#“who's doing what” an excellent question!! we love that he felt comfortable to bring it up!!

[savethelastdan]

ok the love scene in rwrb was good, y'all were right

[aj-ixsstuff]

Mafia Price

Have I ever played cod mw before? No. Will I still write for the fandom? Yes, yes I will.

You were only meant to be his daughter's nanny. But it turned out to be so much more then that.

He told you the very night you took the job that he was dangerous but you never believed him. He was so kind to you, so attentive and thoughtful. How could he ever dream of hurting anybody?

After a few weeks of working, you finally saw it. You'd just put Lily to sleep and planned on sitting down and catching up on tv before mr Price came back. However, you were interrupted by the bloodied man stood in the living room.

Once he caught sight of you, his eyes softened. Cleaning the dried blood off his hands, he stepped closer to you, cupping your face.

On impulse, you stepped back. He seemed visibly hurt by your reaction. He never wanted you to be scared of him.

Instead he held his hand out. "Come sit, Doll"

Upon taking it, he led you to the sofa. Still holding your hand, he faced you.

"I told you I was dangerous, love. There's people out there who want me dead, to hurt the people I love to make me suffer. I can't let you go home alone anymore."

You were confused. "I'm sure you could find someone else to nanny Lily if I die. She's still young after all."

He looked deep into your eyes with nothing but adoration.

"Darling, it's not just Lily. I couldn't lose you."

His confession flustered you. Turning red and shifting slightly to avoid his intense gaze.

He cupped your jaw, turning you back to face him. He was handsome, refined, intelligent. His large and built frame, soft and hypnotic eyes, shaped and pristine beard. Everything in you was screaming. Deep down you harboured feelings for him. But he was your boss, a mafia lord. You never could've imagined him feeling the same way about you.

"Doll... come back to me."

His voice knocked you out of your trance. God knows how long you were staring.

"You understand why I can't let you go home alone anymore, don't you?"

All you could do is nod dumbly. You didn't trust your voice.

"Excellent. Go upstairs, you know which ones mine. Get yourself settled."

"Where will you sleep? And what about my things?"

"We can go collect your things tomorrow." Putting his hand on your lower back, steering you towards the stairs. "Lets get you settled and I need change into something with a little less blood." Chuckling lightly.

You let yourself be led towards Prices bedroom. Still light-headed from the shocking revelations you've been told.

You enter the room, immediately inhaling the scent. Just like Price. The room was large, lived-in but still tidy.

Grabbing two sets of fresh clothing, Price hands you a shirt and a pair of boxers. His clothes. Before heading to the ensuit to change himself.

Once out of view, you bring the shirt to your nose, vanilla and sandalwood. Comforting, safe yet authoritative. You could get use to this.

Stepping out of the ensuite, you took in the large and very shirtless man. He was well groomed and sculpted in all the right places.

"Hey, Doll." Again, dragging you back to the real world with his deep and gravely voice. "Go get changed."

You stood, his bed was comfortable. "But Mr Price-"

"John. Call me John, Love. Get dressed now, questions later." He pulled you into a hug by the arms, pressing his lips to your forehead in a feather-light kiss.

As you were changing, you thought to yourself. This man is dangerous. He has an army of men under his control and he kills to satisfy his hunger for power. But that's Mr Price. John is caring, loving, attentive.

As you exit, you see him laid on the bed. He looked so relaxed, peaceful. Upon hearing you, he got up and ushered you under the covers. You went without argument, feeling exhausted after the days events.

He turned to leave but didn't get far before you called out to him.

"Stay?"

"Always."

He hopped into the bed next to you, you curled up to him, resting your cheek to his chest. You felt safe in his arms. Protected. He would make sure no harm would ever come to you. He would burn the world down to see you smile.

[gaysindistress]

Can you do more specifically saudi!reader angst fanfic where the reader parents didn’t want the reader to marry bucky but eventually they accepted him???? Thank youuu i live for your fics!!!! <3

Thank you for your kind words and I hope you enjoy this fic!!

Think of me once in a while

Warnings: angst, this is a modern au where Bucky served in the Iraq war and lost his arm during his last tour.

Word count: basically 1.3k

gaysindistress masterlist

Translations: I sincerely apologize if these are wrong. I tried to find terms used in Saudi or the Gulf in general rather than use the Levant ones I know but Google isn’t as helpful as it should be.

Yumma - mom

Hayati - my life

Aboui - dad

Ya gamar - moon/moon flower

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on google/Pinterest

“Do you love him? It’s a simple question; yes or no, Y/N,” my mom asks me.

She had asked me over dinner the night before, saying that her father and her needed to discuss something important with me. I’d figured it would be about Bucky because when is it not? Every time we talk, he becomes the topic of rather heated arguments and one of us ends up storming out while the other cries. I knew they wouldn’t be thrilled at the idea that I didn’t want to marry another Saudi but I’d hoped that Bucky’s charming smile and sweet personality would win them over.

Evidently they did not.

I stare down at the rings that adorned her rings and suck in a deep breath, not ready to say anything. There is so much history, so much love and adoration to quantify before I could even begin to think about how to answer. Sure, I knew the answer; yes. An outstanding and profound yes. I had said yes when he proposed on our yearly cabin trip and every day thereafter. Never once did it even cross my mind to question the love that I felt for Bucky.

I’d hoped that by now, after having seen that love and watched it flourish despite the trials and tribulations of life, my mom would be able to tell that yes I did love with my entire being.

My mom’s soft but stern voice brings me back from the subspace I seemed to disappear to. It called my name, drawing my attention to her as she buckled down in her questioning, “Y/N. Tell me honestly, do you love him?”

My hand moves on its own and slides a stray piece of hair behind my ear as I ponder how to even begin to answer her.

“Yes of course I do, Yumma,” I tell her, looking over at her where she sits on the opposite side of the dinning table. Her dark eyes meet mine and they match mine in color and in emotion, full of a terrible fear for the uncertain fate of our relationship.

“Then it’s settled,” she says after a moment, leaning back in her chair and folding her hands in her lap.

“What do you mean ‘it’s settled’?” I ask as the panic sets in. My hands had been resting on the table but now they’re dragging themselves up and down my arms in attempts to comfort myself.

“I always told myself that I wanted you to have the best life you could,” she begins as she looks down at her hands, “It’s why we moved here; to give you the opportunity to succeed without obstacles. I knew that things would be different being in a new country but I wasn't expecting it to be…this different. You were never afraid as a child to try for what you wanted and failure didn’t seem to bother you. You excelled in school and your teachers always had good things to say about you. I knew from the moment you were born that you would grow into the strong and intelligent woman that you’ve become. There was never a doubt in my mind about that but…”

She pauses, tears beginning to flood her eyes and I can see her words getting stuck on her tongue.

I get up, moving to sit beside her and her hand in mine. I don’t say anything, allowing her time to unstick the mess of words she has ready to fall out.

“James…he’s not who I wanted for you. His past, it’s too dark for you and I worry that it’ll pull you down with him. I don’t want you to be burdened by his pain. You are such a happy and bright person, Hayati. I can’t watch you fall into his darkness.”

Her concern is well intentioned but it still brings me the familiar wave of pain and disappointment.

“Yumma, I know his service and tours in Iraq are hard for you and Aboui but please give him a chance. He’s made my life better in too many ways to count since I met him and all he’s wanted for the last three years is for you to give him a chance.”

We just watch each other, waiting for the other to move or speak. It’s killing both of us, I’m sure, to not know what the other is thinking and not knowing how to respond. I want my mom to tell me that she’ll try but I know that it would be a lie to get me to stop begging her. She knows that if she doesn’t, it might be the end of our close relationship because I wouldn’t be able to give up the man I’m completely and utterly in love with. Those unshed tears start to fall as it breaks her into a thousand pieces to think about that possibility.

She is the first to speak however.

Using the pads of her fingers, she wipes her cheeks clean of any falling tears as she pulls her thoughts together.

“He means this much to you?” She asks in a voice so small I almost don’t hear her. Her hands have found mine as they bridge the metaphorical and physical gap between us.

I nod, unable to speak in fear that the sudden sound might scare her.

“Let me speak to your aboui when he gets home. I won’t make any promises other than I will talk to him.”

“Thank you, Yumma,” are the only words I have the strength to whisper before I pull her into a bone crushing hug that she returns.

The sound of the front door open echos through the apartment, scaring both me and Alpine. I check the time on my phone, confused since Bucky shouldn’t be off for another two hours. As quietly as I can, I slide out of bed and grab the aluminum Louisville slugger my dear fiancé insists I keep by my side of the bed. He went as far as putting a sock on it because “if the punk who was stupid enough to break in tries to grab the bat, they’ll grab the sock and it’ll slide off so you can hit them again.”

I had rolled my eyes at the ridiculousness of it but now I’m thankful that he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

As I’m raising it to swing, the punk who was stupid enough to break in walks into the bedroom. Except it’s not said punk, it’s Bucky and if he weren’t holding back tears, I’m sure he would’ve laughed at me.

Upon seeing me, he glances to the bat and then to me before taking long strides towards me. I drop the bat in time for him to fall to his knees and wrap his arms around my waist, burying his face and letting out a quiet broken sob in the fabric of my sweater.

“Ya gamar what’s wrong?” whispering, I hug me back with the same force he does me and gently stroke his hair.

His body shakes while he inhales in a deep and steadying way before answering me, “she called me today and asked if we could come over for dinner tomorrow night. She said… she said they needed to apologize and wanted to start over if that’s what I wanted.”

My own tears overtake my eyes as I drop onto the bed with Bucky still clinging to my waist. His prosthetic arm is cold where it’s worked its way under my sweater but I can’t find it in myself to care. Not when my mom and dad have finally begun to accept the man I wish to call my husband.

Nothing else matters to us at that moment.

[slowlydifferentbluebird]

Hey Zazá! It's been a while now since I came here for something from your ask box. May I request Taeyeon's reaction when the reader (who she knows well) is her new manager, please? Have a nice day! Bye!

- ☁️

SNSD reaction: Taeyeon reacting to the Reader being her new manager

Requests are open

Hello ☁️Anon! Nice to see you again with another request. Also I love to see more Tae requests, on this app there too little contents on her. I hope you enjoy it!❤️

SNSD Taeyeon X GN!Reader

Taeyeon had just finished the filming of Amazing Saturday, when she received a call from her manager. He told her about a meeting in the SM building for an important news. She tried to delve into the argument, but the man answered to just wait.

The rest of the day, or better, of the night was over in no time and soon started the new day. At 9 A.M. Taeyeon was in the meeting room with her close staff and some executives of the company.

"So, Miss Kim, let's get to point. We must inform you about a change in your staff. The work that your manager did in the last year was excellent, so we decided to make him work with our new group, Aespa."

Taeyeon was so shocked about the sudden news. That man was with her for so many years. She went along well with him and she was comfortable with him. What happens to her now? The SM has maybe decided to screw her?

"However Miss Kim, we understand your disappointment and we want to reassure you that we already found a new person who can fulfill the role of manager for one of our most important artist. The new manager can come in!"

The door opened, revealing the face of a person very familiar to the singer: you! At this point Taeyeon wasn't even shocked anymore, she was astonished. What were you doing there? Was that a joke? Thousand of thought were crowding her mind.

