#I believe their called snapdragon but I’m not sure

[cits-cookie-brainrot]

I want. So bad. For this baby dragon to end up imprinting on Pitaya and vise versa. Adult and baby dragon bonding, please???

[seireiteihellbutterfly]

Unconventional Flowers Event - July

Snapdragon Birthday ft Nanami

A/N: July prompt for my Unconventional Flowers Event. Happy Birthday Nanami!!! <3 <3 Rating: E, safe, fluffy, cute Word Count: 1.5k

“Nanamiiiiiin!” Gojo calls out before gluing himself to the blond’s side, causing a vein to begin throbbing in his forehead.

“Gojo, I told you not to call me that here at school.” Nanami clips out irritably, pausing in his now futile dash across the courtyard to avoid the blue-eyed menace. Gojo merely grins and slaps his shoulder.

“Don’t be so upset Nanamin. I just wanted to ask you what you wanted for your birthday this year.”

“For you to disappear.”

Gojo chuckles at the tart reply, shaking his head.  “Come on, seriously, what do you want?”

Nanami is about to bite out another short answer when laughter is heard across the courtyard and his attention is distracted as he follows the noise. At the sight of you, all his features soften, and a stab of jealousy makes itself known as he sees you flanked by Kusakabe, gaily joking and chattering away like a pair of birds as you walk past.

This action does not go unnoticed by Gojo who grins at the silent way Nanami is fawning over you, his keen eyes following your movements behind green glass as you disappear into your office. Kusakabe thankfully, seemed to have other business as he did not follow you inside, and Nanami’s racing heart slows down slightly.

“Perhaps my question should’ve been who can I get for your birthday rather than what.” Gojo crosses his arms and smirks, and Nanami flushes, the tips of his ears turning pink.

“I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about,” he says in a commendable voice of calm, but the tightness of his shoulders and flushed face give him away. 

“Aw, I can’t believe Nanamin has a crush!” Gojo teases, enjoying the way Nanami’s ire starts to escalate. “On the new hire no less! She’s quite popular eh?”

“She’s…respectable. Talented, I suppose.”

“And gorgeous. Oh c’mon Nanamin, anyone with eyes can see that you like her. And that’s fine!”

Nanami bites his inner cheek and takes a deep breath to control the temptation to thump Gojo on the head. “My interest in her is professional. It’s natural to be curious about the new hire.”

Gojo’s eyes were glittering behind his blindfold. “Then I suppose it would be of no interest to you if I said Higuruma is also…curious about the new hire?”

“What? It’s not just Kusakabe?” Caught, Nanami quickly glances away. Gojo chortles then pats Nanami on the back.

“It’s ok Nanamin. Just admit it.”

“I was just surprised. I mean, it’s unprofessional to pursue someone new without…”

“Without?” Gojo prompts him, practically eating up Nanami’s flustered embarrassment when he fails to finish his sentence.

“Without…letting them settle in first. You know, she’s hardly spent time with any of the rest of us, If Kusakabe and Higuruma take up all her time, then when will she get to know the rest of us?”

“Oh, I think you mean, when will there be time for her to get to know you?”

Nanami’s heart constricts jealously but he remains silent, not speaking or looking at Gojo. The white-haired man sighs, then talks to him sympathetically. “Nanamin, you were my junior. I’m glad you like someone. And for your birthday, I’ll make sure you end up on a date with her.”

The blond sighs exasperatedly and shakes his head, heart hammering in his chest. “Gojo, please don’t meddle. What if she has a boyfriend? I don’t want this to become awkward for her.”

“And what if she doesn’t have a boyfriend, but because you didn’t say anything, Kusakabe becomes her new boyfriend? Or Higuruma?”

A nasty green monster reared its head inside Nanami’s chest and he sighed resignedly. “I swear to god Gojo, if this is another one of your hare-brained schemes-”

“It’s not hare-brained. It’s fully-brained. Trust me Nanamin.” Gojo already had plans in motion in his head. Sighing, Nanami looks at him, looking absolutely adorable, pink dusting his cheeks. Resisting the urge to pinch them, Gojo continues.

“Send her a bouquet of snapdragon flowers.”

Nanami blinks and looks at him. “Snapdragons?” he repeated to make sure he hadn’t heard incorrectly. 

“Yup!” Gojo grins brightly. “In Victorian times, women wore snapdragons in their hair and clothes to ward off unwanted attention from men!”

“And how does this help me?”

“Kusakabe and Higuruma will leave her alone! Then everything will fall into place! Just trust me! Send the flowers.” Gojo starts walking away leaving Nanami looking perplexed.

He shakes his head, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying not to throw something at Gojo’s retreating head. While sending flowers to impress a woman may not necessarily be unconventional, Gojo’s insistence on the type of flower gives him a strange feeling that it may all go to hell. 

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

You blink in surprise at the bouquet of beautiful, colorful blooms on your desk, the adorable little snapdragon flowers all sitting in sweet innocence waiting to be freed from the protective plastic wrap surrounding the bouquet. Deep down, you can’t help but feel slightly serendipitous at the sight because snapdragons happened to be your favorite flower since you were a kid, their tales of warding off evil and the cute way the flower petals opened and closed like a dragon’s maw when squeezed tugging on your whimsical heartstrings.

Spotting a small card, you open it, a curious smile tugging at your lips as you read. 

For warding off other eyes, until you finally meet mine

You can’t help but ponder at the cryptic note. Kusakabe was not a flowers type of guy, and Higuruma was more of a straight-to-dinner type of guy. You racked your brain, wondering, but the rest of the team just hadn’t been giving you attention that could warrant them sending you a flower bouquet. 

Deciding it was best to think about this over coffee, you wander into the staffroom, which was relatively empty, save for Nanami, who was drinking his coffee while poring over the newspaper, seated in a comfortable chair near the window.

“Morning,” you call out. Nanami looks at you then hastily splutters out a good morning as he fumbles with his coffee cup. He wipes his mouth with a napkin, trying to regain his composure. He’s thankful your back is to him as he tries to contain his embarrassment. 

“Slow morning?” you ask him as you begin to pour your coffee. Nanami is about to answer when a sudden gust of air blows in through the window, surprising the both of you. The blond looks rather put off as he glares at something outside the window. 

“Mad at the air, are we now?” You try to joke as his attention turns back to you. 

“Ah, no! Just…I lost my spot in the newspaper now…” He gestures at the jumbled pages and quickly tries to rearrange them, but you can’t help but notice the little flowers now suddenly stuck in his hair…

“Nanami san?” You tentatively approach him, taking in how he suddenly stiffens, apparently unsure how to react.

“Yes?” he manages in that contained, clipped tone. 

“You have…flowers in your hair.” You reach over to pluck a pink one out of his hair.

“Do I? Oh the wind must’ve…blown a bunch,” he says rather flusteredly as he starts combing his fingers through his hair trying to extricate the blooms. 

“You don’t happen to like snapdragon flowers do you?” You show him the flower you’d pulled out, which resembled the ones in your bouquet and Nanami freezes, feeling tension pool into his muscles, his ability to think gone in an instant. 

“Did you send me flowers this morning?”

Mouth dry, heart hammering in his chest, Nanami swallows, unsure what to do, then nods.

“Were you being nice or…did they have another meaning?”

“Birthday.” Nanami manages to form the word, then takes a breath and continues. “It’s my birthday tomorrow. And I’d love it if you would join me for dinner.”

Your eyes light up at the invitation. “I’d love to! I didn’t know it was your birthday!” You bite your cheek to prevent the laughter from spilling out at how the relief dawns on his face.

“Great. I’ll finalize the details by today if that’s ok?”

“Yeah, of course! Now I have to think of a present for you!”

Nanami quickly shakes his head. “No need. Just. Have dinner with me.”

Your smile is wide and sincere as you look at him, wondering how you’d never noticed him before. It was like a veil had been lifted off your vision. You look around, quickly grab a pen off the table, and scribble your number on the corner of the newspaper Nanami is reading.

He looks at you in disbelief, and then the smallest of smiles graces his features, making you blush slightly.

“Text me.” With another smile you take your coffee cup and wander back to your office, feeling like you’re walking on air.

Nanami allows himself to grin fully once you’re gone, then huffs. He couldn’t believe it.

“I told you I’d get you a date with her for your birthday!” 

“Go away Gojo!” Nanami sticks his head out of the window to shout as the blue-eyed sorcerer floated outside the window, crushed snapdragons in his hands, and the widest smirk on his face. 

all dividers by @/ cafekitsune

@actuallysaiyan @whatshernameis @daswanj @estarlias @byul9158 @mirrors-musings @Mangiswig @that-goth-bisexual @connorsui @jadedjane @darkstarlight82 @soft--cherry @Galatict3a

[cheerycherrycandy-resurrected]

A Very Midwest Emo Yuletide

I didn't intend on posting this on Christmas, but here we are! Oh and hi @alwaysjustmina I believe I promised you this...

Found-family Yuletide meal, set in the Midwest Emo Ghouls AU. Mountain and Swiss are hosting the annual Yuletide meal and everyone's invited, even a special guest from New York...

Some Ghroup Yuletide meal found family fluff, not at all inspired by my uni-reunion-christmas-meal last weekend.

Rating: General wc: ~ 1600

Read below the cut or on AO3!

For the Midwest Emo AU, when there's multiple career hcs on the tag I chose my favorite, likewise sorry for any Britishisms. I’m saying this has the same “US-UK-hodgepodge" vibes as Sex Education did on Netflix...

“Give me a hand, Mount!” called Swiss, as he dragged a freshly-felled fir tree through the door. As always he’d left it to the last minute and, as always, he’d overestimated the size of tree they could realistically fit inside their low-ceilinged farmhouse on the edge of town.

Mountain chuffed in amusement, drying his hands on his apron, before helping Swiss bully the tree into a somewhat-upright position in the corner, into the holder he had made many years previously.

“Fewer squirrels still living in it this year then, Snapdragon?” Mountain laughed over his shoulder, bustling back to the kitchen end of the large room.

“I can’t promise!” Swiss paused to re-tie his boots, before grabbing a bucket and heading back out the door to dig up the root vegetables he had held back specially for their Yuletide feast. Almost everyone was coming this year, and they were sure to be hungry.

“Where are we on the schedule then Mounty?” asked Aurora, her rolled-up sleeves the only part of her not dusted in flour or icing of some kind. She bent down to glare at the cake she had in the oven, daring it not to rise.

“We’re making good time Ror, the Turkey’s ready to go in as soon as your cake is finished, I’ll make pigs-in-blankets later, then it’s just potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and sprouts as soon as Swiss is done. Have you heard how the girls are getting on this morning?”

“Lulu says Cirrus filled the car with bottles last night so we’re good for drinks, and she already made a Yule log and a plum pudding yesterday, and a trifle this morning!”

“Everything’s going to plan then. I hope Dew’s given Rain time to prepare everything they’re bringing…”

Across town, Rain was indeed pushed for time, thanks to his rather stressed husbands buzzing around his head all morning. He was incredibly grateful he’d made the stuffing and cranberry sauce the night before; he was running behind finishing his nut roast, and hadn’t even started on the cauliflower cheese yet. Dewdrop was panicking about his upcoming Yuletide sermon, a yearly occurrence (both the panicking and the sermon), and Phantom had somehow managed to lose all of the craft materials he needed for the youth club event he was running at the church with Sunshine.

When their doorbell rang, immediately followed by several loud knocks signalling Sunny’s characteristic impatience, Rain had breathed a sign of relief. She had whisked Phant away for the day, reminding him that she had all the construction paper and glitter, and promising to be at Swiss and Mountain’s on time for the meal later. Rain was glad she was driving, last year he’d still been vacuuming glitter out of his car in April. Sunny taught pre-K at the local school, and since the school term had already ended, she and Phantom were running an extended youth group session for the children and kits who’s parents had to work today. She had been over at the youth pastor’s house several nights this week already, trying to teach him how to make pipe-cleaner Yule goats.

Now just Dew remained, and Rain was splitting his time between packing his nut roast into a pan, and reassuring Dew that yes, his sermon’s message was clear, no it wasn’t boring, yes he would still love him if it went badly, and no he’s not fed up with him talking about it, and nor is Phantom. Eventually, he stuffed a wooden spoon into his hand, and told him to get stirring the cheese sauce while the cauliflower steamed.

Back at the farmhouse, Aurora’s cake was cooling on the side and the turkey was in the oven. Swiss had returned with enough vegetables to feed a small army which he was busy washing and chopping to roast with honey from his bees later. Mountain and Aurora were hurriedly decorating the tree, hanging almost a decade’s worth of decorations made and gifted to them by Mountain and Swiss’ scout troop. Cirrus and Cumulus were due to arrive any minute, and the hosts wanted their home to feel suitably festive before they put them to work helping to finish dinner.

“Ding dong!” trilled a voice entering through the open kitchen door. Cumulus bustled in, arms laden with goodies. “Cir’s just backing the car up.”

“Hey Lus, good to see you!” Swiss moved to pull her into a hug, remembering at the last minute to put down the large knife he was holding first.

“Lulu! My dessert queen!” squealed Aurora as she ran back into the kitchen, her socked feet sliding on the flagstone floor. She narrowly avoided toppling into Cirrus, bags clinking with bottles that no doubt promised a good time once they returned from church that evening. “Oh, hi Riri, did you bring the lavender syrup from the bar?”

“Let her breathe first, Petal.” Mountain also re-entered the kitchen, and laid one of his large and gentle hands on Aurora’s shoulder.

“Hello Rory, everyone, happy Yule!” setting the bags gently on the floor, Cirrus deftly extracted a small purple bottle from one of them. “Lavender syrup, m’lady”.

“Amazing, thanks Cir! Lu, will you help me taste the frosting for my cake? I don’t want to add too much lavender, I can’t feed Mist soap cake!”

Biting back a smile, Cumulus let herself be dragged over to the still cooling cake, and the bowl of frosting waiting next to it. Aurora and Her Yule Cake had been a much discussed topic all week: Aurora’s not-at-all-subtle crush on Mist, the ghoulette who owned the town’s small record shop, was not as secret as she may have hoped. After their last run-in at the coffee shop Rory worked in, during which Mist had briefly mentioned that her favourite cake was an Earl-Grey and lavender concoction she’d had in her art student days, Aurora had been obsessed with the idea of making it for their Yule celebration. Mist wasn’t due to arrive until later in the day, as she lodged in Zephyr’s spare room and had promised them and Omega a lift out to the farm straight after they finished work at the local GP surgery.

Mountain pottered back over to check on the turkey, and hummed in satisfaction at what he saw. He began loading Cumulus’ desserts into the fridge, before pulling out sausages and bacon to assemble Phantom’s favourite Yuletide trimming.

The next to arrive were Rain and Dew, both looking somewhat frazzled, arms loaded with foil-covered trays. Separately and silently, the pair dumped their offerings on the counter before beelining for the fridge for a drink to de-stress. Mountain snickered and shook his head at them fondly, before putting Rain’s nut roast into the oven and removing the turkey to rest. There was a reason Rain, Dew and Phantom never hosted Yule, after all.

Phantom and Sunny showed up a while later, both with hair full of glitter and even some in Phantom’s eyebrow. The children and kits from the youth church group had made them their annual Yuletide decorations, which they hung on the tree with Cirrus. Phantom proudly showed off his best attempt yet at a Yule goat to Dew, the horns almost even this time.

Last to arrive, as expected, were Omega, Zephyr and Mist, Omega still loosening his festive tie as he walked in the door and trading it with Swiss for a beer. Aurora was very glad she had changed her flour-dusted outfit after her baking escapades: Mist had clearly put in effort, her short shock of icy platinum hair meticulously styled to look effortless. As she laid a cool hand on Aurora’s arm, wishing her a happy Yuletide in her low, soft voice, Aurora had blushed almost as red as the sequins on her dress.

Eventually, Swiss managed to wrangle everybody into a mis-match of seats around the table, and Mountain led the charge of serving up the food. In a flurry of plates, side-dishes and serving spoons, everybody soon had a plate piled high with their annual Yuletide feast.

Just as Mountain was taking the final seat, there was a knock at the door. While the others shared confused glances, Mountain and Swiss exchanged a knowing look.

“Get the door would you Dew? You’re closest.” asked Swiss.

Dew huffed and rolled his eyes, but there was no heat behind it. He moved to the door, throwing it open to meet a pair of warm, violet eyes above a soft and almost sheepish grin.

“Aether!” he had all-but shrieked, throwing himself into the larger ghoul’s chest with such force he almost pushed him straight back out the door.

“Hey there Firefly, Happy Yule.” Aether brought large arms up to encircle Dew in a hug, slowly walking them far enough into the house to close the door.

“Glad you made it Aeth!” Swiss smiled, clapping him on the shoulder as he pulled another chair up to the table, squeezing it in between his and Dew’s.

“Just in time too!” Mountain placed a hastily filled extra plate of food in front of the new chair, and leaned over a still-attached Dewdrop to gently knock horns with Aether. Aether deposited Dew back into his seat before taking his own, exchanging greetings with the other ghouls, both old friends and newer.

After a very merry Yule feast, but before stuffing themselves further with dessert and cake – or getting lost to Cirrus’ lethal cocktails – they piled into a selection of cars to head to church, all of Dew’s nerves forgotten in the excitement of Aether’s return.

[vellichor-of-the-solivagant]

How to Plant Snapdragons (pt. 3)

Task Force 141 + König + Keegan x Female Criminal!Reader (except Captain Price, because he'll be like a father to the bunch and König and Keegan won't appear until later on in the story)

CHAPTER SUMMARY: You tell Ghost, Gaz, and Soap why you were in prison.

You are currently reading Chapter 3. Here is Chapter 2 and the Masterlist!

CONTENT WARNING: Strong Language WORD COUNT: 3k

A hand slammed on the table across you, and Kyle's booming voice echoed in the dining hall. "I've heard of the news!"

You sat with Johnny, while the Lieutenant was on the other side, where Gaz had also pulled himself a seat. You had your usual bright and smiley face that could rival the sun. You seemed as though you had just successfully run away from the base, skipping on some puddles.

You faced Gaz and smirked, knowing that your glorious feat had traveled the speed of light across this realm of gunpowder and tanks.

There weren't many people in the place, considering it was late afternoon, but it already seemed night because of the dark sky. You had changed clothes and eaten a portion of food before your superiors got to find you after you managed to slip away from them again. There were only a handful of soldiers scattered in the hall—considering it was a couple of hours past lunch—chatting their free time away and keeping their ears and eyes sharp for gossip. Gossip meant you.

You kept your legs crossed the entire time, in an attempt to hide the monitor. Every time it beeped and lighted up, you couldn't help but cringe. You hated being the center of attention and this thing that technically screams, 'Hey, keep your eyes on me, I might drive a tank into the base, uwu! Or I’m going to steal a bird and go HASTA LA VISTA BITCHES AND BROS AND NON-BINARY HOES IMMA GO HELICOPTER HELICOPTER!’ made it worse.

Except you didn’t know shit how to drive those things.

(That can’t stop you)

"Heard you got four combos," Kyle said, leaning over the table. "Two critical hits on each ball, eh?"

Ghost made a face under his mask, rolling his eyes. "Fuckin' hell."

"Aye, and a knock-out for his dignity," Soap shook his head with a couple of clicks of his tongue. "Poor guy vomited in the gym after the bloody massacre of his future children."

You giggled at his comment and shifted your gaze back down to the sheets of paper you had finally stolen. If it can be called that because the Lt. and Soap were staring at you the entire time you snatched them, along with a pen for fuck's sake in Price's office, before bouncing.

"I was planning on teaching the kid a lesson but . . . what the fuck are you—" Johnny glanced over his shoulder, wide eyes darting around the canteen before setting them back on the papers you focused on. You were drawing a bunch of nude dudes, not even hesitating to add nipples and balls and dicks—why were they so big, though? "Why are ya drawing that?!" He yelled in a whisper, his large hands covering your paper.

Both Ghost and Gaz peered over the gaps between his fingers and looked away the moment they saw someone else's balls. Then, Gaz quickly put his hand over the rest of your drawings his fellow Sergeant couldn't cover as a soldier passed by your table.

"Anatomy?" You waved a hand, raised a brow, and shook your head as though he didn't get something so obvious. "Renaissance art?"

Soap frowned at you. "I'm pretty sure Renaissance paintings don't have this much nudity, and they surely weren't holdin’ one another's cocks and lookin’ like they’re enjoying it!”

"Well, yes and no, sir." You tried to push their hands away but fuck those muscles staying like fucking statues. "Wanna know why nudity was common during that era? It is to revive Roman and Greek art, which focuses on the human body and nature. And they believe that without any clothing, they can see the purest form of the human body."

"That still doesn't explain that they're fucking holding—"

"Shush!" You put a hand over Kyle's face. "They're feeling each other's pureness, Gaz. They're feeling each other."

"The fuck—"

You slapped your other hand over Soap's mouth, gazing intently at him. "It's called an art style, Soap. An art style. A preference.”

"Well, other than ya have a peculiar preference, your drawings are well mint," Ghost claimed as he carefully took one of your drawings under Kyle’s hand and closely took in the details of the person you drew. The shadows and shades on the man’s visage made it seem like it was a photograph of a marble statue, which made him feel as though he was standing before it. You flawlessly captured the feelings and emotions—a life that he didn’t know would be possible with a pen.

He put it down and slid it back to you. “What did ya take in college?”

You brought your hands down from the sergeants’ faces and picked up the pen. “I majored in Civil Engineering." You spun the pen between your fingers and looked down at your drawing with a small smile.

