#I KNOW THIS MOVIE WILL MAKE ME CRY HARDER THAN WHEN I READ THE ONESHOT

[the-rad-pineapple]

i want u

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Supernatural oneshot: After they found a way to get Cas back from the Empty, things go back to normal between Dean and Cas. Dean thinks he made up the whole love confession thing. It was exactly what he wants to hear. Plus, he’s re-written his own memories before like when he lost Cas in Purgatory all those years ago. It totally makes sense he’d make up a love confession to cope with Cas leaving him again. Dean’s suspicions are confirmed when Cas comes back and doesn’t say anything about it to Dean. And things go back to normal as if it never happened. Because it didn’t.

Words: 2.7k

I’ve been writing angsty stuff for my current WIP, but then I had an angsty day and needed something sweet. I hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading!

Inspired by Violent by Cummrs

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ao3

fanfiction

wattpad

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Today is one of the best days ever. Sam married Eileen. Dean cried. Multiple times. He ate too much at the reception and got a little tipsy. His best man speech rocked, though. Sam and Eileen left ages ago. They’re having their honeymoon in California. Dean can’t be happier. Everyone left a couple hours after them. The last people to leave were Jody, Claire, Kaia, and Jack.

Now Dean and Cas are sitting against the empty wall of the dirty dance floor. Music is still playing, and it echoes across the empty room, making the moment feel ethereal. Miscellaneous wedding decorations and napkins litter the floor. A lone broken high heel lays near the edge of the dance floor. Dean takes a swig of a champaign bottle and passes it to Cas. Cas doesn’t have his shoes on for some reason. He said it was easier to dance without them or something. He takes a drink from the champaign bottle. His white dress shirt is unbuttoned a few buttons on the top. His suit jacket disappeared hours ago. His hair is messy. He looks so good as a human. Cas hands the bottle back to Dean.

Dean takes it and stares at the empty floor in front of them. “This is the best day ever,” Dean decides. He takes a drink and hands the bottle back to Cas.

Cas hums. “It is one of the best I’ve ever had,” he agrees and takes a long drink.

“Mmhmm.” Dean leans his head against the wall and stares at Cas. The singular white light in the center of the ceiling casts long shadows on Cas’ face, making his face full of dark, sharp angles. It reminds Dean of the Cas he met in a barn over a decade ago. Dean lets the nostalgia wash over him as he stares at his best friend. Cas takes another drink from the champaign bottle and swallows. It’s really distracting, especially when Cas has his shirt unbuttoned like that.

After they found a way to get Cas back from the Empty, things went back to normal between them. Dean thinks he made up the whole love confession thing. It was exactly what he wants to hear. Plus, he’s re-written his own memories before like when he lost Cas in Purgatory all those years ago. It totally makes sense he’d make up a love confession to cope with Cas leaving him again. Dean’s suspicions were confirmed when Cas came back and didn’t say anything about it to Dean. And things went back to normal as if it never happened. Because it didn’t.

And Dean doesn’t really care. It hurt at first, but that was eclipsed by the ecstasy of having Cas back. He’ll take Cas in any way he can get. Angel. Human. Friend. Lover. Anything. Just as long as Cas is here and safe.

Cas hands the bottle back to Dean. Dean finishes it and sets the empty bottle down beside him. They don’t really have a reason to stay here anymore. It’s also getting late. And Dean is tired. They should go back to their hotel. Jody booked everyone a room at the hotel nearby as a wedding gift.

“I don’t want to move,” Cas says.

Dean chuckles. “Me neither.”

A comfortable silence lapses between them. The music is still playing. Dean closes his eyes.

“Dean.”

“Mmm,” Dean answers.

“I don’t want to move, but I also don’t want to sleep here.”

Dean sighs. “Yeah, yeah.” He opens his eyes and looks at Cas again. Cas is staring at him. Dean smiles. “What?”

Cas’ smile turns sad. “Nothing.” He looks away. “I suppose we should stand up now.”

“I suppose.”

Cas sighs and tugs his shoes forward. He slowly puts them on and ties them. Dean watches. Cas’ hands work carefully and precisely. Cas’ hands look soft. He finally stands up and looks down at Dean. He offers Dean a hand. Dean grabs it and stands up. Cas releases Dean’s hand, and Dean wishes he didn’t. Dean doesn’t want this moment to end. He likes being near Cas, and he knows once they get to the hotel, they’ll separate. It’s clingy as shit, but it’s how Dean feels. And he can’t do anything about that, can he?

He used to shove down those thoughts and feelings like they were something toxic. But, over time, he stopped doing that. He’s not exactly sure why. Maybe he’s just getting more comfortable with himself. Maybe he just doesn’t care enough to push them away. Maybe he’s just getting old. Maybe it’s all of those things. Dean doesn’t really know. And he doesn’t really care.

Cas smiles sadly at him again and turns away. Cas does that a lot now. Smile sad. He’s done it ever since he got back from the Empty. Dean thinks Cas misses being an angel.

Dean follows Cas down the short hallway and out into the parking lot. The Impala is the only car left. The summer air is warm and humid. The stars twinkle above them. Dean reaches into his pocket and grabs his keys, already missing today. It was so blissful and happy. Dean’s still adjusting to not feeling completely shitty all the time, let alone happy. It’s nice but also kind of weird.

They both head over to the Impala, and Dean unlocks it. They get inside. Dean turns the radio on to a low volume. The streets are practically empty, and the drive back to the hotel is relaxing. He also enjoys Cas’ presence, even if they’re both too tired to say anything. Just being around Cas makes Dean content.

They pull into the hotel parking lot and get back outside. The night air is peaceful, and Dean stands for a moment to feel it. He’s happy. Really happy. And so is Sam. They somehow did it. Part of Dean is convinced this must be a dream or something.

“Dean?”

Dean turns to look. Cas is standing in front of him, the lights from the hotel outline him. He’s so pretty. “Sorry,” Dean says. “Just don’t want this day to end, you know?”

Cas smiles. This time it isn’t sad. “Me neither.”

An idea pops into Dean’s head. “Wanna watch a movie in my room? We got the fancy tv’s here.”

Cas’ smile grows. “I would like that.”

Dean smiles back. “Awesome.”

----

Dean picks the first action movie he sees. He and Cas are sitting on his bed. Their shoulders are touching. It would take barely any effort for Dean to rest his head on Cas’ shoulder. He doesn’t.

Not even halfway through the movie, Cas starts to fall asleep. It’s selfish, but Dean doesn’t wake him up. He’ll take as many moments as he can with Cas. Besides, Dean will wake him up once the movie is over. But Dean doesn’t count on drifting off himself.

“Dean.”

Dean jerks awake, immediately on alert. He doesn’t have a gun on him, and he goes rigid.

“Dean,” Cas says again, gently.

Dean blinks and blows out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Oh, that’s right. They’re fine. They’re in a hotel. Sam got fucking married today.

Cas continues, “I think we missed the movie.”

Dean chuckles and looks over to him. “Yeah, I think so.”

Cas looks sleepy. His eyes are half open and his hair somehow got messier. His clothes are wrinkled, and he has a dazed smile on his face. He’s gorgeous.

Dean smiles. “You can stay here if you want, sleepyhead.”

Cas lifts his head up from where it was resting against the wall. “I don’t want to intrude.”

“You’re not. You never are.”

Cas smiles at him again. But it’s one of the sad ones. “Thank you, Dean.”

“You’re welcome.” They stare at each other. The longer it gets, the more awkward it is, but Dean can’t look away. To break the silence, he says, “I can take the couch.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know.”

They stare at each other again, but Dean is too tired to care. He closes his eyes.

A few moments pass before Cas says, “We can share the bed if you’re comfortable with that.”

Dean cracks his eyes open. “Yeah, okay.” He ignores how his heart jumps in excitement. They’re not even going to do anything, and he’s elated. Dean kicks off his shoes and automatically starts unbuckling his pants and freezes. “Is it okay if I don’t have pants on?” He glances at Cas.

Cas is already halfway under the covers. His eyes flick over Dean’s body. It’s so fast that Dean thinks he makes it up. “Yes, that’s fine,” Cas answers.

The mental image of Cas checking him out—real or not—makes Dean blush, and he quickly looks away and finishes taking his pants off. He shuts down every dirty thought he gets in the process; it’s easier than it usually is since he’s so damn tired.

Dean turns to Cas, and Cas is definitely staring at his bare legs this time. “Can I turn the light off?” Dean asks.

Cas’ eyes snap up to meet Dean’s. “Um, yes.” His cheeks turn pink.

Dean stares for a second and then realizes he’s probably making things worse by staring and quickly looks away at the lamp on his bedside table. He hits the switch and slides underneath the covers. He can feel Cas’ body heat next to him and forgets how to breathe. The temptation of having the one thing he wants most in the universe right next to him is too much. He’s tense and as close to the edge of the bed as he can be without falling off. Dean is wide awake now. He doubts he’ll get a wink of sleep.

Cas shifts beside him, and Dean nearly jumps out of his skin. Thankfully, Cas doesn’t seem to notice. Cas’ breathing evens out. Dean closes his eyes and focuses on the sound. He wants this so fucking bad it hurts. He squeezes his eyes shut harder when he feels the pin-prickle of tears forming. He won’t cry. Not on a good day like today. He spent way too many nights drinking and crying himself to sleep when he thought Cas was dead forever. He won’t do that when he has Cas literally right next to him. Dean swallows down the lump forming in his throat. As sleep tugs at his mind and consciousness begins to fade, he can’t help but think, I love you. I love you so fucking much. I think it’s killing me.

----

Dean wakes up, and he can’t remember where he is. He knows it isn’t the bunker. He feels a body next to him. He’s not even fully awake, and he can’t bring himself to remember who he’s in bed with. Damn. It’s been a while since he’s had a one-night stand. Loneliness stabs him in the chest, and he shifts towards the warmth of the person beside him. He reaches on arm out, and touches their back. He snakes a hand around their waist and pulls himself against them. Dean feels them begin to stir.

“Shh, go to sleep,” he murmurs.

That seems satisfactory, and they relax. They interlace their fingers with the hand Dean has draped over their waist. Dean pulls them closer. He’s so fucking needy and lonely. He wishes he was holding Cas. He pretends he is.

----

Dean’s pillow feels weird. It’s lumpy but soft. It’s very warm. It also smells like Cas. Which is also weird. Why does his pillow smell like Cas? Cas is dead. But, no. No. Cas is alive. He has been for months now. Dean just forgets when he wakes up sometimes.

Dean keeps his eyes closed as he rests. Any second he’s not fully awake is a good one. Dean then realizes his pillow has a heartbeat. Dean’s pillow might not be a pillow. He’s lying on someone. Someone who smells like Cas.

Dean’s heartrate spikes, and he jerks his head up.

Cas blinks up at him. “Are you alright?” Cas asks, his voice deep with sleep. Well, deeper than usual.

“Yes,” Dean says. “I just forgot you’re alive.”

Cas blinks again. “Oh.” He reaches up with one hand and cups Dean’s face. “Well, I’m alive.”

Dean smiles. “Yeah, I noticed.”

Cas smiles back. It’s the brightest smile Dean’s seen on him since he’s been back. But then it turns sad. Like it always does. Cas starts to pull his hand away, but Dean quickly grabs it. He’s not entirely sure what he’s doing; he’s still not even fully awake. Dean closes his eyes and leans further into Cas’ touch, keeping his hand on Cas’. He doesn’t want Cas to move away.

Cas’ breath hitches. “Dean,” he begins.

And Dean can tell by Cas’ tone that he is going to tell Dean to let go or something. Dean doesn’t want that. “Shh,” Dean says.

“Dean,” Cas says more firmly and tugs on his hand. Dean doesn’t let go. “Don’t do this.”

Dean opens his eyes. Cas’ smile is gone, and all the sadness has moved to his eyes. “Do what?” Dean asks.

“I know you’re doing this just because of what I told you before the Empty took me.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t feel obligated to…to sleep in the same bed as me or hold my hand like this just because I love you.”

“What?”

The hurt in Cas’ eyes throws Dean off so much that Cas manages to snatch his hand back.

Dean stares. Then swallows. “I thought I made that up,” Dean whispers.

“Made what up?”

“That you—that you…” Dean swallows again. Why is his mouth so dry? “That you lo—” His voice cracks. He furiously blinks back tears. “You said that, right?”

“You don’t remember?”

Dean shakes his head. “No, I do, I just…I thought I made that up. Because I—I want…” He licks his lips. “I want you.”

Cas stares at him with wide eyes.

Dean’s blood runs cold. “Wait, am I completely misinterpreting this, oh my god, Cas, I’m so sor—”

“You want me?” Cas is still staring. His eyes still wide with disbelief.

Dean’s already gone this far. There’s no turning back now. Might as well tell Cas everything. “You’re all I ever wanted.”

Cas shakes his head. “You’re just saying that.”

“Absolutely not!” Dean is just as surprised at his outburst as Cas is. He takes a deep breath before continuing, much calmer this time, “Cas, I have a hard time saying, ‘I love you’ to Sam. Why would I ever say that to you unless I completely mean it?”

“You didn’t say, ‘I love you,’” Cas tells him. “You said, ‘I want you.’ There’s a difference.”

That stubborn motherfucker. But Dean can be stubborn right back. This will show him! “Well, I love you. So there,” Dean states, staring at Cas to challenge him on that.

“Oh…” Cas’ gaze becomes distant.

“Yeah, not so fun being on the receiving end of a love confession, is it?”

Cas is unresponsive.

Uh, oh. Dean cups his face with one of his hands. “Cas, buddy, look at me.”

Cas’ eyes finally focus on Dean. “Y-yes?”

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

“Yes,” Cas repeats.

Dean leans in and gently presses his lips against Cas’. There’s a moment where neither of them move, as if what they’re doing isn’t real, but then Cas’ mouth opens up under Dean’s, and Dean moves in closer. He still has one hand on Cas’ face and moves it back to tangle in his hair. Dean allows himself to get lost in the kiss. It’s slow and gentle and even better than anything he dreamed a kiss could ever be. It’s all Cas, Cas, and more Cas, and Dean’s heart is soaring. He pulls back just far enough to whisper, “I love you so much.” before kissing Cas again, a little more desperately this time.

Dean isn’t quite sure how long they do this; kiss each other stupid with their bodies pressed into each other, but he treasures every second of it.

This day is somehow even better than yesterday. And, who knows? Tomorrow might even be better than today. But one thing Dean knows for sure is that they have all the time in the world, and he’s not going to waste a single minute.

[zet-sway]

@the-wip-project day 35:

I don't know what today's question is but I gotta write a wall of text about what happened last night because holy shit

I was on the verge of falling asleep and, like I usually do, I decided to hunt for some spicy fanfics to read on my phone. I found one.

All my posts are long but this one is real fucking long. CW for touching on dub-con and injury mentioned in the type of context it probably shouldn't be.

It's time for me to admit that not only am I a oneshot writer, I'm also a oneshot reader. I am drawn to short fanfics. If I click on a chaptered fic, it's (usually) because it's rated E for smut and I'll go in with every intention of skimming it for the spicy bits. I'm not proud of this. I've avoided saying this for years because I don't want to disappoint people who work hard on their very long and well thought out chaptered stories. I have a short attention span, and I know what I want.

But anyway, last night I clicked on a fic with 5 chapters and some amount of words, around 30k? Long, by my standards, but I was tired and I just wanted something to read while I dozed off.

This particular fic hooked me in, though. I still skimmed it, but the writing was so unique in a way that made me writhe with writer's envy and admiration. Whoever wrote this had their own language - nothing borrowed - their own vision.

I guess I should tell the good people who read my posts (ya'll, seriously, thank you) that the fic in topic is called Fault Lines by Recidiva on AO3. I would link to it but uhhhh I may be using my work PC for "extracurricular purposes" right this moment ^^; so maybe when I get home I'll remember to add it.

I skimmed it - like I said above - for the spicy parts. It generally follows the plot of Bioware's canon. Thane begins as possessive and manipulative, likely uncomfortably close to dub-con for a lot of people. He kisses her and knows full well that his kiss will make her willing but intoxicated, and how he will use that to fulfil himself. But as the story progresses, he falls in love. Their relationship is what I'll call "edgy." Both of them are renegades. There's a scene where they get down in the shuttle after a fight and they're both still injured and it borders on downright unrealistic but fuck it, it's fanfic and I bought it. However their relationship develops a certain heart-wrenching tenderness. She asks him what Siha means over and over again, and eventually tells him she thinks "bitch" when he says it. But in that moment they have a playful banter, he knows full well she's probably already looked it up on the extranet, and they fall into bed together. The smut is mind-boggling.

By the time it gets to Shepard's arrest, he's taken up a place on Earth and visits her, breaks into her house arrest. There's a scene where they see each other for the first time in a while, she tells him how much she's missed his mouth and how it's not right how bad she wants him, and wants him bad enough to smother him with affection. She says something to the effect of "if you're looking to die, I'd volunteer to be the cause," implying that her lust is powerful enough to endanger his life. And it was at this moment I realized I fucked up.

It's established that I live in my own headcanon and I'm not burdened with considering the end of Thane's life as part of my fics. And the suspension of disbelief was such that I forgot he doesn't make it. So at this moment in the fic, chapter 4 out of 5, I realized "Oh shit this isn't going to have a happy ending." I skipped to the end right away, I wanted to confirm my fears.

In their final exchange, she asks him to lie to her - something that's repeated in other chapters of the story. I forget what he says, I was reading desperately, but he asks her in return to tell him something true. She kisses him and tells him she loves him, and he breathes his last breath with the lingering tingle of their kiss to carry him to the other side.

I was so entrenched in the depth of their relationship up to that point. The level of fathomless love the author conveyed, unlike anything I've ever managed to write before, but more realistic to my own understanding of love as I've experienced it. Not because they're renegades, but just the selflessness with which they feel, communicate, banter, and make love.

When I read that last paragraph, something inside me broke. That sounds dramatic but that's honestly how I would describe it. It felt like waking up from a night terror, when you bolt up in bed from a dream so bad you immediately get up even if it's 4am because nothing feels real and you're so terrified you have to get up and do something - literally anything to take your mind off it, to ease you back into reality. I put my phone down and stared into the darkness of my bedroom and told myself "it's just a fanfic, no need to get upset." And then I started to cry and I didn't stop for 30 minutes.

My husband was downstairs watching Bohemian Rhapsody and I went down there and wrapped myself around him so tight and cried. Bless this man, from the bottom of my heart - bless him - for his unfathomable kindness. I felt like a fucking fool because I was crying over fanfiction but he paused his movie and just listened while I tried to articulate how it wasn't exactly about the character death, or the characters at all, it was just the writing and how it wormed into my brain so convincingly. I felt the loss like it was my own loss. I am terrified of losing my husband. So many feelings coalesced and I realized one day I may be in that situation, kissing the man I love goodbye for the last time, never to hold him again. I'm at work right now and I'm tearing up because it's so hard.

I tip my hat to the author, but I genuinely wished I hadn't read that fanfic. And isn't it kind of funny after that grandstand I took yesterday about not wanting to write the pain of loss and grief, that I ended up reading it instead and probably fucking myself up just as badly, if not worse, than if I had tried to write it myself?

It gets worse, too. Because it got me thinking about my own writing, and how I could never hope to achieve what that author did. So I sat there crying out my painfeelings while simultaneously feeling like a shit writer and like nothing I put out matters. I got up from the couch, sat down at my PC and picked up where I left off in the Omega DLC in ME3 because video games are great for taking the mind off things. It didn't exactly help with the intensity I'd hoped for, but I managed to fall asleep, by 3am.

Fast forward to this morning. I dragged my sorry ass out of bed 4 hours later and drove to work. By some fucking miracle, no one is here right now except our field director. And I'm stewing in how this one fic really fucked me up bad, reconsidering everything. I feel like I've been put in my place.

So what changed?

Yesterday I posted about how I'm struggling to write a plotline. I know what happens, but I'm not interested in the little bits that tie it together. I want to write the romance. I think there's a way to write the plot and the romance at the same time, but it's damn hard.

I started doing this because I wanted to grow my skills as a writer, and I knew it might be more than I could chew. I'm at that moment now where I'm about ready to give up.

Even if I felt like a shit writer last night (and still kinda do this morning), I know that the stuff I've put out has value. We can't all write these epically tragic smut-romance-renegades-to-lovers tales, we'd all be sad all the damn time. There's a time and a place and - I would argue - even a need for lighterhearted fic out there. There are really no rules. I'm confident in what I know how to do.

But the plot. Fuck it, man. I think maybe I'm trying too hard to be something I'm not. I'm trying really hard to write like other people. I may have mentioned before that I saw a post about how many artists spend their time pining for the skills of others, thinking "wow, when I can draw like that, I'll have made it as an artist." That same post cautioned against this, basically saying you already have your own unique style, it's just harder to see through the lens of your own eyeballs. It's fine to challenge yourself but try to acknowledge what you do that sets you apart already. I feel like I have that something - maybe not to the extent that I wish, but I have something.

So what's the point of the plot? Why do I need to tell my readers how I cured Keprals? I'm asking myself important questions here. I like to think I've come up with ideas that no one else has, but as I said above, I don't read a lot of chaptered fics. I very well may have come to the same ideas as other writers and I'm not even aware of it. I don't know if my ideas are unique but I still arrived at them all by myself.

The challenge here - the thing I'm struggling so much with - is how to put them together with the same elegance of my fellow writers. I'm looking at you, shrios fam (yeah I'm calling you that, yall know who you are). I know I can write words, but it's like I have a bunch of pieces from completely different jigsaw puzzles and I'm struggling to make a new picture out of them. I struggle with the transitions between them.

The point here is I have to find my own way. And I have to stop taking myself so seriously. In fact this level of "seriousness" is one of the things that got me into so much angst over World of Warcraft over the last two years. At least I know how to recognize it.

I have to find my own way. I have my own things that are worth sharing. The author I read last night had a language all their own, and I have a language all my own too. Their wordplay was actually more choppy than I would ever write. I've talked before about how I'm scared of starting too many sentences with pronouns, how I maybe write too many run-on sentences, whatever. This author did that with reckless abandon. It worked for them. So if they can make that shit work, I can make my own shit work.

I have to find my own way.

My most current WIP is Thane and Shepard's first time. I've been working on it pretty nonchalantly because I hadn't intended to publish it until I built up to it. It takes place further into my timeline, and it would probably ruin the point of a slow burn if I put it out there now. There are some really memorably moments in this WIP, and there are other moments that need to be smoothed over as well. I never knew what I'd really imagined for their first time but I think I've mostly developed something that's unique in its own right, and I think will be fun for people to read.

