#00. ooc / i will never leave you

[mooooonnnzz]

don’t text and swing! // miles morales x reader

miles loves texting and he loves you, what could go wrong?

cute lil miles texting headcanons

sum short n simple

readers gender not rlly specified

ooc miles?? idfk how he would text so i tried my best 😭

requests r open!!

miles says mentirosa that jus means liar

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

🕷️ You’re never guaranteed a full on conversation with Miles because most the time he leaves you on open. He doesn’t do it on purpose, really. He just so happens to be a very busy man so trying to talk to him when he isn’t saving New York is pretty difficult.

9:55 pm [ miles <3 ]: Hey did u still one of my jackets

9:55 pm [ miles <3 ]: *steal idk how i got still

9:55 pm [ miles <3 ]: Anyways I cant find it anywhere and ik u have something to with it

10:00 pm [ miles <3 ]: I know ur not ignoring me rn…

10:01 pm [ you ]: oh wow of course im the first person you blame

10:01 pm [ you ]: also i dont have it ☝️

10:02 pm [ miles <3 ]: Who else would take my jackets??

10:02 pm [ miles <3 ]: This also isn’t the first time my jackets OR hoodies have gone missing

10:02 pm [ miles <3 ]: And somehow they always end up in your room

10:03 pm [ miles <3 ]: Suspicious right…🤨

10:06 pm [ you ]: oh shit by some magical force

10:06 pm [ you ]: your jacket managed to teleport to my bed!!

10:07 pm [ you ]: and somehow…IT FLEW ON ME?? AND NOW IM WEARING IT?

10:07 pm [ you ]: this is actually crazy…

10:15 pm [ you ]: wait miles where did you go

10:25 pm [ you ]: are you mad?

10:30 pm [ you ]: no way ur mad

10:40 pm [ you ]: MILES

10:42 pm [ you ]: HELLO

10:43 pm [ you ]: MILESSSS

10:56 pm [ you ]: oh wait mb you’re probably busy saving somebody

10:56 pm [ you ]: got a lil crazy there

10:57 pm [ you ]: ignore all that

1:00 am [ miles <3 ]: I KNEW IT

1:00 am [ miles <3 ]: It’s okay i like you a little deranged 😩

1:03 am [ you ]: why are you texting me at one in the morning

1:04 am [ miles <3 ]: Why are you replying?

1:05 am [ you ]: have you been fighting since 10?

1:12 am [ miles <3 ]: I’ve been studying! 🤓

1:12 am [ you ]: LIAR i know what you are…

🕷️ You text him while he’s in the middle of fighting? You bet he’s going to respond. While giving himself a reasonable distance away from the villian, he holds out his pointer finger and says; “Hold on, let me respond to them real quick…” While they’re throwing punches at Miles, he’s dodging all of them while texting you back. Though, he’s text aren’t legible. At least he thinks they are! All Miles wants to do is talk to you, even if you don’t understand half the things he’s typing. Texting him while he’s swinging has the same effect. He has dropped his phone multiple times and he’s always caught it before it could land on the street, though when his webs come in contact with his screen it registers as someone typing so without even knowing he’s spamming you a whole bunch of jumbled letters.

3:45 pm [ you ]: hey miles can i come over for dinner

3:45 pm [ you ]: im craving ur moms food 😍

3:46 pm [ miles <3 ]: oys of cours

3:48 pm [ you ]: did u just have a stroke

3:53 pm [ miles <3 ]: noi busy

3:53 pm [ you ]: if you’re busy why r u texting me 😭

3:53 pm [ you ]: go back to fighting or wtv ur doing

3:56 pm [ miles <3 ]: i wMt to talk toyj

3:58 pm [ you ]: u can talk to me later miles

3:58 pm [ you ]: im not going away

4:00 pm [ miles <3 ]: hatr

5:46 pm [ miles <3 ]: HEYYY

5:46 pm [ you ]: HII are you not busy anymore

5:47 pm [ miles <3 ]: Yeah

5:48 pm [ miles <3 ]: How’s your day been?

5:49 pm [ you ]: it’s been ehhhhh

5:49 pm [ you ]: i’ve been missing you 😔

5:51 pm [ miles <3 ]: ooajbdko092828900

5:51 pm [ miles <3 ]: 08:$jjaoppapp

5:52 pm [ miles <3 ]: !!!!!

5:54 pm [ you ]: what

6:00 pm [ miles <3 ]: I DROPPED MY PHONE

6:01 pm [ miles <3 ]: ANYWAYS back to what you were saying

6:02 pm [ miles <3]: I’ve been missing you too

6:04 pm [ you ]: youre no better than those people who text and drive 😐

6:05 pm [ you ]: don’t text and swing miles

🕷️ He loves sending you videos of him showing off in his suit. He did a cool trick midair? He’s going to prop up his phone somewhere and start recording, once he perfects the move and edits out any unneeded footage and he sends them to you. He’s all giddy when he does, in his head he’s like, “Will that impress them?” “Do they think that’s cool?” “They’re going to love this!”

11:00 am [ miles <3 ]: (1 attachment video)

11:00 am [ miles <3 ]: What do you think??

11:00 am [ miles <3 ]: Pretty cool right

11:03 am [ you ]: (1 attachment photo)

11:04 am [ you ]: LOOK AT THE FACE YOU MADE WHWN YOU JUMPEDD AHHHHH 💀

11:04 am [ you ]: this is going to be my new lock screen

11:05 am [ miles <3 ]: 😐

11:06 am [ miles <3 ]: Are you going to ignore the cool spin i did?

11:07 am [ you ]: oh sorey

11:08 am [ you ]: THAT WAS A REALLY SICK SPIN

11:09 am [ miles <3 ]: Mentirosa 😒

🕷️ Miles also sends you photos. It ranges from him swinging in midair or him relaxing on top of a building with his lunch in hand. He loves to keep you updated on his life. You’re the only one in this universe that knows his secret, so he texts or shows you everything he comes across as SpiderMan.

3:00 pm [ miles <3 ]: (1 attachment photo)

3:00 pm [ miles <3 ]: Look how pretty the view is from up here

3:00 pm [ you ]: oooh that’s actually so pretty

3:01 pm [ you ]: who knew new york could actually look nice for once?

3:02 pm [ miles <3 ]: I’m going to take you here one day for lunch

6:54 pm [ miles <3 ]: (1 attachment photo)

6:54 pm [ miles <3 ]: You should put this as your lock screen

6:55 pm [ you ]: it’s just you doing the peace sign while swinging

6:55 pm [ miles <3 ]: You said that like it’s a bad thing

6:55 pm [ miles <3 ]: It’s a nice photo :(

6:58 pm [ you ]: look i set it as my lock screen

6:58 pm [ you ]: (1 screenshot)

6:59 pm [ you ]: everyones gonna see that i know spiderman

6:59 pm [ miles <3 ]: YES GOOD

🕷️ He texts you nonsense sometimes. You could be chilling, watching something to pass the time and he will text you something so utterly stupid you would have to take a moment to process it.

10:00 am [ miles <3]: (1 attachment photo)

10:00 am [ you ]: u just sent an empty plate of food?

10:00 am [ miles <3 ]: Yeah cuz I ate 😜

10:01 am [ miles <3 ]: Like literally

10:03 am [ you ]: enough.

fanks to everyone who sent in requests IM WIRITN G THEM RN ✍️

[tunafruitt]

--> ||❝ The Creator has a.. LOVER?! ❞

SAGAU || Warnings: fluff, gender neutral reader, slight crack, reader gets called a test subject and is implied to be used as one [Dottore’s part] OOC w/ Dottore..? Idk I haven’t finished sumeru yet </3

[ The people of Teyvat find out their grace has been romantically involved with someone for a while now.. what do they think about it? ]

Character(s): DOTTORE, XIAO

-> [ DOTTORE ]

“The Doctor is the Creator’s suitor? As in… the Second of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers? Are you sure that’s him? You are? Oh.. is— Is Your Grace feeling okay? I don’t see why anyone would be willingly involved with the Fatui Harbingers. What?! No! I’m not saying that’s not okay. Your Grace can do whatever they want! Hmph..”

The people of Teyvat felt conflicted to say the least. They weren’t judging your ability to make choices! They really weren’t… they just thought that there were better choices out there for Their Grace!! Yeah, everyone knew you liked the harbingers even before you descended, but couldn’t you have chosen a less deranged harbinger? For example… uhm... none of them.

Dottore could really care less what everyone else thought of his relationship with you though. He got the full package! His lover was the All Mighty Creator, and now he has a new “test subject”! (he says it affectionately.) Dottore knows people hate him even more than before, but who’s the one with the Creator’s arms wrapped around them, head over heels? This benefits him in so many ways. Wether it be research, obtaining materials, or just being able to have something more to use against the rest of the harbingers.

No one would ever dare voice the opinions they have of him while you’re in the vicinity. They’ll listen to you talk about a “date” you had with Dottore, which was really just you and him in his lab…. and he’s using you to help with his research. Hearing this, the rest of the allogene’s eyes are twitching, their fists are clenched, they’re FURIOUS. Not at you! Never. They’re mad at Dottore. How dare he use you as a test subject?! (you volunteered) How dare he use you to try to make another god?! (you thought that sounded fun) How dare he be IN LOVE with the All Mighty Creator?! (you fell first.)

When the two of you are seen in public, the streets go QUIET. Dottore carries this eerie aura with him, everyone knows who he is. And adding to the fact he’s a harbinger, he is also now recognized as the Creator’s suitor. Everyone besides you feels the silence and the stares, including Dottore, but if his lover is happy does it really matter? <3

In conclusion, everyone hopes Dottore dies. It’s not that they don’t want to see you happy. In fact, the entirety of Teyvat is glad you’re experiencing love and joy, just not with HIM.

─ִ━━ ꯭  ───ׂ─ִ─  ͜͡✿͜͡  ─ִ──ׂ──  ꯭  ━━ִ─

You spend a lot of days in Dottore’s lab. Today was one of those days.

You were conversing with one of Dottore’s younger clones. The clones, while being segments of Dottore, have their own distinct personalities. The one thing they hold in common is the love they have for you.

You love talking to the clones and giving them breaks from whatever days-long tasks Dottore gives them, but you miss the Dottore who’s the last thing you see before you fall asleep and after you wake up. You haven’t seen him since yesterday! Is this really how your boyfriend treats his lover…. who also happens to be the Creator???

And so you decide to go look for him. Who would’ve guessed he was sitting where he always was; his desk. Once you’ve spotted him, as payback for leaving you alone, you decide to sneak up on him. You try your hardest to silence your steps as much as possible in this hollow and echoey office of his.

“I can hear you, Y/N.”

“No you can’t... C’mon Dottore! Cut me some slack. I haven’t seen you since yesterday… and you didn’t even come to say good morning to me today!”

“Good morning.”

“It’s 4:00 PM, love. Take a break. It’s not like I’ll die anytime soon… can I even die..? Uhm.. that’s besides the point. You can conduct your experiments on me and do you research later. Come entertain me, please?”

“Are you asking because I have a choice?”

Your silence gives him an answer. You pull him up from his chair by grabbing his hands and pull him into a hug. You lean in closer to peck his cheek. He leans into you and grabs you by the waist to pull you closer—

“Doctor, the segments have finished—“

“Oh.”

-> [ XIAO ]

“Oh! One of the adepti? THE VIGILANT YAKSHA?! S-sorry that caught me by surprise… So the Yaksha is dating the Creator, huh. His tales have been documented for millennia’s, yet he’s rarely seen in public… I guess even someone like that can’t help but fall for Our Grace.”

So that must be why you always cooked Almond Tofu… Well, since Xiao IS the Conqueror of Demons, I can see the people of Liyue being quite happy. Jealous? Yes. But who’s even more jealous? Mondstadt. Why couldn’t it be one of the Knights of Favonious or something? But they guess you’re happy and that’s enough… (Though it could’ve been with them.)

Xiao is seen a little more often with you now that it’s confirmed you two are dating. Not too often, but if you want to go try out a restaurant in the city of Liyue, he’ll never say no. He may not speak much, but according to rumors is Liyue… “his eyes are always on you, listening to anything and everything the Creator has to say. It’s clear he’s fallen completely in love!” (Said by Chef Mao, probably.)

Being Xiao’s partner may seem awkward from an outsiders perspective, but he’s surprisingly sweet! He still won’t talk much, but he’ll reply to any questions you have, no matter how stupid or obvious they are with full genuity. Him being the Conqueror of Demons and you being the Creator, you both live busy lives…. so his eyes literally light up when you two are both able to finally see each other after a long time. <3 (he’s head over heels guys help.)

The adepti would be so PROUD. They probably already knew you and Xiao had a little something going on even before it was announced because of the way Xiao seemed slightly more happy. This lead to then being suspicious and eventually seeing him and you together… doing the most intimate thing ever…..

…. HOLDING HANDS. UNDER THE MOONLIGHT. But they kept quiet so don’t worry!

─ִ━━ ꯭  ───ׂ─ִ─  ͜͡✿͜͡  ─ִ──ׂ──  ꯭  ━━ִ─

“Xiao! I found you.”

As per usual, Xiao was sitting on the roof of Wangshu Inn. Today was one of the days where both of you were busy. You had a meeting to attend, and he was doing his job as The Conqueror of Demons. It was night by the time you were able to see each other.

“You should’ve called my name, Your Grace. It would’ve been easier for me to find you.”

“Yeah but I like looking for you. I always know where you are since you’re in the same spots anyway. And besides, I like how Wangshu Inn looks at night!”

You always thought Xiao looked pretty, but he looked especially pretty under the moonlight. His face seemed to glow more than usual today. Maybe it was the warm colored light radiating from inside of Wangshu Inn, or the light reflected by the moon shining down on him. Maybe it was the fact he had missed you so much that seeing your face again brought him a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Your Grace?”

“Oh, sorry Xiao, I lost my train of thought. Let’s go eat! I’m feeling hungry… today’s meeting was waaayy too long… C’mon, I’ll buy you something!”

“No need. I’ll be okay with just accompanying Your Grace.”

“Agh, stop calling me that. Y/N? Can you say Y/N? Please Xiao?”

“… Y-Y/N..”

“See? Not too hard right? Ok let’s go eat! I’ll make you Almond Tofu how you like it.”

FINALLY DONE OOHMYGODDD sorry this took so long. Idk what I should do next so feel free to request anything… ANYWAYS THE FIRST PART OF THIS GOT ALMOST 700 NOTES??? omg stop guys I’m giggling and blushing aughshsgghh. But seriously thank you so much I’m bawling

[imastrangeone98]

Homecoming

(A/N: boothill my cyborg my love my life my everything-)

WARNING: fem!reader, SMUT SMUT FRESH OFF THE PLATE MINORS GTFO ILL WHOOP YO BUTTS, probably ooc!boothill but whatever it's fine lmao, his exact birth name isn't known so I didn't put a name for him- if there is one I'll replace it; but I found some X art that called his baby girl "cherry" and I really liked it so I'll use that, and way too much plot as always

"Well, hello there! What'cha lookin' at, sweetie?" You bend down to the little girl's eye level, peeking at where the child's gaze is locked on, then smiling in understanding. "You like those ones? They're moon lilies; they're flowers that are really special!"

"Pe... shal?" the little girl babbles, and you laugh.

"Yes, dear. Special." You pluck one of the flowers, beautiful with light blue petals and golden pollen, and offer it to her. "They mean loyalty, and undying devotion, because they only grow in places they like, and they won't grow anywhere else."

"Loya..." the girl mumbles. You chuckle and pick her up, carefully tucking the flower behind her ear.

"Now, where's your mama? Or your papa? I'm sure they're worried sick about-"

"Cherry! Sweet pea, where ya at?!"

Your ears prick, and the girl giggles and claps at the sound. "Well, I guess we found him."

You maneuver through the crowd until you find the source of the call: a man, tall and lean, with flowing black-and-white hair and piercing gray eyes.

Oh. He's beautiful.

The little girl squeals with delight at the sight of her father, and his head whips towards your direction. He sprints over to you and takes the child in his arms, pressing her close to his chest.

"There ya are, ya little rascal! What'd I tell ya about runnin' off?! Ya had me worried sick!" He kisses her forehead, then looks at you. "Thanks, I would've lost her without ya."

"Of course!" You wave it off, hoping he doesn't notice your hot cheeks. "I will say, she has good taste in flowers! If you'd ever like to buy a bouquet, you should bring her along!"

"Flowers? Oh..." He looks at his daughter, finally noticing the moon lily tucked in her hair. His cheeks flush a bright red. "Aw, man, I'm sorry for the trouble, I can pay for it-"

"Oh, don't worry about it, it's on the house! But I do hope this won't be the last time I see her!" You wave at her, and she giggles.

The man laughs at that. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind." He then stretches out his hand to you. "I'm [???]."

"(Y/N)."

He repeats your name slowly, thoughtfully, then smirks. "Guess I'll be seeing you around, lady."

"I'll be looking forward to it, cowboy."

Your eyes crack open.

Instead of a bustling marketplace, you're in a small shack in the middle of nowhere.

Just a memory.

You rise, body aching with fatigue and heartache, but you force yourself to push it to the side.

There's work to be done. You grab your phone and send a message.

ML: The USB is ready. I'll leave it at the usual place.

BH: ca nt maek it cme her

You stare at the coordinates your contact sent you with a groan.

You don't do face-to-face, too much risk. And the information you collected is time-sensitive; you're not sure if you'll be able to make it to the abandoned planet of Mavorosa in time for it to still be valuable, and your spaceship isn't one meant for such great lengths.

But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: Oswaldo Schneider is likely to make an appearance at the upcoming IPC Centennial Gala, and BH has proven themself capable of terminating that sick bastard.

You know you're not strong enough to do it yourself, but BH is. And anyone capable of taking down the son of a bitch who destroyed your home, your planet, your lover, is worthy of your trust.

So you bite your lip and bear it. You'll work something out.

ML: ok. I'll be there tomorrow @ 18:00, don't be late.

BH: k

You roll your eyes. Never mind.

With a heavy sigh, you carefully take out the picture/ only one you have of him. With your little girl in one arm and the other wrapped around your waist, he stares back at you with a grin. Bright, beautiful, alive.

"Don't worry, darling," you whisper, tracing the lines of his cheek and hair on the photograph. "We're one step closer to our goal. That bastard's a dead man walking now that we got BH on the case. They're good; strong and capable, I know they'll get the job done for us."

You gently press your lips over his image. And for a brief moment, you let yourself pretend that the paper is a good replacement for his callous skin.

"Once everything's done, I'll go over and join you and our girl. We'll be together again, I'm sure."

He smiles eternally at you, and you find yourself smiling back.

"Wish me luck, darling. Help me be strong."

[...]

His little girl adores you.

Each time he comes by the market, the first thing she whines for is to see the flowers. And you always indulge her, lifting her in your arms so you can show her all the pretty little blooms you have in your small cart. You give names to each one, tell her what they mean as though she understands you.

And you laugh. And he finds himself thinking that his little girl is a good judge of character, because he's starting to adore you too.

And it's becoming obvious, since Nick and Gray give him the occasional nab and jab, wondering out loud when they're going to see him get married and give them another grandchild. His siblings too, always cackling and yapping about how he might be the first to hang up his boots and settle down.

He rolls his eyes, but he's not too displeased by the idea. You're soft and sweet, with a kick of spice to match- the thought of settling down with you and Cherry on the farm is surprisingly sweet.

So he leaves Cherry to her loving grandparents and invites you out on a moonlit stroll through the hillside meadow, the one with the perfect view of the blooming moon lilies and the spring lake that reflects the starry night sky.

"I've never been here before," you gasp in awe, eyes aglow as you absorb the scenery. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah," he murmurs, gaze fixated on you and the moonlight in your eyes. "You are."

You turn your head, and your eyes meet. "Huh? Did you say something?"

"N- nothin'!" He faces the lake, and hopes you don't notice his red cheeks. "Said nothin'."

You laugh, and god, he melts at the sound. Then you rub the back of your head, and turn away, blushing. "I... I think you're very beautiful too."

His brain short-circuits. "Pretty... you think I'm..." Then he gasps dramatically. "So you did hear that! You sneaky mouse!"

He playfully tackles you, and you both laugh and chortle as you wrestle one another to the ground. But then he opens his eyes and finds himself on top of you, hands intertwined, faces so close he can feel your breath, smell your moon lily scent.

The moonlight bathes you in silver, and god, he wants to kiss you. He wants to kiss you senseless, run his callous hands on your soft skin, wrap your plush thighs around his hips and-

"Can I...?" he whispers, weak and wanting. "Just... just a taste, I swear..."

You stare up at him, eyes so big and wide that he swears the moon itself disappeared to light up your gaze, that he doesn't notice you untangling your hands from his until you wrap your arms around his neck.

"Just a taste, cowboy?" you tease. "You don't wanna try... anything else?"

You raise your hips and grind on his pelvis, and he moans and kisses you, hard.

Eager hands dart across skin, tearing off clothes. He runs his hands over your plush tummy, hooks your thighs around his hips and moans when he finally enters you.

He'll never forget this moment. Even if he were to die and be reborn, he'll never forget you. Your pleasured moans as he slides himself inside your tight heat, your teary smile as you open your arms to let him press his chest against yours, your starry eyes so full of love and desire that mirror his own.

You make love for hours, the stars and moon lilies your only witnesses.

"-hill. Boothill."

His eyes crack open.

Instead of a blooming moon lily meadow, he's in the underground repair shop.

Just a memory.

He rises with a groan, mechanical joints creaking from the lack of use. "Done already? I was havin' quite the nice dream."

The mechanic rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I can tell. Anyway, speed upgrades are done; the rest of your body is the same- sensory receptors are good, memory chip still intact, et cetera."

She rambles on and on; he's used to tuning her out at this point. As long as his body is in peak condition, he doesn't need to know what else extra she's stacked on him.

"-and the dick. Make sure to test it out at some point."

He blinks. "What'd ya say?"

She groans. "The dick, Boothill. Make sure to test it."

"What dick are ya talking about? If you're trying to say I'm a piece of shi-"

"I added a dick attachment to your body, dumbass." She points towards his crotch. "I had an extra one that I really need to get rid of, so I'm giving it to you. Use it, rip it up and toss it, I don't care- just get it off my back!"

And with no further explanation, the mechanic practically throws him out the store, slamming the door with extra ferocity. Boothill lies on the ground, blinking a few times in shock, before checking his pants, and lo and behold, there is a silicone dick attachment. Sensory receptors and everything, he hisses when he pokes lightly at it, the wires in his body jittering at the unfamiliar sensation.

Doe eyes and a teary smile flash in the back of his mind.

He suddenly jumps to his feet with a vengeance and slams on the door. "You cheating, deceitful shirt-bag! Take this fudging thing off right now! You hear me, woman?! Take this shirt off right now!"

He's no doubt starting a commotion, a crowd drawing in to witness his rage-induced ranting and raving. But then his phone dings, and he's forced to put a pin in it, taking out the shitty device to hear the alarm: Meeting with ML @ 18:00! Meeting with ML @ 18:00! Be there or be square!

Ah, shit.

He can't miss this meeting, not even to blow a hole right between that shitty mechanic's eyebrows. ML is too valuable to lose, having provided him with incredibly detailed information on Oswaldo Schneider and the IPC time and again. Almost as if they have an agenda against that sick bastard as well.

Well. The enemy of an enemy is a friend, right? He'll take what he can get. And if they end up turning their back, well, he's sure his bullet is faster than their legs.

So he leans to the door, whispers a deadly "I'll be back for you, baby," and dashes to his spaceship to head over to Mavorosa.

And as he's prepping for flight, he looks over at the picture on the dashboard.

It's the only one Boothill has of you. The three of you, together- him holding little Cherry in one arm and your waist in the other, you wrapping your arms around him and your baby girl with your sweet smile and moon lily eyes.

He brushes a metal fingertip over your face.

"Just hang in there, moon lily," he whispers, a clump in his throat. "We're one step closer; ML's got some good intel on the son of a nice lady that destroyed our planet- our home. That destroyed you."

Boothill lost the ability to cry long ago, but the corners of his eyes itch all the same. He gnaws on his lip so hard, drops of blue blood trickle down his chin.

"I swear to you, darlin', I'm gonna get our revenge against that beautiful bench. He'll wish he never set his filthy sights on our home once I'm through with him." He gently picks up the photo and presses his lips to your image. "And then I'll come home. To Cherry, Nick and Gray, my siblings. I'll come home to you. We'll get started on that house we talked about, maybe some runts so Cherry can be a big sister..."

He swallows, then carefully puts the photo back on the dashboard. The lump doesn't disappear, so once the spaceship is cruising through the stars to Mavorosa, he sets it on autopilot and descends into the belly to go to his chest of valuables. He opens it up and delicately takes out the moon lily crown.

