#Progressive Image Loading

[cssscriptcom]

Pure CSS Frosted Glass Image Reveal Effect: Inspired By 4o Image Generation

This is a frosted glass image loading/revealing effect inspired by ChatGPT-4o Image Generation. The effect provides an interesting way to handle image loading states, especially when you want something more dynamic than a simple fade-in. It solves the “blank space” problem during load, replacing it with a stylized placeholder that smoothly transitions to the final image. See It In…

[zondearts]

The troubled teen

[paulainchains]

[lizclipse]

I thought that a bunch of the hate was because Google forced it into chromium while dropping support for the much more interesting jpeg-xl. it's why I look at webp negatively

webp. more like wet ppee.

also on bsky

[bigwishes]

Jabari's Expansion

Jabari was a total muscle slut, he had spend years toning his body to be the perfect online magnet for men to click on and feed money into his accounts. He spent 20 minutes a day filming himself posing in tight underwear, angling himself perfectly to show off the goods.

Jabari finished uploading his latest series of pictures and instantly turned off notifications and put his phone on silent. Whilst he loved the attention and even got off on the flood of likes and comments he hated getting messages from guys begging for more.

Everyone was beneath him in his mind, they were only worth the money they'd pay to his only fans.

Jabari loaded up his Trindr and began swiping looking for his hook up for the night. It was almost an hour of him denying man after man, nobody was hot enough in his mind, no where near as hot as him. They were too skinny, or fat, too short, or too much of a princess. He was almost tempted to accept some just to message them to get their act together if they wanted to even exist in his feed.

An ad appeared in his feed "Better yourself today!". Jabari instantly swiped it away, laughing at himself that you couldn't improve perfection. After the ad a guy popped up that almost had Jabari drooling and chewing on his own lip.

The man was a huge black bodybuilder named Amir and his profile was him posing in a tiny pair of stage trunks that showed off his manhood perfectly. Jabari accepted him and "MATCH" flashed up on the screen. He instantly opened the messages.

"Hey there Amir, you look so damn fine in your profile"

"Cheers bro, you look stunning in yours, love your body handsome"

Jabari licked his lips, knowing he had this guy in the bag just like every other man that came before him, soon he'd have his own muscled beast to wait on him hand on foot. He snapped a photo of his bicep and sent it to Amir.

"Well if you love it so much why don't you come over and worship it"

Amir quickly sent back an image of himself flexing, his giant bicep taking up most of the photo, almost the size of his head.

"You might be a lil small for that baby, why dont you come feel what real muscle feels like"

Jabari's blood boiled as he quickly unmatched himself with Amir. He had never been so embarrassed, men would kiss the ground he walked on for a chance to go on a date with him, he hand thousands of guys begging from him to do anything to them, but to have some meat head say he should worship him had crossed a line.

Swiping away a warning flashed up on his screen "no more potential matches in your area". Jabari rolled his eyes and tried to reload the app. The ad "Better Yourself Today" appeared again, he tried to swipe it away but he accidentally pressed it instead.

Redirected to a page it had his profile photo already uploaded. A quick loading circle appeared and Jabari's profile picture disappeared, replaced with a hyper realistic 3D render of Jabari himself. Shrugging it off and just assuming it was some of that new generative AI crap. A small text box appeared on screen, "Request Your Improvements: Limits remaining: 1"

Jabari smirked thinking about how hot it'd be to be bigger than Amir and crush his head to the ground with his foot, forcing all the power of a colossal tree trunk leg, pressing down on a lesser man until he begs to be let back up.

He typed into the grey text box

"Make me the biggest colossal bodybuilder, a giant amongst men, and Olympian god of strength and muscle mass. Every man would be forced to look up at me, they'd be swallowed by my massive shadow, I'd get attention from everyone around me, I'd never be unseen or unnoticed, hell men would have to submit and listen to my booming voice"

A loading circle appearing on the app in front of the 3D model of Jabari, "in progress" was posted under it. Jabari waited for a monent, until 2 minutes had passed by and he lost interest, he rolled his eyes and closed the website, instead opting to open his social media apps to see the flood of comments from guys asking, wishing and begging to be with him.

Jabari's hand found its way to his dick as he began stroking and pleasuring himself just to the idea of men begging to be with him, he was a god amongst men and they'd be lucky if he ever even looked in their direction.

a few hours had passed by of him enjoying his own company and he had passed out in his bed. He dreamed of being bigger, taking out a giant of a man like Amir only for him to look like a twink next to him, he dreamed of trapping him in a headlock, listing to him beg to be let free, hearing him admit that Jabari was bigger than him, hotter than him, more of a man than he could ever hope to be.

he let out a deep moan in his sleep, completely unaware of his bed creaking as it adjusted to new weight. He stretched completely unconscious, curling his toes as his spine got longer each second he extended himself. His shoulders got wider as meat packed itself onto his entire frame, at least 40 pounds of muscle all over. He let out another moan as his dick grew as he got hard.

Jabari was startled awake by his 7am alarm, he had never felt so deeply entrenched in sleep it was almost like he forgot he'd have to wake up at all. Reaching up to rub his face he noticed the size of his bicep, some how it had almost tripled over night, he quickly sat up and flexed both his arms, admiring the new strength. Looking down at his chest he bounced his pecs seeing how much thicker they had grown, below he noticed his thighs, thick and solid but the main attraction was in between. He was always blessed in the bedroom but this was new. His dick was soft and still almost made it to his knee. Jabari almost started drooling over the thought of playing with his new toy, but he stopped himself, remembering the hour long skin care routine he had to do to keep his perfect complexion for his fans, and the preparation he had to put together for the photos he'd take later on at night.

Whilst excited about the new size he had packed on a twinge of worry entered his mind.

"how the fuck did this happen, how'd I get so...big?"

He suddenly remembered the ad from last night and opened up his browser pages hoping it was saved as a window when he closed it. He saw the title of the page "Better Yourself Today!". He opened it and smirked seeing the 3D model of himself but today it was bigger, showing him as he was this morning, but the grey loading circle was still on the screen and the word "processing" was still beneath

He clicked on the grey request box and a pop up appeared "unable to request changes when changes are in progress"

"HOLY FUCK" Jabari smirked and laughed "I thought this was just a shitty AI art thing fuck, I could be a literal god with this"

His dick started to fill with blood and he hard over the thought of men begging for him to change them, forcing them to worship him for a chance to change themselves.

He snapped a photo of himself sitting on the end of his bed, remembering he had requested to become a bodybuilder and realised he probably wasn't done.

He cringed a little at the thought, yes he wanted to sleep with Amir, and liked the idea of being big enough to dominate and crush him but he had never wanted to be one of those Roided stage pigs, he even thought that most guys that got themselves to be professional bodybuilders who competed looked fucking disgusting but he shrugged it off, knowing he'd probably only be like that for a few hours and then he'd change however he wished when the processing was done. He gave his arm another flex and thought about requesting to stay this size once it was all over.

Jabari stood up and instantly felt his underwear sitting snug around his ass, he looked back and saw it too was bigger, thick and fat with muscle, his already perfect bubble butt was now almost twice as big, it was always something his fans loved photos of and he laughed thinking about how much attention it was gonna get now it looked like this.

a few hours had passed and Jabari was preparing to go to the gym, only to find he was struggling to get ready without running out of breath, looking down he could see his feet had gotten bigger, both in length, width and thickness, grow to handle his new size. He noticed when he first started getting ready he had grown to at least 6.4ft but now he was starting to doubt it, thinking he was probably 6.6 or maybe he had grown even taller in the few hours he'd been awake.

As he walked he felt his thighs rubbing together, slamming into each other the muscles bouncing and grinding. He took a moment to examine himself in the mirror. He had definitely gotten bigger and was now getting bigger than he ever wanted to be, he frowned and let out a scowl.

"fuck, hope this shit ends soon any bigger and Im gonna start to look like one of those gross freaks in the gym"

Even though he was started to get disgusted by his size he still couldn't help but reach into his pants and play with his fattening dick.

"wouldn't mind this staying though, fuck guys would probably scream if I got to really use this haha" he joked and he stroked him semi.

"fuck, cant show the goods on camera tonight, I look too different, probably just gotta get some footage of my pits in the gym, maybe some feet pics for the freaks tonight probably some ab stuff too" Jabari thought.

He was starting to get nervous about how much longer this was going to continue, he opened up the web page and still saw it was processing his request. He looked at the 3D model of his body and even spun it around.

"fuck, yeah, I'm getting way too big"

Jabari continued to get ready but ran into his next problem. He didn't mind his workout shirt not making it to his waist, he often showed off his abs in the gym, but he struggled to get his shorts up over his ass. He stood side on to the mirror letting out subtle moans of complaint as he bounced himself up and down pulling it up by the waist band, he felt it as it strained tight against his ass and bulge before in finally slipped over. He felt the fabric struggling over his magnificent bubble ass and saw his thick tree trunk man hood predominantly hugging along his thigh and waist in the mirror.

"damn...gotta be careful. move too fast and I think ill split em"

Jabari struggled his entire car ride to the gym, he had to pull over multiple times to readjust his seat, if he didn't know any better he could have sworn he was growing the entire way there. When he finally got there he struggled to pull himself out of his car when all of a sudden a loud tearing noise. He lifted up his left arm to see his shirt had split down his rips, showing off his massive lat and juicy pec, he reached over with the opposite hand to assess the damage when another massive ripping noise rip out and he felt the fabric rip across his back. Barely able to lift it off himself he was simply forced to tear off the fabric and walk into the gym shirtless.

Walking into the gym he instantly felt the warmer air on his skin, outside was cold as fuck due to it being the middle of winter and whilst the gym was air conditioned it was still warmer that the 10 degrees outside. Jabari's body naturally relaxed, no longer staying tense trying to keep warm, whilst he was enjoying the controlled temperature he didn't notice the beads of sweat starting to form on his back and shoulders.

"Hey, shirts on or no entry!"

The gym manager called out from across the desk,

"Oh umm, sorry dude wardrobe malfunction..haha"

"Doesn't matter man, grab a shirt or go home"

Jabari was furious on the inside, wanting to put him in his place, he could only think about how poor the bastard probably was, how he didn't deserve to even speak to him...but he also didn't want any more attention, a few people were already looking at him and he was embarrassed by how big he had gotten, so he grabbed a tank top from the merch rack and bought it before going into the gym.

Feeling that he had gotten heavier, noticing how much he had to breath just to keep this big body moving the first stop was the changing room to check the damage. Standing in front of the changing room mirror he was shocked to see he had almost doubled in size since he had left the house.

but that wasn't all, other things were starting to change. His toes were starting to curl in his shoes as they pressed against the edge, his pits normally always shaven were now starting to get pitch back hair grow in a tangled formation. His beard was getting thicker and sweat was now starting to run down his massive muscular arms.

He wanted to go home so nobody could see him in this disgusting body but when he pulled out his phone to check the website he still saw the same grey spinning circle and the same words "processing" then it hit him, he requested to become a bodybuilder so maybe if he acted like one the process would be complete...

Jabari took the blue tank he had just bought and put it own, it was a struggle he could barely get his arms above his head and manoeuvring this monstrosity of a body into a shirt proved to be a challenge, when he finally got it on he instantly felt the fabric vacuum and stick to his back, the sweat acting like an adhesive. Dark circles started to form under his pits and wing shaped lats as the sweat dripped down, anyone would think he had already been working out for hours.

Jabari set out onto the gym floor and did a handful of exercises but decided to finish he workout off with a bang to really convince the app he had become a bodybuilder. He waddled over to the bench press area, they were all taken but two guys were just chatting and leaning on the equipment,

"Hey ladz, you two done with the bench?" Jabari asked

The two didn't hear him, too interested in their own conversation to even notice anyone else, Jabari went to ask again but this time louder but as he opened his mouth his stomach groaned and he seemed to automatically cock his mouth open and to the side...

BUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRPPPPPPP!!!!

The two men finally looked up and saw the gigantic 300lsb black man letting out a disgustingly loud booming belch in their direction, they stared at him waiting for him to say something...

"You, two, **HIC** you ladz *UUURP* done with the bench?

"damn, all yours bro" One guy replied

The other guy covered his nose and screwed up his face, struggling to breath the stench that was now radiating from Jabari. The two men grabbed their things and walked past him with screwed up faces not hiding their disgust.

Jabari sat down, instantly feeling the sweat on his ass seep through his shorts almost sticking him to the bench, he opened his mouth to say thanks to the men for giving him their spot, but once again he cocked open his mouth automatically letting out another booming belch.

People turned to look at the man who was making all the noise and Jabari lowered his cap,

"fuck...what is going on with me" he whispered to himself.

Finishing up at the gym he made his way to the exist, his shoes so coated with sweat they squelched with each step. walking through the lobby people turned their heads to see where the horrible man odour was coming from. Two trainers were having a conversation in the office behind a glass window, Jabari didn't even notice them but he suddenly felt weighed down as his stomach loudly groaned and he cocked open his mouth

BWOOOOORRRRPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

unable to stop it he let out another belch, so deep and loud is practically rattled the class, but it was loud enough for the two trainers to hear and stop their conversation and stare at the freak in the middle of the lobby.

whether he realised it or not Jabari only felt compelled to keep moving forward once everyone was staring at him. He continued out to his car, the cold air was even more harsh as it hit against his sweat soaked skin.

Standing next to his car he was fumbling with his keys when he felt his curled toes press even harder against the front of his sneakers when suddenly his watched one big toe tear through, then the other. His shoes felt tighter and tighter by the second. He finally unlocked the car door and struggled to force himself inside, finally thumping down into the seat he watched his feet sitting in the peddle bay as they grew, and grew, tearing out of his shoes. not just a little but completely tearing them apart, his toes broke out of the front, the sides of his feet split the shoes and tore the fabric at the top apart. Even his ankles swells splitting the heel support. Jabari's eyes started to water, he had gotten used to the slow release of his stench in the gym but his feet were so ripe it made the air sour and he was forced to roll the window down.

Getting back home Jabari practically fell out of his car when he opened the door, all that mass forcefully compacted in such a tight space for 20 minutes he had an imprint of the pattern on the door and the handle pressed into his bicep. Jabari laid there on his hands and knees in his driveway, feeling the weight as he had once again gotten even bigger. After a few minutes of enjoying the ice cold breeze cool his over heating body, he forced himself back up and waddled into his house.

Once again he pulled out his phone to check the website and was greeted with the same disappointing sight of the grey circle and the word processing.

"fuck...when will it end, when will I be big enough"

Jabari moaned as he felt his skin stretch, becoming even tighter and more stretch marks appearing across his body as he got even bigger. Sweat ran down his back and was so dense it was dripping off his face, he hadn't even been inside for 5 minutes and already the smell was starting to become too much for him. He slowly stomped through the house, so big he was only able to take one step every 10 seconds. He opened his glass sliding door and walked into his back yard.

Taking deep breaths his chest heaved up and down as his gigantic lungs filled with fresh air. Jabari was blissfully unaware of his neighbours in their own yards, but they'd soon be aware of him.

Jabari's stomach let out a loud gurgling noise and he winced in pain. Looking down he could barely see past his pecs but watched as his abs were slowing growing forward. The skin on his lats and stomach was stretching so tight strech marks spontaneously formed on his lats and pelvis.

"aaaa...AAAAHHH FUCK" Jabari cried out in pain

"W-WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING TO MEE AAAAAHHH!!" he placed his hands on his gut, hoping itd do something but all he could feel was his extremely defined abs become less defined as they were forcefully stretched out

His stomach loudly gurgled, and he felt a strange glugging sensation, the pain was almost unbearable and tears formed in the corner of his eyes. His muscles were so big, his stomach so bloated he couldnt eve touch his fingertips together when resting it on his abs.

BUUUUUUUUURRRRRRPPPPPPPPPPP!!

uuuuurrppppp

BURP!!

BWOOOOOOOOOPPPP!!!!!!

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRPPPPPPP!!!

Jabari couldn't stop, 5 minutes went by of him belching and burping only interrupted by the occasional moan of pain until finally he was interrupted by one of his neighbours calling him out from over the fence

"BRO TAKE SOME FUCKING PEPTO OR SOMETHING YOU PIG"

Flooded with embarrassment and shame Jabari quickly waddled back into his house moaning in discomfort. As soon as he shut the glass door and nobody could hear him his stomach began to feel normal, the bloating seemed to slow...

BUUUUUuuuuuuUUUUUuuuuuuUURRRrrrrrRRRRRrrrrrrRRRRPPPPPP!!!!

Jabari grimaced at the sound of the most disgusting belch he had ever heard, especially leaving his own mouth but his stomach had at least deflated so he wasn't in pain anymore.

His phone vibrated and he opened it to the wonderful sight of the website finally saying "TRANSFORMATION LOADED!" Jabari let out a sigh of relief and clicked on the grey box

"shrink me down back to my original size"

the grey loading circle appeared for half a second and a pop up appeared on screen "Transformation requests remaining: 0 cannot complete"

Jabari started to panic as he manically typed it every way he could think of but each time he got the same answer, even after completely reloading the website and uploading an old image of himself the 3D model simply changed to resemble him as he was now and it always said the same thing "Transformation requests remaining: 0 cannot complete"

Jabari looked at the 3D model of himself, over grown, sweating, bloated. He looked up from his phone screen at his lounge room mirror. Disgusted by his reflection...realising he was stuck like this..

So big it was difficult to move, Sweating so bad everyone noticed his presence enter a room, Cursed to bloat and belch until everyone around was staring at him in disgust,

Jabari was stuck like this, A disgusting fucking bodybuilder.....

[tarotsoul]

Ghost in the Wind — Part Three

SUMMARY: As feelings progress and truths unfold, you're left with a decision that could end your entire existence as you know it. The Mother has a path for every soul, perhaps this was where yours was supposed to end.

WARNINGS: swearing, mentions and brief descriptions of sexual abuse, consensual sexual themes, mentions of death and suicide.

WORD COUNT: 5.8k

Series Masterlist

Feyre Archeron could never begin to imagine the pain and horror her older cousin had faced in the mortal lands. Rhysand hadn’t shared that image, hadn’t shared the memories he’d witnessed when he took some of that pain away from you. 

She didn’t need her mate to share those visuals. Not when she felt every ounce of anguish through their bond. And every day since then, she had not been able to forget it. 

Another two weeks had passed since your arrival, three in total of your being in the Night Court, and you were finally beginning to work through your trauma. 

The offer had been there to find your own place of residence, to have that independence if you so wished. But after speaking with Feyre and Rhysand, after learning it was in fact Nesta who had imposed the leave Y/N be rule… you realised just how much you loved living in the House with your family. 

Your friends. 

So when you’d finally accepted Mor’s desperate pleas to take you shopping and fill your empty wardrobe…

“You’re going to need another dresser.” 

