#(AND MAYBE HE WOULD'VE REALIZED OR HAD SUSPICIONS)

[mistrdctr]

@ssolessurvivor asked: Logan often gets overly emotional after they share a night together, but nothing hits him worse than when he knows he has to leave, to let Stephen have his day ahead of him. "I don't know if I ever told you." Logan muses, speaking quietly against the sheets with his hair splayed against the pillow, gazing into those eyes. "Thank you, for saving my life those years ago." A hand has gone on Stephen's cheek and his thumb idly strokes the skin there. "I know you were a different man, but I wanted you to know. Thank you." He's almost sheepishly blushing now, leaning into the pillow though his multi-colored eye still holds his love's gaze.

The sun is barely out yet, leaving the bedroom in some sort of almost-but-not-quite darkness, the first rays of light shining in through the big windows to the right; Stephen is facing the one who he is sharing his bed with at the very moment, eyes still a little heavy-lidded from sleep but very much awake already.

They are sharing some soft kisses, some innocent touches - a cheek is covered by a soft palm, and scarred fingers trail along the shape of a shoulder in return - when Logan speaks, breaking the silence between them that has existed for a while now---

---And Strange blinks, stopping his movements as a hint of surprise crosses is barely-lit features.

He has to think about it, to realize what the younger speaks about - he does not get it, not at first, which causes his dark brows to knit for a second as confusion sets in, bright eyes flicking along the blonde's features in search for an answer, before, finally, a set of full lips part in realization.

Logan. The young man in front of him - Stephen knows him.

He knows him from back in the day when he has been working as a neurosurgeon still; Asked to attend a very complicated emergency surgery that needed to be done on a severely injured patient coming straight from space, a man who was the only survivor of a true desaster having happened back on that moon Mimas---

Now, suddenly, just like that, everything makes a lot of sense.

The scars make sense, scattered all along that handsome man's body. His reactions to seeing Stephen in varying states of roughness make sense. The feeling of already having met him before - that also makes sense now. A lot.

And the sorcerer blinks, brows lifted in surprise, feeling a sudden wave of guilt and shame flooding him like a tidal wave; How did he not think about... this? How did he not realize that this man, this soul, is the very same one he's operated on a long time ago, together with other well-known surgeons, fighting hard to keep him alive and not have him die on their table?

"...Logan, I...", he starts, momentarily unsure how to proceed. A pause follows, scarred fingers now making their way to a beautiful face, cupping a cheek in return while his thumb traces the shape of a cheekbone. "---I'm sorry I... didn't realize that you--- I... I just didn't think---"

He should have, but Strange did not. How long did Logan know about him having been one of the doctors...?

Blinking again, a set of bight eyes closing momentarily, the sorcerer shifts a bit closer - then lifts his chin, just so that he is able to press a soft kiss against the blonde's forehead, allowing it to linger for a few seconds.

"...I'm just a stupid dumbass sometimes. I knew you felt familiar, in a way, seeing your face - I just never connected the dots. It's been a while..."

That he is. Will always be, no matter how many titles he manages to gain in his life, no matter whether he will ever end up as a sorcerer supreme or some shit. He's still Stephen, still the man he always used to be, albeit changed. In some parts, at least.

"And please - don't thank me. I swore an oath to cause no harm. It was my job to try my very best to keep you alive - and to make sure your injuries were treated."

Lips separate themselves from the other's forehead, the tip of a nose brushing against Logan's own, eyes remaining closed.

"---I'm so glad you're here, and that you... recovered. That you made it." It's a whisper, but it is deeply heartfelt and sincere as it slips from between Strange's teeth, breathed out into the small space between them.

[maple-the-awesome]

The Chain Meets You, His Partner || 2/3

Part 1 || Part 3

Pairing: Hyrule, Sky, Wind x GN! Reader

Requested by @temporarilyablog: i see requests are open still so im coming to you with a thought i had recently:how about a Link from the Chain interacting with the reader, another Link's s/o from their original adventures, when *their* Link isn't around. i can see some teasing another Link with the reader that they've only known through little stories here and here, or others grilling the reader relentlessly because another Link was so shy about their relationship and partner, and wants to know how that Link is like around someone he allows himself to relax.its kinda like when the Chain met Malon for the first time and interacted with her for stories about old man Timeand as always stay awesome, i love your writing!

Zelda Masterlist 💙Fandom Masterlist

Concerningly delighted or eerily eager - the Chain can’t quite agree on which descriptor best described their teammate the best once he realized they had all landed in his Hyrule. Bubbling with excitement ever since while maintaining a pace some of the other boys have to jog after, Link doesn’t waste breath saying where he’s leading them, although that giddy smile upon his face - as much as he tries to hide it - is plenty for the wiser heroes to get the hint…

Hyrule's time is 'rough around the edges', to put it easily, not that it can't be expected considering all the stories he's rather casually told the others about regarding both his world and adventures. Even the Kingdom's Castle - usually a centerpiece to the land - is beaten down and, in most aspects, less...impressive compared to what most of the heroes are accustomed to seeing, although for a simple traveler like Hyrule, it still holds quite a bit of significance.

"I just want to speak to the Sovereign before we move on - to let them know why I've been away," He rambles his explanation to the Chain, his outward emotions suddenly undergoing yet another change. His once untroubled smile becomes wary, his hands unstill as he fidgets with his sleeves. That prior excitement he had held when first suggesting they even go to the Castle has now turned into what the other heroes misjudge to be poorly hidden nerves, "I don't want them to be left assuming I'm dead in a ditch somewhere."

"Makes sense," Warrior nods, keeping a careful eye on Hyrule's behavior. Being a captain in charge of so many, he can spot a shift in confidence from a mile away, "You have been gone for a while."

"We're not going to be - I don't know - arrested on the spot or anything, right?" Legend asks, his focus more on the guards who maintain obvious glaring suspicions towards the group despite allowing them inside once confirming their famed hero's identity. 

"Why would we be arrested?"

"You mentioned how much of a hardass your Sovereign can be," The Vet clarifies with a casual shrug, "And a paranoid one, too, if these guards leave anything to the imagination. Leaders like that don't usually need much reason to throw someone in a dungeon. Nine random heroes showing up while claiming to be from different timelines, all chasing some shadow lizard through magic portals? We'll sound insane."

Hyrule frowns and maybe even takes some offense to Legend's observations which is why his rebuttal is so swift, "They -...They aren't like that! The previous King died suddenly. They were forced to take on the throne without much notice and at a young age, too! After everything Ganon put this kingdom through - Of course they're going to be paranoid, but they're reasonable and fair. There's nothing to worry about. Besides, we don't have to mention the exact reasoning for our meeting. I just...I would just like to see them while I can…"

The red on Hyrule's cheeks would've no doubt been noticed if not for the Chain's collective attention being stolen elsewhere, focused upon a pair of large doors that open into the Castle's throne room. Inside, a series of guards line the walls and at the opposite end sits the very subject of their conversation.

Your expression is stern and cold as you sit upon your claim dressed in expensive, colorful garments fitting for a proper monarch of your time. The golden crown upon your head shimmers in torch light, yet its glow is quickly outshined by your eyes which go wide with delight once you recognize your hero amongst this crowd of ragtag travelers. 

"Link…!" In an instant, you rise, your smile as grand as your divine beauty. Whether you gracefully walk or float down the stairs, there would be no visual difference. What is true is that you meet Hyrule at the bottom of those four measly steps, welcoming him with a strong embrace he's eager to return.

"...Your Majesty..." He doesn't realize just how quiet his voice is, whispered beside your ear as he forgets about the world while in your arms again. Oh, how he's missed this feeling!

The Chain is left in awe - No, it would be more accurate to say they're completely dumbfounded. Hyrule has always spoken favorably about the Royal Family of his time, tying especially pleasant compliments to the kingdom’s head. As stern as he admits you can appear, only good things have been attached to your name from your wise leadership to the love you hold towards your people, however not once - not a single murmur or breath - had ever dared mention your very apparent fondness for each other which certainly goes beyond the ordinary relationship of a monarch and their realm’s savior.

Even after your embrace, it's obvious that you hold nothing except the greatest of affections towards your hero. You look at him as if he's the sun that gives your kingdom life; the courage that keeps you going despite such challenging times. Hyrule's, of course, no better when it comes to you. It's not until now that his friend's realize they're previous mistake in assuming he was afraid to see you. No, that wasn't fear before, it was shyness. The thought of you had him feeling both delighted and sheepish. Now that he's here, though, his grin is uncontrollable. 

"Your Majesty, I'd like to meet the friends I've been traveling with -"

"- A Sovereign?! You're dating the freaking Sovereign and you didn't think to mention that small detail earlier?!" Legend suddenly shouts, demolishing the silence that had befallen the Chain.

He can’t help it! He feels utterly scammed! Hyrule had told everyone a great deal about his kingdom’s Sovereign, yet had only confessed to his predecessor during a late night heart-to-heart that he holds deep feelings towards a mysterious someone back home; someone he fears telling of his secret endearment. Not once - Not a single damn time - had he so much as let on that they’re the same person!

Legend isn’t sure what strikes his nerves more: the fact that Hyrule would be dumb enough not to add the important context that it’s royalty he’s in love with or that he’s dense enough to somehow believe you don’t love him back despite it being clear you’re totally whipped for him! Is he blind? Completely and utterly dull in the brain?!

Poor Hyrule's whole face explodes in red after Legend's outburst, and his condition is made no better when the others add in their own comments to this already awkward situation.

"Now it makes sense why you wanted to come here so badly," Wild nods in understanding, having previously been confused as to why Hyrule would care to go out of his way to let the royal family know of his whereabouts if he had no ties to them.

"To think our humble traveler could land a monarch. I mean, good for you and all," Warrior crosses his arms with a smirk, hoping to mask his slight jealousy.

The Traveler is left stammering for a response, finding himself suddenly overwhelmed.

"‘Dating’? Well, this is certainly news to me," You frown with a hand placed delicately above your heart. Turning to your hero, you can only look betrayed, "Link, I would've hoped you'd tell me. I could've cleared more of my schedule to be with you in that case."

"E-EH?!"

"And all those suitors the advisors have been arranging - I’ll have to tell them to abandon their efforts! Excellent, seeing as I didn’t truly care for their match-making attempts,” You huff, not giving Hyrule anytime to explain himself as you get right to business, waving your maid over to make a note, “But that should free up a considerable amount of my time…Will you and your friends be staying long? I can have the kitchen staff whip up a nice feast for later if you do.”

“Um -”

“- Can we?! My feet are aching!” Wind whines, practically deflating on the spot. The only thing holding him up is Warrior who scowls at his poor manners and forces him to stand upright.

Time is quick to step in front of the group and bow, hoping you dismiss their lack of grace, “If you don’t mind, Your Majesty. We wouldn’t want to trouble you.”

“Not at all. It isn't often that we receive guests. I’ll have word sent to the kitchen right away. In the meantime, Lady Impa here can show you to a room where you may rest,” You finish writing on the paper she holds, allowing her to take both the paper and quill before once again giving your full attention to the travelers, “I have a meeting with the Zora Queen in precisely ten minutes, but following that the rest of my afternoon should be clear.”

You then face Hyrule, smirking at his flustered state, “Once that meeting is over, my time is yours, Link, if you wish to fill me in on your recent endeavors. I must say, I’m particularly interested in learning just how long we’ve supposedly been dating for.”

“...R - Right…Of course…” The poor boy squeaks, unable to process many thoughts beyond the feeling of his face overheating when you press a quick kiss to his cheek before leaving the room with your guards. Even the weight of Legend’s arm over his shoulder is barely enough to break him from his trance when the past hero leans in with a smug whisper:

“You’re welcome, buddy.”

From the moment he first stepped through that last portal, Sky has been radiating with pure glee. Anyone could understand why. He’s finally returned to Skyloft, a place he’s been missing so dearly ever since the start of this adventure months ago. Of course, home isn’t the only thing he’s been dying to be apart from.

Most of the other Links have long taken notice to Sky’s heartache which has been poorly hidden behind dreary melodies played on his harp and heaps of carved projects to distract from lonesome silence; somebody’s been on his mind, their absences from his life slowly driving him insane despite his efforts to remain focused.

That said, it’s no wonder that Sky is excited to be home again, moving at a hasty pace some assumed he’d be incapable of. Even the jolly greetings and curious questions from locals don’t slow him down much, his steps swift in bringing him to the doorstep of a brightly colored home no different from the many others that surround it, but it’s still special for what it holds inside.

There’s a short internal debate to be seen on Sky’s face - one where he hesitates to open the door because wouldn’t that be rude to simply invite himself into someone else’s house unannounced? Then again, it’s not like proper manners have ever stopped him before, and they won’t start today. He decides to impatiently let himself in. Forgiveness can be sought after later.

Every ache of his travel-worn body and each gloomy thought surrounding his collective adventures melt away like magic by the mere sight of you. You must’ve just been about to leave - that or you recently arrived home, because you’re still in your knight’s uniform, caught mid-adjusting your belt when you look up at the man standing in your doorway.

Surprised for sure, yet it’s also a welcomed feeling when you rush to meet your lover half-way. There’s no words for the amount of joy you feel in holding him tight, possibly even shedding a few tears as he decorates your face in dozens of butterfly kisses, one for each second he’s thought of you while apart.

It takes some time and a loud clearing of someone’s throat for the Hero of Sky to remember his companions who all wait awkwardly around the doorway. Even when snapped out of his trance, he’s still grinning ear-to-ear like a lovestruck fool, his arm unmoving from where it remains wrapped around your waist as he introduces you.

Needless to say, it’s nice to finally be able to put a face to the name sighed so often. You’re sociable and polite, yet if that sword upon your back is any indication, you must be a strong fighter to have secured yourself a position amongst the knights of Skyloft.

To the Chain’s luck, it turns out you had just arrived home which grants them plenty of time to bend your ear. They have lots of questions, their curiosity only being natural since your place on the timeline is so different from their own. They ask about your life in the clouds, job as a knight, and most importantly, your relationship with Sky who’s thrilled to expand upon such a wonderful topic himself by sharing his own honored memories.

“‘seems our Skylofian here is truly whipped,” Twilight chuckles at the end of Sky’s latest story, although truthfully he’s starting to have trouble hiding his boredom. 

At this point, Sky’s been rambling about his affections towards you for well over an hour, sparing no detail from your first meeting as children to practically each and every date you’ve shared since becoming more than friends. As happy as the boys are for him - truly, they are - they do have their limits for how much lovey-dovey they can take in one day. Legend in particular looks like he’s seconds away from banging his head against the table.

“I am~” Sky exhales lovingly while staring at you with hearts in his eyes. You find his attention endearing and give his hand a squeeze as it sits intertwined with yours on your lap.

“So, when’s the wedding?” Time queries, half-teasing and half-genuine.

“Oh, I don’t know…” You scratch the back of your head bashfully, but when your attention falls back to Sky, you find him still staring at you, this time with a pout no different from a baby remlit’s. Rolling your eyes, you lean into him with a dramatized sigh, “He’d have to ask me first, but I’m hoping being around you eight will give him the courage to do so soon. We’re only getting older, after all.”

“Why drag your feet? You’re clearly in love.”

“You’ve got a willin’ partner right here. No need to hesitate.”

“You know, we’ve passed a few merchants who sell rings during our journey.”

“Yeah, cheaply made ones. If you want something fancy, Castle Town is the place to go.”

“Not too fancy. A simple yet well-thought out gesture can go a long way.”

“A strong protection spell wouldn’t hurt, though.”

“I know a Gerudo who handcrafts the most beautiful jewelry. If we end up in my Hyrule, I could introduce you.”

“Oh, or Tetra’s crew has a TON of jewelry! Maybe you can find a nice ring in their stash?”

Sky laughs awkwardly as the other heroes suddenly bombard him with their ‘helpful’ suggestions, chattering away as they begin putting together the pieces for a proper proposal. When he glances your way, you’re not-so-subtly hiding your amused smile behind your hand, clearly looking forward to whatever plan they end up holding him to later. Hopefully, you won’t have to wait long to find out.

Wind’s destination isn’t too far from the last portal opened which is good because the others have a hard time keeping up with the younger boy who effortlessly dashes across the deep sand-covered beach, heading directly to one of the few huts on this small island they’ve found themselves on.

He doesn’t wait for his companions to catch up. He might not have even noticed they fell behind. His focus is primarily on reaching home, practically overboiling with excitement at the prospect of seeing his family again. It’s always a relief for his dear grandmother to see him safe, shedding many tears as she hugs her grandson with a grip unthought of for a little old woman. 

Wind’s grandmother has a list of questions she asks at the speed of light which must not be unusual seeing as he answers each just as skillfully, telling her where he’s been, who he’s been with, and confirming that yes, he’s well fed. Of course, it’s only natural that the same questions are also asked of each and every hero who steps through her front door, after all, curiosity is second only to her naturally nurturing spirit. Who cares how old some of them are? No matter the age, they’re no different than her grandson in her eyes!

A sudden shrill of jubilation scares the group half to death mere milliseconds before a small girl comes racing through the front door, leaping into her older brother’s arms with similar cries about how much she’s missed him. She’s followed by another adult who’s much calmer in their approach, yet nevertheless gleefully smiling as they eagerly accept their turn in hugging the teen while welcoming him home.

You attend to Wind tenderly, quickly pulling away from the hug to check over his face and account for any new scars. Your hand then lingers on his cheek as you sigh at his smiled reassurances, looking down upon him with an amount of love and care not too far off from how his own grandmother had.

