#Don't ask me for context I barely know the context. I just logged in a bit ago

[royalarchivist]

Connor: [Reading chat] "Tumblr loves you, by the way." That's great to hear. Shoutout to the girls.

[devotedsweetheart]

・❥ SAY IT AGAIN

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။‌‌‌‌‌၊|• 0:10

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ rundown :: you find out caleb had been logging into your phone at random times of the day to keep track of who you were texting. frustrated, you call him to yell at him only to question what exactly he was doing on the other end.

WARNINGS :: NSFW! 18+ , phone sex , sub!caleb (per usual) , masturbation , cnc , use of y/n

a/n :: highkey got this idea from that one scene in twk when cardans kissing jude & telling her to say she hates him..🌝🌝

he had absolutely no right to be invading your personal space. absolutely none.

you were so fucking angry.

caleb was away on a trip with gran. usually, he would simply ask to check your phone, and you'd happily give it to him- knowing he means well. but with the shit he has been pulling, you're starting to question whether or not he really does trust you like he says he does.

you had found out that he was hacking into your phone because the device started acting awfully odd. opening apps you didnt click on, siri turning on without any context, letters on the keyboard being pressed when you never tapped on them in the first place. confused (and frankly a little scared), you took it to a professional to get it checked out. when he asked if anyone else had the password to your socials, thats when the realization dawned on you.

you felt so stupid. utterly dumb. but how were you supposed to know? you had told caleb about the issue multiple times and each occasion you mentioned it he would always say the same thing: "thats so weird, pips.. maybe you should go get it checked out or something." feigning complete innocence.

you had enough.

driving home as fast as you could, you barely reach the front door before you're calling him nonstop until he answers.

"hey pips! i missed yo-"

"you fucking liar."

there's a beat of silence at that. your breathing is heavy, going right into the mic- giving caleb an idea of what he's in for.

"um.. excuse me?" caleb manages, swallowing thickly. he knows exactly what you're going to yell at him for and he's praying to jesus christ himself that he can manipulate his way out of it.

"you know exactly what i'm talking about, don't try to play dumb. you've been going into my phone and looking through my shit. i thought you said you trusted me? what happened to that? i mean, seriously, caleb, i thought we had gotten over this." you say, voice pinched a bit higher than usual. you're pacing around the room in order to keep yourself calm, heart beating at a distressing rate as you don't like to argue with him.

"pips, i really don't know what you're talking about," he utters, licking his lips. "i know whats been going on with your phone has been messing you up, but you don't necessarily have to blame me for it. look, once i get back i'll help you figure out what's wrong with it just to prove that it's not me. deal?"

you can tell that he's trying his best to soften his tone to make his lie more believable, but you aren't gonna buy into it.

"no. no, caleb, just quit the act already. i'm so tired of this. i'll give you two choices," you say, sitting down on the couch; elbows on your knees. "either you stop with the whole hacking thing and we stay together, or i cut things off with you and we never talk again."

for a moment, there's nothing being said. pure silence. he's absolutely speechless on his end of the phone, mouth agape and eyes wide. every few seconds, he'd attempt to say something but nothing would come out- resulting in something that resembled a stutter.

"well? what's it gonna be?" you asked, becoming to grow impatient.

"y/n.." he whispered. "you.. you can't do that to me. i-.. i'm sorry for doing all that crap. i didn't do it because i don't trust you... it's other people that i don't trust. please believe me, baby. i can't stop doing it, it's just my way of keeping you safe."

aaaand now it's your turn to be shocked.

"are you fucking serious?" you yell, and you swear you can see the look on his face regardless if he's visible or not. eyebrows raised up, cheeks as red as roses, eyes backed up with tears. you know how much he hates being yelled at by you... but he deserves it. "you can't be serious. please tell me you're pulling some joke."

" baby, please. i-"

"enough. just quit it. i fucking hate you, caleb."

he swallows. no, practically gulps. he shouldnt be turned on by the sound of that. he really shouldnt. he knows he should be terrified by the threat of you leaving him... but the tent growing in his pants is getting undeniably uncomfortable that he just can't seem to care.

unzipping his jeans, he gently lays his back on his bed, being carefully quiet to ensure you don't hear.

"you're fucking insane and no matter how much i try to talk to you about it you never change. it is draining, caleb. you have absolutely no idea how fucked up you are."

he's nodding against his phone, murmuring small 'yeah's here and there to let you know that he's listening. what you aren't aware of is the fact that instead of really listening, he's actually moving his hand at an insane speed on his dick. it gets to the point that he can't even respond, the pleasure taking over. all he needs is for you to tell him how bad he is and how much you despise him for him to be able to go over the edge.

the fact that you don't even know whats going on keeps him going for even longer.

"...-is so frustrating, caleb! you don't even care for me and... wait, are you even listening? hellooo?" you shout, expecting an answer.

he picks up his phone from where it was sitting on his pillow and takes it off speaker phone to reply. "y-yes, baby? 'm sorry.. i'm, um, listening. keep talking." he responds, stuttering over his words.

you roll your eyes, thinking he simply just doesn't care. "my god, you're so fucking annoying. i hate you so much, y'know that?"

he nods hastily, even though you can't see it. "y-yes. say it again. please." the last word comes out broken as he was embarrassingly close to cumming.

you stop in your tracks, both eyebrows furrowed. "um..." you utter, confused at what he was playing at. "i... hate.. you..?"

"f-fuck!" he whisper-shouts, hips thrusting into his hand as he drops the device back onto where it was initially. he brings his previously free hand down to his cock to stroke the tip, twisting his wrists. biting his lip, hard enough to draw blood, he makes his best effort to keep little whimpers inside of his mouth. it works for the most part... but you already knew what was happening. he does it too many times for you to not know.

"caleb." you warn.

he doesn't answer, he can't answer, mind is too hazy from the force of his orgasm. he's practically like putty on his bed, half asleep and half awake.

"text me in the morning." you say before hanging up and throwing your phone on the bed.

he will not ever learn.

[tinydefector]

I like your human effect so much that I literally go to your blog every day and check if there is a new chapter, and could you add another chapter about Drift, thank you for your attention💓

Of secrets - Human effects

Warnings: talk of past events, hint to nudes.

Word count 2.7k

Before reading!: this piece follows very closely to Labratory Logs as they are part of the same universe and play out at the same time. For context behind this, you'll want to read chapter 5 of Labratory Logs.

Masterlist

Labratory Logs link

Prev Human effects chapter

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Ask and request are open

________

The Ambassador is rather worried as they walk down the corridors, they had been looking everywhere for Traxies after the young mech had taken off, they knew he was upset after the revelation he just had but they were still worried for him. Drift paused mid-stride as he saw the Human Liaison walking around

"Ambassador. You appear distressed. Has some trouble arisen?" Trouble often found its way aboard the Lost Light, but for the liaison to look this worried had him wondering what could have happened.

"Drift.. have you seen Traxies? Is he with Ratchet?" They ask worriedly. They really hoped the speedster hadn't taken off and disappeared on Thora 4, Drift shook his helm gently. "No he wasn't in Medical while I was there, has something happened?."

