#I don't know if it's me maybe falling somewhere in the grey area of the aro spectrum

[shine-reblogs]

So, I always found the 'soulmates always find each other and fall in love' trope kinda... lame?

Now, soulmates that always find each other because their souls are tied together but form a variety of relationsips? Soulmates that can be lovers, but also besties, and enemies, and mentor and student, and mother and daughter, and siblings, and... fuck, I don't know, someone needing a transplant and their donor? Now THAT'S my shit!

Ironically, I also find the second one to be a far more romantic idea than the 'always fall in love' one xD

[flaringgoosebumps]

Do you believe in aliens?

Very much so

I think..I may have experienced them..maybe. but who knows🤷

When I was 17, I was staying at my friends house and something really weird happened. We were trying to go to sleep early (like before 2am) lmao because we were meant to be up at 9am so we could go to the shops. And like any other night, her mom came into the room bitching at us for talking when we need to let her sleep. Her parents room was right beside us so they'd hear us talking and giggling and it always kept her mom up. She shut the curtains to glass door that showed us the garden area outside of my friends room, turned off the TV, and turned off the lights and told us if we made another noise, we wouldn't go to the places my friend and I requested. So we tried our best to be quieter and actually go to sleep. When I noticed my friend was falling asleep, there was an extremely bright light coming from the garden area that lit up the whole room. So bright that I couldn't see a thing. Strange noises that even now, I don't even know what to compare it to. I just close my eyes and think logically, it has to be a helicopter flying above us. They're looking for someone and they're flying closer than I've ever noticed before so that's all it is. Then the covers start to be pulled, from me only, at first. They're being dragged from the end of the bed. I don't look, I don't want to look. I want to reach out to my friend, too afraid to even see if her covers are being dragged away too. But the touch lamp beside her is freaking out, instead of going from soft light, brighter light, even brighter light, to brightest light; it's going from off to brightest light. I shut my eyes, pretending nothing is happening, hoping to fall asleep. My insides are screaming to run but I am too afraid to move. My friend starts to nudge me angrily, "STOP. ITS COLD. THIS IS WHY YOU HAVE YOUR OWN BLANKET" her blanket is being pulled off of her now, out of the blinks of lights, I can see several figures at the end of the bed. They are a pale grey 7ft tall, not quite humanoid, not quite not either. My focus is stolen by the looks of their hands, they're long, shaped like a claw but look to be a different texture. The lights are freaking out and judging from my friends breathing and how she got closer to me, she saw them too. We wanted out, the door was across the room, but we were paralyzed by fear. All we could do is scream. We screamed and screamed. Hoping her mom would come for us and after three minutes of screaming. Everything went black. Not the lights but us. We woke up at about 9pm the next day. So did her parents. None of us waking up once within that time. Neither of her parents heard us screaming. I'm always baffled at how all four of us could sleep at minimum 12 hours straight without waking up at all. Especially her mom and I, who are insomniacs. I'm sure there's a logical explanation somewhere, and had I experienced all of this alone. I would say it was just my mind being insane. But I didn't. My friend saw it too. I've told very few people about this before now, because I'm not certain what the hell this was. Two people said ALIENS so that's why I'm sharing it now but regardless of it was or wasn't, we really don't know what all exists or doesn't and at this point enough weird shit has happened that it feels naive to believe certain things don't exist y'know

[tayfabe75]

If cardigan is about Matty, what do we have with august and betty, considering that these three songs are one love story?

Kinda interesting that Matty and Betty rhyme... I know the story with all these names, but it's still funny to me

The pesky teenage love triangle strikes again! Anon, I admit - I have the same concern. Is Matty Betty because they're the same number of letters and end with a "t-t-y"? And, would that then mean that Taylor is James? After all, she was named for James Taylor… Or, is Matty James because they're both male? Your guess is as good as mine! I do, of course, have some speculation about the love triangle… (you knew it was comin'!)

Recently, Taylor chose to mash-up 'August' with 'Getaway Car' and 'The Other Side of the Door', which is interesting. On Twitter somewhere, I saw some comments about how we're getting all sides of the story, here. August: the perspective of the other woman, Getaway Car: the perspective of the cheater, and TOSOTD: the perspective of the woman spurned.

When it comes to making sense of this storyline, there are a few things I like to consider. It seems like there was some sort of undefined "situationship" between Taylor and Matty in the early days - I'm basing this off of 'Is It Over Now?' and 'TooTime', songs that share a melody.

While Taylor's song is lyrically much more fraught, Matty does imply that he's cried over this "situationship" ("you wet my eyes"). Pair that with Taylor's 1989 tour speeches, like this one before 'All You Had To Do Was Stay':

"I don't really like grey areas. I don't really like when people say 'I don't know', when it's a basic yes or no question. Do you want to be with me? Yes or no is the answer. And I tend to think that, you know, relationships are much less complicated than we make them if we simplify it to two basic options. Would you like to hear the two basic options, Boston? Okay. I think that your two real decisions and your two real options in a relationship are: you either leave or stay."

Recently (I think at MSG?), Matty introduced 'A Change of Heart' by describing himself as an "indecisive young man"… now, I get that most people don't think that song is about Taylor… however, that wasn't historically the case! (and that's certainly an interesting rabbit hole to fall down…)

Anyway, there are two theories that I really like, both suggested by my fellow "Tayfabe" collaborators:

The first theory being that 'August' might refer to opioids. Often, Matty describes his relationship to drugs almost like a romantic relationship:

"It's just… you know, if you break up with your missus for a good reason, even if you love her, you can understand it, you know, you can get on with it. But if you still fucking love her, it's really hard, you know? I think that would be the best way to describe it."

(Interestingly, Taylor speaks about addiction as an intro to the song 'This Is Me Trying' in the Long Ponds film… pair that with the "This Is Us Trying" engraving on NOACF… and you start wonderin' some things, no?)

The second theory being that Taylor could be both Augustine and Betty! That somewhere in her tumultuous timeline with Matty, she's found herself at one point being his "girl", and at other points, being "the other woman". Either way, she seems to deeply empathize with poor Augustine:

"August was obviously about the girl that James had this summer with, right? So she seems like she's this bad girl. But really, she's not a bad girl, she's like really a sensitive person who like, really fell for him and she was trying to seem cool and seem like she didn't care because that's what girls have to do, and she was trying to let him think that she didn't care, but she really did and she thought they had something very real. And then he goes back to Betty."

Something about the way she says this makes me think that no, Taylor is not actually Augustine, but there might be another reason she humanizes the "other woman" so much. Maybe because it's a friend of hers?

Warning: High (and morally dubious) speculation ahead

Anon, I'm personally a bit uncomfortable with celebrity gossip, but since so much of fandom song speculation seems to hinge on the gossip aspect of things, I thought it might be worth mentioning! Now, Matty used to date Halsey. It is alleged that a few of her songs are about Matty (more on that soon). Of course, Taylor and Halsey are friends as well as collaborators! I believe Taylor actually gifted her a Folklore cardigan, and Halsey posted an IG story of herself wearing it and lip-synching along to 'Illicit Affairs':

Don't call me "kid" Don't call me "baby" Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me You showed me colors You know I can't see with anyone else

If you're at all familiar with the Matty x Halsey lore, you'll know that her song 'Colors' is alleged to be about him, as well as the song 'Is There Somewhere', which shares a theme with 'August' in that it's about being the other woman:

Your girl's got red in her cheeks 'Cause we're something she can't see And I try to refrain but you're stuck in my brain All I do is cry and complain, because second's not the same

Now we'll go back to Taylor's quote about Augustine:

"So the idea that there's some like, some bad villain girl in any type of situation who like, takes your man, is actually a total myth because that's not usually the case at all. Like, everybody has feelings and wants to be seen and loved, and just like… Augustine, that's all she wanted was love."

(Oh, and to address the elephant in the room: Yes, I'm pretty sure Matty and Halsey dated in 2013. I know not everyone is on the same page when it comes to the "Tatty Timeline", but there are a few hints that Taylor and Matty met at least as far back as the Red era…)

Lastly, I'll leave you with this, Taylor's forecast for what ultimately becomes of James and Betty:

"Cardigan is from Betty's perspective from like twenty to thirty years later, looking back on this love, that was this tumultuous thing. In my head, Betty and James ended up together, right? So in my head, she ends up with him, but he really put her through it."

I definitely veered a bit off-course here, anon, forgive me! lol

And, of course, thanks for the ask! ♥

[bells-of-black-sunday]

The sweet tingle of tobacco coats his tongue as he drinks down the nicotine, blowing a billow of smoke to the side as he sits within Tarhos' apartment, his tired eyes flicking over to the veteran who was relaxing in his arm chair. Robin's wiry smile curled along his lips, when didn't he have something to say? It was in his nature to be troublesome - especially to someone like Tarhos, good old stick in the mud Tarhos who desperately needed how to learn to have some type of fun before he keeled over and died. Word play always delighted Robin, a little game, surely that would help...

"Tarhos, have your views changed at all since we've met? I know how you looked at me on the day I hired you - as though I'd taken you captive somehow," he bites back the urge to say "adopted", no no, for Tarhos that word carries too sharp a sting, "You're the one claiming we're all villains. There's no black or white, only gray area. We can coexist somewhere in the middle, can't we? After all your sweet pretty artist seems to be your entire world, but he's done unthinkable things. You certainly can't call him evil, but he doesn't fall into good either.” - modern

In Love And War | Accepting

The sheer fact that Robin was in his apartment wasn't usually a good sign, but who was he to deny a friend company like this? Though it was probably a good thing that Haru was still at his shop. For all his boyfriend's patience he knew he didn't like his boss. Something about his vibes being off. Like he wasn't actually a person. And there was some truth to that wasn't there? None of them were real people. They all presented the version of the themselves they wanted others to see and as Jed had put it before in one of his stories: It's the great façade humanity participates in every day.

Humanity was one of the many things Tarhos never tried to understand, he just knew that for how simple his job could be it could be a major headache due to people in general. Yet what did he really think? How had his views changed from that biting dog that somehow someone in such a position of power as Robin had taken pity on all those years ago. In the beginning it was true, he did feel like a captive. A dog on a leash to sit by the assistant's desk and bare it's teeth as anyone who got a little too close. Now though?

He actually enjoyed it or maybe he enjoyed the money. Tarhos shifts getting comfortable as he thought, "I don't like senseless violence or dying for other men's egos, Robin. I don't think I need to explain that to you but..." he pauses, "....I think everyone who gets into this business knows what they're getting into and that they're putting their life at risk for one stupid thing or another. I don' know what it is, but it's not something purely evil. It's not like we're like that nut job in the paper who sneaks into civilians homes and butchers them for a cheap laugh."

Haru... his boyfriend, the love of his life and the man who caused him so much pain at the same time. Yet... he was the only person he ever really felt got him completely. Robin tried of course, but... he'd be lying if he said he didn't agree with the artist in saying there was always something more sinister behind his pale gaze. Especially that Abel guy who he's only seen in passing when being told to go on an early break. Haru was someone who was grey,

"The only people Haruko has ever killed were people who deserved it one way or another. Abusers, wife beaters, worse, you know... people who really don't deserve the breaths they take. I don't get your interest in his "hobbies" all of a sudden though. Did something happen?"

[survey--s]

458.

Have you ever had a dream that your teeth were falling out? No, I don't think so.

Do you have a fence? No, our garden is walled.

Do you think that in the end, everything will fall into place? No. I mean, it's a nice idea but it's definitely not something based in reality.

When was the last time you went bowling? When we went to Blackpool which is over six years ago now.

Who was the last person you disappointed? Maybe a customer when I said I couldn't fit her in for an hour on a day they needed. I offered her regular slots and she said no so they went to someone else, but now she wants the slots she turned down every week lol.

Would you ever get a significant other’s name tattooed on yourself? No, even though Mike has my initials tattooed on his wrist.

Name one unpopular opinion of yours: Religion is incredibly dangerous.

Has the person you like ever made you upset? Of course. I think that's pretty normal in a long-term relationship.

What is one thing people automatically notice about you? The fact that I wear glasses.

Does anyone know your deepest darkest secret? I don't really have a deep dark secret.

If you were getting unwanted attention by some creeper, would the person you like stand up for you? Yes.

Favorite kind of soda? Pepsi Max.

Are you closer to your mother or father? My mum, for sure. I barely ever speak to my dad.

Are you afraid of the dark? No.

What’s your favorite shape? Circles.

How social are you? I'm very unsocial, lol. Don't get me wrong, I like going out occasionally and I'm happy to talk if people talk to me, but generally I much prefer my own company.

What’s your favorite primary color? Red.

Do you like hot chocolate? Not the cheap, powdered stuff, but proper Italian hot chocolate tastes absolutely amazing.

What do you have pierced? Earlobes x 3, right cartilage, nose and belly button. I used to have a lot more but they've all closed up over the years. I had 2-3 other cartilage piercings in both ears plus my tragus on my right ear too.

What’s your favorite type of tea? Earl Grey, Yorkshire tea or Green tea with lemon.

Who are you subscribed to on YouTube? Just loads of channels that upload TV shows I can't find anywhere else.

What’s your favorite thing about the winter? Snow days, Christmas, my birthday, having two weeks off work.

What motivates you? I guess money, as money brings you choices and freedom.

Would you rather have a hot tub or a pool? A hot tub as I think we'd get more use out of it. Maybe one of those swim spas that double as a hot tub.

What’s your favorite Yankee Candle scent? I hate Yankee Candles but my favourite candle scents are things like vanilla, baked goods and gingerbead.

Would you rather learn how to play the ukulele or guitar? I can already play guitar.

If you are up after 3 am, what are you most likely doing? Reading my phone in bed as I can't sleep. Would you ever keep your favorite animal as a pet? We have a dog and three cats. I wouldn't want to keep any of my favourite exotic animals as pets.

What are your thoughts and feelings towards work/jobs in general? They're a normal part of life. Society wouldn't function if nobody worked, but I'm not a fan of the whole idea that everyone should work Monday-Friday, 9-5 in an office somewhere.

Do you believe in astrology? No.

What is something that you’ve made/created? Do you take pride in your creations? I'm not really a very creative person in that respect.

Do you have any cultural or family traditions that you know are uncommon in the area that you reside in currently? Nope.

What are you grandparents' names? I'm not sharing that on here as my grandparents have very unique names.

Have you ever been bitten by a dog? Yes, twice.

The last time you got blood drawn, what was the reason? To check my hormone as I was having major issues with my periods.

Where are you, exactly, right now? On the sofa in the living room, at home. Toby is sitting to my left, Layla is on the coffee table and Purrlock is under the table and they're all staring at me as they want feeding an hour early LOL.

What is your relation to the last child you spoke to? He's the son of one of my clients. He's called Max and he's adorable.

Are you scared to look at your own organs on x-ray or ultrasound? Nope.

Have you ever walked on a frozen lake/river? Yeah, in Canada when we went to Lake Louise. I'd never do it in the UK though as it never really gets cold enough for things to properly freeze.

Have you ever seen a volcano? Yeah, Etna and Vesuvius, plus a couple of others I can't remember the names of.

Have you ever met an Alaskan? I don’t think so.

Describe how you’ve broken a bone, if you have. I've never broken a bone before.

Choose 5 friends, and briefly describe their relationship status. Susie - in a long-term relationship. Jade - in a long-distance marriage. Suzanne - married with a child. Karla - married with two children.. Nathan - engaged with two step-children and a child.

Describe the last situation in which you found yourself feeling awkward. I honestly don't remember.

Do you have a neighbor you'd like to get to know more? No, not really. Maybe Jade if she counts.

If you're female, would you rather be called a girl, woman, gal, chick, b*tch, or lady? I just want to be called by my name.

What magazines did you like to read as a teenager? Just 17, Mizz, Teen Vogue, ElleGirl.

Did you use Lisa Frank folders in school when you were younger? No, it wasn't really much of a thing here.

Do you watch any doctors' channels on YouTube? I watch some of those spot squeezing videos lol.

Have you ever lived in a house that was on a street corner? No.

What’s your favorite app? Instagram is probably the one I used the most.

Do you want any tattoos? I have one and I'll probably get more one day, but I have no real desire to get one anytime soon.

What is the saddest song you’ve ever heard? Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton.

Are you afraid of snakes? Not really, but we don't have any dangerous ones here really, except Adders but they're really rare.

Which “famous couple” is your favorite? Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. What’s your favorite love song? I don't really have one.

How important is it to make a relationship official (p.e. on Facebook)? Not important at all, really. Are you the “dominant” or the “submissive” part in a relationship? Dominant.

What career do you want? I'm happy with what I do at the moment - working with animals.

What about having kids? Bleurgh, no thank you.

Do you think you’ll marry your current significant other? We are married.

How did your first serious breakup go? It was horrible at the time but looking back it was very normal.

[TW: SELF-HARM] Have you ever cut yourself? Yeah.

The first time you dumped someone, was it hard? Yes, but it was easier than being dumped.

Do you regret who you lost your virginity to? No.

Do you watch WWE Raw? Nope.

Do you dye your hair? I used to do it regularly but I don't think I've dyed it since lockdown.

Which of your parents will you see next? My mum's coming up at some point next week.

Have you ever been hospitalized? Yes, twice overnight.

Do you make fun of obese people? No.

Do you eat when you’re upset? Sometimes. I either eat loads or nothing when I'm upset lol.

One word to describe your most recent ex? Liar.

Fried, poached, boiled or scrambled eggs? Poached.