The one he was working on for you, a promise of his undying devotion. Before the world exploded in fire and ash. Before the IPC decimated his family, the moon lily meadow... decimated you.

He closes his eyes and raises it to his face. Even preserved, the petals are still soft to the touch, and smell just as lovely.

Just like you.

He won't let your death be in vain. He won't.

The lump in his metal chest morphs into rage.

Boothill opens his eyes.

[...]

If not for the Stellaron, Mavorosa would be a wonderful planet. A once lively city now stands abandoned, its skyscrapers and glass structures being embraced by nature once again.

You stand on the rooftop, mask and voice synthesizer on, fidgeting with the USB, simply observing everything when-

"So this is what you look like. I thought you'd be bigger," a male voice calls behind you.

Your body freezes. That voice... it sounds like...

No. You must be wrong. Maybe you've been so lonely that every male voice just starts to sound like your deceased lover.

"I thought you'd be here earlier," you reply with your warped voice. "Time is precious to you and me both, BH."

"Sorry, had to wrap up some... personal stuff on my end. I'm here now, ain't I?" The oh-so-familiar yet distant voice chuckles. "Well. Business ain't gonna settle itself. Where's the drive?"

"Where's the payment? We both know I don't work free."

He huffs. "Yeah, yeah, I hear ya. Don't worry, I got your cash. Just fork over the drive, no need to make things difficult, not after everything, yeah? Haven't I earned your trust by now?"

"You realize how difficult face-to-face is? It takes a substantial amount of effort to get this intel, not to mention the possibility of being-" You turn around in your exasperation-

And you drop the USB.

Tall and metal. Flowing black-and-white hair. Piercing gray-and-red eyes. Sharp teeth.

"Y'know, I've always wanted to be a gunslinger, just like Nick," [???] cackled, whipping out his revolver and making dramatic poses with it. "Maybe be one of those boothills of legend."

"I'd rather you not," you murmured as you brushed off some dirt off of his shirt. "Those boothills always died on their feet. I'd rather you not die at all."

He softened, and with a smile, he put down his gun and sidled up to you, bringing you in his embrace, warm and strong. You breathed in his comforting scent and sighed happily.

"Don't you worry about that, hun." He kissed your cheek, then square on your mouth. "I ain't goin' nowhere. You can't get rid of me that easy!"

BH. Boothill.

How could you not notice earlier?

Your mouth dries. You can't move a muscle.

It's him. Mechanical, but very much alive.

"Hey, watch the merchandise!" he hisses, pointing at the fallen USB. "I need that, don't you forget it!"

"How are you..." you weakly gasp, then you grab the USB. "Here. Take it. Forget the money."

You slide it over to him, and he stops it with his foot. But his eyes narrow at you.

"Whaddaya mean, 'How are you,' huh?" He walks towards you, slow and leisurely, like a coyote cornering its helpless prey. "You say that like you're shocked I'm still around. What'd ya do, huh? Sell me off to the IPC?"

"No!" you cry, shocked. "I would never-!"

"Why so jittery, partner? What are you hiding?" He smirks, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "How about a show of trust, huh? You take off that cute little mask of yours, I don't shoot you dead, and we keep our little arrangement goin'. Sound fair?"

You turn around, eyes searching for an escape route.

Aeons above, you need to leave. You can't show him your face. You can't remind him of everything he lost, the people he couldn't save. You can't hurt him any more than you already have. You're afraid. You want to hide. You're selfish. You want to tell him. You're in love.

You want to die. You want the ground to swallow you alive. You want to hole away in your shack and wallow in your grief, descend into a spiral of what-ifs: what if you tried harder to find him? What if you searched the whole IPC ship you snuck on trying to resolve things peacefully until you found him? What if you ran out earlier and tried to bring him with you? What if, what if, what if-

"Now that you got some measure of my grit," he whispers in your ear, suddenly standing behind you, "I'm sure you know how this ends, yeah? C'mon now, take it off."

You pant heavily, head dizzy with his close proximity- god, even with the metal, he still smells the same. "I- I can't-"

"Feelin' shy? Alright, I'll do it for you."

"No! Please, no!" You swat at his hands and try to break free of his iron grip, but he grabs you hard and pulls you against his chest.

He cackles, metallic and bitter. "And here I thought I finally had an ally, but no- you're just like the rest of 'em shirt-bags." He whips out his revolver and raises it to your head. "Take. It. Off. Now."

You want to cry. You don't want to hurt him.

Slowly, with trembling hands, you take off your mask...

And his gun falls to the floor.

Doe eyes. Soft cheeks. Scars. Floral scent.

"What made you wanna be a florist?" he asked you once, helping you water the rainbow roses. "They're pretty and all, don't get me wrong. But don't you want somethin' more exciting?"

"On the contrary, I think they're very exciting," you explained. "They all have their unique personality; some need lots of love and care, and others don't mind if you go missing for a week or two. There's flowers that only stay with you for so long, and there are others that will love you for as long as you'll let them."

He grunted. "Sounds like you'd do just fine without me."

"Oh, please." You put down your watering can and embraced him from behind. And just as planned, he melted at your touch. "Moon lilies love the moon, but they need the sun to grow. And that's exactly what you are to me."

"The moon?"

"The sun."

ML. Moon lily.

It's so obvious, how did he not realize it sooner?

He lets you go. You immediately stumble away from him, hands covering your face in shame.

Boothill has no lungs, yet he feels his chest collapse.

"(Y/N)?" he calls to you, weak and desperate. "Moon lily? That's really you, right?" He reaches out, hand shaking. But when he grazes your shoulder, you hunch further into yourself. "I- I'm sorry, I... I didn't mean to scare ya. Please..."

Boothill willingly let go of his humanity. But right here, right now, he wishes he still had his skin.

"Please, darlin'... turn around? Let me see you, please."

You shiver, tears spilling down your cheeks, and slap a hand over your mouth. You can't hurt him, you'll never hurt him. "I can't... I can't see you."

His body wants to collapse. He wants to grab you by your shoulders and kiss you senseless, look at you from head to toe and sing praises to Lan for protecting you and keeping you safe.

But you won't see him. You won't turn around.

"Why?" he whines, like a pleading child. "Why not?"

"Because I'm not the same anymore!" you sob. "I'm not your moon lily anymore! I don't want to remind you of everything you lost! I don't want to hurt you anymore! You don't know the things I've done, the blood I spilled, all to destroy the IPC!" You sink to the floor in despair, echoes of the dead haunting you, swarming your mind. "I can't bear to see you hate me for being alive when everyone else died. I already hate myself so much, hated myself because I couldn't save anyone else! I thought I lost you, but now I realize I didn't search for you at all! I didn't even try to find you, I..."

You cry and sob and scream. You pound the floor with your fists. You pull at your hair, your clothes, your skin, so hard that drops of blood water the cement.

Boothill's eyes itch with tears that will never spill. His chest burns with a profound grief that will never truly be his own.

"You think I don't feel that way about myself?" he finally whispers. Bravely, he takes a step closer to you. "From the moment the bombs fell, I was never the same. I changed too much to be that man you met at the market- hell, I don't even have the body anymore." He sits just behind you, close to touch but not close enough. "The blood I spilled would be enough to fill oceans. But I'm still here. I still remember everything. I still remember you." His hand, feather-light, brushes your arm. You don't pull away. "I thought I lost you. When I went back to the ranch and couldn't find anyone there, I thought you were one of the piles of ashes on the ground." He chokes as he speaks, but he pushes on. "I never hated myself more. I failed to save them; I failed to save you."

You shake your head, but he gently rests his head on your back, right between your shoulder blades. He breathes you in- dust, machine oil, and moon lilies.

You smell so alive.

"How could you think I'd ever hate you," he whimpers, "when there's no one I hate more than myself? No, sweetheart, I could never hate you. I never will. Nothing you do could ever make me hate you. So please, turn around..." He grabs a fistful of your shirt and tugs. "I'm begging you. Let me see your face, please."

Your heart breaks. You couldn't fathom how much he suffered, how lonely he must have felt, the self-loathing that coursed through his wires every time he looked in the mirror.

Just like you.

"Don't hate yourself," you sniffle, rubbing your eyes. "Nothing you do could ever make me hate you either. What happened wasn't your fault; you didn't know what the IPC was going to do until it happened."

He lets out a small huff. "I could easily say the same about you. It wasn't your fault either- neither of us could've known until it was too late."

You exhale shakily. "Do you really mean it? Not hating me?"

Boothill smiles. "Every word."

For a moment, you're afraid. What if he doesn't like what he sees? You know he's not a superficial man, but you're still not the sweet florist he remembers anymore.

You suck in a deep breath. He's not the same man you remember, but he's still your cowboy, your Boothill.

Slowly, you turn around, and...

Oh. His face is just how you remember. His beautiful silky hair, the red targets in his eyes still framed within familiar stormy gray. When you reach out with trembling hands to cup his smooth cheeks, he melts in your touch just how he always did.

And melt he does. He nearly moans at your soft touch, pressing his cheek into your palms to keep your focus on him. He drinks up every detail of your face and commits it to memory- your beautiful moony eyes and the dark circles under them, the faintest hint of a scar curling from the edge of your jawline into your neck, your soft hair that smells of moon lilies.

You're still you, the sweet florist he fell in love with all those years ago. And now you've returned to him, and this time, he'll never let you go.

He sits you on his lap and embraces you, nuzzling into the crook of your neck and savoring your scent. You wrap your legs around his waist and make yourself comfortable, admiring his metal body, tracing patterns into the steel.

"I love you," he whispers with a kiss to the corner of your mouth. "I never stopped loving you, not for one second."

"I'm sorry I didn't look for you," you confess. "But I kept you in my heart every day. Even when we weren't together, you were always a part of me."

"I'm here now." He pulls away to admire you, his thumb brushing your bottom lip as he gazes at you with what you could only describe as reverence. "I'm right here with you. I'm not leaving you ever again."

Boothill didn't realize how much his world lacked color until he kisses you, but now he swears he can see every color in the spectrum flash before his eyes. You taste just how he remembers, sweet and salty with your tears. When you pull away for air, he dives back in to reclaim your lips, hooking a hand around your neck to keep you in place.

He won't let you slip from his fingers again. And you clearly feel the same way, because you tangle your hands with his hair and tug him closer, pulling him on top of you.

"Please don't be a dream," you cry in his shoulder, and it damn near breaks his heart. "I don't want to wake up if it is."

"Darlin', those dreams are better off in Penacony; I'm right here. Does this," he kisses your cheek, "or this," he squeezes your ass and relishes in your squeal, "or this..." He grinds into you, and you gasp, squeezing his shoulders with a whimper. And fuck, maybe he was a bit too harsh with that mechanic, he should send her flowers or something, because your face contorted in shock and a hint of reawakened pleasure is a drug he will happily become addicted to. He nibbles on your ear and whispers, "Any of that feel like a dream to you?"

"...No." You stare at him, moon lily eyes abloom with hearts and love and fuck, he wants you, he needs you.

And your eyes are reflected in his, because you're so captivated by how the targets in his gaze morph into blood red hearts that drip with love and devotion. You want to give him everything, bring him under your skin and into your heart so you'll never be separated again.

"I love you." You smile and open your arms for him. "Let's never be apart again."

Boothill's brain short-circuits. He can only remember the minutiae of what happens next- tearing off your clothes, your hands running across his metallic chest, his sensors working in overdrive to let him process your touch, your smell, your taste, as he kisses, nibbles and sucks his way across the canvas of your body to reach your core.

But just as he's about to taste your liquid gold, you tug on his hair. He immediately moves up to your face, nuzzling into your neck to comfort you.

"What's wrong, moon lily? I'll be gentle, I promise," he reassures you, but you bite your lip and shake your head.

"I know. But I don't want that right now; I want you to fuck me."

You spread your legs, once again revealing your soaking pussy to his hungry eyes, and fuck, his mouth goes dry at the exquisite feast before him. And his new dick feels the same way, as the electricity in his body jolts it to life, straining against his pants.

He swallows. "Yeah, baby. I want you too, but I gotta prep ya, or it's gonna hurt."

"Don't care!" you whine, and on Lan's Arrow, you're so cute with your pouting and wailing. "I need you, Hillie, I need it, I need it-!"

Ah, fuck. He can't say no to you, and he won't start now.

So he rips off his pants, and after a few quick pumps of his new cock (yeah, he'll send some flowers to the mechanic as a thank-you), he grabs hold on your hips and thrusts forward.

You shriek at the burning sensation, scrambling for grip on his shoulders as he penetrates deeper and deeper. Fuck, it's been so long since you had sex of any kind, and it shows. You moan loudly, shamelessly, so sensitive to the buttons his cock presses perfectly against your walls, that you cum instantly when he bottoms out, hips meeting yours with a soft thud.

"Fuuudge," Boothill groans, each syllable drawn out in pleasure, "you're so tight, sugar~ I can't even move..."

His brain might just melt from the overload of sensations. Your pussy's so tight, so wet, he's damn sure he near ascended to aeonhood. And your face is so adorable when cumming, he makes sure to engrave every part of it into his neurochip and brush the hair out of your eyes, moving his hips in slow, shallow thrusts, guiding you out of the afterglow.

When you finally blink the stars out of your eyes, you see Boothill hovering above you, rubbing your cheek with hearts in his eyes.

"God, you're so fudgin' gorgeous." He grins, sharp teeth glinting in the dim light, and a shiver of excitement runs down your spine. "Think you got another for me?"

You whine, "Still sensi- AH!"

He immediately sets a vigorous pace, hips slamming against yours in a hypnotic rhythm. He fixates on your breasts, and leans over to take a hard nipple in his mouth to suck and lick and nibble. You squeal and pull on his hair. He bites your skin in retaliation.

"Easy, moon lily," he moans, quickly stifling it with a kiss. "Hold on to me."

He grabs under your arms and lifts you onto his lap. His cock sinks impossibly deeper inside you, the tip nudging at your cervix. With a shriek, you bite his neck to try and ease the discomfort, but it only excites him more. With a guttural groan, he thrusts up into your sopping hole, bouncing you up and down with rough hands to set an even rougher pace.

You're still so sensitive; too much, too fast, and his cock fits so snugly inside you that you're already spiraling towards another release. But you don't want to make that journey alone, you want Boothill beside you.

So you grab his face and devour his mouth, pressing your tongue against his to savor his metallic taste. He moans against your lips, hips stuttering in an effort to keep up with you.

"Wanna make you feel good," you pant heavily. You carefully slide up and down on his thick cock, head thrown back as it hits your sweet spot. "Wanna... wanna cum with you!"

"Y- you are, baby," he groans against your neck, each word punctuated with a deep thrust. "You're makin' me feel so- darn- good-"

You're so close, you can see the faintest glimmer of stars again. Or maybe that was the sparks from his body as it overworks to keep his sensors running, so he can keep feeling you, tasting you, fucking you.

"Hillie," you gasp when the stars start to overwhelm you. "Hillie, I-"

"I know, baby, let go, I'm right with ya." He kisses you, over and over, thrusts sloppy as he chases his high, sensors working overdrive, wires sparking to further push him over the edge. "I'm- fudge, fudge, fudge-!"

He chokes, and you both come undone together, chasing that relentless wave of pleasure side by side. Stars collide and burst in showers of gold and silver, and your strength all but fails you, so you collapse in Boothill's arms, rubbing your cheek on his cool chest.

He catches his breath, letting his sensors rest as he basks in that afterglow. His wires are probably fried after such an intense sensory overload, but he can't bring himself to give a damn. Not when you're sitting so pretty in his arms, eyes just barely able to stay open.

You're so cute when you're sleepy, it's hard to not bite your cheek like he used to do. But tonight, he'll be generous and resist the temptation; you need your rest.

He runs a hand through your hair, and he once again finds himself wishing he still had his skin. But he sets that aside, preferring to be lost in your sleepy smile instead.

"Love you, Hillie," you coo drowsily, head nodding off.

"I love you more, moon lily," he whispers back with a kiss to your forehead.

In a moment, he'll bring you on his spaceship and clean you up, then tuck you in the spare bunk next to his charging port. He'll have to look at that USB you painstakingly put together for him sooner or later.

But for now, right here, he's not going anywhere.

His moon lily came back to him.

Boothill has finally returned home.

[Post-Credit]

"What the actual hell is this..." the mechanic sighs as she stares at the large bouquet of blue flowers.

She wonders if she should toss them out before she notices the card.

Thanks for the added bonus, Doc! - BH & ML

Her eyebrows raise. The handwriting's too nice and legible to be that Galaxy Ranger's, so...

She chuckles. "I figured it'd come in handy sooner or later."

She sets the bouquet on her desk and continues on with her work.

--------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: holy shirtballs BOOOTHILL MY LOVE AAAAAAAHSHDHDBSK I LOVE HIM SO MUCH LIKE I NEVER LOVED A CHARACTER BEFORE

...if only he loved me back just the slightest, cuz I lost 50/50 and went hard pity to get him. But I did win his lightcone so I guess it's even...?

[voxlvrr]

˚₊‧꒰ა Adam with a work!alcoholic reader ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

`` ~ ୨ A/n : thank you all for 100 followers ! <333 also this is genuinely just pure fluff, may be a bit ooc ! ୧ ♡ ·

ꕥ ; Adam HATES your bad working habit, you’ll stay cooped up in your room for literal hours and days! you never take your eyes off the papers on your desk. the only time you actually come out just get coffee. Adam will use every excuse he can in the book so you’ll actually stop overworking yourself and come to bed with him or just eat something. but usually he’ll barge in with food he bought and set it on your desk, and use the time to spend time with you for awhile. but once he genuinely gets fed up with it he’ll just go behind your desk and snatch you up from your chair while obviously ignoring your protests. he’ll honestly straight up tell you that you need to stop your bad habits and that it’s actually starting to “piss him off” but later he’ll mumble that he actually cares about you just wants you stop. and once you promise that you’ll stop he’ll end up dragging you to bed with him cause he knows how many nights and mornings you’ve stayed up. but before you do that he’ll let you take care of yourself, like taking a shower, getting a change your clothes and brushing your hair. once that’s all taken care of he’ll literally never let you leave the bed all night, he genuinely couldn’t sleep at night when you weren’t with him. Often also leaving him restless like you. hell! even lute noticed how he isn’t like his usual self cause Adam genuinely missed your presence and he’s so glad that you’re finally back in his arms <3

ꕥ ; also Adam will try to make sera not give you so much work, which she’ll probably agree too. and once she does, he’ll probably start trying to convince you to take a break for once in awhile, or he’ll just take you out for awhile knowing that you’re stressed about all the work you’ve been given for the last couple of weeks. he’ll get you whatever you want! food?, already bought!,you want new outfits? He’ll buy it for you! literally whatever you want, just don’t stress about work <3

A little one shot under the cut here :)

ꕥ ; it was maybe 3:00 am or 4:00am..? damn it you lost track of time already. you’ve been overworking yourself even more lately since sera decided to move down the stupid extermination day. and now while that’s happening you have to approve some other rules for heaven and other shit that you genuinely don’t care about, as you looked at the window from your pitch black office only some moonlight shining in you could see some early risers up and about in the city. but mostly it’s peaceful and quiet which youre glad about. as you turn your head away from the window.

you then see Adam right in front of you, which scares the LIVING. shit out of you which you almost screamed but you were very. tired to scream you noticed that Adams mask was sitting right on your desk which was piled in reports and other things you forgot about hours ago, Adam then spoke “can’t you just hold off the work for the night? It’s literally fucking almost 4:00am, cmon! just come to bed alreadyyy!” You sighed profusely before you spoke in a low tired voice “listen - Adam. you know how i have to finish these reports and documents so I can bring them all to sera tomorrow, I can’t come to bed with you yet.” you responded before looking down at the papers before you and when you tried to reach the pen across the desk - Adam then snatched it and threw it somewhere across the room and before you could protest - Adam then gently took your wrist bringing you around from the table and towards his chest and then wrapped his soft wings around your figure. which made you even more tired than before. you then started drifting off until you fully fell asleep in his arms..

`` ~ ୨ this is was probably the longest fanfic I’ve made ! ^^ hope you all enjoyed

[zvdvdlvr]

— Drive All Night

— 🖊️. Synopsis. You’ve been quiet; more quiet than normal. Gibbs wants you to know that despite as stoic as he is, he does care. (inspired by ‘call your mom’ by noah kahan and lizzy mcalpine)

— 🖊️. Warnings. Ooc Gibbs but idc. Comfort fic kinda. I self project. Mentions suicide. Mentions Shannon and Kelly Gibbs.

— 🖊️. Tracklist. Track One Track Two Track Three Track Four Track Five

Gibbs looked over at your form, slumped over. He looked at his watch: 23:37. You were usually the person to stay late, to work on the things that were undesirable for everyone else. You hadn’t left the building earlier than 20:00 in months.

He knew why- or rather, knew of why you stayed late. Jenny had told him you had problems, problems taking care of yourself and neglecting yourself; sometimes choosing to take out your own anger and depression on yourself. But you were the best of the best. In fact, you were the best and the youngest. Aged twenty eight.

“Y/n.”

You snapped up, eyes landing on your boss’s. “What’s- what do you need?” You asked, setting your pen down and closing the file.

Gibbs watched you watch him, rigid in your chair.

He knew you were scared to trust; to open your heart and let people in. You had been working for NCIS and had only went out for drinks with the team thrice- Ducky’s birthday, Ziva’s birthday, and Abby’s birthday. You were included, but you seperated yourself for reasons unknown.

“I want to go for a drive. Come with me,” Gibbs said.

Lately, Gibbs had noticed how tired you were, closing your eyes for longer amounts of time, straight chugging your coffee, and getting in and leaving althe office after Gibbs got there. But you were efficient, getting not only your paperwork done, but working on most of Tony’s as well (something that made Gibbs unusually mad).

You were literally working yourself to death and chose to add more to the pile. Was it to get away from your thoughts? To get away from your home situation? What were you running from?

“I have work to do-“

Gibbs chuckled. “You’re the fastest agent to complete their paperwork. You do Tony’s. Tim’s, even. You’re more than ahead on your reports.”

You gnawed at your lip. “Sir, I’m getting ready to go home.”

Liar. Gibbs shook his head in amusement. “That’s an order, y/n.”

At that, you shut off your light and grabbed your coat. “Ok.”

The walk to the elevator was quiet. You wondered what Gibbs wanted. Were you getting fired? You had not done anything out of the ordinary recently… what could Gibbs want?

You climbed into the passenger seat and prayed you were keeping your job.

Gibbs started the truck and drove out of the parking lot. “So,” he started.

You didn’t say anything. You just looked out the window, taking in the life. “What do you want?”

“To know,” Gibbs replied. He turned down the radio and kept his eyes trained forward.

“Know about…?” You prompted, cutious as to what he wanted.

Gibbs shrugged. “You.”

“Y/n l/n, aged 28. My eyes are-“

“Not from your file.”

Silence fell. You didn’t have amything interesting to say about yourself other than the fact that you went to the gym and had an extensive collection of sunset polaroids. And there was no way Gibbs wanted to know about your childhood. That sould be disappointing. Disappointing to tell him about how ordinary and unimportant you were, your own family leaving you. It’s disappointing- exactly the reason why she did what she did: to be more than disappointing. In fact, you had a new reason not to be a disappointment: Gibbs. He, in your time at NCIS, had become one of the few people you never wanted to disappoint.

“Well then… I don’t know what you want to know,” you mumbled dully. Please, you thought, don’t let this change your opinion of me.

Gibbs looked over to see you already looking at him. He couldn’t see your expression, but you looked like you were already thinking about what he would say next.

“Tell me something, y/n. Anything.” Gibbs stated. He slowed down and turned left. He himself didn’t seem to have a destination, making you wonder how long Gibbs would drive around.

You didn’t want to talk, but you yearned for Gibbs to know, to look at everything you’ve gone through and done and understand why you are the way you are.

Of course you trust him, though. That’s not the problem for once. The problem is you don’t want Gibbs to get the wrong impression of you, or come to the conclusion that you’re a fraud or something.

“Tell me something about you first,” you shot back easily, relaxing a little bit into the seat.

So, Gibbs told you about a woman named Shannon and a beautiful baby girl named Kelly. He told you about Shannon’s rules, how he knew that she was the one. A young Leroy Gibbs knew that Shannon Fielding would be the love of his life.

And Gibbs also told you about the case that killed them: the gun, the bullet, and the casing. He told you about his habits after they died, how cold and snappy he was. He told you about- despite his madness- a certain Donald Mallard kept forcing his way into Gibbs’ life, making sure Gibbs knew he wasn’t alone.

“What I’m tryin’ to tell ya is… we are here for you, kid. You aren’t truly alone in this miserable world,” Gibbs finished quietly.

