#Ah my poor giant bois

[muppenthings]

Did any of your giant ocs regret being so big and want to be smaller? And how do they deal with that sense of guilt and self-loathing?

Yeah Coby, Tide, Cetus and Keiki.

Put under a read more because it got long. xD

Coby regrets being the size and form he is every second of the day. He wasn't originally so big, he was just a human. He wants to go back to normal so bad, to be able to do normal human things again. The new body isn't his. It's alien, literally and figuratively. He deals with it poorly, even if they're working on getting him used to the new body. He's prone to mental breakdowns, nightmares and panic attacks. Archer is pretty much the only anchor he's got, which puts a lot of pressure on Archer too.

Tide has mixed feelings of his size. When he was with his foster parent, he never felt too big. Ore was just like him. When he was made to join a Oceanic mer pod, that's when he started disliking it. The pod said they accepted him, that he was a part of the pod. But he knew he wasn't really, seeing how differently they treated their own kids. So kid and teen Tide tried his hardest to be useful to them, hoping that one day they would genuinely like him. He was making use of his size while also hating it. He often felt out of place, wishing he was a small mer instead. Maybe it'd be better then.

When he was a young adult, they abandoned him when he was caught by humans who mistook him for a large sea creature (a non mer, catching merfolk is illegal). They didn't even try to help him, which made him realize that he'd never be accepted no matter how hard he tried. He'd always be that "too big mer", never family or even friend.

So after his recovery, he instead used his size to steal from mers and humans. He was taking out his negative emotions about himself, and others, on others. His justification being that they don't like him by default for his size so why not just do what he want using it; they never cared about him so he shouldn't care about them either. He tried telling himself that he didn't care, but he cares a lot about what others think of him. It's a reason why he reacted strongly towards Merry when he thought they called him a "monster". Being called "ocean menace" he was ok with.

He's still very conflicted about his size, having ups and downs. There are days he wishes he could interact with Merry like any other mer. But also, Merry truly makes him feel like just any other mer. And him working on mending his relationship with mers (and humans), are going to do wonders for his self-esteem and make him better accept his size as they accept him in return. :)

For Cetus it's mostly when he wants physical contact. That's when he's frustrated because he's just too big to be fully satisfied. Freshwater mers rub their long bodies against eachother, like cats, to be affectionate. As a substitute, Cetus rubs along ships and cliffs because they're the only things big enough to handle his body mass. Even tho the ships are sent rocking and the humans do not want him to do it. Some days he's just very frustrated by the lack of contact and the humans gotta be extra calm and assertive then. He usually calms down after a session of someone petting his nose (a lot of the electroreceptors are on his nose so if the person is calm, that calm will be transferred to him by him literally sensing their calm heartbeats and relaxed muscles).

Keiki had a loving family growing up which helped him be more at ease with his size and himself. They accepted all of him and let him vent about his frustrations, and cry on the days when he felt different from everyone else. They made sure he knew he was loved, that behind the size he was still Keiki.

Most of the time, he's happy and ok with his size. It's when something happens that's directly due to his size that he gets upset and dislikes it. He is prone to cause accidents due to being clumsy (mostly due to constant sizeshifting making his brain confused as to where his body is in relation to things). So there are days when he doesn't like himself. He's surrounded by people that care about him so he's got a solid network to turn to for comfort.

He sometimes daydream about being the size of a regular mer. But then he's also reminded of how much scarier the ocean would be and how he wouldn't be able to do many of the things he does to help people out. He's saved many ships and its crews from capsizing in storms, attacking sea creatures etc. So yeah. Him reminding himself of the good things he does helps him feel good about his size. :)

[elenamegan14]

One Piece Imagine: F!Reader giving a Victory Smooch to Monster Trio

Luffy

Luffy did not see himself as a hero. He is a pirate, and he never shares especially food. But boy, the rage he felt when he saw that terrible Marine captain stole the food that you have painstakingly tried to keep - nobody has the right to starve anyone on HIS watch!

So you truly fall for him when he and his crew return with a wagon of fruits, veggies, all the finest delicacies he can offer... and a very beaten up corrupt Marine captain on his feet. The villagers were more than grateful to be freed from that jerk, especially you.

After giving that Marine a well-deserved kick on the nuts before handing him to the ACTUAL authority, you came up to Luffy with a plate of his favorite meat on the bones and told him that he deserved a reward for helping her. He gratefully accepts it... but not before you gave him a gentle peck on his cheek, "My hero." Luffy is annoyed that you are interrupting his meal. Also, he is not a hero, damn it! But he is still grateful for the reward. Meanwhile, Sanji is fuming about the background of why Luffy always gets the good part of the reward.

"Shishishishi! You're welcome! But I want more meat instead of kisses!"

Zoro

You're gonna need a lot of cold showers when Zoro saves you. because the way he saves you is actually hoooooot.

Oceans in Grand Line are stupidly dangerous. Freaky weather and monsters will always come when you least expect it. So it really kind of surprised you when the crew got ambushed by a giant Sea King.

A very vicious, pissed-off Sea King.

Its battle with it can be described as near-death and brutal. The crew had a lot of close calls, but it was when its jaws almost closed on you that Zoro got to work.

A couple of swishes from his blade, followed by an intense "ONI GIRI!" battle cry had turned that Sea King into a seafood fillet fit to feed as Luffy's dinner. It was vicious, it was professional. IT WAS HOT.

When Zoro came to check on you, you had to fan yourself really hard because, WOW. How does that muscle of his work again? And how hard his teeth are? Zoro did not have time to react before your lips descended on him, catcalls and cheers from the crew (and a furious rant from Sanji) accompanied the scene. "My hero~" you purred.

The normally serious Zoro became incredibly flustered, annoyed, and sorta impressed by your reward. He never expected this turn of events, promising you that he will need more than that in the bedroom.

"Oi, OI! Really? Ah, damn it. All in a day's work I guess. Seriously, what was that?"

Sanji

The day you're engaged to the most violent and sexist man is the day Sanji saved you. Your noble parents sold you off to the most notoriously rich man, who is known for his brutish "manly" treatment of women. To them, it was discipline. But to you and the other poor women, he is hell.

Enter Sanji. He has been on the island for a few days and he already heard plenty of horror stories about the future groom of yours. So he did what a pirate should do - crash into the party with the crew and humiliate your father and groom with the knowledge of wine and food.

Your ex-fiance's luck ran out when he slapped you halfway across the room when you tried to stop him from jeopardizing the guests' safety. Gone is the suave Sanji - he only sees a man who DARES to hurt a lady and brags about it - oh, he won't get away with it. One Diable Jambe Concasse later, Sanji left the terrified household and one horribly hurt unconscious fiancee, carrying you in his arms.

When you're already in a safe space, Sanji asks if you're okay... only to be met with a barrage of kisses on his face and a large one of his lips. Never had you felt so grateful, so much in love with Sanji. "My hero! Thank you so, SO, much!"

There was a happy, sheepish grin, lots of "mellorine!" and blood spurts from the nose before Sanji replied joyfully with "You're welcome, milady!" And then he would ask if there is more to come from your reward.

He nearly went to heaven when you slyly said yes.

"HA! You see that?! I am a hero! Yes, I am! Mr. Prince is here to save the ladies's day from danger! Ahaha! I am always here to serve you any time, Y/N-chwaaan!"

Please reply if you would like to suggest more scenarios like this with other characters!

[fanon-canon-idfk]

WAIT POLY SKK SCENARIO THAT HAS BEEN ROTTING IN MY BRAIN FOR A WHILE…

GC WHERE MALE READER SENDS GOOFY AHH STUFF TO THE GC AND CHUUYA GETS SO ANNOYED

aftercare (if ur uncomfortable with the genre pls skip)

where like after masc reader is just too fkin tired to put le boxeres back on so he just sits there tired asf and chuuya is like dude we just finished out it back on 🧍 and ofc dazais gonna be goofy asf like “ooo look at mr show off over hereeeee”

ALSO ALSO…

M! READER THAT IS LIKE RLLY SLEEPY WHENEVER HE RECIEVES AFFECTION JUST LIKE A FEW KISSES AND HES GONE WITH THE WIND

imagine the use of “pretty boy” to m! reader ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

1ST SCENARIO

It was yet another day at work in the agency alongside your boyfriend, Dazai

Who was also texting your other boyfriend, Chuuya.

Meanwhile, you were focusing on finishing your work as your phone buzzed in sync with giggles from Dazai sitting in the desk beside you.

The moment you finished your paperwork you looked over to his grinning face with a lifted brow before pulling your phone out and reading your notifications:

Chu Chu 10:47 PM

What are you guys doing?

Osa 10:49 PM

Dying of boredom 💔

Chu Chu 10:49

So you’re doing nothing

Osa 10:50

Chuuya expects so little of me! I’m working very hard!!

Chu Chu 10:50

Whatever I’m going back to work

Ah so that’s why Dazai was giggling.

Such a shame though, he seems so bored again now without anything to do. (bc he refuses to do his work)

So, as the good boyfriend you are, you picked up your phone and started typing.

You 10:52

Don’t be a bully Chu

Chu Chu 10:53

Tf you mean bully???

You 10:53

Poor Osamu is crying now!!!

Right on cue, you hear Dazai giggling again with his phone in his hands. He looks up at you with a giant grin, mischief already riddling his complexion.

Dazai wheels his chair right beside yours and whispers something in your ear, causing you to nod and chuckle to yourself.

Dazai put on a sad face, a pout with some puppy eyes, (Literally this emoji 🥺) and you took a photo of him with your phone.

You 10:55

[Sent an image]

Chu Chu 10:55

Oh stfu

Osa 10:55

ITS TRUE YOUVE BROKEN MY HEART SLUG 💔

Chu Chu 10:55

I’m going back to work.

You 10:56

CHUUYA APOLOGIZE

Osa 10:56

APOLOGIZE

Chu Chu 10:56

STFU IM WORKING

Osa 10:57

APOLOGIZE‼️

You 10:57

APOLOGIZE

Chu Chu 10:58

OH MY FUCKING GOD

He loves you guys <3

2ND SCENARIO

Chuuya and Dazai had gone off to shower together after the 3 of you had an… intimate moment. You however, decided to shower after them because you were fucking exhausted.

Having two guys in bed with you is a lotta work, who knew.

You stayed laying down on the mattress, an arm over your face as your eyes started growing heavy. Ultimately, you fell asleep for a short nap.

In, what for you felt like a few minutes, Chuuya and Dazai had exited the bathroom with a new set of outfits on.

The second they laid their eyes on you Chuuya spoke up, “Oh what the fuck? You can’t even just put on your boxers??”

You woke up at the sound of his voice, situating yourself to rest on your elbows lazily as you looked back at them both. “Yup. Too much work..” you sighed.

Dazai chuckled, “Oh no, please, do keep yourself as comfortable possible~.” He smirked, eyeing your bare body admiringly.

“Ok- you, go fuckin shower,” he ordered, pointing at you sternly before turning around to Dazai.

“And you- stop fucking looking! I’m not going another round just because you can’t relax!” He shoves his hands over Dazai’s eyes, pushing him and himself out of the bathroom doorway for you to go in.

You sighed tiredly, begrudgingly getting up and grabbing yourself some clothing from the dresser. You groggily walked into the bathroom, leaving Chuuya and Dazai alone.

As you closed the door behind you, Chuuya removed his hands from Dazai’s face, revealing a pouting expression.

“What?” Chuuya questioned,

Dazai just responded simply, “Cockblocker.”

3RD SCENARIO

You were all sitting on the couch watching a movie, yourself sitting in the middle. Dazai had his head resting on your shoulder while Chuuya was locking hands with you.

It was late at night so it was normal for you to be tired, but you didn’t feel like falling asleep in the slightest quite yet, the movie holding your attention a bit too well.

That was until you felt Dazai place a soft peck on your jawline, and you just instantly internally melted.

Your eyes started growing heavy like it was magic, you suddenly didn’t have the strength to even keep your head up! You laid your head atop of Dazai’s, his soft locks not doing you any favors.

You were at war with your eyelids, fighting to keep them open so you could keep watching the movie with your boyfriends.

Chuuya then looked over to you, noticing your battle to stay awake. “Are you falling asleep?” He chuckled, you replied stubbornly “No..”

He just laughed again, sliding his hand around your head and pulling you in to use his lap as a pillow. “It’s ok, pretty boy,” he smiled softly “just get your rest, we can always watch the movie again.”

Dazai watched the scene play out between you two, deciding to join in as he laid down as well. He rested his head onto your chest as he laid on top of you.

“Get your rest, handsome,” he teased, his words accompanied by another soft kiss, this time to your neck.

With that, you accepted your fate. Within just a few seconds, you were out like a light.

“Night sleeping beauty.” Chuuya whispered softly, lulling you further into sleep with a hand in your hair.

TYSM FOR GIVING ME THESE SCENARIOS THEY WERE SO CUTE ALSO HAPPY LATE VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE <33

[sorceresssundries]

The Stars of Simril

Pairing: Gale x Tav (gn)

Summary: Gale and Tav sit together on the night of Simril, stargazing and storytelling. SFW.

Find it on AO3

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: This was all @alpydk's beautiful idea!! All I did was try and breathe a little life into it. I hope you like it.

'Simril was chiefly celebrated after dark, when the stars were visible across the sky. Celebrants located stars associated with their own births, or with their ancestors. Those without a lucky star could purchase star maps from merchants to help divine which belonged to them, based on when and where they were born. Cloudy weather was considered especially favorable on Simril, as finding one's star on an overcast sky was viewed as a blessing from Tymora. Simril was celebrated outside, with people trying to stay awake the entire night gathered around bonfires with plenty of music, food, and warm drinks.'

Gale Dekarios sat atop an old, abandoned rooftop underneath an obscured night sky and thought of his mother. Back home in Waterdeep, the city would be alive with laughter and music, the streets would be filled with the chiming joy of children energised by the thrill of the nightlong festival of Simril. They would eat sweets, dance to music and no doubt be fast asleep in the arms of relieved parents before dawn broke. But, for a little while, bedtime was a burden for tomorrow and tonight was for finding stars and receiving blessings. 

Ever since Gale was a boy, he and his mother had their own cherished tradition. The stakes were simple but high - the first to spot a Dekarios star would earn a silver shard, to be cast into the harbour waters with a wish. Gale's mother had always assured him that wishes made under the family's lucky star on the night of Simril were destined to come true. Gale would win every year, and it was only now he was alone, he realised it was because she always let him. It pained Gale to think that, year after year, he had wished for new magic, power, or knowledge. All he wished for now was the warm familiarity of home.

From down here, the vast expanse of space appeared serene and tranquil. It was almost impossible to believe it held a symphony of life echoing through the planes. Perhaps, he pondered, there existed another soul on a distant world, beneath another clouded sky, gazing upward and thinking of their mother. He hoped so. It made him feel a little less alone.

“Care for some company?” Gale turned to see Tav at the top of the ladder, clutching a bottle of wine and two glasses. He should have known they would find his hiding spot. He supposed taking a blanket up to an abandoned rooftop in the wilderness wasn’t exactly subtle. He was glad Tav found him. 

“Only if it’s yours” he said with a smile, and turned his face back towards the sky.

“You’ve picked a poor night for stargazing” Tav placed themselves on the blanket next to him, and their familiar, comforting woodsy scent wrapped round him and reminded him of the giant bonfires which would send smoke up to the star-speckled Waterdhavian sky. 

“Ah, that is where you are wrong.” He looked at Tav with a glint of magic in the warmth of his eyes. “A cloudy sky is a good omen on the night of Simril. If you manage to find your star when the sky is overcast, you are granted a blessing from Tymora. The lady of luck herself.”

“Your star?” Tav laughed but was not surprised. If anyone was to have ownership of a star, it would be Gale. 

“Every resident of Waterdeep has a star associated with them. Chosen based on birth and ancestry. Mine is up there, somewhere.” His voice sounded wistful, and Tav knew he was aching for his home. They didn’t say anything, just joined him in his silence and waited for him to continue.

“Some years, the sky was so clear and stars so bright you could practically breathe them in. As a child, I would spend the whole evening with moon-filled eyes and lungs full of stardust. I would stay up all night and watch my star, thinking it belonged to me.” Tav thought they saw a shimmer in his eyes, but it was quickly blinked away. “How odd, to think of the naiveties we grow out of; to think there was a whole person fighting through sleep to hang his small childlike hopes on a star that was never his.”

Tav let the moment sit, and considered their own past. “I wish I had a star” they whispered with soft longing.

“Well then, come on!" Gale rose to his feet, extending a hand to lift Tav up beside him. With a graceful sweep of his hand and a whispered incantation, he commanded the sky to transform, shedding its veil to reveal a pristine expanse of stars shimmering above them. Though they remained on their rooftop, it felt as though the heavens had opened up just to grant them a few hours of unobstructed wonder. Gale's voice was a soft murmur as he turned to Tav, excitement flashing in his eyes. "Let's find you a star."

“Isn’t this cheating?” Tav laughed “I thought part of the custom was to find your lucky star in spite of the clouds?’

“Let’s make our own luck shall we?”

Positioned behind Tav, Gale gently placed a hand on their waist, the warmth of his touch grounding them as they both gazed up at the celestial display. With his free hand, he began to trace a path among the twinkling lights, pointing out constellations that clustered together like families. He explained the stories behind them with the bright, clear confidence of someone who knew them by heart. He painted the night sky with the vibrant hues of mythology and wonder.

He spoke of Belnimbra's Belt, a constellation of five stars named for the legend of the first human female to have been turned into a swanmay. He recounted how she was relentlessly pursued by Lathander, God of the rising Dawn.

His hand swept across the Galleon Nebula, and his arm tightened around Tav’s waist as he spoke with soft reverie about how it is two million miles long and resembles a celestial ship forever destined to row itself across the sea of night. 

He told of the tragedy of Cassima, a maiden who was accused of evil witchcraft and burned at the stake. Selûne took pity on her, and transformed Cassima into a phoenix to rise in glory and join her in the heavens. Her star still flames bright in defiance of those who condemned her.

