Okay, well, it is pretty funny, isn't it? And he loves the way your eyes sparkle when you're laughing.

Loves it so much that he forgets his embarrassment and starts kissing you for real, already getting back into the swing of things. Actually jokes about it with you later, an inside joke that makes the two of you snicker while everybody else is just confused.

Leviathan

Might not even realize he's missed at first. Rubbing up against you instead feels so good, he's unaware of the fact that your hole's still empty. The minute you point it out, though, he completely shuts down. He's so embarrassed he doesn't even want to be near you. Scrambles away, covering his face with his hands and blushing brightly.

Reassure him quickly because if you don't, that's it, you guys are done. You might have to talk him down a little bit, let him know that there's nothing to be embarrassed about. He's so sorry, MC. How can you even stand to be with a loser like him?

Take his face in your hands and force him to look at you. Then kiss him all over. Take the initiative. He might be a little soft now, but either way you can bring it back full force with a little hand action.

Levi will need your reassurance, but you can get him to laugh if you joke about it. Tell him you think it's cute. He won't believe you, but he won't argue with you, either. At that point, he's already putty in your hands.

Satan

Realizes what he's done immediately. Blushes, but tries to act cool about it. Forgive him, MC. Let him adjust a little… if you laugh, he might be offended at first, but then he sees that it is actually pretty funny and starts to laugh with you.

In fact, at that point, he might even stop everything altogether and have a ridiculous conversation with you about positioning. Now that the tension is broken and you guys are obviously able to laugh about these things, the next step is to discuss what you both enjoy.

He will still get embarrassed and blushy if he tells you how much he would enjoy it if you put on some cat ears and a kitty bell. Blushes even more when he tells you he'd like to put those things on for you. Try not to tease him too much, but you can't help but smile at how cute it is.

You may have to distract him if you want things to pick up where they left off. It won't take much, though. If he starts talking about logistics again, just cut him off with a kiss. Then guide him into that empty hole yourself. You taking charge like that will make him forget everything he had been thinking about.

Asmodeus

Laughs right away. In fact, he starts laughing before you've even realized what's happening. Once you do, you're laughing, too. Not just because it's funny but because Asmo's laughter is infectious.

You both sit up and he has to lean against you as he giggles away. He's sorry, MC! That was just really funny. You're not upset, you fully agree. It was hilarious. You guys make a bunch of jokes about it. Jokingly asks you not to tell anyone about this mishap. He's the Avatar of Lust! He has a reputation to uphold!

Covers you in kisses because he loves how you look when you're laughing. Might even start tickling you to get you to laugh even harder. After a little bit, he asks you if you'd like to switch positions. Maybe this one wasn't working quite right? What do you think about - he has about twenty other suggestions. It's up to you whether or not you decide to actually change it up.

Once you've made your choice, though, it's easy for him to dive right back in. He's grinning, though, because he still finds it pretty funny and the two of you randomly burst into giggles in the middle of your moans.

Beelzebub

Notices right away. He's not embarrassed, just tells you what's going on. If you laugh, you'll make him laugh. Then you're laughing about it together. Beel is so cute, all blushy still from the activity, eyes closed as he laughs with you.

Sorry about that, MC. Do you want him to keep going? He'll do whatever you ask at that point. Kiss him and tell him that it's okay, to not even worry about it. And he won't. He trusts you to tell him the truth about how you feel. He's able to simply kiss you back and continue on.

And that's about it. You two laugh about it, talk about it for a minute, and then you're right back into it. He doesn't have any hang ups about it. He has no problem accepting that sometimes he makes mistakes. And you don't seem to be upset about it, so why should he be?

When he does get it right, he might say something in a joking way. Like, is this better? You're too full of his cock to give him a witty response, but your gasping, moaned out yes will be more than enough motivation for him to pick up the pace.

Belphegor

Tries to pretend it didn't happen. Hopes you didn't notice. Of course you did and if you say something about it or start laughing, Belphie will get embarrassed. You can't really expect him to be good at strenuous activity of any kind, MC. Even this. Poke fun at him a little more because it's so cute to watch him blush.

He might get annoyed to the point where he tries to stop altogether. Reassure him with some kisses. Tell him you think it's really cute and that you're happy the two of you can joke about it like this. That will get you one of those rare Belphie smiles.

He's a little off kilter now, so you'll need to get him back into it. Maybe switch positions to change things up. He loves it when you ride him, so if you just reposition yourself for that, he'll be turned back on so fast you can take it from there.

Later on he'll joke with you about it, when he's gotten over the initial embarrassment. It is pretty funny and if anything like that ever happens again, he'll just start laughing right away. You find you're just happy to listen to his laughter.

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[zorosimpclub]

coffee shop – Zoro SFW

characters: zoro roronoa x fem!reader

Zoro is a grumpy regular at the coffee shop | fluff | SFW

word count: 2.5k

She tapped away at the coffee machine absentmindedly and sighed. She knew it was only matter of time before the rude regular came in. He’s been frequenting her coffee shop for the past year, all she knew about him was his name and that’s only because sometimes when it was busy, she had to take his name for the order.

He would order Americanos throughout the day and sit in the corner of the coffee shop, typing away at his laptop. She didn't mind this had it not been for the fact that he mostly ignored her or when he did acknowledge her, he would be really, really rude.

The door chime brought her daydreaming to a halt and she was met with the very man she was dreading to see.

"Good morning, the regular?" She asked chirpily, as much as she wasn't his biggest fan, she had to keep up appearances as she owned the damn coffee shop. Plus he was a regular customer who actually spent a great deal of his money here.

Zoro gave a nod in acknowledgment but his face soured by the second. He walked up to the counter, standing to his full height of 6'2. He was much taller and stronger than her, she knew he could just crush her with one finger if he wanted to. She shook herself out of her train of thoughts and smiled brightly at him.

"Give me the usual." He spoke, his voice monotone as he looked down at her.

"Americano, coming right up!" The coffee grinder started whirring and she quickly set his coffee down in front of him.

"Cash or card?"

"Card." Taking his card he swiped it at the terminal, making the transaction. The terminal made a beep and he picked up his card, placing it back in his wallet.

"Thanks." His serious, expression came to his face again as he grabbed his drink, taking a sip.

Zoro didn't say anything else, he took his drink and sat down at the corner table, which was facing her, and opened his laptop to work away at it. He grumbled something about how the coffee was never made right, even though he knew it was perfectly fine.

She felt her smile drop as soon as he went away from the counter. She hated this man with a passion... would it hurt him to be a little nicer?

The next few hours passed by and soon it was just her and him in the coffee shop. The silence made the shop a little awkward, she knew this man would be a pain to get along with. He wasn't really talkative and when they did briefly speak, he seemed bored all the time.

He leaned back in the plush chair and stared at her.

She wasn't an idiot, she felt the stare and as much as she tried to avoid eye contact with him, it pissed her off too much to ignore it.

She forced a smile and turned to him, "Can I help you?"

Zoro had a blank, emotionless expression as he looked at her. Before he answered, he took two quick gulps of his coffee. A sigh came out of his mouth as he set the cup on his table.

"No."

He spoke, his tone was still as cold as ever. He didn't like anything and he especially didn't like how her coffee tasted. Though, she was unsure about why he keeps coming back, maybe he enjoys seeing her pissed off. She balled up her fist by her side and forced another smile.