By now, Gibbs had parked in front of a house- his house?- and completely torn down the barrier between boss and coworker.

You weren’t gonna lie, you were crying by now. Tears silently streaming down your cheeks as the man you most admired and looked up to told you about the best and worst days of his life- all the while he had no idea about who you are.

“I didn’t-“ you started, sniffling. You turned to look at him, tears blurring your vision. Some of the phrases he had used to describe his pain rang in your ears and Gibbs knew it- he knew you could relate to some of the things he said and felt.

“Stay the night, kiddo,” Gibbs said, reaching over to pat your shoulder.

As he exited the truck, you felt more tears burning in your eyes: that pat on the back literally gave y/n a reason to live.

Maybe, y/n thought, all the lights that had shut off could turn back on.

[gojoulen03]

╔═══°∴,*⋅✲══〖✰〗══✲⋅*,∴°═══╗

"MY DAUGHTER, THE DIVINE ONE"

╚═══°∴,*⋅✲══〖✰〗══✲⋅*,∴°═══╝

A/N:

I'm saying this rn but this.. this blog is a literal mess. It's my first time posting this kinda uh.. yup. So I'm a little annoyed by it but I'm bored so I went through.. uh with it anyway..

I had an alternate version of this in Wattpad called 'Rose Thorns' lol. I'm still thinking of who will be the love interest for Y/n because this sht is similar to the usual SAGAU plot idk if I'm right though (correct me if I'm wrong lol).

Again, this is a mess. Idk if I posted this correctly.. but I tried anyway..

Sypnosis :

You are Tsukuyomi Y/n with a lovely daughter named Yuna. You've always dreamed of becoming a mother and decided to have one through artificial method (lol idk if that's real yet but I remembered a manga with that Soo YUp AND THIS IS FICTION so I had the power of making the impossible real here in this story LOL and yes you are rich in Earth cuz i said so ৻( •̀ ᗜ •́ ৻)). You paid someone handsomely to give you the means to have a child without any sort of y'know lol- and finally had Yuna after so long of waiting.

You are deeply devoted to Yuna's well-being and promised to protect her no matter what.

But tragedy struck when you got involved in a car accident that claimed your life, leaving your daughter Yuna without her only guardian. Your own death left you feeling desolate and remorseful for not being able to watch your 5-year-old daughter grow up.

However, your journey took an unexpected turn when you found yourelf in a mysterious and unfamiliar world. You retained only hazy memories of your past life but resolved to forge ahead. Even in this strange new world, you couldn't let go of your fervent prayers for Yuna's safety.

You went on a journey in this new world called Teyvat. But what if your daughter follows you there - all grown up, so mature and with so many mysteries?

GENSHIN IMPACT X G/N! Reader

Warnings: Grammatical Errors, Lazy Writing, Possibly alot of errors again lol, MANY TYPOS idK, VERY OOC (I'mma not lie here), Y/n being the Cupid LATER lol, Yandere!Harem??? Obsessive Acolytes/Believers to the Divine One, MANY SIMPINGS ˛(ˊʙˋ)੭˒˒

CHAPTER 00

In the supposedly peaceful and beautiful world - Y/n, a beautiful God(dess) in a white robe and veil, had been engaged in a fierce battle to protect your city from marauding Gods. Your barrier stood resolute, deflecting attacks and safeguarding your people, but the more you fought, the more you felt your energy wane.

"Your majesty! Please, it's enough!" A voice was heard from behind. But despite the pleas of your beloved subjects to cease the battle, You remained unyielding, your bowstring singing as you sent arrow after arrow towards your foes. The Archon War had erupted unexpectedly, shattering the harmony among divine beings who were once friends. You couldn't comprehend why you were now locked in a merciless struggle for your nations' survival.

"You must be getting tired. How about resting now?" taunted by your enemy God, reveling in your weakening state. Undeterred, You glared back, refusing to back down. Your resolve was unbreakable; You were determined to defend your land until your very last breath.

"I will not! I will never back down until my last breath!" You yelled.

"Let's see about that, Goddess Y/n!" They said, as they were ready to launched another attack.

But just as you braced yourself for another attack, a familiar voice broke through the haze of battle.

"Ma/Pa.."

"Ma/Pa.. ma/pa.."

"Mama/Papa!!"

Startled, You gasped, your battle-weary eyes fluttering open. You found yourself in a small, warm room, and your attention was drawn to a tiny, innocent face—the face of your adorable daughter, Yuna.

"Mama/Papa! You're awake, right?!" Yuna's tiny hands shook you, urging you back to consciousness.

"Mama/Papa, it's time to wake up!" You blinked, the memories of your celestial battle fading into the background as you're fully awake now.

"Oh, Mama/Papa's awake now, dear Yuna," you whispered, your exhaustion momentarily forgotten as you lifted your daughter into your arms.

Yuna's innocent eyes widened with concern. "Mama/Papa, you were making scared noises in your sleep. Did you have a bad dream?"

You smiled, brushing a gentle hand over Yuna's cheek. "It was just a bad dream, my love. Mama/Papa's fine now." You marveled at the contrast between the dream's fierce goddess persona and the reality of your role as a loving parent. How could such a powerful being in your dream world be the same person who cuddled with your daughter each morning?

"Let's focus on happier things," You suggested, ruffling Yuna's hair playfully.

"Hehe, okay! Let's eat breakfast now, Mama/Papa! I'm hungry!" Yuna's enthusiasm was infectious, and you couldn't help but smile at the sight of your daughter's radiant joy. You dismissed the surreal images of your divine battle as a dream or perhaps the result of watching too many fantasy movies recently.

"What would you like to eat today, my little sunshine?" You asked.

Yuna's face lit up with excitement. "Pancakes, Mama/Papa! With strawberries!"

You chuckled, the remnants of the dream slipping further away with each giggle. "Pancakes it is, sweetheart. Let's make them together."

With a tender smile, You kissed Yuna's forehead. "And also good morning, my precious. I love you."

Yuna giggled, her laughter echoing through the room like music. "I love you too, Mama/Papa!"

Together, you both ventured into the kitchen, the aroma of pancakes filling the air as you expertly flipped them on the griddle. Yuna stood on a chair, her eyes wide with fascination as she watched her parent cook.

What had seemed like a fierce, otherworldly struggle faded into the background as you dismissed it as a fleeting nightmare. Perhaps it was the result of watching too many fantasy movies, you thought, trying to rationalize the vivid dream.

"Yeah, it must be a dream," You reassured yourself, embracing the reality of your daughter's laughter and the aroma of breakfast wafting from the kitchen.

"Mama/Papa, are you a superhero?" Yuna asked suddenly, her innocent curiosity sparking a twinkle in her eyes.

You paused, caught off guard by the question. You knelt down to Yuna's eye level, your expression tender. "Well, I might not be a superhero, but I'll always protect you, my dear. You mean everything to me."

Yuna beamed, her small hand reaching out to grasp yours. "I love you, Mama/Papa!"

"I love you too, my precious Yuna," You whispered, your heart swelling with an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude.

You prepared a hearty meal for yourself and for your precious daughter, Yuna, savoring the simple pleasures of your shared moments. As you both sat down to eat, Yuna's innocent chatter filled the room, momentarily pushing away the lingering thoughts of that dream you had earlier.

"Mama/Papa, what's your favorite story?" Yuna asked between bites of the pancakes.

You smiled, reminiscing about the stories you used to hear as a child. "My favorite story is about a brave god(dess) who protected their people from all the dangers of the world. They were strong, just like me, and they never gave up, no matter how tough things got."

Yuna's eyes widened with admiration. "Wow, Mama/Papa, you're like that god(dess), right?"

You chuckled, ruffling Yuna's hair affectionately. "I try to be, sweetheart. I'll always protect you and keep you safe, no matter what."

You only wished the best for your daughter.

That's all you need..

Those dreams probably meant nothing, right?

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, with You and Yuna sharing your lives in blissful harmony. You had put the strange dreams behind you, attributing them to a mere figment of your imagination, yet the memories of your battles as a god(dess) lingered, casting a subtle shadow over your peaceful existence.

It also arose so many questions..

Why do you have that dream?

What does it mean?

Is it a past life?

Why are you remembering it?

You're already happy with youe daughter. You don't want to be burden with a problem you don't even know about.

That was all just a dream anyways..

But one evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, you found herself lost in thought on the porch of their cozy home. Yuna, now a bit older but just as radiant, skipped over, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Mama/Papa, why do you sometimes look so sad?" Yuna asked, her voice tinged with concern.

You smiled gently, your fingers tracing the patterns of the wooden porch. "Oh, my sweet Yuna, it's just Mama/Papa's thoughts wandering. Sometimes, grown-ups think about many things at once."

"But you can tell me, Mama. I'm a big girl now!" Yuna insisted, her determination mirroring her parent's.

You sighed, realizing that your daughter was growing up and deserved to know the truth, or at least part of it. "Alright, my love. Mama/Papa had some strange dreams lately, dreams of battles and wars. It felt like I was someone else, someone powerful but burdened by the weight of protecting others."

Yuna's eyes widened in awe. "Like a superhero?"

You nodded, a bittersweet smile playing on your lips. "Yes, something like that. But these dreams were so vivid, as if they were memories from another life. It's all very confusing, Yuna."

Yuna reached out and held her parent's hand, her grip surprisingly strong for a child her age. "Mama/Papa, I think those dreams are trying to tell you something. Maybe you're meant to do something important."

You looked at your daughter, marveling at the wisdom hidden behind those innocent eyes. "You're right, Yuna. Perhaps there's a reason I'm having these dreams. I just wish I knew what it meant."

You couldn't help but hug your daughter. Just how caring and smart is this girl? This daughter of yours is too perfect to be yours. She's far too wise..

Even you can't come out with such an advice. But your 5 years old daughter could.

"You're so mature, aren't you, my love?" You said, as you kisses your daughter's chubby cheek who giggled in return. "Hehe! Because I am a big girl!"

"Yes, you are a big girl, love."

Though you couldn't exactly shake the feeling of being a powerful god(dess) in that otherworldly battle, your memories of an archon war still vivid, despite the comforting reality of your daughter's presence.

"Mama/Papa, can I ask you something?" Yuna's innocent voice interrupted your thoughts.

"Of course, my sweet," You replied, setting your daughter to your side to give your full attention to your daughter.

Yuna looked up at you with those big, curious eyes. "What were you fighting in your dream, mama/papa? Were you super strong?"

You hesitated, unsure of how to explain the complexities of your dream world to a 5-year-old. "Well, it was just a dream, dear. In the dream, Mama/Papa had to protect something very important, just like how I always protect you."

Yuna nodded thoughtfully. "Like a superhero, right?"

You smiled, relieved at the simplicity of Yuna's understanding. "Yes, like a superhero."

"Cool! I wanna be a superhero too!"

"Study first-"

"But mama/papa!!"

"Just kidding~!"

But as the day went on, you couldn't shake the feeling that your dream held a deeper significance. The memories of the archon war and the title of "God(dess) Y/n" haunted your thoughts, refusing to be dismissed as mere fantasy.

That night, after tucking Yuna into bed and planting a gentle kiss on her forehead, you found herself unable to sleep. You decided to indulge your curiosity and did something you hadn't done in a long time-you opened your laptop and began searching for information about archons and the concept of divine beings.

But you found no information about all the things you remembers in your dream.

Is it just.. a dream?

Lost in thought, you murmured, "God(dess) Y/n... Archon War... it all feels so distant yet so real."

Yuna, ever perceptive, approached her parent out of nowhere, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Mama/Papa, is something bothering you?"

"Ahh!" You almost fell down your chair when you saw your daughter standing next to you. Gosh! She's scary sometimes!

"Gosh, you scared Mama/Papa, love." You said, as you sighed in relieved that it was only your daughter. Yuna shrugged her shoulder before climbing into your lap and sitting comfortably.

"Why aren't you sleeping, baby? Didn't Mama/Papa tucked you in already?"

"Can't sleep yet.." She respond, as she hugged her doll tighter before looking back to you.

"So.. what's bothering you, Mama/Papa?" She asked curiously.

You smiled, your heart swelling with affection for your sweet daughter's concern. "It's nothing, sweetheart. Just an old dream Mama had like i told you before-"

But as you spoke, a sudden jolt surged through you, a flash of memories and emotions that felt too vivid to be merely a dream. You saw yourself clad in divine armor, battling against other gods. Faces once blurred became clear in your mind's eye.

"The Archon War.." You whispered, the words heavy with realization. "It's like.. a reality.. I'm not sure.. but I felt like I've known about it like a long time ago.."

Yuna's eyes widened with wonder. "Mama/Papa, what's an Archon war??"

You shake your head, your mind racing to comprehend the implications of your rediscovered identity. "I don't know, sweetie.. but there was a war. But why? Why were we fighting? Why was i fighting? What am I protecting..?" You questioned, confusing the little girl even more.

"Ehh.. really, Mama/Papa? Maybe you died and got reincarnated? I saw a movie about that!" Yuna explained.

"Reincarnated? Wait- how did you know that big word?" You asked. Yuna giggled as she snuggled into her doll. "Hehe! I heard it from watching marvel!"

"Right.. Hawkman.."

"Hehe! I like Ironman and Hawkman!" Yuna said excitedly, as she raised her doll up like it was flying.

You sighed. "Maybe I made her watch so many movies.."

Still.. how can this be?

Why are you remembering all this memories now?

You already have a life with your daughter..

Why now?

As you navigated the bustling city streets, your thoughts were consumed by the anticipation of seeing Yuna's face light up with joy upon receiving the special treats you had bought today. The aroma of fresh donuts filled the car, tempting your senses as you carefully maneuvered through the traffic.

Your dedication to your daughter, Yuna, was unwavering. You juggled a demanding career as a high-profile fashion designer for a prestigious modeling company while ensuring that your daughter's upbringing was filled with love, happiness, and positive role models. Your decision to distance yourself from your previously abusive and greedy household was a testament to your commitment to providing Yuna with a safe and nurturing environment.

As you drove home, the box of delectable donuts sat securely on the passenger seat, tempting your senses with their sweet aroma. You couldn't help but smile, thinking about the joy these treats would bring to your little girl.

"I bet my baby would like the donuts I bought today," You mused aloud, your excitement palpable. "It's definitely the best ones I've tasted! I'm sure she'll like them."

With each turn of the wheel, your anticipation grew. The thought of Yuna's radiant smile and the delighted squeals of a child about to receive a cherished surprise filled your heart with warmth. There was nothing you wouldn't do to ensure Yuna's happiness and well-being.

She is your precious girl after all.

Who wouldn't want the best for their child?

"My precious baby... I so missed you, my Yuna. Mama will be spoiling you a lot this weekend for sure. Hmm... maybe I'll take her to the water park this Saturday?" Your thoughts were filled with excitement as you drove home, your anticipation growing with each passing moment.

However, in the midst of your joyful reverie, you failed to notice the fast-approaching truck until it was too late. The deafening impact sent shockwaves through your car, causing it to veer off the road and collide with the oncoming vehicle. The world around you blurred into chaos, and time seemed to slow as the accident unfolded.

Huh?

The world around you spun into chaos as the impact of the collision reverberated through your body. Glass shattered, metal twisted, and the sound of screeching brakes filled the air. Darkness enveloped you, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.

When you finally regained her senses, you found yourself trapped in the wreckage of your car. Pain radiated through your body, and as you tried to move, you realized your injuries were severe. Panic welled up within you as the realization of what had just happened sunk in.

Your thoughts immediately turned to your daughter, Yuna. Fear clutched at your heart as you desperately called out to your little girl, but there was no response. Panic and anguish swirled within you as you fought against the pain and the wreckage that held you captive. I must go back to her! I still haven't given the donuts to my precious baby!

Pain shot through your body as you clung to consciousness, your first thought being of your precious Yuna. Panic continued to surged within you as you struggled to assess the situation.

Summoning every ounce of strength, you managed to unbuckle yourself and crawl out of the mangled car. Your vision was blurred, and your limbs felt heavy, but you had to go home to Yuna.

Your legs wobbled, panic turned to dread as you thought about Yuna waiting at home with the nanny, unaware of the accident. You had to get home, had to make sure your daughter was safe.

In the midst of the chaos, your thoughts were solely with Yuna. "I hope my Yuna is safe," you thought, your heart pounding with fear and concern. The seconds stretched like hours as you struggled to regain your bearings, your mind racing with worry for your daughter.

In the distance, you could hear voices shouting, the wailing of sirens approaching.

Your car's front end was crumpled, and the truck involved in the accident was equally damaged. The scene was chaotic, with concerned onlookers and emergency responders swarming around.

"M-my daughter," Y/n's voice laced with desperation. "Please, you have to help me. I need to get home to her."

The emergency responders arrived swiftly, their skilled hands working efficiently to extract you from the wreckage. All the while, your thoughts remained fixated on Yuna, your love for your daughter propelling you forward.

In the ambulance, amidst the blaring sirens and the medical team's urgent voices, you clung to consciousness. Your mind was a whirlwind of fear and determination. You couldn't let go, not when your little daughter syill needed you.

"It's gonna be okay, ma'am! Don't lose your consciousness! We're almost there!"

"We have to immediately take first aid!"

(Idk about this.. uh things so bear with it lol)

At the hospital, doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to stabilize you. Hours passed in a haze of pain and worry, but through it all, one thought persisted - your precious daughter, Yuna. You needed to be there for her, to protect her, just as you had always vowed to do.

As you lay there, pain coursing through your body, you felt a profound sense of urgency. The world around your became hazy, youe vision blurred. You knew your time was slipping away, like sand through an hourglass. The paramedics rushed to your side, their voices a distant echo in your ears.

In the midst of the chaos, you fought to find your voice, to speak your final words before surrendering to the abyss. With a tremor in your weakened voice, you whispered to yourself, aware that youe daughter, Yuna, remained oblivious to the tragedy that had befallen you.

"Yuna," you choked out, each word infused with a mixture of anguish and love. "My sweet, beloved daughter, I hope you can hear these words, even if only in your heart.."

As you felt the grip of life slipping away, you found yourself caught in a whirlwind of emotions. The pain and confusion consumed you, but amidst it all, you clung to your final thoughts, desperate to convey your love and remorse to your beloved daughter, Yuna.

Barely able to speak, your voice reduced to a mere whisper, your mind screamed with unspoken words. You yearned to tell Yuna how sorry you are, how deeply ashamed you felt for leaving your behind in this world, alone and unaware of the impending tragedy.

Blood pooled in your throat, choking your words and stealing your breath, but your thoughts raced with determination. With every ounce of strength you still possessed, you wished for your daughter's growth, for her to thrive in a world that you had only begun to understand.

In the midst of your pain, your love for Yuna burned brighter than ever. You wanted your daughter to know that your absence was never a choice, but a cruel twist of fate. Tears welled in your eyes, mixing with the blood that stained your lips, as you silently begged for forgiveness.

As the medical team continued to do their work on helping her, their urgent movements a blur around your fading consciousness, You held onto the image of Yuna in your mind. You whispered your final words, a desperate plea, hoping that somehow, in the vastness of the universe, your daughter would feel your love and hear your apologies.

In those fleeting moments, Your thoughts transcended the physical realm. You poured your heart and soul into a silent scream, a profound expression of love and regret that resonated in the depths of your being.

Through the pain and struggle, You fought to string together more coherent thoughts, desperate to convey your feelings, hopes, and apologies to your beloved daughter.

"My sweet Yuna, forgive me... I never wanted to leave you, my baby," you whispered in your mind, your voice quivering with a mix of love and anguish.

"I won't witness your first heartbreak... but remember, my darling, you are stronger than you know. You will rise above the pain and find love again."

"Yuna, my precious baby, don't let my absence hold you back. Embrace life's opportunities, explore the world, and chase your dreams with unwavering determination."

Her thoughts grow strained and weak, you continued, your words a fragile thread connecting you to your daughter's future. "I wanted to guide you, to be there for you... but circumstances have robbed us of that chance. You must find your own way, my love."

The tears flowed freely as your thoughts turned to the milestones you would miss. "I won't see you find your lifelong friends, those who will stand by your side through laughter and tears. But know that true friendships will enrich your life in ways I could never imagine."

"Yuna, my heart aches at the thought of not witnessing your wedding day. But when that time comes, know that I am with you in spirit, overflowing with love and pride as you embark on a new chapter of your life."

Your voice grew fainter, but your determination pushed you to utter one last plea in your head. "Promise me, my sweet Yuna, that you will live a life filled with joy, passion, and purpose. Seek happiness, embrace love, and never forget the strength within you."

As the darkness closed in, your final thoughts were consumed by your daughter's welfare. "Please, someone... protect and cherish my Yuna. Be the support and guiding light that I can no longer be. Love her as fiercely as I do."

With your strength waning, you held onto the hope that your whispered words would find their way to Yuna's heart. You longed for your daughter to know the depth of your love, the remorse you felt for leaving too soon, and the unwavering belief in Yuna's ability to navigate life's challenges.

And as your consciousness slowly faded, your final thoughts were a fervent wish for your daughter's growth, happiness, and the fulfillment of all her dreams.

"I love you, my Yuna.."

In your final moments, your thoughts were consumed by your undying love for Yuna, a love that transcended the boundaries of life and death. As your eyes fluttered closed, your last thoughts were of your daughter's smiling face, a beacon of light that guided you into the unknown.

You couldn't fight your dead..

Not again..

You failed again..

You failed protecting someone again..

And in that fleeting moment, as the world faded to darkness, you found solace in the knowledge that your love for Yuna would endure, an eternal flame that would continue to burn brightly, even in your absence.

'I'm so sorry, Yuna..'

Yuna played contentedly with her dolls, her imagination leading her on adventures only a child's mind could conjure. Her nanny and also Y/n's best friend, Kate, sat nearby, keeping a watchful eye on the little girl as she indulged in her imaginative play. Yuna was a charming but particular child, especially when it came to her food preferences. Yet, her undeniable cuteness made her nannies' hearts melt, rendering any minor inconveniences inconsequential.

Kate focused on the news broadcast playing on the television, its volume low so as not to disturb Yuna's playtime. But then, an unexpected news report abruptly seized her attention.

"A twenty-six-year-old woman/man was caught in a car accident," the news anchor announced solemnly. "The authorities have confirmed their identity. Tsukuyomi Y/n. She/He is a famous fashion designer for the Famous El Vera Company, who lives with their daughter, Tsukuyomi Yuna, in the..."

Kate's breath caught in her throat as she listened to the news report. Time seemed to stand still as the weight of the information sank in. Her eyes darted to Yuna, oblivious to the gravity of the situation, her innocent laughter filling the room.

She quickly turned off the television, not wanting Yuna to overhear the devastating news. Panic welled up within Kate as she contemplated how to handle the situation delicately. She knew she had to inform Yuna about her parent's accident, but how could she break such heart-wrenching news to a young child?

Taking a deep breath, Kate approached Yuna gently, crouching down to her eye level. She mustered a warm smile, masking the anguish she felt inside.

"Hey, sweetie," Kate began, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "I have something important to tell you about your mom/dad."

Yuna looked up, her big, innocent eyes filled with curiosity. "What is it, Nanny?"

"Well, darling, your mommy/daddy was in a car accident," Kate said softly, her heart breaking at the thought of shattering Yuna's world. "They're hurt, and they're in the hospital right now, getting the help they needs."

Tears welled up in Yuna's eyes as she clutched her doll tightly, her heart aching with a profound sense of loss. In that moment, the world seemed to crumble around her, and the reality of her mother/father's absence began to sink in.

"But... but Mama/Papa promised they'd come back, right?" Yuna choked out, her voice breaking as she struggled to hold back tears. "They said they'd bring me donuts today... they can't be... they can't..."

Kate fought back tears, mustering all the strength she had. "Yuna! I'm sure the doctors are doing everything they can to help them! But it's important for you to know that they loves you very much, and they want you to be strong and brave while they recover."

A flicker of fear crossed Yuna's face, and she clutched her doll tightly. "Can I see mommy/daddy?"

Kate's heart sank. She knew the truth had to be told, no matter how painful it was. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry, but right now, your mommy/daddy needs to rest and get better. The doctors won't let visitors in. But you can send them your love and thoughts, and they'll feel them, I promise."

Tears welled up in Yuna's eyes, and she buried her face in the safety of Kate's arms. "I want my mommy/daddy, Kate. I miss her/him."

Kate enveloped Yuna in a warm embrace, her own eyes filling with tears. "I know, sweetheart. I know it's incredibly hard. Your Mama/Papa loved you very much, and they'll always be in your heart."

As Yuna clung to her, seeking comfort, Kate whispered a silent prayer for strength and guidance. She knew that the road ahead would be filled with challenges, but she was determined to be there for Yuna, to support her, and to help her navigate the difficult journey of healing and acceptance. She was only a little girl and she had lost her only parent. Isn't Y/n's family full of abusive people? Yuna will be in danger for sure..