"Goodmorning to everyone! Let me introduce myself: I'm Y/N and I'm here as the new manager of miss Kim Taeyeon. I look forward to working with you".

~~~

The meeting was over from few minutes and you just said goodbye to last executive, when you felt someone pushing you from behind. You would recognize that hands in every occasion.

"YAH, Y/N! What are you doing? Are you maybe crazy? How can you be my new manager? I'm ruined" said your bestfriend being overdramatic as you always.

"But miss Kim, I'm very professional and passionate about my jo-" you tried to say, mimicking a highly-placed tone of voice, just to make fun of her.

"Professional my foot! Two days ago you were drinking in a bar with me, singing all the Red Velvet song." she said, scolding you.

"Oh, come on, Tae. It will be fun. You know that we have an amazing chemistry. How many times I saved your ass from Dispatch? And how many time I bring you home when you were drunk? How many times I ran to took something you needed! I'm perfect for this job!" You said making a valid statement.

She tried to counter your questions, but she knew better than you that you were right. You knew anything about her, she always could count on you. So she just give up and accepted her fate.

"Fair enough! I accept to work with you only to see what disaster you can combine", she said, pinching your cheek, "but you better know that now that you are my manager, you need to give me even more cuddles." she ended, throwing herself in your arms.

You embraced her tightly, happy that she accepted you in the new role. She thought that after all this situation was even better. Her past manager was very good in his job, but having her best friend always with her was a dream coming true.

"Ah, Tae, what's Amazing Saturday about? I never watched it because it is so boring" you said starting to escape.

"YOU LITTLE SHI-"

And that's how your first day of work together went. Chaotic but wholesome (and even a bit painful).

[surpriseroundtellyourfriends]

RED STITCH LOVERS... REPORT!!!

(Thoughts on the finale below! NOT spoiler-free!)

What a fantastic finish cap to a fantastic show. You may have seen me complain about the endings to the other arcs before, but you won't see me complaining about this one. We wrapped up just about every loose thread (no pun intended), and those left dangling seem to be saved for the afterparty.

Notable highlights:

THE ISABELLE AND IAN SIBLING MOMENT... I was so happy multiple people drew it; I want to animatic it. I cheered so fuckin loud, tbh. Ian IS the shitty older brother, and Isabelle is his darling twin sister who will keep him in line, and together they will murder their Uncle Hunterpalm <3

(I am specifically referring to him comforting and teasing her while she cried into his shoulder but ALSO, what is more sibling-coded than planning how to commit a murder and hide the body together?)

Unexpectedly delightful dynamic between Cadmus and Hutch. This whole time, Cadmus has been the only party member who really HATES Hutch with a vitriol, and the animosity with Cadmus trying to steal a buff from him (albeit while saving his life) was just so good. And then Hutch using his overclass to full-restore Cadmus (WHO FINALLY GOT TO NOT DIE DURING A FIGHT) and offering to help get revenge on Vice afterwards? Really good stuff.

(And like, we NEEDED that confirmation that Vice was gonna get his just desserts. I would've thrown hands if we didn't.)

Lots of good polycule bits. "If you were hitting on me, you're gonna have to get in line. There's forms and stuff." I fucking love these science freaks.

THE GROUP HUG... even though Florence was not technically a part of it, I'm pretending she was.

On the note of Roob being gone for so long—much as I also wanted them to get back, tbh? I think it provided an EXCELLENT excuse for (non-combat-planning) roleplay. Some of the best moments likely wouldn't have happened if Roob hadn't dipped.

God bless Craigor for INSISTING they all go out and get ice cream. In my head, Craigor's vital role in the found family is that he keeps everyone sane by forcing them to indulge in small pleasures like dairy queen.

Cadmus removing Florence's stitch for her was such a good casual moment of intimacy. It's like letting someone do your makeup for you, only in a more brutal and fucked-up scenario because it's RSR. Nobody fucking look at me I love their friendship and will talk about it for ages

I actually like how Isabelle's "dry anger" finally broke into crying. It feels more in-character that she's been trying to act tough and uncaring this whole time, but really, she's just overwhelmed. I also like how it's more obvious now when she's being possessed by Venutia. HUGE "the souls of the innocent" "a bagel!" energy.

On that note: there's a moment I've always loved where Isabelle uses a Beam of Unreality and deletes several rock fans, and Connor says to Cadmus "stick with me here: there might be something more dangerous to your health here than the goddamn rock and rollers," to which Cadmus (who didn't see the beam) replies "who, Isabelle? she wouldn't hurt a fly!"

What I'm saying is, I want that moment to happen again but now with both Isabelle and Cadmus having the knowledge that she IS a monster. But they both choose to keep quiet about it. That's Cadmus's work daughter, he is not losing ANOTHER person in his life—

ISABELLE IN GENERAL WAS GREAT THIS SESSION. HER BIG SPEECH? A+. GOOD JOB, SIX, YOU GAVE A CONCLUSIVE THEME AND CAP TO THIS SHOW THAT HAD THE BALLS TO BRING UP THE QUESTIONS JELLO WOULDN'T.

Carol/Carmen in general was a really great antagonist. Sympathetic in nature, simple motivations that make sense to her character, and still a massive bitch who needs to be stopped. I don't have any brainrot over her but I felt the need to acknowledge her since, y'know, the whole series kinda hinged on her.

Congrats to that one person for getting their rat canonized

in conclusion,

RSR good

[jakesullysimp]

《 midnight conclusions 》

pairing: jake sully x fem!reader

summary: when you wake up in the dark with jake by your side and horrible nausea, you have a pretty good idea what’s going on.

warnings: vomiting, pregnancy, tooth-rotting fluff.

lowercase intended❗️

it was still dark when your eyelids opened, vision blurred as you tried to wake up. you sat up in the canopy, glancing down to see jake fast asleep next to you. you let a soft smile cross over your face at the sound of your husband sleepy snuffles.

suddenly, a wave of nausea hit you. you quickly covered your hand over your mouth, rushing out of bed and into the forest, where you emptied your stomachs contents. you jumped slightly at the feeling of a hand gently laying on your back, before you relaxed at jakes tired voice.

“it’s okay, let it out love.” he grabbed a hold of your hair, bringing it behind your neck so nothing would get into it. when you were finished, you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, cheeks tinted pink with embarrassment. “sorry, ma’jake. i don’t know what came over me.” in reality, you had a pretty good idea of what was going on.

“don’t apologize, baby. let’s get back to bed, alright? you need your beauty sleep.” you let out a quiet laugh, not wanting to wake anyone. “i think your the one who needs your beauty sleep.” you said, walking in front of jake. you heard him let out an offended gasp from behind you as you shook your head fondly.

———

you were positive you were pregnant. you had thrown up many more times since that night, and you had grown a very small bump, unnoticeable unless you knew to look for it. the question was, how could you tell jake? you were nervous, you didn’t even know how to approach the subject.

“y/n? are you listening?” neytiri patted your shoulder softly. you snapped out of your haze, returning your line of sight to her instead of jake, who was watching the interaction from afar. “what? sorry, sister. i have a lot on my mind.” neytiri simply gave you a half grin/half smirk in return. “congratulations, y/n. you will make an excellent mother to your child.”

your jaw dropped and your shoulders slumped. “how did you find out?” you asked in english, and your non-biological sister simply let out an amused hum. “it would take a skxawng to not see it.” your eyebrows creased with worry, how many other people knew about this?

“don’t worry, however. no one else knows, luckily we live with a lot of morons.” she comforted as you sighed in relief. thank eywa. you saw movement from the corner of your eye, turning your head to see jake approaching the two of you. “tell him. he needs to know.” neytiri whispered quickly, before jumping up into a standing position and strutting away.

“hey, love. what was that about?” jake questioned, and you felt your palms start to sweat. “erm, can we go somewhere more… private?” you asked, lips downturned. your husband, noticing your discomfort, nodded with a confused expression. he knew you were hiding something, and it concerned him. your relationship didn’t involve secrets.

you gestured him to follow you, leading him deep into the forest where you couldn’t be heard. “what’s going on, baby? you know you can tell me anything, right?” jake said once you two stopped in the middle of a tree opening. “yes, i know, ma’jake. which is why i’m just going to say it..”

you paused, nerves taking over. jake gestured for you to continue, a gentle smile on his features. “i’m with child, jake. you are going to be a father.” you said, closing your eyes and waiting for him to freak out. in return, you just got silence. you slowly opened your eyes to see him with his mouth agape, hand placed on top of his head.

“w-what?” he choked out, frozen in shock. “i am sorry, jake. i do not know if you want this.” his shock seemed to end quickly at that, and he let out a noise of excitement. “sorry?! this is amazing! oh my god! we’re gonna be parents!” he yelled, rushing over to you and picking you up effortlessly, spinning you around in joy.

you giggled, looking down at him in excitement. the weight of this just seemed to kick in, and you were now overjoyed. jake knew, and he was happy. he let you back into the ground, leaning in front of you and placing his hand on your stomach. the warmth soaked into your skin, your whole body radiating with calmness simply from his touch.

“i’m gonna be a dad.” he whispered, happy tears flowing freely down his cheeks. “i’m gonna be a dad!” he repeated, this time much louder. “shhhh! do you want the whole forest to know?” you laughed, placing your hand over his mouth. you heard him let out a muffled ‘yes’. you removed your hand from his face, only for him to kiss your belly, and then all over your face.

“you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and i will make sure eywa knows it.”

[wafflesinthe504]

The Rookie 5x13 Thoughts

Spoilers for The Rookie 5x13 below. If you've watched the episode or don't care about spoilers, please enjoy!

The cold opening for the episode was alright, but I have to agree with Celina the song was pretty catchy. Celina singing it later on while she was packing the shop with Grey approaching was pretty funny though.

I was really happy to see Celina sort be forced to take a moment to analyze what she was seeing that made her have a bad 'aura' about a situation rather than just her saying she has a bad feeling and jumping into action. I wish that we saw this side of Celina a little more consistently throughout the show instead John just immediately going on her gut instinct whenever she has a bad feeling about something. Grey putting Celina and charge and us getting to see her take a step out of her comfort zone by analyzing the situation (and her trying to deflect the responsibility back to Grey) was really interesting to watch.

Sometimes I wish we could see how Celina would do with Angela being her T.O because Angela is also superstitious and shares some beliefs with Celina so I think that would have been an excellent matchup between rookie and T.O. since Angela would have really been able to guide her and teach her how to break down what she's feeling and sensing into more tangible thoughts and reasons.

I've got to admit John felt a little out of character for this episode. I get that it was supposed to be played for a joke with him pretty much saying that Celina doing a good job means that he's doing a good job, but it didn't feel like him. I mean this is the same guy who constantly offers his help with construction projects with little preamble from others and who opened his house up to Celina when she was having sleeping problems and as we saw this episode to many of his friends due to the blackout/heatwave. I just don't find it true to his character to try to figure out anyway to gain something from his rookie. It just felt weird.

(This is what I imagine the heatwave being like in The Rookie also what is a timeline? I thought we were in the fall or winter apparently not.)

I do wish we got a morning after scene with Chenford, but alas this episode picks up a week after last episode. That does bring up another question though, how many nights did they sleepover at each other's place since then, especially since Tamara knows and it's not an issue for them to be dating anymore since Tim's no longer her direct supervisor.

______________________________________________________________

I really enjoyed seeing Celina being paired with Grey and Nolan's ability of being a T.O. being brought into question. It's just a bit more realistic for him to continue to make mistakes during the first year as T.O. and to see a contrast between his style of being a T.O and Tim's and Grey's. Since Grey and Tim were both more experienced at being a T.O., particularly Grey, they were both able to see what Celina's true weaknesses were and help her realize them and help her make the necessary changes to become a better cop. In highlighting the issues that Celina was still having we can also see where Nolan's weaknesses as a T.O. are.

I know we didn't see it on screen, but I really hope that Grey had a talk with Nolan and we see a true improvement in his T.O. style that can help Celina become better. I really hope we get to see Celina have a Plain Clothes Day to see how she's changed from the first time we met her to now.

The Nolan and Aaron team up was alright. I did enjoy seeing them take down the two fake cops.

I also just found it hilarious that right as him and Bailey were about to have a romantic dinner everyone just comes on in since he's the only one they know who has power and A/C.

Lucy and Nyla working the case of the dead guy in the freezer was great to see. I would like to see Lucy, Nyla, and Angela work together more as a trio. I just really love the chemistry that they have together. Also, the fact that it turned out that the old lady was the one behind the murder was crazy. And then to find out that she was actually a serial killer. I think this was definitely one of the more interesting 'side' cases that we've seen.

Lucy murder boarding Tim a new job with the rest of the team was so funny and cute to see. Everyone just knowing Tim is absolutely miserable while being the court liaison and helping Lucy find him a new job was great. (Also, them all rushing to take down the sticky notes when Tim arrived and trying to act normal had cackling.) It truly is in Tim's character to just go over to Nolan's house to watch the game. Like I don't even think he mentioned the heat. He's like sure 100-degree weather is unfortunate, but missing a Ram's game is simply not acceptable.

Her and Tim at the end when Tim tells her he got the job at metro was just so freaking cute. I haven't stopped smiling about it. I love them your honor.

I'm guessing that we're going to see Tim have more scenes with Nyla and Angela while at the station possibly since the metro team helps with busts and things like that. Any scenes with him and Lucy will probably be them on dates and at each other's houses. I'm also thinking that he'll probably be in a key role when it comes to taking down Elijah Stone with a possibility of injury during the takedown.

Bonus: Angela and Wesley working together to deal with the bad guys was great to see again. I just enjoy seeing them work together. Also I did not expect to see Drew Powell (the guy who recognized Angela while she was undercover) this episode. That was a real treat. I know him from Leverage and Gotham. When I saw him I just like HURLEY!? (his character from Leverage). Lastly, Lucy in that freakin' hazmat suit at the end actually made me laugh out loud.

_____________________________________________________________

Hope you enjoyed. If you want come chat with me in the comments about anything The Rookie related. Did Nolan feel OOC to y'all?

Until next time have a good day or night!

[snorlaxlovesme]

For the ask meme:

41) Who’s your favorite character you’ve written?

66) What’s a fun fact about let me do this for you?

68) Are there any fics that influenced you to write the way you do?

74) Do you have a fic you wish got a bit more love?

(You don't have to answer them all if you don't have the wherewithal I just love asking questions to writers!!)

smooch smooch smoochsmoochsmooch LC you know I love you and you know I love talking about writing

41. Who's your favorite character you've written?

like, OBVIOUSLY Soul or Maka otherwise I wouldn't have dedicated the past like ten years of my life writing for Soul Eater. but a secret third option? Hagakure from My Hero Academia. probably because Horikoshi gave me absolutely NOTHING to work with besides "girl who is constantly invisible and wants to be hero" so I got to come up with everything else for her on my own. and since I can't think of a single 15 year old girl on the planet that would be comfortable with fighting naked while everyone else was clothed, invisible or not, I gave her a complex about it. and it's a pretty rad fic if I do say so myself. [x] i

66. What's a fun fact about let me do this for you? [x]

the long-lost soup recipe was inspired by a couple different things! there's an episode of Spy x Family where Yor is trying to learn to cook for her fake family and a co-worker tries to teach her how to make a stew, I think. at the end of the cooking process her co-worker asks Yor where she's from and deduces that the region where she lives probably adds sour cream into the stew, and when Yor and her brother taste it it brings back memories of their childhood. i had a similar experience 2 years ago when i went to Chicago. we went to a fancy restaurant and by total coincidence the mashed potatoes I got as a side dish tasted EXACTLY like how my grandmother used to make them. when i was a kid we'd always have Christmas and Easter at my grandma's house and her mashed potatoes were different from how my parents made them and they were SO yummy. she passed away in 2015 so being able to eat what felt exactly like her cooking in 2022 felt really special. those kind of things reminded me just how special home-cooking is, and how taste can trigger memories. i thought it would be comforting for Cheng Xiaoshi to have a memory food like that, that he really wished to taste again, and to have Qiao Ling love her brother enough to attempt to make it over and over again so he can experience that kind of warmth again. and honest to god, hand on the Bible, i had not watched s1 in a while and had COMPLETELY forgotten about the noodle lesbians and didn't know that i was subliminally channeling a plot Link Click had already used LMAO

68. Are there any fics that inspired you to write the way you do?

that's hard to pin down since I don't have even really have a definitive writing style, really. if you look at the work I used to put out in the 2010s, it's mostly snappy sitcom-style romantic comedy things (which I would say was largely influenced by the Soul Eater fandom as a whole and Bittersweet Romanticide's [x] many many excellent Pokemon one-shots and longfics. those were my core texts when I started writing fanfiction so my earlier style comes from them I'm sure. nowadays? i think maybe since being in the TRC fandom I've switched up my style to be a bit more prose-heavy. that's more Maggie Stiefvater's influence than anything, since I've taken like four of her writing courses. i've been able to flesh out ideas better and have been more intentional with my pacing since learning from Stief

74. Do you have a fic you wish got a bit more love?

no matter how many times i reblogged it, you'd come over, right? [x] was chronically ignored and that remains one of life's greatest tragedies it's a TRC pynch one-shot that takes place in the middle of the end of the world. apocalypse NOW, RIGHT NOW, truly. but ironically despite the fire and brimstone raining down, it's more of a backdrop to the emotional turmoil Ronan is going through, as he experiences the end of days alone. (angst with a happy ending, though, soooooooo. it deserves to be read. it is very good. )

[cartoonfuel]

Chapter 3: Stupid New Girl

Mind Games (My Hero Academia)

Chapter 3: Stupid New Girl

See Chapter 1 for trigger warnings, rating, etc.

Chapter 4: I Like Her