After he finished, he ran his hand along Tav’s bare arm and lifted their hand with his own to point out unmentioned stars.

“Pick one, and it’s yours” His voice was a delicate promise. “In hundreds of years time, lovestruck fools will tell your heroic story under a cloudy, Simril sky to enchant their beloved, and the other stars will flicker with envy.”

Tav blushed and nudged him playfully. “I’m no hero, wizard. Just a lost soul”. The sky, which to Gale was a memorised book of well-loved stories in a familiar language, was to Tav nothing more than a blank canvas of light and mirrors, blinking their own loneliness back at them. Tav knew as little of the stars as they did their own past.

“I don’t know anything about my birth or my ancestors, or even the stars. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“Well, then it’s lucky you’re with an astronomical expert.” He pointed their entwined hands at a small, clear light a little way apart from the larger groups. The slightly brighter of two stars so close they almost looked like they were touching. 

“What about that one?” Gale was holding Tav so tightly now it could not be described as anything other than an embrace. Tav could feel the steady rise-and-fall of his chest against their back, and the rhythm of it calmed their dancing heart.

“I like that one, what’s it called?”

“Not all of them have a name yet, that one is unclaimed. A clean slate. All yours.” his thumb stroked Tav’s wrist as he brought their arm back down, and he wrapped himself around them fully. “Of course, you will have to be ok with sharing a little bit of the night sky” Tav thought they felt a soft kiss against their hair. “I picked the one right next to mine.”

Tav didn’t say anything, but Gale felt a warm tear fall against the skin of his arm. They stayed there for a while, stargazing, until the dull ache of tiredness started to crack through Gale’s illusion. Soon it would be the end of Simril, and the start of a new day. 

“I’m sorry you didn’t get your lucky blessing” said Tav as they descended the ladder. 

“That’s ok.” He offered with the warmth Tav’s company had re-ignited in him. “Who needs lady luck, when I have you looking out for me?” 

“Speaking of which!...” Tav said with excitement. “I found a whole collection of enchanted rings buried in the village, so you should be set for a while..” 

The two of them walked together back to camp, laughing and chatting with the ease of two people falling in love - their hands occasionally brushing against each other, mirroring two almost-touching stars which had just appeared, faint and winking, in the sky above them.

Back in Waterdeep, A tired Morena Dekarios stood at Deepwater harbour, looking up at the distant light of her son’s star. Not as bright as it had been, nor as bright as it would be. But still there, nonetheless - defiant and hopeful. She cast a silver shard into the moonlit water and wished that, somewhere, her son was safe and cared for.

[oblooga]

It's you and I

Synopsis: (fem!reader) best friends to lovers with a hint of fake/misunderstood dating :)))

Characters: Kazuha, Al-Haitham

Author's note: SPOILERS FOR 3.4 STORY QUEST (Alhaitham's part!! though now Fontaine is released idk if anyone still hasn't done Sumeru but I'm putting this here just in case^^)

This is a gift for @kazumist for the @solarisfortuneia Summer Santa event!! This was supremely fun to write, I have no idea how to write Alhaitham though, so forgive me if he's a little OOC. I hope you like it :))))

P.S. lyrics is from "poster boy" by Lyn Lapid-- I was looping the song while writing this

Kaedehara Kazuha

The vision hunt decree is finally over, and with it ends the bloodshed and violence that has lingered on your doorstep for years. With a brand new day free of bitter purple lighting comes new beginnings, new futures, and new-old friends returning to their homeland. 

One such friend is Kaedehara Kazuha.

You’ve known each other since you were little— dressed in nappies, sharing childhoods, summers spent racing in fields of gold and exploring caves filled with shimmering blue flowers. He had to flee when the vision hunt decree bore down his back– you still remember sending him away on a night dark as the loneliest shadows, holding back your tears as you watch the solidarity boat sail away from the harbor. 

(away from you.)

But ages have past, regimes have changed, and he can finally return home. Your family has agreed to house him, on account of his precious abode being completely destroyed in the Vision Hunt Decree.

And…also due to a big misunderstanding, as you were about to find out. 

“Y/n, where’s that boyfriend of yours? Didn’t you say he’d be here by noon?” Your mother calls from the kitchen, bustling around as she prepares lunch. 

You spit out the tea you’d been sipping, “I—I’m sorry, what boyfriend?”

“You know? That white haired boy with the red streak that lived next door? Kazuha?”

“Mom,” you groan, “he’s not—“

“Did someone say my name?” A voice calls from the doorway, gentle as the breeze sweeping through golden fields, fondness and amusement settling in its tone like leaves falling in autumn. 

In the doorway of your home stands Kaedehara Kazuha, looking every bit the same as you’d last seen him, just a bit taller and a bit more weary of the world. But he brightens up and chuckles when you leap into his embrace and cling onto him like an overzealous Bake-Danuki. 

“I missed you!! It’s been boring without you, Inazuma has changed so much and everyone’s talking about how—“

“Hello to you too, Y/n, how have you been? It’s been quite a while hasn’t it,” he mumbles into your hair as you continue to yammer on animatedly about the things he's missed.

“Y/n,” your mom calls from the kitchen, exasperated, “why don’t you let the poor boy into the house before you talk his ear off? Lunch is almost ready, please can you help set the table?” 

“Of course,” Kazuha cuts in smoothly before you’ve even had a chance to reply, patting your head and letting you down gently before sauntering into the kitchen. 

"How can I help you, Ma'am?" He smiles at your mom, helping hold the oven door open as she shoves a giant seasoned chicken inside.

“Oh, you’re a man after my heart,” your mom titters, smiling good naturedly at him, “just as how you’ve captured Y/n’s heart, hmm?” She turns and winks at you, and Kazuha smiles. 

“Well, I’m not quite sure about that just yet,” he says, glancing at you and raking his eyes over your flushed and confused face. “But I most certainly would like for it to be true," he murmurs, as he sends you a shy but sure smile, raising his brows at your reddened cheeks. 

“Ka-Kazuha,” you start flusteredly, “wh— you’re– w–wh–"

"Ah, young love," your mom sighs dramatically, and shoos the both of you out of the kitchen. "Nevermind helping me out, the both of you are so besotted with each other it'll be hard to get any work down. Off you go!" 

And so Kazuha easily gets out of the kitchen work that you've been subjected to for the many years you've lived in this house. You can't even be surprised– there's just something about the boy that is so soothing, so silently charming, that draws one in as unnoticeably as the autumn wind that comes every September.

"Kazuha, should we talk about this? We're not… you're… what are you doing?" You ask him hesitantly, trailing behind as he leads you out of the house and into the gardens. 

"Well– it'd be rude to ruin your mom's fantasies, right?" He grins, turning to a stop in front of you. "She seems so happy to have me around that…I'd feel slightly guilty if we tell her we're just friends and ruin whatever extravagant wedding she'd hold in the future." 

"You–!" You blush immediately, mind wandering to satin gowns and lavish kimonos and Kazuha in draped in silks and– "--married???"

"I mean, it wouldn't be so bad would it," his voice quiets to a hush, something unreadable in his smile as he leans over you and gently removes a leaf from your hair. "Well, maybe not getting married just yet," he says, making a face, "but maybe-- you dating me. As besotted with each other as your mom thinks we are," he chuckles, and turns away before you can fully decipher the feelings on his face.

And it's not…it's not as if you haven't thought of it before. Young as you were when you first met, a large part of your life was spent with Kazuha. You didn't know when your relationship developed from neighbours to best friends, but you'd never trade for anything the long nights spent dashing through starlight-fields, swimming in the salty ocean and chasing each other through the winding streets of town. He'd grown from a chubby boy into a lean man, the carefree, easy smile on his face never failing to cause butterflies in your stomach, ones that you've dismissed to be teenage hormones, before you realized said hormones were specifically centered around him. They say distance makes the heart fonder, and perhaps it's true, for both of you, because he's come back and seemed to have changed his mind about you. Changed his heart about you. (centered his heart around you.)

And… perhaps you had too. 

"Alright," you say slowly, unable to resist grinning at the full-blown smile that breaks across his face like the sun rising after a cold, lonely night. "We can try…this, whatever this is, out. No more faking though, for real this time, except we don't tell my mom it was ever fake because I don't want to sit through another of her lectures."

"Deal," Kazuha laughs, taking your hand in his and pressing a kiss to your knuckles, something in his eyes sparkling with an intensity that promises of a bright future. "I promise I won't breathe a word of your deceit–" he gets a snack on the shoulder for that– "to your mom, if you let me eat your caramel pudding."

"Hey!" You exclaim, wrinkling your nose at him, "just because you're now my boyfriend does not mean you get dessert rights-- get back here this instant Kazuha--!"

And so, in the season of autumn, in spite of the things that wither and fall and fade away, a brilliant and steadfast relationship begins to bloom.

2. Alhaitham

“Date me.”

You push your head up from where you’ve been laying on the table, turning bleary eyes to an ash-haired scholar standing next to your desk. “Hmm—?” you yawn, your brain too foggy from sleep to process his words. 

“Date me,” Alhaitham, academic-rivals-turned-study-partners-turned (begrudging)-best-friend, repeats impatiently.

You finally process his words and frown, blinking the sleep out of your eyes to sit up properly and stare at him. “Are you— are you alright? Did you eat breakfast? Did you ingest something Kaveh oh Archons above Kaveh better not have—“ 

“The Akademiya has proposed a “Day of Love”,” he cuts in, ignoring your spew of genuine concern, “to celebrate the passion and affection shared between romantic lovers. And also as an excuse to take a day off from their work I suppose,” he tsks, “which in any case brings me back to the question I’ve had the misfortune to ask for the third time— will you go on a date with me?” He crosses his arms and stares more intensely at you.

“…Aren’t you the Acting Grand Sage? Can’t you just get them to cancel this "Day of Love"?” you question, and he turns surprisingly defensive and brushes you off immediately. “No can do. It’s central to the welfare of the people of Sumeru.” Your suspicion deepens. You're not sure how… celebrating love and passion can increase the happiness of people of a country that had just experienced a never ending time-loop– okay, maybe you can see the point. 

"I mean…sure I guess…?" You shrug and agree, seeing how Alhaitham doesn't seem to be willing to let this go so easily. 

Which leads to your Saturday being spent on a date with someone you'd once thought didn't even have the word love in their vocabulary. 

Sumeru City was decorated to the nines, pink fairy lights stringed across branches of lush greenery that sprawled across the city, couples everywhere sharing giggles and smiles and kisses. It is all horribly romantic and a part of your heart can't help but flutter in anticipation, for what– exactly, you're not sure, but there is definitely a sense of love in the air. 

Not that the man besides you seems to notice any of it. Al walks at his usual brisk pace, dragging you through stalls of street foods and tiny trinkets, offering his (entirely unasked for) professional opinion on every item you land your sight on. It feels less like a date and more like…a research trip, if you were being honest. You've learnt more about the symbols of love than you'd ever asked for, and you can feel the romantic bones in your body draining of calcium by the minute. 

Although that isn't to say you aren't enjoying yourself. Al follows patiently behind you when you wander off to coo at some shiny necklace (which he purchased behind your back and sneaked into your purse), does not laugh at you when you stuff your mouth full of shawarma warp (although you can see the curl on his lips that belies his seriousness), and only sighs when you make him climb to the very top of the city to watch the sunset with you.

"What a day," you sigh contentedly, turning a fond smile at him. "Did you enjoy the date, Al?" You tease, leaning forward to poke at his nose as his blank expression develops into a scowl. 

"I have procured a valuable amount of information and experience that will be quite useful to me in writing my… future endeavors," he replies, returning your poke with a pinch of your cheeks. 

"Aha!" You exclaim, eyes widening and pointing at him. "I knew there was more to this! No way the Acting Grand Sage would ask me out on a date with no ulterior motive. Be honest, will you? Did you assign yourself a research on the topic of love because your life lacks so much of it?" You tease, watching him cross his arms and avoid your gaze entirely.

He remains silent for far too long, and your attention returns back to the scenery in front of you. Clouds laze across a purple pink sky, the sun had long set and only left behind ghosts of its golden rays that haze over Sumeru like a shimmering fairy, dancing betweens people lounging on benches and sprawled out on grass, enjoying the final moments of a beautiful day.

"...It was my idea."

"Hm?" You turn back to face the scholar, who's still looking resolutely ahead. Belated realization hits you, and you give him a smile of fond exasperation. "I knew it, Al, it was for a paper wasn't it? You could've just asked me to help, instead of only now revealing your big, evil intention. You know, I wouldn't have minded–"

"But I would," he cuts in, finally turning to face you. Those teal green eyes stare intensely into yours, red irises blazing as bright as the sun that sank low over the horizon. 

"You would…?" You trail off in confusion.

"I would've minded," he continues, leaning close enough that you could smell the scent of tattered book and dried ink that clings to his sleeves, "if you thought I had a big, evil intention in mind. Because you see," he says, hints of amusement coloring his features as you flusteredly back away from his advances, "I absolutely could've canceled the "Day of Love"."

"I was the one who proposed the idea after all."

He smirks at you with self-satisfaction, that hint of arrogance and unbeatable intelligence showing through before he schools his features back into nonchalance. Not without a new-found assumed tilt to his lips, of course. 

"Wh–huh?" Your mind was whirring at extremely high speeds, brain unable process the implications his words offer. 

The pink skies hold no candle to the pink staining your cheeks– as the clouds gather speed and the golden rays depart you finally realize what his words mean. 

"So you– you basically forced this "Day of Love" onto Sumeru to ask me out??" You say incredulously, turning a look of equal disbelief and hysteria on him. 

"I wouldn't say forced– it really is central to the welfare of the people of Sumeru," he mutters, once again avoiding your eye, trying to affect complete nonchalance again. 

"Oh Al," you giggle, and lay your head on his shoulder. He tenses, but then you feel his body relax as he gingerly settles an arm on yours. 

"All you had to do was ask."

thanks for reading!

[dumbkiri]

hi!! how are you? i hope you are having a lovely day and staying hydrated.

i just would like to request a tobio x fem!reader where reader is the younger sister of oikawa and because of the "bad blood" between the two, she gets tired and lectures them about how they should stop their petty fight and, at least, be civilized with each other. (though oikawa is mainly the petty one 😂)

it's a bit messy, so it's okay if you don't decide it or completely change the plot.

btw, i absolutely love your fics!!! and i definitely am a fan of yours!!!

𝐁𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬

ᴋᴀɢᴇʏᴀᴍᴀ ᴛᴏʙɪᴏ x ꜰᴇᴍ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

The Karasuno Boys volleyball team were excited to be invited to the Karasuno’s Girls volleyball tournament. The tournament was called ‘Spring Days’, it was showcasing the popular teams of Japan and they couldn't wait to see all the cute girls there.

Then they were all smacked in the face when Kageyama offhandedly said that he wouldn’t be there to support the Karasuno girls. 

“What do you mean you’re not going to support them! They always support us!” Hinata shouted at his grumpy teammate. The orange haired male was currently shaking the life out of Kageyama. 

Then Kageyama scowled and began wrestling Hinata as he said, “Because I would be betraying someone important to me. She plays for Shiratorizawa.” 

“Eh?” Hinata stopped shaking Kageyama and just stared at him blankly while being held in a chokehold by said male. Then he whispered so the rest of the boys practicing wouldn’t hear them, “Someone important? Like a girlfriend?” 

“Is that a problem?” Kageyama casually asked, pushing Hinata away. He picked up his drink and started gulping down the water in his plastic bottle. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and shrugged his shoulders, “It’s a good thing I get a free ride there, but don’t expect me to cheer for our school.” 

“We are there to support our team, Kageyama,” Sawamura crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at the young teen with his dad stare, “And if I don’t hear you cheer for them, you will not set for two games- no three games.” 

Kageyama deflated and looked off to the side in thought. You would understand the punishment he was getting and would want him to do what’s best for him. But your attitude was going to be different during the game. “Fine, but if our school faces Shiratorizawa, you’re gonna wish I cheered for her instead.” 

The boys watched as the volleyball nerd went over to the net getting ready to practice some sets. They had no idea what he meant by that and left to join him for practice. 

…..

Saturday came quicker than the boys anticipated, nonetheless they sported the Karasuno jackets and walked into the large stadium with giant smiles on their faces. They all loved the feeling they got walking up to the court, so sometimes it was weird for them to be watching and being the supporting students. 

Kageyama was glued to his phone, messaging his girlfriend non-stop. Hinata would definitely peek over Kageyama’s shoulder, but he would always be pushed away with a hand in front of his face. The boys were seated in the first row and had an amazing view of the court. 

Kageyama was doing perfectly fine until he heard his rival speaking from afar. “Ah, the poor little trashy crows have to play against my amazing little sister. I can only imagine how giant the point difference is going to be.” 

Kageyama looked to his left to see two empty seats. That was until that annoying voice still praising his sister got closer. His dark blue eyes looked up to see brown ones glaring at him. Then another male popped up from behind the curly brown haired person.

 “Ah, Kageyama, you’re here to support [Name] as well?” Iwaizumi asked, walking in front of Oikawa and greeting the stumped black haired male. 

Kageyama bowed his head then said, “No, I’m not allowed to cheer for her or else I won’t be a setter for three games.” 

Iwaizumi sat down next to him and chuckled, “I get it and I’m sure she would as well. Did you tell her?” The older teen got comfortable and looked at his old teammate. 

“I’m afraid she’s going to give the Karasuno girls a hard time if I did,” Kageyama admitted with his eyes directed hard at the ground. 

A loud laugh caught their attention and Oikawa leaned back into his seat with a smug smile on his face. “[Name] is so going to crush your trashy team solo! If I were you, I would tell your other halves to forfeit now.” 

Iwaizumi elbowed Oikawa’s rib cage causing the male to lurch forward with a holler. Before Kageyama could agree with his rival, his loud teammates came into the picture with heated glares, “What makes your snotty sister so special, huh?” Tanaka shouted while Nishinoya stood behind him with a fist in the air, “Ten bucks, our team does the crushing instead!” 