Kate hold Yuna tightly in her arms, as she embrace the little girl and whispering comforting words to her.

'I promise to protect your daughter for you, Y/n..'

Taglist: ----

♡ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ᙏ̤̫ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ♡ ⋆⁺₊ ᙏ̤̫ ⋆⁺₊⋆♡ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ᙏ̤̫ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ♡ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ᙏ̤̫⁺₊⋆ ♡ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ᙏ̤̫ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ♡

@gojoulen03

[dreamlessimp]

— homemade

summary: sae noticed you’ve been off, and tried to help

warnings: established itoshi sae x gn reader, fluff, ooc sae, food/ eating, 0.9k wc

“that’d be great sae.” you spoke into your phone, pleased after finally agreeing on a place for your date. you were stuck at work while sae was just about to get ready for practice from your home.

“i can do it tomorrow or next week.” he said after consulting his practice and game schedule.

“tomorrow then.” you decided.

“okay. when?”

“uh.” you thought for a few seconds. “maybe 18:00?”

wait—you had a meeting at 18:00. you glanced at the clock next to your desk: 17:57.

“that work-“

“sorry! meeting!” you yelled into your phone before quickly ending the call and leaving for the large meeting hall where you were expected to be in a couple minutes.

sae was left surprised, phone still in hand. “damn.” he said to no one in particular, before rolling his eyes to no one again, and leaving to change into his practice gear.

“i’m sorry, i don’t think i can make it.” you said apologetically to the man in front of you.

he shrugged. even if he was disappointed, he didn’t feel like making it a big deal. “why?”

your voice caught in your throat, not wanting him to know the extent of the stress you were facing at work. 

your group had been assigned a large assignment meant to be observed by a large person at your company, and somehow almost all of them had managed to escape its responsibilities.

only you and 2 others were able to work on it, and each passing day brought it further from completion.

“they’re giving us more work, and i’m drowning.” you gave a guilty smile. “sorry, maybe in a few weeks?” you managed to forget the extent of how observant your boyfriend is.

a few weeks was a long time of this, sae thought. one date was one thing but that long was way too much time for you to be under the stress you obviously thought you were good at hiding.

“be home early tonight, okay.”

“i’ll try.”

“whatever, early.

sae opened his computer as soon as you left the room. after a crude text to his manager, he was able to get in contact with your company. 

it took even more crude language, but sae was quickly able to learn of the large project placed upon you.

he admittedly had no way to help you with the project itself, but wanted to contribute in at least one way.

regretfully walking over to the kitchen you’d banned him from, he had one idea.

immediately upon walking through the door of your home, your were surprised to be hit with the smell of cooking vegetables. sae of all people was cooking?

you knew full well he enjoyed cooking about as much as talent he had when it came to it. so for him to be doing so, you didn’t know whether to feel honored or worried.

hanging up up your jacket and slipping off your shoes, you walked into the kitchen to see sae standing above the stovetop, large oven mitts worn over his hands. you scoffed, though endeared. 

“sae? you’re cooking?” you said upon walking closer.

“yeah.” he breathed a silent sigh of relief that you were home early.

you tilted your head in confusion. “why? you never cook. i’m surprised you even know how.”

“well.” he said slowly. “i don’t exactly know how.”

you laughed and took a peek at the stovetop. he was cooking an assortment of vegetables, and behind you was your rice maker. 

“go get changed. i’ll be done soon.” he said, still focused on not burning the food in front of him.

“yep. be right back.” you spoke before happily doing as requested, and changing from your work clothes into something more comfortable. 

soon, you walked back to see the kitchen empty, and relatively uncluttered.

you quickly deducted he had set the table, and walked over to where he turned out to be.

it wasn’t much, but you knew the minimal portions of rice, cooked vegetables, and soup probably took him longer then he’d care to admit—you were right. he was aware of his lacking skills and began early for fear of mistakes.

you took a seat and gave a thanks for the food. “what’s this all for?” you asked. “is it a special occasion or something?”

“no.”

“then what? is it because i had to cancel on our date?”

he shook his head. “no reason.” 

that was a lie. if you couldn’t go out on a date then this was the best way of decreasing your workload while still spending time together. sae was proud to feel that he did live up to his ‘genius’ title.

you meanwhile, had begun to feel even worse. sae had cooked for you, and you planned to run to your room and work again as soon as you finished.

“sorry i’ve been so flaky, you know how much work they’ve been giving us lately.” you said, lowering your head. “i know you’re busy.”

his voice was bored. “it’s not like i don’t do the same thing. i’ve ditched you too many times to be mad when you do the same.” he shrugged. “and you’re busy too.”

you smiled. “thanks, sae.”

he nodded. “i talked to your boss, by the way. the project will be done by tuesday.”

[slutsssphobia]

I'm sorry, but I can't get enough of obanai. What if we gave obanai the punishment of no touching and no sex for a week and every time he misbehaves it starts over(he hasn't gotten touched by you in two months). We've caught him touching himself multiple times and he's just been blatantly bratty, but lately your patience has started to break him. He has started to act like a good boy and when he finally makes it through the week he just sits at your feet watching the clock as it slowly ticks till twelve and as soon as it starts to chime he looks back up at you to see you staring back down at him. His bandages are off and he's incredibly needy so you... What do you do? Welp that's up to you to write!

Love your work, -🕯️anon

Obanai has a special place in my heart just for him <3

Warnings!: Orgasm denial,dry humping,needy!sub!iguro,brat taming, guided masturbation, pegging/fucking, spanking , rough sex ,ooc? Obanai , fluff at the end!

Tags!: None

A/n: none!

Obanai has been a brat lately, he hasn't listened to your rules in bed. He started becoming more selfish for his own release, he would whine if you didn't let him cum. He would purposely wear something tight to get you going but never let you touch him.

He was trying to create a bratty attitude to get you to break, his plan was working but he didn't expect you to take away sex privilege. He begged at your feet not to but you stood your ground. "P-please! I'll be a good boy I promise!"

Already two days into his punishment he couldn't take it, he decided to jerk without you knowing. He knew he would be punished if he got caught but he was too horny not to. Obanai undid his pants and pulled out his hardened dick. He groaned under his breath and started fisting his hand imagining it was you. He held his hand over his mouth and continued to stroke his cock trying to not alert you with his beautiful sounds.

But you had already had an eye on him the whole time. You were disappointed in obanai,. He couldn't even listen to ONE of your rules. To obanai's surprise you were in the door frame watching him. "Obanai."

You called out which made him snap his head to look at you. "W-wait no it's not what it looks like!"

You let out a sigh and walked towards him with disgust in your eyes. "I thought we had been over this baby.. no touching for a week." Obanai had tears in his eyes and was about to throw a fit. He hated when you would tell him no! How dare you! "You can't leave me like this! I'll do anything.."

Obanai knew he always had his way but this time it didn't work to his surprise. He was shocked when you didn't give in. He tried one last trick up his sleeve. "You seem very tense y/n.."

He lets his two hands caress your thighs and kiss the soft flesh. You push him away and kiss his forehead. "I'm gonna have to add another week baby.. you know the rules.."

Obanai gave up and tried to wait even though he knew he would plan another sneak.

It has been over a month now.

He waited patiently at your feet waiting for the time to go by, his mask was unraveling. you caressed his head in your lap prepping him after so long, you felt bad after all but he had to learn his lesson. You knew obanai was stubborn but when he was horny he was either bratty and submissive or mean and dominant. But this time it was bratty.

11:59..

Obanai was patiently squirming on the floor. He couldn't wait until you could finally ravish him, he wanted this for so long his cock was painfully erect. He already had pre cum leaking out his reddish pink tip.

12:00..

Obanai looked up at you with doe eyes and an innocent face. "Come here baby"

He quickly scooted next to you and laid himself on the bed spread out, he opened his legs submissively giving you a view of his erection. "P-please ruin me!"

Those words made you feral, you went over to your closet grabbing a pink dildo and some lube (you can read it as only lube) and crawled back in the bed. You had the strap already in you / your dick sat up straight at the sight of obanai. / You felt wetter at the sight of obanai.

He knew he made you feel this way. He just didn't know why you would torture him like this. Wasn't he your baby boy?

You slowly led your fingers along his stomach to his underwear fabric. Obanai jumped at your touch and leaned himself just above your hand to add some friction. "Ah ah no touching yet.."

You added lube on your dick and slowly aligned yourself at obanai's hole. You slid past the tight ring of muscle which made obanai moan out loud. "Shh.. trust me baby"

He nodded and let you slip it all in, he felt it all and moved to get more movement, you rubbed his back as you started thrusting. "Faster I can take it!"

"as you wish 'princess'"

You started thrusting in and out of his pink hole at a fast pace, he held onto your back for dear life. He left a few scratches but you didn't mind, god how he tightened around you. He played with his sensitive nipples as you fucked him, his eyes going into the back of his head.

You flipped him around now he was in his hands and knees. You continued your fast pace never slowing, he moaned out loud and held onto the pillows fists turning white.

He spread his cheeks farther so you could hit every spot perfectly, you hit his prostate and hit lost it. His dick twitched as spurts of cum came out. He was already tired at this point but you had no intention of stopping.

He cried into the pillow as you smacked his ass leaving a small red mark, he loved when you spanked him. He loved the short sting it would send another twitch to his cock.

(male version) You finally came in obanai and rubbed the small red spot on his ass. His ass was perfectly shaped, so perfect to smack, so perfect to kiss , just perfect. You pulled out and left to get a rag to clean him up. By the time you come back Obanai has already passed out. You smiled and cleaned up the seeping cum that fell from his tight hole.

You laid next to him embracing him in your hold. He snuggled closer to you and hid his face in your chest.

(female version)

You pulled the dildo out of his ass and kissed his forehead. "You did so well baby!" You held him in a hug, he kissed you lazily as his eyes were half lidded. You left to get a cold rag but before you left you stole a quick view of his ass. His ass was perfectly shaped, so perfect to smack, so perfect to kiss , just perfect.

You smiled to yourself. You came back with the rag and cleaned him up before crawling into bed hugging him bringing him in and sharing the lovely warmth.

Ty for requesting love<3

[dreaming-of-mossballs]

Bamboo for a Bashful Captain - (Gepard x Reader) - FULL POST

Summary: You’ve recently moved from Belobog’s Underworld and gotten a job as a florist. One day, a man wearing a full suit of armor stops by, and you, (fearing for the safety of the flowerpots) decide to approach him.

You never suspected that he would fall head-over-heels so quickly. Or so hard.

▸ Genre(s): Fluff, a sprinkling of angst

▸ Word Count: 15k in total

▸ Tags: Gepard x reader

▸ Warnings: Food mention, possible ooc, reader is shorter than Gepard and slightly fem coded, explicit pronouns aren’t used but Serval calls you a doll,

A/N: This has been in the works for a month. It was actually going to be released earlier, but I had to take a three day break because I was about to give myself carpal tunnel— also, the beginning is choppy but bear with me!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is available in shorter chapters for those of you whose devices keep crashing (like me). They will be posted every Saturday at 12:00 PST. Use the link post below!

I also have a few additional one-shots, so stay tuned!

I’m so sorry to be rambling but I want to provide the best experience possible.

MASTERLIST (MORE GEPARD HERE)

The Belobog sunlight was warm on the captain of the Silvermane Guards’ face. Gepard was covered in what could only be described as a mountain of blankets, hastily tossed over his sleeping form after returning from an extended mission on the front lines. 

The Fragmentum had never taken a break until recently, when the source of the corrosion was discovered and disposed of. There was still work to be done, of course, but Gepard’s workload had been significantly reduced. This left him feeling a strange mix of relief and confusion due to his regular routine being interrupted. 

Hearing some commotion from the hallway of the Landau Estate, Gepard stirred and sat up, a weary expression on his face. He raised a hand to rub his eyes but was unpleasantly surprised by stiff metal coming into contact with his cheek. 

He looked in the full-length mirror, realizing he had forgotten to take most of his armor off before going to bed, as unflattering red indentations remained on his face and neck from metal pressing into his skin. 

Swinging his feet over the side of the bed, he bent down to put on his home-appropriate loafers. It honestly felt like eons had passed since the Captain had woken up in his own home. He smiled to himself. How he had missed the smell of old books, wood, and leather. 

Gepard suddenly stood up with newfound energy to start the day, but the back of his head collided with the wooden shelf next to his bed. He doubled over, grunted in pain, and gingerly ran a hand through his blond hair.

That’s gonna leave a mark, he groaned inwardly. He looked back up at the shelf to see the flowerpot he began taking care of several weeks ago teetering on the edge. Too groggy to react, he watched it tip over and fall onto the hardwood floor, letting out a loud crash. Ceramic shards and dirt went everywhere. 

Gepard gave it an exasperated stare.

It was long dead anyways, He sighed. I forgot to ask Pela to take care of it again,

Rapid knocking could be heard at his door, and a housekeeper barged in. He was breathing as if he had leapt up the stairs four-at-a-time. 

“Young Master Gepard, is everything all right? I heard a crash,” he said, clutching his duster nervously.

The Captain looked at the broken pot on the floor wistfully.

“I’m fine, thanks,” he said monotonously. “What’s for breakfast?”

———

Gepard had long gotten used to heads turning as he walked through the streets of Belobog. 

He didn’t necessarily mind it, though. Someone of his position would be bound to catch a few glances. If it meant he could keep protecting the city, then so be it. Being able to hear the carefree chatter of citizens made his chest swell with pride. Parents and grandparents alike would wave to him, and of course he would wave back. (Although Serval would always chide him for not smiling enough.)

While on his way to buy a new flowerpot, Gepard spotted an elderly woman carrying a bag of groceries. She turned around to face him quickly, startled by the sound of heavy boots clanking behind her. 

“Can I give you a hand with that, ma’am?” He inquired, offering his hands out to take it from her. 

“Oh, you’re too kind. Thank you so, so much,” she smiled up at him. The woman carefully gave him the paper bag that was filled with miscellaneous vegetables. 

“All in a day’s work,” Gepard replied. He hoisted the bag onto his shoulder and walked her to the entrance of a building, all the while a leek poked him in the face. 

“I’m so glad we have you as the Captain of the Silvermane Guards,” she said sweetly as she unlocked the door to her home. “Such a handsome and nice fellow,” 

Gepard shook his head humbly, trying to squash the dusting of pink that spread across his face. “Please, you flatter me too much,” 

The woman raised an eyebrow at him behind her wire-framed glasses, humming in response. 

“Well, I’m sure one day…” she mused. “You’ll meet someone who thinks so too,” He kept his face blank, neither agreeing or disagreeing with her. 

“On your way now, miss. Be careful.” Gepard gave her a polite wave goodbye as she entered the building, and continued on his way.

———

You knew people on the surface could be weird, but not this weird. 

You were just about to join your co-worker, Vaska, on break when you heard the shopkeeper’s bell ring. A man with blonde hair stepped through the entrance, practically armed to the teeth. He wore a spotless soldier’s coat decorated with blue and gold accents, along with an unusual looking metal gauntlet on his right arm. He took care not to bump anything on the way in.

It would be a disaster if he did. 

What’s a soldier doing in a flower shop? You pondered as you fidgeted with your pen absentmindedly. Natasha would’ve strangled someone with that much metal on if she caught them in her clinic,

He walked over to the corner and began browsing the selection of ceramic pots you had to offer. The other customers seemed to acknowledge him and respectfully step aside so he could make his way around easier. 

You realized you were staring a hole into the back of his head and tore your gaze away from him, embarrassed. 

He looks confused, you thought. Maybe he’s buying a gift for someone? I guess I could give him some advice.

You ventured out from behind the desk and approached him, right as he picked up a pot with his heavily armored hand.

Please don’t crush it, so help me Qlipoth!! The voice inside your head shrieked. You clutched at your notepad so hard you thought it might rip in half. It’ll be on MY payroll!!

“Hi there! Can I help you?” You interjected, with the friendliest smile you could muster. The man swiveled his head towards you in surprise. His eyes were startlingly blue. 

“Oh… Yes, I could use some help,” he said. “I’ve been trying my hand at growing flowers for a while now, but it never really seems to work out,” He sighed. “Would you happen to have any advice?”

Your expression became one of pity. Oh! This poor soul! You lamented. Of course you’d help him chase his flower-growing dreams!

“Well, you could start by taking off the gauntlet when you garden,” you teased. “Flowers can get scared easily,”

“Are you serious?” He glanced worriedly at the hand that held the pot. 

For a follower of the Preservation, I can't seem to keep anything alive, he thought.

“No! No, no, of course not! I’m sorry.” You shook your hands as if to clear up the misunderstanding while holding back a giggle. He seemed sweet. 

He let out a relieved sigh. 

“It’s just that you don't see a man covered head to toe in metal come into the store every day. I’m sorry for teasing you about it.” You grinned at him and he cleared his throat sheepishly. “Anyways, what have you been trying to grow?” 

“Well, I had a pot of Solarflowers but I’ve been rather occupied as of late. I’ve had people take care of my plants before, but I would like something that I can handle by myself,” he replied. You hummed.

“If you don’t have too much free time, caring for something routinely may be difficult,” you rattled off. “I admire your perseverance though! Flowers just take a lot of nurturing.” You rested your chin on your hand deliberately.

“Wait a minute… I have just the thing for you! Be right back!” 

You darted into the back room, quick to push apart the piles of boxes filled with flowers. 

Aha! There it is! You almost jumped for joy as you spotted a small plant in a burlap sack. You practically ran back out while holding it up for him to see. 

“Is that… a tree?”

He stared down at it with a peculiar expression. The small, woody plant with only three leaves to call its own said nothing. 

“Nope! It’s a Summershade Bamboo,” you responded cheerily. “I know flowers are your main goal, but you should give this one a try!” He took it from you and examined it, tilting it every which way with his eyebrows furrowed.

“These are tougher than flowers. As long as it has water, it’ll be fine,” you were quick to add. 

“That sounds promising,” he nodded down at you. “I think I’ll buy it,” 

You two made your way to the counter, imaginary confetti poppers going off in your head triumphantly. 

My first real recommendation! You had to physically stop yourself from pumping your fists into the air as you walked behind the counter.

He set down the plant, you fastened a string around it to keep the sack from falling off, and then whipped out your notepad from the front pouch in your uniform. 

“How exactly did you become so good with flowers, anyways?” The man asked, tilting his head. You barked out a laugh while scribbling something down on the paper, remembering just how lucky you were to get this job.

“Oh, believe me, I have killed my fair share of flowers.” You nodded towards the door to the back room, where your co-workers were lounging and drinking the latest tea. “We all have. It’s something that comes with a LOT of trial and error— in fact, a couple months ago I had never even seen one!” 

“Is that so?” He was taken aback. 

“Yep! I’d just moved here from the Underworld, and was fresh out of a job,” you reminisced. “ I had been looking for weeks on end, finally I stumbled across this place! It was so beautiful, I just HAD to apply,” 

You glanced around quickly and leaned in to whisper, “The owner is sort of strict, but she offered me a place to stay. I couldn’t be more grateful,” 

“Is that so? Well then, Belobog is happy to have you,” he said, offering out his right hand for you to shake. “I’m Gepard. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” 

Realizing he had his gauntlet on, he began to retract his hand. You stopped him, almost tipping over the desk to shake it heartily. 

“And I’m (Y/N). No need to be so stiff, it’s a pleasure to meet you too!” A bright smile spread across your cheeks. Gepard felt his breath catch in his throat, much to his surprise.

“Your total comes to 15 Shield,” you said, handing him a yellow square of paper along with the bamboo. “I wrote a list of tips on how to take care of it too! This one will survive. I'm sure of it,”

You beamed at him. “Come back anytime if you need any more advice!” 

Gepard felt the corners of his mouth rise into a smile. 

“I’m sure I will,” 

———

As the Captain was watering his bamboo plant that night, the moons of Jarilo-VI caught his attention through the window. They were shining brightly tonight. His mind wandered back to just how bright your smile was.

Gepard shook himself out of his thoughts, ignoring his heart beating faster than usual, and placed the newly potted bamboo on his bookshelf.

So it couldn’t be knocked over by a clumsy captain like himself, of course.

He sighed. The Captain opened an old, tattered book for a while before turning off the lamp and tucking into the covers for the night. 

———

A few days later, you were pleased to see that your new guard friend decided to show up again. 

He sure took his sweet while staring at the flowers this time. You couldn't blame him for his indecisiveness though, because choosing something as special as flowers could be a challenge.

Gepard eventually gave up and walked over to the counter. You gave him a friendly wave.

“Hey there again! How’s the new plant doing?” You inquired, shifting your weight onto your toes with a happy grin.

“Fairly well, surprisingly. I'm very happy with it,” he said with a relaxed expression.

“I’m glad! That’s the first time I've ever recommended somethin’ to someone!” You exclaimed. He blinked in surprise. 

“So, what are you in here for this time?” You asked.

“I'd like to buy some flowers for my older sister. She could use something to liven up her workshop. I'm not sure which ones to get for her though.” He paused, looking off to the side at the plants hanging by the windows. 

“Aww, that’s really sweet! What’s her favorite color?” You said.

“Purple,” he replied.

You glanced at the rows of purple flowers on the shelves and bit your lip. “Um, well, What's she like?” 

“She’s definitely something,” Gepard murmured to himself. “Between running the workshop and her rock gigs, she practically has an infinite amount of energy.” He shook his head lightly. 

“Rock gigs?” You questioned. “What’s that?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. “Rock is a genre of music she’s fascinated by. She does concerts sometimes… Although she’s somehow coerced one of my co-workers into performing with her,”

“No way… She’s a musician AND she runs a workshop? She sounds incredible!” Your eyes went wide with awe. 

Gepard stifled a chuckle.

“She can be, sometimes,” He sighed, tapping the desk with an armored finger. “If we ignore the numerous crazy things she’s done in the past,” 

“Sisters, am I right?” You chirped. “Anyways, what about you? What’s being a guard like?” 

“I suppose—,” 

He cut off as your boss shoved past you with some large boxes in hand, almost tipping you onto the desk, but your fall was stopped by his hands, which caught your shoulders and helped steady you. 

“Sorry about that! (Y/N),” she called, not bothering to look back as she rushed into the storeroom. “A new shipment came in today. We could use your help sorting it out if you could hurry it up a bit!” 

“Oops,” You turned back to him. “I’m sorry, I got carried away,” you said sheepishly.

“Don’t be. I don’t mind small talk,” Gepard responded, fiddling with one of the clasps on his uniform.

“Really? Phew.” You wiped fake sweat from your brow. “Anyways, I think she would enjoy a pot of Indigos.” You pointed to a flowerpot on the leftmost side of the shop. “They’re a nice bold color, and pretty hardy too!”

You swore Gepard’s eyes lit up as he picked up the pot of purple flowers. 

“These are perfect. Your recommendations truly are the best,” Gepard said when he returned to the counter. You thought you heard a bit more warmth beginning to creepinto his voice.

You smiled at him, and for a split second, his heart threatened to burst out of his chest. And with that, you checked him out and handed him a blank thank-you card to write on, bowing politely.

“Thank you, come again!” You called, and squeaked in surprise as you were promptly yanked by the collar into the storage room. Gepard could only blink in confusion as he watched you disappear into the back. 

———

A few weeks passed, and Gepard had become a regular at the flower shop. You started to look forward to when he came in so you could chat about how his new bamboo plant was faring. 

I wonder if he has a name for it, you mused to yourself. Probably not,

It was kind of unusual how much he stopped by, though. 

You were in the middle of putting a case full of seed packets on the shelf when you heard the door creak open, nothing out of the ordinary.

“Be right there!” You shouted. You peeked your head out from behind the door frame, only to spot Gepard’s familiar blond hair once more. He was looking very intently at a dresser filled with a variety of multicolored plants. The soldier caught your gaze, but quickly broke eye contact with you, much to your confusion.

“Isn’t this the third time he’s come in this week?” You whispered to your boss, Meg, who was writing labels for the different jars on the shelves. She shrugged.

Meg put her hands on her hips. “I've got no problem with it. It’s good for business, after all. He always seems to be looking for something or someone in particular… He gets awfully sad when you aren't there, y’know,” 

You squinted at her, confused, and then shook your head in disbelief. You headed back to the counter where Gepard was waiting with a small sack in his hands. 

“Good afternoon, Gepard. What can I do for ya this time?” You stared at his face harder than normal, analyzing his expression. It didn't change much.

“Just the usual, please.” He placed the bag of plant fertilizer on the desk while he dug in his pockets for the change. He was dead serious, like usual.

Ugh. Why was he so impossible to read?? 

“You do know we sell these in larger sizes, right?” You questioned while pointing at the bag. Gepard nodded, shuffling his feet a little. 