~~~~~

UA was much smaller than you thought it was going to be. You’d figured it was going to be some glorified campus that appeared larger than most college campuses, being that it was the most prestigious hero academy in Japan.

You followed behind Nezu, beginning to hear more and more thoughts from strangers as you approached the building.

Why can’t I do math? It’s so simple!

I’m going to have a panic attack, these tests are the worst.

What the...? Seriously? This is the easiest exam I’ve ever taken.

This test is making me miss our midterm.

Yep, thoughts were flooding into your mind through the walls now.

“How are you doing?” Nezu asked, glancing over his shoulder at you. Hundreds of comments and thoughts were now flooding into your mind and being processed.

“I feel...very, um, distracted,” you stuttered, trying to get the words out.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost to the nurse’s office!”

Inside the school’s infirmary were two unconscious students and the school’s nurse. You felt a tug at your pant leg and looked down to see Nezu beaming at you once again. “Hawks informed me that your quirk doesn’t work on anyone who is unconscious. Is this true? He wasn’t certain, but he suspected it.”

“Yes, that’s true.” You worked hard to suppress the nearby nurse’s thoughts.

“Excellent! Then I hope you don’t mind the students we have resting in here?”

“No, not at all. I recognize one of them, actually. The Sludge Villain boy we spoke about earlier.”

“Yes, that’s Katsuki Bakugou. He’s gotten himself into a lot of trouble, lately. The other boy is Neito Monoma of Class 1-B. The two of them went a little too hard during one of their occasional combined trainings and ended up here.”

“I see.”

“Now we are not offering you a place in our school as a student, but your quirk is one we are greatly curious about. We hope that you are willing to meet some of the students and staff here, though we plan not to overwhelm you. You will get one, possibly two visitors, at a time. Do you have any questions?” You shook your head. “Wonderful! We will provide you with a school uniform momentarily. Again, you are not a student, but I’m sure it would be nice to get you out of those dirty street clothes and into something nicer.”

“I’ll wear whatever as long as I don’t have to put on another hospital gown.”

“Good deal!” Nezu exclaimed happily. “I have much business to attend to, so I’ll have our school nurse over there, Recovery Girl, get that uniform for you and make sure you’re comfortable. If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to ask!”

“I do have a question, actually,” you chimed in just before he left. He came to a halt and spun around to face you. “What staff and students will be interviewing me about my quirk?”

“While I wouldn’t call your future interactions with the staff and students at UA ‘interviews,’ I will be sure to let you know who you’ll be meeting the moment I find out. We will be holding a staff meeting late this afternoon to discuss many issues and topics involving UA. I’ll be sure to bring your name up. Is there anyone in particular you would like to meet?”

“I’ve heard a lot about Izuku Midoriya,” you suggested. Nezu’s ears perked up in response to your words. He was clearly thinking hard about your suggestion, and it was rare moments like these where you wished you could read his mind. “I admire how he encouraged Shouto Todoroki to use his fire during the Sports Festival.”

“Ah, I get it! Yes, I know several people who can help you understand and properly utilize your quirk. I’ll be sure to talk to Mr. Aizawa about his students and their take on the situation. Maybe there’s even extra credit assignment potential involving your arrival to UA.”

You felt beyond special in this moment. After all, for the most part, you had detested your quirk since the moment it manifested.

~

I love you so much. If only—

“Awe, Mommy!” you had screamed, running up to hug her leg. “I love you, too!”

Your mom was all smiles until she realized that she hadn’t said she loved you, she’d only thought it. On top of that, she had been in the middle of doing dishes and, quite frankly, daydreaming about your father. You hadn’t been on her mind at all. “Oh, honey, I, um, that’s very sweet!” she said as she wrapped you up in her arms.

What the hell?

“Mom, that’s a naughty word!”

Your mom’s eyes widened. “Okay, this is happening. Sweetie, I think you may have developed a quirk...”

“You think? This is so exciting, Mommy!”

Even at six years of age, you knew neither of your parents had quirks. How you’d gotten a quirk was a mystery to you at the time, but not to your mother. Most quirks at this point in time were genetic, but they did happen to mutate randomly as well.

Later that evening, after your father had gotten home from work and you’d gone to bed, you awoke from a nightmare. Heart racing, you hopped out of bed and made your way down the hall to your parents’ bedroom. This was a fairly regular occurrence for you when it came to nightmares. Before you’d knocked on the door to go in, you began hearing your parents’ voices in your mind.

I can’t believe this.

I can’t believe this.

I’m not the father?

I’m sorry.

I’m not the father...

I’m so sorry.

How dare she.

I made a mistake.

She kept this a secret the whole time?!

I’m scared.

She deserves this!

I deserve this.

Damn woman!

Cheater!

I deserve this.

Damn her to hell!

I deserve this.

Damn that child, too!

I’m so sorry, Aya.

I’m so angry. So angry. I need to leave before I—screw it.

A lot of the words didn’t make any sense to you at all. Suddenly, you heard a loud thump on the other side of the door which sent you flying backwards and onto the floor.

The door swung open, your quirkless father staring down at you.

His thoughts mortified you.

“Guess what, Aya?” he said, a strange look in his eyes that you couldn’t identify. You nervously gulped, barely able to focus on his actual words. “For six years, I thought you were my little girl, but...you’re not my daughter at all!”