Where, in your current country, would you like to live, other than where you do now? Maybe somewhere like Cornwall.

Where wouldn’t you want to live? Doncaster.

Name three things that are overrated: Meh, it's all just personal opinion.

List four things about your facial appearance: I wear glasses, I have a tiny birthmark on my chin, I have my nose pierced and I currently have a spot on my chin too.

List four things about your general appearance: I have curly hair, I'm taller than average, I have a tattoo on my back and I never really wear make-up.

What was the last thing that made you laugh out loud? Something the cat was doing.

How many weddings have you ever been to? Just my own.

Would you ever wear real authentic leather? Yeah. I own a leather jacket and leather shoes.

How old are your parents? My dad is 67 and my mum is 63. They both have their birthdays in June as well.

What song is stuck in your head at the moment? Nothing at the moment.

What’s your boss’s first name? Do you call him/her by that name? I don't have a boss these days, but when I did, we always used first names.

[imaginesmatsu]

Because of pride month, lgbtq headcannons or coming out headcannons?

i headcanon that choromatsu would act as the Token Straight Boy™

not jk lol but theyre all sort of everywhere, yknow?

osomatsu, to me, would prefer anyone with a visible chest - but otherwise he wouldnt care what's in your pants. aligns more with bi than he does with pan, however he usually tends to shy away from dating anyone who identifies masculinely. not that there's a problem, of course, he likes dick - he just doesnt really like men

karamatsu likes anyone and everyone, regardless of what they identify as. definitely the most likely of the brothers to be found in a polycule, though he prefers all of his partners get along. he's great at giving attention to all of his partners and never favors any one over another

choromatsu may act like the Token Straight™ and while he is "straighter" than the others (by the boys' definition), he's still into people who don't identify as female. he's like osomatsu in that he prefers people that identify femininely, but he doen't care as much about physical appearance - as long as he finds who he loves then he'll be okay. he's somewhere in the grey-ace/grey-rom area, but tbh i'm not fully sure where - he falls in love easier than he would have sex with someone, that's for sure.

ichimatsu is sort of like karamatsu in the way of not caring about identity, but he's also fully demiromantic/demisexual. i dont know if there's a combined term for the two? one of the main things that ichi does look for in a partner is if they're good/okay with cats. he doesn't expect them to like look after the strays but he does want them to not be mean or anything. might be open to polycules down the line but even opening up to one person is hard enough for him

jyushimatsu. another "love for the sake of loving" type. he's not as open to polyamory as karamatsu, but he's not as reserved as ichimatsu - he just wants to find the perfect person for him. whether his partner is poly or not doesnt matter to him, as long as they make sure to spend time with him then he's alright with that! definitely has fallen in love with many people at once, but usually doesnt realize it unless he feels sexually attracted to them as well

todomatsu doesn't really care too much as long as his partner would let him dress them up. he's maybe a little more shallow when it comes to facial looks, but even if those who have softer features and present masculinely are okay in todomatsu's book. if there's a word for "romantically attracted to soft features" then yeah that's him. he's the only one who fully identifies with "grace," even though he isn't the only one on the grey-ace spectrum. he doesn't really need an emotional bond like some others, but he also doesn't have many sexual feelings toward other people in general. when he does, it happens randomly and usually not for very long

[comfortscripts]

May I Have This Dance? ¬ Steve Rogers

Plot - After retiring his shield, Steve's partner realises that he seems to be missing something.

Requested? Yes/No

Genre - ☁️️Fluff ☁️️

Note/Warning - Steve didn't return to Peggy after Endgame (I refuse to accept that ending honestly), I think this is GN but please let me know if I have used fem!pronouns, also the reader wears a dress in this so if you are uncomfortable with that be aware.

Word Count - 1.7k

After your husband Steve retired from the superhero living, life seemed dull in his eyes. You could see that his once vibrant baby blues had lost their sparkle, their joy for life.

Whilst him having more time meant that your relationship thrived, Steve was missing something and you were missing him being truly happy.

It was Sunday and a rule of the Rogers relationship is that Sunday was an "Old School Day".

No technology, no going to the city and no current news or media of any kind.

It took a while to get use to but you soon learned to love it because it meant that you had the whole day with your soulmate, no distractions. But today was different, there was one thing that had taken up your entire focus all day.

A few days prior, you were in line at the supermarket when you spotted a flyer.

DANCE YOURSELF BACK TO THE 40s!

Have you ever wondered what a 40s dance was like?

Well if the answer is yes, get yourself down to the Michaelton Hall this Sunday at 7:30pm

The cashier was a motherly looking woman in her late 60s named Dorothy, her family had owned the supermarket here since the 1920s and being a cashier here was her first job. Twice a week she would come down and "relive her youth" as her husband always jokes.

"I thought that might catch your eye" Dorothy spoke after watching you inspect the flyer. "The old music, the clothes and just that feeling of a simpler time. I'm hoping to convince William to take me but getting him to dress up like a princess is more likely than getting him to dance."

You laugh at the woman's joke but mainly at the idea of William in a frilly dress. William and Dorothy had been married for 52 years but the only time William ever danced with her was on their wedding night, a story that you thought was sad but Dora took it in her stride.

"Well I am thinking that this might be a good way to get Steve out of his funk, even for only a night" You say with a wistful look on your face whilst piling fruit into your shopping bag.

"What a wonderful idea my dear!" Dorothy exclaimed whilst scanning the final item "There is a quaint little vintage store about half a mile out of town, I am sure you'd find a dress to knock Steve's socks off"

Smiling at the woman, you hand her some cash before taking one last look at the flyer "You are like a fairy godmother Dora. Have a lovely day and hopefully see you at the dance".

By the next morning, you were keen to start prepping for the Sunday surprise. Giving your husband a kiss goodbye, you headed off to 'run some errands'.

First stop was buying the tickets, then that left you with finding the perfect 40s dress.

You headed out of town to the vintage store Dorothy mentioned but you were not prepared for how beautiful the shop was. Flowers in corners all over the place, fairy-lights decorated the clothing racks and old pieces of sparkling jewellery was displayed throughout the store.

You could have spent hours in there, it felt like a visual time machine but it seemed luck was on your side. As you strolled further into the store, you noticed a stunning pastel floor-length satin dress with light embellishments near the sleeves. That was exactly what you needed.

Everything was ready. Tickets were bought, dress was found and Steve's old military suit was ready to be worn. All you had to do now was keep it from your husband till Sunday.

Making it to Sunday evening was difficult, you had nearly exposed the plans twice but thankfully Steve believed the excuses you came up with. But now it was time to get ready.

"My love, guess what I found the other day in the attic" You call out to your super-solider husband. "Your old army uniform. Perfect condition as well".

Handing the outfit to Steve, you see his eyes light up with the memories of his time back in the 1940s. Although he looked only slightly older than he did the last time he wore it, it was like looking back in time.

"Wow, I didn't think I would ever see this again." He spoke caressing the material.

"Steve, do you think you could maybe try it on again? I would love to have a glimpse of what use to be the fashion" You asked carefully, trying to make sure he didn't suspect anything else.

A small smile graced his face. "Of course, I probably would have wanted to try it on either way" And with a laugh, he headed upstairs to suit up.

Whilst the super-solider was getting ready, you slipped into your dress and quickly slipped on an oversized shirt which made it look like you were wearing a long skirt and t-shirt. Applying a bit of makeup before double checking that your purse was ready with the tickets, car keys and some other essentials.

Hearing footsteps descend your staircase, you turn around to a fully suited and confident looking Steve Rogers. This man has managed to make you fall more in love every day for the past 6 years but in this moment, he took your breath away.

"You look so handsome. How did I ever get lucky enough to call you my husband?" You express as you reach up to lay the corner of his collar down. Even though you compliment your husband all the time, Steve still flushes a bit red at the sweet words.

Leaning in to give him a small kiss, you suddenly remember that you are on a time constraint. You pull back with a mischievous grin dancing on your face.

"Oh no, I know that face. What have you done?" Steve asks with a little chuckle. Instead of responding, you grab his hand and head out to the car. After instructing him to get into the passenger seat, you settle yourself in the driver's seat and start the car whilst Steve sits beside you watching like he was trying to solve a puzzle - the puzzle being you.

"I have a surprise for you but I am going to need you to put this blindfold on whilst I drive us there" With a grin on your face and your hand offering a silk blue blindfold to your incredibly confused but handsome husband.

Cautiously Steve reaches for the blindfold and puts it on, he would trust you with his life so why not trust you with a small surprise.

After driving for 15 minutes or so, Steve feels the car stop and turn off.

"Wait one second" You say before he hears you open your door.

Bubbling with excitement you quickly discard of your t-shirt, place some kitten heels on and apply a sultry shade of red on your lips before throwing anything you don't need in the trunk.

Walking over to Steve's side of the car, you calm your nerves slightly with a deep breathe. Opening the passenger door, you take a hold of Steve's hand and carefully guide him towards the entrance of the hall.

Sounds of Moonlight Serenade songs fill his ears as he enters, still completely oblivious to his partner's scheme. He notices that it is far warmer in this area and that he can smell a mix of perfume and whiskey.

"Okay baby, when I count to 3, you can take off your blindfold" You finally say.

"1"

"2"

"3"

As Steve removes the silk blocking his vision and is immediately hit with a feeling of nostalgia. The hall looked like something out of his memories; men and women dressed in 40s fashion dancing the night away, a small band playing all the most popular songs from the decade he yearned for, men who reminded him of Bucky trying to pick up girls at the bar.

Steve thought that he was blown away until he saw his Y/N. The person who made life worth living, who made everything seem light again. There they stood, looking like they had just walked off the silver screen from an old movie. Steve never really believed that he could live such a happy life but somewhere along the way, he must have done something right because now he is married to an angel.

Walking up to you, he placed his hands on your waist and looked deep into your eyes. Drowning in Steve's ocean blue eyes was a favourite past-time of yours but this felt more than that.

"I noticed you have been a bit down since you gave up the shield and I couldn't see you frown anymore." You whisper quietly as if you were nervous that this plan wouldn't work.

"I know I say it constantly but I love you, Y/N Rogers. Your kindness, your care, your effortless beauty, you." Steve recited, filling every word with pure love and appreciation. "Sometimes I think that I am no one if I am not Captain America or I don't belong in this world but you. You, Y/N, you made me realise that you are my home, not the past. You are the only one I need in this life-time or any other life-time because you taught me who I am beyond the shield."

Tears start to well up in your eyes as you hang off his every word.

"This dance is amazing but what makes me happy is that I get to spend tonight and every night with my soulmate" Steve takes a step back and extends his hand. "So, may I have this dance my darling?"

Reaching for his hand, you make your way onto the dance floor amongst the other couples. As the song dies down, Stella by Frank Sinatra starts filling the hall with a romantic atmosphere and you feel Steve place his hand on your hip before placing another in your hand. This was truly a night to remember.

As you sway with your husband, you let your eyes wander to the other dancing couples and near the centre of the dance floor, you spot Dorothy and William smiling and swaying like teenagers again.

All you can do is hope that you and Steve will be dancing together when you are old and grey.

[randomshyperson]

The Scarlet Witch Prophecy - Chapter 25 - The Battle of Hogwarts (Part One)

Thanks to my gif maker and friend of course, @abimess.

Summary: As the youngest daughter of Howard Stark, you have ordinary expectations for your years at Hogwarts. Little do you know what adventures await you when your destiny is intertwined with the legendary Scarlet Witch.

Warnings: +16. Adaptation of the Harry Potter Saga, Magical Thematic, Prophecies, Mentions of Violence, Torture and dark magic, Language (swearing and minor/major offenses), manipulation of will, Underage kissing, insinuation of smut with minors, Smut (overage), descriptions of death, aggression, obscurity, angst, fluffy, soulmates analogies. || Words: 5.550 K

A/N> The third to last chapter is here, a little late because I just forgot to publish it yesterday. Well, good luck and good reading everyone.

Series Masterlist ||  Read on AO3 || All Works Masterlist

Chapter 25 - Part XXV - The Battle of Hogwarts (Part One)

The first thing you notice when you arrive at Hogwarts is the sky.

Maybe it's because you fell backwards onto the ground, and the high was what was within reach of your gaze, but you can see clearly that the exact moment Wanda apparated you and Charles into the castle, was also the exact moment when the protection spells broke.

The great force field placed in the castle, breaking into luminous pieces in front of your eyes, would be beautiful to watch in any other situation.

Now, it just means that you arrived just in time for the fight to begin.

A gentle touch pulls you up, helping you stand.

Wanda's concerned face checking to see if everything is okay, and you have to push the ringing in your ear from the adrenaline to absorb her words:

"[...]Charles is not breathing, Y/N! Help me!" And suddenly your heart is beating so fast that you have barely stood and are kneeling again, now next to the man who has fallen to the ground.

"What happened?" you asked worriedly, watching him squirm, the wide wound in his throat.

"He splinched! I don't know why I-"

"It's okay, Wanda, give me your hand." You interrupted her trying to calm her down, pulling her close. "Do as you did with me, I'll help you."

"I-I don't know how, I-I-"

"Trust me, then, babe." You guided quickly, as Wanda lowered herself down beside you, and you intertwined your hands at the height of Charles' wound who was almost passing out. "Breathe, let your magic flow with mine. The same way you healed me, help him."

Wanda tried to control her nervous tears, taking a deep breath. Her hands trembled on top of yours.

But as soon as you felt her magic, you focused.

It was a strange feeling, healing someone with Wanda's magic.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, and then it turned into a laugh of relief as the wound began to close.

Within seconds, Charles was blinking in confusion, trying to sit up, breathing normally.

"Hey buddy, how are you feeling?" You asked, touching his shoulders, and he shook his head.

"O-okay." He replied breathlessly, impressed. "Thank you, ladies."

"What happened, Charles?" Wanda asked worriedly, helping him stand. The sky exploding around you.

"We appeared a second before the protection spell broke, girls." He explained as he looked up at the sky, "I figured it would be worth absorbing the damage, rather than putting you two in danger."

"That was stupidly brave, buddy." You mutter making him laugh.

"Let's hurry up, I think the fight is on the other side."

You were near the entrance to the stone circle, just before the Wooden Bridge. There was no one there, but the force field was disengaging almost completely at that point.

Grabbing the Sorting Hat that had fallen from your head, and the sword that Gryffindor Charles had made a small belt for you to hang on your back, you ran beside them toward the castle.

As the distance diminished, your body began to shiver.

Wanda was in danger here.

You pushed the feeling away, trying to ignore it.

She intertwined your hands together, trying to give you a minimum of reassurance as you crossed the wooden bridge.

"Don't come any closer!" Someone shouted from the edge of the entrance, his wand raised.

The person saw Charles, who was in front, first. Hence the hostility, you guessed.

And then he recognized you and Wanda.

"By merlin, it's them!" Shouted the boy. "Tony, it's your sister!"

You choked, stepping forward.

Tony stumbled out of the area he was covering, and had half a second before he recognized you for you to catch up to him, jumping on his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Idiot, your friend almost stupified us!" You fought between tears as he laughed in relief and hugged you back.

He let go of you to hug Wanda too, but the loud noises of explosions in the distance made you exchange knowing glances about continuing.

"We need to go, the walkers are coming through the front entrance." He directs, but before you guys can move, there is a loud whistle.

You turn toward the bridge entrance again.

There is a large group of wizards there, who have probably appeared in the forest.

"That's why we're here, Y/N. I put a bomb on the bridge. Come right in." Tony says quickly, pulling you guys off the bridge.

The group of wizards is led by a grim-faced man with a huge scar on his face.

"Stop hiding, children!" He shouts as he walks.

Tony exchanges a look with the boy who was watching, and shouts.

"Come on, don't you think it's pathetic to attack a school, Digger?" Tony teased, clearly wishing the man would advance on the bridge. "You sound desperate, buddy!"

And this Digger guy seemed to get annoyed, but his gaze fell on you and Wanda, and his expression flashed with anger.

"My, my, is the Scarlet Witch am I seeing? You guys are fools."

You would have moved forward, wiped that sick smile off his face, if Tony hadn't cast an incantation on the end of the bridge, which caused a huge explosion.

He rushed to get you guys out, pushing you back into the castle as the wooden bridge was destroyed and that whole little horde of walkers was defeated at once.

"That was incredible!" The boy from earlier commented as soon as the explosion was over, "I'm Scott Summers, nice to meet you all."

You frowned at the outstretched hand. The name was not unfamiliar to you. But it wasn't until Wanda discreetly whispered in your mind that he was a friend of Jean Grey's did you recognize him.

He greeted everyone quickly before Tony turned to you.

"What the hell are you doing here anyway?" He asked, now almost annoyed. "Mephisto is here, somewhere outside the field. Neither you nor Wanda should be anywhere near him."

You started walking back to the castle, as you spoke. "You shouldn't have attacked now, Tony, you don't understand. He can't die, it is an ancient magic, it's called horcruxes and-

"Well, break it then!" He interrupts impatiently, because you guys are running and he is trying to get to the others soon. " Actually, tell me how to break it, and go back to Strange's room, that psycho can't lay eyes on you."

"No chance, I'll fight with you." You contradict, and Tony turns around with a grimace, but doesn't have time to protest, because by the time you reach the inside of the castle, it's insane.

There are many wizards in there, from the order, from the ministry. Also, a lot of classmates and children. Your first thought is to mentally curse Stephen for not sending the students home.

But someone jumps on your neck. It's Gamora, hugging you so tightly that she almost knocks you to the ground.