You blinked, taking in the mess around you. Your entire closet was stuffed to the brim with dresses, blouses, sweaters, coats…

And the pile on your bed…there was no chance of those articles of clothing fitting in the closet too. Nesta was right, you definitely needed another dresser. 

“Rhys is going to lose his shit when he finds out how much we spent.” 

Your eyes widened at Nesta’s words, not quite picking up the teasing tone she spoke in. Mor shot her a look and threw a sweater at her face. 

“She’s kidding,” Mor reassured. “My dear cousin has more money than sense. This won’t have even made a dent in his wealth.” 

A relief, but that guilt began to creep its way into the pit of your stomach nonetheless. You were ashamed to admit that while you had fun shopping with Mor and your cousin, you hadn’t even taken a moment to realise how much everything had cost. 

Nesta threw herself onto your bed, right on top of the throng of clothes you needed to find a place for. “I’m thinking we raid Rhys’ wine cellar tonight…”

A gleaming smile radiated off Mor’s face in agreeance and they both turned to you with upraised brows, expectant. 

You pursed your lips, an apologetic smile on your face. “I told Rhys and Feyre that I’d babysit Nyx tonight.” 

Nesta huffed and threw herself back on the mattress again, clothes bouncing and crinkling as she did so. Mor raised another brow, as if that wasn’t a good enough excuse. 

“So? I’ve gotten drunk while watching Nyx loads of times.” 

Nesta seethed at her. “One, that’s my nephew and I never want to hear you doing that again. And two, Y/N’s tolerance to alcohol won’t be as strong as ours. Two glasses and she’d be borderline incapacitated.”

Despite the slight insult, a laugh bubbled up your throat at just how right she was. Because you’d never even drank a sip of wine in your life, and Nesta knew that. 

“I’m surprised you don’t have plans with Azriel…” 

Mor was prying, you knew that. But you had no control over the heat that made its way across your neck and face. 

“We’re just friends.” It wasn’t a lie. You’d spent a lot of time together the past couple of weeks, and he was one of the only people you felt truly comfortable around. 

Mor gave you a knowing look. “Mhm, tell that to his shadows.” 

You frowned. “What do you mean?”

Nesta scoffed, sitting up again. “Az’s shadows are basically an extension of himself.”

Mor hummed. “They don’t do anything unless Azriel commands it. Or sometimes, they’ll do something based on his emotions or thoughts. They’re so friendly with you because Azriel likes you.” 

Your cheeks burned. You hadn’t realised his shadows touching you was a product of Azriel’s emotions. And the more you thought about it, there hadn’t been a time since you met him that they hadn’t touched you in some way. 

You didn’t say that, though. No. Azriel clearly had no qualms about other people noticing, but that did not mean you were willing to gossip about it. 

You did not need to allow silly fantasies to root their way in your mind. Azriel was your friend. And you were okay with him only wanting you as such. 

Within an hour, Mor had disappeared to tend to her own duties and just as Nesta was about to leave for hers, she grabbed your wrist and motioned for you to look at her. 

“I’m proud of you, you know.”

She didn’t need to say anything more. Those words were enough—more than enough. She saw you, she recognised everything you had been through and everything you did every day to overcome it. 

I’m proud of you. 

The last and only person to have ever told you that was your mother. 

And because you saw her too, because you remembered fhe young mortal woman she was before her own struggles of turning Fae and adjusting to her new lifestyle, you found yourself saying, “I’m proud of you, too, Ness.”

Nyx had been wonderful to look after that night. 

You’d gotten all the cuddles and boyish giggles, the beautiful little smiles and a few stinky diapers to go with it. You loved every moment with the little babe, and when Rhys and Feyre returned from their night off early in the morning, you offered to sit with him again whenever they needed it. 

But despite how fulfilling and wonderful it had been, it had also hurt. You wondered if you’d ever be blessed with the opportunity to carry and birth your own child. Wondered if you’d ever even find someone to want you in that way. 

Especially within Prythian. 

It was another late night for you, though your reading sessions had taken you from the lounge to the library. And you no longer spent them alone. 

Azriel sat on the couch opposite you, his nose deep in a book as you watched him. In the past week, you’d spent a lot of time together. It ranged from walks into the city to sitting and reading in the library until early hours of the morning. 

You’d grown accustomed to his presence, his scent often able to calm any anxiety or qualms you felt. He had noticed, of course, he wasn’t a Spymaster for nothing. But Azriel did not mention the change in you whenever he was around. 

He basked in it, in the way you appeared so much more comfortable with him. You weren’t afraid to speak up, to ask questions or acknowledge whatever was on your mind. 

You were coming out of your shell and it warmed Azriel’s heart to know that he was somewhat of the cause for it. 

“What does salacious mean?”

Azriel blinked repeatedly as your voice broke him from his thoughts. Salacious? His throat tightened. You’d often ask for definitions of things you were unsure on, sometimes even asking how to pronounce words you had never come across. 

But salacious? 

“Are you reading Nesta’s romance novels?” He quirked a brow. 

Your lips involuntarily pouted at him, your own brows furrowing just slightly as you rested the open book back into your blanket-covered lap. “Yes. Why?”

Anxiety creeped its way into your stomach, rooting deep into your flesh from the inside out. Reminders of how this used to go flashed through your mind and suddenly, it felt like you were back in the village, back in the mortal lands and living with Rafe. 

A tendril of darkness peaked at the corner of your vision and you focussed on it, watching it slowly dance across your knuckles and weave between your fingers in a calming manner. 

Shadows. Azriel. Library. Velaris. Safe. 

And just like that, the anxiety un-clawed its roots and crept away. 

Azriel nodded ever so slightly to the book, knowing exactly what had just happened with you but acting as if he didn’t. “Salacious means…having inappropriate interest in sexual matters.”

There was no hiding the heat on your cheeks—the way it burned your soft skin. You tore your gaze from his as quickly as you could, unable to contain your slight shame and embarrassment. 

But Azriel did not mind one bit. 

Azriel had secrets. He supposed that being the Night Court’s Spymaster, it was to be expected. But these secrets were different from the others, something he kept locked tight in his mind for the past month. 

And it wasn’t the secrets that had him moving closer and spending all of his time in the lower level of the House. No. That was very much you and your presence and whatever it was in your soul that called out to his. 

He couldn’t stay away—though, it wasn’t like he even tried—for that pull was far too strong for even his willpower. 

He had suspicions. Suspicions of a golden thread that started in his chest and ended in yours. He knew it was far fetched, knew he was only hurting himself by entertaining the complete insanity of the idea. 

You were human. Mortal. And mortals didn’t have mates. He told himself so every day, and right after, like clockwork, he countered his own sound advice with the one thing that had been troubling him the most.

Because what mortal could plant and bloom a patch of tulips with nothing more than a thought and a touch. What mortal could speak so clearly to the earth and create life right before another’s eyes. 

Despite the possible threat that could pose for his court and his family, Azriel had kept that tidbit of information to himself. Just for now. Just until he could make sense of it. Then, and only then, would he bring that information to light. 

Because Azriel did not feel any ounce of danger or ill intent from you. He did not feel anything but warmth and intrigue and that godforsaken sensation when you grew excitable over something. 

He couldn’t take that from you. Not when you were finally coming out of your shell, finally talking and laughing and going as far as joining him and Cassian for training twice a week. 

“If sex makes you uncomfortable, there are other romance novels without that.”

Heat warmed your skin again. Shadows dared to intertwine with your fingers. 

“No, it’s not that.” You played with his shadows, allowing them to caress your skin. “Sex doesn’t make me uncomfortable. I’ve just never had a good enough experience to understand much.”

He didn’t push, didn’t ask further questions. You wouldn’t be embarrassed for this, for something that was not your fault. You wouldn’t cower anymore, hide what you felt or thought. No longer would there be repercussions for speaking your mind. 

So you spoke again. 

“Rafe was the only person I’d ever…it’s just different to read it, to have it described as something enjoyable.”

Azriel’s knuckles turned white. Something enjoyable. He’d never experienced it to be anything but. His soul almost cleaved in two at the thought of what you’d endured. 

Azriel dared to glance at you again. “Sex with the right person can be very enjoyable. It should be nothing but beautiful.”

He stiffened then, blood thumping in his ears. His shadows stilled, noticing the shift in your scent just as their master had. Sweet, all consuming arousal, and Azriel did not miss the way your thighs pressed together in impulse. 

He swallowed thickly. 

You broke his gaze, your own heart thumping sporadically as you stared at the pages on your lap. You couldn’t help your mind wandering to thoughts of him, of experiencing that with him. You knew it was wrong. So, so wrong. 

“The thought of being intimate like that with someone new…” You couldn’t find the words to express the fear and anxiety that came with that thought.

Azriel listened intently, breathing deeply. 

“I want to experience life the way it should be experienced. Not the way others have pushed it upon me.”

He leaned forward slightly, resting his book on his knee. “You control your life now, nobody else. If you want something, despite how wrong that desire may feel at first, take it.”

You wondered then if he could see into your mind as Rhysand could. If he could feel that shift in the air. If he could smell it on you. That want and desire. You would not apologise for it. Not anymore. 

“But if it feels wrong, is that not my guts way of warning me?” You countered. 

Azriel smiled, just barely. His knuckles still white. “It’s your guts way of protecting you. Because you’ve never experienced anything beyond what others bestowed upon you.”

Gods above. 

An ache fluttered in your chest, just above your breast and you absentmindedly rubbed at it, disrupting the neckline of your shirt. Azriel’s eyes squinted at the exposed skin, at the mark that adored your flesh. 

“Are you hurt?” His tone was primal, protective. 

You paused your movements, following his gaze. “Oh, no.” You pulled your shirt a little lower. “Just a birthmark.”

He needed to compose himself, needed to stop allowing his mind to wander about other areas of your concealed skin. He felt like nothing more than a big brute. 

Your soft, airy giggle woke him from his daze and he looked over to find tendrils of darkness caressing any inch of your skin that they could. Gods, if he didn’t have a leash on his emotions around you, how could he control his damned shadows. 

“It’s like they have a mind of their own.”

They didn’t. But he couldn’t correct you. Not without exposing the fact that they only fed off their masters emotions and desires. Not without exposing the fact that Azriel wished he was the one touching your skin and not his shadows. 

He swallowed again, throat dry. 

“Nesta told me that they’re an extension of yourself. That they only act if you will it.” You didn’t know why you said it, why you thought you had the right to speak that truth. 

But you would not apologise, even as Azriel remained silent for a few moments. Partly out of shock, partly in awe. But that was another thing he would not speak aloud. 

“Sometimes they can act on behalf of my emotions. My desires and wants.”

You dared to meet his honey eyes. “And that’s what you want?” You were breathless, a feeling in your stomach that you’d never once experienced before. “You want to touch me?” 

Neither of you knew where this confidence had come from, but Azriel did not question it and you did not apologise. 

He shouldn’t say it, shouldn’t repeat the words that echoed in his mind and soul and body. But, Gods…he could not seem to regain any semblance of control when he stared into your eyes. He could not lie to you, could not hide what he felt. 

“I want to do a lot of things.” The admittance was barely audible, nothing more than a breath he’d been holding but you heard it all the same. As though you’d demanded the words out of him. 

You couldn’t look away, even if you tried. Your entire being was encapsulated by him. Your chest heaved, legs ached. The shadows slowly left your shoulders and neck, returning to their previous position at your fingers. 

“But above all, I want you to be comfortable. Happy.” 

Something compelled you to stand, the shadows seemingly guiding you to their master as your book toppled to the couch. He watched with a hungry gaze, one full of faltering self-control. 

If you want something, despite how wrong that desire may feel at first, take it.

Take it. 

Take it. 

“I’m comfortable with you.” 

The shadows moved like a breeze between you both, tugging you closer and closer. Nothing else mattered, not in that moment. Not when your soul felt like it was singing, like it was exactly where it longed to be. 

Azriel stood slowly, towering above you once at his full height. You strained your neck to meet his gaze and he bent his to come closer. You could feel his breath dance with yours, could feel his hard chest press upon your soft one. 

No part of you felt nervous, no part of you felt unworthy. 

But Azriel…he didn’t know what to do. For weeks he’d been dreaming of this moment, dreaming of the taste of your lips, the touch of your skin. He slowly raised a scarred hand to caress your warm cheek, and you didn’t cower or shy away from his touch. 

A test, perhaps. To see if you really could handle the intimacy of another male so soon after what you’d endured. You didn’t falter, didn’t break his gaze. He wanted you, more than he ever wanted anything else before. 

“What you went through…”

“I don’t want to talk about what I went through,” you cut him off. “That was then, this is now. I don’t want to live in the past.”

Take it.

Take it. 

Your lips…so close to touching his. 

The shadows swirled in delight, excitement.

Azriel knew this wouldn’t be just a kiss. This wouldn’t be meaningless. He felt it, in every part of him, he felt the way your entire being sang to his. He wanted to lay his soul bare before you. 

He itched to brush your hair behind your ear, to hold you and taste you. But Rhysand’s voice echoed through his mind, beckoning him for his assistance. He closed his eyes, huffed out a breath.

“Rhys is calling for me.” 

Azriel stepped away, removed his palm from your skin. You swallowed, stepping back and letting your eyes fixate on the rug beneath your feet. He cleared his throat, struggling to reign in those shadows of his. 

“I’ll come to you tonight…we can talk then.”

But had Azriel waited just a few moments longer, had he given into the urge to brush your hair from your face, he would’ve noticed the slight point that had formed at the top of your ears. 

Azriel didn’t meet you in your chambers that night. And you didn’t see him the next morning. Or the day after that. 

Cassian had mentioned that Rhys sent him on a mission. That he would be back in a few days. 

But something was wrong, you could feel it in every inch of your body. An ache that only got worse with every passing moment. You tried to ignore it, tried to relax in a hot bath with soothing lavender oils. Nothing relieved the pain. Nothing soothed the ache.

And when you left your bathroom and found your once round ears now pointed, and a trail of tulips following in your wake, your legs carried you toward the kitchen before you had a moment to consider it. Cassian and Nesta sat at the table, giggling over their breakfast when you stumbled toward them. 

“What’s happening?” Your panicked tone caught their attention, eyes wide as they stood and took in what lay before them. 

From the stone ground, moss and grass and flowers bloomed as though you stood in the middle of a field. Daisies and buttercups sprouted in your hair, roots of trees tangling around your limbs. 

Everything was so loud yet muffled. Like every word was screamed in your ear but somehow underwater as Cassian called out frantically to Rhysand. Neither of them went near you, even when Rhys flew through the open balcony doors, Feyre in tow. 

They looked at you with nothing less than concern and fear. 

“What in the Gods is happening to me?!” You demanded. 

Rhysand held Feyre back as she attempted to near you, his gaze locked on you as he assessed the situation. But it wasn’t the flowers or grass or roots that he watched. It was you, and the way your crescent-moon birthmark glowed something violet. 

Rhys had known, had suspected something lay dormant within you. From that moment he entered your mind, when he gazed upon that luscious field that seemed to call to you with promises of something new. 

He’d never witnessed such before. Not in the most powerful of Fae had he ever stumbled across that. 

With a very careful step forward, his gaze demanded yours. Feyre had told him of your mother, of her death and your marriage to Rafe. And his voice was soft when he finally asked the question that had been on his mind ever since. 

“What happened the night your mother died?” 

The world went still, cold. Feyre whirled to him in protest. 

“Rhys—“

“—it was a house fire.” 

All eyes turned to you, to the patches of bloom that haltered their growth. 

Rhysand took another step closer. “Where were you?” 

“I—“

A heat unlike any other licked at your skin, waking you from your peaceful slumber. A heat so unwelcomed that you bolted upright in a sheen of your own sweat. 

You could hear the wood of your cottage crackling under a burning flame, and smoke quickly infiltrated your room. You coughed, attempting to swat it away as you squinted in the darkness. 

“Mama!?” You called out, panic stricken in your voice and body. 

Fear began to cripple you, began to take away any sense of self preservation. You couldn’t leave your bed. Your door now engulfed in flames, you screamed. 

“Help! Someone, please help!”

No one was coming. This was the end. You couldn’t move, couldn’t get to your beloved mother. A shrill cry, unlike anything you’d ever heard before, split your heart in two. 

A scream of pure agony and fear tore through your throat, your eyes clenched shut as you gave your body over to the fire. 

Only the next breath you breathed was clean and cold. And your sheets were no longer beneath you, no. Now you laid on the rich soil outside of your home, your fingers rooting themselves into the dirt. 

You screamed and sobbed, unable to do anything but watch as the fire claimed your home and your mother. 

You were sobbing, collapsed to the ground as you struggled to breathe at the memory. 

Rhysand dared another step closer, kneeling before you now and his eyes held such sorrow, such remorse. 

“Y/N…” he spoke softly. “Was your mother ever accused of being a witch?” 

Nesta seethed, threatening. “Rhysand, that’s—“

“How do you know that?” Everything felt very, very still. No one should have known that. No one of these lands should have known that. 

Rhys didn’t answer your question. And despite the sound of large wings breezing through the sky, you did not look away from the High Lord. Not even as Azriel rushed into the House and his heart sunk at what he bore. 

“The day I entered your mind and took some of your pain away, I felt something. Something within you that I have never, in my 500 years of life, felt before.”

Azriel took a step closer. He should have said something when he first noticed the flowers. Because now, whatever power you had…it was consuming you. 

“I’d like to try something,” Rhysand proposed. 

You struggled to keep your breathing even. “What is it?” 

Another step closer, a warm hand on yours. 

“I’d like to enter your mind as far back as it will allow me. Just to see if I can find something.”

Violet eyes watched yours. “Find what?”

He squeezed your hand in reassurance. “Something to make sense of this.”

A moment of pause, to take in your surroundings. The flowers and soil had sprouted to cover the entire expanse of the lounge floor, your friends and cousins standing just beyond the brush of it. 

Eyes flickered to something hazel. Azriel. He stood in the soil, flora coating his ankles and he struggled to keep a tight leash on the shadows that fought to reach you. 

You looked back at Rhysand. 

“Will it hurt?” 

He shook his head. “No, not if you don’t resist.” 

That suddenly sounded an awful lot like your past. Memories of Rafe pinning you to the bed—scolding, reprimanding, promising no pain if you didn’t resist. 

This wasn’t like that, you had to remind yourself. You were safe. They only wanted to help. To understand. 

Azriel stepped closer, ignoring the silent warning that Rhysand whispered into his mind. A scarred hand out held, you took it. And Rhysand took that moment of distraction to enter your mind. 

The first memory he saw was one from just days before. You and Azriel reading in the library, the shadows that swirled your fingers and arms, the near-kiss that escalated into nothing. 

He dug deeper. The next, of you and Azriel again, exploring the city where you left a trail of green and brown tulips in your wake on the embankment of the river. 

Deeper and deeper, until the memories showed you living in the mortal lands. A blow to the face, to your stomach and your head. Rafe seething above you as he shouted and belittled you. 