You had traveled around, jumping from one country to another after you graduated. Met several interesting people, learned unforgettable and valuable things, and got into trouble with them. But that was what made your life colorful, painting over sceneries you had witnessed, covered in red. That, until you caught a bald eagle’s eye while he was on the hunt.

Also, what the fuck is ‘well mint’?

"And what got a bloody engineering student in prison?” Kyle questioned in a low voice. “Can’t be the one I heard around.”

Ghost glanced at him with a frown, while Soap glared at him, shaking his head as a warning, and Gaz in response, made an ‘o’ with his mouth, nodding.

“I blew up the university because the Dean said if the campus caught fire, she would let everyone pass,” You said, which made their heads whip in your direction in an instant, while you started to sketch on a clean sheet. “I was desperate for a good grade, but I didn’t know the Dean would be in her office as the fire spread.”

Johnny gaped at you in disbelief. “Bloody hell, for a grade?”

Gaz raised a brow. “Seriously?”

You snorted. “No.”

Both the sergeants made a face, whereas Ghost let out a low scoff.

“But I have truly always cared for grades,” you started again, “even though they say high grades aren’t everything and they are just numbers, I used to think they were everything. Then, whenever I see people partying around in clubs, I begin to get jealous of them because they seem free like they don’t have anything to worry about.” You glanced at them and found they were listening attentively, so you continued. “One night, I said screw this shit and went in a club.”

“Well, sometimes, ya just have to let loose, you know?” Soap said, leaning back against the chair. “We also go to the pub once in a while to drink.”

“And all hell breaks loose,” Ghost claimed, eyeing Soap knowingly.

Your brows raised. Oh?

“Shut up, Lt.” He glared at him, pouting a bit, which Ghost ignored. Then, Soap put his elbow on the table and propped his chin on his palm, then turned his head to you. “So, ya went to the club?”

“Yeah, met a couple of guys,” you copied his actions, “seduced those couple of guys.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Had a sloppy make-out in the bathroom.”

“Damn, aren’t ya fast?” Gaz asked, smiling.

You turned to him. “Went to the hotel . . . and drunk their blood.”

Soap straightened up in a blink. “Awa' an’ bile yer heid. I thought it was real this time!”

“Oh, damn it.” Gaz slapped the table.

You laughed, throwing your head back in amusement.

Ghost crossed his arms, tilting his head a bit. “You have your way with stories, don’t you?”

“I’m an avid fan of fiction. Either I write it or read it. It’s a way for me to escape reality.” You tapped on one of your sketches. “And if I can’t read or write it, I draw it. Although, sometimes, it also stresses me out when I can’t get things right.” You sighed, furrowing your brows lightly.

They stared at you for a moment, then shared glances, silently deciding it was believable enough, considering your request for books to Laswell and your eagerness to draw.

“Alright, what’s next?” Gaz spoke, motioning a hand. “You found a doll that turned out to be alive and a killing machine.”

You grinned, placing your pen down and riding along his joke. “Preyed on a bunch of children, led them in a sewer with candies and balloons.”

“Isn’t that Chucky and It?” Johnny asked, raising a brow.

“Didn’t expect you famous gentlemen would know those movies.” You nodded in acknowledgment and pointed at him. “Well, your turn.”

“A doll ya found in the basement of yer new house turned out to be possessed,” Soap fired, pointing back at me. “Why is it always dolls, though?”

You shrugged.

“Scared of dolls, Soap?” Gaz wiggled his brows with a teasing smile.

His fellow sergeant rolled his eyes. “The fuck I would be.”

Then, the three of you faced Ghost, who had remained silent and still on his chair. His eyes went back and forth between you three before he sighed. “Ya killed people with a chainsaw.”

You three nodded at him and you commented, “Classic.” Before you could say another word, you noticed Simon finishing something out of his pockets, a phone that you oh-so wanted to still just so you could read some fanfictions on the net. Soap and Gaz followed his actions.

At this rate, you were just going to make your own fanfiction to keep your sanity.

“Come on.” Soap nudged at you and stood up, making the chair creak.

The fun finally lasted and seemed something that you dreaded to do came sooner than expected.

You gathered and rolled your drawings carefully, and stuck the ballpen onto your bun, before following them out of the chow hall.

Laswell’s voice echoed from the laptop on Captain Price’s table, and you and the 141 stood in front of it, listening to the intel she had gathered. The map of Brazil appeared on the screen, making you raise a brow as it zoomed onto the mountains, which were covered in houses instead of nature.

“Supposedly our target, Fabrício, is in his base in Rio de Janeiro, we’ll finally be able to know his deals with Hassan.” Price crossed his arms and glanced at the rest of the group. “However, there’ll be mostly likely civilians around the area, so we have to watch our fire.”

“Rio de Janeiro . . .” You mumbled and put your fingers under your chin, which caught their attention. You faced the Captain, who had a questioning look at you. “Uh,” you raised a hand as though you were going to answer a teacher’s question, “may I say a humble suggestion?”

He nodded. “Speak.”

You gulped. “I may know some things about Rio that could bring us advantages."

Ghost fully turned his body at you. “What’re ya getting at?”

“During this time of the year, Rio holds their famous Carnival for a week every night until dawn. Millions of people go there, so their streets will be mostly empty or people will be in their houses. Yet at the same time, if you wander around at night in their streets, you’ll get targeted by criminals.” You pointed at the image of your target, a man with short curly hair and dark skin. “If that guy deals with international transactions, he’ll be most likely a boss of the local outlaws and militia or protected by them. So, at times of major events like this, eyes will be off them and they’ll be able to move freely.” You brought your hand down. “But so can we.”

Price’s brows furrowed a bit and he looked at the map on the screen. “That’s . . . good thinking.” He tapped on the pad of the laptop and said, “Laswell, I’d like to—”

“Damn, lassie, how’d you know that?” Johnny questioned, a grin appearing on his lips as he put his arm around your shoulders again.

Meanwhile, Price proceeded to discuss the changes in the mission with Kate.

“I’m pretty interested in Rio because of the Carnival, yeah, and the statue of Christ the Redeemer and their beaches.” You crossed your arms to stop yourself from wrapping your arms around him as well and take the chance to squeeze his chest, biceps, and cakes. “Also, they are famous for being good at football and beach volleyball. I used to play some sports during my school days and they’re one of those.”

“Well,” Gaz also dropped his arm around you, but on your lower back, making you gulp, “aren’t you talented, miss? Wouldn’t be surprised if you're pretty famous on your campus.”

You sighed. “Don’t call me ‘miss’, and no, I’m not famous. I like solitude to be honest."

Soap pulled you a bit closer. “Ah, like the Lieutenant until he shows off his skills, aye?”

“I am not a show-off.” Ghost glared at you three. “Also, there are several disadvantages to your strategy.”

“Yessir.” You nodded and the sergeants let go of you. You raised three of your fingers. “The target is in their home ground, they know the place like the back of their hand and the difference between our numbers."

"And that's exactly why we have a backup,” Price declared in a serious voice, followed by beeps coming from the laptop which caught your attention, and General Shepherd’s profile popped out, meaning he was listening to the discussion or might be watching you without seeing him.

You pursed your lips, running your tongue through the light cracks, but kept your eyes strained on the screen. You put your hands behind you, squeezing them as hard as you could. You couldn’t miss any detail about the mission that might endanger the 141.

“We will have two teams to corner Fabrício in his base, front and back,” Laswell began once again, bright lines lighting up alleyways on the map, leading up to the mountains of houses. The first profiles to appear in bright boxes were Ghost and Soap. “Bravo team will go through this street.” Then, the Captain, Gaz, and finally, yours, appeared on the screen following a green line. “And the Alpha team will go this way.”

You let out a silent sigh in relief, yet at the same time in disappointment. You’d like to enjoy the calmness of the Captain and Gaz, and their light jokes, but you also wanted to go ape shit with Soap and make dad jokes along the way with Ghost. But what irked you more was the picture of you they used—with the eyebags and pimples. Couldn’t they put a better one for fuck’s sake?

Then, a familiar American’s profile came into view, along with several men in one box, making you frown and yell thousands of curses in your head. “Once we have Fabricio, the Shadow Company will help subdue the militia, and Nikolai will go around in helo for exfil.” As soon as Kate finished explaining, she and the General popped out in a split screen.

“Most importantly, we want Fabrício alive for interrogation,” Shepherd concluded, serious eyes darting at the 141, then settled on you. “And how are you?”

It was hard to put on pants with the monitor on. The food wasn’t any better than in prison. People thought you were a threat to be burned alive if you did something wrong before them. People thought you were a piece of meat. A dog to tame. A whore for trying to become close with the 141. A woman who knew nothing but play around.

Yet you smiled at him, despite all the thoughts that rushed to your mind. Curses that you wanted to scream at him. “Still trying to get used to things around here, sir.” You squeezed your hands, nails digging into your skin.

Gaz glanced at you and noticed your stiffness. He kept his face expressionless, seeing how you looked, and slowly, his eyes made their way to your hands.

Meanwhile, Ghost walked and sauntered behind Price's desk, keeping his eyes on the back of the laptop.

“Really?” He leaned back in his chair, head tilting to the side. “I thought you easily adapt to different environments. Has Laswell spoiled you?”

Fuck him.

“I did not do such a thing, General,” Laswell was quick to retort, a sigh escaping her lips.

She, in fact, did. But that was a story for other times.

You forced out a laugh, flowing along her lie. “If she had, she would have given me a phone, sir.”

Shepherd nodded in acknowledgment. “Very well. I hope 141 is treating you well?”

You opened your mouth to answer, but Soap was faster to speak. “Of course, sir. Now we know one of the reasons why ye pulled her out of prison.” He put a hand on your shoulder, a bright grin appearing on his handsome face, yet you kept your eyes on the bald eagle. “She’s a fun one.”

You clenched your hands harder and planted your nails deeper. Motherfucking hell, Soap, don’t call me fun.

As though spiders crawled down your skin, you shivered.

With Soap's hand still on your shoulder, he felt you shudder.

Shepherd smiled, something that you didn't expect to see. "I see. But I did not put her in the 141 so you could have some fun."

"Ah, yes sir," Soap removed his hand from you and felt a twitch under his eye, "I'm just saying that—"

"She's a criminal, Sergeant Mactavish. The only reason she's out is because she'll be able to help 141. She's a tool you can use, and she knows that herself. So, make sure she continues being good and obedient." With that, his voice went static and soon faded, his picture disappearing from the laptop's screen.

"We will discuss the mission again later on," Laswell quickly filled the silence. "Take care, all of you."

"Thank you, Kate," Price said, turning the laptop in his direction.

"Anytime."

The Captain shut the laptop closed.

Chapter 4 is here!

You can also read the series on AO3 here!

Taglist: @yyiikes, @the-faceless-bride, @sae1kie

Note: Hope you guys like this Chap and don't forget to comment because I eat them when I have a bad day! Also, I've been thinking about this, would you guys like the one and only Keegan P. Russ as one of our men here?

[sergeantsporks]

Hexside University’s Falling Down

CW for: Depictions of abuse, emetophobia, alcohol, panic attacks, victim blaming, gaslighting.

xxx

“Guess who got a court summons?” Willow sang, plunking an envelope down on Eda’s nightstand.

Luz’s back straightened. “You did?! For Hunter’s case? That’s amazing!”

Eda grinned from her hospital bed. “Remind me to send Darius some thank you chocolate.”

“Don’t thank him yet,” Amity’s voice grumbled from the doorway.

Luz jumped up, grabbing her around the waist and swinging her in a circle. “Amity! You’re free!”

Amity kissed her cheek, then waved an envelope of her own. “My parents wanted me to reject jury duty since I’m a student. Buuuuuuuut I said yes, so they had to let me out. Legally.”

“You’ve got one, too? Great!”

“Not so fast. This means I can’t testify, so while it’s great for the vote, it’s not great for your evidence pile. My parents both got summons as well. So did Terra Snapdragon, if my dad is to be believed. That’s one heavily in favor of Belos.” Amity shook her head. “You don’t need to convince Willow and I to vote in Hunter’s favor. And you’ll never convince Terra to vote for you.”

“Okay?”

“Luz, what I’m saying is to forget whatever your argument is. Two members of the jury are unequivocally for you. One member is for sure against. There are two members of the jury that aren’t set in stone who you actually need to convince to be on your side. And they’re not going to be swayed by evidence. They don’t care. You need to come up with a reason it will benefit them more to have Hunter taken away from Phillip than it will to stay in Phillip’s good graces.”

“But that’s…”

“I know. I know, Luz, I know we want to live in a world where people will just choose the right thing, but that is not how you win my parents over.”

Luz sat back down with a whump, her gut twisting. “I don’t have anything for that,” she whispered, “We don’t have anything to offer them.”

Amity sighed. “Look. You might, might be able to get my dad to do the right thing if you make a strong enough case. But it would have to be the best case in the world, or else he’s just going to go with whatever my mom says. And if you can’t convince her it’s in her best interests to help Hunter, then she’ll vote for Belos.”

Luz leaned forward. “Well, then. We’ll just have to make the best case in the world.”

Xxx

“You are not very good at holding up your end of bargains.”

Darius waved a bunch of flowers. “Do you want the get well soon bouquet or not?”

Eda crossed her arms. “Terra? And the Blights?”

“I included his team captain and the Blight girl, and do not even think about pretending that he and the Blight hate each other, if their parents every paid attention to them for more than three seconds, they’d realize very quickly that those two are best friends.”

“Still. Terra?! And Odalia and Alador?!”

“Give Alador a chance. No comment on Odalia.”

Eda threw her hands up. “Excuse me if I’m not pinning all of my hopes on your old high school flame growing a conscience after years of doing nothing to stand up to his wife!”

“Careful, Edalyn, you’ll rip out your stitches.”

“Ough.”

Darius set the flowers down on the night stand. “If I rigged the jury too far in Hunter’s favor, Phillip would just make some outrageous claim about a rigged jury. Which would be absolutely true, but this way, he’s got Terra. It comes down to the Blights, who CAN be convinced either way. It’s as fair a trial as you’re going to get.”

Eda sighed. “Yeah, okay, sure. Thanks. For getting Willow and Amity on the jury.”

Darius rolled a hand. “You never heard this, but you’re not the only one who wishes Phillip would get taken down a few pegs. Some of us just aren’t committing acts of eco terrorism and leaving a calling card.”

Eda blinked. “Wait, what?!”

Darius waved, heading for the door. “Hope your recovery goes well, Eda.”

“No, wait, you get back here and explain!”

“Bye.”

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Eda murmured, “Didn’t think it would be him of all people.”

Xxx

“I can’t do this.”

Luz twisted around to look at Hunter, who’d stopped dead in his tracks, pressing his arms to his stomach. “Hunter—”

“Luz, I can’t. It’s not going to work, it never does, and then he’ll just be worse.”

Luz hopped down the steps, taking his hands. “Hey. We’ve already got two fifths of the jury on our side. We only need to convince one more person.”

Hunter shook his head. “We have to convince Amity’s parents. They’re just as bad! They’re not going to vote against my uncle, that’ll mean Amity will be able to break away from them!”

“We’re going to change their minds,” Luz said fiercely, “We are going to kick up such a fuss, they won’t have any choice. And with the evidence we have? Even if we lose this case, everyone will know it’s from your uncle’s meddling. We are going to get you out of there. Trust me, Hunter.”

“I do,” he murmured, letting her pull him up the stairs of the courthouse, “It’s everyone else I don’t trust.”

There were more people here than Luz had expected. The derby team was there, of course. Dell gave her a thumbs up. Luz spotted a few professors, the twins. Lilith was in the corner, and Luz glowered at her for a moment before taking her place. Phillip leaned back in his seat to shoot Hunter a smile, and Hunter paled.

“He’s already got us,” Hunter whispered, “Look—he already knows he’s going to win somehow.”

“He’s trying to psyche you out,” Luz hissed back, “Just ignore him.”

Darius cleared his throat from the judge’s bench. “The court calls the case of Hunter Wittebane versus Phillip Wittebane. Hunter Wittebane, are you here?”

Luz nudged Hunter. “That’s you,” she whispered.

“Yes, your honor,” Hunter mumbled, twisting his hands.

“And Phillip Wittebane, are you here?”

“Present. Your honor.”

Darius’ lip curled slightly, but it was quickly smoothed over. “And are you ready to proceed today?”

“Yes,” Phillip and Hunter said in unison.

“And do you both intend to testify?”

“Yes, your honor,” Phillip said smoothly.

“What’s he gonna say?” Hunter hissed, “Luz—”

“Hunter. We’re going to do this. Okay?”

Hunter took a deep breath. “Okay.

“Hunter Wittebane?” Phillip pressed, “Do you intend to testify?”

“Yes, your honor.”

“You will need to be sworn, or affirmed.”

The clerk came around, and both Phillip and Hunter swore. Luz crossed her arms.

Like that’ll stop the slimy liar from twisting his words. She nudged Hunter. “You’re up.”

He gulped, moving up to the stand and sitting down. The chair squeaked, and he flushed bright red.

“You may proceed with your testimony.”

“Okay,” Hunter whispered, “Um. My name is Hunter Wittebane. I live with my uncle, Phillip Wittebane, and uh… the… the domestic violence incident happened… It happened January seventeenth, at—at eleven PM? Ish?”

Oh, not a great start.

“I… I was trying to leave the house, because…” Hunter gulped, glancing at Phillip.

No. No, don’t look at him.

“Beeeecause. My uncle was… intoxicated. And I… didn’t want to be in the house. And he tried to stop me, but I… I ran out. And I ran to a friend’s house, but I had to go back, because her parents didn’t want me there. And it was snowing, so I had to go back home with my uncle, and…” Hunter shuddered. “And… um.”

Deep breaths. Deep breaths, Hunter.

“Um, we started arguing, I said I didn’t want to be around, and… he…” Another shudder. “He pulled me back from the door, and he was yelling and…” Hunter drew in a long breath. “He hit me in the head with a bottle and knocked me down and kicked me while I was down,” he said in one long rush, “And then I… left. And I ran to one of the professor’s offices, and stayed there for the night.”

Hunter put his head in his hands, staring at the desk. After a moment, Darius cleared his throat. “Any further testimony?”

Hunter shook his head. “That’s it. I just… I just want a protective order. I want to… that’s it. It’s… this wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last, and I…” Hunter took a deep breath. “I’m done.”

Darius nodded. “Phillip Wittebane, any questions?”

Phillip’s lawyer got up. “If this occurred, why didn’t you go to the police?”

“What?” Hunter whispered.

“Why didn’t you go to the police? For record, to take pictures, proof?”

“I—they wouldn’t listen, they never do, I’ve tried, I tried, I—”

Luz stood. “We submitted claims Hunter filed multiple times that never made it anywhere. They’re in evidence.”

“So the police never found the case to have any truth?”

“They dismissed it—”

“Which means they didn’t think there was a case. Multiple claims filed with no follow through is evidence that Hunter Wittebane has cried wolf before.”

“What?!”

Hunter shook his head. “I didn’t, I—I’m not lying, I swore the oath, I—”

“No one’s accusing you of perjury,” Darius piped up, “Just answer the questions, honestly, please. If there are any other questions?”

“No other questions.”

“And do you have any other evidence, Hunter?”

“We do,” Luz piped up, “We submitted a flash drive with video footage taken from the security cameras in the Wittebane home the night of the incident.”

Hunter startled, blinking at her. Luz winced. Vee had only managed to get it to her last minute, and she hadn’t found the time to tell him or go over it with him. Even she hadn’t seen it.

“It’s not pretty stuff,” Vee had warned her, “I hope you know what you’re asking for.”

Darius checked notes on his desk. “It’s still being processed. Anything else?”

“No.”

“You can leave the stand, then, Hunter. Phillip Wittebane, are you ready to give your testimony?”

Phillip stood up. “I am.”

His shoulder brushed Hunter’s as they passed each other, and Hunter shuddered, finally making his way back to Luz.

“You didn’t tell me we had video footage!” he hissed.

“I wasn’t sure if they’d accept it,” she whispered back, “I didn’t want to get your hopes up. Hey. You did good up there.”

“Didn’t feel like it.”

“You stated the facts, you got it out. That must’ve taken a lot.”

“Mr. Wittebane?”

Phillip cleared his throat. “On the night in question, Hunter did attempt to leave the house. He was visibly shaken, in the middle of an anxiety attack. Of course I didn’t want him going out in a distraught state, late at night. I worried for his health, so I tried to convince him to stay home, that he was not in his right mind. He ran out anyway. Obviously I contacted my friends, the Blights, to see if they knew where he was, and they said he’d gone to their house. I went to retrieve him, and he’d calmed down enough to realize it was time to go home.”

Hunter was shaking his head next to Luz, mouthing no, over and over again.

“He started having another panic attack as we got home, and, fearing he’d run off again and this time get hurt, or freeze out in the cold, I did pull him by force back to the house. He was rambling, not making any sense, trying to fight me. He slipped and hit his head on a coffee table. I’m sure between the panic attack and hitting his head, my attempts to get him to bed seemed like an assault, he shouldn’t be blamed for how he perceived the events of the night. And, of course, while I’m wounded he’d go so far as to drag his friends into a court case against me, I’m glad he does have friends he feels he can depend upon when he can’t depend upon me.”

Luz’s blood boiled, and her vision tunneled in on Belos.

“Do you have any questions for—”

Luz slammed her hands down on the table. “Oh, yeah, I’ve got a question for you. How dare you lie like that?! After your oath?!”

“Hey,” Darius said sharply.

“What about the shard of glass I pulled out of his head, huh?” Luz snarled, “Where does that fit into your story? The bruised and broken ribs? Huh? How do you explain those?”