It’s only after ensuring his well-being that you address his traveling companions. You’re barely fazed by the large group when you introduce yourself, having become accustomed to Wind’s strange ability to make friends with almost anyone during his adventures. They seem to be a bunch of respectable young men, anyway, judging on their politeness, and as you tell them, friends of Wind’s are always welcomed.

After introductions - which are short seeing as most in this room share the same name - Wind’s grandmother suggests a tour be given to your visitors. Being such a small community on a more lonesome edge of the map, newcomers are rare, so Wind and Aryall immediately leap at the chance to show their new friends around the island that they love. Who would you be to deny their adorable puppy-dog eyes?

Realistically, there isn’t that much to see aside from a few landmarks, interesting locals, and a population of chubby pigs, however if there’s any benefit to being surrounded by an ocean, it’s that there’s lots of good places to swim and seeing as most of the Links are long overdue for some quality time spent as normal teenagers, they’re happy for the break. 

Most of the boys partake in jumping from the rocks to see who can create the biggest splash, although Legend and Sky favor staying on land to help Aryall build a sandcastle for her seagull friends. You, meanwhile, relax in the sun, keeping a careful eye on all activities which has simply become second nature to you at this point. While Wind may be a fourteen-year-old who has sailed across the entire ocean, you don’t think you’ll ever stop worrying for his safety.

“Those kids seem rather fond of you.”

You glance up to the oldest Link of the group - you believe you heard the other’s refer to him as ‘Time’ - as he invites himself to sit next to you in the sand. Despite several pleas for the other boys, he had turned down their attempts at getting him in the water. Maybe for the best, since they’re now starting to toss each other off the rocks.

“I would hope so. I’ve known them both since before they could walk.”

“I take it you’re their guardian?”

Humming at his observation, you turn back to watch the younger kids and teens, “...People on our island have always kept an eye out for each other, but…Well, when Link and Aryall’s parents passed, I guess you could say I felt extra inclined to help. 

“I don’t have any family of my own here and there’s only so much their poor grandma can do at her age. Unfortunately, keeping up with two lively kids can be a struggle for her, so I’ve done what I can to remove some of that stress from her shoulders. With no kids of my own, I have the time and quite frankly, I enjoy the opportunity to feel…-”

“- To feel like a parent?”

“...Yeah…” You frown, pulling your knees to your chest with a sigh, “Of course, I don’t go around calling myself that. I wouldn’t want to overstep any boundaries, you know? Especially not for Link. Aryall - She was so young when they lost their parents, so I think it’s always been easier for her to see me as fitting the role, but Link…He was five. He still remembers them, so I doubt he’ll ever exactly see me as any kind of replacement.” 

“I wouldn’t say that,” Time objects kindly, following your gaze out to where Wind fights to wiggle himself out of Warrior’s grip. Seconds before he can be pushed off the rock, Wild and Twilight come up behind the two, shoving Warrior overboard just as Wind slips away, “I suppose I can’t speak directly for him, but I can say he refers to you as his parent quite frequently around us.”

“...Does he?” You blink in surprise. Wind’s never said anything in particular that would make you think he sees you in that light, but now that you think about it, when you first met Tetra, she referred to you as Wind’s parent, too. Did she say it out of mistaken observation like you assumed then or because Wind told her?

“From the sounds of it, you’ve made quite the impact on his life, one he admires greatly.”

You once again look back to the group, catching Wind’s eyes. He perks up, immediately waving as he shouts for you ‘Watch this!’ before running and leaping into the water with a giant cannonball and nearly on top of Warrior’s head much to the older boy’s annoyance. Once resurfacing, he searches for your attention and beams when he finds your proud smile reflecting back at him.

You’re thankful that he becomes distracted by the other boys jumping in, because as soon as he looks away, you can feel yourself becoming teary eyed. Perhaps you’ve been overthinking things this entire time. You were so focused on giving him space and not forcing a relationship that you failed to pick up on the little signs that he’s already accepted you. Wind has always been close to you, never shying away from hugs after his adventures while always seeking both your attention and approval; something he only does with his family.

[throwaway-yandere]

Apotheosis Upon Your First Feast (Yandere!Wanderer & Pantalone/Reader)

Commissioned by: @leftdestiny-posts/@eternally-frozen (ilysm. Feel free to kill me later lmao)

unreliable synopsis: After being reassigned to Vanarana when your previous coworker became the Acting Grand Sage, with the help of Ararycan, you reunited met a wanderer on an abandoned machine. Unfortunately for someone, your childhood friend "Pantalone" has ears and eyes everywhere. (Avoid this fic if you’re not a fan of dark content. It’s not too dark but your mental health matters!) 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please use the InteractiveFics extension and change “(Y/n)” to whatever name you want, “[Wanderer]” to his chosen name, and lastly, also change “(wood/salt)” to… whichever option you feel like. It’s a surprise mechanic *wink*. If you're reading this on a phone, just pick between wood or salt right now, keep your choice in mind and commit to it : )

Afterwards, would you be so kind as to answer this fun poll after reading the fic? Danke ♡

“Why doesn't Nara (Y/n) eat what Arasaka prepares for them? Does Nara (Y/n) lack appetite lately?”

“O-Oh, well, that’s…” You paused, looking down at the broth, “in all honesty, your cooking tastes bland…”

“H-Huh?!”

Time had passed since Lesser Lord Kusanali's official ascent to power and now is the fifth month since you first made friends with the Aranaras. Many events took place before you found your pyro vision becoming Arasaka's torch as they cooked– and if any of your coworkers saw you now, they probably wouldn’t identify you as Alhaitham’s (only) friend and Ex-Sage Azar’s lazy employee.

Maybe they would've if you helped Alhaitham and his teammates secure Sumeru’s future.

Sure, your name isn’t listed in the coup d’etat, but that’s only because you wished for the Akademiyan scholars to make the epiphany for themselves. As Azar’s ex-assistant, you laid low from projects as a prerequisite so that the populace may acquire a personality of their own to make the nation truly deserving of the title “Land of Wisdom.” 

Alas, that did not happen.

Alhaitham’s tactics were not wrong, but you felt like his group spoonfed Sumeru citizens with the Fatui’s crimes rather than having their own realizations. It did not feel like growth to you. It felt like the people casually learned from a one-sitting textbook rather than a hands-on experiment when they should’ve personally learned how minacious blind ambitions could be. In turn, he argued that your ideas were barbaric and that scholars revolting was not in the realm of possibility– hence, you did not lend your aid. Perhaps your inaction had pissed him off, but it’s more likely that he finds that sending you to Varanara was ideal for his workload. 

And in some strange domino effect, refraining from helping a coup d’etat meant eating the tasteless food known to man.

Since you were personally assigned a senseless task to patrol and report weather patterns in the area (which is unnecessary and quite frankly boring), you had befriended the infamous aranaras children from Port Ormos hear stories about. 

But the mundanity doesn’t hurt your pride as a graduate scholar. It's been fun so far.

“I'm sorry, 'Saka, it's just that I think your food lacks a bit of salt–"

"ASSISTANT (Y/N), THERE YOU ARE!!!"

Both of you flinched, causing Arasaka to topple over. The sound hurts. You snapped your neck towards the sound. An adventurer– Baharak– stood with both hands wrapped on her bag's shoulder straps with a silly grin on her face.  

… You’re turning the setting of your hearing aids down.

“Baharak, it’s been a while,” you spoke. “Would you mind not yelling whenever you call for me?”

“Oops– Sorry (Y/n)! I mean– sorry, Assistant (Y/n).”

Changing her volume doesn’t undo the pain she inflicted on your ears. Gently, you pushed Arasaka behind an elevated jag of root to cover them. To escape suspicion, you continued to stare at Baharak while feigning sleepiness.

“What are you here for?”

“The Forest Watcher received a letter addressed to you. The sender doesn’t have a name again, it just has the coin-seal thing.”

“Please hand it over.”

“Aight!– I mean, alright.”

After dismissing the loud adventurer and giving her spare mora as thanks, you waited until she was out of sight. Arasaka suddenly rose and jumped onto your lap, equally curious about what was written on the salt-scented parchment. Arasaka's preppy manner soon turned sour as they discovered who the sender was.

It’s a letter from your best friend, "Pantalone".

“Aww…” Arasaka whined. “Arasaka was hoping it was the Verdant Nara instead.”

You tore it open.

 

"My dearest, (Y/n),

If it's not too much to ask, may I trouble you to visit my office in Northland Bank soon? I merely wish to see you. Spending Lantern Rite alone this year was not a pleasant experience. It's just for a mere chat- I'll reimburse your traveling and dining expenses. Care to make it up to me?

Your beloved,

As per tradition, you threw the letter in the fireplace. Pantalone doesn’t like leaving a trail of evidence, naturally, you assumed the same applies here.

It's never a chore to visit a friend. Maybe you'll head there tomorrow–

“Arasaka doesn’t like Nara Pantalone.”

The aranara lowered their head, continuing, “Nara Pantalone reminds Arasaka of the Taste of Sadness.”

Cute. 

Every time Pantalone comes to visit, the aranaras behave like envious little siblings. Ever since you started patrolling Vanarana, the place had become the harbinger’s premiere leisure destination. The woods critters frequently tried to undermine his gifts, but they were adorably ineffective. Even if Pantalone cannot see them, the situation is nonetheless amusing.

If you remember correctly, the Taste of Sadness means salt to aranaras, right?

“Ah, well,” you laughed. “I guess you must be incredibly sensitive to his smell. He took quite a liking to salt-infused perfumes last year.”

“Don’t like perfume.”

“But I am wearing one though… Has the scent been bothering you all this time, Arasaka?”

“No, Arasaka was wrong. Arasaka likes perfume, and Arasaka hates salt. Taste of sadness. The scent of sadness.” 

“Oh, no! If Pantalone’s smell makes my dear Arasaka sad, then maybe we should drown him in Varunastra,” you chuckled darkly, expecting the aranara to react loudly over your out-of-pocket remark.

“Of course. Salt Nara would make for decent spare rations!”

You laughed out loud at Arasaka’s even more out-of-pocket reply. Out-of-pocket is an understatement, that comment straight up sounded out-of-the-CASKET. 

Before standing up, you ruffled Arasaka’s nonexistent hair like you would with your deceased sisters.

“I’ll come back in a few days, okay? In the meantime, why don’t you read a cookbook?”

“Hmph! Nara (Y/n), you’re being mean! Just wait! My sisters will make a dish Nara (Y/n) can’t say “no” to!” 

“It’s a dumb risk.”

“It’s a new business venture, dearest.”

“The market for new eyeglasses isn’t going to rise any time soon.”

“Why are you so adamant on opposing this idea?”

“Stagnation breeds putrefaction, especially in business, does it not?” You raised an eyebrow, preparing for a harangue. 

“Je suis d’accord!” The man spoke softly, accentuating his Fontaine pronunciation somewhat boastfully. Knowing your disability, he never raises his voice to the point of it hurting. “And it is precisely why I want to invest in an eyewear conglomerate in Sumeru.”

“Then why are you dropping your prior investments?!”

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

You sighed, annoyed.

Pantalone is an amazing businessman, but without your council, he wouldn’t amount to who he is now. Unlike most people, “sneakily ambitious” are not the words you would describe your visionless friend. Such a moniker sounds insulting given his lack of celestial blessings and you know Celestia itself never took kindly towards his well-versed dirty tricks against his opponents.

In your humble opinion, the term “industrious” is a better-suited and less backhanded compliment for him.

You’ve known Pantalone— no— “██████” since childhood. Your history stretched back so much that you no longer recall the circumstances of how you befriended him. He acted as your ears when it came to haggling and normal day-to-day chores. As far as you know, he has always been an older brother to you. In times of extreme poverty, you both prayed and starved together, scraping by using salt rocks as entrees. 

There was no one else that made your deafness bearable except for him. With no family left, he was your only beacon of hope and dear Morax– you’d rather not remind yourself of the time your dead sisters mistakenly ate mud for rice cakes when famine struck.  

You chose Amurta out of the Six Great Schools for a reason:

You can’t afford to watch anyone die of hunger ever again.

When you began living in Sumeru, you had pledged your alliance with the region but never forgot all the toil you had to go through. As a malnourished child, you quickly fell in love with the nation. In Sumeru, healthcare was free– in Liyue? You heard nothing, and you wished that “advantage” doesn’t make you blind from the evil you witnessed in the slums. Poverty ate away your hearing, your family, and your childhood dreams… 

In a way, the only reason you see aranaras in the first place may be that you didn’t have the chance to experience any childlike wonder until you escaped Liyue.

Pantalone scoffed, “whether you agree with my financial decision or not doesn't affect my resolve. Do not press more about this, dearest.”

… But you’re convinced that your closest confidant “██████” had already perished from starvation long ago.

The man before you calls himself “Pantalone” nowadays and you lose all sense of indolence whenever his presence looms. When he watched your last sister perish in your arms, an epiphany gave birth to his cold demeanor towards deities. He found it challenging to worship the Archons who had no need for mora but were eager to take it away from destitute mortals who needed it as you and your sisters did. The death of your younger sibling was his final straw, and in a sense, you also buried your old friend that night. 

Unlike ██████, Pantalone cannot forgive nor trust the Archons for their broken promises. If Lesser Lord Kusanali had abandoned withered forests, Rex Lapis had abandoned those whose blood and tears cannot amount to any mora. You were only allowed to study at the Akademiya after he decided the former was the lesser evil.

Although Pantalone never condemns you for calling him by his birth name, you cannot tell yourself that he and ██████ are fully the same person. There is an unspoken need to straighten your posture and greet him with a semi-scowl to demonstrate your maturity despite him acting cozy and warm. Worse, his lax demeanor never ceases to remind you that despite his uncomfortable reputation, Pantalone is the only companion you’d entrust your soul to even when the world warns you not to deal a contract with the devil.

“You just want to use new brackets every day—”

“I am a businessman, love.”

You speared Pantalone with a pointed look.

“—And why Sumeru? Have you landed a deal with a reputable Amurtan optician? And why didn’t you ask ME first? You weren’t cornered by Dottore or the Tianquan to kickstart an eyeglasses company, were you?”

He scowled, unamused before firing back without skipping a beat. 

“Summer, seven years ago. You accidentally bought six bunraku puppets from Inazuma—”

Your eyes widened. Not this embarrassing anecdote again.

“Woah, woah! Now, why are YOU extorting me?”

“So you’d be silenced quicker.”

“…”

This reticence was slowly exasperating the harbinger, but he never utters a complaint when you're whom he's conversing with. Pantalone cleared his throat with an elegant smile. In that moment of cessation, you figured that he had a seemingly innocent proposal in mind.

“(Y/n), my most dearest baobei…” The harbinger ventured.

“Pantalone…”

He pulled out his desk drawer and ferreted out a parcel that you suspect contains a pair of glasses.

“Would you care to be a test sub—”

“No.”

You have a gut feeling as to where this is going. He’s going to propose that it’s “just” glasses until you find out he’s been using you to track or spy on someone without your knowledge. Classic Pantalone. You won't be duped by that TWICE in a row. If you knew better, you wouldn’t have accidentally leaked intel to the Fatui that Katheryne was being controlled by the Lord of Verdure. All because Pantalone hid a recorder on one of his “gifted” hearing aids...

Listen— just because you refused to lend a hand to the Archon when she was in need and was subsequently confronted by the 2nd harbinger in Sumeru City doesn’t mean you were colluding with these fools. 

You just wanted to remain neutral in any given situation. Unlike your childhood friend, politics bore you to death. And just like the Acting Grand Sage, you’re too lazy to act as a beta tester no matter how minimal the effort the task requires.

“I only ask that you wear this pair of glasses and test its comfortability.”

“I refuse.”

“We can negotiate how much mora you’ll earn—”

“Just stop.”

“Hmm, if I phrase it as a “gift”, would you accept—”

“Hell no.”

Pantalone paused.

“Hmm…” He tapped his desk, gazing at the paperwork neatly piled up.

“Word of advice, (Y/n), it’s highly probable that the price of cocoa will rise next week,” he shrugged. “That fact is, of course, most definitely unrelated to our current discussion.”

Is he… 

Is he threatening to generate chocolate inflation over a pair of glasses?!

You scoffed, eyes wide.

“██████, you worthless SCALPER.“

“The majority prefer to call me a ‘regrator’, but that new nickname is acceptable as long as it is you who makes such mildly unpleasant utterances.”

“GAH! You— YOU—” Even though he may completely ruin your usual routine of buying chocolates after work, it's difficult to curse him out. You have no choice but to spout illogical syllables without a valid clause. “JUST— YOU!!! YOU.”

Smack.

Upon hearing your facepalm resoundingly, he laughed uncontrollably, removing his glasses to wipe his eye with an uneven grin on his face. He tried to keep his composure but he kept snorting. 

You took a peek between your fingers. What a precious noise. You haven’t heard him laugh like this for over three years now.

At that moment, you thought ██████ was alive.

“F-Fine— give me those damn eyeglasses.”

Pantalone drifted the parcel above your palm until he quickly retracted it as soon as you reached forward.

“But before I do that, can you promise me one thing?”

“What is it this time?” You groaned.

“Don’t lend it to anyone else, understand?” Pantalone slightly ruffled your hair. “I had it custom-made for you.”

You rolled your eyes, “that thing is definitely wiretapped. You’re not even bothering to hide it anymore.”

“Oh no, it’s not just that—” 

“Just that?”

He shrugged smugly, which was not a good sign. 

“The eyeglasses function similar to an Akasha Terminal, but of course, the information you’d find there is directly from my database.”

Pantalone opened the box and swiftly put the white-framed glasses on your face. He lightly tapped the frame—

and a control panel window flickered open.

Just like an Akasha.