I'm just so fucking torn over what to do with it. I feel guilty for working on it. I should be writing "other shit" leading up to it but I don't fucking want to. I actually wrote probably 2-3k words this weekend, which is a pretty staggering amount by my standards. Some of it was for this smutty WIP and some was for something I just threw together, Thane observing Shepard on Horizon and the emotional toll it takes on her. He's seeing her humanity. I don't know if it's worth it to continue but I wrote a lot of it and the words are more precise than usual for a draft, I don't know. I have so much fucking insecurity. Fuck dude. I want to write this longfic, but I don't want to write it. I want to skim to the spicy bits like I always do.

I am wracked with insecurity, of my own making. I know what I can do but I feel compelled to see this idea through. Somehow I have to find my own way.

TLDR I feel like if I don't publish something soon I'm going to burst and I don't even know what the fuck to work on first and fjslfjsojoiejrj

I would be really down for, like, a bunch of hugs and a bowl of ice cream shared over memes and fanservice.

[dangerous-mess]

All I Want For Christmas Is You (Bakugo x Kirishima x reader) Part 2

Part: 5/25 of Christmas Oneshots 

Characters: Bakugo, Kirishima, gender neutral reader

Contains: Mentions of anxiety, mentions of a breakdown, mentions of traumatic incident, language, spoilers to Bakugo’s hero name, polyam relationship, fluff

Katsuki was nervous, more so than he was a few weeks back. It was currently Christmas Eve and the three of you had planned to go out for dinner before coming home and cuddling into Christmas day. That’s not what had him nervous though. No, he was nervous because at dinner tonight was when he planned to pull out the rings and propose. God knows there aren't any handbooks on how to do it or what to say, he already looked. He just wanted it to be perfect for you both cause you both deserved it. He had been trying to figure it out and plan it on such short notice, which is harder than he thought it would be.

He was currently at home by himself, both of you finishing up your jobs, Eijiro on patrol and you at your shift at the hospital. All of you had been working longer hours, mostly so all three of you could have more time off after the holidays. He had taken today off, though neither of you knew that. He has been so anxious all day, Katsuki knew he won’t be able to make it through his normal patrol without breaking down or having an anxiety attack. So at least if he was going to have one, he wanted it to be at his home and away from the public eye. The last thing he needed was for the world to see the number two hero, Dynamight, have a breakdown.

As the time ticked closer to when Eijiro would be home, he got off an hour before you, Katsuki knew he didn’t have much time to get ready for the date as well as prepare for the proposal. So with that, he started the shower, making it a bit hotter than normal, in hopes that it would calm his nerves. After making sure he was completely cleaned and didn’t smell like complete shit, he got out and dried himself off. He wrapped a towel around him and walked to the shared bedroom, putting on the suit he had set out prior to his shower. As he finished up and went to go blow dry his hair, he heard the front door open.

“Honey, I’m home.” He heard Eijiro call out. Katsuki just rolled his eyes, a small smile forming. “Where are you at?” He heard his boyfriend call out.

“In the bedroom, dumbass,” He yelled back, before turning on the blow dryer, trying to dry his hair so he could style it in the typical Bakugo way.

From the corner of his eye, Bakugo saw his boyfriend walk in and grab some things from the closet before walking into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He continued to blow dry, sitting in front of the desk and mirror that was placed in the bedroom. Once his hair was dry enough he started to style it, just the right way. He was so focused on his hair and his mind lost in the thoughts of that night, he didn’t notice you were home and walked into the bedroom until he felt arms wrap around him and a kiss placed on his cheek.

“Hey hot stuff, looking good. Got a hot date tonight?” You tease, placing another kiss on this cheek. Katsuki felt his cheeks become hot as he tried to think of something to say back.

“You don’t look too bad yourself, and actually I have two hot dates tonight!” He smirked back, turning his head to look at you fully. He watched your face turn bright red and you start to mutter utter nonsense, letting him know he got you all flustered. As he looked at you, he saw you were still in your work clothes but god you still looked just as phenomenal in them as you were going to look in your outfit tonight. He went to say something else but was interrupted by the bathroom door opening and Kiri walking out in a towel. Both of you looked at your boyfriend in awe, before the silence was broken by Kiri himself.

“You both should take a picture, it’ll last longer.” He said with a smirk as he went to change into his suit for the night. Both of you quickly looked away, your faces bright red. Any other day Katsuki would have replied with some smartass remark or a flirty comeback, but his mind was preoccupied. His thoughts just kept racing faster and faster as the time ticked closer to the reservation at the restaurant.

The next 45 minutes flew by and before Katsuki knew it, you all were ready to go. Kiri had taken it upon himself to drive, as out of the three of you, he was somehow the best driver. Kiri got into the driver seat and you climbed into the passenger, leaving him to sit in the back. Usually, he would groan and complain but this gave him time to get himself and the speech together. It gave him the chance to make sure the rings were in the inside pocket of his suit.

The three of you arrived at the restaurant in no time, being seated rather quickly in an isolated quiet place in the back. Drinks were served and the main meal had been ordered. Both of you were taking turns sharing about your day and he was trying to be a good boyfriend and listen but he knew it was now or never. He needed to do this before he chickened out.

He cleared his throat slightly, getting both of your attention. God, he was more than anxious now, he was scared. He hadn’t been this scared since he was a kid and almost died at the hands of the Sludge villain. “Can I uh give you both an early Christmas gift?” His voice was shaky, and he knew you both could hear it. He tried to make eye contact with you both but was struggling. You both nodded, and for a brief moment, he could see concern and curiosity cross your faces. Taking a deep breath, Katsuki stood up from his seat and moved so he was in front of you both. He carefully got down on one knee and pulled out both boxes.

“After that night a few weeks ago, after you both comforted me about gifts it became clear what I needed to get you both. I knew for a while, long before this season that I wanted to do this but every little thing you both have done just made me realize how much I do. And after that night I knew I was ready to marry you both if you’ll both have me. I know I’m not perfect or the number one hero, but I promise through it all, I’ll love you dumbasses so much, I’ll love you both forever if you allow me. So will you Eijiro Kirishima and (Your first and last name) make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” With shaky hands, he opened both boxes and held out each box with the rings towards you both.

Kiri was the first to start crying, a huge smile on his face. He frantically nodded and Katsuki took no time in taking the ring out and slipping it on his finger, before kissing his boyfriend. And then there was you, both men looked at you, Katsuki unable to read your face at all. You gently grabbed his hand, a smile forming on your face.

“Katsuki Bakugo, it would be an honor to marry you.” You spoke, your voice barely above a whisper as tears rolled down your face. Katsuki took the ring out and slipped it onto your finger, leaning up and kissing you softly before pulling you both into a hug.

“I love you both so fucking much,” He mumbled out, now realizing he was crying as he felt the tears roll down his face. “Merry early Christmas my lovely fiancés.”

With that you all enjoyed your dinner as it came out shortly after, all of you in a happier mood. The rest of the night was spent with smiles and lots of love and affection. When you all got home later that evening, you pulled out the wine in order to celebrate as you watched Christmas movies and cuddled on the couch.

It took no time for you two to fall asleep, leaving Bakugo wide awake. Usually, he was the first to fall asleep but he was just so happy with how things turned out, so happy you both had said yes that he was enjoying the moment. He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above the tv, it being sometime after midnight. Carefully Katsuki wiggled himself off the couch and out of your arms before carrying you and Eijiro to bed. He placed you both in bed, planting a small kiss on your foreheads. After that, he cleaned up the living room, before heading to bed himself. He climbed into bed, placing kisses on you both before whispering, “Merry Christmas dumbasses, I love you both so much.” And with that, he fell into a sweet sleep.

[ladyblogger-margie]

Permit Pending - Holiday Cabin

Pairing: Will Miller (Triple Frontier) x F!Reader

Summary: Will “Ironhead” Miller x F!Reader. In a snow covered cabin during the holiday season break, you and Will come together in front of a fire. 

Word Count: 1631

Rating: 18+ ONLY (oral F!Receiving, unprotected sex, creampie, penetrative sex). Mention of Christmas, but more as a time of year than religious connotations. 

a/n: This is so self-indulgent. It is also the softest smut I’ve ever written. This can be read as part of the Permit Pending series between part 4 and 5, or as a oneshot. 

“You look so cute,” you said when he finished buttoning up the pyjama set you had just gifted him. You were already wearing your matching set. You thought he’d have some resistance to the dorky idea of a holiday movie marathon in matching pyjamas with unlimited boozy hot chocolate and snacks. It was the only thing you had planned for your Christmas break in a rented cabin in the woods. To your pleasure and surprise, it didn’t actually take any convincing at all. 

He even indulged you the 25 minutes it took for you to get the perfect photo of you two matching in your blanket fort. You admired that picture a while, ignoring the movie in the background. There was something about the way Will looked at you in the photo that caused your breath to hitch in your chest. No one had ever looked at you like that before. 

You set the photo as the background on your phone and looked up and saw Will looking at you the same way he did in the photo. A heat rose in you and you knew it wasn’t from the fireplace you were snuggled up in front of. You couldn’t help yourself. You reached over to him and pulled the collar of his pyjamas, dragging his mouth to yours. You were in no rush, taking your time and deepening your kiss. 

Will reached down and worked on the buttons of your top, exposing your naked breasts. He brushed his thumb against your nipple and it hardened to his touch. You pulled your lips from his and tilted your head back to expose your neck. You felt his beard scratch along your flesh as he trailed down your neck, kissing his way to your collarbone. When he got to your collarbone he nestled his face into you, inhaling deeply. 

You wrapped your arms around him, dropping your elbows to his shoulders and cradling the back of his head. You stayed there clutching each other for a while, neither of you in a rush. You just wanted to be there together in that moment, feeling connected in a way only people truly in love can be. 

Eventually he took your unbuttoned shirt all the way off and tossed it to the side. He pulled you tight into his body and laid you on your back. He hovered over you kissing his way down your body, stopping to put your nipple in his mouth. He pulled it gently with his teeth and you moaned under him. 

You snuck your hands between your bodies as he switched to your other nipple, licking and nipping alternatively, and you unbuttoned his shirt. He sat up on his knees and pulled his shirt off and threw it on top of yours. 

You looked up at him and watched the firelight dance across his chest. He worked hard to sculpt that look and you enjoyed the fruits of his labor. You wrapped your legs around his waist as he looked down at you with those blue eyes you loved so much. He kissed you and your body trembled. He held you so carefully, so deliberately, sometimes it almost made you cry. 

“I love you,” you whispered, your voice caught in your throat. 

He kissed you and ran his hands down the side of your body and to your ass. He squeezed it through the fabric as you grinded your hips against him. 

“I love you too, sweetheart,” he said as he began pulling your pants down. “Did I mention how much I love these pyjamas?” he asked as he tossed your pants over his shoulder, “So easy to take off.”

You smiled at him and watched as he trailed his tongue down your stomach. When he reached your hip, he sucked on it hard which made you squeal. He sucked so hard for so long you were left with a welt-sized hickey. You both admired his handiwork before he moved onto your inner thigh. You could feel how wet you were, but you also knew your boyfriend pretty well and knew he was just getting started. 

He reached his hand up your side, groping around for your own hand. When he captured it, he held it tight in his own as he continued to nibble on the tender flesh of your thighs. When he was like this, you thought you’d die from the tension and suspense; you felt like you might come from the anticipation alone, but you never did because he always pulled back to take a moment before it came to that. He could read you so well you were sure he knew you better than you knew yourself. 

When he finally put his mouth to your dripping pussy, you couldn’t stop the whine that slipped through your lips. You gripped his hand tighter as he dragged his tongue through your wet folds. He swirled your clit in his mouth with his tongue, licking and sucking, building a warm heat deep within you. 

“Oh fuck, Will, you’re so good at this” you moaned, arching your back and pushing yourself harder into his mouth. He smiled against you, loving the praise. He slipped his tongue inside you, lapping up your juices, feeling it in his beard and knowing that all this was because of him made him highly aware of his throbbing erection, eager to fuck you, but wanted you to fall apart completly beneath his mouth first. At least once. 

You felt him slip a finger inside you as he focused his mouth on your clit. He stroked that spot inside you that had you seeing stars and it wasn’t long until you felt your orgasm crash over you and you gripped his hand tightly as he continued to eat you like a man starved. The overstimulation brought tears to your eyes as you screamed his name. He pulled a second orgasm out of you before he gave you a rest. 

You fell backwards, seeing spots as you looked up at the ceiling, watching the firelight dance on the ceiling as Will wiped his face. He crawled back up your body, leaving kisses behind him until he landed on your lips and you could taste yourself on him. You didn’t break the kiss as you reached between you and pulled him out of his pants, hard and dripping with precum. 

“Take of your pants, I want you to make love to me,” you whispered into his ear before you nipped the lobe between your teeth. He shuffled out of his pants and then hovered over you. He kissed you passionately as he laid your head gently on his forearm. He lined himself up at your entrance and you could feel your whole body shaking. He pushed into you slowly, stretching you deliciously as he went deeper and deeper. He sheathed himself completely inside you and you wrapped your legs around him, holding him there as he tipped your foreheads together, his eyes piercing yours and you could hardly breath from the power of it all.

You don’t know how long you stayed there like that, lost in each other, his erection inside you, dripping with precum, your legs holding him close to you with your hands in his short hair, but you could have stayed like that forever. You loved him and he loved you and these moments with him meant more to you than anything you had ever known. 

Eventually he pulled you closer to him and shifted into a sitting position with you in his lap. You rocked on him slowly, as he pulled you in close to his chest. You fucked him slow and gentle until he bucked up into you, causing you to grip him by the shoulder tightly, your nails digging into his skin. 

You smiled slyly at him, “Is this too slow for you, baby?”

He didn’t answer. Instead he planted his feet and fucked up into you as he pulled your head to his and kissed you, his eyes squeezed shut and his breathing labored. He dropped his head back with a grunt as he thrust up and you clenched around him, doing your best to pull his orgasm from him. You watched him as he fucked you and you didn’t think you’d ever get over how beautiful he was like this, vulnerable, sweaty, and the perfect balance of hard and soft. 

He came inside you and held you in place in his lap. He kissed you hard and brushed his fingertips across your cheeks, just taking you in. To him you were perfect in body, in mind, and soul. He felt peace with you like he never knew was possible. You helped him quiet his mind and level him out. You held him when he felt like he was falling apart and you kept him together. He knew he was broken, but with you he felt put back together. The cracks of who he is pushed together and held there with a glue that was all you. He felt inextricable from you, and never more so than in these intimate moments. 

A log in the fireplace cracked loudly and you spooked in his lap. You chuckled together as he helped you off his lap and he cleaned you up. He got you both dressed in your matching pyjamas and he wrapped you in a blanket as he wandered away to the kitchen, whistling a Christmas carol in a low tone as he made you both hot chocolate and you set up the next movie, knowing full well you wouldn’t watch that one either. When the hot chocolate was finished, you were going to fall asleep in each other’s arms as the fire crackled and the snow fell softly outside.

[jensungf]

𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃𝐒 ☁ 𝐩.𝐣𝐬

summary: park jisung was supposed to be more than a passing cloud, than a fleeting moment. 

↳ (adj) describing something that doesn’t last as long as you’d like.

pairing: reader + park jisung genre: high school!au, angst word count: 2.4k warnings: language

author’s note: this was supposed to be a blurb but it kind of turned into a really long drabble or oneshot, whatever you wanna call it hehe. it’s been about two or three years since i last written something so i’m quite rusty but please enjoy and let me know what you think!

“hey jisung, we’re still on for tonight right?” you chirped cheerily, not bothering to hide the cheeky smile adorning your face. you had been looking forward to this all week, and it was really hard not to show it. you skipped over to his side of the room, taking a seat besides him. 

you had been harboring a crush on your friend for god-knows how long (about a year actually) and had jokingly suggested that he owed you a movie date days ago during your weekly study session with him. to your pleasant surprise, he had agreed without any hesitation, and you had taken that as a sign that maybe — just maybe, he saw you as more than just a friend. maybe.

you frowned when you realized you hadn’t gotten a response and looked up to see jisung’s fluffy brown hair engrossed in his video game on his tablet. “hey! jisung!” you called out again across the desk. 

no reaction. 

you rolled your eyes and sighed before grabbing a pencil and lightly throwing it to get his attention. it hit his shoulder, causing him to finally glance up. he scowled and barked out a “what do you want?” before returning his concentration on his game.

“woah, sorry...” you felt awkward now realizing how annoyed he was. “i just wanted to ask if we were still on for tonight.”

he looked up again, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “what’s tonight?” 

before you even realize it, a deep scowl marred your face. how could he forget? you had been mentioning it all week now.

“you know, the movie...? the one you promised we’d watch together?” you asked eagerly, hoping his brain would get off of whatever game he was playing and return back to reality.

“oh. that.” his tone was indifferent and you couldn’t help but tense up in annoyance. he really forgot? “yeah, sure...” before quietly mumbling, “if i’m free.” 

you wanted to scoff at his dryness, but chose to be considerate and give him the benefit of the doubt. maybe he just wasn’t having a good day and he wanted to be left alone for now. maybe if you gave him some space he’d be in a better mood tonight. hopefully, you thought.

“i’m going to go, but i’ll text you, ‘kay?” you tried your best to smile despite the butterflies swirling in your stomach (the bad ones, the ones that looked pretty but were actually poisonous), but jisung doesn’t even bother to lift his head from the screen before muttering something that sounded vaguely like a bye. you sigh, and turn on your heel quickly. 

hopefully all would go well tonight.

you spoke too soon.

 ☁ 

you had texted jisung an hour or two before the designated time you both were supposed to meet each other at the movie theater, asking if he was free later to confirm that your plans and he had simply responded with “probably.” you would be lying to say that his offhandedness about this entire situation wasn’t bothering you at all but you had been so excited for this opportunity to finally spend some quality time with him that you were willing to overlook his odd behavior. 

you had decided to leave the house about thirty minutes before you were supposed to be at the movie theater, and quickly took your phone out to text him.

to: pwark jwisung♥︎ [6:04pm]

➤  hey i’m about to leave the house!  ➤ don’t forget to bring an umbrella. it looks kind of rainy outside

you peered outside the window, looking at the gloomy skies. however, you were determined that nothing was going to ruin tonight for you, not even some threatening grey clouds. by the time you arrived, you checked your phone again. you bit your lip in exasperation to see no notifications pop up, unlocking your phone only to see that jisung hadn’t even read your messages. maybe he was busy and simply saw it without opening the chat.

obviously, jisung wasn’t the most punctual person in the world, but you had specifically told him to come earlier than you days ago for that very matter. the weather outside seemed to be an omen, but you remained adamant. no stormy weather was going to ruin your time as long as you had jisung by your side. he was going to be here soon and you would have a good time, like you had hoped. 

to: pwark jwisung♥︎ [6:21pm]

➤  im here! are you here yet or are you on your way?

[6:30pm]

➤ ji?

you decided after nervously waiting outside the doors, watching the skies slowly get darker and darker (as if it was a sign of impending doom), that maybe it would be a good to finally call him. you had scrolled on your social media to pass time, and saw he was online. maybe something had happened?  

you tapped on your phone, letting the call ring only to wait for an automated voicemail of “hey it’s jisung, i’m probably busy rig— hey! jaemin! give me my phone back! oh my god, stop it, i’m trying to record a voicema—“

you felt your chest constrict as you took in a deep breath and exhaled shakily. there’s no way he forgot... right? you had just talked to him today about it. maybe his phone died or he was playing another silly prank on you and hiding somewhere. 

[6:43pm]

➤ hey idiot responddddd ➤ if this is some funny prank, come out! you win :(  

[6:57pm]

➤ come on ji, im actually going to get mad if you don’t show up soon >:( ➤ you were just on instagram like 15 minutes ago...? is something wrong? please let me know.

the number of strangers who passed by you who eyed you curiously increased, and you couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with anxiety. you hated waiting alone, especially in public. it was nerve wracking and jisung knew it. your feelings of doubt and unease were creeping up behind you. maybe this was all just a bad nightmare and you’d wake up from it soon. 

the skies began to drizzle as you stood beneath the awning of the movie theater. your body was clammy and shivering. it was cold and you had forgotten your jacket and umbrella, despite even reminding jisung to bring himself an umbrella. just your luck.

you glanced at the clock ticking by, and you knew the showing of the movie had started long ago. however there was another showtime, so you tried your best not to fret. if he showed up soon, you could still watch the movie. if not, any other movie would’ve been okay with you. where is he? why isn’t he showing up?

you decide after waiting for almost 45 minutes that you should give him another call. it went straight to voicemail again. you felt tears finally begin to prickle in your eyes as you angrily typed out a message to him.

[7:12pm]

➤ jisung... if you were busy you could’ve just told me.  ➤ this really isn’t a funny joke at all. i’m actually pretty upset.  ➤ the last showtime is in 15 minutes, please text or call back.

frustration and betrayal overcame your body as you began trembling, trying your best to hold in your tears. the number of people entering had diminished, but you refused to let yourself cry in public. this was already humiliating enough as it was.

you decided as a last resort to call one of his friends, and you scrolled through your contacts before dialing na jaemin’s number. 

after a few rings, he picked up to your great surprise.

“hey (y/n)! what’s up?” 

“um, hey.. i-i was just wondering, if... jisung was with you by any chance...?”

you heard some shuffling around before he spoke up again. “uh yeah, he is actually. is something wrong...? you don’t sound okay.”

you bit your lip, holding in a sigh of relief because jisung was okay and alive before realizing that your tears were about to burst. you swallowed your tears and let out another shaky breath before answering.

“c-can i just talk to jisung please? he hasn’t been picking up my calls.” you sniffled, voice cracking as you gripped your phone tightly. 

jaemin frowned on the other end of the call before, managing to sense your urgency and emotion in your voice. “okay, give me a second,“  as he went to find the younger boy. 

“hey jisung, (y/n)‘s on the phone,” you could some hear yelling in the back before you heard some more shuffling and screaming. jaemin tried to cover his phone’s mic but you managed to pick up bits of the conversation anyways.

“what is it jaemin? i’m in the middle of a game right now,” jisung’s deep voice spoke in an irked tone. you would recognize his voice anywhere — what you once deemed to be soothing no longer brought the sense of comfort you needed right now.

“jisung, she called me saying ... hadn’t been picking up ... calls! tell hyuck.. play for you and talk ... now!” you could hear some groaning through the crackly audio, before jisung’s voice piped up on the line.