"Okay, well I'll be here if you need me.”

–

The silence made her feel a little off. The blank expression and quietness made him feel a little unsettled. She hated seeing him when he was so serious (which was most of the time) she couldn't stand how rude he was. And she certainly didn't understand why this man never smiled. Like ever. He leaned back in his chair again, not saying anything and typed away at his laptop.

She watched him from behind the counter, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. As the minutes ticked by, the tension in the coffee shop became palpable. Determined not to let this man ruin her day, she took a deep breath and decided to break the silence.

"So, any exciting plans for the day?" she asked, attempting to strike up a casual conversation.

Zoro glanced at her, his expression unchanging. The silence lingered for a moment before he finally responded.

"No plans. Just work," he replied curtly, his eyes returning to the laptop screen.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion for him; he seemed trapped in his own world of monotony. Despite his abrasive demeanour, there was an air of loneliness around him that she couldn't ignore.

"Well, if you ever want a change of pace, we do have some new pastries in the display. Freshly baked this morning." she offered with a friendly smile, hoping to thaw the icy atmosphere between them.

As soon as she made the offer, his eyes lit up slightly – a brief look of interest appeared in his blank expressionless face. He thought about her proposal for a moment.

"I'll take one." He replied with a bored tone.

Zoro didn't really have an interest in talking to her, but perhaps this could be a good ice breaker.

She hid her surprise well, managing a smile as she grabbed a small plate for the pastry. With a fluid movement, she placed a perfect almond croissant in front of him, its flaky layers promising a delightful experience. Zoro eyed it for a moment before taking a cautious bite, his expression unchanging.

"Freshly baked, right?" he asked, a hint of genuine curiosity breaking through his monotone voice.

"Absolutely," she replied, her grin widening. "Straight from the oven this morning."

To her surprise, he hummed in acknowledgment, seeming to appreciate the authenticity of the treat. As he continued to eat, she couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. It was a small victory, but she had managed to crack the tough exterior of the grumpy regular.

Zoro didn't smile, but he seemed more relaxed than he was previously. Though, he didn't speak, he ate his pastry to the last crumb. He looked up with a serious, expression and spoke.

"This is good."

Her heart skipped a beat as those simple words left Zoro's lips. The acknowledgment, albeit delivered in his usual monotone, felt like another victory.

She beamed with pride, "I'm glad you liked it! We've got more treats if you ever want to try something new."

Zoro's emotionless expression stayed on his face but his eyebrow slightly perked up in interest. The curiosity in him grew as she spoke. What if they offered other delicious things? He had to try them.

"What else do you have?"

"Well, we have a new seasonal latte?”

Zoro's ears twitched slightly, the mention of a seasonal latte had got him curious. He didn't like any of the lattes normally – he thought it was just coffee dressed up in unnecessary frills. But seeing her so excited made him want to try it.

"I'll try it." He said bluntly – it wasn't like him to even be somewhat into trying something so different, it was a little suspicious.

"Great! I think you'll really enjoy this one." she said, her enthusiasm shining through as she began preparing the special drink.

As she skilfully crafted the latte, adding a personal touch – a delicate heart art with steamed milk on the creamy surface. Placing it in front of Zoro, she couldn't hide her excitement to see his reaction – she was really hoping he would at least somewhat enjoy it.

"A heart huh?" His lips twitched into a little smirk.

Zoro's smirk caught her off guard, for a moment she was speechless. Was he actually somewhat smiling at her?

"Yeah, a heart."

She said back jokingly, she was shocked that he was even smiling in the first place. She couldn't take her attention away from his smirk, it gave her second thoughts about him. His smile, his smile was charming but intimidating at the same time

Zoro's smirk lingered, and a glint of amusement sparkled in his eyes. The air between them crackled with an unexpected energy, and she found herself captivated by him. The playful banter, so unlike their usual interactions, felt like a breath of fresh air.

"Well, aren't you getting fancy with the latte art?" he teased, his smirk widening into a grin that sent a subtle shiver down her spine. She couldn't deny the charm in that half-smile, a side of him she hadn't anticipated.

"I aim to impress." she retorted, a playful glint in her eyes matching his teasing tone.

Zoro took another sip of the seasonal latte, his gaze never leaving hers. The atmosphere was charged with unspoken words, a magnetic pull that neither could ignore. As they stood there, amidst the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and the warmth of shared laughter, it became evident that something extraordinary was unfolding.

The chemistry between the two of them was undeniable. His teasing smile was irresistible as it left her cheeks red with blush. She had never expected this to happen between them. She usually thought he was a total jerk to her, but now there was an odd, but amazing tension between them. She couldn't take her eyes away from his, the two of their gazes became locked.

Zoro's smirk was getting wider, he was amused by how red her cheeks were. The blush on her cheeks was adorable, it couldn't get any cuter.

"You always this flustered?" he had a look on his face she couldn't describe. Was it amusement or was it something else?

"No! I'm just..." She trailed off not knowing how to finish that sentence.

Zoro's smirk finally faded away and he chuckled, breaking the tension that was between them.

"Don't worry, I know you're flustered." He teased, his tone was joking but his face was emotionless.

Something about him was...so intriguing, she couldn't take her eyes away from him. That little smirk on his lips, the way his eyes looked at her, his deep voice… now that she looked at him properly, he was actually extremely attractive. The whole package about him was just alluring.

He was teasing her but she didn't mind, his smirk and charming personality gave off a feeling of warmth.

"You're annoying." She said jokingly with a laugh. She noticed how the air between the two of them was very different than before, this whole tension between the two was making it a little hard for her to think straight.

Zoro remained silent for a few moments, just staring at her. She was so adorable – there was this look of admiration that crossed her face. He made no attempt to break his gaze away from her, it was almost like she was drawing him in, like he couldn't look away even if he wanted to.

"It's rude to stare. You can look away any day now, or am I that mesmerising?"

She sat down next to him and rested her head on her hand, smirking at him slightly. "Huh, seems that you are.”

Zoro was taken aback for a moment, but he kept his cool. She was challenging him? She wasn't looking away? They were both playing a game now, she wouldn't be the one to back down or look away first.

"Oh, so, you're implying I'm mesmerising? And you're not going to look away?" He teased, leaning slightly towards her.

She tilted her head and leaned in closer, her half-smile still lingering, still intrigued by the unexpected turn of events.

"Yep and yep.”

Zoro raised an eyebrow as she leaned in closer. The two of them were now dangerously close, so close he could feel her breath on his face as she spoke. She smelt exactly how he imagined she would smell like – sweet.

"I see, so...you're serious about this game? You want to keep going?" His tone was a little more flirty but still had an air of seriousness.

"Oh, absolutely serious," she replied, her lips curving into a playful smile. "Unless, of course, you're afraid you might lose.”

"Hm? I'm far from scared."

He said confidently, leaning in towards her more. It felt like the tension between the two of them was getting higher and higher. His eyes stared into hers, it felt like he was trying to look into her soul. His tone was still confident, he wasn't even slightly nervous about how close him and her were. He was unshakable. Just then, he brought his face even closer.

Her eyes dropped to his lips and back to his eyes again, she whispered, "Are you sure?”

Zoro smirked as he brought his face even closer. The space between them was so small there was hardly an inch of space between them.

