#Begrudged acquaintances to lovers>>>> | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

alexanderlightweight · 2 years ago

Note

hi!!! if you haven't done it yet and are interested, i would love to see undertow magnus having tell ragnor and cat how he accidentally acquired a mate and their reactions

here we go! i hope you enjoy

<3 lumine

—

It isn’t until Magnus is brushing a sleeping Alexander’s hair that he realizes the sudden problem he has.

Alexander fuses sleepily, snuffling the pillow and shifting closer to Magnus. There are creases from the sheets on his cheek and he looks both young and timeless.

Alexander thinks that Magnus has been wooing him towards exclusively, and while most courtships allow for casual sex during, Magnus doesn’t think Alexander is the sharing type.

Magnus isn’t either. Not with this.

So if this is going to work. Then no one that Magnus has slept with during the period of their courtship can continue to live.

Not if Magnus wants this new relationship safe.

And Magnus finds himself suddenly feeling very protective.

—

He calls Cat before his third stop, because the warlock he’s about to take care of is a mutual acquaintance.

And a healer.

Which means that Cat might enjoy access to her library, since Selene has always been famously stingy with her books.

Cat gives him a look that Magnus hardly thinks is deserved when she portals in across from him.

“I thought we agreed to avoid Selene after Ragnor lost that book to her during the whale migration bet. Solidarity and all that.”

“Yes, well Ragnor also wants that book back and it is nearly his birthday.”

Magnus doesn’t actually remember Ragnor’s birthday but he’s fairly certain neither does Ragnor so it’s fine.

They tend to assign each other the closest season as a birthday and that’s worked well enough for all of them.

Cat raises an eyebrow and huffs at him and Magnus sighs.

“You’re better with bloodstains and this could be a bit—“ Magnus wrinkles his nose. “Messy.”

Cat blinks at him incredulously and then she sighs, shaking her head.

“Ragnor’s book doesn’t warrant her demise, no matter how much Ragnor complains.” Cat adds the last part quickly, already knowing Magnus’ response.

Magnus opens his mouth for a moment to bullshit and then stops.

He’s hardly ashamed of his new lover and while Cat might judge his lack of awareness, she also works better knowing the full picture.

It’s with a slightly haughty expression that Magnus explains and he glowers at her when Catarina starts laughing.

It’s belly deep, her head thrown back as she laughs and it’s only because of how dear she is that Magnus ignores the rather obnoxious display of mirth.

— Magnus very specifically always forgets all the times he’s laughed at her in turn —

“Oh Magnus,” Cat finally gets out, wiping at her eyes and nose. “Oh only you. Once you tell him, Ragnor is going to create a list of all the possible clues you’ve missed and spend decades going over it with you.”

Magnus sighs but allows it with good humor. Joy can be a rare thing in their world and Magnus can't begrudge the humor and laughter of one of his dearest friends… even if it is at his own expense.

“Is he part of the queen's court? Or the unseelie king’s?” Cat asks and Magnus shakes his head lightly.

“No, he has no allegiance to any sovereign before me. Alexander—'' Magnus takes a moment, trying to figure out how to explain. “The lake I took him from had claimed him as a protector of sorts. There’s a very powerful, nearly sentient, kind of magic, all through the lake. Different from dominion magic, or from the magic in the seelie realms. It’s what keeps it from being found I think. It created a self contained pocket dimension. A kind of magical ecosystem that used Alexander as a boost and an anchor.”

“Powerful enough to be an anchor but with no allegiance lines, that’s very odd Magnus. How did he manage to stay unknown to any of the courts?”

Magnus sighs and then finally looks at Cat directly.

“He’s half-nephilim, Cat. I’m pretty sure that he was dumped near the lake when his other heritage came out. The memories are blurry, he doesn’t think he was supposed to survive. He remembers them trying to take his runes and fighting back until he got to the lake.

“The magic there lured him and his pursuers in and then the magic and he boosted each other. A symbiotic relationship I suppose. However accidentally, he accepted the wild magics protection and consecrated his vow to it with angelic blood.

“Since then he’s stayed in pretty strict isolation there; especially because he can’t portal. He knows the world, he just hasn’t experienced it.”

Cat looks worried now and she looks over Magnus with careful, protective consideration.

“Poor kid, but Magnus. If he needs someone to get him out of there and set him up, there are plenty of warlocks I know who could help.” That she’d force to help if necessary. “You don’t need to continue the relationship unless you want to.”

Magnus grins at that, because he suddenly knows what Cat’s worried about.

“Ah, I forgot to mention how long Alexander thinks I’ve been courting him. And also the reason why I need to clean things up. Alexander and the magic have tangled so deeply that he’s able to leave the lake and still anchor the dimension. The reason he never leaves is because I was courting him.” Magnus can’t help the wistful sighs he lets out, “he’s waited for me for decades, Cat.”

Cat is watching him carefully, contemplating Magnus’ words as he waves his hands in emphasis.

“I’m also positive that Alexander has very discerning tastes despite his isolation, because he’s killed every other person who found the lake before me.” Magnus can’t help the fact that he’s preening, “And he killed everyone who found it after. Apparently, I am the only person who Alexander has ever registered as ‘suitor’ instead of ‘prey’. He also—“ and here Magnus chuckles, something dark and content in the noise and Cat’s eyes soften at the sound.

“He considered everyone who came after me to be prey still, but he was worried about what I’d think. That I’d consider them suitors, that I’d think he allowed himself to be courted by others. So he killed every one of them even when he wasn’t hungry or interested. And then because he noticed I wear a lot of jewelry, he carved me pendants from their bones. So I could show off that he was faithful and he waited.”

Magnus can’t help the pleased hum he lets out at the memory.

“He waited for four decades, Cat. For me.”

Cat is smiling at him, her eyes shiny with unshed tears and she wraps him in a hug. Her strong arms that have saved countless lives wrap around him, delicate in their tenderness.

“I’m so very pleased for you.” Cat murmurs close to his ear and then she lets him go, presses a kiss to his brow and then she turns on the warded cottage with a raised brow.

“Were you waiting for an invitation? Because she did cheat during that bet and steal Ragnor’s favorite book.” Cat says, snapping her clothes into something more… forgiving to blood. “I only let her get away with it because Ragnor forgot to bring me scones from Lady Gray's.”

“Every book is Ragnor’s favorite.” Magnus laughs out, and he’s grinning wildly and laughing because Cat will always have his back.

And so will Ragnor. After he stops complaining about the inevitable blood stains on his new books.

Cat cuts into the wards with the precision of a scalpel and Magnus follows her, cauterizing the wards once they’re through.

There will be no healing here tonight.

—

Cat accepts a cup of tea with a small smile as Magnus laughs and Ragnor’s scolding gets increasingly louder.

“They were a perfectly lovely invention!” Ragnor is saying. “They should never have gone out of fashion!”

He’s said the same thing three times. Increasingly louder, as if it will eventually shut Magnus up.

Cat sips her —perfect as always— tea and summons a box of biscuits.

Normally Ragnor offers them himself, but Cat will allow the discrepancy. They did find him quite indisposed.

Magnus is still laughing, holding his belly as though it might burst as he slumps into one of Ragnor’s large armchairs.

Ragnor seems to have given up and is grumpily sipping his own tea as he gives Magnus a snotty look.

When Magnus has finally, finally stopped laughing, Cat gives a silent sigh of relief.

And then Ragnor opens his mouth, dooming them all.

“If you must know.” He says with an aggrieved sniff, “it helps keep my horns from rubbing against the headboard. It’s quite annoying to have to polish them so often. Valois mentioned they were looking a little worn at the last gathering.”

And Magnus loses it again.

Ragnor had been napping on an armchair when they’d portaled in. Small round glasses perched on his snoring nose, a long flowing nightgown and a nightcap that hasn’t been used in several hundred years.

It was only several lifetimes spent practicing self control that ensured Cat didn’t burst into laughter herself.

She makes a note to order and send several bonnets to Ragnor, they’re much nicer than the undoubtedly musty nightcap Ragnor probably dug out of a moth-infested dresser in some half-abandoned cottage he forgot about.

Ragnor huffs and gulps half of his cup before Cat has pity and offers him a digestive.

“The cheek on this lad.” Ragnor grumbles, “and what kind of present is this! At least it was well taken care of in that witch Selene’s library. If not tragically undervalued, so why is there blood on my bloody book?”

Magnus is going to give himself a hernia at this rate and Cat is both off duty and not inclined to be nice so she sends him a little zap and gives Ragnor the most mischievous smile she can.

Ragnor immediately catches on and good humor replaces his glower.

“Oh? What’s this? Cat, love! Don’t hold out on me. What’s ducky done now?”

“Guess who has to do a little spring cleaning, because he accidentally courted an un-declared kelpie.” Cat says in a rush, fingers snapping her biscuit in her eagerness to share.

Magnus gives a mock groan, “yes yes, laugh at my hubris. But trust me, a little bit of cleanup is well worth my Alexander.”

Magnus has one of his arms flung over his eyes and doesn’t see the quick, tight look Ragnor shares with Cat. Nor the brief joy when Cat simply smiles and nods, giving her assurance that Ragnor won’t need to make too many contingencies.

“And what does this time of new life and purging entail?” Ragnor asks and this time it’s Cat who laughs as Magnus gives them both a sheepish smirk.

“Ah, Alexander may be under the impression that I have been courting him… exclusively.” Magnus winces, “For the last four decades.”

Ragnor fights desperately not to gawp, and to not ruin his tea with incredulous laughter.

And then he realizes the problem and his laughter fades.

“But you didn’t know.”

Magnus shakes his head, something bitter and angry in his eyes that Ragnor will worry over later.

With sherry and Cat as backup.

“That’s quite a bit of cleanup.” Ragnor murmurs quietly. Because Magnus takes fidelity seriously when it’s offered, “better take it to the last five decades, just to be safe. Don’t forget that orgy you told me about, the one in Dubai that you talked about for weeks in the 70’s. Don’t just do memory wipes, make it clean.”