“Yes, I am aware, but I have a very inquisitive little sister. I'm afraid one of her pets might get into it while I'm not there and get sick,” he answered. “It's easier if there's less of it for them to get into,” 

Gepard ran his gloved hand through his hair while you stood nodding thoughtfully.

“Ohhh, I see!” You let out a gasp of realization. “Phew! I was worried you were coming in here just to see me!” 

“No, of… course not,” he said, mouth agape. The soldier closed his eyes in embarrassment as he felt his face heat up. “Although, seeing you does improve my day greatly,” 

Your face morphed into a scowl, much to his surprise. “You oughta be spending your time better, you know. Guard duty sounds very demanding.” You folded your arms with a huff. “You know, delivery IS an option if you want to save some effort,”

“O-oh? Could you elucidate to me how it works?” He stuttered, expression changing to one of nervous curiosity. 

“Yeah! Delivery works with almost anything. We understand how hard it is to drag an entire plant or package to your residence,”

You shook your finger matter-of-factly as you went off on your sales pitch. “You can place an order in-store and we can bring it to you, even on the same day you place it!” 

“AND, we can do regularly scheduled deliveries, that way, you don't have to come in every two days. Instead, one of our very capable workers will get it to you!” 

He merely stared at you quizzically. You huffed. 

“Believe me, we’re stronger than we look.” You raised your arm, curling it into a fist. “I used to work in the mines, so I'm used to heavy lifting,” you said, putting your hands back on your hips proudly. 

Gepard exhaled through his nose. He knew you weren’t going to let this one go.

“So… Would you be interested? I’d hate for you to have to go on a wild Mole chase every time you want to buy fertilizer,” you said slyly. 

“Well—” He raised his hand to protest. “It’s really not an issue—,”

“Nonsense! I'm sure your schedule is super busy, so let me help you out!” You slid a purple notecard and a pen with a floral print across the counter to him. 

“I guess it couldn’t hurt,” The guard sighed in defeat.

Gepard waited until he got a safe distance away from the shop, and facepalmed with a weak groan. As he drew his hand away, a new look of determination flickered across his face. 

He was going to need new excuses to keep seeing you. 

———

Is this really the place?? You thought, boxes in hand. The sun was setting on the fancy buildings in the modern district of the city, painting them a brilliant orange. You adjusted your beret, determined not to let it fall off, and prepared yourself to venture up the stairs to the massive mansion located on the uppermost level of the city. 

When you reached the entrance at the top, you realized that the unfamiliar building made the shop you called home seem almost microscopic. Two guards were standing at the sides of the heavy-looking wooden door, complete with ornately carved bronze handles. 

The doors opened, and out walked a group of housekeepers. You gave them a feeble wave hello and trotted over to them.

“Hi there! I have a delivery for the—,” You narrowed your eyes at the card on top of the boxes—, “Landau Estate?” 

You hoped you didn’t just butcher the name. One of the guards and a maid sauntered over to you. 

“That’s unusual,” the maid said, taking the card and inspecting it closely. “We weren't expecting a package. This is for fertilizer, you say?” You nodded in agreement. 

“Do you know if anyone here ordered fertilizer?” She turned back to the group of servants, who all murmured among themselves. “Hmm… doesn’t look like it,”

“Oh jeez. I'm sorry, a man named Gepard ordered it. Maybe he put down the wrong address by mistake?” You shrugged. 

Who on Jarilo-VI would live in a house this big, anyways? You wondered. 

“Oh! The young master!” A lightbulb seemed to go off in her head. “I wasn't aware he had ordered something. I'm sorry, but we aren't allowed to accept packages on his behalf unless he clears it with us first.” She clasped her hands together. “I apologize for the misunderstanding,” 

You shook your head reassuringly. “That’s all right, I can just find him myself. Does anyone know where he might be?” 

That earned you a few quizzical looks. One of the aides, a woman with chestnut hair, piped up. 

“I heard he was heading to Serval’s workshop today. Maybe if you're lucky, you could catch him on his way out!” 

“Great! Thanks!” 

You adjusted the boxes under your arm once again and flew down the stairs two at a time. 

They called him “Young Master”? You furrowed your brow.

This was getting weirder and weirder.

———

Rapidly flipping through your map of Belobog, you pinpointed an eccentric looking building on the easternmost side of the plaza. When you reached the workshop indicated on your map, you stood still in amazement.

It was covered in the coolest metal fixtures and gave off a mature aura you couldn’t quite put your finger on. If something like this had existed in the Underworld, you wouldn't have been able to see it in full detail anyways.

Not right now! I have a delivery to make! You snapped at yourself. You pried the door open with your hand and used the weight of your back to push your way inside. 

The inside of the building was just as interesting as the outside. Metal cogs spun with no aim in particular, more tools than you had ever seen in your lifetime adorned the walls, and old manuscripts were sprawled out all over the various surfaces. You wanted to explore it all already.

You spotted Gepard talking to a boldly dressed woman at the front desk. Another blue-haired woman was working on a blueprint off to the side, too absorbed in her work to notice the commotion at the door. 

“Aha! There you are!” You exclaimed. “I've got your delivery for this week. Some housekeepers told me I could find you here.” You bounded up to him with the boxes curled under your arm, smiling as he thanked you. 

“I apologize you had to go through all that trouble to find me.” He rubbed his temples. “I should have cleared the whole thing with them first. Here, let me take that for you,” 

The tall woman stepped out from behind the counter, looking you up and down with great interest. She had stunning lip gloss and blond hair with a lone blue streak on her right side. You wondered where she got her style from, as everyone on the surface dressed the same, for the most part.

“And who might you be?” She inquired. 

“I’m (Y/N), from the flower shop across the street.” You curtsied with a smile.

“What a cute little doll!” The woman tilted her head at you, her eyes sparkling with adoration. “Gepard, where on Jarilo-VI did you find them? I know everyone’s face, and I've never seen theirs,” 

You saw Gepard shift from side to side in the corner of your eye. 

“I started working there just a few weeks ago, actually! I’m from the Underworld,” you chirped. 

“No way! Well then, it’s a pleasure to be meeting you!” She offered her hand for you to shake, which you took graciously. She was so easygoing, it was easy to be drawn to her. 

“I'm Serval, this clumsy oaf’s sister.” She wrapped her arm around Gepard and poked him in the side. “The one over there is Molly, my assistant!” She pointed at the worker with blue hair in the corner, who gave you a quick thumbs-up. “It seems you know my brother?”

“Well—,” you started. 

“We don't need to go into detail now, I'm sure you have places to be,” Gepard interrupted, placing a hand on your shoulder. He hoped you couldn’t feel his palms sweating.

“No, no, no!” Serval pouted, “I'm invested now, can't you see?” She said, circling around you like a carnivore would. 

“Um. It’s fine, actually! That was the last of the deliveries scheduled for today,” you chimed in.

“Perfect! Molly, could you get our guest some tea?” Serval called. She led you to a small table with an oil lamp resting on it, pulling out your chair before she sat in her own. She rested her arm on the tabletop while leaning forward with a thrilled expression. 

Gepard stayed where he was, rubbing his forehead. The poor man’s cheeks were bright red. 

“So! How are you liking the city so far?” Molly set down two cups of steaming hot tea. You thanked her, then took a sip as you paused to think. It was fragrant and had just the right amount of sweetness.

“It’s honestly gorgeous. The air up here is so clean compared to the mines!” You replied energetically. 

“My thoughts exactly!” The woman across from you nodded. “There’s nothing like the cold Belobog air to wake you up in the mornings too. Have you visited the Everwinter Monument yet?” 

You took in a sharp breath. “No, I haven’t! Not for real, at least. I see it through the window of my apartment sometimes. Since I live and work in the same building, I haven’t really felt the need to explore the city yet,” you murmured. “Although, I'm being put on delivery more often, so I guess there’s that,” 

You gazed around the room curiously, taking another sip of your tea. 

“I've never been in a workshop this fancy before. What kind of work do you do here?” You asked.

“Well, we do a lot of mechanical repairs and research. Although, my brother might have mentioned that we hold Rock gigs here sometimes,” she responded. 

Said brother was looking at the delivery card with incredible concentration. 

I still don't know what a gig is, you sighed inwardly. 

“That's incredible! What instrument do you play?” You said, voice dripping with enthusiasm to make up for the confusion.

“Electric guitar,” Serval said. “I can go grab it for you if you'd like to see it,”

“Would I EVER???” You practically bounced out of your seat. She got up from the table and opened the door to a side room, snapping her fingers and humming to herself. 

Noticing a pot of purple flowers, your rose from your seat to inspect them. They were healthy and had enough sunlight. You gave a happy bounce of approval, then sauntered over to Gepard, who was still standing stiffly. 

“So that’s the sister you told me about, huh?” You smiled cheerfully. 

“Indeed. That’s her,” Gepard nodded in agreement. 

“I can't believe you have a MUSICIAN for a sister. She's so energetic!”

“I guess the only thing we have in common are our looks,” he mused. His eyes locked onto yours and you giggled.

“Pfft. You got that right,” 

“Miss Serval really is the epitome of exciting!” Molly called from her desk. You pumped a fist in silent agreement. 

“I guess you could say that. Although she can be a little overbearing sometimes.” Gepard sighed and looked off into the distance. “I'm really sorry to be dragging you out here on a work night,” 

“It’s okay, really. I could use a bit more excitement. My life doesn't need to revolve around the flower shop, after all,” you reassured him. 

———

When Serval came out of the side room with her guitar, everything clicked into place. 

No wonder her adorable little brother was being so sheepish! (Albeit, only a little more than usual.)

It’s because he was feeling shy, Serval deduced. Every time you looked him in the eyes, he looked away and his ears turned pink. She almost cooed out loud, giving him a pitying glance. This was TOO CUTE. 

A raucous grin spread across her face, which she quickly squashed before deciding her next move.

You turned to face the sound of heels clicking on the tile floor. 

“And here—,” she announced with a grand gesture—, “Is my magnum opus!” She laid her guitar on the table proudly.

You could not, for the life of you, see how the machine in front of you resembled a guitar in any way. It was large and avant garde, with a long black handle and tubes sticking off the side of the body.

It was still the coolest thing you had ever seen, though. 

“Wow. wow wow wow WOW!!” You gasped in amazement. “Can I-- can I touch it?!”

“Go ahead! Who am I to stop someone from admiring fine craftsmanship?” Serval chuckled lightly. You inspected the guitar with so much excitement, she could have sworn your head was about to explode.

“Anyhow, I need to check something in the back just for a quiiick second,” she said offhandedly, fishing through her pockets and pulling out a key made of brass. “C’mon Molly!”

Serval yanked the startled girl by the hand unceremoniously causing her pen to drop on the floor. She turned backwards for a split second and gave Gepard a wink.

Gepard gulped. He’s seen that look before. 

His rebellious sister was DEFINITELY planning something. 

When she returned, the smile on her face was even brighter. Blinding, even. Molly was nowhere to be seen.

“The mechanics are really well done!” You said excitedly. “I've never seen anything like it. Repairing minecarts and robots wasn’t anywhere near this level of intricacy,”

“Whoa! You really know what you're talking about, new friend! You know, if you're ever interested in working with us, we could always use an extra pair of hands in the workshop,” 

“I would LOVE that,” you replied. “I’ll have to adjust my work schedule first, though. I took on a few too many hours this week and tomorrow is my only free day. I was planning on using it to see the city,”

“It's no sweat! Come in anytime it strikes your fancy. Actually, the workshop happens to be closed that day too, would you be up to touring the city together?” 

You nodded vigorously. 

Serval grinned and clasped your hands with her own. You exchanged contacts, while Gepard pulled her aside to whisper something in her ear. She then promptly elbowed him in the gut, causing him to grunt in pain, Then out of the blue, your phone started dinging incessantly.

“Um, I don't think that's ME doing that—,” Serval said nervously. You furrowed your eyebrows, raising the screen closer to your face to get a better look. 

It was Vaska. They must have wanted you to come back to help close up shop. The sky outside had shifted from an orange to a deep blue, dotted sparsely with stars. You sighed and accepted the fact that you had to return to your ordinary flower-filled life.

Your disappointment was abruptly interrupted by a huge crash coming from the back room. Your phone almost flew into the air as everyone scrambled to check for the source of the noise. 

There Molly stood, covered head to toe in soot, coughing up a storm, with bits of machinery scattered everywhere. A few stray pieces rolled off the table the machine was sitting on. 

You made sure to watch your step as you clung to the walls to keep your balance.

“Oh, by Qlipoth,” Serval covered her face with her hand, closing her eyes. “I forgot we had an experiment running! Molly, are you all right?” She bent down, picking up some stray papers and rushed over to the girl. Serval dusted her assistant off worriedly.

You began to reach for some of the stray parts scattered on the floor, but Gepard held out a hand to stop you. 

“That's not a good idea. It's hard to see sharp edges with everything covered in soot right now. Let me take care of it,”

You blinked at him in surprise. 

“Well then, I guess it's a good thing I carry these around with me then!” You pulled out a pair of thick gloves from your apron triumphantly, and proceeded to carry on picking up the shrapnel. When Molly had been sufficiently cleaned up, Serval groaned. 

“The Department of Education wants these results in three days,” she spoke. “It'll take me all night to get this baby up and running again— I'm sorry, but I can't make it to our little outing tomorrow,”

You shook your head frantically. “I'm so sorry this happened!” You sighed. “If I hadn't distracted you—,”

“That's not it at all!” Serval interjected. “I can be a little scatterbrained sometimes. This kind of stuff happens all the time.” She gave a small laugh. “Geppie can attest to that,” 

He blanched, almost dropping an armful of tubes.

“I'm really, really sorry.” She bowed her head. “Gepard, could you take them instead? Please? I know you have this week off.” She placed her hands together in a praying motion and closed her eyes. He let out a small sound of surprise.

“It’s… not an issue,”

Serval’s eyes flew back open.

“Great! I’ll leave you two to it then!” Her old enthusiasm was back in the blink of an eye and she resumed sweeping up the room. Gepard led you back to the main entrance.

“Okay, I know I said I could use some excitement, but not THAT much excitement,” you said quietly.

“I suppose that makes two of us,” he replied. 

“Do things really blow up around here that often?”

“They sure do. She says it's all part of the process,” he spoke. “I hope that doesn't scare you too much,” 

“Not at all, actually. I've seen my fair share of explosions,” You chuckled. 

“That's a relief,”

Your phone rang again, and this time you answered it. You put it to your ear only to be deafened by Vaska’s screaming.

“The heck is taking you so long???” She barked. You could hear the clamor of your co-workers in the background.

“Gahh! Sorry, sorry! I’ll be right over,” you said hurriedly. 

“You better be,” she huffed impatiently. You hung up with a groan. As much as you hated it, she was right. Your duties for the night were far from over. 

“Oh! That reminds me,” you piped up. “Gepard, did I get your number? Wait… do you have a phone?”

“That would be a no and a yes.” He ran a hand across his hip, only to realize he didn't have it with him.

“That's fine.” You grabbed a marker from your pocket, and scanned the room for anything to write on.

You decided you'd rather not risk a catastrophe by grabbing a random piece of paper. Instead, this would work just as well. 

“Crud. Gepard, could I see your hand for a second?” He held out his right arm, the one with the gauntlet on it.

“The other one, silly!” You giggled. He complied.

The soldier flinched in surprise as you rolled back the sleeve on his left arm, holding his wrist with your other hand so you could press the ink onto his skin.

“You have my number now! Don't worry, it'll wash off pretty easily. Anyways, I'm looking forward to our outing tomorrow. I’ll see you then!” You said cheerfully.

“You as well," he called out to you as you rushed out the door. “Travel safely,” 

But then he froze. 

Wait just a minute. 

Isn’t Serval still banned from the Education Committee?

He pondered this thought for a moment, and then chuckled to himself. Well, now I know what that look was for,

———

The sun was high in the sky the next day when you met Gepard in front of the Everwinter Monument. 

He was hard to miss, really. The light reflected off every possible inch of his uniform. When you turned to face him, you had to shield your eyes with a gasp.

Oh, this man was too brilliant for everyday life. 

“I hope you weren't waiting too long,” he said gently, blonde strands of hair waving in the breeze. 

“Not at all! I was just taking my time admiring the monument.” You gazed back up at the incredible sculpture. “That’s not real ice… is it? I feel stupid for asking,” You murmured. 

“Not exactly. It does look remarkably realistic, though. It was made as a tribute to Plamya, one of the many great architects of this city,”

“What did she do?” You looked at him, feeling intrigued but slightly uneducated.

“She's the one who led the charge in constructing the citadel in order to protect the city from the eternal freeze,” he responded, gazing up at the structure. 

“I can't believe one woman spearheaded that entire operation!” you commented. “You sure know a lot about the history of Belobog, Gepard,”

“You could say that. Now, why don't we get going? There’s a lot to see in Belobog’s administrative district,” 

———

To say there was “a lot to see” in the Administrative District was the understatement of the century. 

It was everything you had imagined it to be, pieced together from stories told by your upperclassmen, and more. Your first decision was to stop at various newspaper stands, ecstatically flipping through half of the available merchandise. 

There was so much to read up here! In the Underworld, the same 30 books were cycled between people over and over again. Most of them were medical records kept by Natasha, too. 

Gepard made sure to point out important buildings and historic facts to you as you walked. You had no idea there was so much history to the place! You started bouncing down the street so excitedly, he had to pull you out of the way of an oncoming street car. 

Next, you made sure to peer through the windows of all of the shops. At one particular clothing store, you bent down to get a closer look at the stitchwork on the pieces. There was not a seam to be found. Your guide noticed you staring particularly hard at a certain item of clothing.

“Is there anything that piqued your interest?” Gepard inquired. You sighed, scrunching your face up.

“Well, yes, but I'd rather not spend recklessly right now. I don't want to look like an upstart,” you scoffed. You stared at the article a little longer before turning away and standing up.

“That’s understandable.” He folded his arms and nodded. He took a step back to get a better look at the display window that belonged to the boutique you were so curious about. 

After successfully making every shop owner in a 3-block radius uncomfortable, you decided to check out the famous theater in the area. The building was more elegant than anything you had ever seen in your life, with square columns were detailed down to the centimeter. You figured a single chunk would fetch a pretty decent price. You did still have your old mining pickaxe—,

You squished your face with your hands suddenly to dispel your unholy thoughts. A confused expression flickered across Gepard’s face, but he thought nothing of it. He merely wasn’t accustomed to seeing people this excited, especially when he was present.

You decided to write down a reminder to buy tickets for your next day off.

By noon, you were ridiculously parched from scurrying around the city. You spotted your savior, a friendly vending machine, resting by the stone wall of the lower level of the city. You enthusiastically punched in the numbers for a Jim Roger Bread Soda, asking Gepard if he would like one too.

“Soda? I’ve only had the pleasure of trying it once,” he responded, 

“Ah, I see. We used to drink it a lot when the water wasn't safe,” you reminisced, meeting his gaze. “I wasn't sure if you guys indulged in that type of thing up here,”

“It wouldn't hurt to expand my view on beverages, I suppose.” He rested a hand on his chin thoughtfully.

You fed some more coins into the machine, and out popped a differently shaped bottle. It was rather small, especially for someone with hands like Gepard’s. 

“The carbonation in this one is a little weaker, so maybe you'll like it better. Who knows?” You said with a grin, handing it to him.

When he inspected the label, it read, “Strawberry Svarog”, complete with a curly straw and a cartoon of a laughing child. He deduced it must have been a children’s soda, popping the cap off and tilting his head back, but you stopped him before the bottle reached his lips.

“Nuh uh,” you shook your head disapprovingly. “You’ve gotta use the straw, or else you won't get the full experience!” 

He looked at you quizzically. “Do I really have to?”

You pursed your lips at him. He sighed, tearing open the straw and taking a sip. You had to admit, he did look a little silly, with a serious look on his face and his nose all scrunched up. Stifling a giggle, you screwed the cap off your own soda.

“How is it?” You asked. “I don't think I've ever had that flavor before— Strawberry Svarog? I wonder what he would think if he found out he was being used as a marketing gimmick,” you snickered. 

What on Jarilo-VI is a strawberry? Gepard wondered.

“Not too shabby. Here, try some.” He held it out to you, but instead of taking it in your hands to drink, you leaned forward and took a sip while he was still holding it.

The background chatter around you seemed to cease slightly. 

“I agree! A little on the lukewarm side, but—,”

Mortified, you realized what you had done. 

“Shoot—! I'm s-sorry. Must be gardener’s reflexes or something! I guess I thought I still had dirt on my hands or something… hahaha,” you trailed off.

Your face felt like it was burning as you flailed your arms about, so you spun around quickly to prevent him from seeing your frazzled expression. 

And it was a good thing you did, too, or else you would have seen his.

The soldier next to you resembled more so a “strawberry” than a man. His eyes darted around wildly as he turned the other way to give you some privacy, his hands falling to his side. 

“W-well, no matter.” He coughed. “Why don't we stop and get something to eat as well? You must be famished,”

“Yeah… definitely,”

———

Gepard took you to the cafe by Serval’s workshop, where she and Molly would often stop by on their lunch breaks. You grabbed a croquette sandwich, and him, a muffin. You sat down at the metal tables outside and began to enjoy your food. 

The guard made a noticeable clanking noise as he sat down. He was almost a head taller than you. It was a little embarrassing, frankly. 

“So, Gepard, do you always wear your uniform when you're out and about?” You questioned. 

“I do, yes.” He nodded.

“It has to be comfortable if you wear it all the time, then,” 

Gepard hummed thoughtfully. “Not exactly. But it is required of me, after all.” He took a bite of his muffin. 

You reached across the table and grasped the arm with the gauntlet, examining it closely.

“Whoa! It’s really warm!” You exclaimed, turning his hand over so his palm faced upwards. You curled each of his fingers almost instinctively. “This thing makes you look really tough, you know?” You added. 

Gepard could have died right then and there, and he would have been happy.

“R-really? You think so?” He closed his eyes bashfully. 

You hummed in response, still focused on his handguard.

Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen anyone around here that looks remotely close to him, you wondered. I figured there would be more, since he's a soldier and all, 

You took a bite of your food, determined to remain unbothered. Gepard finished his muffin quickly, so you offered him half your sandwich in your usual generous fashion. 

As you finished up, a commotion coming from the center of the plaza drew your attention. A crowd of around forty people had gathered by the monument, clapping their hands to a steady beat. They seemed to be arranged in a circle surrounding someone.

Your face lit up as you heard the tones of an instrument beneath the chatter of people. The metal chair, which you had been sitting in previously, was pushed away with a screech as you got up. 

Gepard reached out a hand to you as you sprinted towards the throes of people, but faltered and let out a defeated sigh. He gave in and rose to join you instead.

When you reached the center of the square, you spotted the musician you often saw practicing outside the shop, strumming her guitar as people smiled around her. (Although the only reason you knew of her was because Vaska had a huge crush on her and would NOT STOP TALKING ABOUT IT. “Ooh, (Y/N), do you think she likes reading? Do you think she likes Tale of the Winterlands???” It was actually kind of sweet, though.)

According to your sheepish co-worker, it was “just a passing fancy”. This “passing fancy” had been going on for about two months. 

I wonder if I should take a video to send to her, you wondered with an amused smile.

You began to tap your foot in sync with the downbeats of the song. You were taken aback by just how quickly the music ensnared you in its hold. It filled you with energy that coursed through your veins.

And it seemed like you weren't the only one, either. Several people in the crowd began to dance, children and couples alike twirling hand-in-hand. You feel a grin start to form on your face, and decided that now would be a great time to join the fray. 

You leapt into the center, right next to the musician, who gave you a wink. You swayed on your feet with the strums of the guitar, your dress whirling. You kicked your legs into the air, mirroring the person across from you with a giggle. 

Meanwhile, Gepard was politely making his way towards the front of the crowd. 

“Excuse me, apologies, coming through,” he muttered while tapping on people’s shoulders. The crowd parted when they spotted him coming. 

He strained his neck to look into the mass of dancers, spotting you at the center, dipping your arms and spinning on your feet with another girl your age. 

You caught a glimpse of Gepard’s iconic uniform in your line of sight, and immediately waltzed over to him in a rather dramatic fashion. 

You ran your fingers down his forearms lightly, and then interlaced your hands with his, yanking him backwards with all your might into the dancers. He yelped as he stumbled into your arms. For someone built like a tank, he sure came unbalanced easily. 

“Wait— ah, h-hold on, I don't know how to dance—,” Gepard stammered, glancing down at you. 

“That's fine, just hold on to me!” You winked at him, pulling him closer so he couldn't back out. You rested a hand on his shoulder, and wrapped the other around his gauntlet. You shuffled him into a silly looking box step, something that would resemble a dance a family might have in the kitchen.