“H-How on earth—”

“The Doctor and I had a deal. He’ll recreate at least 80% of a regular Akasha’s functions while I help him track down a few… crops. It’s a quid pro quo, I promise. It’s less of him exploiting me and more of me exploiting…— well, that doesn’t matter right now. C’mere, let me see your lovely face...”

Pantalone tilted your chin up with his thumb. His face was inches away from yours, and his piercing lilac eyes observed your glasses and what was behind them, calculating. His breathing was notably strained in a subconscious attempt to make you feel less uncomfortable from the position he trapped you in— ever the perfect gentleman— but you see his entire face flushed in a pinkish hue. A few seconds have passed, and you feel the glove pressed against you twitching. 

Pantalone pulled away, shoulders stiff.

His ears were red.

“I-It’s working as intended.”

If not for the nature of your relationship, you were close enough to kiss– an appealing notion for the harbinger, yet it is not a move he should bring himself to try.

“Y-Yeah, no kidding. That was awkward.”

He gripped his arm, looking at the window.

Pantalone is painfully aware you think of him as an older brother. Or at least, the shadow of one, given how you rarely call him by name anymore.

“My apologies, I simply wanted to take a good look at you.'

He muttered, “you’ve grown into a gorgeous person, (Y/n).”

You didn’t hear him.

“██████– I mean, Pantalone–”

“Go back to calling me ██████, dear.”

“Pantalone.” You put more emphasis on his harbinger name, watching in glee as he rolled his eyes, “I expect to be paid in chocolates and at least two months’ worth of food.”

Indeed, your proposed exchange pleased him. ██████ knows how much you value healthy eating and abhor it greatly when others waste grains of rice. Time and imagination had transformed his early memories as you as a human so close to a skeletal figurine with sunken cheeks and broomstick-like limbs. Those thoughts cause him much sorrow. Pantalone would have pampered you for free if you had only let him– seeing you eating healthy gives him life. Almost like how a father would tell his children that seeing them full is enough to make him full as well. 

Let him spoil you with food. Please.

Seeing you thin makes him feel sad.

“What do you want to eat for dinner later? My treat, as always.”

“Mint salad sounds lovely.”

“Just mint salad?” Pantalone smiled thinly.

His dearest baobei, no longer skin and bones. No longer barely fueled by rice and salt. No longer skipping meals. It warms his heart more than the exclusive springs offered to him because of his mora and title… But it’s not enough. It’s never enough.

“Hmm… Would it be okay to request a plate of Triple-Layered Consommé?” You muttered, gazing at the floor. “I kind of miss your cooking… Just. Just kind of.”

His heart skipped a few beats as he saw your shy expression. 

You straightened up, coughing, “not that your cooking is anything special, it’s just that I don’t want to eat anything too bland and–”

“Of course! Anything for you, my love.”

Pantalone grabbed your hand and placed a soft kiss on your knuckles.

“My baobei, you’d be too full to walk once I’m done spoiling you…”

“D-Did you have to word it so seductively?!”

You blushed once again, which only served to worsen his urge for making you undeniably satiated. 

Oh, how he wants to keep you in a cage, locked up, and fed until he’s satisfied that you’ll never starve again…

Maybe then, you’d let him spoon-feed you like years before...

There's no rest for the wicked. When you returned to Vanarana the next day, the aranaras pulled you in for another chore at Devantaka Mountain.

“Hey, little man, get down there, right now!” 

You screamed with your hands cupped around your mouth to amplify your voice. The aforementioned "small man" scoffed, not shifting an inch from his posture, as the blue aranara crept up behind you.

Ararycan worriedly relayed that a “Wood Nara” had been trespassing the large abandoned Khaenri’ahn machine. The little vegetable-like creature had grown to trust you when it came to scaring off unwanted guests, which usually entailed eremites or treasure hoarders scavenging for scrap metal. 

“Ararycan wants to stop Wood Nara.”

You gently pried the wire off their hand, keeping it in your pocket in a very definite fashion. 

“I know, ‘Rycan, but Naras are stubborn beings.”

“Just like Nara (Y/n)?”

You gasped, eyes widened.

These plant-like beings are surprisingly masterful at the art of roasting.

 “Just like Nara (Y/n), you say?! Rude, Ararycan, rude.”

You laughed humorlessly, masking your jadedness with forced laughter. 

In all honesty, you’re inclined to believe that this job reassignment was Alhaitham’s way of punishing you for remaining neutral. But surprisingly? An Amurta alumnus like you have been enjoying the task and in no small part thanks to these silly little creatures.

It's absurd to imagine that you would consent to be pulled by these vegetable creatures. You initially believed that they were paracosms produced by a lack of stimulation. You once tried to ignore them. Regrettably, that frail facade didn't survive due to a couple of slip-ups. The first to catch you drawing their likenesses next to your weather reports was Arapas. The second was Arabalika, who overheard you whispering about how powerful they were after they defeated a ruin grader, and then Arama who heard you humming their songs. They’ve built up quite the case against you, and you had to fess up before they start giving you a hard time.

By “hard time”, you were referring to how a crowd of tumultuous aranaras huddled up and tugged your hearing aids’ wire with their teeny hands incessantly.

Which was what Ararycan is doing right now.

“Get us up there, Nara (Y/n).” 

"Careful, Rycan– you might damage the wire."

Suddenly, the hatted man's eyes widened after seeing you. Call it intuition, but it seemed like this total stranger knew who you were.

You made an exaggeratedly loud inhaling sound, turning off your hearing aids momentarily.

And then, a scream.

“STOP, STAY WHERE YOU ARE!!! RIGHT!!! NOW!!!”

The difference between stupidity and bravery is measured by outcome, and neither are variables you wish for this “Wood Nara” to test out. Alhaitham would have you write two pages detailing an incident if the stranger broke something and eight more if the machine awakened. And sadly, you are only a small percent less lazy than that man.

Despite your words droning childishly, you made no move to approach him. His eyes sharpened, but you felt no scrutiny— 

This man you’ve never met wore a blatant look of disbelief.

You looked down.

Maybe he could see Ararycan…?

“Hey— can you see them?”

You swiftly swept Ararycan off the ground, who made a surprised yelp. 

The man winced.

"P-Please… Leave the forest alone…"

"And why should I care about your pathetic request?"

"Please, have mercy… T-There are creatures that live in this area… Creatures you cannot see because you lacked a human heart."

“–Ngh!”

Those memories were hard to swallow, like reading an inked sloppy handwriting submerged in water.

“G-Good riddance…”

The man coiled in pain, gripping his scalp with his lithe fingers. You cannot view the expression on his face, nor were you able to verify that he had yelped. The distance between you two was too great to conceive a communication that did not rely on shouting.

“Nara (Y/n), what are you doing?!”

Although your proximity with the aranara doesn’t cause any communication barriers, that didn’t stop Ararycan from yelling.

For some reason, the stranger flinched after seeing you carry what appeared to be air around “normal people”’s vision. Perhaps he found your actions cringe-inducing… or perhaps it made his migraine worse. Then again, both possibilities are not mutually exclusive. However, you have a feeling he didn’t flinch because he saw Ararycan.

The blue aranara leaped off of your hands.

“Ararycan is worried… Ararycan thinks Wood Nara is going to destroy the giant iron mountain…”

You stared up at the man again, wanting to go on for a long rant but refrained after realizing how immature that is. While you do have a hunch that the stranger possessed a vision, you’d bet mora that he is no match for Arabalika’s accumulated Ararakalari. 

“Say, why do you keep calling him Wood Nara? Is it because of his ginormous hat?” You whispered to Ararycan.

“Huh? Did Nara (Y/n) not notice?” They tilted their head.

“Ararycan calls him “Wood Nara” because he’s made of white wood. Ararycan is not sure if he is a real Nara.”

Their answer entered from one ear and exited in the other. You’re used to hearing the Aranara lexicon that you never take any sentence at face value since you’ve learned your lesson back when Arasaka made you scout the market for a “Taste of Happiness.” Thank the Lord of Verdure that it was only Pantalone who laughed at you for describing sugar as “white, cubic, crumbles when crushed, becomes sand, and can be eaten.”

“Hah, well, he better not be made out of wood 'cause I might burn him.”

“Ararycan doesn’t think that’s easy to do. Wood Nara smells like the taste of anger,” once again, you ignored their riddled words.

You clutched the pyro vision dangling in your cloak’s right shoulder, located opposite where Alhaitham places his. Your skill set does not differ from that dendro user’s repertoire, and you calculated what vertice you should drop upon teleporting. Grabbing Ararycan, you rushed forward...

Without making it past the one-minute mark, you leaped effortlessly to where the stranger stood.

“Excuse me, young man, but do you have an Investigation Charter from the Akademiya?”

With an unused voice when it comes to dishing out commands– much less an implied threat– your approach wasn’t even a fraction of what makes authorities like the General Mahamatra intimidating. Yet, you still tried. You crossed your arms and hovered your hand near your claymore.

This stranger gazed up, boasting his soft face and beautiful lilac eyes topped with a complexion quite like a sheltered princess. He had the finest eyes you had ever seen. Yet, even with a heaven-sent face, his eyebrows were knitted. He continued kneeling on the cold metal of the giant mossed and corroded machine. 

One closer look should’ve made you hyper-aware that his joints were not bound by mortal flesh, but your heart was more entranced by his glassy pupils. 

“We meet again. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.” 

He muttered inaudibly, hence, you did not hear him. Since you also just came back from visiting Liyue and their post-festival fireworks, you’ve turned your hearing aid settings lower than usual. You bent your knees slightly, offering a hand.

“Nana korobi ya oki,” you said. The stranger looked like he hailed from Inazuma, so you thought you’d put your knowledge to good use. “It means–”

Unbeknownst to you, you uttered the same thing in a past long forgotten.

“I know: fall down seven times, get up eight.”

His gloved hand grasped your own, and you tried not to think about how soft yet firm it was as you pulled him up. You grunted slightly from the shifted weight while he didn’t breathe at all.

“No, I don’t have any clearance permit,” he said. “And I still don't have a heart, if that still matters to you.”

You raised an eyebrow.

‘Still’? What the hell is he talking about? Aaru village is miles away from here, but is it possible that the man you’re talking to is a mad scholar? That’s concerning. 

Pushing your glasses farther up the bridge of your nose, you tried to search his face in Sumeru's records– which might be more unlawful than whatever this man's doing, but who's policing you anyways?

…

Nothing.

There's not a single official record on this man.

Not even in the Fatui's database.

Almost like the man in front of you doesn't exist.

"What the hell are you wearing?" The man sneered. "Since when did you have awful eyesight too?"

“No Investigation Charter, no clearance, just what do you think you’re doing here?” You digressed. “May I at least have your name?”

The man tilted his hat up, “and why should I stupidly give my information away?”

Your eye twitched. He kinda reminds you of Arabalika. Maybe if you gave him a cane he’ll calm down a bit.

“I do have a use for your name, awkward stranger.”

“And that is?”

Writing a report to the Acting Grand Sage regarding suspicious individuals.

“Something to call you,” you shrugged with a child-like candor, renewing your request with bold obstinacy. “I’d rather not recount this tale to various parties as That One Time An Awful Little Man Tried To Pry Open A Giant Machine And Failed.”

He exhaled curtly.

… Was that a laugh?

“How childish. Even if you don't know my name, your "friends"– assuming you have some– will remember me by that stupid description.”

“I mean, it's a memorable first impression,” you met his gaze smugly. “But why are you hiding your name, hmm? Suspicious.”

“It’s called respecting one’s privacy. Something you don't understand.”

How rude of him to make assumptions about you, “are you some covert government official?”

“No.”

“Then what? Are you some inhuman being?”

“...” He didn’t say a word.

Something tells you that the answer is close to your hunch.

“[Wanderer].”

He muttered, once again, you did not hear it so he spoke louder.

“That's my name. Don't you dare make me repeat it.”

“[Wanderer]…”

You missed the way he tipped his hat, hiding an uncontrollable smile from your view.

[Wanderer]... That does sound like a fitting name. It reminded you of a character from a franchise or mythological tale you thoroughly enjoyed as a teenager. It might be rude to share that information, though. You’re not certain how this bratty person would react upon hearing that his name might as well be the name of your lotus from a botany class.

Normally, [Wanderer] would snap a “speak up– is there something wrong with my name?” upon listening to hushed whispers or a resounding silence after his many introductions. But you’re different for a reason. 

There was no way in hell he would take the traveler's suggestion over a name you had given him.

Ararycan tugged your pants.

“Hey, don’t just stare at him, Nara (Y/n)! Tell him to leave!!!” Araycan trashed around. “Nara (Y/n) must be a brave Nara if you like the taste of anger.”

[Wanderer] is the taste of anger? Is that what Ararycan was trying to say?

You blushed, fake-coughing behind your hand.

You wouldn’t say he reminds you of the taste of anger– especially with that winsome face. If anything, his appearance looks a lot like the bunraku dolls you accidentally bought years ago.

“Well, [Wanderer], it’s nice to finally put a name to a face,” you said. “But this is a dangerous area. What are you doing here…?”

“I just wanted to look for traces of the Doctor,” [Wanderer] crossed his arms. “Unfortunately, I can’t pry this stupid machine open.”

“The Doctor? Who’s that?”

“The Harbinger who sits at the second–”

“Aah, The Outcast. I see–” you shook your head. “Wait, no, I don’t get it. What does he have anything to do with this machine here? This is a Khaenriah’n creation.” 

“I know, I’m not dumb like you. I'm here because The Doctor had plans for these automatons, that’s why I’m here.”

“But even so, it’s not advisable to wander these parts alone. You ought to have asked for a travel companion. Who knows if you run into a hoard of vanaagnis in marana?”

“Hmph. Do you think I can’t handle a few whooperflowers in a withering zone? The audacity.”

“Arrogance is the capital stock of misfortune– wait, how’d you know Vanaagnis is a term for whooperflowers?” You blinked expressively. “And the meaning of marana too– so you ARE a mad scholar.”

“I’m NOT,” [Wanderer] glared. You noticed how he seemed unimpressed when you mentioned that proverb about arrogance and “capital stock”, and his expression soured more when you accused him of being a lunatic. 

“I just… I just learned from the best.”

[Wanderer]'s stare not wavering away from you.

Your silence did not go unnoticed by the other two.

“...Why do I have a feeling you’re trying to say that you’ve learned from me?” Those words had escaped from your mouth before you could stop them.

[Wanderer]’s eyes widened.

“Can… Can you remember?”

“Remember…?”

He frowned, eyes reflecting his disappointment.

“No, no, it’s probably just a fluke,” [Wanderer] frowned with a finger tracing his lips. “Maybe my expression just gave it away…”

“Nara (Y/n)!!! Tell Wood Nara to leeaaaaveee!!!”

You tried not to flinch at Ararycan’s whining. They don’t seem to understand that having poor hearing doesn’t mean you can’t register their commands.

[Wanderer] walked past you. 

“Fine, I’ll leave this device alone, but on one condition.”

“What makes you think you’re the one in control–”

“Go out with me.”

“...”

“...”

“... What?”

Your eyeglasses flickered red.

But that red light was gone in a blink, you weren't even sure if it existed.

You laughed nervously, “sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly–”

He refused to meet your eyes like a coward.

[Wanderer] replied brusquely, “look– you're partially deaf, but you’re NOT stupid. You heard what I said, so own it.”

"Hold on– where is all this coming from, [Wanderer]?" You pivoted your heel but were too late to yank his sleeve. 

He already hovered a few feet away from you.

"I'll come to visit this place more often," [Wanderer] smirked. "You’ll still be here at the upcoming Festival, right? Mark your calendar. That’s our date.”

“Hey, you can’t just!– Aaand he’s gone.”

Despite his abrupt parting, you couldn’t help but smile over such a cheeky encounter, completely forgetting how that man rummaged through the giant machine you’re standing on without a permit.

Something tells you that you’d see him more often.

And you did.

“[Wanderer]” never failed to visit you at 10 AM sharp every day, until there was only one day left till the next Sumeru Festival. At first, you thought his eccentric personality would make the following days unbearable, but he was rather civil– just sharp-tongued. 

He would show up whenever you wandered in the forest to disseminate knowledge about the local flora and Sumeru's history. Some of them you already knew, while others had you wondering if he knew the Lord of Verdure. While you were trying to interview him for a report, not as a trespasser but as an assistant, you once purposely lightened the atmosphere to get honest responses from him. When you jokingly asked who he was, his reply was unsatisfactory.

“Who I am is not carved in wood nor stone. ᏕᎧᎷᏋᎧᏁᏋ wise told me that it’s a flexible concept and it’s easier to understand through a story, but even then, you’d only see a fraction of who that person is,” [Wanderer] peered dotingly. “If you wish to know who I am, then work for it. I’m not giving you a damn summary.”

Tomorrow is your first "date" with the man and you barely knew him.

Your internalized frustration made him think you’re insatiably adorable. 

How the tables have turned. 

After all, [Wanderer] only responded with the same answer you had given him before.

In a forgotten history, ᎩᎧᏬ were the one that spouts spontaneous philosophical questions that led him into fits of unintelligible musings. [Wanderer] berated humanity for being sentimental creatures yet look at him now, proudly boasting the name ᎩᎧᏬ gave him wherever he went. It is by no means grander than a title like God of Everlasting Eternity or other such monikers, but when Godhood has stripped away from him, that name provided more solace than a seat in Celestia.

“The Puppet”, “Kunikuzushi”– such utterances are water under the bridge. Only [Wanderer] stays afloat, like a bubble on water. Maybe a bubble is only beautiful for a moment, yet that moment weighs more than a meaningless “eternity” and he knows this well…

[Wanderer] had been played by fate. Attaining freedom, independence, and a vision did not absolve what chokehold you had on his synthetic being. 