Deeper, to a memory of your husband pinning you to the mattress, of his body crushing yours as he stole everything you never offered. 

Every memory Rhysand met, you re-lived them. 

A little deeper and he was watching you at the Archeron household, helping Elain plant seeds, watching Feyre paint, reading with Nesta. 

Deeper and deeper he went, passing the memories of the fire, of your mother, until he found exactly what he was looking for. 

“She is my child too, Selenthia. You cannot keep her from me.” A voice you did not recognise. A memory you did not recall. 

“For her protection, I will do what I must.” Selenthia seethed, coddling you closer to her chest. “No one can know what she is, or she’ll be hunted for the rest of her life.”

The unknown male huffed. He was beautiful. Tall and lean, strong and commanding. But there was something about him. Something not quite right. 

“So you plan to lock her away for the rest of her life?”

Selenthia bared her teeth. “I would never lock my child away. She will live her life as a mortal. I won’t subject her to a life like mine or yours.”

A moment of silence. “You cannot hide her from what she is.” He spoke softer now, edging close to peer at you, his daughter. 

“What do you plan to do when she first bleeds? When her ears point and her power grows—“

“That won’t happen.” There was no room for discussion in Selenthia’s voice. She placed a finger over your heart, a familiar violet glow permitting from her skin to yours. 

“What are you doing?” That male’s voice, cold once more. 

“I’m burying her power. So long as this wyrd remains on her skin, she’ll be safe.”

Selenthia pulled away, just enough to take a look at the mark that marred your skin. A mark two shades darker than the rest of your flesh, the shape of a crescent moon and no larger than a fingernail. 

“There. Nothing more than a birthmark.”

Rhysand retreaded from your mind, panting and shaking. Tears streamed down his flushed face, your own skin staining with silver, too. 

“What is it?” Nesta demanded, daring a step closer. 

But those tulips and daisies and buttercups…the soil and grass and roots, they all began to sink into the ground until nothing but the florals in your hair remained. 

“My mother…she…she was a witch. A healing earth witch. And my father—he…”

“Your father was Fae.” Azriel breathed, his eyes focused on the point of your ears that peeked through your hair and flowers.

“He was of the Night Court. A High Fae male.” Rhysand added gravely. 

Azriel’s hold on the shadows loosened and he allowed them to caress you, comfort you. Your hand never left his. 

You pulled away from Rhysand, clutching at your chest—at that crescent moon you always thought was a birthmark. Your mothers protection all along. 

“When you crossed the wall into the Fae lands, your power tried to break through. It was your mothers mark that had been keeping it buried with you all these years.” 

You dared a look at your cousins. But they looked at you with nothing but sorrow and anguish. No fear. They did not fear you, they did not pity you. In their eyes all you could see was longing. A longing for you to no longer live in such agony and hardships. 

“Our mothers were sisters. Does that mean—“

“I don’t think so,” Rhysand cut you off. “If they held the magic you do, I believe their power would have shown by now. They were Made. So it’s possible the Cauldron could’ve interfered with it if that were the case.” 

It was too much. All of it. Reliving those memories again, seeing your father… You couldn’t do this. Couldn’t have magic and powers. You could not be half Fae, half witch. 

It would be easy to give up. It would be so easy to ignore it until it killed you. So easy to just let go of everything. But a pounding in your soul begged you not to. Begged you to fight with everything you had. Begged you to live. 

“Burn the mark.” 

All attention snapped to you, flickering from your face to the mark on your chest that finally stopped glowing. 

“Are you insane?” Nesta seethed. 

You looked at her. “I don’t think I’d be far off to guess that if I don’t burn this mark, this…power will consume me entirely. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to be so lost because I have no idea who I am. This is who I am, whether I like it or not. I won’t run anymore.”

Feyre stepped closer, crouching to your level and taking your spare hand in hers. Azriel still held tight to the other. “If you wish to burn it, it will unleash whatever power you have at full force. You don’t have any training, any control over it.” 

You felt sick to your stomach. “I don’t want to die, Fey.” 

And that was enough to enrage Feyre in a way she’d never once felt before. “You are not going to die. Do you understand me?”

Azriel squeezed your hand, begging for you to look at him. You couldn’t. You couldn’t stomach the thought of him looking at you any different than he had three days ago. 

“Rhys, fetch Madja. We will burn the mark in a controlled environment. Where any fallout can be contained.”

You shook your head, not willing to risk a single soul because of your selfish decision to live. 

“No,” you said. “Drop me to the mountains and I’ll burn it myself.”

Nesta scoffed. “Oh, you are insane.”

You seethed at her. The first ounce of anger you’d truly shown. The first time you’d ever directed it at anyone but yourself. 

“This isn’t your decision. I will not risk anyone. Azriel can take me to the mountains and you can all keep your distance. At least until it’s safe.”

Until it’s safe. As if you knew for certain you’d survive it. You truly weren’t sure you would. There was nothing more to discuss, your tone made that clear enough. 

“Fly me, winnow me…whatever. Just do it now before I change my mind.”

Within a blink, your body was shivering and you were no longer in the House of Wind. Shadows encased your entire body, darkness swarming every inch of you. You said nothing as Azriel held you, nothing at all as he flew you across Velaris and toward the highest mountain just outside of the city. 

Only when he landed, when he refused to remove his hold from you, did the darkness dissipate and hazel eyes gazed into yours. 

“I’m staying with you.” 

“No, you’re not. I won’t risk your life, Azriel.” 

He set you to your feet, holding your hands now to keep you close. A plea of desperation swam in his eyes, his entire body yearning to take you and find another way to fix this. 

“There is no other option. If I don’t burn this mark, I don’t know what my power might do. It might kill me, it might destroy this city. I cannot risk anyone’s life for mine.”

Azriel parted his lips to speak but you shook your head, squeezing his hands. 

“If I don’t survive this—“

“Don’t.”

“Please, listen to me.” Silver lined your eyes, blurring your vision. “If I don’t survive this, I want you to know how special your friendship has been to me. How much I care for you, for your family.” A sob tore through your throat. “And I am so incredibly sorry for burdening you all in this way.” 

You reached on the tips of your toes and pressed your lips to his. Warmth and love and the most raw emotion could be felt between you both. An apology for not having longer, a prayer that there would still be time. 

A fuse lit within the pit of your stomach, in the pit of Azriel’s. Tears stained your lips, stained his. In that moment, you were one. Whole, as though you always should have been. 

You pulled away first, forcing your hands from his hold. You took several steps back, blinking through the distorted vision and swiping away and evidence of the fear that crippled you. 

A puff of violet darkness misted beside Azriel as Rhysand winnowed to the mountains. Pain flicked through his eyes, regret and the same sorrow you saw in your cousins. 

You did not meet his gaze. 

“Summon a fire.”

He did as you asked. And handed you a blade. 

You did not grant them another look, did not give into the pleading in your mind to watch them leave. Or else you would’ve seen Rhysand drag Azriel off that mountain. You would’ve seen the anguish on the Shadowsingers face. 

Alone. As you had been your whole life. Though the weeks spent in Velaris had given you a taste of what could’ve been. You’d treasure those memories in the Hereafter. Those and the precious ones of your late mother. 

For they were all you had left. 

You did not allow another tear to fall. Not as you hovered the blade over the flame, not as you tugged your shirt down and took a deep breath. 

For if all you were ever meant to be was a ghost in the wind, you were content to know you’d reunite with your mother soon. Where you would no longer feel such pain. 

You didn’t want to die. But if this was all the time you were fated to have, then so be it. Better you than someone else. 

“Keep them safe.” A whisper to the winds, if they deigned to listen. 

With a final breath, you pressed the scorching blade against the mark on your skin and the entirety of your captive power unleashed upon the mountain as your body allowed it to consume you. Until you saw and heard and felt nothing at all. 

From below, the city shook, a thundering boom and a gust of aftershock and pelting mountain debris that blew the Inner Circle back. 

Then there was silence. 

And Azriel’s soul bellowed. 

A/N: so a LOT happened in this chapter and there is still a lot more to happen, I'm hoping I can fit it into two parts but it may be stretched into three, we'll have to see!! I'm so grateful for all the love you guys have been giving this series and I am so excited for you to find out how it all ends!!

If you enjoyed it, please consider giving it a like and reblog, your feedback is always appreciated <3

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[fakezircon]

It's Done!

Three months of work from start to finish! All so I could finally present to the world:

Pocket, Minecraft Edition:

Some standard rambles and fun progress images under the cut :)

So, I started this project in early August, mostly as something I could do during downtime of a then upcoming trip.

I had seen some absolutely amazing art pieces by @royalnaym which kinda gave me the idea that minecraft rendered in pixel art has a pretty interesting while still very recognizable look. At the same time I came across @groupcritpowerdynamics 's speedrun pastel pieces and those really inspired me to try depicting my favourite game in one of my favourite mediums!

In the middle of August 6th, while in the middle of packing for my trip to the UK, I decided I wanted to do this and I wanted to have it to work on during the trip, so I loaded up minecraft and went looking for a screenshot worthy of immortalization. Unfortunately I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for so I made a brand new world and started looking around for the right vibes.

I knew I wanted a lone tree, and that if I ended up including the hot bar I wanted some hearts and food missing, so after running around for a few minutes I decided I would just do it myself and planted a sapling to serve as my centrepiece.

I gotta say I think the resemblance is striking!

And now as promised, the progress gif: mind the slight flashing, I did take these in all manner of different places including but not limited to: a plane, a handful of buses, and a small inn on the shores of England (not in that order).

It's pretty neat to me that you can see how different tones of lighting affect the perceived colour of the thread, I definitely noticed it more on this piece verses other larger stitch projects.

[you-know-honey]

omggg i see you are taking viktor x reader requests and i am in desperate need of something relatively cute and fluffy after act 3 🥲

i’ve had this idea for ages where once viktor and the reader starts dating, viktor just generally starts being healthier and a little better? even though his leg is still the same he is stronger and in less pain (he really deserves this come onnn).because he is totally smitten by the reader he is spending loads of time with them which ends up to him getting more rest, eating better, etc. the reader maybe does subtle things to encourage that but in some ways it happens naturally. (although i’ve seen some scenarios where the reader helps viktor with massages/physio and that is so wholesome too)

maybe he is talking to the reader after some months of dating, sharing how he feels better in his body and how he wants to actively try to be better? like, before his work was his whole life and he had kinda given up on his health - he just wanted to make the most progress in whatever time he had. but now he wants to spend the rest of his life with the reader and is willing to fight for it (and come on that will also help him work more anyway)

thought it was a cute idea and i love your work so i’d love to see your take on this!!! ❤️

Hanging in Your Hands

Viktor x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 5K

2/2→→→

Viktor finds in you a love that subtly transforms him: without realizing it, he begins to take better care of himself, rest better and relieve his pain, all thanks to the peace you bring him. Finding a way to show you what he could never do with words.

N/A: English is not my native language, feel free to correct me in the comments and I will update it. Remember to share and comment if you liked it. Endnotes.

The cold of the early morning began to creep in through the window, giving your body chills from head to toe. You didn't want to wake up, you felt like you had barely slept a second after so much work.

You couldn't get anything more than a superficial sleep that ended even with the walking of an ant on your neighbor's floor. The bed felt too big for some reason and there was no pillow to hug that didn't make you feel terribly alone. You sighed, knowing it would be another long night, you went down to the kitchen to get some tea to sleep, if getting high was the only way to fall asleep so be it. While you watched the steam come out of your cup you leaned against the wall of the hallway, looking at your empty room. You couldn't help but let your imagination fly to a corner where you didn't want it to be, the darkness emulated with the shadows a sleeping figure on one side of the bed and your mind quickly gave it shape and name...Viktor.

NO.

You shook your head to get that image out of your mind, being in love with your boss was already a silly thing, you shouldn't even think about something like that. But... you couldn't help it, you liked to imagine him around the apartment, like your own homely fantasy.

The violent knocking from the other side of the front door brought you out of your little daydream. You pulled the blankets tighter around you, it wasn't time for visitors.

“Y/N!” Sky’s voice called from the other side of the door, she seemed agitated and in total panic.

You quickly rushed to open the door, finding your friend and coworker in tears and as pale as a sheet of paper.

“Sky? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” You rushed to take her inside and sit her on the couch as she tried to catch her breath.

“It’s Viktor, he’s in the hospital, he fainted and… and he started bleeding! He won’t wake up!”

Sky said something else, but your mind refused to continue listening. You could feel your entire body turning into glass and shattering, your heart had stopped suddenly before beating desperately again.

That night was the worst night of your life. You don’t remember what happened exactly, you just remember dressing up in one of your long work jackets to hide your pajamas, not even bothering to put on shoes, arriving at the hospital and searching every room in desperation only to find him intubated and still unconscious on a stretcher, he looked so pale, so feverish, his hands were cold and stiff as a stone, his hair was wet with sweat and the nurses hadn’t cleaned the stain of dried blood that spread across his cheek and lips like a crimson river. You don’t know how long you cried that night. You only remember clinging to his body until the nurses basically ripped you from his side. It was the first time you truly thought you would lose him, the first time you saw what his illness could do to him.

Time passed, a lot of time indeed. Viktor had a long recovery process after such a hard relapse and was prescribed, in his opinion, the worst of medications. Rest. Instructions that he clearly hadn't intended to follow, but you didn't think the same. He didn't know when or how but you simply kicked the chained door of his heart and like a spoiled child you refused to leave. But he liked it that way. During his long stay in the hospital he hadn't stopped working and the doctors were really considering tying him to the bed, like a guardian angel there you were, reading his books for him and writing in his notebook by the side of his stretcher, making sure he took his medications and vitamins until he was ready to get back in the ring. So, gods! It would have been impossible not to fall in love with you.

You made him feel alive, seeing you filled his face with color, he couldn't help but smile and ignore everything that wasn't you, he loved being able to hold your hand, he delighted in the dropped jaws that left when they walked together through the academy. His mind was an unstoppable machine of chaos that only found peace when you were near.

How did he get to that point? He never imagined that someone like him, with his proud attitude and busy mind could attract the attention of someone like you. You... you simply shined. Everything about you seems so simple, so natural. Your laugh, your words, even the way you look at him as he always wanted to be seen, as something more than a man with a cane and too many ideas in his head.

He couldn't help but wonder what you saw in him. Is it his mind that interests you? Or did you just see something he couldn't see in the mirror? Maybe, just maybe, you've seen beyond the walls he built around himself. Beyond the weight of his ambitions.

And yet, for the first time, he feared something more than failure. He doesn't want to lose you.

When he's with you, when his hands touch yours, when you smile after one of his sarcastic comments, everything seems to fit together. For the first time in a long time, he feels like he's not a stranger in his own skin. He feels like, maybe, there's something more to him than just work.

You give him something he can't explain, something that isn't in any formula or prototype. Maybe, for once in his life, it's enough to just feel.

…Wow, he was a genius in love.

Months Later...

The sound of the lab door slamming open loudly caught Jayce's attention as he stretched out in his chair. They had been working all morning.

You walked in with a tray of breakfast and books under your arm.

“You need to grease that door,” you said, as you walked over to his desk. Jayce held the books you asked for and took one of the steaming cups on the tray.

“I'll write it down,” Jayce said, burying his face in the cup, inhaling the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. He looked really exhausted. They would have a conference soon and they had to be prepared, even you and Sky had a lot of work to do.

“Have he eaten anything today?” you asked, nodding at the one you can now proudly call your partner, sitting across the lab without even noticing your presence.

“What do you think?” You sighed, it's common for your boyfriend to forget to eat, if breathing wasn't essential you're sure he would forget too.

“Viktor…” you exclaim as you walk up to his desk, his posture in front of it is terrible, a shrimp would be proud of his posture.

He doesn’t seem to hear you, he mutters things as usual while he quickly writes down in his notebook and fiddles around a bit with a design that releases sparks and steam. You can see the inner mechanism, it’s so complex that it makes your head hurt just thinking about having to fix it like he does. There’s something about that stoic concentration he has that really attracts you, you could watch him work all day. You place the tray in one of your hands, balancing it so as not to spill anything and you use the fingers of your free hand to lightly tickle Viktor’s neck, he quickly adjusts his posture, you’re sure you could hear a joint or two creak, letting out a half-gasp. Which you take advantage of by uncovering the delicious breakfast on the tray.

You know he smiles and his gaze softens when the smell of food reaches him, he stops his work and looks at you.

“Good morning” you murmur only for his ears.

“You didn’t have to do this,” he said, turning his chair to face you, letting go of his design so easily that even Jayce couldn’t believe it.

“Can’t I take care of my favorite genius?” You shrug, leaving the tray with breakfast on the small mound of leaves on his desk. Changing his empty cup of coffee for a cup of hot tea.

Viktor smiles barely, but there’s something warm in his gaze as he takes the first sip of tea. You’re surprised when he stands up without even making a move to look for his cane, only using his good leg for help. He rests his forehead on your shoulder, you can feel his breath so close that it makes the hairs on your neck stand up. He’s been working since before the sun came up, it’s something you can’t change about him, but seeing you is a huge relief that he doesn’t know he needs until he has you in front of him and can’t help but put everything aside for you. His hands slide under your arms until they grip your back, wrinkling your perfectly ironed shirt and you can feel him finally sigh and let his shoulders slump as if he were carrying lead on them.

That gesture is all he needs to tell you, he is not a man of words and even less so when Jayce is present because he knows that Jayce will use everything he says against him as soon as you walk out the door. He can feel you, the heat emanating from your body makes him feel warm, breathing your perfume is the breeze of fresh air he needs to keep going. If they were alone he would probably kiss you, it is the only motivation he has to make it to the end of the day.

“What? He is your favorite genius? Y/N how do you break my heart like that” Jayce dramatizes from the other side of the room with a huge smile on his face. He loves watching how Viktor basically melts for you but he can’t help but feel like a bad third between the two of you.

You can't help but giggle at the comment. “There's enough room in my heart for both of us.”

Viktor gives a small shake of his head and snorts at your shoulder, it's obvious that he doesn't like the idea.

“Will you have breakfast with me?” he asks as he pulls away from you and drops his weight back into the chair.

You've both had this habit since the hospital, when he barely had the strength to blink and refused to be fed with a g-tube. It was a hard blow to his pride that you had to feed him, but you handled the situation with a lot of respect, and at the end of the day you both always ended up eating all your meals together, it was a moment that you both could enjoy and secretly for you it was a way to make sure he gets something more than caffeine.

You sighed and shook your head. “Not this time.” The look he gave you was as painful as that of a newly abandoned puppy.

“Why not?” he asked, making a colorful gesture with his hands, quite offended.

“Sky and I are still clearing their schedules and getting everything ready for this afternoon’s conference.” You felt guilty and even more so when he gave you that look but if you lied to him it would only make his mind wander to very dark places. “I promise we’ll have dinner together. Will you forgive me this time?” you said, caressing his cheek subtly.