The ex-con is swift with sending a quick comm, he pinged Rodimus and Ratchet simultaneously. ::Traxies is missing. Ambassador is panicked, please keep an optic out for him:: Turning back to the Ambassador, he kneels down in offering for them to climb onto his servo. "I'm sure he will be alright, sometimes Mechs need to blow off steam."

Drift gently boosted the Ambassador up onto his shoulder, stabilising them with a servo as he continued striding purposefully through the halls, scanning corridor junctions with swift sweeps of his visor. "What caused Traxes to flee, if I may ask?." He spoke softly, Drift himself sadly didn't have a lot to do with Traxies, he adored the young mech but being an Ex-con he felt it was better to not get involved with the young mech.

The Ambassador sighs. "He.. he found out some information that he wasn't aware of, He was on a Comm with Optimus due to his time jump incident in the lab, because it really roughed him up and they got talking and Traxies learnt some information about his Past he wasn't aware off and just bolted" the Ambassador explains, they are worried about him that much Drift can see.

Drift nodded slowly, visor gleaming soothing sympathy. "I see. Ive let Rodimus and Ratchet know, they will keep an eye out for him, you look like you could use some food, and don't try and lie i can scan you, when was the last time you ate?"

The human lets out a nervous laugh. “Don't think I've had food since dinner last night, ended up staying with Traxies so Ratchet could Get recharge, and well now I've been looking everywhere for him” they just barely whisper.

“Let's get you some food and then we will see if anyone's seen Traxies, he could be hiding over with Megatron, the mech does have a soft spot For the little speedster and He also seems to know the best places to hide for when you need time alone” Drift explains as they begin heading towards the cafeteria.

Its quite between them for a while before the Liaison speaks again. "Drift what can you tell me about a Mech called Shockwave?" They inquire, even if they couldn't find traxies right now they could atheist try and get some information for the young mech.

At the question, a mild frisson of unease disturbed Drift's field. Memories arose of the hulking purple plating, that singular optic Mech who was that cold and calculating he had caused so much destruction during the war.

He vented softly trying to settle the memories. "Shockwave is... a mech not known for mercy or warmth. His methods in the name of progress, he harboured little regard for individual sparks." Carefully Drift continued. "During the war, he oversaw many brutal campaigns for the Decepticons. What horrors occurred beneath his watch, I dare not guess." His field pulsed bleak shadowy recollections, memories he'd long sought to distance himself from.

Halting, Drift knelt and faced the Ambassador fully, taking their hands in his own. "Why do you ask of such a mech?" Gently he probed. The Ambassador slowly melts into his side As they make their way into the nearly empty cafeteria “From what I could understand, Shockwave is Traxies Sire" they inform him. It's almost shocking news, not something the Decepticon turned Autobot had expected. Traxies the sweet little speedster who adored Rodimus was Shockwave's Sparkling. The fact the Shockwave had a sparkling was even more news to him. He had heard rumours but hadn't put any thought into them, he knew the mechs on ship were showing off pre war Photos of Shockwave and a Human but for Shockwave to also have a sparkling, it was shocking.

For long moments, Drift could only stare in stunned silence as the implications struck him. It defied comprehension. How had such a mech, who valued function over feeling to the greatest degree, come to spark new life? At last finding words, Drift vented shakily. "Primus have mercy...no wonder the poor bitlet has fled." Rage and sorrow twisted in his optics before he banked them sternly.

Drift has the ambassador placed on a table and he places food, drinks and energon on the table. He intended to stay with the Liaison For a little while, sharing a meal and finding out more information. They let out a small thank you as drift hands them a much smaller drink compared to his cube of Energon. Both of them quietly having their meal together.

Setting aside his energon, Drift turned his full focus upon them with a soft chime. "My friend, I can see turmoil continuing to weigh on your mind." He's gentle as he laid a servo over their leg, hoping it would bring some sort of reassurance over the situation.

"Drift, do you have access to pre war files from Cybertron?" They inquire there's something about Optimus' story that just doesn't make sense to them. He mentioned Shockwave and a Human had Traxies but that's not possible, humans didn't exist then. They take a sip of their drink and slowly eat their food as more thoughts flood their brain, so much about what Optimus said didn't line up or make a scene.

Drift on the other hand knew many of the bots would freak out if the humans found out about their secret forum, but at this rate Drift wanted to help the best he could. "I'll do some hunting and see if I can find any information for you, and I will sift through its , its not like I have much else but time on my plate." He chuckled slightly amused, it would give him something to do and also wouldn't have every mech on ship after him for giving them access to files in ‘those Forums’, but even talking to Brainstorm might give him some information.

"You'd do that?." They asked, eyes looking up into his optics and it nearly made his engine nearly stall for a moment. He could see why so many mechs were intrigued and interested in the Ambassador. “I'm more than willing to help however I can, But I have one request. Please don't tell anyone about this, Shockwave there's a lot of Mechs who would do a lot to get back at him, and I don't want to risk Traxies Safety, I'll let Ratchet know but please don't tell anyone about Shockwave.”

It makes the ambassador's eyes go wide in horror for a moment as they realise the severity of the situation. “I won't tell a soul” they promise. It makes Drift settle, it was the lease he could do to try and protect the Bitlet Ratchet adored so much. “I'll let you finish your rations, I'm going to head back and have a talk with Ratchet and see what information I can find about Shockwave for you”

That's how Drift found himself back on the holo sending messages and looking for information about Shockwave's past from before the war, back when he was a Senator.

Drift sighed as he scrolled endlessly through scavenged datapads and hocoblogs searching for any scrap of intel. He wasn't willing to go to Brainstorm yet because the scientist would ask too many questions, Swerve was too mouthy so here he was.

Most records from pre-war Iacon had been thoroughly scrubbed or destroyed. And trying to parse through the endless dreck filling every corner of the holonet these days was exhausting. And it was even harder trying to find the Particular forum that Brainstorm spoke of from the night of getting overcharged at Swerve's.

He found himself drifting back to the obscure rumours from back before he had become Deadlock, he knew Optimus and Ratchet were friends before the war but how did Optimus know Shockwave. “Ratchet, can I talk to you for a moment?” He calls out to the medic.

Ratchet looks up from the medical report he was reviewing and nods to Drift. "Of course, what can I help you with?" He sets the datapad aside and gives the swordsmech his full attention. Drift seems uncharacteristically hesitant as he steps over. His field is pulled in tight, aura flickering with hints of anxiety that instantly puts Ratchet on alert. He gestures to the seat beside his desk in an effort to help Drift feel more at ease.

"Is everything alright? Nothing amiss with your systems I hope?" Ratchet asks, concern seeping into his tone. Medical issues he can address directly, but he suspects this may be a more personal matter plaguing Drift. Nonetheless, he keeps his expression open and inviting.

Ratchet waits patiently for Drift to gather his thoughts. "Ratchet, I want to ask about Traxies, I've found out some information about him" Drift begins, it makes Ratchet vents deeply, old pain flitting across his optics. "I see. So you've uncovered Traxies origins."

He had known this day would come eventually, though he'd hoped to spare the young speedster the burden of that knowledge a little longer. "It's true, Shockwave is Traxies Sire," Ratchet says heavily.