“um, hey (y/n) what’s up? why’d you call me... i’m kinda busy right now.”

your lips quivered along, feeling your heart fall before the dam actually broke. you croaked out, “park jisung.. don’t you remember what tonight was? i’ve been waiting for an hour and a half now! i thought you were dying or something.” 

jisung’s eyes widened before he sighed, “uh, shoot sorry. i’m busy with the boys right now and kinda forgot.” your tears dripped down your face as the raining outside ironically began to pour down harder at that very moment. you almost dropped your phone in shock. that was his reason for not making it? you felt as if your heart was being crushed, suffocated by jisung’s hands. how could he be so.. callous? 

“jisung, we’ve talked about this all week and you promised! i asked you this morning, and afternoon and i even texted you!” sobs began to wrack through your body as you could no longer contain it anymore. you tried to wipe the tears away as quickly as you could, not wanting anyone to witness your meltdown, yet to no avail. “how could you forget?”

jisung rolled his eyes and sighed. he didn’t know why you were just attacking him like this and interrupting him in the middle of a game. he retorted with irritation piercing his voice, “look (y/n), i don’t know why you’re being so dramatic but like it’s not that big of a deal. it’s just another dumb movie anyways, and i didn’t even really think these were definite plans. i said probably and things change, you know that.”

embarrassment flushed through your body, before anger replaced it. 

you swallowed harshly, feeling all self-restraint leave your body, all your anger and bitterness clouding your thoughts leaving you dizzy and breathless. “i can’t believe you... i waited for you because i thought.. that you were excited for this chance too.”

“my friends always come first, you know that! i thought i made that perfectly clear so why are you so upset?” jisung barked out, clenching his fists. he knew he was wrong but he was stubborn and irritated, wanting nothing more but to go back and claim his victory instead of wasting his time arguing with you.

you couldn’t believe your ears, your heart shattering as you took in every word he was saying. was this the same park jisung you knew and fell in love with? how could it be? you were an idiot for believing he actually liked you back, that you had a chance with him. he had always seemed untouchable, and now you were seeing his true colors. this clearly didn’t mean as much to him as it did to you and you had gotten your answer. 

“i have every right to be upset! you made a promise and you broke it. you left me hanging and blew me off, for what? games? there’s more to life than just playing video games with your friends jisung!” you bit your tongue, before continuing, your emotions blowing through the roof as they overtook your body. 

“i’m not just some girl you decided to blow off because you didn’t know. i never expected you to choose between me or your friends because i’m also your friend too. i thought we were friends but this shows how much you really care about our friendship. i waited here for you. i don’t want your bullshit excuse anymore, you can go play whatever games you want as long as they’re not with me. i’m not your toy jisung or a game, and you can’t win me like this. have a nice life.”

“wait (y/n)—“ you ended the call hastily,  not wanting to hear another word come out of his mouth. 

you shut your eyes as you tightly to hold in the tears. if your whole world had been torn away to unveil a big, fat ugly lie in the end. this wasn’t the park jisung you knew. this was park jisung, the boy who you had fallen utterly and hopelessly for. the boy who made your heart flutter with his shameless laugh,  who spent hours awake at ungodly hours of night watching anime with you when no one else would. who would make fun of you but spend hours trying to teach you play video games or take you out to eat ice cream whenever he knew you were feeling down.who managed to lift up your mood with his incessant teasing that you grew to learn was just his way of caring, so effortlessly.

how could you be so foolish to work yourself up just to be devastated in the very end? you wished for this to be a nightmare. your hopes of fulfilling your dream date with the boy you had been pining after for the last year or so had been had been crushed. you looked up into the drizzling rain and grey clouds wondering where you had gone wrong. the clouds passed by fleetingly. you could’t help but laugh at how cliché this was. this was how you would remember your heartbreak, under a grey sky full of rain. and there was nothing else you could do about it.

he was nothing but a fleeting cloud passing by in your life.

+ bonus blurb!

+ the sequel!

[kortsitron]

Revenge

Relationship: Loki × Male! Reader { Something between platonic and romantic }

Location: Mention in one shot

Time: Around 7- 8 PM

Warnings: heartbreaking, ex-boyfriend being total asshole, angry Loki, swearing, homophobia, mention of acrophobia, one very bad f-word (I'm sorry)

Imagine: Your asshole boyfriend broke up with treats you like shit. Loki sees everything and decides to do something with this.

[A/N]

I have no idea what to say. I sometimes do have a really weird ideas. (you will see why I call it weird) Hope you enjoy this oneshot.

(Y/N) was bouncing happily to the park, to meet his boyfriend. Male loved him so much and he was happy, as always, to meet him. Unfortunately, he didn't knew what was going to happen. What his "boyfriend" planned for him.

As he was on his way to the park, his friend, Loki the God of Mischief, was enjoying himself at the bench, reading a book. This time, he wasn't dressed as a witch, Asgardian was wearing more comfortable clothes. It was way too hot for a black suit.

Loki knew (Y/N)'s boyfriend. He talked to him once and both men didn't liked each other since their first meeting. Loki thought that (Male name) was inappropriate for his friend. In his opinion he seemed mysterious, in the bad way, but he decided to keep all of his thoughts for himself after seeing how happy (Y/N) was. (Y/N) was like a small sunshine, happy most of them time, smile on his cute face was making Loki’s cold heart beat faster. Seeing him sad, was breaking him. Mostly, because Loki had a crush on him, but he knew how to hide it.

Loki looked up as hear a familiar voice, in bad meaning. It wasn't (Y/N)'s voice, it was (M/N)'s voice. God's face from neutral quickly went to glowering. An annoyed sigh left his lips as Loki was watching every move he was making. Something made him suspicious about the male, more than normally. Something was about to happen.

As (Y/N) entered the park, Loki closed the book and started staring at (Y/N) really closely, all his attention was brought to him.

"Hey babe!" (Y/N)'s said with cheerful tone and smile on his face. Male was about to hug his boyfriend, but instead of a hug, he got roughly pushed away. He landed on the ground and looked up to see the emotionless face. "Why did you done that?" He whispered, feeling unsafe at the moment. Everybody near them was starring at both of them.

"Do not touch me, faggot." This word made (Y/N) choke slightly on the air, not believing what he just heard.

"Why did you called me this way?" His voice was lower and quieter than before.

Loki looking at everything from distance felt the anger building inside of him. He wanted to go and stop this, but he needed to know what will happen next.

"Listen to me little bitch. I don't what you were thinking, but we're done. I was with you, because of the deal with my friends." He groaned. "I have no idea what you had been thinking, but it all was fake. I would never fall for such a pussy like you. If really want to know, I was having fun with some girls when you were sitting in your house." He laughed dramatically.

Tears started streaming down male's face as got up and ran from the park to his house. Loki exploded inside. He got from the bench and went to the (M/N) to tell him some very interesting things that he should heard way earlier. He had no mercy for people who hurted (Y/N).

"Who you think you are?" Loki's voice was low and it gave shivers down the others male's spine.

"Oh, you're his friend. You better go to him and make this fucking baby stop crying." Grin on his face made God of Mischief feel furious.

"I will go and treat him in the way he deserves it, but now, I have something more important to do." His voice become dead, as he grabbed (M/N) by his arms. His strong hands weren't going to leave him alone. The revenge in his head, planned perfectly.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

When Loki was doing everything he should, (Y/N) was already in his apartment. Male was in his room, on the bed. His eyes were red and puffy, but it wasn't the end of his tears. He was feeling bad for being so stupid and he was extremely mad at himself for not noticing anything. He wanted to scream.

Knock. Two knocks on his door. Male got up and wiped the tears from cheeks, he breathed deeply a few times to calm down at least a little. He got to the door and stood right in front of it.

"Who is it?" He asked, the way he said that made the person behind the door broke inside.

"It is me, dear. Please, open the door." Loki implored, his tone of voice was telling (Y/N) how worried and sad he was at the moment.

After waiting a few seconds, he opened the door. Loki saw a despondent face. (Y/N)'s was a little bit of a mess, his face red and his beautiful (e/c) were looking like they were made of glass.

Without thinking Asgardian pulled smaller male into a tight, comforting hug. (Y/N) immediately started crying again.

"Shhh... Everything is okay, I'm here..." Sweet words that would made (Y/N) feel better in other situations, didn't worked too much this time. This time he couldn't stop and calm down. It was way too much for him and Loki noticed it. Instead of saying anything or just simply stopping crying, he cried harder, making God’s hoodie wet. Not that he mind of course, he knew that he needed to get rid of all the bad emotions.

"H-Help!" Someone yelled outside the window. He quickly got (Y/N) attention, because voice was way too familiar. "Please! Somebody!" Voice was breaking, fear in it.

"Wh-what is..?" Male pulled away from God, to slowly go to the window. Loki followed him from distance to see his reaction. Outside, on high building, (M/N). Tears in his eyes. "Loki, did you..?"

"I did." He giggled as he went to the window. "I couldn't leave this creature without any punishment for the way the treated you."

"I am so sorry!" He cried. "I shouldn't do that, (Y/N)! Please! I want to go down!"

"How did you knew it will make him react like that?" He simply asked, looking at Asgardian. He giggled before answering.

"You told once about the fact that he have acrophobia, so I thought meeting his worst nightmare will made him feel sorry." Loki answered without hesitation. (M/N) shouldn't did what he done and God wasn't going to do anything about his fear. "You know that I listen to you." He smiled sweetly.

"I don't know what to say."

"He got what he deserved, my dear. And if you're really worried about him, I believe spider-child will take care of him."

"Spider-child?" He laughed a little at the nickname. "Why did you call him that?" He couldn't stop the smile on his face thinking about it.

"He is a child." Loki grinned once more at the scene outside the window before glancing at (Y/N). "How do you feel about my little surprise?"

"I.. He got what he deserved, just like you said. But maybe it was a little too much, Loki." He agreed with Loki, but not fully.

"I believe I did a good thing." He responded, hoping that Midgardian won't be mad at him for what he done to (M/N). "You are mad at me, aren't you?"

"Not really. I am more mad at myself than you." He looked down, embarrassed by his own words, but he was right.

"Don't be, (Y/N)." Loki got other male's attention and looked shyly into his eyes. "It's not your fault, you shouldn't blame yourself, alright?" He nodded slowly.

"Yes. You're right." He whispered. Male wiped his eyes a little, feeling another wave of tears coming to his eyes. "Sorry, I just..."

"Oh, no no no. Everything is fine, (Y/N). You can cry, you know me, I don't judge." He smiled warmly and bring smaller male into comforting embrace. His hand gently brushed his back, making his calm down a little. A few tears came from Midgardian's eyes, but he didn't made a single noise while it. Loki's cold skin was quieting him a little bit.

"Spider-child." He chuckled into the hoodie, couldn't stop himself from saying that. Asgardian snorted hearing the nickname. "Did I just ruined the moment?" He chuckled once again, a looked up at God of Mischief.

"I think you did." He smiled in return. "But in a good way. It's good to hear your laugh."

"Do you think spider-man will be here soon?" He asked looking outside, at (M/N) who was crying at the moment.

"I think so. I also think that my brother will find about my actions and he will be mad." Loki rolled his eyes thinking about Thor's talks. Listening to them, didn't seems interesting. "But I don't care about it too much."

As soon as Loki made (Y/N) feel better and made him forget about what happened, men decided to watch Netflix. When they were enjoying themselves, spider-man took (M/N) down. He was texting him, at first he was sorry, then his messages became aggressive, but Asgardian told him not to care. He even said that he will do something like this again, if his ex will try to hurt him. It made (Y/N) blush, nobody in his life never cared about him that much.

"Are you staying?" (Y/N) brought his attention to Loki instead of the movie. His voice was quiet and it was almost impossible to hear. He wasn't fully sure if he should ask Loki that after a day like this.

"I can stay if you want." He answered, looking at him. "Are you afraid that he is going to come here?"

"Yeah and I just don't wanna be alone." He looked away, not wanting meet his gaze at the moment. Male didn't see the other male’s smile.

"I will stay if need me. No need to be scared to ask." He gently had put his fingers under (Y/N)'s chin to make him look into his green, beautiful eyes. "It's okay."

"I know it's just... That situation seems kinda weird." He murmured. "Probably because (M/N) did what he do and you know... He broke up with me."

"Don't stress yourself, my dear. It's okay to feel the way you do. You just need to take your time."

"I am gonna take my time." He grinned a little and hugged him. "Are you in mood to cuddle?"

"I thought you wanted to watch a movie." Loki lowed his voice and smirked.

"We can still watch it."

Loki chuckled and hugged smaller male back. "Alright, if that's what you want."

[nicriverswriting]

Yesterday’s Gone (Oneshot)

Pairing: Kyojuro Rengoku x Hanako Fukushima [OC]

Words: 1,843

Warnings: angst, spoilers for the Mugen Train movie

Notes: Hello! This is my first oneshot I’m posting on here -- it’s based on lyrics from Yesterday’s Gone by Straight Line Stitch. Hanako is my Demon Slayer OC, and she means so much to me. This oneshot is also part of an upcoming book of oneshots about Hanako I have coming out called Beyond the Wisteria Trees. I hope you all enjoy! -

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You lifted me up and fueled my dreams, now yesterday’s gone

The sign of Hanako’s beautiful, obsidian-colored crow flying to her usually meant information for another mission or a letter from a peer -- sometimes even Oyakata himself. Even though Arisu always closely followed Hanako, there were times when the crow would need to deliver and receive messages for the Flower Pillar. Though, the message that Arisu brought her on this particular blue-skied morning was nothing but devastating. 

Hanako was at her mansion -- a large and beautiful home surrounded by several wisteria trees, with a variety of different flowers adorning the soft grass -- doing a bit of gardening. Kyojuro had told her before leaving to board Mugen Train that he would return here after the mission was finished. So, as long as there were no other missions or tasks to complete, Hanako was going to do just that -- wait for her love to return home, safe and sound in her arms. 

A distant caw broke Hanako out of her thoughts about Kyojuro. She looked to the sky, seeing that Arisu was flying overhead, swooping down to greet her. A scroll of parchment was hanging from her beak, and Hanako knew this was one of two things -- it was time for another mission, or simply just a letter from a friend. She sighed, hoping it was the latter.

Arisu landed in front of where Hanako was kneeling on the ground over some sakura flowers. She looked at her crow, seeing that she had a sad look etched upon her little face. After years of being with her, Hanako could easily read her crow’s emotions. Instantly, Hanako felt a twinge of anxiety hit her gut.

Taking the note from Arisu, she unrolled it with nimble fingers. The message laid upon the parchment were the words that Hanako always feared she’d read one day. 

Rengoku Kyojuro, the Flame Pillar, has died.

He was killed in battle against Upper Moon Three.

May his soul find peace in the afterlife.

Hanako had to read the note over several times to grasp exactly what she was reading. Kyojuro... dead? There was no way. Kyojuro was smart, he was strong -- but Upper Moon Three must have been stronger. 

A sob escaped Hanako, the note dropping to the ground as she covered her face with shaking hands. Arisu, seeing her human friend in anguish, let out a soft coo, looking to the ground. 

“It can’t be true,” Hanako sniffled out to no one in particular. “He can’t be gone.”

When I breathe I whisper your name in memory, ‘cause yesterday’s gone

She heard Arisu let out another coo before flapping her wings, setting off towards the sky. Hanako understood -- Arisu had orders and other things to do than sit there and watch her cry. Though, she wished more than ever that there was someone to console her. How would the other Pillars react? Would they feel the same? Or would they only think about it in passing, knowing that this was something they all had signed up for?

Tengen, Mitsuri and Shinobu were always so kind to Kyojuro -- she would see it when they shared meals together at the Corps Mansion. Even the normally quiet Giyu would crack a smile at his optimism every now and then. Hell, everyone loved Kyojuro. There was no way you couldn’t be drawn to someone that resembled sunshine. 

Hanako guessed that she should’ve been thinking that way, too. That was their job as Demon Slayers -- protect those who can’t protect themselves, and die for the cause if necessary. She couldn’t remember exactly how many Demon Slayers (and Pillars in particular) had lost their lives since she joined the Corps. 

Though, for whatever stupid reason she had created in her mind, Hanako never thought that Kyojuro would be one of those to join the number of people killed by demons. The thought only made her cry harder, the tears now coming in a never-ending stream. Tiny tears hit the soil below her, her once beautiful garden becoming melancholy.

With a sniffle and a hand wiping tears away, Hanako looked at the flowers surrounding her -- there were flame azaleas planted in large quantities around her mansion. Hanako kept a large stock of them growing because Kyojuro had told her that it was the flower he liked the best. She fondly remembered the memory of the first spring when she had grown them at her mansion.

It had been a few months after she was officially made a Pillar. Kyojuro was watching her plant flowers, helping out whenever she grew frustrated with something -- like he always did.

“Hanako, what are these?” Kyojuro asked, pointing to a bunch of flaming orange-yellow flowers. “And why do you have so many of them?”

She smiled at him, seeing that the ones he was pointing to were her favorites. “Those are flame azaleas. I like them because they remind me of you.”

He cracked a grin at her words, making Hanako’s heart flutter in happiness. “How so?”

“Well,” she moved over to where a flower had fallen from the stem, picking it up. “It reminds me…” Hanako padded over to where he was sitting. She held the flower up to the side of his face, tucking the short stem that held the petals behind his ear. “...of your hair.”

Kyojuro gently plucked the flower free, bringing it in front of his face and closely examining it. With his free hand, he grabbed a tuft of his bright red-and-yellow hair, bringing it next to the flower and comparing the two colors. Hanako giggled at the close proximity of the flower to Kyojuro’s face. 

“And they’re bright and beautiful. So, I guess… they just make me think of you,” Hanako finished, voice soft and laced with shyness. 

After a few seconds, he pulled the flower away, one his hugely adorable smiles painting his face. A barely noticeable blush had popped up onto his face, as well. “I think this one is my favorite, too.”

The memory of Kyojuro’s wide, toothy grin made more tears surface. After that day, he would always comment on the flame azaleas around her mansion when he visited. Hanako even brought him a bouquet of them once, making that same cute blush spread across his face as he accepted them. 

But I know I can move on from that cold December rain

Another memory surfaced in Hanako’s mind as she finally got up, brushing away the dirt on her knees. Her hand immediately rested on her sword’s hilt, making her think back to tsuguko training. 

Being his tsuguko, Kyojuro was the one who taught Hanako how to properly fight with her nichirin sword. If she was being honest, Hanako survived the Final Selection out of pure luck -- the trainer she had before Kyojuro did jackshit in training her how to defend herself. Though, she only had to kill two measly demons during her seven days on the mountain. Thank the gods.

Her tsuguko training with Kyojuro was progressing smoothly up until one day -- she was growing frustrated due to the fact that she couldn’t master a technique that he wanted her to get down. 

“I can’t do this!” Hanako exclaimed, agitated beyond belief. The other breathing techniques that Kyojuro had taught her were easy enough, but for whatever reason, this particular one was a pain in the ass. Usually, she wouldn’t be so whiny about not getting a technique down perfectly the first time, but she wanted to impress Kyojuro. 

He stood in front of Hanako with crossed arms, watching his tsuguko grow more and more frustrated. “What do you not understand? Let’s work through it together.”

Hanako looked up at him, and nearly choked, wishing she hadn’t -- he had shed his flame-decorated haori, leaving him in his Demon Slayer uniform. His strong, muscular arms could be seen through the greyish-black fabric. His bright hair was completely pulled back, leaving his sharp jawline open to Hanako’s wandering eyes. 

Damn it. He’s too pretty for me to concentrate.

“I just don’t know why I can’t get this form right,” she explained, running a hand through her hair and looking away from him. I can’t be distracted by you, Kyojuro. “All of the other ones you’ve been teaching me have been simple enough.”

There was a pregnant silence. Hanako could hear the laughter of Gyomei and Sanemi in the background, the soft breeze blowing through wind chimes, and the rustle of the wisteria trees as she stared at the ground. Kyojuro had suggested he train her at the Demon Slayer Corp mansion, wanting her to become familiar with their way of life.

After what felt like an eternity -- but was probably only a few seconds -- Kyojuro let out a deep and hearty laugh. “But that’s the thing, Hanako…”

He began to move behind her, making Hanako wonder exactly what the hell he was doing. Though, when Kyojuro moved behind her, showing her the correct way to hold the nichirin sword, she thanked the gods and Buddha that she was in this moment.

His strong arms were holding hers, placing her hands in the correct position. She felt his chest at her back, his steady breaths tickling the top of her head. Kyojuro was wrapped around her in a hug -- except, they were training, not sharing a fond touch. 

“You don’t have to get it right on the first try,” he finally finished, showing her the proper way to execute the technique she was trying to master. 

“You’ll do great either way. You’ve already impressed me thus far. Just keep at it.”

Hanako knew, in this moment, that she truly loved Kyojuro. He was not just her savior and teacher anymore, no; he was her everything.

Regret filled Hanako at the memory, realizing that she had never properly expressed her feelings for him. Sure, they had discussed having a “talk” after he came back from his mission, but did he really know what she had meant?

Did Kyojuro know that Hanako loved him?

She was positive that everyone else already knew; with the way she looked at him like he was the best, most precious thing this world had to offer, she had been teased relentlessly by Shinobu and Tengen (making Hanako hastily hush them, saying “He might hear you!”).

Hanako glared at the ground, clenching her fists. Easy for you to say, Tengen. You have three wives.

Though, it made Hanako realize something; she could either live her life in regret, knowing that Kyojuro may have never felt the same way…

Or, she could continue to live out his legacy, and hunt down and kill Upper Moon Three. Upon thinking for a few minutes, she nodded to herself in conclusion. It’s what he would’ve wanted. 

Wiping the remaining tears from her face, Hanako composed herself. She looked up to the azure sky.

I’m going to avenge you, my love. Even if it’s the last thing I’ll ever do.

Straight from my heart I wish you could see how I’ve changed

[robin-the-enby]

Confusing feelings p.2

Pairing: Abe Sapien x OC

Summary: The Kelpie is brought to BPRD, but doesn't want to talk. Abe is called to get information through skin to skin contact, but he has other plans.

Warnings: talk about pollution (idk if that counts), injury, claustrophobia

A/N: So, I decided to make a second part to this, because it feels like I've read all Abe fanfics on this platform and this beautiful man deserves more love. This is very probably the last part, mainly because I haven't decided if I just want to put my OC in the plot of the Hellboy movies or if this is an AU. And when I decide, I'm going to write it on Wattpad, because I have this blog for oneshots only, I feel like making series here would just be messy. Ok, thanx for reading the rant no one asked for ^^

Gifs are in no way mine

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The cell was cold and dry. It didn't have any windows to look out from, so it must have been underground. There was a door, but it was locked, she already tried.