"By Merlin, what you're doing here, you can't be here-"

"Good to see you too, little sister." You interrupt in a tearful laugh, some members of the order recognizing you as well, but they keep moving on out, probably to deal with the rest of Mephisto's army.

"She said something about death magic, Gamora, just get her out of the castle before he knows they're here." Tony warns and he looks at you for a second before following the crowd of wizards outside, wand in hand.

"Let's go down the top hallway and-" Gamora says, already pulling you along, but you don't move from your spot.

"No you don't understand, I need to destroy two things, and I need to know where Pietro is." You say quickly, and Gamora blinks in confusion before answering.

"I think Piete was covering the Suspension Bridge entrance but-"

Wanda is already running before Gamora is finished, and honestly, no chance in hell you won't follow her.

Gamora shouts your name about four times, but the crowd of people keeps her behind.

"We should get back to Agatha, girls." Charles tries to ration, but you and Wanda keep running.

Hogwarts has never been so crowded.

The students are getting desperate, and you think that's why they seem to be running everywhere.

The stairs are changing very quickly too, and you and Wanda grumble impatiently as you struggle to get to Pietro by them.

It's when you reach the third floor frame that you lose your breath all at once, and almost fall into the gap between the stairs, but Charles holds on by the cover.

"Stark, what is wrong?" he asks worriedly, and hearing this Wanda stops running, turning to check on you immediately.

But you're not listening.

I know you're here, child. And I'm going to kill every one of them if you don't give me back what’s mine.

You choke, shaking, blocking your mind. Mephisto had managed to get in for a second, long enough for you to fall to the floor.

"It's him." You gasp accepting Charles' help to stand properly. "He got inside my head, and he knows we're here, Wanda. We need to hurry."

"I have to find Pietro and-"

"I know, let's find him first and destroy the Horcruxes."

In the Suspension Bridge area, a duel was going on.

A small group of walkers were trying to invade the castle through that zone, and Professor T'Challa, along with Pietro were covering the place.

You didn't recognize any of the wizards, but it didn't matter much, because Wanda attacked them the next second, her magic going by the free space between Pietro and T'Challa to hit the three wizards with a wave of energy all at once, which threw them off the bridge.

The two boys turned around confused and impressed, but Wanda jumped on Pietro the next moment, hugging him tightly.

"Sestra!"He said, shocked, matching the squeeze with a tearful laugh. You smiled at the scene, but looked forward, and your stomach gave a complete flip.

"How touching, a family reunion." Hela mocked as she slowly approached, behind her, Loki and three other wizards you didn't know, "It'll be worth killing you all together then."

T'Challa attacked first, but Hela used a magic you had never seen before.

It was a black claw, coming out like an extension of her own hand. It didn't break apart with your teacher's stupore spell, but rather darted through his chest.

You let out a loud exclamation, widening your eyes.

T'Challa fell down to the floor, dead.

"Did you like my new trick? I learned a few months ago, when Maximoff brought us out of the forest. I needed to learn how to never let my bunnies run away again." Hela narrated as she pulled the claw back. "Nothing fairer than to use that on him don't you think?"

But you attacked, furiously.

A shower of spells began. Agatha's lessons had been worth it.

You were dueling three wizards at once.

Charles joined you at your side, while Pietro pulled the professor's body out of the way, sniffling softly.

And then Hela was aiming her claw at you again, and you had no idea which spell to use.

You know the spell. Kill her.

Hela missed as you pushed that sinister thought away.

Wanda hit her in the ribs with a wave of magic and she let out an angry and painful scream, the claw hit the wall behind you, narrowly missing your face.

You muttered a “Thanks, babe”, realizing that the claws had a regarch time.

Your problem for the next ten seconds was to keep your mind blocked from Mephisto, ignore the trembling in your body from having Wanda in danger, and dueling three witches at once.

Everything was under control.

Until Hela took aim at Wanda.

"No, she belongs to the dark lord!" The witch next to the woman shouted, but too late, because Hela shot.

And Pietro reached Wanda before you did.

He pushed her to the ground, and the claw went through his chest.

"N-no!" Wanda screamed, and everything exploded around you in a bright red light that threw you and everyone around.

You shook your head as you tried to understand what had happened.

But you raised your eyes to find Pietro on the ground, and Wanda standing there, a red circle around her before she attacked Hela with a energy so strong that completely disintegrated her.

And then the other three witches were targeted.

You reached Pietro, choking on his own blood.

Just like in Wanda's vision.

"Piete, no." You gasped tearfully, as you pressed your hands to his wound. "Please, buddy, keep your eyes open."

He just stared at you, losing his strength.

You could feel Wanda's liquid fury in your veins as she kept fighting.

And if you couldn't help her now, you would help Pietro.

The sorting hat fell from your head as she cast the spell, and you looked at Charles picking it up off the floor, a confused but impressed look on his face.

On the brim, the Hufflepuff's cup.

You remembered Agatha's memories in the same second. About the cup healing the wounded, like it healed Thanos' colleague.

And Charles threw it to you before you even asked.

As soon as it touched your bloody hands, the cup filled with a transparent liquid.

You recognized the appearance because Charles was an excellent potions mentor.

Pouring the fluid into the wound, Pietro cried out. His skin burned as it closed, but the wound gradually cleared.

"Wanda, he'll be okay, look!" You shouted, and it was the same second she was going to aim at Loki, who was already on the ground, his hands raised in pity.

She gasped out her own magic, turning to you.

Pietro was pale, but he was healed. And Wanda quickly knelt down to you, and you stepped back so she could hold him.

"Destroy it now, Miss Stark!" Charles directed as soon as the cup rolled from your hands to the floor.

You waved frantically, but when Wanda threw you with the magic, the sword fell forward as well.

And it was Loki who reached for it first.

"Give it back!" You ordered, wand raised to the boy with the mixed look of fear and anger in front of you.

He just shook his head, and seeing the validity of the item, and understanding that he had no chance of facing you all, he ran to the edge of the bridge, sword in the air.

"Stand back or I'll throw it." Loki warned, and you obeyed, your hands raised in the air.

"Loki, please give it back."

"What is it?"

"It doesn't matter, just give it to me."

"She killed my sister, Y/N." Loki accused then, his eyes filled with tears.

"And Hela tried to kill Pietro. I'm sorry, Loki, but we're not the ones fighting on the wrong side."

"Wrong side?" Loki let out a humorless laugh. "You have no idea what he's done do you?"

"Who, Loki?"

"Odin." He retorted in disgust, his sword swinging over the edge. You swallowed dryly, trying to think of the possibilities of reaching Loki before he threw the sword.

"No buddy, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You think you're fighting for the right side?" He angrily accuses. "Odin killed my parents!"

You frown in confusion.

"Is that why you are fighting for Mephisto? Is it for revenge?"

"I am a child of late autumn, Y/N." He clarified, and you widen your eyes. "Odin killed my family."

You shake your head. "No, Loki. Mephisto searched for the children, he wanted to find Wanda. He-"

"Do you really think only the dark lord was looking for the children of the prophecy?" He interrupts angrily. "Everyone was. And when Odin came into my house, my parents thought he was a walker, and they attacked. And Odin killed them. And because he loved to play the good man part, he took me to live with him. All these years, I never knew. Until Hela told me the truth."

"Do you think fighting for Mephisto changes that? Odin made a mistake in lying to you, that doesn't give you the right to follow a dictator."

"None of them had the right to lie to me." He continues angrily. "Your side pretends to be good, covering the lies for each other. But it was Odin who broke into my house and murdered my parents. He stole me. He stole my life."

"And I'm sorry, Loki." You said sincerely. "But teaming up with someone worse doesn't fix things. Give me back my sword."

"What is it for?"

"To destroy horcruxes."

Loki hesitates. He looks at you doubtfully, and then at the object at his feet.

"You are lying."

"No, I'm not." You return. "Please, Loki. We are friends. Don't make me take the sword from you by force."

Something in his eyes changes for a second. “Friends? Even after what I did?”

You swallow hard, nodding. “You knew it was me. That day. But you didn’t say anything. I think it’s because you’re not like them. You’re scared, like the rest of us.”

Loki just looks at you for a moment, then throws the sword on his other hand and advances against you.

But it’s not on yourself that he aims, it’s in the object at your foot.

The second the blade pierce the cup, a dark magic energy flows out of it. It throws you and Loki away, right to the floor.

You see the image of a furious face emerge before it completely fades away.

The second horcrux was destroyed.

Coughing a bit, you feel this sharp feeling behind your neck, and close your eyes.

Fool child. I will not have mercy on any.

It’s Wanda’s touch on your face that brings you back to reality. She’s pulling you to stand, worriedly looking at you as Charles carries Pietro inside.

“I’m okay, love.” You whisper weakly as she checks you, but you’re looking at Loki, who has the sword in hand, sitting on the floor. “You did it.”

You tell him, somewhere between proud and impressed, but the boy just seems tired. He swallows hard, as if trying to control the urge to cry as he stands up.

“There's little I know about my real parents, Y/N." Loki says approaching. "And one of those things is about their contempt for magics like Necromancy. There are things I need to figure out on my own. Loose ends in my story, that will now be harder to unravel without my sister, or my mother. But I will not follow anyone who is willing to kill others to avoid his own death. I think I'm pretty evil already."

Loki hands you the sword. You swallow dryly, holding his hand over the item.

"You're not evil, Loki." You say. "You just made the wrong choices."

He gives you a sad smile, the explosions getting more powerful. The fight is getting worse, and he sighs, moving away.

"Hela said he was looking for a chamber in the castle, something underground." He tells you, and before you can thank him, he has disappeared before your eyes.

You turn to Wanda, and she already has an understanding look on her face, knowing where you should go.

"Go. We'll join the main entrance." Charles said, but Pietro moved to protest, and Wanda touched his shoulders.

"No, I'm not leaving you two alone!" He shouted, but his sister shook her head, ignoring the tears.

"Up here, you'll be safer than with us." She said with her voice full of emotion. "Please, Piete. Just...go."

"Wanda..."

"Now."

Pietro swallows dryly, and hugs his sister one last time before heading back inside the castle with Charles, running towards the loudest noises.

"Let's end this, darling." You say as you intertwine your hands together.

//-//-//-//-//

It is in between stumbling around the crowd of wizards running through the third floor to the stairwell that you remember that you don't know how to get into the chamber of secrets.

"Wanda, wait." You say giving a gentle tug on the hand that remains entwined with you the whole way.

And she turns around curious and concerned, but you just shake your head.

"We don't know-"

"Let's find my father then." She interrupts and you give a short laugh.

"Stop reading my mind." You tease as she pulls you to walk, a mischievous smile on her lips.

You make your way down the stairs back to the second floor, and an explosion in the nearby hallways catches your attention immediately as a group of first-year students scream and run away from that direction.

You and Wanda exchange a glance before moving forward, only to reach the almost completely destroyed hallway. A huge crater had been opened in the wall by a giant outside, who was looking in.

"Witches!" Said the monster in a loud, slow voice, as it noticed you inside.

You choked, stumbled and pulled Wanda away, before the giant could stick his hand into the hole and grab you two.

“Okay, not this way.” You comment as you run the opposite direction, screaming to the students outside to go the other way around.

Back in the Grand Staircase, there are wizards on brooms.

You frown, not understanding what the point of that is, but you figure that in their desperation, the students have tried everything.

And then there are walkers coming in from the upper floors, and you understand that whoever is in the air was trying to prevent them from coming down.

"Darling, where do you think your father is?" You ask worriedly, looking up to see two seventh-year witches knocking out a walker on the uppermost stairs, flying between the staircases with their Quidditch brooms.

Wanda didn't respond as one of the walkers hit a staircase, blasting the steps with a bright spell, and she quickly stopped three students from falling, pushing them back to safety with her magic.

Slightly out of breath, she turned to you.

"Upstairs." She says.

You let out a sigh. The upper floors, and the main entrance are where the fighting is at its worst. That's where your bond will leave you breathless due to the danger Wanda will be in.

But you just nod, and guide Wanda between the stairs, occasionally exchanging spells with the walkers who make it down.

Professor Erik is nowhere to be found.

You and Wanda are running for about twenty minutes, and it’s getting hard to ignore the way the bond is begging you to take her away from danger, as you feel an insistent headache and chills around your body.

As you stop to catch your breath, around the fifth floor, you keep your head down, as you lean against a wall with your hands on your knees.

“What is it, babe?” Wanda asked worriedly, her hands coming to your neck. “Merlin, you’re pale.”

“I’m o-okay.” You say back, feeling a bit nauseous. “I think we’re close to ending this, love. That’s why i-”

But a strong explosion cuts your line, the magic doing it’s job to protect Wanda for the wreckage that came flying all the way around. Someone just destroyed the sixth floor, the remains of the explosion flying to the halls, all the way down the stairs.

Coughing a bit, you get up, helping Wanda stand properly as well.

Before any of you can understand what happened, there’s a wizard jumping on you.

“I got the protector!” He screamed as you two fell through the air, in the gap between the stairs. The walker could turn into some kind of flying mist, and even though you were struggling against his grip, you couldn't get loose, and the ground was closing in at a considerable speed.

Your ears had an irritating ringing, and from the way your whole body shook, someone had reached Wanda too.

But then the feeling diminished.

And as you fell, you saw the characteristic light of Wanda's magic, before the walker's mist overwhelmed your vision, and you crashed against the steps, cascading to the last floor, as your back hit the stairs many times before you hit the ground.

Groaning in pain, you felt your whole body aching as you tried to blink and locate yourself, all half blurred around you.

You thought someone was calling you, and trying to ignore the whole accident to focus on the feeling that you needed to protect Wanda, but just as you started to get up, something came around your ankles, and started dragging you.

"Keep them busy, you useless bastards! The dark lord just needs the protector for the ritual." It was the last thing you heard before the bruises from the fall knocked you out.

//-//-//-//-//-//

There was an insistent ringing in your ears when you opened your eyes again.

And the floor was cold and damp.

It took you a few seconds to realize that besides the water, your clothes were wet in places with blood from your wounds.

Your whole body ached, but you didn't mind.

Because every cell was screaming Wanda's name.

Find her. Protect her.

You choked as you forced yourself to move, noticing your surroundings.

“Wanda?” you gasped breathlessly, trying to locate yourself. It seemed like a long hallway, and it was dark.

You could hear the explosions from the castle, even if they were muffled.

Someone chained you to the walls, and you realized that there were voices in the distance, and as you sat up, you tried to understand what they were saying:

"Harkness is going to help with the ritual." Someone commented. "Our master and his apprentice are finally united again."

"I thought he wanted to kill the girls." Retorted the male voice.

"The dark lord wants the scarlet magic, but he can only get it with Agatha's help, because of the fusion she did. I think she managed to convince him not to kill the children. For now at least."

The voices grew closer, until two tall, frowning wizards with their faces hidden by skull masks turned down the corridor, catching up with you.

"Hey, the sleepyhead is finally awake." Teased the taller one, raising his wand toward you to make the chains force you to your feet. "Come on, they're waiting for you."

Fighting the chains was useless, but you did it anyway.

And your head began to pound. Wherever Wanda was, she was in danger. Or maybe it was because she should be in great stress right now.

As you were dragged down the corridor, you were startled by the magnitude of the snakes embedded in the stones.

And then it occurred to you where you were.

Salazar Slytherin's chamber of secrets.

The walkers led you to the center, and as you reached the place, you noticed that colorful runes were drawn on the pillars, and candles were flying around. And in the middle, a pentagram that you didn't recognize.

What frightened you the most, was the gigantic basilisk skeleton in the corner of the room, perched like a work of art. You deduced that many years ago, the mortal remains of the creature were moved back into the chamber to avoid the curious.

It was no less frightening.

The wizard from before, hit your knees with a colorful spell, and you fell to the ground, facing the pentagram.

"Wait here, protector." He said, and then gave a little laugh. "Not that you have a choice."

"Fuck you." You grumbled but then gasped in pain, the torture curse hitting you in the ribs then making you curl down on the floor.

"Stop it, Zsasz!" Asked the wizard next to you, pushing the other's wand away, and consequently making the spell stop. You gasped with relief. "She's not ours to play with."

"Tell her to behave herself then, Vormund ." Retorted the angry Zsasz fellow. "I hate those half-bloods."

"Calm down, you idiot." Warned the other. "This will be over soon. Don't do anything to annoy the dark lord again. He's already pissed off enough with the destruction of the darkhold."

You widen your eyes, and let out a humorless laugh.

"Ouch, your master lost his little book? What a pity." You teased helplessly, and almost regretted the kick to the stomach you received, but the infuriated faces of the walkers made it worth it.

"You won't keep that little smile on your face when I rip out your spine!" Threatened Zsasz, causing you to lock your jaw by the wand on your neck.

"What's going on here?" interrupted a female voice, coming from the hallway.

It was a woman you didn't know, without a mask like the other two. And her confident posture, or perhaps her presence, made the walkers jump away from you.

"N-nothing, ma'am." Answered Vormund quickly. "The half-blood was being rebellious an-"

"And you two assume you have any right to correct her?" Cut the witch snidely, moving closer. "This must be a joke."

The wizards exchanged glances, but bowed their heads.

"Forgive us, Lady Mystique, it won't happen again." Said Zsasz, but the woman just held up her hand telling him to keep his apology.

"Go back to the entrance. No one must interrupt the ritual. And the dark lord is on his way." She said simply, and the wizards looked at you one last time before they started walking off in the direction they had carried you.

The Mystique woman waited until they had disappeared down the hall to look at you.