"When Optimus first brought him to me I had no idea. The poor sparkling was damaged and traumatised after an attack on the Academy, Frag he was so young cried alot." Ratchet's gaze grows distant, remembering holding that tiny bot, so small and afraid. Watching Optimus weep and cry while he held such a small bitlet. Looking back to Drift, Ratchet gives a sad smile. "But it didn't matter to us. He needed protection, so we took him in. And over the vorns, he became as dear as any foundling could." Reaching over, Ratchet lays a servo on Drift's arm.

"Ratchet, Traxies Knows, Optimus told him.." Drift starts trying to find the right words. "The Ambassador was there for it, Traxies took off after. The liaison worried about him, after his Outlier abilities and now this, they are worry" Drift lets out a deep vent.

Ratchet curses softly under his breath. Of course Optimus, in all his wisdom, saw fit to divulge the truth to Traxies directly. And no doubt in his typical blunt, tactless manner.

"That glitched fool," Ratchet mutters, shaking his helm. "Optimus means well but he has all the emotional intelligence of a Petrobbit sometimes."

He looks back at Drift, expression etched with concern. "I should have been there, to help soften the blow." Drift squeezes Ratchet's arm reassuringly. "But what's done is done."

"The Ambassador is trying to find Photos, they think it would be nice for Traxies to at least have some sort of imagery of Shockwave, I'm trying to find Pre-war photos before he was 'That' back when he was the Senator and Head of The University of Science and discovery." They both knew what Drift was talking about.

Ratchet nods grimly as Drift explains the Ambassador's idea to find old images of Shockwave. He can't deny the logic behind the act, though it still sits uneasily with him.

"I understand the intention - trying to give him a connection to the mech Shockwave was before the war twisted him," Ratchet sighs. "But I worry seeing that past life will only hurt him more."

"Here. These are some of the forums that were going rather crazed when they found out about Human and Cybertronian compatibility, kept them in case I had any patients stupid enough to try and interface with a human. It has photos of Traxies Carrier too” he explains and it makes Drift stiffen in shock, Ratchet gives a sad smile. "I want what's best for the bitlet."

Drift gives Ratchet a smile before pressing his helm to the medics. “I believe thats what the ambassador wants too. Thank You Ratch” he hums softly before pulling away.

As Drift searches through the rather not safe for work, human/cybertronian forum it gets to the point he still can't find what he's looking for.

Hymns_Haven: Anybot save those files from the Shockwave/human conjunx phenomenon?

He stretched and cycled a ventilation, hoping for once luck might be on his side. His search had led to more dead ends than answers so far, but giving up wasn’t in his programming.

Drift hadn't expected a reply so soon, but within a groon another comment appeared

Con_Spiracy: Hey mech, think I actually have what you're looking for saved it when Commlink nearly had a crash due to it. Probably the same "Human Fragger" thread you dug up, right? I remember that mess, everybody was losing their minds over it!

At first we all thought it had to be a joke, I mean Shockwave? Really? But then some archive braniacs did some digging and actually found official Senate records to back it up. Would you believe the glitch was bonded to a human back in the cycle?!

Let me pull up that folder, I'll send you a link. Hope it's worth the wait ;)

Drift's spark pulsed rapidly in his chamber. An actual lead! And from the sound of it, not just rumours after all. He typed a quick reply:

Hymns_Haven: No slag, you've got to be kidding me. That's unreal, thanks for looking - couldn't be more grateful for pointing in the right direction. Anything you can send would be much appreciated!

Within a moment, a private link pinged in his messages. His digits shook slightly as he opened it, images and files spilling out before his optics. Drift dove in. It's nearly shocking how many mechs start coming out about the photos. But one message with a vid that caught Drift's attention.

It was Shockwave, an Emputra mech and the human man from the other standing together as they fiddled with the recorder. Laughter is heard from all three as they move around the lab laughing and poking fun at each other.

Titled 'Lab friends' just as soon as it appeared the sender had disconnected.

Drift's optics nearly blew a fuse at the image that appeared. There, in living colour, was Shockwave standing at casual ease between a grinning human and an Emputra mech. The timestamp on the file dates it back to before the war. “You two are fiends! stop ganging up on me” Shockwave's voice filters through the video Followed by more laughter.

He read the caption "Lab Friends" over and over in disbelief. It was real. Undeniable proof.

The Ambassador made their way back to the human quarters, slightly sluggish and worried about Traxies but the others had said they would do their best to find him. But the moment they are stopped by Millian, Nadia and Taylor who look rather excited thry know they are in for problems. "Hey boss we have some juicy intel for you" Nadia nearly sings.

At the excitable greeting, the Ambassador couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh? And what 'juicy intel' have you rascals uncovered this time?" They smiled fondly at their crew.

Millian spoke up with a gleam in their eye. "So it turns out Cybertronians have these kinda... underground forums. Where they talk about- well, us."

Taylor nodded, grinning. "Yup. Seems the big metal guys have had a thing for flesh, We found all sorts of sexy stories and art they've been sharing!"

Nadia laughed, giving the Ambassador a playful nudge. "Who knew we were such a kink for giant robots, huh? Think anyone onboard got a little soft spot?" The Ambassador shakes their head in amusement.

“Oh, oh don't forget, seems like quite a few have a thing for you Boss~” Nadia sings again. “we decided to you know give them a little content” she teases.

____________

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[mrs-ruu]

☆Dream Log☆

BRUH, WHY THE HELL DID I HAVE A DREAM ABOUT ANTON CHIGURH?????😭😭 Ima write this fast so I don't forget.

But the dream originally wasn't about him. From what I remember it started off like game(?) (this shit changed so many genres, I can't). I think it went from this order though, an actually scary horror-like dream where I were walking around and going in in dark ass areas with barely any light (with my little brother), and at certain points I used a computer and tablet(?) to do some hacker type shit (or something but I also made or watched those shitty ass paper stop motion movies.) but THEN it became like a bright and colorful roblox fever dream. I think the context that I somehow knew was that I, along with other people were staying at this museum/dormitory place? But that's not too important because nothing really happened. (But I had this guy buddy in the dream in the colorful part who was with me and I guess we were like that?? Also I guess my brother disappeared.)

So eventually we all went outside and people were getting into cars because we were going to ANOTHER museum (an actual one). And then... BRO. ANTON CHIGURH PULLED UP😭😭 and he pulled up RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I kinda forgot what happened next but I think I just knew to get in and bro I think my dream buddy did NOT like that. But yadda yadda he was just mad. (Anton's car was white on the outside and black on the inside. It was big as hell on the inside.)

Anyways, the part that got me going crazy is that while we were driving I was like so AWEIIDIDUDNENSXMXSKAMLWKWMA❤❤❤❤😩😩😩😍😍❤🤞 (bro literally I tend to have sensory type dreams, were like I could feel, taste and even smell stuff idk.) internally of course but for some reason he actually seemed to like having me around and when I looked up at him (like I said, his car was big as fuck and I think somehow my perception was WAY off) he fucking smiled. HEHEHHEHEHEEHEHEJEHH🤭🤭🤭❤❤❤❤

So then we were driving to a gas station and I crossed my arms and leaned on him (I was in the passenger seat btw) then I asked what his childhood was like and the interaction went a little something like this:

Me: "So what was your childhood like?"

Anton: "I was homeless with my mother." (Goofy, I know sorry)

Me: "Oh, what about your dad?"

Anton: "He didn't think I'd make it."