Schedules were something Viktor had very established, something out of that routine irritated him in ways he didn’t understand. Normally and if you were anyone else he would have pushed your hand away and ignored you for the rest of the day but… you weren’t just anyone, he couldn’t get mad at you, he couldn’t even think of a reason that was strong enough to not even look at you with annoyance.

“Just don’t miss it” He replied, enjoying your touch. Forcing you to stay on his cheek a little more for taking your wrist, when it was time for you to leave it was very difficult to let you go.

“Don't forget to take a break, Sabre, if you didn't have lunch.” You walked through the door, giving him one last look before leaving him back in the lab.

“Love is so beautiful,” Jayce mentioned, sighing like a teenager while humming the sound of the newlywed bells.

Viktor rolled his eyes and went back to his table to find his breakfast. The idea of putting it aside and continuing to work crossed his mind, it was what he used to do in the past. Before letting that idea take hold, he stuck his fork in the bacon next to the small bowl of fruit and quickly brought it to his mouth. His taste buds wept with excitement at finally receiving some food after so many hours drowned in coffee, even the breath itself with a certain guilty pleasure. “Shut up, Jayce,” was the only thing he could say before devouring the plate.

“Are you ready? We’re going to be late,” Viktor mentioned, leaning against the outside wall of the lab’s bathroom, with a hanger holding his suit in his hand.

He had been waiting for more than 45 minutes for his lab partner to finish showering and getting dressed. He used to skip all the conferences, especially if they were with the council. It irritated him how certain people with more than limited intellect could have power over his work and what he could and couldn’t do with it. The only reason he started attending was because you were there, both of them could whisper to each other continuously and have a good time being gossips about the other councilors, although of course, there were also times when Jayce called him to the front, when a more raw opinion was needed, without all the flourishes that surrounded Jayce’s speeches.

“Just a second,” Jayce said as he opened the door, in his white and gold suit he finished fixing his hair in the middle of a cloud of masculine perfume.

Viktor just rolled his eyes and made his way into the bathroom, leaving his suit on the rack behind the door, sitting on the closed toilet to wait for Jayce to leave.

“Hurry up,” he said when he saw Jayce smiling at himself in the mirror.

“Someone looks pretty excited to go…” He hummed, “I thought you said conferences were a waste of your precious time…”

“Jayce…” Viktor said in a tone that Jayce understood as a warning accompanied by a stern frown, but the shy blush that crossed his cheeks and the bridge of his nose told him he was right.

“Come on, there’s nothing wrong with saying you like going because your girlfriend is there. If Councilwoman Medarda wasn’t there I wouldn’t want to go either.” Jayce leaned back against the sink. Although it wasn’t exactly the most opportune moment to have a talk.

Girlfriend… Viktor still felt chills when that word was mentioned, he himself wasn’t able to say it yet, it always got stuck in his throat and he blushed like never before, he felt shy just knowing that the one who carried that title was you. When they started dating he was nothing more than a rigid bundle of nerves, holding your hand, hugging you, kissing you or just walking by your side were things he got used to with difficulty, as if he were walking on thin ice, looking for a single rejection reaction from you that would confirm to his anxiety that he had made a false step and should return within his fortified comfort zone. It doesn’t mean that he didn’t enjoy doing those things with you, he did, he loved them, but a part of himself always whispered to him that he didn’t deserve it, that he hadn’t been born for love and that he looked ridiculous pretending he wasn’t like that. It was hard to fight against it, but you never gave up, you knew how to read him like the back of your hand and you knew when he needed time alone and when he needed to melt into you in affection. Now it was clearer than ever that if there was someone who could love him and who he could love back, it was you. Only you.

“Y/N and I know how to separate work from our relationship, our… dating” he savored the words with pride “it doesn’t influence my work.” He couldn’t help but smile silly “Although I admit that her company is always welcome”

Jayce excitedly crossed his arms at his friend and colleague's terrible way of hiding how totally in love he was with you. "Really?" he said raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "So I guess what you've been building for her is part of the 'job'..."

Although Jayce was a little naive he wasn't stupid, of course he had noticed how revitalized Viktor was since he started dating you, he could hardly remember the irritated Viktor who lived all the time in the lab. The night of his relapse he had gone to his mother's house for his birthday, if it weren't for Sky and you he would never have found out what happened and he would never be able to finish thanking you for taking care of him with such love. Jayce knew with total certainty that Viktor was more in love with you than he could ever admit to others or to himself.

“…It’s a gift for her.” There was something of amazement in his words, as if he had never imagined himself saying it. “I read that couples usually give each other gifts sporadically, without reason… I want to do something that does justice to everything she does for me.” He answered as if it were the most logical thing in the world, trying to regain his composure.

“Tell me what it is?” Jayce asked interested, his eyes big like a little boy’s excited to receive a lollipop after the dentist.

“No.” Viktor refused flatly. “I know you, it will come out of your mouth in a some moment.” Jayce felt offended, even more so because it was not a lie.

“But! Come on Victor!” He tried to convince him but the answer was still a constant negative. “Boring.” He sighed giving up. “I’ll wait for you outside, Mr. Romantic.” Jayce managed to escape from the bathroom before Viktor’s sharpness reached him and he walked away laughing.

Viktor sighed when he finally managed to be alone in the bathroom, he put his cane aside, using the sink to support himself and stand up, his leg gave him a small cramp that was reflected on his face and it took him a second to recover and start preparing.

The conference was nothing out of the ordinary, brutally exhausting as always, you felt your feet unbearably tired, avoiding Salo's venomous comments were not for everyone. You should be given a prize for enduring such a thing, you knew that it didn't really matter much to present each project in a thorough manner before the council but according to Councilwoman Medarda, that would make Hextech more trustworthy, being transparent with the creations left no room for doubts or misunderstandings. But that only meant more work for you and Sky, emptying Jayce and Viktor's agendas, planning their speeches and even elaborating the thread of the entire conference, it was definitely the only part you hated about being an attendee.

Jayce had stayed to 'discuss' some matters with Councilwoman Medarda and Sky had taken the first opportunity that presented itself to leave as quickly as he could. That left you and Viktor alone in the hallway heading to the lab for your coats, autumn was already upon the city and the cold was more usual and stronger.

“Is something wrong?” you asked as you saw Viktor’s jaw muttering things to himself, his gaze looking a little lost as you approached the lab.

“Oh, no… I have some things to tidy up in the lab that’s all” He answered trying to lighten the mood. Clearly forgetting that you knew there was nothing to tidy up because… come on… that was your job.

“Can I help you with that?” You said with some disbelief as you reached the door, it was clear from your tone that you didn’t quite believe him.

“No, it’s not necessary. Could you wait for me outside?” Viktor asked, looking a bit nervous, even serious.

“From the door?” you asked, crossing your arms as Viktor left his hand on the door handle. You had never seen him so nervous trying to hide something, especially from you.

“From the academy…” I knew the answer, obviously you would say no.

You sighed heavily, it was late at night and your brain was tired “Viktor if this is a ruse to keep working...”

“No, it’s not that” he interrupted you quickly, his hand moved away from the door handle as if it were a hot iron just to take yours “It will be quick I promise” and there it was, that lazy smile and that sweet look that could convince you to do anything without hesitation, he using his thumb to draw soft circles on the back of your hand. He slowly leaned down to your ear to whisper “I can’t wait to go home with you, this will just be a… slight setback. I won’t take long, I promise.”

The words got stuck in your throat and in your belly millions of butterflies were released and fluttered everywhere, the blush was quick to rise to your cheeks “Fine… But... Don’t take long, okay?”

That act had taken you by complete surprise, but he seemed quite pleased with the way he had completely altered the chemistry inside your brain and he knew it, of course he knew it, behind that look you were sure he was proud of his little misdeed.

Viktor left a small kiss on your forehead before disappearing into the lab. A shiver ran down your spine to help you come back to yourself. The last thing Viktor heard from you was the clicking of your heels at the end of the hallway.

“She didn’t believe it at all,” he said to himself as he leaned back against the door, taking a minute to compose himself, running one of his hands through his hair as if that would work. He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face and his brain was still fluttering with your blushing image. What he had done had been a risky act but it felt so good to do it… Viktor shook his head, getting those thoughts out of his mind.

The lab was empty, it felt cold and that didn’t help his leg at all. Holding on to his cane he walked towards his desk, in one of the drawers, the one most full of failed prototypes, the only one you never dared to clean, in the back, wrapped in a somewhat singed piece of curtain, he found what he was looking for. A velvety box, upon opening it he was greeted by the intense glow of a Hextech gem much smaller than the rest, he had worked on it for quite some time, it wasn't the gift itself, but it was the eternal battery that would keep it running, it had already been quite a challenge to get the crystals to stabilize at their original size, he had lost count of how many times he could have died while making it. He quickly closed the box and carefully put it away in his bag, losing it would be a huge disaster. He had kept the rest of your gift in a safe place at home.

Viktor took a moment to look at his desk, years ago doing what he was doing now would have seemed ridiculous and a waste of time. Now there was nothing else he wanted to spend his time on. His hand slid across his desk, feeling papers and the leather of his notebooks under his fingers. His hands wandered until they entered between the swollen pages of one of his old notebooks, opening it he felt a little embarrassed by the content.

The pages were filled with notes and sketches of designs, as the pages turned one had established itself among the others. All around it was filled with details about you, your favorite color, your favorite scent, your favorite sound. Such sweet descriptions of your laugh, your hair… of your essence, there were even small drawings of your face and your unmistakable look, motivating him to continue. There were dates and small appointments that his mind read with your voice while he smiled.

“I really hope you like it…” He sigh longingly.

You hugged your bare arms as you hopped from foot to foot to keep warm, the dress you were wearing worked inside the heated academy but now that you were outside you were freezing, every hair on your body standing on end.

“What are you doing Viktor?” You said into the air.

Since the conference had been a huge success you both had planned to go to his house to hang out. Although well, it wasn’t long before it was your house too, after all half of your closet was in his and you even had matching coffee mugs in his kitchen. Still you didn’t want to push Viktor at all. It had already been a bit difficult for you to get him to dare kiss your cheek in public without making it look like you had a gun on his back.

You panted into your hands, your breath bringing some heat to your fingers that were starting to get cold as an iceberg.

Something brushed against your back, a sudden touch that made you turn around instinctively, almost unnaturally, only to find yourself facing Viktor, who was blinking in surprise at your reaction. His hands were outstretched, holding your coat.

“What were you trying to do?” you ask, your tone more accusatory than you’d like, as you try to calm your racing heart.

“Put your coat on, maybe?” he replies, his tone matching yours, but a sly smile playing on his lips. It’s obvious that your startlement amuses him. “Here, let me put it on you. You’re going to freeze.”

You sigh to release the tension in your body and turn your back to him. You feel his cold hands touch your neck, drawing a gasp from you that you instantly suppress, determined not to give him any more reasons to mock you. There's something about his gesture, the way he gently places the coat over your shoulders and guides your wrists into the sleeves, that disarms you.

When he's done, he gently turns you around to close the buttons, fastening them one by one, while his fingers brush your hair away from the coat. It's a simple gesture, but he does it with such care that you melt a little. Crowning the moment, he puts your bag over your head and lets it rest on your shoulder with elegance.

Your eyes watch him with a tenderness that seems to stop time. Viktor notices it; his hand slides from the strap of your bag to your cheek, caressing it with cautious delicacy before removing it, leaving a cold sensation behind.

A laugh escapes your lips, soft and sweet, filling the frozen air with a warmth that seeps into his bones. He smiles with you.

You take a step closer to him, not expecting it, you see him seek support from his cane, the only thing that stands between him and you really.

His scent envelops you instantly: coffee and honey. It’s such a unique combination that you could identify it among millions.

“Your nose is red,” you comment, adjusting the scarf around his neck. “I don’t want you to catch a cold.”

You can see how his eyes widen at the proximity and your close touch to his face makes the tip of his ears red, his gaze avoids yours nervously.

You barely finish and without waiting for an answer, he began to walk down the stairs of the academy. Leaving you upstairs with a satisfied smile, he seems quite in a hurry to get home.

The icy wind of Piltover forces you to get a little closer to Viktor when you manage to catch up with him while crossing the street. His steps are long and determined, he has barely taken a break since you started walking.

“Why are you so nervous?” you ask, breaking the silence. Normally he takes one or two breaks along the way, excusing himself by looking at the shop windows that you know he has little interest in.

“Nervous? Me?” Viktor arches an eyebrow and looks at you out of the corner of his eye, his tone has a doubtful tone.

“Yeah, even when you’re making fun of me,” you retort, remembering the coat incident earlier. “You seem to have your mind somewhere else.”

He lets out a short, almost dry laugh. “It’s not like that, just, you know… Someone has to keep the calm.”

“Someone? You mean you?”

“Of course. If you’re too busy freaking out over coats.” Viktor looks at you with a glint of amusement in his eyes, “someone has to take charge of looking professional.”

You frown, though you can’t hide the smile that threatens to appear. “If you put it that way it’s okay, I like you like that.” Is it dirty play? Yes, but it’s worth it when you see Viktor’s face.

Heat rises to his cheeks before he can stop it, but he hides it by burying his face deeper into his scarf. You’ve beaten him this time, but like any sore loser, he won’t let things go.

He stops walking abruptly, his body hunched over his knee.

Your triumphant expression leaves your face completely and you don't hesitate to approach him, worried. The weather was cold and that used to increase the pain in his leg, but you didn't expect it to be so strong as to double him over in pain.

“Does it hurt?” you asked somewhat worried, your hand on his back ready to help him stand up if necessary. “Not at all.” He turned his face only to be met with a proud and victorious smile.

The streets are empty, and the shops are beginning to close, Viktor resumes his straight posture while looking from side to side as if he wanted no one to see his next move, you follow his gaze, not quite knowing what to look at or what to look for. You feel the cold handle of his cane touch your chin gently and guide it to make you look up, towards him. He approaches cautiously and you know his pulse is shaking a little from the way the handle of his cane shakes, finally he presses his lips against yours, with an overwhelming softness that at another time would have made you draw him closer, but like all good things, it didn’t last long. The sound of a metal shutter being loudly lowered pushes him away from you like a scared cat before you can properly reciprocate. He tries to compose himself but the blush on his cheeks and the nervous movement of his eyes give him away; even someone as controlled as Viktor isn’t immune to nervousness.

You laugh, like a little child, savoring his kiss at the same time. Giving affection in public is a huge leap of faith for him and you know it, you melt every time he does it.

“Don’t look at me with that eyes.” he says avoiding your gaze, a shy smile forming on his mouth and refusing to disappear no matter how hard he tries.

“What eyes?” You ask, feigning innocence at the subject, searching for his free hand with yours to take it and not let it go.

His eyes meet yours, his pupils dilate quickly like drops of paint in water. That's one of the things you like about him, no matter when he tries to hide his feelings, you know exactly that his gaze will always give you the answer.

“Forgotten” he snorts trying to lighten the subject. This time offering you his arm to walk together.

Both of you walk in silence, just enjoying each other's company for the rest of the way, you look at the shops, some are closing, others still have warm lights on inside and a few people looking through the windows. People from Piltover don't usually go out at night, maybe because for them there isn't much interesting to see when the sun goes down. But you and Viktor are from Zaun, you reject the sun like hermit vampires and the night is the perfect time to go out and to let out certain romantic gestures as you already taste before.

Continue...

[rika-mmendmethings]

Interdimensional Epiphany l Rafayel

CHAPTER 4

Chapter 3 | Chapter 5

Summary: A fortnight of compensated leave from your company was supposed to be a rejuvenating experience. Things take an unexpected turn when Rafayel, your choice of ML, starts becoming self-aware. His love knows no bounds, not even interdimensional ones.

Warning(s): Subject to change as we progress further into the story. The series has major character deaths, subdued manipulation, heavy angst with a happy(?) ending, slight yandere themes, fluff, did I mention angst? For this chapter: none I guess???

Word count: 2.2k

Playlist coming soon.

Notes: Long chapter to compensate for lost time ;) Who do you think is responsible for what happened to Mo Art Studio? Things will start to get really crazy from the next chapter, so be prepared, y'all. Anyway, hopefully, you enjoy the read and stay tuned for the series. Lmk if you wish to be added to the tag list for this. ♥

Taglist: @loveanddeephistory @ittybittyfanblog @lyssandraxo @micasosa34 @hyein21 @browneyedgirl22 @yournextdoorhousewitch @blessdunrest @altair718 @3fg7 @froleineeeee @mikachux3 @aiehtta @beaconsxd @poptrim @animecrazy76 @zackenblacken @rainycreationfart @invaderzia1 @his-ocean-emissary @multisstuff @wondering-again @some-girl-idk @itsrandompersonyall

You had been fumbling with your phone for hours, clinging to the desperate hope that if you rebooted it enough times and installed at least three different antivirus apps, your game would magically fix itself. But no — every single time you opened Love and Deepspace, there he was. Rafayel. Sitting smugly on the sofa, arms crossed, eyebrows arched in that infuriating way. No matter what you did, none of the other characters came back. Just him. Mocking you with his pixel-perfect posture.

As the night wore on, your panic grew, and your “solutions” became increasingly... unhinged. Somewhere around 3:30 AM, you had decided it was time to escalate. Your phone was placed in the middle of a ritual circle, because clearly, logic and Infold’s tech support had failed you. Unfortunately, you didn’t have access to red ochre or actual candles, so you made do with chili powder and tea lights. You had briefly considered ordering incense or essential oils, but delivery wouldn’t arrive until the next afternoon — and honestly, you weren’t sure you’d live to see the delivery man.

With four or five generous pinches of chili powder, you traced a crude circle on the floor, following dubious instructions from a YouTube video. A six-year-old could’ve drawn a better one, but you were far too sleep-deprived and frazzled to care. You sat inside the circle and launched the cursed app, arranging the tea lights as it loaded.

The moment Rafayel’s image appeared, lounging casually on the sofa, you threw your head back and began muttering incantations and prayers you had hastily scribbled down earlier. After a few intense minutes of chanting, you opened your eyes and stared at the screen with bated breath.

Rafayel remained still, resting his chin on his hand as he watched yet another one of your antics. While your theatrics were beginning to border on ridiculous, there was something inexplicably endearing about the sight of you — paprika streaks smudged on your chin, clutching a black plastic birthday cake knife like it was a sacred athame. He decided to entertain you a little so right when you tapped the screen, he spoke casually, “It’s nice to lounge on the sofa. Wanna give it a try?”  

He had watched as your face brightened and you let out a sigh of relief after hearing him speak one of the programmed dialogues. A grin had spread across his face since he knew he was about to ruin your little moment of happiness.

Just as you tapped the screen to check, his voice echoed from the app, “Take a chill pill, cutie.”