Phillip stared her down, unflinching, nothing but calm in those blue eyes. “Hunter has a history of hurting himself.”

“I do not!” Hunter protested.

“And, may I ask, do you have any hospital records you’ve submitted as evidence documenting said injuries? No? Then I suggest you stop making ridiculous claims. Hunter has a very fragile mental and physical state, and he worked himself into a panic over nothing. He may have hurt himself in that panic, or deluded himself into thinking that I hurt him, but the fact remains that I have done nothing except try to help him.”

“You—” Luz growled.

“Miss Noceda, sit down,” Darius sighed, “If you start a fight, I’m going to ban you from the courtroom.” He pulled a computer up onto the desk. “Phillip Wittebane, if you have no further testimony, please step down.”

Phillip nodded gracefully, sweeping down from the stand and back to his seat.

“Now, the video evidence has gone through, I will play it for the jury.”

Luz sat back down in her seat with a whump, fuming. “How could he just lie like that?! In front of everyone?!”

“I’m not lying,” Hunter whispered desperately, tears forming in the corners of his eyes, “I’m not lying, I’m not mentally unstable, it’s not my fault I couldn’t get records or police investigations, I—”

“It’s okay, Hunter, I know. I know you’re telling the truth. They’re just trying to goad you into breaking down, that’s all it is.”

Hunter shook his head. “Luz, about the video, I… I don’t know if…”

“Hey. You’re telling the truth, right?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Then the video will just prove it.”

“But I—”

A projector bleeped on, and a black and white image of Hunter’s living room came on. There was Phillip, a bottle next to him, half empty. And then there was Hunter, tiptoeing past, casting nervous glances at his uncle as he crept towards the door.

Even though Luz knew what was going to happen, she still flinched when Phillip lunged upwards, seizing the back of Hunter’s coat. Hunter slipped out of it and ran out the door, the feed following to see him crunching and sliding his way through the snow. After a few moments, Phillip followed, getting into a car and driving after.

So far, so good. Nothing indicates Hunter was panicking, Phillip’s obviously had a little too much.

The video fast forwarded, and the car pulled back up. Phillip got out, slamming the door, and then going around the car, dragging Hunter towards the house by his ear. Hunter pulled away, but at a yank, followed Belos inside. The feed moved back to the living room, where Phillip finally let go of Hunter’s ear, shaking his head and going right back for his couch and his bottle. Hunter moved towards the door again, fumbling for the lock with hands that Luz could see were shaking even in the grainy footage.

Phillip’s head jerked up, and he stormed over, grabbing Hunter by the arm and dragging him away. Hunter pulled against him, and then Phillip swung the bottle in a crashing arc, slamming it into Hunter’s head with a yell. Luz put a hand to her mouth as the footage showed Hunter fall, holding his head. Phillip pulled his foot back, kicking Hunter in the face. The courtroom was completely silent, everyone’s eyes fixed on the video.

Hunter threw his arms over his face to protect himself, and Phillip switched tactics, his foot connecting solidly with Hunter’s chest. Hunter curled into a ball as the blows kept raining down, his arms clutched to his face and his hands over his head. He shuddered and twitched, his shoulders heaving.

The silence was broken by a loud retching noise, and Luz jumped. She didn’t know when Hunter had left her side, but he was hunched over a trashcan, his shoulders heaving. A sob tore out and echoed into the silent courtroom, and Luz jumped up, kneeling next to Hunter and putting a hand on his back. He retched again, his breaths quick and uneven, shuddering and gasping for breath as much as the Hunter in the footage. Luz looked up at Darius.

“Can we take a break?” she whispered, “Please?”

He nodded, still watching with wide eyes as the Phillip in the footage finally left Hunter alone. Luz helped the real Hunter up to his feet and guided him out of the room, everyone’s eyes fixed on them. In the footage, Hunter slowly uncurled, bruised and bloody, and limped to the door, scrambling barefoot into the snow and stumbling away out of sight.

Luz let the door slam shut behind her, and she hustled Hunter to a quiet hallway, where he finally sank down to the floor, his back to the wall. He clutched at his hair with a sob.

“Hunter, I…” Luz sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to relive that, I’m sorry you had to see it again, if it doesn’t convince them, then I…”

“Everyone saw,” he choked.

“What?”

He curled his knees to his chest, his shoulders hunched over. “Everyone saw,” he burst out in another sob, “Amity, and the team, and you, Uncle’s friends, they all saw.”

“Hunter, I…”

He heaved in a frantic gasp, rocking back and forth. “Everyone saw, they all saw, they all saw how pathetic I was, they all saw—they saw—” Another sob clawed out his throat. “They all saw how I didn’t do anything, I just sat there and took it, and they saw how he could make me come back, they saw how things are, they saw—they saw—” Another frantic gasp. “They saw—I just let it—and I didn’t go to the p-po—or the hospi-pi—and everyone saw it’s my f-fault for—for not-t—”

“Hunter?” Dell’s voice said quietly. Luz looked up at Eda’s father, gesturing helplessly towards Hunter.

“Everyone saw what a weak coward I was,” he burst out, his shoulders heaving with sobs, “I didn’t fight back, I didn’t try to escape, I just… I just let him hurt me, and—and—god, I’m such a cow-ow-oward-d-d! I can’t go back in there, L-Luz, I c-can’t-t.”

Dell knelt down next to Luz with a creak of his bones. “Hunter,” he said gently, “Look at me.”

Hunter’s face tilted up, his bloodshot eyes frantic and hopeful and despairing all at the same time.

“Listen to me. If that video showed anyone to be a weak and pathetic coward—” his voice broke into a snarl. “—it’s your uncle.”

Hunter sniffed, hiccupping.

Dell held out his hand. “You have been much stronger and much braver for longer than anyone—” Dell’s voice cracked. “—has ever had any right to ask you to be. You aren’t a coward for not fighting back, you’re… you’re a kid, and your guardian should never have been hurting you. And god, I wish that right now, right here, you didn’t have to be strong. And you didn’t have to be brave. And after this is all over, hopefully no one will ever ask that of you again. But just for one more hour, we need you to be strong. And we need you to be brave. And we just need you to hold on for just a little bit longer.”

Darius’ head poked into the hallway. “Noceda. A word.”

Luz got up and followed him to the side, leaving Hunter with Dell. “Yeah?”

Darius took a deep breath. “Look, I’m the judge. I’m supposed to be impartial, and I should not be talking to you or saying any of this, but god knows it’s all for show in this town anyway.”

“Huh?”

Darius jabbed a finger at her. “Win the damn case, Noceda. Win it.”

“That’s what I’m… trying to do?”

“I don’t care about trying. Do it.”

Xxx

Eda rustled through her purse, looking for her phone. “C’mon, Dad, you said you’d keep me updated,” she muttered. Her hand hit a hard box, and she pulled out that thing she’d taken from the archives. “Oh, man, I forgot about this,” she muttered, opening it up, “They have the video footage, they should have all the evidence, but…”

She scanned the paper, then smacked her hand against the nightstand table, making Darius’ “get well soon” bouquet wobble in its vase of water. “Mom. Mom, MOM!”

Gwen burst in. “What?! What, sweetheart?!”

“I need to go down to that trial!”

“Oh, Eda—no, you have to stay in the—”

“Mom, I need you to help me break out of the hospital.”

“It’s already in swing, it’s too late to submit new evidence.”

“Oh, to hell with evidence, we all know that doesn’t really matter in this case.” Eda waved the papers around. “This is what we need to get the Blights on our side.”

“I’ll drive.”

Xxx

“Has the jury reached a conclusion?”

Luz twisted to look at her friends. Amity scowled, and Willow gave her a little head shake. Hunter paled, and she gave his hand a squeeze.

“Your honor.”

“STOP! STOP, HOLD IT, PAUSE, REWIND! I OBJECT”

Luz jumped. “Eda?!”

“Oh, look, the get well soon bouquet worked,” Darius commented. “You can’t object, you’re not part of the court.”

Eda slammed her hand down on the gates. “Hunter’s dad left him everything.”

“Edalyn—”

“Phillip got control of everything UNTIL HUNTER TURNED EIGHTEEN. And then he was supposed to get everything that belonged to his dad. The house, half the company, it was supposed to be his once he turned eighteen.”

Hunter frowned. “That was… two years ago. I turned eighteen two years ago!”

“Phillip’s been controlling him, been keeping him on a tight leash while he applies to get control over Hunter’s finances through a conservatorship, Phillip doesn’t care about him, he just doesn’t want to lose control of everything, which he will if you convict him right here, right now, and let Hunter have what’s been his for two whole years.”

Odalia and Alador glanced at each other, and Odalia raised a hand. “Can the jury rethink?”

“That’s irrelevant to the case!” Phillip’s lawyer squawked, “It doesn’t affect anything! Whether or not the plaintiff is entitled to money has nothing to do with whether or not the defendant committed an act of domestic violence!”

No, but maybe… Luz stood up. “Before we close this, I want to call one more witness to the stand!” she yelped.

“What?! NO! You can’t—”

“Sure, call your witness,” Darius interrupted.

“But—”

“Shh. She gets to call her witness.”

Luz jabbed a finger at the corner. “I want to call Lilith Clawthorne for testimony!”

Lilith pointed one finger at herself. “Me?”

“Yeah. You.”

Please. You owe Phillip, you always say that’s the reason you don’t speak up. So if Hunter can get you out of that, if he can end the debt, if that’s no longer a factor, then please, tell the truth.

Lilith slunk up to the stand, swore the oath, then shrugged. “Regarding the incident of the case… I was not there. I went to find Hunter the next morning at Phillip’s request, and decided to leave him in the care of my sister. She wouldn’t let me see him, so I have no evidence to suggest or deny that he sustained injuries.”

“Yeah, yeah, can I question the witness? Right. Lilith, you’re the chief of police, you’ve been in the force for a while. Have you ever handled any of the reports Hunter’s made in the past?”

Lilith took a deep breath. “Yes. I handled all of them.”

“What?” Hunter whispered.

“What kind of investigation was done on them?”

Lilith lifted her chin, looking Phillip right in the eye. “None. Not a single step. At the request of Phillip Wittebane, they were all dropped before any investigation was made.”

“Oh? And can you describe Hunter’s physical state at the time?”

“There were bruises, cuts. Signs that should have been investigated but weren’t.”

“Why weren’t they investigated?”

Lilith took another deep breath, still locked in a glaring contest with Phillip. “I owe Phillip a lot of money. Student debt I wasn’t able to repay in time, loans I took out for my sister in my name. He promised to forgive some of that debt if I kept it under wraps. But in any other fair case, the claims should have been investigated. There was clear evidence.”

“Well, that’s all the evidence I need to hear to reconsider the vote,” Alador remarked, “If that’s alright with everyone else.”

Amity and Willow jumped up. So did Phillip’s lawyer. “That’s ridiculous! You’re going to take the word of a corrupt cop?!”

Lilith stared him down, steely cold. “That has nothing to do with the case at hand, as you were fond of saying about Hunter’s inheritance. I’m not on trial, here. You can try me for my crimes at a later date, but as of this moment, we are deciding a domestic violence case.”

The jury filed out, and Luz collapsed in the seat next to Hunter. “She did it,” Luz whispered, putting her head in her hands. “Oh, thank god. She did it.”

“Why?” Hunter mumbled, “Why start telling the truth now?”

Luz shook her head. “Hunter, if we win this case, we can nip Phillip’s conservatorship. You’re going to get what belongs to you, what your dad wanted you to have. He won’t have most of the grip he has, and when he does get out of jail, he won’t be able to just resume what he was up to before, because you’ll have control over it. She finally can tell the truth, and it will actually make a difference.”

I hope.

The jury filed back in, and Alador stepped up, handing a piece of paper to Darius. Darius’ face twitched into an almost smile before he smoothed it over.

“The court finds that in the case of Hunter Wittebane versus Phillip Wittebane, an act of domestic violence occurred on January seventeenth, and that the defendant, Phillip Wittebane, did cause bodily injury to the plaintiff. The court further finds that Phillip Wittebane has engaged in previous acts of domestic violence, and Phillip Wittebane will no longer be allowed contact with Hunter Wittebane under order of protection, as well as serving one year in prison for an act of domestic violence against a family member. Any violation of this order of protection could subject you to the contempt powers of the court, which could include being jailed, so I need the two of you to stay here while the orders are prepared and you each get a copy. Any questions?”

“No.”

Luz grabbed Hunter in a hug. “We did it! Hunter, we did it!”

He stared at the wall in a daze. “It’s over. We won. I…”

“You don’t have to see him again, Hunter!”

Tears bubbled up in the corners of his eyes, and he buried his head in her shoulder. “I don’t have to see him again. I don’t have to…” He sagged against her with a sob. “It’s over.”

Luz hugged him tighter, then let go and strode up to the stand, tapping the desk in front of Lilith. “Hey. Thanks. You’re going to go down for that, you know.”

“I suppose it’s about time. Don’t thank me, Luz, it doesn’t even BEGIN to repair the damage I’ve done. It was the bare minimum, and I should have done it years ago.”

“Still. You are for sure going to jail.”

“Mm.” Lilith chuckled darkly. “Maybe they’ll put me in the same prison as Phillip, and then Hunter won’t have to worry about him getting out and breaking the court order.”

Yikes.

Luz went back to Hunter, now crowded by the derby team, and Amity. Amity nudged his shoulder.

“Congratulations on striking gold, too. Hope you still want to hang out with the peasants.”

He gave her a tired smile. “Looks like those business classes will come in handy after all.” His legs wobbled, and he leaned on the desk for support. “Look, I… thanks. Thanks, for showing up. But I… I really want to crash somewhere.”

Amity wrapped one arm around him for support. “Yeah. Let’s get you home.”

Xxx

“Selling, huh?”

Hunter shrugged, leaning against her car. “I… don’t really want to stay in a great big giant empty house all on my own. Especially this house. I’m just gonna pack my stuff and go.”

“Go where?”

“Got an apartment lined up. Thinking about dorming when the next semester starts, always wanted that part of the college experience.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Dell said he’d take care of Flapjack if wherever I go doesn’t allow pets, but hopefully I can work around that. Gonna switch my major, too. Be nice to actually get a choice what I go into.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Man. You want something to drink, Luz? I kind of do.”

“Hunter.”

“Alright, goody-two-shoes. I’ll save it for when Amity and I are hanging out. Without you. Hey, wait, I have money now, I can get her an apartment and she won’t have to live with her parents anymore!”

“Well, aren’t you the fairy godmother now.”

He puffed out his chest. “With great power…” He deflated. “I was looking through all of Uncle’s… stuff. There are a lot of people he screwed over. I don’t even know where to start trying to fix it.”

Luz nudged him. “Hey. That’s not your job. I mean, I think it’s great that you want to help. But let’s take this one step at a time, huh? Like… maybe answering your friend’s texts.”

He went quiet, shrinking back.

“Hunter, the derby team is worried about you.”

“I know. I just…”

“They saw,” Luz finished softly, “Hunter, I know. But I promise they don’t think any worse of you.”

“I can’t stand the pity,” he mumbled, “I can’t look them in the eye, I…”

“It wasn’t your fault. I know, they saw you vulnerable, and that’s hard, and it can feel embarrassing, but they want to be your friends. They like you, they’re not just pitying you.”

“It’s just… let me sort it out, Luz? Please? I’ll text them back, I just… need some time.”

Luz nudged his shoulder again. “Hey. You won. You’ve got all the time in the world.”

[lunar-wandering]

alright- new AU time bitches lets go

tagging @winterpower98 cause i’ve been rambling about it to her for like the past could of days or so

so this is called the Fruit Smoothie AU

and basically,

starts off with Dragonfruit, ends with Chimerashipping

(also Shadowpeach is here too because I was struck with the funniest fucking idea ever and ran with it)

at the start of this AU, Mei is acting as a solo hero for the city (Hero name is Snapdragon)

Red Son falls in love with her the instant she beats him in a fight. takes him a lot longer so realize that though (DBK and PIF figure it out rather quick. “son why don’t you invite your.. friend over for dinner” “father why the fuck would i invite the hero over to my secret hideout” “....” “father. father look at me. father i do not like the hero”. and then, later, while he’s in the middle of working on a new invention, “oh shit i like the hero”)

Mei doesn’t really care about him that much at first- she’s kind of a “beat the bad guy, resolve the situation, call it a day” kind of hero at first

and then she and Red Son get trapped in an on fire building (not Red Son’s fault surprisingly. they still don’t know what caused the fire)

Red Son saves Mei from a piece of falling debris, and after making sure she gets out safe, teleports away, which makes her realize that oh. Red Son could’ve escaped on his own at any time. which is when Mei starts to develop feelings.

eventually, during one of their fights, another demon tries to kidnap Red Son, dragging him into the ocean. Mei follows, not really expecting that she’ll need to do much, but wanting to keep an eye on things.

only she finds that Red Son is struggling, and she realizes that oh, he can’t use his fire-

she summons her sword, cutting the ropes holding Red Son down, growls at the villain, her eyes glowing, energy crackling off of her- the villain backs down and leaves.

Mei has to give Red Son cpr

Mei actively refuses to let Red Son out of her sight for about a week after this, which is where most of their Bonding happens.

surprisingly enough, Red Son confesses first. he rambles it out nervously before turning and running away at top speed. Mei has to chase him and tackle him. “I’m not letting go of you- I’m worried you’ll run off to try and escape from your emotions again.”

anyways, thats the Main Start. fast forward like a few years or so, Mei and Red Son are both operating as heroes (Red Son’s hero name is Sunshine. Mei picked it for him.) while also running a food truck that mainly sells smoothies and cookies

one day, they hear news of a new vigilante hero on the block, reports only saying something about a flash of gold, no clear details otherwise.

so imagine their surprise when a person wearing a yellow hoodie and with a visor covering his eyes crashes into the back of their smoothie truck

he’s injured, and Red Son and Mei take him back to their apartment to help him. at first he won’t talk to them, or take off his visor, but after a few days..... he gives in, since he already knows their Secret Identities its “only fair” that they know his, and he takes off his visor and introduces himself as MK

(Red Son has like a momentary Bi Shutdown upon seeing MK’s eyes and Mei finds it incredibly hilarious)

what MK leaves out of his introduction however, is the fact that he is currently the Monkey King’s successor.

he comes up with some bullshit cover story of him being from a very reclusive demon family

(neither Mei nor Red Son fully believe this and have Many Theories about him)

Mei and Red Son latch onto him rather quick, making him their friend, even having him join their superhero group, and letting him work at the smoothie shop

.....well, he’s allowed to work at the smoothie stand with supervision. they kinda stopped trusting him after he broke his fourth blender in a row

since Mei and Red Son don’t initially know about MK being Wukong’s successor, it leads to moments like- Red Son: we need to figure out this guy’s weakness! MK, using his golden sight: there! above his elbow! Red Son, after the fight: how did you know his weak spot? MK: i can uh... see through glamours? Red Son: see through glamours huh....that sounds kind of familiar... MK: HA HA SURELY NOT I INHERITED THIS POWER FROM MY NOT WELL KNOWN DEMON FAMILY YOU PROBABLY NEVER HEARD OF IT-

when they eventually figure it out though, is when a fight starts going south, and MK is about to get hit, and neither Mei nor Red Son will make it in time- but the Monkey King suddenly arrives, stopping the attacking demon in it’s tracks MK: oh... hi dad Red Son and Mei: DAD???? Mei: THE MONKEY KING IS YOUR DAD??? MK: I mean.. he only adopted me like a week or so ago,,, i was his successor before that- Red Son: THE MONKEY KING IS YOUR D A D????

Red Son is literally shaking MK by the shoulders like “what the fuck, why didn’t you tell us this, what the fuck, this is important information-” while Mei is in the background letting Red Son handle the yelling and is taking pictures with a very confused Wukong.

anyways. on to a bit of the chimerashipping-

Red Son and Mei share a bed. Red Son literally screams into his pillow over how much he likes MK while Mei just lays beside him casually scrolling through her phone

Mei: i give you permission to date my boyfriend MK: wh- Mei: it’s called polyamory MK you get used to it. now here’s my 20 step plan on how you can woo Red- MK: how did you know I liked him

Red Son just absolutely SHOWERS the both of them in gifts like. its to the point its insanely ridiculous hdkfsjldfkdlf

NOW FOR MACAQUE

Macaque stops by the smoothie truck once after the Episode 9 incident and Red Son just throws a smoothie at him

however. post-shadow play.

Macaque needs somewhere to hide from LBD, and what better place to do that than with the heroes?

so he throws on a human glamour, shows up at the smoothie truck, and gets a part time job. (hey, they’ve gotta have someone running the truck when they’re out doing heroing stuff)

so of course. it’s just his luck that one day, when MK and the others are out doing their usual Hero Business, Wukong stops by in his human glamour-

Macaque spends like the first few minutes while taking Wukong’s order like “why the fuck is this guy so hot?” and then, while inputting things into the blender, the dots finally connect of “OH SHIT THATS WUKONG-”

Macaque pulls an MK and accidentally destroys the blender because he’s so flustered

MK and the others come back to an destroyed blender and an “Amaranthine” (Macaque went for the most dramatic cover name) that refuses to talk about it

things dont end there though

Wukong: y’know that clumsy guy that works part time at your smoothie truck is kinda cute MK, figured out that it was Macaque ages ago: *(chokes)*

MK spends a full minute just running mental calculations trying to figure out if Wukong knows it’s Macaque (spoiler alert, he does not)

MK sends Mei a text asking for help and gets back “THATS MACAQUE???” “oh shit i forgot you guys didn’t know-” “YOU LET US HIRE MACAQUE?” “hes becoming a better person now-” “YOU LET US HIRE MA C AQUE???”