And then basically I felt so bad because I think it was a little more sentimental than how I put it but yeah. I just kept apologizing to him?? Then I woke up.

[sunlitlemonade]

idk what u have against ppl who haven't read the comics fandom is for enjoyment

i forgot what the context for this is tbh idk what i said to get this ask [tho given how pissed off i am in general at this fandom it isnt far fetched that i bitched abt it lol]

see i will keep this short: fanfics, fanart, edits etc etc are all transformative works. you cannot transform something you know nothing abt. surface level knowledge is not nearly enough to grasp themes, character motivations & aims & arcs or even dynamics.

fandom IS for enjoyment yes but for shared enjoyment of the thing you love. can you claim to love a book you havent read? proclaim a dessert you havent tried to be your favourite? it is a frankly confusing stance on the matter & i really don't want to swing a bat at a hornet's nest but the truth is, at this particular point of time, an overwhelming majority of the fandom has not interacted with any of the source material. this has led to an increasingly watered down portrayal of characters, even caricaturized to an extent, not to mention bigoted in the case of some characters.

you ask me what i have against ppl who havent read the comics- nothing. im just curious to know why ppl who havent interacted with the source material are so against it? do they enjoy not knowing the intricacies of a character & their journey? me personally i hate not knowing things but ignorance must be fun if so many ppl practice it lmao. what do they enjoy abt the mere bits & pieces they learn from random tumblr posts & fanfiction? & honestly how have they decided they don't want to familiarise themselves with the comics? reading lists, with thorough annotations & pointers are available with an easy search, you can read comics online extremely easily too, people run blogs dedicated to characters [sometimes even pairings! both platonic & romantic]. it's so easy & theres so much good material. what exactly is the problem?

at the end of the day its not even that serious. this is all for entertainment. my issue is that its hard to be entertained when i log online & can find barely any content that me, as a comic reader, can enjoy, what with the over saturation of ppl who never do.

tldr; i got nawr prawblem with them 👍 im just tired of de-fanged, watered down caricatures of characters i have come to love being their most popular interpretations & hence ruining majority of the fancontent around me <3

[yukittywrites]

how do we feel about szam shotgun kisses.... ;)))

oh dear, its been months since i've logged onto tumblr...im so sorry anon !!

anyways, it's hot as FUCK. and i will explain why after this paragraph but first let me explain the reason i also love that ryo doesn't smoke!!

see, i personally am a sucker for analysing all the ways that amagai and ryo contrast in the film, and i love all the small things and big things that set them apart. (money, status, fighting skills, smoking, how outgoing they are). amagai smokes a lot (especially for someone who's like...17) and its presumed that he drinks too, and suzaki doesn't do either. honestly, he suzaki doesnt do much of anything. its like he fights and barely speaks and calls it a day. it represents how amagai is indulgent (or at least, able to indulge.) he can afford cigerattes and liquor and has the luxury of it not mattering much what he does or doesn't do. he can shirk responsibility and he may be responsible in some aspects but really not many, so suzaki has to be responsible (and as such, not drink or smoke).

but thats all film subtext and character analysis yadayadayada honestly i just want to see ryoki and yuta making out in ANY context but definitely as ryo and amagai.

for my last suzam fic i played around a lot in the beginning with the allure of cigarette smoke. amagai smoking makes everything all the more wrong, and suzaki finds him so hot, even more hot when he's smoking.

he watches smoke emit from amagai's mouth and shivers, because even though he doesn't do it, he loves it when amagai does.

so, as for shotgunning, if ryo and amagai were to shotgun, it's likely that amagai would coax him into it with subtle hints.

"come on, suzaki. don't you want to try it?"

and maybe he'd say no. but amagai would probably ask again at some point (in a non creepy way, maybe just a double checking)

and there's no lie that ryo's interested in it, if not solely for the fact that amagai does it, and amagai looks hot while doing it.

i imagine amagai handing ryo a cigarette to smoke in that upstairs room in senomon, and ryo not fully inhaling the smoke. doing it wrong. so amagai tells him how, and when he tries again, he coughs up a lung, and the cigarette smoke burns and tastes awful (since amagai smokes real cigarettes, and not any flavoured vapes or anything more tolerable), and ryo hates it.

until, amagai offers him a new way to smoke. he coaxes ryo over to him, and of course, ryo would do it eagerly, quick to please any way he can. amagai inhales deeply, and holds it, then he pulls pulls ryo close, so close that maybe ryo thinks they're about to actually kiss. ryo is probably thrilled, filled with anticipation. but amagai blows smoke directly into ryo's mouth. he'd probably choke again, still not love the taste either.

but, i'd bet money that he'd do it again and again.

hell, maybe he stops even actually inhaling the smoke, just holding it and blowing it. maybe there's fear of getting addicted to the tabacco (like amagai possibly is) or maybe he's just not into it.

but its a way to be close to amagai, a way that he craves but knows he can't get, and if shotgun kisses are the only way that he can get it, then he'll take what he can get.

[resplendentdare]

I want to reiterate something; I'm here to write, have fun and make friends. I am not here for drama, I have it written in my rules to not involve me in drama.

I'm tired of being painted as this awful and manipulative person by people who either barely know me or have beef with me. Ask any of my friends and they'll tell you I'm not the kind of person to just be awful to another person for no reason.

I try my best to remain neutral in drama for the sake of my own mental health, and time and time again, that has been ignored and I've been thrown into drama I had nothing to do with.

I don't like to talk about my personal life too much on here as I know that this is an escape and a safe place for many of my mutuals, and I want to keep as much real life crap off here out of respect for them.

But I'll be honest, knowing there's people actively trying to destroy my reputation by spreading lies and taking my words out of context for their own gain is really fucking with my mental health and making me question my own reality of what's real and what isn't.

I just want to write and make friends, I don't want to come on here and instantly feel like I'm on the verge of a panic attack because of the things people have said about me behind my back and wonder if one day, I'll log on here and everyone is gone.

I might take a break from here for a little while, I don't know. I just want this to stop. For the sake of an autistic girl's health and safe space; fucking stop.

[theycallmebecca]

Drabble: The Chores

Happy first drabble of 2023! This one is for the Warm Up: One-Word Prompt challenge @the-slumberparty I got my word yesterday and it was "enhance" but I didn't even think to screen cap it. 🤦‍♀️

The obvious choice would have been to go with Steve Rogers... cause he is enhanced... but then I got this idea for cowboy!Ari Levinson...and y'all know I love cowboy!Ari.

Title: The Chores

Pairing: cowboy!Ari Levinson x reader

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: suggestive

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

Usage Disclaimer: This work is for fans only. This author does not give permission for it to be shared, spoken of, referred to in any public manner (podcast, tv, online, etc.) that wants to either make a celebrity uncomfortable, mock fan fiction/fandom in any way, or the author themselves. Requests can be made, but it is unlikely the author will change their mind. If no response is given to a request then the answer is a solid no, not interested and the work cannot be shared, spoken of or even referred to, regardless of the manner or context. 

Finished with work early, you escape the ranch house and settle into your hammock with a good book to enjoy the nice weather.

You are getting to a juicy part of the book the first time you notice Ari walk past you. He catches your eye and gives a small wave before he carries on with whatever chore he is working on.