"Positive." He whispered back, their lips were only inches away from each other, was it that time he would finally kiss her? The tension felt like it was about to burst, she could feel the heat building up in her body.

"So...are you going to kiss me or what?”

Zoro smirked at her question, it was only a matter of seconds before he took the lead. He wanted to tease her a little more, the anticipation was building. She really wanted this. He felt the heat building up in his body as he saw her looking at him with those gorgeous eyes and that sultry smirk on her face. He was going to play with her a little bit more before he finally gave in.

"Maybe I will." He said, his voice was full of a playful tone, he was enjoying their little game.

"Might want to hurry, heard the barista is closing shop in a bit.”

Zoro grinned and laughed at her comment. The anticipation and the tension between them was building and building, she must've been feeling it too. He finally leaned in and brushed his lips against her sweetly.

"Do you know if the barista is free for a date tomorrow?"

She blushed a little and smiled softly, "I think for you, she is."

He closed the distance between them and kissed her gently. As soon as her lips met his, she melted. His whole body felt like it was bursting with warmth, it felt so amazing. After all those days of back and forth between them, they finally closed that distance between them. A soft and tender kiss, it was something neither of them expected to happen today or ever really. As she pulled away for breath, she could see him smiling a little – she loved how handsome it made him seem.

"Great, tell her I'll pick her up after closing time tomorrow then.”

----

here's a fluffy one shot I wrote, I tried to keep him in character – hope you enjoyed and as always, please feel free to request a fanfic! <3

[gentaro-kinniecom]

༻Zipping up a dress/shirt trope (unit leaders + Wataru)༺

Characters: Madara Mikejima, Rei Sakuma, Wataru Hibiki, Keito Hasumi, Rinne Amagi, Shu Itsuki, Chiaki Morisawa, Nagisa Ran, Natsume Sakasaki and Eichi Tenshouin

Cw: suggestive, tbh just detailed backstories (in some cases) before the actual trope of the characters helping reader with their zipper, maybe ooc characters(?), wataru and rinne doing the opposite of this post, (long post 😭) Malice Mizer reference goes hard in Shu’s part 🤭, almost forgot to tag Natsume’s pet name for the reader (kitten) as a warning help-

A/n: hi guys! Sorry for the long break i had on tumblr 😭 kinda lost motivation to post but i’ll try to keep doing this throughout summer vacations now that i have time for it so..yeah! The making out + hcs posts will continue and there’s about 4 left ;i have also received some requests so stay tuned!! (Edit) I FORGOT WATARU ISNT A UNIT LEADER HELP MEEE i mean theres the Träumerei temporary unit in which he was the leader of but still 😭

"Hey babe, can you help me out with this zipper? I can't seem to reach it"

Madara Mikejima

One to always refuse taking you to his ‘missions’. Obviously, he knows some of these missions could cost his life, and taking you to one and for something to possibly happen to you, makes his heart shatter. But, tonight was his lucky day, your 2nd aniversary. Madara had booked a reservation in one of your favorite places. He entered the room with his usual smile, holding your waist before zipping your outfit, kissing your neck

“It looks good, though I think it’d look better on my floor”

Rei Sakuma

You were both running a tad early to one of his concerts in the city, but of course, getting there is all it matters. As soon as he heard you, he went to the other room of his dressing room, lets say a complementary room for it, but anyways; his smile was the highlight of your day, he didn’t mind helping you out, after all, Rei loved it when you trust him in simple things like this. When he finished, he quickly gave you a kiss before speaking

“I’ll always be here whenever you need me to”

Wataru Hibiki

He’s very helpful, well, at most times. He likes to be playful mostly when you need help, in cases were it wasn’t serious, but in this one, he simply smiled as he went towards you and started unzipping the dress

“Uh Wataru? I said i needed help with zipping it..not..the opposite..”

Wataru simply laughed and zipped it, letting you admire yourself for a bit as he wrapped his arms around you

“I couldn’t resist~! You’re just so perfect, I prefer seeing you without it. Your body is a masterpiece, I can’t help but admire it”

Keito Hasumi

He simply goes towards you and helps you out. He’s really not interested in anything else so your attempts to “seduce” him are not going to work so easily. Keito is a very reserved man and doesn’t get bothered at ‘insignificant things’, or does he? This time however, as he made his way towards you, your outfit caught him off guard, it was the one you had worn during your first date after being together for 3 years, he felt himself tear up as he looked at you

“You always look so beautiful in whatever you choose, even without it, your beauty never ceases to amaze me”

Rinne Amagi

Somewhat similar to Wataru’s except…well he’s Rinne, what do you expect? He had suggested a date for all his hard work with Crazy B and the tough week they’ve had, of course, he reserved a decent restaurant down the street, nothing too formal, but still enough to impress. While you were having trouble with the zipper of your clothes, he decided to approach you after your “cry for help” which was just a simple statement for assistance, as Rinne entered the room, he whistled, checking you out and hastily unzipping your outfit

“Rinne..! I said i needed help zipping it, not unzipping and taking it off my body..”

He all but chuckled as he turned you around

“Who said anything about going out? Actually, i might cancel or we do have a bit of time before it, no? I seriously cannot resist you a minute longer, c’mon~! Let’s have some fun, okay?”

Shu Itsuki

He’s used to helping you get into anything he crafts, whether its a dress or a shirt he made thinking about you, he’s used to helping you put your outfits on if they require assistance. This was one of those days where Shu had finished another beautiful creation of his and decided to lend you a hand, zipping it carefully and taking one look in the mirror as he saw you admire yourself once more

“It’s absolutely perfect, you’re perfect. I feel honored having you wear the artworks I’ve created for you..ma chérie”

Chiaki Morisawa

He’s so sweet and helps you even when you don’t require any assistance, he’s just like that. A charming and caring boyfriend like Chiaki always makes sure you’re well, in every aspect. So it’s not rare for him to help you always, this time, when he heard you, he was just around the corner, rushing softly to your shared room and smiling as he saw the outfit, it was one of his favorites. Chiaki placed his hands on your shoulders after helping you out and spoke

“Look! We match! Isn’t that cute? We should get going for our date before it gets late!”

Nagisa Ran

Used to formal attire that requires assistance, especially from their loving partner who Nagisa loves seeing them in such outfits; like today. Nagisa had a rather important event with Eden, and he was allowed to bring a plus one, like usual, and of course he always brings his partner to these. After hearing your call for assistance, Ran didn’t hesitate to go to your shared room, taking in the beautiful outfit you wore as he smiled brightly

“Of course my dear, anything you need me to do..I’ll help you. How about we go for dinner after the event? I’ll make sure to reserve us a nice table ahead”

Natsume Sakasaki

Even though he’s somewhat always focused on his potions and magic stuff, and his unit, Switch on top of that, Natsume cherishes every moment of your relationship to the max, although he would never admit that out loud that is. You’re his comfort zone, his one person to go to whenever he’s feeling down, happy, or anything out of the ordinary. However, it’s not usual for you to request his help, when he entered your room, his flirtatious persona became into a nervous one, the outfit you wore was absolutely stunning, accentuating your features and leaving him breathless. He tried keeping his calm and helped you, thats what he came for after all right?

“Natsume are you alright? You look a bit red..”