I wonder what her daddy’s quirk actually is?

Must have something to do with reading minds.

Or maybe her mom lied to me about that, too!

Can you understand me, Aya?

You were frozen.

Aya! Can you hear this? Answer me.

Hesitantly, you nodded. Where was your mom?

Damn her.

Your father grabbed you by the collar and lifted you off the ground.

Damn her!

Tears were streaming down his face.

Damn it!

After a couple more seconds, he appeared to calm down. He set you back on the ground and stumbled down the hallway without another word. Where were heroes when you really needed them?

You looked inside your parents’ room and found your mom lying face-down on the floor, her cellphone in hand. You poked your head back out into the hallway after hearing the front door open.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” you heard your dad screaming. “It was her! It was her, get off me!”

All in the same day, you acquired a quirk, your mother was sent to the hospital, and your father was taken into custody. The thoughts you heard throughout the following week echoed within your mind for months.

We need to keep her and her quirk away from villains.

Her mother isn’t responding.

Her quirk has potential.

Her mother is unstable.

The girl’s quirk will traumatize most children her age if she goes around reading minds.

Her mother has experienced serious head trauma.

It would be easy to use her...

What are we supposed to do with her?

Easy to manipulate her...

~

After putting your new uniform on, you began hearing the thoughts of Neito Monoma.

Arrogant...Class A...garbage...must...destroy...

He must have been waking up. Weird guy.

Hm. How odd...I’m definitely sensing a pair of eyes on me.

Monoma shot straight up in bed and turned to look at you.

“Who are you?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. Before you could answer, the Sludge Boy rudely interrupted.

“Keep it down, dammit,” Bakugou snapped, rolling over onto his side.

Stupid new girl.

“I’m not stupid, Sludge Boy,” you growled, causing him to leap out of bed and glare at you.

“What was that, new girl?!” he shouted, cracking his knuckles.

Judging by the boy’s thoughts, Monoma was already considering punching the daylights out of Bakugou.

He was also trying to figure out your bra size.

“And stop staring at my chest, Monoma!” you screeched, throwing the nearest object at him—a clipboard.

Recovery Girl finally played a part in the commotion, raising her voice and silencing the boys. “That’s enough, all of you!” she hissed. They listened instantly, Monoma climbing back onto his bed and Bakugou stomping over towards a chair to sit in.

“So when can I go back to class?” Bakugou asked Recovery Girl, practically shouting.

“Whenever you feel up to it, young man,” the lady replied, returning to her computer.

“Well I feel fine, so then I’m out. Thanks for your help.” After sitting in his chair for not even ten seconds, Bakugou got back up and made his way towards the door. “Oh, and new girl?” You turned your attention towards him, working diligently to ignore Monoma’s disconcerted thoughts. “Call me Sludge Boy again and I’ll kill you.”

Dumb bitch.

You went into hysterics, not even trying to suppress your laughter. “That’s an empty threat, Sludge Boy,” you snickered. “You want to call me ‘dumb bitch’ to my face?”

Bakugou visibly stiffened, just before grunting and leaving the infirmary without another word. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He marched out of the room muttering the word “die” over and over.

“Whoa, you’re awesome!” Monoma exclaimed, walking up to greet you. “You can read minds!”

“Long story short, yes, I read minds. And yours is all over the place.”

“Oh, is it? I’m not so sure I know what you mean.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Well, I, too, need to return to class. Can I get your name?”

You nodded. “I’m Aya.”

“That’s a lovely name!” He reached out to shake your hand. You were about to take it, but his next thought caused you to freeze.

I wonder what her quirk feels like...

You raised an eyebrow. “What’s your quirk?”

“Oh,” Monoma said nervously. “It’s called Copy. It allows me to duplicate and use another person’s quirk after coming into physical contact with them.”

Damn. So much for that.

“You won’t want to copy mine,” you told him, grabbing his hand and shaking it. “My quirk’s unsettling, to say the least.”

“Ah. Well, I’m going to go back to class now. If you ever wish to see me again, I’m down the hall in class 1-B, the best class at UA!” You expected him to be lying, but according to his thoughts, he wholeheartedly believed that. “Goodbye for now, Aya! Oh, and I almost forgot. Call me Neito.”

With that, he exited the nurse’s office and left you alone with Recovery Girl.

A few painstaking hours passed by, though you had to admit you were thankful for the quietness of it all. Eventually, Recovery Girl went home for the night and Nezu returned with two extra visitors.

“I, the precious UA High principal, have returned!” the creature announced as he came into the room. “And I have brought you some friends!”

The first “friend” Nezu was referring to was a tall, muscular boy with blonde hair. His mere presence made you feel like you were wrapped in a warm blanket. The other person with them was a small girl who appeared to be younger than nine or so. Their levels of friendliness were almost polar opposite, with the little girl hiding behind the boy.

“Hi there!” the blonde exclaimed. “I’m Mirio Togata! And her down there? That’s Eri. We’re pleased to meet you!” After looking them up and down multiple times, the corners of your mouth slowly lifted...