Mei and Red Son had no clue he was Macaque hsfksjdlksdfjd. he very much gets threatened that day but is allowed to stay

Mei suggests MK try and set Macaque and Wukong up because holy shit, this is funnier than any kind of romcom she’s seen

they basically end up just repeatedly causing incidents for Wukong to end up at the smoothie truck while Macaque is running it

Macaque accidentally compliments Wukong during one of those interactions and Wukong literally breaks the cup he was holding on accident like- Wukong: heh, you’re pretty clumsy aren’t you Macaque: maybe i’d be a bit more coordinated if i didn’t have the literal definition of sunshine incarnate blinding me every day Wukong: a h 

Macaque and Wukong kinda dance around each other like that for a while, until the kids decide they’ve Had Enough

MK: why don't you just confess to him?? you've been flirting for ages Macaque: because then i'd have to reveal its me and he might not like me anymore- Mei, MK, and Red Son believe that to be complete and utter bullshit MK even checks with Wukong like "yknow, if Macaque ever became a better person, would you have wanted to get back together with him?" and the answer was "yes as long as we talk things out first" so he knows it would go well

Red Son “accidentally” trips, pouring an ice cold smoothie down Macaque’s back, and Macaque is so startled by the temperature change his glamour vanishes

Wukong: Macaque???? Macaque: uh- yeah. hi? Wukong: i cant fucking believe this Macaque: yeah ill just leave- Wukong: no no you're staying here- im not that surprised i should've seen it coming that i'd fall for you again- Macaque: wh- Wukong: but im gonna have to talk to you later because right now i have three children that need to be reprimanded MK: guys i think we should run- Mei: good plan Red Son: yeah i agree- Wukong, picking all three of them up by the back of their clothes: where do you think you three are going? MK: we have a business to run and hero work to do- Wukong: that can wait.

Wukong makes them all have a smoothie drinking contest with him (he wins and the trio gets brainfreeze. Macaque watches this all go down with intense confusion)

the smoothie contest is partially a cover up for how flustered he feels. he was kinda hoping he’d get a brain freeze long enough to knock himself out for a couple of hours hdfkdlfjldkfd

...and that’s all i have thus far hdfksjlkdd fsd its mostly comedy but i dont care

[mrpenguinpants]

Razor:  Jealous HCs

Hey anon!! As much frustration I hold for crippling oblivious couples, I also love the trope so much. Plus I adore Razor. Even though I try to not call Razor a dog, I still google “jealous dog traits”. Also, I found out both Hanniejji and I secretly HCs Bennet is friends with Razor and Fischl. If genshin won’t give me character interactions then I’ll write it myself.

---

Semi Part 1: General HCs

Semi Part 2: Pre-Relationship HCs

Semi Part 3: Cuddle HCs

[Masterlist]

---

[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

 @mikeysbike @unionwitch @musekala @sunnshiii @stanzastic @akaasea @xoneaboveallx @adoring-ghost @asheseiler @childelover @dilucsz @dai-tsukki-desu @thicmitten @nonniechan @htnicayh @genshins1mpact @morthecreator @ aanne2601 @hanniejji​

Razor:  Jealous HCs

Bennet and Fischl are both foaming at the mouth at how deeply in love you BOTH are and yet you’re both equally blind. Fischl wants to grab you by the shoulders and yell at you that Razor returns your feelings and you need to stop doing whatever it is you’re doing. A sad Razor looks like a kicked puppy and even she can’t handle it. But Razor absolutely refuses for anyone to confess for him because he believes that you might just genuinely be uninterested in him. Plus, it wouldn’t feel right if he couldn’t confess himself. It’s his first love, this is important to him.

Bennet thinks it’s really sweet that his friend is in love. Even if he does get a bit pouty that whenever he get’s hurt, Razor will ask if he’s alright and leave it at that. But if you accidently trip Razor is already at your side and fussing over you. Bennet uses this as physical proof that yes, your feelings are returned and this man is in love with you, but you always brush it off as Razor’s nature to be caring. He’s smiling patiently on the outside but on the inside he has his hands in his hair and he’s screaming.

God forbid anything upsets you. Razor hasn’t been around other humans long enough to pick up on most social cues but he does have a good sense of smell. If you’re happy then the wind smells like sweet flowers. If you’re upset then it smells like mint. While Razor usually keeps himself in check and is somewhat indifferent, the second he catches any signs of distress from you he’s on high alert. Until you tell him what’s been bothering you - a group of hilichurls stole your bag of snapdragon flowers - he’s going to be on guard and stressed out. He’s already throwing his claymore over his shoulder to go and fight the monsters that tried to upset you. Wow, what a good friend you say to Fischl. Fischl is ready to punt you off a cliff.  

Razor tries his best to show that he likes you by bringing the things you need and looking like such a proud pup. He looks at you with such hopeful eyes that it takes you a second to register what he’s asking before you feel your own heart rate speed up and pound into your ears. You flush pink before you move to embrace him and ruffle his hair as praise as he nuzzles into your shoulder affectionally. You assume his affectious actions are apart of his wolf nature and how they act so you try not to read too deep into things. Even if Razor seems a bit too happy to be hugging you and receiving pets. Or the fact he doesn’t let anyone else pet him...

Bennet tries his best to help his friend out by giving Razor some advice but considering Bennet himself hasn’t been in a relationship yet, it’s all practical. Telling Razor that he’s seen couples bring each other flowers as a sign of affection, maybe Razor could find some plants to bring you? It ends horribly when he offers you a wolfhook and you just stare at him. He says that these are his feelings towards you but you’re just...so confused?? Wolfhooks have thorns so does that mean he thinks you’re clingy? Isn’t that a bad thing? Are you annoying to him?? But wolfhooks also symbolize wolves so is he saying you’re like family to him??? You’re internally screaming while debating if you just got family-zoned or if Razor is trying to subtly tell you that he doesn’t like you.

Just because Razor is, somehow, unsure if you actually like him or not. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t get incredibly jealous and possessive at any unknown presence. He’s still a bit wary of the City due to all the conflicting smells and noises but he can’t help but look so sad when you have to run errands and you can’t visit him. But when you mention that a really nice knight gifted you a flower does Razor see red. He gave you a flower?? Shouldn’t you be happy with his? Why do you need another one when you have his? Is his gift not good enough? Is this your way of saying you’re interested in someone else? This poor boy is on the verge of either running off to go sulk or find the man that gave you this flower, which up until his knowledge - courtesy of Bennet - is a sign of courting, and absolutely destroy him to prove he’s the better partner.

He tries to keep it under wraps since he's been told that while in the City, he needs to exercise restrain and understand that if he enters. He's expected to at least respect the laws and people. But this poor wolf is so feral over this new development and this new smell that's been clinging onto you that whatever worries and isolation issues Razor felt about the city flies out the window as his protective instincts kick into overdrive. He sees other people and even pets as a rival for your attention and love. He just wants to scoop you up and growl at everything as a message to say “this is mine, go get your own”.

Even when the both of you are far away from the city, Razor’s continued mood seems to hang heavy over both your heads. You’re not sure what exactly caused Razor to be on high alert. He’s snapping and growling at everything little thing that comes close, even a butterfly!

You abruptly stop walking to Razor’s surprise as you whip around and frown at him. He can feel a chill run up his spine as he stands perfectly straight as you study him before you hold your palm out and looked at him expectantly. He looks at your hand with a small spark of perked attention before his nose twitches and he goes back to sulking. You’re still waiting for him as he shuffles a bit, his hair that resembled a wolf ear is twitching, before he whines and trots over and places his chin on your palm. He’s looking up at you with the most kicked puppy expression and you don’t even know what you did but you feel like the worse person in all of Teyvat.

“Razor...what’s gotten into you?” you ask gently as you rub circles into his cheek as he nuzzles into your palm. He seems really conflicted as his eyes dart away from your face and he almost looks guilty. He just whines and turns and buries his face into your warm palm. You’ve never really seen him like that before as you awkwardly try and comfort him. Until the same flower slips out of your pocket and you hear something primal growl out of Razor. His teeth are pulled back and he snarls at the flower as his pupils dilate. You quickly get between him and the poor flower before Razor tries to do anything.

“Seriously Razor, what’s gotten into you?” you asked concerned. He quickly shifts his attention to you as he pounces and knocks you over. You left off a soft noise as the wind get’s knocked out of you but you peep when his hands cage you from above. Razor’s red eyes bore into yours and you’re suddenly thinking the air is getting too hot. 

“Do you like Razor?” he asks, tilting his head in a cute pout. It makes you internally coo before you quickly snap out of it. Stay focused! 

“Of course I do! Remember we talked about this?” you say as you remember back to your previous interactions but this only seems to frustrate Razor more.

“No. Not that like. More...” Razor struggles with his words as he tries to piece together the right string of sounds to try and convey what he’s feeling. He seems so conflicted that it breaks your heart a bit. So you reach up and gently rub behind his ear as he closes his eyes and relaxes. He breathes in deeply as his eyes open and his pupils return to normal, but vastly determined.

“Together. Always. Just...us,” Razor says softly as he looks at you hopefully. There’s a small pink dust to his cheeks as his fang digs into his lip in nervousness. You’re not sure why but your heart absolutely sky rockets at it and you can feel your face flush pink.

“Um, yes?” you nod along, you think you’re understanding what he’s trying to say. Maybe he was just upset you were spending so much time in the City and away from him that he felt your friendship was neglected? That would make you really upset. But the way he phrases his words makes you believe that perhaps...

Before you can think more on it. Razor’s face breaks into a grin that nearly blinds you from the pure affection that sprouts from it. He’s already hugging you harder as he starts rubbing his nose and cheek against your neck. Making soft and happy sounds as he nuzzles you. He’s never done that before but you assume he’s just so happy. You breath a sigh of relief that it appears that your message to him was clear enough.

Yeah of course, friends always, you think

Lupical. Partner. Mate, Razor thinks.

---

whistling as I pretend I don’t see your stares. Yeah ik but it’s ok. This is a sorta semi series. We’ll build upon it. But Xiao content is next lol. I’m taking inspiration from this. I mean, when I don’t feel like shit 😷

I’ve been listening to [  Softy - Dear Moon ]. This isn’t the usual kind of music I listen to but it came on shuffle and this is now my mental breakdown song.

Quick edit: Turns out this is an ost from “My Mister”. I’ve never been into kdramas (I think I’ve only seen goblin, she was pretty, and Hwarang) but the cover picture looks so upsetting? My friend is really into tgcf and I believe that had a live action as well. 

[dollslayer]

Botanical Interest - For Luck

Soft!Mob!Steve Rogers x Florist!Reader

Summary: Steve introduces you to some of the most important people in his life, but are you ready for all that comes with it?

W/C: 4,743

Warnings: Swearing, alcohol consumption, angst, gambling

A/N: When I saw @redhead-wine-and-literature-club was doing a floral based challenge I couldn't pass up the opportunity to add to this series! April 28th - Cornflower - good-luck charm. Even though this is part of a series of oneshots it can be read as a standalone! If you like it please like/reblog/comment and check out my other fics! Cheers!

Botanical Interest Masterlist I Main Masterlist

The sunlight through the windows warms your skin while the breeze of the small fan on the counter gives you goosebumps. Dog days of Summer slowly set in over the city and with them came a slight dip in business. No one wants a rooftop wedding when it’s 100 degrees out and the drinks are watered down with sweat. You didn’t mind though, it let you put in a little extra time and care to the orders you did have.

You picked up a stem of cornflower and nestled it between snapdragons and lisianthus. It was so dreamy you couldn’t help but sigh, you almost wished it was for yourself. It was for an elopement, an eager young couple came in this morning all smiles asking if you could take the last minute order. Feeling a little sappy from your own relationship you couldn’t turn them down.

You started in on the boutonniere when the music you had on was paused. Curious, you looked at your phone to find you had an incoming call. You balanced the phone in between your shoulder and ear as you gathered supplies.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Doll. How are you?” Steve’s warm voice greeted you.

You smiled into the receiver. “I’m good, just working on the last order of the day. What are you up to?”

“Well actually that’s what I called to ask you. You free tonight?”

“You can meet me at the shop in an hour. Sound good?” You promised.

“Sounds like a plan. I love you, doll, I’ll see you soon.”

After returning his affections you hung up and set to work, excited to be finished and see Steve. Despite his involvement with the mob, which neither of you had really addressed head-on yet, things were going really well. Even though he was involved with murky dealings he was sweet to you and you were in love with him. You tried to plan your night with Steve in your head as you worked.

____

The ringing of a bell roused you from your work, expecting to see the young couple here to pick up their flowers. You were instead face to face with Steve’s handsome smirk and playful eyes. Your smile grew wider as he approached the counter. You held the boutonniere up to the lapel of his jacket and eyed it from a distance.

“Do I have a hot date I didn’t know about?” He joked.

“No!” You giggled, “The flowers are for a couple that came in the shop this morning, they’re going to elope and the groom’s got your complexion, thought I’d see how this looks on you before I finish”

“Oh? And how do I look as a groom?” He questioned.

Your cheeks heated instantly and you felt shy. You managed to squeak out that he looked nice before you had to turn away to box up the flowers. You couldn’t help the stupid smile on your face. You and Steve never talked about marriage before but things were getting serious between you. Maybe he just felt extra cheeky today.

“I like the blue, very colorful”

“They’re cornflowers, they’re a good luck charm! I figured they were fitting for their little wedding. So what did you have in mind for tonight? It’s too hot to sit on the patio but I’ve got a pint of ice cream with our names on it in the freezer at home” You raised your eyebrows in offer.

“Well actually, I was hoping you could be my good luck charm tonight. Bucky’s got a few of us getting together tonight for poker and you’ve yet to meet my friends. What do you say?”

Oh. You weren’t sure what to say. You hadn’t met his friends yet because you were uncomfortable with his mob work and you knew they were involved. But you also knew they were his friends and they were important to him. It’s not like you could avoid them forever. Poker with a mob boss? Sure why not?

You put on a slightly uneasy smile and nodded.

“Well I have to tell you, I haven’t played in forever but I would love to meet your friends” You told him.

“I promise, no shop talk. But I’ve been telling them about you. Buck’s wife Natasha has been dying to meet you. I also promise not to make you play poker.” He said with an easy grin.

“Alright, I just have to wait on this couple to pick up their flowers and close up. Shouldn’t be more than 20 minutes. You can wait here if you want but I’ve got no A/C”

Steve nodded and took off his jacket. He rolled up his sleeves and loosened his tie.

“For you? I’ll sweat it out.” He said.

____

After a quick pit stop at your place to change you were on your way. You smiled in the passenger’s seat, still reeling from the look on the young bride’s face when she saw her bouquet. That was undoubtedly the best part of your job, seeing the joy on your customer’s faces when they saw their arrangements. Maybe this feeling could carry you through the night.

The tires of Steve’s Audi crunched under the gravel of the long driveway up to Bucky’s estate. Steve told you he had a townhouse in Brooklyn but for the most part they stayed at their estate outside of the city. You looked up at the facade of the house and admired the ivy that clung to the bricks.

Parking the car Steve got out and quickly made his way to your side to let you out. Just one of the many old-fashioned quirks that he had. You accepted his hand as he helped you out of the car and leaned up to kiss his cheek. His hand traveled down to rub your back reassuringly. You looked up at him.

“Don’t worry, they’ll love you. Natasha can be intense but she means well. Just be yourself and they’ll love you just as much as I do.” He kissed your hair to soothe you and lead you towards the door.

Steve nodded at the man at the door. “Scott. Nice to see you, this is my girlfriend”

You smiled and gave him your name. “It’s nice to meet you, Scott”.

He smiled and greeted you in kind, lifting his hand to shake yours. When he did his jacket rode up and you could see the holster and butt of his gun. You ignored it and shook his hand.

Scott opened the door for you and you entered the house. Mansion, might be a better word honestly. Marble floors, oak woodwork, all the look of any house you’d find in the area and all in line with how you’d think a rich mob boss might live. The foyer was empty but you could hear voices in the distance.

Steve waltzed through the halls like he lived here, when he was at work he probably practically did. The space was teeming with energy as they bantered on with trash talk and promises of beating one another. Men sat at a round table drinking, waiting to deal cards and women standing around sipping on wine.

One man looked familiar from the pictures you’d seen around Steve’s place. His sharp jaw and long dark hair drew your attention instantly; Bucky Barnes, King of Brooklyn. His brows were pinched together in a scowl but he had a playful grin on his face. You steeled yourself the best you could and prepared for your introduction. Just think of him as Steve’s childhood best friend.

“Steve! ‘Bout time you showed up you bastard!” an accented voice belonging to a tall blond man with long hair called. He clapped a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “And are you the enchantress that our dear friend goes on and on about? Now that I’m meeting you I can see why!”

Steve let out an embarrassed laugh and motioned towards his friend. “This is Thor, don’t let the muscle fool you, he’s a total teddy bear”

You gave him your name and extended your hand when he brought you in for a bone-crushing hug. You let out a laugh and hugged him back, grateful for something to ease the tension you felt.

“How’s that for a warm welcome, huh?” A voice sounded from behind you.

Thor released you from your hug and you took a desperately needed breath. He patted you on the shoulder.

“Wanted to make our dear Steven’s girl feel at home, that’s all” Thor explained. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to beating your boyfriend at poker.” You laughed at that and turned to face the man who spoke earlier.

That man was none other than Bucky, who reached out for your hand. You gave it to him and he instead lifted it to give a gentle kiss.

“I can’t believe I’m meeting the one and only. Stevie here won’t shut up about you sometimes. I’m Bucky but I’m sure you already knew that.”

“I’ve heard about you too, it’s nice to finally meet.” You nodded as you took your hand back.

“I’m afraid I need to steal your man, we’ve been waiting on him to start the game but tell you what, why don’t you go find my wife Natasha, I know she’s been dying to meet you.”

Great, not at all intimidating. Okay fine just smile and breathe. Maybe get a drink. You smiled at Bucky. “The redhead, right?” He nodded and sent you on your way. One last look at Steve you shot him a worried look but he only winked at you.

You looked around the room and shrunk in on yourself a bit. You were never the best with social outings or being in new environments. You looked around again and found the very redhead you had been in search of smirking at you from the corner. She was dressed in a sleek black dress and looked effortlessly beautiful but also like she could strangle a man with her bare hands. You steeled yourself with a smile you’re sure she saw straight through.

“So you’re the one responsible for the flowers at my wedding?” You nodded Pleasesayyoulikedthempleasesayyoulikedthem “I loved them! The wedding planner recommended you and I’m so glad she did. It’s so hard to find a good color pallet but you nailed it. Come on, you need a drink then I’ll introduce you to the girls”

She ushered you towards the kitchen where she took the waiting wine glass from the counter and handed it to you. You didn’t like red but you’d drink it anyways. You brought the glass to your lips and took a sip.

You two talked for a bit in the kitchen, maybe she wasn’t as scary as she seemed. You tipped the stem of your glass until there was nothing left. Before you could ask for different wine she was topping you off from the same bottle. Another round of apprehensive sips and hidden grimaces but you thanked her regardless. It was now your goal to find the sociable sweet spot of drunkenness. You could feel blood rushing to your cheeks from the alcohol as tipsiness settled in.

Natasha raised an eyebrow and considered you for a moment.

“So how are you handling the whole organized crime thing? Gotta say, I didn’t peg you as his type but you guys are cute.”

You stopped yourself from spitting the wine in your mouth back into the glass.

“Um, thanks, I guess” You sputtered, “we uh, try to keep things separate. Figure it’s best for both of us.”

Natasha nodded, taking another drink herself.

“That’s probably best but I mean, how long can you keep that up, really?” She asked

You hated to admit it but she had a point. It’s not like the thought hadn’t crossed your mind. You opened your mouth to answer her when a man walked into the room and called your name. You looked expectantly (and slightly gratefully) towards him.

“I believe your man has requested your presence at the table. Somethin’ about needing a cornflower? I don’t know he said you’d get it. What are you two gossipin’ about in here anyways?” He questioned.

Natasha spoke before you could “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that, Sam. We’re right behind you.” Sam nodded and retreated back to the doorway to wait for you.

Natasha touched your shoulder and you looked to her.

“Look, I didn’t mean to come off so brash, I guess I’m just trying to say, I know that being involved in this life isn’t easy. We’ll swap numbers later. Maybe we’ll go to lunch” She winked at you. You couldn’t tell if she was being serious or not but you nodded anyways.

“I-Thank you, I think I’d like that. I’d better go find Steve though” you excused yourself and made your way back to the table.

____

Steve Rogers was having a good night. He finally got to introduce his friends to his girl, she seemed to be relaxing a bit and having a better time, and he was well on his way to getting a straight flush this hand. The only thing that would seal the deal is his good luck charm by his side.

Steve called to Sam across the room and as soon as Sam walked over and bent Steve spoke.

“Sam, could you do me a solid and find my girl? Think she went to get a drink with Nat. Tell her I need cornflowers”

“Man if this is some weird sex thing I’m gonna be mad” Sam said with a mixture of confusion and disgust.

“Oh, please. Nothin’ like that, promise. She’ll know what it means.” Steve pat his friend on the shoulder and paid attention as Thor dealt cards.

A minute later his girl was walking through the door with an uneasy smile on her face. Something is wrong but he can’t gauge how serious it is. Sam says something to make her laugh and he settles on asking her later. Natasha saunters out behind them looking almost amused but cautious. Like she was regretting something. She’d probably just tried to give his girl the third degree when Sam interrupted them. It’s for the best, that’s too much for one night.