The Kelpie was confused. She didn't know where she was and neither did she know what everything around her was. The air felt different, so she couldn't be home. She wasn't covered in the black goo anymore, but her back was aching dully as she sat on the cold, hard floor. However, it was better then when she was moving. When she wasn't still as a statue, pain shot from her back into the rest of her body.

She tried to take in her surroundings. That didn't take a lot of time though. There were gray walls, gray ceiling, gray floor and the door.

Next she focused on herself. She remembered a great pain as she carried the girl into the lake. Unfortunately she wasn't able to see her back. She looked down. Around her chest was a white cloth and another piece of fabric was covering her intimate parts.

Panic shot through her like a bullet. She closed her eyes and took in a shaky breath. She couldn't concentrate on anything but how tight the fabric suddenly felt on her body. It brought up flashbacks, shards of memories burried deep in her mind. She felt tied up, the fabric becoming tighter and tighter every second and she couldn't breathe.

Although her eyesight was blurry with tears, she noticed the door opening and people rushing in her cell, coming closer and closer, trying to talk to her and touching her. But she couldn't make out anything but gibberish.

Abe was acting out of character ever since they came back from the mission in Scotland and agents were starting to notice. The first to notice his strange behaviour were his closest friends, Hellboy and Liz.

He couldn't concentrate for more than thirty seconds, his thoughts trailling off somewhere where no one could follow. Something was on his mind and nobody was able to find the thing, which seemed to trouble him so much.

But Hellboy was getting fed up. He wasn't angry at Abe, the only thing he felt for his friend right now was worry, but he has been worrying so much for so long he became angry at whatever it was that plagued Abe's mind so much.

But he had enough. Red decided he was going to keep an eye on Abe today, telling him It's a 'guys only' day today as an excuse. Well, it was practically the truth, he did want to spend time with Abe, Liz has been busy anyway. Manning called for her, saying he needs her, for what Red didn't know, nobody bothered to tell him. So yes, he really wanted to spend time with Blue, but he also wanted to try and get him to talk. He just didn't tell him that.

It has been pretty boring so far. They have been cooped up in the library all day and most of the time Abe was quiet. Red tried to keep the conversation with him going, but after a while of talking he realized Abe had spaced out. He was just about to snap at him, but was interrupted by his own girlfriend walking through the door.

"You wouldn't believe what happened!" she exclaimed as the door slammed shut behind her. Both men in the room looked at her in expectation. "So, Manning called for me, saying he needs help." she started explaining. "Help with what?" asked Red. "The Kelpie woke up." she explained. At the mention of the beasts name, Abe's head shot up. She had his undivided attention. "Really? You saw her? Where are they keeping her?" question upon question, he fired them at his friend without hesitation. "Why do you want to know?" asked Hellboy.

Truth was, nobody saw her after that mission. The agents that were asigned over her kept her somewhere, and nobody bothered to tell the trio where. Again.

"Manning said he needs her for experimantation." Abe said, his voice sounding wary and uncertain "I didn't like how he said it. I just want to make sure she's not being harmed."

And it was true. No creature, however evil it may be, deserves to be tortured. If it needs to be killed, its death should be as quick as possible. It wasn't the only reason he wanted to find her. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't get her out of his head. He couldn't get the image of her burned body, covered in the goo from the water, laying helplessly in the reeds, out of his head. When he slept, he could hear her small noises of pain and he wondered what her regular voice would sound like. He needed to talk to her. It was exciting to meet another water creature, even for a little while. He could ask her so many questions and maybe, just maybe the higher ups could let her live.

"Well and he told me she's freaking out. And because I'm a woman who is not regular like others, I might be able to calm her down. So I went there, but nothing worked. She's just shaking and crying and it's like she's lost in her own world." Liz ended her story.

Abe's heart squeezed in his chest "Do you think they harmed her?" he asked. "Why do you care? I don't get what's all the fuss for. It harmed Liz, It's dangerous, I'd just kill it before it attacks someone else." Red shrugged.

If Abe could frown, he definitely would "It's valuable to us right now. We don't know much about her species. We need her to calm down, so we can get information and then..." he realized he can't finish the sentence. He felt oddly sad at the thought of her, the only other water creature, being gone. Strange how one can get so attached to someone without even meeting them properly. Abe was confused.

As Abe was lost in his thoughts again, Liz and Red were chatting, until an agent came into the library. "Abe Sapien?" he called. When the said man didn't react immediately, Red nudged him and then he perked up. "Yes? Can I help you?" he asked. The agent nodded "Manning needs you. Follow me, please." he said and was already on his way out of the room.

Abe scrambled out to follow him and caught up with him. He achieved this at the elevator. The agent was faster than he seemed.

No one said a word throughout the whole ride. Abe watched as they went lower and lower, deeper and deeper underground.

The elevator stopped when they hit the lowest floor in the entire building. Abe has never been here, but there wasn't much to look at. They walked through a long, gray hallway, the only things around them being the lights above their heads. At the end of the hallway was a door. In front of it stood distressed looking Manning with a few other agents. They looked at the newcomers as soon as they heard them.

"Abe! Glad you're finally here." Manning sighed. Abe and the fast agent stopped at the door. "The thing inside is stressed and we can't find the reason why. I assume agent Liz already told you how her investigation went." Abe nodded his head. "Great. Your job is to go in there and get some information out of her by...you know, holding her hand or something." Pretty invasive, but alright. Abe thought. "Don't worry, there are hidden cameras, we'll be monitoring your encounter the whole time, so don't worry about anything happening to you." all of them then stepped aside and cleared out a way to the door.

The room was dim. Abe wondered if there were any lights he could turn on, but when he heard the quickened breathing, sniffles and strangled cries, he decided it wouldn't be a wise idea.

The Kelpie sat crouched down in the center of the cell, shaking in place. He aproached her slowly, but it seemed like she didn't even notice him coming in the room. Touching someone to feel their emotions was a pretty invasive method for Abe, so he tried to talk to her first.

But it was no use. She didn't even look at him. She probably didn't even know about him. Does she even remember me? Abe thought. There was no other way. He took one of her hands that was holding her knees to her chest and closed his eyes.

Nets. Panic. People everywhere. Chaos. She wanted to live. They were trying to catch her. She didn't do anything and yet here they were. They poisoned the water. Killed all the fish. She has been starving. They did it. It couldn't be anyone else. And now they were trying to kill her too. She thrashed, bit, screamed, anything to get her out of the tight ropes and nets. Anything to keep her alive.

He let go of her hand. "She's feeling claustrophobic. I need bigger clothes. Hellboy's Tshirt perhaps. And a medic please." he said to the dim room, he knew they were listening.

Watching her shake and quietly cry was painful for him, so he was glad when the medic came, Tshirt in hand.

They switched the lights on. Now he could see her. Her skin was pale, nearly white, her eyes and hair a deep dark blue that one could drown in.

Together they changed the Kelpie's clothes and put on the big Tshirt. They also took off her bandages and covered the wound in a way which allowed them not use bandadge that would wrap around her whole torso. It was harder than Abe thought, but they managed.

The medic then excused himself and left Abe alone with the Kelpie. Not like he minded much. After maybe a minute, her mind registered the change and she felt she could finally breathe properly again.

She lifted her head from her knees and looked around warily. She saw someone familiar. Why yes, he was there at the lake, the one who found me after I crawled into the reeds. She was scared of him and what would he do, but she was also injured and knew she can't run away from him here. She didn't even try.

So she just looked at him and said "Thank you." It must have been him who helped her breathe again. She looked down on herself. There was fabric covering her, it covered more skin than before, but she barely felt it. It felt rather nice, she realized.

"You are welcome." he replied with a smile "My name is Abe Sapien. You are in BPRD." She looked at him confused. "Bureau for paranormal research and defense." She didn't look much wiser. "Why is everything gray here?" she asked quietly. "I don't know. They were probably too lazy to paint this...room." he didn't want to say cell, even though he kind of knew that she knew. "They?" she asked. "The other agents." "Are they like you?" "No, they are humans." Her eyes widened. "Do not fret! I know how humans harmed you, but nobody will lay a finger on you here. I'll make sure of that." he tried to reassure her. It seemed to work, because she visibly relaxed her posture.

"Can I have some water please?" she asked very politely. He nodded his head and dissapeared through the door.

He came back with a glass of water. He sat down in front of her "I have a deal for you. I give you this water and then I can ask some questions. Alright?" "Can I ask some too?" she asked. "If you reply to my questions, I don't have a problem with it." and he gave her the glass.

Instead of drinking from it, she dipped her finger in it and splashed the droplets on her gills and hair, which dampened immediately.

"Alright. How were you born? Who are your parents?" She seemed surprised to hear this question. She thought for a while. "I think I was a human. But that was long ago, I don't remember my family." she looked at the ground. She was afraid she didn't answer correctly and now she won't be allowed to ask a question of her own.

But he didn't seem angry at all. "And how did you become a Kelpie?" She thought, again. He noticed when she did that, her eyes became distant, so hard was she trying to answer correctly and truly. It was sweet.

"I died. In the lake. And then...I woke up...like this." she looked at her hands "I don't really understand it."

"Can I ask now?" He nodded "Go ahead." She took a deep breath "What is going to happen to me?"

That was a tricky question. He didn't know. "We don't know for now." She just nodded her head obediently.

"Alright, next question. Did you attack the men because of revenge?" Her eyes teared up at the question. "I didn't want to hurt anyone, really." she sniffled "But they poisoned the water with the black poison and killed all the fish. I was hungry, starving, angry, desperate. I-I..." she couldn't finish.

"I'm sorry I am causing you so much discomfort, but only two more questions." she nodded her head again. "Why didn't you eat the hearts and livers?" For the first time she didn't hesitate to reply "It's in their honour, I think. The heart contains the soul and I didn't want to trap it inside of me. I just wanted to eat. The liver cleans the heart, so it keeps the soul clean. I think all Kelpies feel like this." she shrugged. "How do you know all this?" She shrugged again "I don't. I just feel it." He nodded his head "Alright, one more. Why did you attack our friend?" "The girl?" she shyly asked, he nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just...I panicked. You seemed to recognize what I am and I got scared. But she was already on me and she couldn't get off. I acted on instinct. I'm truly sorry."

He wanted to comfort her, he truly did. But he wasn't sure if he should. She killed two people, but her voice was like music to his ears, she was so polite and...He was so, so utterly confused.

"Do you want a name?" he asked her. It seemed like an appropriate thing to do. Her eyes brightened at that. "Yes please. Very much." she shyly admitted. He smiled at her. "How about Lynn? It's a name from The Brittish islands, where you came from."

Pale blue dusted her cheeks, it seemed like she blushed "It's beautiful." He smiled again "Alright Lynn. I'll see what I can do for you."

As he was walking out of her cell he made a decision. One that cleared all the confusion.

It didn't matter what his friends thought. What the higher ups would order. He was going to protect her.

[cherryeol04]

The Firsts

Summary: No one ever told him that living was going to be so difficult. That there would emotions get couldn’t label and distinguish. He’s just a young boy trying to navigate through life and its unexpected ups and downs.

Genre: Humor, Fluff, smut(?)

Pairings: Oc x Felix, Oc x Changbin, Changbin x Oc x Felix

Warnings: poly relationship, angst in some part, excessive fighting about the MCU.

Parts: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16/ Part 17

A/N: This story has a theme of Firsts. First love, first kiss and many other firsts. Each part can be read on their own and are meant to stand as oneshots. It’s basically a collection of oneshots (little snapshots into my Oc’s life. 😁)

“The fact you took them back.” Minho grumbled as he sat across from Aiden, eyeing the other who was trying his hardest to hide himself behind Seungmin. “We spent three hours listening to you cry! Do you know how much that hurt hyung, Aiden? I care about you and I don’t want you to be hurt again. I can’t bear to see you go through that again.” He scolded and Aiden whined. 

“I know it’s just -“

“What bullshit did they feed you?” Minho asked. 

“It wasn’t bullshit.” Aiden whispered.

“Hyung.” Hyunjin spoke up, staring at Minho. “I know I came in after all this happened, but scolding him isn’t going to help the situation. I’m sure he has his reasons for accepting their apology and proposal. We should be supportive.” 

“I agree with Jinnie.” Seungmin nodded. “Besides, I saw them trying to make things better. Aiden just was too into his feels to notice. Whatever happened happened. It happened the way it did and now they’re trying to fix it. If it means less strain in the group, who are we to stop it?”

“But what if something happens again?” Minho protested, dropping his sandwich back on his plate and reached out, taking Aiden’s hand gently. “You know I’m not really mad or anything. I just worry about you. I was there from the start of your relationship with Felix until now. I just want -“

“And I appreciate you, hyung.” Aiden interrupted with a smile. “I really do. And I know you’re just looking out for me but I have to try this. I still love him. Both of them and if I don’t I’ll just be miserable for the rest of my life - always wondering about ‘what if’.” He said and pouted. “And if I’m wrong, then I’m wrong and I get hurt. But I’ll have learned then, and work to keep myself protected and try harder to find someone who will love me for all I am.”

“Aiden, stop trying to be such an adult. I miss the hyperactive brat you really are.” He chuckled softly. Smiling, Aiden shook hid head.

“Silly. I’ll be back to my normal self soon. I just wanted to tell you guys what happened before you like accidentally discover it. I think it was the better decision.”

“It was. Thank you for being honest with us.” Hyunjin smiled at him. “And I hope you three are happy for a while, okay?”

“Thanks. That means so much to me.”

“Alright, enough with the sappiness though. I would like to eat my lunch and not puke.” Seungmin teased, pulling laughs from the others as they went back to eating. 

———

“And I told Mr. Jung that there is just no way I can compose four songs last minute like this!” Chan grumbled as he stared at his computer. “I mean I could do one or two by Friday, but I can’t do four.”

“I told you he was crazy, why didn’t you listen to me?” Woojin asked as he eyed the younger male with a smirk. 

“Listen mom -“

“Damn, if this is what university life is like, I don’t want to graduate.” Jisung pouted from his spot on the floor, back pressed against the couch. His history textbook laying open in his lap. “High school is supposed to be easy too!”

“Ah, I miss the good old days.” Woojin mused with a soft sigh. 

“It was literally last year.” Minho scoffed with a laugh. “Stop trying to age yourself.”

“Back in my day I had to walk down the halls with all my books in my hands. None of this new-fangled technology of lockers like you youngins have.” Chan spoke, voiced pitched in his playful teasing. 

“Grandpa!” Felix cheered and laughed harder when Chan smacked his fellow Aussie in the chest with a pillow. 

“Siri, how do you time travel?” Changbin asked as he held up his phone, the others laughing along with him. 

“I need new friends.” Chan groaned and rubbed his nose with the palm of his hand. 

“Sorry hyung, already tried that and they’re still here.” Aiden teased as he looked up from his notebook. “But you wouldn’t have us any other way.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that statement.” Chan grunted and sighed. “But no seriously, how the hell am I suppose to make 4 songs?” He asked. 

“I can help if you want.” Changbin offered. 

“Oh me too!” Jisung jumped in. “Just got a really high score in production class. I’m like a genius. I got you hyung.”

“Genius? In who’s world?” Seungmin asked, brow raised. 

“In my world, duh.”

“I beg to differ.” Seungmin scoffed. 

“Only if you call me daddy.” Jisung smirked and Aiden choked on his water, coughing harshly as he smacked his chest quickly. 

“Ji! You can’t be saying that stuff around the virgin!” Minho poked at Aiden. “His poor heart can’t take your sinful tongue.” There was a beat of silence before Minho continued. “But I can.” He smirked. 

“Jesus!” Aiden hissed as he coughed again. “Can we not have this sexual talk in my Christian server? Thank you!” He pouted. 

“You would think, a man with two boyfriends wouldn’t still be a virgin.” Woojin mused. 

“Back in my days, whores just ran about flashing every Tom, Dick, and Harry they saw.” Chan joked. 

“Sometimes it was a Harry dick.” Woojin added and laughed as Aiden smacked his head on the table.

“I need new friends!” Aiden whined loudly. 

“Sucks to be you kid.” Chan smirked and shook his head. “Now, about my song production.”

———

Aiden whined as he laid back in the bed, staring up at the off white ceiling of Felix’s bedroom. The room silent, save for his soft breathing and he allowed himself to fall into the thoughts that were running over a million miles a minute. It was only a single thought, one comment that had been said that was really bugging him. 

“You would think, a man with two boyfriend wouldn’t still be a virgin.”

Was it bad he was still a virgin? Was Felix still one? Changbin even? He was pretty sure that Minho had been with Seungmin at one point and now was probably chasing Jisung’s tail. Said friend most likely wasn’t a virgin from all the tales he had told Aiden about the women he had dated back at his old school in Malaysia. 

He couldn’t be too sure about Chan or Woojin. A part of him was thinking that they were dating based on their behavior, but a part of him wasn’t entirely sure they were both gay or simply had interest in guys. And Hyunjin was a mystery to him. The little twink acted both experienced and shy and he couldn’t even decipher what was an act and what wasn’t. 

It worried Aiden. He could very possibly be the only virgin in his friend group and it seemed wrong. It’s not like he needed to have sex in order for his friends to accept him, they already did - at least he thought. It was just something about the way they teased him and Aiden wasn’t stupid. He knew they meant no harm by their words, it was all in good jest. But it was still an insecurity he had. 

Being inexperienced. And now it seemed that maybe he was the only inexperienced person in the group and it worried him. His mind drifted off to thoughts of Felix and Changbin, and what would happen when it came to that time for them to be intimate. How would he able to handle it? He could barely reciprocate the moves Changbin had used on him a while ago, he certainly wouldn’t be able to survive now that there were two of them. And what if he sucked? 

What if he couldn’t figure out how to touch Felix the right way? Or make Changbin moan? What if he couldn’t get either of them off and they were left hard and wanting - disappointed in his lack of ability?

He sighed and lifted his phone up, finger pressing and holding down the lock button until the screen flashed. “Siri, where is the nearest cliff I can yeet off of?”

“Okay, here is what I found.”

Aiden’s nose scrunched up as he read the results for the nearest Cliff’s Restaurant that he could eat off of. 

“Good job, Siri. I knew I could count on you.” He sighed. 

“Oh god, Binnie it’s worse than we thought, he’s started talking to himself.” Aiden lifted his head and watched as Felix and Changbin walked into the room, arms filled with snacks and drinks for their movie marathon. 

“I knew we shouldn’t have left him alone.” Changbin tasked. 

“I should have offered him my pet rock. He’s a great listener.”

Changbin paused and stared at Felix with concern. “Right.” He said slowly and gave a nod. “Okay so I’m dating two psychopaths.”

“Hey!”

“Hey!”

“Oh, that’s creepy. They’re even in sync. Minho warned me about you crazy people.”

“Oh my god, shut up!” Aiden tossed a pillow at him, laughing as it struck Changbin in the face. “Asshole, you know you love us.”

“I never said I didn’t.” Changbin countered as he kicked the pillow back towards the bed and walked over, setting the various cans and bottles of drinks on the nightstand. Sitting up in the bed, Aiden crossed his legs as he leaned over and looked at each label. 

“Alright, we got drinks. We got snacks. I got Black Panther queued in the DVD player, are we ready for a bomb ass movie night?” Felix asked. 

“You’re way too excited for this." Changbin laughed as he took a seat next to Aiden on the bed. 

“Black Panther is my favorite MCU movie, don’t hate.” Felix pouted as he grabbed the remote and jumped onto the bed, getting the DVD screen up on his tv.

“No hate.” Changbin hummed and smirked. “Isn’t there a legend about having sex after watching Black Panther?” He asked.

Aiden could feel his pulse start pounding as he stared at Changbin. There he was being so cheeky, trying to look innocent but his smirk was anything but. “I do not recall any legend. I believe that once we watch Black Panther then we can have cuddle sessions anywhere we want. A better achievement to unlock.” He said quickly. 

Felix laughed at that and shook his head. “We can stop with this whole ‘watching marvel movies leads to something’ joke. Really, at this point, we shouldn’t base our relationship off of watching the MCU.”

“Oh lord, Felix is going to be profound again. Something about moving at our pace and being intimate when we’re ready. And blah blah blah.” Changbin rambled on and Felix pouted. “On the nose right?”

“I hate when you do that.” Felix whined and sighed before looking to Aiden. “But he’s right. Relax babe, we won’t do anything you’re not ready for.”

“W-What?! Why do you think it’s me?” He squealed our indignantly. They both gave him a pointed look and he flushed, looking away quickly. 

“Because you’re the shy one.” Changbin cooed and reached out, pinching Aiden’s cheek gently. “I remember when you got so pouty when you couldn’t even touch my dick, and then you made such a mess.”

“Stop!” Aiden whined and pushed his hand away, smacking Changbin’s arm lightly. “That was so long ago.”

“It was. Wouldn’t mind doing it again honestly.” 

“I wouldn’t mind watching either.” Felix grinned. 

Aiden honestly wasn't sure what to say or do in that moment. Being reminded of the time he jerked off with Changbin had brought back a lot of memories and feelings that he really hadn't allowed himself to feel in a while. He could still see Changbin's face, clear as day when the other told him to cum - that thought alone sending a shiver down his spine. Did he want to do stuff with them? Of course he did. And really he was the only one holding himself back from enjoying the company of his two boyfriends - from experiencing whatever pleasure the two could bring him. He needed to get over himself, and just let loose. But it was hard, so very hard. Especially when is insecurity of being inexperienced was one of the reasons he thought Felix had cheated on him and was going to break up with him. He had been wrong, but that didn't ease any of his feelings. It only seemed to intensify them. 

Aiden hadn't notice Changbin moving until he felt the broad, strong chest pressing against his back. Muscular arms wrapped around his waist, and had Changbin's arms always been that bulky and sexy? Since when had his best friend started working out? Last he remembered, he could barely get Changbin out of his bed to walk down the stairs to get food on some days. When did he find the energy to actually go to a gym and work out? "You know we won't force you, right?" Changbin's voice was soft, words so gentle as his lips grazed Aiden's ear and embarrassingly he whimpered. "It doesn't matter if we have sex now, next week or three years from now." he continued, fingers gently rubbing against the flat plane of his abdomen soothingly. It didn't actually help in any way to relax him and Aiden found himself even tenser than he had been just being lost in his own head. "It's not important. What is important is that you feel comfortable with us - with doing simple things." he said as he rested his chin on Aiden's shoulder gently. 

"I know." A whisper, barely audible and Aiden hated himself for sounding so timid at the moment. "I just don't want to disappoint you."

"How can you disappoint us?" Felix asked, brow raised. "Where in your mind did you come up with such a ridiculous thought?" 