His grin widened as you stared in stunned disbelief. He tilted his head slightly, still resting his chin on his palm, eyes never leaving you as you scrambled to your feet in a dazed panic.

Enough was enough. You grabbed your phone, shut it off with a dramatic jab of your finger, and face-planted onto your bed with a muffled groan. You’d deal with the consequences of this digital nightmare later. For now, you gave your exhausted eyes their much needed sleep.

So much for your relaxing little vacation…

The next morning, you sat comfortably on your bed, your laptop resting atop a pillow on your lap as you scoured the internet in search of a logical explanation for the bizarre events unfolding around you. Despite your determined efforts, nothing remotely relevant came up.

In a final attempt, you reached out to a few other players through your SNS accounts. The responses were underwhelming — some mild backlash, a sprinkle of sarcasm, and one brutally honest comment that gave you an unwanted reality check. Discouraged, you finally shut your laptop with a sigh, giving up on your search for answers.

A glance at the clock told you it was around ten in the morning — your usual time to log into the game. With a small flicker of hope, you powered on your phone, silently praying that whatever strange glitch had taken over would’ve resolved itself overnight.

The app loaded, and there he stood — Rafayel, wearing his God of the Tides set.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he greeted smoothly.

You exhaled in quiet defeat. So much for divine intervention. Your hopes had clearly been ignored by whatever higher being was in charge of otome game anomalies.

Refusing to give him the satisfaction of your attention, you continued with your daily tasks in silence, not sparing him even a glance. As you flicked from the stamina tab to the shop, his voice trailed after you like silk.

“You know,” he drawled, tone laced with a playful charm, “women who ignore me? Exactly my type.”

He didn’t get to enjoy his own flirtation for long. You navigated away to the task menu, claimed your rewards, and braced yourself for having to interact with him for the sake of the task.

When you returned to the main screen, he was already gazing at you with hearts in his eyes. He sighed dreamily, a soft smile curling on his lips.

“Perfect.”

You dragged a hand down your face, heat blooming across your cheeks. Taking in a few steadying breaths, you mentally braced yourself to confront the truth — or rather, the surreal presence of your fictional crush who now stood before you, partially real. You opened your eyes to find him watching you with unwavering admiration, as though he had all the time in the world. The intensity of his gaze sent your stomach into a series of dizzying somersaults.

A thought strikes you and you decide to check whether he is abHolding up two fingers, you asked, “How many fingers am I holding up?”

“Two,” he answered effortlessly.

You shifted to four fingers and repeated the question. “And now?”

“Four. Gorgeous, what is all this?” he asked with a tilt of his head, his brows lifting in amused curiosity.

You ignored both the question and the smile threatening to tug at your lips at the sound of his nicknames for you. Reaching for a sticky note, you scribbled a short phrase, then held it up in front of your face.

“Alright,” you said, “read what’s written on this.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, then flashed a slow smile. “I love you.”

Brows knitting in confusion, you glanced at the paper and read aloud, “No, it doesn’t say that—” But your voice faltered as realization washed over you. Your eyes darted back to his teasing expression, and your lips parted in shock while a deep blush crept over your face. 

As if to make matters worse, he blows you a kiss and follows it with a series of exaggerated, ridiculous faces. Despite yourself, laughter bubbles up and escapes your lips. Embarrassed by your own reaction, you hastily cover your mouth with one hand, your head dipping low as you try to stifle the mirth and steady your breathing.

Across the screen, Rafayel lifts a hand, his fingers hovering just above the digital barrier that separates your two worlds. His voice is tinged with something gentler beneath the jest. “Careful, darling,” he whispers, eyes glinting with mischief. “I’m the siren here. It’s rather cruel of you to try and steal my title with a laugh that enchanting.”

You don’t respond at first. You simply stare at him, eyes fixed, expression unreadable as a storm of emotions churn silently beneath the surface. For a brief moment, your throat tightens with words you can't quite say.

Before he can ask what’s wrong, you murmur, barely above a whisper, “I have to go.”

Without waiting for a response, you exit the game, the screen fading to black in a breath. You switch off your phone again as an added layer of defense, though against what exactly — him, your feelings, or yourself — you’re no longer certain. You lie back on your bed, eyes tracing the cracks in the ceiling, searching for answers that refuse to come. All the while your heart and your mind wage a paradoxical war.

Rafayel stared at the empty screen for a long while after you disappeared.

The usual spark in his expression dimmed, lips parted as if caught mid-thought. He exhaled a slow breath, leaning back on the sofa as the silence wrapped around him like a too-tight cloak. Fingers drummed against the desk, tinged with something unresolved.

He wasn’t angry. Not really. Just… frustrated.

Not at you, never at you — but at the invisible boundary you kept between the two of you. One that he knew, deep down, wasn’t purposefully placed, but had always been there. He respected it. He always has. But that didn’t make it any easier to stand on the other side of it, watching you retreat just as he felt you begin to reach for him.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and burying his face in his hands. Then—

Bzzz... bzzz... bzzz...His phone lit up against the dark wood of the desk. “Thomas <333” it read.

Rafayel narrowed his eyes, letting it ring out once. Twice. Three times. He wasn't in the mood to talk business, not tonight. But the buzzing didn’t stop. It continued with a sort of urgency that started to scrape against his nerves.

Finally, with a tired huff, he snatched the phone and answered it.

“What?”

The voice on the other end was panicked, shaky. “Rafayel— Rafayel, it’s the studio… it's on fire.”

“I’m here — right now,” Thomas continued, his voice breaking. “I'm behind the trucks — they’re trying to contain it, but it’s bad, man. Really bad. It lit up fast. People are saying it might’ve been electrical but— I don’t know— I don’t know. Everything’s going up.”

Rafayel didn’t hear the rest of what Thomas was saying.

The words — “fire,” “bad,” “going up” — were already drilling into his mind. For a second, all he could do was stare blankly at the floor, phone still pressed to his ear though the call had ended.

He shot up from the sofa like the floor beneath him had turned to lava, heart throbbing in disbelief. It wasn’t Lemuria, no. It didn’t have the tide-soaked serenity of his undersea birthplace, where the water hummed through the golden walls like lullabies. But Mo had become something akin to that. A strange, crooked version of “home,” built not of sea salt and coral reefs, but canvases and memories smeared in oil paint.

That was where the soul of his work lived. Where he painted when the insomnia hit. Where he sculpted his silence. Where portraits of you were lined on the walls and the floors, behind locked doors, waiting for a day that maybe, someday, might come when he’d be able to show those to you.

And now it was burning.

Rafayel stormed out of Destiny Café, nearly knocking over a chair as he went but he didn’t stop to apologize. He yanked his car door open and threw himself inside, engine snarling to life with a growl that mirrored the knot in his throat. Tires screeched as he pulled out of the parking lot, speeding through the dusty roads that led to Whitesand Bay.

The scent of ash still hung thick in the air by the time Rafayel reached Mo Art Studio. The sky above the house glowed faintly orange from the remnants of the firelight, flickering like the last breath of a dying star. His residence stood — or what was left of it — collapsed and half-swallowed by soot.

A small crowd lingered on the edges, murmuring in hushed voices, faces pale from having witnessed that sight. But many were already dispersing, retreating now that the spectacle had ended. The fire trucks were still parked near the wreckage, lights flashing low. Firefighters stood around Thomas, briefing him in clipped, official tones as they packed away equipment.

Rafayel stepped out of the car slowly, the door left ajar behind him as if forgotten. His boots crunched over scorched gravel as he approached, each step weighed down with dread.

He dropped to his knees.

The impact echoed in the hollowness of his chest more than the ground beneath him. He couldn’t speak. His hands sat limp by his sides as he stared up listlessly.

Thomas turned at the sound and rushed over to him with widened eyes and voice tight. “Rafayel—Raf, I—” 

He didn’t finish his words after he saw the look on the artist’s face. He simply knelt beside him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, offering unspoken comfort. 

Rafayel’s eyes flared, aglow with a piercing ultramarine light that shimmered like the deep sea and glimmering fins of the same tincture, unfurled from just above his ears. They pulsed faintly, mirroring the rise and fall of his breath. Rafayel’s jaw clenched, hands fisted at his sides, twitching with restrained fury.

Thomas withdrew from him slightly, but he didn’t look away. He’d seen glimpses of this before — but never like this. Never when the sorrow ran so deep it cracked the surface.

Rafayel stayed like that for a long moment before starting, voice low but sharp as the edge of a blade. “I want to know everything,” he said. “How it started. When. Who was near the building. Who had access. Cameras. Witnesses.”

He saw Thomas nod immediately from the corner of his eyes before patting his back comfortingly. Rafayel only stared at the debris of his house blankly, at the second floor specifically where all his portraits of you had been kept. And in the distance, the sea began to stir — not in fury, but with a tight-lipped menace, like a clenched jaw moments before a scream, holding back a violence that needed only the slightest provocation to spill free. 

Check out my other works if you liked this ♥

[shantechni]

Link Click's 4th Anniversary Celebration

A slew of riveting content, celebratory artwork, and announcements of future projects (with the most notable one being a teaser for S3 loaded with new information) have just been dropped for the series' 4th anniversary!

▪︎「New Album」Load your game module and play a variety of music chapters!

▪︎ The "Offline LIVE" dream map is about to be unlocked, and the nine-city tour is ready to go!

▪︎ "New Work Preview" Is the mysterious visitor a friend or an enemy? Please look forward to the third season! The premiere date for now is set for 2026! (Voiceover: Chen Zhang Taikang)

"The party is in progress! Let's cut the cake with the little animals!"

I know this post is late, I'm sorry, Tumblr gave me an aneurysm, the post wouldn't appear in the tags with the animal image but now it is after a slight trim and idk why

[galene-gothic]

𝖨𝗌𝗁𝗊 𝗌𝗎𝖿𝗂𝗒𝖺𝗇𝖺

୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅* ‧₊ I hope this reading found you in good health, every reblog is appreciated and thank you for everything :) ˖♡ ˎˊ˗ ꒰ 🐇 ꒱

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗             PAID SERVICES

“Ishq: deep and passionate love

Sufiyana: pure, sacred and divine”

Today we'll take a look at:

- what will your person’s energy be like at that time ?

- what will your energy be like at that time ?

- connecting energies between you two

- what will your deepest and most passionate love be like ?

⊹ ! ೀ Pile 1 ꒱

꒰ What will your person’s energy be like at that time ? ꒱

Your person is going to be going through and processing a bad period in their life at that time. They’re going to be focused on self improvement despite having worked on it in the past and having strayed off slightly. They’ll be keeping in mind just how far they’ve come and waiting for things to get better. This time, they’ll be firm on not losing themself and all the progress they’ve made for themself as a character going forward. They’ll have put enough of their past behind in order to move forward. They’ll know that they’ve overcome many obstacles and challenges that have come their way and will continue doing so going forward. They’ll be someone who talks the talk and also walks the walk. They’ll be charismatic, true to their words and have a lot of integrity as well as influence. They’ll have walked away from something or someone that didn’t serve them well anymore. They’ll be letting go and releasing a lot. They’ll be soul searching and exhausted, they’ll have harnessed and attained a lot of strength and wisdom though. They’ll be at a point where they can think more freely and their definition of love and connections might be changing. They’ll be falling back into love with themself and also being more heart centered. They’ll be slowly opening up to the new i.e. things, places, people and situations. They will have a lot of compassion and will be feeling vulnerable too. They will have the desire to share their love with others but they’ll want to have their own fill of it first. “I’m the love of my life, how could I forget that?” is the energy that I’m picking up on from them. They’ll be trying to cultivate more joy and love for themself, and around them because that’s what they’ll be craving. They’ll just have this yearning for maybe someone, someday will in fact love them, will try to understand them and listen to them. Someone with whom they can just be vulnerable and release all their guards, and still be loved. Emotionally, they’ll not be feeling very controlled but they’ll still be trying to have power over it.

Their world will have turned upside down and they’ll be adjusting to those changes after having resisted for a while. They’ll be questioning life’s purpose and their own beliefs. They’ll be changing internally because their external world will have changed significantly in quite a less amount of time too and they’ll be awakening to a lot. I won’t lie though, they’ll be pretty shaken. They’ll be trying to stay above things, instead of letting those things press onto them which will lead them to exercising too much control. They’ll have a lot of repressed anger, frustrations and just unresolved issues within them. It’s funny though because at the same time, they’ll not have it in them to care anymore. They’ll be carrying the load of everything by themself and pushing forward. At that time, they’ll be a bit more insecure about themself and their image, and apathetic and impulsive in regard to dealing with their emotions. They will have faced a lot of disappointments in connections and will have the effects of that show in their personality changes. They could have started flirting or talking to people with not so good intentions. I’m not getting them trying to play people but more so, just desiring casual connections even though the benefits of it are not so casual? They will be dealing with a bit of commitment phobia unfortunately. However, they’ve always been and will still be a passionate person who will be self improving. This commitment phobia is going to lead them to a lot of breakthroughs because like I said earlier, they’ll be trying to create and find more joy, and love within themself and will have a strong desire to just have someone, to share it with someone so well, they’ll learn that their actions and values need to align with their needs and desires. They’re someone who values the long term of everything so when they’ll be commitment phobic, they’ll be denying and not living in accordance to their soul’s calling which will lead to a very obvious lesson for them going forward.

꒰ What will your energy be like at that time ? ꒱

You will be going through a more pessimistic period in your life. You will have lost a lot of hope and faith. Your dreams, aspirations and visions for the future will have been crushed so you’ll just be honestly, low-key depressed 💀. You will be feeling funny, you’ll have lost all hope yet you’ll be finding it funny how everything played out. You’ll legit not know whether you’re supposed to laugh or cry at the life events that have taken place. You will have ideas about what to do going forward but will not have started working on them yet. They will be in process though. You’ll be feeling as though no one cared about your emotions and how their actions would affect you so why should you care about how your actions affect anyone going forward? Your mind and mouth will be very disorganised. You’ll still be trying to control your mouth though. You’ll have been exposed to other people’s lies and strategies, you’ll have seen the true colours of other people and you’ll also be facing your own true colours. You’ll be trying to be as honest as possible with yourself. You’ll have ideas and will be planning on the future. You’ll be quite chatty externally and learning a lot from those around you because you’ll be very vigilant and observant of those around you. You’ll be trying to be more intentional and focused with your life going forward because you won’t want to make similar mistakes and regret it. You’ll want to enhance your skills more and will be authentically trying to attract whatever it is that you desire. When it comes to emotions, you’ll have been betrayed, left behind and excluded by probably a group of people who you were loyal to.

It could be different people who do not talk to each other but they all happen to let you down around the same time. You’ll be breaking free from their restrictions and beliefs that they placed upon you. You’ll be trying to step back into your power and moving past the way you were mistreated and your loyalty, willingness to make things work, affection and resources abused. Much like your person, you’ll be a very secretive person and will be keeping all your emotions to yourself. You have a naturally really grateful, abundant and self sufficient soul. You’ll be enhancing those qualities of yourself even more at that time. You’ll be more self centered due to all that occurred in the past and putting yourself first. You’ll be quite self loving but will not be as tolerant of others as you once were, it’s good that you’ll have a really low if any tolerance for bullshit at all. You will be recovering but very slowly. The difference between your person and you is that, you were still healing things from way back in the past when all this occurred so you had to do double healing but your person had everything happen recently and were healing at a slightly faster pace than you. You will slowly be receiving hope and faith again after a period of deep-rest. You’ll be clearing your mind from negativity little by little. For some of you, you may have been having to go to hospital for someone or yourself quite a lot during that time. You’re also the type to get sick when hurting so you, yourself will either be sick, will have recovered recently or might get sick going forward. You’ll be feeling quite unstable and will be forced into some sort of isolation or extreme loneliness to the point, you end up recovering and kind of enjoy being by yourself.

꒰ Connecting energies between you two ꒱

You’ll both be logical when it comes to your connecting energy. There will be a need to be in power due to how powerless you were both made to feel in the past. You’ll connect on a mental level and will crave stimulation from each other, and I heard “see each other as equals” and will be trying to be realistic and mature when it comes to dealing with each other but will feel extremely vulnerable and bring up each other’s inner child issues. You’ll be like a mirror for each other. You’ll bicker and rival each other almost as if you were siblings. The way you bond will be very familiar in nature too, you just vibe right away but will also deal with each other in a very emotionally immature manner. Honestly, you’ll lack cooperation in the initial stages, when they’re in the mood to talk to you, you’ll not want to, when they feel like spending quality time with you, you’ll want to be anywhere but near them, so on and so forth. When you will truly be able to connect with each other is when you finally gain clarity regarding your life. You’ll both have to change aspects of yourself i.e. letting go of the past completely including the issues that it may have brought about. It’s important to be able to learn how to be present and be content with who you are, where you are, what you have and who you have in order to truly connect with each other. You’ll have to grow emotionally and be accepting of yourselves and all the situations in your life so that you know the responsibilities that you have regarding yourselves and each other. The most beautiful part is that you’re going to push each other and yourselves to this point of acceptance, presence and contentment.

꒰ What will your deepest and most passionate love be like? ꒱

Your actual relationship is going to be one where you both desire to give equally to each other. You’ll feel comfortable enough to show each other the more quote unquote ‘dark and dirty sides’ of yourselves, and it makes sense because even initially, you’ll both show the dirty sides of each other to each other and well, see it in the other person. You will be pretty hard on yourselves and also each other initially, before you even get into a relationship but this inner critic will only push you to work on forgiveness and self awareness. However, this will have led to unfair blame and paranoia regarding the other person quite early on so you’ll both fear being heartbroken and left behind. Despite this, you’ll want to succeed in this relationship, thinking that you not only bring out the worst in each other (because you do) but also the best. You will be attracted to each other and will feel like the meeting was fated. Despite how you’ll start off on the wrong foot, you’ll end up respecting each other’s differences and will feel like you’re stronger together. There’s going to be a lot of love between the both of you that you’re going to be consciously aware of. You’ll think of each other first before doing anything, you’ll consider each other’s emotions and share a ton of loyalty. The best part of the connection will be that you’ll have a friend, lover, family and rival all in one. Don’t even deny it, even if it sounds unlikeable, you’re going to love it. You’re not going to rival each other to tear each other down but instead to lift each other up even further. Despite, the mutual respect, you’re going to pull each other’s legs a lot.