His girl smiles as she approaches him, looking slightly more at ease when she takes another sip of her wine. Her smile was a little looser and she moved a bit more freely, definitely tipsy and completely adorable with that grin on her lips.

“How are things going over here for you boys?”

Gauging how tipsy she was, he patted his knee in offering and she took it with a shy smile. Only slightly. But enough not to worry so much.

“Well, sweetheart, I’m about to kick all their asses and I figured I could use a good luck charm to seal the deal.” He boasted.

“Oh,” she said in realization, “Then I’m all yours”. She settled into his lap and watched on.

Her face was nothing short of endearing as she tried to concentrate and take in the game. He remembered she said she hadn’t been good at poker but it was sweet she was trying to pay attention anyways and be there for him.

“What’s the pot?” She asked.

“Nothin’ serious, there’s a pretty nice box of cigars and a weekend at Buck’s place in the Hamptons in the mix but we don’t do cash at get togethers like this, that’s for boy’s nights only.” He explained as he rubbed her back with his free hand. “Tonight’s just about fun”

She nodded as she studied the table some more before resigning to laying her head against his and listening to whatever bullshit Clint was on about. Steve was focused on getting others at the table to fold, he knew he had a good hand and a good chance of winning, he just needed the others to back down to bring it home.

Thor placed the final community card face up and Steve set out a low whistle. Others at the table looked a little miffed but he just knew he was taking it all. He set down his cards to a chorus of groans as he raked all the chips towards himself. You placed a kiss to his temple and he returned one to your cheek.

“Just the good luck I needed” he said loud enough for the table to hear.

“Hey Steve you gotta come see this!”

Steve tsked in annoyance. “Can it wait? I’m up and we were gonna keep playing. I’ll be there after”

“No, you should go. Let her play a hand for you, we can get to know each other better” Bucky suggested.

“Oh, I don’t think you want me playing poker.” She laughed but nervousness was the only emotion he could see on your face. He opened his mouth to protest but was cut off.

“She’ll be fine, we’ll go easy on her, I mean it. If it makes you feel better we’ll even hold the pot. This round is just for shits.” Bucky insisted.

Caught between wanting to ask how you felt about it and not wanting to get flak about being so sensitive Steve tilted his head in silent asking at you.

You gave him the same unsure smile you’d had all night and nodded up at him. “I’ll be fine, Stevie, promise.”

He gave her a reassuring smile and then turned his eye to Bucky who was all smiles. He knew exactly what Bucky was trying to do. Buck knows she doesn’t know anything but he’s gonna turn the screws on her just like he does with anyone new at the table. Steve gave him a stern expression in warning. Don’t scare her off.

____

You could hear your heart beating in your ears as you tried to decide what to do. Take it slow. You told yourself. You looked up to find all the eyes at the table on you and did your best to calm yourself.

“So who’s dealing?” A man you hadn’t previously met swiped the cards and began shuffling.

“Look, I know we said we’d put the pot on hold but Laura’s been bugging me about a vacation and I don’t know that I can pass up this opportunity to steal from Steve so easily, so” The man you’d come to know as Clint trailed off. You did your best not to be offended.

“Shut up, Barton. I promised Steve, we just wanna have a little fun, don’t we?” Bucky asked.

Is he asking me?

You decided to take a sip of your wine instead and he chuckled.

“So,” Bucky turned to you, “I know that you know about what we do, there’s no point in denying it. The question is are you going to be a problem for us or do you know how to keep things to yourself?”

Frozen in fear you could only manage to look at the rest of the table, hoping to find that this was all a joke. Instead, every face looking to you was stony and waiting on an answer. God, this man was made for Natasha, that much is clear. Your eyes darted around the room looking for an out. Where is Steve? Where the fuck is Steve?

You don’t find him, but you do find Natasha looking at you, she smiles and looks to her husband before she shakes her head. She makes her way over to her husband and lightly smacks him in the back of the head.

The look of surprise on his face ruins his silent and aggressive front as he winces in pain. He looks in slight annoyance at his wife as she tsks at him.

“Will you stop already? She’s a smart girl and you don’t need to go scaring her off. In fact, I hope she beats you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she did.” Natasha sounded so confident. You warmed to the fact that she was in your corner when you were practically a stranger in her home.

“Aw c’mon, Babe, I was only messin’ with her.” Bucky turned to Nat and she just challenged him with a smile.

You didn’t know why Natasha has suddenly become so supportive, maybe she felt bad about earlier but you were grateful to her. She pulled up a chair between the two of you to watch and motioned to the dealer to continue. You finished your second glass and prepared yourself for the night ahead. Any chance they had of you going easy on them went out the window.

____

You lost the first hand graciously, saying you hadn’t played poker since you were in college as an excuse for your loss. But when Steve was still busy and Bucky offered another round you accepted. You decided to put your full effort in this time.

Twenty minutes later everyone at the table was feeling confident in their hands, staring at each other like some sort of Mexican standoff, willing the others to fold. You could tell by the way Clint kept scratching the cut on his chin that he was screwed and he knew it. Thor couldn’t go more than 5 seconds without nervous laughing.

But Bucky? He was a tough read but about half way through the round his leg started bouncing. You knew this because he was bumping into Natasha, who’s wine was sloshing around in the glass despite her stillness. These clods didn’t stand a chance.

The dealer, Vision, you’d learned, called for everyone to show their cards. Here goes. One by one everyone set their cards down until finally it was your turn. You set them down but focused on your opponents faces. Everyone looked confused, shocked even. You had laid down a royal flush and handily smoked them all.

“Holy shit”

“Holy shit indeed”

“Told you so” Nat teased.

You smiled at all of them and drank from your newly topped off glass of wine - white this time. A warm pair of hands rested on your shoulders and you looked up to find Steve smiling down at you.

“What’s going on over here, gentlemen?”

“Well, Steve, I think your girl is hustlin’ us. Thought you said you hadn’t played since college?” Bucky turned to you. You couldn’t gauge how angry he was but you decided to be honest.

“I haven’t,” you began, “But when I did I was pretty damn good. You just assumed I didn’t know what I was doing.” You shrugged.

The room was tense, it felt like everyone was looking to Bucky to see what to do next. He broke out into a wide smile and a low chuckle turned into hearty laugh. Everyone visibly relaxed.

“I gotta say, Steve. She isn’t what I expected, but she’s sure somethin’”

“A girl after my own heart” Natasha added.

Steve bent down to kiss your head. You stood from the table and offered him your seat. Nat put a hand on your shoulder.

“Steve I’m going to steal her again, the girls will probably want to hear all about your little cardshark.”

____

He had to admit, he was completely blown away by your little stunt at the table. He thought back to earlier when you watched him play. You weren’t trying to desperately understand the game, you were studying your opponents. He couldn’t deny it was kinda hot. You were full of surprises.

He smiled thinking that you were no different than the day you met, timid but aggressive when you need to be. That’s my girl.

The rest of the night came and went without incident, Steve didn’t end up taking home the pot but he did have a conversation with Bucky.

“She and I don’t talk about work. She knows that what we do isn’t exactly reputable but let’s face it, anyone in Brooklyn would. She doesn’t know and she doesn’t want to.”

Bucky took a long drag from his glass of bourbon and nodded.

“But if she ever did I hope she’s smart enough to know she has to keep what she knows to herself. We can’t afford any slip ups.”

Steve’s fists clenched and he controlled his anger enough not to snap at Bucky. He was his best friend but Bucky was still the boss and Steve knew how much was at stake.

“Not that it’s any of my business but you love this girl, right?” Steve swallowed thickly and nodded.

“Then how the hell are you gonna manage that? Keepin’ your two worlds separate? I mean, you just gonna walk her down the aisle and live happily forever keeping half your life from her? I need to know that if push came to shove she wouldn’t sell us out. Things are fine for now but you know that you’re either in or you’re out. I care about you, Steve, you’re my best friend but you need to see straight.”

Steve looked away, his jaw clenched as he ground his teeth. He knew Bucky was right. He loved you but he owed his life to Bucky, he was his brother. But he loved you. They were careful in their work and he knew any feds that tried to come after them wouldn’t find a thing. He could put this issue into a box and seal the lid tightly, at least for a while.

“I know you’re right. I love her and she’s a good woman. She wouldn’t say anything because she doesn’t know anything. And she never will.”

He left Bucky to stand on his own in search of you. He found you laughing with Laura, Wanda and Nat. He smiled at how welcomed you seemed to feel despite the rocky start.

“You ready to go, doll?”

You turned around and smiled at him. You looked back at the girls and then reluctantly back to him but nodded.

“Guess we’d better go, I’ve got to get down to the flower market at open tomorrow morning”

____

After a very long round of goodbyes you swapped numbers with Nat with promises of future lunch plans. The night had turned out worlds better than you thought that it would. You served a bunch of men their own egos on a silver platter and didn’t get murdered for it and you even made friends.

Still though Nat’s words echoed in your mind ‘how long can you keep that up, really?’ Little did you know but the same thoughts troubled Steve. You knew eventually you would have to make a choice if you ever wanted to get more serious than you were with each other, you just didn’t know what choice you’d make.

The ride home was quiet but not tense. He held your hand a little tighter than usual but you thought maybe he was just excited you had gotten on so well with your friends. He pulled up to your building and put the car in park.

“So do you think they liked me? I mean, other than hustling them at poker I’d say I made a pretty good impression”

Steve chuckled, “Yeah, doll. Gotta say, the whole cardshark thing? Kinda hot, didn’t know you had that in you, you little fiend.”

You rolled your eyes playfully and grinned at him. “I wasn’t gonna but Clint started talking shit.”

“Then he deserved his ass kicked” Steve joked. “I’d come up but I know you’ve got an early morning. Thank you for coming and meeting everyone tonight, I know that you want to keep things separate but these people are family to me, it means a lot that you met them”

You nodded and smiled. You told yourself you didn’t need to make the choice between getting involved with his work and keeping it apart from the other aspects of your life but it seems that by meeting them you had already made one.

Maybe you could talk more to Nat about this, she’d know what your situation is like more than anyone. For now though you decided to focus on the present reality, you had a good night and you had fun and now you’re about to kiss the man you love.

“Of course” you whispered. You kissed him slowly, trying to put off the sleepless night you were surely about to have.

“Goodnight, sweetheart. I’ll call you tomorrow. I love you”

“I love you too, Stevie”

[abbabycchio]

Flowers based on how they feel about you/ think of you. P2

This time with La Squadra! Thank you for the attention I got on the Bucci gang! I love being able to talk about flowers and my favorite characters💕💕 sorry for the long wait!

Risotto Nero: Since you met him he’d fallen in love with you, you were amazing and perfect, and in his most vulnerable moments he’d tell you. Unfortunately being the Capo and the strongest of the traitorous team La Squadra ment it was too high a risk to pursue a relationship with you. So for your safety he had to reject you. 

Magenta Zinnia: Lasting Affection

Striped Carnation: No, Refusal, Sorry I Can't Be With You, Wish I Could Be With You

He’ll send you these flowers along with a note apologizing for any pain it brings you. He sees it as his final interaction with you, but still lets you know how much you mean to him. 

My carissimo. I couldn’t stop the tears that fell onto my legs as I sat and rekindled my feelings for you. The comfort of your voice, you telling me “you’re gonna be alright” always mends my broken heart. There’s something about your voice that gives me the comfort I need. I’ve learned so many things from you. I’ve never been with someone who makes me laugh as much as you. You taught me what a real relationship was by having pillow talks with me before we went to bed. I wish life had a more simpler game plan. I love you so much. Til the day I die I’ll remember you forever.

-Risotto Nero. 

Prosciutto: He sees you as so much more than you could ever see yourself as. That being said he knows how cruel the world can be and makes it his mission in life to protect and love you for the rest of his life. He’s also the only one in the group that goes all out when it comes to buying gifts. 

Red Amaryllis: find incredibly beautiful, value beyond their beauty

Yellow Snapdragon: Gracious. Fascinating. Protection from evil

Dahlia: the lasting bond and commitment between two people

Very silently shoves these flowers towards you and walks away. It’s only until you gain control over your beating heart that you notice an elegant ribbon wrapped around the bouquet with a note attached.

The time is now to believe my promises and trust me to shelter you from the storms that will come in this life. I am truly the knight in shining armor your heart longs for and I am the one who has already given his life for you. I know your hidden fears, but you must learn to look to me when life is hard. I am the rock on which you can stand when all around you seems to be sinking. So stand on my word and hide it in your heart and you will never sink in hopelessness again.

-Prosciutto.

Pesci: he’s like a big puppy, he easily fell in love with you and in the most innocent way. Just seeing you smile brightens up his day and makes him excited to spend any days to come with you. 

Yellow Tulip: cheerfulness and sunshine

Coral Honeysuckle: I love you 

He replaces these flowers anytime he sees that the ones he already gave you are dying so the bright colors are always illuminating your days. 

I’m writing this to tell you that I love you. You’re my first thought when I wake up, and my last when I got to sleep. I need your love more and more each day, like an addiction of some sort.

-Pesci.

Ghiaccio: He sees you as the calm to his storm, he is so thankful for you, and although he doesn’t say it much you know that. Everyday he does his best to learn more about you and create a bond deeper than flesh. 

Purple hydrangeas: EMOTION, UNDERSTANDING, a desire to deeply understand someone

Black Bryony: Be my support

He doesn’t actually give these to you an a bouquet, he likes to place them in your hair, of behind your ears. Sometimes he even makes little flower crowns with the Black Bryony vines and places the Hydrangea flowers around it.

My love, just a moment ago I thought about you and my heart was filled with gratitude. So before another moment goes by I want to say thank you. Thank you for the late night laughs and the early morning kisses. Thank you for holding my hand throughout this life. Thank you for your love and friendship, and most of all thank you for the pleasure of calling you mine.

-Ghiaccio.

Melone: He thirsts for you so hard! After he met you everyone else was nothing compared to your beauty. He physically can't keep his hands off you. After he saw you he immediately pined for your affection.

Black Orchid: ADMIRATION, INNOCENCE, strength, virility, sexual desires, and success

Lavender Rose: enchantment and love at first sight, blossoming romance.

He sends a very professionally designed bouquet of these flowers, bringing more than one bundle a day to the point where you don’t know what to do with all those flowers.

I want you more and more. I often have erotic memories of you and I hurry to get home. I love to feel myself inside you; I love to feel my virile member slashing your skin, like burning iron teasing your desire. I have visions of you on top of me, riding my hips, making me moan with pleasure with your vigorous and precise movements. I love to feel the dense and warm liquid of your pleasure run down my body. I love to feel that you are mine. vigorous but at the same time, defenseless, relying on my arms and the warmth of my body. I love when you fall asleep in my arms, resting your head on my shoulder for countless minutes, after I irrigated your flesh with my abundant semen. I like the taste of your saliva when you kiss my mouth and I like the warmth of your heat when I kiss you between your thighs... I love your kisses more and more, your cuddles and your strength. And I’m writing to you to tell you I miss you too much.

-Melone.

Formaggio: He is smitten with you. Probably the most obviously loyal out of all of the boys, not that all of them aren’t, but you are 100% sure that you are his entire world. In your relationship he tries his best to be as romantic as possible any time that he can. 

Pink Peony: ROMANCE, PROSPERITY, love at first sight

Lemon Blossom: I promise to be true, Fidelity in love

He’s the kind to see these flowers in shop or on a bush, and just takes it and gives it to you. 

To my forever, I think we make the perfect couple. We understand each other so well. We listen to each other. I cannot wait to spend eternity with you, because there’s no place I’d rather be than with you. You’re stuck with me cara, You better remember that! I love us! 

-Formaggio. 

Illusio: Although he is usually a little raunchy by nature, but he loves you delicately. Which surprised the entire gang. His personality switch between seeing you and working is drastic. It’s more of an innocent, refined love. Fancy dinners, passionate nights. He puts his entire ego into making the best dates for you two. 

Cornflower: Refinement, Delicacy

Daisy: innocence, loyal love, and purity.

You would be standing or sitting somewhere in base and suddenly a hand would come out of the mirror near you and drop a bouquet of flowers in your hand.

My love has made me selfish. I cannot exist without you. I am forgetful of every thing but seeing you again, my Life seems to stop there. I see no further. You have absorb'd me. I have a sensation at the present moment as though I was dissolving. I should be exquisitely miserable without the hope of soon seeing you.

-Illuso.

Sorbet & Gelato: Sorbet and Gelato were so grateful when you came into their lives, they were already in love with each other but finding you made their already love filled lives more special. When you got the news from Risotto you were heart broken, one day you were happily in love with the two most special men in your life, and the next you were mourning the loss of both of them. 

FORGET-ME-NOT: True Love, Memories

Delphinium: a first love, strong bonds of love.

You had gotten a bundle of flowers at your door step with two notes attached, one was from Risotto telling you that Sorbet and Gelato had sent you a note, along with a few wishes in their Will. The other was the note Sorbet and Gelato had written, only to be read by you after their death.

This is not a goodbye my darling, this is a thank you. Thank you for coming into our lives and giving us joy, thank you for loving us and receiving our love in return. Thank you for the memories we made together. But most of all, thank you for showing us that there will come a time when we will be together again.

-Sorbet&Gelato.

[rokutouxei]

a solitary walk

genshin impact | G | 2478 | [ ao3 ]  side hu tao/xiao | hu tao birthday fic!

every year, hu tao lives her life the way she believes it ought to be lived—loud and outright. even if reincarnation was real, and that one day we might die and then return to the earth once again, we will only ever be living this very life once. only once in these special circumstances, with these people, in this environment. it’s not because she fears death—no, it’s exactly because she knows death will come to her in the end that she lives like this.

lives treating the stone lions like they were actual cats.

lives climbing up the treacherous cliffs of huaguang stone forest to write poetry.

lives spooking others, walking late at night along wuwang hill.

hu tao knows death like the back of her hand, which is why life means so much to her. why she lives so much of it.

there is only one year a day when the anxiety is stronger than usual. when hu tao feels like living through these ideals is simply not enough. when she begins to doubt her place among the living, when no funeral pyre of inner demons can clear her head. on this day, on her birthday, it’s the long journey taking her from liyue harbor to the solitary mountains of liyue that truly takes out the storm in her heart, heavy and pounding.

when she can be between the pages of herself, among the voices of people she hopes love her.

  -

   “going out today, director hu?”

zhongli is, as he usually is at this hour, promptly sitting in the study of the wangsheng funeral parlor, likely just having finished some morning lecture to the undertakers. hu tao hums, whizzing around him as she peers at what book he’s holding. a history on rex lapis.

“no business today, maybe we need to rework our advertising strategy,” she says, straightening her back. “with you here, i get free time to take a walk and think of better marketing tricks.”

“please don’t use me as an excuse to skip work.”

“aiya, what do you think of me? that’s not what i’m doing,” she pouts. then, she points at the book in his hands. “what were you reading?”

“the undertakers were interested in something i said about the themes of death in liyue’s history, and i was merely reviewing my history,” zhongli answers, strangely more somber than usual. “it is mortal to fear death, but it is to go beyond what it means to be mortal to try to comprehend death as greater than something to be afraid of. as with rex lapis, who surely has witnessed a great many losses in his long lifespan.”

“what do you think the divine feel about death, zhongli?” hu tao asks, hands behind her back, looking up at the mysterious man who always seem to know more than he let on. “do you think it still means anything to them, when they live across so much time and space?”

“i think, director hu,” zhongli says, “that every death can still leave its mark. the archons were mortal once, after all. to not fear death does not mean to not honor its rightful weight.”

“hmmm,” hu tao nods, deep in thought. “you may be right.” then, a clock down the hall begins to toll, and she is shaken out of her reverie. “aiya, what time is it! i have to go, thank you for entertaining my question. i’ll see you tomorrow!”

hu tao is just about out of the door when he speaks again.

“director hu?”

she blinks. “yes, mister zhongli?”

he gives a smile that feels like it bears too much memory. “happy birthday.”

hu tao only beams at him, and then hops out of the door.

   -

   hu tao still remembers the disdainful stares of some of the older, more conservative people of liyue once the kids caught up to her little “hilichurl song.” something about little children chanting about death and murder in such a joyful manner did not sit right with several of the elders. this reflected poorly on hu tao, but—

did it matter?

the kids were—are—having fun, the song is catchy and she wouldn’t be conceited to say that everyone in liyue knows it at this point…

she remembers the little boy who had run up to her, who had returned fresh from a funeral rite up in wangsheng, holding her still-ashen hand saying, “you’re the big sis with the hilichurl song! teach me! teach it to me big sis!”

she remembers being that young.

she doesn’t quite feel like being this old.

the least she can do is immortalize its transcience; she’d write all the poems on death for the living if she had to.

   -

   she encounters xingqiu, who has obviously just come from his daily perusal of wanwen bookhouse, two books under his arm and another clasped between his fingers. she comes up right up before him and goes—

“xingqiu!”

he doesn’t even flinch, long used to hu tao’s little antics. he finishes reading the paragraph he is on before putting the book down, smiling at her.

“well, what is my liege doing this fine day?”

“oh, i’m off to take an adventurous little walk! what are you up to today, young master?”

the honorifics turned pet names were special little sparkles in their conversation. it had become so normal between them they no longer think about it, but the others who overhear are a little more curious.

“to put a little spice into the lives of a young exorcist and an aspiring cook, would you like to join me?”

were it any other day, hu tao would have said yes. there was nothing quite like getting off work early and messing around with chongyun and xiangling, mixing up the ingredients, activating excess yang energy. but today was not that kind of day, so she shakes her head and gives a little smile at her friend instead.

“not today, unfortunately. but soon, for sure!”

xingqiu nods. but before he leaves, he pulls out a bookmark of pressed silk flowers from behind his back, and hands it to her.