He smiled, nodding as he rested a hand on your waist, sighing happily before speaking

“Of course kitten, why wouldn’t I be? It’s nice to see you getting arranged for our date today”

Eichi Tenshouin

Being heir to a very prosperous family and head of the student council had its moments where Eichi was overloaded with tons of responsibility and work. Sometimes getting very sick due to his condition, and he’s glad to have met someone like you to complement his life so positivity. Events like family dinners or special events in general are usual to him, especially with helping you put on one of the many outfits he had bought you for dates or anniversary gifts, even birthday ones. Today was like those other days where you would have romantic dinners or went to an important event. Eichi smiled as he entered his room, watching you struggle a bit with the outfit he had bought you, without thinking twice, he approached you softly, his hands on your back, zipping the outfit slowly. After he was done, Eichi smiled, a genuine one for the first time in a while, as he spoke

“I’m glad to see you ready, shall we get going?”

[lovelybrooke]

Hello I love your writing!! And while reading the concept of yandere spiderverse i was very curious about the part where Miguel doesn't let reader leave HQ.Can you write about reader trying to leave the HQ through the Go-home machine to go back to their universe because they felt so isolated (y'know because being stuck at HQ all the time) but they get caught on the way by Miguel because he was watching them through those hologram cameras?

Right where you belong (Platonic yandere Spiderverse x reader)

I might have went off the rails and included some other characters, but I hope you enjoy.

Masterlist

---

"This is for your own good."

That's what you're constantly told whenever you beg Miguel to let you go back to your dimension.

"You're here because it's safe."

He left no room for questions, his figure leaving an impression on every inch of the Headquarters. No matter where you went, who you were with, how alone you felt, you always knew in the back of your mind that he was watching you.

A portion of you knew that he didn't want you to leave because it be harder to keep an eye on you.

"Hey. Whatcha thinking about?" You look up, it was Hobie, in your doorway. You quickly snap out of your distracted state, shaking your head. "What's that." He mentions his head towards your computer, causing you to gasp quietly and close the tab.

"It's nothing." You say, a little bit meaner than you wanted. "What do you need." You ask.

Hobie gives you a small smile, resting his head on the doorway as he crosses his arms. He shuts, nonchalant "Nothin', just checking up on you." He answers. You give him a silent nod, looking back at your computer, only to embarrassingly look at your hands when the screen what blank.

"You sure you're okay?" Hobie's now in your room, standing right next to you. He towers over you from your seated position, causing you to sink into yourself, refusing to look right at him. "You look anxious.'

"I'm fine!" It was loud and defensive, which obvious didn't convince Hobie. "I'm fine..." You say again, quieter this time. You pick at your nails for a bit, eyes darting all around your desk as you feel Hobie place a hand on your back. You stammer as you attempt to figure out your thoughts.

"What's your universe like, Hobie." The worlds tumbled quietly out of your mouth, almost like you were scared to speak. Hobie watches as your knees are brought up to your chest, your arms wrapping around them in a tight hug, protective.

You feel Hobie's hand tighten on your shirt. You try your best not to flinch, but you know Hobie probably felt it, judging by how his hand leaves your back not soon after. "It's pretty boring, not gonna lie to you." He laughs, but you remain silent, your heavy breaths the only sound you make. "It's probably just like yours."

"I don't remember what my dimension was like." You say, causing Hobie's smile to drop. He slowly crouches down to your hight, turning your chair towards him. His face was serious, and he was looking you right in his eyes.

"You miss your dimension, that's why you've been acting up." He asks, tilting his head a bit. You nod, looking away from him and hugging your legs even tighter. He slowly extends a hand towards you, unravelling your fingers and holding your hand tight in his. "How bout this, why don't I take you to my dimension." He smiles at you, it widening when your face lights up. "You just have to stay quiet, less the big boss finds out." You nod quickly, standing up face, nearly causing Hobie to stumble over. You pull him towards the door.

"Hey! Calm down, it ain't going anywhere!"

---

Somehow, your hangout with Hobie actually meant a hangout with the rest of the crew.

Gwen showed up for a sweater, only to spot you at the kitchen table and envelope you in a tight hug, rambling about how this is the last place she'd ever expect to see you. Of course, since Gwen was here, Miles was bound to show up, and Pavitr wasn't far behind. Eventually, the room was filled up with music and laughter, something you hadn't heard in a long time.

"It's nice to hang out with you outside of HQ, (Y/n)!" Pavitr says, hanging off your shoulder. You pat his head, urging him to move away from you, only for him to hold onto you tighter, giggling.

"Yeah, well it's not like I have a choice or anything." You laugh, but the room shifts slightly, something you take notice of. You can see the others become more stilted, the air almost awkward.

"Speaking of." Gwen speaks up, rubbing the back of her neck. "Does Miguel know you're here?" You shake your head, but your smile doesn't change. It feels kind of nice to not be around Miguel, to know he's not watching you. Even though you knew you were doing something wrong, it felt nice to prioritize yourself for once.

The room though, it was silent, minus the small drone of music that played though Hobie's speakers in the background. You stare at everyone, shaking your head slightly with a raised brow. "what's up?"

"He's gonna be real mad when you get back, just so you know." Miles states the obvious, sitting down next to Gwen. You give him a blank look, rolling your eyes at him.

"Yeah, I know that it's just--" You pause, looking away slightly, suddenly aware of everyone's gaze on you. "I'm tired of being there all the time, y'know. You all have a place to go back to, and with me...I don't really belong anywhere." Your voice was quiet, and small, but it carried weight.

Hobie moves to the kitchen table, sitting down next to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder and bringing you into his side. You don't start crying, but your eyes water as he rubs your arm up and down.

"Don't say that." Hobie says as others rush by, offering their support in the forms of words or hugs. "You belong here, with us." He says, his voice close to your ear. You feel warm, and happy, and you can't help but let out a few tears at the comfort coming from all around you.

"And if you ever need a place to hide out, my doors always open."

---

You attempt to be as quiet as possible when coming back to HQ. Hobie couldn't stay long, but hoped you'd stay out of sight from Miguel.

That didn't seem possible.

He was sitting on the edge of your bed when you entered into your room. You jumped slightly at the sight of him, dropping your bag on the floor as his eyes met yours.

"Where were you?" Was the first thing he asked when you entered into the room.

You advert your gaze from him, chest heaving up and down as you attempt to figure out an answer. "I-I was...um." You stammer. Miguel gets up, walking straight towards you.

"Where were you?" He asks again, standing right in front of you, looking down at your terrified figure.

"With Hobie." You admit "But...it was just for a while, not long at all! And I didn't even leave his apartment, we just listened to music and hanged out! That's all!" You explain.

"I saw what was on your computer." He said, straightforward. "You've figured it about by now, haven't you." You give him a slow nod, causing him to sigh.

"You know I had to do it right?" He talks, crouching down. He was now face to face with you. His face was stern, like always, but there was a hint of softness that was nearly unrecognizable. "Your universe was going to be destroyed either way. It was the only way to protect you." He places a hand on your cheek, ignoring the tears coating it.

You don't move as he strokes a tear rolling down for face. You don't move when he pushes you into a hug. It wasn't warm, it made you feel lonely, and sad. It was not the comforting embrace you learned to expect from your friends. It was cold and possessive, and it was a constant reminder that you'd never truly leave him.

No matter how hard you try.

---

A/n: I know this is short but I hope you enjoy.