The second time he comes by, he is on one of the ranch atv’s, noisily riding past you, pulling your attention from the book.

It isn't until he wanders into the area a third time, pushing a wheelbarrow full of logs, that you begin to suspect he is intentionally disturbing your peace. After all, the hammock is in a partially secluded private yard, separated from the working ranch by a row of hedges on one side.

You narrow your eyes as you watch him from over the edge of your book as he dumps the logs onto the ground by the stump he used as a chopping block. Then he disappears with the wheelbarrow.

He all but confirms your suspicions when he returns with his ax to chop the logs; logs that you both know don't have to be chopped right now and likely won’t even fit in the wood stockpile.

As you watch, he digs through the pile of logs and puts one on the stump and then positions himself so his back is towards you.

Unconsciously, you bite down on your lower lip as he swings the ax, splitting the log cleanly into two pieces. He repeats the process a couple times, allowing you to appreciate the way his body looks from behind. The way his blue jeans enhance his best, uh, ass-et. Not to mention the way his back and arm muscles flex with each swing.

After finishing a few logs, he pauses and sets the ax down. Then he turns suddenly and catches you watching him. He gives you a wink before he lifts the front of his shirt up and pulls it off. He makes a show of drying his sweaty face with the shirt before he tosses it aside.

“How’s the book?” He asks as if he isn't fully aware that you had lost interest in your book thanks to him.

Well two could play that game, you decide. “Trying to cool down,” you say, casually. “Just read a super sexy scene.”

"Sounds like a good book," he replies all the while giving you a smirk that says he doesn’t believe you. Turning, he takes his time setting up the next log, giving you plenty of time to take in the tan, bare skin of his back.

Damn him.

Once he is happy with the placement, he lines up the ax, taking a couple unnecessary practice swings for your benefit, before he slices the log into two.

With a huff, you get up from the hammock, getting his attention.

“Going somewhere?” he asks.

“You’re making me feel lazy,” you say, lying through your teeth. “Figured I go inside and do some chores.”

“Need a hand? Or two?” He asks, the glimmer in his eyes telling you that if you both go in the house no chores will be done.

“I’m sure you have stuff to do still,” you reply, testing him.

“Nothing the guys can’t handle,” he assures you. “I’ll just clean this up and meet you inside?” He gestures to the split logs.

"If you're sure they can spare you, I'd love the help," you say. "With the chores."

"The chores," he repeats. "I love doing the chores."

You go into the house and head straight for the master bathroom, where you plan to make good use of both his hands.

[aquillis-main]

Ignoring Jehtt's parody for a sec

-It was 200 years of Iblis. I legit don't think there's a profit to scamming people into thinking they can save the future. 2-3 gens directly tied to the Great Disaster already are dead, and GUN seems gone too

-We already beat Iblis only to see him reincarnate again. We can already infer Silver beat him many times with no difference. In fact, he legit considers giving up in frustration

-Mephiles wouldn't even be the first suspect. Blaze's fire powers scared survivors, but Silver stood by her (sadly this is in bios)

-The intro CG cutscene notes the generational divorce from the event. No one knew where Iblis came from cuz it's been so long, only that it ravaged the planet for eons. Silver is noted to question the origin, getting nothing

So yeah, I'll take hearing this shifty stranger's new theory, cuz repeatedly killing Iblis 3 million times is doing nothing but exhaust me, regardless if I die to this stranger or not. It's not like I can make this worse (in my context)

Other things;

-Silver's reaction to Meph saying to time travel:

Not "oh yeah I immediately believe you" like 90% of parodies, it's him gauging interest after dismissing the first prompt

Even to Meph saying "Oh yeah, I can time travel" it's more dismissal (though tinged with amazement)

when Meph notes the Iblis Trigger the first time, both Blaze and him just ponder a sec before hesitating to ask if killing him would save the world, their first true mistake. But again, better than just mindlessly killing Iblis over and over

Then Meph bothers bringing articles on screen showing the Egg Carrier's crash and release of Iblis, then the Emerald showing Sonic's visage in the fire (glares slightly more angry), Blaze being perturbed cuz she knows of one, and Meph immediately time traveling them before much of anything can be said in protest

If it were me, I'd have them question how he found this info, with him revealing that he stumbled upon a Chaos Emerald that showed him the image of a blue hedgehog (which he'll show to Silver like OG, only with Sonic expressing better than wood), leading him to do research on him, and finding the article of Elise dying in a crash despite his chase. He'll then note research of time travel done in GUN logs of when they checked Eggman's base after the crash, noting the process being risky. Silver and Blaze can ask why he can't do it, which...I mean look at him, he's deformed and barely hobbling (interestingly nowhere as much as the Shadow release scene, or later twirl), likely frail as heck (we know he isn't if we the audience played Shadow's story first). He'll attract unwanted attention outside supposed fraility, vs how the powerful Blaze/Silver look a smidge more stable. They'll admit having nothing to lose/repetition, then Meph warps them

But otherwise, I feel the Silver bias is glossing events a wee bit too much, and parodies aren't helping. It's legit wanting to break useless repetition that drives most of Silver's hasty actions

"But he looks evil"

The entire world is homeless. Being remotely not brazen is an anomaly if anything (Blaze at least has an excuse)

Also what's he gonna do, jump the guy that has psychokinesis? He looks weak as hell

I still think that Silver shouldn't have jumped to follow Mephiles so easily when the latter spouted out shit about 'Chickens and eggs', especially since it seems he and Blaze just willingly follow Mephilies into his crack den of info he shouldn't have. I'm sorry, but I feel Silver just hopped on a little too quickly. If there was a scene of him and Blaze arguing with each other about going to follow, I'd buy it a lot more than it is now. However, since the cutscenes skip that moment and have Silver and Blaze immediately follow Mephiles to his crack den without thinking, it still comes across to me as Silver and Blaze being stupid, not naive.

I appreciate you trying to help clear out some aspects of this, but without the key moment of Silver and Blaze arguing about going to listen to Mephiles or not, it comes across as an idiot kid being taken by a guy with a white van to me, especially since the only time Silver stops to consider his decision is when Amy tells him to not kill Sonic and dashes off. After that, he doesn't ever really question if he's doing the right thing, and just blindly trusts the guy that showed him a vision of Sonic in fire with a really pissed off look, and not much other information besides anecdotal evidence.

[theclockworkmonk]

Desire and Will

This is the most popular fic in my "Aang/Katara Missing Moments" series on AO3. This is the first time I'm posting it to tumblr.

Summary: With Aang still having trouble letting loose with his firebending, Zuko asks an alarming question:

"Have you ever kissed a girl?"

Words: 3,944

Read on AO3

FF.net

*******

Katara was awoken by what was, to her, the scariest sound in the world: the sound of Aang in pain.

"OW!" she heard him cry out, and she wrenched her eyelids open and rolled to face where his voice was coming from. There, she saw Aang still laying on the ground where he had been sleeping, rubbing his backside like it had been kicked. Towering over him, fists clenched and face scowling...was Zuko.

A jolt a fear cut through Katara's still half-asleep mind as she reached over for her bending skin and flicked it open with her thumb. She was ready to fight, ready to—

"You're burning daylight!" Zuko barked at Aang, "Get up! Twenty hot squats, now!"