“taken fresh from the wilderness.”

“you mean yujing terrace?”

“where i got it is of no matter—” xingqiu says, stifling a laugh, “but instead what message it brings. may you find good company on this special day of yours, my liege.”

hu tao smiles, the kind that reaches her eyes, the one that so few people see, and then pushes xingqiu lightly down the road toward wanmin.

“go cause trouble!”

    -

  the first half of the journey is a lot less tricky. at a certain hour every day, without fail, there are wagons that begin their trip from liyue to mondstadt. hu tao usually hitches a ride on one of these all the way to wangshu inn, where she stops for lunch.

wangshu inn has become such a common culprit to their little meetings that no one gets surprised to see her anymore, smiling and waving at everyone all the way upstairs to the top floor. (sometimes she even passes by the kitchen for some almond tofu, but, ah, yanxiao doesn’t really want her using the kitchen, if for the sake of the food she makes.)

today, when she gets there, she finds aether and paimon sitting at the tables at the very bottom, waiting for their meals to be served.

“hu taaaaooooo!” paimon calls and waves, to which she waves in response, hopping up the stairs to get to them.

“if it isn’t the mighty traveler and paimon! my offer for a discount coupon for accidents is still available, if you’ve changed your mind!”

aether ignores the joke entirely—wisely—and asks, “not staying at the parlor today?”

“aiya, does that seem like such a strange occurence? is it wrong for the director of a funeral parlor to catch a break?”

“...from offering discount coupons for parlors?” paimon turns to aether. “and why so far out here of all places?”

the traveler knows. “we haven’t seen him today.”

“do not fret! the ever omniscient hu tao knows exactly where he will be,” she teases. “can i join you for lunch?”

"wait!" paimon whines. "who's he?"

hu tao orders nothing festive, just some plain snapdragon salad and some fish, but verr goldet hand-delivers a little assorted tray of desserts anyway—red bean soup, mango pudding, custard—all on a celebratory looking plate. she whispers to hu tao: “from the young gentleman.”

and aether’s eyes go wide as plates in realization, but before he can say anything, hu tao hushes him with a finger, not wanting paimon to make a big deal out of it. the traveler only chuckles, paimon neck-deep into a bowl of noodles, and mouths happy birthday while facing the director.

once lunch is over, they talk a little until their stomachs settle with the food, but then they are on each other’s ways. aether and paimon, headed up to mingyun to clear out a camp of hilichurls that have been causing trouble, as commissioned by the guild. hu tao, to qingyun peak, where the clouds can brush over her cheeks.

“are you gonna walk all the way there?”

“oh, it’ll take me just a few hours. i’ll get on any patrolling millelith carts if there are any. i’ll be fine. thank you, traveler!”

“take care, hu tao!” aether calls out. “and send my regards!”

   -

   “i knew i would find you here,” hu tao says, as she lands ever so gracefully on one of huaguang stone forest’s highest peaks. xiao sits there, cross-legged, with his eyes closed. the exhaustion from the journey sinks into her bones as soon as she sees him, as if knowing she will find rest in him—perhaps the same way the sun has sunk dark blue into the horizon.

“i’m here because i knew you’d be here,” he retorts. not even turning to face her. hu tao sinks wordlessly next to him, her hand on his lap.

she loves the way they fit together like this, two puzzle pieces magnetized to each other.

“thank you for the desserts.”

he places his hand over hers and squeezes.

xiao has never been the type for comforting words. the best he can offer is his understanding silence, the kind that makes hu tao know he can comprehend what is going on in her little, mortal mind--even when she herself is not sure where exactly her thoughts are taking her.

“i wanted to bring you almond tofu, but it would have melted on the way here.”

“you don’t need to worry about me.”

you know i’ll worry about you anyway.

worry about yourself.

i already do, why else do you think i’m here but for rescue?

here in huaguang, the breeze silences everything in her mind that speaks, so that all that remains is this: just her, just xiao, just liyue’s star-dotted night sky.

just good company.

no dead, no ghosts, no demons. just them.

they stay there until time seems like it stops existing.

the thing about xiao and hu tao’s relationship is that somehow they always find each other perfectly as one needs the other. it has always been like that from the beginning. from the very first time hu tao had gotten herself lost around mt. aocang, cornered by a family of geovishaps hell-bent on getting her for disturbing their nap; to when hu tao had found xiao slumped against a tree, bloodied with his mask on his face and near unable to breathe, her presence and stupid humor like exorcising the demons clinging onto him;

they find each other always, as if sensing death on the other, and they come to the rescue.

without even needing to call out each other’s names.

hu tao, leaning against him like deadweight, turns her hand around so they can interlock their fingers together. xiao does so wordlessly, and hu tao memorizes the warmth of him against her skin.

keeps it in the back of her mind for when he isn’t around.

they speak without speaking, passing each other the same old questions like they always do.

what if i die today?

you’re not dying today, hu tao.

what if i die tomorrow?

you’re not dying tomorrow, xiao.

who will take care of you when i am gone?

who will remember huaguang like these, starry nights with our hands clasped together?

who will i come to when i’m in need of aid, when i need someone who sees death as i do?

don’t go, it’s too early to do so.

hu tao only voices out one of many, many thoughts passed between their intertwined hands, when she says, “when death finally comes for me, thousands and thousands of years before yours, adeptus xiao…”

xiao hums.

“remember me?”

he scoffs just the littlest bit and hu tao knows he means always. “rest,” he says, as xiao turns and presses a kiss on the side of her face, tucking a pair of qingxin flowers with braided stalks behind her ear. one he’d made before she’d arrived, prepared to find her in this state.

“for sweet dreams,” he promises.

    -

  while in his arms hu tao dreams of her grandfather.

she is watching her young, 13 year old self host her grandfather’s funeral, incredibly young and small and out of place in the grandeur. her yéyé liked grandeur, and it was hu tao’s mission that day to make sure that everything about his grand goodbye went the way it was planned.

it was hard.

she was calm, and composed, and so unlike the hu tao the rest of liyue knew that day. she was solemn during the entire ceremony, not a twinge of a smile or a frown on her face, just calm and detached like it wasn’t her grandfather she was preparing to set off. like his hat wasn’t sitting on her desk at home drenched in her tears.

the present, older hu tao looks on to spot the little signs of breaking left unnoticed by everyone else, like the little ticks at the corner of her mouth, her hypercontrolled breathing, the way she squeezes the staff she’s inherited specifically for this day, under her grandfather’s request.

and while the younger hu tao does not catch him, the older hu tao spots her grandfather among the trees, standing there with his hat still on, in his usual garb, the kind that reminds her of chanting poetry in the afternoon and—

—he smiles.

at younger hu tao, then, eventually, at her, older, smarter, more mature hu tao, as if saying:

thank you.

you’ve done so well.

before he disappears into a fog of light.

hu tao does not feel the need to follow.

   -

   hu tao wakes up in her room in wangsheng funeral parlor smiling, feeling the clouds still on her face, qingxin still in her hair.

[dreamsmp-au-ideas]

Teddy Bear Anon has purposed yet another interesting addition to the Immune AU which gives me plot ideas! In particular, a scene that would really help give past Dream a strong push into his character arc. 

I like to image that immune!Dream’s character arc starts with the death of immune!Puffy. Sure, maybe he’s not sad yet, but he feels something for the woman who declared herself his pseudo mother. It’s what helps to crack the shell enough for the rest of the immune gang to start weedling their way into his heart. Immune!Dream after spending enough time watching the group he, starts to realize that yeah, connections to other people isn’t a weakness. It really is a strength. It’s something that takes time for him to come to terms with because Techno seems like a testament to the fact connections are a weakness. He was unbeatable until his horse got kidnapped. His only connection, his only weakness. But then there’s Tommy who seems to represent the complete opposite. 

Where Dream represents strength from caring too little, Tommy represents strength from caring far too much. Now I’m a sucker for bamf Tommy, and I like to personally imagine that maybe the Immunes hold out for a year or two before they cave and try to make the portal. So Tommy has what really boils down to a two year training arc on top of already being a child veteran (I like to canonize SMP Earth as well because personal preference and it gives me even more room to make Tommy suffer. SMP Earth being canon? God, so much fucking trauma considering how the others treated him, a 15 year old child, like an adult.) Anyway Dream slowly realizes connections with one another are what kept the remaining Immunes alive, and he tries to force his younger self to understand that. Tries, but doesn’t really get far. Up until what everyone else calls The Fight.

Tommy’s always just kind of screwed around in fights as long as there’s only a threat to him. We know he has a tendency to throw if MCC is any indicator. But then they time travel and maybe they spend some time in the past trying to get the situation sorted and the past’s Dream maybe just kinda does something to Tubbo. Doesn’t even have to be big, it just needs to clock as a threat to Immune!Tommy who’s already lost his Tubbo and refuses to let his younger self go through that. So Tommy goes completely ape shit on the younger Dream. Sure, it’s only been two years for this Tommy. He’s probably, like, 18 or 19 at most. Still a child as far as a lot of people are concerned. He shouldn’t be stronger than Dream or Technoblade, and in the few cross group sparing sessions they’ve had he isn’t. He’s stronger than his younger self but no where near these two demi gods of combat. But then Dream suddenly registers as a threat to Tubbo in Immune!Tommy’s eyes and he makes the mistake of mocking Tommy while he’s at it. He knows that immune!Tommy lost his Tubbo and maybe the past Dream is lashing out slightly or trying to get some kind of foothold in Tommy’s psyche. He isn’t doing anything near what immune!Dream has done, but it’s enough to piss Tommy off. So immune!Tommy challenges Dream to a fight and Dream immediately realizes the mistake he’s made when Tommy starts to destroy him. 

Say even Techno’s there for some reason or another and he realizes what’s going down so he tries to calm Tommy down, joining the fight just as Dream is loosing it. The situation quickly turns into the first time Techno’s ever gotten his ass thoroughly kicked by Tommy, leaving everyone spectating baffled (Tommy’s younger self partly included). They’re certain this kid is going on some rampage and none of them can stop him but the moment Dream and Techno are both taken care of (wounded, not killed, the older Tommy is always careful about that. He even throws a splash healing on them with some indifferent kind of disgust that hides the fact he does still care to some extent even hurting as he is.) Tommy immediately just switches focus to outright doting on Tubbo, ignoring any muttered Clingyinnits in favor of ensuring Tubbo is fine. Tubbo is completely find and just as confused, but the point stands and neither Tommy ends up leaving Tubbo’s side for the rest of the day. The younger Tommy, after all, is the only one the older Tommy’s told the full story to regarding the future (even when he couldn’t trust his own family he was always able to trust himself with the secrets that mattered, so he prepares his younger self in case the worst comes to pass.)

The older Dream, immune!Dream, he doesn’t get involved. He sit on the side lines and just kinda laughs, the sound drowned out by Sapnap’s loud encouragements and Sam’s half hearted attempts to get Tommy to stop (he could have stopped Tommy immediately if he’d stepped in. Sam is after all the only person on earth Tommy listens to without hesitation, but Sam lets it happen and pretends he tried.) 

Immune!Dream just kinda smirks at his younger self later that night and mentions something about attachments really making you weak. After all, it’s not like the only time Tommy takes a battle seriously is when someone he cares about is in danger. It’s not like Tommy would turn the world into a seared ball for Tubbo, and Tubbo would do the same in return. It’s not like they’ve watched the people they care about temporarily rebuke the Crimson just to give the Immunes those precious extra seconds needed to survive in a fight. Attachments, they’re just a weakness.

The younger Dream doesn’t know how to respond to that. It’s the first time he thinks about his older self maybe being right.

Before I go I wanna leave you with two more ideas for the Immune AU

First up, Wilbur is eight years older than Tommy give or take. Wilbur had Fundy when he was around 16 and Tommy was around 8. Tommy was the best damn uncle he could be and for a while Tommy and Fundy were really stupidly close. They were both apart of the raised by Wilbur club and Wilbur was trying his damn best. Fundy aged/matured (physically and mentally) faster than a regular person for a while. They believed it was because he was a fox hybrid and Wilbur was ready to lose Fundy too soon. When Fundy was equivalent to 18 in human years though his aging process suddenly slowed to a crawl and his tail split into two, at which point the group realized he was actually a kitsune and it was just those first 8 years that passed by quickly (and Wilbur had a lot of questions for the now missing Sally who he’d thought was a salmon hybrid, genuinely, but became exceedingly less sure.) His family knows he’s a kitsune, but Fundy hid it from most of the rest of the server. A good thing considering later events. 

Fundy was part of the Immune group for a while and I like to imagine that he and Tommy had a falling out during the Pogtopia era but after the egg started to take over they started bonding again and acting like, well, family. Unfortunately when it came time for them to activate the portal, Fundy ended up getting separated from the group and getting caught. The eggpire didn’t actually know Fundy was fully immune or a kitsune so he just kinda pretended to get infected, using his illusions to make his fur look crimson. I personally like the idea that Fundy at some point managed to get back to the time machine and being a little code wizard manages to get the thing working and yeets himself in. He shows up a little late but after fixing his appearance manages to catch up with the rest of the group.

Fundy is underrated. Tommy being a good uncle is underrated. Sam would absolutely adopt the traumatized fox baby in Eret’s honor. What’s not to love?

The last concept I wanna bring up that I really like is hybrid Tommy. Tanuki would be good since it’s another reason for the Sam Nook bit. Maybe Sam specifically picked Sam Nook since Tom Nook was Tommy’s favorite character on the grounds he was the only representation Tommy had ever gotten and it made the kiddo happy. However, I also personally really like phoenix Tommy and it would make an interesting plot point. Tommy accidentally losing his third life at some point and realizing he’s an immortal creature of fire would have led to him taking a protector role for his new family. He can’t die, but he can burn anything around him, why not send him out to get supplies when the worst the eggpire could do would be capture him. Even then he just literally cannot hear the egg. Which could lead to both some interesting comedic moments and some really good angst if Sam agonizes over his desire to protect Tommy and let him be a child suddenly being at odds with the fact Tommy is literally the best person for the job so to speak. Not to mention Sapnap, who I headcanon as a Blaze hybrid, would be even more attached the moment he found a new fire proof friend to burn forests with him. Regardless of which hybrid type he is, I could see him hiding it from everyone except for Fundy when he was a child and only ever admitting it later to the other Immunes once they become a found family.

Personally I like the idea of Tommy being part tanuki hybrid and part phoenix hybrid, but is that too mary sue? Is it just a little bit too cheesy to have him be both? I will never not try to incorporate phoenix Tommy into my fics but also tanuki Tommy would be such a mood for this au.

Like image Tommy just builds a den that’s in reality a vault/panic room a la Techno and he hides it under Church Prime since that is The Safe Spot in Tommy’s mind.

~Snapdragon & Firefly

[roll-da-credits]

Lycoris Radiata Pt. 3 - Deku x Reader -

Inspired by the piano piece, "Lycoris Radiata," Written by Spikes, played by MusicalBasics.

Highly recommend listening to it whilst reading.

[1] [2] [3]

Word Count: 1.7k

When a childhood love shows up after being lost to time, it's unnerving to be presented by something so familiar yet different. Deku, lost to his own love and presented with the stresses of life and unrequited love, it isn't easy to see the world with an unbiased gaze.

!WARNING!

(This is for the entire series and not just this part)

BIG TW for death, suicide, abuse,

Minor TW for death imagery, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, toxic shit all around

A/n: First off, this last part, please read with caution. There are a lot of serious topics in this one that can be triggering to some people. This feels really weird to post ngl, I was actually planning on posting the entire thing in 1 part but it was ridiculously long and the pacing was so incredibly slow. After editing it down and proofreading, I'm extremely proud and glad I made it a 3 parter. So, again, read with caution, enjoy the story, and I hope you cried.

Imagery used:

Snapdragon seed pods, red snapdragons, red spider lilies

He came to your café a little bit more often now, there was a fear inside of him that he wouldn’t be able to save you either.

He didn’t know from what, where, or when. But after the two innocent girl’s life was taken away from them just because they were in the wrong situation. He felt a little bit paranoid at your own safety.

But almost every time he inquired you to get extra precautions, your boyfriend would always assure Deku that you were safe with him. And Deku trusted him.

Deku would constantly talk to you about whatever topic came into his mind, he wanted to talk to you more and love you even more even if it hurt him. Call him a masochist he didn’t care, love to him was a drug he couldn’t get enough of, even if that very thing giving him so much love can’t receive it from him, because you were receiving it from someone else.

His pink tinted eyes now growing red from the sheer amount of love he had for you. It grew cloudy and red, to the point where he found everything you do close to perfect.

He saw you as a beautiful goddess.

As the days slowly change from Summer to Fall, he saw more of the red flowers he found in the cemetery growing near your café.

When he asked you if you wanted to get rid of them, you laughed and brushed it off with what he thinks was a sly smile.

He wanted to believe that you actually started blooming them around the café since you knew he found them fascinating. Of course, there was no proof to this theory of his, but something Deku liked to do was a dream, and right now he dreamt of you giving hints of your love.

Then one day, he walked by the café just as it was closing on his way home and found your boyfriend yelling at you. You yelled back at him in retaliation and brought your hand up, only to get it caught by your boyfriend. For the first time, Deku finally saw how tight his grip was when he was mad.

He was sure it was going to leave a bruise on your skin. But he didn’t want to interfere.

When your boyfriend left, he finally revealed himself and comforted you. He told himself he was doing this not because he liked you but because you were his friend. He asked you what the argument was about but you looked up at him and smiled.

There was something weird about your smile, something he couldn’t quite place.

“It’s fine. He broke up with me.” Your smile didn’t match the tone of your cracking voice, and he had to stop himself from tightening his grip on you when you pushed him slightly away and begun walking back home.

He saw the red flowers around you bloom brighter than they ever had before, and he thought if it was a sign from her subconscious asking him to prod further. But he won’t, he can’t.

His rose gaze along with the sweet image he has of your boyfriend prevented him from going further.

After all, he was a hero, he knows best when to prod further. Even if he was biased in the situation.

~

Deku looked at his phone and found his text messages unanswered and ignored. He had just gotten accepted to UA, he wants to share the news with you.

But you had moved out from your parents’ house to go live alone in a different city with the school of your dreams. He confirmed this by asking your parents, though they did seem slightly worried over you he expected that of such caring parents. He thinks it was just because you were finally living alone.

But he wasn’t sure why there were so many unanswered texts, why you had completely left his life.

He felt his heart crashing into a million pieces.

It took him a rather long time to get over you. An even longer time to forget about the lasting memories of you.

On his daily run in UA just after getting into his 2nd year, on the road, he found a red snapdragon flower. It was radiant and beautiful. For a split second he got reminded of you, and your strange love for red flowers, though he thought it was just due to your unique quirk.

Not wanting to feel any more pain towards the coming memories, he dropped the flower and continued on his jog.

For some reason, he chose the exact same route the next day, this time he found the snapdragon dried and dead. The seed pods in the fallen stem were terrifying. They looked like miniature skulls and he shivered at the thought of something so beautiful being able to die so quickly.

Finally reaching his third year, he readied himself to become a fully-fledged hero as it was just a year away.

He found himself re-living some of his old memories though, Bakugou had asked him to go back to the forest they used to play as a child. It was his way of apologizing to Deku after all the years of torment.

In their path, they found a red camelia tree. The flowers were beautiful and Deku again thought of you.

Just in cue, Bakugou laughed, “Remember when I made Y/n cry because I smashed one?” Deku laughed at the thought but Bakugou grew quiet, “You know, they never respond to my texts ever again. I never told you that, but we stayed close even after I began bullying you. At the time I didn’t see them as a worthless quirkless person like you.”

Deku rolled his eyes, “Thank you Kaachan.” He said rather passive-aggressively.

“No that wasn’t my point, my point is when you told me they disappeared from your life they disappeared from mine as well.”

Deku shook his eyes, forcing the memories back down, “I don’t want to remember it Kaachan, you know I had the biggest crush on them. They must’ve found better people now.”

Deku pushed the memories down and didn’t let them resurface.

After all, if he was to become a hero, he couldn’t have old memories dragging him down. Even if it meant denying he still had feelings for you.

~

Deku checked his phone repeatedly.

20 unanswered texts, 10 unanswered calls since last week.

Fear bubbled up in his stomach.

What if you decided to leave him behind once again???

What does Deku do when he was stressed?

Drown himself in work.

He opened his laptop and begun reading and replying to hundreds of emails, even reading a lot of spam emails from his admirers. One did catch his eye though.

It was filled with videos. He opened it and from the thumbnails of the videos immediately grew even more panicked.

He clicked on one and watched through it. His eyes widened and fear washed over him like a tide in the sea.

He clicked on another one hoping his hunch wasn’t through.

He clicked on another and another.

He finally accepted it.

All of the videos you sent to him were your recordings of weekly diary entries in the form of video. Each of them you were covered in bruises, tear-stained cheeks, and ragged breathing. Your desperate pleas of not being able to break up with your boyfriend.

He quickly realized your boyfriend was not who he said he was, and that all his actions were just acted. He was a manipulative son of a bitch who trapped you in his spider web. He was the spider stringing a beautiful butterfly in his web. Slowly but surely wrapping you in silk, trapping you, suffocating you.

When he finally finished the last one he quickly ran towards your place. Begging to whatever god there was that you were safe.

“Did you know Izuku?”

Your words in the video echoed in his mind as he ran and ran.

“The flower you gave me were actually Red Spider Lilies.”

He lived rather far away but he couldn’t stop, he won’t.

“I’m surprised you didn’t know what they were nor what they symbolized”

His legs ached and burned but he continued on running.

“They’re symbols of death and moving on, sometimes even reincarnations.”