"It's not ridiculous!" Aiden argued and pouted. "You both are so experienced and I'm not. Hell, I avoided kissing you for like a whole week and half because I was scared I would suck at it!" he confessed, cheeks heating up at the memories of his flailing about Changbin's home and crying to Minho and Seungmin because he just couldn't get up the courage to kiss Felix and was too afraid that if he let his guard down and Felix kissed him, the other would leave him. 

"Who says we're experienced?" Felix asked with a snort. "Really Aiden? Is that what you've been thinking this whole time?" he asked.

"Well, yeah." Aiden whispered, eyes lowering as he stared at his lap, focusing on picking at the skin of his thumb, rather than the intense burn of his boyfriend's eyes on him. "Aren't you?"

Changbin laughed at that and Aiden knew he didn't mean to be hurtful in his laughter, but it did still hurt because he was laughing at him. At his apparently stupid thought process - not that he didn't agree, it was pretty stupid when he said his thoughts out loud. "No!" he spoke through his chuckles. Aiden could feel the rumble of Changbin's deep laughter through his chest, shaking Aiden to his core and for a moment he simply got lost in the feeling and the closeness. But when Changbin started talking again, he was pulled from his thoughts and forced himself to focus on the words being spoken. "I've kissed someone before, yeah. But I'm not experienced in anything. I jack off a lot, so does that give me experience in hand jobs?" he asked 

"Well, I mean... maybe?" Aiden asked curiously.

"Then that means you're experienced too." Changbin pointed out. "But I haven't done anything else, with anyone, including Felix." Changbin lifted his gaze from Aiden to look at the blonde male sitting in front of them. Felix nodded his head, a soft sigh leaving his lips

"I haven't done anything either." Felix confessed. "You were my first kiss Aiden." Aiden felt his eyes widen impossibly large at the admission. He honestly hadn't thought he was Felix's first kiss. The other seemed to experienced in what they were doing - how their lips moved and the right amount of pressure to put to keep a kiss soft or maybe to make it a little more heated.

"But I thought-"

"That's the thing, baby. You thought, you never asked." Changbin cut him off, lips pressing lightly to Aiden's cheek. "You sit there and worry about being inexperienced, thinking the rest of us have so much experience that there is no way we could possibly want you, but we're just as inexperienced as you are." he told him. "And that's okay because like Felix said before, it's okay to be inexperienced. It's what life is about, going through the unknown and learning...together."  Aiden could feel himself pouting, brows drawn together as he did his best to will the tears from welling up in his eyes. He remembered Felix saying that on the night of the confession in the Ferris Wheel. He just never thought they meant it, or what it actually meant for them.

But now it was different. He was being told he wasn't alone in being inexperienced. The people he thought who were experienced, weren't and for some reason, that made everything seem okay. Because he wasn't going to be embarrassing himself or being compared to a past relationship. Everything was fresh and new for them. 

And maybe that's all Aiden had needed to know from the very start.

"I want to." he whispered, lifting his gaze to meet Felix's eyes and then turned his head to stare at Changbin.

"Want to what?" Felix asked gently. 

"Have sex. I want to, I'm just scared." He felt Changbin's arms tighten around him, pulling him back closer as he nuzzled his neck gently. 

"It's okay. We can do it when you're ready, baby. There's nothing to be scared about okay?"  Aiden nodded his head slowly, letting out a soft exhale as he relaxed fully against Changbin. Lifting his arms, he held them out towards Felix, smiling as the Australian crawled into his lap and laid against him, cuddling into his chest. Aiden wrapped his arms around Felix and sighed contently, eyes closing as he enjoyed the warmth the closeness brought to him. Aiden watched as Felix grabbed the remote for his DVD player once more and started the movie, the three of them falling into a comfortable silence as they were sucked into wonders of Black Panther. The worries and fears that had plagued Aiden's mind for almost year were finally eased, assured that his two boyfriends would take their time with him and not rush him and he was sure they would make their first time together - whenever that may be - memorable. And for that, he was so thankful to have them in his life.

[nomadicbeard]

Hi! I saw on one of your posts you said that you used to be a stucky shipper. I actually started off as a stony shipper but then absolutely fell in love with stucky but I like both . I was just wondering what made you "jump ship" on stucky lol. Sorry if this comes across as annoying or anything im just curious!

Hey! As you can see a couple of people have asked me this over the last couple of weeks and I’m really lazy and haven’t got around to responding yet, but the people deserve an answer so here we go. Before we start a quick disclaimer: I’ll only be talking about the ships themselves, not the communities or any of the discourse surrounding them. This is not a ship-bashing of any kind and please do not take it as such, it’s just my own personal experience surrounding these characters and these relationships. 

 Buckle your seatbelts kids, this is a long one.

I first got into Marvel c. 2015. I’m European so I’d never really watched any marvel movies before that, I watched Age of Ultron on a plane and remember being vaguely aware the Steve/Tony was a thing (what is pretty interesting is that to this day I have no clue where that knowledge came from) but was mostly just excited by the superhero stuff. I then got home and watched The Winter Soldier and fell in love. I love the Winter Soldier, it’s probably still one of my favourite marvel movies (it got kicked out of its top spot by Black Panther last year unfortunately) and to me no other marvel movie could hold a torch to it at the time. So I came onto tumblr, searched up The Winter Soldier and was just inundated with Stucky stuff, as expected. I rolled with it, got invested just from constant exposure (it was also around the height of the Stucky ship) and as far as I was concerned, that was that. I was super into Stucky for almost six months and was pretty much your average shipper, I didn’t understand stevetony, loved Steve Rogers, was close to creating a Stucky sideblog wit some ridiculous pun as my username, I was gone over this ship.

Then one day, I sat down and read the man on the bridge by boopboop on ao3. You’ve almost definitely heard of it, but it was the most popular fic in the Steve/Bucky tag on ao3 at the time (for some reason I had just never got around to reading it until then, it was long and I didn’t have the stamina I have now). It was your pretty standard Stucky fic, Steve gets Bucky back, they have to deal with his trauma which results in Steve and Bucky declaring their long lost love for each other etc. etc. What was different about this fic, was that it was all told from Tony’s point of view, and since Steve and Tony were on the same team at that point, their dynamic was a huge part of the fic. And I found myself falling completely in love with Steve and Tony’s dynamic. I went back to the fic for this post (and god it is a good fic) and pulled up the first couple of chapters and instantly just found so many instances of that dynamic

(grade A stevetony arguing over each other’s safety with a side of flirting from Tony)

(Idk why but the image of Steve and Tony not going to sleep, but rather staying up and brewing coffee together was such a vivid one when I first read this fic, I still remember it to this day. )

(Tony picking Steve flowers while trying to desperately play off that he didn’t aka. Tony caring while trying desperately not to care)

(Everyone knowing that Steve would definitely come to Tony, apart from Tony himself.)

Now obviously, this is a stucky fic and I went into it knowing this, but I found when Steve and Bucky finally got together I felt honestly a bit bored, a bit cheated. I had no idea why at the time. I remember very clearly x-ing out of the fic at the end and feeling really uneasy, I came onto tumblr, went straight back into the Stucky tag and all was well.

When I next went back onto ao3, I started out with a couple of oneshots in the Stucky tag, but for some reason it wasn’t working for me anymore. I remember sitting there, a little bored, not at all invested in this relationship and just missing something. I figured I was probably missing Tony’s presence in the fic and so filtered in Tony Stark’s character tag. I read a few of those and all was well but I realised the same thing was happening as had happened in man on the bridge, the moment that Steve and Bucky got together, the fic lost something for me. Desperate at this point, and a little annoyed at myself I conducted an experiment and went into the Steve/Tony tag on Ao3 and as they say, the rest is history. If you go onto older posts on my main blog there’s a pretty drastic, almost overnight shift c. January 2016. I have to admit, I expected Civil War to be a conversion so I enjoyed stevetony without consequence for five months, while still labelling myself as a Stucky shipper because I expected to be pulled back to Stucky after civil war, the reality was that somehow I came out of civil war shipping stevetony harder than ever before. From there, I spent two years reading my way through the stevetony tag on ao3 and finally set up this blog in 2018, with a really obscure reference as my username and it’s been stevetony til I die ever since.

I just couldn’t read Stucky anymore. That’s what I mean when I say on this blog that stevetony has ruined me for every other ship, because it has. Steve and Tony’s firecracker dynamic pulled me away from what was fast on its way to becoming my favourite ship in 2015, all because they had a bit of banter on the side in a fic. It’s kind of depressing really, the sort of hold that Steve and Tony’s dynamic has over me, 

It’s strange you say you fell in love with Stucky, I fell absolutely out of love with it. I have thought a lot about how I ended up falling into stevetony and why I was so drawn to them instead of Stucky in the first place and I think it all comes down the the story itself. To me, Steve and Bucky’s relationship carries much more weight as a friendship, I still have no doubt that Bucky is one of if not the most important person in Steve’s life, but having that be a lifelong friendship is way more powerful and impactful to me, (especially since what I know I misconstrued to be Steve’s obsession with Bucky is actually Steve’s obsession over the past. I’m not saying Bucky isn’t dear to Steve and he does want to obviously rescue him, but looking back on it there’s more to Steve’s obsession with Bucky than just love, it’s a fear of change and it’s him desperately trying to hold onto a past that’s gone.)

Conversely, I feel like adding a romantic element to Steve and Tony’s relationship enriches the story being told, if you look at something like civil war (either MCU or 616 tbh) in the context of Tony being desperately in love with Steve, it makes a lot more sense, especially with things like The Confession in 616 or the stuff brought up in that strange conversation in the conference room in the MCU. There’s lines from Steve like “I’m home/you gave me a home” or even straight up “he loved you” and his tormented behaviour throughout infinity war and endgame that just really makes you wonder, not to mention lines from others like “you two still gazing into each other’s eyes/sounds like both of you got into bed with the wrong people” and they did have to share a bed at Clint’s farm after all lol. The tragedy of their story is heightened if you look at it through the context of them being absolutely in love with each other, just never having actually got around to telling it to each other’s faces. This tragedy is heavily implied in The Oath/The Confession in 616 when they confess their deepest darkest secrets to the other’s comatose/dead bodies, and apparently it’s always been that they love the other person. Actually you could easily introduce a romantic element by making relatively few changes to the MCU, but that’s a post for another time (I have a long and comprehensive list in my notes app on how little you actually need to change to make that happen, it’s literally the matter of a few lines of dialogue and one major story change at the end of IM3, an interesting thought exercise to say the least).

Finally, there’s a quote that came up on my dash the day I made that fateful venture into the ao3 stevetony tag, “your soulmate isn’t someone who comes peacefully into your life. It is someone who makes you question things, changed your reality, somebody that marks a before and after in your life. It is not the human being everyone idealized, but an ordinary person, who managed to revolutionize your world in a second” to this day, it resonates so strongly with me about stevetony. It’s everything I love about this ship just compressed into a quote. 

So yeah it was basically a bunch of happy coincidences, but thank god it happened. As a writer, stevetony has taught me so much about character and dynamic, stuff that is honestly invaluable. When you have long fics that basically detail the day by day life of Steve and Tony post-civil war in rural Italy and consists of them sleeping, crying and working through their repressed feelings (looking at you @silkspectred ), it is the characters and their unique dynamic that drive the entirety of the story. Steve and Tony, in the hands of a compelling writer, can keep me hooked over a frankly embarrassing number of words. I still have a bit of a special place for Stucky in my heart really, it did start me out in marvel after all and it was one of my first ever ships, but your first love is only so good until you meet your true love, not to get all sappy but stevetony has completely destroyed my ability to ship anything else. I might get a bit flirtatious with some other ships, like sambucky (I still love Bucky, and I love Sam!), or the riverdale ships (beronica and jarchie or bust), or even the game of thrones crack ships (daensa til the day we die), but I’ll always come back to stevetony.

So yeah this escalated into a far longer post than I intended to make but I’ve never really spelled out on this blog how or why I ended up jumping Stucky to Stony when I know it’s usually the other way around. I guess it just comes down to stevetony catching me out when I least expected it, and never having let go of me since. 

[mrsedmercer]

Steamy Love (A Tom Hiddleston x Reader) Chapter 30:~Time After Time~ FINALE

Summary: The nights alone have become colder and colder, and not just because of the weather.

Warnings: Angst in the beginning.

Read it on my Wattpad: www.wattpad.com/HiddlesStar

Word count: 2596

Tags: @theoneanna @midnightdragonzero @drakesfiance @kcd15 @ihthr @deviantsendbyreallife @bookgirlunicorn @cherrygeek86 @peachlobotomy666

A/N: This is it. The final chapter. Thank you so much for everyone that has liked, reblogged, or simply read any and every chapter of this fic. It's the first fanfiction I've completed in almost 5 years, but it's the first I've ever made public on Tumblr. It may be a while until I get back into writing completely, as I've decided to ship some of my creative focus towards drawing. I'm not very good at it, but I aspire to improve. Will I show my work at all? Maybe, if there's really a demand for it (though I doubt it lmao). I may post some Oneshots here or there. We'll see.

Until then, thank you for reading.

After you'd return home, Tom would start calling you at least twice a day for the next couple weeks. You didn't have the heart to block his number, but you certainly weren't going to pick up and talk to him. You couldn't believe what had happened at that event. You couldn't believe you allowed it to happen. You were always against public sex, but you couldn't help yourself around him. It's like he had you under a spell that forced you to need him. To desire him.

That's why you needed to stay far away from him. It doesn't matter that he loves you. He hurt you, in ways you can't even explain. In ways you don't want to explain. You just wanted to forget that night. Forget your feelings.

Forget him.

Though even after a month of locking yourself into your work, you still received his calls. You kept hearing about the play he was in and how great he was doing, even though the public had finally found out that you were no longer together. You couldn't help but check up on him and his play. While it hurt to hear his name, you were proud of him. You were proud of all he had already accomplished. You wish you could just talk to him and hear him boast about it. You were so excited to talk to him more about it before the big fight. It ate away at your heart that you couldn't hear him ramble about it. Hear the excited tone in his voice. You didn't want to stay mad at him, especially after the last thing he said to you...

Did he mean it? Did he...love you? Really love you? In truth, you were tired of being angry. You just wanted a chance to talk, but everytime he'd call you, you'd freeze up. You wouldn't, or couldn't answer.

That night, you really couldn't get to sleep, and you couldn't put on a happy smile for a stream. All you could really do is lay in bed with your phone beside you, quietly thinking to yourself.

You heard your phone begin to ring, looking at the Caller ID. You recognized the number. It was Tom.

You felt your heart flutter a little. You've been thinking about him all day, and you had wondered if these calls were ever going to stop. Did you even want them to stop?

Before the ringing would stop, you picked up the phone and answered it, holding it up to your ear. You heard nothing. Not even breathing.

"...Hello?..." You whispered, already feeling your emotions flare up. "...Tom?.."

"...You picked up.." You heard him speak, his tone sounding a little shaky. Had he been crying?

"Y-Yeah, I know..." You smirked slightly, sitting up some. "I-I guess I had to, eventually.."

"You...haven't picked up at all...f-for weeks.." Tom whispered. "I-I've just...been calling to hear your voicemail."

That hit you rather harder than you expected it to, already feeling tears well up in your eyes. You didn't want to get emotional again, but it was hard not to. He sounded sad.

"H...How's the play been?.." You asked, giving a shaky smile.

"Good.." You heard a half laugh from Tom. "I-It's been...fun. I...wish you could see it."

You frowned a little, closing your eyes to let some tears slowly fall down your cheeks.

"...Me too.." You admitted, giving a shaky breath. "I...I'm...tired of being angry. I want to talk.."

Tom let out another sigh, taking a minute to find the right words before speaking up again.

"...I was wrong to get angry at you.." Tom spoke, his voice a little shaky again. "I shouldn't of said the things I said, and I should've let you speak for yourself instead of barging out of that house and leaving you with all that paperwork. I regret it. I regret it all. I regret everything I did to you to make you upset, (Y/N).."

You frowned deeply, the hand holding the phone becoming a little shaky. You believed him, but part of you still hurt. He really did break your heart.

You sniffled somewhat, knowing he heard it. "D-Did you mean it?.." You finally managed to ask, your body shivering a little.

"I didn't mean to make you upset.." Tom spoke, though he was a little confused with what you meant.

"I-I mean...at the show.." You let out a shaky breath. "W-When you said you loved me...did you mean it? Or--Or was is just from the heat of the moment?.."

"...I meant it." Tom admitted, giving a slight sad chuckle. "I absolutely mean it. I love you.."

You couldn't help but smile, your heart fluttering up again. You placed a hand on your chest, feeling your heartbeat increase.

"...I love you too, Tom.." You spoke, holding back a slight sob.

You heard Tom give a shaky chuckle. You could practically see his big smile in your head. You missed that smile dearly. You wished you could see it again.

"S-So.." Tom calmed himself, clearing his throat a bit. "Wh-What now? Will you take me back?"

You smiled a little. "D-Do you think this would work? A long distance sort of thing?.." You asked.

"If I could fly you down here to be with me, I would.." Tom admitted. "But this play has me incredibly busy. I hardly have time to walk Bobby in the morning.."

"And I barely have the assets and time to actually start a moving process.." You frowned slightly. "Moving to another country, as much as I want it, would be ridiculously hard on my own."

You and Tom both went quiet for a moment, both of you really thinking about this. Neither of you had the time to help you get to him, but neither of you wanted to be apart for months. Who knows what else may come up during Tom's play? He could end up being gone until Christmas or something. You wanted to see him.

"I'm sure I'll think of something.." Tom finally spoke, smiling a little. "I promise. I'll find a way to you.."

"Don't start throwing money around to get to me.." You chuckled a bit, making him laugh as well. "As much as I miss you, I can wait for as long as you need me to."

"I'm not sure I can.." Tom admitted, letting out a slight sigh. "I'd love to catch

up with you on everything, but it's nearly 3 in the morning and I need to get some sleep.." Ah, you had forgotten about the Timezone differences. He's all the way up in London now, after all.

"I promised to call you before the play. I promise.."

"Okay.." You smiled warmly. "I-I love you, Tom.."

"And I love you, (Y/N). Truly.." He spoke in a warm tone. It made your chest feel all warm.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight.."

He hung up first after that.

You set your phone down, feeling your heartbeat once more as a few more tears slipped down your cheeks. You forgave him and admitted that you loved him, but would you really be okay having to wait months and months to see him again? You just wanted to be in his arms again and feel his lips on yours. You were scared of how long you'd potentially have to wait.

Despite that, you were able to get some nice rest. You dreamed of the day you'd get to lay in his arms.

And it would come sooner than you thought.

Another month went by, and you had gotten yourself on to a talk show to talk about your rising fame and upcoming movie. You had never been on one before, so you made sure to doll yourself up a little bit and wear a nice dress. It would be weird going up there on your own, but you had heard and seen from other interviews that the talk show host man was really nice. After fixing yourself up in the mirror, you saw the show start. The talk show host introduced you to the audience before calling you on stage. You smiled brightly as you climbed the stairs and went on stage, seeing all of the people from the audience begin to cheer. All of those people made a permanent bright smile appear on your face. You waved at everyone with a soft chuckle before sitting down on the soft sofa, shaking the show hosts hand as everyone quieted down.

"So nice to have someone new for a change!" The host spoke with a chuckle.

"It feels amazing to be here.." You admitted with a bright smile, crossing your legs.

"So, you've got your first movie coming out, eh? Got yourself quite the co-star, I hear.." They began, leaning forward a bit on their desk. "How was that?"

You chuckled again. People had learned that you and Tom were back together, so you've never stopped hearing about him.

"Yeah. We actually had to live together by that little outdoor set.." You admitted. "I messed up with renting one of the houses, so he let me stay with him."

"And that's how you fell in love, yeah?" The host grinned, being interrupted by the audience clapping for a moment before they'd quiet down. That was so surreal to see.

"I always hear about flings happening between costars on set.." You admitted. "But...my time with him was much more than that. He's treated me better than most, that's for sure."

"You haven't seen him since the beginning of the year, yes?" The host asked. "Has that been hard for you?"

You smiled sadly, placing a hand on your chest some. "It's not impossible, but it's been hard. I'm not upset about it, though. We've both become incredibly busy rather quickly. He's got his play, which I hear is amazing, and I've been streaming practically 7 times a week now that I've had the time again."

"Well, it's good to know you're staying optimistic." The host replied.

"Yeah.." you nodded a bit. "It's been...a little harder these last couple days, though. We call each other multiple days a week."

"Do you have a song you like to listen to?" The host asked, smirking some. "One that reminds you of him?"

You took a moment to really think about that. The question brought you back to the time you and Tom went to the grocery store and Time After Time came on the radio in the car, and when he kissed you in front of everyone in that clothing shop, the same song played. You had downloaded the song on to your phone after that day. You didn't realize how important it was to you until now. Tom even had it on his phone, last time you checked.

"Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time', maybe?.." You admitted with a shy chuckle. "It's played a couple times during my days with Tom. I downloaded it after people found out we were together because it was playing in that clothing store when he kissed me."

"Awe, that's sounds perfect.." The host smiled brightly, one of his hands moving under the desk. "You think Tom would give the same answer?" They asked.

"I mean, he's into the older styles of music.." You chuckled, a little confused. "I could call him and ask him later.."

You were too focused on the show host to hear footsteps come upstairs on to the stage, though the surprise was ruined by the sudden erupting screams and applause from the audience.

You turned around just in time for the host to start playing that song over the little speaks around set as you and the man locked eyes.

It was Tom.

You couldn't believe it.

Your eyes immedietly watered as you got up from your seat and ran to Tom, seeing him open out his arms to you. You ran right into his arms, wrapping your arms around his body. You almost didn't believe that this was real. It felt like a dream. How was he here? How did he make time for this?

You pulled back and cupped his face with both hands, already nearly sobbing just from the sight of him.

"Are you actually here!?" You asked with a happy whimper. It warmed your heart to see his big smile. He was emotional, too.

"I managed to find some extra time to get a flight down.." Tom chuckled, though he wasn't able to explain himself fully just yet. Hearing his voice so close to you made you want to just break into happy tears right then and there, so you pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. You heard the audience go nuts, making you smile in the kiss. Tom pulled you closer to him, keeping the kiss locked until he remembered you were supposed to be doing an interview. He pulled back and gestured to the seats, holding your hand as you both sat down.

You could barely keep your eyes off of Tom for the whole rest of the interview. Afterwards, you'd say goodbye to everyone and leave the building together. You spoke outside once you reached his car.