They’re going to say something like “you? nice? PLEASE” and join their hands, being all sarcastic or they could do something helpful for an elderly person and go “see? how helpful and genuine I am? Unlike you” and you’re going to be all annoyed but you will start practicing being nicer, kinder and more helpful going forward. Physically, I’m getting that makeup sex or at least passionate make outs could take place. The possessiveness here is going to be off the charts. You’ll get jealous at someone even just looking at them and they’ll be the same, you’ll feel anger if the other responds to someone else, meaning it a certain way but you’ll take it the other way 😭. It’s not going to be anything too toxic but I can almost smell the burning through the screen itself 💀. The change in your demeanour when they interact with someone who’s eyeing them and vice versa is going to be very obvious. I’m not even joking, I can literally smell something burning. You could deal with this jealousy as getting overly touchy with the other or avoiding to other completely. You’re going to treat each other with a lot of kindness and compassion. Despite wanting to yell at each other, you’ll choose to maintain restrain. You will definitely put each other where y’all belong though. “I respect you a lot and I understand your intentions but they still hurt me, maybe we should rethink it.” One of you might say and the other will talk to the one in doubt calmly, reassuring them of the love they hold, promising to respect their boundaries and even saying something like “Please do not hint at breaking up again, I can’t take it.” You’ll basically become one and will be very passionate about each other.

You will try to deal with things calmly despite angering each other quite a lot and especially dealing with a lot of jealousy. You’ll share a lot of intimacy and will choose each other again and again, and again. You’ll never really have lies between you because one way or another, you’ll both find out. Sometimes, you are going to go into withdrawal after finding out something that they lied about. Supposing they lied to you about their past, saying that you’re their first deep love but you find out that that’s not the case from someone else, you’ll withdraw and isolate to think about it. At some point, they will realise that they will have to be honest with you about everything because you’ll always find out and when you do, if you don’t like it, you’re going to stay away from them for a while until you have processed it properly. Ultimately, you’ll both decide to let go of unnecessary fears and beliefs in order to enjoy your relationship to the fullest. Emotionally, you’re going to cause a lot of changes within each other. “Burning up in front of you, turning from a coal into a diamond.” There’s going to be a tendency to be moody and jump into conclusions though. A lot of jealousy is being hinted at in your spread. You’re going to romanticise each other and share a great deal of love though. However, there’s going to be a feeling, a fear that maybe it’s too good to be true at times. You’re going to be possessive and protective of each other, and feel things very intensely when it comes to each other. You’re going to love each other deeply and share a very passionate connection. Also, be devoted to each other.

You won’t mind compromising for each other but there are going to be days when you’re very busy with life and don’t get enough time with each other, and start going “you don’t love me, ofcourse you’re busy”, it’s going to be adorable though because you’ll be able to reassure each other and feel good knowing that someone desires you enough to want your time and energy. There’s going to be genuine love and adoration for each other. The both of you come from a background of being unloved and unnurtured, possibly even by parents, guardians and family. Many of you do seem to have parental issues. It could also be something like, one of you has parental issues while the other does not. You both are very excessive, you feel excessively, you do things for others excessively and you also love excessively. There may have been times when you felt like you were being overbearing but these qualities is what will make your connection so special. They’ll consider your issues to be their issue and you’ll consider their issues to be your issues. Despite being neglected and having made to feel like you were too much, like you weren’t enough, you’re both going to find love in each other. There will be moments when you’ll just be able to be vulnerable with each other. Also, they’ll make you feel so good about your body, they’ll basically worship it. You both have a pretty high sex drive as well. You’re going to feel emotionally at ease, satisfied and loved by each other, you will want to build a life and family together (whatever family means to you). You’ll feel like it was for the best that your connections and investments failed because you deserved better than all that anyway and your connection with your person will be the ‘better’, in fact, it’ll be the best.

⊹ ! ೀ Pile 2 ꒱

꒰ What will your person’s energy be like at that time ? ꒱

Your person will be undergoing some sort of change, ending and transformation (possibly multiple ones). They’re going to be at a point where they’ve cut people and situations off, and will be willing to do so going forward as well. They’re going to be very ‘no bullshit’ type and also sort of cold, distant, possibly even rude if they pick up on something wrong from the other party. Acting flaky, like you have mixed feelings and intentions for them is going to piss them off like legit anger them and make them cut off the person who is acting that way. They’ll be someone with so much self respect that they won’t mind cutting things off prematurely. Despite how distant they may seem, they’ll be emotional internally. Many of their actions will be governed by emotions. They’ll be dealing with many negative emotions and will be acting out with some level of hostility. They’ll be releasing a lot and will have changed a lot from who they once were, and they’ll still be in the process of transformation. Emotionally, they’ll be feeling hopeless sometimes but you know how despite feeling hopeless and breaking down into tears, humans try to find hope and move forward, they’ll be doing the same. They will be coming out of this hopelessness, little by little. They’ll have the awareness that the worst is already over. During this period of helplessness, the sense of abundance that they used to function with but can’t tap into anymore will help them continue pushing through. They’ll be having realisations about endings and how temporary the world truly is. They’ll be very smart, curious and will be trying to look at situations that affect their emotions with a sense of freshness. They’ll be questioning the ‘why’ of things. They’ll be looking back at events that have occurred, the things that they and others have said, the nitty gritty and the details of things in order to seek the truth through which they’ll be learning lessons and gaining knowledge to find peace, and move forward. They’ll be feeling restless until they finally decide to look back and give themself all the answers that they need. They’ll be feeling wronged and seeking justice but will know that the world doesn’t really work like that, that it’s an unfair world that we live in. They’ll have the weird faith in karma though. Like, they may not believe in it consciously but the natural faith is going to be present regardless. They’ll also have faith in their own destiny and luck. They’ll feel like life is like that, you have good days, you have bad days, you hurt, you heal, you love, you’re betrayed, you receive love, you might be left disappointed but everything is happening as it should.

They’re born with this natural sense of abundance where they believe that something bad will likely lead to something good going forward? It seems to be something they unconsciously believe in, like they may not even know that they believe in it but this feeling is always at the back of their heart and well, mind because scientifically speaking, heart doesn’t rule over emotions, the mind does. I know it sounds complicated but they’ll be feeling like things are slowly but surely getting better and turning into their favour as more time passes by. They’ll be feeling like they’ve learned a lot from everything that they’ve gone through and some things did in fact happen for the best. ‘Blessing in disguise’ is what I heard. They’ll have attained a lot of wisdom and gained a lot of strength through all that they’ll have experienced emotionally. Where there was once emotional turmoil and some of it may still be left inside their heart, they will have more compassion, wisdom and just emotional intelligence. They’ll be much more emotionally intelligent and stable than they once were and will be trying to get even better in this sphere. They’ll be trying to connect their mind with their heart because they’ll have understood that nothing can hurt them more than their own thoughts and also nothing can heal them more than their own thoughts. They’ll have it in them to try and maintain more restrain when it comes to certain emotions and act out of, and maintain more compassion, understanding and emotional well being instead. They’ll be thinking about how to grow further and about their own passions. They’ll be getting more and more in touch with their own passion within their mind. They’ll definitely be very introspective and will spend a lot of time by themself in order to think. They’ll have gained a lot of wisdom and will be working with all this wisdom that they attained while they were thinking by themself, like within their own dwelling. They’ll have a more long term approach to things and will value certain old school values, they’ll also be trying to integrate more of that into their own life. They’ll be thinking about romance as well but in a more old school and traditional way where you’re loyal and are there for each other, and both of you are people with strong characters and refine each other even further while still accepting each other’s differences and balance out each other’s flaws. They’ll crave that kind of loyalty, stability and respect in every connection. They’ll also want to have fun, almost in a childlike manner with this close to them. If they don’t have anyone that close to them with whom they can share that kind of dynamic with, they’ll want that with their future partner and friends.

They’ll dream of a kind of love where even if you meet when you’re old, you’ll have that innocent and pure dynamic to a certain extent. They’ll burn at the thought of their partner having shared something that sweet with someone else because they’ll wish that that was reserved for them. They will be trying to and moving forth with hope and faith for the future despite moments where they lack it. They’ll be trying to have fun with life and accepting new beginnings for the best, thinking that they and their life have unlimited potential. They’ll think that while they had to deal with many endings and the emotions, and baggage that came with them. They are free to live life the way they desire which is a blessing since not many people have it. Their soul energy is going to be one where they can understand people really well but they’re going to understand people to an extent where the ‘people’ in question here might not even be aware of it themselves because they’ve not met themselves that deeply, because they don’t understand themselves and their true nature. They’re going to be feeling really disillusioned and will be realising that no matter how deeply they may see someone, it’s useless if that someone is unable to act right. They’re meant to have many realisations about themself as a person, some of which are going to be very uncomfortable but they’ll gain a lot of self awareness and truths about life itself by turning inwards and turning the flash light on. They’ll deal with a lot of fear as well due to their illusions and disillusionments, they’ll not know whether they can judge others, themself and their own judgments. They’ll have the awareness that things aren’t always what they may look like on the surface. They will be a very loyal and ethical person, and are meant for success, reputation and a good family/community in this lifetime. Career, status, loyalty, values, family, community, money are probably major themes for your person in this lifetime. They will have abandoned what does not serve them well and will have this recurring theme in their life where they struggle to be their authentic self then become it, then again struggle, then again become it, when they struggle with getting recognition, when they get a lot of it, when they feel like it’s been taken from them, like no one sees them to becoming their authentic self and becoming more rooted and firm within this authenticity the more they fall out of it and back into it, and this is what will help them gain recognition in life.

꒰ What will your energy be like at that time ? ꒱

You’ll have undergone some sort of a heart dropping moment. Like, something in your personal life or something that had the capacity of touching your heart was pretty much swept right off your feet. You’ll not be very open to emotions, you’ll actually be pretty guarded because your emotions seem to have been hurt. You’ll feel like no one truly accepted your cup of love or after accepting it, they acted as if it was not valuable at all, as if you were not valuable at all. You’ll be feeling really shitty due to it. You’ll be carrying the burdens of all that happened all by yourself. For example, a connection fell off, you’ll be the one having to deal with the aftermath of hurt, pain and sorrow while the other person will seem to have already moved on. You’ll have this feeling of heaviness in your heart. “Maybe, I took on too much responsibility for someone who didn’t even have it them to try and make the connection work/for a connection that was mostly/only me trying.” You’ll have faced major humiliation due to someone you loved, could be a third party situation if it happens to be related to romance. Ever if not, it will be pretty humiliating. This humiliation that you’ll face will be something that will be inflicted on you so that others can have a good laugh, so that they can have fun. This is really messed up honestly. A connection where you had fun and felt deeply, innocently and purely connected to the other person had you trying your best even though you felt like breaking, because you cared about the other person but the connection fell off and there was probably betrayal of some sort. It was very sudden too and then, your world came crashing down after which you were humiliated by others and possibly even by the person itself. You’ll not want to let go of this person, you’ll be holding on pretty tightly mentally and emotionally, even if you’re trying not to. You just won’t be able to help it, your mind will always travel back to them after just a few minutes of freeing yourself from thoughts about them. Despite this, you’ll be trying to. You’ll be self protective and will be trying to remain controlled. You’re going to be feeling abandoned, unworthy and ugly. You won’t be able to help but think if something is wrong with you. You’ll be feeling indecisive about what it is that you truly feel, truly want, should do. It’ll be difficult for you to distinguish anything because your world will have turned upside down. You’ll not be able to think clearly and will also be thinking about the connection that failed. “How could ___ have done that to me?” is the way you’ll be thinking. You’ll be deeply hurt so you’ll be contradicting yourself. Something like, you could be trying to be all ‘self love’ and preaching it but will think that maybe it was a miscommunication, a misunderstanding that led to such a point and will be willing to listen to and forgive the other person because you’ll still love them but at the same time, you won’t. You’ll be angry at them for doing you so wrong and you’ll be processing everything that happened. You’ll wonder if your trust issues or something else that you may have expressed, a fear of some sort was what caused them to do what they did. Your mind won’t be in the right place, you won’t be thinking straight. To put it bluntly, you’ll have pretty much lost your mind, you’ll feel betrayed, cheated on, unattractive, unworthy, undeserving, unlovable, lonely but you’ll still be trying to stay on top of things.

There’s a high chance that some if not many of you here have some sort of mommy issues, you may become aware of it, more aware of it or think about it a lot during that time. Action wise, I’m getting two groups here, one group of you, you’ll be putting yourselves first and trying to tend to your own needs while the other group will fall into people pleasing because they’re not enough. Both groups will be feeling like so but the way you’ll be dealing with it will be different. You’ll be trying to manage your time well despite feeling unstable and unconfident. You’ll be trying to adapt with life as it is. Childhood issues are going to come up but the first group of you is going to be very obsessed with what has occurred and the person who made you go through it all because you loved them, and you won’t be able to understand how they could do that to you because you would never do anything like that to them due to which you won’t be able to heal your inner child at that time. Both groups here are going to tap into their inner strength at some point, some of you before the other. The second group is going to tap into this a bit earlier than the first group. Ultimately, you’re going to be tapping into your inner strength and find control over yourself, and your life again. You’re going to be more compassionate with yourself and with others, and are going to practice love, kindness and self control. You’re going to overcome a lot of self doubt and will be working with self respect in your actions. There’s going to be an acknowledgment that you deserve better and you’re going to gain personal morals. You’re also going to recover from a lot of negative feelings that I mentioned earlier. You’re going to build more confidence and strength of character through what you go through. You’re going to be more withdrawn from others due to how much you’ll be processing. I’m not sure what it is but there are going to be two paths for you to choose from - do better or stay bitter. Even if you stay bitter, you will eventually want to do better. You’ll be looking to the future hoping for better days, you’ll be quite restless to finally experience something again. Your soul is going to be learning about boundaries and the importance of protecting, and defending yourself in this harsh world we live in. You’ll be in a contemplative energy where you have regrets and are yearning but are also being disillusioned. You’re going to be learning detachment while also simply being present in the world wholeheartedly. You’ll be feeling lonely and will be lonely. You’ll be realising your own tendency to have a temper and will be learning how to manage that better. You’ll also be learning that you may have been in an abusive and toxic situation even if you do not realise it yet. You’ll realise that not everyone is going to take responsibility for their actions or what they do to you so you sir take responsibility for yourself no matter what. You’re going to feel like you’re a person of poor quality but that’s how you’ll slowly build yourself, your confidence and reputation. You’re supposed to achieve a lot by yourself in this lifetime. Maybe, you do not like the idea of following orders or making money for someone else by working eight hours a day, so on and so forth. This is going to teach you how to be comfortable being alone and by yourself so that you can stay true to your purpose and finally fulfil it.

꒰ Connecting energies between you two ꒱

You will both be fairly different when it comes to your connecting energy. The saying “the world is a colourful place because we are all different” will be true to your situation. Initially, you are going to butt heads a lot because you’ll both be in denial of your emotions for each other and will be worried about having to carry all the load of a connection by yourselves. You’ll both think that you have a tendency of giving connections your hundred percent so you’ll be worried about receiving the shorter end of the stick. However, there’s going to be a strong attraction to each other. You’re going to be pessimistic and feel angry at yourselves, and each other but it will be because you’ll both wonder if you’re keeping your hearts on your sleeves. You’ll not want the other person to break it. Despite, the denial, fear and frustrations, you’ll want to offer your love to each other, and how could you not? Your emotions towards each other will run high. You’ll feel a strong longing and passion towards each other but you’ll also have fears. There’s definitely going to mistrust and a fear of investing, just to be left disappointed, hurt and empty. You’re going to help each other gain closures regarding your individual journeys because that’s when you’ll be able to truly come together. After meeting one another, you’ll realise just how far you’ve come. “It’s finally over, I’m finally over it” is a realisation that you’ll have alongside each other. You’re going to find a lot of fulfilment and expansion through each other. You’re going to grow in ways and discover sides of yourselves that you never thought possible. You’re eventually going to be vulnerable with each other and decide to navigate this world together. You’ll have a great deal of oneness and belonging with one another. You might also share a collective goal in this lifetime, something for the betterment of the world and its people.

꒰ What will your deepest and most passionate love be like? ꒱

The focus of the actual relationship is going to be heavily on self improvement and character building, not just your own but also your partner’s. You’re both going to keep a close eye on the other to see whether they’re progressing or regressing. There are going to be times when you’re too busy to spend time with or talk to each other but well, when you do spend time together, you will feel like life is worth living again. You’re going to have a lot of fun together, almost like children, careless ones at that xD. There’s going to be a deep sense of loyalty present within the connection. Despite how much fun you may have and how recklessly, you’ll also have extremely serious conversations with each other. There’s going to be this knowledge of “I have someone, I’m not alone” for which you’ll be so grateful because you’ll always help each other see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just each other’s presence will bring about the ability to let of a lot of stress and negativity. You’ll feel really grateful to them because you’ll feel and think that they basically taught you how to cope with life and face it head on. One of the best and worst traits that you’ll both possess is that you’ll feel extremely guilty towards each other if you mistakenly happen to do something that hurts the other. It is good because it’ll help you treat each other well but gosh, you’re gullible to guilt in general period. You’re going to be extremely grateful to each other for a space where you can be vulnerable and weak, and still be loved and accepted. You’re going to see the strength in each other even during each other’s most vulnerable and flawed moments, and that’s the beauty of love, specifically your love. You’re going to feel homesick for each other when you’re not around and find a lot of nourishment, forgiveness, understanding, compassion and nurturing in the other person. You’re going to have a stable bond full of emotionally charged moments and understanding. The best part of the connection is going to be the maturity of it and the fact that it’s grounded it reality, it won’t be an illusion. You’re both going to be committed to making the connection work and your actions are going to be proof of that. You’re going to be able to bring out the best in each other because you’ll accept each other at your worsts i.e. at your weak moments as long as disrespect isn’t involved. You’re going to have a connection in which one look at you and they’ll know what you need, how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking about. There’s going to be the knowledge that you’re the only ones for each other. There are going to be days when you’ll both overthink, you’ll overthink even if the other cancels or postpones plans but when you finally meet and discuss your feelings, worries and fears, you’re going to be greeted with a level of understanding and love that you didn’t think was possible. “Why would I need or want anyone else when you’re right here? I love you so much.” I’m melting. They’re going to help you become more independent and step further into yourself because of how safe and secure of a space they’ll make for you.