Magnus nods and Cat sighs despairingly as he summons a notebook and jots it down.

“My, dear overachieving boys. Magnus should just use a ritual. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it properly. So we need to be thorough. We’ll have to add some element of a geas to the secret, Magnus can use one of his loose ends to power it. We can’t just murder all of them outright, it’s too conspicuous. Are there any spells that the Council needs done that require past lovers?” Cat looks at both of them sternly, “see how much we can brush under the Council’s cauldron and go from there.”

“There, there ducky.” Ragnor tuts and sends over a cup and saucer to a groaning Magnus. “There’s not as many as you think. It’s a much smaller mess than if this happened when you were younger and off sowing your oats.”

‘Sowing my oats?’ Magnus mouths incredulously across his cup at Cat and she bites her lip to hide a chuckle.

“Ah and Camille will need to finally be dealt with.” Ragnor says, so very obvious in how hard he’s trying to be nonchalant. Ragnor is always looking for a reason Magnus can accept and Cat is always hoping it works.

And for once, Magnus doesn’t even notice.

“You know what, you’re right.” And Ragnor’s gaze snaps to Magnus with a relieved but disbelieving look as Magnus continues.

“She would definitely use any opportunity to get between us.” Magnus looks angry now, instead of the bitter pain that Camille normally brings out. “Putting a geas on her and sealing her won’t be enough.” And then Magnus pauses and there’s a dangerous, confident gleam to his eyes that Cat has mourned the lack of.

“Alexander does look divine in jewelry, and after everything he’s made for me, I should return the gesture. So I’ll need to commission him some.” And Magnus gives a soft, pleased smile. Like some deep wound has finally been healed, “and I have always wondered what the color of Camille’s soul is.”

Ragnor gives a content, pleased smile and nods sharply. “If need be we’ll say you’re cleaning up your court. Camille is a perfect and public example of a traitor being dealt with. There’s always an enemy if you look hard enough.”

#lumine writes #writing wednesday #writing wednesdays #undertow #undertow vs #malec #magnus bane #alec lightwood #shadowhunters #team immortal #catarina loss #ragnor fell

152 notes · View notes

brainrotandbedrot · 10 months ago

Text

something something stark!reader that knight!simon rescues during the battle of the blackwater and they become begrudging acquaintances to lovers and they fuck nasty and i rewrite show canon because i want to send tweet

i think i need to polish off ye olde quill and scroll for this because it’s been chomping on my brain

#simon ghost riley #simon riley #might write this #game of thrones #simon riley my beloved #simon riley x reader

36 notes · View notes

jinxedmuse · 2 years ago

Text

let me back in — joshua hong, 홍지수

🎵 i keep thinking, maybe if you let me back in (did i fall out of line when i called you?) we can make it better, breaking every habit. pull myself together, you could watch it happen (when i told you, "i’m fine," you were lied to) let it happen, let it happen.

in which: reader and joshua are in a confusing relationship. a constant tug of war over who can get each other more in love, and more heart broken.

authors note: hii! tysm for the new support ! wish i could hug u all :( it means sm & truly motivates me to keep writing! plz enjoy this angsty one shot i whipped up a few nights ago while missing shua & having this song on loop!! ><

tags/warnings: afab reader x non idol joshua, unhealthy relationship, fwb except they’re barely friends, extremely angsty, mutual pining but they’re both too hurt to realize. mentions of the word sex but no actual smut, just suggestive moments. discussion that may come across as ‘arguing’ but they’re just genuinely learning how to properly communicate for the first time since they met…

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　　˚　　　　 . ★⋆.

joshua’s phone rang at exactly 12:00 am on his birthday.

just as a stream of constant messages poured in, wishing him a happy 27th birthday. another added year signifying he was truly growing up, catching up to time.

the number calling was one he hated himself for recognizing. for engraving so deep within his mind that he could practically say it backwards.

he mentally cursed himself more for what he did next; picking up.

“joshuuuuu” the voice sang out, your voice. on the other end, almost fully overtaken by the sound of what seemed like a club in the background along with laughter from your friends.

“this.. this is way out of line.” he begrudged out. it was wrong, so wrong for you to be calling. even worse for him to be entertaining it.

yet, here he was and he felt oh so genuinely content that you remembered his birthday after almost a year with no contact. now listen, in his honorable defense, shua was many things; dumb? wasn’t one of them.

however, when it came to you? his acquaintance, old friend, ex, situationship, fling, lover, whatever the hell you wanted to call it. he was, no, the first step is accountability. he is, way too smitten for you to have anything such as common sense.

“i know. trust me, i know. it’s just old habits die hard, you know?” you slightly slurred with a melancholic tone. as if reminiscing the countless times in your knowing of each other that this almost exact conversation has happened.

“yeah, i know. so.. what is it tonight?” joshua asked. slightly hopeful that you had more in mind then a simple birthday phone call.

“i have something for you, let me come over.”

his heart practically raced out of his chest. he could already imagine a string of thoughts; possible scenarios that could occur. but he had to put on a front, at least try to resist.

even if it was just a bit.

“at what point are we going to have enough of each other? isn’t this tiring?” he asked, feigning an exasperated sigh.

more than anything in this world he wanted this constant cycle to end, but more than anything in the world he wanted you, craved you, just as much.

the question rang in your ears. i mean genuinely, just what were you two still doing? both in your mid to late twenties playing a constant game of back in forth, banter through the pain that left you both feeling lonely for what? the nostalgia of it all?

at what point would this tug of war finally be bearable?

maybe when it ended.

regardless, you ignored his question. refusing to let the buzz of tonight’s choice of alcohol wither away into the depths of such a question.

“is it still the same address birthday boy?”

there was silence. followed by what seemed to be him getting up.

“yes.” he timidly replied. too embarrassed to acknowledge the fact that your grip on him seemed to be getting stronger each year.

“good!” you exclaimed. getting your purse and slinging it onto your shoulder, grabbing a full bottle of sikhye before gesturing to your friends that you were leaving and would call them later.

“why’s that good?” he asked, retreating to lay back down on his couch.

“it’s only like a 20 minute walk from the club i’m at.” you said nonchalantly while double checking your map app.

“no need, i’ll order you a uber. wait out front.” he replies. he then puts you on speaker and starts ordering the ride, wanting the quickest and most comfortable one that would bring you to him.

“why? i’m a fan of walking actually. i picked it up a few months ago. needed something to do to distract myself from you joshu.”

there was a pang in his heart that felt all too real. he hated when you guys weren’t on speaking terms and the fact that you could bring it up all so casually while he had difficulty even whispering your name to recount to his friends what happened this time.

“that’s great, i’m happy for you. but there’s no need to tonight.” and with that, the ride was purchased. uber black, all for you.

“why? a gentleman doesn’t let a lady walk alone? that’s certainly not coming from you i hope.” you mocked bitterly. trying to push away one of the many painful memories you’ve had since your entanglement with joshua.

“you never let me explain my point of view of that night.” he complained. the flash backs still all too real, as if they had happened just yesterday. a feeling of frustration and guilt making home in his heart.

the uber black suv pulled up to the side. a man coming out to open the back seat door for you as you tumbled forward, thanking him quickly. once you’re in, he closes the door and you focus of not getting car sickness as he departs.

there’s a twinge in your stomach that has you patting it gently. you lower your window and stick your head out slightly. the cool air of the night slowly waking you out of your drunken state.

there’s a few minutes of silence before joshua speaks up again.

“hello? y/n? you still there?” he asked, tone laced with worry.

the question made you laugh.

despite all that you two had went through. the unrequited high school love that soon turned to a torturous one. years of pining, unbelievable out burst of arguments, and some passion yet “casual sex” but you both knew all too well there was no such thing as ‘casual’ for you.

regardless, you were still here. on the way to his place at almost 1 am on his birthday.

“yeah. i’m still there.” you replied.

you both always joked that you were probably thriving soul mates in another universe. you guys read each others mind dangerously fast but it still took you by surprise when he immediately picked up on the heavy meaning behind your words.

“it’s okay. i’m still here too.” he answered. as if to let you know that you weren’t alone in this cruel yet daunting situation. because after all, it takes two to tango.

soon enough, the driver stopped in front of the towering condos. you get out, once again thanking him as you grab your stuff and try to pull yourself together.

what takes you by surprise is the fact that joshua is waiting for you outside. wearing all black, hair slicked back and phone still to his ear. a small smile appeared onto his face, he looked as handsome as ever.

it still made your heart race just as it did when you first realized you liked him all those years ago in high school.

you walked towards him, trying to remain in a straight line. the nerves of the alcohol no longer giving you the confidence which had led you here in the first place.

it isn’t until you’re a few feet closer to him that he starts walking forward to meet you.

you’d make a joke about his action and the symbolism it had in regard to your relationship (or truly lack-there-of) but it still hurt too fresh. was still too early.

“here. happy birthday” you said slightly shoving the sikhye into this arms. he hangs up the phone and takes it, holding it carefully.

“so, how’ve you been-“ he starts but you’re already walking way past him, making your way to his place which he left unlocked.

joshua’s not dumb. he knows you did it on purpose. small talk never having been your fortitude but it still hurt him.

you enter the condo, him following closely behind snd locking the door.

as you take off your shoes and set down your purse, you looked around. everything the same as the last time you were in here on your birthday, almost a year ago.

“i’ve missed you.” he says while setting down the sikhye on his marble counter top. the small lights on top illuminating him. he almost looked angelic.

he always knew just what to say to have you weak in the knees. it was infuriating.

“i’ve missed your nice ass place, do you always have the ac blasting like this?” you say as you flopped down onto his ridiculously soft beige couch. using one of the pillows to prop yourself up.

“the floors are heated so i like the cool air, even during winter” he comes up and sits beside you on the couch, observing you closely.

“well my bad mr.money man” it took everything in you to not physically roll your eyes. you weren’t actually annoyed and you knew shua wasn’t saying it to brag but it was frustrating how seemingly put together his life is.

aside from this rather “chaotic” ensemble, your life was actually pretty nice. yet you were always right behind him, a step behind like some loyal puppy.

and tonight, you had the urge to prove once and for all you weren’t just a puppy, you were an equal.

what you didn’t know was that he already saw you as one.