“Deal!” Oikawa shouted back with one hand holding his side while Iwaizumi shook his head from the lack of awareness these idiots had. The usually grumpy male leaned over to Kageyama and whispered, “You do know that your team is going to make trashykawa super rich after this game?” 

Kageyama crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled back, “I tried to warn them.” 

“Welcome all to the Spring Days tournament where talented ladies from all over Japan showcase their volleyball skills.” 

The female announcer excitedly proclaimed in her microphone. The males couldn’t focus on what she was saying because a new group arrived behind them and this group wasn’t going to go unnoticed. 

“Oh my, is that Oikawa Tooru? The big brother of our baby eagle, [Name]?” 

Kageyama peeked a glance at his rival and saw the instant disgust on the male’s face which caused a bit of happiness to appear on his own face. Kageyama thought this was a perfect karma moment for the smug male. 

“You do well to address my little sister by her last name. Just because she trains with that guy, doesn’t mean you cannot show her or myself some respect!” Oikawa pointed at a very tall third year student. 

Ushijima looked down at Oikawa with his eyes and stated, “Your sister likes the nickname the team gave her and she has all our respect because of her skills. At least she took my advice to join the girls team at Shiratorizawa unlike you. She’s being nurtured if that’s what you care about.” 

“Don’t word it like that, it makes you sound like a pervert! Also that’s because I don’t want to be your teammate! You’re the one that brainwashed my poor sister! I should have persuaded her to spend her time elsewhere!” 

“What, like Karasuno?” Tendou snidely said with a snicker. 

Kageyama could feel the tension from his captain and vice captain as Daichi spoke up with a fake smile on his face. The third year Karasuno male turned around and asked Tendou with that cheap smile, “Something wrong with Karasuno?”

Tendou hummed and shrugged his shoulders, “Ehh~ You don’t really see people with skill choose Karasuno unless they’re rejects,” He looked at the back of Kageyama’s head, “Or useless dreamers.” He stared at the rest owlishly. 

“That’s enough out of your mouth,” Semi joined in and told everyone to focus on the game which is about to start. Everyone had their feathers ruffled up in some way and it was because of their snide remarks to one another. 

“For our first game, we have Karasuno vs Shiratorizawa! Please welcome them to the court!” 

Kageyama pulled out his backpack from under his chair and everyone looked at him suspiciously. He didn’t pay attention to their questioning glares as his eyes were on a girl who looked around the arena for him. Of course, your knees were not covered by your usual white and purple knee pads. 

It only took another minute for you to find him and you ran over to the stands with a giant grin on your face.

 “Tobio, thank you so much for bringing them! I forgot I left them at your place!” You huffed out and sat down in front of his backpack digging in it without any permission. You found your knee pads and took them out with a sigh of relief. “You just saved me from running ten laps back home.” 

“It’s no problem at all,” Kageyama responded with a gentle smile on his face as he admired your look. The rest of his teammates were baffled by the look of his face and how pretty you were. You seemed kind, way kinder than your older brother. 

You slipped your knee pads over your shoes and comfortably on your knees. You looked up at Tobio and blushed at the soft look he was giving you, but you could tell he wanted to tell you something. “Is something wrong, Tobio?” 

“Yes!” Your brother shouted standing up from the bleachers, “He’s not going to cheer for you! But don’t worry, you have me!” 

“And us!” Tendou shouted from a row behind. You laughed and pushed yourself up from the floor. You weren’t going to tell them that you didn’t notice them because of your attention to your boyfriend. 

“Is there a reason why you’re not going to cheer for me, Tobio?” You asked with a pout on your face and he stood up immediately to comfort you. You loved this about him, he was pretty shy, but he made sure to keep you happy. 

He looked at his team then to you and explained, “They didn’t believe me when I said that my girlfriend plays for Shiratorizawa and said that if I didn’t cheer for the Karasuno girls then I wouldn’t set for three games.” 

You laughed and gave Kageyama a quick hug pushing him gently back onto his seat, “Eh, don’t worry Tobio. I was just teasing you. I know I will always have your support! Anyways, what’s the bet?” 

“You know about the bet?” Hinata questioned bewildered by your psychic abilities and you scoffed with a smirk on your face as you gestured over to your older brother, “Please, if my brother doesn’t force someone to bet on my skills then he’s not my Tooru.” 

“We bet ten dollars,” Oikawa said and leaned back while Iwaizumi shook his head in exaggeration. 

Then you rolled your eyes and fixed your knee pads a bit while saying, “I would have gone higher, older brother. But that’s okay, I hope to see you all in the finals.” You winked at Kageyama and shouted over your shoulder as you walked away, “I better not hear the both of you talking smack to one another. It throws me off my game!” 

Oikawa sat back in his spot and glared at Kageyama, “Why were her knee pads at your place?”

Kageyama shrugged his shoulders and zipped up his bag. The words from you not even seconds ago being forgotten because of a cruel idea in his head. He was tired of Oikawa and this was for sure going to get him riled up.

Kageyama turned his head and smirked at Oikawa, “Maybe because she spends most of her time on her knees.” 

“I dare you to say that again!” Oikawa shouted while being held back by Iwaizumi who had to hide his blush from his former teammate. He wasn't expecting Kageyama to be that bold!

“I meant what I said!” You shouted, giving a glare at your rambunctious brother.

..........

Thank you for your support and I hope this was a fun read for you because I had fun writing it!!

[ezzydantes]

Soldier

Author's Note: This is a request from @mehiwilldoitlater. I hope I did your boy proud! Smoker finds out that his lover, y/n, was kidnapped after being found out by enemy pirates. Warnings: Language, Violence, and fluff towards the end.

Smoker's eyes widened in horror as Doflamingo landed in front of him holding you by your neck. The fear and panic in your eyes were enough to make the seasoned Vice Admiral's stomach turn as you fought uselessly against the one hand that continued to squeeze around your airway.

"You wouldn't happen to know who this little kitten belongs to, would you, Smoker?" the Heavenly Demon cackled as he brought you closer to his face and licked along your cheek, enjoying the fact that you were beginning to turn purple at this point, clawing at his hand and trying to kick out of his iron-tight grip. The warlord threw you to the ground with a sickening thud, that caused you to scream in pain as you landed on your side, most likely breaking some ribs. You immediately began trying to move as far away from your kidnapper as fast as you could only to be stopped by Doflamingo pinning you down on the ground with his foot while he stared at your lover.

"Y/N!!!" Smoker shouted as he began to rush towards you.

"Ah..ah...ah...", the blonde tsked as he applied a bit more pressure to his foot, causing you to scream again, "any further and I may accidentally squish your poor little lover."

"Ah... CHASE!" you shouted as you tried to push the giant's foot off of you, "Don't worry about me! Motherfucker, get off me!"

"The Hell I won't worry about you!", the Marine growled as he spit his cigars out and readied his weapon, "GET OFF MY WOMAN, YOU BASTARD!"

The Logia Devil User lunged for the Paramecia User, being caught off guard as the latter kicked you up into the air towards the him, causing the younger man to drop his weapon and catch you. This gave the Heavenly Demon a chance to charge the both of you, knocking you and your lover back a good ways into a solid stone rock. "Chase!" you called his nickname as you tried to remain conscious enough to shake him awake, knowing that the warlord was making his way towards you both.

The white-haired man immediately engulfed you in his arms and caged you against the rock, trying desperately to keep the blows from Doflamingo reaching you. You began crying as you saw the inexplicable pain that the Marine tried to hide from you as he squinted, continuously bracing himself after every hit to make sure that you didn't feel any of it. "Baby!?" you cried out again as he tried to muster a painful smile.

"I got you, Baby Girl", he grunted as he tried to convey through his eyes what he couldn't physically explain right now as he took blow after blow.

He would die for you if he had to... if it meant protecting you in this fight, he'd gladly lay down his life, but he wasn't going to give up that easily. He had to get you out of there and to Tashigi and the rest of G5. He knew they would keep you safe as they knew the nature of your relationship to their leader. You were his childhood sweetheart, the only person in this world who had stood beside him for all these years. He'd be damned if after everything he lost you now and especially not to a piece of shit like Donquixote Doflamingo.

In between the barrage of fists and kicks, Smoker managed to dodge long enough to pull you to him and shoot off into the air. "Hold on, Baby Girl... I'm going to keep you safe", he coughed as he tried to keep his wits about him flying through the air, avoiding Doflamingo's aerial attacks as well as make sure he didn't drop you.

"Vice Admiral! Smoker!" he heard the shouts of his crew and he gripped you closer to him, kissing your forehead as he lowered himself just enough that he knew they could catch you. "I'm going to draw him off...."

"Chase! That's suicide!" you gripped him tighter, trying to make sure he couldn't drop you. If he was going to die, you were going to die with him. "Not without you!"

"STUBBORN ASS WOMAN!" he shouted as he pulled you from him, "We will both die if I cannot get you somewhere safe so that I can fight him with no worries."

Tears began pouring down your face as you realized he was doing this to protect you, to give himself a fighting chance to get back to you. "You better come back to me, Soldier!"

He chuckled as he swooped down and around again to avoid another attack from the warlord. "Yes, Ma'am", he promised, "Even if its on a stretcher for the dead... I'm coming back to you."

You kissed him as hard as you could, letting him know that he meant everything to you, before you let go of him as he dropped you into G5's awaiting arms. "Mrs. Smoker!" they shouted as they scrambled to get you away from the fray. "Be careful, she's hurt pretty bad!" "Watch it! Smokey will kill us if anything happens to his girl!" It was then that all of your injuries began to take a toll and you passed out as soon as Tashigi reached you. "Y/n!" she shouted as her face turned to darkness.

There were so many memories that you seemed to be reliving over and over. The first time you and Smoker met. The first time you both admitted to having feelings for each other. When he left to join the Marines and you had to go months without a word before finally getting letters. The first time you saw each other after he graduated from being a cadet to each promotion after that. His promise to love and protect you forever. The ring you knew he kept in his quarters that he thought you didn't know about.

After what felt like an eternity your body slammed back into consciousness and you awoke with a gasp and a grunt as you couldn't necessarily sit up in your current state. "Baby Girl!" your lover whispered as he gently caressed your forehead while kissing your lips carefully before cupping your face, "You're still here.... here with me..."

The white-haired man eased his forehead against yours as his non-existent grip on your cheeks began to increase in the slightest bits of pressure, fearfully trying not to cause any pain in your condition, "You almost left me.... "

Your tears were enough to let him know that it was not your intention to ever leave him as it was never his as well. Your eyes began to focus a bit more and you noticed all of his injuries. You scowled at him as you began raking your eyes all over him, assessing the damage. "You fucking, Beast.... " your voice hoarse from all of the shouting and the pain that had finally caught up to you.

"Right back at you, Sweetheart..." your Marine chuckled painfully as he grunted while situating himself precariously against you and gingerly taking you into his arms. You melted into his embrace.

"How did he get to you?" Smoker quietly spoke as he nuzzled into your neck, content to hear you breathing.

"I'm not exactly sure... one minute I'm in the kitchen talking to my cousin on the transponder snail and the next I'm flying over the ocean in that bastard's grip", you whispered back as you caressed your fingers through his white hair, enjoying the slight growl you solicited from him.

"I want you to move in with me at my post", he adjusted his head so that he was staring into your (e/c) eyes, taking a second to appreciate the light and life behind them.

"Stop looking at me like I'm dead, Baby...", you wrapped your arms around his head gently pulling him closer to your face as you peppered sweet kisses all over his bruised and battered face. You pulled away just enough to trace the scar over his face. "Takes more than Doucheflamingo to get rid of me."

"I'm serious, y/n..." Smoker stops your fingers caressing his face and gently kisses the inside of your palm before placing it on his chest, just above his heart, "Marry me... come be with me, Baby Girl..."

Your smile makes his heart skip a beat as you lean in and kiss him on his lips, once, twice... and the third lingered for good measure. The way the two of you always kissed before being separated for long periods of time. "I'll marry you, Chase... just always come back to me Soldier... that's an order."

"Aye aye..." he chuckled once more before pulling you into another kiss as he settled against your chest and fell asleep to your heartbeat, enamored by your voice saying, "I love you, Chase..."

The pair of you falling into a blissful sleep that was ruined the next morning by the G5 crew and Tashigi panicking trying to find the Vice Admiral only to find him passed out in bed with his lover. "Get the Hell outta here!" Smoker growled as he winced sitting up and trying to cover you as well.

You couldn't help but painfully laugh at the antics and knew that there would never be a dull moment with your soldier and his crew.

[crystalsnow95z]

An old story in my drafts that I really enjoy reading since for some reason I'm in a self loathing stage with all my new work.

Sickie: Taehyung with the flu

Tw; emeto

"No, no, no!" Jimin squeals with a giggle, running away from Jungkook's giant snowball that the mankae was holding.

"You should've thought about that before you hit me in the back of the head hyungie!" Jungkook uses both hands to chuck it at Jimin's back just barely making contact.

Jimin falls over laughing, gathering up the snowball remains to make a new ball, half the original size, chasing his attacker. "Jungkook-ah!"

Jungkook runs away from Jimin, unaware that he was running towards Taehyung, who hurls his own snowball, getting revenge for his soulmate.

"Aiish!" Jungkook jumps in surprise when he feels the snow hit his shoulder, looking around to see where it came from.

Taehyung quickly hides behind a tree, but Jungkook notices his footprints in the snow, gathering snow as he walks, hitting Taehyung in the side. "Found you!"

Jungkook starts shaking the tree, both getting covered in snow from the branches above, his hood protecting him from the snow, only having to shake his head to get it to fall off.

"Jungkook-ah that's cold! It went in my coat!" Taehyung complains with a whine, not being so lucky to have protection from the cold, trying to get the snow from the back of his jacket, wiping his snowy hands on Jungkook's cheek.

"That's cold! Hyung!" Jungkook laughs, trying to catch Taehyung's hands, the two wrestling each other to the ground.

Jimin watches the two play at a safe distance, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. "You two are crazy, you're getting soaked."

"Babies! It's time to get going! Come here!" J-hope calls to the three youngest.

Jimin goes over to them, offering a hand. "Hobi-hyubg is calling us. Playtimes over."

"It's been an hour and a half already? It went by so fast." Jungkook takes Jimin's hand, pulling himself up turning to Taehyung to do the same.

Taehyung takes Jungkook's hand, letting the mankae pull him to his feet. The three boys walk in the direction they heard J-hope. "It's much colder now that I'm not running around.."

"Aw my poor Tete, you're shivering.." Jimin wraps around him, making him have to waddle through the snow.

"Do you want to wear my beanie?" Jungkook offers, feeling guilty about getting Taehyung's hair wet. He takes it off and puts it on Taehyung without waiting for his answer. "Your ears are really red.. I'm sorry hyung."

"It's okay. I'll be warm when we get to the car." Taehyung reassures him with a smile, forcing his teeth not to chatter. Maybe I shouldn't have given my hat to hyung..

"Oh wow, you actually finished it. It's so cute." Jungkook goes up to the snowman the older boys were working on as their punishment for losing run BTS.

"I'm surprised we did." Namjoon proudly stands next to it, J-hope taking a photo.

"It's super cute. I like the little heart mouth."Jimin smiles brightly, touching the little stones.

"That was my idea. It took a bit to find enough rocks with all this snow." Jin presses one of the stones more firmly in place.

"The mouth reminds me of Hoba's smile. It's my favorite part, too. " Yoongi states, watching J-hope blush, smiling brightly.

"Jiminie, can you get a picture of all of us together before we go?" J-hope asks, pulling Namjoon and Jin closer to him for the photo, Jin putting his arm around Yoongi trying to hide his embarrassment.

Jimin happily obliges, smiling when he notices Jungkook photo bombing, making a funny face behind Jin. I'm surprised Taehyungie isn't joining in..

Jimin looks around to see where Taehyung was. The deagu boy was trying to blow on his hands to warm them. "Let's get one more photo and get home. Taehyungies really cold.." Jimin pulls Taehyung towards the group, letting staff take one group photo.

"I-i'm okay, Minnie." Taehyung gives a smile for the photo, feeling someone drape a scarf around him.

"Don't worry Vuu, we'll get you warm." Jin takes off his gloves, trying to rub warmth into Taehyung's reddened knuckles. "Take a shower when we get home..both you and Jk. I can hear your teeth chattering Gukkie."

"Taehyung-ah. It's time to wake up. It's time to get up.." J-hope crawls on top of the sleeping Taehyung, curling his body around him like a koloa.

Taehyung gives a low hum as a response, just barely waking up to the sound of J-hope's voice.

"Taehyungie.. we have a photoshoot to do today.." Jhope unburies Taehyung's face, his cheerful demeanor faltering. "Aiigo Tae, your nose is so red.. are you feeling okay?" He places his hands on Taehyung's cheek, checking for warmth, sighing with relief. He doesn't feel warm and he isn't pale..

"No.. my head hurts and my nose is all stuffed.." Taehyung's voice comes out in a husky low murmur. He tried to open his eyes to look at J-hope but he instantly closes them, the gentle sunlight peeking through the window being too much for his pounding head. "It's too bright.."

"Stay here, I'll go get you some medicine okay?" Hoseok rushes out of the room to find something for his headache making a mental note to ask staff to get some cold medicine.

"Where's Taehyungie?" Jimin asks when he sees J-hope leaving the room alone, peeking into the room to see

"He's still in the room. I think he caught a cold. He's congested, and it's giving him a headache.. I'm going to get him something for the pain. Could you go to the kitchen and get him some water?" J-hope asks continuing his adventure into his room to find the pills he packed in his travel bag.

Jimin goes into the kitchen to get water, rushing to check on his ailing soulmate. Taehyung had already started falling back to sleep, Jimin running his hand through his hair. "Taetae, you need to get up, I brought you some water, and hyung will bring you medicine.. You can come back to sleep after the photoshoot, okay?"

Taehyung sits up slowly, feeling lightheaded and weak. He had work to do. He didn't have time to lay around. I'm a professional..i can't let a small thing like a cold bring me down..I've done full concerts with a cold..taking photos is nothing..