Katara's sleep fog finally cleared and she remembered why Zuko was here in their camp. She remembered their whole reluctant arrangement to have Zuko teach Aang firebending, and the nerve-wracking few days they had disappeared together and apparently danced with dragons.

Katara groggily collapsed back onto her pillow, too tired to even growl at Zuko that the rest of them didn't have to train to defeat his evil dad, thankyouverymuch, so maybe bark his orders more quietly at absurd hours in the morning.

Aang seemed to be feeling the same way, because he just moaned in response. Zuko squatted down next to Aang and pointed out into the canyon that contained the Western Air Temple, where the sky was already turning blood red.

"You see that? That's sunrise, Avatar. That's the sign of a firebender's inner strength coming to life with a new day." He grabbed Aang by the shoulder and started shaking him, "Can you feel it, Aang? Can you feel your inner fire starting to reignite?"

"No," grunted Aang plainly.

Katara was remembering more now, and becoming more annoyed. Right, what had Zuko said to her at the north pole? "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun?" of course it made perfect sense that on top of being cruel, bloodthirsty monsters, firebenders were also something far worse: morning people. Ugh, did this mean that Aang was also going to be a morning person from now on?

"Well we've got to fix that," said Zuko, and he practically dragged Aang to his feet and started pushing him off towards the courtyard that they used to train, that jutted out from underneath the rock overhang so they were actually in the sun. With their sleeping area quiet again, Katara tried to go back to sleep, but now the knowledge that Aang was off with Zuko, alone, at the other end of the temple was nagging at her brain. It wasn't like she thought Zuko would suddenly attack him or something; she had accepted by now that this wasn't some kind of absurdly elaborate plot against them—mainly because she didn't think Zuko was clever enough to pull off something like that. But still, whenever she thought about Aang with no one around him but Zuko, she found that she...didn't like it.

After a few minutes, she accepted that she wasn't getting any more sleep, so she got herself up and started making her way in the same direction Zuko and Aang had gone. As she was rounding the last corner before the courtyard, she started to hear their voices.

"So if my firebending wakes me up with the sun, and my waterbending keeps me up with the moon, when exactly am I supposed to sleep?"

"You slept for a hundred years, isn't that enough?"

Aang laughed, but Katara recognized it as his uncomfortable laugh. Aang never liked being reminded of all that time he wasn't there for the world, which Zuko would know if he wasn't such a heartless jerk and a terrible teacher. The fact that he barely knew Aang and had no way of knowing what he was uncomfortable with was entirely beside the point.

Katara decided to not announce her presence and instead leaned against one of the stone pillars within the shade of the overhang, while they were out in the increasingly bright morning sun. She was far enough away and in enough shade that they were unlikely to notice her, but if they did happen to look her way then she could plausibly deny she was snooping. She didn't like the idea of leaving Aang alone with Zuko, but she still realized hovering would interfere with them. Aang was always trying to impress her and Zuko was still visibly terrified of her ever since she threatened to kill him the day he joined their team (which she definitely didn't take any pride in).

Aang and Zuko finished their warm-ups and faced a target at the far end of the courtyard, a few wooden logs they had haphazardly nailed together in the vague shape of a human.

"Okay, let's see if that trip to almost get eaten by dragons was worth it," said Zuko, "set your stance..."

Aang positioned himself in a sideways battle stance in opposition to the dummy.

"Now, control your breathing…"

Aang drew in a deep breath and slowly released it.

"Now…STRIKE!"

Aang punched his right first towards the dummy, and a single fireball erupted from his knuckles, traveling about 10 yards to the dummy, briefly engulfing it in flames before dissipating. After the fire and smoke had quickly cleared, Katara saw that the dummy was slightly singed, with a few spots glowing orange for a few seconds before cooling down. Katara could feel the heat of the blast from where she was standing.

Zuko, however, didn't look impressed, "Well that was...certainly better, I guess."

"You guess!?" Aang incredulously asked out loud, and Katara incredulously asked in her head at the same time, "Come on, that was the biggest blast I've ever made!"

"Yeah, and if you were any other novice, we'd call that a really promising start. Heck, you might even be called a prodigy. People would be saying you could become a master in just a few years."

Aang's shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"But we don't have a few years, obviously, so sorry, but we need to find a way to fast-track this."

Aang threw his hands in the air, "Well what more can I possibly do!"

Zuko frowned and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well to be honest, I think you're still being too timid and restrained. You're certainly doing a lot better than before our trip, but I still sense a lot of energy in you that you're not letting out."

Aang looked confused and started to get defensive, "Well of course I'm holding a little back, I'm trying to stay in control! Jong Jong said that firebending requires constant discipline or fire will destroy you. He didn't even let me shoot fire, he had me try to stop a bit of fire from growing, and when I didn't listen to him—" Aang managed to cut off his own rambling and managed to take a deep breath and closed his eyes, "that was when I burned Katara."

Zuko's face cycled through several different expressions as a lot of things suddenly started making sense.

"...Oh," was the only thing he could say.

Aang continued, "I hated that version of myself, even more than when I've gone into the Avatar State. After that, I promised myself I would never firebend at all!"

Katara tried to keep track of all the different emotions she was feeling. She was touched by the fact that Aang cared about her so much that the memory of hurting her still got him to be this upset, annoyed at him for being this worked up over something that happened months ago, she had long since forgiven, and was really not important in the context of their mission, and guilty that her getting hurt and the way she reacted had caused him this much heartache, even while she knew that she hadn't really done anything wrong.

Zuko sighed, raised his hand, and after a few seconds of hesitation, lightly patted Aang's shoulder in the most awkward, panicked "there-there" gesture Katara had ever seen.

"Look Aang," said Zuko, "I can't speak to what this 'Jong Jong' guy taught you. Maybe his way is better, I don't know, but it sounds like it takes a lot longer, and we don't have the luxury of being patient and deliberate about this."

He pulled on Aang's shoulder and turned him around so he would stop looking at his feet in self-pity and look his teacher in the face again, "The people of the world don't need their Avatar to be a wizened sage right now, they need a stick of dynamite."

Zuko took a few steps away and tried his best to pretend to be a wizened sage himself, "I can only teach you how I was taught, and I was taught that even when it's not fuelled by anger and rage, all firebending is still fuelled by strong emotion. When teaching me about the elements, my uncle said—let's see if I can get this right…"

He started rubbing his hand on an invisible large belly, stroking an invisible beard, and speaking in an old man's raspy voice in his best impersonation of his uncle.

"Fire is the element of Power. The people of the Fire Nation have Desire and Will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want."

Aang chuckled at the impression, his mood clearly improving, while Zuko looked really impressed with himself. Katara wouldn't have been surprised to learn that this was the first time in his life the dour prince had made someone laugh.

"See what I mean? Remember what we learned with the dragons. Fire is Life. And passion for life is what fuels firebending. You need to stop thinking like a monk and use your passion."

Aang didn't look frustrated or dejected anymore, but he did look puzzled.

"Um...okay," Aang said, thoughtfully scratching his head, "How am I supposed to do that?"

Now it was Zuko's turn to get frustrated. He hadn't anticipated one of his jobs as a teacher being having to explain how to feel things to this guy. That was something he was not qualified for.