"I'm sorry for the hostility, dear, in the best of words, they are brutes." She said, waving so that the knot in your chains loosened a bit, which lessened the pain, but did not free you. You also felt a slight push on your back and legs, forcing you to stand gently.

"Do you expect thanks for the mild torture, ma'am? Not going to happen." You retort between teeth, trying to look around for some way out. But the chamber was dark and you didn't know the place.

The Mystique woman seemed to find your harshness amusing, and gave a short laugh, following your curious gaze.

"Even if you try to run, they will catch up with you." She says, making you lock your jaw.

"And even if you escape the spells, you won't be able to ignore the bond."

You have no argument really, so you just sigh. "What are they going to do to me?"

"The dark lord wants the scarlet magic." She answers. "And he needs to break Agatha's spell to get it now."

“But if he kills us, the magic will be gone.”

“That’s why he’s breaking the spell before killing you two.” She states simply, as you feel your stomach turn. But her eyes are gentle, and makes you confused, so you try to bargain.

“Please, you can’t let him do that, he’s insane and-”

“Enough with the begging, i hate it.” She cuts impatiently, but not cruelly. “Just do what you’re supposed to do and don’t freak out.” She whispers and you can hear steps coming closer. “We’re ending this for once.”

You frown, but Mystique is putting her hands on your arms to spin you around, making you look forward.

Widening your eyes, you take a step forward.

"A-Agatha, help me!" You ask quickly, watching the woman come out of one of the hallways to meet you in the center, wand in hand. "They're trying to do a ritual and-argh!"

Your speech turns to a groan of pain as Mystique's magic throws you to the floor on your knees, bending you over.

"Kneel in the presence of the dark lord, child." The woman warns beside you, and you choke as you feel your whole body shudder.

In the tunnel beside Agatha comes a man, whom you recognize well.

"Agatha, what's going on?" You ask confused as you see her walk beside Mephisto, to the center to meet you. And her expression is impassive, and you want to vomit. "Professor, what...?"

"Just look at that child, old friend." Mephisto interrupts, assessing you as you walk. "How did someone so weak get chosen to protect my sorceress?"

You lock your jaw, staring angrily at the wizard. He nods to the witch beside you, who also bowed.

"Raven, dear, thank you for taking care of everything." He says. "You may go, we will need privacy for the ritual. Go up to the castle, my sorceress needs to stay busy as much as possible until we're done here. And then you can leave it to me, I'll go after her myself."

“As you desire, my lord.” Raven says before getting up and leaving.

"After everything, you're going to betray us?" You accuse Agatha angrily, but she says nothing, just deflects her face to Mephisto, who gives a short laugh.

"Only a fool would believe that wizards like us do not belong together, Miss Stark." He says, and with a flick of his hands, all the candles in the place display a green flame. "Let's get on with it, Agatha. I need your help now that that fool destroyed my book."

"Yes, Faustus." Agatha replied before nodding toward you, and the chains glowed purple, steadying you tightly against the pentagram, which also lit up. "Let's begin."

//-//-//-//-//

Tag list > @imapotatao / @aimezvousbrahms/ @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia || @mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @thegayw1tch / @idek-5 // @helloalycia // @ensorcellme // @aimezvousbrahms // @drpepperobsessed // @sighsam // @olsensnpm // @sxfwap // @table57 // @madamevirgo // @causeitswhatjesuswouldfreakingdo // @emptysince18x // @xastrydx || @yuhloversxx || @ymzki-haruki || @wouldirunofftheworldsomeday || @lostandsearching || @lezzzbehonesthere || @musicinourlips || @chaekhan || @diaryoflife || @nervoustrack || @aquamarinescarlet || @cristin-rjd || @idamaemann || @fortunatelynerdylight || @iliketozoneout || @blackwow34 // @spongebobtentacles || @cyberbonesworld |

[imagininggintama]

Life is Unpredictable

I got inspiration to write this a while ago and just finished it tonight (1:25 AM, which is about 11 hours before it'll be posted), so here it is! Enjoy.

Warnings: I don't think there is anything to point out, but please let me know if something ends up bothering you!!!

Gintoki Sakata

Word Count: 4,075

The faint smell of moisture in the air mixed with the sudden smell of earth distracted you, making you look up to the skies to see the grey and dreary clouds blanketing the once vibrant blue and white. You heave a sigh from deep within your chest and begin packing your things neatly into your bag. All you wanted to do with your free time today was to sit and read and possibly write some fiction, letting your mind disappear into the depths of a fantastical land that was written just for you--maybe. You hadn't quite decided if you were planning to read or write, but the feeling that it would rain soon dragged you out of the right mind set. You stood from the outdoor seating area that was in front of the cafe and began to make your way down the street.

You needed to stop at a store to get an umbrella, since you were carrying a laptop on your person and hadn't expected there to be a sudden rainstorm today. You barely managed to get inside the store before the rain began falling, giving a sigh of relief that you narrowly avoided a catastrophe. You grabbed a shopping cart and put your bag inside of it, deciding to linger and see if anything caught your eye. Truthfully, you were hoping the rain would stop within the time you browsed through the store, but were realistic enough to grab an umbrella as soon as you passed them. The one you decided on was a bit pricier than you would have liked, but what really made you choose it was the size. It would definitely cover you and maybe three other people if you all huddled together, and it was a steal for the price versus size. You really wanted to avoid you or your bag getting wet if you could help it.

After about fifteen minutes, you had only really picked up a bottle of water to drink on your walk home. Nothing else piqued your interest enough to bother buying. So, you paid for your two items and made your way out of the store. You were genuinely surprised at how well it kept you dry--minus your ankles down. You can't fault the umbrella for that now, can you? It was a nice change of pace to constantly feeling the slight drops that the wind would blow in your face. You gave a faint hum as your thoughts wandered, used to being in your own head for lengthy periods of time. It made things… Easier to deal with, especially when you could manage to sort of auto-pilot your way somewhere. The walk home? You knew like the back of your hand: same street, same smells, easily avoidable blurs of color--or people as some would actually call them.

"Ah, man," a sudden voice exclaimed, pulling you from your thoughts, "my JUMP's going to get soaked with all this rain." You tilted your umbrella in just the right way to see the figure who was talking--a man with curly silver hair, reddish tired eyes, and a very unusual outfit. You couldn't help but mentally wonder if he got hot in summer or froze in winter. In his hand was the latest issue of Weekly JUMP. His situation reminded you of your own just half an hour or so earlier…

"Um, excuse me?" You walked over to him, ignoring the rough and gruff exterior. "Do you live far from here? You could share my umbrella if it's somewhat close." You probably sounded awkward and unsure of yourself, but that's because you hadn't really thought thoroughly of how to approach this strange man prior to taking action. He lifted his head to look at you, blinking before it settled in his head that you were talking to him. He seemed to take a second, most likely processing or replaying what you had said, before smiling.

"Yeah! It's just a couple of blocks down from here, that way," he replied and pointed, "are you sure though? I can't really offer anything in return." He was only being so upfront since he was concerned you might try to ask for something once you helped him home. He didn't have anything to give! ...unless you wanted an alien girl and a giant dog. No! He needed them for his job as non-paid employees. He saw your lips move but no sound processed in his silly little head, too busy making up scenarios.

"Huh?" He felt stupid asking, but he couldn't fake that he heard you.

"I said it's fine," you couldn't help but give a soft giggle at his expression, "besides, I have to go that way anyway. My name is Y/N, by the way." You held the umbrella higher as an invitation for him to join you, him gently taking it from your hand to hold it for you.

"Gintoki Sakata, but everyone calls me Gin, Gin-chan, or… yeah that's about all the appropriate ones anyway." He smiled when you laughed at his stupid joke before gently nudging you to let you know he was going to start walking.

"Odd Jobs Gin-chan, huh?" You read the sign out, looking up at Gin curiously.

"Yep. You have an issue? Just hire us and we'll do it."

"Huh… well, if I ever have something I need help with I'll just have to come by," you gave a soft laugh. He smiled warmly and gently grabbed your hand to put the umbrella handle back into it.

"Well, I'll be looking forward to it. Thanks for your help, and make sure you get home safely. I don't want to see you on the news tomorrow unless it's for winning the lottery, and in that case… Don't forget yer ole pal, Gin-chan." He gave his usual silly grin before he headed up the stairs, giving you a wave before he headed inside. While the rain may have ruined your plans, you can't say that today was all bad.

-

It had been about a week since you met the man named Gintoki Sakata, but you found yourself thinking about him a lot. You weren't quite sure what it was or why, but something about him just captured your interest. Perhaps you were just looking too far into it, or… maybe there was something just underneath the surface that was begging to show itself to you. Either way, you had thought over how to plan a trip over to Odd Jobs… You just hadn't had an actual legitimate problem that you could hire him for… It would look weird if you just went to visit him, right? People don't do that, do they?

Little did you know, though, Gin had been spending a ridiculous amount of time thinking about you, too. He, however, had no real way of contacting you since that day. There was only so many times he could head down that same street in hopes you would appear. He realized that after about the third time, he just looked sad and pathetic. Perhaps that was his own thought of how it looked, but it forced him to be back on his way to whatever else he had to do.

When he did finally begin to head home, bag of rice in hand, he decided to be realistic about the situation. It was highly unlikely that he would get to see you again. And since he didn't totally understand the feelings of a crush, he couldn't really piece together in his head why it bothered him so much. He rubbed his eyes slightly and slid into his home, pulling off his shoes before shouting out, "oi! Kagura! Come take the rice and start dinner."

"What the hell did you do?!" was what he was greeted with, an angry Kagura storming towards him.

"What's all this about?! I didn't do anything!" He quickly retaliated, preparing for the girl to hit him.

"Kagura-san, I told you, I just wanted to bring some cake over." That voice…! He zipped past the smaller figure and stared dumbly at seeing you… you! in his house! He wanted to jump for joy like a little kid, but resisted the strong urge.

"Y/N… I didn't expect to see you so soon. Do you have a job for us or did you just miss me?" As much as he wanted money, he would be happier to just spend time with you.

"Well, I wanted to hire you but I didn't have any work for you to do… so… Since I didn't want to be a bother, I thought I'd bring some tea and cake." Your cheeks felt hot with embarrassment, more or less admitting that you were just hoping to see him again. His own cheeks burned bright at your comment, not expecting that to actually be the answer. He was just joking…! You weren't supposed to…! He swallowed and finally gathered the courage to speak again.

"Ah… well, uh, let's cut the cake then. Don't let Kagura cut her own piece or there won't be any for the rest of us." His mouth twitched into an awkward smile alongside the soft awkward laugh, getting a knife, some plates, and cups for the tea.

Kagura was so good at just chatting with people, that he was able to sit across from the two of you and work on composing himself. It did make him happy to see the two of you showing genuine interest in each other. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Kagura was a big part of his life. So, seeing you getting along so well made his heart feel full and… happy? Yeah, that's the word he would use. Sadaharu even seemed to like you, too, which was nice but weird. It made him just the slightest bit jealous… on the one hand that Sadaharu was getting your attention, and on the other that Sadaharu didn't bite you like he always bit him! What a rude dog!

"How did the two of you meet anyway?" Kagura asked, curious as to why someone like you would bother with someone like him. While she had these thoughts, she wouldn't say them aloud for once. She saw the way Gin seemed to perk up at just the sight of you and you at him. Maybe the two of you could hit it off… as much as she liked teasing Gin, she didn't want to ruin the possibility of him being happy. At least when it came to people; food was an entirely different story.

"Oh! I was at a cafe planning to do some writing on my laptop, when I noticed it was going to rain. I got to the store just before it came down, though. On my way home, I saw Gin stuck since he didn't have an umbrella either. I offered to share mine with him and helped him get back here."

"But you saved my JUMP from the harsh rain! And my hair. Do you know how bad it gets when it's wet?" It was the first time in a while he had spoken, just blurting out his thoughts in reply to your story. His outburst made you giggle.

"Yes, yes. I saved his JUMP from being ruined by the downpour."

"... I see. Anyway, Y/N, did you make this cake?" She pulled at your sleeve softly and pointed at the slice on her plate.

"I mean, I just used a box mix… nothing special like from scratch or anything," you laughed nervously, now worried that maybe she didn't like it. She had already eaten three slices, so you thought for sure she liked it-

"No, it's good! Delicious and special, uh-huh!" She smiled and ate the last piece that was on her plate, causing you to blink but smile softly. You gently pat Sadaharu's head, who was currently resting it in your lap, feeling slightly bad that he couldn't have any of the cake. You had made chocolate, and while you weren't totally sure if dog gods would get sick from chocolate or not, you didn't want to take the chance. He seemed to understand your concern, or he was just well behaved and didn't beg.

You would have brought a doggy treat if you had known Gin had a dog… Then again, you didn't know about Kagura either. You really didn't know much about the silver haired man, but every little bit you learned about him made you want to know even more.

"Do you like it, Gin?" You asked curiously, looking up at him. He had eaten three pieces himself, so you hoped he at least enjoyed it. You only had one of the eight, but you knew you would be giving more of it to him when you brought it over in the first place.

"It's great! I'm sad that there's not more," he gave a small pout.

"I'm sorry," you half giggled, "I'll be sure to make two big ones next time I stop by then."

"Next time?" His eyes darted up to yours, questioning so fast that he slightly spooked you. He gave you a soft apology for the fright.

"Yes, next time… if that's alright," you replied with a warm smile.

"Uh-huh! Come over whenever you like!" Kagura exclaimed, having just finished her last bit of cake. She could get used to someone baking for her.

"What she means is… we'd love to have you over whenever you're free." Gin corrected, cheeks burning. He didn't want her stealing all of your free time, especially when that was his job…! He also didn't want you to feel like you were their personal chef or something…

"Alright. Maybe next time you can come over to my place," you smiled and pulled out some paper, quickly writing on it, "here's my address and my phone number. Feel free to get in touch whenever you want."

"Right," Gin smiled back and took the paper from you. He seemed to smile a lot more when you were around and felt more relaxed. It was a nice feeling.

-

A week passed with nothing interesting happening at the Yorozuya, which only prompted Kagura to begin teasing Gin.

"You should go visit Y/N," she poked his cheek, knowing that Shinpachi would get curious and start asking questions. Maybe if he got annoyed or flustered enough, he would finally storm off to visit you! It wasn't that he was mopey, but he had definitely been trying to find an excuse to see you and she knew it.

"Who's Y/N?"

"Someone Gin-chan has a crush on!" She blurted before the older male had time to think of a reply, face growing hot at her words.

"Oi! Shut it Kagura! They're… A friend," he yelled then mumbled, crossing his arms and facing away with his eyes closed. It had quite literally hit him that he might be crushing on him, so the fact Kagura knew before he did well… bruised his ego a bit.

"A friend, huh?"

"Yeah! Even Sadaharu likes them! I was thinking of taking him on a walk over so they can play together," she grinned at Gin, knowing that comment would bother him more than he would want to admit.

"W… Why don't we all go over? I can introduce them to Shinpachi so they know all of the Yorozuya…" he pulled this excuse completely out of his ass, but neither of them had the heart to tease him at how happy he seemed just at the thought of visiting you. They nodded and prepared to go. Kagura had suggested making something to bring over as a gift, but since they didn't have much food… They brought rice and hoped you would appreciate it.

When they arrived, they were surprised to see a decently large house. It wasn't that they thought you were poor (like them), it was just unexpected. Kagura and Sadaharu were the first to reach the door, so she knocked as the other two made their way.

"Coming!" They could hear you shout from inside.

So he really does have a crush, Shinpachi thought as he noticed Gin smiling to himself. The only time he had seen him this happy was when he was watching the weather girl or there was a free all you can eat buffet. The latter didn't happen that often, though.

"Y/N!" Gin found himself shouting as you opened the door, beaming at just the sight of you. Your eyes lit up seeing him, smiling back.

"Gin! Kagura-chan! Oh! And Sadaharu, too! What brings you over?" Despite you talking to everyone, neither your or Gin's eyes could leave the other's. It had been too long since you had last seen each other, but it felt like forever.

"We wanted to introduce you to Shinpachi! He's part of Yorozuya too!" Kagura explained happily, pointing at the boy.

"O-Oh! It's nice to meet you! My name is Y/N. Why don't you come inside?" You smiled and gestured towards the inside of your home, stepping aside so they could walk in. It was cool inside and spacious too! There was enough room for Sadaharu to lie down comfortably without knocking or bumping into anything. You went into the kitchen as they took a seat on the couch, or a chair, or in Kagura’s case, on the floor with Sadaharu.

“I have some water, juice, or soda. Any preferences?” you shouted from the kitchen, pulling out cups just in case.

“Juice!” Kagura shouted in reply.

“Soda’s fine,” Gin muttered.

“Same here,” Shinpachi added.

Once you were done getting everyone’s drinks, making sure you knew the preferences of the variety in your fridge, you brought them out and handed them over. You got a nice big pot of ice water for Sadaharu, and gave him one of the doggy treats you had been saving for just an occasion. He happily ate it and lapped up some water before settling down next to Kagura. After offering some snacks, the four of you sat and chatted.