You're a colorful character, averaging about five meaningful papers per year– all the while considering yourself a "retired" genius. [Wanderer] would've been a kinder and forgiving person if you were his young and impressionable self's creator. He envied your patients, your strange collection of bunraku dolls, and the tenderness you reserve for them. 

He missed you, no matter how often you both fought. Your hums used to enchant him when you lull him asleep with aranara songs, but they now haunt him up at night. You were his puppet and he was your dictator until you had grown exhausted of foreign power enough that you abandoned your neutrality and revolted. 

But you did not revolt against him in this revision. Without a doubt, his revised “past” still mirrored the pain he caused, but through other means. He can’t say he had no regrets when he tampered with the Irminsul. Niwa’s death had less weight in this world, and for the wanderer, death without sanctification for a significant purpose is unnecessary homicide. And instead of helping Azar’s experiment, you became a “disobedient pet” who saw no need to collaborate with his superiority complex.

Yet, despite being such a disobedient pet– in his opinion, that’s a grave understatement–, he can’t help but cherish you.

The puppet missed the way his delusion marked your body. Fingerprint-like blotches collared your neck before, but when the slate was wiped clean, so too did his inflicted bruises. He missed the way you begged him to stop the pain. He missed the way you defended invisible creatures as “Queen Aranyani’s successor.” He missed the way you begged to keep the forest safe.

He missed the way you begged to be his.

But those marks are long gone– the symbol he carved on the nape of your neck had disappeared. You no longer had anything that resembled signs of his ownership.

Not only that, but seeing you wear eyeglasses– something you haven't before– fills him with anger.

The one saving grace from this situation was when this timeline confirmed that you wouldn’t help Azar if it wasn’t for [Wanderer]. You were interested in his personality and disposition as a puppet longing for a human heart, not just any of Dottore’s run-of-the-mill creations. That observation surely boosted his ego. 

Your opinions mattered to him most in that project. Admittedly, he craved everyone’s veneration, even when they lacked true understanding.

But you were the first mortal that made him appreciate his defects…

 

"Is it so bad to live this way?" You combed his hair with your fingers. "Must you try your hand with such heresy?"

"Know your place," Scaramouche gritted his teeth. "You're nothing more than my maintenance worker- you do not deserve an audience."

"Be that as it may, future faux-god, can't you entertain me for just a moment? If I wasn't worried about you, I wouldn't be helping you with this damn treacherous experiment.

You ignored how he snarled at such a nickname, "it pains me to watch you lust for more power when you already boast an acceptable form. What is it that makes you so desperate? Is it because you can't hide the ball joints that connect your fingers and limbs?"

You continued while adjusting the tightness of his skeletal wrists.

"Is it so bad to live on as a defective being? Does imperfection invalidate a life's purpose? I only ask out of curiosity. I have imperfect ears, so does that make my life devoid of meaning?"

Scaramouche frowned, "do not compare your ears to my heart or lack thereof."

He didn't understand why his voice cracked. Scaramouche did not feel his usual temperament sizzling over but something heavy resided in his chest.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, I know you're not sorry," Scaramouche cupped your cheek, sporting an uncharacteristically loving smile.

"And your unapologetic behavior is what makes you my first sage."

His first sage…

[Wanderer] laughed to himself.

His first sage would know that if he gained a heart, he would've seen the aranara you were talking to earlier.

But this is fine. He can start over again. 

This time, he’ll make you love him normally.

Heaven, please help the white wood that fell in love for it will never be human…

…

Out of the blue, Scaramouche spun and hurled three consecutive wind blades toward the woods with precision.

Be that as it may, the walking salt is surely more pathetic.

The “trees” grunted, but [Wanderer] did not miss the smell of salt-infused perfumes.

What a shame. 

The next Sumeru Festival, your “date”, is tomorrow, yet there will always be those who lurk in the shadows to see the mighty fall. 

"Pantalone…" 

The ex-sixth harbinger snarled with unfathomable familiarity. Which was the complete opposite of the ninth harbinger, who coldly greeted him like a new enemy. 

"Good afternoon, [Wanderer]."

Pantalone pulled out a gun from his hidden holster.

"No hard feelings, sir," the businessman smiled thinly. "I am but a simple man eliminating a love rival. You see, it’s not nice threatening to steal someone’s possession."

Scaramouche cackled.

How annoying. He never liked this friend of yours– he much preferred the one that planned a coup. Pantalone was not a coworker Scaramouche liked, much less a rival. This ambitious man was always a parasite, pretending to be worried while threatening to withhold project funding behind your back. Scaramouche will never forget how he boasted insolently that he had known you longer as if eternity wouldn't be enough to make up for it.

"You never change, mortal," he laughed even harder. "I knew something was off about (Y/n)'s glasses!"

"Hmm? Is that so?" Pantalone pushed them up closer– reminding Scaramouche that he’s no terrible shot. "How strange. In any case, I quite frankly don't care what you know or do not know."

He pulled the trigger as Scaramouche stomped his feet.

Only a few knew what occurred in Vanarana that day, but there was one thing the forest remembered.

Before either of them parted, a loud bang echoed that even deaf trees can't miss.

You woke up from Araja’s house (which was the only comfortable place to sleep in Vanarana) after passing out from tumultuous loads of paperwork sent directly by the Baharak. She joked that at that point, maybe she had become a bad omen for you– and you confirmed her suspicions. The tasks the Acting Grand Sage laid out for you were taxing, if not, deleterious for your mental well-being, and worst of all–

He sent a notice that this would be your last week patrolling Vanarana.

When you spread the announcement, the aranaras were saddened by the news. Even Arabalika was unimpressed and asked if you can prolong your services. Alas, it can’t be refuted.

Noticing how tired you appeared, the village chief immediately commanded you to sleep while you pretended not to hear whispers of a surprise farewell party. Considering how the place looked positively empty this morning, you’d wager that they’re busy working on it.

But you do smell that someone’s cooking right now…

The enticing scent emanated from a large pot. As you sauntered closer, you noticed how Arasaka was tending to the food. The aranara gave you a friendly wave that you didn’t reciprocate. It’s rather chilly in Vanarana in the mornings– and the sleeves of your jacket were comfy. 

“Good morning, Nara (Y/n)!”

“Good morning, ‘Saka. That smells delicious,” you smiled bittersweetly.

“Hehe, really? Glad to hear it! One of Nara (Y/n)’s friends helped gather the ingredients. That Nara was good at hunting down prey!”

One of your friends…? You haven't introduced a lot of people to the aranaras. That can only mean it's either Baharak, Pantalone, or [Wanderer], and you can safely remove the first one since they're positively busy with guild matters. 

... Huh. But those two can't see aranaras. Does that mean they stole Pantalone or [Wanderer]'s game?

"Pfft..." You chortled. Yeah, imagining either of them getting confused as to why their hunted boar had gone missing feels like a sight to see.

You took the ladle from Arasaka’s hand and sipped the warm liquid.

…

“Oh, hey, this tastes pretty good!”

“Hehe, Arasaka is glad to hear you liked it! Nara taste buds are hard to please.”

You took another sip as Arasaka watched. The warm soup went down smoothly, but the aftertaste had a serpent-like bite to it. It tastes akin to red sorghums Pantalone would down whenever social drinking was inevitable. Your only critique was that it would’ve been a refreshing experience if there wasn’t a rocky object stuck between your teeth. You awkwardly picked it out.

… And saw a small hint of (wood/salt) between your fingers.

You stared at Arasaka.

Strange…

Something feels… off. 

This doesn't taste like happiness, it tastes like…

You shivered and yet the aranaras around you still had that same painted smile. 

 "Does Nara (Y/n) like the taste now? The taste of friendship?”

… Friendship?

No. That can’t be it.

The spoon splashed back into the bowl. You didn’t say a word, only stared at the boiling pot. You knelt, grabbing both handles to gaze upon the bubbling red liquid. With trembling hands, you picked the spoon back up and swirled the contents. Nothing was of note–

Until you scooped something from the very bottom and found thick strands of dark hair.

A very familiar strand of dark hair.

You adjusted your glasses in an attempt to find out where this human hair came from–

“Nara (Y/n) likes the scent of (wood/salt) Nara so my sisters added him in!” Arasaka innocently cheered.

Your heart dropped.

You turned pale– gagging.

No. It can't be.

Did you just eat…

“So, Nara (Y/n)– does our cooking taste bland now?”

… “him”?

“Oh, Nara (Y/n)’s friend is approaching! Don’t forget to thank him for the food!”

[biblio-smia]

you're everything i want (plus everything i need) - [ethan landry x reader]

pre - ghostface / no ghostface alternate! no spoilers for scream 6!

masterlist | requests are open!

pairing: ethan landry x gender neutral reader

notes: brief makeout sessions, ethan landry is so so so in love

Ethan Landry was not one to ask for things, no matter how badly he wanted them. Ethan Landry was the type to sit with his desires until someone guessed what was on his mind or his wants were ignored long enough that they flickered out.

Ethan Landry had never known what it was like to have all of his needs suddenly fulfilled — until you came along.

Something in you, whether it was intuition or an acute attention to detail, allowed you to understand Ethan Landry perfectly. Whether it was tapping his fingers on the closest surface or nervous glances sent your way, you knew what Ethan Landry wanted without him ever having to open his mouth.

It was obvious when Ethan began liking you, something you picked up on quickly despite only knowing him a short time — you could almost pinpoint the exact moment. The way his eyes would always shift to see your reaction after he made a joke, the way he would only ever speak to you even in group settings; Ethan Landry gave himself away too easily.

It was fun, until you realized the nervous looks and shy smiles that left Ethan flustered weren't going to amount to anything else — at least, not from Ethan.

If it was anybody else you would've given up, frustrated from the lack of progress. But your friends, who knew Ethan just a little better than you did, encouraged you to be patient with the boy who had never been in a relationship.

Ethan Landry was painfully oblivious to any signs that a person like him — yet you fell for him anyway.

You took the initiative after a month of a frustratingly slow back-and-forth with Ethan, texts exchanged almost everyday. When you weren't texting you were hanging out, and although it was always in a group setting, it did not deter you from your mission — you knew how nervous Ethan could get when he was alone with you.

It had only happened once when Tara, Chad, and Mindy suddenly canceled on dinner, leaving you and Ethan. You had already gotten ready and you were starving, so you dragged Ethan despite his hesitance. The poor boy was a mess, barely getting a word out without stuttering. He couldn't face you the entire night, hammering in your suspicion that he liked you.

His crush on you was obvious, but you weren't going to tell Ethan that. You let things progress slowly, for his sake.

You thought he was going to black out when you asked him out, officially. It seemed out of the blue to him, catching him by surprise and giving him no time to calm the pounding of his heart. He could barely get a response out but it was unnecessary — you already knew what it would be.

It was awkward, at first. The two of you would sit in silence, hands kept to yourselves. Despite the relationship you were in, it was difficult to navigate what the other wanted with no verbal cues.

Again, you took the lead.

The two of you were watching a movie that Ethan was completely invested in — until you scooted closer to him, shoulder-to-shoulder and thigh-to-thigh. You felt Ethan stiffen at your touch, a flush on his face. You smiled, placing your hand on top of Ethan's, which was balled into a fist on his thigh.

"You can hold my hand," you whispered and Ethan nodded, opening his hand to take yours. He brought his other hand over to lay on top of yours, telling you he wanted you. He was terrified that his lack of experience would scare you away or bore you — maybe that was a little too much to say with just the touch of your hand. Ethan no longer cared about the movie, his attention moving from it to you with every touch of your skin against his.

You leaned more into Ethan and he tried to relax, a goal he knew was impossible. He wasn't capable of it when you were so close to him, setting his body aflame while you held hands.

"Ethan," you started and Ethan was almost afraid you were able to read his thoughts. "I want you to kiss me."

Ethan looked over at you slowly, swallowing thickly while he scanned your features for any sign of a joke. There weren't any and Ethan would've stuttered out something stupid if he were still able to speak.

"Only if you want to," you said sincerely. "Do you want to?"

Ethan nodded carefully, eyes falling to your lips. He was growing more anxious by the second. Were his lips chapped? Did his breath smell?

"I need you to say it, baby," you said, the pet name slipping out unintentionally.

Ethan was convinced you wanted to kill him.

"Yes," he muttered. "Yes, please."

You smiled at the confirmation, free hand moving to rest on Ethan's face.

"You're so cute," you mumbled. "Close your eyes."

Ethan did as he was told, shock hitting his system once he felt your lips on his. It was slow and gentle, just like you always were with him. He didn't know what to do, sitting there like an idiot. You broke the kiss and Ethan felt guilty.

"When I kiss you, I want you to lean into me a little, okay? Just relax."

You kissed Ethan again, guiding his head a little. His lips and skin were soft — he was a craving you could never get enough of. You smiled as he sighed happily against your lips.

You pulled back and Ethan chased your lips, noses bumping as he kissed you more passionately. You guided his hand, still clasping yours, to your hip. You closed the distance as you leaned into Ethan, hand moving to tilt his head back. A small noise escaped him and you giggled.

You climbed on to Ethan's lap, gently wrapping his arms around you. You sat there, just looking at him looking at you in the dim lighting, your hand twisting one of his curls gently.

"That was my first kiss," Ethan confessed softly.

"How was it?"

"I think my heart's gonna explode." Ethan grinned, bright teeth making an appearance.

You laughed, thumbing over the blush on Ethan's cheek.

"Wanna keep going?" You asked cautiously and Ethan nodded, gently tugging you closer as he leaned up to meet you halfway.

「 ... 」

Admittedly, Ethan became a little complacent — all he had to do was look at you a certain way or tug on you and you knew what he wanted. He no longer had to stammer out his wishes for a hug or a kiss from you that sent him into a furious blush every time. He could get those things without the embarrassment of asking.

Like right now, for example.

A soft breeze filtered in your cracked window, harsh afternoon light illuminating your dorm. The wind was picking up, sending a chill through the small room. You didn't move to close it; Ethan would warm you up.

You were sprawled out on your bed, laptop and notebooks spread out in front of you. Finishing up homework with Ethan was the task of the day — Ethan was sat at your desk in a situation similar to yours, pens scattered all over the surface. You submitted your final assignment (for now) and sighed happily. You shut your laptop quietly and turned your head to admire your boyfriend.

Ethan was wearing a plain black t-shirt that fit his frame perfectly and some gray sweatpants that were a little too short on him. A casual outfit for a casual hangout. He sat slightly hunched over his laptop, fingers typing furiously. He groaned, deleted something, then kept typing. You stifled a laugh.

Ethan kept typing. His arms flexed as he paused, then continued. The sun bounced off Ethan's soft brown curls, highlighting the moles that dotted his face. The curve of his nose, his sharp jaw. You smiled. He was pretty.

A few more clicks. Ethan shut his laptop, slumping back into his seat with a content sigh. He suddenly felt a pair of eyes boring into him and he turned to face you. "What are you staring at?" He asked, growing shy under your steady gaze.

You just smiled. The answer was obvious.

"Come here," you motioned, picking up all your things and setting them on the desk.

Ethan got up, kneeling onto your bed. You met him halfway, catching him in a warm kiss.

"Come here," you repeated once you separated, stretching your legs out and motioning to your lap. Ethan placed his head on your lap, like you knew he loved to do. Your hands moved to his hair, fingers twisting through his curls, messing them up even more.

Ethan hummed. He didn't mind. His eyes closed, relishing in the feeling of you playing with his hair. It was growing longer, almost getting in the way of his eyes. Your fingers moved down, ghosting over the light spray of freckles adorning Ethan's nose and under his eyes. They were always darker during the summer.

Days like these were hard to come by, the two of you either doing schoolwork until it was dark or caught up in plans with your friends. Ethan was still too nervous to do anything more than hold hands or get a goodbye kiss in front of your mutual friends, a little embarrassed at how needy he was for you. Though, he refused to let go of you for too long at any given time. It was almost pathetic how he needed a hand on you or a hand on him anyplace he went.

Ethan's eyelashes fluttered as his eyes opened. He gave you a look, his eyebrows raising ever-so-slightly as his lips parted. Your lips landed on his in silent understanding.

Ethan Landry was never a beggar but he would gladly beg for you and he would be grateful for any inch he could get. His craving for skin ship existed before you but changed to exist solely for you. Ethan was positive there was no one else who could do what you did in the way you did it, your hands and your lips working like magic on his body. It was no longer a want but a need for you, one that only grew stronger each day.

You knew this. You pressed another kiss onto Ethan's lips, then another.

Only a few whispers were exchanged, ghosts of words that left goosebumps on Ethan's skin. You frowned at the sight.

You backed up to lean against your pillows, guiding Ethan to lay against you, encouraging him to rest his weight against you. He was always nervous, but truthfully, he was your personal weighted blanket. You wrapped your arms around him, creating a trap he didn't want to get out of. Ethan rested his head on your shoulder and relaxed against you. You leaned down to press kisses against his cheek, his jaw, his neck. Ethan turned his head and was rewarded.

He pulled himself flush against you, limbs tangling in a mess of love. It was a new type of love that he had never experienced before, your affection fulfilling everything he ever needed and more. Your body was home and your lips spread the message of adoration for him.

Ethan leaned up and kissed you, arms leaving their place around your body to pull your head closer. His hair ticked your face and your teeth crashed a little, but Ethan got the hang of it as he tilted your head back with passion. There were words on his lips that couldn't make it out, so they were stamped onto your lips instead. You could see the love in his eyes every time he looked at you, only getting stronger each time. That was more than enough for you.

Ethan kissed your shoulder as he wrapped himself around you again, your fingers drawing pictures on the warm skin, under his shirt.