“come here” he says while patting his back, looking at you with eager yet cautious eyes.

you don’t verbally respond, just physically get up and do as instructed. straddling his lap.

his hands dig into your waist, holding you in place.

“explain yourself.”

you both said it at the same time. it was eerie but earned a unanimous laugh.

“you first” you string out. one hand playing with the ends of his hair and the other just below his neck, playing with the hem of his shirt.

“look, y/n.. this isn’t just a one way street and we clearly remember things differently” he says blatantly. the grip he had on your waist loosening the more he spoke.

“just admit it.” you start, piercing into his soft brown eyes.

this would be much easier if he wasn’t so handsome.

“admit what?” he ask. hands trailing up and down your back, just how he used to back in uni.

“that i’ve had it worse, it hurt me harder. admit that you, hurt me way worse.” you demand, trying to ignore the ache in your throat.

joshua tilts his head back and let’s out a frustrated sigh.he looks back at you with something else in his eyes, lust.

he pulls you closer to him while pushing you down onto him. you look at him confused but he doesn’t speak yet, instead he starts pressing light, gentle kisses up your arm.

“did i complain when you started going out with that pathteic exuse of a man might i add, in uni just a less than a month after you confessed to me?” he ask peering up at you.

there was a slight pang in your heart. you remember it so clearly. after years of a seemingly unrequited love in high school, you confessed to him in uni.

hoping, praying, that it would help you get over joshua.

when he didn’t give an answer before mid terms, you tried moving on in another ways. getting with a guy that liked you way more than you liked him.

thinking back, it was definitely cruel but staying alone and seemingly rejected seemed worse.

he continues, both kissing your body and speaking. as if letting out years of pent up hurt in the air.

“did i ignore you after you rejected my confession at the end of the last semester? a week or so before my birthday? you ignored me sweetheart; even though i was the one rejected.”

this one struck a nerve.

a memory far too painful to be brought up. he goes up to kiss your collarbone but you back up, ultimately getting off him and sitting on the table in front of him.

“seriously joshua? are you really still acting confused as to why i rejected you then?” you ask fully bewildered. one eye brow slightly raised as you observe the man in front of you.

he leans forward and mocks your expression. daring you to state your reasoning after all these years.

you let out a dry laugh before crossing your arms.

alright then, your turn to straighten some things out tonight.

“joshua hong do not act oblivious to the fact that i have been pathetically in love with you since high school. i don’t know if it’s when you started sitting by me in class, or opening my drinks, or that time you shaded me from the sun while i was napping in p.e but i have been. plain and simple, okay?”

he starts to talk but you cut him off, determined to get your point through.

“foolish teen me thought i was special. until, i realized you probably sat next to me because your two friends sat in front of me, you open anyone’s drinks, and excetra excetra but either way, i made the dumb mistake of confessing my feelings for you in uni.”

you’re angry now, not at him but at how pathetic you must’ve seemed all these years.

he stays quiet, letting you take a breather before continuing.

“so yes. to get over you i started dating, having fun, doing anything to fix a mended heart of what i assumed was unrequited love because you gave me some ambiguous ass answer and what i needed in my life was not ambiguity, especially from you.”

you get up while taking, now pacing around his table trying to stop any tears that warned they would fall out if you looked at him any longer.

“then, a year into my relationship, on my relationship anniversary, you confess to me and crumbled down genuinely almost every ounce of self respect and happiness and i barley managed to scrape together to make my relationship work. i had to break up with him because how could it be fair to try and love someone else when a single confession, no, even just a mere look from you spiraled me back into you palm.”

joshua looks pained as he looks at you, getting up to come over to you but you stand firm on the other side of the table. moving sides any time he tries to approach you.

not afraid of him, never afraid of him.

afraid of the affect he has on you.

in a momentary lapse of weakness, a tear comes out and you immediately wipe it away.

“i love you. a lot more than you do me which is fine, i accepted that a long time ago but i will not be the girl who has these arguments with you once a year and then slips out in the morning after we’ve had sex. not again, i can’t.”

you didn’t even realize when but joshua was suddenly at your side, holding you gently and leasing you to sit back down on the couch next to him.

“y/n i’ve loved you a lot longer than you think, i swear it. and i’ve never once told you to leave in the mornings, trust me. i never sleep well because i wake up practically scorn when i see the spot you’re supposed to be in is empty. i get hurt a lot more easier than you think, it’s written all over my face when i miss you.”

his words practically ate you alive. if he had said all these years ago, even months, no even just last week you probably would’ve gone right back head over heels, full in.

you let out a coarse laugh. the ache in your throat from holding back your tears evident as ever and he realizes this, gently brushing back some hair behind your ears.

“you never told me to leave but never asked me to stay.” you murmur almost incoherent while staring down at your hands.

“mhm?” he hums, confused at the string of words you purposely rushed out.

“i said, you never told me to leave but you never asked me to stay.” you repeat, now looking at him directly. trying to read his eyes.

this, he couldn’t refute. and he knew it deep down as well.

after all those years of pining and watching from afar it still felt too real for him when you were suddenly in his bed for the first time.

you could’ve thought he was a teen who hadn’t had his first kiss yet. hands shaky, eyes nervous to meet yours, mind racing with thoughts at 100 miles per hour because that is how much of an affect you had on him.

he never admitted it though, failed the chance to and soon enough you mistakenly took his silence as a “hint” and slipped out every morning before the sun even rose.

it was his turn to tears to start falling but his hands felt too limp to even dry his eyes. so when you raise yours and wipe them away ever so gently, all he can do is cry into your hands.

“i’m sorry” he starts choking out.

“i really am so sorry. if i could do it all over again, if you just let me back in, i would. i would make it right. make a move faster, acknowledge my feelings earlier, not let you slip away so easily. i would tell you to stay. i want you, no, i need you to stay.” he rushes out, practically pleading at this point because God forbid he lets you out his life again.

but you both know it can’t happen. you’ve hurt each other far too much, have fallen dependent on each other for far too long.

it was unhealthy and you both knew knew it.

you firmly interlock your pink with his and stand up. he looks at your pinkies for a few more seconds before standing up after you.

you walk ahead, grabbing your purse and slipping on your shoes. your pinkies still loosely intertwined.

joshua wants to say something, he tries to on multiple accounts but every time he opens his mouth, tears brim his eyes again.

you unlock the door and slightly go outside, your pinkies barely still holding onto each other.

you stare at each other longingly, as if you both knew in your hearts that it would be for the last time.

you smile fondly, even after just crying he was still so handsome.

“same time next year?” he jokes

you let out a genuine laugh and he swore in another life he’d do anything to keep hearing it.

“i’m joking. you are never, ever, allowed in my “nice ass house” again.” he dead pans, while not so obviously trying to hide a small smile.

you knew it had to end here, at his door step, pinkies intertwined. it would’ve never worked, no matter how much you guys both wanted it.

“i’ll miss you, so much.” you say sincerely.

he knows this. “miss” was a massive understatement in his books. he leans forward, placing a gentle kiss in your lips which you kissed back but for once you don’t chase after his lips once he pulls away.

he places another light kiss on your temple, as he does so he pulls away his pinky and this action is the one that almost breaks you all over again.

a beat passes, you stare at each other with simultaneously far too much love and hurt to ever truly be strangers.

“i’ll miss you too. just as much.” he echoes. meaning every word.

and with that, for the first time since meeting him, you pulled yourself together and turn your back to him first.

you walk away first.

and he watches it happen before closing his door, for good.

105 notes · View notes

chuuyanakaahara · 23 days ago

Note

For the fic writer thing

1. 12. 25.

the last sentence you wrote

Michizou's never been a black-out drunk. He's been known to party a little too much, to not remember exactly what he said, but he's more than certain he saw Gin last night. He didn't imagine them. Not this time.

(more than one sentence because it doesn't make much sense lol)

2. a trope you’re really into right now

LOVERS TO EXES TO LOVERS !! (friends to lovers to exes to begrudging acquaintances by circumstance to friends to lovers in totality, but that's more of a mouthful, aha.) i'm admittedly a sucker for "we got divorced and learned to move each other again", and i have a guilty pleasure in "hey we broke up a Long Time Ago but SURPRISE! we have a kid and we fall back in love when all is said and done" so. don't ever ask me abt fankids unless you're ready to hear about them because unfortunately, i have them.

and then !! my fave

25. besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

i crochet a lot !! i'm working on an order right now, and then i knit, too (but much less often). i've been pretty into sewing lately, too !! but i'm not nearly as good at it. been picking up the "hanging out with friends" hobby, and i do news stories on the side too :] since i'm a reporter now! (it's still writing, but i'm also 2/3 done with the 2nd draft of my original fiction novel, so i'm counting that too)

from this ask game !

#cherri.txt #ask games #i love ask games i forgot abt that !!

5 notes · View notes

karkkidoeswriting · 6 months ago

Text

Tender Tuesday - Valeri

Intro post

Here's my post for the Tender Tuesday prompt by @creators-club / @bardic-tales! The prompt was about the soft side of the relationships the character has. The two central relationships Valeri has in the first book are with his little sibling, Fiolev, and with Agrippa, his love interest. Here's some soft art I made of Agrippa and Valeri:

Fiolev

Valeri and Fiolev were orphaned 14 years earlier, when Valeri was 10 and Fiolev 4. Since that Valeri has basically raised Fiolev, and being a traumatized child himself, he obviously couldn't protect Fiolev from the realities of a poor unprotected orphan. Valeri would do literally anything for Fiolev. He would die in a heart beat and he has killed people to protect him. He feels immense guilt for everything Fiolev has gone through and it has pushed him to try to make sure nothing like that ever happens again. He does that by working harder to ensure their position, so Fiolev will never be homeless or hungry or desperate again, which means working on his military career. Fiolev on the other had is very afraid of losing Valeri, especially after Valeri did almost die in a war three years ago. He got lost in the battlefield, captured by the enemy, but no one knew weather he was alive or not, and then he returned after couple of months badly burned and bedridden. It took him a year to recover, and he never fully did. Fiolev doesn't resent Valeri for failing to raise him well or failing to protect him, but he's angry that Valeri would leave him behind, abandon him. And he's afraid that Valeri resents him for having to take care of him and look after him. That maybe Valeri wants to leave him behind to get rid of him. In reality Fiolev is always Valeri's first concern.