[insomniac-101]

So something that I often don't see people discuss is the manner in which the 9th and the 10th doctor's seasons are so intrinsically connected that it is almost impossible to understand a lot of key character arcs if you choose to skip it upon rewatch. The reason why I say this is because the moment you reach season 2, 10 is essentially the product of the development 9 achieves at the end of his season. To skip him, would mean that you also miss context as to the reason why Rose is so important and in turn, not understand the reason why their bond in particular is such a big part of the plot during the 10th's era.

Now bare with me, because I'm about to go off a bit lmao.

The first season of nuwho not only serves as an introduction to many of the key characters we see later on, such as: the Doctor, Rose, Jackie, Jack, Mickey, Harriet jones, etc. but it also serves as an introduction for the concept of the series as a whole. Prior to this, doctor who as a franchise had a reputation of being a geeky sci-fi show with no real wide spread appeal. Remaining as a niche interest to many, up until the reboot returned and reintroduced the show to a newer audience.

This is important to note because this is one of the main reasons why we see such a huge emphasis placed on the companions' lives in the reboot. Because RTD meant to expand the world of Doctor who and its audience, and by doing so, he strived to try a multitude of new plots that were otherwise never explored previously. This is why the romantic plotline of his season is so crucial to the story itself because he means to explore a facet of humanity not previously seen with the Doctor as a character. RTD essentially built this plot line from scratch, as the only other attempt at exploring such an angle was received negatively (The 8th Doctor's movie). So there's a degree of leniency that I give his writing In particular because like I said prior, he had no prior reference for exploring humanity to the degree in which the new series does.

The ninth doctor, when we meet him, is essentially a recluse. He is in a state of stagnation, implied to have been alone for some time after the war and it gives off the impression that he's no longer accustomed to being around people. He's often direct, rudely so and very standoffish to anyone that isn't immediately measuring up to his standards. This isn't to say that he isn't charming in his own way. He's sarcastic and when he tries, he can actually be very good with people. But the war still weighs heavily on his conscious and so, he views the world through the eyes of a soldier. Prioritizing the act of surviving rather than slowing down and actually taking the time to live life.

I mean, the man essentially meets Rose while blowing up her workplace and if that isn't concerning on its own merit than I don't know what is lmao.

A scene that sticks out to me the most about him in particular is when he looks at himself in the mirror for the first time. He notes that he has big ears, and from the manner in which he says it the implication that he perhaps has not seen himself in a long time is not lost to us. This coupled with the knowledge that he had indeed been seen traveling prior to meeting Rose, gives the phrase a more dark connotation that makes sense for his character.

I like to think that this indicates that the guilt of what he did to stop the war weighs so heavily on him that he could never bring himself to face his reflection. Because truly, to have gone so long without seeing yourself, not even in the reflection of a window or other surface is not something that is easy to do. Rather, it is something you have to go out of your way to do. Also it's important to note that his appearance is in fact a reflection of that weariness he feels. With his body, being older outwardly (appearing 40ish ) and his features being very sharp and serious. Even his hair is pretty short, much like how a soldier would keep it as a means of not wasting any time on worrying on something so inconvenient. His preference for darker colors and his constant outfit is also very noticably practical, not at all decorative like his prior bodies. This is purposeful, because it is what sets him apart from prior versions of the character and an easy way to visually see his most prominent traits.

Now with that out of the way, now I can discuss how 9 changes and what his relationship to Rose is like, so that one can better understand why Rose is such an important part of the Doctor's character.

From the moment the two meet, you can see he harbors an immediate curiosity towards her. Here they are, trapped in an elevator being attacked by a group of living mannequins and yet, Rose is almost unaffected.

That isn't to say she isn't afraid, she is, but her fear doesn't stop her from asking questions and demanding explanations. She doesn't shy away from him, rather she confronts him head on and even shows a level of concern for other people while she is actively the one in danger. It is enough to prompt him to ask her name, but not enough to involve her. Preferring to instead keep his distance.

It is not until another chance meeting that he gradually lets her in, allowing her to humor him with her curiosity and we see once more that he is in fact very good at socializing, but only with certain people. The reason why I stress this is because he often outwardly puts this front of coldness towards those that don't interest him. Rose was able to look past this front, and seems to look past his rather cold attitude towards other humans. He often stresses how inept they are, going on tangents about how they're nothing more than apes but she ignores it and tries to get at the core of the issue. That's why they mesh so well, because she is able to separate the fluff he inserts into his answers and take it for what it is. That isn't to say she's a doormat, she just knows when to pick her battles.

"do you know like we were saying? About the world revolving. It's like you're a kid, the first time they tell you that the world is turning and you just can't quite believe it cause everything looks like it's standing still. I can feel it. The turn of the earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning 1,000 miles an hour and the entire planet is hurtling round the sun at 67,00 miles an hour. And I can feel it, we're falling through space you and me. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go.. that's who I am. Now forget me, Rose Tyler"

He is describing the manner in which he views the world. Unlike how a kid is unable to comprehend the vast truths of how the world functions and remains naive of it for a period of time, he is a man that was never given that chance to be unaware of how it functions to an infuriating degree. He sees the world for how it is, dark, unforgiving and so direct. Everything is calculated so precisely and he can't even begin to comprehend why anyone would see the good in it as it's just that, a planet.

But that's why he finds humans so interesting. There's a part of him that holds onto that hope that it is something more, that perhaps he is missing out on a purpose behind all the darkness. That's why he is running amongst them, to find a reason behind their way of thinking. To experience the world through the eyes of the hypothetical child, rather than the adult who breaks the illusion.

Not only that, but this conversation also let's us in on how touch-deprived he is.

For it is in a moment of vulnerability that he allows himself to reach out and touch Rose physically. Grabbing her hand for emphasis on how heavy this revelation burdens him. It's a cry for help in a sense, because he has reached the point where he has metaphorically "let go". Dropping her hand, to show that he is losing that last part of him that clings to that hope of finding something that will allow him to question his view of the world. He is miserable and lonely, because when you view the world through such a cynical lens it becomes all the more apparent that life is so lonely. If everything is doomed, then why go out of your way to care?

You see this in the way he remains unaffected by the reveal of Mickey's "death." Having grown so used to it, that he finds it off-putting to see that Rose is freaking out as a result. It happens everyday to people far more important so why give it any real weight if it's inevitable? Why ascribe a meaning to something that just is?

Remember when I mentioned it is implied that he was traveling on his own for a while? What places did he visit? The Titanic, the Kennedy assassination, the explosion of Karakota. These are all fixed points of time that are associated with absolute tragedies. But all the same, they're key points in life where the world remained cruel without reason. Thus fueling his very uncharitable view of the world and how it functions.

That's where Rose becomes key to his overall development. As a human, she inevitably views the world through the lens of that child. She doesn't know the ins and outs of the universe's processes, yet she continues living without ever really seeking to understand it better. It doesn't matter to her that the people around her aren't necessarily important in the grand scheme of things, they matter because they just do. She is capable of loving others and affording care to others simply because she wants to, not because she has to. She is confronted with alien threats the moment he walks into her life, and yet her view of the world and her existence doesn't really change. She does not harden rather, she curiously grows from it. Growing wiser and more aware rather than crippling under the discovery of another threat in the universe.