He hyped himself up, opening his eyes slowly. "It's so bright out with the snow.." Taehyung complains softly, taking the water Jimin brought him,gulping down a few mouthfuls before closing it and placing it on the table, rubbing his fingertips over his rippling middle. "I shouldn't have eaten before bed..my stomach hurts.."

"I told you and Jungkookie eaten an hour before bed would upset your stomachs.." Jimin reaches to make small circles over Taehyung's sour stomach.

"Jungkook-ah has a stomach ache too?" Taehyung asks, worry etched on his face.

"He was complaining about having heartburn, but he's okay, he was eating when i left him.so it can't be that bad." Jimin reassures Taehyung. "You should eat something too."

"I'll eat after the photoshoot.." Taehyung had no appetite, the mention of food making him feel queasy, quickly making an excuse before Jimin could argue. "I'm not very hungry.. I ate last night.."

J-hope enters the room with a thermometer and two round pills, handing the pills to Taehyung and putting the thermometer by his ear to test his temperature. "Yoongi-hyung wanted to be sure he wasn't running a fever before we left. He's fine." It's only a tiny bit higher than his usual temperature,I'll just keep an eye on him..

Taehyung tried to focus on the photographers instructions, but the rice that J-hope insisted he eat before leaving since the shoot was estimated to be three hours long was churning uncomfortably in his stomach.

"Was that you Taetae?" J-hope asks when he hears the gurgling of the youngers stomach, holding him from behind for the group shots. "Are you feeling okay? Do you need a break?"

"No, I'm okay.." Taehyung tries to give J-hope a smile, but his smile doesn't last more than a second. He puts his hands in his pockets to stop himself from touching his stomach, pushing through the group shot.

I just need to get through my solo pictures, Jungkook do is solo shots then me, Jiminie and Jungkook do our mankae shots.. we're almost done.. I can't be getting sick now.

"Take it easy Tete, you don't want to push yourself.." Jimin rubs Taehyung's shoulder. "You're really tense.."

"My headache just came back.. it's just all these flashing lights.." Taehyung tries to downplay how he feels, quickly moving away to get some water.

"Taehyungie are you sure you're okay?" J-hope goes by Taehyung, feeling the back of his neck. "You're Sweating Taehyungie.."

"It's just all these lights." Taehyung coughs into his fist. "There's only a little bit left to do, then I can rest until practice later today.."

"No, no practice for you today. You need to focus on getting better." J-hope wasn't falling for Taehyung's tough guy act. Taking photos is one thing, but hours of dance practice.. I can't watch him push himself past his limits..

"But we're-"

"No, Taehyung. You need to focus on recovering. Go get your make up touched up, I'll get the okay from Namjoon." J-hope uses a stern tone.

"Yes hyung.." Taehyung goes to the makeup artist, bowing in apology for messing up his makeup, almost falling forward when a wave of pain washes over him where he bent his stomach. "I'm sorry.."

"No don't apologize, it's not your fault. It's no trouble at all. Do you want to blow your nose for me before I start?" The woman gives him a tissue, speaking politely.

Taehyung touches underneath his nose,blushing when he feels the sticky wet mucus touch his fingertips quickly turning away to blow his nose, wincing at the pressure behind his eyes. "I'm sorry.."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. It's not the first time it won't be the last.. just sit here and relax okay?"

Taehyung nods, taking a seat in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Namjoon asks when he approaches Taehyung, rubbing his shoulders. "You don't have to continue if you aren't feeling up to it."

"Yeah, yeah.. this cold is just kicking my butt.. I can finish the shoot. I'm okay." Taehyung relaxes a bit underneath Namjoon's touch. "That feels nice.."

"You're so tense Taehyung-ah.. I agree with Hobi, it's too much of a risk for to join dance practice. I don't want you pulling a muscle.." Namjoon frets over Taehyung.

"I'm sorry.. I'll be okay in a few days and I'll work hard to make up for it.." Taehyung hugs his stomach when another ripple of pain fills his middle, forcing himself to not lower his head as the makeup noona works on his eyes.

"Im almost finished." She says softly.

"Taehyung-ah are you okay?" Namjoon feels Taehyung tensing back up underneath his palms.

"Yeah, yeah..I just thought I had to sneeze and held it in.." Taehyung's stomach knotted up more to lie to Namjoon, but he couldn't let him pull him before his solo shots were out of the way.

"Finished." The staff member adds a last bit of makeup to his nose to cover up the redness.

"I'll finish up the shoot quickly then rest, okay hyung?" Taehyung says getting up to get back to work. The sooner we take the photos the sooner I can lay down..my knees feel like they'll give in and my stomach is killing me..maybe I should've eaten..

"Turn your head to the left Taehyung-sii. The light is hitting your face wrong, now one hand on your cheek.. perfect.." The director gives him instructions, Taehyung mindlessly following him. He kept all his focus on the photoshoot, ignoring the dizziness that he felt trying to stop his nose from running down his face by sniffling softly.

Please hurry.. I don't know how long I can hold myself together..The mucus was draining into his stomach making himself feel uncomfortably full. Taehyung takes shallow breaths to stop his tight pants from pressing against his aching middle.

"Good, good.. we're finished here.. let's look through the photos.." The photographer seems pleased with his work, smiling at Taehyung. "I love the emotions portrayed in your eyes. I think you'll be quite satisfied."

Taehyung tries to move forward to monitor the shoot, but his legs threatened to buckle underneath him. My head feels fuzzy and my legs are like lead..and my stomach..I'm going to be sick.

"I'm sorry..I actually do need to use the restroom now that that we finished..could we view them later?" Taehyung's voice comes out soft, taking all his strength to keep it steady.

"Of course. Take your time. We'll just move on to Jungkook-sii." The director gives him a sympathic smile.

Taehyung feels his dinner from last night pushing its way up his stomach. He takes a deep breath to try to clear his head, moving swiftly to the nearest bathroom. His determination to not ruin the shoot because of him gave him the strength he needed to make it into the stall.

He drops to his knees in front of the toliet, a mouthful of rice coming up splashing into the bowl, followed by a wet burp that brings up even more thick bile. I wish I told Hobi-hyung the truth.. but I didn't want to ruin the shoot..not when I managed to hide it for this long..

Jimin follows him as soon as he sees his soulmate rushing in, eyes widening when he hears the sound of Taehyung’s retching."Taehyung-ah.." rushes towards the sound, kneeling behind Taehyung. "Why didn't you just say you were sick?" He speaks softly, running his hands through Taehyung's hair to keep it out of his face.

Taehyung's only response is a whimper as his stomach tenses up again, pushing out another mouthful of sick. Jiminie it hurts so much..

"I know baby.. it'll be over soon..you don't have much in your stomach.. just try to take deep breaths okay?"

Taehyung tries to take a deep breath, but his muscles scream in agony. "I can't..i.." he tries to speak, but another heave stops him, only a bit of spit coming up.

Jimin gently rubs Taehyung's back, feeling his spine arching as another mouthful of sick comes. "Just try..i know it hurts, but you need to relax."

Taehyung nods, taking shaky hiccup like breaths between dry heaves. He leans into Jimin, trying to rub the pain away from his aching sides. A dry cough rattles his chest,whimpering softly when the pain flares up again?"

"My poor Taehyungie.. do you want me to get you some water?" Jimin asks when he hears Taehyung coughing, worry filling his voice. He brushes Taehyung bangs from his forehead, surprised when he feels the heat radiating from it." Ah, you're running a fever Taehyungie.." Jimin's speaks softly to him, rubbing his thumb across Taehyung's clammy knuckles.

"I don't want you to go..." Taehyung clings to Jimin in a raspy whisper.

"You need to get home so you can rest.. you're really not doing well.." Jimin gently rubs Taehyung's stomach, still feeling the tension lingering.

"But..but the shoot.. we still have another group shot to do.." Taehyung coughs, putting his hand to his chest. "We're almost finished..I just need a bit of rest..I can at least finish up.."

"That's not important. You are. I don't want to see you suffering, I'm sure we can do it another day. We still have time before the album drops or we can just skip it all together. It's no big deal.."

Namjoon entered the bathroom, the smell of sick confirming the suspicions him and J-hope. It's not a simple cold.. Namjoon entered the stall, kneeling next to Jimin and Taehyung, running his hand through Taehyung's hair. "Do you think you can stand for me?"

"I..I think so.." Taehyung uses Jimin's shoulder to push up to his feet, Namjoon wrapping an arm around him. "Woah.." Taehyung stumbles, clinging to the elder member, closing his eyes tightly when the room spins, disorienting him. "Hyung.."

Jimin places his hands on Taehyung's knees when he sees them trembling, waiting for them to stop before rising to his feet.

"It's okay baby, I got you.. do you want to ride on my back?" Namjoon asks gently.

Taehyung shakes his head, the thought of his stomach pressing against Namjoon's muscular back making him feel woozy. "I think i can walk.."

Taehyung takes a few steps forward before his knees grow weak again, whimpering when another wave of nausea hits.

"Taehyungie.." Namjoon holds him up by his shoulders. "You really overdid it.. what if I carry you? i won't hold you too tightly.. I'll be gentle. Let me help you." He asks softly. I can't watch him suffer like this..

"Okay.." Taehyung let's Namjoon cradle him to his chest, leaning against his chest. "You're warm.."

"No, you are.. uncomfortably warm.." Namjoon says his voice laced in worry. "Let's get you home.."

Jungkook carrys Taehyung into bed, covering him up. "My poor Hyungie..the medicine should kick in soon.. do you want anything?"

"I want you to stay.." Taehyung whispers softly, grabbing at Jungkooks wrist. "I'm afraid..I won't be able to get up if I get sick again.."

Jungkook lays next to him without hesitation, running his hand through his hair. "I hope you don't..you haven't eaten anything today.. Seokjinnie-hyung is going to make you something.."

"I don't want to eat.." Taehyung squeezes his hand. "My stomach hurts Koo.."

"I know..but you'll have to eat something in case you do get sick again. It'll hurt more to throw up on an empty stomach."

J-hope enters the room with a box, peeling a cooling strip and sticking it gently to Taehyung's forehead. "There you go Tete, you'll feel better when we get your fever down.. Jungkook-ah you shouldn't be getting that close..you'll get sick too.."

"I don't care. Hyung isn't feeling well and needs comfort..I'll be okay." Jungkook holds Taehyung close when he sees him shiver.

"That's cold hyung.." Taehyung leans into Jungkook.

J-hope sighs and lays on his other side, pressing his cheek against Taehyung's head. I guess we'll both risk it then.. "I know, but it's for your own good. I'm sorry.. just try to rest. We'll be right here when you wake up."

[nashusglasses]

it's always a surprise when the tide comes in

note: this is a writing exercise for exposition. I hate hate HATEEEEE writing it!! it makes my skin crawl i just want everything to happen at once!!!! -_- anywho. this story is the background story of this drabble

i love the idea of gojo in an office setting bc he’s already so silly like that would be a 10 times silly buff. Also the thought of him and yuuji having deep conversations about pop culture scratches a very good itch in my heart :3

note 2: this is literally yuuji n gojo in this au im going to HURL !!!

PAIRING. gojo/reader SETTING. work husband au (or, "you keep being suggestive in front of all our coworkers to the point where everyone knows we're not dating but we COULD be and it's silly so I'll go along with it!!!! ...wait why are you asking me out on an actual date?" au) WARNINGS. twilight references. shitting as a threat. hime n gojo hating each other bc they both love oc =3= SUMMARY. He’s a liar, but only for good reason. WORD COUNT. 2.5k

Someone is going to die today.

You’d been so diligent in choosing your hiding spot in the break room fridge. Your one yogurt cup—the one with the strawberry bits swirled in the vanilla—sitting behind the giant bottle of mustard at the bottom of the fridge door shelf. Gone. You try in vain to scour for your snack, but there’s nothing else save for labeled Tupperware and three quarters of a cake from Mei Mei’s birthday celebration yesterday.

The list of culprits shouldn’t be that long, anyway. 

First: Nanami. He wouldn’t. Your boss is built on black coffee and the occasional vegan bao from the restaurant across the street. You’ve never seen him eat anything else.

Utahime, the freak owner of the mustard bottle because she eats it with her pretzels, is lactose-intolerant. There’s no way she’s risking an explosive gut when she’s always busy at reception. 

Nobara’s too new to the office to try inciting violence against her seniors. You’d probably let her off the hook, regardless—she’s too hardworking to stay mad at.

You’d brood more over The Case of Your Missing Yogurt, but Satoru’s loud talking at the lunch table cuts right through your ruminations.

“—like I know it’s personal preference, but I think it’s so lazy,” he grumbles. “My uncle: Hiro. His son? Hiro, junior. God. Corny people piss me off.”

“Right.” Yuuji, the other new junior associate, hangs off Satoru’s every word. “It’s kind of like Bella from Twilight.”

Satoru slaps the table with passion. Yuuji hastily clings to his cup of coffee from spilling over. “Exactly, Yuuji. Exactly! You named your kid not only after the dad but also your ex who wasn’t even your ex?! The combination didn’t even sound good.”

“Edward Jacob,” Yuuji recalls.

“Disgusting.” Satoru shivers. “I don’t—Jesus. Don’t let me think about that. It’s so vile.” 

You close the fridge door, trek a sad path to the chair next to Satoru. Yuuji gives you a quick smile. You decide to scheme your murder plan later, because now you just want to pinch Yuuji’s cheeks off—your juniors are so cute! “Hello,” he greets politely.

Satoru sneaks an arm around your shoulders, resting it on the back of the chair. “What’s up with you?”

Is your sadness that obvious? God, you were waiting for that yogurt all morning.

“I’ll tell you later,” you say, because you might start languishing if you think one more second about your lost snack. “Hi, Yuuji. What were you guys saying about naming babies?”

Satoru huffs. “I hate parents who name their kids stupid names.”

(Yuuji takes a sip of coffee.)

“You wouldn’t do that with our kids, right?” Satoru asks you next.

(Yuuji, promptly, chokes on his coffee.)

“Absolutely not,” you answer, just as nonchalant.

“Hek.” Yuuji dissolves into five seconds of hard coughing. “You—you two are married?”

“Nope,” you both chirp at the same time.

The poor boy just stares, coffee blushing on his shirt. “Ah,” he says. “I see.”

Satoru shrugs. “Don’t get me wrong. I’d have babies with her. But she makes my coffee wrong every time I ask for it. I don’t think I could share my bank account with someone like that.”

Yuuji looks at you for a response. You reach over to pat his hand. “Don’t listen to him. You just keep working hard. And don’t tell Nanami that we gossip too much.”

“Right. I guess—well.” Yuuji stammers. “Does..? Am I? Is this… a secret?”

He sticks a hesitant finger up, pointing it at you, then at Satoru. Satoru wiggles a finger right back.

“Whatever Utahime tells you is wrong,” Satoru says, and Yuuji stares at him like he’s waiting for an explanation, but all Satoru does is wave him off. “Lunch is done.”

“Oh. Right.” Yuuji stands up, bows quickly, then remembers his mug. He runs to the sink to drop it off, then says, “I’ll–I’ll be careful around Utahime!”

He doesn’t wait for a response; he scampers out the room like he’s got a secret to share. 

Satoru’s always been lax with new hires—you wouldn’t be surprised if he’d explained his entire life story to Yuuji in the last hour. But his ongoing charade of touting you as his much-more-than-coworker co-worker is the oldest secret of Office Drama there is.

Utahime, your best and first co-worker friend who worked in the same room with you as clerks. Satoru, whose first day was the last day of your probation period, booted her out of the office because she got the full-time reception position she applied for. He proved himself a competent coworker. Steadfast in work ethic, a little too up the ass about gelling his hair properly in the morning. Had to look good to do good, he claimed. 

Utahime’s been out for his ass ever since, complaining that he was using his good looks to steal you away from her. Satoru took the bait right away. Made it his mission everyday to make Utahime green with explosive jealousy for having taken her rightful spot as your Worker Bestie for the Resties.

It started with the little gestures. A gentle hand on your lower back when you passed by reception (Utahime, who zeroed in on the touch from her desk, scoffing loudly). Complimenting your outfit choice of the day (“I think she’s beautiful everyday!”). Making you laugh with his stupid Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions (she hated this the most; she said he sounded like an ugly troll). 

“That’s the love of my life you cad!” Utahime bellowed, once, when Satoru trailed after you from the elevator one morning. Nanami said she had to stop playing sad Drake songs every morning when you passed by her desk because the melancholy brought the office morale down.

“You know I take good care of her,” Satoru called back. “And nobody says cad anymore, harlot!”

(They insulted each other for two more minutes using outdated expletives. After Nanami came to intervene, you gave him five bucks for his vegan bao to calm him down.)

You don’t really know when Satoru’s attempts to establish workplace dominance turned into straight-up flirting, though. Utahime didn’t need to be around anymore for him to butter you up. He’d leave little sticky notes he left on your monitor to remind you about deadlines, the next fire drill, drawing those little hearts at the ends of his sentences. The hand on your back turning into an arm draped on your shoulder. 

You told Utahime about it when Satoru took a sick day. She was livid. Then, immediately, she started tearing up.

“So I’m demoted from Bestie for the Resties and he’s trying to get into your pants?!” She moaned, sliding dramatically down her chair in the lunch room. “I’m going to pass away right now.”

“It’s not like he’s being serious,” you contended. 

Utahime gave you a hard look. “Please don’t tell me you actually believe that.”

You looked at her blankly. Wholly unfazed, because you really did believe Satoru had no other motive. He was just your stupid coworker–who sat across from you and did nice things and said nice stuff and you were pretty sure the older lady from accounting had a crush on him, anyway. 

“It’s nothing,” you decided, and Utahime shook her head, scoffing.

“Look. That garbage can’s been going after you since day one. You may not see it, but I have eyes, my pumpy-wumpkin bugaboo.” She tapped your nose. “You owe me twenty when you see I’m right.”

And that was all she had to say about it.

If anything, you figure it’s better for Yuuji to learn right from the source than be wrongfully convinced by Utahime that Satoru was a piece of shit homewrecker who lived to piss her off. Regardless of whatever lie is being fed to the junior staffers, there is one universal truth: you are the crowned jewel of this office floor, and that means everyone’s being lit on fire till you find the person who stole your fucking yogurt.