Gepard’s breath was much heavier than usual, especially because he was in such close proximity to you. Your chests were pressed together, in order to take up the least amount of space as other people spun past you. 

His eyes were wide with surprise as you raised his arm and twirled under it. It took all of his concentration to keep his hands from shaking. He was worried about gripping you too tightly or too loosely, as one wrong move from a guard like him could squish you. 

He tried to dispel his worries, and instead focused on you. You were as radiant as the sun, with a smile brighter than the Belobog snow. 

You two wove through the crowd, stepping rowdily with the upbeat music, and he tried his best to keep up. Gepard felt his cheeks warming while you stared into his eyes, an elated expression paining your features. Unfortunately, it was cut short though. You stepped on your own foot and sent you both tumbling onto the pavement, the clatter of his armor dimming the laughter of children for a split second. 

The crowd stepped out of the way as you rolled on the stone ground, limbs tangling together. 

You burst into raucous laughter as you sat up, holding your stomach because it hurt so much and wiping tears from your eyes. Gepard was engaged in breathy laughter of his own. He looked just like a prince when he was happy, you realized.

“Wow, that was… incredible,” He coughed.

“I know right? I have the grace and beauty of a warp trotter.” You got up and curtseyed, flaring your jacket for extra impact and offering a hand to him.

“I don't see why that matters as long as you're having fun,” He took your hand and you pulled him up with a grunt.

You noticed the crowd was giving you some strange glances, some of them looking directly at you as they whispered under their breath. You clenched your jaw slightly. 

“I guess you're right. On the other hand, you got pretty into it too!” You turned your attention back to him, teasing him with a grin. He wiped his cheek with a distracted look.

Heading out of the crowd, you leaned on his shoulder like a wounded soldier. When you finally escaped, you realized the sun was setting with a start.

“My gosh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean for it to take this long,” you spoke, embarrassed. “I just got super caught up in the moment, s’all,” 

“No worries,” He said as he gestured reassuringly. “I enjoyed it. I can't remember the last time I spent some quality time in the city,”

“I guess there's always some fun to be had, even if you've lived here your whole life,” you commented. “Wait! I almost forgot— I wanted to get a picture in front of the monument,” you fished your phone out from your bag.

“Of course,” he said courteously, holding his hand out towards you. You looked at him, puzzled.

“Of us, I mean,”

“Oh, um… sure,” He swallowed a lump in his throat.

“It’s all right if you'd rather not,” you yammered, your face beginning to heat up. “It’s just that it's my first time on an outing with a friend! I wanted something to remember it by,” 

“It's fine, it’s not an inconvenience or anything,” he blurted out. 

You motioned for him to stand in front of the monument next to you and raised your phone up. No matter how hard you tried though, you could never catch more than half of his face in the frame, even on your tippy toes. You grumbled as you kept trying to adjust your position.

He took the phone from you gently, holding it up so it caught you both from above. The shutter clicked and he handed it back to you, and you raised your arms above your head with a cheer.

“It looks great! Thank you so, so much. I’ll send it to you once I get the chance,” you beamed. 

“I would enjoy that,” he responded with a soft smile. Fortunately for him, the sunset hid the blush on his face that stubbornly refused to go away. 

He walked you back to the florists, shoulder to shoulder. The streets were now quieter, with the trams having stopped for the day, and all that remained outside the shop was a group of kids and their caretakers. 

You stopped at the stairs, bowing your head when you turned around. 

“Thank you for accompanying me today,” you said gently, rocking from the balls of your feet to your heels. 

“My pleasure,” Gepard replied. He placed a hand on his chest and nodded back, just like a gentleman would. 

As corny as it seemed, your heart fluttered in your ribcage. Resting a hand on your hip, you used the other one to flick him in the forehead, sending a few strands of golden hair flying. You bit your lip to keep from laughing. 

His eyes sprung open, his hand going to his forehead in surprise. 

“It’s best you get going,” you said. “Soldiers need their beauty rest, after all. Get home safely!” 

He nodded with a silent smile before turning away and starting off towards the direction of Qlipoth Fort. While he was walking, he felt a vibration in his pocket. 

His phone had one new notification, which was from you. Gepard opened up the messaging app to see the photo you had taken. You were wearing a goofy grin, and he was bent down with his lips pressed together sheepishly.

Gepard felt something akin to happiness bubbling up from his chest. He looked up into the sky, allowing himself a single second to loosen up, and pumped his fists into his chest. He sauntered towards the estate, humming one of his sister’s songs as he went. 

Meanwhile, the kids playing nearby were dumbfounded. A little red-haired girl stopped and pointed at him.

“Mommy, what's that man doing?”

—

A few days later, you were sitting on the edge of your mattress, waiting for Vaska to reply to a text you sent earlier that morning. Two tickets to the Golden Theater laid on your bedside table. Your phone buzzed and your hand darted to pick it up nervously. 

From: Vaska

Vaska: Sorry, I can't come to the theater today! 

Vaska: I haven’t had time to reread Tale of the Winterlands lately. I wanted to get to that today.

You: That’s all right! The tickets were discounted, so I just figured I would get them! Enjoy your reading!

Vaska: Wait, I am available for lunch though. 

Vaska: It feels like forever since I’ve seen you! 

You: Vaska, we work together.

Vaska: Yes. And?

You: …

You: Ok, I’ll be there.

You sighed, shaking your head. It had been a bad idea to buy an extra ticket, even if they WERE discounted for the final day of thIs play they were showing. 

Well, worst case scenario, I have a fancy piece of paper I can hang up, but it’ll be a shame if this ticket gets wasted, you thought to yourself.

You chewed on your nails. Should I ask Serval? She might still be busy fixing her device. I’d better not… 

What about Gepard? Maybe I could pay him back for giving me that tour, You flicked the screen to Gepard’s contact info, but you noticed the name in the slot read “Gerard” instead. 

Oh shoot, better fix that,

You tapped the screen to edit his name, but hit the “call” button by mistake. 

“Nono wait no—,” you gasped. Your thumb darted to the red icon in the corner, but you heard someone on the other line pick up ridiculously quickly. 

“Hello? Gepard Landau speaking,” His voice was clear on the other end. Your nervous system threatened to wrangle its way out of your body that very second. 

“Hi! Hello! Um—, I’m really sorry,” you stuttered. “I clicked the call button by mistake,”

“Oh..? That’s all right,” There was no marked change in tone when he spoke again. He was standing in the office of the new Supreme Guardian, right next to some stacks of papers. Pela peeked her head out from behind one of them.

“I was meaning to ask you about something though,” you blurted out, grabbing your beret from the side table. “I happen to have an extra ticket to the Golden Theater. There’s a showing today at two o’clock. I'm sorry it’s on short notice, but would you like to come with me?” 

Gepard clasped his phone in a death grip.

“Ahem—, yes. That works for me. I don't have any urgent meetings today. Can I meet you on the steps outside the building?” He asked. 

“Yep! Sounds good! I’ll see you— YEOW!!!” Your foot smacked your dresser as you spun towards the door. You yelped as your phone flew out of your hands and landed on the ground a solid meter away. 

You groaned, rolling onto your back and sitting up, tears springing to your eyes. 

“Shit—! Aeons, that hurt,” you winced.

“(Y/N)? (Y/N)?? Is everything all right?” You heard Gepard say loudly. 

“Y-yeah. I tripped, s’all,” you grunted, placing a hand on the wall to keep yourself steady as you rose to your feet. “That definitely woke me up,”

“Take care of yourself,” he sighed, relieved.

“Yep, yep! I’ll see you— soon!” You choked out and hung up frantically. You placed both hands against the wall and hit your head against it repeatedly, groaning in shame. 

———

You were in the middle of fixing the broken cash register when a familiar blonde-haired woman walked through the door.

“Serval!” Your head shot up as you gave her an excited wave. “Good to see you! What brings you to our shop today?” 

She strolled over to the counter, where various pieces of equipment were sprawled out on the surface. 

“Mornin’ (Y/N)! Molly and I were just RAVING about how the flowers Gepard got us have livened up the place!” Serval tossed her silky hair over her shoulder. “We were thinking of buying some more, since we could really use some more color in our lives,”

“I'm sure flowers are better than soot,” you giggled. “What did the Ministry of Education say about the experiment you were running?”

“Huh?” Serval looked bewildered. 

“The research project? Y’know, the one that exploded??” A shadow of confusion flickered across your face.

“Oh! Yes, that one! They were gracious enough to give me an extension.” She shook her head up and down aggressively, her eyes rattling in her skull.

“I'm glad to hear it!” You wiped your forehead in relief, turning to some pots resting on a cabinet. “So… as for the flowers… I know you have the purple ones, so why not go with yellow? Purple can represent maturity and elegance, and yellow might round it out a bit.” You ran your fingers across the wood.

“Although, if you'd like to keep the place feeling more formal, you could go with these blue ones here,” you quipped. “They match Molly’s hair,” 

You lifted up the planter that held said flowers, which were white on the inside, but faded into a dark teal on the edges.

Serval reached out to touch them tentatively, her eyes flicking towards something behind you.

“Hmm… what’s that one over there?” She said inquisitively.

“Oh--!” You spun around to see what she was pointing at. It was a wooden window box, filled to the brim with flowers of every hue.

“That’s one of our clearance boxes! We had a mix up with the seed packets during planting time, so they’re 30% off. Pretty interesting looking, right?” You lifted up the box, your chest heaving with effort. 

“Definitely.” She peered over the walls of the box with an approving smile. “I'll take this one,”

“Really? Are you sure?” 

“One hundo percent. This one speaks to me,” she mused.

“Fair enough. Whatever pleases the Rock Star of Belobog.” You shook your head and shrugged.

“Oh please, you flatter me,” she chuckled. You pushed the components of the cash register into a neat pile to make way for the flowers. 

A ghost of a smile crossed your lips as you recalled how painstakingly long Gepard had spent picking up the flowers for his sister, and just how spontaneously she had chosen hers. 

I can’t believe I know people equally as incredible, but as different as night and day, you contemplated.

“So, (Y/N),” Serval piped up, snapping you out of your thoughts. “You seem awfully chipper today. Did something good happen?”

Maybe something involving a certain bashful captain? She thought with a sly smile. 

The air in the room seemed to turn pink as you swayed happily. 

“Well, business has been skyrocketing lately with the weather getting warmer.” You rested your head in the palm of your hand thoughtfully. “More people feel like they have the means to take care of flowers! In fact, there’s been a ton of people coming in today,”

“Awwh, that's wonderful!” She said joyfully. “...anything else?”

Her smile grew wider. Serval could almost sense there was something you weren’t telling her. You gulped. 

“Um— well, Gepard and I are heading to the theater today,” you said, a little quieter than the way you had talked previously. “I wanted to thank him for guiding me around the plaza a few days back,”

“What??? Why didn't you lead with that??” She slammed her hands on the desk, flabbergasted. You flinched and shook your head. 

“It’s not THAT big of a deal,” you brushed it off sheepishly. “Just a little outing, nothing more to it,”

Serval’s bottom lip quivered with something between joy and rage.

“It is too!” she argued. “My brother lives and breathes his work. I can't believe someone is finally helping him loosen up a bit,” She sniffled dramatically. “I think I'm getting teary-eyed!” 

You handed her the hefty window box with a smirk. “If you say so. Well then, it was great seeing you! Take good care of them,” 

“Of course! Have fun on your date!!!” Serval sang, pushing the door open.

“Wait—,”

She gave you a salute with her free hand and slipped through the crack in the door before it shut. 

Well, that was weird, to say the least,

———

“... and seventy-five grams high nutrient fertilizer,” Gepard murmured, reading off the slip of paper you had given him. He scooped some fine powder from the burlap sack, lowering himself to eye-level with the plant with the meticulousness of a scientist. 

His blue eyes were fixed on the measuring spoon, tilting it onto the plant when his sister barged in. She was carrying a box of flowers, almost slamming the door into the wall with how much foece she put in. Gepard flinched so hard he flung the spoon into the air and it hit the ceiling with a “thud”.

“Geppie!!!” Serval shouted affectionately as the spoon landed on the hardwood. “A little birdie told me that you have a date at the theater today!!” 

She sauntered in and set down the flower box on his desk. He looked on sadly as bits of soil fell onto his paperwork.

“A d-date? Where’d you get that from? And how did you even get in here!? I thought the Landau—,” he stumbled over his own words and she cut him off, too elated to notice how she was trampling his attempts to speak.

“I stopped by the flower shop this morning. You never mentioned anything of the sort!” She swayed excitedly.

“That’s because I found out today,” Gepard grumbled. “They merely had an extra ticket.” He bent down to gather some of the fertilizer into a pile on the floor.

Unless… they said it was a date..? He felt hope rising in his chest but he quickly squashed it. Hope? No, he wasn’t hoping. Of course not. 

Serval smirked, stepping closer to him. 

“Don't think I don't notice how utterly smitten you are.” She looked at her nails with a frivolous expression. “You know, how your face gets all rosy, your voice gets higher, and you listen extra hard when they speak?” 

Gepard’s lips pulled back into a thin line. He glanced at the bamboo plant one last time before spinning around and dropping onto the bed, the mattress straining with the sudden weight.

The Captain rested his head in his hands, heaving a sigh as his blue eyes stared onto the floor. 

“Is it… that obvious?” He said quietly.

Serval widened her eyes in surprise. Usually her brother stood his ground and brushed her off. She took a break from her teasing to plop down on the feather bed next to him. 

“Maybe just to me,” she answered. She leaned back and stared at the ceiling. 

“After all, I've known you long enough that I've never seen you care about anything this much. Your sister gets a little worried sometimes! You practically live and breathe your work.” Serval leaned slightly off the bed to get a closer look at his face, analyzing his features.

“And, as much as I love to tease you about it, I’m really happy my cute little brother has found someone he wants to offer his heart to,”

She rifled a hand through his hair teasingly, sending golden strands everywhere. Gepard’s hands shot up defensively with a grunt. They sat in silence for a bit, until she spoke up again.

“Also, I’ve noticed you've gotten pretty good at taking care of plants now too! Look at you, my little gardener!” Said Serval. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair now. I doubt the Landau Residence really wants me around anyways.” She shrugged, picking up her box. She kicked the door open unceremoniously and skipped out into the hallway, leaving a plethora of confused faces in her wake. 

Gepard sighed. She hadn’t let him get a single word in edgewise. It was the trademark Landau stubbornness, after all.

———

Vaska’s stream of praises for the cafe you had chosen today were endless. She had the expression of someone who had just won the lottery as she bit into a cinnamon strudel. 

“Mmm, thish ish sooo delicious...” She licked the sugary dust off her fingers in satisfaction, wiping her lips and picking up another one. “How’d you find this place?”

“A friend introduced me,” you replied as you sipped your raspberry mint tea. “I'm surprised you didn't know about it, actually,”

“Well, I'm trying to avoid spending money because I’m saving for the upcoming sequel of my favorite book!” She giggled. The air seemed to be filled with sparkles all of a sudden. 

“Is it to Tale of the Winterlands?” You asked, raising your eyebrows. 

“Bingo!”

“Aren't you afraid of it being confiscated?” 

“Not anymore,” Vaska crossed her arms with a smile. “It’s pending approval. Anyways, I didn't know you had friends outside of the flower shop. I'm glad you're finally branching out!” 

She rested her index finger on her cheek before continuing. “Although… Meg is gonna have your head if you keep coming back late after deliveries,”

“Gah, I know, I know. I just get so caught up talking to one of the clients. The friend I was just talking about,”

“Hmph. I'm just trying to keep you out of the fire, you know. On the other hand, she sounds delightful! What’s she like?”

“Um,” you paused. “He’s a guard,”

“A guard?” Her eyes glittered as she leaned across the table. “No way. An Underworlder and a guard, huh? What an interesting pair!” 

You chuckled. “I guess you're right. He can be a little awkward sometimes, but he's very genuine and diligent!” 

“As all good guards are, of course,” she nodded. A surprised expression flickered across your face.

“Vaska… Is there something you want to tell me?” You jested. “I didn't know you had a type. Besides the musician, of course,”

You've never seen someone’s expression go deadpan so quickly. 

“No. Nope. You've got it all wrong!!” She crossed her forearms in an “X”. 

“The idea of romance isn't half bad, but being in it sounds way too hard. If anything, my type would be more like Anna, from—,”

“Tale of the Winterlands,” you interjected again. She hummed in approval.

“That’s understandable,” you said. “You’re both very independent,”

“Aww, you think so?” A rosy blush spread across your co-worker’s face. “It's so nice to have a friend like you,”

She fiddled with the straw in her drink. “Anyways… what's the name of your guard friend?” You took a sip of your own before replying.

“Gepard,” 

Vaska’s jaw dropped through the floor.

“WHAT?!?” She stood up and slammed her hands onto the table. You recoiled in shock, her exclamation almost blowing your beret off. Heads turned towards your table as you panicked.

“Shh! Vaska, keep it down!” You hissed, placing your hands on her forearms in an attempt to soothe her. She sat back down and began to chew on her fingernails.

“Gepard… Gepard Landau??”

“Uh-huh,”

“Blonde hair, blue eyes, built like a tank?”

“Yeah, what about him? He’s not like a serial killer or something, right??”

Your mind flashed back to the times he directed you to the inside of the sidewalk or smiled tenderly at the flowers in the shop when he thought no one was looking.

No way—,

“No, goodness gracious no. Of course not! Gepard is the furthest thing from a serial killer you could get.” She shook her head vigorously, her beret flying off and drifting to the floor. She leaned down from her chair to grab it, her face still red from shouting.

“Then WHY is this such a big deal??” You inquired with an exasperated look on your face. 

“It’s because HE'S THE CAPTAIN OF THE SILVERMANE GUARDS,” she spat out in a single breath. She let out a wheeze as she dropped her head onto the table.

It was your turn for your jaw to drop. 

“Th--, Th-the Captain?!? Oh Aeons…” you stammered, biting on a mint leaf. You winced as the icy juices spread across your tongue. 

“Didn't you notice no other ‘guard’ in the area looked like him?”

“I mean, yes. But I thought the guards OUTSIDE the city wore stuff like that too,” you said, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear nervously.

“Oh by the PRESERVATION.” She ran a palm across her face. 

“And— and I did notice people gave us some weird looks when we danced in the square—,”

“You DANCED WITH HIM???”

Vaska was about to rip her hair out. You buried your face in your arms and nodded. 

“...Vaska, does this mean I have to stop hanging out with him?” You said quietly.

She grabbed you by the cheeks and pulled you close.

“NO. Of course not. It’s just that.. I’d hate for you to be involved in some high class squabble or something,” she snorted. “You know how easily agitated the nobles are,”

“Er—, Not really?”

“Well, they are! Who knows, you probably already have a bunch of jealous suitors!” 

You held your palms out to placate her. “I mean, Gepard is great and all, but it’s really not like that. He values his work more than anything,” 

“You can't ever be too safe.” She gave you a warning glance. “If rumors get spread, and you lose your job, who would I look forward to talking to every day??” 

“I’d still come and visit!” You protested. “And I hardly believe Meg would kick me out because of a bunch of silly rumors,” you said flatly.

“That is NOT the issue,” she groaned. You reached out and clasped her hands.

“Don't worry, Vaska. I'm gonna be careful, okay?” 

“I trust you, but just know I will be terrified. Forever. ‘Til the end of days,” she bemoaned. 

“I get where you’re coming from,” you reassured her. “Just remember, this is my decision. I’d never take on anything I couldn’t handle!”

She pouted, stretching her arm across the cafe table and snagging your tea. She took a sip and handed it back to you.

“Ugh. Too much milk,” she scowled before quickly returning to her normal self. “Now, Tell me what being friends with the Captain of the Silvermane Guards is like…” 

You laughed gently. 

“Of course. I'd be happy to,”

———

Later, after you had left the cafe, you opened up your phone and sent a text to Serval. 

To: Serval

You: Serval, why did no one bother telling me that your brother is the captain of the Silvermane Guards???

Serval: …belobog’s last bastion of hope?

You: Do NOT avoid the question

Serval: ahahaha

Serval: sorry, sorry

Serval: I thought you knew

You: I did not.

Serval: oops

Serval: don’t worry, it’s not like he's any less dorky when he's commanding platoons or anything

You: SERVAL

Read at 13:22 pm ✅

Seriously???

You just about threw your phone across the street. 

———

The wind was a little stronger than usual the day you met Gepard for your theater “date”. You had to bring along a pack of tissues to keep from sniffling the entire walk there. It almost felt like little ice crystals were lodging in your throat as you breathed.

The Captain was leaning up against a wall outside of the building. He was wearing less armor than usual, this time only dressed in a white military tunic with a black jacket underneath. His usual gauntlet was missing and had been replaced with black leather gloves, and a few blue and gold metals dotted his chest. 

Wow. That is a LOT of medals, you whispered internally. You felt a little weird in your traditional Belobogian attire. You suspected people would just assume he was escorting some poor pedestrian. 

Even without the uniform you were so used to seeing, he was no less noticeable.

Or dashing, you thought, glancing off to the side. Then you remembered the conversation you had with Serval earlier. You felt something tug at your heart.

I’m sure he has his reasons, you shook your head to clear the doubt. 

“There’s quite a sizable crowd today. Is it always like this?” You spoke up, trotting beside him towards the entrance stairs. 

The building was grand, it stood out like a gem amidst gravel alongside the other buildings. It had columns made of intricately carved stone, and brilliantly dyed banners hung from every surface possible. 

“Ah, yes. The Golden Theater is a magnet for people seeking a way to spend their leisure.” Gepard adjusted the collar of his jacket. “Take care not to get trampled,”

“I’ll try,” you said haphazardly. You pulled out the delicate silver tickets from your pocket and held them up into the sunlight, examining them energetically. 

His eyes rolled down to where your small form stood shivering in the cold, but still trying your best to keep the tremor out of your voice. A part of him wanted to reach down and pull you closer. He looked forward again to prevent himself from thinking too hard about it.

Gepard noticed that your eyes lingered on him a little longer than usual, especially on the medals. He felt a twinge of nervousness somewhere deep in his chest. 

I'm sure it's nothing, he sighed inwardly. 

You arrived at the mahogany doors to the theater, held open by rather formal-looking workers, and went in. You squinted in surprise at just how bright it was due to gaudy crystal chandeliers reflecting light across the walls. It smelled like velvet and old books, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just unfamiliar.

“You seem very excited,” he said, gazing down at you. You nodded. 

“Excited?? I’m thrilled! Yet another thing I can cross off the bucket list!” You said confidently, pressing your fist to your chest. “I'm sure you've seen these events a thousand times, right? It must be pretty weird seeing me get excited about these types of things.” You pulled at the fabric of your clothing to distract yourself. 

“This is the first time you’ve been able to take advantage of the activities offered on the Surface. It would be unreasonable of me to expect you not to be thrilled,” Gepard said, surprised. “And I haven’t, for the record. Serval was never one to enjoy formal events.” He shrugged. 

He gazed back at you as you stared at the paintings decorating the hallway. A lot of them were snowy and unforgiving landscapes, illustrating the devastation the Eternal Freeze had caused. 

“I guess you wouldnt’ve had too much time for it, either. Captain’s duties, right?” You chirped. 

Gepard froze. 

It was something about the way you said it, tinged with just a little too much enthusiasm. 

You continued to walk, seemingly unbothered while he frantically searched for something to bring up. You stopped at a display of a metal sculpture and “oohed” at it, then dodged a random passerby as more people began to stream in. It didn’t look like you were mad, at least. 

That feeling of nervousness from earlier resurfaced, making him feel like his insides were churning. Gepard was at a loss for words. He had assumed you knew at first, but it became clearer as time went on that you didn’t.

It was unusual for him NOT to mention it, but after your first meeting, he felt like he shouldn’t. He didn’t want to lose that strange feeling of being on equal footing with someone. 

You were so genuine and inquisitive, unlike the numerous businessmen and aristocrats of the city. The burden on his shoulders lessened the slightest bit when he talked to you. 

It’s not like he minded dedicating his life to his duties, but he didn’t want to let go of the warmth you offered him. 

Was he selfish for wanting that?

His eyebrows scrunched up as he mulled over what the right thing to say would be, but he couldn't drum up a solution before an usher gave you both a slip of paper and showed you to your seats. They were more towards the back of the chamber, next to a door covered in black fabric to minimize the amount of light getting in. You two sat down on the velvet cushions in silence, while the auditorium around you was bustling with chatter. 

You clenched your fists in your lap, beginning to get a little nervous at the silence as well. Gepard was a man of few words, but it was far too quiet for your liking. 

Was that the wrong thing to say? Your thoughts fired at a mile a minute. Maybe he thinks I’m snooping around… Does he think I only want to get closer to him because of his position??