She is clinging to the understanding of the tiny little world she lives in, yet her hold doesn't relent. For she is not falling, to imply so would mean that he was right in his assertion that our existence is doomed. No, instead in the place of any real meaningful explanation about the world's existence is something so innately human: hope. An illogical thing to always maintain, yet she always seems to have it.

After all, it is such a confusing notion when you think about it. We have no reason to believe that things will improve, and that we'll be met with good outcomes. It's so metaphorical, not at all tethered to something practical like numbers and data and yet, even when the odds are against us, somehow we hope things will improve.

It's that aspect that he wishes he understood.

(i would love to dedicate a whole analysis on Rose in a separate post so for now, I will only focus on the Doctor and her role in his life)

This is why he takes her to the ends of the universe on their first trip. He's testing her, seeing if this will be enough to prompt a reaction out of her that fits his narrative. He also seeks companionship, to have someone understand what it's like to see your planet burn and to have yourself remain as the sole survivor. In a way, to justify the validity of his misery and guilt. She's affected of course. It's in that moment that she realizes, the scope of the universe and is faced with the undeniable truth that everything does end. It shakes her and you can see her sort of doubt her view of the world. No longer able to remain blissfully unaware of the big picture when it is quite literally in your face.

But something she has, and he lacks is a foundation. Rose still has her mother, someone to return to at the end of the day. She can be comforted by the people in her life while his inability to let anyone in, essentially stunts him.

When given the choice to spare Cassandra, he refuses. He lacks the capability of seeing past the evil, and assumes that there is no good in her. No second chances. An act that catches Rose off guard, who in spite of personally recieving the brunt of Cassandra's cruelty, she asks the Doctor to save her.

Eventually he takes her back to her time. He entrusts her with more information regarding the war and the death of his people. People pass them by, oblivious to his presence as he is wallowing in the sorrow of remembering. It's a metaphor, of sorts. While our two protagonists are brutally aware of the doom that awaits them in the future and they remain stuck in place reminiscing, the world around them continues moving on.

He is giving her every reason to run, to leave him behind and save the very last shreds of naivety she has.

But when he asks her if she wants to leave, to no longer accompany him on his adventures, she refuses. Because his confession puts it all into perspective.

He is hurting.

He desperately craves company: to have a hand to hold onto and keep him grounded as the world falls apart. Yet more than ever is she aware of her limitations; that she cannot undo what has been done to him.

And so, she does what she knows she can do to help ease the pain even if it is very miniscule. Tells him that he has her, and that his pain is one she can now share and understand. She offers him chips, not because it will magically make it all disappear but because it will distract him from the pain of remembering. It's also her favorite food, so no doubt she is trying to share that sense of comfort it brings her with him.

Such a human thing to not focus on fixing the bigger problem and instead focus on what can be changed in the current moment. They still have time until the end of the earth, so why spend more time dwelling on it?

That is her response to his question.

I believe the episode the unquiet dead is where he realizes the extent of his feelings for her. There they are about to be pulled apart by a horde of zombies yet Rose doesn't regret coming along. She tells him so and in the end all she asks of him is that they fight for their lives. Still clinging on to that bit of hope that they could get out of this, even if it is misplaced. To stay together in spite of their inevitable deaths is all she asks for, and he in turn tells her how glad he is to have met her. Assuring her that he is glad it's her that is there by his side as he clings to her hand like a life line. Somehow, having someone there to hold made the inevitable more bearable.

For a single moment, he remembers what it is like to not regret something.

But no, they live! Again and again, even if logically it makes no sense given how the world works. All the while, he meets more and more extraordinary people. With Rose, always reaching out to others as they embark on every new adventure. Thus indirectly providing him insight on the manner in which normal people are capable of doing brave and incredible acts even if it is at the cost of their own life. Their hope in a future for the people they hold dear, motivating them to put everything on the line if it meant that there was even a slight chance everything would be alright.

There's good in people, even those that outwardly appear to not be worth the trouble. And it's that potential he latches on to, and why he tries so hard to lend a hand when he can.

This is actually where the trend of the importance of knowing people's names starts, because the companions often serve as his connection to the humans around them. They ground his perspective, reminding him to not focus so much on the grand scheme of things that he forgets to look at the smaller details. This is why in the episode Midnight it is so tragic that no one asked for the stewardes' name. For up until that point, he knew better than to not at the very least humanize her (by asking for something as basic as her name, her story, etc.) rather than see her as pawn in the midst of the problem. That is the principal that Rose instilled in him and yet when left alone, he finds himself forgetting to do so. Thus, why he takes the revelation to heart.

But I'm getting ahead of myself lol

It is when he is confronting the last of the daleks that he has to reconsider his beliefs of how the world had up till now functioned. He has been proven time and time again that the world is not always such a negative place, and that there is at times tranquility that could be found in the midst of the chaos. That the universe and it's inhabitants are capable of doing both good and evil.

So why is he so quick to want to kill the last of the daleks and cling to that cynicism he was beginning to reconsider? Here he is faced with a being who understands his pain, but in the form of his biggest enemy. It is not innocent, having been at one time capable of monstrous acts that caused mass suffering but...neither is he. There it stands defenseless and unarmed and yet he is the one threatening it with a weapon, just like Rose reasons. She is alive and unharmed, standing next to a dalek yet the active threat is not the dalek, it's him. He is tempted to kill it because his first instinct is to resort back to that hatred that gave him purpose for so long. The same poison the daleks used to eradicate the rest of his people. But is it truly incapable of being good, if not, then why is he any different? To give into the temptation would mean to validate that goodness could not be found everywhere. That if he followed the same mindset that once drove him to pull the trigger on everyone involved in the whole war, than he was doomed to become one of them. To repeat the endless cycle of violence and prove once and for all that he is a monster that cannot change.

Again the answer to the question is up to us to decide. But for him, there's only one clear answer.

No one else has to die. By choosing to not do anything he can live another day, without carrying the guilt of another being dying at his hands. Not because it has to be done, but because he has the option to refuse.

He can no longer assert that its existence as the final survivor of his race isn't important. That just because he hates it, doesn't mean it doesn't deserve a second chance like he got.

Really who is he to pass judgement, when there was a point in his life where he too was blinded by rage and the very narrow view he held of the world?

There is always a choice, and sometimes, the choice is to not take part in that decision.

And so that's what he does.

Rose takes on the burden for him, reaching out to the dalek in the same compassionate way he once did for him. Ordering the dalek to die not out of spite, but out of mercy because that is what the dalek wanted. A being born with the ultimate goal of surviving at all costs with hatred running through its blood, yet it's last moments are spent anguishing over all the death it caused. But unlike the Doctor, who strived to change as a result, he used up his second chance to end the pain. All it asked in return, was comfort or in other words...a hand to hold.

Or..so we think.

It's this ability to look past his biases that allows him to see the good in individuals like Mickey, Jack, and even Rose, when she inevitably screws up. He is able to grant them a second chance to prove themselves and keep them grounded, just like they did for him. His bonds to said people strengthen as a result and now he travels with a group of individuals he can trust with his life. People that can ease the burden and see the good in him.

Now the final episodes of his run is where the final test to his resolve to change is put into question. In a cruel twist of faith, history repeats itself.

Once again, he is given a choice: to let humanity die at the hand of the daleks, or end it all himself.