Ethan could die in your arms if it always felt like this.

[kittyball23]

The First Time was a Great Time (a Trolls fanfic)

Summary: The aftermath of their first intimate experience together leaves Branch and Poppy reeling with joy

A/N: First day of the new year, so here’s some first time Broppy reactions 💙 With some ideas from @chipmunkfanno1love :)

**Rated M**

__________________________________________

It started with a kiss.

Well, actually, it was supposed to end with a kiss.

It had become routine in their lives for them - when they were to part ways - to share a sweet little smooch, enough to hold himself and her over until the next time that they would see each other again.

But this time, the kiss was not a conclusion. It was the beginning of a very eventful evening. One of passion, desire, romance… One that had left Poppy breathless with joy and Branch overwhelmed with exhilaration.

The blue Troll’s sentiments at the end didn’t reflect the ones he had felt at the start, however, when he began to realize what was happening as the innocent kiss doubled, tripled, escalating in passion and intensity. His suspicions to Poppy's intentions - and his own, for that matter - grew to a conclusion when she, rather than exit the bunker, backed them up and away from the elevator platform, her lips hardly leaving his all the while. They'd somehow found the couch among their blindness in love, and it was when she had leaned back upon it, tugging him with her that Branch distinctly remembered the immense worry that he'd felt.

Because he had been the exact opposite of crazy-prepared.

Why, if he would've known what was in store for that romantic evening disguised as a seemingly normal one, the measures would have been made to ensure that there would be nothing between them but pure bliss. He would've gotten the finest linens and softest sheets for his bed, arranging rosepetals on top. He would've dimmed the lights of his room, lit candles to set the intimate mood, maybe even turned on the radio and set it to a station with sweet serenading music to accompany the natural one that they'd be making. He wanted to ensure quality and comfort, that this would be special for them both.

However, sometime between Poppy easily sliding his vest off his shoulders and beginning to unbutton her own dress, Branch realized that such efforts were not necessary. Adoration shone in his beloved's deep, fuchsia eyes, love and trust radiating in every inch of her being.

Branch found himself lost in that gaze.

Lost in her touch.

In the taste of her lips.

In the warmth of her body as they pressed themselves together, uniting the way that only lovers could.

It turned out he didn't need what he had convinced himself to be the 'right stuff' for their time together. He had it within himself the whole time, no matter how cheesy it sounded in his head.

When Branch was finished making her feel like the most cherished troll in the entire universe, he pulled away to catch his breath, still keeping her hugged close to him. There was a wordless look that was exchanged between them, something that neither of them could properly articulate as they took in that moment and basked in it. The feeling in their chests wasn't fear anymore, and, frankly, it was comical to think that it ever was.

What was there was bashfulness.

It wasn't often, after all, that they found themselves tangled in each other's arms and legs, skins brushing against skin, hearts beating in unison. Not often at all, considering that this had been the very first of this type of occasion.

Poppy blinked at him above her, astonished and perhaps a bit self-conscious about her vulnerable state. But once she got over the initial shock, a wide smile broke out, along with a merry, breathless laugh. It was light and airy, as though she couldn't quite believe the turn of events that she herself had initiated. Branch joined her laughter, caressing Poppy with the same gentle hold he carefully maintained during their tender exchange.

"So," she managed after the giddiness subsided some. "How are you feeling?"

Poppy giggled at the expression on his face, one that was of surprise. Was that even a question? There were too many feelings to keep track of right now, all heavenly. Still, it was fun to humor her, so Branch replied as best he could with the breath he could muster, nuzzling his face against hers and separating each response with a kiss.

“Amazing,” he murmured, pecking her left cheek.

“Incredible,” he sighed, pecking her right.

“Excited,” he hummed, pressing his lips against her forehead.

“A little unsure,” he admitted, smooching the tip of her pink nose playfully.

“But mostly just really, really happy,” he declared, bestowing the last one upon her lips.

Poppy grinned. "Yeah... me too."

She kissed him again, never tired of the thrill that always ran through her when she did. All at once, she felt a hot, wet droplet plop against her cheek, and was stunned to find the tears that were streaking down his face.

"Branch?" she whispered with concern. She cupped his jaw, stroking softly. "Sweetie, what's the matter?"

Branch shook his head. "Nothing," he assured. "You're just so beautiful, Poppy, so amazing..." He brushed her fingers aside, taking her hand into his and bringing it up to his lips so he could kiss the back of it. "This is like a dream come true. I love you so much..."

He trailed off, attempting to compose himself for the sake of maintaining poise, but unable to stop his voice from wobbling with emotion at the end.

The Pop Queen felt her heart soar, and was able to suppress her instinct to crash her lips against his in order to reply. "I love you, too, Branch."

Poppy didn't leave the bunker that night, and found herself content to have been so lovingly kissed to sleep, curled against Branch's warm, bare torso with his chin resting on top of her hair.

And, even in her dreams that night, they had cuddled and kissed until they could no more.

[aaronhotchswife]

CHRISTMAS WITH THE BAU

Summary : You picked Aaron in a Secret Santa game and think it's a great time to tell him your feelings (a Christmas story in the summer, who am I)

Pairing : everyone in the BAU but mostly Aaron X Reader

TW : alcohol drinking, poor writing and that's it, it's a fluff one shot,

Snow was slowly falling outside while you finished putting your outfit together. Emily was supposed to be there in a minute, driving you to JJ's house. It wasn't unusual for the BAU to spend Christmas together. None of you were really close of your family and spending Christmas with the people you work with seems to be the best idea. You just finished zipping your forest green dress when you heard a knock on the door. Looking through the peephole, you saw Emily standing there. After opening the door and letting her in, you got back to your bedroom to pick some earrings before putting them on.

"Damn, you look insanely good. Someone will not be able to take their eyes away from you."

Emily knew about your not so little crush about Aaron. In fact, all the girls knew and you're pretty sure that Morgan, Reid and Rossi catched up and had their suspicions. They're a bunch of profilers after all. The only person who seemed not to noticed was Hotch himself. You guys had a good relationship like he had with JJ or with anybody else in the team but you couldn't help yourself and be delusional about it and think that there's more. The thing you didn't know is that Hotch spend a good amount of times asking about you. For example, even if you spend the day with him at work, he would ask Penelope or JJ what's going on in your life, as if he was too shy to ask you so personal questions. The girls told you all about that but you guessed that he was just doing his job, asking about his colleagues, before realizing that he never went to you to ask you about them. According to Emily, it was also not so subtle the way he was looking at you when you were looking somewhere else or how he would smile when he heard you laugh. So when you picked him for Secret Santa, you thought that it would be a great time to maybe tell him how you feel. But finding him a gift and a way to tell him how you feel was so much harder that you would've thought. After much reflection, you settle for something that you knew he would love.

"Yeah, I'm sure he will." you responded, eyes in the air, chuckling a little bit while grabbing your purse and your keys.

The ride to JJ's house was filled with Christmas music and laugh. You and Emily went to pick up Garcia and helped her pack the car with the hundred gifts she brought, one for everyone, including Will and Jack and of course her godson Henry. Entering JJ's, your heart couldn't help but skip a beat when you saw Hotch. He was wearing black jeans with a gray knitten sweater. Seeing him not dressed in suits is something you will never be able to get used too. You gave hugs and kisses to everyone, except Hotch. Not that you didn't want to but honestly you didn't know how to act around him out of the job. He seemed to notice because he turned to Emily looking at her with a frown. She just shrug her shoulders and wave him away before moving to the living room. He made his way to the kitchen, grabbing himself a glass of wine and when he exited the kitchen, he had 2 glasses of wine in his hands, making his way to you.

"Merry Christmas." he said, a ghost of a smile on his lips, handing you the glass.

"Thank you Hotch." you said, grabbing the glass. "Merry Christmas to you too." you smiled, locking eyes with him before looking away rapidly so he can't see your cheeks getting pink.

Since Hayley passed away, it was common for him to spend Christmas with his team. He although always do a dinner with Jess and Jack, finding it important for Jack, Jess and him to spend a least a Christmas night together. Everyone was in the living room talking and laughing while you and JJ were in the kitchen, preparing the appetizers. Hotch made his way to the kitchen to see if you girls needed help, and when he asked, JJ left the kitchen with an excuse leaving you two alone.

"You look beautiful tonight y/n. You are beautiful." he said softly, looking at you.

You froze, unable to cut vegetables without cutting yourself from how much you hands were shaking, not expecting him to say something like this.

"Thanks Hotch, you too. I really like this style on you." you laughed slightly, turning yourself to him. His face got red before he explained to you that Jess bought it for his birthday.

"She has great taste." you smiled to him.

He looked at you from the corner of his eyes during all that time before you exited the kitchen with a plate of appetizers.

A couple weeks ago, when Hotch learned who he picked for Secret Santa, his heart skipped a beat. Seeing your name on the little piece of paper, he tried to keep a pokerface and not smiled in front on the others. The only thing is that he had absolutely no idea what to get you. Days passed and he came to the conclusion that he needed to ask Rossi for advice. Dave was always teasing him about you and telling him that he should make a move before it was too late. So when Aaron went to Rossi's office to ask him what to get you, Dave couldn't help but smiled and convince him that he should tell you how he feels.

"It's gifts time!!" Penelope shrieks, picking a gift from under the trees. "So the first gifts are for Jack and Henry, so after that you won't have to wait for the adults." she explained them. "It's from me and you're gonna have Santa's one tomorrow."

The two of them unwrapped their gifts and hugged Penelope before moving to Henry's bedroom to play with their new gifts.

"Alright so Secret Santa time?" Derek asked.

You heart was pounding heavily in your chest and while scanning the room with your eyes to focus your attention on something, you saw Aaron already looking at you. He smiled shyly before turning back his attention on Morgan who was trying to guess who picked him.

"Mmmh, y/n ?" he asked, too sure of himself.

"Nope!" you responded chuckling.

"I'll go with Emily then"

Emily made a face of "you got me" and went to pick a gift from under the tree and handed it to Derek. It was a 1h session with a well-known gym insctructor.

"Woah thank you so much Em!" he said, hugging her.

It was then Emily's turn who guessed right on the first time. Rossi picked her and JJ's picked Rossi. Before you knew it it was your turn to guess.

"I'll go with Spence." you said, sipping on your drink and being grateful that it was there to give you a minimum of courage.

Spencer shook his head, meaning that it wasn't him. It could either be Derek, Garcia or...Hotch. You knew it couldn't be Garcia because she couldn't keep a secret and told you that she picked JJ.

"Derek ?"

"No pretty girl, sorry."

"I'll go with Hotch then." you talked, looking everywhere except in front of you where he was.

"Good guess." he chuckled before handed you a little box. When you opened it, you saw a little bracelet, one you showed Dave months before when you guys were taking a walk.

"Omg Hotch, thank you so much I love it!" you exclaimed, your cheeks getting pink. Before you could know it, you were hugging him slightly before pushing yourself away. He whispered something in your ear and you nodded, before letting him put the bracelet on your wrist. Penelope was quick to take a picture, looking at you with a wink. You took a mental note to thank her later.

"So Hotch, it's your turn to guess." Emily said, kicking Derek feet from the footstool.

He guessed like 3 names before guessing yours and you nodded, handing him a gift. When he opened it, he couldn't believed his eyes. You bought him a vinyl of The Beatles White Album, something he spend years searching. In the box was also a little card, where you wrote :

Aaron,

Meet me outside at 11.

P.S. don't read to card out loud.

He nodded at you, before speaking "I don't know what to say y/n. I've been looking for this for ages. Thank you so much." he said, hugging you. His hand was at the end of your back and you could feel the chills on your skin. The night was going well, but you still felt anxious for 11pm. You knew it was the right thing to do and if the answer was something bad, then you will know it's time to move on. Henry and Jack came back to hang out with the adults and when Henry saw Will's guitar in the corner of the room, he tugged on your dress to ask if you could play something. He knew you could sing and play guitar because everytime you babysat him, you always sung him something. Before you could refuse, Garcia, who witnessed all of the situation, clapped her hands and shrieks with joy.

"Oh!! Let's go y/n!!"

You raised your eyes in the air, chuckling before grabbing the guitar and settle it on your knees. "What do you want me to play ?" you asked Henry. Before he could answer, Jack exclaimed "Blue Christmas ! It's my dad's favorite!" You could see Aaron laughed, agreeing with him. "Well, it's a good thing because it's my favourite too." you said, caressing Jack's shoulders. Everyone was listening to you and your eyes couldn't looked away from Aaron who was mesmerized by you. He never saw you more beautiful than in your green dress, singing his favorite Christmas song. Rossi was watching him and he made eye contact with Emily who smirked, looking at Hotch and at you, subtly telling Dave that something was clearly going on. When 11pm strikes, the kids were asleep for a long time already and everyone was still in the living room, talking about all and nothing. You got up, making your way to the backdoor, looking at the sky while trying to take deep breaths in and out. You heard the door open. You turned around and saw Hotch, his coat in his arms. Before you could talk, he put it on your shoulders, patting it at the same time.

"So, you wanted to talk to me ?" he asked, setting himself next to you, close enough for your shoulders to touch. Snow was falling in his dark hair and you could swear you never saw him more cute than right now.

"I did." you responded, looking up to his eyes. "I need you to be honest with me Hotch. Is there something going on between us ? Or am I just imagining it ? Because I talk with the girls and they all say that you always asks about me and always looks at me and I need to be sure because if there's nothing going on then I'll just force myself to move on." you rambled, turning around to not face him.

"There is." he said. You turned around quickly, looking at him with a frown. "I'm sorry I didn't say something earlier, I wanted too but I wasn't sure how and if you felt the same and Dave was always teasing me with this and telling me that I should tell you how I feel before it's too late and I never saw a good moment. But when I picked you for Secret Santa, I knew I had to tell you something sooner or later tonight and well, when I saw your gift and the little note you left, I was hoping you would tell me that." he said, looking back at you, waiting for an expression on your face.

"So that's why you knew I wanted that bracelet." you laughed.

"Dave told me you saw it one time with him and that you thought it was pretty."

"It really is. Thank you again, I love it."

"Thanks to you too."

"I remembered hearing you talk about it, and about the fact that you couldn't find it anywhere."

"y/n." he murmured. "Can I kiss you ?"

"I thought you'd never ask." you said, before seeing him looking at your eyes and at your lips, then back at your eyes before putting a soft kiss on your lips. The kiss was so suprising that you couldn't help but moan a little, making him smile on your lips. His lips were rough but enjoyable and his hand in your hair made your legs tremble. After too little seconds for you, he left your lips to take a breath. His eyes were still in yours and he murmured something, making you blush and lean on him.

When you enter the house again, it has been noticed that you guys had left. Judging by your face and Aaron's one, it was clear for everyone who knew what happened, except for Derek and Reid who looked at everyone with a frown, as if asking what just happened. You laughed, grabbing Aaron's waist with one arm and kissing his cheek.

[mc-lukanette]

Marinette was just tired, staring down at the ice cream on the ground as Andre scrambled to get her another. A fun time with her friends to run around Paris and maybe get a chance with Adrien had turned into a spotlight of embarrassment for her. The "couple time" her friends had been planning on having was now ruined to focus entirely on her, when all she wanted now was curl up into a corner and cry.

She felt bitter, watching as the mess on the bridge started to melt. It was like some sort of metaphor for how her attempts and opportunities all failed or slipped through her grasp, slowly but surely.

Andre grabbed her wrist and practically forced a replacement ice cream cone into her hand, saying stuff about how the magic doesn't lie and he must've just gotten the colors wrong, but she honestly wasn't listening anymore. She was in her own head, wondering, What would've been the point anyway? It's not like Adrien was coming to see me.

She couldn't see any reality in which that was false. He would've come for his friends, or for the thrill of the search, or maybe even just to have some ice cream. Even if she'd managed to make it all work out and share with him, what were the odds of everything afterward working out? She'd try to say something romantic and would mess it up, or he'd misunderstand and brush it off as nothing, or she'd be bumped into again and send the ice cream right onto his expensive clothes.

She winced at the thought. Maybe him not showing up was just a blessing in disguise, saving her from the humiliation of doing anything and having it all go wrong.

Marinette didn't want to make a big deal out of it, refusing to risk ruining her friends' time further. She diverted her attention to the ice cream cone in her hand, noting the blue and pink colors that she suspected were her own. Maybe Andre had just truly given up on her and this was the sign that it was a lost cause?

Or maybe he just realized that there was no way Adrien was coming and tried to save himself.

She stepped aside from everyone and sat down at a bench, keeping her distance from the happy couples while she poked at the ice cream with her tiny spoon. Andre wasn't exactly wrong if her thoughts on his mindset were true. Adrien always seemed to be unavailable when it mattered, and if she wanted to let herself spiral a little more, it almost seemed intentional.

After all, wasn't it a little too convenient that Adrien had missed out on the preparation for the music festival - when it would've been easiest for her to talk to him - just to show up afterward? Or for Adrien to have gotten the okay to go for ice cream only to be suddenly unavailable? Perhaps it would've been easy to pass those off if it weren't for the fact that Nino so rarely complained about their time together, and Adrien's schedule had been magically free when it came to him setting Nino up with her.

If her suspicions were accurate, then either Adrien knew how she felt and was doing everything possible to avoid her, or he just generally found her uncomfortable to be around; maybe even thought she was weird. Part of her wanted to defend that, suggesting that saying nothing was the "nice" thing to do, but her history of crushing on him when she apparently had no chance would disagree with that. She would've saved herself a lot of time then.