I guess people of our standing wouldn’t normally hang out anyways. Vaska had a point. I do feel kind of weird now that I know,

I’m not afraid of the nobles, you realized. I’m afraid I’m going to bring him down, 

Scenarios started flashing into your head, making you squeeze your eyes shut as you tried to expel them from your brain. As the curtains rose and the lights dimmed, you tried to focus your mind on the story instead.

A show this grand had never graced the likes of the Underworld, you realized as it started. The play you had bought tickets to on a whim was called a “musical”, you believed they called it. 

I don't see why they need to sing to tell a story, you thought skeptically. The lead singer was gorgeous, though. Her name was Tamila, if you remembered correctly. You took a look at the pamphlet that the usher gave you, when blinding light filled your vision. 

Blinking like a warp trotter in the headlights of a streetcar, you realized one of the spotlights had turned your way, onto the door, to be exact. 

You saw the fabric swish open as a woman in a gilded mask whisked out, belting out a new musical number and leaping down the aisle. Several more dancers followed behind her, swooping their arms in synchrony. 

You had to admit, it was a cool idea, although you could use a little less light in your face. You figured it had to do with the fact you had only experienced the serene light of the geomarrow column most of your life, not whatever the heck this was. 

Even with the ridiculous amount of light in your eyes, you came to realize with a start that most of it wasn’t even hitting you. Gepard had it way worse, he was actually catching the majority of the spotlight. You could see how his blue eyes were squinting as he tried his best to focus on the scene. It was kind of cute, actually. 

Huh, so it’s just like in real life too, you thought, amused. You made up your mind at that very moment. 

If Gepard was the sun, it was only natural others would live in his shadow. It didn’t matter if he was the captain or not, as long as you still wanted to spend time together, everything was fine as it was.

Besides, if anyone ever gave you flack, you could just get out your old mining pickaxe. 

You turned your eyes back to the play, the troupe of people that had entered from the door had finally joined the main group onstage. The dance grew into a passionate frenzy, and then finished with the masked woman sweeping Tamila into the air, then catching her as the cast cheered. 

Clapping joyfully, you watched the actors bow while the audience showered them in bouquets. 

Wow. No wonder there were so many people coming in today, you realized. You wilted a bit as one of the actors stepped on a Rainbow and turned it to mush. 

Gepard couldn’t help but smile at your appreciation for the show as you left the theater, stopping outside the building to avoid the worst of the crowd.

The wind was even stronger than before. You tucked your face into the collar of your shirt miserably while shuffling behind Gepard in hopes he could block the wind for you. 

“Th-thank you for coming with me G-Gepard,” you shivered. “I know h-how you must have a limited amount of free time,”

“Of course,” he replied. “With the Fragmentum letting up, I’ve been able to be out and about more often,” 

The Captain noticed you shying behind him, so he stepped a little closer. You probably weren’t quite used to the cold yet. You thanked him silently.

“In fact,” he continued. “I’ve taken it upon myself to be a volunteer tour guide at the museum as of late,”

“The History and uh… whatever one?” You sniffled.

“History and Culture, yes.” He nodded wisely. He brushed a couple stray hairs out of his face but the wind immediately blew them back.

“Gepard, that’s incredible. You work as hard as ten men!” You giggled. He snorted gently.

“I should stop by sometime. Do you know when the hours are?”

“I’m afraid I don't,” Gepard said, placing a hand on his chin deliberately. “But there should be a sign outside the entrance,”

“If you want, we can stop by before we part ways,” he offered. The Captain pointed over to a faraway building as you walked down the stairs, the crowd having finally eased up.

“Only if you want to. I don't want to drag you by the ear or anything,” you grinned but immediately regretted it as your teeth chattered.

He shook his head. “I'd never offer to do anything I didn’t want to do,”

You gave him a skeptical look. 

“You offered to clean Serval’s workshop…”

———

You could hardly stop yourself from breaking into a run as you neared the museum entrance. A fountain with a large Geomarrow heater sat outside the building and you almost forgot what you were there for as you watched it, mesmerized. A museum employee was standing in front of a corkboard, which you took a quick picture of. Then you turned back to the fountain. 

“Whoa, running water,” you murmured, awestruck. You turned to Gepard, who was standing a few meters away, and called,

“Hey! Gepard! How much trouble would I be in if I drank some??”

“The plumbing system in this city goes back 700 years. I wouldn’t recommend it,” he responded flatly, folding his arms. 

You turned back to the fountain, humbled. You didn’t need any more iron in your system than you already had. 

Resting your arms on the rim of the base, a glint of bronze flickered in the corner of your vision. A small coin landed in the water with a plop. 

You turned to see where it came from, promptly spotting Gepard walking up to you. He tapped you on the shoulder and placed a coin in the palm of your hand. He made a flicking motion with his thumb, which you mimicked, closing your eyes. The coin flipped into the air and landed in the top level of the fountain.

“Nice job,” Gepard commented. You pumped a fist into the air. 

“So… what did you wish for?” You inquired. He sighed.

“I don’t think I’m liable to tell you that,” said the Captain with a serious glance at you. Too serious. You prodded him with your index finger.

Giving up, you looked back at the water but suddenly something large and made of metal crashed into you from behind. 

You toppled in headfirst, inadvertently inhaling a huge gulp of water. You sputtered as you panicked and tried to figure out which way was up, when you felt arms wrap around your legs and back, lifting you out of the basin. 

Clinging to the chest of your rescuer, you coughed harshly, the cold air scraping your lungs while water dripped out your mouth. You were lowered gently onto the ground, recognizing the medals on Gepard’s coat as he stood up and leaned over you. 

“(Y/N), are you alright?” 

Is this the face of God? You wondered, dazed as you stared into his blue eyes. He shouted something you were definitely not paying attention to.

“(Y/N)—,” 

You sat up, almost knocking him in the head. Your eyes traveled towards two guilty looking kids, standing behind a cart wearing museum worker IDs.

“That was quite the fall. Did you hit anything?” 

“I don’t think so.” You winced, struggling to your feet. The museum aide hurried over.

“I am so, so, so sorry. We had a new display coming in and I should have told them to be more careful—,” You blinked at her as she clutched at her head in worry.

“Hey, it’s all right, really. I was like that when I got my first job,” you reassured her. You placed your hands on your hips and faced them.

“Although, if you two aren’t careful from now on, the Supreme Guardian might eat you for lunch, got it?” You said, amused. 

They both bowed and hurried off with the cart. A sculpture labeled “The Galactic Baseballer” peeked out from the side of it. 

Interesting name, you thought.

“You handled that well,” Gepard said, bringing you back to reality. 

“Did I?” You tilted your head at him, lifting your sleeves to let the water drip off them. “Aeons above, I really took it upon myself to absorb every possible drop of water possible,” 

You crossed your arms over your soaked chest, feeling a chill beginning to seep into your bones.

Gepard’s shoulders tensed up. He swiveled his head around, scanning the city, while resting his hands on your forearms. You were left with no time to think before he swept you off your feet and hoisted you onto his shoulder. 

You were frazzled beyond belief. 

“Wait— wait, wait. Gepard what are you—,” Your eyes whisk across the pavement, surveying for any nosy onlookers. 

The Captain carried you to one of the many metal benches dotting the city with a geomarrow heater next to it. He set you down, before taking off his jacket and wrapping it around you gently.

‘Mind the wet sleeves, I’ll be right back,” he said before starting off towards some unknown destination. You basked in the newfound heat given off by the appliance, holding out your hands to gather as much of it as you could.

I feel like an abandoned pet, your inner voice said. You exhaled, your breath leaving a trail in the air. Thank Qlipoth for these heaters, 

Gepard’s coat was surprisingly comfortable. It was obviously made of durable materials meant to trap in heat. You pulled it closer around your shivering form, nuzzling into the collar contentedly. 

A couple minutes later, when you felt yourself beginning to drift off, you heard the familiar clanking of boots again. You opened your eyes, and lo and behold, it was Gepard!

“My apologies for taking so long. I grabbed you something to wear while your clothes dry.” He held out the item of clothing at arm's length for you to see better. 

You inhaled sharply as you realized it was the same piece of clothing you had been staring at so intently the day you toured the city together. It looked like it was exactly your size, too. 

He remembered?

You felt your heart start to race as he handed it to you. You took it gratefully, taking a moment to stare at the piece. Burying your face in it, you felt tears begin to prick at your eyes. 

It shouldn’t be possible for someone to be this kind,

It was honestly overwhelming.

“Don’t worry about it,” you said, your voice muffled. “I’m warming up just fine.” You finally raised your head, blinking the tears away, and rubbed your shoes together to get some of the feeling back into your feet.

“Let’s get you home,” he stated. “The windchill on the surface is nothing to joke about,” 

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” you replied. You got up, still wearing Gepard’s coat, and hung onto his arm for good measure while you walked. You did mourn the loss of the heater, but this time, your teeth didn’t chatter.

“I’m sorry for having to borrow your coat, even though it’s cold out,” you murmured. “You really are the perfect person to protect the city, you know that?” You smiled up at him gently. Gepard’s nerves buzzed with electricity. 

“It’s nothing extraordinary,” he sighed. “I merely take protecting the things I care about seriously. That’s what being a guard is about,”

He tried not to pay attention to how tenaciously you were gripping onto his sleeve.

“Well, I think you’re extraordinary.” You stuck your tongue out at him.

As cheesy as that is,

You handed Gepard his coat as you returned to your quaint little flower shop. How badly he wanted to tell you that you could borrow it, and return it to him later so he could see you again. He smiled to himself as you went back inside. 

This would do for now.

———

“Great heavens, (Y/N). Did you fall into the ocean or something?” Vaska exclaimed as you dragged yourself upstairs.

“No,” you grumbled, the tips of your coat still dripping. “We all know oceans are a myth,”

“Looking at you, I'd believe they were real,” she fired back as you retreated into your room. You hurriedly shed your wet coat and shoes, putting on the garment Gepard had bought you. 

You turned to look at it from every angle in the full-length mirror before deciding to collapse onto your bed. You combed your fingers through your hair, picking up your floral-patterned pillow and squeezing it tightly. 

Am I— am I in some kind of rom-com?? You groaned inwardly. Your face was flushed with something along the likes of happiness, embarrassment, or both.

Gepard had been nothing but kind during the time you spent together. After years of being a mere vagrant, you almost felt… special when he looked at you.

His blue eyes were so thoughtful and considerate and—,

No!!! I’ve got to keep it together! 

Rolling over, you pressed the pillow into your face and let a guttural shriek loose from your lungs. You chucked it across the room, your hair now a mess.

Meg’s voice rang from downstairs. “KEEP IT DOWN UP THERE!!” 

2023 - Dreaming-of-Mossballs - Do not repost/translate without my permission - NO AI

[virq-qgo]

Endless Whisper (Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley)

Y’all I might’ve bought the game just to see him. I mean you can’t blame me, bros gorgeous. Would def let him hit it from the front and the back. I also justed wanted to write a sleepy Simon. Might post this on my Ao3

warnings: friendship to lovers?? undedited, wrote this at 12 in the morning, slight angst not much, fluff, ooc Simon. actual 1k+ word fic :00

Soft curses left your teammates' lips as they felt little droplets of rain. You didn’t quite understand why they didn’t appreciate the rain. Perhaps it was harder to work in, you thought. Or maybe they just genuinely don’t like it. You didn’t pry too much into it, as it was for none of your business.  

“Why won’t you and Ghost go finish the rest of this up. We’re going to try to find a way in.” Price’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts.

With a nod of your head you look over at your fellow teammate to already see that he was on his way. A sigh escaped your lips as you wave your team off before catching up to Simon. “Don’t be too disappointed that you’re stuck with me.” you try to crack a joke but the man stays silent. With a roll of your eyes and a huff leaving your lips you walk in front of him. 

The rest of the walk was silent, beside the soft pattering of the rain. Simon made no attempt to make a conversation with you or even bothered sparing you a quick glance. It irked you. You don’t remember what you’ve done to upset him so much that he pretends that you’re not even there. You hold your gun tight in your arms while you watch him bust the door down with ease.

“Let’s go,” he speaks. Simon does a quick check in the little shack before deciding it was safe to rest for the night. He sets his bag down as he inspects the place a little more, you could never be so sure. 

Once you enter the building, you immediately find yourself in a fireplace. Lucky enough for you there was already wood in it. You were quick to get the fire started before actually settling in. However Simon was nowhere to be seen. You checked each and every room but couldn’t find any sign of him. The man's bag was still here so he couldn’t have run off too far. The sound of the door slamming open had you draw out your gun immediately.

“It’s just me.” Simon says, he throws a dead rabbit onto the table, “was just looking for food.”  

You look at him in disgust before putting your gun back in your holster. You mumble “Whatever.” before a yawn escapes your lips. It wasn’t too late out but you were beyond exhausted. Deciding not to stick around any longer, you head to the bedroom.

“Fine, you can starve, it's only more for me!” You hear Simon yell. If he was going to be an assole to you, it was only fair to be one back. 

A few hours later, it was completely dark. The watch on your wrist showed that it was an hour past midnight and you were thirsty. You walk out into the living room to see Simon laying on the couch, his mask off and a thin blanket covering his body, yet he was still shivering. You sigh, starting to feel bad. After all, you took the room with more blankets and with some heat. 

“Simon” You whisper, shaking his shoulder slightly to wake him up. But he doesn’t budge. “Simon.” This time with a louder voice. He stirs around and brushes your hand off. “Get up, we’re switching places.” You gently pull him up from the couch and to your surprise he complies. He staggers behind you as you lead him into the warm bedroom. He settles onto the bed and drifts off back into his slumber. You leave to grab his mask because you know he’d kill you if you saw him without it. But before you can leave he grabs onto your wrist. 

“Don’t go,” he pleads, his hands freezing cold. 

“If you wake up with me next to you in the morning, you’ll hate me even more.”

“I don’t hate you.” 

You know he’s just tired and is mumbling nonsense but your heart is racing. “You sure do act like it.” 

“I’m just trying to hide my feelings from you.” 

“Simon, don’t say anything that you'll regret.”

This time he didn't answer you, hopefully he had fallen asleep. You could tell how exhausted the poor man was, all he just needs is a good night's sleep. You move quietly to the door, trying not to make any noise that he’d wake up too. But a soft whimper of your name causes you to stop in your tracks. 

“I promise, I won’t say anything in the morning. Just please don’t leave me tonight.” His voice sounded like he was in pain. Like a child who had just lost their favorite toy. You knew you should’ve said no, there was no reason to help him. But maybe just for one night it wouldn’t hurt.

“You have to promise me that when you wake up, you won’t say anything mean.” The man holds out his pinky finger out to yours showing his sign of his promise. You sigh and connect your fingers, “Please don’t break it.” 

Simon moves back on the bed and opens the blankets for you, inviting you in. Which you accepted. You slowly slid in with him almost sighing in content at the warmth that you felt from him. Simon wraps his arm around your waist and pulls you closer to him, your legs entangling with each other. He buries his head in the crook of your neck and instantly relaxes.

“Your hands are cold.” You shiver when you feel his hands on your stomach. 

“And you're warm.” Simon pulls you closer to him as if you were going to fly away. 

You rest your hands on top of his, feeling him tense for a split second before growing comfortable from your touch. 

“Good night Simon.” 

“Good night.” he says with a smile on his face. Simon feels as if he was going to get a good night of sleep. 

Morning rose sooner than you had wanted it too. Your eyes flutter open but only to be met with the man's chest. His arms wrapped against your lower back as he still mindlessly slept. Your cheeks rose with heat from the potion you were in but you had to admit that was the best night of sleep you had for awhile. Unfortunately you had to use the restroom and were definitely in a hurry. But the strength Simmon had on you was a near death grip. 

“Don’t get up.. It’s too early.” he mumbles. His voice deep from his deep slumber.

“Yes, but I need to use the bathroom, I’ll come right back.” You felt Simon’s grip loosen on you which made you take your grand escape to the restroom. Your heart is still racing from how close he was and how tight you were pressed up against him. A sudden knock on the bathroom door breaks your thoughts. 

“It doesn’t take that long to pee.” with a slight giggle and roll of your eyes, you opened the door. “Let me carry you back to bed.” Simon didn’t even wait for a response. He scooped you up into his arms and placed you onto the bed before briefly pulling you back on top of him. It doesn’t take long for the both of you to fall asleep. 

As you feel your eyes start to droop once more. You feel a pair of lips on your forehead, “Thank you for staying with me.” Simon mumbles.

A soft smile grows on your face as you bury your face into the crook of his neck. Having a sleepover with Simon wasn’t so bad after all.

[l0vergirls]

i think i'm in love with you.

— tim drake x gn!reader

— summary: you and tim confess your feelings for each other on a regular afternoon.

— a/n: probably ooc tim idk, no plot just vibes tbh

Sunlight spilled through your bedroom window, landing perfectly on your undone bed. Your abandoned but completed school work lay still on your desk. You let out a deep sigh– you weren’t supposed to be done this early. The sound of your alarm woke you up the second the sun rose– This is a day of productivity, you said. Only, you didn’t count just how much work you had to do, and completely overestimated it. The subjects you worked on were easy, nothing you couldn’t handle alone. Now, you had an entire day free, but you didn’t know what to do with yourself. 

Until the soft ping! of your phone had stolen your attention. You dragged your hands across the wrinkled blankets, and grabbed your phone from the night stand. Your little device had been left unattended for the hours you kept yourself busy, causing a flood of notifications, most of which were from your best friend, Tim. 

bestest buddy <3: y/n??? hello??? 

bestest buddy <3: HEY where are you

bestest buddy <3: can i come over

bestest buddy <3: ok doesn’t matter i'm coming in a couple hours anyway

His comical series of texts made you smile. There was never a dull day if Tim had anything to do with it. Sent 12:38 pm, it read. It was currently 2:00 pm, where was he? Unless he got told off by his father, or just suddenly decided not to come (highly unlikely. he likes the food in your kitchen too much), he should be here, if not sooner. 

You hurriedly made up your bed, not caring whether it was messy or not, and pulled on some hoodie you found laying on your chair. Leaving your room, you were met with the smell of your mother’s delicious cooking. You took quick steps down the stairs, and made a beeline for the kitchen. However, before you could head to the kitchen, you saw a rather amusing sight at the dining table.

It was your best friend, currently eating lunch with your mom. They seemed to be enjoying good conversation. Or your mom did, at least. Tim mostly just sat quietly, too focused on his food to speak. You always underestimated his appetite.

“Wow, eating without me? Thanks, guys,” you teased, ruffling your best friend’s already messy hair, earning a chuckle from your mom. 

“When did you get here?” you turned your attention to Tim, who took his sweet time finishing his plate. He dressed comfortably, you noticed, as always. Not that it ever affected how good he always looked. Plus, under all the fairly loose clothing hid a pretty toned body thanks to his nightly activities. You’ve had the pleasure of getting a peek or two before. 

Tim’s fond gaze went from the food on his plate to your eyes, a smile on his lips. “Not too long ago. Your mom just finished cooking when I came,” he tilted his head to the side very slightly, “and I was pretty hungry, so… I had to eat before I went up to you.”

You couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, “Oh, nice to know where your priorities lie.” You took a seat across him, your mother at the head of the table. 

The rest of lunch was filled with catching up, gossip (courtesy of your mom), and talks of school, unfortunately.

Now, here the two of you were, in your room. You weren’t doing anything, aside from doom scrolling (much of your attention span had been ruined long ago) through various social media apps, and so was Tim, who you were currently admiring.

The sunlight perfectly accentuates the curve of his nose, the color of his eyes that you can (and would gladly) easily get lost in. His dark hair frames his features just right. Your eyes somehow drop down to his lips, a pretty and pale pink and currently in a small pout. You wonder if he realizes this. 

To most of the world, he was Tim Drake, adopted son of the billionaire Bruce Wayne. To criminals, he was Red Robin, a fearsome vigilante. To you, he was just Tim, your best friend who likes cracking jokes that you swear aren’t funny (they are, sometimes, but you’d never tell him that), accompanies you to the supermarket to do the groceries, and stays up all night with you when you can’t sleep. And you’re pretty sure you’re in love with him.

Tim feels your eyes on him. You don’t know this, of course. But suddenly he’s aware of his breathing (too fast? too slow? oh, his heart’s moving quite quickly now), his posture (is he slouched? that’s no good. but he can’t be too stiff either–), and his hair (is it messy? is that why they’re looking? oh, god–)

“Tim?” 

You’re very close to him now. Too close. Not that he minds. He never does, as long as it’s you. He feels your elbow against his, as you both sit up on your bed. He feels your shoulder lightly bumping against his.

“Yeah?”

You let out a small sigh, unbelieving that you’re doing this right now. 

“I think I’m in love with you.”

“Oh.”

It takes him a while to register what you’ve said, but you don’t mind waiting. You understand.

You hear him let out a shaky breath, and you wonder if you’ve made a mistake. 

“I’m in love with you too.” 

Your eyes meet his, and you feel yourself lean into him. You give him a small smile, but your eyes give you away; they’re brighter than they’ve ever been.

“How long?”

He mirrors your smile, only a bit bigger. No, a lot bigger. He can’t really contain his feelings right now. His hands find yours, a gentle warmth radiating from his. You felt safe; you always felt safe with him. 

“A while, I think. You?”

“Not sure. A long time, maybe. I just felt like telling you now.” 

“Wanna go on a date?”

“Right now?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, but you’re paying.”

“When do I not?”

[xcyphoz0a]

Wander

Gender neutral reader, angst

TW/CW: ooc tighnari ithink

Word count: 886

Proofread: nope

| You weren’t able to settle with anyone, nor a place. And even your first and last love couldn’t hold you back from wandering. |

When you first arrived in Sumeru, the only reason you were there was to find a place of comfort. For the last few years going around every region you could, you weren’t able to find any place that you could find yourself settling down and be safe.

Every region, village, city you could land your feet on, you’d always be greeted in some way, whether it be nice, apprehensive or flat out absolutely rude.

But whenever you’d step by, the inhabitants would already have memorised your name and know you for your erudtion, your knowledge stemming from somewhere that even you didn’t know where it came from.

Passing by Avidya forest, you had stayed for a while in Ghandarva Ville, making some friendships with a few of the forest rangers, the most notable being Collei and Tighnari.

Collei was surely one of the nicest and pleasant person to be around with. Showing around the forest and where to be careful, you had found yourself a soft spot for her, just with some other people you had encountered, such as Sucrose, Qiqi and Ayaka.

Tighnari on the other hand, was slightly the opposite. He was nice– in his own way, and you found it interesting how he had a lot of knowledge about the ecosystem and forest. You weren’t surprised when Akademiya affiliations had sent mails and some of their staff and students to Tighnari himself.

Soon finding some reasonable comfort within the forest, you had decided to stay for a while until you felt the need to leave. Finding an empty room was not really easy– though you did manage to find one eventually.

Around the few months you had spent with the forest rangers in Ghandarva Ville and going out to patrols along with the company of either Collei or Tighnari, you found yourself finding odd feelings around the latter. 

You didn’t dare ask for help because you soon caught the gist of what your feelings meant.

First love.

Would it be the last?

Though with your observing nature, you did find out that he also seemed to have the same feelings towards you. 

And when you both were together, he had asked,

“Where are you from?”

You look at him– and you couldn’t explain the emotion you had in your heart. His eyes blinking at you in curiosity.

You felt yourself faltering.

The reason why you were so reluctant to the question, "Where are you from" was because you were travelling so much that you could no longer call a place your home anymore.

Your voice strained.

“...I don’t know.”

He looks at you, confused.

“You must be from somewhere, at least, no?”

You shake your head. For the love of Celestia, you didn’t know who your parents were anymore. You felt like you had just appeared, and started wandering. You had no recollection of your childhood. Maybe you did have one, but you couldn’t recall anything.

Looking at him, you see him nodding his head in some form of understanding. You’re sure that he doesn’t know why you answered like that. You didn’t know why too.

“Well… you can call this place your home if you’d like.”

You smile in response but you know you wouldn’t be able to call this place your home. You always wandered. And barely had a place to really feel home.

But you think maybe you could call this place your home until you leave.

And for a few months, it was racing towards the end of one year. You wanted to leave to another place.

You didn’t want to leave your first love behind, but something told you that you needed to leave.

Starting off with packing your belongings, you write a note.

Handwritten.

And when the clock struck 00:00, you took your swift leave.

Tighnari felt as if something was missing.

As usual he went on his way to check on you.

But after knocking, he opened the door to find the room empty, clean and a handwritten note on a chair.

To my dearest and first love, Tighnari,

I’ve never said this to you, but I love you. And always will. Though I would’ve stayed, it is in my nature to wander.

You must be wondering, if I felt like I stayed, why did I leave?I’m on a search to find a place I find safe in. A place to really call ‘home’. This was my temporary home– and I also wish it would’ve lasted forever.