But alas he chooses not to give in. To not let himself become like the very thing he despises, because the alternative would mean witnessing the mass death of humanity at his hands. A group of beings he personally saw was capable of so much good, and was directly responsible for his change of heart. They reminded him that he was not above changing and that he could find meaning in simply continuing to find the good in others. He refuses, and so he seals his fate.

Yes he would die as a result, but at least he'll die knowing that he did all that he could. That he did not repeat the same cycle of violence that drove him to make the decision to eradicate all that he knew in an act of desperation.

He was free at last of the hatred that poisoned him for so long and it's due in part to the emotion that now stood in its place. Something he slowly cultivated throughout the span of his episodes: Love.

Love for humanity.

Love for Rose.

Love for himself. Because he finally did something he would not live to regret

" Before I go, i just want to tell you that you were fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. And you know what? So was I!"

When he finally regenerates, it is done with the intention that his final act is not one of destruction, but love. This man, with the blood of so many on his hands, was able to forgive himself through the compassion extended to him when he was at his lowest. Rose a mere human, through sheer kindness, was able to motivate the doctor to keep going. To not hang up on the inevitabilities of life, and to find beauty in what was fleeting.

To have faith in the good of the people around him, even when it wasn't easy.

Most importantly, she reminded him that his journey was not one that had to be solitary. He could share the burden with others, and in turn, build genuine friendships that would help ease that loneliness he felt.

What makes Rose special to the doctor is not that she is inherently special. She is not someone of high status nor this faultless god that is capable of doing no wrong. No what makes her important to him is the fact that she was perceptive enough to realize that he needed help, and selflessly gave it at a time where he was at his lowest. She extended the best of humanity towards him during a time where he desperately needed a reminder that life was more than just pain. She never gave up on him, always assuring him that he was capable of doing good even when he himself didn't believe it.

This was not a bond forged on shallow appearances or attraction, no, it was a deep friendship in which both people involved grew to become better versions of themselves by the end. They just so happened to fall in love in the process.

Something I want to point out is that the reason why he has the courage to kiss Rose is because his love for her, he feels, is unrequited. He thinks this will be the last chance to show her how much she means to him in this body, and perhaps ever. He is insecure, you see that in the way he practically sneers at any man that looks at her yet he never makes a move himself. That is why he is deeply confused as to why it takes her so long to warm up to his 10th incarnation in the Christmas invasion. Going as far as to claim that she had given up on him. A behavior that to him, makes no sense as he was essentially tailored to her tastes. A pretty boy, just like the ones she showed interest in previously.

This is why he asks her upon regenerating what she thinks of his appearance and once again when he wakes up from his coma. He wants her to fawn over him but doesn't take into account that maybe, bursting into flames isn't exactly a normal human occurrence lol

But we see that that is not true. His looks were never something that bothered her. Because whenever she is made to make a choice between the doctor and someone else, it's always him. Even at the expense of what he would consider to be the safer options.

Rose loved him since his 9th incarnation. This is made evident in the manner in which she immediately asks him to change back once he regenerates into 10 (Doctor Who Born Again, Children In Need Special 2005).

"Can you change back?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yeah"

"Oh."

"Can you?"

"No"

(note: if you haven't seen this clip, I strongly recommend doing so as it adds so much context to the conflict explored in the Christmas special)

If she had solely loved him when he was 10, then she would have accepted him easily but she didn't. It took her the entirety of the Christmas invasion to understand that he was still the same man. This is why the episode focuses so much on 10 sort of dancing around her, trying to earn her approval by showing off how he's still the same man. Going as far as to pan on his face numerous times as he wistfully looks at her direction, all while he fights the sycorax as if to make sure that she is watching him be impressive. (it's something I realized upon rewatch, just how desperately he is trying to earn back her approval lol)

So with all of this in mind, nine essentially transforms into a new man. Figuratively and literally lol. A man that finds the joy in living again and meets each challenge with a curiosity akin to that of a child. He's fun, far less burdened (outwardly) by the death of his people and more open to meeting new people. He becomes what 9 physically believes to be the ideal image of a partner Rose would want, down to the wispy hair and handsome features. Not to mention younger, as if, physically representing the the burden being lifted from his body, thus de-aging him.

But with this new man that was born out of his love for humanity and Rose, there's a conflict that is more apparent than ever. Will he be able to overcome the implications that come with falling in love with a human?

This is where the conflict shifts, because with confronting this question he is left to actually take into consideration what it means to fall deeper in love with her. A scenario he previously only humored in fantasies because he was unaware that she returned them.

Had she simply loved him as a friend, it would have been easy to ignore it but no she had fallen for him too. So now he can no longer skirt around it. To fall for a human would mean to expose her to what a Time lord's life and perspective entails. How alien he truly is and how that especially affects the manner in which they communicate. This is explicitly said in the Christmas invasion, when her whole world shifts at the reminder that he is in fact not human.

"The thing is, I thought I knew him, Mum. I thought me and him were...and then he goes on and does this. I keep forgetting he is not human"

This is what series 2's main conflict is.

But it is far from one sided.

She in return, has to confront the inevitability of her death. Can she ask that of him, to put aside the pain and let her live out the rest of her days by his side? Once she outlives those she loves, would she become someone unlike herself?

Because now it's not a question of will they won't they, they know how they feel about one another. No, it's a matter of when.

This is why series two appears to have very little conflict between the two at first glance, but that's because the conflict is within themselves. Since ten was made with her in mind, they tend to operate very similarly and so they don't get in as many arguments as they did previously. Because again, ten exists from the changes made in nine. You cannot have one without the other,as they are the two sides of the same coin.

Another tid bit that must be mentioned is that 10's desire to be human can actually be traced back to 9's era. This is because the 9th doctor always made it a point to separate himself from Rose's family life. This is what causes him to have such a strained relationship with Jackie in the first place, because his refusal to take part in Rose's personal life directly interfered with Jackie's relationship to her daughter. Jackie does care for the Doctor. He is important to Rose and so she makes an effort to welcome him, even when he refuses.

But really from a few comments he makes off handedly in father's day, one can infer that the reason why he stays far away from their home life is more of a reflection of how he views himself. Like an outsider who cannot afford to get too close to the people around him.

After all he had this to say about the importance of living a life that is ordinary.

"i don't what this is all about, and I know we're not important -"

"who said you're not important? I've traveled to all sorts of places, done things you couldn't even imagine, but you two. Street corner, 2:00 in the morning, getting a taxi home. I've never had a life like that.."

You can't always trust the Doctor's words because he often puts on this unbothered front. But in this specific instance, he says this not as a means of diminishing it but rather being rather fond of the idea. To live the one adventure he could never have, sound familiar?

It's because of this that the 10th doctor makes an effort to be more involved in Rose's personal life. Extending his care towards her mother, and even spending the holidays with them. He even goes as far as to imply they were the closest thing to family when he tells Donna about it.

This long ass essay is all to essentially say that the idea of pitting ninerose, tenrose, and tentoorose against one another is rather pointless lol because they're all essentially the same ship but at different stages of their relationship. You cannot have the existence of one without the other because they all occupy the same man. All are equally valid according to the narrative and canon so please can we lay this useless competition to rest?

There's enough Rose to go around!

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Digital Circus with a Mime Reader, who CAN speak but prefers to use sign language and gestures: they find find Kaufmo in the middle of abstracting and try to calm him down (against their better judgement). It doesn't go well, ending with them locking and closing Kaufmo's door, and running to find Caine... Only to hear the theme song suddenly stop and Jax say something about a "new character" as they approach...