Valeri always tries to be strong for Fiolev, to a fault, but Fiolev is (at the start of the story) the only person who he is very soft and gentle with. He is always making sure that Fiolev is eating enough and dressing warm enough in the winter and generally acting very motherly, which is why Fiolev calls him mother, when he's annoyed with Valeri's coddling. He also plays music for Fiolev, even though he refuses to do in presence of anyone else, since he is quite self-conscious of not getting much practice since childhood. Fiolev loves to listen to him play. He always keeps a strand of Fiolev's hair with him whenever he leaves for a campaign to keep him close. He doesn't like to be touched or hugged by other people, except Fiolev, who he hugs frequently and always kisses his forehead whenever he says good buy (even if he's just going for a walk with his dogs).

Agrippa

Valeri and Agrippa have a sort of slightly-flirty-acquaintances-to-enemies-to-begrudging-allies-to-friends-to-lovers arc. At the beginning of the story, they know each other because Agrippa is the adopted daughter of a duke and a general, who Valeri was squire to. Alexis (Agrippa's dad) became Valeri's patron since he was a good squire and sent him to the Imperial Academy to become an officer. There was a bit of mutual attraction, but nothing really deeper than that. This changes when Valeri learns Agrippa is the heir to Dir'ahin's (enemy of the empire) throne, and he gets a mission to both help her conquer Dir'ahin for the empire and assassinate her, since she is too good of an asset to the empire.

Valeri's moral compass tells him it might be bad actually to kill someone who hasn't yet done anything bad, even though they would be a threat in the future, so while during the mission to conquer Dir'ahin, Valeri's and Agrippa's relationship turn from cordial and a bit flirty to animosity, he still fails to actually go through with the assassination, when he gets the change. His decision is quickly vindicated though, when Agrippa, who believed she would be a peacemaker between her two peoples, being an Ahinian raised in the Angusian Empire, learns about her father's actual intent of subjugating Dir'ahin and decides to turn against the empire and jump the ship to Dir'ahin. All the allegiances being outed, they escape together out of necessity to Dir'ahin, which involves a dangerous hike across a mountain range. During a month alone in the wilderness they learn to rely on each other and become actual friends and allies seeing that their goals could align as they both share the enemy they once served. In Dir'ahin, which is a strange land to both of them, even for Agrippa, they rely only more on each other, emotionally too as they both reach an emotional low point. That reliance become codependent to an unhealthy decree and turns into mutual pining.

They become very protective of each other, while Valeri acts as her body guard as a sort of cover story. (The real story of how he was tasked to assassinate her might not go down well with Ahinians who hold her as religious and political heir.) It's really the first time in 14 years when someone is protective of Valeri, someone takes care of him. While Valeri can be soft with Fiolev, with Agrippa he can be fragile too. Agrippa takes care of him through his mental breakdown and holds him when he cries, which he also does for her. They both feel as though they are alone in the world so they find solace with each other. However, they also both have some serious self-image issues as they both believe they are alone because they are lacking as a person, so of course they both think they couldn't possibly deserve each other. Valeri realizes faster that he is in love with Agrippa, but believes he can never have her, so he's just happy to be her attack dog and serve her, while he can.

#writeblr #writing #my writing #my characters #original character #my ocs #bcc #valeri #valgrippa #creators club #original fiction

5 notes · View notes

that-binchh · 10 months ago

Text

random chiquititas headcanons

disclaimer: i haven’t seriously engaged in marauders content in like a year so these aren’t grounded in canon (i think), they’re just vibes

mary is a lesbian who dealt with comp het for most of her hogwarts years (i have SOOOO many thoughts)

butch marlene. butch marlene. butch marlene. (mostly uses she/her pronouns, but post-hogwarts i can see marlene using he/him more often)

femme x butch dorlene realness

3/5 of the girls are lesbians bc lesbians rock

lily is bisexual while pandora wouldn’t label herself but she’s a girlkisser too

lily is the OG ABBA fangirl that converted the rest of the girls, including dorcas (although i think dorcas wouldn’t ever admit she likes abba out loud but she’s singing along during drunk karaoke

speaking of ABBA, petunia is the one who actually got lily into their music. so lily’s feelings towards them becomes complicated, to say the least

mary is a second gen haitian immigrant bc i’m a second gen haitian immigrant. and because i can’t speak creole neither can she

mary has a little brother (4 years younger than her). he’s a muggle and never felt resentment towards magic until mary was attacked during year 7

lilys temper and self righteousness is a blessing and a curse

dorcas is a certified daddy’s girl

marlene really struggled with making friends with her dormmates during year 1 because she “didn’t know how to be friends with girls” (being raised with tons of brothers, james, + peter had little marlene believe girls were too complicated aka not as cool as boys)

speaking of girlhood, mary was marlene’s girlhood guru, which also led to mary being marlene’s first crush

don’t get me started about marlene’s battle with femininity after she realized she was butch

dorcas is tender headed so she braids her own hair. her go to style is micro braids (think moesha)

mary’s go to is her fro or a headscarf. but once her and dorcas become friends, she lets dorcas experiment with different styles on her. (it soothes mary’s homesickness)

year 1-4 mary had VERY complicated feelings about lily, like i don’t think they really became friends until year 5 (after lily fully cuts off snape)

lily, on the other hand, always thought mary was the coolest girl in school and didn’t get why she would be so cold to her one moment and a sweetheart the next

mary and dorcas secretly bonded over being craft girlies (mary makes her own clothes and dorcas makes her own jewelry)

pandora is not a rosier. lovegood is actually her maiden name (xeno is down BAD for her, he’d 100% take her last name)

pandora is actually super intimidating, when she wants to be

mary began crushing on marlene right when marlene got over her crush on mary

lily and dorcas are academic rivals but on the low

lily loves sour candy, specially anything and everything lemon flavored

dorcas is a big jazz/blues fan bc of her dad

dorcas and pandora are besties who bond over their dark humor, passion for spell crafting, and a few blunts

mary is an edible girlie

marlene prefers cigs but will take a few hits depending on her mood

weed makes lily paranoid so she sticks with liquor (which she can drink like a fucking sailor)

contrary to popular opinion, marylily aren’t friends to lovers. they are strangers to begrudging acquaintances to enemies to friends to lovers to exes (i have TOO MANY thoughts about their dynamic lmao)

mary is super friendly but doesn’t actually care about having many friends

pandora is an amazing figure skater

pandora is a polyglot (she would have studied linguistics, if this was a muggle au)

marlene is a certified enabler

in terms of how the girls became a group, originally it was just mary and marlene as a duo. year 1-4, lily was somewhat of a causal friend because she was still tight with snape. (but each year she got closer to both girls). by end of year 4, the duo has organically grown to a trio. off to the side, dorcas and pandora became instant besties in year 3 (i like to think that pandora was a transfer student so they didn’t meet until year 2). marlene and dorcas start dating beginning of year 6, which brings everyone together (until the war tears them apart)

(not to dip into my war/post-war HCs but MARY DID NOT OBLIVATE HERSELF

8 notes · View notes

avionvadion · 1 month ago

Note

could you tell us about Mae & Leona's 'enemies to lovers' journey ?

It’s very much “enemies to begrudging partners to acquaintances to friends to lovers” lol.

Because Mae goes from bumping into him in the Botanical Garden a lot, in which while he respects women he is still kinda an ass and she doesn’t take to being called “herbivore” very well, to being killed by him a COUNTLESS numbers of time during his Overblot and watching her little sister willingly WALK into King’s Roar because Jack died…

…to having to put up with him because Leona has ancient tomes and books from Ambros that NEED to be returned but she can’t just take them from him because HE needs to be the one to return them, to them actually getting in a fight and her running out of her bottled spells so she just… fucking decks him in the face, and it turns into a full on wrestling match, so… RESPECT…

…to Book 3 with Octavinelle to Leona getting a bit hissy and annoyed with Floyd flirting with Mae and going protective cat mode and… well….

Mae and Iliana end up spending a lot of time at Savanaclaw afterwards 🤣🤣🤣 especially during Magift practices where Mae actually cooks for the dorm and Iliana is passing out water bottles and being cheerleader (mostly for Jack) and pretending not to notice Ruggie keeps trying to flirt with her because JACK.

(Jack has been there consistently throughout the early loops and Ilia is very much attached, and after Halloween when the memories hit Jack is very much convinced they’re soul mates so, y’know, there really is no competition but Ruggie and Jade are determined while poor Riddle and Floyd try and fail to win Mae’s heart because LEONA.)

Mae and Leona are very much a “will they, won’t they” kinda thing because it starts off SO ROUGH and both are so traumatized and depressed it’s just… hard, despite having that evident connection and even a closeness the shared trauma brings. Whereas Iliana and Jack are very much “everyone but they themselves know they’re dating” lol.

#twisted wonderland #twst #leona kingscholar #jack howl #Mae belladonna #Iliana belladonna #twst oc #till death do we fall

4 notes · View notes

peskellence · 1 year ago

Text

Pairing: RK900/Gavin Reed

Tags: Post Pacifist Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut, Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Masterlist

Read on AO3 here:

Summary: A lot has changed since the revolution. Crimes against androids are now punished in the same way as crimes against humans. A reluctant Gavin Reed and his new partner RK900 have been assigned to investigate a string of disturbing murders. Despite the shift in Detroit's social climate, Gavin still holds reservations about whether or not androids are truly alive. Will his developing feelings for 'Nines' be the thing to change this?

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Depression/Self Destructive Behaviour, Eventual Smut

Word Count: 4.4K

"I just don't get what its deal is."