"I've got another surprise for you.." Tom admitted, giving you a warm smile as he let go of your hand. He moved into his car for a moment and pulled out something before going back to you. He revealed 2 one-way tickets. Tickets to the UK.

"Would you still like to move in with me, my love?.." He asked you, looking into your eyes with his big, blue orbs.

Your eyes widened some and your heart skipped a beat. You placed your hand over your mouth before giving a shaky chuckle. "A-Are you serious?..." You asked, seeing him nod.

"With one phone call to a familiar moving company and a day or two, you can be living with me.." Tom spoke. "All I need is a Y--"

"Yes! Hell yes!" You chuckled happily before wrapping your arms around his neck, pulling him into another close hug. Tom flinched before chuckling, hugging you back for a moment before pulling back to give you another deep kiss, inhaling some to take in how soft your lips were. The joy you felt in your heart couldn't be properly described.

You pulled back from the kiss to wipe all the tears that had run down your cheeks, including some of the makeup makeup had on. "I'm gonna end up crying all day.." you joked with a chuckle.

Tom chuckled as well, smirking some. "I could give you other reasons to have tears in your eyes.."

Oh god, you had a feeling he hadn't gotten over this flirtatious phase he's had with you.

Then again...

You chuckled some. "It's been a couple months hasn't it?" You asked, biting yhe corner of your lower lip.

"Mhmm.." Tom purred somewhat "and I've learned some things.."

"Have you, now?.." You tilted your head some, getting a nod from Tom.

"Indeed I have.." Tom grinned. "And there's a certain...doctor who has been dying to meet you."

You knew who he was talking about. You recently rewatched High-Rise.

"Ooh, I guess I shouldn't keep him waiting, then.." You purred back with a little wink, moving around him to get into the passenger side.

Tom snickered some, getting into the drivers side.

You bet there would be quite a bit of steamy love after packing.

[loquaciousquark]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E45 (Dec. 18, 2018)

Evening, all! @eponymous-rose​ is off tonight with such silly things like family and events and real life obligations, so I’m here to make bad jokes and have opinions instead.

For those who hadn’t heard, Brian & Ashley are engaged as of this week! Brian is taking both her last and first name to be ultra-progressive. Tonight’s guests: Sam Riegel & Matt Mercer. Matt is here willingly. Sam is not. We’re discussing Episode 45: The Stowaway, sponsored by LootCrate. Brian asks Sam for an impromptu song ad; he rhymes moot and loot and jigs and everyone is a little closer to death than they were a few moments prior.

Tonight’s announcements: Pub Draw & Name Drop are two new shows on the Critical Role channel--check out critrole.com for more details.

This Thursday’s episode is the last of 2018; Critical Role then returns on January 10.

Liam’s oneshot, The Night Before Critmas, airs at 7pm Pacific this Friday night. He’s been planning it for two years, and the VOD will be available December 23.

Talks Machina is also breaking for the holidays and will return on January 8, where they’ll have a cast-wide discussion on the state of the campaign so far. The questions open on Reddit, Twitter, and email on January 4th.

CR Stats: Nott has the most kills of the group with 37. The 45th HDYWTDT occurred in episode 45 as well. Twiggy’s dragon kill was the fifth guest kill of the campaign, and the 2nd guest HDYWTDT. In campaign one, guests got 22 kills and four HDYWTDTs. This was the longest episode of campaign two and the fourth longest of the series.

Matt and Deborah had met extensively to discuss backstory and mechanics, but hadn’t discussed much personality. The only person who wanted to check voice/accent was Khary (with Shakaste).

Deborah was one of the first guests they reached out to when they started streaming all that time ago, but she initially said no because D&D was such a personal thing for her and she didn’t want to share it with the internet. Everyone agrees she was worth the wait.

Everyone’s furious about Daredevil’s cancellation. :(

Sam thought it was fun to play alongside another Arcane Trickster because... “she was very good at it, all that great stuff that I forget to do.” Nott was jealous that many of the things that made her unique were present in Twiggy. However, the jealousy was later reversed because of how excellent Twiggy was in the fight.

The Happy Fun Ball was a narrative device Matt had been planning for a long time--he liked the idea of a pocket dungeon with lore attached. When they realized Deborah’s schedule would put her on a boat in the middle of nowhere, he found a perfect opportunity to bring it in.

Sam asks if Matt intended the device to be a one-use single episode thing, or something recurring, something for the party to further explore at their will. Matt explains very circuitously (and hilariously) that certain DMs may have in the planning of the introduction of the Happy Fun Ball originally intended for such Happy Fun Balls to leave with the guest, and were very surprised when said Happy Fun Ball (and all its hundreds of extraplanar rooms to explore) was left behind with the party instead. He then basically dares Sam to press a button and see what happens.

Nott doesn’t resent Fjord for touching the window or setting a time limit on the library exploration. While it was cool in the library, there were too many things attacking them.

Matt doesn’t necessarily intend his traps for Travis, but he likes having good buttons and bad buttons. “I just want shit to happen. Surprise me!” He admires the player that occasionally gets bold, rather than the one who always sends their minions out to touch all the tiles and trigger all the traps before they ever set foot in the dungeon. He also enjoys the meticulousness of Liam being at the same table as Travis’s impulsiveness.

Sam does not want the fans to send him larger flasks. His current flask holds 128 oz, which is exactly a gallon.

GIF of the Week: @criticalschluck with a hilarious movie-trailer-style GIF of Travis explaining he’s got an intelligence of 6 (Grog), then an intelligence of 14 (Fjord), then pushing buttons and experiencing... consequences.

Nott approves of Caleb’s choice to abandon the books to go back to the party. While she wants as much knowledge in his head as possible, it’s because “a smarter Caleb is a more powerful Caleb, and hopefully a Caleb that can stay alive a little longer.” Matt likes watching characters be put in situations where they have to choose between long-reaching character goals and the people they have chosen as their family. He was fascinated to see the struggle as he was ticking down the time on his sheet. He’s very excited to see what’s going to happen this Thursday.

Brian and Matt both fanboy over Sam’s 1hp decision.

Sam reflects on Jester’s being left behind--”not in a malicious way, you know, but sometimes in a big family someone gets left behind at a mall!”

Matt circuitously explains that the stained-glass window could be used to access other places. This man’s being slipperier than soap suds on wet tile tonight.

Nott was aware that the hit she took for Jester could have been a killing blow, but she was ready--”it was what goes through her head around Caleb a lot: ‘I’ve got to protect my friends.’” She’s very protective and very maternal, and Sam would have been okay if that had been the last of Nott.

Both Sam and Liam (and others) have begun to experience the in- and out-of-game changes that come with finally beginning to really know these characters. They certainly wouldn’t have died for each other at the beginning of the game, even knowing how hard their friends worked on these characters. It was originally a “system shock” (as Matt puts it) which required check-ins after certain blow-ups at the beginning of the campaign to make sure they (the players) were all okay. Now, though, they’re closer and closer to being willing to die for each other for both in-game and meta reasons.

Sam reflects on how both Caleb and Nott hate themselves, but manifest that very differently in how they treat other people. Caleb withdraws and puts up thick walls; Nott is quick to trust and care about everyone.

Nott is least close to Yasha at the moment. She’s still a li’l scared of her.

Matt had a few battle options planned out regarding which parts of which chamber were futzed with. The black tapestry was the one curtain they didn’t mess with that would have led to a “very rough encounter.” Matt had six maps built off-stage, just in case.

Sam’s backup character is a handsome actor named Sam Seagull.

Brian is annoyed that every encounter starts with the chat screaming “TPK.” Matt: “I hope not. That’d be my fault if that happened.”

While the dragon was very powerful, Matt had expectations that the party would understand very quickly that the fight didn’t necessarily have to end with the dragon’s death--he wanted them to understand the challenge was the exit, not the dragon. However, they came in in a different order than he’d anticipated, including party staggering, and that was when he started to get nervous.

Whatever magic had first triggered the first crystal would have been the same magic required to open the second door. It was proximity-based.

Fanart of the Week: @tehsasquatch, with this super-cool portrait of Nott.

On whether Nott feels as if she’s earned her comma: sometimes, especially in encounters like these, Nott feels just for a moment that she can be brave, she can be useful, she can be heroic--and then the moment it’s over the world comes crashing back down. When she’s out of those moments, she feels that she’s still just a goblin.

Is Sam ready for Nott to get the spotlight Fjord’s currently in?

Sam: No. Matt: [very intense face]. There’s a lot of backstory elements that he and Matt know that no one else is aware of, and he’s nervous about those coming to light.

The Traveler’s appearance was complete improv. Matt was reading the situation and the emotions and looking for ways to facilitate a heroic story, and when the dice worked in her favor, he felt it would be a wonderful, dramatic story beat to suddenly include--especially since the Traveler hadn’t responded much recently. Matt: “Yeah, that was really cool.”

The Traveler/Jester relationship has evolved in ways Matt both did and did not expect. He wasn’t sure how seriously Jester was going to take it. It’s the difference between believing in something and allowing that thing to define you as a person. He loves it. Sam: “The Traveler...is Taryon, right?”

Nott doesn’t see Caleb as abandoning her at all. “He’s a weak, puny man who needs to get himself out of danger.” It would have actually been harder if Caleb had been there, because if Nott had had to make a choice as to who to protect, Jester would be dead.

After Beau’s emergence from the orb, she probably for a few minutes would have thought that they were all dead behind her. It wasn’t that hours or days had passed--just a few minutes. Matt found Beau’s and Caduceus’s conversation at the end very fascinating and compelling, especially as a way to end the episode.

Nott agrees that Jester is not as happy and fine as she appears to be, especially after their talk about boys, but doesn’t feel it’s as severe as Caleb’s issues. “Jester’s a functional person.” However, Sam’s excited they’re getting past the “flitty person from the first half of the campaign” to the “core of sadness” as the story progresses.

Matt’s sure Yasha was not happy at all that her friends all disappeared without warning. “She spent six days thinking her friends were never going to come back. She doesn’t cry in a corner; she’s familiar with grief and loss. She hardens herself and moves on.” He’s hoping they’ll get to see some of that this week.

Critmas Spotlight: The Blind Weaver, a really, really cool 3D painting by a lady named Elaine Ryan, which has layers upon layers of polyurethane stained to make an amazing effect. See @elaineryanart on twitter and tumblr for more!

Talks Machina: After Dog

They decide where guests sit at the time of the episode. Matt likes to avoid the edges so they don’t feel like the outlier. Sam requests no attractive guests be placed immediately adjacent to him so that it does not detract from his glory. “That’s why I sit next to doggo Laura Bailey.” Brave man. Brave, foolish man.

Sam likes oatmeal raisin cookies. I am DELIGHTED, WHAT AN OLD MAN WHO SHARES MY TASTE. He also likes Werther’s, which is bringing back so many memories of my grandmother’s house. Matt likes ginger snaps, which are my favorite Christmas cookies also. I would kill for ginger snaps right now. Matt and Sam both are excited about pumpkin pie.

Essential D&D gifts, per Matt: dice, PHB, HeroForge custom minis if you really want to get them excited. He finds that getting in there and making a character can really help hook someone on the visual aspect & get invested in their character. Everything else is fluff. Sam suggests a music playlist for the first game; when he ran his first game with his kids, he liked having gridded paper to draw the maps on.

Matt does not feel that the crew of the ship has been mistreated, but they have been “neglected and dragged through places they didn’t expect.” He does think they’ll talk about everything they’ve done to all their friends and family when they get home in a very “you won’t believe this!” kind of way.

Sam always wears the same tie when he’s voice directing and on the first day of a new show. He’s wearing it tonight and can’t discuss the new show.

Favorite holiday movies! Brian: “Love, Actually” and “Die Hard,” as well as “Miracle on 34th Street.” Matt loves “A Christmas Story” (my favorite also, bless this man). Sam likes “Prancer” and “Scrooged,” but realizes mid-sentence that this is Brian’s first Talks as an engaged man.

Brian on proposing: ”It’s...the best.” They’d been together for over six years & met during the first Last of Us game. Brian describes himself as a former “piece of shit” and a very different person back then. Ashley had no expectations that he was going to propose & was totally surprised. Gah, this is too romantic.

Brian: “I always imagined for years what that moment would be like, and this topped all of my expectations... What more can you really hope for in this life than to feel that feeling with another person? It’s to me the pinnacle of our human experiences to be able to say ‘I’ve been through hell and yet found someone that I can definitely say I want to spend all the days of my life on this earth with,’ and the fact that it happened is fucking cool. It’s like heroin with none of the bad side effects.”

It was extremely stressful--but only the logistics. Apparently Matt’s proposal was extremely logistically intensive; Brian sympathizes.

And on that lovely, quiet note, we’re done for the night. Happy holidays, everyone. <3

[hcneymilkks]

CIX Hyunsuk 'Mission Mistletoe'

Request from WATTPAD! 

Request a oneshot here!

Prompt number:

15. Avoiding the Mistletoe at all costs, however, everyone is trying their best to get their otp there.

Pairing - Hyunsuk x Reader

Genre: Fluff

CEO AU!

Word count: 2.6k

MASTERLIST

You’ve got mail

You’ve got mail

You’ve got mail

Grumbling, you paused your Netflix movie and propped your laptop onto your lap, wanting to be free from work for a least a few hours.

READ: IT IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE

You clicked on the email, from none other than the person you really wanted to punch right now.

Good evening Miss Y/N,

I miss you, come back to the office and stop leaving me with these idiots.

Your boss.

IMPORTANT!

Miss Y/N,

I know you got my email. JUST COME MY GOD IM BORED AND IM IN NEED OF SOME COMPANY.

Your boss.

FOR FRICK’S SAKE THIS IS IMPORTANT

Y/N,

I sent Jinyoung to come and grab you, don’t you dare say no.

See you soooonnnnnnn!

the love of your lifeeeeeeee

“YOON HYUNSUK!!!!”

Your doorbell rang and deciding not to answer it, you snuggled deeper into the blankets. Not wanting to leave your comfy bed.

Knocking.

Doorbell ringing.

A ding from your phone.

CEO Hyunsuk 🤡

Open the door for Jinyoung or else im telling him to break it down

You

Hyunsuk wtf do you want Im tryna rest before i ACTUALLY HAVE TO GO BACK TO WORK TOMORROW!

CEO Hyunsuk 🤡

Just come here now!!! It’s chaotic here i wanna cry

You

For fucks sake…..

You owe me!

_____________________

Hyunsuk was ecstatic when you popped your head inside his office, standing up as fast as he can and dragged you inside. His hands were on your shoulders, shaking you.

“THANK GOD YOU’RE HERE. Wait, why are you wearing PJ’s? WAIT THAT’S NOT THE POINT!”

You crossed your arms and glared at him. “Mr. Yoon, I want to know why you called me here at-” you looked at the clock and you closed your eyes, feeling the anger build up. “2 am in the morning. Why am in my PJ’s? IT’S BECAUSE SOMEONE CALLED ME AT THE WORST TIME!!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU!”

“Stop calling me Mr. Yoon we have literally known each other since we were kids.”

It was true. You and Hyunsuk were part of the Elite, a group filled with only the richest families of the world. People outside of the Elite view them as modern-day Kings and Queens, with some of the families in governments. While others view them as stuck up bitches who got lucky in the past. Even in the Elite, there are ranks. Your family was one of the lowest, barely surviving in the cutthroat economy. While Hyunsuk’s was one of the highest, and it didn’t help that his whole family was blessed with looks.

The company, Complete In X was where your parents had met Hyunsuk’s parents, and history was made. It was considered mind-blowing, the products created. It not only allowed for recreation, but for changing parts to create a new overall story. Hyunsuk had become the CEO, and along with his other friends, created a new target, video games.

You had dabbled in computer science and data collection, finding an interest in video games. It wasn’t until you needed an internship did Hyunsuk reach out to you. After chatting over coffee, the internship turned into something more. To be a personal assistant to Hyunsuk as well as the design planner for corporate parties.

You didn’t think that it would have a small downside.

“Y/N as I was saying, thanks for coming. First, how do you control those children? Because I know for sure I can’t at all.” You rolled your eyes. This, this was the downside.

“Hyunsuk, those children you are talking about are your friends. Also just get them some food and they should be fine. They are human and need a break as well.” He nodded and looked out his window through the blinds. His friends, his teammates, were bouncing around the office. He smiled and you felt your heart race.

Somewhere along the months of working with him, you scummed to not only his looks but his kindness, the soft side of Hyunsuk. And man did you fall harder than what you were supposed to.

No other words were spoken to each other after Hyunsuk introduced the planning of a corporate Christmas dinner, you immediately get to work.

Hyunsuk looked up every few moments to admire you sitting on the sofa, typing furiously. Even when you were in PJ’s he found you cute. You looked up for a moment and he quickly retracted his eyes to his computer screen. You giggled quietly and went back to work.

A moment between you two that lasted forever.

But behind the blinds, a group of boys were planning a mission that should have been done six months ago.

“Mission Mistletoe is in effect!”

____________________

Christmas music played from the speakers, the air smelling like peppermint. As you were spreading the chocolate onto a baking sheet, the doorbell rang.

“Y/N! Open up!”

You rushed to the door, being engulfed in a comforting but cold hug. “Hyunsuk! What are you doing here? Don’t you have a business to run?”

“The next conference meeting isn’t until the day of the corporate dinner.” He shut the door behind him and took his gloves off. You had retreated back to the kitchen, where the music had started yet again. He followed, practically drooling as he saw freshly baked cookies on the island.

“So, how’s the planning coming along?” He bit into the cookie and groaned. Your baking was to die for.

You faced him. “It’s going well, I just need an updated guest list of who is coming. Also, does gold and red work well for corporate colours?”

He nodded. “I’ll ask BX to get you that list. Run the colours through with Seunghun, I heard he wanted your opinion to add navy blue. The boys also wanted to add mistletoes as well for some reason. Saying that they wanted to get a specific one true pairing to come true.” He shrugged and ate another cookie.

Your face became heated and you turned back to put the chocolate in the fridge, trying to cool your face at the same time. “Mistletoes huh? Well, I say no. I mean although mistletoes are part of Christmas, this dinner is also for organization and agreements. What I’m saying is that we need to look professional. And on the navy blue, I’ll make the curtains it.”

Once Hyunsuk had left, you plopped down on your bed, taking a deep breath.

Just what did the boys want to do?

_____________________

“Seunghun that goes there. Jinyoung stop putting mistletoes everywhere I said no! BX where’s that list? Yonghee my goodness stop throwing glitter everywhere!”

Five days nearing the corporate party and everything was under control.

Well almost.

You had ordered poinsettias to put on the small pillars, but you didn’t realize that BX was allergic to flowers. So you had to return all of the flowers and to your dismay, not all of the money was returned. After apologizing profusely to Hyunsuk, he smiled and decided to keep some of the flowers, regardless if anyone was allergic or not.

“Suck it up and chug some allergy medicine!” was what he said.

BX ran into the room at the exact same time Yonghee threw glitter into the air, sprinkling it directly onto him.

“Yonghee!”

The tears were becoming too much, as you doubled over in laughter. The rest had stopped what they were doing and started to join in.

Laughs echoed around the room, the sun starting to set creating a hue of colours on the glittered floor and BX’s hair.

“Okay okay, Yonghee clean up the mess. I have an idea for the glitter. BX hun I’m so sorry but I need that list, glammed up or not.”

Grumbles came from Yonghee, but he quietly obliged, signalling to Jinyoung to hide at least three mistletoes somewhere your eagle eyes would not see.

But someone did notice, and with a smirk on their lips, they knew what the boys were planning.

“Mistletoes huh? Someone wants drama.”

_______________________

The dinner was in full swing. Yonghee fixing his collar while BX was fixing any mistakes on the powerpoint, quickly rehearsing the game once more. Seunghun was covering Jinyoung who ran around the ballroom to stuff extra mistletoes, making sure to avoid any contact with you as you were doing final preparations and trying to calm Hyunsuk down.

“Mr. Yoon-” “Hyunsuk….just call me Hyunsuk woman.”

You rolled your eyes but obliged. “Okay, Hyunsuk. You will be fine, the presentation will go smoothly. I double-checked and printed out extra copies if needed. Just breathe in and out.” You demonstrated how to breathe and Hyunsuk couldn’t help but laugh. He grabbed your wrist and pulled you closer to him, his lips ghosting over your ear and his breaths making you shiver.

“Thank you Y/N, for everything.”

He let go and you bowed, shakily moving towards the clatter of people surrounding the middle of the ballroom. Jinyoung snickered as he popped out beside you, making you yell in surprise and smack him.

“Ow ow ow! STOP IT Y/N YOU’RE FINE!”

“Don’t ever scare me! You know how easy I get scared!”

He smirked and moved away from Y/N, bowing dramatically and tipping an invisible hat. “Oh you haven’t seen the grand finale.” and Jinyoung walks towards Hyunsuk, whispering in his ear.

You tilt your head in confusion. “This is not a circus!”

A clink of a glass and the whole crowd goes silent.

“Good evening. My name is Yoon Hyunsuk, CEO of Complete In X. I would like to express my gratitude for your attendance tonight. As you may have known, it is a corporate Christmas dinner, but also a way to introduce a project my colleagues and I are in the process of making.”

Hyunsuk beckons his friends to take their place near the projector, with BX starting up the powerpoint and the game.

“if you look at the screen that is descending, we have immersed ourselves into the video game realm. A game that is popular such as League of Legends or A Chinese Ghost story has given us the idea to create our own version. We introduce Spirit Kingdom, an adventure filled with magic, kidnapping, seduction, and romance.”

BX opens up the game and the screen goes dark.

[START]

“WELCOME TO SPIRIT KINGDOM. UPON ENTERING,

DO NOT WAKE THE KING.

DO NOT STEAL THE PRINCESS.

DO NOT SEDUCE THE QUEEN.

MOST OF ALL,

CATCH THE KILLER.”

“As you can see, a character is already put on the castle grounds, and the narrator will explain the backstory as the person may change their character or move them around.”

BX moved the character around while Hyunsuk talked, all eyes on the boys. You looked in fascination, the graphics were clear, no glitches in sight. Detailed and engaging. You smiled and started to clap while others followed. It looked like everyone was enjoying the preview as you were looking around. You gasped as you saw the CEO-in-training for Treasure Alchemy, Choi Hyunsuk, walking towards you.

“Good evening Miss L/N.” A chaste kiss to your right hand and a smile to die for.

“Good evening sir.”

“Nonsense. Call me Choi Hyunsuk. We are the same age are we not?” you nod and glance your eyes at Hyunsuk, his eyes already on yours. He smirks and you panic, diverting your eyes to the man in front of you. Hyunsuk follows your eyes and scowls when he sees him. Out of all days, why today?