The second the door closes behind Yuuji, you glare daggers at Satoru. He still has his arm around you. 

“I might kill you,” you start.

“You say that everyday.” Satoru grins. “Don’t tell me the thought of having my babies scares you that much.”

Steam might actually blow out of your ears. “That’s not—stop trying to confuse me! My yogurt! It’s gone from the fridge!”

Satoru stares at you. Then his face morphs into a mix of shock and disbelief, and he screeches: “Are you saying I took it?!”

You sag in your seat, give him a look that tells him he should just confess before you find the closest sharp thing in this room. He just levels your stare with the same offended look, and you give in first because you don’t have time to argue anymore. Lunch really is over.

“Fine,” you sneer. “But if I find anything incriminating I will crucify you.”

Satoru fakes a shiver. “Ooh. Threaten me again. I can take it.”

He screams when you pinch the sensitive spot just below his armpit.

.

.

.

Right when the clock hits 4:59, Satoru hauls himself up from his seat. 

“Meet me outside. I’m getting my stuff then ripping ass in the bathroom,” Satoru tells you.

You snort. “Which one?”

“The one closest to the elevators.” In other words, right next to reception where Utahime is closing right now. Satoru is nothing if not calculating in his efforts to vex that poor woman. “See you.”

At this point in the day, the despair of losing your yogurt has simmered down to lazy indifference. You’ll just have to interrogate everyone tomorrow. Maybe print out a missing yogurt paper to stick on the fridge with no reward but your sincere gratitude and the promise to stick out for their missing lunch, should the same depravity befall them too. 

You turn your monitor off, make sure your desk is neat. Swiping off any crumbs from Satoru’s desk because he snuck in a sandwich today after forgetting to eat when he was talking to Yuuji.

And then you see it.

The silver shine of ripped plastic in the trash. 

At first, you’re skeptical. You’re too tired to spark another match of anger. But surely enough, when you hunch over to look, an empty can of yogurt sits innocent, perfect. All your strawberry vanilla goodness wiped clean.

You think of all the spectacular ways you could beat the shit out of Satoru, because he didn’t only lie; he thought you were stupid enough not to see the evidence right across from you. He could have at least thrown it into Mei Mei’s trash. Snuck it into Yuuji’s bag when he wasn’t looking. If there’s one thing you hate, it’s being underestimated.

So when you meet Satoru outside the elevators, the first thing you say is:

“You’re a giant fucking oaf and I want you to stay exactly one metre away from me till we get to our cars.”

He always parks his car next to yours.

“O-kay.” He puts his hands up in surrender, maintaining his distance. “Actually, that’s a good thing. My ass. It’s weeping. Ow.”

You quickly realize that this is the best course of action you could have taken, because you know the one thing Satoru hates, and it’s being ignored.

And you do it well.

“Your hair looks pretty today,” he says when you step out into the garage.

“I like the jeans you picked out,” he notes when you walk ahead without him.

“I’m going to crash my car into the first pole I see,” he whines the second you reach your car, and he traps you against the door with a hand pressed above the window. Distant enough to keep you comfortable, but you still feel more warmth than you’ve ever felt from him before. Like those slow burn romances where the lead slyly flirts with the pretty girl he’s been chasing for two seasons, except you’re one second away from kneeing his balls into painful oblivion. “Why are you being mean?”

You cross your arms. “Because you lied.”

“About?”

“You know what about!”

He clicks his tongue. Then his eyebrows lift in realization. “Ah.”

You wait for him to continue. Maybe you’d ask him to go down on his knees, get those nice linen pants dirty with grime and dust just to gloat about his passion for you and only you. You’ll partake in his drama for the sake of an inflated ego. But all he does is smile, and he’s got a handsome face, and for some reason, you’ve got nothing for rebuttal.

“So I have a confession to make,” he starts. 

You nod.

“I did eat your yogurt. Don’t say anything yet!” Satoru interrupts your open mouth. “I just. I didn’t think you’d be too upset.”

“Hm,” you concede. “Go on.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”

This is too easy. You feel like an ant trapped in a glass jar. You’re used to the bickering, the roundabout conversation because somehow, he always makes you laugh. Your conversations are never serious. 

But this. This feels serious.

“How?” You ask, gut heavy with dread, anticipation.

“I’ll take you out for lunch,” he suggests, and you wait a heartbeat for him to tack on a sike, I’m broke, but he almost looks nervous. Like he wants so badly for you to understand something he knows so well. 

“It–um. Like… tomorrow we go across the street and get those baos Nanami loves so much?”

You’re stalling. Satoru laughs. You think you’re starting to like the way he looms over you like this.

“Like on the weekend, I pick you up, and we both look pretty, and you say you’re paying but then I slap your hand away from your card, and I pay because I need to give you a good impression,” he rambles.

“You don’t need to give me a good impression.” You’re almost breathless. “You–you…”

Satoru tilts his head, and it’s annoyingly charming. “Me?”

“I thought–I thought we–this is just–it’s you and me?” You stumble. He watches you shift your feet. Takes his hand off your car, uncrosses your arms with a tug on your wrist. You think he’s about to hold your hand, but he pulls away at the last second.  

“It’s always been you and me,” he repeats. Then scratches the back of his head because you think he’s floundering, too. “Just not for everyone else this time.”

You think you might genuinely explode. All your synapses stretch to the absolute limit, you’re almost convinced you’ll bleed from your ears. “You’re being serious.”

He nods. There’s zero indication that he understands the gravity of the situation. But it’s quiet in this garage. You hear it then, the tapping his shoe makes when he’s impatient.

“When–when you told Yuuji about sharing bank accounts,” you continue.

“Okay I’m not in that deep,” Satoru defends. “Well. Who knows. Maybe I could be.”

You shove his shoulder. “You can’t just say that!”

“You’re so violent.” He rubs the spot you’ve tainted. As if you did any damage. He’s just doing it to fuck with you. “Do you hit all the guys you’re into?”

“Are you trying to make me say no?” That’s a lie. You know this. You’re just still in shock that you might actually owe Utahime twenty bucks. Satoru clicks his teeth.

“Look. You don’t have to answer me now. And I’ll buy you your yogurt back.” He digs in his bag, taking his car keys out. “Just… let me know, okay?”

He lingers in his spot. He’s not the main character in this romance scene, though. It’s you, the unforgiving lead who can’t decide what they want for themselves, and when the opportunity comes for a new start, they stand frozen in time. All those past mistakes a whirlwind behind you, threatening your security, and the glass breaks, and all of a sudden you’re in a garage, making a fool of yourself in front of the character who never deserved a bad ending. You wouldn’t do that to him.

“If I say yes,” you murmur. Satoru perks up instantly. “Can I choose where we go?”

“Depends. Do they have free ice cream for dessert?”

Of course that would be his only stipulation. You’re glad he’s easy to feed. “Probably.”

Satoru nods. He clicks his car unlocked. “If you say yes,” he repeats, rounding the back of his car to the driver’s seat, “I’ll go anywhere for you.”

He leaves you gawping. You watch him open his door, sit down. Adjusting the air conditioner high because you know he’s always blasting it. He doesn’t roll the window down to say bye, just pulls from his spot, and you mind your feet, mind the way he waves at you, but not as enthused as he usually is with it.

You stand there, thinking about your yogurt, and about Utahime’s face when you tell her you’ll say yes.

[saeyoungchoismaid]

Almighty Arataki Extraordinary and Exhilarating Extreme Beetle Brawl!

Pairing: sub!Itto x (slight mean)dom!gn!reader

Genre: smut

Warnings: edging (m!receiving), public sex, hand jobs, teasing

Summary: Itto thinks he can call you his right hand and outside help, and get away with it. Little did he know, he'd get into some trouble because of it.

WC: 789

A/N: this is based on the beetle event! You don't need to have played it to read this tho lol

“(Y-Y/n)...” 

You smirk, tightening your grip. “What is it, Bona-Fide Beetle Battle King? Hm?” you coo teasingly.

“I can’t…I need…” Itto stutters, whining and throwing his head back. 

“What do you need? Hm? What can your right hand do for you?” you taunt. 

You lift said hand and spit on it before returning it to his hard cock, continuing to slide your hand up and down. 

“(Y/n),” he whines, gripping your thigh tight in his hand, “I didn’t mean anything by that. You kno–ah!” He cries out when you circle his tender tip with your thumb, causing pre to dribble out of the slit. 

“Oh? You didn’t?” you taunt, tilting your head to the side. You bring your left hand up to his chest, starting to paw at his right pec. He whimpers and leans into your touch, your fingers tweaking his sensitive nipples. 

“No!” he cries, biting his lip afterward when your hand suddenly speeds up. 

“Oh, but I’m just outside help. Remember?” you taunt, squeezing his poor, aching cock and starting to twist your wrist as you reach the top of his dick. 

“I’m sorry! Please! Just let me cum!” he begs. You quickly smack a hand over his mouth and stop your movements, moving your head to glance around the giant rock you were hiding behind. Your eyes look over all the people here for the beetle fights, eyeing them for a moment before focusing back on Itto. His face was as red as his beetle, his eyes teary with the number of times you’ve edged him. Everyone thinks he’s giving you beetle-battling tips. Little did they know, you’re giving his tip the battle of a lifetime. 

“Why should I? Hm?” you goad, keeping your right hand still but removing your left one from his face to allow him to speak. Instead of speaking though, he just pathetically whimpers as he starts thrusting his hips up into your hand. You smirk. 

“Oh-ho, the poor baby. Does it hurt? Hm? Does someone need to cum?” you coo, your fist getting tighter as he continues to thrust up into it. He moans wantonly before panting into the air, a drop of sweat gliding down his temple. 

“Yes…please…I’ll tell them you’re a leader of the gang too…that you’re the best beetle fighter there ever will be…whatever you want, baby…just–ngh…please!” he says breathily, the muscles in his stomach starting to tense with his impending orgasm.

You let out a long hum, pretending to think it over. He turns his teary eyes to you, silently begging as his hips start to move faster and faster. Veins have started to protrude on his naval right by his v-line, more and more appearing as he continues to get worked up.

After a minute or so, you shift your body more in front of his, hovering over his legs outstretched before him. You lean over his red cock and let a glob of spit, it stretching from your lip and breaking halfway to land on his member. With even more lubricant, he starts moving faster and faster. 

“That’s it, baby. Use my hand like your own personal fleshlight. Cum all over it,” you hum, bringing your hand back to his chest to play with his tits. He quickly smacks a hand over his mouth as his orgasm washes over him in waves, his eyes rolling back and his body shaking with the power of the ecstasy he feels. He’s never cum so hard before in his life. 

Strips of cum do end up landing on your hand, but most end up on his chest. You smile at him and keep pumping your hand until he starts whimpering from sensitivity. “Good job…such a good boy…I’m so proud of you…” you whisper as you start licking the cum from his chest. You give extra attention to his nipples, causing him to mewl. 

“Hey, guys! Grandmaster wants to know what’s taking so long?” you hear Paimon shout, her voice getting closer and closer. You quickly tuck him back into his pants and pull away from him just as Paimon rounds the corner. “He–oh. Why are you so red, Bull-Chucker?” 

“He was getting angry because I was criticizing his techniques,” you brush off, standing up and helping Itto stand as well. He wobbles a little when he gets up but quickly leans into you in a casual way. 

“Yes…ah, yes! Exactly! Compadre here was-”

“No time for explanations! Grandmaster over there is soiling our good name! We gotta go prove ourselves!” Paimon shouts, moving behind you and starting to push you both toward the awaiting child. 

⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

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⊱ ────── {⋅. ♪ .⋅} ────── ⊰

[writing-intheundercroft]

When We're Older || Love

AO3 Link

Word Count: 8,176

Chapter Rating: Explicit (warning: smut, PIV sex, NSFW, MDNI)

A/N: Did a quick poll last week so I'm posting full chapters on tumblr now and will start updating old chapters! Big Theo chapter with some sweet Seb smut in the back half :) as always, thank you to my beta @happyaccidentsonly 🤍

October 1890

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. Theo could have easily spent the beautiful autumn day with any of her new friends, but she chose to spend every Sunday afternoon with Professor Fig, tucked away in his office. She sat in a giant wingback chair, feet perched beneath her, as he graded essays at his desk. A gramophone in the corner of the room played music, and she had her transfiguration textbook open on her lap. The two worked in a comfortable silence, only stopping whenever Theo had a question or Professor Fig had a funny anecdote.

This afternoon was different; a question gnawed at Theo’s heart.

“Professor, do you know the Sallow twins?” Theo asked, tapping her fingers against the book.

Professor Fig tilted his head, still pouring over a roll of parchment. “The Sallows…ah, yes. Those twins in Slytherin.” He turned to her, pulling his reading glasses off his face. “I’ve heard you’ve become fast friends with the boy, Sebastian.”

Theo nodded, pulling her feet tighter underneath herself. “Yes, we’ve become very close since the start of term. Professor Weasley asked him to take me to Hogsmeade the day of the troll attack.”

“Good thing you had a skilled duelist on your side.” Fig tutted. “I’ve heard he’s a force to be reckoned with. Terrible troublemaker too. Poor Madame Scribner spends most of her evenings with him in detention.” he laughed. “He’s expressed interest in magical theory; I reckon the two of you will be fighting to be top of my class next year.”

Theo smiled. “Yes, I’m quite fond of him. But I was wondering if you ever met Anne, his sister.”

Fig sighed. “No, I haven’t. Poor thing–I heard that curse is still wreaking havoc on her.”

Theo picked at the edges of her book. “I meant to ask you; have you looked into her curse at all? Being the Magical Theory professor, I’m sure they must have consulted you on what’s ailing her.”

Fig nodded, setting down his quill. “I have reviewed her case from Nurse Blainey and the notes from St. Mungo’s, but goblin magic is quite complex, and far beyond any of our understanding. On top of that, her uncle is quite reluctant to have her undergo further testing and examination. The stress of it all wears down on her, and makes the pain worse.” He tilted his head. “I wonder how Anne is faring nowadays.”

“She’s alright.” Theo quipped. Professor Fig gave her an inquisitive look, and her cheeks reddened. “Sebastian invited me on his most recent trip home to Feldcroft,” she admitted. “I was able to meet her there.”

Fig gave her a sly grin. “Should I be worried that a young man invited you home to meet his sister?”

“Professor!” Theo gaped.

Fig held up his hands, laughing. “I only ask, I’ve heard Sebastian is considered quite handsome. I am clued in to all the gossip around the castle, you know. Quite a few young ladies have talked about how close the two of you are…” he trailed off.

“Ew, no!” Theo gagged. “Sebastian is like a brother to me; we’re friends, that’s all.”

Fig gave her a rather curious look. “Theo, I know I’m not your father–”

“Which is a good thing,” Theo reminded him. “You know more than he ever would care to know about me. Especially if you care to know about the boys in my life.”

Fig sighed, shaking his head. “I was going to say, I’m not your father, but if you ever feel like you need someone to talk to, especially about boys–”

“I’m going to stop you there,” Theo snorted, holding her hand up. “I’m fine . Won’t be needing any advice for a very, very long time.”

Fig chuckled. “Thank Merlin for that. I fear advice for teenage romance is outside of my skill set.” He folded his hands together, pursing his lips. “Anyways, you ask about his sister–I know he’s rather determined to figure out a cure for her.”

“He is,” Theo echoed. I’d like to help him, she wanted to say, but Professor Fig wouldn’t be pleased that she’d told Sebastian about her ancient magic. For some reason, Theo had trusted the brunette boy with her deepest secret–something about his warm brown eyes made her feel like he would understand.

“Magical theory teaches us that love is one of the strongest catalysts for magic,” Professor Fig explained. “It’s unexplainable, indescribable. But there have been cases where love itself has cured, protected, revived, of all things…what love can do will amaze you.”

“Just love?” Theo raised her eyebrows. “That’s all?”

“That’s all,” Professor Fig chuckled. He stood, walking over to his bookshelf. Fig tapped his fingers on the spines of several books, stopping at one with a red cover. Taking it off the shelf, he passed it over to Theo.

“ Mysteries of Emotion in Magical Theory ,” Theo read off the cover. She looked up at Professor Fig, who had his usual twinkle in his eye.

“Some light reading to prepare for next year,” he smiled down at her, patting her shoulder. “And I know you worry about your friend and his sister, I’m sure he’ll find a way. Love has a funny way of healing all wounds, don’t you think?”

May 1891

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Imelda asked, frowning down at Theo. The rest of the girls were standing at the base of the staircase a few feet away; Violet was impatiently tapping her wrist watch, glaring at the two of them.

Theo shook her head, curling her feet up underneath her on the couch. “I’m okay, I promise. You guys go have fun.” she urged her friend. The girls were going out to Hogsmeade to celebrate Grace’s birthday, but Theo didn’t feel up to celebrating. It had only been a week since her battle with Ranrok, and she knew she’d only ruin Grace’s fun with her moping.

“I can stay,” Imelda reminded her, her voice soft and very much unlike her. “We can study for our OWLs together.”

Theo snorted. “Imelda, you must think the situation is quite dire to offer studying on a Friday night.”

Imelda rolled her eyes. “I’m only worried about you, that’s all.”

“Go,” Theo waved her off. “I’ll be here when you all get back. Merlin knows I’ll have to help hold back Grace’s hair once you all return.”

Imelda gave her a cheeky grin, promising to bring back one of Sirona’s giant chocolate chip cookies for her. Theo watched her roommates depart up the spiral stairs, and once the common room doors shut, she breathed a sigh of relief.

It had been seven days of people primping and fussing over her–first, the professors, hovering over her to make sure she didn’t fall apart in the middle of the hallways. Then it was her peers, all clamoring to understand what exactly had happened underneath the school, and why the strange new fifth year had been there. Finally, it was the ministry, aurors speaking to her like a child, asking how Eleazar Fig had died, and what had happened to both Ranrok and Rookwood.