“We brought you some rice, sorry it’s just plain, we didn’t have much else,” Gin explained and handed you the box. He more or less murmured the last half since he felt bad he couldn't offer more. He felt the rice definitely did not match up to the cake you had brought…

“Oh! I could make some fried rice with it! That could be part of dinner, how does that sound?” He barely heard Kagura and Shinpachi agree enthusiastically, too focused on your smile. You lit up and were beaming when you made the suggestion and his heart? It just melted. You were so sweet and so kind and he could never imagine you’d actually fall for someone like him, but somewhere deep inside him he decided that he had to let you know how he felt… Tonight. He could only hope that you wouldn’t be weirded out at how quickly he caught the feelings™ for you…

“That sounds great,” he smiled back, “I can help you in the kitchen. We can let the kids hang out here while we cook?” He hoped you’d be okay with it, and that neither Shinpachi or Kagura would mind either. He wanted to be alone with you… if only for half an hour or however long it took to finish the food.

“I’d appreciate the help, Gin,” you took the container of rice and headed back towards the kitchen. You came back and explained to Shinpachi and Kagura how the remote and T.V. worked quickly. “So, can you help me chop these vegetables? I’ll season the meat.” He nodded and quietly took the cutting board, knife, and vegetables from you.

A comfortable silence grew over the two of you as you both worked on meal preparation. You couldn’t help but look over at him now and again, admiring how focused he was and precise with his cutting. You would’ve pegged him to be a bit clumsy when it came to such precision, but here he was surprising you yet again. Your eyes went from his hands up his arms, watching as his muscles twitched with the repetitive movements. His arms were fairly well defined through his odd clothing choice… You wondered how it would feel to hug him or have his arms around you…

“Y/N, can I talk to you about something?” You squeaked at the sudden noise, spilling some sauce on yourself by accident. “Oh, uh, sorry, let me help.” He apologized and wiped his hands before finding something to wipe the sauce off of you. Your face grew warm as he gently rubbed the sauce off of the lower half of your shirt, watching him with growing curiosity.

“You wanted to say something…?”

“I, uh, hope you don’t think I’m being too forward… but I just… I need to tell you how I feel,” he began stuttering, now just gently holding onto the bottom of your shirt with the napkin pressed to it, “I… I really like you… I don’t know if you could ever like someone like me, but I just had to tell you… I’m-”

“Gin, shush,” you quickly interrupted, putting your hands on his face gingerly, “I… I like you too…”

He felt warm all over at what you said, soon leaning up to kiss you passionately. You gasped gently but kissed back, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. It was only a minute or so later before you heard Kagura and Shinpachi snickering, causing you to pull back. Your face was burning hot, hiding behind Gin as he glared at the two.

“G… Go back to the living room you little brats!!!” He shoved them out of the kitchen before coming back and hugging you. “I’m… I’m sorry about them, they kind of… They figured out that I had a crush on you and you know how kids are…”

“I’m just glad you feel the same as I do… I’ve felt this way about you for quite a bit… I’ve wanted to get to know you better since I first met you…”

“I know exactly how you feel,” he smiled into your hair as he pulled you closer, “it’s silly but if the kids didn’t drag me out here I don’t know when I would’ve come up with a really good reason to come out here…”

“You don’t need a reason to visit me,” you giggled softly, “you can always come over whenever you want… Maybe we can… go on a date next time?” You pressed your face against his shoulder, desperate to hide your embarrassment and the smile that crept on your lips.

“It’s a date then,” he smiled brightly and kissed your cheek before pulling back, “now, let’s finish dinner before they come back in here and bother us again.”

“Sounds like a plan, I don’t want to see how Kagura is when she’s hungry.”

It didn’t take long for the food to be done, but to both of your horrors...

“A date, huh?” Shinpachi spoke calmly, sipping his soda from before as if he wasn’t trying to tease either of you.

“A date, uh-huh! Gin better not make Y/N pay or I’ll kick his butt and make sure he can’t reproduce!”

“Who the hell is teaching you such garbage language you filthy brat?!” Gin’s eye twitched, both at being teased and the idea that Kagura even knew what she was saying… He’d have to quietly pray to some form of deity later for protection for little Gin.

“U-Um,” you started, hoping to change the subject, “dinner is done… We should probably eat… Would you guys like the same drinks as before or something different? I also have some food for Sadaharu, too. I decided to buy some dog food just in case something like this happened.”

“Y/N is amazing! Sadaharu says thank you!”

“Not a problem, Sadaharu,” you giggled at her enthusiasm, putting everyone’s food down in front of them.

“Thanks for putting up with them,” Gin whispered as he sat next to you, taking a bite of his own food, “they’re annoying but they do really mean a lot to me… It means a lot to me that you guys can get along so well.”

“I love spending time with everyone, so it’s really not an issue.” You nuzzled into his arm gently, smiling as everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

[nothing-but-dreamy]

ISEKAI

Pairing: FFXV! NYX ULRIC x GENDER NEUTRAL!READER

Words: 5.205

Warnings: none;

A/N: I'm sorry that this request took me so long. Mostly, because I really loved the idea. Therefore, I really hope you will like it. I had much fun to write it.

Summary: Because of a mysterious accident you land in Eos. Finding yourself in an unknown world, you're happy that you got help by someone. Nyx saves your life and quickly, he sees more in you than just a person who was in danger.

***

You were bored. Like, really bored. Your life was barely special before Corona had overtaken the world and now, with all the quarantines, restrictions and rules, the excitement was ... zero.

So, out of boredom, you started to clean your apartment. Every single corner. All of it. From your loudspeakers, random music was playing to cheer you up. Mostly soundtracks of everything you liked: Supernatural, Marvel, Dr Who, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings ... whatever there was in the gaming, movie or TV orbit drifting around, you probably liked it.

So, while you were humming with the latest tune of some triple A video game, you put the vacuum cleaner away to get a black cloth for a last task on your list before everything would be shiny again in your small apartment: the mirrors.

With slow, circling moves, you wiped over the reflecting surface. Your face was staring back at you. Mocking you. You and your boring life even without a pandemic. Sometimes, you even got the feeling of not being in the right place. That you should be somewhere else. That you belonged somewhere else. Where you would have friends and maybe even a partner…

Your eyes were taunting you. They reminded you of all the dreams you had in your youth. All the adventures you wanted to go on. All the exotic countries you wanted to visit. All the food you wanted to discover and yet, you were captured in a boring life, cleaning your apartment at 6 pm because you got nothing else better to do.

You looked into your own eyes, the cloth still touching the mirror as you whispered to yourself, "You know, it would be so great to be somewhere else. Just to be ... Away! Away! Away!"

***

"I hate these trips!", Libertus complained for the third time since they had passed the wall.

Nyx rolled with his eyes but stayed silent. He was still slowly polishing his blades. As he looked up, his eyes met the smirking expression of Pelna who thought the same as Nyx: 'cry-baby'

"Could you please shut up? Would you rather clean the training court instead?", Crowe asked, annoyed about Libertus' non stop whining.

"At least, it wouldn't be less dangerous.", Libertus argued, crossing his arms over his chest.

Crowe leant forward, supporting herself on her knees, "Oh, really? You remember the last time where we got charged with the cleaning task? Three barracks were burning, one was smoldering and the smell of smoke lingered in the Kingsglaive headquarters for three weeks.", she pointed out.

Libertus stretched out his arms as a question, "What? I just wanted to help and to dry everything faster!"

"Yes! With fire magic, god dammit! You're not the best with magic. At all. Just ... don't do that. This mission will be a bit ... easier, I hope."

Nyx' scoffed, "Please... What shall happen on a routine mission to kill some animals which are terrorizing the outskirts?"

Little did he know...

*

"Here kitty, kitty!", Pelna called out and tried to gain the attention of some Sabertusks that had been running into small woods.

"Seriously?", Crowe asked, crossing her arms with a frown on her face.

"What? Somehow we have to get their attention back or do you wanna run after them into the woods where the space is crap to fight against them?", Pelna argued.

Libertus stepped next to Crowe while Nyx was a bit closer to the woods and watched the scene closely. Somehow, it had become silent. Too silent for Nyx’ liking. Not one single sound was to be heard except the soft rustling of the leaves of some trees.

Then, he heard something in the distance but the bikerings of his friends were too loud, so Nyx couldn't locate the source of the sound or what it was at all. After another moment had passed, Nyx turned around with a stern expression, "Guys! Could you shut up, please? I heard something!"

"What did you hear?", Libertus asked and earned a rolling of Nyx' eyes.

"I don't know because you're still talk-", but Nyx stopped as he heard this voice again. This time it was louder and came from the nearby woods.

"Help! Anyone help me!"

"Have you guys heard it?", Nyx asked and stepped forward, closer to the voice. He still couldn't see the source so his eyes darted around to find it.

Pelna stepped to Nyx' side, "It came from the woods."

"Yes, but I can't see from where.", Nyx answered serious, drawing his brows together in concern. Running blind was a bad idea. Nyx still searched the area until a figure emerged from a bunch of bushes, running and stumbling forward.

Shocked, Nyx watched you. You were dressed in some casual, short clothes. It could be just something comfortable to chill or something to sleep with. But whatever it was, it wasn't suitable for someone who was out in the wild. So, the first impressions Nyx had about you were: reckless and … cute

"Help! Please, someone help!", you cried out once again while you stumbled forward, flailing with your arms to keep your balance. Four mean and vicious lonking beasts were chasing you. The animals were jumping out of the woods and caught up on you quickly.

This was enough for Nyx to react, "Guys! Take care of the Sabertusks! I will hurry to help them!", he commanded as he saw you falling to the ground, lying there in shock while waiting for the beasts to attack you. Without a second thought, Nyx threw his Kukri to your position.

Screaming and wheezing you crawled back over the ground, cutting deep into the palms of your hands with sharp stones. Backwards, you tried to create as much space as possible for the monsters with the ugly head, the sharp teeth and deadly claws.

Once again, you cried out for help as something appeared in front of you with a soft sizzling and a sound like fire cracking. You blinked for a moment and then, a man was emerging in front of you. He was surrounded by sparks and glitter. He knelt in front of you on one knee with burning scars in his face.

You cried out in surprise and fear, trying to crawl away from him but Nyx raised his hands to soothe you, "It's okay. You're safe now.", he said, trying to calm you but he still saw the panic in your eyes.

You crawled further till your back hit a huge rock, so your way was blocked. The guy looked back at something before he turned back to you. Obviously, he was pleased with what he saw because his expression was more relaxed than before. You noticed his incredible blue eyes and his handsome face. He looked strange with the hairstyle and the tattoos on his face. Strange but not scary, quite the opposite, which made it easier for you to calm down.

While putting away the Kukri, Nyx noticed that you became calmer even if your breath was still erratic. The pure panic became less and left were two beautiful eyes staring right back at him. Your whole appearance was eye-catching as he looked past all the dirt. Slowly, he crawled closer to you, "I won't hurt you. My name is Nyx. What's your name?", he said soothingly, stretching out his hand to you to show you that he was unarmed.

You calmed down by the sound of his warm voice and the sight of the smile on his full lips, "My... My name is YN.”

Nyx smiled softly as he heard your nice voice. As you shot him a weak smile, he felt his heart making a little jump because it was so beautiful. There was something on you he liked immediately. Quickly, he checked your skin but except for a few scratches and bruises, he couldn’t see any serious wounds, “Nice to meet you, YN. Are you hurt?”

You shook your head while moving your arms and legs a little bit to check on them, “I- I'm fine- ahhh!", you cried out in shock about the view of one of the mean beasts that had chased you as its head appeared next to Nyx'. You panicked and luckily, you passed out finally so you wouldn't notice how Nyx with the nice eyes would die before you would get killed as well.

As Nyx saw you passing out, he reached out for you, catching your shoulders before your head could hit the ground and placed your upper body on his lap. As you were secure, Nyx looked up and watched Libertus stepping closer with a dead Sabertusk body as a trophy raised in the air. He was covered in blood and had a big grin on his lips. Annoyed, Nyx sighed, "Great job, idiot.", Nyx said with you unconscious lying in his arms.

***

As you awoke, you found yourself in a room. It was grey, plain, simple and you were alone. Slowly, you sat up, your head was slightly spinning and a dull pain throbbed behind your temple but your vision became slowly clearer. As you looked around, your eyes landed on a neat folded pile of clothes. Your own were torn and dirty and so, you were thankful to change them.

While you dressed in plain black pants and shirt, you heard sounds coming from behind the door. You considered staying in the safeness of the room but your curiosity won. So, you sneaked out, looking left and right the hallway before you followed the undefined sounds.

After a few metres, you found yourself faced with the view of a courtyard. You were on the second floor and looked into a wide open area. There were men flying and jumping around, all dressed in black, uniform-like clothes. They were appearing and disappearing quickly. Someone started in one corner and landed immediately in another across the field accompanied with sparks and glitter. That you had seen this effect once before calmed you.

Like a circus show, the people were making flic-flac or somersaults. A thought struck you: maybe you got rescued by a bunch of acrobatics and the strange animals had been part of their show? You leant against the handrail to watch them excited.

Suddenly, a man, who stopped right in front of you, keeping himself steady with his hands on the handrail, brought you out of these deliberations and out of your fascination, "Oh, hey, sleeping beauty! Are you good?", the tall guy asked. But unfortunately, it wasn't the one with the incredible blue eyes.

"Libertus! Back to training!", someone called out in a harsh tone, commanding the man away from you.

"Sorry, I have to go.", and with that said, the man called 'Libertus', threw his blade and disappeared in a fog of sparkling stuff.

Still amazed, you watched the others and their 'training', leaning against the handrail with your arms again. As you got used to their tricks, you liked to watch them and how easy it seemed to move so quickly around.

So, as someone appeared next to you, you were startled about the sudden sound of an unknown voice. The owner was tall, with broad shoulders and dressed in a heavy outfit with leather and decorations, "Hi, good to see you awake. My name is Titus Drautos. I’m the Captain of the Kingsglaive.", he introduced himself seriously but calmly.

You frowned, "Kingsglaive?", you asked. You never had heard such a name.

"Yeah... They are the Kingsglaive.", Drautos said and pointed at the jumping figures, "How do you feel?", he asked, checking you quickly but your eyes were clear and there was no other sign of sickness.

"Oh, I'm feeling good again. Thank you.", you said politely, unsure if he wanted to know more but you also felt uncomfortable around him even if you couldn't say why.

"Is there anything I can do for you?", Drautos said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah, actually, I would like to speak with the man who saved me. I would like to thank him. I think 'Nyx' was his name?", you said carefully, watching the Captain’s reaction.

Drautos looked at you for a split second before he shrugged with his shoulders, stepping forward to the handrail, "Ulric!", he called out.

A few seconds later, you watched how a man appeared in front of you, emerging from sparks and glitter like on the field. This time, you were calmer and so, you were impressed how he did this. You never had seen something like this before. And once again, you noticed the glowing, fiery scars carved into his face and down his neck as he stepped in front of the Captain, taking position like a soldier.

"Yes, Sir?", Nyx said serious but already had caught sight of you staring at him. He was glad to see you awake and noticed you approaching with a curious glance. Your eyes were already distracting but Nyx tried to focus on his Captain.

"Since you were the one who had saved YN's life, I thought it would be just right if you would talk with them.", Drautos said serious, "Take care of them.", he said as if you wouldn't stay right next to him before he turned over to march away.

You stared after the tall man, "Actually, it wasn't his idea...", you said resentfully.

Nyx chuckled and closed up on you, "He seeks advantage from whatever he gets. Forget it. But I'm glad that you're awake again. You frightened me a lot as you passed out.", he said with a warm smile.

You chuckled shyly, rubbing the back of your neck, "Yeah...sorry for that. I never fainted before but on the other hand, I never was in such a scary situation."

"I know. Libertus can be frightening-"

"No! I meant this monster! I never saw something like this in my entire life.", you explained, shaking about the mere memory.

“You mean the Sabertusk?", Nyx asked, confused. Sure, not every Insomnian citizen knew all Lucis' animals or had seen them in real life but Sabertusks were so common that even the smallest kids knew about them.

"Saber- what? Nevermind. I just don't want to see any of this again."

Nyx chuckled, "Don't worry. Here in Insomnia, you're safe."

You tilted your head, "Insomnia?"

Nyx frowned and was concerned if you might have hit your head after all, "Yeah... Insomnia? The capital city of Lucis?"

You blinked several times because you had no idea what he was talking about, "Lucis? Is that a nickname for... Louisiana?"

Nyx stepped in front of you, looking in your eyes and checking your head but you seemed alright, "Amnesia, huh? Well, I guess this will be over soon. I'm sure it's coming from the shock. You're hungry?", he asked hopefully to be able to spend more time with you and watched how a broad smile spread on your lips.

"I'm starving!", you answered.

"Oh, no! Don't do that! Drautos will yell at me if I won't take good care of you.", he joked and showed you the way out of the headquarters.

As you stepped out of the building, you had no idea that the time for questions and wonders had just begun.

Nyx passed the entrance mindlessly and walked down the few stairs but as he couldn't hear you following him, he turned around just to see you staring at the skyline with big eyes. It was this moment where Nyx noticed two things:

First, the astonishment you showed as you looked at all the buildings and at the sky with the magical wall wasn't just an act and second, Nyx realized that he was attracted to you.

It was the second point that surprised Nyx the most. He barely knew you. He had just met you and still, there was something on you. He had felt it back on the field. Something he couldn't put a finger on. Were it your eyes? Or the way you looked at the surroundings as if you had never seen any of all this before? Or was it the way you looked at him?

Nyx thought about it like a magical aura that surrounded you. There was something on you he couldn't quite understand but he was eager to find out what it was. Amused but at the same time attentive, he watched you stumbling down the few stairs because your eyes were still directed at the sky. Nyx caught you at the last moment and shook his head with a grin, "Watch out, YN. Don't walk around so mindlessly or you will hurt yourself.", he whispered.