"I don't know," said Zuko, not hiding the annoyance in his voice, "just think about it. Try to recreate those emotions when you're channeling your energy for your bending, and it might make your firebending more powerful. Hasn't there ever been something you...desired? Coveted, even? Something that you needed to have or to win more than anything?"

Katara almost laughed out loud, boy are you barking up the wrong tree.

Aang spent a few seconds earnestly considering Zuko's question, "I don't think so. My people believed that worldly material possessions were meaningless, and attachment to them was the source of suffering. We didn't really have anything beyond what we needed and a few toys that we shared. I played games with all my friends, but I didn't really care much if I won, I just tried to make sure everybody had fun."

Katara was grinning at what an unbelievable dork the mighty savior of the world was.

Zuko, however, groaned and dragged both hands down his face, "Yeah, of course you did." It seemed to Katara that this was the first time Zuko was having to relate to someone who was actually a good person.

Aang just shrugged at Zuko's exasperation, "Sorry, hotman."

"Stop calling me that!" Zuko thought for several more seconds before his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers with an idea, but then immediately looked like he regretted having the idea, and started looking deeply uncomfortable.

"Hey...can I ask you a personal question? It's going to sound weird and unrelated, but just trust me, okay?"

Aang raised an eyebrow, "Uh….sure?"

"Have you ever kissed a girl?"

Aang's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, his face turning bright pink, and Katara's heart seemed to stop in its tracks.

After what seemed like an eternity, Aang finally found his voice again, but all he could manage was a weak, "Uh...what?"

"Just bear with me for a second," pressed Zuko.

"Um," Aang squeaked, "Yes. Yes I have." and his face moved past pink into deep scarlet.

"Okay," breathed Zuko, "Now, I know I'm sounding like a gossiping school girl, but I promise I'm going somewhere with this. Ugh."

He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose, like this conversation was physically painful. "Tell me about your first kiss," he finished in a too-deep voice, very transparently overcompensating.

Katara was positively screaming inside her own head, No Aang, do not, under ANY circumstances, tell him about your first kiss.

She felt like her heart and stomach had completely removed from her body. She refused to believe that these were the circumstances where The Incident between she and Aang was finally getting verbalized. Aang hadn't even bothered to talk to her about it yet, there was no way he was going to spill it all to Zuko. The fact that the main reason Aang hadn't talked to her about it was the fact that she had been avoiding him non-stop was entirely beside the point.

Katara started running through a hundred scenarios to try to find some way to stop this conversation. Should she rush in and pretend to be sick? Say that they're under attack? Just stay hidden and bloodbend them both unconscious? But before she could decide on one, to her horror, Aang started talking.

"Well," Aang began, his cheeks still red, "it was back at the Southern Air Temple—"

All of Katara's panic seemed to instantly vanish and be replaced with confusion.

Wait, what? Why is he telling him that? Katara thought, We barely knew each other at the Southern Temple….Does he THINK we kissed at the Southern Temple? I guess that would explain a lot. Did he hallucinate or something while in the Avatar State—

"—and she was part of a visiting caravan."

….Oh.

Oh.

"We got along really well while she was there, she was really good at all of my favorite games, and while we were saying goodbye she just kissed me."

OH.

"By the time I realized what was going on, she just giggled and jumped up on her bison."

Katara was simultaneously feeling unbelievable relief that her big secret wasn't being talked about and unbelievable white-hot fury at Aang. She had just spent several weeks believing that her first kiss had also been Aang's, and now she finds out that she's just the latest? Latest of how many? Exactly how friendly had he gotten with those fangirls on Kyoshi Island? She was two years older than him, by all rights she should be on at least equal footing with him in this mess between them, who gave him permission to have more experience with kissing than her? The fact that he had never once told her that he had never kissed a girl before was entirely beside the point.

But Katara cycled through all these thoughts in just a split second before calming herself down and realizing that she had no reason to care about this. What did it matter if Aang had kissed some girl a hundred years ago? It's not like she thought of Aang that way. Aang had clearly just misunderstood her platonic affections. It's not like she had ever seriously thought about kissing him (especially not during some of the more recent times she had kissed him on the cheek). In fact, she doubted that even he had given any serious thought to kissing. He just had a little crush and the intensity of the moment got to his head. So this is fine.

It's fine.

Seriously, it's fine.

It's completely fine. Whatever she was feeling certainly wasn't jeal—

"Wait, she kissed you?" Zuko interrupted Aang's rambling and yanked Katara back to reality, "I asked you if you had ever kissed a girl."

"Well you also asked me to tell you about my first kiss!" Aang yelled with his hands in the air, frustrated again, "Which one is it!" He was clearly angry that in his panic he had revealed an embarrassing story for no reason.

Zuko put his palms up defensively, "Okay, okay, sorry, bad wording on my part. So, to clarify: have you ever kissed someone else? Have you ever been the one to take the initiative?"

Katara's heart started racing again. Why couldn't Zuko get distracted and drop this?

"Um…" Aang's face had been red before, but now all the color seemed to drain from it and he looked like a ghost, "...yes. But I don't think dwelling on that will help fix my problem. In fact, it's kind of a downer, actually."

"Why, was she an airbender too?" Zuko asked. He supposed dwelling on a girl he had feelings for that had been killed a hundred years ago would be counterproductive in fueling Aang's inner fire.

Despite how angry she had gotten at Aang's kissing experience, Katara now found herself hoping this girl was another airbender.

"No," Aang responded, rubbing the back of his neck, "this was after I came out of the ice. Pretty recent, in fact…"

No such luck.

"Okay, so what's the problem?" asked Zuko.

"Well...it didn't exactly work out well for me. She didn't really kiss me back."

Katara scowled, well that's not fair, she thought with more than a little bitterness. It's not like she had a chance to. You're not allowed to act upset if someone doesn't kiss you back when you spring a kiss on them with no warning and then fly away before they even know what's going on. If he hadn't been so dramatic and used his actual words then she would have—

Katara let out a gasp of fear at where her train of thought was leading her. She would have….what, exactly? If she had known the kiss was coming ahead of time, what would she have done? Let him down easy? Told him to focus on the mission? Thrown him into the ocean?...or would she have kissed him back?

No.

Well…

Certainly not.

Maybe?

Perhaps if they tried again wow where did THAT thought come from?

Meanwhile, back in reality, Zuko was waving away Aang's concerns, "That doesn't matter. Don't think about anything that happened afterward. Just bring yourself back to that one moment, where you overcame caution and went after what you wanted. Set your stance."

Aang faced the dummy and resumed his fighting stance.

Katara couldn't help but inch a little closer away from her "hiding" spot. Now that Zuko had stopped pressing Aang for details and was doing his job, she felt like she could observe with a nervous curiosity instead of outright panic.

"Now," instructed Zuko, "take a deep breath, close your eyes, and picture this girl, how she looked in that moment."

Aang's eyes closed and drew in a breath.

Katara swallowed hard. At this moment, there was no more uncertainty about Aang. He was thinking about her, in that way, right now. And that knowledge made her hold her breath and made her face get a little warm.