Nonetheless, Hyunsuk takes a deep breath and regains his stance, glancing at BX who has customized the character to his liking and is entering the Elves of Forest.

“So Miss Y/N, let’s take this conversation somewhere quieter hm?” You looked at Choi Hyunsuk, who held out his hand. Hesitant, you glance at Yoon Hyunsuk, but he is occupied with finishing the presentation. Clasping your hand’s around Choi Hyunsuk’s, he leads you to the balcony. The cold air nipping at your arms.

“As I was saying, Miss Y/N, why are you still working for that kid?”

You snapped your head at Choi Hyunsuk. “I beg your pardon?”

“That kid has barely started University, and yet he’s already managing a company. Watch, all his hard work will go down the drain.” Choi Hyunsuk stretches his arms, leaning on the balcony. “Let’s talk about this game he created. Or should I say copied? The ideas? Unoriginal. the graphics? Hurts my eyes. Overall, I would never purchase the game, nonetheless play it even if it was free.”

You clenched and unclenched your hands. Just how dare he. “And I suppose Choi you can do better?”

“Hm?”

“I know you heard me? Or is it because you’re scared of losing to a guy three years younger than you?”

He looked in your direction and grabbed your wrist. His lips nearing yours “Why would I be afraid, I would have the mastermind behind the company.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

Choi Hyunsuk smirked. “I know little Hyunsuk doesn’t make these ideas, how else was the company in top shape? It’s you Y/N, and I want you.”

You placed your other arm as a shield to protect you. “Never will I work for you Choi Hyunsuk.”

He smirked. “I’ll get you. One way or another.” He presses a kiss to your cheek and walks to the door, facing you once more.

“Be ready love, you won’t know what’s coming.”

Shaking your head, you ran back to the ballroom in time for the closing announcements. Drowning a glass of water taken from a worker, Hyunsuk looked in your direction. It seemed as though time had slowed down, both of you in a trance as if the glitter Yonghee sprinkled a few days prior that still lingered was like magic. Clapping interrupted your daydreaming, someone tapping your shoulder as Hyunsuk held out his hand for you to take.

You smiled and placed your hand in his.

“I would like to say a special thank you to Miss Y/N. We met when we were kids, and have become great business partners. Without her, I would be a mess right now.” He laughs and everyone else does too.

You smile at Hyunsuk and was about to take your seat until Jinyoung quickly grabbed the mic. “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ARE NOT DONE YET. What you saw, of course, was the main point of this dinner but we couldn’t say this is a Christmas dinner without a little magic and holiday cheer.”

“Jinyoung what the hell are you doing? This isn’t part of the program.” you hissed at Jinyoung, ready to smack him. But Hyunsuk stopped you, rubbing soothing circles onto your back.

Jinyoung winked. “Live a little Y/N.”

The audience was confused, what does he mean by Christmas cheer?

“I have a little magic trick for you all. I just need you all to count down from three okay?”

“THREE.” You braced yourself for the worst, gripping onto Hyunsuk’s hand.

“TWO.” Hyunsuk smirked at Jinyoung, shaking his head slightly.

“ONE.” Yonghee cheered and pressed a button

The screen ascended and mistletoe hung from the ceiling, found in people’s pockets. Glitter was thrown everywhere. Mistletoes everywhere.

“MISSION MISLETOE IN EFFECT! L/N Y/N AND YOON HYUNSUK JUST KISS ALREADY!”

Your eyes widened in horror.

“BAE JINYOUNG!”

Hyunsuk laughed, a mistletoe descending above you both. The audience notices and starts to chant. You blush and try to hide your face while he brings you closer to him.

“Y/N, you probably won’t believe this but, I’ve been in love with you since we met.” and he takes your lips in a breathtaking kiss.

You wrap your arms around his neck and push your body flush to his, foreheads touching and smiles all around.

You had to thank Jinyoung, in that if he didn’t secretly place mistletoes almost everywhere, the stars wouldn’t have aligned that night.

[110109k]

Hi! So here's my contribution to the Haikyuu! Fandom lol. I'm kind of in a good mood today so I wrote a fluff oneshot for one of the adorable ships, TsukkiYama. I apologize in advanced for mistakes and such. Please, enjoy!

:] xoxo, kai.

- please don't repost w/o permission :]

- images used aren't mine. credits to the real owner :))

__

Words I Wanna Hear

[sad!yamaguchi x soft!tsukishima]

by: 110109k

Yamaguchi loves the rain; he always does but today is an exception. Somehow, the once soothing downpour makes him feel gloomier than he already is. Almost every raindrop that softly taps on his and Tsukishima’s shared apartment’s window makes him sigh- he is just not having the best day after what happened at school. Tsukishima makes it clear for so many times that Yamaguchi can tell him whatever it may be that is bugging him because the middle blocker knows that his partner isn’t the type to spill his problems right away. The freckled pinch server tends to conceal all his problems from others as much as possible and brushes them off with a rather convincing fake smile but of course, Tsukishima knew better. They’ve been together for such a long time so it’s natural for them to see through each other and not to mention, they’ve already been lovers since the start of their second year in high school. About the moving in part, that’s for another story… Tsukishima can read his partner like an open book- Yamaguchi’s aware of that since Tsukki’s not some kind of idiot (well, he is sometimes but you get my point) and that’s what he is worrying about. He knows that Tsukishima will find out what he’s upset about and unfortunately, he is not yet ready to discuss about it.

His anxiety level rises even more when the bathroom door clicks and the bespectacled middle blocker steps out, drying his blond locks with a towel. Yamaguchi discreetly takes a deep sigh, smiles at his lover, and awkwardly grabs a random workbook from a shelf. Then, he plops on the bed avoiding the megane’s gaze. The blond just quietly observes him.

“So, you rushed home without me and not to mention on a rainy day like this” Tsukishima initiates a conversation which made Yamaguchi flinch. The latter smiles apologetically and scratches his nape “Sorry, Tsukki… I actually dropped by at Shimada-san’s to, um, ask about some things and I forgot to tell you. Sorry.” Tsukishima lightly sighs and plops beside Yamaguchi. The freckled boy is even tenser now.

“I thought you’d like those things couple do in romantic movies, you know, the share an umbrella thing but I got soaked in the rain instead” Tsukishima said. Yamaguchi’s face flushes and he immediately apologizes to the pouty blond. “S-sorry, Tsukki! I was just-”

“It’s fine” Tsukki cuts him off making him guilty. Gosh, what should he do in a situation like this? There was a long silence between them. Tsukki is busy fiddling with phone, probably reading an article about dinosaurs or something. Suddenly, the blond says, “Actually, there are some chocolates in my bag. If you want some, go ahead and eat it. I don’t want them” the green haired boy answers with a hum. Of course, it’s from his lover’s fan girls. He’s just that famous ever since they were in first year so it’s understandable but the thought of his fan girls makes Yamaguchi recall earlier events.

“-dashi, are you okay?” Shoot. He snaps back to reality and finds his partner’s face in a close proximity from his. “Eh? Huh- oh, right. I- I will. Thanks, Tsukki!” his voice cracks midway and the blond raises an eyebrow. Oh no. Yamaguchi silently beats up himself in his head. That’s way too awkward, embarrassing, and obvious. Tsukishima probably knows what’s up already.

“What’s the matter with you? You’ve been spacing out a lot” Oh, he’s concerned. Tsukishima is still on top of him, staring at him with those honey-like eyes. He blushes and waves his hands in a dismissive manner. “I-I’m totally fine! There’s nothing to worry about-”

“You really think you can hide things from me, huh?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know what I mean. Do you think I don’t know what happened?”

A pang of guilt and sadness hit Yamaguchi. He heavily sighs as the rain pours even harder. All his efforts of not making his lover worried are gone to waste. Yamaguchi averts his gaze from the blond and bit his lip in an attempt to hold back the tears that have been welling up on the corner of his eyes.

“I’m sorry…”

“I’m starting to think you’re Canadian, Tadashi.” Tsukishima lightly jokes but there’re still hints of seriousness in his voice but his attempt at making the freckled beauty seems to be of no use. Yamaguchi is still averting his gaze and isn’t making any sounds. “Didn’t I tell you to talk to me if anything happens?” Tsukishima asks. Yamaguchi nods.

“I… I know but I-I’m just hesitant to tell you b-because you might find it stupid or anything and-” his voice wavers and the tears starts to fall. A muffled thunder went along with it. Ah, Tsukishima can’t handle it anymore. He wraps his arms around his lover tightly to comfort him. He feels kind of ‘out of character’ but he can’t bear to see his precious Yamaguchi in tears. The latter responds with a tight embrace as well, nuzzling into Tsukishima’s chest. His partner’s scent of fresh citrus, woods, moss and musk helps him calm down a bit. Tsukishima strokes his lover’s soft green locks, placing light kisses on the side of his right eye, on the tip of his ear, cheek and on the corner of his lips. Yamaguchi’s heart fluttered as he gets overwhelmed with so many emotions that he couldn’t help but to weep even more, a part of it because of what happened, the other is because of the affection he’s being given right now. He snuggles into Tsukishima even more. He feels so warm and safe.

“I heard from the King. He said he saw you being bugged again by those girls again. They just don’t know when to shut up, geez.”

“Kageyama told you?” Yamaguchi raises his head and locks eyes with Tsukishima. His teary eyes and rosy cheeks and nose make the blond a bit shy. He’s too adorable even when he’s crying. Tsukishima stammers and responds with a hum instead. “Yeah… He said he just happens to pass by that hallway when he heard some girls saying stupid things to hurt you and that he could’ve stepped in and stopped them but you apologized and ran away instead.”

Different shades of red spread across Yamaguchi’s face. “Oh… that’s too embarrassing” he squeaked.

“He even nagged at me for ‘not taking good care of you’. He’s got some nerves.” Tsukishima scoffs earning a small giggle from Yamaguchi. Wow, Kageyama-kun is lowkey caring.

“I’m sorry, Tsukki. I just found it difficult to talk about that. I don’t want to waste your time listening to my rambles because you might find it stupid. Also, I don’t want you to worry about me. I know those girls can be mean to me but I wanted to deal with it myself but it turns out, I can’t. I’m sorry. From now on, I’ll be honest with you. This won’t happen again.” Yamaguchi mumbles, enough for the other to hear. Upon hearing his apology, Tsukki’s grip on his lover tightens. Yamaguchi softly gasps. Tsukishima buries his head on the crook of Yamaguchi’s neck, his golden locks tickling the latter’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry too...” he whispers. Yamaguchi smiles and strokes Tsukki’s soft hair. “… I didn’t protect you well from those brats. I didn’t know they were doing this to you” he mumbles angrily. “It’s because you aren’t saying anything, either…” The blond clicks his tongue. Yamaguchi lightly chuckles. Just then, their neighbour seems to be playing some music. It was loud enough for them to hear over the sound of the downpour. It sounds muffled but it was definitely Paul Anka’s ‘Put Your Head On My Shoulder’. The two listens to the music for a while, cuddling comfortably on their bed. The silence between them isn’t awkward but comforting. The two of them are wrapped in each other’s arms with the feeling of warmth and safety. Neither of the two lovers talked. Instead, they just listened.

An idea crosses Tsukishima’s mind and he carefully untangles himself from Yamaguchi. He stands at the end of their bed, offering his slender hands to Yamaguchi. The freckled boy looks up at him with a curious look. The blond motioned him to take his hand. Yamaguchi takes his hand and the middle blocker helps him out of the bed. Suddenly, Tsukishima pulls him in an embrace, placing both of his hands on Yamaguchi’s hips.

“T-tsukki?”

“Shut up and wrap your arms around me.”

“Oh… okay?” Yamaguchi snakes his arms around the tall blond’s neck and plays with his hair.

“Now, sway.”

And just like that, they start to move along with the music playing on the other room. The rain isn’t stopping anytime soon but now it isn’t making Yamaguchi feel down in the dumps. The gentle patter of the rain hitting the window pane makes him calm. The music makes him feel in love and the warmth Tsukishima is giving off reminds him of his home far away. Being in Tsukishima’s arms makes him feel safe.

“I love you no matter what happens, Tadashi…”

Ah, those words sure do make his day.

[xcayde6]

Before you read: these are only snippets out of my upcoming Cayde stories. Please pay attention to the ratings and warnings, have in mind that English isn't my native language and don't be mad at me in case publishing takes a while. I'm the slowest writer ever.

ONESHOTS Title: ? 2 exos 1 girl? Idk yet Pairing: Cayde-6 x female reader/Clovis Bray's daughter x Shiro-4 Rating: Explicit Warnings: knife-play, gun-play, humiliation kink, very smutty, watch your panties

—  a boring company anniversary takes a sudden turn when your two exo bodyguards pay you back after teasing them for so long

“Are you two going to eye fuck me all night or are you going to do something about it?” The two exos approach and surround me slowly. Their optics eyeing me like men starving, making me feel like I'm their trapped mouse. Which is ironic because they're my bodyguards who are supposed to protect me, to make me feel safe. But right now I feel neither.

I realize there's no use in defending myself. I was so drunk that I barely could stand up straight and also very tiny compared to these taller exos, human minds turned into ruthless war machines.

“Got you. You're screwed now.” Cayde quickly puts his hand around my throat and slams me against Shiro's body. I feel something hard pressed up against my butt. “Is that your gun or are you excited to see me?”, I can't help but chuckle. “It's definitely not my gun.” “Look at that little tease.”, Cayde snaps icy, his aqua blue optics glowing even colder. His voice sounds deeper and huskier than usual and makes me shiver. “You're going to regret that, babe.” His gloved hand is curling tighter around my neck and my alcohol dazed vision gets blurry. “Me and my friend share everything. Even you. Now move.” Somewhere in my delirious state, with the barrel of Cayde's Ace of Spades filling my mouth, the two exos jerk me to my bedroom. My body is betraying me with arousal, but I'm so nervous and excited. I want them. I want them to have me. I just can't help it. *** Title: ???? Pairing: Cayde-6 x female reader/Clovis Bray's daughter Rating: Explicit ⬆️— without Shiro version of the fic above for anon ***

Title: #1 Crush Pairing: Cayde-6 x female reader Rating: Explicit — your bodyguard Cayde caughts you right in the act thinking of him I thrust my fingers into me in a faster in a punishing pace, feeling so close to the edge, imagining how his cock slams into me, without mercy and tearing my insides apart. „Oh Cayde... Fuck me... Fuck me harder...”, I whimper to myself, encouraging the handsome robot in my imagination. A not unfamiliar chuckle makes me freeze in my movements. “We can arrange that.” My bodyguard was standing in the door. Arms crossed, a amused grin forming his mouth-plates. He enjoyed my one-woman-show like a man starving. This was real, not another projection of my imagination to get off to. He's real and he's walking up to me, something intimating in his slow movements. My attempt to pull down my skirt over the exposed wetness between my legs is cut off by his hands pinning mine down on the desk behind my back. “Soo...” He speaks up, leaning over to me, as his aqua-blue optics study my face interested. “Did I fuck you good?”, he whispers in such a husky voice that it sends a cold shiver through my sweaty, heated body. Before I can even get a proper sentence out he cuts me off with a chuckle again. “Hush! Of course I did.”, he answers his own question overconfident and leans in so close to me that his spiky horn bumps my forehead softly. “But I'm gonna give you the real thing...” *** Title: Dressed up to undress Pairing: Cayde-6 x female reader Rating: Explicit —  Your bodyguard Cayde takes you to The Last City and you claim him as your boyfriend for a day. „Being your boyfriend today? Huh. I'll tell your dad that this costs extra.”, he responds sarcastic, shaking his head in disbelief. „Oh Cayde...”, I snuggle up on his arm and look at the attractive exo, admiring his unique profile. „I know I'm the best job you've ever had.” Cayde looks back at me, a little smile forming his blue metal plate lips, reflecting the sun light. „Got it's moments.”, he mutters under his breath, winking at me. „So... Where are you taking me, my handsome boyfriend?” He seems to be comfortable in his new role and puts his arm around my shoulder, tugging me closer to his body. „Anywhere you want, my beautiful, pain in the ass girlfriend.” *** Title: I will steal you back Pairing: OC x Shiro-4 other characters: Cayde-6 (mentioned), Andal Brask (mentioned), Colonel, Saladin's “mascots” Rating: Explicit Warning: Shiro saying a lot “lady” in his angelic voice — grieving over a lover and friend seems so much easier together. Cayde's stash box jumped open. [Shiro-4.] The exo and the blonde freezed in their movements, when a not unfamiliar voice echoed through the hangar. “Cayde?”, the young widow whispered with tears in her eyes when she recognized her dead husbands voice. Shiro pulled the sobbing blonde gently into his arms and buried his face into her hair. “Shh... I'm here, Feena.”, he whispered softly, his hands running over her back to soothe her somehow. [Hey pal. Long time no see. When you hear this, I'm dead. I got killed, or you killed me. I wouldn't even blame you after our last conversation. Anyway. Congratulations, you get the vanguard gig. Stop. Stop. Stop. Listen. Before you start yelling, consider this. You don't have to freeze off your robo ass at the tempel anymore and... you'll be around my Queen Of Hearts. You're welcome. I may be an idiot, but I'm not stupid. I know you love my girl as well, and she loves you too. So... I'm not big on goodbye scenes, but please take care of my queen. She made me happy and I want her to be happy. I want you happy, too, my man. See you.] Shiro and Feena sat there for a while in front of the stash box, holding each other tight, while Cayde's voice and words lingered heavy in the cold air. For the very last time. *** Title: The Last City (Destcember #2) Pairing: OC x Cayde-6 other characters: Amanda Holliday, Petra Venj, Shiro-4, Zavala Rating: mention of suicide attempt — a princess and exo find purpose in life again after saving a little girl and each other. “Feena! Cayde!” Little Amanda ran over to the blonde and the exo, clinging to their legs like her life depended on it. “You two were gone when I woke up! I was so scared!”, she cried out, hugging both of them tighter. Feena looked down at the little girl and gently ran her fingers through her curly blonde hair with a sad smile. How should she tell her that her parents died last night? The thought of it shattered her aching heart into thousands of pieces, she was afraid that Cayde and Amanda could hear it. Cayde saw that Feena was struggling and knelt down to Amanda's level, his aqua blue optics glowing warm. “Sorry, sweetie. Feena didn't feel good and needed fresh air. We would never leave you alone, sweetheart. Never.”, he assured softly and hugged her tight. Feena watched these two and quickly wiped away tears streaming her eyes. She didn't want to show weakness in front of them. They needed her. And she needed them. “Cayde's right.”, she blurted out briefly. “Yes. It's me and my girls now. Unless you're afraid of me, Amandy.” “I'm not afraid of you! You look so cool! Like a badass unicorn!”, she yelled excited. “Did you just call me unicorn?! I used to be a soldier!”, he spat back playfully offended, making Amanda even more giggle. God, her little laugh was heartwarming. Feena was so thankful for Cayde being able to make this little one laugh again, after all the horrible things that she's been through. He was wonderful. “I wanna touch your horn! Please!” The little blonde girl jumped into Cayde’s arm and her big blue eyes glowed with excitement when her little fingers explored that spiky, blue horn attached on top of his head.The exo held her tight in his arm and couldn't help but chuckle. “Smooth right? Amazing.” He turned to Feena with a wink and a grin formed his lip plates. “You wanna touch my beautiful, beautiful horn too, princess? “Let's rest for tonight.”, Feena suggested, before pressing a soft kiss on Cayde’s horn and Amanda’s cheek. She only knew them for a few hours, after a really terribly incident, but these two already meant anything to her. When the little family walked back to the shelter, all of them felt a moment of happiness and hope again, even though The Last City was in ruins and Cayde couldn't shut up about Amanda calling him a unicorn. *** Title: All I Want For Christmas Is You Pairing: Cayde-6 x female reader Rating: Explicit — Cayde hates Christmas and you're trying to get him into the mood with cookies, movies, cuddles, Last Christmas from Wham and more... „Merry Christmas, Caydie.” I hear a deep chuckle roar through his torso, as he turns around and puts his arms around me in return. I moan softly against his chest with a smile. His warmth and the familiar scent of leather and gunpowder was infatuating. „Hey beautiful.”, he greets me softly, his aqua blue optics looking me up and down in my sexy Santa dress. Another chuckle escapes his throat, the orange lights in the back of his throat flickering. „You look... ridiculous.”, he scoffs tender, pinching the fuzzy bobble of my Santa hat with his finger. I push him away from me, lift my dress up slightly and turn around slowly. „Your eyes say something different, my vanguard...”, I whisper seductively, looking over my shoulder and winking at him. He forcefully grabs a fistful of my dress and pulls me back to his body. „I mean it. Ridiculous.”, he repeats in a mocked tone. God, I loved it when this exo was a sassy. „But, but... I wear this for you...”, I whimper, turning away from him, starting to act out the most dramatic fake crying in the history of fake cries. „You hate it. I wanted to look pretty for our date.”, I sob and pretend to rub my eyes. „No, no, no... sweetie. You look stunning. I just hate Chr-”, I hear him awkwardly stutter behind my back, but I quickly turn around and laugh at his dumb but overall adorable helpless face. „Ha! Got you! You should see your stupid face!” I press a sweet kiss on his cold metal chin and take his hand. ”Now come on, we're late for the Christmas market at the Bazaar, Grumpy.”, I sąy and pull him with me out of his beloved Hangar. Cayde follows me more or less unwillingly and sighs. „I swear, if I hear Last Christmas one more time I'm gonna blow something up.”, he mutters under his breath and I can't help but smirk at him. „Can't lie, I would love to see that.” He chuckles, the orange lights behind his mouth-plates outlining a smirk back at me. „A girl after my own heart.”, he praises and gently puts his warm cloak around my bare back and shoulders. **** FULL STORIES (might be published on archiveofourown too) Title: In debt to love Pairing: Cayde-6 x OC other characters: Clovis Bray, Shiro-4 Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Romance Rating: Explicit Warnings: veeeery smutty, graphic violence, self-harm, ... — „... and hearts for this girl I guard. She's the best debt I've ever had.” Cayde is paying off his debt by guarding Coco Bray, the daughter of the man who ruined his life and turned him exo. Now or never. Swiftly and suddenly Coco closed her fingers around the handle of Cayde's gun and she pulled, knowing full well that she was taking a risk. Cayde quickly opened his optics as he felt her hand on his waist and his Ace of Spades being pulled from the holster, but it was already too late. The girl pushed and kicked the exo off her body with all the strength left in her weakened body and pointed the gun at him with a sweet smile, her face was a mixture of triumph and surprise. She finally had the upper hand. “Thanks for the ride, handsome. Any last words?” Cayde stared stunned at the pinkish haired girl pointing his own gun at him, but still he couldn't help but chuckle. A pretty girl with a pretty gun. His Ace Of Spades never suited anyone better. He should've known that something like this would happen, after all the things he heard about her. “You literally kick ass. Just a girl after my own heart, sweetheart.” He was completely at the her mercy, but decided to play along and raised his hands. “I'm impressed, I really hate so say this, doll. However, you won't do it.”, he gave back amused, before shoving her back on the ground again with his elbow, bending over her small frame. “If you blow a hole through my head, you better pray that I won't get fixed and come back at you, cause...”, he leans in closer to her, the muzzle of his own gun pressed upon his chest and his horn gently poking her forehead. “I'm gonna hurt you... make you cry... and fuck you into a coma.”, he hissed, sounding threatening and cheerful at the same time. She wouldn't shoot him, Cayde knew that. He hoped that. After all they've been through already, she wouldn't. She couldn't. The Ace Of Spades was shaking in Coco's hands. Her green eyes lost that glint of achievement and were replaced with the feeling of unshed tears beginning to blur her vision. If she really wanted to escape, she actually had to shoot him. Coco lifted her gaze and locked her eyes with his optics, her lips formed a sad smile, as her hands clasped tighter around the grip of his gun, her finger hovering over the trigger, that would decide her fate. His fate. “Please don't make me like you, Cayde-6.” “Isn't it too late, Coco Bray?” **** Title: Queen Of Hearts Pairing: Cayde-6 x OC other characters: Uldren Sov, Andal Brask (mentioned),... Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Adventure Rating: Explicit Warnings: suicide attempt, physical abuse — Cayde saves and kidnaps a princess, but she saves him too. Feena listened intently to every word Cayde was saying. She didn't know why, but she was intrigued by him. Just his voice alone was making her feel calm. “You're crazy.”, she said forcefully as she turned back towards the depth. “I am, but with all due respect, princess. I'm not the one who wants to jump off this castle.” His aqua blue optics stared at her and his mechanic heart broke for this girl. He blamed himself that he never noticed that she suffered in silence. Suffered so much that she wanted to end her life. “Please, give me your hand, princess. I don't know what happened to you, but I swear, I'll protect you better from now on.” Cayde reached out his gloved hand to her carefully, as not to frighten her. Feena looked down at his outstretched hand and she was surprised by her instinct to reach out and touch him. She slowly turned around to him and they both immediately locked eyes and optics. He felt his heart instantly stop when he looked into her green eyes and it shocked him that she was looking at him in the same way. “Phew,” he said relieved as he squeezed her soft, cold hand. “I'm Cayde-6.” “Princess Feena Brask.”, she breathlessly introduced herself as well. “I know damn well who you are.”, he chuckled, causing her to smile. That smile. He didn't know how long he was on duty in this castle, but he never saw her smile. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. Cayde looked at her in amazement when he finally saw life sparkle in her always so sad and empty eyes. Her long blonde hair was tickling his face plates and the scent was intoxicating. “I got you.” He gripped onto her waist as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he lifted her up over the railing, feeling like his body was electrocuted in the most gentle way touching her. She was one slip away from death just second ago and he saved her. She was safe. Her heels clicked as they touched the ground, but her legs gave out on her and he was able to catch her before she hit the ground. He held her body close to his, their faces just inches apart. “Are you alright?”, he asked concerned, as he felt her chest rise and fall against his armor. “Never felt better.”, she said as her hands clung to his shoulders. Feena took a moment to take in Cayde's metallic features and felt her heart flutter, feeling so warm and safe in his embrace. Something she never felt before. “Who hurt you, my queen? I'm gonna kill anyone who hurt you. Anyone.” ______________________________________________________________ *changes/improvements possible. Soo... Which one is your fave? Do you wanna get tagged when I publish these? Are you interested in the playlist I listen to when I write these? Let me know anything and feel welcome to like and reblog if you’re interested in these beauties. xo