You’re a possessive one and they’re going to enjoy seeing you riled up over them, it’ll make them feel wanted. Your whole face will go dark alongside your vibe when you’re jealous and it will make them slightly uncomfortable but they’re secretly going to like it as well. You’re going to express your gratitude and appreciation for each other through both grand gestures, and little actions. The connection will give you both a lot to be grateful for. You’re going to be carrying a lot of pain from past betrayals and exclusion, and will be feeling hopeless at times when you’ll first meet them but they’re going to hold onto you and treasure you fiercely and passionately. The previous days when you felt like you weren’t enough, you were unlovable, they’ll be gone, the beliefs that you ended up developing and holding onto will slowly by melted down by their warmth, their love. They’ll make your inner child really happy. They’ll actually think about you and not act in ways where you’re left crippled with self doubt, and while it may sound like a small thing. It’ll mean so much to you. TW: if you’ve self harmed, they’ll probably kiss those scars. You’ll admire them and feeling admired by them will make you feel like you’re floating. It’s going to be a relationship where you’re going to have a crush on each other even years into the relationship. They’re going to want to be an active part of your life, they’re going to want you for themself and you’re not going to be able to fathom that you’re desirable. They’re going to be so gentle with you and you’re going to end up acting the same way for them too. You’ll love each other in the purest possible form. There’s going to be a lot of teasing here and there though. That will be a form of flirting for you both. The connection is going to be so pure. I’m getting you both being literal children in adult bodies. I can see both of you crying while hugging because you’ll be separated for a month. You’re going to enjoy the gentle intimacy that comes with putting ‘mine’ before any title or your names. You’re both going to be like “my girl”, “my man”, “my wife”, “my husband” A LOT. There’s going to be a lot of warmth and sexiness shared too. You’ll just look at each other and want to tear each other’s clothes off 😭. It’s going to be a connection that brings about a lot of growth and wisdom for you. You’ll learn how to be more secretive and private, and at the same time will have someone to share your concerns with. You’ll share a mature connection but with a lot of childlike fun. You’re not going to be willing to let each other go. ‘Birds of a feather’ by Billie Eilish is how I would describe your connection. You’re going to pull each other out of terrible cycles, especially, they are going to pull you out of your own mind and help you become more empowered by simply seeing yourself more clearly. You’re both going to teach each other that certain connections and situations were in fact just a waste of time and you’ll be happy to not have to deal with that kind of bullshit anymore. ‘I wanna be yours’ by Arctic Monkeys is coming through too which makes sense because your love is going to deeper than the Pacific ocean for real. Thank you for reading. Much love and take care.

⊹ ! ೀ Pile 3 ꒱

꒰ What will your person’s energy be like at that time ? ꒱

Your person will have undergone a separation of some sort that will be heavily on their mind. It will be something that they hadn’t seen coming, something that pretty much turned their life upside down. This event will have stirred up something deep, primal and scary within them. Their mental health will be on the edge but they’ll be having revelations one after the other. There will be a loneliness that these revelations will bring about which will only be intensified if they don’t have enough social interaction at that time but they’ll be thinking about things like loyalty, stability, growth and trust a lot. They’ll have a lot of things just come in and go out, and multiple thoughts running through their head at the same time. Yes, it is going to be tiring and they’ll probably feel more sleepy throughout the day than normal. I’m hearing ‘Shallow’ by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in my head. They’ll be craving change and depth at that time. There will be times when their thoughts get to them and they start wondering (almost believing) that maybe people like them do not exist in this world. “Maybe everyone is a characterless bitch” THAT’S WHAT I HEARD, I’M SORRY FOR THE RANDOM CURSE WORD. There’s this natural burn out that they’ll be feeling from what I’m hearing is either depression or something close to it, a deep sorrow, they’ll feel extremely tired everyday, and they’ll be craving deep rest. They’ll definitely be freeing themself from heavy energies in the realm of physicality though. They’ll be taking active action to break free from situations where they may be feeling hopeless, trapped, used, abused, tormented and hurt even if it means coming off as unloving. They’re going to be deeply wounded and freshly at that. They’re going to be at a point where they don’t have it in them to communicate anymore. They’ll be following the timeless philosophy of “sometimes not communicating is the best form of communication.” They will be very vulnerable at that time and will be very serious in dealing with things. After not taking things personally for a long time, they’ll finally be taking things personally. They’re going to be very serious when it comes to dealing and will not be able to have fun due to the deep sorrow that will be weighing them down.

However, there will be times when they will be acting childish, reckless and having too much fun, or faking it in hopes that it could make them feel better even though they’ll know that it’s a lost cause. Now the chapter is closed and done, it’s goodbye, it’s goodbye for us.” ‘Lose you to love me’ by Selena Gomez is almost a theme song in this situation. They’ll be learning a lot about life and their own emotional nature by themself. They’ll also be connecting deeper with their values, the ones that they were raised with but drifted from. They’ll be like “maybe those values were there to protect me and help me lead a good life after all.” They’re going to be slowly recovering from the heartbreak but are going to be having relapses. They’ll be looking back at what could have been done differently and will also be yearning for what’s been gone, what they had to walk away from. However, they’re going to be holding a lot of anger within them and will have no tolerance for any bullshit, and further heartache. When it comes to their soul energy, they’ll still be deeply attached to and tempted with the past ways. They’ll be obsessed with the situations that will have occurred, unable to stop thinking about them and just let them go. They’ll be feeling really betrayed. I’m getting that if it was a romantic break up, their partner got seduced by a third party, if it wasn’t a break up, someone led them on just to choose someone else or if it was a friendship breakup, they started excluding them and choosing other people over them instead. Honestly, all of this could have happened in a string, one after the other. They will be awakening and seeing the illusions that they had believed in for maybe a long time that caused them to waste time. They’ll be realising the truth of it and will have bittersweet feelings about it. They’ll just be like “oh it was not real and I can finally accept it but I already wasted so much time, what was the purpose of it all? I feel so empty.” They’ll be mourning and crying over what’s been lost and all the neglect that they faced, allowed and inflicted upon themself. All of this will have happened and will be happening so that they can step into their true and most authentic self. They’ll be processing the anger and pain of it so that they can finally step into who they are, fully and unapologetically. Oh yeah, it just popped up but they may have also undergone someone’s passing and might be in mourning over that.

꒰ What will your energy be like at that time ? ꒱

This is funny, pretty much the same cards came out for you except a few different ones here and there. You’ll have undergone some sort of a separation as well and it’ll be at the back of your mind. You’ll have started taking life very seriously while still craving fun. You’ll be at a pretty unstable place too so you’ll be trying to fix that. You’re going to be thinking about connections and situations that weren’t very nurturing for you but instead proved to be pretty much the opposite of it. You’ll be thinking about how you were neglected and just kept on suppressing the feeling again, and again until you couldn’t take it anymore. This is the kind of energy where if your friend makes fun of you once, you may laugh, the second time, you may laugh, the third time, you’ll feel bad but will laugh but the forth time onwards you’ll not find it funny anymore but instead you’ll find it disrespectful. That’s kind of what will have occurred for you. Emotionally, you’ll be seeing past the illusions and will feel like you lack options, and opportunities. You’ll just have a major reality check much like your person that will cause you to leave people behind, people who you once shared a community with and felt like you belonged with which will lead to instability, loneliness and a lot of fear, and changes but the awakenings that you’ll be having due to your emotions will be managed pretty well by you. It’s going to be scary but you’ll be using all of this to build instead. I’m getting that you’ll have this realisation that the best way to combat such situations and feelings is by making sure to be present in your daily life.

You might maintain routines and build healthier habits during this time. You’ll be spending time by yourself and also with others, and will treat others well, and with kindness. You’re either someone who already loves one on one connections and interactions or you’ll do so during that time. You might be in an institution of some sort, you’ll be very frustrated and angry about everything that will have occurred, and will feel like you don’t have the space to channel your passions and goals but will still be doing what you can in the present. You will be grateful for the present moment and will be progressing little by little. This gratitude isn’t going to come about right away after your separation with others, it’s going to take time but you’ll be changing when and where needed. You’ll find yourself being more content because you’ll be actively trying to practice being so. You’ll be growing a lot emotionally by interacting with those older than you, younger than you, same age as you and by spending time by yourself, in your own dwelling. You’ll gain a lot of self awareness and will be focused on yourself. Your focus may stray sometimes but you’ll be coming back to your own element again. You’ll have been left out or been in a position where someone else was preferred over you and will be healing from that. You’ll have left a lot behind and will be in a period of emotional rest. You’ll be soul searching and will be learning the lesson of letting go. You’ll have attained a lot of wisdom and will be continuing to do so. You’ll be dealing with delays but the saying “rejection is divine protection” will be playing true. You could be focused on education or something of that sort at that time.

꒰ Connecting energies between you two ꒱

When it comes to connecting energies, you’ll teach them a lot about true power. You’ll make them realise that some things are in fact in their own head and that they should not let their thoughts overpower them. You’ll connect well on a mental level and will teach them how to mix logic with passion and emotions. I just heard “your rawness isn’t a mistake.” You’ll both connect over falling outs in connections, from communities and simply just not having anywhere you feel like you belong in, simply just not having anyone you belong to but you’ll be dealing with things slightly better than they will be so they’ll be able to look at you and learn a lot from you. They’re going to find it refreshing just how unabashedly you’ll be living and pushing forward. They’ll just to be more like themself thanks to you and vice versa. You’ll want to be your authentic self too because you’ll feel like they appreciate and like you like that. You’re going to be attracted to each other and see each other as equals. You’re going to find their raw and passionate ways to be very admirable and they’ll find your reasoning skills mixed with your passionates ways to be like such. You’ll both learn a lot from each other and find refuge, fun, rawness, passion, understanding, answers, belonging and happiness in each other at a time when it’s not present in your life.

꒰ What will your deepest and most passionate love be like? ꒱

The actual relationship between the both of you will be one that changes your perspective on many things and will help you sort of surrender to life for the best. You’ll teach them how to focus on what they can control. You will find solace in each other. You’ll think a lot about getting in bed with each other, definitely sexually but also beyond that. You’ll feel insanely and primally attracted to each other on a physical level but it’s going to feel transcendent. You’re going to value the intimacy that you have with each other and will be focused on creating a stable, happy and fun relationship that’s emotionally rich and fills you up from deep within. You might even want to have kids with each other going forward at some point but it’s going to be quite a dilemma for both of you because while you’ll want to have kids, you’ll also not want to give up on the lifestyle where it’s just you two, basking in each other without any other distractions. You’re going to be pretty dependent on each other honestly. There will be sort of a codependent dynamic here but you’ll not mind it because you’ll both want each other that bad. You’ll feel terribly homesick for each other when you’re away. I’m sorry if you’re not comfortable with this but stop here if you’re not - you could practice domination and submission in the bedroom. It just came through so I had to say it, I’m sorry. You’re both going to have a strong sex drive and good sexual chemistry. Sex for you is going to be sacred, something that solely the two of you will share. You’d feel terribly betrayed if the other would even do something as simple as think about someone else in that way. Thankfully though, I’m not getting any of that happening. If you come from a conservative background, it could be a secret that you two started having sex before proper commitment that is ink signature on paper (spoken by mouth committed relationships do not count). However, even after being in a serious commitment, you’ll still not be open to sharing your private moments with other people because you’ll not want others knowing or even thinking about it. Spanks could be involved.

There’s going to be degradation and praise, and a lot of love definitely. HOWEVER, let’s steer this to the direction that it was initially supposed to go in. I’m getting that you’ll either be actively involved in the community or just socialise in some way to some extent. You’ll be defenceless and have little to no boundaries when it comes to each other, and neither of you will mind it. You’ll teach each other to have strong boundaries against the world though and also fiercely stand up for each other. There’s going to be this need to own each other and neither of you will mind it because it’ll make you feel desired, and you’ll want to belong to each other. There’s going to be a telepathic connection in which you’ll be able to pick up on the sorrows and honestly really deep, dark feelings of the other person without them even having to say anything at all. You’ll be really honest with each other, if you do someone wrong, you’ll go and talk to them about it, the regrets that you may have and they’ll console you, and vice versa. You’re going to be very vulnerable with each other, all your repressed emotions pouring out. There’s also going to be a sternness and ruthless energy in which you’ll protect each other’s emotions. You’ll not care much about anyone except each other honestly. It’s going to be connection that causes you to lose empathy for other people if it involves your person. They won’t mind hurting other people in order to protect your emotions and vice versa. Also, you’re both going to put each other at your respective places. They’re going to get all moody if they don’t receive enough attention and admiration from you, and vice versa. You’ll see each other like no other. You’re going to clear confusions together and try to understand and know each other beyond just what idealised version of you might be visible to each other. It’s going to be a connection grounded in reality where you’ll always want to do right by each other. You’re both going to be greedy for more and more of each other though. It’s never going to be enough but that’s what will make you inseparable, you’ll truly desire each other, in all ways possible. You won’t want each other to even look or think about other people.

It’s not toxic in my opinion, don’t let anyone tell you that, it’s just devotional and expecting devotion which is normal in monogamous relationships. It’s going to be a slightly fragile connection as in anything the other person will say can prick at your heart if not conveyed properly. Also, the need to control the relationship will be mutual but it’ll only make things more fun. You’re going to be able to share sorrows, worries and fears with each other which is a blessing that you’ll feel really grateful for. You’ll always make time for each other and will teach each other to put yourselves first. The best thing is that you’ll put each other’s best interests in your heart alongside your own so your happiness will be deeply intertwined with one another’s. You’re going to be generous with each other and will talk about things like business ventures. Your connection will be such that even if you crave a luxurious lifestyle, like in a way, nothing is enough, after meeting each other, you’re going to be able to enjoy and appreciate the down to earth lifestyle, and the simple pleasures of life. Money will be important to both of you though, not gonna lie. You’re going to be very in-tune with each other’s bodies, wanting to please each other and I’m getting you receiving massages from them. They might learn massaging techniques just for you, aww or vice versa. You’re going to look good together as a couple and really enjoy it. It’s going to be a real connection where you’re an active part of each other’s lives so even though you were both heartbroken and there were people, and situations that you thought were the best, that you’d never get over, that you’d never feel that way again, that will all go out the window because you’ll realise that nothing is more connection that the connection you share with each other. Your most pure, divine, passionate and loving connections that you had in the past will not matter anymore. “It was not even real” is how you’ll feel about it. So well, if you have a first love or a ‘one that got away’ that you believe is your once in a lifetime love who you’ll never get over, you’re going to love this person so much more and that past love won’t even matter anymore. I just heard “the world, everything within it is an illusion. My oath of living and dying with you is true.” Thank you for reading. Much love and take care.

[lilangelbuds]

He started thinking inappropriate thoughts about his daughter just as she was hitting puberty. He knew it was wrong, so he sent her away to boarding school and saw a therapist. He was doing really well and the therapist had just told him he wouldn’t need more sessions for much longer. His daughter had now finished school completely and was coming back home, he looked up as she walked in the door and puberty had treated her well. Too well. She had all the seductive curves in the right places. He’s definitely going to have to schedule in more therapy sessions after spending the night in his daughters room, because he definitely cannot resist the urge to follow her upstairs

He stood by the window, his fingers drumming aimlessly against the wooden frame. The air felt heavy, charged even. It had been years since he’d seen her, years since he’d made the decision to send her away. He told himself it was for the best, that it was the only way to protect her and himself from the thoughts that had started to creep in like shadows at dusk. But now, the car pulled into the driveway, and his heart thudded in his chest.

The door swung open, and there she was. She was no longer the girl he’d waved goodbye to. Time had shaped her into something breathtaking, something that made his breath catch in his throat. Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, and her hips swayed subtly as she stepped inside, a suitcase in hand. She was wearing a simple summer dress, but it clung to her in all the right places, accentuating curves that hadn’t been there before. His therapist’s voice echoed faintly in his mind, a distant reminder of the progress he’d made, but it was drowned out by the primal pull he felt toward her.

“Dad,” she said, her voice warm, almost teasing. “You’re staring.”

He blinked, forcing a smile that felt too tight on his face. “Sorry. Just… It’s been a while. You look… different.”

She laughed, a sound that sent a jolt through him. “Different good or different bad?”

Good. Too good. He swallowed hard, pushing the thought away. “Just different. In a good way,” he added quickly, hoping it sounded casual. “How was the drive?”

“Long,” she sighed, setting her suitcase down by the stairs. “But it’s good to be home. I’ve missed this place.”

Home. The word felt heavy, loaded with memories he’d tried to bury. He watched as she stretched, her arms lifting above her head, the fabric of her dress pulling taut against her chest. He forced his gaze away, focusing on the wall behind her, but the image was already seared into his mind. This is wrong. You’re her father. Stop this.

“I’ll take my stuff upstairs,” she said, grabbing the suitcase again. “I’m exhausted. I think I’ll just crash for a bit.”

He nodded, his throat dry. “Sure. Dinner’s at seven.”

She flashed him another smile before heading up the stairs, her footsteps soft but deliberate. He stood there, frozen, listening as the sound faded into the distance. His therapist’s voice tried to break through again, reminding him of the tools he’d learned, the boundaries he’d set for himself. But the pull was too strong, too primal to ignore.

He found himself moving toward the stairs before he even realized what he was doing. Each step felt like a betrayal, but it was a betrayal he couldn’t resist. His heart pounded in his chest, his breath coming in short, shallow bursts. This is wrong. This is so wrong. But the words felt hollow now, drowned out by the rush of blood in his ears.

Her bedroom door was slightly ajar, and he hesitated outside, his hand hovering over the knob. He could hear her humming softly inside, the sound faint but unmistakable. His resolve wavered, but only for a moment. Just a peek. Just one look. He pushed the door open quietly, his eyes immediately drawn to her.

She was standing by the bed, her back to him, the dress pooled around her feet. She wore nothing but a simple set of lace underwear, the fabric hugging her in a way that made his mouth go dry. Her skin glowed in the soft light filtering through the curtains, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away. Beautiful. She’s so beautiful.

She must have felt his presence because she turned suddenly, her eyes widening in surprise. “Dad!” she exclaimed, quickly grabbing the dress to cover herself. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t. His mind was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, but the one that won out was desire; raw, unrelenting desire. He stepped into the room, his eyes locked on hers, and in that moment, nothing else mattered.

“Dad,” she said again, her voice softer now, almost tentative. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I know,” he whispered, his voice hoarse. “But I can’t… I can’t stay away.”

She took a step back, her eyes searching his face. “This is wrong.”

“I know,” he repeated, closing the distance between them. His hands reached for her, trembling slightly as they brushed against her arms. “But I need you.”

She didn’t resist as he pulled her closer, her body pressing against his. Her breath hitched, and he could feel the rapid beat of her heart against his chest. This is wrong. This is so wrong. But it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the way she felt in his arms, the way her warmth seeped into him, melting away every shred of restraint he had left.

“Dad,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “We can’t…”

“I know,” he said again, his lips brushing against her ear. “But I don’t care.”

His hands slid down her back, his fingers tracing the curve of her spine, and she shivered in his arms. He could feel her resistance wavering, her body responding to his touch in ways she couldn’t hide. She wants this too. The realization sent a jolt of electricity through him, igniting a fire he couldn’t extinguish.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

His lips found hers, and the world around them ceased to exist. The kiss was hungry, desperate, the kind of kiss that left no room for doubt or hesitation. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, and he groaned against her mouth. He’d waited so long for this, fought so hard to resist it, but now that he had her, he couldn’t stop.

His hands moved lower, cupping her backside, and she pressed herself against him, her hips grinding against his. He could feel her heat, her need, and it drove him wild. He wanted to savor every second, every touch, but the urgency was too much to ignore.

He broke the kiss, their breaths mingling as he looked into her eyes. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice rough with need.

She nodded, her eyes dark with desire. “Yes.”