Gavin sat slumped on his bar stool, cradling a half-empty glass. Already three drinks in, he was beginning to feel a distinctive buzz clouding his senses. Soon, he would be rewarded with the blissful intoxication that was desperately desired. Taking another sip of whiskey, he relished in the sensation. All tension seemed to melt away as his body became warm and slack.

"Androids are usually so easy to read, but this one just… isn't, you know?"

He had turned to his companion for input but found her attention elsewhere. She was far more engaged in a nearby pool match than she was in their conversation.

"Tina", he snapped his fingers in front of her face, to which she attempted to fan him away.

"Not now, Gav, I have money on this. My bet is on the big one with the lazy eye. What do you think?"

"I was talking to you. That's what I think."

There was a click of resin-on-resin as the man that Tina was betting on was able to sink a perfect shot. She punched the air and let out a small grunt of victory. Gavin was less than enthralled.

" Tina. "

With a sigh, the frustrated officer turned on her stool, facing her friend. "I don't know what else you'd like me to say, Gav. Nines and I aren't BFFs. I hardly know him better than you do."

"But you get what I mean, right?" he pressed on belligerently. "One minute, it's a standoffish jerk, and the next, it's actually decent. It's like it spins a goddamn wheel to decide whether to be a prick or not."

"He's a little guarded. A lot of people are."

"There's guarded, and then there's..." His words trailed off as Gavin stared longingly into his glass, taking another gulp. "Any time it seems to feel anything, it puts itself on instant lockdown. It doesn't matter what I do or how nice I am. There's never any progress."

"Yesterday, you said he was being nice. Sounds like progress to me."

"I didn't say it was being nice. I told you it said 'thank you'."

There was an outbreak of noise from the pool table as Lazy Eye's opponent, a man covered with obscene tattoos, sank an impressive trick shot. Tina watched on in visible displeasure, a pained expression contorting her features.

"I know you have limited experience in this department, but most people consider a 'thank you' as being nice."

"So that's supposed to make it all better, then? One damn thank you after a week of treating me like dirt? What a joke."

"Baby steps", She insisted, clapping him reassuringly on the back, "You've officially reached begrudging tolerance. Keep it up, and you might get upgraded to a friendly acquaintance."

Coiling away from the touch, Gavin bristled. He wasn't yet ready to challenge what he understood Nines to be - and the nature of their relationship. Familiarity and fondness complicated matters. It was far easier to view the android as a hardened metal beast. One to be kept at an arms-length.

His desire to drink grew exponentially as he concluded that he was still far too sober. Sinking another measure of whiskey, he tried to focus his thoughts. "Androids don't make friends, and even if they did, Nines has no interest in being mine."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because it literally told me so", Gavin fired back. "It didn't even want me to call it by its name. Are you seriously going to try and convince me that this buddy-buddy shit isn't a waste of time?"

Tina paused thoughtfully, lips pursed. "Before this week, Nines only knew you by your reputation. That would be enough to scare anyone shitless. He's getting to know you, and he's beginning to realise that you aren't a complete raging asshole."

Gavin frowned back at her, wholly unconvinced "So we've spent a couple of days together, and now the tin-can has changed its mind?"

"It shouldn't come as a surprise. Statistically, someone has to like you."

Leaning forward in his stool, his eyes narrowed in opposition. His body no longer felt pleasantly warm, the room's heat growing tight and constricting around him. He craved the bracing chill of the wind outside. As well as a cigarette. It would have to wait, however, as there were more pressing matters at hand, like numbing all of the cognitive functions of his brain.

"Bullshit", Gavin spat out. As if physically sickened by the suggestion. "Total bullshit. I've already told you. It doesn't like me; it doesn't like anything."

Except for Anderson and Connor, and tidy rooms, and my cat -

Bringing the tumbler to his mouth, he knocked back what was left of his whiskey in a long, unbroken gulp. He let out a gasp, catching his breath, before drying his mouth on the back of his sleeve. His colleague watched on with a despairing look. As if anticipating that the detective's ramblings were only about to increase tenfold. She was soon proven right as the detective settled into a new, more invasive position inches from her face.

"Okay, smartass", his voice was dry and strained, a consequence of the burning liquor. "If it likes me, if it's even capable of that, then why did it go all shades of psycho when I asked if it was really deviant?"

Tina, who had been about to take a swig of her neglected beer, instantly halted her movements. She stared at her friend, utterly appalled, searching for reassurance that he may be joking.

"Don't look at me like that", Gavin complained, unappreciative of the silent judgement. "Just tell me: If it likes me so much, why wouldn't it answer a simple question?"

"Because that's a shitty thing to ask", She said plainly, as if the answer was glaringly obvious. "How would you feel if I asked if you were really a person?"

"Nines is proud of what it is. It's not like I was going to send it spiralling into an identity crisis."

Tina's mouth opened wide, as if ready to relinquish a long tirade, but shut soon after. She seemed unable, or otherwise unwilling, to unpack her coworker's heavy-handed statement, instead opting to take a breather with a long, quiet sip of her beer.

"Not cool, Gav" The words were muted as her lips remained clamped to the rim of her bottle. "The poor guy is trying his best. You need to lay off a bit."

Gavin let out an indignant splutter as his face burned a vibrant red. He swung an arm forward, almost knocking his tumbler flying. "So now I'm the problem?"

"Yeah, you are. I mean, what the Hell, Gav. Why are you so in his business?"

"In it's fuckin' - ?" Another splutter, as he grew increasingly heated, "You were the one who wanted me to bend over and lick its plastic asshole!."

There had been no attempt to contain his volume, and with the sudden clashing of glass accompanying it, the bizarre proclamation had rewarded them with more than a bit of attention. The bar felt deathly silent as the focus of all nearby patrons was pulled to the bickering officers.

The men playing pool had paused their game, exchanging looks of quiet bewilderment. A group of women, who had been sitting drinking in near-perpetual silence, erupted into a sea of gasps. They quickly began to nudge and shush each other, albeit still giggling under their breaths.

The bartender, who had been cleaning glasses, scowled at the detective with weary recognition. It was far from the first time Gavin had caused a ruckus in his bar, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

He signalled to a man at the back of the room, who was reclined next to the jukebox. There was an exchange of looks, and with a wordless nod, the man twisted a dial on the machine's display, to which the volume gradually increased. Silence persisted for a few seconds longer amongst the patrons, but as the well of entertainment dried, the sounds of drunken mingling steadily resumed. Throughout all this, Tina had been sitting with her hands clenched firmly over her face, struggling to suppress a fit of laughter.

"That is definitely not what I told you to do", She wheezed, foam trickling from the corners of her mouth. " Although maybe it wouldn't hurt, break the ice a bit."

Gavin remained deaf to the teasing, barely able to hear anything over the thundering music. "I'm going for a smoke", He announced, kicking back from his stool and away from the bar. "I better have a drink when I get back."

Gavin made his way outside, escaping through the fire exit and bracing himself for the harsh winds about to greet him. The rain that had fallen earlier in the day had begun to freeze over, leaving a fine layer of ice on the ground. Not wanting to take his chances with the steep concrete steps, he sat down, pulling his cigarettes out of his pocket and quickly lighting up.

After a long drag, he leant backwards, trying to lose himself in his senses. His eyelids fluttered closed, and his head swelled with the sudden darkness that embraced him. The fleeting serenity failed to last, however, as his vision shifted, and he was greeted with the stern expression of an all-too-familiar android.

Continuing to smoke, Gavin tried in vain to shake away the unwanted image. The features of the android staring at him gradually began to soften. Grey eyes ceased to be sharp, becoming bright and curious. The taut lips pulled upwards, melding into an overwhelming, intoxicating smile.

With opened eyes, he grunted in frustration. Goddammit .

Upon returning to the bar, the lights had been dimmed, and a colourful - albeit underwhelming - strobe effect had taken its place. A sparse couple of people had made their way to the 'dancefloor' - which was really just a narrow strip between the pool table and jukebox. The women marched in forced sequence back and forth while a particularly brave man flung himself like a ragdoll between them.

The tragic display did very little to lift Gavin's spirits. He sauntered back to the bar and slumped himself despondently onto his stool. Tina, who was accustomed to her colleague's propensity for self-indulged moping, silently slid him his liquor. "Ordered you another one. You're welcome."

Gavin said nothing and simply buried his face into his arms, groaning. His friend gave him a hard nudge, to which he responded with a louder, more pronounced groan.

"Still alive?"

"You know, I could deal with the bitchy mood swings.", Gavin clumsily began, ignoring the question entirely. "My brother had more than enough girlfriends when we were growing up, but what I really can't deal with is its face."

"Oh man, are we still talking about -" Tina pinched the bridge of her nose, thoroughly drained. "Alright, I'll bite. What's wrong with his face?"

Gavin pulled himself up before quickly snatching his tumbler and holding it firmly in his hand. "You'd think they'd have time to fix the fuck ups they made with Connor, but no. This one has two expressions: 'waiting to rip someone's throat out' or 'desperate to take a shit',." This was a bald-faced lie, of course - but one that he was keen to maintain.

"I don't know, I think he's pretty cute."

"So what. You're gay."

She scoffed at the bluntness of the statement. "Look, he's not my type, but all that dark hair and muscles? Objectively speaking, he's kind of dreamy."

"I think you need your eyes examined."

Taking another swig of her beer, Tina leaned forward on her stool, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly. "Don't lie to me, I know your type. Tall dark with chronic RBF? You'd so hit that. Just admit it."

"If it was a person, " came the staunch defence, as Gavin downed half of his drink without hesitation, "But I'd sooner rip off my left ball sac than sleep with a robot."

"I think you should broaden your horizons a bit…Sex with an android is basically the same as sex with a human. Just a lot less sweat and mess" Tina looked a little giddy, swirling the liquid in her bottle. "Plus, they don't get tired, which is nice."

"How do you know so much about it?"

She made a 'lips sealed gesture' before batting her eyelashes in a display of faux innocence. "I don't kiss and tell."

"Tell me you're joking."

"What happens at the Christmas party stays there, Gav. Having said that, you know the ST300 who works reception?"