[fanfic-inator795]

RotTMNT Fic: Dating... With Children - Chapter One

(Also on AO3 if you want to leave a kudos/comment over there)

Plot:  Benjamin Draxum hardly considered himself a man of high social standing. Not because he was uncouth or unworthy of it, mind you, but simply because he didn't have much of a social life. Hard to have one when he usually spent his days at work, cooped up in a lab for so long that he often had his lunches in there, and his nights at home reading or doing research for more personal projects. But perhaps meeting handsome semi-retired movie star - as well as his four young sons - could change all that...

((Human AU time! Another idea I’ve had for a while, heh.  Originally this was going to just be a oneshot, but after thinking about the idea for so long, I decided I liked it enough to turn it into a sort of series. I'm not sure when the next drabble for this universe will come out, but I hope you all enjoy the beginning of it! ^v^ Also the title of this story is meant to sorta be a reference to the show "Married... With Children". I figured it would fit since I see this fic having just a bit of a sitcom feel to it, lol.))

Benjamin Draxum hardly considered himself a man of high social standing. Not because he was uncouth or unworthy of it, mind you, but simply because he didn't have much of a social life. Hard to have one when he usually spent his days at work, cooped up in a lab for so long that he often had his lunches in there, and his nights at home reading or doing research for more personal projects.

The only real interactions he had were with his slightly-incompetent interns and with the occasional opponent whenever he decided to participate in amateur MMA fighting at a small ring downtown. (It was amazing how great legally punching a man’s face out could make you feel after a day of little to no success with your experiments that day.) But, perhaps that was why his benefactor for his research - a title he was still sure she only held just so she could annoy him - invited him to be her plus one for the latest art gallery opening plus charity auction. Hmph, nothing more than an excuse to dress up and flaunt money, in his opinion.

“You need to get out more, Draxy~” She had told him on the phone, just one day before the event, “Let the fresh air flow through your hair and actually smile for once in your life!”

“I get out plenty,” he had argued, “And I doubt that there will be much to make me smile at an event like this.”

“You never know! One doesn't go to these events just go stare at the art, after all~” She giggled, easily reminding Draxum of a witch or a demon. “Besides, if you don't go, I’ll cut your funding down to a third of what it is now for the next quarter.”

“...You're a wicked woman, Arachna, I hope you know that.”

“Of course I do~ I’ll see you tomorrow night, Draxy!”

Draxum had slammed the phone down after that, too annoyed to even focus on his work for the next half hour or so. He cursed that woman, and silently hoped she went bankrupt one day, hardly caring how it would affect him.

But, unfortunately for him, a sudden stock market crash never happened, and he had been forced to leave work early the next day to insure that he wouldn't be late. Once home, he ate a quick supper of leftovers and put on the suit that he wore to practically all events when black tie wasn't required - a dark teal jacket and dress pants with a light blue shirt underneath and a gold colored tie bringing the look together. He also spent nearly twenty minutes braiding his auburn hair, figuring that Big Mama would complain if he kept it in a simple low ponytail.

After all that, he had driven over to the gallery, given his keys over to the valet, picked out a spot outside the building, and waited. ...And waited. ...And waited, until nearly half an hour had passed. Needless to say, if he hadn't been aggravated before, he sure was now.

Of course, because the universe loved to toy with him, the familiar gaudy purple limo finally drove up to the gallery just before Draxum had finally given up on his ‘date’ (ugh) making her appearance - and just before he could try and make an escape.

Morganna “Big Mama” Arachna stepped out of her limo, her red-framed glasses gleaming in the lights of the city as she grinned back at Draxum. “Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, dearie!” Draxum just glared back at her, his arms crossed. Mama simply ignored her date’s pouting and looped one of her thin arms around one of his buff ones. “Let’s go in, then, I'm sure the paparazzo are already wondering where I could be~” she told him as she lead them inside, her security team right behind her.

That had been nearly two hours ago. In that time, Big Mama had quickly abandoned him, instead choosing to gossip with a fellow old-money heiress. She did however station one of her security team right by the door, once again foiling Draxum’s attempts at heading home early. So, with a sigh, Draxum did his best to ‘enjoy’ himself.

This consisted of picking at whatever small snacks he had decided to try from the refreshments table, browsing at the art that he had no intentions of buying, going upstairs to briefly look at MORE art he had no intentions of buying, and finally finding a small spot in the corner of the museum where he could read the latest science-journal articles that he had downloaded onto his phone.

“What a waste of a night,” he mumbled as he read through the last article, “Ugh, at least she didn't insist on keeping me company all night.” Now THAT would've been torture. “Surely two hours is enough… Though, knowing her she'd make me stay until the last painting is sold…” He then gave a thoughtful hum. “I wonder if there's a back exit somewhere…”

“Why are you talking to yourself?”

Draxum blinked, looking up from his phone, only to see no one there. The feel of a tiny hand tugging on his pants brought his gaze back down to the floor, where a young boy stood. He was dark-skinned with bright eyes and curly hair that had been somewhat tied into a bun. The boy wore a bright orange and yellow kimono, the edges of the sleeves littered with small, faded stains. Spotting the half-eaten cookie in his hand, Draxum could easily guess what the stains were from.

After taking a small step back, Draxum replied with, “I was just thinking out loud.”

“Oh yeah, my brother does that sometimes too,” the boy nodded, understanding. Judging by his voice and speech, Draxum could guess that the child was at least five years old. Though, with how small the boy was, he wouldn't have blamed anyone for guessing that he was only three instead. “I like your hair!” He then said with a smile, “It's long an’ pretty!”

“Yes, I've noticed,” Draxum nodded, his attention already back on his phone. But as he switched from his ‘Books’ app to social media, he still felt the stare of tiny eyes on him. “...Was there anything else you needed?” He asked the boy, allowing himself to scowl slightly in the hopes of scaring the boy off without completely bringing him to tears. The last thing he needed tonight was a crying child.

But the boy didn't cry, nor did he leave. He just shrugged, and sat down next to Draxum as he finished off the dessert in his hand.

Draxum’s scowl deepened, annoyed at feeling obligated to stay now. If he tried to leave, the boy would probably try to follow him out, or at the very least try to make him stay. Would probably start to make a scene too, ugh… Whatever this kid wanted from him, Draxum wanted it taken care of right then and there.

“Was there something you needed?” He asked again, “Or did you just want to say hi?”

“Just wanted to say hi,” the boy replied quickly, “And go know why you were talking to yourself. But now I know.”

“Yes, you do. And you've also said hello.” The boy nodded, but still didn't move to get up from his spot. Draxum held back a frustrated growl. Alright, plan B then. After all, there was no way this child came to the museum by himself. “Why don't you go and find your mother,” he encouraged, “I'm sure she's-”

“I don't have a mom.”

“Fine, your father, then. Or nanny or-”

The boy nodded again. “Yeah, Papa’s somewhere downstairs I think. My brothers wanted more snacks, but I wanted to look at the art and talk to people.”

“Well, I think you should go find him now,” Draxum told him, “I'm sure he's wondering where you are, and we wouldn't want to worry him now, would we?”

The boy thought for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I don't wanna make him worried.” He stood up and brushed the crumbs off his hands before looking back up at the man next to him. “You wanna help me find him?”

“Fine,” Draxum reluctantly agreed, suspecting that the child wouldn't take no for an answer, “But let's be quick about it, alright? No dawdling. We’ll just find your father and get you back to him, understand?” The boy grinned, and before Draxum even knew what was happening, he was jumping at him!

Despite being startled, Draxum still managed to catch him, and glared at the sneaky child when he settled into his arms. He opened his mouth to argue, but ended up giving a sigh instead, surrendering. If carrying him would get the kid out of his hair faster, so be it.

Remembering what he told him, Draxum headed down the stairs with the orange-dressed boy in tow. From the top, he couldn't see any families nor panicking fathers at the snack table, indicating that the boy’s family was probably already looking for him. ...Which would make finding them that much harder. Of course.

“See anyone familiar yet?” Draxum asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs. The boy looked around, a small frown on his face as he shook his head. Suddenly, a loud laugh caught both their attention.

“She's got pretty hair too,” the boy commented quietly as he stared at the woman in purple with shiny, silver locks of hair who was happily putting on a charming show for the press.

Draxum rolled his eyes, turning away from Big Mama before he could see her, knowing he'd never live it down if she saw him in this sort of situation. “Yeah, and she's got a big mouth too…” he mumbled.

They walked around for a couple minutes, keeping their eyes and ears open, until finally Draxum heard a voice - deep with a hint of a Japanese accent - rise above the rest, even at a distance. “Excuse me, have you seen a five year old wandering around here? He's wearing orange, and has curly black hair?”

After taking a moment to listen, Draxum figured out that the voice was coming from just up ahead, near the restrooms. Sure enough, as he rushed over there, he quickly spotted a tall (and if Draxum was being honest, handsome) man in a baby blue suit and red tie, with yellow tinted glasses to complete his ‘look’. Beside him were three children varying in height, all with dark skin and black hair. On the man’s right was a boy in a blue and yellow kimono with pale vitiligo patches around his eyes, and on his left were his other two children. One was about the size of the boy in blue, wearing a purple suit with a worn backpack and glasses. The other boy was dressed in a red suit, and was at least a foot taller than his brothers.

Yes, this has to be them. “Excuse me,” Draxum said, raising his own voice as he increased his pace, “Is this-?”

“Papa!” The boy in orange grinned and leapt right out of Draxum’s arms. He would've been lying if he said he didn't gasp at the action, a small part of him worried about the child injuring himself. But the man didn't even flinch, and instead stepped forward and caught his son with ease, as if the boy did this sort of thing all the time.

“ There you are, Mikey!” The man sighed in relief, hugging his son tightly. The rest of his sons looked up at them with smiles, just as happy as their father was to see their brother back safely. “Michael, what have we told you about running off like that?”

Mikey pouted a bit, nuzzling into the crook of his father’s neck. “But I didn't leave the building this time. I just wanted to go see the art an’ see more people.”

“And we can still go look at the art, together as a family,” the man told him before making his tone a bit more stern, “But please promise me no more running off, otherwise we will go home, alright?”

“Kay…” “Thank you.” Unable to stay too mad at his son, the man gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, instantly putting a smile back on Mikey’s face. With that situation taken care of, he turned his attention back to Draxum. “And thank you for finding him.”

“Well, it was more like he found me but, you're welcome,” Draxum nodded. Now that he was closer to him, Draxum could see more of the man’s features. His strong chin and smile, his bright slightly-mischievous eyes that were undeterred by any wrinkles that might have surrounded them, and the small streaks of grey in the man’s dark hair, making him look rather distinguished instead of just middle-aged. Yes, the man was certainly handsome, Draxum could admit, and… Sort of familiar.

Not wanting to seem like he was staring, Draxum glanced away as he continued. “It helps that this gallery isn't one of the bigger ones in New York, just one of the more exclusive ones.”

The man chuckled, setting Mikey down so he could talk with his brothers - the one in red already taking his hand so he couldn't run off again. “Tell me about it. But, unfortunately, I don't think space matters much to a child. You give them a second, and they'll run off in the blink of an eye.”

“Seems like you've got your hands full,” Draxum commented. The man nodded, letting just a bit of fatigue slip into his expression, though it did nothing to cancel out his happiness.

“What can I say?” He shrugged, “‘Having your hands full’ is pretty much a father’s job description. But, it's the job I want so, what can you do?” A bit sappy, maybe, but Draxum still found himself smiling back at the man, just a little. “Anyway, thank you again for your help.” He held out his hand. “Name’s Lou, by the way.”

“Lou…” Draxum repeated as he extended his own hand, and as they shook, it came to him. “Wait, are- Are you Lou Jitsu?”

Lou smirked, his glasses gleaming slightly as he tilted his head. “You know, I wondered if anyone would recognize me tonight. You a fan?”

“Hardly,” Draxum smirked back, “As far as I'm concerned, most of your movies are too cheesy even for ironic enjoyment. Though, the action scenes are usually the most impressive parts.” He had seen the man’s skills in other forms too, like in demonstrations or on talk show segments on tv a few years ago. He certainly wasn't the best actor, but the man certainly knew how to fight. (Had strong muscles and a pretty decent figure too, if Draxum remembered correctly.)

Choosing to focus on the positive part, Lou laughed again. “Yeah well, that's what happens when you do your own stunts. Much more of an impressive show~” Once they finally released each other’s hand, Lou crossed his arms, striking a bit of a subtle pose. “So, what can I call you?”

“Draxum,” he replied simply, “Dr. Draxum.”

“Well-” “Wait!” The two men glanced down at the boy in purple now staring up at them. “Did you say doctor?” He asked, “Have you ever cut someone open?”

“Donnie!” His red brother whispered, giving him a small nudge.

“What, Raph? That's what doctors do!” Donnie scowled back, “It's how they fixed Leo’s arm when he broke it.”

The boy in blue leaned over and quickly argued, “It was that tree that broke my arm, Donnie, not me! Would’a made it to the top if it wasn't for the branch!” Donnie just rolled his eyes while Mikey giggled at his older brothers’ antics.

“I'm afraid I'm not that kind of doctor,” Draxum answered, “I'm more of a scientist, actually. I study genetics and biochemistry with a bit of biology mixed in.” Realizing this might have been a bit too complex for a child, he added, “I try to figure out what makes people and other things the way they are, as well as how to possibly improve them. But no, no cutting people open for me.”

However, Donnie was hardly disappointed. If anything, he looked MORE excited and impressed. “Well, looks like you've earned yourself a fan, doctor,” Lou said, clearly amused.

Draxum gave a small chuckle. “I suppose so.” As annoying as children could be, he could admit that these boys were sort of endearing, in a way.

But even charming children could still be impatient and insistent, especially younger ones, “Can we go see the art now, Papa?” Mikey asked, already trying to pull away from his oldest brother’s grip and run off once again.

Lou nodded. “Yes yes, Mikey, we will go see the art.” The boys each gave a small cheer, eager to finally get going again after such a long and worrying delay. Knowing his good deed for the night was done, Draxum began to back away when a small hand grabbed onto him once more.

“You can come see the art too, Dr. Draxum!” Mikey insisted, “We can all see it together!”

Draxum hesitated. “Well, I-”

“Yeah, come on!” Raph agreed, the twins nodding along with him.

“You can keep talking to Dad about grown up stuff,” Leo offered.

“And you can talk to US about science stuff!” Donnie added.

“Yeah!” Mikey grinned, “It’ll be fun, right?” “Really fun!” “Super fun-!”

“Alright boys, settle down.” Lou took a moment to gently pull them all back before looking back up at Draxum, his slightly-cocky smile a bit softer now. More inviting, though not insistent, letting him know that he wouldn't be forced to stay if he didn't want to. Draxum definitely appreciated that. “Well, what do you say, Doc? Do you feel like putting up with us for a bit longer?”

Draxum looked at the family, and then at the front door. Sure enough, one of Big Mama’s guards were still there, causing him to still feel a twinge of annoyance despite his change of mood. He really did feel like heading home and curling into silent solitude with an old science fiction novel he had been meaning to finish for some time now.

...But, if he HAD to stay there, he knew for a fact that there was much worse and much more annoying company he could have… Turning back around, he allowed himself to give Lou a small smile in return as he gave his answer. “I guess I could accompany you all for another hour or so.”

The kids cheered again while Lou just grinned. “Well then, what are we waiting for?” And just like that, Draxum was led back upstairs, making sure to take small steps on the way, lest he trip over any tiny humans as he walked. He also felt a hand - one much bigger than a child’s - brush past his, just for a moment... He tried not to think about it too much.

Instead he focused on the art, and the idle chatter of the children that now surrounded him. They’d ask him questions occasionally, about the paintings or about his line of work as a scientist (Donnie especially focused on the latter). Naturally, he answered the questions as best he could, not minding them after a while. It helped that Lou also remained interested in the conversation, offering his own comments and answers and even questions.

True, the semi-retired action film star wasn’t much of an artisan - in fact, Draxum was starting to wonder how he managed to get an invite to this event in the first place - but at least he was enjoyable to listen and talk to. A bit over the top, yes, but not yet obnoxious and instead settling around entertaining.

They jumped from topic to topic as they went around the exhibit, and even when there was a pause, it was a comfortable sort of silence. They stayed to watch the auction for a bit, but after Raph tried to bid on a stylized painting of various reptiles and his brothers started getting bored, Lou and Draxum decided it was time to call it a night. While he knew he didn’t need to, Draxum still stayed just long enough to walk the family of five outside to the valet.

The kids said their goodbyes (with Mikey even giving Draxum’s legs a quick hug) before racing to the car, leaving the two men alone. Not one for awkward goodbyes, Draxum simply gave Lou a small nod before sticking his hand out

Lou stared at it for a moment, and then produced a pen so fast that Draxum almost thought he pulled it out of thin air, and took the other man’s hand before he could pull it back. Draxum raised an eyebrow. “What, repaying me with an autograph?” he asked, holding back a smirk.

“Nope. Something even better.” Not bothering to explain any more, Lou wrote down what he needed to before turning on his heel and walking to his car. Draxum looked at his palm, and-

“...Seriously?” Draxum said flatly, eyes going from the phone number in his hand to Lou, who just gave him a wink before ducking into the car and driving away. Draxum scoffed, shaking his head. Honestly, what was this, some cheesy 80s rom-com? “...Guess I should’ve suspected that from a movie star...”

He stared at the numbers in his hand, memorizing them within a few seconds but only putting his hand down when he heard sharp footsteps coming up behind him. “Well well~ I didn’t see you bidding, but it looks like you’re still taking home a sweet souvenir, hm?”

“And here I thought you had abandoned me for the night,” Draxum replied, “But it looks like I wasn’t that lucky.”

“Oh, I think you were VERY lucky~” Big Mama giggled, “Don’t think I didn’t see all of you. He certainly was a looker, and those babies of his were abso-tivitilly adorable~!”

Draxum glared at her, but Big Mama didn’t even flinch. “What, am I wrong?” He said nothing, and began walking as soon as he saw his own car pull up.

“I’ll see you at the next budget negotiations, and I expect to see all of my funds accounted for until then, Arachna.”

“But of course! I’m a woman of my word,” Mama assured, “Oh, and don’t you worry that pretty, silly head of yours, Draxy. If I invite you to any more evenings out, I’ll be sure to check the guest list ahead of time.”

“I’d rather you promise to never speak to me again.” Again, his words just bounced off the heiress, for both of them knew who really had the power in their business arrangement, and she just waved as he drove off. But, for once, Draxum didn’t let his annoyance towards the woman ruin his night.

...Instead, he remained annoyed at the part of him that actually wouldn’t mind a couple more evenings with a certain someone. The part of him that kept thinking about the numbers in his hand, and the bright smile that refused to leave his mind...