You noticed your cheeks redden, mostly as you felt Nyx’ strong hands on your body and how close he was, but as your eyes met his you saw the grin on his lips, "Usually, I'm more cautious but- have you seen the sky? It… Is it sparkling? It looks as if sparkling waves are spreading over the city…", you breathed, looking up once again.

Nyx looked from you at the sky and back at you before he placed you back on the ground, "Y-yeah… it's kinda sparkling. That's the magic of the crystal. The crystal which secures this city through the King's power?", he added as he saw your puzzled expression.

"Y-you… this city has a King? And a magical- what? A wall?"

"Very funny!", Nyx called out and laughed. He thought you would make fun of him but as you still stared at him with no amusement, he frowned, "Where do you actually come from?"

"Oh, I'm from New Jersey.”

“Never heard about it before. Come on, let us get something to eat and then we talk a bit.”

*

"What the hell is this building? Is this a church?", you asked, pointing at a building with two tall towers where something shot into the sky from the middle of the building, "This smoke looks … strange.", you pointed out.

This was the tenth question of that kind you had asked during the last five minutes. Nyx stopped in his tracks and looked at you, "It's the Citadel. The castle?", he tried to trigger your memories as you showed no reaction, "The 'smoke' you see there is actually the energy from the crystal that creates the wall. I told you about it before."

You nodded slowly, "Yeah… the crystal… You have some crazy stuff here.", you said, impressed, chewing on some spicy meat you had picked from a stick.

Before Nyx could react, he got a call and asked you to wait, "Ulric. Yes, Sir. Yes, we're still in the city. No, Sir.", he answered the questions asked by Drautos while he watched you wandering around. Nyx kept you in sight but was also fascinated by the way you looked at all the different things around you. He wouldn't call it naive but it seemed as if you were easily impressed. You found something interesting in the smallest things while Nyx caught himself by thinking about you as cute and … lovely.

Another question of Drautos brought Nyx back to reality and he realized that he stopped listening to his Captain a while ago, "Yes, Sir. I'm listening. Of course. Yes, I will take care of YN. Yes. Bye-", but the Captain already had hung up, "Good day to you, too, Sir."

As you noticed that Nyx was done with his call, you joined him again, "What was the matter? Are you in trouble?", you asked, concerned because you had hogged Nyx for quite a while.

"No, everything's good. It was just Drautos. Obviously, you're stuck with me a bit longer. I got the orders to look after you.", Nyx answered with a soft smile as he saw your worried expression which changed into a huge, charming, heart-stopping smile.

"Great. I still have a bunch of questions.", you said excitedly, linking your arm with Nyx' to wander further through the Crown's City.

***

But not just you had a lot of questions. Nyx too. In the beginning, he thought you would make fun of him as you asked so many things about the best known facts of Eos everyone actually knows.

But quickly, after Nyx had asked you a bunch of questions on his own, he realized that you weren't joking. Sure, as you told him that you came through a mirror, because you had been fallen through it, sounded more like a bedtime story for kids but you spoke about everything with so much conviction that Nyx believed you.

The Captain, slightly concerned about your state because Nyx had told him about his suspicion that you could suffer from amnesia, asked on a regular basis if Nyx had any new information about you. And not for one second, Nyx thought about telling him the truth.

He said neither something about your journey through the mirror nor about your life in New Jersey. That you knew nothing about Eos at all because this was simply not your world. He kept it all a secret.

Because Nyx felt the urge to protect you. Whenever he was with you in the past week he felt good. As if just your presence was able to lift his spirit. You were funny, curious and interested in him and in this, for you, new world. Nyx already liked you. A lot. It wasn't just attraction anymore, rather he really started to like you on a more emotional level even after this short of time. But he had no idea how you were thinking about him.

So, by the end of the week, Nyx collected as much courage as he could find, "Hey, uhm… Libertus and the others are meeting at Yamachang's. You… Do you wanna come with me? I- I mean us?", he asked and felt nervous. The whole week, he had been with you with no problem and now, he felt nervous because this question didn't belong to the Captain's order anymore to take care of you. For him, it was far more.

You saw the hope in Nyx’ eyes and the insecurity in his expression about what your answer would be. The past week, you had spent a lot of time with Nyx. You got to know him. His life as a Glaive. As a refugee. You had learned about his deceased family and his life in Galahd. And, not very surprisingly, you started to like the soldier with the greyish hair and the incredible blue eyes. For you, it was extremely hard to resist his charm and his handsomeness. And in the end, you didn’t want to resist him. You just had no idea how he thought about you.

You tried to get closer to Nyx so many times. You wanted to show him in a subtle way how you felt. Maybe, this invitation would give you the opportunity to make a move on him, "I would love to come with you.", the slowly growing smile on Nyx' lips gave you the sense to have done things right.

*

"YN, it's good to see that you're alright again.", Pelna said and gave you a drink.

"Yeah… Nyx did everything to bring me back on track.", you said and winked at Nyx who smiled shyly.

"The Captain already complained you two were just sightseeing all the time.", Crowe said jokingly.

You chuckled, scratching the back of your neck, "Yeah… I guess, the amnesia had hit me harder than I thought."

Nyx looked at you with a frown. After you had told him your story, he was sure you were okay. No amnesia or something like this. So, why were you sticking to this story instead of telling the truth?

"Oh, so, you remember where you come from and stuff?", Libertus asked.

You smiled at him, "Yes, of course.", you answered. Quickly, you checked on Nyx who still watched you. Were you seeing cautiousness in his eyes? Was he afraid of what you would say? You looked back at Libertus, "I come from Altissia. I was moving to Insomnia for a new job. As you found me, I was on my way but unfortunately, I had an accident with my car and then, the horrors with all these creatures started. You have to know, Altissia is built on water. We don't have such wildlife as Lucis has."

Nyx stared at you speechless. You were lying. Lying about everything. Effortlessly. But everything you said were things you knew from him. Nyx showed you a map of Eos. He told you as much as he knew about Lucis and Accordo. About all the differences he could remember. You turned your head and smiled softly at him. You even winked at Nyx and he saw in your eyes that you would explain it to him later.

*

You and Nyx walked side by side as you left Yamachang's a few hours later. The Crown's City was still buzzing. People were walking to bars, clubs and restaurants. You turned your head over to Nyx and because he was unusually quiet, you nudged his shoulder with yours, "You think they bought my story?"

Nyx looked at you with an unreadable expression, "You were lying."

"Yes and I hated it. Trust me. But what else should I say? The truth? That I fell through a mirror and landed here? Instead that I woke up in my bed in New Jersey, I awoke in an old hunters hut in the middle of nowhere?", you pointed out softly.

Nyx nodded. He understood your point. He was barely able to understand all this but he had accepted it. You had spoken so detailed about your home that there was no way that everything was just made up. But to explain everything to his friends would be maybe too much.

Suddenly, a thought struck his mind and he was surprised that he didn't have thought about this earlier. Carefully, he looked at you, "Do you miss it? Your … home, I mean."

Your brows shot up because you realized that you were barely thinking about your former life, "Actually, I uhm…", you whispered, searching for the right words, before you looked at Nyx and stopped. You had reached the plaza of the Citadel. You looked at the stream of magical power and at the beautiful sparkling light. The moon was already up and together it was a captivating view. You looked back at Nyx who waited patiently, "To be honest, I have barely thought about it since I've been here."

Nyx stepped closer to you. It was a moment that could change things and he felt it. Maybe it was silly to think about a future with someone he knew for just one week but here he was, looking into your enchanting, sparkling eyes and watching how your teeth were digging into your lower lip, "If it would be possible, if there would be a way, would you… go back?"

You also stepped forward with a pounding heart in your chest. For one week, you asked yourself how Nyx' lips would taste, how his hands would feel on your skin when he would want you and how soft his hair really felt between your fingers, "You know, as I was in this hut, before you found me? I tried to find a way to get back. Now, I think things might have changed.", you whispered.

Nyx' pulse quickened as he saw your breathtaking smile, "What has changed? I mean, this is not your world.", he said softly, stroking with the back of his hand over your cheek before he cupped your face carefully, "There's nothing that would keep you here.", he whispered.

You leant against his warm hand, even inhaling his scent, "For me, there would be a reason … rather… someone… to stay here.", you said, looking at Nyx in a certain way to tell him that you meant him. As you let your hands slid underneath his jacket, stroking over Nyx' chest, feeling him tensing, you saw that he understood, "But I- I'm not sure what this someone might think of it if I would want to stay.", you said meaningfully.

Nyx was nervous, excited and jittery at the same time. It had increased since you had started to touch him softly. Your affection gave him the courage to snake his other arm slowly around your waist to pull you closer, "You know, you have nothing to fear about this someone’s reaction. He would be more than happy to keep you here.", he breathed, nudging playfully your nose with his with a shy smile on his lips.

You mimicked his smile. The moonlight was sparkling in Nyx’ mysteriously glowing eyes which kept you in their spell, "Y- you're so sure about it?", you whispered.

Nyx nodded slowly, still looking into your eyes, "Yes, I am sure. YN, I… I'm falling for you. There's no doubt how I'm feeling about you. It's crazy because we just met one week ago but … you're so beautiful. And so amazing. The way you're interested in all these new things. How you look at everything … how you look at me… I wouldn't stop you if you really want to go back home but I… I would love to be the reason for you to stay here. With me."

You snaked your arms around Nyx' neck, pulling him closer, "You're the best reason I could ask for.", you breathed against his lips before you closed the gap finally.

Nyx responded to your move and kissed you deeply. His fingers found their way into your hair while he caressed your lips with his. The grip of his arm around you got even stronger to have you close while you played with his hair in a teasing way. He was overwhelmed by all the things he felt by just kissing you. No matter where you had come from, that you were there, with him, that you even existed was everything for him.

Under the magical, white moon of Lucis, Nyx gave you an unspoken promise. He wouldn't let you go. Never. From the beginning, you were more than just someone whose life he had rescued. You were what he had missed in his life all the time. He had been searching for something that had been out of reach. But obviously destiny meant it well and you had been falling into his life like a miracle. Literally. And Nyx would treat you like this. With his lips, he sealed this promise to you.

For the first time in your life, you felt as if you were in the right spot. You weren't misplaced anymore. You even had found people that already cared for you. You had found someone who wanted to keep you in his life. Maybe you should feel sad for leaving your former life just like that. Maybe you should feel lost because this wasn't your world. But in fact, you felt home. As Nyx kissed you, he showed you a future you never thought you would have.

For the first time, you felt excited for all the unknown things that were lying in front of you. You would discover all of these things. With Nyx by your side.

[haikyuu-appreciation-club]

hii!! this is actually my first time requesting so I'm a little bit nervous about this. but would it be alright to ask for hcs with hinata, bokuto, and iwaizumi with an s/o who has this irrational fear of when they're walking and they don't see the person they're walking with in front of them or beside them, they (s/o) automatically assume that the person they're with left them and starts crying or pinging their phone? and when they ask they're s/o about it, they tell them that it was because when they were younger their mom always made them walk in front of her when she's in a bad mood and younger them just thought that their mom made them do this so that she could abandon them and leave them to be lost? it's totally fine if you don't want to do it! ^^

• Hinata, Bokuto, + Iwaizumi W/ a S/O Who Has a Fear of Getting Lost •

warnings: descriptions of a panic attack

genre: comfort + fluff

characters: hinata, bokuto, + iwaizumi

a/n: i’m so sorry that these are crappy, it’s been so long since i’ve written hcs 

•Hinata•

hinata was beyond excited to bring you along with him to the winter festival

not only did he get to stuff himself full of good food but he got to spend the entire night spending time with you

being as eager as he was, he picked you up early from your house and dragged your intertwined hands towards the bright lights that shone down the road

the winter festival was an extremely popular event in miyagi so it wasn’t a huge surprise that when the two of you finally arrived, it was packed with people

hinata payed the large crowd no mind, too focused on the bright lights and the smells flying through the air to care about the amount of people

you on the other hand began to grow worried, with the extreme amount of attendees the chances of getting separated from hinata were through the roof

however, you decided to push away your worries so you could just enjoy the night, taking a deep breath to calm your nerves and reaching a hand out to grip onto hinata’s sweater

but nothing but the cold night air met your fingers as they curled back into your palm

in a moment of panic your gaze swept across the crowd, eyes growing wide when you failed to spot your boyfriend

with shaky hands you fished around in your bag for your cellphone, quickly scrolling through your contacts and clicking on hinata’s name

the dial tone blared through your ears as chants of ‘please pick up’ fell from your lips

after what felt like an eternity the line connected and you could’ve swore you let go of a breath you didn’t even know you’d been holding

“Y/N where’d you go? I turned around but you weren’t there. Stay put and i’ll find you, kay?”

the line cut off as quickly as it connected and you were left clutching your cellphone in the middle of the busy street

you manged to make your way to the sidewalk in your frightened state as familiar thoughts slipped into your mind

he had told you he was on his way to come find you but all your brain had registered was that hinata had left you and was never coming back

it wasn’t until you felt a warm hand on your shoulder that you were ripped from those thoughts

your glossy eyes moved from the cracked pavement to the bright grin that was spread across hinata’s face

“There you are! Sorry, i should’ve made sure you with me-”

he stopped his train of thought when he noticed the hurt painted across your face

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“T-Thought you left me.”

his heart broke at those words as he slid down next to you and pulled you into a tight embrace

“I’m super sorry Y/N. I promise i’d never leave you on purpose. You mean so much to me and there’s no where else i’d rather be then right here with you.”

a sigh of contentment left your lips as you leaned into his touch, knowing he meant every word

“It’s okay Sho, i’m just glad you’re here now”

he beamed at you as he moved to stand up, extending a hand towards you

“Yup, and now that i am we can go have fun!”

the two of you spent the rest of the night laughing and smiling with one another, hand in hand as you stuck by each other’s side

•Bokuto•

bokuto was so excited to take you along to watch your first in-person pro-volleyball game

of course you’d attend his games before but this was the first time you’d be able to see a professional game from somewhere other than his living room television

you were pretty fired up too, growing to love the sport just as much as bokuto did during your relationship with him

the two of you walked into the stadium hand in hand, bokuto rambling in excitement as his eyes trailed across the environment

you followed his gaze, looking about the huge structure around you and the many people that wandered throughout it

you knew professional games were obviously popular but you didn’t expect it to be so crowded

you were growing nervous, subconsciously squeezing bokuto’s hand out of habit as your sight shifted from one person to the next

bokuto’s eyes wandered to you due to the increased amount of pressure youd applied to his hand, wondering what had you so fidgety

“What’s wrong Y/N? Something bothering you? Oh, do you have to go to the bathroom? I’ll show you where it is!”

before you could protest, you were being dragged towards the direction of the restroom

it’s not as if you could turn down bokuto’s offer after he gave you such a confident smile at the door to the bathroom, so you gave him a quick hug and walked in

it was much more peaceful behind the closed doors, the soft music drowning out the anxiety that had previously overwhelmed you

after spending a believable amount of time in the restroom you turned to examine your appearance in the mirror once more before stepping outside

your gaze imminently wandered to the place where your boyfriend had stood prior

only to find that he was no longer there

your eyes quickly darted around the area, head turning almost painfully fast in attempts to scout out bokuto, but it was no use

your chest began to tighten as your breath picked up in pace

you felt light headed, dizzy, and so incredibly lonely

why did he have to leave you here? where could he have gone?

you stumbled, attempting to grip the wall to steady yourself but you missed

before your head met the floor you heard the crinkle of wrapping as a large hand gripped at your arm

you sank to the floor with the figure before you were wrapped in a comforting hug

“Y/N, it’s okay, i’m here. Just try and breathe for me, okay? Look, you can listen to my heartbeat too!”

your head was lightly pushed up against bokuto’s chest as his heartbeat filled your ears

slowly, your breath began to match the soothing sound as you came down from your breakdown

once your breathing had returned to normal bokuto pulled you away from his grasp and gave you a frown, hair falling with it

your eyes wandered around and moved from the sad boy in front of you to the snacks spread across the floor behind him

“I’m sorry Y/N, i just went to grab us snacks. I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I love you a whole bunch and i promise i’d never leave you all by yourself like that.”

your shaky hand moved to cup bokuto cheek as you gave him a soft smile

“It’s okay Ko, you’re here now and that’s all that matters. Now let’s go watch that game, kay?”

his grin returned as he pulled you into another hug

“Sounds good to me.”