I hope you don’t cry reading this– I’m sure you won’t, right? You shouldn’t. Not gonna force you though.

Please remember me too– I won’t forget you as well, you’re always in my memory along with a photo I took when you were sleeping, how cute…

Tighnari looks at the letter in his hands as he re reads it again.

Love, (L/N), (Y/N)

P.S) Tell Collei that I love her too :)

For this whole time he thought you were not being serious with your rambles of leaving and wandering. But now he thinks differently.

He feels a sting in his nose and the inner corners of his eyes, and finds water droplets falling onto the last thing that he had of you.

And he wishes you’d come back, saying it was a joke.

[ry0chann]

9:00 PM || Kento Nanami

彡 SUMMARY: Just a nighttime visit to your favorite bread bakery.

彡 WARNINGS: gn!reader, bakery au, baker!Nanami, fluff, mutual pinning, not proofread

彡 WORD COUNT: 1.4k (idk how that happened)

. . . another entry of mine for @hanemiso Dreamscape collab !!! i feel like Nanami is somehow ooc in this, maybe, but i think it’s cute so like, whatever. i also didn't know wtf to title this therefore it's a timestamp (even though that's not currently the time LMAO — just the time it takes place)

REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED!

A soft ding can be heard coming from the front of the store, notifying Nanami, who was in the back, that he was no longer alone. He doesn’t stop what he’s doing though, simply continuing to lightly knead the dough in front of him. He knew exactly who it was that had arrived — there was only one person who came to see him after hours, the one and only person who he’d leave the door unlocked for.

You step into his cozy shop, smiling when the subtle scent of bread floods your nostrils. The shelves were pretty much empty, he must’ve been busy today. Your regular visits were in the morning as soon as the place opened, when the shelves were stocked full of freshly made rolls and loaves. Everyday you’d come in and purchase something. Your face was the first one he saw, and honestly, he found that pleasant.

Your frequent visits quickly made you his favorite customer, not that anyone besides the two of you knew that. That was when he started inviting you to see him when the bakery was closed. Nanami was quite the busy man and finding time outside of work was difficult, knowing he ran this shop alone. So he told you he’d start leaving the door unlocked for you. You were reluctant to take up his offer at first, not wanting to intrude or interrupt his work. However, he didn’t mind.

Whatever little time you spent together was enough for him to grow fond of you, and you, of him. Perhaps it was too soon to say you felt something for the man, yet, it felt like a lie to say you didn’t. And unbeknownst to you, he felt the same. There was always an underlying nervousness in your gut whenever you came to see him at night, one that Nanami most likely felt as well.

“Nanami?” your voice bounces off the brick walls, ringing beautifully in Nanami’s ears when he catches the sound.

“I’m in the back, dear,” he calls out, now feeling a rapid beating in his chest.

You blush at the pet name, despite that being the millionth time he’s called you that. The sound of your shoes tapping against the wooden floors echoes softly through the building, yet it falls silent on Nanami’s ears. 

You stop in the doorway of the kitchen when you notice he was occupied, leaning against the doorframe as you observe him. His hands skillfully work at the floured dough on the countertop, toned arms flexing every time he pushes down on the dough. 

‘Had he always looked this good?’ you wonder. The man was definitely attractive, you wouldn’t deny that. Still, you never noticed how stunning he truly was. The pale blue button up he wears is rolled at the sleeves, exposing his muscular forearms. His round frames sit low on his nose, a couple loose strands of hair hanging above his forehead.

He was working diligently, you’ve never witnessed it firsthand before. You didn’t want to interrupt him, instead resorting to simply admiring him from afar. Nanami could feel your eyes though, slowly looking up at you with a grin.

“Come in if you’d like.”

“I have no problem watching,” you say, “Please, don’t let me distract you.”

The man chuckles, stopping his task and wiping his hands clean on the apron that was wrapped around his waist. 

“I apologize for being busy. Normally I’m done by the time you get here.”

He steps over to the other side of the counter to be closer to you, leaning against it with his arms crossed. You shake your head at his statement, disregarding his unnecessary apology.

“No worries. I suppose I did come a bit earlier today.” 

“Well,” he begins, “Your presence is always welcome.”

He then goes on to say that, if you didn’t mind, he would like to continue working, to which you said not to let you being here stop him. You actually enjoyed watching him work — he looked at peace.

Silently, you stare at his hands kneading, somehow impressed with how easy he made it look. You understood it’d take quite a bit of strength, or even stamina, to do such a tedious task so meticulously. His dedication was admirable.

“Would you like to try?” he suddenly asks, pulling you from your thoughts.

His brown eyes catch your stare and you stutter in answering him.

“C’mere, I’ll show you how to do it,” he chuckles, gesturing for you to stand by him.

You do so, and he’s soon taking off his apron to wrap it around you instead. Your breath catches in your throat when he stands behind you, your heart pounding like a drum behind your ribcage as he wraps the strings around your waist. He’s quiet as he ties a bow, giving your back a gentle touch to suggest that he was done.

Nanami stands next to you, calmly explaining the simple task at hand. When you assured him you understood it all, he sprinkled some flour onto your palms and let you get started. Delicately, you knead at the dough, and Nanami watches you intently, closely paying attention to your movements. 

“Like this?” you ask, looking at him while you palm at the dough.

He smiles politely, giving you a nod, “Mhm, just put a little more force into it. Like this.”

Nanami’s behind you once more, setting his hands on top of yours.

“Is this okay?” he asks, his voice deep in your ears.

You whisper a “yes” too flustered by his actions to speak any louder. He could tell he was making you nervous, yet he continued to help you, not doing your nerves any favors. He was nervous too honestly — if you listened well enough you could probably hear his heartbeat.

His palms were flat against the back of your hands, pressing them down into the dough to knead it better than how you were doing it on your own. His skin was softer than you expected it to be, and being so close to him you could practically smell the subtle yet lingering scent of his cologne.

“I’m not hurting you, am I?” Nanami questions, lightening up the pressure he was using against you.

“N-no, this is fine,” you mumble, trying to use his movements to your advantage rather than let him do all the work.

Had you been anyone else, he wouldn’t have given you so much guidance, though perhaps he was just looking for excuses to touch you. Feeling your skin against his had his stomach doing cartwheels. He was able to remain focused, despite how difficult it was.

“Good, there you go. Just like that,” he praises, his breath kissing your neck and making you shiver.

Just as you get the hang of it, he separates from you, letting you breathe. Not that you had an issue being that close to him, but if he stayed there any longer you were sure you’d faint. Nervously, you laugh, backing away from your job well done. Nanami takes over again, going at it for another minute or two before deciding it was done.

“You did good,” he says, “Thank you. Perhaps I should have you help me again sometime.”

You blush at the thought. Even if you were to help him again, it’s not like he’d walk you through it the way he just did. Regardless, you were more than happy to accept his offer.

Nanami begins to clean things up, setting the dough in a bowl and preparing it for proving. You suddenly remember you were still wearing his apron, quickly wiping your hands clean before untying it. With shaky hands, you hand it back to him and he takes it with a grin. He looks at you a second longer than you’re used to, finally speaking when he gathers the words.

“Forgive me if this is too forward, however, I was wondering if you’d like to join me for dinner?”

Your eyes widen, heartbeat never once slowing when his words settle in your mind. It was a bit past dinnertime, though knowing his work hours, it made sense as to why he’d only get around to eating now. And for whatever reason, you giggle — not because you thought he was being ridiculous, but because you’ve been wondering when you’d get this opportunity. Maybe he didn’t ask you with intentions of it being a date, still, you were giddy.

“Of course,” you answer with a smile, “I’d love to.”

taglist! [ @snake-titan ]

[ccalhoun]

hi so i’m trans, ftm and not out :< maybe a steve harrington x reader where reader comes out to him and he’s super accepting and supportive

≻ ┄┄ ♡ ┄┄ ≺

steve harrington x trans!male!reader

req?: yep!

wc: 2.0k

warnings: male reader, trans/ftm reader, reader works at the family video, reader and robin are friends, reader has a crush on steve, reader lives with his parents, kind of ooc steve, reader explains what trans is to steve, steve has a crush on reader, dysphoria, talk of misgendering/deadnaming, talk of homo/transphobia, "birth name" in place of "deadname", "m/n" used, takes place after season 3 but before season 4, crying, kissing, hugging, coming out, establishing a relationship

note: aaa nonnie i am soo sorry i couldn't get this out sooner </33 also i hope you can come out when your environment is safe enough to do so !!

cut for length!

You stood at the desk at work, wearing the typical 'Family Video' work attire (aka just a green vest over your normal clothes). Keith was stocking shelves and never trusted you to do more than check overdue movies and check people out, so it's the only place you ever got assigned to.

You heard the store door open and looked up to see Steve walking in, heading for the back so he could punch in and start working. You were relieved, watching with glee as Kieth headed to the back as well to put his vest in his locker and punch out. It was about noon so it wasn't too busy, you got off at 4:00, a couple of hours before Steve got off (3 hours, to be exact).

"Hey!" Steve greeted, still pulling his vest over his arms as he said it. Keith sludged out of the back room, his feet dragging on the floor like a small child being forced to leave his best friend's house. "Bye Keith," Steve called out as Keith opened the door to leave the store. Steve turned back to you, his mouth curling upwards in a small smile.

"Thank God I don't have to work any shifts with him, huh [birth name]?" You cringed at the usage of your birth name, just hoping everyone would finally realize that you're a boy by themselves so you wouldn't have to come out and risk being hurt or kicked out. You idly nodded and smiled at Steve, you two were close but you could never even begin to imagine coming out to him.

"He's not that bad, just a misguided nerd," You spoke, your voice breaking the short silence that filled the air. Steve laughed after you spoke, his laughter soft but not faked.

"Keith? Misguided nerd? Did he even let you do anything but sit at the desk all day?" Steve said. laughs breaking up his speech. Everyone knew that Keith was an asshole but no one ever really spoke it, just accept it as the truth.

"Well, no, but he can be nice when you get to know him a little more," You defended. You were being playful, not really caring if Steve thought less of Keith than anyone. "I think we've been talking about Keith for too long. Subject change?" Steve looked surprised at the suggestion but nodded and smiled.

"Yeah sure, how has your wonderful Friday been?" He asked sarcastically, every Friday working at the Family Video was terrible.

"It hasn't been too bad today, but it will be terrible later tonight. I hope you and Robin have fun working it." You joked, Robin was a mutual friend between you and Steve. In fact, after she told Steve she's a lesbian, she came out to you next. You two were in a lot of classes together in high school and have stayed in contact since. You and Steve only had 1 class together and barely interacted at school but Robin brought you two together.

"About that," Steve started, his face shifting from his usual smile to a nervous look. "Robin called out of work sick, can you help me tonight?" He anxiously trailed off at the end, he was never the type to ask for help. You let out a sigh and thought it over in your head.

"Sure, but only if we hang once we get off," You agreed, Steve's face lit up and he engulfed you in a hug.

"It's only for a few hours until Marge gets in, I promise," Steve rushed out as he pulled back from the hug.

After a couple of hours had passed it was 4:15 pm, the time you were used to getting off. Some people came in and checked out movies throughout the day, primarily romcoms and horror movies. There were always the people who went in after school to beat the usual Friday night rush of people. You sighed dramatically and laid your head on the desk. Steve looked to where you were before going back to making sure the shelves were organized correctly.

"You know you don't have to help me tonight. You can go home right now and we can still hang out after work." Steve's voice was calm and soft. He understood the tiredness of a long day of work, going home and unwinding was a great feeling and he couldn't blame you if you wanted to change your mind about the extra hours.

"I'm just being dramatic," You laughed out, "It's sweet that you'd work a night alone just to let me nap a little," You added.

Steve blushed and stared forward at the cases full of VHS tapes. He had a major crush on you and Robin was the only person who knew. Robin had faked sick knowing you'd agree to work with Steve for the night.

Conveniently, Robin also knew that you had a crush on Steve. She didn't tell Steve that you liked him, but she did say that there was no way that him telling you that he likes you could end wrong. Robin reassured Steve that it would end fine and convinced him to go through with it tonight.

After a couple of hours had passed the rush had really started to come in, You and Steve were both at the front desk working on checking people out.

The faces of Marge and some other coworker you couldn't care about learning the name of emerged from the crowd, Marge telling you two that you would just need to work for a few more minutes while she and what's-her-face got clocked in. You let out a sigh of relief, briefly smiling at Steve before focusing on a customer and scanning the tapes they had chosen.

Once Marge and your coworker replaced your spots, you clocked out and put your vest in the locker, making small talk with Steve as you did. Steve closed his locker and waited by the door for you to catch up. You walked out together, your heart beating quickly in your chest as you thought over your plan for the night. While working you decided to come out to Steve as transgender, waiting for the perfect moment to do it.

You got into Steve's car, he was your ride to work since you didn't have a car so you didn't have to worry about leaving your car in the parking lot. The car ride to your house was quiet, but not tense. Some music from the radio played quietly as you thought over what to say, how you would you explain it to him, what you would do based on his response, stuff like that.

You arrived at your house and hoped out, unlocking the door to your house and waiting for Steve to follow. He locked his car and walked to your front door.

"Movies and snacks?" You offered, taking your shoes off at the door and closing it when Steve walked in.

"I'll grab the movies from the living room, you get the snacks," Steve said when he finished taking off his shoes, heading towards the living room. Most of your hangouts went like this. You two were used to the routine. You always picked out the snacks and Steve got the movies. Your family was big on movies, so every few weeks you were bound to have a new VHS to watch. It was nice, but it was also nice to be able to rewatch your favorite movies.

You had a tv in your room, you had saved up for it for years (since 16, at least) and your parents are always fine with you using the family tapes as long as you put them back in their spots. You walked to your room, seeing Steve putting the first movie that he chose.

"Hey! Right on time!" Steve chuckled and sat down on your bed, waiting for you to sit down and hand him some snacks. You had gotten some chips, some sodas, and a few different kinds of candies. You got comfortable in your bed and focused on the movie, the thought of coming out to steve distracting you so much you couldn't even focus on the movie. You stood up, paused the movie, and sat back down on your bed.

"Steve, I need to tell you something," You started, there was a lump in your throat and your heart was racing. "I'm transgender, which means that I was born a girl but I'm a boy," Your voice was shaky, tears in your eyes as you looked everywhere in your room but Steve himself.

"Oh, so you want to be a boy?" Steve asked innocently, though the question wasn't meant to sound mean, your heart dropped as soon as he said it.

"No, no, I am a boy. I was just born as a girl." You felt tears in your eyes as you said this. You just wanted to be seen as a boy, even if it was just Steve.

"Oh," Steve said before thinking for a moment, "So, does anyone else know?" The question surprised you. You knew Robin explained some stuff about the queer community to Steve but you didn't think he'd know that you had to keep it a secret.

"No, but I want to tell Robin," You mumbled, trying to cover up the fact you were trying your hardest to not cry. Steve took notice and gently cupped your face with his hand, encouraging you to look at him.

"Robin explained some of this stuff to me, I know what transgender is and I can call you a boy if that's what you want. Robin also mentioned that some transgender people change their names. Is there a name you want me to call you?" Steve was careful with his wording, he didn't know if what he was saying was offensive or not and was praying that you wouldn't take it badly. You were shocked at how much he knew, but also relieved that he was accepting of you.

"Yeah, I do want you to speak of me like a boy and, I do have a name I like, m/n." Your voice was still a bit shaky from almost crying. You quickly wiped your tears with your hands and smiled to yourself.

"m/n," Steve repeated to himself, "It fits you," Steve smiled and hugged you, his arms wrapping around you in a comforting manner.

"Thank you," You said, your voice barely above a whisper but Steve heard and just smiled in reply. You two stayed hugging until you pulled back, "Should we finish the movie?" You were much more confident now, not stuttering when you spoke.

"I have something to tell you as well," Now it was Steve's turn to be nervous, twiddling with his thumbs. Once you nodded for him to go on, he spoke. "I think I like you, like that. I was going to not tell you tonight but after you told me something so intimate I think I would like it if we could be, you know, boyfriends." His eyes were looking down at your carpeted flooring, expecting the worse. You were surprised but filled with Joy. Steve liked you and he called you a boy.

"Yes!" You blurted out, Steve's wide eyes shot and looked you in your eyes. You both were blushing immensely. Steves' face erupted in a smile, leaning in and kissing you out of excitement. The kiss surprised you but, you kissed back regardless. Steve pulled back from the kiss, his blushing calming down a little.

"Sorry," Steve started, "I probably should've asked first," He was slightly embarrassed over the fact that he forgot to ask to kiss you, he just hoped that you wouldn't get mad at him over it. He was relieved when your face showed kindness instead of anger or disgust. He expected you to tell him to just not do it again but was pleasantly surprised when you kissed him for a quick few seconds before pulling back.

"Now we're even, so you don't have to worry about it," You jokingly said, Steve just smiled and hugged you, his grip not squeezing you but holding you in a comforting manner.

≻ ┄┄ ♡ ┄┄ ≺

[wolf-eyes-wolf-soul]

♥ What’s the WORST thing that has happened to you rp wise?

♥ What’s the WORST thing that has happened to you rp wise?

Friends, lovers, enemies, sit down and let me tell you a tale. Get a drink and a snack, this is a long one.

TW: bullying, child death, and the AUDACITY.

I started out RPing on forums in the mid-later 00s before moving to Tumblr in 2012. One fateful day in 2010, whilst browsing dA, I came across an ad for a new forum and it was called Disney World of War. Me, being a massive TLK fan (and still fucking am don't care if its cringe) was like "hell yeah I'm going to check this out! Well, check it out I did. I joined.

For those years from my late teens to my very early twenties were some of the cringiest (in hindsight) but also most fun years I remember. I will full admit I was still full in that teenage phase where edgy = mature and adult. Still, I had fun and made friends I still have to this day.

Then The Event happened.

A player whomst I believed I was at least on friendly terms with resurrected a character who appeared to have died earlier in the RP. My current character had a relationship with this character of mutual loathing. They created a thread which was open to all members of a faction that we both belonged to and therefore I thought it would be okay to stick my character in to voice her displeasure at her former comrade seemingly returning from the grave.

Oh, how wrong I was but I'll fill you in on that bit later as I learned it.

Some nasty words were exchanged IC and I decided that my character should make her exit. For a method of getting her out I brought my my character's child (whom I also played) as an excuse for her to leave.

What I thought would happen: my character would bow out and all would go on as it had in the past.

What actually happened: the other player godmodded their character swooping in between my character and her child and brutally (and graphically described) tearing my character's child apart in front of her eyes because she "needed to be taught a lesson about keeping her mouth shut". Yes, a child was murdered in front of its mother because the mother had slung a few insults.

OOC I was reeling. I went to the player quietly but CCing in the mods of the server. I asked them if we could talk because I was NOT okay with what just happened. I had CCed in the mods for one reason: until that point it was a long standing rule that deaths MUST be agreed to by both parties before they happened. This was not the case. I had no idea this would happen until it did. I suggested an alternate way for the scene to go down where the maiming could still happen but it wasn't lethal.

Now, I thought I had a good enough relationship with this player that this suggestion would be agreeable. I had never had a bad interaction or fight with them before this point. We weren't friends but I'd describe it more like work colleagues. We knew each other and had worked together in the past with no real bad blood.

This player flipped. Not only did they double down on what happened but they uno reverse carded me hard. Not only was I the one to blame but I was also purposefully trying to get them in trouble with the mods (even tho I had explained why to them as I have here why I included them: for rule clarification). The mod eventually responded with a useless shrug and the exact words "sort it amongst yourselves" (lost all respect for them that day). So, I tried doing what they suggested and continued to try and resolve the issue so we both could be happy. Next I got hit with a threat: keep talking to this player and they would report me for harrassment...for doing what the mod asked me to do.

I have screencaps of these convos and I have shown them to several people. I am not lying when I say that I was trying to be as polite and accomodating as possible (too accomodating in hindsight). Instead I was met with aggression and threats. The situation never got sorted and to rub salt into the wound this player then went and made artwork (now deleted on an old account) of this event.

I left the forum. I just couldn't hack it. I dropped out of RPing for several years until around late 2016 when I finished uni and felt brave enough to try again.

This is what I found out later.

After I had left, the player went around spreading the lie that it was in fact me who was being aggressive and harrassing them. They said that I insisted on being in that thread because I had some sort of weird vendetta against them and wanted to bash them and their characters (blatant lie). Also when I was gone apparently because their atrocious behaviour led other people to feel bullied and gaslighted by them, somehow this was me behind the scenes telling lies about them. I was OFFLINE ENTIRELY THE WHOLE TIME.

To this day this person still holds a grudge. I know this for a fact. I tried to extend an olive branch in 2018 and was hit with a polite "warning" that if I was seen in a now new forum that I would be IP blocked. All I had did in that forum was post a polite hello not even directed at them but to the people I knew back from 2010 who I hadn't talked to in years.

And that is the worst thing that has ever happened to me in RP.

Sorry about the essay.

[thornyboi]

Made a story-ish version of my OC scene

BETA SCENE VER.2- MEET KYUUSAKI

Player and paimon are walking through Mondstat. They go to (I forgot the name of the food place)

Paimon: Paimon’s hungry! Let’s get some food!

Player buys some food but before they can grab it a blur of pink hair whorls by. They snatch up Players food

???: Yoink!

Paimon: Hey! That’s Paimon’s food!

??? Continues running. A few seconds later a knight of Favonius comes seemingly looking for the pink haired person. Player decides to go after them. They chase them for a while before ??? bumps into a familiar turquoise-haired bard

???: ow!

they stop for a moment before continuing to run, now with some golden mora in their hand

Venti: huh? Oh, hello traveler!

Player ignores him and continues to chase after ???. Venti follows a few feet behind the player. ??? Goes into the church and closes the doors before the other two can get inside. Once player opens the door, ??? Is already hidden. Player looks around for a minute. They hear a slight snoring sound from a closet. The closet is dark. There’s no light inside so player and Venti goes inside. Once they’re fully inside ??? Comes from the shadows and closes the door with the two inside. He locks the door behind him

Eventually, player breaks down the door but ??? Is already far gone

{story thing: set time to 8:00 and go to Angels Share}

Player and Venti walk in and go up to Diluc

Venti: hey, Diluc-

Diluc: I know you’re a god, but if you don’t have any mora, you can’t get a drink.

Venti sighs. Player looks around and sees the same pink haired person that locked them and Venti in the closet

Player: who’s that guy over there? points to ???

Diluc: I think their name is…Kyuusaki. I don’t talk to them often. They come in every few weeks, though they never get anything to drink…

Venti: I’d call that suspicious. I mean, you come to a bar and don’t get any alcohol? Who does that?

as they’re talking, Kyuusaki leaves unnoticed

Venti: yeah- wait, where do they go?

Paimon: we’ve lost them again, Tone-deaf bard!

{story thing: find Kyuusaki}

they find Kyuusaki sitting under a tree, humming a sweet tune

Venti: hey!

Kyuusaki looks up for a moment before beginning to walk away once again. Player grabs their arm before they can get away

Kyuusaki: what’s your problem?

Paimon: our problem is that you stole Paimon’s food!

Player: 1. It’s not your food. 2. And Venti’s mora

Paimon: 1. Whatever 2. yes, yes, but Paimon’s food is more important than some stupid bard’s mora

Venti: sighs

Kyuusaki sighs. He pulls out some mora and hands it to Venti

Paimon: now, give me my food!

Kyuusaki: I ate it.

Paimon: well, you have to pay Traveler back!

Kyuusaki: sighs here takes out some Mora this should be enough

player nods

Venti: I have a question.

Kyuusaki: what?

Venti: why do you never buy a drink?

Kyuusaki: thief business means I must be on my toes at all times, I can’t get drunk or I’ll lose my edge

Venti: I guess that makes sense…but, you should try some! Especially dandelion wine…mmm…yummy…

Kyuusaki: no thanks.

Venti: Come on! I’ll even go with you! He grabs Kyuusaki’s hands in excitement

Player: are we just going to ignore the fact that Kyuusaki is a criminal?

Kyuusaki: Pulls his hands away from Venti are you one of those Knights of Favonius?

Player: technically, yes

Kyuusaki: scoffs

Paimon: do you have a problem with that?

Kyuusaki: yeah, one of them tackled me to the ground and nearly broke my rib. I luckily healed before any high scale damage was caused…but still.

Paimon: wow…

Kyuusaki: Seemingly getting more annoyed by the second and not to mention their unwillingness to do basically anything about the Fatui’s wrongdoings! sighs loudly

Player: I guess that’s true…

Kyuusaki: hey, I’ve got to go. If you have any questions, meet me at Starsnatch cliff

Paimon: wait!

Kyuusaki has already ran a far distance away from them

{end}

{sorry if there are any mistakes or ooc moments!} -🥀