Frankly, it was all exhausting. She was thankful that Weasley and Ronen had collected her classwork for the week, and that Ominis had done a good enough job of fighting off the peanut gallery, all having their own opinions on the newly dubbed “Hero of Hogwarts”.

Once she was sure the coast was clear, Theo got up, leaving the dorms. She cast a disillusionment charm, walking to the only place in the school that gave her comfort.

She tiptoed from the dungeons to the defense against the dark arts wing, all the way up to the third floor. Without a sound, she slipped into Professor Fig’s classroom and up to his office. Theo fell into her chair in the corner of the room, waving her wand at the gramophone to start playing Fig’s favorite song. She imagined it was the start of the school year again, and they were sitting in his classroom grading papers. In her mind, Professor Fig was alive, sitting at his desk waiting for her to ask him a question.

“Theo?”

She whipped her head to the door, about to yell at the intruder, but her face softened when she saw Sebastian poking his head in. His hair was messy, a cowlick poking up at the back. He too was in his pajamas; lately it seemed that he rarely left his bed or the Undercroft, unless it was for class or dinner. Things had been tense between him and Ominis, and she herself had hardly spoken to him after Fig’s memorial service. She’d wanted to give him time to process the news about Rookwood cursing Anne, but Sebastian had kept to himself for weeks.

“Hi,” she greeted him; it came out as a croak. “What are you doing here?”

Sebastian shut the door behind him, padding over to her in his felt slippers. “I came to see if you were okay,” he murmured. “I overheard Ominis talking with Imelda; they said you’d skipped dinner, and that you weren’t going out with the girls tonight.”

Theo shook her head. “No, I didn’t feel like it.”

Sebastian knelt down in front of her. “I grabbed you a pasty from the kitchen.” he said, pulling out a napkin from his robe pocket. “I figured you might be hungry.”

“How did you know I’d be in here?” Theo asked, her voice shaky.

Sebastian shrugged. “You loved Professor Fig.” His brown eyes met hers. Theo had seen so many things in them over the past few months–anger, envy, despair. And in the month since Solomon’s death and Anne’s departure, she’d seen regret, sadness, and longing. But tonight, as Sebastian looked up at her, she only saw fondness. Only Sebastian would trek all the way to the kitchens to bring her dinner; only Sebastian would know she’d be hiding in Professor Fig’s office.

Lower lip trembling, Theo tumbled from the chair and into Sebastian’s arms. The pasty fell to the floor as Sebastian wrapped his arms around her in an embrace, tucking her into his body.

“I really, really miss him,” Theo’s voice cracked as she buried his face into his shoulder. He smelled warm, like cedar cologne and vanilla cauldron cakes he’d probably nicked from the kitchen.

“I know,” he murmured against her hair as she sobbed. “I know.” He rocked her back and forth, letting her cry against him. Theo’s fingers curled into the collar of his pajama shirt, pulling him close.

Sebastian was the only person who could understand her, Theo thought. True kindred spirits.

September 1891

“You can’t go back from this,” Percival warned her. “Not unless you find another vessel, and given the current state of your relationship with goblinkind, I doubt you’ll find someone to make a repository nearly as strong. It could kill you.”

Theo stood in the map chamber, her hands clasped behind her back as she spoke to the Keepers. All four stood at their portraits, staring down at her in awe as she explained herself.

“I know,” Theo said sternly. “But this power…it’s a mistake to keep it underneath the school. I can feel it at all times, it’s too strong. Someone will always try to take it for themselves, so I want it to die with me.”

“You’re not just doing it for that reason,” San Bakar glared at her. “Your emotions blind you. You think that you’re being noble, but you’re doing it for what you think is love.”

It was love , Theo thought to herself. She’d spent all summer pouring over the book that Professor Fig had gifted her. She’d done even more research, combing through every magical theory textbook she could get her hands on. Theo had done the work, exhausted all options, and she knew she had to open the repository. Besides her main reasoning (she truly did believe it was too dangerous to keep a shoddily patched together repository underneath the castle where all of Britain’s young wizarding talent lived), she had another motivation.

She loved Sebastian. The bond they’d created over the last year was stronger than any friendship she’d ever had in her short life. And by extension, she had to love Anne. She knew Anne felt indifferent towards her, perhaps hated her. But the twins were two halves of a whole, and if Anne died, Sebastian would never be the same.

Only Rookwood and Niamh looked at her with any sort of sympathy.

“Perhaps the girl is right, Percival. It is too dangerous to keep it below Hogwarts.” Rookwood advised. “If history has taught us anything, unbridled power in the wrong hands will be the downfall of wizardkind.”

“She’s a child!” Bakar argued. “Duped by puppy love!”

“It isn’t like that,” Theo said simply. “I know it. I know it in my heart.”

“You believe your love is strong enough to protect you from the effects of this magic, but there’s no way to prove it.” Niamh said softly. “You understand that, don’t you, Theodora?”

Theo nodded. “I do.” she rocked back and forth on her feet. “And I’m willing to accept the consequences.”

Niamh looked at her curiously. “You understand that pain needs to go somewhere. It cannot be contained, at least not safely, as you’ve witnessed. And you’re willing to accept the pain of others out of love?”

“I love this school,” Theo confessed. “I love my friends. I love magic. I love what this strange power has given me. And if it means I live with Isidora’s mistakes in me forever, then so be it.”

“Nor shadow without light,” Niamh reminded her.

“Nor shadow without light.” Theo repeated.

“You do this at your own risk,” Rackham warned her again. “We cannot help you past this.”

Theo smiled up at the Keepers as she descended down the stairs. “See you on the other side,” she declared, walking into the cavern.

When she returned, eyes glowing red, the portraits of the four Keepers were empty. With the magic of the repository surging through her, Theo was beyond their understanding. It seemed they had nothing left to teach her. Perhaps they’d appear again, Theo thought. When another like her came around.

Hopefully, she wouldn’t be a cautionary tale they told the next one.

The next task at hand was a little harder, trying to work without her two best friends realizing her motivations. Sebastian had a tedious but regular schedule, and any time he wasn’t at work he was either by her side or face down on his bed. Theo would’ve thought Ominis would be easier to dupe, but despite his blindness, had a keen awareness of his surroundings.

She had spent two weeks sneaking into the boys’ dormitory daily, rifling through Ominis’s desk for any hint of Anne. She’d almost given up, until she found a scrap of paper hidden under a pile of books.

Keenbridge. Half past noon, Saturday

The script was suspiciously close to Sebastian’s, but slightly neater. It had to be Anne.

That Saturday, Theo followed Ominis from her broom, flying a fair distance above the blond as he traveled to Keenbridge. She watched as he waited, and felt a lump in her throat as she saw Anne Sallow approach him in the hamlet square. Landing her broom to get a closer look, Theo had to hold in her gasp. Anne’s eyes were sullen, big purple dark circles dominating her tired face. She looked thin and frail, as if a hard gust of wind would knock her down. Theo observed the two of them, sitting down to lunch at the hamlet’s pub; Ominis looked worried the entire time as Anne dismissed him. She’d hardly touched her food, only nibbling at bread dipped in soup.

Ominis stayed with her for hours, until Anne assured him she was okay. Once the blond disappeared into the floo flames, Theo reversed her disillusionment charm, making Anne jump.

“Don’t run,” Theo pleaded.

“What are you doing here?” Anne barked. “Did you follow Ominis?”

“I did,” Theo said simply, folding her hands in front of her. “I needed to find you. I know how to help you now. Will you let me?”

Anne looked conflicted at first–but with Theo’s urging, hours of explanation, and a promise that Sebastian wouldn’t know, she let her try out her newly acquired powers.

August 1892

Theo sat in bed, her now tattered copy of Mysteries of Emotion in Magical Theory sitting on her lap.

“Get dressed,” Sebastian urged, walking past the bed for the fifth time. He was wearing trousers, flicking through the wardrobe to find a clean shirt.

“What’s the point, you’re just going to take them off me in an hour anyways,” Theo sighed, flipping the page. The clothes she’d been wearing that morning were strewn around the bedroom.

Sebastian was blushing, but he tried to give her a stern look. “Ominis will be here any moment, and you’re laying in bed naked.”

Theo pouted, and Sebastian walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge. The mattress dipped beneath his weight. “What’s wrong?” he murmured, putting a hand on her waist.

“I just wish we had more time, just the two of us,” Theo whispered. It was Friday, and Theo was due to depart on Tuesday morning. Her stay in Feldcroft so far had been pure bliss, despite the hiccup in having to explain her surge in power to Sebastian. Besides that, the couple had been playing house–fixing up the garden, tending to repairs, reading in bed next to each other until they inevitably began kissing. Theo relished the feeling of sleeping naked next to Sebastian, pretending it was their everyday life. In a few weeks, they’d be back at Hogwarts, where it was impossible to find privacy. And after experiencing the joy of making love, Theo wasn’t sure how she’d survive the year without doing it constantly.

Sebastian gave her an earnest look, his hand trailing from her waist up to cup her breast. Theo bit down as he ran his thumb over her nipple, squeezing her with the palm of his hand. He suddenly withdrew, getting up from the bed. “Get dressed,” he warned her.

Theo narrowed her eyes at him when he tossed her trousers and shirt onto the bed. “Tease,” she grumbled.

“You love me,” Sebastian said coyly.

“Unfortunately, I do.” Theo sighed, rolling out of bed. Despite her grumbling, she couldn’t hide the smile on her face. Things really had turned out for the best, she thought to herself. Theo had worried that expanding their relationship past friendship would change things, affect how she controlled her magic. Much to her surprise, loving him romantically had just expanded her heart, and she’d never felt more in control than ever.

Besides the slip of her power in the bedroom, of course–but Sebastian hadn’t said anything else, and they’d done it plenty of times since.

The two of them started on their chores for the day. Sebastian had been trying to teach Theo how to cook, so Theo worked on the massive pile of burnt dishes in the sink. Sebastian stripped the sheets, hanging the freshly washed ones out on the line to dry. They then moved outdoors, working on bringing Anne’s little garden back to life. They’d just finished replanting a few of the rose bushes, when a loud pop cracked in the air.

“Oops,” Ominis gasped, falling backwards onto the fledgling bushes. “Sorry, I'm still getting used to this.”

“Ominis,” Sebastian roared. “The bloody roses!”

Theo grasped Ominis’s forearm, pulling him up. “Ominis,” she sang, her greeting much kinder. She pulled their best friend into a tight embrace, while Sebastian fussed over the plants.

“I’m sorry,” Ominis laughed. “I’m rubbish at apparition. Barely passed the exam.”

“I don’t know how they could give a blind man a license to apparate,” Sebastian rolled his eyes, throwing an arm around him. “You could’ve used the floo, you know. Would’ve saved me a few sickles on the new plants.”

Ominis rolled his milky blue eyes. “I’ll pay you back, don’t be so stingy.” He wrinkled his nose. “Can we go indoors, or have you two not cleaned out your little love nest? Is it even safe to share a roof with you two?”

Sebastian shoved Ominis back into the plants as the blind boy snickered.

The trio went inside; Theo and Sebastian had pieced together a birthday dinner for Ominis, who politely ate their attempt at a meal. He unboxed their presents to him (muggle books in braille from Theo, and a fresh batch of his favorite dictation quills from Sebastian) and the three tucked into a birthday cake made by Sirona, paired with a bottle of scotch. Ominis endured their pokes about his summer correspondence with Poppy, while he told them all about his sister’s wedding and the many mothers who’d tried to push their daughters onto him. Sebastian roared with laughter at Ominis’s painful description of an afternoon tea with Constance Dagworth that had ended with him being splattered in clotted cream.

The night wore on, with the three of them draining the bottle; Theo yawned as the boys talked on and on.

“Here’s to us, finally adults,” Ominis announced, raising his glass. “And next summer, we’ll be off in the world doing Merlin knows what–but for one last summer, I’d like to remember us as we are.”

“Broke, eating off chipped plates?” Sebastian joked. He slung his arm around Theo, drawing her close. She could smell his cedary cologne, mixed with sweat from the summer heat.

“Together,” Ominis corrected him. “Together, the three of us.”

Theo looked at her two favorite boys, her chest feeling heavy. It wasn’t pain, or anger that caused the pang in her heart as she watched Sebastian and Ominis teasing one another, or a physical malady. It was love–pure, unbridled love for the two people who understood her best. Her eyes felt droopy, and before long, she fell asleep against Sebastian’s shoulder.

The next time Theo opened her eyes, she was laid in the bed. Sebastian must’ve carried her, undressing her and tucking her under the thin sheets. The moonlight shined into the makeshift bedroom, and she would’ve sat up, had it not been for the voices behind the curtain, echoing in from the kitchen.

“I don’t know what it means,” Sebastian said. His voice sounded shaky, uncertain, and wholly unlike him.

“She said she went back?” Ominis asked, his voice quiet and concerned. “She…she broke the repository?”

Theo laid in the bed, eyes pressed shut as she listened to them talk.

“It explains so much. Her eyes…remember when she battered up Astoria Crickett? It was an accident, that’s certain, but she couldn’t control it. And when I found her in the vivarium that day, her magic was flickering red, like I’d never seen before.” Sebastian rambled. “There have been a few other occasions…like her birthday party, when she was yelling at me. I thought her eyes were red from the alcohol, but it must have been the magic.”

“I mean, she seems okay, Sebastian. She must have some control over it–she absorbed everything Ranrok and Rookwood were after, and she’s still here.”

“You didn’t see it,” Sebastian claimed. “Her eyes, before she fell asleep–they were red like fire, Ominis.”

Theo shifted uncomfortably. She hadn’t realized the surge of emotions had flashed in her eyes. She thought she’d gotten rather good at concealing it after all of her research, but she had been feeling so much that week. The first night with Sebastian, sharing a home with him, getting to spend time with Ominis–it had all made her so happy, her heart felt as if it were about to burst.

“We have to trust her, Sebastian.” Ominis muttered. “We don’t know ancient magic like she does. She’s the only one–we need to have faith in her, that she did the right thing.”

Sebastian hesitated. “I don’t know, Ominis. I don’t know if I can.”

Theo flipped over, facing the wall as she tried to tune them out. There was a lump in her throat as she thought of Sebastian’s voice, and the uncertainty behind it.

When she woke the next morning, Sebastian was sleeping next to her, as if the conversation in the kitchen had never happened.

“What do you want to do today?” Sebastian asked, stroking her hair. It was raining, limiting them to indoor activities. Sebastian certainly wasn’t complaining, and neither was Theo; the two of them were still in bed, well past noon.

Ominis had left the evening prior, hesitantly admitting he was off to visit Anne before the summer ended. Theo hadn’t missed the way Sebastian’s eye twitched, or that he’d needed to take a lengthy walk alone afterwards. He’d been quiet after dinner, the two of them falling asleep while reading their books next to each other in bed.

“Lay in bed with you forever,” Theo announced, pressing her cheek against his bare chest. “I can’t believe the week is over,” she grumbled.

Sebastian wrapped his arms tighter around her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. They laid together in silence for a few more moments, until he cleared his throat.

“I was thinking,” he hummed. “About what you’d said. About your magic.”

Theo turned her head, propping her chin up on his chest. “What about it?” she asked softly.

Sebastian wasn’t looking at her; he stared ahead, blankly at the wall. “I was thinking about something I’d read in the restricted section a while back. Substitutes for goblin metal, or spells that could imbibe enough power into regular silver. It wouldn’t make it nearly as powerful, but I don’t think it could hurt to look into it again.”

“What for?” Theo bit down on her lower lip, knowing in her heart where Sebastian was going.

“For the magic,” Sebastian huffed. “We need to figure out how to get it out of you.”

“Sebastian, stop.” Theo sat up, gently resting a hand on Sebastian’s chest. “Stop.”

“I know you and Ominis made me promise not to look into the dark arts again,” Sebastian trailed off, ignoring her, “But I distinctly remember a spell in Secrets of the Darkest Arts talking about transferring protective properties–”

“Sebastian,” Theo gasped. “Absolutely not.”

He finally looked at her in the eyes, a frown set deeply upon his face. “Theo, you could be in danger. You don’t know what prolonged exposure to that magic could do to you–”

“I’m not asking you to help me,” Theo huffed. “I made a decision, I did something, that’s the end of it. I’m fine, Sebastian. I wouldn’t be sitting here with you if I wasn’t, would I?”

Sebastian rose, sliding off the bed to pace back and forth. “Theo, I’m the one who put it in your head to learn Isidora’s magic, but I didn’t ask you to absorb it,” he ranted. “It’s my fault. You did this, and now I have to help you fix it.”

Theo pulled her knees to her chest, her cotton nightgown catching against her knees. “Seb, I’m not asking you to fix me.” she said firmly. “Leave it alone.”

“No!” he bellowed. “Why don’t you understand?” he stood in place, his hands pressed into tight fists. “I can’t let you!”

“Let me?” She scoffed. “Who says you have any control over me?” Theo felt anger bubbling in her throat. “You don’t have a say in this, Seb. Guess I understand how Anne felt, after all.” she snarled. The second the words tumbled out of her mouth, she regretted them. Her hands flew up to her lips, covering them.

Sebastian stared at her, mouth agape. “That was cruel, Theo.” he said sharply. “That wasn’t you. How would Professor Fig feel if he knew what you’ve done?”

“You don’t get to talk about him like that,” Theo scowled, sliding off the bed to face him. “You don’t know him.”

“And you don’t get to use Anne against me,” Sebastian snapped, his freckled face twisted in anger. “You don’t know her either.”

He was wrong, Theo thought, clenching her jaw. She knew Anne–she knew a side of Anne Sebastian would never get to know. Theo had spent nearly the past year meeting with Anne monthly, healing her as much as she could. Theo was absorbing her physical pain in short spurts, now a human receptacle for Isidora Morganach’s power, and the only thing protecting her from harm was love.

A love, that at that very moment, was being put through its first test.

“Sebastian,” Theo’s voice faltered. “I don’t want to fight with you. I love you.”

Sebastian’s eyes were glistening; he fell to his knees in front of her, pressing his face against her stomach. “Theo, I’ve already lost everything else I love in this world. I can’t lose you too.” he whimpered. “Please, let me help you.”