She huffed to herself, scooping up a bit of her ice cream and resolving to eat her sorrows away instead. Faintly recalling Andre's comment about how the magic only works if you eat it, she shook her head in disbelief and thought with a bittersweet expression, If I need magic to make him come see me, then what's the point?

She had opened her mouth, ready to finally taste the sweet treat, when a voice called out, "Marinette?"

Marinette paused, looking towards the source. Luka was standing just at the end of the bridge, presumably having been walking by as he spotted her. She smiled, wordlessly inviting him over, and he returned it as he made his way towards her.

"What are you up to?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I was just taking a walk to the Trocadéro," he replied, his casual tone assuring her that she wasn't delaying anything serious, "but then I heard your song and wanted to check."

She ducked her head shyly, using her ice cream as an excuse to look away from him. She finally ate a bit, letting the taste of blueberry melt into her mouth. Already, she was feeling a little better.

When she looked back up, Luka hadn't looked away from her. Their friends (if they were Luka's friends anyway; they might've only been Juleka's) were only a small distance away, as well as the ice cream stand, but he didn't seem inclined to leave even to go say "hi."

Smiling, Marinette used her spare hand to pat the spot on the bench next to her, not unlike when he invited her to sit on his bed. Luka didn't waste any time, happily taking a seat beside her.

Whether or not he knew the legend, she was certain that he must've seen both the couples as well as the ice cream they were sharing that was made exactly like hers. She felt grateful at the idea that he was intentionally not prodding, even if he might've been curious.

"Someone didn't show," she explained anyway, fidgeting with her cone, "but I also might've gotten ditched."

He frowned, a hand going to her shoulder in sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head, appreciating but not needing the comment. "It's okay. It was never going to work out anyway."

She wondered for a second if she was just fooling herself, but Luka's smile assured her otherwise. If he believed her, she must've meant it.

"Still," Luka began as he leaned back, crossing his ankles before continuing, "in our band, Rose writes the lyrics and I'm in charge of the music. Jule and Ivan feel bad about it sometimes, but we're all putting in effort to make it come together, so we don't mind."

Marinette hummed, nodding as she took that in. She could understand that, of course, given that she'd put effort into just about everything she did, from gaming to fashion to romance.

She never got any effort returned for the latter, either because it all went bad before reaching its intended recipient or it didn't change anything. She still had to ask for Adrien's whereabouts and information when she wanted to know, she'd thought they'd bonded over a shared love of games yet he never mentioned it to her again, and in retrospect, despite her image of him as the kind prince locked away in a tower, he hadn't given her a hand or showed any concern when Chloe shoved her.

The one thing she could think of was the charm he'd given her on her birthday based on the charm that she'd given him - which was so often a defense she came up with in her head - only now she’d finally remembered that she had loaned it to him and he'd just held onto it, thus making the situation seem substantially less romantic. It also didn't escape her that her luck had somehow gotten worse since then, even it was just the universe personally spiting her. "Hey, I'm glad you like having my luck and everything, but can I have it back?" she asked the imaginary Adrien in her head.

Luka had the luxury for her of being an "outsider" to all of it. They'd only met recently, so his knowledge of her relationships was extremely limited. Had it been one of the girls instead, they probably would've asked before she'd even gotten the chance to bring it up.

This was nice. Luka was nice. She still felt bubbly thinking about his apology at the first sign she was upset by him, how his first instinct was to protect her from the akuma, and the way he asked about her first to Ladybug even after having safely hidden her away. It was entirely possible that it had nothing to do with her and that it was just how Luka cared for people, but she actually liked that thought more.

"...Oh," she uttered in realization, noting that she was sitting there with ice cream while Luka wasn't. She turned to him, ensuring that he could see the second spoon still stuck in the ice cream. "Do you want any?"

His gaze flickered from the ice cream to her, confirming that she meant her ice cream. She nodded and he happily took the second spoon, adding a soft, "Thanks. I don't know what you got, but I love the colors."

She beamed, admiring the way his black nails stuck out against the color of the spoon as he scooped some of the ice cream she'd yet to try. Even in his mannerisms, he was such a sweetheart—

Wait.

"Ah—Luka, stop!" Marinette hurried to say, reaching out but not quite touching his wrist. "That's Sweetheart's Ice Cream! Maybe we should get you a different one."

He stopped, blinking at her confusedly. She'd honestly thought he'd know what she was talking about without her having to explain, but he seemed truly clueless.

"Um..." She gestured at it with her free hand. "People go all over Paris looking for Andre so they can taste his Sweetheart's Ice Cream." She raised a finger as she made her point. "They say that if two people eat it together, they'll be together forever!"

Huh. It actually sounded a little ridiculous when she said it to someone who didn't know.

She forged on anyway, figuring that she might as well finish what she started, "I-I don't want to magically attach us together? Especially because you didn't know that and..." She pouted, unsure if it was okay to touch on the topic but adding, "I thought you might have a girlfriend already? Or a boyfriend?"

Luka's eyes left hers to look at the tiny bit of ice cream on his spoon. He turned it left and right like he was trying to spot what exactly made it so magic, but it looked blatantly like normal, plain ice cream.

Eventually, he shrugged, catching her free hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Thanks for looking out for me, Marinette, but I've never had anyone like that."

"Wh—really?" The shock of him knowing nothing of Sweetheart's Ice Cream paled in comparison to him never having had a partner. "So you're single?"

She'd asked out of sheer curiosity, but blushed when it became apparent how they sounded.

Luka, her savior from embarrassment, didn't even flinch and took it in stride. "Yeah." He looked back down at the ice cream, wondering aloud, "Do you believe in it?"

"Believe in...?" It took Marinette a second to remember what they'd been talking about. She followed his gaze to the ice cream, thinking the question over seriously. Could there actually be a magical solution to tie her to someone, or even just to help? Her parents had gotten together and thought fondly of their time with Sweetheart's Ice Cream, but did they actually believe in it? As Luka had asked, did she believe in it?

"...No. I don't think so," she sighed.

Funnily (or maybe tragically) enough, being Ladybug and getting exposed to the world's "magic" had made her more critical of the idea. "Magic" never actually solved any of her problems and often made them worse instead.

"I like what you said," she added with a self-conscious chuckle, "about effort. Sharing ice cream is nice, but there's no magic to it."

He nodded in agreement. "We don't have to worry then."

"Are you sure?" she continued to prod, though at this point it might not have been about the "magic" element anymore.

Instead of answering, he finally ate the ice cream that had been on his spoon, a pleased hum following at the taste. "Even if it was true, I wouldn't mind."

"You... wouldn't mind being tied to me?" she asked, her blush deepening. His directness was good - really, really good - because it left no room for her to misinterpret it, but she certainly wasn't used to it.

"Mhm." He confirmed it like it wasn't a big deal, but there was a warmth to his face that could've melted the ice cream on contact. "You're talented, amazing, and brave. Why wouldn't I?"

Marinette had experienced flirting before, but only under a mask. Even beyond Chat, there were a few people she'd saved who couldn't help but get a word in about how pretty she was or how awesome it was that she'd thrown the akuma into a web she'd fashioned out of her yoyo.

This was different though. He wasn't saying it to charm her, or gush about strength and dexterity she could only achieve after being powered up. He was just saying how he honestly felt without an ounce of exaggeration.

Shy, she attempted to take a bit more ice cream to give herself time to respond, but a bit turned to a lot when she mistakenly scooped too much. Trying not to laugh, she bit her bottom lip, almost in awe by how things had turned around after just a bit of introspection. She hadn't even realized how much was weighing her down until she let it all go.

"...Luka," she dared to call, throwing caution to the wind. When their gazes met, she held the spoon out to him encouragingly.

His lips parted for a moment - the first sign of throwing him off she'd gotten today - but like a puppy being offered a treat, he obediently leaned over and opened his mouth further to clamp down on the ice cream.

It did actually feel a little magic, but she was certain that it wasn't the legend's doing.

——

——

Marinette walked into her kitchen, letting her long hair down as she prepared to relax for the day. It was still strange getting used to having her own house, but not unwelcome, and one of the biggest pluses was that she didn't have to dig through her parents' weird dessert tastes in the freezer to get to what she wanted.

Pulling out two containers of ice cream at random - welcoming a little chaos in mixing the flavors - she set them on the counter and took out two bowls as well. Scooping an appropriate amount of the two flavors into them ("appropriate" for a lazy day anyway), she added one spoon in each before putting the containers back and taking the bowls out to the living room.

Luka, her boyfriend of almost five years, was skimming through a selection of movies on the couch to decide what they should watch. At the first sight of her though, he stopped, setting them down and welcoming her close.

She set her bowl down on the table, holding the other out to him and taking the time to give him a kiss on the forehead. He responded by pulling her down to kiss her chin, never one to leave a smooch unreturned.

Pulling back, she took in the sight of him holding ice cream and giggled. Unapologetically, she stated, "I guess that ice cream legend was right after all. You've already been stuck with me for years."

Luka raised a brow at her and smirked, catching the joke instantly. He held his arm out, allowing her to plop down next to him and snuggle against his side. "Mm, maybe I should've listened to you back then." Their lips met in a kiss as he blindly reached for the spoon in his bowl, scooping up some ice cream with it. "But you know what I said."

Marinette nodded, tucking her hair behind her earring-less ears before accepting the bite he fed her. "Mhm~" She took her time to savor the taste before swallowing, smiling contentedly as she responded, "I didn't mind being tied to you either."

[honeybrowne]

𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 — 𝐀𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐍𝐄𝐑

— summary: after forgetting your anniversary, aaron is consumed with guilt and can't help but feel like he doesn't deserve you or the gift you gave him. you prove to him that he does.

— pairing: aaron hotchner x reader (no pronouns)

— content: angst with a happy ending; hurt feelings [1.6k words]

— author's note: this was requested and meant to only be a blurb, but it quickly got out of hand… so here we are lmao. i hope this is what you had in mind, anon!

navigation . masterlist

9:37 p.m.

That's what the clock read when you looked at it for the fifth time in the last ten minutes, wondering if your boyfriend would ever come home.

At this point, you had been waiting for almost five hours. The dinner you made for your anniversary already stored in the refrigerator.

Part of you hoped the team had been called away for a case, and Aaron was too swamped with responsibilities, trying to save yourself from the sorrow that he simply forgot. But deep down, you knew he would've made time to call you, texting Penelope to know for sure.

Once you got the confirmation from her that they didn't have a case, and he was still in his office when she left, you couldn't stop the tears from rolling down your face.

Maybe it was your fault for not reminding Aaron of what today was, but you didn't think you had to. You thought he'd remember on his own, considering he referred to the day you agreed to be his partner as the second best day of his life, only coming second to when his son was born.

Knowing it wasn't as important to him as you thought stung, probably just another day that he didn't think was worth celebrating when it meant everything to you.

After another twenty minutes, you decided there was no point in waiting anymore. You turned off all the lights, blew out the candles you lit, and left his gift on the table for him to find.

When Aaron got home an hour later, he wasn't surprised to see all the lights out, but he was surprised to see a card and a small box wrapped beautifully in wrapping paper sitting on the kitchen table. He looked down the hall to check if the bedroom door was open and you were awake, but it was closed, and he flicked the lights on to get a better look at it.

His stomach sank when he read his name in your handwriting on the pale blue envelope, a tiny heart doodled at the end.

That's when it dawned on him.

He ran a hand down his face at the realization, cursing under his breath as he carefully opened it. It was a card for the anniversary he had forgotten, resulting in you spending it alone because he stayed late at work for the fourth time that week.

What hurt even worse was what you had written on the inside:

Happy anniversary, my love.

I know one year of being together might not be the most significant milestone you've accomplished, but getting to love you for that long has been the most significant one of mine. To this day, I still can't comprehend how I got lucky enough to share this life with you and be the one you come home to every night you're not away saving the world.

There's so much more I wish I could say, but there aren't enough words to express how much you mean to me, so I hope this is good enough.

Forever yours, Y/N.

With a shaky hand and a few stubborn tears, Aaron set the card down and reached for the box beside it. Carefully, he slipped the ribbon off, removing the paper as neatly as possible. Just by the emblem on the packaging, he knew what it was.

A few months ago, he had mentioned a watch he wanted but didn't think it was worth spending that much on something he could get for cheaper. Of course, you had gotten it for him anyway, a gift to prove you listened and wanted to do whatever you could to make him happy. He tried not to get more choked up about it, but the lump in his throat proved that to be useless.

Opening it confirmed his suspicions that it was the silver Submariner Rolex he had shown you, and he couldn't help but feel like he didn't deserve to touch it, much less put it on.

He closed the lid and left it on the table where he found it but took the card with him before making his way into the bedroom.

You were fast asleep, the bathroom light on and the door cracked open because you hated sleeping in complete darkness without him. Aaron quietly removed his suit and shoes, hanging his jacket and pants up in the closet so he could take them to the dry cleaners at the end of the week.

Before getting in bed with you, he placed the card on the nightstand next to the picture of him and Jack you gifted him for his birthday. You didn't move when he slipped under the covers, either in too deep of sleep to notice or refusing to give him any of your attention.

If the latter were the case, he wouldn't have blamed you.

"Sweetheart," Aaron said softly, gently rubbing your arm, trying not to startle you.

"Not in the mood," you murmured as you moved away, followed by a faint sniffle.

There wasn't a doubt in his mind that you spent all evening crying, which broke his heart. It was already bad enough that he had stupidly forgotten your anniversary, but to know he was the reason for your tears made him feel like the worst boyfriend in the world, and all he wanted to do was fix it.

"Baby, please look at me," he begged, refraining from touching you again.

Your breath was unsteady as you inhaled deeply, slowly turning around to face him. Even with the tiny sliver of light coming from the bathroom, Aaron could see how puffy your eyes were from crying.

"How was your day?" you asked quietly.

He sighed. "Don't worry about that right now. I want to apologize to you."

"Aaron, it's fine—"

"No, it's not," he denied. "It's not okay that I forgot our anniversary and left you here waiting for me all night. It's not okay that you went out of your way to make this special just for me to not show up." Tears began to well in your eyes again, and he tugged you towards him, cradling the back of your head as you buried your face in his neck to quiet your sobs. "I'm so sorry, baby."

He wished you would say something, even if it was to tell him how angry you were at him, but you weren't. You were crying because you were upset, and that was even worse.

"I know I don't deserve it, but talk to me. Please," he murmured.

You forced yourself to look at him, his hand coming up to wipe your tears away. "I'm sad," you said. "I get that your job is important, but I really thought I meant more to you."

Aaron closed his eyes as he processed your words, wrapping his arm around you tighter. "Sweetheart, you mean everything to me. I'm not trying to make excuses, but the last few weeks have been hectic, and it just slipped my mind."

Despite him saying he wasn't trying to make excuses, he was. You didn't want to think about this anymore and would rather go to sleep so you could pretend like this day never happened.

You didn't want to be mad at him over something that was already done and you couldn't change. It was already a miracle that he came home at all with how dangerous his job was; that's what you wanted to focus on and be grateful for.

"I know," you whispered. "Can we just go to bed, please?"

Even though fights between you happened rarely, he never liked going to bed with either of you upset. However, it wasn't his place to be asking for things from you right now, so he agreed.

You turned over to face away from him, but you let him keep his arm draped over your side.

After a few minutes, you managed to fall asleep, but Aaron laid awake all night.

The following morning, he tried not to disturb you when it was time for him to get up. Thankfully, you rested peacefully as he disappeared into the bathroom to shower. It wasn't till he was putting on the final touches of his outfit that your eyes blinked open.

Aaron smiled at you, and you returned the sentiment as you watched him adjust his tie. You frowned when his old watch peeked out from under the sleeve of his suit jacket, wondering why he wasn't wearing the one you got him.

"Wait, did you not see your gift on the table when you got home?" you asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

"Oh, I did," he nodded, "but I didn't think I deserved to have it."

The tone of his voice was self-loathing, and he looked at you curiously when you moved to get off the bed. "I'm gonna go get it. I want to see what it looks like on," you explained, and he stopped you.

His mouth opened and closed like he was going to say something, but he just smiled and kissed your forehead. "I'll get it. Stay here."

You brought him in for a kiss before letting him go, adjusting your pillows so you could sit comfortably. He returned a few moments later with the Rolex still in the box, turning the light on and handing it to you to do the honors.

When you bought it, you couldn't believe how nice it was, but as you placed it on his wrist, it was a thousand times better than what you remembered.

It fit him perfectly, the silver looking sharp against the black of his suit.

"What do you think?"

Aaron blinked at you a few times, at a loss for words. "Honey, I love it. I'm sorry I don't have anything for you yet, but it's... wow. Thank you."

"You're welcome," you grinned, the expression on his face better than any anniversary gift you could ever receive.

He stood between your legs and tilted your chin up, bringing you in for a kiss so sweet you almost melted right then and there. It was everything you both needed, a silent apology from him and a reminder that he loved you more than you could imagine, but it didn't hurt to say it out loud, too.

"I love you."