He finally got to your city and ran to your café, hoping you were there.

“They symbolize the change of seasons from Summer to Fall, truly beautiful flowers.”

When he saw the café closed with neither you nor your boyfriend in sight he continues running to your apartment.

“I never told you this about my quirk, but you know they predict my emotions? I think they can predict my future too.”

He felt like a rabid dog with tears flowing down like waterfalls.

“The spider lilies growing through my subconscious around the café were proof of that theory.”

No, no NO, he won’t let this happen. He won’t let you leave him once again.

He won’t let his rose-tinted gaze show him only your best parts, making him deny all your bad sides all your woes and tears.

He immediately barged into your apartment only to be greeted by the sickeningly sweet smell of flowers.

The room was dark, despite it being 1pm.

He walked slowly through the entrance and found a scatter of red flowers blooming everywhere.

He called your name, no answer.

He screamed for your name, no answer.

But he did get his answer when he arrived at your living room.

The entire room was almost covered from ceiling to the floor with red spider lilies, and the lushest areas where they grew the densest were in the middle of the room.

Deku screamed in agony as he held your hanging body close to his chest.

It wasn’t blood that now stained his fingers nor his clothes. It was the red petals falling down from the ceiling to his hair that taunted him.

It mocked him.

It told him that you gave all the signs, you showed him everything, and yet he was too drugged in the most addictive drug of them all, love, to even notice your hints.

And now he was paying the price.

After all, he was a hero, he needed to be responsible for his actions. Even if it meant finally accepting that you were gone… forever.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Protea (Part 12)

She finds that she can quite effortlessly muster up enthusiasm. The flower shop does bring her a unique brand of delight. A delight that would have probably made Azula happy as well; it has a simple sort of charm that Azula finds relaxing.

Snapdragon strokes her thumb over the pink-purple petal of a foxglove.

“I brought you some snacks.” Mai’s lips quirk into a smile as she arranges a few marigolds upon the counter.

Azula truly does hate to admit it, but she didn’t exactly hate the taste of marigold stems. And Snapdragon finds them quite delectable. So when Mai turns to fetch the sunflowers, Snapdragon takes a single marigold and pops it into her mouth. She lets it dangle between her lips until Mai turns around and grumbles, “it was a joke, you weren’t supposed to eat it again.”

She quirks a brow and takes a bite. Mai ruffles her hair and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Neither Snapdragon nor Azula can seem to get used to the affection. She isn’t sure which part of her the tummy flutters come from.

She finishes eating the marigold as their first customer walks up.

“Mohi!” Snapdragon grins.

“Are ya eatin flowas again?”

She clears her throat and replies, “no” as Mai says, “yes.”

Mohi sighs. “How’s the palace been?”

Snapdragon isn’t sure how to answer this so Azula does it for her, “insightful.” It only occurs to her that this isn’t something that Snapdragon would say after she sees the quizzical look on Mohi’s face.

“They be teachin’ you ta speak like a noble?”

“I picked up on things.”

Mohi nods. “Ya jus’ watch yaself there. ‘N don’t ya go ‘n let ya fingas wanda, that’ll git ya in trouble if ya get caught.”

“We already talked about that.” Mai assures her. “She’s been strictly sticking to things that people don’t want anymore...or things that she was told she could touch; she’s made herself comfortable in Azula’s room.”

“Ya watch ya’self. I can’t protect ya from that one if ya find trouble there.”

A lump forms in her throat. She hadn’t considered how Mohi might take to finding out that she’d been caring for a princess she thought ruthless and cruel. Decidedly she has to be more careful around Mohi, lest she lose her too.

.oOo.

Mai clips at and arranges her flowers as Snapdragon and Mohi catch up. She thinks of inviting the woman and her sons to stay at the palace too, but really the palace isn’t hers to be extending invitations to.

She supposes that all is well enough, Snapdragon will get the best of both worlds. Tonight she is going home with Mohi. It will be drab without her company in the palace. Though it is probably better if she does go back to her own home for a while; Ami hasn’t been taking kindly to her in the slightest.

“The palace is no place for a crude and dirty little cretin.” She’d lamented to Mai. “You had no business bringing her here. You don’t even have a love for your Fire Lord.” She rambles on and on, “or any of the royals, why stay in the palace if you hate the royal family?”

Really, she can’t be bothered to answer the woman. She is there because she needs a place to stay, nothing more and nothing less. Once she gets the shop truly up and running she will get a place of her own and never have to deal with upper ring drama again. Truly, it’s exhausting. Snapdragon is such a refreshing break.

By noon, she doesn’t have much time to dwell upon palace drama; the grand opening of the shop has drawn in a very generous flow of people.

“Can you give me a hand, Snapdragon?”

The woman looks up from her conversation and flashes her a smile and a thumbs up.

“Hold these leaves out of the way while I clip some of the thorns off.”

Snapdragon carefully lifts the petals out of the way and watches Mai pune away the thorns. She sets the clippers aside and Snapdragon lets the leaves fall back in place and set the roses on the window sill.

She sits herself upon the now mostly cleared counter. She reaches for Mai’s hand and Mai takes it.

Mohi clears her throat. “Behave yaself! I’ll be at home waitin’ when the ya shift’s through.”

“M’kay,  Mohi.” Snapdragon answers. She waits until the woman has left to wrap her arms around Mai’s neck and her legs around her waist.

Mai rolls her eyes, “I’m not going to lift you up and carry you if that’s what you’re hoping for.”

Snapdragon shakes her head. Mai is beginning to think that the girl just wants closeness. She pats her back and replies, “we’re going to have to do this after work.” Though she isn’t entirely pleased to have to cut off the woman’s cuddles. Her embrace is warm and pleasant. “Here, have a flower instead.” She takes one of the marigolds and tucks it behind Snapdragon’s ear.

Snapdragon leaps off of the counter. “I can’t believe that your aunt was able to afford this.” She gestures about the store.

“I had Zuko pull a few more strings.” She loathes to admit it.

“He sure helps you out a lot.” She looks almost nervous. “He still loves you don’t he?”

“Well that’s unfortunate for him.” Mai shrugs. “Because I found someone else who is much easier to be around.”

“Who?”

Mai rolls her eyes. “You, Snapdragon.”

Her face flushes. “Oh, yeah. Me.” She tilts her head. “I’m easy to be around?”

“You’re one of the only people I’ve met who isn’t afraid to express yourself.” She wishes that she weren’t so afraid herself. “It’s refreshing, Snapdragon. It feels authentic. Sometimes I think that you’re the only person in the Fire Nation who isn’t full of lies, deceptions, and ulterior motives.”

.oOo.

Snapdragon thinks about it the whole way home. About lies and deceptions. She doesn’t think that she has any ulterior motives. She thinks that she only wants to have an old friend back. She doesn’t think that, that is so terrible and yet it feels all wrong.

She pops into the house to call out that she is heading to her factory. She needs to clear her head. She knows that the factory will help Snapdragon do so and she knows how to clear Azula’s mind.

She is alone in said factory when she tries firebending for the first time in a very long time. It dawns upon her that she likely could have done it this whole time had she not given up so easily after a few failed attempts and some teasing from Zenyul and Kaz.

She lets the fire come to her hands as she has done so many times. It feels right, natural. It curls and laps at the air with fingers of blue and for quite a while Snapdragon only watches it. Mesmerized by that which she created, that which she had grown familiar with and then became a stranger to one more.

She stares at it until the connections are formed in her mind and it becomes an extension of herself once again.

Only then does she take up a stance. This too feels second nature and foreign all the same. She doesn’t exactly recall each and every step in the kata but they come to her as she moves her way through it.

She doesn’t have to think too much. She doesn’t have to think at all. And she is bending.

Bending as she always had in her life before this one.

“Snapdragon?”

She goes completely tense. “Kaz, what are you doing here?”

“It’s gettin’ late ‘n Mohi sent me to git you.” He pauses. “Snapdragon were you…”

She can’t deny it, he had seen it very clearly. Even Azula can’t lie her way out of this one.

“Your fire is…” he sputters. “It’s blue.”

She bites the inside of her cheek. She could accuse him of imagining strange colors where there was only orange. She could accent the accusation by bringing orange fire to her palms. “I just learned to do it.”

“Sure didn’t look like it. It looks like you been doin’ it fer ages.”

She could tell him that Zenyul has been teaching her but she can’t remember the last time that the brothers were apart. She tries to speak but she finds herself at a loss for what to say. The truth is as unbelievable as the lies--perhaps more so even. So she only manages a soft, “don’t tell Mohi.”

She doesn’t think that he is listening. “Blue. Fire.”

She swallows.

“Blue. Fire! Snapdragon, you know who else has blue fire!?”

She knows very well. She knows that there is no ‘who else’, that there is only one person. She just hopes that Kaz won’t arrive at the same conclusion. She doesn’t get to hope for long at all. He stares at with wonder and curiosity. With delight and with hesitance.

She doesn’t expect him to reach out and touch the small scars on her cheek. Doesn’t expect him to run his fingers through her hair, “how’d you do it?”

“How’d I do what?”

He gestures to her face. “I heard rumors that Lady Ursa was able to change her face…”

Her blood runs colder than she thought possible for a firebender. “Kaz…”

“They’s lookin’ for you at the palace ‘n you’ve been there the whole time?”

Perhaps partially so, she had been. “Kaz, I don’t want to go back.”

His brows furrow. “Then why’s you been goin’ back?”

She doesn’t want to go back as Azula. Snapdragon decides that she doesn’t want to be Azula again. Not yet. Snapdragon is happy. Snapdragon is carefree and fun. Azula is not. “Because Mai is there.” But she likes it here. Absently, she takes a step back and leans against the cool metal siding of the building, “I like my factory too.” He wouldn’t take that away from her would he? But, Agni, the bounty reward could buy he and his family a place in the cheaper end of the upper ring.

“Kaz, don’t take me back there.” She doesn’t want to hurt him. She can’t hurt him. She realizes that she is going to lose her family either way; if she lets him run off and tell them who she is Zuzu will come to collect her, Mohi will resent her. If she causes him any sort of harm, Mohi will hate her tenfold.

She takes a deep breath, she will let him run. It occurs to her that they wouldn’t believe him anyways. Snapdragon hasn’t ignited a even a spark, she only has to play ignorant. And it isn’t as though he can simply pry a mask off or wipe away layers of makeup; Snapdragon’s face is her own. She doesn’t have to tell him that no one will believe him. She thinks that he knows. Somehow she thinks that she is being cruel.

“Why would you wanna stay here in this slobby slumtown?” He inquires. She doesn’t think that he wants an answer for he continues, “it isn’t fair; you can leave at any time and you choose to stay here. And I’d like nothing more than to get out of this dump and go somewhere that mama deserves! But I don’t have a choice! We’re stuck in this trash heap ‘cause of you.” He pauses, breathing heavily. “Mama said not to say it because she didn’t want you to blame yerself, but it’s true! We was well off ‘for we took you in.” And in one last burst he adds, “‘n you ain’t even need it!”

But she did need it. She does need it.

She may not need a place to stay, but she needs people to love. The hatred in his eyes only reaffirms what she knows to be true; that she has to be more careful. That Azula can’t come back.  “Please don’t hate me, Kaz.”

[bbmyungho]

Snapdragon - Yeonjun

member/group: Yeonjun/TXT

genre: fluff, angst, kingdom!au, bestfriend!yeonjun, royal!reader, Soobin’s also there

TW: MINOR CHARACTER DEATH

Sunlight warmed my eyelids as I woke, peeking through the curtains flowing in the breeze from my cracked window. My whole body felt warm in the few rays that reached it, my blood running like smooth golden honey as I further relaxed into my pillows.

“Oh your highness~!” My pest of a best friend called through my rooms; I heard him shuffling around in the front room, going ahead and preparing myself for his weight crashing onto me in a few seconds. “It’s time to wake up!!” He screeched, jumping on me and wrapping me up in a bone crushing hug as soon as he collided with me.

“Nooooo~” I whined out, struggling to turn further away from him in his grasp and shove my face into my pillows. “Can’t we just lay here, just for today?”

“Unfortunately, no. The stupid witch lady will be here to tutor you at 9 o’clock and then we have to hang out, obviously.” Yeonjun finally sat up, relieving me of his weight as he bounced up and down, shaking my mattress and, consequently, me.

“Oh, come on, I like Ms. Moon. A lot more than Mr. Kang, for sure.” I peeked at him, smiling sleepily at the pout on his face.

“Don’t care, she takes up your time and energy shoving ‘knowledge’ in your head when you could be paying attention to me.” He crossed his arms and pouted at me even more intensely, causing me to laugh before shoving my head back into my pillows and sighing contentedly. “Oh, if you get up now, you’ll get to see Soobin serving breakfast.”

I immediately shot up. “He’s back from the lower village? I thought he wasn’t going to turn up until lunch!” I smiled. Yeonjun shrugged.

“He got back early.” He hummed, moving off of me so that I could start getting ready for the day and hopefully catch sight of the cute kitchen boy who had managed to steal into my heart over the past few months, closing and locking the window as I ran into my bathroom. “Wear the goldy-colored thingy for him, it looks cute on you!”

~

“Good morning, your highness. Yeonjun.” Soobin greeted us as we approached the table, a smile breaking out onto my face almost immediately upon the sight of his cute tussled hair.

“Good morning, Bin. How was the lower village?” I asked, taking my seat as he began gathering dishes for us.

“Oh, it was nice. Nothing new, really,” he stopped and smiled fondly, “I found some snapdragons on the side of the road on my way back. They’re your favorite flowers aren’t they?” He asked. My heart skipped a beat, face instantly reddening as I looked wide eyed at Yeonjun.

“Yes, they are.” Yeonjun smiled as he answered for me, earning himself a small flustered kick from under the table, Soobin sparing a glance and a smile my way before he brought mine and Yeonjun’s breakfast over to us.

“I picked you one, but it got crushed on the way back.” He pouted. I blushed all the way up to my ears as I watched his back retreat into the kitchen, taking my time to zone in on whatever Yeonjun was saying while we ate.

“Don’t you think it’s about time you two get together already? He obviously likes you, too.” Yeonjun said. My spoon dropped with a loud clatter in my flustered state, face reddening even more at the thought that Bin might have heard before he actually reached the kitchens.

“Yeonjun~, you’re making me blush. What if he hears?” I whined, covering my cheeks as the boy next to me just chuckled evilly.

“Sorry, your highness.”

~

“Okay, rock, paper, scissors, SHOOT!” Yeonjun groaned at the sight of my fist, perched proudly over his scissors. “Oh, come on. You’ve lived here all your life, you’re so hard to find between all of these corridors and tapestries.”

“Ohh, if only we’d found you sooner, darling.” I teased, patting his head as he pouted. He started to count, prompting me to run off and find a place to hide, laughing evilly as I retreated. There was only so much to do in the castle, but hide and seek never got old given all of the passages on every level.

“Ready or not, here I come!” echoed through the halls as I skidded around another corner, a fairly loud thud ringing in my ears as I was spent sprawling back by something hard. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry your highness. Are you okay?” Soobin asked concernedly, discarding the plates he’d been carrying before offering me his hand. 

“Oh, Soobin, I’m- I’m really sorry, no need to apologize. I... should’ve been looking where I was going.” I took his hand sheepishly, allowing myself to be pulled from the floor and into Soobin’s chest; it was much more pleasant now that I actually got to stay there for a while, warm and soft. His arms were very comforting, holding me tight before I could trip and fall again. 

“No, I understand. You have a game to win, no?” He teased, smiling at me. I laughed lightly, shyly unraveling myself from his arms once I realized they were still there.

“Your highness?” A familiar voice from behind me pulled me harshly from the warmth I found in Soobin’s presence, whipping around to see Yeonjun with a stupid smirk on his face. 

“Uh, I should be going.” Soobin muttered, grabbing his plates and nodding at both of us before scampering down the corridor behind Yeonjun. We stood there in silence for probably another minute, my stomach in knots, before Yeonjun got started.

“Soooo-”

“Shut up.” I brushed myself off annoyedly, giving him a devilish smile in return.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to ruin the moment, but you’re needed in the throne room. Your father is having a meeting with some of the officials and they’d like you to be in attendance, especially since your coronation is coming up.” 

“What’s the meeting for?” I asked. Yeonjun swallowed thickly, his eyes scanning down to the floor nervously before meeting mine. 

“On the shore. A navy ship came in with no one and nothing on it.” Yeonjun said. I stopped in my tracks. 

Sometimes I felt ready for my coronation; I knew I could be a good leader, just like my father (but better obviously), and our people would be happy and feel cared for by their monarchs. But then, moments like this... as I grew, I was involved more and more in the actual politics of it all, I knew more and more and more. I couldn’t and I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I was terrified.

“Hey, hey, it’s probably just some petty thieves, I don’t know. Maybe they took the men hostage or something so they wouldn’t alert anybody of their hideout or whatever. I’m sure it’s nothing, I’m sure they’ll turn up somewhere.” Yeonjun took my silence as his cue to attempt to console me, but it still didn’t do much to ease my nerves.

“Still, my men are being held hostage. Sure, I’m glad we’re safe here, but what about them?” I asked. Yeonjun stood in silence, a pained look worrying his features before he pulled me into a hug.

“It’ll be okay your highness. I promise. And hey,” he said, pulling back, “maybe they met another one of our ships and decided to get on it or something. Transfer missions, and we’ll get a letter a couple days late explaining everything. Or maybe they got tired of breaking their backs for you and yours and they’re just hanging out on an island somewhere, yeah?” He attempted a chuckle, making me smile in response. 

Even if it was fake, it made me feel a little better. I wasn’t a child, I wasn’t naive enough to believe that maybe he was right, not deep down. But I was grateful to be able to walk into my meeting with my head held high, my eyes drifting over every once in a while to meet Yeonjun’s smiling face. Or, when a certain kitchen boy came stumbling in to offer us a small snack for our troubles, to see his blushing cheeks and soft tussled hair.

“Oh, yeah, by the way,” Yeonjun said smoothly as we walked back to my chambers that night, “what was going on with you and Soobin earlier?” I groaned and shoved him lightly, earning a laugh for my suffering.

“Nothing happened, I fell like an idiot and he helped me up.” I grumbled, my hands coming to my cheeks to cover my blush.

“And then he held you for like two or three extra seconds before I interrupted.” Yeonjun quipped.

“Yeah, hey, by the way, thanks for interrupting us, jerk.” I pouted. Yeonjun threw his head back in laughter, nudging me with his shoulder as we walked.

“Sorry, your highness. Won’t happen again.”

~

“Yeonjunnie~!” Soobin called, eliciting a laugh from me and I’m sure an eye roll from Yeonjun. We were having a picnic out in the gardens, sampling food for the coronation and just goofing around, when we decided to play a game of tag while we were exploring. 

“Does he usually just give up and hide?” Soobin asked.

“He’s not overtly fond of running for long periods of time.” I shrugged. Soobin giggled (my heart?????) and started walking in the opposite direction. 

“How about we split up and make a circle of the gardens? We’ll find him eventually.” Soobin proposed. 

“Yeah, sure.” I smiled and ran off towards the other end of the gardens, the small labyrinth coming into view. I remembered showing it to Yeonjun when he’d first come into our walls, guiding him through and teasing him by running ahead of him. A sneaking suspicion told me that he would be hiding in there, so I trotted in, yelling ‘Yeonjunnie~’ all the way through. 

“Yeonjun!” I called one last time into the depths of the maze. I knew he was smart (well, smart enough), and he’d been in this maze plenty over the past two or so years, but I still couldn’t help but worry about him. We were like two sides of the same coin, I didn’t like to have him too far away from me for too long. “Yeonju-”

“AHH!” I jumped back with a yelp as a lanky figure sprung out from the row next to me, grabbing me and spinning around with a gloating laugh. 

“Yeonjun!” I smacked him softly, a teasing groan parting his lips as he poked my cheeks.

“I got you~” He smiled, pinching my cheeks and poking my sides in quick succession to tease me further. 

“Yeonjun, that wasn’t funny, I was scared you got lost or hurt.” I sulked, pushing his shoulder and sending him back into a bush. 

“Hey! If anything in this garden is going to hurt me, it’s you!” He stuck his tongue out, pushing himself up and coming to sling an arm around my shoulder. “Sorry for scaring you, your highness. Now let’s go find Soobin!”

~

It was coronation night. Everything had been going to plan, I don’t know what happened. The food was delicious, the music was wonderful, the palace was decorated in beautiful blues and golds, snapdragons and coriander lining the halls, all in celebration of me. 

Before I knew it, Yeonjun was grabbing me and running, up the stairs and directly to my rooms. 

“Stay here, don’t move no matter what. I’ll come back to get you, don’t worry.” He’d said. That was almost an hour ago. I’d stayed huddled under my bed, blankets wrapped tight around me, my once perfectly done hair and perfectly fitted clothing all in ruins as I sat silently sobbing under my bed. I couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything. Anything but screaming and groaning coming from the halls. I felt sick, but I was scared to move for fear that someone would burst in and find me doubled over, dry heaving and panicking. 

All I could think of was Yeonjun, Soobin, probably being put to use to fight away whoever had laid siege to the palace. Under any other circumstance, I would’ve smiled and laughed at the mere thought of Soobin, in all of his clumsy, bounding glory, weilding a sword. This time it just made me feel sicker. 

With a heavy sigh, I rolled out from under my bed, creeping forward towards the door out to the hallway. As soon as I cracked it open, I saw two bodies. Guards. There was silence, even in the distance now. I hoped it was because people were hiding, not because there wasn’t anyone else to scream. I crept out slowly into the hall, moving towards the larger corridor at the end of it. I peeked around the corner, relief flooding over me when I saw Yeonjun standing outside of one of the doors.