...and you smiled.

~~~~~

Chapter 4: I Like Her

[lulubelle814]

Just Dizziness - Chapter 33

Tom’s POV

Her hand started trembling in mine, on the verge of tears and unsure how to proceed.  I knew this would be difficult for her, and the question was warranted considering everything that’s happened to her.  Before my wife or I could say anything, Dr. Bertram responded wonderfully.

“That is an excellent question.  I understand this is an extremely difficult situation, and there is no rush whatsoever.  With this being our first session, we have additional time but can also end early should you feel the need.”

She looked over to me.

“How about we start with your wife’s accident, if that’s alright?”

It took me a moment or two to gather myself before I was able to tell her about that terrifying day, receiving the call about her being in an accident, arriving at the hospital to see her marred and bruised as if she’d gone ten rounds in a boxing ring with no protection, how when she finally woke up after weeks knowing she might not, and then how she had no idea who I was.  “I’d say that was the worst part, not knowing me, but I was just so bloody happy she was awake.”

By the time the appointment was almost over, I had gone over a briefed version of the past few months.  Dr. Bertram asked a question here and there but mostly took notes.

With the remaining few minutes, she turned to my love.  “You’ve been pretty reserved throughout this session.  I can only imagine this has been extremely traumatizing, especially for you from what Tom has said.  Waking up the first time to not know who he is as well as your experiences through this whole ordeal.”

She spoke up for what seemed like the first time in an hour.  “It just felt so real.”

Dr. Bertram leaned towards her, her interest piqued.  “What’s that?”

“The dreams.  I just…….they felt so real.  Sometimes I still wonder.”

“These dreams, are they the ones that happened while you were in the coma that Tom referred to?”

She started to tuck into my side before responding.  “Yes ma’am, at least I think so.”

Dr. Bertram continued.  “I think it would be helpful to discuss the dreams, if you remember them.”

“I remember most of them, to be honest.  That’s why I still have doubts sometimes.”

“You said at the beginning that you weren’t sure which part was the beginning.  Is it safe to assume that’s where the dreams come in?”

I could feel her nod against my shoulder.

“For our next session, I’d like you to start journaling the dreams you had, and we can start talking through them.  If you’d like, we could meet here, or we could meet at your home if you’re more comfortable there.”

I looked to my wife to see how she wanted to proceed.  “What do you think, love?  Do you want to come back for a second session?”

She agreed, saying that having it at the doctor’s office again may be better, keep it separate for now and said she would work on the assignment request.

“That’s not a problem at all.  I’ll give you my card which has an emergency number should you need to get a hold of me.  Otherwise, you can reach out to my assistant for any scheduling changes.  And don’t worry about having everything written before our next session.  Whatever you bring will work.”

Your POV

What Dr. Bertram didn’t know was that I had already been writing down my dreams, trying to make sense of them, ever since I woke up from the last one.  Tom didn’t even know I’d started writing them down.  He knew bits and pieces.  It’s not like it’s easy to tell him ‘hey, I’m still not sure now and then if you’re real.  So I've been writing down my dreams from my so-called coma to try and figure it out, but please don’t go away because you’re the only thing that helps me feel steady in this reality’.  How would that be fair to him?

I knew I had to tell him something before our next session though.  It wouldn’t be fair to drop that kind of information on him in front of a virtual stranger.

We left her office and picked up the promised ice cream on the way home.  Rather than getting scoops at an ice cream place, we opted to pick up a couple of pints at the grocery store but ended up getting a few groceries while we were there.  I think it’s because I was trying to avoid the bomb of telling him, but he finally called me out on it later that evening.

“We can pick up a notebook or two tomorrow for that journaling assignment.  Maybe I’ll join you on it.  Unless you’d rather write it out on the computer which could be easier, but it’s up to y….”

I froze like a deer in headlights.  Walking over to me, he spoke again as he grabbed and held onto my hands, forcing me to look at him. “Ok, you’ve been eerily quiet since we left Dr. Bertram’s.  Something is on your mind.  Please, talk to me.”

Taking a shaky breath, I knew it was now or never.  “I….um…..I’ve kinda…….sorta……already have been writing it all down, the dreams I mean.”

“That’s good, I guess, but why would you be scared to tell me that?”

“I guess because of why I have been.”  I tried to look away, but he wouldn’t let me.

Tom’s POV

“You can tell me anything.”  I couldn’t imagine why she hadn’t told me.  “You don’t have to show me what you’ve written if that’s the issue.  I know this has been extremely difficult for you.”

She tried to look away, but I wanted to reassure her, holding her face in left hand, kissing her forehead.

“That’s just it.  I know I’ve told you bits and pieces, but the dreams, they felt so incredibly real, and the nightmares that still happen….  Sometimes I guess I still have the occasional doubt as to what’s real.”

Crushed.  That’s how I felt.  I can’t help the disappointment that hits my heart at this moment.  I thought we were doing so fucking well, but I have to be strong…..for her.  Trying to not show my despondency, I pull her into a hug.  “It’s ok.  We’ll work through it darling.  If you’re comfortable talking to Dr. Bertram, we can also talk to her about this at the next session.  What do you think?”

“I think you’re right.  So far I like her.  I guess the next session will be easier for me to tell.  I’m so sorry I left you hanging so much in today’s appointment.”

“It’s ok.  With everything that’s happened, it was probably the best place to start off.”

Your POV

The next morning, Emma picked me up for breakfast, and I filled her in on everything, including what I told Tom about the dreams and my recurring doubt.

“If this reality is actually a dream, can you give me a few extra centimeters?  I’d love to be a bit taller.  Tom seems to have stolen all of that in our family genetics.”

That seemed to break the ice, both of us laughing our asses off and disturbing nearby patrons.

“I’ll see what I can do, Em.”

“What does Tom think about this though?  That couldn’t have been easy to hear.”

I took a bite of my scone before responding.  “He tried to hide it, but I could tell it hurt him.  I don’t want to hide this kind of thing from him.  He knew back then when the issues were happening that I was having a hard time figuring out if this was real or if the dreams were, but I think he thought I was past it by now.”

We continued to eat our breakfast for a few minutes before anyone spoke up again.

“Emma, talk to me.  I know there’s things that happened that I don’t know about, while I was  unconscious.  I know I have my doubts about the dreams or this being real, but Tom is the one person I feel connected to, my anchor.  Even in my dreams I could feel that connection.  The last thing I want to do is hurt him.”

“Tom was shattered when he got the call about your accident.  He literally sat vigil at your bedside day and night until you woke up.  Even mum couldn’t threaten him away, which is saying something.  And even though you had no memories when you first woke up, it was like he was seeing the sun for the first time in months.  Each time you fell back into the coma, it was like watching pieces of him break away.  I lost count the number of times Ben, mum, or myself tried to help or cheer him up.  Mum showed up at the hospital and pretty much dragged him out of your room by his ear the first time she got him to leave.  Even smuggling in Bobby couldn’t cheer him up.  Had you woken up with absolutely no memory again, he would have been so happy, you’d think the sun was shining out his ass.  The fact that you started remembering a few things?  No one has been able to put a leash on that, not even Luke.”

Her words made me smile, hearing how much Tom loved me inspite of my memory issues.  She squeezed my hand, making sure she had my attention.

“So yeah, it may have hurt him to hear you have lingering doubts.  You’ve been through a massive trauma.  All of us have been hoping for a speedy recovery.  Maybe part of him was trying to speed past that part of the healing process, but he’ll get there.”

“I hope so.  He just……..he became a bit distant after that.”  I sipped my tea, contemplating the day ahead with him.

“Give it time.”

Tom’s POV

I was so glad she felt comfortable enough to go out with my sister for breakfast.  This was a big step for her.  Part of me hoped she’d text or call to say she’d want to spend the day with her, maybe have some more progress, but my selfishness also wanted her to come home to me so we could just be together.  Suddenly my phone lit up, showing Ben calling.

“Hey, mate!  Wanted to check in and see how you two are holding up with everything.”

“It’s, uh, it’s definitely going.”

“Well that sounds delightful.  Care to elaborate?”

I filled him in on what happened with therapy as well as what she told me last night.

“That’s rough, man.  I can’t imagine being in your shoes.  If that happened to Sophie, I’d completely lose my mind.”

“That’s just it.  I feel like I have lost my mind.  I feel like I can’t win, and I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“Like Dr. Bertram said.  Start back at the beginning.  Show her how much you love her.  Take her back to some of the places you took her on those first dates, your favorite memories.”

“It’s just so incredibly frustrating…..”

I thought I heard something from the front room.  When I walked in to check, there was no one there.  Must have a neighbor.

“....but I suppose you’re right.”

“There’s no supposing about it.  Now get off your arse and show that woman how much she means to you.  Help her remember, and what she doesn’t remember, create new memories.”

“Thanks, Ben.”

Chapter 34

[ceapa-mica]

The Choices We Make | Chapter 5: Stealth

{cross-posted on ao3} {masterlist}

<- previous chapter next chapter ->

Pairing: Imperial!Crosshair x Tholothian!OC

Warnings: angst

Word count: 2767

Summary: Zareena has a plan to search for information regarding Lyle's wherabouts.

a/n: Welcome back!

Sorry I didn't post this chapter sooner, but after that season finale I was too depressed to write for almost a week. I love writing a grumpy character falling in love, and I hope you have just as much fun reading this chapter as I had writing it, dear reader. Enjoy!

"What is this? Misfit central?"

That was the first of many comments Zaree paid no mind to as she approached the table Crosshair sat at with a sad expression on her face. She had looked sad last night, but now even more so, and Crosshair had a feeling something had happened. She didn't look like she fully acknowledged his presence as she sat down and shoved the mushy food over her plate with her spoon. That ray of sunshine of a woman was gone and that concerned Crosshair.

"You're bringing the mood down here." he said, keeping a neutral expression, staring at her while slowly eating the goo that was supposed to be breakfast. "Did one of those regs upset you again?" he asked with a lot of suppressed anger, eying the table the group of clones that were bothering them were sitting at.

"If that was only the case." she huffed. "My foreman paid me a visit this morning. He said someone new will take Lyle's position. They really want to replace him, I- I don't want to work with someone new. How can they do that?!" she hit her fist on the table, accidentally spilling her caf. "Shit…" With one hand she tried to dry the puddle of caf, the other wiped away the tears forming in her eyes.

Crosshair had never seen Zaree like this. At that moment he decided he hated seeing her so unhappy. Sure, her usually positive nature annoyed him at times, but seeing such a warm person so broken made him feel things, which, of course, he wouldn't show.

"The work needs to be done, and since your friend is gone…" he tried his best to find words of comfort, but comforting someone was really not one of his strengths.

"I know you're right… I just wish Lyle would be here. I'm sure you two would get along well. I made a new plan by the way."

Crosshair sighed exasperatedly. "What now?"

Zaree looked around and whispered "Come to the maintenance room at noon, that's when my shift ends. I can't tell you here."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose at the thought of another one of her "excellent" plans. "Fine, but don't waste my time."

The corners of Zaree's mouth twitched in an almost-smile and she stood up and left, her breakfast left halfway uneaten. Usually she was a good eater, but today she simply wasn't that cheerful Tholothian woman Crosshair had met. The cheeky glint in her eyes was gone, replaced by a weariness he hadn't seen before. After finishing his breakfast, Crosshair took a detour to the kitchen where he secretly stole some of the better rations for her to eat later. From what Zaree had told him about Lyle, he had always looked out and been there for her. Crosshair felt like this duty was now his for the time being… until Lyle returned, so he hoped. He wanted to help find her friend to see her happy again, he really did.

As Crosshair showed up at the maintenance room at noon he was surprised to find a stranger spinning on the chair - a young human man with tousled brown hair and dark shadows under his eyes who was listening to the newest jizz tunes on his headphones.

"Who are you?" Crosshair asked with obvious distrust in his voice.

"I could ask you the same question. What's a trooper doing down here?"

"I'm looking for Zareena."

"Aw the little lady got caught up repairing the valves on boiler S43. Had to postpone her lunch break."

As a sniper Crosshair had learned to be patient and leaned against the doorframe, waiting for fifteen minutes. He had to show up for yet another medical exam right after lunch break so he couldn't stay.

"Tell Zareena I was here."

"Sure thing, clone!"

Crosshair rolled his eyes at the way the young man talked. He didn't like him, especially not that he smelled like deathsticks. He took the rations he had stolen from the kitchen with him since he had a feeling that the boy would eat them himself instead of giving them to Zaree.

When Zaree didn't show up for dinner either, Crosshair became worried. Worry and uncertainty were feelings he hated more than anything and didn't exactly improve his mood. With a scowl on his face he went to bed that night, but couldn't fall asleep. Too many thoughts occupied his mind. He wondered what the Batch were up to. Why wasn't Zaree at dinner? What would his next mission be? Those were the questions that wouldn't let him catch any sleep. Around midnight, when he was about to doze off, there was a knock on the door of his quarters. He sat straight up, wondering who it could be. A new mission? 

"Come in!" Crosshair looked in surprise as Zaree came into his quarters. "You have no authorization to be on that level. Please tell me you didn't steal another access card."

"Good evening to you too. And no, this time I came through the ventilation shafts. A great way to go places in this building that are protected by doors you need those cards for."

"How the fuck do you even know which room is mine? I never told you."

She grinned, the mirthful spark in her eyes had returned. "Lyle taught me some basic slicing. That's how I learned your CT number and then looked up your room. Easy."