Ough finally some Kaufmo angst-

........

Approaching Kaufmo's door, you stopped in front of it and politely knocked, wanting to check up on him before Caine could summon everybody to perform the Digital Circus' "theme song" musical number.

As of late, your fellow clown hasn't been feeling up to snuff, since apparently nobody was laughing at his jokes anymore...

Although said jokes have all mentioned something about an exit--a way out of the digital realm you've grown quite comfortable living in. But even when he is dead serious, the others are convinced he's only kidding around, pretending to laugh and sometimes asking him if he could joke about something else.

Least to say...it grew frustrating for him.

The only reason he hadn't totally lost it yet was because of you, a mime who has lived in the circus for the past five months and befriended him quickly. Together you've put on many acts: with his wacky props and your invisible techniques, your shows were amusing to all.

That being said, you didn't want your longtime partner to think about any exits too much, as you've lost several friends in the past when they started talking about the same thing.

It happened to Queener, Kinger's beloved wife, and the poor chess piece has been on the brink of abstraction ever since (honestly, it's a miracle he didn't immediately follow her).

Fortunately, he remained stable enough to be around everyone.

As for Kaufmo?

He didn't look so good last night at dinner, and you haven't seen him all morning. Normally he'd be up and about, juggling random things as he walked or approaching you to brainstorm new acts to perform.

Him locking himself away in his room was not normal.

Especially when he knew this musical number was super important to Caine.

After waiting a minute or two, you perked up as he finally answered the door.

At first you smiled in greeting, although that was quick to fade when he only kept it open just a crack--enough for you to barely see his face...

Which bore a terrified expression underneath his runny makeup, making his frown look worse than it actually is. His hat was nowhere to be found, either.

''Are you okay, Kaufmo?" You signed, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

That was your usual way of talking, despite knowing you could very well speak freely. You had no clue if you were proficient in sign language before entering this circus, but regardless it always came in handy, and everybody did their best to communicate with you that way (or at least those with fingers, unlike Zooble or Gangle).

Since your performances usually involved silence and expressive gestures, you didn't see a need to talk often--and that was usually fine with Kaufmo, who'd always chatter with you in sign language right back.

But when he attempted to respond, you swore you both saw his own hands glitching, before he quickly retracted them, clearly frightened.

You, on the other hand, wanted to believe it was just a "digital hallucination".

That's all it was...right?

"I-I'm sorry, [y/n]..haven't been..feeling like myself-f-f lately.." Even his own voice was betraying him, as it sounded distorted, lagging as though he was a slow computer program. "But you believe me, don't you?"

"Believe what?"

"The...the exit, of course! The thing I've been talking about this whole time!! It's real! There IS a way out!! I-I can show you!!"

You blinked, before shaking your head. "Kaufmo, let me in."

"Oh no, I think that's a bad id--wait! Wait!!" Despite his pleas for you to stop, you forced your way into his room, shutting the door behind you so nobody else could intrude or eavesdrop.

The last thing you needed was Caine listening in.

Yet after taking a look around at the state of his quarters--with everything being a complete mess and the word "EXIT" scrawled onto every square inch of the ceiling and walls--you were nothing short of terrified for his mental well-being.

'My god....what has he done..?' You thought to yourself, mortified.

"No, no, no, no!!"

Looking back at Kaufmo, you saw him back up against the wall, holding his face as black glitchy polygons started appearing on his body. He gasped in horror, looking at his hands...and then up at you.

"What's..h-happening to me-e-e?"

Your heart sunk, knowing exactly what was going on.

"You're abstracting.." You whispered, your voice small yet shaken.

"I-I didn't...think I'd be next...it hurts so much! Christ-!!!" He began crying, his makeup oozing as he stared at you with empty, soulless black eyes. One of his arms was already taken over by the glitches, morphing into a large one covered in jagged polygons.

"Make it stop..MAKE IT STOP!!!" He screamed, slumping to the floor.

You were frozen in a state of panic, unsure if you should go get Caine or stay here and try to pull him out of his abstraction.

Either way, you had to do something fast...lest you lose him forever or become infected yourself.

"Just focus on me, pal. I'm here. I'm here." Kneeling down, you grasped his non-glitching hand tightly with both of yours, attempting to guide him through a breathing exercise.

"You'll get through this." You mouthed, but he just shook his head, noticing a single glowing eye forming on the surface of the glitchy flesh.

"Wh-Whatever you do...don't tell Caine, I beg you-u.." He pleaded. "He'll lock me away...a-and I'll be all alone in the dark..I don't wanna be alone.."

Tears welled up in your eyes as you shook your head, and he gazed at you in confusion. "What do you mean "no"? You'd let him throw me into the cellar with the rest of them...?" He started to grow angrier, feeling betrayed. "I thought we were partners!"

"We are partners, Kaufmo. Always will be." You sighed, wishing there was another way to stop this from happening. "But there's nothing more I can do...he needs to know-"

"Fine...maybe things will be better if I'm not around to tell my stupid jokes anymore."

"Kaufmo-"

"Go....run, [y/n]...run-n-n-nnNNNN------"

Immediately after he said that, you let him go right as his other hand quickly became overtaken by the abstraction, almost taking you with it.

You got up and took a step backwards, watching in mute terror as he rapidly grew in size, turning into a massive amalgamation of glitch black polygons. Even more glowy-trippy eyes were popping up in different places, looking in every direction.

Within seconds, Kaufmo no longer resembled the clown you once knew (or a person, in general)....but was instead replaced by a horrific digital beast with a long neck, standing on four legs.

You gulped as every single eye on his body suddenly shifted to stare directly down at you.

'Uh-oh-'

You hastily created an invisible wall just as he lunged at you with a ferocious roar, slamming right into the illusion like a bird smacking into a glass pane.

'He still falls for the oldest trick in the book..oh Kaufmo..'

Although it pained your heart to abandon him like this, he was too far gone to be saved. He didn't even recognize you anymore.

The only thing you could do now was get Caine before he harmed you or anybody else--even if it means you never saw him again. He could very well threaten the entire stability of this world if he got loose.

You quickly ran out of the room just before he could break through the "wall" and go after you, slamming the door shut and locking it tight.

Moments later, you heard him ram into it, the hinges damn near breaking off (but by the grace of cartoon physics, that didn't happen).

You wiped the sweat from your forehead, making a mad dash out of the dormitory section of the tent in a desperate search for Caine.

Unfortunately, you could already hear Bubble's singing in the distance as the gang's musical number routine was already starting:

"Gangle, and Zooble, and Kinger, too~!"

You ran as fast as your legs could possibly carry you. They were already aware of both of your absences, and they chose to go on with the song anyways.

'Jerks..they couldn't at least wait for me?' You huffed. 'Caine never tells us when we're doing these musical ditties-'

By the time you arrived, however, you heard the music abruptly cut out.

You stopped upon seeing your friends tumbled over each other on the floor, with Gangle's comedy mask being broken and Jax picking himself up in annoyance.

"Caine, is this one of your NPCs or is this a new sucker?"

Blinking, you glanced at the new person he was referring to, surprised to see a girl dressed as a red and blue jester.

"........."

Now you couldn't say anything to Caine.

Not right now, at least.