“Yeonjun!” I called to him, his face whipping around in surprise. I ran towards him; his face was a little battered, he was covered in blood, but I didn’t care. He was right there.

And then, he tensed. He jumped back anxiously when I tried to pull him in to me, his eyes never once meeting mine. 

“Yeonjun? What’s wrong?” I asked. I attempted to search his face, but I couldn’t see him. “Do you know where Soobin is, is he okay?”

“Uh, I-“

“Yeonjun!” My heart jumped at the sound of Soobin’s sweet, deep voice, booming through the halls. I turned to see him coming towards us, a desperate smile plastered on my face as he approached. He was okay.

“Soobin, I-“

“We need to get out of here, soon, before anybody gets brave.” He spared a glance from Yeonjun over to me, his eyebrows furrowing before he looked back at Yeonjun. “Before anyone finds the heir, especially here with us. None of us are gonna benefit from that.” With that, he pushed past us, not even a second glance or the slightest bit of remorse as I watched his retreating back. I tore my eyes away, looking back to Yeonjun, waiting for him to say that it was all a stupid twisted awful prank that he was super super genuinely sorry for pulling, or that it was a spontaneous drill, or that it was anything other than what it really was.

“Yeonjun?” My voice cracked as I waited for him to respond. I waited for him to look up from the floor, but he never did; not my Yeonjun at least. The one that looked at me was broken and a traitor. I hated him.

“I’m sorry, your highness. I really mean it this time.”

“No-“

“Yes. I mean it, I’m so, so sorry.” If I had been any dumber, I would’ve believed it when I thought I heard his voice crack. I would’ve believed that maybe he felt an ounce of remorse for any of this. If I were any smarter, I would’ve tackled him to the ground before he got the chance to walk away and taken him to the dungeons myself.

But I wasn’t: smarter, dumber. I was just sad and defeated and almost positively alone. I watched him leave, just as Soobin did, and I sat there and cried.

~

“How did you do this, dad?” I muttered to the painting hanging up in the great hall. I was struggling to balance the crown on my head, running through the words I would say to my people in just a few moments. Dad never struggled with these sorts of things, or at least it was never quite as obvious.

Both of my parents had been taken in the siege; a good portion of jewelry and gold had been taken, and the original crown that I was supposed to wear was nowhere to be found. Most of the people in attendance that night were traumatized, injured, or dead.

The doors opened onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard, and it was time for me to act like royalty again. I swallowed a lump in my throat as flags with depictions of Yeonjun and Soobin dropped from the banisters above me, shading me from the sun. “These are highly dangerous, highly capable individuals. Don’t let their looks fool you.” Not like they did me. “If you must engage, do so. Do whatever it takes. Protect yourself first.”

[battletowered]

Commemoration

Headcanon Drabble in Leon’s “ more severe darkest day au ” verse which I’m reposting and bringing forward to this blog from the archive for the anniversary.

TW: Deals with mourning and major character death.

    One year.

    It’s hard for him to believe. Leon still fully expects that one of these times when his phone buzzes that his face is going to flash up on screen. That he’s going to get a call and hear him asking to want to meet up and battle or grab some lunch together. He knows it’s impossible. He knows that’s never a call he’s going to get. He could delete the contact. Give himself some kind of finality but… there’s a photo that he’d taken himself attached to that contact. Smiling wide and bright– a genuine one and not just one for the camera. One of the ones that had too much teeth because he was laughing as Leon tried to get his phone back.

    His phone has never been so quiet as it has in the past year. It’s been a hard adjustment.

     He’d visited this morning. Left two huge bouquets of mixed flowers because there was too much slate grey. Boring, Raihan would have called it, and Raihan deserved something as vibrant as he is… was. The headstone is modest, situated between two cypress trees. It was hard to believe they were already getting so big. Leon had spared no expense on his flowers– sweetpea, rainflowers, carnations, tulips, canterbury bells and most importantly snapdragons, because he knew that the ones named after his favorite type would have made him smile the most.

    He’d gone early because Leon doesn’t think he can bring himself to face Raihan’s family. He knows they don’t blame him. They must have told him a thousand times the day of the funeral, though he can’t say he really remembers all that much from that day. Those two weeks following Eternatus’ capture were encapsulated in an ugly grey smear in his memory.

    He remembers searing pain in his ribs. Feeling hollow– like something had dug a hole through his stomach. He remembers feeling like he was going to collapse a lot. He remembers the way that his head pounded to the beat of a deafeningly cheering crowd the day he lost his title.

     But he barely remembered his own best friend’s funeral. What a joke. How fitting that the self-absorbed champion would have been more concerned with himself and his title during the time he should have been saying goodbye. He’d heard a million reasons why it wasn’t his fault– as if he didn’t already know that. That there was nothing Leon would have been able to do to stop Raihan from trying to protect Hammerlocke because it was his home. It’s still his home.

    It feels like one failure among hundreds. Sometimes he still wonders, though, if maybe he could have. If he had just said something different. Would anything have changed if Leon hadn’t stubbornly insisted that he would be fine, but Raihan’s duty was to protect the people of Hammerlocke because they needed him.

    They still need him. But he wasn’t here anymore.

    That was why Leon was here, actually. At least that’s why he’d lingered after visiting the grave.

    He’d assumed that the city would hold sour memories for him. Sure, it did, but not nearly so severely as Leon had expected they’d be. There was something almost inspiring about it, actually, because Hammerlocke had come together and healed the physical scars left by Eternatus. They had held on and healed, and it gave Leon the hope that he would be able to do the same. His mother had always told him that he was named after Dandelions for a reason. There was nothing more stubborn than a weed, the little plants that would keep existing in spite of everything in the world working against them. Perhaps if Leon could do that– just keep existing against everything going against him– then maybe he’d be able to shake that feeling that something was missing.

    It would work. He’d made it work before. It had to work. He had no other option. The world wasn’t going to stop and wait on him to piece himself back together. The world didn’t end just because Leon felt like it was.

    Still, Leon can see the city is in mourning. Or he might be projecting his own, soured mood. Either way people have been giving him space, and the streets have been so quiet. He appreciates it, honestly. It’s hard to put on a strong face, even on a good day. He won’t let himself cry in public, though he knows his face is red and swollen from doing just that earlier this morning. His eyes and head hurt, but his tears seemed to have dried up for now.

    That’s a good thing anyway. He doesn’t want people to worry about him. He’ll be fine.

    There’s a huff of breath, and Leon suddenly is reminded that he’d let Charizard out of her ball to help him along. She ceases his forward motion with a gentle, broad wing. He’s so glad she’s good at not getting turned around. She knows the right direction– something Leon can’t manage when he’s not spacing out and irritated. Leon looks up, relieved to see the battlements of the castle already repaired, though just the sight gives him a woozy feeling.

    He hears rather than sees it coming as he looks up toward the top of the battlements, the sharp, melodic sound of wings splitting through air just a fraction of a second before he’s slammed into bodily. He teeters, barely managing to keep his footing as he struggles with the momentum, laughing breathlessly.

    “Flygon!” There’s the panicked call of Sebastian as he winds his way down the staircases of the castle as fast as his legs will take him. Camilla and Aria follow in tow, though pause to wave at Leon as Sebastian rushes to come help pry the excited Pokemon off of Leon. Leon’s still laughing, though. He can’t help it with the way the large dragon type is nuzzling against him and demanding he pet along it’s head.

-_-_-_-

    For a while it’s hard to bring himself to be sad– he’s buried in Pokemon who want his attention. Raihan’s team were always excited to see him, even if he’d just visited them less than a month ago. He likes to come check on them, mostly because he knows how hard it can be for any Pokemon to adjust to sudden change but especially so dragon types. It goes unsaid, of course, that there were other reasons he liked to see them. It always pleased him to see them happy and relaxed.

    For a while Leon had been chatting with the Gym Trainers about nothing at all really– at least it was nothing at all to him anymore. Mostly about the league– trying to figure out what to do with the Gym and the adjustments and whether the gym would be capable of returning to the major league or if it should be stepped back while they searched for a new leader.

    It’s not hard to tell they miss him. No one has said it, but Leon is perceptive, so they don’t have to. They skirt around outright saying what they know is true– that he’s gone and that it’s been hard to make the adjustment to move on because they’d lost such a force of personality. He knows because he’d seen them mirror his shock and fear and sorrow a year ago. He’d seen them mourning, too.

    Now that they’d run out of safe topics to talk about, they’ve lapsed into silence. They just share their spaces on the pitch while they watch the Pokemon mill about. Sandaconda has curled up in Leon’s lap to sleep and Goodra has become a fixture at his side. She’s soaking his coat through with her goo, but Leon doesn’t mind it because she’s coddling him in a way that’s frighteningly similar to the way people do to baby pokemon.

    “You should take them with you.”

    It was like it all shattered in an instant. Just with those words. Leon’s head jerks upwards in Aria’s direction, blinking slowly as if the statement had confused him. As the realization sinks in, his eyes widen the way a wild pokemon’s might. Aria merely adjusts her glasses on her nose and averts her gaze.

    “…You mean Raihan’s pokemon?” Leon lingers on each word. He wants to clarify it even if it’s perfectly obvious what she’s referring to.

    “Yes”

    “Are they…. Really being that rowdy here?” Leon ventures, meaning for it to sound like a joke. As if to punctuate his discomfort, a nervous laugh slips through his mouth. Sandaconda stirs in his lap because he’s halted his stroking over the Pokemon’s scales.

   “That’s not what I… what we mean.” Aria sighs, sounding resigned already. She seems to consider her words carefully before she continues. “We’ve… The Gym Leaders and I have been speaking about it. We’re not trying to just pawn them off on you but… they really do seem to be their happiest when you’re here Cham– Leon.”

    Leon would like to keep staring at the grass on the stadium field, but he finds his gaze being drawn up to where Flygon and Charizard are play-fighting with one another. Then to where Duraludon and Gigalith have taken advantage of the warm weather to nap in a patch of sunlight. To where Torkoal and Turtonator are quietly crunching on some snacks just outside of Leon’s direct reach. He can’t say that they look particularly happier than they do any other time he’s seen then, but he supposes he wouldn’t know because he’s only ever seen them in his own presence.

    Still… It feels wrong in a way. Those are Raihan’s pokemon. His rival’s pokemon. His stomach twists at the realization that it’s not like he can ask Raihan because he’s not here to say. The idea hurts.

   “I shouldn’t.” Leon’s voice is so thin that he doesn’t even recognize it as his own. His throat is tight around this lump that’s forming, and he can feel the pressure at the bridge of his nose that happens right before he’s going to cry. He can’t– not here.

   “Why not?” Camilla answers this time. Her tone isn’t condescending or judgemental or goading, just an honest question. Leon doesn’t answer, and so she continues. “You’ve had plenty of experience raising dragon types. They know you well. Just… look at them? Goodra has been sitting with you since you got here and Flygon nearly bowled you over because he was so excited to see you this morning.”

    Tight. His throat is so tight it hurts, and ever so slightly Leon’s begun to tremble with the effort to keep his emotions wrapped up within his body.

    “It’s not that I don’t think I can. I love them… I’d love to raise them but…” Leon hesitated, not sure what words to use. Speaking about his feelings had never been his strong suit. What is he even trying to say?

     That bringing them in means finally having to accept that he’s gone? That there is no more Rival’s team because there was no more Rival. That it feels wrong to take his Pokemon because some deep part of him thinks that he’d never be able to be as good to them as Raihan was because he adored them. That he’d spent years and years watching Raihan with them to know they loved him just as much.

    He knows what it means. It means realizing that the Pokemon that he’d watched Raihan raise– some even from eggs– had lost so much a year ago too. They’d lost their guide. They’d lost their best friend just like Leon had. Leon could take them but he didn’t think he’d ever fill those shoes the way that Raihan did.

    “I don’t think I’m ready yet. If… I take them in, I want to make sure I can give them the life they deserve.” It’s raw. Entirely too raw the way the words come out, and it feels like something is digging thorns into his chest as he manages to force them out. He leaves ‘the life Raihan would have wanted for them’ out because he knows it doesn’t need to be said. Somehow Leon would have guessed that if anyone could relate to his feelings, it would have been the gym trainers.

    They’d been kind enough to give him space the first time he’d come to see Raihan’s team. When he’d cried helplessly and clung to Flygon and Duraludon for an hour while the tar has wormed its way out of his system and the realization sunk in that he was actually gone and that it wasn’t just a bad dream caused by the pain medicine from the hospital. He was sure they knew.

    “I’m… planning on moving. I would want to move first, to make sure they have the space they need to run and play. I don’t have that luxury right now in Wyndon. They need exercise. I want to make sure I can take care of them properly and do right by them.”

    “But… you’d consider it?”

    “Mmm.” Leon hums because he can’t talk anymore without the dam breaking. Leon nods, though, so they know he will, indeed, consider it. There’s more than what he’s said too. So much more. He wants to feel stable. He wants to know that he’s not going to look at Raihan’s team and feel the urge to cry as much as he does now, because he misses him. He wants to make sure they don’t come into a home only to be stressed by Leon’s own baggage. Sandaconda presses it’s snout into the warmth of his hand, and it’s enough to shake loose the somber laugh that’s caught in his throat. “I don’t think I could ever actually add them to my team. I’m pretty sure Raihan would come back and haunt me for stealing his weather strategy.”

    They lapse back into silence for a long moment. The quiet is deafening even around the sound of Goodra cooing and the soft crunch of Pokemon eating. Even around the groans of Charizard and the song-like beating of Flygon’s wings and the two wrestle around each other. Leon sighs, and leans back a little more against Goodra.

   “Thank you.” Leon’s gaze darted up again toward the others. Aria mumbled it, but the other two nodded their agreement. “It’s been… hard on them being separated among the three of us and… We really do think it’s what he would have wanted for them.”

    It’s those words that do it. Leon could swear he feels his frayed emotions snap as he raises a frantic hand to try and stem the flow of tears which are already coming. Goodra, finally picking up on his trembling now that he’s leaned against her more, fusses with him, tucking his body under her neck and letting out a bubbling coo.

    Leon’s heart wrenches in his chest and he feels sick at the stressed flipping of his stomach. He hiccups to try and breath around the rock that’s sitting in his throat but it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be able to will the tears away this time so he’s left to feebly wipe at them with the sleeves of his coat. He’s a cup that’s been overfilled, and now that the tension has given out his emotions are leaking out.

    “I know.” It’s all that Leon can manage before his throat tightens too much for him to speak.

[emerald-amidst-gold]

Ngl whenever I see OC asks I'm tempted to just ask all of them lmao

Buuut, let's see... from the OC creation asks, maybe 12, 15, 19? And for the other one, 1, 8, 52, 69? For any OC you'd like ~

I’m not shitting you when I say, DO IT. 

It’s my favorite time of the day~! Do you think I’ll ever shut up? Not likely, so let’s gooo! >:D 

***

12. What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)? 

You know, I always think about this to be fair because it’s something that can be a bit of a block for me when writing any of my OCs since they’re all really different personality wise. Fane, in particular, is a bit of a challenge. Especially when it’s not his POV. He’s hard to explain at times, and it’s why I take so long to create one shots or chapters because I want to make sure I’ve been as clear as possible with him or how other’s perceive him. I have to think in my head, ‘How would such and such really feel about Fane’s personality? How would they respond to his outbursts or his views on the world?’ It takes a lot of reviewing banter from Inquisition and seeing how characters interact with one another for me to confidently piece together dialogue in regards to Fane, and at times, my mind wanders into non canon territory to where I then have to yank it back. Fane lets my mind explore, but the wanderlust gets to be a bit..much. I think so, at any rate. Lol. 

On a more personal level, Fane is also me, in a way. He’s a persona that allows me to express what I tend to go through mentally at times. While it’s a sort of comfort for me to get things off my chest through him, I also have to take a step back and breathe, especially if my mind that day isn’t in the best of places. I mean, I want to write during those times, but it can be incredibly difficult to formulate words with enough sensitivity so it doesn’t hit too hard for anyone else and come off wrong.

15. What is something about your OC can make you laugh? 

I’m gonna use Estoria for this because one thing I’ve created with her always makes me smile and giggle like a madman. That thing is, is the fact that she’s a flirter, but if it’s directed at her then she’s a bumbling fool. She’s all miss big bad mercenary elf until someone says, “You’re eyes are truly a delight.’ and then she just laughs nervously and nearly crumbles into a ball at their feet. 

And you bet your ass that Solas’s smooth talk kills her to where she actively has Cullen syndrome and runs away--tripping and stumbling over her own feet because she can’t. Then, when she does manage to get away she just sits on the floor and goes with all the enthusiasm of a teenager, “He..he thinks I’m graceful? He thinks I’m graceful!” Then she just rolls around on the floor, kicking her legs like a happy little flower. :3

19. What is your favorite fact about your OC?

That Fane has a sweet tooth. Hands down. Man becomes a literal puppy around cake, cookies, anything sweet. I have it in my fluffy little head that he swipes those things from Skyhold’s kitchen without anyone seeing because he’s embarrassed. He’ll try to be all sneaky and slick, but someone always stumbles upon him stuffing his face and then..well, you know. Fane becomes Aterian and Solas has to be called to tame a dragon before the walls come down. *smiles pleasantly*

1.  What is/are your OC’s nickname(s) and how did it come about?

We’ll go down the line for this one!

Fane is ‘Tempest’ due to his ‘calm before the storm’ demeanor when in battle. Varric gave it to him when he saw how fast Fane could move despite his size, and how hard he could hit once closing in. He’s literally a lightning bolt as he’s never in the same place twice and he does it all without batting an eye like how a real storm can destroy everything in its path, but when the clouds part, it’s calm, controlled without a shred of guilt towards the wreckage.

Estoria is ‘Snapdragon’. He adoptive father gave it to her as a sign of affection and to let her know that she is strong, even if the world believes she’s just a delicate little flower to be set on a window and forgotten. It also came about whenever he saw just how fierce a fighter she could be and how passionate she would get towards specific topics--’snapping’ like a dragon does with their treasure hoard or young. 

Mhairi is ‘Snow bird’ or ‘Fawn’. Courtesy of Varric and Dorian! Snow bird is Dorian’s nickname for her and it’s mainly due to her proclivity towards ice magic. Fawn is Varric’s choice due to how wide eyed and curious Mhairi is, like a newborn fawn discovering the world for the first time.

8. How does your OC talk/what does your OC’s voice sound like?

This is Fane’s. Fane’s, Fane’s. Only because I have so many thoughts about his voice that I have to try to explain it! All right, so his voice is deep, obviously. However, it’s gruff, it’s tired, and it rumbles like the softest of thunder. You can take the man out of the dragon, but you can’t take the dragon out of the man. He always has a slight growl to his voice, even if he’s not irritated. He does have an accent, more or less along the lines of what the game gives us, but it’s deeper, has more timbre and husk to it. It drops dangerously low when he’s furious--almost warbling with the natural growl. It jumps a slight octave when he’s flustered--sometimes cracking on specific syllables. When he speaks Elvhen though..well, let’s just say Solas has an existential crisis to where he blanks for a good twenty seconds because how the words just roll near perfectly from a deep, deep, near criminally seductive grave. It’s a good time. *waggles eyebrows*

52. What are some of your OC’s motivations?

Oh god. Well, it is time to try and explain why Fane does the shit that he does! Namely, why the hell he supports the destruction of the Veil, even if he knows it could kill people he loves.

One: Fane is heavily devoted to Solas. Centuries of bonding and losing each other does that, after all. He strives in every fashion to lessen the burden on Solas’s shoulders because he’s seen it happen before. He’s seen and felt Solas practically scream for an end. So, he refuses to abandon him again to that torture, even if he has to bloody his hands from those he had come to consider friends. It’s a difficult road for both of them, but Fane tries to keep a tiny shred of hope in his heart that everything will be okay in the end--that they’ll be okay. He just wants to protect Solas with everything he has, even if it brands him a monster. So, in a way, Solas’s continued presence motivates Fane to keep pushing, even if it’s indirectly.

Two: Fane is passionate towards his kin. He wants to free them from the world they are forced to endure. Another reason for why he supports Solas beyond their close bond. He knows that dragons are needed for the world to survive. So, the thought of his kin being able to show what they are truly made to do is what guides him to endure a lot of the heart break and a lot of the words that are eventually hurled at him. It doesn’t make fighting them any easier though.

Three: Fane is heavily mired with family or those he considers family. He took Mhairi’s place in his father’s experiments because he wanted to protect her, not himself. He throws himself in front of blades, magic that’ll make him ill, and kin bearing claws just to keep those close to him alive because he can’t stand the thought of their eyes going dead and grey. He doesn’t want to kill; he wants to preserve, even if eventually, he’ll have to turn his back because of necessity.

69. What is your OC’s favorite kind of weather?

Fane likes snowy, cold, frigid weather. He was a snowy dragon. Who lived on mountain. Had ice in his lungs. Boy melts in the desert, trust me. Besides that, he just likes the way the world looks when its blanketed with snow and ice. It’s still and quiet. Those aren’t things he’s used to, so he greedily indulges in them when they’re present.

Estoria is the opposite. She loves the heat, but primarily she loves rain. She’ll stand out and just look up at the sky with a huge smile on her face--completely unconcerned that she could get sick. All because it reminds her that the world is still moving along, even if the people in it believe it’s not. It’s still growing, flourishing, thriving, and that gives her comfort and joy.

***

Wowee! That was a lot, but damn was it fun! Thank you for the ask, as always! I can ramble, ramble, ramble like my life depends on it! XD