How she stood in his room in a confident stance, hands on her hips made his mouth go dry. "You came here for a reason. What did you want to tell me?"

Zaree sighed and sat down cross-legged at the end of his bed. "First of all, I'm sorry I didn't show up during mealtimes when I said I would. I had to show that newbie around and explain everything three times because his only interest seems to be his kriffing music box. He works so sloppy and slow… I just hope that's only temporary but…probably not."

Crosshair cocked his head listening to her vent. "Some people just can't get the job done. That's what it feels like working with regs."

"Oh come on, not all regs are like this!"

He rolled his eyes in frustration at the mere thought of how the regs had treated him and his brothers when they were young and still as grown ups. "Now to the reason you visit me in the middle of the night. Y'know what this could look like to someone else. Young lady, visiting me at night…"

Zaree searched for the right words. "I- um oh I'm not here to-  I don't want you to think…" Crosshair enjoyed watching her stammer, a smirk forming in the corner of his mouth. "I told you at breakfast that I have a new plan." She was suddenly interrupted by the growling of her stomach which was loud enough for Crosshair at the other end of his bed to hear. He grabbed the flimsi bag with the rations he had stolen from the kitchen and threw it on the bed in front of her.

"Wanted to give this to you since lunchtime. Didn't trust your new coworker enough to leave it there for you."

"Aww that's so thoughtful! Thank you!" Her wide smile made him feel things he tried hard to suppress. As he watched her bite a chunk off the first ration bar, he wondered how her lips would feel on his - a thought that scared him so much he blinked to focus back on what she was saying with her mouth full.

"This facility has a prison. The thing is, Lyle never taught me how to slice into the registry. I need access to the data terminals for that."

"Those are…well protected. They scan your face for verification and alert the security if you don't have the necessary rank."

Zaree nodded. "I know that much. I can overwrite this standard protocol, which includes the face scanning. I need someone to keep watch while I'm doing this and you're my only friend right now…"

Crosshair sighed in exasperation. "Those reckless plans of yours will one day cost you your life. When do you plan on doing this?"

"Tonight."

He blinked once in disbelief. "Pulling a stunt like this takes days if not weeks to plan."

"Days or weeks are something Lyle doesn't have! We need to find him as soon as possible."

She took a small holoprojector from her bag. A map appeared as she switched it on, showing a floor plan with serval red markings.

"See those? That are all the security cams three floors down. The data terminal is right here." She pointed at a yellow marking, then pointed at a certain hallway. "There's the ventilation shaft. It can't be seen on any of those cams, but to get to the data terminal there is one cam that needs to be taken care of. There's a panel hidden in the wall. I can slice into the security system from there and disable it, and show the security personnel some old recordings. I need you to have my back there too."

"And how do you want to disable the cam without anyone seeing you?"

"The cam shows what's going on in the hallway in front of it, not what's happening right below it. I will sneak along the wall and disable it, slice the data terminal, you have my back, and we'll be out of there before you know it."

Crosshair grabbed one of his toothpicks from the small box on the shelf next to his bed. "You said Lyle has never shown you how to slice the prison registry. What makes you think you can do it without his help?"

"I need to try!"

He rubbed his temples at her determination and stubbornness. "Fine. Just be quick." He hated the idea of having to crawl through the ventilation shafts with her, but said nothing. She wanted her friend back, and being one of her friends himself, he should support her, he figured.

Maybe I'm not so bad at this whole "making friends" thing after all…

The mere idea of crawling through the ventilation shafts with Zaree made Crosshair uncomfortable, but actually doing it? Zaree crawled in front of him, knowing which direction to go. He tried to distract himself from the view of her backside in front of him, thinking about that little mission they were pulling off.

"We have to climb down three levels." she notified him. In front of her the ventilation shaft went down and with their hands and feet on its walls they managed to climb down without making much noise. Being a sniper, Crosshair was excellent at stealth. Snipers were supposed to be invisible and deadly, and crawling down a ventilation shaft undetected was one of his strengths. It was even easier wearing only his blacks, the plastoid of his armor would have made crawling quietly somewhat harder

Three levels down they crawled with the airflow until they saw light that came through a grid. Zaree grabbed her screwdriver from her utility belt to open it. 

She looked both sides down the hallways.

"Clear." She left the ventilation shaft and held out a hand for Crosshair to take, which he accepted. Afterwards she put the grid back into place, just in case.

"Let's get moving." he said in a hushed tone. Everything was going according to plan. They sneaked along the wall. Crosshair had a single blaster in his hand instead of his rifle he kept trained on the doors, ready to shot in a milisecond's notice. Meanwhile Zareena opened the panel and plugged in her datapad, slicing into the system.

"Oh man, no military funding goes into that security system, that's for sure." she chuckled. She typed on her datapad for several minutes in which Crosshair grew more and more impatient, yet he admired her skills. The way she was so focused on slicing reminded him of his brother, Tech.

They would probably get along well.

"That's it! We should remain undetected for a few minutes until they realize it's an old recording they see on their screens."

The data terminal was in a transparisteel compartment by the hallway. It was semi dark in there, in their case a clear advantage. Zareena frowned as she plugged in her datapad and worked her way to overwrite the terminal's protocols.

"And…I'm in. Great, now let's check those prisoner data." she mumbled, completely lost in her work.

Suddenly one of the doors hissed open and there were steps in the hallway. Crosshair reacted in the matter of a second, pulling Zaree into the dark corner of the compartment, putting his hand over her mouth to keep her from making any surprised noise. Her datapad was still hanging from the data terminal. If anyone looked any closer they were screwed.

Two white armored TK troopers walked past, thankfully none of them paid attention to the terminal or the trooper who kept a mechanic against his chest. They didn't dare breathe until the other door swished open and the troopers were gone. They both let out the breath they'd been holding, only to realize how close they were to each other. The look in Crosshair's eyes was more vulnerable than she had ever seen him. It trailed down to her lips, and so did hers to his own. They could feel each other's breath on their faces. Just a few centimeters closer and their lips would meet.

"We should… my datapad…" she whispered and let her hands sink from holding his waist.

"You better hurry." Crosshair's expression turned from vulnerable to sour in the matter of seconds. He wasn't mad at her, he was mad at himself.

How could I allow myself that? This is wrong. So, so wrong! You're a damn soldier, Cross! Act like it!

Zareena groaned as she opened the files. "Ugh! Fuck! There's no name to the prisoners, only numbers. But their species might be added in the data. Hang on… There it is… Umm…They have no Mon Calamari in custody? That… can't be. Lyle…" Tears were welling in her eyes as she unplugged her datapad from the terminal. "He's not in custody and there are no records that he ever was." Her shoulders sank and tears were now running down her cheeks.

Crosshair hesitated at first then put a hand on her cheek, wiping her tears with his thumb.

"We'll figure out what to do next. But first we need to get out of here."

Zaree nodded, wiping the remaining tears with the sleeve of her dark gray overall.

Back in the ventilation shaft they climbed the rest of the way down to the basement levels where the humid air greeted them. In front of the maintenance room with nobody else in sight, Zaree suddenly jumped to hug Crosshair's tall frame. He stiffened at the gesture, but eventually wrapped his arms around her waist as well.

"Thank you for helping me out tonight." she whispered into his ear and kissed his cheek as she let go of him.

She caused a warmth to spread in his chest that felt like a natural cure to the darkness that lingered there. He was afraid of that new feeling, but it felt too good to not welcome it into his heart.

"Get some sleep, I'll see you at breakfast." was all he could say.

"Funny, I just wanted to tell you the same." She yawned symbolically. "Sweet dreams, Crosshair." With a tired smile she went into the maintenance room where she crashed on the cot that for some reason smelled like deathsticks, but Zaree was too tired to care for her new co worker's bullshit.

Crosshair casually walked back to his quarters and as soon as he shut the door behind him, he hit his head back against it with a frustrated groan.

What is she doing to me? I can't allow myself to be vulnerable.

Just like her, he crashed on his bed and fell asleep almost instantly, the next morning would come soon enough. In that short night he dreamed of deep blue eyes and a smile so bright it was a contrast against her brown skin. That spark in Zareena's eyes followed him into his dreams, and Crosshair felt as light as a feather. This was no spice dream though, no, those feelings were real. He feared that they could become as addictive as spice nonetheless. His rational mind told him to be careful, while his heart yearned for more.

<- previous chapter next chapter ->

a/n: He's catching feelings, and of course he doesn't know how to handle it! This is kind of a fix it fic because I wanna give Crosshair what he deserves: Love (and some good pussy later in the story) …and maybe a much deserved break lol

[twdmusicboxmystery]

I got a couple of questions and also wanted to share my love for TWD.

Does Daryl still carry Beth's knife around? Is Lydia? I've been rewatching s10 in preparation for rewatching s11 with my best friend, it'll be the first time watching s11 for her. And I've been trying to spot it.

Secondly, I wonder if you have any thoughts about this. I've noticed the friendship between Daryl and Connie, and it seems like their either alluding to a relationship or the shippers are just loud. And Daryl and Leah had a relationship, a unhealthy one albeit, and Maggie was the divide and ultimate choice between them for Daryl. It made me theorize something happening similarly with Connie and Beth. Not Daryl killing Connie to protect Beth, but rather between them both, he chooses Beth, maybe symbolically instead of something clique and out of character like them fighting over his affection.

My friend and I eagerly await the final episodes of the flagship show. It's so bittersweet. We love Daryl and Beth and I've told her there are theories that Beth may come back. Even if she doesn't, I'm excited and hope they end the show strong. All 3 spin-offs sound amazing, and I can't wait to hear about Daryl's spin-off, we've got so little information on it, perhaps because their waiting for a reveal. 😊 I only recently started watching TWD four years ago, shortly after my mother died, and it helped me engage in something and process my grief a little (I've still done my own work on my grief). I love zombie apocalypses, and beautiful characters and stories. These characters are like a second family. And I'm a big sucker for unique storytelling, excellent cinematography, and small character beats. I love how films and tv are made, and hope to have a YouTube channel one day where, among many other video ideas, I discuss and analyze TWD.

That was quite a lot, my apologies. But I wanted to ask and then I also felt like sharing. I'm loving the recent posts. Happy to be part of Team Delusional/Defiance. Have a lovely day.

Thank you so much for sharing! I absolutely loved this! I'm so glad the show helped you process your grief, and gave you so much comfort and hope. It's been that for many fans, and that's why the show is so popular. I agree that the characters feel like family.

I also want to say that I love that you said the show is amazing and you're excited for the spinoffs even if Beth doesn't come back. Don't get me wrong, I totally think she will and that's a big part of the reason I continue to watch. But so many people are always declaring they will be done with the show if something doesn't happen: their ship or what they want to happen in the plot or whatever. I think the show is amazing regardless, so thank you for saying that.

As to your questions, a couple of years ago, a friend of mine managed to ask Norman a question on one of his panels. She asked if Daryl still had Beth's knife and he said yes. He didn't hem or haw over it. Just, "yes, he does." So, Lydia isn't carrying it. If they were going to do something like that, they would make it very obvious. Daryl still has it somewhere stashed away, and if Norman knows that without having to defer to one of the writers, that tells me they have plans for it that Norman knows about.

As for Daryl and Connie, it's been pretty well established now that they are just friends. I actually wonder if she *might* die in 11c. No way to be sure, of course. We'll just have to wait and see. But Norman is heading off to do the spinoff, and Lauren Ridloff (who plays Connie) will not be involved in that. In fact, she's already gotten another job on another series. So, whether she dies or not, it doesn't look like she'll be very heavily involved in the show moving forward. If they don't kill her off, they could always bring her back down the road. I wouldn't mind that in the least. But either way, Daryl and Connie are never going to be romantic. They've told us that several times on the show.

Hope that helps! Hope you keep watching and loving on TWD. And I'm glad you, and all of us, are part of Team Delusional too! Xoxo! 🍁💞

[otter1962crystalball]

What's Behind Door #1?

I’m sure that we all agree that it is fun to dream sometimes. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past couple of weeks. Some of these dreams are a little out there, but hey, that’s why we call them dreams…

I’ve been dreaming of a time when money wouldn’t be an issue for me. Everyone is struggling right now. There are people out there who can’t pay their bills or get enough food on the table. There are others who have had to sell everything to just survive. I have this recurring dream that I will wake up and the lottery ticket that I bought will be lucky and have me hit the jackpot. I’m dreaming here, really I am. I realize the probability of winning the LotoMax or Lotto 649 here in Canada. I checked and the odds of winning LotoMax is a staggering 33,294,800 to 1 and lotto 649 is 1 in 13.9 million… So, it’s a dream. So why do I keep buying tickets? I do so because my money is tight too. I live in a home that was meant for two people’s wages. I’ve hung on to it and will continue. My poor old truck died two years ago and I had to buy a new (used) car… There are always a bunch of expenses…