"I'm gonna be sick", Gavin cringed, making an exaggerated gagging gesture. "They're built like Barbie dolls . What do you even do with them?"

"Not to ruin the mystery, but plenty of deviants have opted to…upgrade" Tina gave a wink before playfully nudging her friend. "So the good news is, if you do end up banging him, Nines might be packing more than you'd think."

Gavin's face burned at the thought. God help me -

"You know what? Forget I asked," he snapped, covering his ears childishly. "I'm not about to pop a boner the next time I watch The Wizard of Oz . If the Tin-Man does it for you, that's fine, but I'd rather have flesh and blood."

"Pfft, yeah - If any 'flesh and blood' will actually have you , asshole. Seriously, when was the last time you got laid?"

"None of your business."

"Okay, so we're talking months at least."

"You're about to be demoted to my second best friend. After my cat."

"Come on, I'm only teasing. You must have had a rebound after –"

Tina cut herself off, her jovial tone quickly abandoned. She watched how Gavin began to tense up before sinking into himself protectively. While she had known better than to say the name of her friend's former partner, her judgement of the situation had undoubtedly been clouded by the murk of inebriation.

She touched the top of his forearm in a sympathetic gesture. "If it is of any comfort to you, I always thought he looked like a rat."

"He was a rat" Gavin began drinking faster, emptying his glass before anything else could be exchanged. Placing it rim-down on the counter, he drummed his fingers along the base. "You don't know how badly I wanted a rebound. To stick it to that asshole and his damn boy toy: but it feels like the only guys who are into me these days are old pervs or nineteen-year-olds who want a 'daddy'. Either way, I can't win."

"Which is why you should consider an android: Fewer daddy kinks and no creepy age gaps."

"The dynamic is still pretty creepy if you ask me", Gavin challenged, frowning down at his emptied glass. "Less than three months ago, these robotic assholes didn't have autonomy. They've only just become sentient."

"They were always sentient. The way it works is just different now."

"Oh, so now they're different? I'm sorry, I thought we were all the fuckin' same?"

Tina paled, despairing at the direction the conversation was heading. "Don't do this -"

Focus was back on the two, despite all the lights and noises around them. This time, it was from a group of androids who had recently made their way in - and were standing nearby, ordering shots. One of the androids, a WB400, took particular issue with the detective's obscene ramblings. With shoulders squared and eyes narrowed, it looked ready to give Gavin a piece of his mind - and fists - when his friends all piled in to desperately hold him back.

After a hurried exchange of whispers and pleas, the WB400 began to back down, albeit still regarding the offending human with intense hostility. Gavin seemed utterly oblivious to his close brush with death, continuing his rant as if nothing had occurred:

"So pardon me for doubting the emotional authenticity of an Alexa on legs."

"Stop it" Tina pressed a hand harshly to his still-gaping mouth. "This isn't the break room. We're in a public bar . If it gets back to Fowler that you've been saying this shit, we could both be out of a job - and it'll be a cold day in Hell before I go back to retail."

Gavin tried to fight against her grip but found it much stronger than anticipated. Either that or his lax muscles could no longer exert the force required to break free. His head spun from limited oxygen as he floundered about dizzily. As a consequence of his growing delirium, his mind had begun to wander again - without any conscious control or desire.

Before long, he was no longer in the bar and was instead standing in Mikey's Electronics, Nines close beside him. The stubbed finger of the store owner pointed to a 'No Androids' sign as the old man watched from the sidelines, sneering aggressively. Both men were closing in on Nines as their increasingly malicious intentions became clear:

"Why don't you go back to the warehouse and rot?"

As the words were spoken, they failed to sound like either offender. With horrific realisation, he realised that the attack had come from his mouth. He stumbled back, lost in the pained expression spreading across his partner's face.

What the Hell does that make me?

When Gavin had been effectively subdued, the hand on his mouth slowly retracted. His eyes felt weak and unfocused, as if he had just woken up from a dream. The creeping doubts that taunted him had returned to his mind in full force. They twisted his perceptions, making him fall further down a stream of dismay and scepticism.

With just how lost her friend seemed, it was clear that Tina felt remorse for having restrained him so forcefully.

"I understand that this is hard for you," she said softly, trying to soothe him. "But you can't let your personal biases cloud your judgement forever."

"It's not about bias", Gavin said indignantly. "The rest of the country has lost their mind. I'm the only one that can still see sense."

Running a finger along the rim of her bottle, Tina gently chewed her bottom lip, clearly wanting to say something. Her shoulders were hiked and tensed as she eventually mustered up the courage to speak:

"...Your brother called the other day. Through the station line. I don't know if you got the message."

Gavin stared back into his empty glass, despairing even more at the lack of contents. "I have nothing to say to him. Need another drink."

"I know things have never been great between you, but maybe if you gave him a -"

"Shot? Excellent idea" He held up his tumbler, using his free hand to flag the bartender. "Hey buddy: Next one's tequila."

The bartender glared back, saying nothing, and quickly turned his attention to Tina. The word 'Tab' was mouthed slowly and firmly, to which the officer dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"I'm good for it, I swear."

In an instance of impressively poor timing, a chorus of cheers suddenly erupted from the pool table. The men had concluded their games, and a victor had finally been determined. To her chagrin, the man being jostled and praised wasn't Lazy Eye - who was sat at a nearby table, forlornly nursing his beer.

" Goddammit ", Tina cursed under her breath, composing herself as best she could to shoot the bartender a sheepish grin. "One more round and we'll leave. Promise."

'One more round' quickly divulged into four or five. Both of the officers soon lost count. With the music slowing and the night winding down, they were barely conscious of the time that had passed until a 'last orders' bell rang aggressively in their ears. The bartender, who had already been losing patience with the rowdy police officers, was on his last nerve. A broad man in a wrinkled shirt, presumably security, stood in wait by the exit, hands clasped firmly in front of him. His eyes were honed on them with precision. Ready to strike.

"You know what, I'm gonna text it…" Gavin slurred out, rocking unsteadily to his side as he did so. "Stupid Nines thinks it's so great. I'mma tell it to suck my dick."

"Bold, but not your best pickup line."

"'S not a pickup line. I just wanna knock the bastard down a peg…." Gavin leaned back on his stool, holding his arm out to steady himself. "Ya know what? Even better, I'm gonna text Jack. I mean, I was waaaay out of his league, and he had the audacity to cheat on me ? Gonna give him a piece of my mind. Tell him his balls were weird."

"Oh no, you don't", Tina blurted out, snatching the device from his limp hands. "No drunk texting. I'm confiscating your phone."

"Come on, Ti", he whined, "Give it back."

"I don't want to hear it, Mr Reed", She puffed out her chest, doing her best 'haughty principal' impression. "You can pick it up after class."

Another whine of protest, "Tiiinaaaa."

Gavin leaned forward, trying to retrieve his phone, but fell victim to his lack of balance - face-planting on the counter. With a groan, he slid off his stool, collapsing onto the floor in a crumpled heap.

A pair of women, who had been making their way to exit, leapt back just in time to avoid him. One of the women, clearly very inebriated, began poking at the man's body with the tip of her high-heeled shoe.

"Is he okay?" she asked slowly, her hazy eyes alight with worry.

Tina stared down at her companion, snorting. "Yeah, he's fine. Had worse falls than that, haven't ya buddy?"

As if on cue, Gavin roused from his position and stumbled back onto his feet. He propped his elbows on the bar, resting his face in his hands. However, he did so with a distinct lack of skill or grace, as his head quickly tilted forward and his chin clipped the counter's edge.

"Hey, bartender. Same again, please" he made a strange noise halfway through. Something between a grunt and a belch.

The doorman was closing in fast, and Tina hurriedly shot to her feet. She swung an arm around her drunk coworker to carefully steady him. "I think it's time we get you home. Any more, and you'll be puking 'til Monday."

"Fuck off, you're not my mom" Despite the weak protest, Gavin settled himself against the woman's shoulder, allowing himself to be guided outside.

Before he could process anything else, he was slung into the back of an automatic taxi, and the door was shut firmly behind him. The ride home was nothing short of bliss, as Gavin's resistance quickly deserted him, and he began to shut down. Slipping in and out of consciousness, he pressed himself into the rigid polyester of the seat supporting him. He was far too gone to think of anything, and he relished the peace that fell over his absent mind.

This peace was disturbed, however, as he was rudely awakened by someone (presumably Tina) attempting to hoist him out of the car. She struggled for a while against his dead weight before letting out a breathless plea:

"Come on, sleeping beauty. I'm going to need your help here."

With some persuasion, including the promise of a nice warm bed, Gavin clumsily lifted himself, relieving some of his weight. As they made their way into the apartment, Tina was forced to do a quick sidestep to avoid Tiffany, who was now awake and hissing territorially from the floor.

"Good guard cat, good… " Gavin mumbled before his head lolled back again, narrowly missing the edge of the doorframe.

"For fucks sake", Tina huffed out, struggling to pull him back forward. "I am never taking you out again. Do you hear me?"

By no small feat of determination, she was able to guide her friend the rest of the way to his bedroom - before settling him down on the covers. Gavin hummed contently, spreading himself out, seemingly unfazed by the fact he was still fully clothed.

"You gonna read me a bedtime story?" he mocked, cracking one eye open but quickly regretting it as the room began to rock and spin.

"You're lucky I'm not reading your rights. After the shit you've put me through tonight," There was a shuffling noise as Gavin's possessions were set on the bedside table. "Sleep up, and let's hope you are sober enough to make it to work on Monday."

With a listless wave of his arm, Tina was ushered out of his room, to which she happily complied. The light was switched off, and the door to his bedroom was gently closed. Another hiss from a perturbed Tiffany signalled the exit of his friend as she made her way out of his apartment.