[saltymongoose]

Player with a child has been on my mind,, Can you imagine the amount of stress Player is going through?? They would've been completely fine being here on their own, but to bring their child to Nevada has them scrambling to keep them safe. Always keeping their child behind them and out of sight (also to block them from seeing all the gore and blood that tends to paint the place), covering their ears when a gun fight starts, etc. Thankfully, Player doesn't have to worry about protecting their kid because they've got the boys!! I'm sure Hank will have no problem tearing apart anyone who's anywhere near their location. Sanford and Deimos can definitely help with occupying the child (after hours of begging the Player to sleep and convincing them that the kid is safe) I also think the fact Sanford's a mama's boy might help ease Player lol. Doc,,, I have no clue what Doc what do honestly. Might be busy with Player discussing important things like the kid's medical history. Also maybe Phobos doesn't act too different? Just surprised to see his Player happens to have a little god in the making. Player might take advantage of this and make him swear loyalty to the child and prioritize them (and with how serious they sounded it's not like he'll disobey). Maybe he also acts as another parental figure for the kid?? Like showing them around the tower, carrying them around, letting them explore, etc. (may get a few weird looks from the staff but that's ok) I would write for Jeb and Hof but out of brain juices and the ask is already long,, I hope you still enjoy Parent! Player tho :))

!!!!PARENT!PLAYER YES! I LOVE THIS!! This is such a good idea, you're completely right; the Player's experience if their child was ripped from reality with them would be entirely different and their stress level would go up by 10^17. I was originally going to do just a straight answer for this, but I realized I had faar too much to say, so have some unofficial headcanon things instead ig. 😅

(TW: Yandere, Obsessive Behavior)

//-[The Employers]-//

From the moment you were dragged into Nevada, you kept a careful watch on whoever you were around and, more importantly, whoever your child is around. And of course, because they're the ones who brought you there, the Employers were the first to receive your scrutiny.

You didn't trust them with your kid, to put it simply, and they never really gave you a substantial reason to think otherwise. The Employers weren't even that good with other people in general, let alone innocent children, and it showed from how awkward and stilted they were around you when you had yours with you (which was almost always).

It puts them in a difficult position because while they want to shower you with attention and get to really know everything about you, you keep them at arm's length all the time; leveling them with dark glares whenever they get too close or try to give you anything. Showing clear suspicion when they do anything you deem too nice, especially with regard to your kid. You don't care about your own safety that much, but you made it clear that if anything were to happen to your little one because of them, you'd send them to whatever version of hell they go to, no matter how long it took.

If you decide to stay with the Employers (as would likely be the case if you wound up in Nevada before the events of the game), then you begrudgingly allow them some leniency in what they do. But you keep an eye on them all the while, carefully monitoring how they behave around your child. When you're not, you're actually instructing them on it, as they generally tend to treat your kid like an adult when they really shouldn't (speaking to them too roughly, ordering them around, etc).

You don't really rest and let them take care of your kid themselves; you just don't trust them to do a good job with it, so you're still kinda stressed most of the time. But at least you don't have to worry about your kid seeing any blood or gore, since all of the Employers are very careful about what occurs near you or your kid (perks of being on the AAHW's good side, you suppose).

//-[The Main 4]-//

While a part of you was honestly really hesitant to allow the boys to form a bond with your kid (they are wanted murderers after all), you eventually warmed up to the idea from seeing just how hard they worked to get your approval for such a thing. They'd ask you if you needed anything for them, even going out of their way to find little nick-knacks and toys to give to you so you could present them to your kid (it wasn't from them if it was a gift to you originally, they reasoned). Sanford made sure he could make something at least close to their favorite once in a while, to cheer them up. However, once you made it known that they could start helping you out, they put in even more effort.

Your boys don't have the luxury of keeping you away from combat at the moment, which means they have to work together with you to keep your kid blissfully ignorant while they gun down your foes from further away. Luckily you've found that your strings can cover quite a bit of distance, so you stick near Doc from a ranged position most of the time. (Good thing Deimos made some smaller headphones to block the noise of the gunfire; you didn't want their ears to be impacted too much from it.)

Hank is especially good at taking out enemies before they reach your sight-line, and you reward this with some grateful praise (maybe even a quick peck on the cheek). Which, of course, only spurs Sanford and Deimos on to try and compete, to his displeasure. But it keeps you and your child safer, which is the most important part.

However, where Sanford and Deimos really shine is with actually taking care of your kid, as you said. Deimos makes little toys and robots for them, even having them "help out" (holding flashlights and handing him things) to keep them interested. Nevada doesn't really have any children's shows anymore, but he brings out some old action movies and tamer things he watched when he was a lot younger. (You also watch along with them, which leads to a lot of inside jokes amongst the three of you.)

Sanford is generally the most "parent-like" out of the four; he worries about their nutrition and if they're getting enough sleep, and speaks with you about how they're doing mentally. He even offers to take you and your kid to go visit his family (his mother and siblings) so they have more friendly faces. He knows that Nevada isn't exactly a good place to raise a child, so he wants you to know that he supports you and that you can rely on him to take care of them if need be.

Doc is a lot kinder to you and your kid than he is with everyone else, and it shows. His tone is less stern and he even leans down so as to not appear threatening, but his behavior is mostly the same. Although, he also tries to go over human health and anatomy with you to effectively "doctor" your child, which will definitely take some time. (He's not even authorized to be a medic for grunts, so he's got his work cut out for him. It's more than worth it, though.)

They also worry about you too, since they can tell this stress is beginning to take its toll on you, so they definitely try to distract your kid so you can get some sleep. Or alternatively, they try to make you both so comfortable that you doze off together, since you know your child is safe if they're asleep in your arms. (However, you do have to admit that seeing your kid all snuggled up in the arms of a grunt four times their size is pretty adorable.)

//-[The Nexus Core]-//

It takes you very little time to realize how much the Director of the Nexus Core idolizes you, and with that comes the opportunity to make your kid more of a focal point for him too. After all, if you're such a God, then of course your own child would be a little godling, right? It made sense to you, and of course, Phobos was very easily convinced. Swearing fealty to both of you made sense, and this makes him adjust the Nexus Cores rules of conduct to show this as well.

The Nexus Core personnel are instructed to be even safer, keeping things locked and clean, and ensuring that anything dangerous is kept in special rooms that require security clearance. It was only a few steps above what they did before, but knowing that the Player's child was the reason was very odd for them. However, they find it weirdly endearing to see you be so sweet to them in the few moments any agents, soldats, or scientists catch you carefully tying your kid's shoes or giving them soft encouragements when they're nervous.

Most of the Nexus' workforce are also clones and didn't have parents themselves, so it's a very new thing to see a kid actually being raised. It makes them appreciate you a lot more, and I can see them doing little things to help you out (finding candy that they can conveniently leave for you, or keeping an eye out in case your little one gets lost).

I think Phobos would desperately want your kid's approval, so much it's actually pretty funny. He does a lot to keep them entertained, and will go above and beyond to keep them happy. Getting them dessert or expensive toys and clothes is pretty standard, but he also wants to have a genuine bond with them. It's really difficult for him because he's never been around kids, but with your coaching, it works out pretty well.

(Seeing your gaze soften as your kid hugs him makes a wide grin spread across his face. He raises an arm to invite you over, and his heart beats a little faster when you lean into his side and whisper a small thank you.)

Jebus and Hofnarr are honestly kind of shocked you have a child, to begin with. (Unless you mentioned it on your stream and Jeb heard it, but Hofnarr is still taken aback.) However, once they see how tired and stressed you are about having to raise someone in Nevada of all places, they try to formulate ways to alleviate some of that burden so you can rest.

Jeb isn't the warmest person, but he's really kind and caring in regard to your kid. It honestly makes the Nexus agents do a double-take, cause it's not like Jebediah was ever rude, but he's never acted quite like this before. You'd also say that he's a good teacher for them as well, since he places a huge priority on making sure their education wasn't very stunted by your sudden appearance in Nevada. Hofnarr also helps with this, if we're talking pre-M:PN times as well.

[writing-sideblog-behind-books]

Tgcf au where they time travel to the moment that changed their lives

A suspicion blooms in mqs mind and he tries something. "How old are you?" Fx startles clearly not having expected the question. "I was born in the blorb year of the xianle dynasty" His response isn't an answer but its a hint. Fx is a straightforward person and would've said his age if were as simple as mq thinks it isn't. "Why?" Clearly fx isn't willing to risk his secret as easily as that. "I was just wondering if our age was something shared" well neitger is mq. The ball is back in fxs court. "Well how old are you?" Fx seems to be catching on that this might be a secret shared. Something glints in his eyes. Something like hope. "Not sure. What's the year" the glint dies and mq realizes why his answer was wrong. Mq genuinely doesn't know what year it is. He know he was born in year blorb of xianle but hes unsure when exactly his father was killed and he accepted into xie lians service. He only knows it was somewhere after 10 and somewhere between 15, but age has blurred the memories of his time at the palace. A pretty and young person without power doesn't have it easy. Ten would have been too young, too close to fx coming to the palace. Fifteen was when his mothers health took a turn for the worse and he had already been at the palace.

Bit fx doesn't know that fxll think that mq is a disoriented from his time in poverty, aware of how it makes time crawl and extend and diminish one's understanding of it. Mq also refuses to risk it in case fx doesn't share his secret so he tries something else. "You know i used to have a friend." The abrupt change in the conversation seems to confuse fx but for now he keeps listening "his name was nan fang. Sometimes you remind me of him." No one in this time could truly understand what he means by that without knowing the context of the future. Fx gets it. "Well you remind me of fu yao. I uswd to spar with him." A smile emerges on his face. "Im glad you're here. It's been so lonely here." Mq understands not being seen for who you are and having no one by his side. "How long have you been here?" "Since i was accepted as xie lians companion at eight, five years ago. You're 13 btw. You just arrived?" "Yeah. This morning."

* When hc falls once again during the parade and xl catches him fq force the parade to continue and xl backs them. Hc is a tiny dirty child and he looks terrified but when xl presses him into mq's hands during a moment they are close enough for the action to be overlooked he doesn't struggle. Mq hides him as best in his dark, flowing robes - the are supposed to resemble a horrible night where the monster lurks. And as xl deals the "killing blow" he hides him in the folds. Xl makes a big show of his skills and while he draws the attention mq vanishes to the guards. He hands fx the tiny hc. "At least five." He nods to fx a reminder of their earlier promise before quickly changing into another stashed mask and getting a different sword, then returning to the stage. It was never the plan for xl to only face one demon during the ten rounds. It would habe gotten tedious and there were many more stories of jun wu's glory to act out. For thw first round mq is to play different ghosts jw beat. At round six there will be dancers to tell another of jun wu's tales while xl gets a break. in round eight xl will fight against eight, then nine then ten. Standing the victor in the last round. All but their fight scenes are carefully choreographed, the steps having been decided on months ago. Technically they also have a Skript to follow but that went out the window when they began fighting for real in round two. They keep going and by the time the dancers get their turn mq has changed mask and weapon two more times. His body is burning and his spiritual energy straining. He feels so exhausted he doesn't know how xie lian plans to manage the last three rounds. He's exhilarated. Maybe they shouldn't have fought for real but it was so much fun. Xl is sweaty and flushed as he sits down and starts drinking from the prepared glass. There is an exhilarated air to him too. They have about two sticks of incense (30 minutes) before its xl's turn again and mq gets to work immediately. He fixes any one xl's hair that got loose, layers his clothing new so it doesn't look as disseveles. And re does his makeup. Xl asks about the child and mq tells him he gave them to fx and they can look after and xl concedes easily. When the time is up xl looks as refreshed as he did that morning and mq is pleased with his work as re refixes tge mask, sturdier this time. So it won't fall of again. Then the dancers are chased away by "ghosts" and xl gets back on stage to "defend them. Following the pre planned steps perfectly. Mq changes out of his billowing robes into the dark grey, tight ones the others have and grabs a mask and sword identical to theirs then jumps in when round nine begins on his cue.

When the parade is finished and hailed as a big success xl is celebrated by the court and chewed out a bit for the stunt at the beginning and what happened in round three but praised for everything after. Mq stands in his shadow and he can feel how impatient they both are to get away. Finally everyone has congratulated xl and they are free to leave. Fx and the tiny hc are waiting for them in blorb. Hc still looks distressed and immediately starts clinging to xl and bawling. Mq is pretty sure this didn't happen the last time. But more he feels awkward and pitiful at seeing a child so young in distress. He looks to be around ten and while mq knows the potential the child has to grow he doesn't look like that now. He just looks like a tiny, distressed, terrified child. Fx had the foresight to clean him a bit this time but he's still to dirty to be clinging to xl's robes and bawling into them.

Hc it terrified. Hes small powerless and there are people all around him. Then there's a push and he falls. Its a feelig so familiar. Then there are warm arms enveloping him and his highness smiling down. Warmth fills hc but there is no recognition in his highness eyes and he's still tiny and powerless. Then there are swords clashing, his highness face hidden by a mask and suddenly he's pressed against the chest of a masked actor. It's all to much. Then they move fast enough the world blurs and the actor speaks revealing himself the traitor friend as he presses hc into the others arms. Then they are gone. The other friend tells the guards to ensure the parade continues and they follow. After ensuring the parade continues he takes hq to blorb where he blorb. Then after hours of this finally his highness returns, flushed and beautiful. Something in hc snaps at the sight of him and as soon as he feels his touch again he's crying.

"You can't stay at the palace." Mq tells hc "you wouldn't want to." Hed be seen as a stain on xl as a pity project and with daily meals and weekly baths he'd soon enough be pretty for horrible rich people to take a liking to him. Mq wants to spare him that but he also knows hc has no where to go and wants to stay with his highness. Fx is the one to get the solution and break the stalemate on mq's side but not against hc. "You mother." Mq hates it but it would be a great fit for their problem. Hc would get a home, mq's mother a helping hand, mq could easily visit them both. Hc wouldn't nessecarily get to see his highness but it would be the ideal solution. If it did not involve crimson rain sought flower living with his mother. Still, in the end there doesn't find itself a better answer so mq consedes. Hc is powerless and if he grows fond of mqs mother maybe hell be alright to help her when mq isn't able to get the time during busy weeks.

Hc isn't entirely sure why he agreed but now he's living with the traitor friends mother. She tries to raise him and he is instructed to bring her her medicine and make sure she eats. It's not all that bad, her hands in his hair comforting and her voice soothing. It's been to long since his mother died and even throgh this time distortion she's alteady dead. He missed her by two months. Weekly mq comes and brings money, cherries and a bag of rice he bought. Sometimes fx comes with. Xl never does - too busy and too under guard - but grudgingly they tell him how he fares and what he's doing. It's a huge step down from his time as a ghost but so much better that when he was alive. Hc is content. Much to his surprise. He's not as obsessed with xl, though he still loves his highness above all. He hadn't realized how much being a ghost changed him. He'll thinks maybe he doesn't want to die but gamblers den and ghost city need to be build and ni mortal and no god could hold it.

[another-lost-mc]

Oooh what would KARASU'S response be to realizing MC has a fwb demon lover? Enquiring minds wanna know~

a/n: hmm, I wonder? 😜

karasu x gn!reader | 0.5k | nsfw | suggestive, dark themes implied for nb! karasu

— He discovers your fwb arrangement shortly after it begins. He's responsible for monitoring your device usage and he notices a pattern when the same number that doesn't belong to one of your roommates starts texting you on a regular basis.

— Honestly, he's probably the first of all the demons to figure it out, except for maybe Asmo who's naturally more sensitive to feelings of lust in others.

— He takes a cursory glance through the messages you've exchanged and sees nothing inherently suspicious or dubious. You're simply two consenting individuals discussing when and where to meet for personal reasons.

— Karasu does get a little flustered reading some of the descriptive messages from your friend about how he intends to fuck you next, or how good your body feels, or how he can't wait until next time...

— Karasu does his due diligence and checks into your friend's background for any suspicious activity or possible ill intent towards you. The other demon comes from a respectable family close to Diavolo's inner circle and is an above-average student at RAD. It seems unlikely that this demon would harm you or disrupt the exchange program with no apparent motivation to do so.

— It's a personal matter and seems low-risk based on the information he has, so Karasu keeps this discovery to himself. He makes note of the important details in case he has to report any suspicious activity to Lucifer and Barbatos later on. For now, he wants to respect your privacy as much as he can.

— You're still in the growing stages of friendship, but something about the situation doesn't sit right with him. He can't pinpoint the right words to describe how he feels. He's anxious for you, but he's also extremely agitated whenever he thinks about you being with others that way. Maybe he's worried you're being taken advantage of? But your messages are enthusiastic and you're very...generous with your compliments and praise. It's confusing and he tries not to dwell on it. He also doesn't mention to you that he knows about it, and only acknowledges it if you bring it up to him first.

— If you haven't ended your arrangement by the time he decides to pursue you romantically, he's going to hint as gently as he can that he's only interested in an exclusive relationship and any existing arrangements wouldn't be acceptable. (If he had any suspicion you wouldn't want something exclusive, chances are he would've stopped pursuing you by now anyway.)

Of course, Karasu's position gives him so much power with minimal oversight to make executive decisions as he sees fit. Surprisingly enough, he doesn't even consider...

— hacking into you or your friend's D.D.D.'s and scraping the intimate files from them. There's so many racy messages worth keeping, not to mention the scandalous videos and photos you sent your fwb partner between those little meetings.

— sabotaging your arrangement in any way by leaking the information to Lucifer or his siblings, or fabricating evidence that would make you want to end the arrangement first.

— killing maiming threatening getting jealous of your friend and retaliating against him personally.

...well, the good news is that the og! version of Karasu doesn't do any of those things!

But the nb! version of him might.

[inndelibles]

BaxterMC Week Day 1: First(?) Meeting

"It's time to get to the bottom of this! I'm gonna ask somebody what's up. C'mon, Mel!"

Melody followed Derek as he weaved in and out of a crowd of very fancy-looking people. It was kinda insane that this gathering was happening at the same time and place as the soirée, because it felt like an entirely different world.

Not long after, it was clear Derek spotted a person to ask. He led the two of them towards a boy, maybe a little older than the two of them, who was standing by himself. Their gaze had been wandering, but as Melody and Derek approached, those rich brown eyes fell on Melody, and he felt himself flush just a little. He couldn't deny the person was extremely pretty with their pale face and rosy cheeks framed by swooping strands of black hair, not to mention the small mole on their neck.