I dream about travelling the world. I think that I stand a better chance with this one. If I can manage to retire comfortably, then I can probably travel on a regular basis. I dream about going to Australia, New Zealand, South America, Japan and Norway. I’d love to explore the UK and follow the path of my ancestors, the Vikings. By the way, they have the bad rap of being pillagers and rapists and murderers. Not that different from any cultures. There were a lot of bloody situations. I digress though. The Vikings were actually excellent farmers and once they settled in England, they calmed down. There are a ton of references to the Vikings in English history, so I’d love to pursue it.

I’ve had several long term relationships with me. Some of them were actually very fulfilling and non dysfunctional. I’ve written about my former marriage to a raging narcissist so I won’t go into that, the one that followed my ex husband, who turned out to be more of a narcissist than my ex husband.  Live and learn they say. It brings up the question of what would I want in a relationship?

We all dream of our white knight on a horse. There were times when I settled on someone who was breathing… All humour aside, I felt that any attention was attention at least. I allowed a lot of nonsense to go on in some of my relationships, in which I played a part. Nonetheless, I have this little dream about meeting a man at my age. So, what would he be like?

Above all, he would have a good head on his shoulders and he would able to realize what I’ve spent years learning - to take care of oneself first in order to allow someone into your life. Secondly, he would be happy to receive me the way that I am - my quirks, my injuries, my snoring and loud disco music sessions as I make dinner. Ultimately, I want a man who will not want to change me. I would honour him in the same way: accept him for who he is. I don’t think it is too much to want to find a man who loves to smile, loves to have fun and isn’t afraid to show his emotions. I do cry at certain times at the movies and on Netflix. I don’t often get the change for someone to see that though. So, if he cries at sad and moving movies, great. Maybe it’ll loosen me up enough to do the same. I’d like someone who wants to experiment with life and get out and do things that are just wishes - like skydiving or climbing Kilimanjaro. They don’t even have to be that grandiose. I’d be happy to get up at a karaoke and actually sing in front of people or learn to dance like no one is watching. Someone who has the desire to seek these things out would make me very happy. By the way, if he were to like to sit on the couch and watch science fiction or whatever would be nice too.

My good friend, Maddox, who has a podcast called “The Authentic Gay Man Podcast,” told me that if we believe that it is possible then one day it will happen. He says that if we emit high positive energy, we are more likely to meet people the same as me. So, I have worked on my energetic attraction and learned a lot about myself. I think that it has enabled me to see that there will be someone out there for me and that it could happen at anytime. Tell you what, if it does happen, I will write a blog entry about it. I think I will title it, “Door 1, Door 2, or Door 3? He’ll be behind Door 1! 

Carpe diem!

[harfanfare]

How to win a heart of Jamil Viper?

1.   Don’t be a typical hero(ine).

Contrary to the popular romance trope, tripping over the air to land on a certain cool-looking boy, and dropping all carried things, wouldn’t make Jamil fall for you. Instead, just falling because of you and sharply crashing with a floor would make him rather cautious around you and keeping a distance whether he has anything in his hands.

Believe him or not, he doesn’t need another ditsy and erratic person around him—like a certain leader from a certain dorm, who happens to create a mess anytime, anywhere.

So, let someone else be the protagonist of the story.

In that situation, you may be a side character that gets its way through obstacles and classic borders of story scheme and is much more interesting than the main persona.

That’s how you get his attention.

‎‎‎‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

2.   Be a help.

Oh, a person that would help him with his chores means to him much more than gold. Sometimes.

“Can I help you anyhow?” you asked when Jamil was going to the kitchen after a daily training with the rest of the dorm. He lifted his eyebrow, waiting for further explanation. “I mean with cleaning or something.”

Jamil glanced at you, not sure about your intentions.

Who would like to do something to help without having something in return? With only your will? No, it doesn’t work well in the same sentence.

But some help would be great. So, he just needs to keep sure that he won’t fall into any trap for letting you help, yes?

“Sure,” he said casually, not letting his face nor voice reveal any of his thoughts he run into. “[Name], right? Could you bring and clean the dishes from longue?”

And you helped. You really helped him a lot, staying over two hours till everything was shimmering with cleanliness and your abrupt desire to clean something and be more useful, burned out.

“Thank you for your help,” Jamil said, after correcting the last cushion in the Scarabia’s longue. You flashed him a smile. “But why, if I can ask, did you offer it in the first place?”

He got a quick response in form of a shrug.

“I... don’t really know,” you admitted, glancing at him. “...But you don’t complain, no?”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

3.   Be his dish taster.

“The way to a one's heart is through his stomach.”

“Try it,” Jamil handed you a spoon filled with some kind of stew. You consentaneously your opened mouth and drank all content of the spoon. Your mouth filled with many flavours and you couldn’t be sure if you ever ate that good combination in your life. “How was that?”

“Excellent as always.”

You said it all sincerely and maybe would have asked for seconds, if not the fact that Jamil already turned his back to you and got back to pots. He took another spoon and tried the dish himself, clicked his tongue and added more salt.

Once again, he turned to you and handed you a spoon.

“And how was that now?”

“Excellent as always,” you chuckled as he frowned at you.

“Don’t you think that you should add more words to your dictionary? You say the same thing on every dish,” once he said that you finished drying the last plate and preparing silverware for today’s fiesta.

“Don’t you think that I won’t be able to eat anything at the party when I will eat enough of your cooking now to write a poem about each of your culinary masterpieces?” Jamil chuckled slightly at your words.

“So, you don’t want any more?” he teased, but inside he was really flushed. Praises or cajolery, it all makes his heart skip a beat.

Finally, there was someone who appreciated all work he’s done.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

4.   Distract Kalim from him.

“You really shouldn’t go there,” you said, your voice as serious as you could keep it. “I mean, what if there is a monster who wants to kidnap you?”

Kalim cocked his head a little, considering your words. After a while, he nodded, fully convinced by your argument.

“You’re right,” he said. “I will warn others about this..!”

Kalim turned on his heel and spotted some people returning from morning classes. He ran to them, greeting them and walking with them as he tried to introduce the situation.

Still not believing Kalim fall for your words, you were standing alone in the centre of the corridor, a bit dumbstruck to discover the excuse Jamil came up with work.

“...Are you sure, you don’t want to tell him that some student’s from other dorm are here?” you asked as if saying to yourself your thoughts aloud.

But there was someone, someone who was hiding behind a big potted palm. He only gave you thumbs up as a preventative measure if there was still a chance that Kalim didn’t just dash through the halls to talk with some dorm students.

Jamil only looked at you and mouthed “No. Party. Today.” and quietly shifted to the corner, where the wall hid him and he could finally get up.

Mission accomplished.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

5.   Get rid of bugs for him.

“[Name],” Jamil called out to you, bursting through the door to your room. He looked very pale and panic was staying still in his eyes. “Would you be so kind to... deal with an intruder?”

You frowned a little before biting back a sigh. At first, you were concerned. Even Kalim getting in a serious mess didn’t make him react that seriously. But then you remembered that there was one thing that could make Jamil call you out of nowhere, acting like in an emergency. Emergency only in eyes of few.

Bugs.

Jamil never admitted to you that he is scared of them, but every time you brought up the topis, he snapped his fingers at it, saying that insects just aren’t his favourite kind of animal.

“Hmm~ Maybe after I finish this chapter,” you said, conspicuously turning a page of the book you were reading and with all your will trying not to smile nor to look at the wincing expression Jamil was wearing.

“[Name],” he said, his voice shaking with anger or frustration. “Go there right now or I will make sure you won’t get today’s dinner.”

...No dinner?

“Yes, mum,” you said putting the textbook aside and getting up from the comfortable couch.

Of all people, Jamil is probably the only one—well, maybe also Trey—that could make those words sound dangerous. Like, no dinner made by the best chef in Scarabia? It would be pure agony.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

6.   Have competitions.

“Aren’t you a little too good in this game?” you asked, regretfully placing pieces of the game back to the initial places.

He gave you a smile that slowly turned into a smirk, as you groaned at the next round you have lost. You flopped on the big pillow, all your will to play destroyed, as you sank between really cosy material.

“I told you I won’t give you a head start,” Jamil said, his steady voice mixed with amusement. “You even told me that you don’t want me to go easy on you before the game started.”

“Too bad,” you clicked your tongue at his response. “I was sure that after watching you play with Kalim, I remembered your tactics.”

You’ve watched at least eight rounds of Jamil and Kalim playing this game, and when it was coming to end, you were almost sure you understood and remembered the technique he was using in certain situations.

But, to your disappointment, it looked like he – even without using any of his tricky cards in his sleeve – was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, because, after three moves, you knew that probably all three were wrong when the opponent was Jamil.

“You gained nothing by it. Of course, I lost to him or... there would be a trouble,” he exclaimed. “You are different.”

“Oh, thank you. I can lose but he can’t, huh?” you frowned at him as he almost choked on the surprise he felt by hearing your response.

“...Yeah, that’s it. Just it.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

7.   Have study sessions together.

“One class had a test before us,” you said scrolling through your class chat group. “They said that there wasn’t any question about these dates.”

Jamil scribbled down years of the most important magic wars, from time to time looking at you who were listing some test exercises and feeling somehow unmotivated to even properly open a history book.

Your notebook was lying in front of you, today’s lesson topic on the top of the page and many detailed doodles on its margin.

Once again... what was the unit you are having an exam about?

“It doesn’t mean, we won’t get a question about that,” Jamil tried to convince you, sliding textbook your way. “Now, read that aloud, while I prepare notes.”

You blinked twice as if woken up from daydreaming. Were you daydreaming?

“Are you sure..? I mean, all I will do is reading. Wouldn’t you rather want us to read it silently and then share our notes after this?”

“Don’t think about it much. I really like your voice,” he said it so thoughtlessly you weren’t sure if said it as an unarguable fact or just his smooth talker abilities were showing off, “and gave me your notes for the last exam so we’re even. And you won’t do any good notes when you’re sulking over this exam like that.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

8.   Remind him to take breaks.

“You won’t get out of here,” you exclaimed spreading your arms as shielding a door from him. “Not a chance.”

Jamil stood a feet next to you, grimace stretching on his lips as he knew what’s coming up.

“I have to go, [Name].”

He tried to get through you, lightly removing you of his way. He wasn’t a fan of using force on anyone, and he was a hater of using force on you.

Much more than a speakable argument, you were pushing each other closer or further from the door, having a staring contest and reciting all the things he had done in the past two days; except for his daily duties and with the upcoming birthday party of few students of Scarabia who happen to have a celebration in the same day, the number of tasks he was given was overwhelming.

“Stop it!” you protested, trying to push him back. “I am seriously worried about you! Please... take a break.”

Every time he was coming closer to the exit, you stepped back, blocking his way, bumping into him and having to try again.

“You know I have a lot of work to do,” he said, finally stepping back and giving you a break from trying to separate him from the door. “I can’t just give up all my duties, even if I would love a break.”

“I can do it for you,” you quickly offered. “But please, now, go to sleep and don’t you dare touch anything related to school or cleaning.”

...What a weird request.

When was the last time anyone told him to take a break?

He doesn’t remember.

But now, he can say it was recently, all thanks to you.

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

9.   Promise.

It was really hard for him once all his hard work to keep a high position within the dorm students suddenly dropped after his overblot accident.

“[Name]...”

However, the thing he regretted the most was hurting you. Taking the whole dorm under his unique magic spell, the hypnosis also affected you, making you another servant of his. Even you weren’t the one he ordered a lot, you felt betrayed that even the friendship you two developed didn’t stop him from overblotting.

And if he knew that you would avoid him like fire after the accident, he would probably hesitate a lot.

His throat tightened as he saw you one day in the corridor, looking somehow lonely and tired. He dashed to you, beseeching you to talk to him.

“Sorry for asking, but, Jamil, you don’t hate me, right?” you asked with a pain in your voice. You couldn’t even look at his face, feeling the incomprehensible weight in your gaze. “I mean... Do you only act in front of me friendly? ...Like... with Kalim..?”

“No, no, no,” he protested quickly, making it almost sound like a plea. He gently grabbed your hands, praying that you won’t harshly jerk them back because of him. “I don’t hate you. I really like you. I mean every word I said to you.”

The feeling of release struck you like thunder, you took a big breath, your eyes watering. You slowly reached for his touch, finally ending in a hug.

Jamil ran his fingers through your hair, smelling a familiar, reassuring scent of yours. After a while, he whispered a question.

“So... could you please not avoid me anymore? I know it will be hard to bring up the same relationship we had, but... could you give me a second chance?”

“Okay. But under one condition,” you said, slightly backing off from him. Before he could wonder about the term you would require from him, you finished your thought. “You must be honest with me. I... don’t know what will I do if it all turned to be a play...”