Before losing consciousness again, he somehow found the awareness to put his phone on charge. Unable to resist temptation, clumsy fingers worked overtime to unlock his screen and quickly found themselves scrolling through the list of contacts:

"Actually Decent, Drunk Old Bastard, Top-Knot Asshole…" Gavin tried to decipher the identities behind the list of cryptic names, but his brain was failing to translate, "...There you are" . He grinned in satisfaction before clumsily beginning to type out a message:

i didnt stand up for you to be nice. did it cus that old fucker was pissing me off. so before u start telling me im a good person, just remember that u dont know shit about me. i still think youre a smug prick, and i cant fucking stand u -

He paused for a moment, staring at the screen, pondering on what other musings were left to be added.

- having said that. u have a nice smile. and a nice ass. so i guess u have some endearing qualities too. dickhead.

Exhaustion eventually won out as Gavin slipped back into his self-induced coma. Dribble soaked his pillow as he loudly snored. Having never made it under the covers, he kept warm from his unshed clothes and the alcohol seeping through his veins. His phone dangled precariously from his hand before falling onto the floor. The screen was still on, illuminating the room, with the message to Nines clearly displayed.

#dbh #dbh gavin #dbh nines #reed900 #dbh fanfiction #dbh rk900 #dbh fanfic #detroit become human #gavin reed x rk900 #gavin900 #g9 #gavin x rk900 #dbh gavin reed

16 notes · View notes

absolutely-normal-about-x · 1 year ago

Text

Alright just knowing how absolutely fun it is to play around with Zero with my XxMarty stuff.

Him having interactions with Marty was a massive missed opportunity.

But also how fucking Simular they are in certain aspects

Cause her and Zero are willing to go through hell and back for X. These idiots literally *Died* for X and were put back together by him (With assistance cause I genuinely believed that X needed help when it comes to give Mart a new body and y’all know how X2 went)

Honestly it be funny if her and Zero started out as reluctant acquaintances to absolute drinking pals and sass buds.

Lets be honest here, it’s obvious that Zero would the first person to be aware of X’s relationship with Marty. This dude is his best friend of course X trusts him enough to know that part of his private life outside of the maverick hunters.

Especially him learning about what X is doing behind the hunters’s back when he’s on his “vacations”. Coming back with a more chipper mode than ever and smelling like the sea. He definitely tease him about

Zero: So this whole time you have a secret Booty call with that pirate fish gal. Impressed and surprised that your into wild types considering how you act.

X: sHUT UP ZERO-

Zero at first has begrudging respect for her. But due to experiences he’s not sure to trust her right away.

Cause ya know Mart’s a pirate and her crew the Rose Thrones pirates are more of an independent rescue/vigilante group that works outside of the law. Being more aid to civilians especially in times of war. They have helped the hunters out but who knows when they are going to pull something dangerous.

Another thing to bring up is what happened with Iris, cause Zero doesn’t want X go through the pain of killing a dear lover that isn’t from the hunters, having to fight them and the pain that brings of having no choice but to kill them. Iris’s death has affected Zero who was in deep regret and despair but put himself together for the but imagine Someone as emotional as X killing his lover. It would straight up destroy him.

It’s reasonable why Zero is trying to protect X from that pain that experienced with Iris. He was kinda at times testing her to see if she was worthy for his bestie. Her and Zero tend to argue and bicker from time to time. The reason why they are tolerating eachother is for X’s sake. Slowly with time and getting to know eachother and surprisingly bonding. Zero sees that she’s willing to go through hell and back for X, having the attitude to balance him and being more of an equal (having that Spunk and not taking anyone’s shit), sharing that stubborn loyalty and taking care of X in his darkest times and more.

Eventually they formed the “I died for X and will do it again” club and made shirts. Meanwhile X is just covering his face with embarrassment like “REALLY!? Guys!?”

Zero has definitely bragging rights for Dying for X twice

#megaman x #rockman x #mmx marty #mmz zero #Listen YALL THESE TWO WOULD BOND OVER FOR X #headcanon #may not be legends reborn but dawg I want to talk about my ship dammit #MartyxX #I’m so normal about the ship ur honor they make me so ILL

7 notes · View notes

tantumuna · 10 months ago

Text

Syril Level 12 Bard | College of Swords

Appearance

Age: 27 Height: 5'10 Weight: 154lbs/70kg Hair: Red Eyes: Green Skin: Ashen Gray

Clothing

Relationships

Astarion - Lover

Though they got off to a rough start, Astarion and Syril eventually became inseparable, as they each fit perfectly in the void the other was seeking to fill. Syril is happy to provide a quick snack, and Astarion came around to Syril's habit of not immediately jumping to unnecessary violence.

Lae'zel - Best Friend

Initially impressed with Syril's resolve to resist the tadpoles, despite knowing what kind of power they could offer, Lae'zel grew to trust Syril's judgment. Or lack thereof, as he accepted her and her culture. When she turned against Vlaakith, he offered any support he could, and eventually signed a deal with Raphael so they could free Orpheus—one they later broke, but the sentiment was not lost on Lae'zel.

Shadowheart - Like a Sister

Both came into their partnership reserved and unwilling to speak about their past, and both left as open books and better friends because of it. They saw their own childhood abuses reflected in each other's stories, which produced an unshakeable bond that allowed Shadowheart to renounce Shar and find her truth. Though they go their own ways after Baldur's Gate is saved, they keep in contact, and Shadowheart is ready should Syril ever need a traveling companion again—or an owlbear.

Wyll - Good Friend

Wyll and Syril had a complicated relationship at first, especially as Syril tends to use roundabout, not always savory means to get what he's after, but the results tend to be good. After showing a great resolve to help Wyll out of his contract, he couldn't help but trust Syril, and that trust was only strengthened as their journey continued, and Syril proved himself to be after a good ending for everyone. His skills at trickery even returned when he fooled not only Raphael, but Mizora by helping to free Wyll's father even after Wyll's pact was broken, and Duke Ravengard was assumed dead. In the end, Wyll swore to dedicated himself as the Blade of Avernus and left with Karlach.

Karlach - Good Friend

Best described as an over-zealous drinking buddy, Karlach immediately took to Syril after he convinced Wyll not to kill her, and he took back. They often regale each other with stories, though Karlach often begs Syril put his to song. He does not always comply. Despite being ready to die, Karlach agrees to return to Avernus after Baldur's Gate is saved, knowing she won't be alone anymore, as Wyll promises to be at her side forevermore.

Gale - Coworker

They share a begrudging respect for one another, but Syril always approaches Gale with a lackadaisical attitude, seeing Gale as a bit pompous and full of himself. This eventually leads to Gale fully pursuing his quest to becoming a god and succeeding, but thanks to their cordial relationship, Syril is on his good side.

Halsin - Coworker

Halsin appreciates the results Syril gets, as they tend to be positive, but not always the means he uses to get them. Syril sees a man who's lost his touch with the world to gain it with nature, and though he's trying to be better, there's always progress to make.

Jaheira - Maternal Figure

Syril can be a bit of a mess, and so far from his own mother, Jaheira stepped in to fill the void as a guiding hand. Though Syril still often does as he pleases, Jaheira still offers a font of wisdom when asked.

Minsc - Acquaintance

Syril found Minsc's companion Boo to be slightly off-putting and therefore never gave them much attention, but Minsc was there to answer the call to battle when Baldur's Gate was at stake.

Lakrissa & Alfira

Having met Alfira when she was struggling to finish a song for someone she cared about—a struggle Syril knew all too well— took it upon himself to help her whenever he could, seeing her as something of a younger sister or a ward. She looks up to him in much the same manner, seeing a brother and a teacher, but only when he plays nice, as he and Lakrissa often join in together to tease her.

The Emperor

It took several days for the Emperor to reveal himself as the Dream Guardian, as he was looking for the perfect disguise to get exactly what he needed from Syril. This resulted in Syril being haunted by the face of Arvanya—a wood-elf from his past whom he loved dearly and watched die. Though he knows it can't be her, as the Emperor shows her with the scar of her death across her neck, he is all too willing to believe and to trust just for a chance to see her again. This, however, takes a sharp turn when the Emperor reveals his true form and all of the cruel deeds he's committed. Syril counts taking Arvanya's face among them, and what trust they'd built came crashing down, to the point where Syril refused to work with him and took a sick amount of pleasure in killing him.

Endings

Bad Ending

Guilt tripped by Astarion's sad face and "that's what you want, isn't it?", Syril helps complete the ascension ritual. He gives himself over to Astarion completely, becoming his spawn, his slave, and his consort. From there, it's only a race to see what kind of power they can amass. They free Orpheus, only for Syril to kill him just before the Netherbrain is defeated. Syril takes control of the Netherbrain and anyone infected with a tadpole, save for Astarion who is protected by his Ascension. Baldur's Gate becomes the seat from which they set out to control Faerûn,

Good (Canon) Ending

Syril convinces Astarion that he can be better than Cazador—that he is better than Cazador. Astarion kills Cazador, then looks to Syril for guidance with what they should do with the seven-thousand spawn left over. They release them, hoping Astarion's siblings can keep them in check while they direct their attention to the Netherbrain. Syril betrays the Emperor by freeing Orpheus, then Orpheus undergoes the burden of becoming Ilithid to help them win the final battle, giving the order for the Netherbrain to destroy all Mindflayers, then itself. With Baldur's Gate saved, Syril and Astarion head to the Underdark, where they set up a base of operations in an old ruin that eventually becomes their castle. From there, they attempt to wrangle and protect the vampire spawn they freed—from themselves and monster hunters. They aren't always successful, but they have each other.

Tidbits & Fun Facts

Syril's mother descends from the Despana family in the Underdark, so while Syril can technically claim this as a family name, he often ignores it.

Syril has a horrible taste in fashion due to his poor upbringing, but develops a much better one under Astarion's wing.

He knows next to nothing about Drow culture, politics, or philosophy, as his mother refused to teach him.

He's never met his father and has little interest in doing so, given the man left before he was born. He often remarks he "unfortunately" looks more like his father than his mother.

Syril's mother is still alive; she works at the same brothel as she did when Syril was young, but now she runs the daily operations.

Syril has had the same violin since he was a boy, having learned all the upkeep and repair techniques he needed to keep it in fine order.

He's kept the same song journal since he was a boy, simply shoving more pages in as he needs them.