The two of you made your way to the stands with snacks in hand and spent the rest of the day in each other’s company

•Iwaizumi•

you and iwaizumi decided to spend your sunday afternoon window shopping in the plaza near his home

both of you had things to purchase so it made the most sense to kill two birds with one stone and spend time with one another as you found what you needed to

your dates together were always like this, never too fancy but always giving you the opportunity to spend time with one another, which was more than enough for the both of you

the two of you walked side by side down the sidewalk, chatting and peering through windows at different merchandise on display

normally it wasn’t too packed when you came to visit the shopping center but it was the weekend after all and pretty close to a holiday so it was a lot more packed than usual

however, you decided to pay it no mind today, way too focused on that adorable bag you spotted in a bouquet the two of you had just passed to worry about something like a crowd

you turned to tap iwaizumi on the shoulder so you could drag him to the shop, only to realize he wasn’t next to you like he had been prior

in fact, as your gaze wandered about the crowd you found that he was nowhere in sight

imminently, panic began to set in as tears pricked your eyes

he was gone and you had no idea where he could be in this sea of people

and although this wasn’t intentional on iwaizumi’s part, your brain told you that maybe he wanted to leave you stranded on the busy streets

your sniffles turned into quiet sobs as you cried into your hands, eyes still trying to find your boyfriend through blurry vision

swiping at your tears didn’t help your search either as muffled hiccups began to escaped your lips

you were about to completely give up and breakdown when you heard your name being called out somewhere in the crowds of people

eyes widened as you began frantically looking around for the source of the familiar voice and soon enough you spotted iwaizumi running towards you, a concerned look on his face

you sprinted towards him, sobs still wracking your body as you arms found their way around his torso, burying your face into his broad chest

he returned the embrace, holding you tightly as he felt your hot tears wet his grey t-shirt

“It’s okay Y/N, i’m right here. I’m so sorry, i’m not going anywhere i promise. I love you so much and id never leave you like that.”

after some time your sobs returned to mere sniffles in iwaizumi’s grasp

you felt safe and content knowing that your boyfriend was in arms reach once more

once you’d calmed down, the two of you continued your shopping, iwaizumi holding your hand just a little bit tighter this time around

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

[lokigodofaces]

Okay, I know I've kinda vented here a lot, but I'm thinking things so I'm trying to put it all on a post and since many of you interact with my other posts I'm just gonna drop it all here. Under cut: me venting about comments or other forms of interaction with my fics in the perspective of an aspec person. Interactions range from aphobia to amatonormativity to people who are probably just uninformed.

Okay, I have no idea how I want this organized, I'm making this up as I go. Let's see what happens.

Let's start with just the amatonormativity/allonormativity.

Confessions of love are not always romantic. The average person has probably told friends and family, "I love you," before. But in the context of fiction, suddenly that phrase is only applicable in romantic settings. Biggest example is my fic where two characters in a platonic relationship confess platonic love after having a chapter of sharing a bed because they've been through traumatic stuff recently and are scared to be separated. (Let Me Help)

Why would you ever think it's okay to tell an author you're disappointed with them because they won't write smut? Like, seriously, why would that ever be okay? If you want nsfw, there are a thousand fics with nsfw you can read. Do not ask me to write nsfw. I am sex averse, so that is not something I'm comfortable with. Part of my religion is not reading, writing, or watching sex scenes, so I'm not going to write it. But there are a thousand other very serious reasons why someone might not want to write a sex scene. And even if it's just that you don't want to, that doesn't mean you should be bullied into writing a sex scene. But, no, people keep telling me it's upsetting that I write Loki as asexual and don't give him steamy scenes. (Captive)

The constant sexual comments. I might not like people being overtly horny, but I don't care. What does make me feel uncomfortable is when they write comments in which they say my confirmed aspec characters are having sexual thoughts? I don't know how to say it. It's like them saying that the explicitly ace character wants to rail another character. I don't know, maybe this is just a me thing. But it feels so...erasing. Like I'm over here handing out ace rep (albeit in fanfiction) and then people just...toss that away? Ignore it, and instead say this character is hypersexual. Like, is it just me, or does that feel really rude and hurtful? Like, if they're going to want to make comments like that, can't they do it somewhere else? (Captive)

The automatic assumption that something is done with romantic intent. Whether that's sharing a bed because of fear of separation, kidnapping, looking for someone, whatever it is. I keep getting comments about one character liking another or whatever. And, I mean, it's less of an issue if they are two characters the audience knows will fall for each other. But with two random characters that don't have anything to indicate romantic feelings, it feels so weird. Even with characters that will fall eventually, not everything they do is romantic. I write exclusively slow burns (okay, idk if some of them are slow burns. Readers have referred to them as such, but if there's like 30 chapters? I think they referred to it that way because they started reading when I first published it, and it took a few years to write. I suppose eventual romance might be a better description). Use some common sense? In like, the first fifteen chapters, like most of my fics are? Nope, not romantic. Like, I understand, there are grey areas. I plan to exploit that later on ("do I really like them?" sort of thing). But it's too early for that. But I can forgive those more. But, come on, not every character in this is a love interest. (Captive, Let Me Help)

Kind of a subsection of that. Part of this is not entirely the readers' fault. But, in one fic, it is very clear that Tony cares a lot about [Y/N]. I have had some people ask if they were in a relationship prior to the story. 1) Tony literally says in the first chapter that he's with Pepper. 2) That man cannot be in the same room as someone under 25 without adopting them. This happens in the same fic with [Y/N] and Bucky. It is established that they have a deep bond, and that, like the rest of the Avengers, she considers him family. And, I don't know, maybe I made it look like they are in a relationship or something, but they aren't. Purely familial. Just because he is the one she is the closest to doesn't make it not familial. (Captive)

Alright, I make it very clear that I write characters as aspec. I include it in author's notes, the description, tags, etc. Yet people still are

(tumblr apparently has a limit for how many words can be in a "block" & I reached it so here I am continuing it #6) surprised when I later say something more obvious about them being aspec. Like, do they not check tags and description beforehand? C'mon. Not that hard. Don't act all surprised. (Captive)

Now for something I considered worse:

I had someone plagiarize my fic before. Some paragraphs were word for word. Except they were so acephobic, saying that asexuals are incapable of love, compassion, empathy, sympathy, or warmth. I asked them if the fic was based on mine (I have no idea how I found it, it just popped up one day on my Wattpad. there are like 10 views, & most of them are mine, so now idea how I found it). Author said yes. And I felt so upset because this person literally stole word for word some of my writing but changed Loki to make it acephobic as frick. Not very happy. But I never did anything about it because the only parts written well were from me. The rest has every single fanfic mistake you can think of. That fic is by no means popular. (Captive)

[menalez]

it's a little bit difficult to tell it was about specific rape victims. i thought they were stating an observation, that these women's statements were so different from what they'd previously described before joining radblr, that one of them must be wrong. see, now, i'm confused, again, by you saying, “...argued that me being asleep while a guy did something to me is an indication of my sexuality”, falls under basic rape apologism, when you previously said, “i just dont refer to it as non consensual bc that doesnt feel honest”. i understand how consenting to a man is an indication of (your) sexuality, but i don't understand how you can give consent when asleep. even if consent was given before you fell asleep, the moment you fell asleep, i don't understand how it would be consensual from that moment onwards. from your response, i can infer that you see consensual and non-consensual as being on a continuum, rather than mutually exclusive categories.

i never said you did. i thought you implied it one of your statements, “they also argued if someone had sex with you while you were under the influence of drugs/alcohol then that’s also a reflection of your sexuality.” since we're all (those in the server, you, and i) in agreement the sex(es) of those you (want to) have sex with is an indication of sexulity and, sexual orientation is enduring and instinctive, therefore drugs don't alter your brain chemistry to let you have sex with a member of the sex, you're not sexually attracted to. i'm trying to understand why you view using, so you were more suggestible as consensual, but maybe it's something i'll never understand because of my ethics.

ugh tumblr crashed and my response is now gone so if i don’t address something pls feel free to ask again. they didn’t really make any observation, as an example they’d claim i changed my story ~after joining radblr~ too but i said from the second i left that relationship that im penis-repulsed and know that for a fact. i had said this before joining radblr and one of the reasons i even started reading into what “terfs” had to say is bc i was being called transphobic and terfy for saying im not interested in being w anyone with a penis upon coming out. this is not a secret bc i mention this being one of the things that turned me away from TRAs since i joined radblr. this was the case when i was still moreso on the TRA side and merely interacted with radblr to question & understand their beliefs. they argue i lied and that im the one that got the guy into bdsm, but there’s a post where i elaborate on that years before and i clearly say that he described certain things he liked & i was like “ohhh i think that’s a bdsm thing called ddlg”. i didn’t get him to like those things i simply told him the label for what he’s into. they tried to pick apart things i had mentioned years before the gs discourse, where i had talked about how traumatic it was, about how he’s a pedo, and how in many instances i was under the influence of something. they act like i try to be sly and mislead about his age but the reason they even know his age is bc i repeatedly corrected it on my own blog when someone assumes he was an adult man. i joined radblr not too long after that situation ended (i believe i was 19, what happened was before 18 and i slowly started to talk about it at around 17-ish) and it’s pretty normal for someone not to process their trauma when it’s ongoing. it’s also beyond normal to not talk about those things somewhere frequented by the person causing you trauma, and it’s also pretty normal to pretend to be OSA when ur closeted, people irl know ur blog, & u live in the Middle East. so all their arguments trying to make my situation seem like a lie for radblr don’t even add up anyways, but ik they like to ignore the bits that don’t support their beliefs and only look for what supports their biases.

in terms of whether it’s consensual or not, i do view it as a grey area. many people have said to me it’s rape and some think it’s not. i don’t feel comfortable arguing it’s either or bc i know i did agree to it. at the same time, i was visibly distressed, uninterested, and there are instances back then that make it clear to me he must’ve had some kind of clue. at the same time idk if he’s just that oblivious and dumb that he didn’t realise it even tho it was obvious. im not in touch with him and i find the whole thing disgusting and traumatic so ill never know. i also feel to blame bc in Bahrain the bar for what rape is is really high & i did go through a point where i felt similarly about my initial experience w rape as well, and maybe if i knew more about what consent is meant to look like, i would’ve not enabled what he was doing. but idk. with the sleep thing, i take a medication which makes me really sleepy & acts as a sort of sedative. on several occasions, he would ask me after i had taken the medication so when i was already half-asleep. id say ok & then id fall asleep and then it’d happen. it’s fucking weird to use this situation to argue that it’s an indication im into guys when i was Literally asleep. it’s also weird to argue women’s actions when under the influence is indication of desire and attraction when that is ultimately also arguing countless situations where drunk women or women on drugs being taken advantage of is somehow something they wanted. the fact that i don’t label my situation as rape and partially blame myself for them doesn’t mean it’s in any way acceptable to take those cases, and then argue someone being asleep is a sign they wanted to have sex with a man. or someone being drunk and letting a guy do sth to them is a sign of OSA.

i do not agree that who someone had sex with is an indication of their sexuality tho. it’s a case by case basis and it depends on their particular situation. in cases of women who had sex w guys bc they were bored or horny or whatever, i cannot relate to that whatsoever and i often question it. but there’s countless cases of lesbians that faced rape & CSA and in their teen years just went along with whatever, passively accepting whatever the other party wanted. that’s a sign of trauma rather than bisexuality to me. and it’s not the same as someone going out of their way to find dudes to get with. it’s not the same as being attracted to someone of a particular sex. and the argument that someone under the influence means “drugs alter your brain chemistry to let you have sex with a member of [the opposite sex]” is such a weird reframing of the situation to me. drugs put you in a state of altered consciousness. this means people under the influence are not fully conscious. it’s a pretty common occurrence for people to use drugs to be able to get through sex they don’t want to have. this is why you’ll find plenty women involved in prostitution or porn will take drugs to get through the situation, for example. the drugs don’t make someone want to have sex, it makes it so they’re not aware or conscious through it. it makes no sense to argue that someone putting themselves in a state where they’re not conscious of what is happening = an indication of some sort of desire.

[fayeimara]

Meant To Be || One For Every Billion

9. Stranger

You put your phone away just in time to hear the melodic tone announce the train's arrival at Tokyo Station. Collecting your duffel and swinging it over your shoulder, you stand to exit, sad to be leaving but excited to head home and see all your familiar devils again.

The terminal is pretty busy so you're glad to have some sense of familiarity, certain you're headed the right way to the exit where Shin is supposed to meet you. You've only just entered the vast circular dome when you hear your cousin's voice call out your name, turning in pleasant surprise to see him making his way towards you.

"I thought you were going to wait outside?" You ask him as he reaches you, reaching out to take your bag from your shoulder.

He shrugs with a glance behind him, "Yeah, yeah, just didn't want you getting lost. It'd be a pain."

"Uh huh... Ren sent you in, didn't he?" You ask and his sheepish smile is answer enough.

His phone is beeping pretty incessantly, probably his brother, but it forces him him to walk in a crowded area without looking where he's going. This could end up in a pretty hilarious disaster for your album but you're pretty exhausted even though you've been sitting for the past few hours. Maybe you can let it go just this once, since you'd like to avoid time doing damage control when you could be enjoying a nice warm meal and a long soak in a tub instead.

You're about to link your arms with him to guide him through the stream of people when a sudden force knocks into you from behind, literally throwing you off your feet. You only just manage to catch yourself before you completely face plant on the floor, an indignant, "Hey!" slipping from your mouth before you even look up.

When you do however, it's to meet the wide, golden eyes of a boy that's apologizing profusely, now sprawled on the floor as well, you're guessing from running right into, and subsequently tripping over, you. You're about to give him a piece of your mind for not watching where he's going, especially while running as fast as he had to have been, but he's up in a flash, dragging you to stand upright with him without even an offer of help first or another word from you. Then he's off again, rushing away while still throwing useless, fading apologies over his shoulder.

Is this karma for wanting something similar to happen to Shin? And just when you were about to do the right thing too. Great. You watch the strange boy's form get further for a moment, white-grey hair streaked black at the roots the last thing you see before he's swallowed up by the crowd. Well, here's to hoping he doesn't bowl over another unsuspecting victim, but that's their problem now. You turn back to Shin as you brush off the knees of your leggings only to notice his phone is up and aimed squarely on you even as he's doubled over with laughter.

You're considering if there's a word for killing one's cousin - parricide? - when a light tap on your shoulder pulls you away from your creatively dark thoughts. This time the gaze you meet is filled with mirth, at least as much as you can tell, since the girl's eyes are mostly unreadable behind a pair of top-rimmed glasses and the elegant fall of her blonde locks shading part of her face, effectively hiding her full expression.

"Hey! I saw what happened and felt like I should apologize for Bo."

"Bo?" You ask in confusion.

She smirks and now you're definitely sure she's amused as she tilts her head to study you, "Yeah the adorable dumbass that just ran you over. I swear he's never usually that rude, just an unfortunate combination of enthusiastic and slightly oblivious."

"Oh, okay.. I mean, thank you but you shouldn't have to be the one to apologize for him. He kind of did anyways, I guess." You say the last with an unhappy twist to your lips.

"Sure but really, he's not usually rude like that, he just panicked when he realized he forgot his bag."

Before you have a chance to reply further, Shin cuts in with a smirk, "Please, no need for a beautiful girl like you to apologize. Why don't we just exchange digits so if there's any lasting damage, we know who to reach out to."

You're already throwing a dirty look his way before he's finished his lame attempt at flirting but almost laugh instead because the girl's expression changes so fast from the kind, conciliatory one aimed your way to a cold look of disgust that he's got to feel down to his bones.

Even her tone is effortlessly chilling with hard reproach, "Dude, you don't even know my name."

You grimace in solidarity, taking your turn to apologize, "I'm sorry about my cousin. He's apparently never spoken to a pretty girl outside the family before."

"Nah, it's all good, we probably all have one of those." Her response is laidback again, body angling back to you while subtly cutting Shin out of the conversation.

"Those?"

You both ignore his overly exaggerated wounded tone and she continues, "Anyways, just thought I'd do the right thing and check if you were okay?"

You give her a bright, reassuring smile, "I was quite literally thrown off, I guess, but I'm physically okay. Just give your friend a piece of your mind for me?"

"Oh, you can bet I will. But seriously, he's not at all like he came off, I promise."

You shrug because it's not like it matters - what are the odds you'll ever run into her or her friend again? You're about to say something to that effect when Shin's phone rings and he rushes to step away to take the call. Probably rushing a little too fast but such a swift and clear rejection will do that to a guy.

Speaking of, "By the way, I promise I'll make him pay for being such a douchebag later too."

Her mouth curves into an amused smirk once again, "Make him pay, huh? I almost wish I could see that. But I seriously couldn't care less, I'm used to people being little shits. And what are the odds I ever run into him again?"

She's rolling her eyes with her words, an eerie echo your own thoughts on her friend, when a smooth, soft-spoken voice cuts into your conversation, "Run into whom again?"

The two of you turn to see startling blue-green eyes trained intently on her, as if her answer is the only thing that matters, but you realize she also knows this dark-haired stranger when she narrows her eyes on him before responding, "No one important. What took you so long?"

"I stopped to get something for you. The least you can do is tell me what I missed."

"Aw, Akaashi," Her eyes turn soft with a happy tone and you're the one that feels like the intruder to their conversation now, "What'd you get me?"

"Nothing important." He throws her own brush off back at her in a careless manner as he gently tugs a strand of her hair. "Who's this?"

"Just an unsuspecting stranger Bo ran over." She gives you another apologetic smile but it drops when the guy continues.

"Uh-huh. And the guy that was just here?"

Her lips turn down in displeasure as a little snark enters her tone, "Were you just watching from somewhere like a creeper?"

"No, brat." He gives her deadpan look but his actions again contradict his expression as he swats her forehead before she can even react to dodge, "I saw you talking to him while walking up."

"He's just her cousin, please chill."

The guy gives you a look as if you're somehow to blame for something, asking her, "Did he say anything weird to you?"

"Define weird? Can you please back off? Thanks." Turning back to you while shaking her head in exasperation, "Sorry I feel like we're just here trading apologies for the guys in our life."

You were a little stunned at the odd interaction at first but her comment prompts sudden laughter to spill out. How true.

"Maybe we should get shirts made? Like those 'I'm with stupid' ones but 'Sorry for this guy' instead." Even as you speak, only her eyes are looking your way as she laughs at your words.