“I will,” he replied, putting his whole heart in these two words. “I will always be honest with you. And won’t ever use my unique magic on you.”

You looked up at him, a small smile starting to rise and heart-throbbing more wilder with his words. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎

10.            Make him confess.

“What are you doing this weekend?”

Jamil appeared in front of you, almost like popping out of nowhere, as you were done with today’s lessons and slowly heading to your dorm. He caught up with you, changing his pace to match yours.

“I have no plans. I will be probably sleeping or something,” you answered honestly, shrugging and reminding yourself that you should finally hang out with some people from your class to make sure your social life isn’t all over dead.

You were walking in quietly before Jamil broke silence and spoke up again.

“Would you like to go somewhere?” he asked his voice only giving a hint of nervousness—it was nothing compared to the stress he felt inside. It was just a “yes or no” question, he knew that he will meet in future many amazing people like you and shouldn’t be stressed, but having someone so dear to him being asked for a meeting where he will try to finally out find his feeling... it is stressful.

“Hehe~ what, are you asking me on the date?” you teased, but much more than mocking, you were hoping for an answer. For the honest answer, he promised you.

“...And what if I am?” he asked, his voice a bit hushed, but steady.

You felt how heat was coming all the way up to your cheeks, although you tried your best not to let anything more, as if a blush wasn’t obvious enough, know how excited and spellbound you are.

“Then, your wish is my command.”

[andromachos]

Hi big fan could you write an imagine for phantom blood dio with an anemic reader ^_^

PB!Dio Brando with an anemic S/O

tags: angst, hurt, comfort, empowerment

You met him when he took over your village. He had killed countless in gruesome ways. He didn't just drink from them, but instead, since he was recently graduated, he wanted to put on his studies for good use.

He captured the villagers and made them increasingly complex questions about hypothetical legal situations. All of them were loopholes he loved exploring. The people were relieved when they were killed.

Or so you heard. What mattered was that you were being brought to him by two zombies. They forcibly shove you into kneeling. He was comfortly manspreading, several books around him.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A precious little dolly is before me" he says, his voice so sweet and deadly. He flips around some pages and makes several noises of delight as he reads, kicking his legs too. He's a bookaholic.

"Tell me, little lamb, would you instantly believe the accused if they made an insanity claim, without a psychological exam before?"

You start breathing really hard. Everything pointed out to yes, because who would plead insanity? But then your quick mind realises that that was the very own situation he planned to put you through.

"You have to doubt it. If there's no concrete proof, it's possible the accused is lying, or being forced to claim it. They might even be buying time with the evaluation so their lawyer can come up with a better defense"

He closes his book, eyes shinning. "Excellent answer. Now tell me, how much time would the acussed buy with that move? And what are the legal processes you should do in the meantime?"

Sweat begins pouring down your temples. How could you know that, you were a Victorian commoner?!

"Don't know it, huh? Come here, read this bit to get a hint"

But you didn't stand up.

"Hohoh, so you aren't standing up"

"No..." you admit. He gets up and angrily stalks towards you but you finish your sentence. "I don't think I can. I'm anemic"

Dio was flabbergasted. He had never met an anemic person before.

I, the writer, want to assure you this sadistic serial killer is open minded, so I begin describing what is like to be anemic and how he reacts to it, in a way that you, who is anemic because you requested what an anemic person would, find condensending. I'll doxx you and send my followers against you if you criticize me btw 💜

"I see. But blood types don't matter to me. Every mortal is a blood bag at the end of the day"

"Yeah!" you cheer, feeling accepted. But you lose your balance.

Dio quickly catches you in his arms and looks at your dizzy face.

You were so fragile in his arms. He has never felt this way before.

"So you lack iron in your blood?" (see how much research I did? 😤). He carried you away, bridalstyle.

He gently laid you on his bed, and a flinch of fondness goes through his eyes. No! Dio Brando has great plans and he has to carry them through! He can't feel... things for this feeble mortal.

He brings every piece of metal jewelry he has and starts putting it on you. By the time you realize you had several rings in each finger, at least 20 rosaries, several metal objects just put on you like they were coins and you a cornerstore cat, and a crown. You have never had so much luxury.

He lifts you up again, his big male shoujo eyes looking at you. "Better now, pet?"

You bring him in for a kiss. He corresponds.

"This is lovely, but you aren't thinking this will put iron back in my blood right? Can you bring me some lentils please?"

Dio is heartbroken. "No, no, of course I knew that" He was a lawyer, not a biologist for fuck's sake. "Foolish mortal!"

He drinks from you, angrily. No one humiliates Dio Brando!

But he has to quickly set you down. Now he is the one on the floor, coughing, spitting your blood out and overall suffering.

Could this be-?

"It was you, y/n" he exclaims. "You were the Phantom Blood!"

[cheekygreenty]

Hi, I just saw your prompt list for Shadow&Bone!! could you possibly do No. 2 from Angst, but like with a happy ending? Like reader n Kirigan are togeather but then Alina's comes along.. just, please let be happy at the end. I like angst, but my heart can't handle sad endings 😢😢 thank you!!! ❤❤

Future- The Darkling x Reader

(Very very angsty with a happy (?) ending. It made me cry a lil bit writing it ngl)

You trusted him, wholeheartedly. At least that's what you told yourself every day since she came to the Little Palace; the place you had always called home, where you felt safe from the prying eyes of the public.

Yet now, the place was fueled by harsh rumors of him and her. Everywhere you went you could hear a whisper, nobody tried to hide it anymore, the words were always entirely devoted to your crumbling union;

'I thought they were happy'

We were.

'How can he and Alina not be together, it's destiny.'

I'm starting to think so too.

You didn't acknowledge it. Just put on a sweet smile and a brave face. Don't let them see you're hurting. Even in your own home, you had to pretend and lie, which at the end of the day, when you laid in an empty bed, made you exhausted.

He told you she meant nothing more to him than a mere weapon. But that was when she first came and when he still managed to make it to your shared chambers and would whisper sweet nothings as you fell asleep.

It was different now, on more than one occasion you caught a glimpse of them together, him looking at her the way he always looked at you. However much he claimed to be a good actor and manipulator, there was something there and he couldn't deny it either.

You hadn't confronted him about it yet fearing that if you did, the truth would hurt and sting and make all those rumors true. In addition, you haven't seen him in days and the last time you did, he told you to stay away from the wonderful Sun-Summoner.

The truth was you knew deep down in your heart that she wasn't at fault. That she was not the root of the problem. You constantly fought with yourself to stop any hatred you felt towards her. She was lovely, kind compassionate, and innocent. She didn't deserve to feel your wrath.

But with that came the confusion of who to blame. You or Him. It made you tired and weak. The smallest of tasks made you drained and tears would well in your eyes at the thought of having to live another day like this, a day full of questioning yourself and the man you loved more than anything in the world.

No matter how much of a strong person you swore you were, this was taking a substantial toll on you. He had become your support network and he knew it, he loved it. He always said he finally felt appreciated when you came around, that he wasn't alone anymore. He had conditioned you to be this way. When times got tough, he was always your shoulder to cry on.

No doubt that shoulder was now next to Alina. Perhaps they went on a horse ride, visited the Black Heretic fountain, or were enjoying a rendezvous next to the lake.

You didn't want to know, all that mattered was that he wasn't there with you when you were falling apart. Maybe you relied on him too much.

You wondered if he noticed the whispers too, or the way you'd been missing crucial meetings, or even if he noticed you wearing your red kefta more often, ditching the black once you'd heard Genya speak of making a golden-black kefta for Alina, per the Darkling's request.

That was a punch in the gut. It hurt more than him avoiding conversation with you or even his deterrence of touching you. He had bestowed his colors to her when not even three months ago he didn't know she existed. It had taken you a long time to gain his trust and don his signature black yet all she had to do was waltz in and show up. And it hurt.

And now here you were, training the next generation of heartrenderers, as you did almost every day. You had given your life to the Little Palace and its Grisha and this is how you were being repaid. Not even Ivan, who you had shaped into an excellent soldier, had looked your way lately.

'Excuse me Ms. Y/L/N I have an urgent request from the General' You whipped your head around to the young Grisha boy with an obviously hurt look on your face which he couldn't understand.

'Of course' you choked out and took the piece of paper from his hands and watched him in sorrow as he left.

Ms.Y/L/N? what happened to moya sovereignny? You were never one to uphold the formality, but this was just another blow to your confidence. You were no longer referred to as his other half which only meant your position in the palace was quickly dwindling.

You opened the wax-sealed envelope and took out the thick sheet of paper. There was a time when he himself would deliver the news to you himself and use it as an excuse to spend extra time with you.

'I cannot make it to the meeting with the King this evening, attend and report back to me anything relevant, no horse business'

You scoffed loudly, drawing attention from the young Corporalki around you and leaned on the table in front of you. Not even a please or thank you. With the note clutched in your hand and tears of frustration in your eyes, you stormed out of the Corporalki room and towards his war room.

You peeked through the open door and seen him. He didn't look at all busy as he chatted with Zoya, Ivan, Fedyor, and some other Squaller you didn't recognize. Zoya threw her head back in laughter at something Fedyor said but Aleksander kept his stony expression. You threw the door open dramatically and everyone froze.

'Leave us' you cautioned as Aleksander's onyx eyes looked right into your own.

Nobody moved but Zoya was the first to speak ' Y/N, we're actually in a meeting if you couldn't tell' while everyone nodded along, except him.

You never had anything against anyone in that room, but in that moment you couldn't help yourself and used your small science to bring everyone to their knees in front of you, except him.

'Leave us' His voice rang out in the midst of their sharp breaths and chest-clutching. They scrambled to their feet and left one by one, Fedyor quietly muttering 'moya sovereignny' as he passed you which filled you with some courage. The door shut and the sound echoed over the walls.

You threw the note across the room and let it hit his arm. 'Did you forget your manners General? Or does it only apply to the people you claim to love?'

'Funny you should say that Y/N, you haven't attended any meetings in weeks without providing a reason. You're making me look like a fool'

'I'M MAKING YOU LOOK LIKE A FOOL?!' Your tears were now streaming down your face, falling quicker than you could wipe them away.

He stayed silent and that broke your heart even more, he could've said something, anything.

'Aleksander, I'm trying to keep myself together for everyone, I'm trying so very hard to appear normal and happy but I don't think I can do this any longer. The whispers and the rumors, watching you and her-' You slid down the door and sat on the floor, head resting on your knees. '-It's getting to me.... and it's killing me.'

You thanked the Saints you didn't see his face, for the silence spoke for itself. He didn't deny anything or reach out to comfort you. I've lost him.

'All I wanted was a happy ending.' You laughed a sad laugh that pulled at his heartstrings. With your eyes still facing away from him, you didn't see his hand go up to wipe the lone tear that fell down his face or the slight shake in his hands as he did so. He had no words that would comfort you. He knew what he'd done. He'd been avoiding you ever since he realized it. He didn't want to see you cry or see how his actions affected you.

Telling you that it means nothing to him was of no use. You had it in your mind now, forever engrained around his name, the rumors wouldn't stop and Alina was still around. He truly felt nothing of importance for her. All she meant for him was a key to a better future with you.

He approached you slowly, getting down on his knees next to you. He took your hand in his and held it up to his lips. He never prayed, but right now he silently muttered words to all the Saints. Don't let her leave.

'I'm so sorry Darling. Y/N I love you so much.'

'But you love her more' You yanked your hands away.

'NO. no. Y/N. I swear it. You are everything to me' He had grown serious now, he wanted you to look at him. He missed you.

'Then explain why you're parading her around like a Queen, letting her wear your colors, probably sleeping in her bed'

'I have never toucher her in that way. I'm yours Y/N.' Please look at me.

You lifted your head and looked at his beautiful face. He too looked tired, exhausted. His eyes were red and puffy. Saints, I've never seen him cry.

'You will have a happy ending. I promise Darling' He took your face into his hands and connected your foreheads together. 'I promise. I'm doing everything I can to make sure you will, and even if I can't, I swear you will you and our children-'

Children. Aleksander never spoke of them to the point where you had settled with the idea you'll never have them. Something about the desperation in his voice made you believe him, Aleksander was strong, he never gave up but he also never sacrificed himself for anybody. Up until now, you didn't think yourself worthy enough to be saved in exchange for him.

'-I would give up everything to see you and them safe, away from harm's way. Right now, the world doesn't deserve them, but once I do what I have to do, I'll give you children. However many you want, Just stay. Please'

You were borderline hysterical as you melted into his embrace. Weeks of frustration and hurt disappeared into thin air. Aleksander held you so tight you were having trouble breathing but you didn't care. He held you all day and all night. All meetings and tasks forgotten.

He explained everything in detail, from the stag and firebird to what happens if things don't go to plan. He kept nothing from you, not even the stress and pressure he felt. You comforted him as he always does to you. You fell asleep together and dreamed of a life with a happy ending, one where you never had to doubt his motives, you dreamed of your future.

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