Theo looked down at him, stroking his hair. She didn’t need his help–she didn’t want it. But she also couldn’t bear the sadness in his eyes, or the way his lips were trembling.

“Okay,” she said softly. “But no dark magic.” He opened his mouth to argue, but she gave him a stern look.

“Professor Fig had some ideas,” Theo lied. “About how Magical Theory could help me with my ancient magic. Perhaps we can start there.”

Sebastian pursed his lips; she could almost sense the wheels turning in his mind. He had always been interested in magical theory, and she remembered how Professor Fig had called Sebastian a force to be reckoned with. He’d been determined to help Anne, and Theo knew he’d stop at nothing to aid her.

“No dark magic,” He echoed. “Fine.”

Theo leaned down, pressing her trembling lips against his. She feared Sebastian’s one track mind was already casting off his other responsibilities, focusing only on her. How could she possibly explain that the solution was just love? There was no logic, no firm study to explain what was going on inside of Theo, and Sebastian had already fallen down the slippery slope once before.

“I’m sorry,” Sebastian sighed, pressing a kiss to her stomach. He looked up at her, his sweet brown eyes filled with regret. “Can we go back to bed?”

It was their last day together before term started, and Theo didn’t want to waste it pondering how she could throw Sebastian off from his new quest. So, she tugged him up to his feet, tangling her hands in his hair.

“Let’s go back to bed.”

September 1898

“You blithering idiots,” Theo rolled her eyes, putting her hands on her hips.

They were back in Ominis and Sebastian’s shared flat; both men sat on the small loveseat. Sebastian was holding a wet rag to the scrape on his arm, while Ominis sipped on a wiggenweld. The two looked disheveled, shirts and waistcoats torn after wrestling one another in the front drive of Caulfield Manor. Leander and the Hobhouses departed quickly once the boys hit the ground, and Theo had riskily apparated the pair back to the flat once she’d ensured no muggles were around to see them disappear. Upon their return, she’d forced the boys into the couch, pulling out the singular wiggenweld vial she kept stowed on her. It was her day off; she hadn’t been expecting to need more than one healing potion on hand.

“You didn’t have to punch me,” Sebastian grumbled, pressing the rag down harder.

“I had to make it look convincing,” Ominis argued. His lip had been split, but the wiggenweld was working its magic to thread his skin back together. “How did you not know?”

“How did you not mention it once I got home?” Sebastian barked. “I maybe would’ve opened with, ‘good to see you, hope you don’t mind I’m pretending to have cuckolded you to all of society’?” he said sarcastically.

“First of all, she’s not your wife yet,” Ominis pointed out. “So technically, even if I did start courting her, I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Can you two stop arguing?” Theo pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sebastian, we both wrote you letters, telling you all about the plan. You didn’t receive either of them?”

“I didn’t, I swear!” Sebastian yelped, wrinkling his nose. “Can someone pass me a wiggenweld already?”

“They’re still brewing,” Theo said impatiently, glancing over to the kitchen. “You never miss our letters, I don’t know what happened.”

Sebastian opened his mouth to argue, then shut it quickly. She could see the blush rising on his cheeks as he adjusted his jaw. Even after being apart for three years, Theo knew exactly when Sebastian was deep in thought, the cogs turning in his head.

“What?” she demanded. “What is it?”

“Er, there was a week we didn’t get any letters in July.” Sebastian said sheepishly. “A manticore destroyed the postal carriage.”

“We wrote to you in July,” Ominis groaned. “After my birthday and Leander’s engagement party.”

“Oh.” Sebastian quipped. “Guess that makes sense then.”

The trio stared at each other for a full minute, taking in the full situation. It was Ominis who broke the silence first, a groan turning into a chuckle. Theo began giggling, and then Sebastian doubled over with laughter. Before long, the three were clutching their stomachs, tears at their eyes.

“You tackled me,” Ominis laughed. “You arse.”

“You suckerpunched me!” Sebastian cackled. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Merlin, you should’ve seen the look on Duncan’s face.” Theo gasped, holding a hand to her waist to steady herself. “Leander couldn’t have gotten them out of there fast enough.”

Ominis winced, kicking off his shoes. “I swear there’s gravel in my shoes.” The blond fell back against the settee, a smile plastered on his face. “Should I cancel the dinner, then?”

“Dinner?” Sebastian perked up, wincing as he clutched the rag to his scrape.

“I planned a welcome dinner,” Ominis explained. “Invited all our friends to greet you now that you’re back. Thought it would be nice after you saw Theo to see everyone else.”

Theo felt a lump in her throat as she looked at her boys; they were together again, and her heart felt as if it was going to explode. She turned around, eyes shut tightly with a hand over her chest, to calm herself.

Home. Sebastian was home. And Ominis, the sweetest boy she’d ever known, had tried to surprise them by getting their friends all together again. She kept her eyes shut, running her fingers over the silver chain around her neck to bring her back to earth.

“I think the wiggenweld should be done,” Theo said, opening her eyes once she’d calmed down. Striding over to the kitchen, she scooped some of the green liquid into a vial. Her fingers trembled as she carried it back into the living room, handing it to Sebastian. Their fingers touched as she passed it, his eyes flitting up to meet hers at the exchange.

“I’ll reschedule,” Ominis said, standing from the settee. “I think you two need some proper time to…catch up.” he smirked.

“Thanks Om,” Sebastian said breathlessly. He too stood, setting the vial down on the side table. “I feel much better now.” his voice was soft, hand trailing down to touch Theo’s. She bit down on her lip when his long fingers tangled with hers. Just feeling him, his skin on hers after three years apart, was enough to drive her mad.

“You two behave,” Ominis yelled lazily. “I’ll be going out in a bit–I certainly hope you won’t be here when I get back.”

Once Ominis’s bedroom door had shut, Theo’s head snapped up to Sebastian. He grinned down at her; even after all the time that had passed, he still had a boyish grin.

“Show me your house?” Sebastian said shyly. “I…I saw your dressing room, but I’d like to see the whole place.”

Theo wasted no time grabbing his hand, tugging him towards the gilded mirror that held a passageway to her dressing room. She could hear Sebastian chuckling, but she knew he was just as eager to follow her. They passed through the liquid glass, stumbling into Theo’s messy dressing room.

“If I had known you were coming home, I would’ve cleaned.” Theo admitted, leaning against her dressing table.

Sebastian leaned against one of her wardrobes, feeling a gown between his fingertips. “But it wouldn’t be you,” he smiled. “This…the messy dressing room, boots on the floor, it’s you. Just like I remember you.” He walked towards her, closing the distance between them. Theo felt her chest rise up and down as she looked up at her Sebastian, whose gaze was fixed on her neck.

“Is that what I think it is?” he asked quietly.

Theo nodded, pulling the chain out from underneath her chemise. The chain fell against the fabric of her dress, a ring falling against her bodice. Sebastian quickly pulled it into his fingers, examining it–a thick gold band with an emerald center, diamonds clustered around it.

“I’ve worn it every day,” Theo confessed. “Every day since you left.”

Sebastian let out a guttural groan, leaning forward to press his lips against hers. Theo threw her arms around his neck, pulling him in tight. She whimpered into his lips as he pulled the pins out of her hair, letting it fall loose.

“I missed you so damn much,” Sebastian gasped against her mouth.

“Show me,” Theo demanded.

The pair bounced off the dressing table (likely knocking over quite a few of her jewelry boxes, but that was fine) and knocked into the changing screen. Sebastian laughed against her mouth as it fell to the floor.

“You’re going to destroy my dressing room,” Theo complained, her mouth falling open as Sebastian pressed hot kisses against the column of her throat.

“I’ll destroy this whole damn house,” Sebastian growled. “To get you naked.”

She grinned, tangling her hands in his hair as she kissed him. Sebastian was trying his best to tug her blue blouse out of her skirts, eventually resorting to ripping it. She shivered, thinking about how strong he’d become.

“This is a new dress,” she gasped against his mouth.

“I’ll buy you a new one,” he huffed. “I can do that now.” His eyes darkened, and his hands tore at the buttons fastening her skirt. The pretty thin fabric tore easily in his hands, falling to the floor. Sebastian started to work on the laces of her corset, his lips sucking marks into her neck.

Two could play at that game, Theo thought. She ripped the buttons of his waistcoat, and tugged his dirt stained shirt. She could feel the hard planes of his chest beneath the fabric; he’d always been solid, but Sebastian had become chiseled during his years away from London. Theo stripped the shirt from his body, eyes raking over his freckled chest and tanned defined abs.

“I…I’m not going to be gentle,” Sebastian warned, his voice strained as he finally finished unlacing her corset. It fell to the side, and he gripped her breast, shutting his eyes as he felt the weight of her in his palm. “It’s been too long.”

Theo cupped his straining arousal through his trousers. “I know,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his chest. “We have the rest of our lives to be gentle, don’t we?”

“Fuck, Theo,” Sebastian rasped. He pulled her up, tugging her over to the chaise. She bounced as she landed, laughing as Sebastian tore through her petticoats. The laugh turned into a gasp as two fingers slid into her core without warning.

“So wet already,” Sebastian grinned down at her, his brunette hair falling against his forehead. He shifted himself up, tugging his trousers down past his hips. Theo couldn’t stop staring at him as he stroked his length, preparing himself. “Are you ready for me?”

As if it were natural instinct, Theo’s legs opened for him, her hands pulling the remnants of her petticoats out of the way for him. He leaned into her, pressing the weeping tip against her core. Despite the heat of the moment, Sebastian hesitated, sweet brown eyes staring into hers for permission.

“Have been, for the past three years,” she sighed.

Sebastian moaned as he pressed into her; there was no softness, just urgency as he buried himself in her. Theo let out a cry, wrapping her legs around his waist as he started rutting into her. It had been so long since their last encounter, the last time they’d made love–but Sebastian felt perfect inside her. Nothing had changed; he still felt just as good, just as full as she’d remembered.

“I missed you so much,” Sebastian grunted, forehead pressed against her breasts. “I missed you, I missed fucking you, I missed all of you.” Theo’s head fell back against the chaise as he pressed his lips against her nipple, biting softly as he drove himself into her. Without a second thought, she pushed him upwards. Sebastian knew her better than anyone, and exactly what she’d wanted. He fell back against the cushions, letting Theo crawl onto his lap. The look on his face as she sank onto his length was rewarding.

“Tell me you thought of me,” Theo gasped, hands raking up and down his chest as she ground her hips against him. “How often?”

“Every damn day,” Sebastian groaned, gripping her hips. “I never stopped.”

“You love me,” Theo reminded him, her hand trailing up to his throat. She pressed lightly, picking up speed.

“I do love you. I’ve loved you for so long,” Sebastian gritted his teeth, eyes shut as he relished the feeling of her.

“I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” Theo moaned. One of Sebastian’s hands went from her hips to her hair, tugging it lightly. “You’re mine. Mine, mine, mine .” She fell against his chest, pressing kisses against his face as she claimed him.

Sebastian rolled them over, pressing Theo back into the chaise. His beautiful brown eyes stared into hers as his thrusts started to stutter.

“I’m yours,” he whimpered. “Always have been, always will.” He pressed his forehead against hers, letting out a breathy laugh. “I’m going to–gods, I’m so close–”

“Wait, you can’t,” Theo gasped. “I’m not…I don’t have any potions…”

“Should I stop?” Sebastian hesitated.

“Don’t stop,” Theo bit her lip. “Finish wherever.”

“Are–are you sure?” Sebastian choked.

“I want you to,” Theo smiled up at him. She let out a gasp when he suddenly pulled out, and again when she felt his warm release against her stomach. Sebastian collapsed against her, not caring about the mess, and pressed kisses against her jaw.

“M’sorry.” he groaned. “Got carried away.”

“This is why you should’ve told me you were coming home,” Theo tugged on his hair, forcing him to look up at her. No matter how old they got, Sebastian still had the same boyish grin he’d had since their years at Hogwarts. “I would’ve been prepared.”

“I knew I should've told you,” Sebastian propped himself up. “I should’ve known I would bungle it.” His hands flew up to the chain around her neck, fingering the little golden ring at the end. “I can’t wait for you to wear this,” he said softly. “For real, this time.”

“You’ll have to ask again,” Theo grinned. “I quite enjoy it when you do.”

“Third time's the charm, I suppose.” Sebastian bit down on his lip as he let go of the ring, his hands trailing back down her body. They disappeared underneath her torn petticoats, and Theo shuddered when he pressed against her core.

“What are you doing?” she gasped.

He tilted his head at her, smiling devilishly. “You didn’t finish,” he said. “I remember your body, Theodora Caulfield. I remember everything about you.” Sebastian’s voice became a hushed whisper as he tugged her body, lowering his face to press kisses against her knee. “I remember you.”

Theo smiled, letting her arms fall above her head as Sebastian dove in between her thighs.

“We should go to the bedroom,” Theo said softly.

She and Sebastian had spent hours in her dressing room, making a proper mess. Her changing screen was still on the ground, the contents of her desk and dressing table strewn across the floor. One of the wardrobes was flung open, clothes spilling out. Both Theo and Sebastian were completely naked, what little remained of their clothing left in shreds on the floor. They’d spent the rest of the afternoon, well into evening properly reacquainting one another with their bodies, and destroying Theo’s dressing room while they were at it.

“Just a few more moments,” Sebastian whispered into her hair, tugging her in tighter. “What a way to welcome me home.”

“Probably a good thing Om canceled dinner,” Theo chuckled as she ran her fingers up and down his back. “We would’ve been a mess.”

“Y’know, besides the whole pretending to court my woman thing, Ominis is the most loyal friend I’ve ever had.” Sebastian claimed.

“Not me?” Theo pouted.

Sebastian propped his chin up on her chest. “You and I haven’t been just friends in a very, very long time.” He jested, his hand tracing a line down her stomach. “First thing tomorrow, I’m taking you to buy a new dress. Secondly, we’re going to the potions shop. Or maybe we should reverse that order…”

She snorted. “Seb, you don’t have to, I have plenty of clothes.”

He sat up; the lower half of his body had been haphazardly covered with one of Theo’s cloaks, ripped from the closet to be a makeshift blanket. “I’m serious, Theo.” Sebastian cooed. “I can take care of you now. Come on, let’s get to bed.”

Theo swallowed thickly as Sebastian stood, gently helping her up. She felt woozy on her feet, so he supported her into the bathroom. Wands long discarded, somewhere in the mess of her dressing room, Sebastian drew them a bath. Even though he’d never been in her house before, he somehow knew where she kept everything–the lavender bath salts, which reminded her of the night they first kissed in the prefect’s pool, and the clip to keep up her hair, which she always left on the floor next to the tub. They slid into the tub together, her back pressed to his, and finally caught up on everything they should’ve talked about.

Theo brought up how Imelda, Natty, and Poppy were the only ones to know about the ruse between her and Ominis, and how Anne was annoyed by it. She talked about how she’d bet ten galleons with Garreth Weasley to see if she could convince Leander to grow out a mustache, and had been successful. Theo told him as much as she could about her work without breaking the rules (which was hardly anything at all) and about how her assistant had most certainly read some of Sebastian’s more scandalous letters.

Sebastian told her all about Cairo, and how Eddy the goblin had somehow become his best friend. He talked about his little studio apartment at the top of the stairs, and how he nicked all of the copies of Witch Weekly from the sitting room, just to see if Theo’s picture was in them. He pressed a kiss to her head when he told her that the photo she’d sent him, the one with a flower in her hair, was folded up in his wallet at that moment.

It was like they’d slipped back into their routine, their nightly regimen to prepare for bed from before Sebastian’s departure years earlier. Sebastian drained the tub while Theo fluffed the sheets, sliding underneath thin cotton layers. She let out a whine as Sebastian walked past the bed, a towel slung low on his hips.

“I’m only going back to my room to get pajamas,” he laughed.

Theo huffed. “What’s the point, when I’m only going to take them off you in an hour anyways?” she teased.

Sebastian rolled his eyes, but his blush betrayed his feelings. He scampered over to the bed, tossing the towel to the floor as he slid underneath the sheets. Theo felt as if her heart were going to burst as she felt his breath on her neck. She shut her eyes, gulping down the emotions that threatened to spill out of her.

“What are you doing?” Sebastian asked quietly.

“I–I’m just feeling a lot right now,” Theo confessed, her eyes still shut. “I didn’t want you to see–”

“Open them,” Sebastian urged.

Theo opened her eyes; she knew they were fiery red. They glowed whenever she felt a strong surge of emotions, even though many years had passed since she’d opened the repository.

“Is it terrible?” she asked. She remembered when they were younger, how Sebastian had almost seemed scared of her power.

“No,” Sebastian whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “It’s love.”

[tinycoded360]

Cursed to a foreign Land Chapter 2

Salim strolled through the bustling street market, the sun warming his face as he tried to distract himself from the ache in his heart. He had just sent his son Zain off to England yesterday, and the thought of him alone in a foreign land weighed heavily on his mind. With plans to join his son as soon as possible, Salim found solace in the sights and sounds of the marketplace. As much as he loved his home, he felt it was time to leave his homeland and stay close to his only family. Especially after the events with the American soldiers, the underground temple, and the space vampires. It would be nice to escape all that and start a new life. 

*Perhaps a little distraction is what I need,* he thought, pausing at a puppet stall that caught his eye. Intricate craftsmanship adorned each figure, their lifelike features drawing him in for a closer look. But one tiny puppet, in particular, stood out amongst the others—a four-inch-tall boy with an unmistakable expression of pure terror etched onto his face.

"Such remarkable detail," Salim murmured, admiring the delicate work before doing a double-take when he saw the tiny puppet blink. "It must be my imagination," he reasoned.

With an incredulous chuckle, he reached out, fingers aimed toward the doll to validate its artistry.

But as his fingertips neared, the tiny figure recoiled. Shock jolted through Salim like a live wire—the doll had moved of its own accord! Instinctively, his hand snapped forward, plucking the creature from its hanging position among the lifeless puppets.