The guy, Akaashi, continues to watch her with a mostly blank look masking his thoughts. But if you're reading it right, you're sure there's a bit of his own displeasure and.. something else. Then, as if he feels you watching, his eyes slide over and, suddenly, you see the politeness that was first missing emerge. His posture straightens from where he was slightly leaning in towards her and his hand drops from where he'd reached out to mess with the ends of her hair behind her.

You're pretty sure you shouldn't ask if they're a couple, just a gut feeling, and you've long since learned to trust those. Is it just pretty obvious to everyone but them?

"Hey, sweetheart! You're still here." You cringe at the renewed hope in Shin's tone as he returns to round out your strange little gathering.

He definitely doesn't notice the sudden stiffness of the other guy's demeanor at his words, even after he answers for the girl sharply, "She hates being called sweetheart."

Does she? Or does he just hate hearing someone else give her a term of endearment?

Shin blinks in surprise as if only just noticing the addition of this guy, "Huh? Who are you?"

"What's it to you? Excuse us," The guy looks at you with considerably less hostility than was aimed at your cousin just now, "We have to be on our way."

Then he grabs the girl's hand and literally drags her away as she throws one last half amused, half exasperated look over her shoulder. You're about to turn away but you catch one last moment that holds your attention a little longer as he pulls a small item from his bag.  It looks like a small box of soy milk and she glances at it before turning her face away, pulling her hand from his and speeding up to walk ahead of him instead.

You can't see if they exchange any words but you have to smile as, after another moment, she holds an arm behind her and he gently places the drink in her open palm. That's when you also notice the guy that ran you over earlier re-enter, a bag now slung over his shoulders as he calls out while racing to catch up with his friends who look back but continue walking to their terminal. What an interesting bunch, one that makes you miss your friends all the more.

Turning back to Shin, you ask, "Ready to go?"

"Do you think they were dating?"

"Oh my god, please let it go, weirdo."

Prev | Next

Masterlist

Behind The Scenes!

-Suna and Y/n got close real fast, but that's the power of bonding over games

-Mystery girl is inspired by & based on my incredible, beautiful, talented moot, Suvi <3

-Shin was really in top form today, huh?

-Also, there isn't a specific word for killing a cousin but there are a lot of words for various kinds of murder... like, too many

-Akaashi is usually nicer, he'd actually typically have been the one apologizing for Bokuto but.. he was off buying soy milk (:

A/N: Thank you all for your patience <3 Bokuto is the last of the seven main characters to make a (brief) appearance! Now it's back to America and school for Y/n but she'll be back for more... I can't wait to see it unfold from here :D Can you?

Taglist: @delusivist, @prettyinblack231, @kac-chowsballs, @sakusasimpbot, @hawkthekinnie, @poppi144, @oikawasbuttcheeks, @tanakasimpcorner

[viintage-pearls]

Snakes only bite

Your senior prom. It's suppose to be one of the one of the greatest nights of your life. Some girls plan it more than their own wedding. The perfect accessories. The perfect shoes. The perfect dress. And of course, the perfect date.

Betty thought she had all of that. She thought she was gonna have the perfect night. And yet, she found herself crying on the floor of her bedroom.

✰✰✰

She had decided to go with Jughead Jones. Yes, he was a bad boy and known as a risk. She had always found him alluring and she always had a good time with him. So, instead of going with one of the many guys that had asked her, she decided to go with the young serpent king. Too bad it would backfire.

Around 7 o' clock,  she walked into the gym. It was decorated wall to wall with violet cloths which had white fairy lights strung along the walls. Long tables with linens that matched the walls. Each of the seven tables had about 8 chairs on each side. There was a long purple isle from the door to the stage. And there was a huge dance floor that glowed a purple color. Clearly it was decorated by miss Veronica Lodge.

Betty and Jughead decided to just meet up at the school because the only form of transportation he had was his bike. And since she didn't want to ruin her dress, she decided just to take her own car. Maybe that was her biggest mistake.

She looked all around the gym, but he was no where to be found. She asked around, but no one had seen him. She found it peculiar but decided to wait a bit. Giving him the benefit of doubt. Thinking maybe he was just a little late.

Eventually, two hours passed. People were dancing and having a great time with their dates and friends. She was trying to. But, she was getting anxious and felt pathetic waiting around for her date. But, there was a topper to the cake. And this was just the icing.

The time to crown the prom royalty. Betty was sure she had it in the bag since she was the head of the cheer team. And she did. Unfortunately, when her name was called for prom queen, her king still hadn't shown. So, she stood there. On that stage, giving the brightest of smiles even though she was only filled with doubt.

Jughead's runner up, archie andrews ending up becoming king and they shared a dance. The entire time they swirled around in circles around the dance area, her mind was somewhere else. She couldn't help but think about how she would rather be dancing with Jughead than the carrot top.

After the dance, she ran out of the gym. She ran outside and got into her car. She practically sped her way over to the Southside. She normally didn't like going into snake territory after dark, but she was pissed off. And this man better have had a good reason for standing her up.

She sped into the trailer park, surely kicking up gravel. Not that she cared, her mind was only other things. She had always liked him and she really wanted to get to know him. They were both going to new york for college next year. So they would've actually had a chance without the weight of Riverdale's civil weighing them down.

She parked in front of the grey dingy trailer. The blonde woman climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind him. Honestly, she wanted him to hear it. She wanted to hear the angry clicks of her heels. She was pissed off and with good reason. Yet, she hadn't had any clue just how upset she would be.

She knocked on the door and waited a bit. She began to hear a lot of steps and loud voices. She peeked into the window, completely unaware of what she was going to see. But when she did, it completely shattered any thought of them making things work in the future.

Her green orbs observed the dumpy living room. There was another woman with him. The woman's upper body was only covered by a bra. Jughead was half naked. The rest of their clothes thrown across the room, a lamp on the floor. It was clear what they had been doing. It was clear what he had rather been doing some random ass woman than going to a dance with her.

The shock, the hurt, the disappoint, the anger. It was all over her face. Her jaw clenched as she couldn't help but stare with wide eyes for a minute.

Then, he turned his head and he caught her eyes. She didn't stay around long enough to see his reaction. She just wanted to go home. She stormed back into her car. And just like that, she was gone faster than she had came.

✰✰✰

It took jughead a little longer than it should've before he decided to come  check up on her. After everything, he didn't know wether or not he should've. He had been such an asshole and he was sure that she didn't want anything to do with him after the night he had gave her. But, he gathered up all of his courage and eventually found himself riding up to her house.

His blue eyes looked up at the red and white two story dwelling. He contemplated for a moment just turning back home. But, he pushed that thought to the back of his head and found himself going up the back way. The andrews always had a ladder so he used it to get to her bedroom window.

He looked inside the pastel bedroom. He quickly spotted the girl on the floor. She still wore the beautiful lilac dress, even as she cried in a fetal position. He gulped as he felt his heart quench at the sight. He sighed before he knocked on the window.

He watched as the girl jumped a bit out of shock. She looked in his direction, anger quickly taking over her face. He watched as she stormed over, opening the window.

"Why are you here?" She asked him with a raised brow.

He looked up at her, bitting his lip. He didn't know what to say to her. He looked down before looking back up into her eyes. He couldn't help but notice her smeared mascara. "I.. I um, can i come in?" He asked her.

She scoffed a bit but gestured for him to come in. " yeah, sure whatever." She said, walking over to her mirror and pulling her hair into a bun.

Jughead nodded and climbed into her bedroom. He had been in the pink room many times before. But never Without Betty all over him. Not that he ever complained. In fact, he preferred it to her simply tolerating his presence in her bedroom.

" Soo.. What do you want, Jones?" The blonde asked him, wiping her eyes of her ruined make up.

"I just.. I wanted to tell you that i'm sorry. I should've been there. I should've been with you." He told her.

She turned around in the vanity chair, looking at him with a glare. "So, why weren't you?"

He sighed softly. He didn't have a real excuse. His best bet was the truth. "We were at the wrym. Me and my friends were hanging. And all of a sudden, this new girl came into the bar. And she came over to me. One thing led to another and." He said.

She nodded. "And you decided that you would've rather screwed her than to keep your promises. Got it."

Jughead sighed and shook his head. "No. I." He started but just sighed.

"You what?" Betty asked, standing up from the chair and looking up at him.

He looked down, he couldn't bare to meet her eyes. Instead, he watched the purple rug across her floor. His eyes traced the little purple and pink flowers.

Betty raised a brow as she watched him. She shook her head. "God dam, jughead jones. Why do you have to be such an âsshole?" She asked him. There was no response. "Why do i have to be so stupid?" She muttered as she ran her hands over her face.

Jughead glanced back up at her. "Betts.. You're not. I am. I'm sorry, okay? I'm an idiot. I just.. I didn't want to go your stupid little stereotypical northside party." He mumbled.

Betty laughed and shook her head. "You do realize how stupid that sounds? You literally asked me!"

He closed his eyes. "Yeah, well.. You knew what you were getting into when you said yes." He told her.

"Oh, really? Okay. So, now this is my fault? I should've seen it coming that instead of going to prom with me, you would've been at your trailer screwing another woman!?"

Jughead didn't know what to say. she wasn't exactly wrong. He made a promise only to break it. He knew how important this night was to her. And yet, stupid was his chosen path.

"Oh my god, elizabeth. Stop acting like there aren't a million other guys that wanted to go with you tonight. You should've went one of your preppy jocky freinds."

Jughead saw a flash of hurt across her face before it descended into anger. "You're right, jones. I got asked many times. But guess what? I didn't want to go with any of them! I wanted to go with you!"

He scoffed. "Why the hêll would you want to go with me? Look at you. You live on elm street. You are valedictorian AND the leader of the cheer team. You are like literal perfection. I'm from the wrong side of the tracks. I'm the leader of a gang. Why would you wanna go with me?" He asked her.

"Because.. I don't care about that stuff. Because as much as i should, as much as i'm scolded for even looking at you, i can never get you off my mind. Last summer, spending like every day together, it was amazing. I never told you but i fell. Big time. But, i knew it would never work in this town. So when i found out that we were both gonna be in new york next year. I was hopeful for some kind of future. But they were right. My sister, my friends. They told me that you are a snake, and not just by title, you are a fück boy. The best thing you have is your poisonous bite." She muttered, wiping a tear that threatened to fall down her cheek.

He took a moment to let her rambling words sink in. She loved him. Never in his life would he thought that she would love him. Yet, he had suppressed the same feelings. Maybe that was why he asked her to the dance. But he was scared. Because he was almost certain that she would never return those feelings. So, he sabotaged things. Because it seemed easier than being shot down. He felt the guilt on his shoulders. The guilt weighed so much. If he was in water, he would've drown by now. But, he was once more brought to reality when betty said something.

"I think you need to go." Betty told him, chewing on her bottom lip.

Jughead looked up at her. He was filled with sorrow and regret. "Betts, please don't make me go." He said, his voice cracking a bit. He wasn't used to vulnerability. But, he felt like he was on the verge of tears.

Betty didn't answer him, she didn't even look at him. She turned her head away from him and refused to meet his eyes. Her jaw clenched as she tried to contain herself.

Jughead sighed, but he had got the message. He looked at her. "I'm sorry, truly." He whispered, patting her shoulder. His heart breaking with each step he took away from her.

Betty looked back at him. She grabbed his hand before he could too far. She turned him around and pulled him into a deeply passionate kiss. She cupped his cheeks as she kissed him.

Jughead breathed but kissed her back. He was confused, but he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. Though, before he even knew it, the kiss was over.

She pulled away from him, letting her arms fall to her side after she peeled his hands off her waist.

Jughead looked at her with utter confusion. Talk about mixed signals. "Um.. Why?"

Betty simply smiled at him. " I just want to remind you of what you could've had. What you let go. And i hope to good she was a good enough fück to let me go." The blonde told him with narrowed eyes. "Now run along, you dirty snake." She muttered.

He gulped and continued on to the window, climbing out. He watched as she slammed the window behind him. "I love you, princess." He whispered before he continued down the ladder. Perfection was his. And he let it slip through his fingers. That would forever live with him.

@riverdalepromptathon

[i-am-the-n1-trash]

The Ballad of Romulus

Notes: Been writing for the first time in a while and I came up with this angsty creatitwins fic :) has a bit of a cliffhanger, don't know if I'll write a sequel

Edit: This has been edited so it matches the ao3 version, and now has more chapters!

Ao3 link

Chapter 1

Prologue

Romulus hadn't been alive for a long time. He was creativity, the Creativity, the King loved by everyone. A legend, hardly a myth, barely remembered. And he was a kid. He was just a kid.

When the others talk about the split, they talk about hidden pain. They talk about mismatched eyes and ripped clothes, beautiful kingdoms and terrifying monsters. They never talk about being eleven years old and wanting to cry and to scream and to rip off your brain because it hurts, why does it hurt, why can't you agree with me, why won't you agree with yourself?

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He is five years old and he's alive. The world is big and beautiful and filled to the brim with color. He climbs trees, he runs through mud, he does everything he pleases with no regrets. He's not sure he knows what happiness is, but this is the closest he'll ever be to understanding it. (He ignores how the wind whispers in his ear that he could fall from the tree, he could slip on the mud, he could do millions of things wrong and ruin his happily ever after.)

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He is nine years old and he is tired. He just wants to stop feeling like an onlooker onto himself, onto a body he can barely call his anymore, filled to the brim with voices that are almost like his, but just not quite. Yes, there are voices. He can't remember when they started (where they always there), but they are loud, so loud, louder than his ideas, louder than his thoughts, so much, too much. He can't think anymore. His ideas are muddy, unhinged, unfinished. He is so, so tired.

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He is eleven years old and he is done. There are no more colors in his eyes, all of them a mesh of grey and black. He's not sure how much of his world has been eroded away by a laugh he doesn't recognize (it's his own laugh, why can't he tell, why can't he hear it, why can't he hear anything) but he knows it's too much. He looks in the mirror, looks himself in the eye (it's the only sense he still has left, where have the rest gone to, what happened to him) and decides he is done. That is the last thought he has. (That's not true, he remembers pain, he remembers regret, he remembers feeling his bones breaking as one body turns into two. He tries to forget it)

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It's been a long time since Creativity split. He still exists, barely there, with every idea the twins have, with every breath Thomas takes. He may be dead, but he's never been more alive than in Roman and Remus. They are real and they are his legacy.

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"Red!" Yelled a voice, somewhere in the Imagination. "Prissy-Pants! Knight in broken armour! Brother!"

"Yes, Remus, I heard you the first time." Answered Roman, exasperated, not getting up from the desk he was sitting at. "What do you need?"

"Thomas summoned me! Like, no fucking around, he wanted my help!" Roman was expecting a smile on his brother's face, but Remus only had a confused look.

"Well, yes, I told him to. I may be dashingly superior-" Remus snorted at that "- but I don't have reign of the entire Imagination."

"But… why? You know he doesn't like my ideas. Hell, nobody does... Except Joan. They're the only fucker I respect." Remus said, still confused.

"Remus. It's Halloween. I adore horror as much as anyone else, but making it is not really my specialty. That's your area." Roman responded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Did… did I do wrong? I just thought… maybe you might like to work together on this…"

Remus stayed uncharacteristically quiet, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"We haven't worked on anything together in years, Roman. Do we still even know how to?"

"We used to do it all the time. It should be easy enough to relearn." Said Roman softly. His brother still looked a little disoriented. "Come on. Don't you trust me?" He offered his hand. More quiet, for a minute, and then an answer, strong and mocking, pretending the soft moment of vulnerability between them never happened.

"Fine, I can see you are in desperate need of my help. But! No ignoring my ideas, ok?" Remus takes his brother's hand and everything goes black.

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When he wakes up, his head is pounding. He's confused.

"Roman? No, Remus? Where are- Who am I?" He knows the answer. He dreads it.

He looks down and sees his fears confirmed. He's wearing silver and red and green. His hair is longer than it had ever been. He's taller too. He's the King. He doesn't know what to do so he yells.

"No! Please, no! I'm supposed to be dead! I don't want this! I don't want… I don't want to be me again…"

He yells, and yells, until his voices goes hoarse, and, when it does, he cries. He doesn't know how loud he's being, but he knows it's loud enough for someone to notice.

Patton does. It makes sense that the man would be the first to hear it. Patton is emotions, and anger and sadness are some of the strongest of them all.

"Roman, kiddo, is everything okay? I heard yelling!" The kind-hearted man sees a figure hunched over, and assumes it's who he's looking for. He puts a hand on the figures shoulder. "Sweetheart, what happened?"

The king looks up and he can see the moment Patton recognizes him and gasps softly, his mismatched red and green eyes giving him away.

"Romulus… Hey, there, buddy. It's been a long time, uh?" He whispers softly.

Romulus hugged him, tears still streaming down his face. Patton hugs him back and plays with his hair, calming him down the best he could. The king eventually stops crying.

"Hey, Rom. You up for talking now?"

"… I don't know. I don't.. remember. We… I… I'm not the same. The voices are gone." Romulus said confused.

"It's okay, dove. It's gonna be okay." Patton whispered lovingly.

"I don't think I want to be me. I haven't wanted that in a long time"

Patton sighed. "I know, bud. We read your letter when you… left. But I don't know how to fix this. Do you trust me?"

Romulus thought for a second. He'd trusted Patton with his life once. Roman and Remus did too. "I do"

"Then come upstairs with me. Logan would know how to help. Plus…" Patton bit his lip "We love Roman and Remus... But we missed you."

"…Ok"