"Try to remember how you felt immediately beforehand. How she made you feel. Try to recreate how your heartbeat was affected. It's starting to get faster and harder. How your breathing changed—remember, it's your breath that creates energy in the body for firebending. Yours is getting shallower and more intense. Remember how your stomach muscles reacted. They're tensing in anticipation. Now, in your mind's eye, make your move and kiss her, and at the same time….STRIKE!"

Aang punched his right fist towards the dummy, and his hand exploded.

There was no whoosh like with the previous fireball, but a roar as a conical wave of fire erupted from Aang's knuckles, completely enveloping the dummy 10 yards away and continuing onward to blast past the outer railing of the stone courtyard into the vast expanse of the canyon. And to Katara's alarm, it kept going. It wasn't a single blast but a continuous, monstrous stream of fire easily 15 feet wide at its biggest and so hot that Katara had to turn away and shield her eyes.

Several seconds later, the flames finally died down and Aang blinked his eyes open, looking equal parts proud and terrified of himself. The wooden dummy….did not exist anymore. There was no way to tell if Aang had burned it to ashes or simply blasted it backwards into the canyon. The previously white stones that made up the part of the courtyard that had been in front of Aang were now blackened and cracked.

Zuko had reflexively thrown up his arms to shield his face, stumbling backward. He was still sitting on the ground, eyes widened to the size of Appa's, and his mouth hanging open in shock. He sat there for several more silent seconds until Aang gave an awkward cough, then his face split into the biggest grin Katara had ever seen on him and he started cackling with delirious relief and excitement.

"All right!" Zuko exclaimed, jumping to his feet, "Now that's what I'm talking about!" he loudly clapped his hand on Aang's back, who had returned to looking embarrassed.

"No, don't you clam up again," warned Zuko, "hold onto that feeling. Come on, I'll show you how to make a flame whip."

Katara slinked backward away from her pillar and began a very undignified scurry back to their sleeping area. The fire had long since dissipated, but her face still felt hot and flustered, and her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. Her mind was filled up by the same three words, repeating over and over again:

I did that.

Thinking about her made Aang able to do that. She could no longer simplify things by telling herself that this was just a confusing crush he had let get to his head. For most of the time she had known Aang, the thought that he would have any….desires like that for anyone simply didn't compute for her. He was too selfless, too kind, too pure. He was a monk for crying out loud.

But what she just saw Zuko coax out of her sweet, innocent friend was….not pure. Had he had this inside of him the entire time? And what brought this out of him was thinking about her. Thinking about kissing her. As much as she tried to deny it, when she thought about this power she had over him….she liked it. She was now able to see Aang in a new light, and at least consider the possibility of being more than friends with him.

But she still fought against it, because that realization was absolutely terrifying.

Katara shook her head and splashed some of her bending water on her face. She resolved to keep doing what she had been doing: focusing on their mission. She could sort out all this confusion when the war was over.

Although….

If the goal was to help Aang defeat the Fire Lord and end the war, then naturally they all had an obligation to assist Aang with his bending in any way they could, right? So she supposed it couldn't hurt to give Aang the occasional extra-tight hug now and then. Purely for training purposes, of course.

After all, she thought with a slight smirk as she arrived back at camp, everyone else still sound asleep, what kind of teacher would I be if I didn't give my student the attention he needed?

[cartoondoodlesandsuch]

It’s a weird time right now, so here’s some artwork of Mama Hera and her beloved son together 🥺

Time lapse:

Also I quickly wrote a little thing for some context-ish. Sorry, it’s sad 😔

"Dada!"

At first Hera wasn't sure she'd even heard it, she'd turned her back on her toddler to fix a control panel for a few minutes and left him in his booster seat, she sat up to look at him in confusion. But her little over one year old son wasn't there. For a moment panic surged through her veins as she began glancing around for him, instead widening her eyes at something else. His cabin door was open. Kanan's cabin door, that Hera had locked the night he perished and never unlocked, was wide open. She crept over silently, closing her eyes at the sound of a voice from within, one that sounded all too familiar and all too painful to be real, it was Kanan. He was there. She inhaled, feeling her chest get tight, and opened her eyes slowly, trying to take in everything she could see from the doorway. His bed was unmade, and the sheets thrown everywhere, along with his night clothes crumpled on his pillow, as if he'd left in a rush that morning. There were two-year-old, half full mugs of caf littered around the room, swimming in dust, and it hit her immediately, the room smelt like Kanan. She glanced down at the sound of movement to see their young son playing with the holocron, projecting a recording of Kanan as the only light source.

"Jacie!" She breathed a sigh of relief, crouching down to scoop her son up. "You scared me for a minute."

Jacen let out a protested cry and pointed to the hologram as the message began to replay.

"Jedi Log 26512, although I'm not sure I should really call it that." His voice still hurt, Hera tried to settle her son but every time she began to move away with him he cried again. She hadn't talked about Kanan, not to Jacen directly or even in front of him, she wanted him to be old enough to understand the sacrifice his father made before she lay the shared grief upon his shoulders too. The recording continued. "I think I'm going to ask Hera to marry me." Hera almost dropped Jacen in surprise, feeling her chest get tight and her eyes begin to sting at the sentence. "I know it's not the Jedi way, but I can't hide how I feel about her for any longer. I love her, and once this is over I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I've spoken to her father, and he's given his blessing, and I think it's what my master would want me to do." He paused. "And Hera. If you're watching this, you better still act surprised when I propose to you. Alright? Oh. And don't you dare look in my far left drawer, Alright? Alright." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, it was still long, but it was down in a way that was usually only reserved for her. "Now please stop snooping around my stuff and leave my cabin be." He laughed. "Make sure the kids aren't getting up to anything, I'm sure if you've turned your back for half a second Sabine will have Ezra in a chokehold somewhere." He shook his head at the thought of his grown up kids getting into trouble and smiled. "I think that's it. That's all I have to say for today, I'll record another log when I've asked her. Oh and Hera?"

"Hmm?" She cursed herself for replying to a recording, but it just seemed so natural to do so.

"In case you haven't left yet, and assuming you're planning to say yes, I love you so much dear and I can't wait to marry you. Okay?" He sighed. "Okay."

The recording started again and Hera found herself in shock, Kanan was planning to propose to her, he had it planned out and he never got to do it, and she had a suspicion that she knew exactly what was in that drawer, even if she couldn't bare to look at it. She adjusted the way she was holding Jacen and he laughed a little, gesturing to the hologram.

"Dada!"

"What? What did you just say?"

"Dada! Dadadadadadada!"

"How did you? I've never..." Hera inhaled sharply at her sudden realisation. "The force... can you feel him in here?" It wasn't as if Jacen was going to reply, but his blue eyes swam with understanding as Hera forced back tears, pressing their foreheads together and holding him for just a minute.

"Dada!" Jacen giggled excitedly. "Dada love!"

Hera nodded and felt herself choke up.

"He did, didn't he... Why did I wait so long to tell him?" She sighed and closed her eyes, surprised to feel small arms wrapped around her, but quickly pulling Jacen closer and holding him as tears escaped her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks.

"Love." Jacen mumbled, his mother just nodded and sighed, still holding him tightly.

"It's what keeps us together, and gives us hope, when all seems lost, we have love."

"Dada!"

Hera nodded in understanding and closed her eyes once again, just feeling their son in his presence, and his presence within herself.

"I love you." She muttered aloud, to anyone in the room who might've been listening.