"Hey, so, this might sound weird," Derek said to the person as he smiled awkwardly, "but what are you guys all doing here?"

"We're visitors who are in town for a dance circuit."

So, mystery person was a dancer? Very intriguing, Melody thought.

As the conversation continued, Melody couldn't help the pit that grew in his stomach as he realized he and Derek were very much intruding on a space they didn't belong in. That is, until it became clear that the mystery person was very much interested in sneaking around the same way Melody and Derek were.

"I thought I noticed something that way. It's been bothering me the entire evening. I was planning to check when it got darker," they smiled.

The stranger's posture and tone of voice presented an air of mild interest, but Melody could see a sparkle in their eyes. He could tell this person was trying very hard not to appear too excited, almost as if they wished they could be at the soirée instead of this formal "dance circuit," whatever that meant. Melody suddenly felt much more at ease knowing that this kid was much more similar to him and Derek than to all the other stuffy-looking people that surrounded them.

"Bye! Good luck with your dance circuit, and everything else!"

Derek's chipper voice brought Mel out of his reverie. By the time he realized what was going on, the person was gone. If he'd been paying more attention, he would've seen the curious look and its accompanying blush that pretty stranger had given him as they left.

~~~

Standing there by the curb with Cove, Melody couldn't help but find the monochrome man familiar. He couldn't place where he knew him from, and he wasn't even sure if he was remembering correctly at all, but luckily he didn't have to wait long to have his suspicions confirmed.

This "Baxter" eyed Melody with a smile and said, "We've met before."

~~~

BaxterMC Week courtesy of @minthe-drawings

[cursedvibes]

So now it's confirmed that kenjaku/takaba is canon-ish, right.....

Weeeell, we do know that they care about each other at least. Takaba found in Kenjaku the only real partner he ever had and they gave him the show of his lifetime and affirmed him in his passion (telling him he's funny). And despite earlier protest Kenjaku has come around to openly saying Takaba has provided them one of the best times in their long life and they are glad they got to meet him before they died. So there is some affection there. Unfortunately, we will never know what it could've developed into. But Takaba sure rocked Kenjaku's world.

I'm really curious how Takaba will react when he wakes up and finds out about what happened. He has spend over 20 years trying to find a partner to do comedy with and right when he found one, he loses them forever. But maybe his thirst for comedy was satiated by that one show with Kenjaku (even though he wanted it to never end) and now he will move on to something else. Honestly, I can't really see that though. Even if an artist makes a masterpiece, they usually don't just hang up their job afterwards. It seems like he wasn't aware of what Angel, Yuuta and the others were planning to do or there would've been no need for him to try and change Kenjaku's mind about the merger. This new development must come as a bit of a shock, even if he had some suspicions this is what their mission could lead to.

Either way, doesn't seem like any of this affected Kenjaku's opinion on him, they don't seem to see this as a betrayal, which I find very interesting. They accepted pretty quickly what happened and then resign themselves to death after ensuring Tengen is taken care of. No hate for anyone or throwing a tantrum at being defeated. I really like that. Kenjaku realized that getting lost in the comedy show with Takaba opened them up for an attack, but instead of blaming Takaba or jumping back to denial of their feelings, they actually become more open about them. I wish we could've seen the long-term affects of this character development. I hope we at least get more insight into how this encounter has affected Takaba and how he will move on. I want to hear more about his feelings on the matter as well. I would hate if he just forgot about it. Maybe there could even arise a little bit of conflict from it and we get a closure on their relationship from both sides.

Anyway, I really like the depth this little fight has brought to both of their characters. Kenjaku becomes a more fleshed out and multi-dimensional villain by showing that they are able to care for others (even if that was already clear with Tengen and Yuuji) while still committing horrible acts, and Takaba has become much more than a comedic sidekick whose technique conveniently helps the protagonists.

[inverted-typo]

After drawing my last pic I can't stop thinking about them having to sneak out to see each other:

Maybe Raven isn't with the Titans and instead was taken in by Constantine. She spend her time living between the House of Mystery and an apartment Zatanna owns in Gotham. She's the most junior member of Justice League Dark.

Batman is already a little weary of her as she basically just showed up one day, but add on her demonic heritage and let's just say he isn't the biggest fan. However, in an unlikely team-up with Constantine and Batman, Raven and Robin meet. "She's harmless!" Constantine insists, completely aware of her world-ending abilities.

Damian is injured on this mission in a way that only magic can truly relieve him. Despite Bruce's hesitancy Raven saves him; thus creating that empathetic bond. Batman is grateful for saving him, but that doesn't shake his distrust of her in the slightest. Damian is told to keep clear of her and that they won't be collaborating again.

Clearly that doesn't happen. The two can't stop thinking about each other after that. When they dream, they see glimpses into the memories of one another. They can feel what the other is feeling when those emotions are too intense. It becomes impossible to ignore. After doing some digging in the Bat Computer, Damian learns as much as he can about her. He learns her human alias, he learns about her history, what limited knowledge they know of her powers. He learns about Trigon. He learns about how the Justice League refused to help her. Further investigation proves it was Batman who was the first to opt for not helping her.

Something ignites in Damian and suddenly he just realizes he needs to see her again. It's been like two months since that first and only encounter.

If she would have lived across the country in Jump City or somewhere further, he would've happily stolen the jet. But, thankfully, he noticed the local address and hoped she was home. (Damian would be fucked if she lived only in the House of Mystery)

Thankfully, she was home. Then things just snowball from there. Usually Damian sneaks out of his house to meet with her, because well, it's fun. But mostly, it somehow seemed more dangerous for Raven to suddenly teleport into Wayne Manor.

She's been told by Constantine and Zatanna that this newest Robin was not friendly and was extremely loyal to the Bat, so for her own sake it was probably best to keep her distance. She had briefly brought up that she thinks she made an empathic connection when she healed him. It was more the circumstances that kept them worried rather than the principle. Plus, Constantine thinks he's a prick so she'd be wasting her time anyways.

Despite both being superheroes, they rarely ever saw each other in costume. Raven never patrolled in Gotham, only lived there sometimes. Her business was usually in much more mysterious places. Damian on the other hand was hard to spot. The bats really did take to the shadows. Although from her room balcony, Raven could swear she'd occasionally see a familiar flash of yellow and red darting across rooftops a few buildings away.

This goes on for months. Raven was nervous she'd raise suspicion when she started spending a majority of her time in Gotham instead of the House. Sometimes, Damian had to actively act more brood-ish than he was actually feeling to keep his father's intuitive gaze distracted.

Damian has definitely used the "I'm patrolling with Jon" excuse when he didn't have a good opportunity to sneak out.

When they were feeling risky, sometimes Damian would deadass show up on her balcony in his costume (or not). Usually this was after a particularly bad day. Raven never teleported to the Wayne manor except for once, when she too had experienced something so bad she just needed to see him.

The nice thing about having a girlfriend who can teleport you literally anywhere in the world and beyond, is they got to have movie nights in New York, dinner dates in Italy, or simply a walk on the beach in Jump City. Despite the lavishness of their dating, they sometimes wished they didn't have to sneak around so they could just lounge together at home, order pizza and fall asleep to trash TV.

They're both sure their parents probably knew about it, but their lack of beratement from said authorities seemed to contradict that theory.

In a turn of events they are set up to work on a mission again and they’re reintroduced.

“You remember Raven yes?”

“…Yep.”

[tookerthetookiest]

Diluc x Reader

SAGAU - Self Aware Genshin AU (kinda??)

You were casually doing your daily's in Genshin Impact, but a weird quest you had never seen before appeared as your last one. It was near the gate area next to the Angel Share's Tavern. 'Weird, I don't remember ever seeing this commission before' you thought to yourself, but proceeded to do it anyway. When you teleported your way over to the area, not a single NPC was there, not even an enemy. Your PC/Mobile/Game Console was starting to run the game poorly so maybe that's why.

Finally an option came up to accept the quest from an NPC, but before said NPC could load in, if there even was one to begin with, you already clicked to accept it. Your screen turned black and you leaned in to get a closer look. Only to be sucked into your screen. Faint images flashed before your eyes, memories perhaps? Whatever they were, they stopped in an instant leaving you to drift off into a slumber.

Now onto Diluc, the owner of the Angel Share's Tavern and the largest wine industry in teyvat. Who also happened to live the life of a vigilante, moving in the shadows at night, protecting mondstat's citizens.

His nightly patrol was moving along splendidly, until he came across a figure cloaked in white, laying on the floor of the gate near to his tavern. Approaching with caution, he crept up to the figure. Upon closer inspection, it was a person, though a tall person. Like extremely tall. Near to them was a crown of sorts, more in the form of a halo.

He couldn't just leave them like this, it may pose as a threat in the future, who knows. Mustering all the strength he could, Diluc lifted the person and dragged them back to his mansion. The halo- crown came following after which rose his suspicions, who could this person be?

After a long journey, which would've been much easier if it weren't for your height, Diluc put you in a spare bedroom and chained your right hand to the bed so you won't escape if you were a threat.

You slept well into the afternoon that day, under the supervision of Diluc. The chains clinked, alerting diluc. He watched you with caution as you rose from your position while rubbing your eyes. "Who are you?" Diluc asked, alerting you as you were unaware he was there. "I..." Though you barely spoke a word, your voice already sounded calm and gentle, easing Diluc's nerves but he didn't let his guard down. "I am the creator of this land" you answered almost as if you don't know. In truth you actually didn't, you were doing dailys like 5 mins ago, now you're here.

"Creator? How am I supposed to believe them?" Diluc thought. "I don't really know how to get you to believe me honestly." You answered his thoughts. "How did you do that!?" Diluc said shocked. "Do what? I just heard what you said" you got a good look at him after you said that, he resembles Diluc but there's no way that could be possible.... Right?? "But I thought it I didn't say it" "Oh, weeelll does that prove I'm the creator??" He sighed, "Listen, until I get more proof that you are the 'creator' you're going to stay in this room." As he said that the shackles holding you simply fell off after you touched it while examining it. "Look! More proof!" You exclaimed. "Just.... Don't leave the room then i guess." He began to walk out the room until you spoke up "Wait, what's your name?" "Diluc Ragnvindr" With that he left, trusting you would stay.

Diluc????? FROM THE HIT GAME GENSHIN IMPACT???? Were you in Genshin??? How is that even possible? You sat there with your thoughts wondering how this happened. You began to realize it was all because of that quest you accepted but still, how? You began recalling the memories, you remember creating teyvat and everything on it, including the archons and the magic in this world. But you never did those, or maybe you did. Is this a dream or was the life you had before a dream? You continued to ponder late into the night, so late that you got to see Diluc walk home. You found comfort in knowing there are recognizable faces and people you could trust. Diluc made his way to your room to ensure you were still there and to his surprise you were.

He slowly began to trust you more as the days went by, talking to you whenever he had the time to, he found that to be the best part of his day. Though telling him that he was in a video game seemed like something you shouldn't do, it felt as though a balance would tip if you did. Soon you were given permission to explore the surrounding forrest though not to far so you wouldn't get lost. Everytime Diluc was away you would explore, none of the animals feared you and you even found out you could talk to them. One day you were playing around with your animal friends and lost track of time, huddling up together with them and falling asleep. Diluc searched the whole area for you when he didn't find you waiting for him like usual. When he found you he was so relieved but a bit concerned when he saw the wolves around you napping.

You enjoyed your time with the animals, but one day as you play with boars, you wandered closer and closer to springvale. Unknown to you, that was the day hunters came out to look for boars. Peacefully you ran about with the creatures you called friends when a screech of pain took you out of your leisurely trance. You hurried over to the boar that got caught in a trap, quickly releasing it with your strength. "I heard something get caught over there!" You heard in the distance. Healing the boar of its injuries you stood up searching to see where the shout came from. All the boars began telling you 'run! run! ' and so you did. You ran but the sounds of some boars getting shot down stopped you, you hide behind a tree and watched as the injured boars got tied up to be carried away. In ones final moments it told you to get away quick, though you have the power to help, you know better than to disrupt the natural way of life. So you ran again, but a hunter saw you some of them shouted 'look catch it!' but they couldn't catch up to you, your height gave you a big advantage. You ran all the way back to the winery, holding back tears for the loss of your friends.

Diluc came back ready to talk to you, his day was tiring and he desperately needed to hear your voice. Though his own stress disappeared when he heard your sobs. He had never seen you cry, you were always so calm and happy. He rushed over to you holding onto your arms "what happened!? What's wrong!?" "H-hunters killed my fr-friends" you cried. " Who were they. " He asked with rage, though he himself didn't know those creatures the sight of you this way filled him with rage. "Diluc please, i-it was just the way things must be, if i intervened it w-would not help anything. " He cooled down and just sat with you. You lost family before in the other world, this seemed to feel like the same thing." I know the feeling of loss... " Diluc began to tell you about his father and brother. You already knew though, so you kinda just sat there. You heard his lore so many times before at this point hearing someone say it back left you unfazed, but coming from him with the look of distraught on his face, you couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

The next day Diluc went to the tavern, the night went on as usual until some hunters came in talking about a figure dressed in white. He became suspicious and listened in on their conversation. "It was huge! Atleast 8ft tall!" The surrounding hunters gasped and asked for more information." It was in full white clothes! It looked so majestic!!" " Maybe it was hunting our boars, alot have gone missing recently. " Another hunter suggested." You may be right, we should capture it to make sure it isn't a threat. " Diluc was shocked, he wanted to argue with them, but that would cause a scene. He didn't want to put you in more danger, so he kept to himself.

He went straight to you that night, "You're no longer allowed to leave the winery" he said assertively. "And why not?" "Can't you read minds?" "Ugh, so what if hunters are after me, I can protect myself!" you defended. "I just don't want you getting hurt!" He retorted. That was the first time you fought. He got to annoyed of the arguing and simply got up and left. Leaving you pissed, maybe you should just leave, prove that you can indeed protect yourself.

The morning after, Diluc didn't even bother going into your room, not wanting to see you both argue again. Though if he did, he wouldn't have found you. You had left to go explore the wilderness, though trouble found you quicker than expected. Treasure horders, they were surrounding you "Hey aren't some hunters from springvale looking for a creature like that." One asked "Yup, and im sure they'll pay a hefty price for it, we'll probably make more money off of that thing than those boars." They moved closer to you, readying their weapons. You thought of a plans to escape, watching as one rushed forward. Blowing a gust of anemo his way, you took it as your chance to run. Before you could make it far, a treasure horder threw a bottle infused with pyro at your feet. With not enough time to react, you stepped in it, falling to the ground in the process. Healing the burn with hydro, you rose a wall of geo to protect yourself for a short time. One began pounding away at the wall with a hammer and almost got through.

You fought well into the afternoon, no matter now many of them you got rid of they just kept coming. You were growing tired, only putting up a sheild to protect yourself as you wait for someone to help you. Diluc finally decided enough was enough, he had to talk with you and atleast negotiate something. "Y/N, listen-" he opened the door to your room, quickly noticing you weren't there. "Y/N!" Shouting frantically as he searched around for you. Finally he realized you left, he wanted to believe you were safe, but he just had to find you. It was to late to get someone to help him, so he had to look for you alone. He ran through the forrest searching for any signs of you, even if just a strand of hair.

He almost gave up until he heard the sounds of treasure horders fighting something in the distance. Creeping up towards them, noticing they were surrounding something. The more he looked, he noticed a white robe and the halo- crown you wore. He finally found you! But not in the way he hoped, you looked worn out so he had to act fast. You were about to let your sheild down for your energy was just to low until a flame emerged from behind the treasure horders. While they were distracted you summoned a gust of wind to send them flying into the air, then escaping behind some bushes. You noticed a familiar mop of red hair, rushing through the treasure horders. Regaining some of your strength you ran towards him. He came looking for you and how glad were you that he did.

The treasure horders began to seem less and less but instead of fighting them to the very end, Diluc decided to take you and run back to the winery. "Y/N let's go!" He shouted to you, dashing into nearby bushes with you casting a wall of geo to block your escape. You both ran until you got the the winery, panting and gasping as you slowed down to catch your breath. "Are you ok?" Both of you asked at the same time, a small laugh erupting from you both. "I'm fine, I'm more worried about you though" Diluc said. "Don't worry, I'll be fine" Standing there, looking at eachother with fondness for one another. Diluc walked up to you and hugged you, sinking into your larger frame. You we're so comforting, so warm, he could surely get used to this feeling.

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Finally my first fanfic of the year (even if it's pretty late). Its not really my favorite, there's alot that I just realized I could change, though I've been busy and I'm still very busy so I doubt I'll have time to fix it 😞.

Anyways, I'm open for requests! Send me any character along with what you want in your fanfic!

Have a good morning, evening or night! 🌃☀️🌅

[lightandfellowship]

Thinking about that moment in the Underworld when Xehanort and Eraqus run into Urd and Hermod after they had been separated from each other and how that would've been the perfect opportunity for Xehanort to inform them about his suspicions of Baldr without Baldr being there and. And he doesn't.

It's understandable why he doesn't act on his suspicions but imagine if he did. Imagine if Urd and Hermod had been warned ahead of time. It probably wouldn't have saved them because it was ultimately the darkness of the dark corridor that brought them to near-death but at least they would've been prepared. At least they maybe could've put up a fight against Baldr. But instead Urd smiles, relieved, when she sees Baldr approaching them, thinking that they've been saved, and it's when her smile falls that the realization hits but it comes far too late.

I think the game inserting this moment into the story where Xehanort is with the others without Baldr being there really adds to the tragedy of it all because it's like. Maybe it could have been different. The circumstances were right. All Xehanort needed to do was make the decision to communicate. But he doesn't.