He held it up to the light, his heart drumming against his ribs. This was no doll. It was flesh and blood—a miniature boy, panting with rapid breaths in the palm of Salim's hand. He could feel the thrumming pulse and life's warmth against his skin.

Salim's eyes softened as he watched tears carve wet paths down the boy's cheeks. The sight pricked at his conscience, a poignant echo of the parental instinct he'd honed with Zain. He couldn't bring himself to leave this strange creature behind. At least the tiny one looked harmless. He couldn't pose any threat, unlike the hideous creatures inside that ancient tomb. If anything, the poor thing needed someone to help it. 

Salim approached the stall owner, his heart heavy with concern for the tiny boy clutched in his fist. "How much for this one?" he asked, doing his best to sound casual.

"Ah, that one? A fine choice," the vendor replied, eyeing Salim with a calculating gaze. "Fifty dinars."

"Deal," Salim said without hesitation, handing over the money.

As Salim walked away from the stall, he couldn't help but study the tiny boy more closely. With light skin and delicate features, the child looked like he could be from America or England despite his minuscule size.

He carefully ran his fingertips over the material of the tiny boy's clothing, noting the terrified flinches the boy made as he did so. The cloth felt like animal hides, clearly handmade and suited for colder climates than Iraq's scorching heat.

"Your clothes seem too warm for this weather," Salim murmured thoughtfully. "We'll need to find you something more suitable."

Having made his purchase, Salim cradled the tiny boy in his fist, his fingers easily enveloping the small body. With great care, he walked over to a bench, his mind racing with questions about this mysterious creature who couldn't seem to understand him.

"Little one," Salim murmured softly, trying to reassure the trembling boy. "I promise I won't hurt you. Let's get those strings off of you."

Salim pulled out his pocket knife and gently snipped the strings attached to the tiny limbs, being careful not to nick the delicate skin beneath them. The tiny boy flinched at the sight of the sharp blade, his heart pounding harder.

"Shh, it's okay," Salim cooed soothingly, noticing the fear in the miniature boy's eyes. "You're safe now."

Still too frightened to speak, Zeddle stared up at the giant man with tears streaming down his face.

Salim's gentle touch steadied the tiny boy on his thigh, though Zeddle's body remained taut with fear. Salim could see how parched the child was; his lips were cracked and dry, and he seemed to be struggling for breath. With great care, Salim unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and held it out to the frightened child.

Tears still streaming down his face, Zeddle hesitantly reached for the water cap with trembling hands. The cool liquid felt like heaven as he gulped it down, quenching his thirst. He hiccuped softly between sobs, unable to stop crying even as some of his immediate needs were met.

Salim observed the tiny boy's flushed cheeks and rapid breathing; concern etched across his brow. They needed to get home quickly so he could help the child cool off and recover. Gently, Salim curled his fingers around the small boy, lifting him from his thigh and carefully placing him into the safety of his front pocket.

******

Once inside their humble abode, Salim felt a subtle shift in the weight of his pocket. Peering inside, he found that the tiny boy had passed out, his fragile body limp and alarmingly hot to the touch. Wasting no time, Salim brought the unconscious child to the kitchen sink.

He slowly undressed him, removing the too-warm clothes that clung to his overheated body. Salim filled the sink with lukewarm water, ensuring it wasn't too hot or cold for the little creature. Then he gently lowered Zeddle into the water, supporting his head as he bathed him.

Zeddle's fragile consciousness flickered in and out during the process, letting out weak whimpers each time he awoke. Salim spoke reassuringly to the child, trying to ease his fear and discomfort.

"Shhh, it's okay. I've got you. You're safe now."

After the bath, Salim delicately dried the boy with a soft towel before attempting to redress him. The pants were manageable, but the shirt and shoes proved too difficult to maneuver onto the tiny body. Besides, the material was too warm for the sweltering Iraqi weather, so Salim reasoned it was best to leave them off for now.

Salim placed him in a small box lined with a soft hand towel to provide the tiny boy with a safe and comfortable place to rest. Setting the box down on the living room couch, Salim silently prayed for the boy's recovery.

Salim next moved to the kitchen to prepare dinner. As he worked, he hoped that the food would be a source of comfort to the frightened child once he awoke.

[courtjesterrr]

live reacting to fundamental paper education (music video)

okie lets start

ooh basics is behavior i love this song and the art style is cool

ooooh i love the characters designs already i like how they act like paper

w.why is the sky and apples the only thing colored- nvm

Oooooh the students look so cool so far

PFFT- spinnnnnnn

Ooh spanish and MATH. (math hater)

damn bullies (that guy who has 2+2=8 is so me fr)

ooooh thats the guy with the spiky teeth

wait why does the penicl have a needle

RUN BOY RUN (i pfft just the switching to the others students pov is funny)

damn imagine getting an F

wait whys the needl DAMN. OH FUCK. OH. OH GOD. THATS. BRUTAL. WELL THAT ESCALATED FAST.

WHY IS THAT SO HIGH QUALITY???????

THOSE POOR KIDS. (hates kids)

bro really said :3

oh damn nvm they all crazy

GOD THIS LOOKS SO COOL i would also so build a giant boat to ride in a school pool

damn that bitch DROPPED

wait who the hell is alice

NOT AGAIN WHY IS THERE A BLADE AS THE TEACHERS ARM wait is that a ruler NOPE THATS A BLADE

Bros cornered i love these teachers

DAMN THAT STRAIGHT UP BROKE HER LEG

MY KNIGHT IN SHINIBG ARMOR 🥺🥺

ah the room with the studwHATTT.

nya :3 -> nya >:D

ah, soo TAHTS alice! Love the shift in art style, reminds my of bunnycat

DID SHE DIE????

OWWWWWW THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT HURT

"Zip, Oliver, What are you doing." THEM BITCHES (i like them)

SO UHH. YEAH. THAT WAS AWESOME. I DONT RECOMMEND TO ANYONE WHO DOESNT LIKE GORE. OR NEEDLES. OR BLADES.

BUT GO WATCH IT ITS ON YT AND ITS GOOD

[mah-t-wordblog]

This prompt is for Lee Marc, Ler Nathaniel

We know Marc hides his book underneath his jacket when he's not feeling confident about it. What if one day while working alone together, Nathaniel sees this and decides to tickle it out of him!

Of course!! This idea is sooooo cuteeee

Tickle it out of you

Lee: Marc Anciel

Ler: Nathaniel Kutzberg

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡

Ships: Marcaniel

Warnings: This is a tickle fic, if you don’t like it, just scroll down

This fanfic is originally in Portuguese, my English is translated using an automatic translator, if there are any big errors you can tell me so I can fix them

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡

Marc entered the locker room and opened his locker, from inside he took out his book

“Ah” the boy sighed “come on, Marc”

He opened his book and started writing, he had taken part of it to write about stories inspired by moments he spent with Nathaniel

‘I’m alone, in a giant school, just with him, but the fact that I’m with him makes me not feel so alone…’

The boy was actually alone at school with Nathaniel, they had asked the teacher to stay a little longer after class at school, so they could finish their work.

“Ah… Nathaniel… why is it so hard?” He said looking at the notebook

“What’s hard Marc?” The red-haired boy's voice said, Nathaniel closed the other's closet door tightly and made a loud noise, scaring poor Marc.

“AH NATH” the youngest quickly hid his book under his coat, but that didn’t stop Nathaniel from seeing

"What is that?" He pointed to the book

"ANYTHING"

"Anything? Mr. Marc Anciel, I saw you put something there-“ Nathaniel tried to get closer and take what Marc had kept

"No!"

The dark-haired boy took a few steps back

Nathaniel smiled

“Marc~ are you going to show me what this is? Or will I have to tickle that out of you~?” He said shaking his claw-shaped fingers.

Marc's eyes widened.

“N-Nath- I-“ he didn’t finish speaking and just ran away

"Hey!" The redhead laughed

They ran, laughing a lot, up the stairs to the art room.

Seeing that he was cornered, Marc took his book and took advantage of his friend's height, lifting the object as high as he could.

"Is not fair!" Nathaniel said trying to grab the book

“Haha! Who said to be so short!”

Nathaniel laughed, he threw himself at Marc and used his arm to tickle the boy.

“NAHAHAHTH”

They both fell to the floor, the book went flying

“Did you call me short? You don’t know who you messed with~”

Under his arms was Marc's most sensitive spot, he was squirming under his best friend

“NOHOHOHOHOHO! SOHORRYHY”

"Too late! Will you show me this book? Or suffer the consequences~”

Marc tried to push Nathaniel

“No, no, no, you may be stronger than me, but you are now completely unarmed.”

Nathaniel increased his speed, making Marc let out a screech.

“PLEHEHEHASEHEH”

Nathaniel laughed, he stopped the tickling, Marc sighed and panted on the floor

“You’re really evil-“ the boy stopped when he saw that his friend had his book in his hands

“Marc…”

At that moment Marc wanted to explode

“All this… you wrote about us?”

Marc blushed “I’m sorry! I don't know how you feel about me! I just don't want you to hate me” he tried to run away

But Nathaniel grabbed the sleeve of his sweatshirt

“Oh, Marc…”

He pulled the other into a hug “why didn’t you tell me before?””

“I-I didn’t know how you would react.”

“What I want is to ask you out, okay?”

Marc blushed even more, Nathaniel definitely thought it was cute

"I think so"

Nathaniel quickly squeezed one of Marc's sides, making the boy jump.

“Hey!”

“You look cute laughing” Nathaniel smiled at him

Marc melted, he took his book, hid it in his sweatshirt again, but this time, it was just so that no one else would see, so that he could share this moment just with Nathaniel, just with his love.

❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜❤️🧡

Thanks for reading 💛

[pitroig]

SpyxFamily 75

*spoilers*

I am very glad that SxF chapter #75 was released today, so I could read it right after the JJK’s one. A girl can have only one heartbreak per week, thank you very much. Also, the chapter itself was very very good - a perfect ending for my favourite arc so far. 

Why was it perfect? Well...

because of DAMIANYA

jesus aren’t they cute?

When it comes to reading about the developing feelings in children, sometimes the author tends to project the situation as if they were adults (it is Becky’s case) and that makes things awkward to read but here it is plain cuteness and nothing else. You really feel like witnessing your little brother's first crush, and want them to keep going without any specific romantic goal in mind. And that’s something that lifts anyone’s spirit!

Also, I want to highlight the BIG - ENORMOUS - GIANT - PINK ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

What the h*** is happening with Melinda Desmond.

These panels left me kind of speechless. We knew that she seems a little weird and that there was something shady going on with her but I didn’t expect this turn of events. What we have discovered now is that 1) she  loves her son, but she also hates him; 2) that she really really hates her husband 3) that she cannot reach Damian when she wants to. And we can conclude that she is somehow trapped there, between love and disgust. And whereas it opens a wide door for new fandom theories, I feel extremely sad for Damian. He must feel lonely and rejected. Poor boy. 

Also, haven’t you noticed Melinda’s earrings? They are there, very clear to see. There’s a triangle and an eye engraved on it and it looks suspiciously similar to WISE logo. So, what if Melinda is a spy that has to get impregnated by Desmond in order to be closer to him? We know there are other agencies/secret organizations working on Ostania, is Melinda a secret agent too?

Anyway, excellent chapter. Always in awe of Tetsuya Endo’s storytelling abilities and I am looking forward to the next one. 

Ah, and we had a bonus surprise!

Twilight did come back for his little girl :)

[fearissorrowful]

Ꭵ ᏝᎧᏉᏋ ᎩᎧᏬ… (Ꭵ ᏖᏂᎥᏁᏦ?) 𝚄𝚃 𝙰𝚄'𝚂 [1]

you weren't usually the one for love... but it seems that is nothing but a lie now as you stare dreamily ahead of you. Clasping your hands together as you swoon and sway back and forth girlishly like a loser in love, except you weren't just a loser, you're a loser in a group of popular guys- your friends. must have been because you've never experienced attraction towards humans and instead monsters.

Finding it out- to be real was like a dream. still you smiled sheepishly as you hugged yourself swaying around humming softly, it was weird to onlookers yes but you didn't care not now while you were in your daze till someone snapped you out of it.

"Y/N...? you're doing that thing again..." a male dressed in a similar uniform tapped on your shoulder with a hesitant gaze in his eyes. "huh what?" you shake your head and stare back into his auburn eyes. "You're drooling over dreams BROTHER." He stated, tilting his head slightly as your arms dropped to your sides as a red hue filled the void of your face. "a-ah no I wasn't!" you tried to excuse your odd behavior sloppily as you gripped the ends of your skirt nervously knowing he wouldn't buy such an overused excuse.

He looked down at you skeptically, shaking his skull as your figure drooped crossing your arms as a pout spread across your face. "Com'on Y/N that's so overused. I know you were looking at him." The artsy male tried to reason with you as your eyes meant a soft sigh escaping your lips. "yeah- yeah. I get it, I just can't help it.." you whined. "you get a new crush every month, your basically crushing on the 'KING' himself and all of his gang, you know there no good." He scolded. "I know- I know Ink, this is my bad boy phase I'm sure I'll be over it by next year." you smiled sheepishly watching out of the corner of your eye as the 'KING; himself slithered out of your vision. The male besides you simply crossed his arms as yours came up to greet your own hands, joining them together as a dreamy sigh left your lips making the male besides you shake his head. "come on.. let's go... they are waiting for us."

He grabbed your arm causing you to squeak out a protest. "noooooo!!! Ink please!" you whine as Ink drags you away from your post, down the hall and around the corner, left- right- right- left..and finally to the parking lot. "Y/N you promised Swap, dream and I." Ink scolded again as you finally gave in head hanging low as ink literally dragged you out into the parking lot, concerning lookers and even dream himself. swap however ignored it and beamed tackling you into a rather tight hug. "Haha! Hello to you too, baby blue!"

You smiled patting his skull, he was rather tall- taller than you but you couldn't really be offended when he HAD to crouch down to your height to hug you properly, being picked up scared you when you weren't warned ahead of time, so you gave him props...though there was a few times he would forget and startle your poor soul. You smiled at him as he returned the gesture letting go of you beaming. He was nothing but a gentle giant not as tall as- horror... but still... he wasn't as short as ink..- Ink being the shortest out of all the monsters you've encountered he was just barely 3 inches taller than you... while dream was 7 inches taller and blue being the tallest of the trio. you had been there first human friend here- to your knowledge at least.

"are you okay Y/N?" dream asked placing his hands on both your shoulders gaining your attention as your gaze meant his, his aurora felt so relaxing compared to his brother's... you smiled at dream gently... your eyes softening. "I'm good-" "she was fawning over your idiotic brother again." Ink interrupted, blunt as usual. dream's smile twitched but went unnoticed by your gaze as you glanced at Ink, sticking out your tongue as he did the same. childish antics really. "Y/N-" dream caught your attention as your eyes briefly make contact with his finding it difficult to hold when he had pressed you against his chest as if he feared you'd disappear if he let go.

"yes...?" you answered hesitantly eyeing dream for his suspicious and off putting behavior. he was like nightmare in some aspects whether he chooses to believe it or not. "your too positive for them." he smiled down his eye no longer twitching in annoyance. You tilted your head. "am not." you pouted as ink and swap swooped in. swap picking you up causing you to squeak and jerk in his grasp. "I agree with Ink, you're a ball of joy!" swap grinned as ink nodded. "ALWAYS positive" Ink hummed as swap set your fidgeting form down. your sweat dropped as dream patted your shoulder smiling. "see Y/N, you're BETTER off with us. you don't need to get involved with what they do." dream seethed his smile betraying his tone as he clasped his hands together, slowly you nodded frowning before a beaming swap pushed you into Ink declaring a group hug to cheer up your frowning face.

"hahah- thanks guys...but we should get going, this parking lot is starting to look like a ghost town!" you piped jabbing a thumb towards the cars exiting the half empty parking lot, dream,swap and ink nodding along. "ah yes- i was thinking we visit a monster friendly cafe- maybe ccinos? a good friend of ours." dream smiled as ink grinned. "well- more my friend, i introduced these guys." ink boasted as swap groaned- a rare occurrence for his bubbly nature, however you notice he only seemed to dislike bad puns and jokes as of late- probably hearing them too much. reminding you of the first time you guys meant... smiling fondly at the decent memory.

~Ｆｌａｓｈ ｂａｃｋ~

"Y/N! are you sure you want to go to that- school?" a male voice called out. "of course bro, I'll be fine." you smiled idly standing kicking around dust as a shy smile spread across your lips, you'd always had a taste for the un-normal. "I know Y/N...but them... that school is full of... full of-" your brother paused his eyes scanning your figure with concern afraid for your health and safety. "what...there what..? they have Monsters?" you sneered turning on your heels. your brother sighed shaking his head. "you know what i mean Y/N... i'm just looking out for you." you lower your head briefly in thought. "I'll be safe, promise!" you beam skipping out the door as your siblings gaze lingered on your vanishing figure before down to his own hands with a anxious look in his eyes as he sighed, closing the door after you.

You hummed a light hearted tune as you skipped and ran to the bus stop awaiting for your assigned bus. when you arrived to the stop you noticed a few monsters they looked like an odd mix, one wearily trying to talk to a human who looked rather angry and annoyed, the art-y one was dazing into space seeming to not realize he was holding the wearily golden one in a awkward side hug, while the larger of the tree looked oddly concerned as he attempted to try to a different human only to be ignored. your skip slowed into a jog- than a walk as you approached. side eyeing the monsters curiously bound to approach them till the bus pulled up. The monsters following behind the other humans slowly not seeming to notice your presence as they got aboard only to be stopped by the bus driver.

"Monsters sit in thy'a back." the bus driver spat pointing to the back of the bus- that everyone seemed to be avoiding. the skeleton tried to argue the point but quickly gave up after being shouted at. you smiled innocently as they shuffled into the back of the bus huddling close to each other as they struggled under the gaze of others. you perked up realizing it was your turn to find a seat. many humans whispered back and forth between each other as they watched wide eyed as you drew pass them into the back sitting besides the skeletons you flash them a toothy smile.

"Heya! I'm Y/N."