His first piercing was the ring in his cartilage. The lobe piercings came later, and the earrings he wears were a gift from Arvanya.

Syril is bisexual. Technically a switch/vers but prefers bottoming & being submissive.

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 tav #bg3 #tav #Syril (bg3)

2 notes · View notes

doueverwonder · 1 year ago

Text

Anyway last IreNor thought before I make a genuine effort towards thinking about aushun instead;

I’ve been pondering how I would do it for a modern day relationship, and like, first time they were together was the enemies to begrudging acquaintances to lovers. 1850s fling was just them resuming their relationship, no need to talk about it, the closest thing to a second confession they had was a “I missed you”.

Regardless of it I think they’re great friends in modern day, and I would probably use that for it. They go out together for dinner or something, walking the other to wherever they need to be, an “I love you” slip up as they’re saying goodbye. It goes so slow, like we’re talking years and the actions grow as the feelings slowly come back. It’s just 🥺🥺

#hws ireland #hws norway #Hetalia #irenor #I don’t actually have coherent thoughts about it but it would be so soft #No one else would even know about it probably #Not cause they’d try to keep it a secret they’re both just scared it won’t work again

4 notes · View notes

fandomgachapon · 2 months ago

Text

Author Interview

How did you come up with this WIP? What inspired you to start working on it?

I thought it was a little ridiculous there wasn't a team member for transportation, especially considering all the situations they get themselves into with no literal way out. I started working on it when I started merging half-formed existing ideas also within the fandom and it seemed to fall together.

How do you feel about the original media that your fic is for?

Not even finished with it but I love it.

What parts of this WIP are you most excited to write? (Non-spoilery answers only, please!)

I want to get to the in-between part where they're actually friends!!!! Not lovers, not begrudging acquaintances, just the friends and the "yeah I trust you" bits, and then of course when the sort-of trust turns into confirmed trust.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

donate to Ukraine and I will update this as long as I can come up with words to write

Donation forms are now closed, but you can start reading this fic on AO3! Update chapters will be added based on donations.

The Long Con

A street racer cousin of the Fast & Furious Torettos joins the Leverage team as a getaway driver, juggling F&F family life, Leverage work life, and secondary work life as a semi-retired spy.

This fic by @innominatewrites already has the first two chapters up, and will update further with progress made in this event. Read the first chapters here!

Relevant tags

Heists

Found family

Incredibly slow burn

Reluctant-friends-to-lovers

Eliot's backstory

Donate to Hospitallers by March 21 to make this fic update! Donation forms are OPEN NOW, so please remember to fill those out so we can get your words of update to you as soon as possible!

#leverage #fast and furious #eliot spencer #fandom gachapon #fandom gachapon 2025 #fandom #fandom events #donations #ukraine #charities #activism #fanfic #fanart #the long con

6 notes · View notes

ambrose-draws-stuff · 4 years ago

Text

They!!

Also I wrote some notes in my shitty handwriting so that’s under the cut

#aelis my beloved #did I make these dummies after my parents made me sot through game of thrones with them? you bet #not gonna draw Petrus for a while. still gotta work out what he looks like #wanna make him attractive in an ugly way but also Idk how to do that with men so it’s gonna be trial and error #anyway these bitches gay #like. ‘childhood acquaintances-to enemies-to begrudging allies-to friends-to lovers’ kinda gay #anyway #my art #ocs #ward #aelis #chris

11 notes · View notes

mediocre-daydreams · 2 years ago

Note

𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥, 𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐲: send me a character and “opposites attract” duo (ex. grumpy x sunshine, loner x popular) for a blurb!

finnick odair (popular/shy) please! i think it'd be so sweet :)

ok so i just started typing and this emerged and i'm not sure how well this fits the request or if it makes sense but you've got me in my finnick feels and now i have this urge to write for him but bro i have so many WIPs how could u do this to me :(((((

finnick odair x reader // 1.2k

you have an odd relationship with finnick. are you acquaintances? begrudging friends? enemies just for the sake of having someone to squabble with? in any other situation, you’d want a definitive answer. but it’s the 75th hunger games, and in all honesty, you couldn’t give less of a damn about finnick odair.

you’ve only met him a few times, when the capitol invites all the victors for some frivolous celebration for anniversary of a glorified massacre. it’s horrible, you’re more than aware. but some part of you feels a little better that you get to see finnick, because as much as he is confusing and for reasons unbeknownst to you, he seems to have your back.

the parade is twice as busy this year but the capitol spectators seem thrice as enthusiastic. you silently thank your designer for prematurely accepting your death, because it means he didn’t bother to design something extravagant (by capitol standards) and embarrassing (by your standards).

“well, don’t you just look ravishing?” a male voice sounds near your ear and you feel a warm breath tickle the side of your face.

you fight the urge to grab the nearest sharp object and stab your opponent. you turn your head, slowly and intentionally, to the source of the noise and are unsurprised at who you find. “finnick?” it sounds more like a statement than a question.

“surprised to see me?” finnick grins, flashing you those teeth that must’ve been capitol-modified. they aren’t, of course. finnick hates everything capitol, and that’s the only reason you let him stick around. there are no other reasons.

“um, no.” you wish you could come up with a better, wittier, cleverer, flirtier response, but there’s something about the way he smells—luxurious and a little briny and so fresh it’s almost cold, but the heat from his bare chest says otherwise… “no, i’m not surprised. i saw your reaping.”

you cringed, remembering how he’d volunteered for annie and how defeated he’d looked on that stage, standing next to his old mentor and trying to avoid eye contact with his crying ex-lover. annie had never been the same after her games. perhaps you shouldn’t have brought that up.

“i’m flattered,” finnick grins at you again, pinching his lower lip between his teeth. he’s got one elbow on a table and even though his free arm hangs loosely by his side, you feel trapped where you are. or at least you’re in no rush to get away from him.

“okay, well… that’s good?” you mumble, not sure where he gets his endless chain of banter from but wishing you could have some.

“it’s good,” finnick repeats, shaking his head in amusement. he runs his hands through golden curls, meticulously styled and sprayed to look effortlessly tousled, and you’re sure his styling team is somewhere nearby wishing death upon you for being the reason their pretty boy has (god forbid) a strand of hair out of place.

finnick calling your name with that lovely voice of his snaps you out of a daze you hadn’t realized you were in. you blink, slightly caught off guard. “sorry, what was that?”

“i said, see something you like?” finnick’s grin is more smug now, almost feline. he looks like he’s about to pounce and ruin your life with those damn eyes. or, spear you with his trident in the quarter quell. neither seem particularly appealing.

“no!” you deny. “no- i mean, that’s not what i meant-” you stammer, eyes jumping everywhere but his polished chest. had his team rubbed him down in baby oil? he was glowing, all tan skin and smooth planes and well defined ridges and-

“no, you don’t like me? i’ve gotta say, i’m a little hurt,” finnick teases. “and here i thought we had something going on.”

“gah, i didn’t mean that! i’m not ogling you, is all. ‘course i like you, as long as you’re not going to kill me on the first day,” you manage to get out.

“hey, your words, not mine.” finnick shrugs, a smirk gracing his lips. “but just for the record, i am ogling you.”

your eyes narrow in confusion.

“i mean it,” finnick continues, swallowing, and you don’t miss the way his eyes flicker away yours for a moment. almost like he’s nervous. “you look nice. you look really… pretty.”

it’s not a groundbreaking or particularly romantic statement, but it’s the most sincere you’ve ever seen finnick around someone who isn’t mags, and that means something to you. “i think you’re pretty too, finnick.”

his confidence returns. “y’know, i’m told that quite a bit. but it means a lot more coming from you, sweetheart.”

you purse your lips. “don’t get cocky, or i’ll take it back.”

“no take backs!” finnick sighs and licks his lips thoughtfully. you’re not sure if he’s trying to entice you on purpose, but either way, you’re enticed.

the conversation is lulling and it’s really finnick’s fault. you’re not much of a conversationalist. “uh,” you begin, not sure why you opened your mouth when you had nothing to say. “um, your horse is… well groomed. and- uh, your chariot- yeah.” you want to kill yourself. you’re going to die in a few days anyway, so you might as well die before you lose all your dignity to the most gorgeous man you’ve ever seen.

finnick snorts, unattractively horse-like, and you’re only a little comforted to know he’s not as perfect as he seems. “well, i’m sure the gamemakers will be pleased to hear that the procession is up to your standards.” he turns away from you to pat the side of his horse’s face and you get a good look at his high cheekbones and impossibly sharp jawline. you hate this man.

the horse doesn’t seem to like finnick much. it flares its nostrils and finnick is forced to retreat, taking a step back and finding himself against a small table, useless and meant for decoration. atop it rests a bowl of sugar cubes, which are also useless and probably meant for decoration. you want to scoff at how dedicated the capitol is to performing false hospitality down to the last detail.

finnick turns to see what he bumped into and his eyes light up. he pinches a cube of sugar between his pointer finger and thumb and rolls it around, pretending to examine it. he returns his gaze to you. “some sugar for my sugar?”

you want to gag. finnick is so disgusting and you can’t imagine who would fall for his cheesy pick-up lines. not you, that’s for sure. “no thanks. i’m… allergic.”

“allergic to sugar? really?” finnick frowns, tossing the sugar cube in the air and catching it in his palm easily. “i’ve never met someone with a sugar allergy before.”

you shrug, caught up in your lie and grateful that finnick didn’t call you out on it. you didn’t know if you’d be able to survive the embarrassment of your verbal slip.

the sugar cube really is for show. he places it on the table with disinterest and curls his lip mischievously. “well, i suppose it doesn’t matter. you’re sweet enough to give me a cavity as it is.”

you can’t help yourself. “are you flirting with me?” your mind runs faster than your mouth, it seems, and now you’re pretty sure you’ve screwed up the chance to talk to this man ever again.

finnick looks at you oddly, raises his eyebrows, and purses his lips to hide what would probably be a stupidly smug smile. “no, with the horse.”

#finnick odair #finnick odair x reader #1.5k celebration

638 notes · View notes