He didn’t need to hear anything else. He lifted her effortlessly, carrying her to the bed and laying her down gently. His hands trembled as he stripped off his clothes, his eyes never leaving hers. She watched him with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness, her chest rising and falling with each breath.

He knelt between her legs, his hands sliding up her thighs, and she gasped, her back arching off the bed. “Dad,” she breathed, her voice barely audible.

“Shh,” he murmured, his lips brushing against her inner thigh. “Let me take care of you.”

Her hands fisted in the sheets as he leaned in, his tongue teasing her through the thin lace of her underwear. She moaned, her hips bucking against his mouth, and he couldn’t hold back any longer. He hooked his fingers under the waistband of her underwear, pulling them down slowly, and she lifted her hips to help him.

He tossed the fabric aside, his eyes drinking in the sight of her. Perfect. She’s perfect. He couldn’t wait any longer. He positioned himself between her legs, his length pressing against her entrance, and she moaned, her nails digging into his shoulders.

“Please,” she begged, her voice trembling. “I need you.”

“You’re mine,” he growled, thrusting into her.

She cried out, her body arching against his as he filled her completely. He groaned, the sensation overwhelming, and he began to move, each thrust driving him deeper into her. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer, and he buried his face in her neck, his breath hot against her skin.

“Yes,” she moaned, her fingers tangling in his hair. “Don’t stop.”

“Never,” he promised, his rhythm steady but relentless. “I’ll never stop.”

[lycheesodas]

chains of eternity story quest is really cool ❄️ (haha get it? cuz-- nvm)

i haven't played in a while but the trailer looked so... mysterious and unsettling that it pulled me back in the game. and it did not disappoint!!!

what did you guys think of this story? i personally really like valka's character arc, and of course [redacted]'s appearance and lore bombing us lmao. i think the voice acting of the major characters were really good this time!

i wish faramor and lorsan were more involved in the quest, though. they sorta disappeared halfway through, and there are still a lot of loose ends. but i heard that they're splitting the story into different patches to space out the content, so i guess we'll see tomorrow after the update!

one of my favorite things about this game is the loading screens changing as the story progresses! i tried to incorporate one element of each into this image. see if you can spot them!

commissions | shop | ig | twt

[mustyrosewater]

𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐒𝐊𝐘 - 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖜𝖔

𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭 𝐱 𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐛!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 6,489

𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: returning to the small wyoming town you were raised after a sharp fall from grace, your music career having turned into mindless pop you were forced to churn out by your manager and now ex, a return to home is just what you need, the perfect place to take a break from the life of a pop star, and also to meet some old faces.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: implied panic attack, swearing, rhett is an asshole in this one im sorry, flirting, jealous rhett if you squint

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: so with this chapter comes the introduction of a new character, along with the expanding of another, if you'd like me to, i'll make a post with their face claims because there were definitely faces in mind while writing them haha. i hope you enjoy this one, we get a teensy bit more rhett (i promise there'll be more soon)

As of this morning, you’d so far managed to reorganise your childhood bedroom, something you remembered one of your health coaches mentioning echoing in your head, feng shui helping out with these sorts of things, or something along those lines.

Even if you didn’t entirely understand how it worked, a change of scenery to a bedroom with a pretty large load of memories could definitely be a start to feeling human again.

As the day progressed, you’d even managed to help your father out with aurora, the silence as the two of you worked at brushing out her coat and refilled her food tray’s being just as good a bonding activity as any, all the small steps that were beginning to make you feel like you’d never even left your home in the first place.

It was pretty obvious even to yourself that this was all being done in order to distract yourself from the prospect of dinner with the abbots tonight, your father explaining that it was Cecilia’s idea, overjoyed by the prospect of you being back home and wanting to catch up on some long overdue time.

He’d told you that you were allowed to say no if you wanted to, hinting at the fact that there was obviously some tension with the idea of being in a place with ready access to a bar.

Promising he’d be by your side the whole time, expressing that he’d be ok with taking over ordering if you weren’t feeling comfortable with the idea, even offering to politely ask the other abbots if they could go with just cola’s for the night.

Your life coach’s shrill voice had rung in your head, always with the daily motivations, encouraging you to do one thing that terrified you every single day, that it was important to do things that scared you.

That was probably why you’d agreed, reasoning with yourself that it would be nice to go out and just eat something that wasn’t a health food, something fried, maybe even something cheesy, all the things you’d been conditioned to stay away from by the personal trainers hired by your manager.

It’d been so long since you’d gone without somebody telling you what to wear, always having an outfit ready to go for you when you stepped out of the shower, so it suddenly dawned on you that you had no idea what to even wear tonight.

With your father not exactly being a fashionista by any means, it didn’t seem reasonable to ask him for advice on your clothing choices, the only other person you could think of, hell, the only other number in your phone other than your psychiatrist for emergencies, was Amanda.

As you pressed the button on the screen to attempt a face time call, the soft ringing tune emitting out as you stared at yourself, taking a moment to prop the phone up on your bedside table and kneel, your hands and chin resting on the wood as you waited for an answer. The hum of the facetime being answered sang out, the image of amanda holding her phone in front of her face, clearly on the couch and resting, nothing the silk bonnet on her head and the oversized reader glasses on her face.

Formality was something you’d both thrown out the window less than a year after she became your lawyer, getting to the point you’d sleep over at each others houses, have pizza nights while discussing things all the way from copyright issues all the way to each other’s sex life.

“Whats up, sexy?”

Her voice brought a smile to your face, greeting you as if you weren’t hundreds of miles away and as if you hadn’t spoken for almost a week.

“I need your help.”

You hadn’t meant for you tone to sound so panicked, regretting it straight away as she sat up straight, her face becoming concerned, as she put her wine glass down on her coffee table with a clink.

“Whats happened, is TMZ trying to contact you again? I gave them that cease and desist, I swear to god if i have to get-”

Her ranting, even if overly concerned, was a nice little reminder to how much she cared, the fact that most lawyers wouldn’t feel personally offended on their clients behalf, and yet Amanda always did, she always seemed to genuinely want your safety and well being maintained.

“No, no, no. it’s not that!” you laughed through your words as you raised your hands up in a stop motion, shaking your head as she put a hand over your mouth to hide your snorting laughter.

“You’re gonna think its so stupid.”

Her face seemed to calm down immediately, a smile returning to her face as she reached forward to grab her wine glass again.

“Making me put down my wine and everything, this shit better be good.”

Laughing together, your leaned your head to the side and let out a huff, looking back over to Amanda as she settled back into the couch.

“I got invited out to dinner.” you started, opening your mouth to keep going before Amanda spoke up again, her eyes widening.

“You got asked out?” her excitement was palpable, already jumping the gun “Heyyy! I know that’s right!” “No, girl.” you were both laughing, cackling even, like a pair of teenagers; thats how Amanda made you feel, you could let your guard down around her and immediately share your deepest thoughts because you know she’d keep them entirely to herself, that she’d encourage you wholeheartedly and unwavering in whatever you wanted.

Finally finding the strength to continue talking through the laughter, you stood up and let the phone camera show you in full view, the third dress you’d tried on so far coming into view, one of the black versace ones you’d found, still sporting two little gold emblems on the straps, maybe just a little bit too much for dinner with your dad’s friends.

“It’s my dad’s friend and his family, it’s just down at a little diner type place, i think.”

Smoothing the black fabric over your body, you turned back and fourth slightly, looking at yourself in the phone camera as Amanda nodded along.

“But i haven’t had to dress myself for like, three years, i have no fucking clue what to wear.”

Shaking her head as she chuckled, Amanda pointed a manicured finger towards the lens, effectively pointing at you.

“Only someone like you could complain about having nothing but couture in your suitcase, girl.”

As much as you were embarrassed, she was right to a certain degree, of course you were grateful to have all the beautiful clothes you did, much less the wardrobe’s filled with them back in your house in LA, but there was also a level of respect to be held when going out to eat with people who’d probably only be willing to spend good money on a pair of sturdy boots.

“Yeah but like, I don’t want his family to think im trying to, like, flaunt my money on them. I just want something nice and simple.”

Amanda’s brows raised, clearly unimpressed with your attempt at nice and simple, giving you a look that told that you’d been called out immediately.

“How hot is he?”

Immediately her question made you furrow your brows, shaking your head as you opened your mouth to respond.

“What do you mea-”

“Bitch, you would not be pulling out the Versace medusa 95’ maxi if there wasn’t somebody coming to dinner that you want to see you in that dress.”

Her voice was mixing with laughter towards the end, her head turning up to the ceiling as she fixed her glasses from where they’d fallen slightly.

“I thought this was nice! It’s plain!”

“It’s four thousand dollar’s! I know! Cause i was there when you bought it.”

Only able to put your head in your hands, you let out a deep sigh and stepped forward, kneeling once more and resting your chin on the end of the side table, a face like a kicked puppy.

“What do you suggest instead then?”

At your question, Amanda only held up her hand, raised eyebrows with a smirk as she took a another sip of her wine before speaking.

“Oh, you’re wearing the Versace, Bitch.”

-

With Amanda staying on the line with you, all the way through to setting the phone, ceiling up, on the bathroom counter so you could keep chatting with you while you showered, you realised just how long it had been since the two of you had just had some proper girl time.

After everything had happened, she’d helped you so much, barely giving you any time to even spend together, it felt amazing to just talk shit the same way the pair of you always had.

She guided you through how to style your hair as you sat at your vanity, leaving your hair down being enough to off set the dress, now looking a bit more casual with a nice black cardigan being placed over the top of it, enough so that you still looked nice, but didn’t look like you were going to some fancy dinner back home.

“Do the Fenty gloss, I put it in your makeup bag when i was packing your stuff.”

Ordering you like you were a drill sergeant, you could only smile as you ran the plus applicator over your lips, your makeup finally completed with a soft popping of your lips to smooth the gloss over.

“It still doesn’t mean anything, his eldest sons married, and the other ones an absolute dick.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t give him a huge fuck you by looking this good to dinner.” she responded back with lightning wit, raising her eyebrows at you as she closed her fridge door, having been in the process of starting her own dinner by the time the two of you started ending the call.

In the process of saying goodbye, you could hear a knock on your slightly open door as your father poked his head in, his tartan shirt and vest already on as he gave you a look over.

“Very nice.” he feigned, raising his eyebrows and nodding his head, just as he’d always used to whenever you’d taken the time to get ready for somewhere.

“Alright, I love you, have a nice dinner, and update me when you get home or i wont leave you alone.”

Amanda’s order’s were clear, only answered with a shake of your head as you picked up your phone, standing from the vanity and grabbing your purse.

“Love you too.”

The air outside was warm, just as it always was in Wyoming at this time of year, your cardigan doing more than enough to keep your body temperature on the reasonable end.

The ride on your father’s truck only seemed to fill you with the same anxiety you felt while you were getting ready, the closer and closer you came to town only seeming to fill the void of your nervous feelings.

It was a beautiful little place, seeming to boast a very classic southern feel, a neon sign with the name plastered on it, this place had been here since you left, and it still seemed to be going strong, you even remembered the guy who owned it’s name, Earl.

Exiting from the truck, you checked your appearance in the window, making sure your hair wasn’t placed oddly and that none of your makeup was smudged, some small part of you not completely sure why you cared so much for your appearance, Amanda’s words seeming to playback in your own head like a broken record.

There was certainly some satisfaction to be found by sitting down at dinner and having a couture dress be a big fuck you to the Rhett, to show him that despite his attempts at hurting you in highschool, you were now in a place where you never had to worry about money again.

Yet it still felt so vain, even for you.

Heading inside, your father placed his hand on the back of your shoulder, guiding you towards the large table where’d you’d all seemingly be placed for the night, a small rectangular sign with the word ‘BOOKED’ in white letters sitting there waiting for you.

Sitting down on the wooden chair beside your father, he pulled his stetson off his head and placed it on the table, clearing his throat as he got comfortable.

“Do you want cola, Ducky?” he offered, turning slightly to look at you as you nodded softly.

“Thanks dad.” you confirmed, watching him get up and head towards the bar, greeting the bartender with a familiarity that wasn’t unusual for him.

Pulling out your phone, you checked yourself in your camera, seemingly developing the checking in on your appearance into a nervous tick that was beginning to make itself known, if not that, seemingly just not knowing what to do with your hands was enough.

Time seemed to move at a different place as you sat there by yourself, waiting for your father to come back from the bar as he chatted away, eye’s occasionally flicking at the door each time it opened, waiting to see who was coming in.

Eventually, just as your father sat back down, a sip of ice cold cola slipping down your throat was enough to calm your nerves, the chilled glass leaving condensation on your fingers.

Yet again the sound of the door opened, your eye’s turning to it instantly, expecting it to be just another guest that you didn’t recognise.

Instead, the familiar look of Cecilia and Royal came into your view, their eye’s peering at every table until they landed on the two of you, a grin coming to Cecilia’s face as she waved at you and approached, Royal following behind with his hands in his jean pockets.

The absence of their two sons was notable, almost swearing you felt a bit disappointed, quickly offset and Cecilia came round to where you were, allowing you to rise from your chair and pull in her in for a soft hug.

Any plans to dress down had been subsided when Cecilia looked you up and down, her brows raising as she smiled.

“This is gorgeous.” she said softly, thankfully not making a show of pointing out your choice of attire.

Sitting back down, the four of you sat across from one another as the couple settled in, Royal muttering something about going to get a beer before he stood and walked to the bar.

Almost as if she could tell that the absence of her son’s was standing out, Cecilia spoke first.

“Sorry we’re a little late, we had to sort out who was riding with who.”

she began, shaking her head and chuckling.

“Perry had to run and pick up Amy from school on the way, so Rhett rode with him just so we could get here quicker.”

You weren’t sure who Amy was, but judging by the fact that school was mentioned, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together and guess that Amy was his daughter.

There was something wholesome about Perry Abbott being a father, based on your memories of him having a small line of girlfriend’s throughout school, you didn’t pick him for the type to settle down and have kids.

But then again, no one from highschool would guess you’d have played the NFL halftime show, but you did that anyway, so there wasn’t any room to judge there.

“Amy’s a big fan a’ your’s honey.” Cecilia spoke, reaching across the table to place a hand on top of yours, a cheeky smile coming to her face.

“She always asks your daddy about when she see’s him, she was just beamin’ when we told her you’d be at dinner tonight.”

You couldn’t pretend that wasn’t amusing, the idea of Rhett Abbots own neice being a fan of yours; it may have been slightly egotistical, but you had a vision in your head of some little girl bouncing around the house singing your songs while he uncle cringed.

Then part of you felt that signature anxiety come back all over again, there was no doubt your recent fiasco’s had been anything but a bad example for her, guilt panging in your heart at the idea of breaking some poor little girls heart with all the news that’d been printed about you.

The thoughts ringing in the back of your mind were distracted as the sight of Royal walking back over caught your vision, his two sons walking beside him as he pointed out where you were all sitting, both brothers turning their heads to look over in the direction.

You were the first person Rhett looked up, almost as if he’d been searching for you in particular, his eyes keening over you and your appearance for a few split seconds as they walked over, only for the two of you to break the held eye contact at the same time.

The little blond girl holding Perry’s hand must have been Amy, considering the fact that she had most of her face hidden behind her father’s hand, one eye peering out at you nervously.

Smiling softly, you felt flashbacks to all the other times you’d been greeted by young fans, their nervous faces always making your heart feel warm.

“Hi Amy.” you spoke out, her eyes widening as she realised you knew her name, her gaze flicking to her grandmother who only smiled back at her knowingly, the young girls mouth opening to reveal a toothy wide eyed smile.

She spoke your name as if it was a magic spell, her stature starting to go giddy as Perry only laughed. Pulling the chair beside you out, you patted the wood.

“I think you should come sit next to me, huh?” you spoke, Amy looking up at her father only to receive a nod of permission, the young girl practically running around the table and hoisting herself up into the chair despite her height, you had no doubt she was used to needing to hoist herself up onto horses anyway.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Rhett sitting down beside his mother, greeting her with a low voice and a nod of his head in your fathers direction.

It was a pointed choice to focus your attention on Amy, the best way to avoid any eye contact with Rhett, as well as just something wholesome you could spend your time doing.

Picking up a menu, you held it up so the both of you could look at it.

“Now, I haven’t been here in awhile.” you began, squinting your eyes slightly as you looked over all the options before you. “So you’re gonna have to tell me what’s good.”

You spent the majority of your dinner answering Amy’s questions, pulling out your phone to show her the selfies you’d taken during tours, mirrored photos of you in a makeup chair with your tongue sticking out, all of which she adored.

As you all ate, your father chattered away with the rest of the Abbotts, Cecilia occasionally sparing a glance at you and smiling, adoring the happy look on her grand daughters face.

Every now and then, your eye’s drifted over to Rhett for only a few seconds each time, watching him nurse the beer in his hand, sometimes looking at your father, other times looking right at you, his eyes narrowed and boring into you.

Ignoring his stares was easy enough, especially when Amy continued to talk at a thousand miles per hour.

Taking a moment to lean over to your father, you whispered to him that you were just gonna order another cola from the bar, his gaze silently asking you if you’d be okay, his waryness not unwarranted of course, but you held confidence in yourself, assuring him you’d be fine.

Standing and pushing out your chair, it would be hard to pretend you didn’t feel Rhett’s gaze on you, smoothing out your dress and walking over to the bar with your purse in hand.

Even now years later, Earl and his wife ran this place with a large amount of love and commitment, it could be seen in the way that the place was still filled with people every night even now.

The bartender had his back facing towards you, cleaning a few glasses with a rag as you placed your phone down, his head turning suddenly to look with wide eyes before a smile set onto his face.

For a few seconds that you stared across at each other as he made his way to you, your mouth feel open as you finally recognised him as an old highschool friend, coincidentally enough, also happening to Earl’s son, Niki.

“Oh my god.” you spoke out, shaking your head as he grinned at you.

“Hey there stranger.”

It had seemed that puberty had rammed him like a truck, the once mousey boy you used to see washing dishes in the back now standing at least six feet, his welcoming smile accompanied by a light stubble against his strong features.

“I don’t choose to believe it’s you, there’s absolutely no way.”

Your words made him laugh, his head tipping back slightly as he did, his laugh sounding like a river of velvet running into your ears, his teeth no longer sporting the braces he had in highschool.

“Believe it mija. Though I should be saying the same thing about you, huh?”

His reminder of your career and status made you mockingly put a hand over your face, cringing slightly as you laughed along with him.

“I saw you on tv only a few months ago, in that weird sparkly get up.”

Taking a moment to rack your brain, you guessed he was talking about one of the recent shows you did in florida, a part of a small tour to promote an album that was just released at the time.

Realising which outfit he was talking about, you feigned offense, jokingly putting a hand over your heart and opening your mouth in shock.

“That was an archived Mugler they pulled out just for that show, it was a privilege to wear.”

Not seeming to take you seriously whatsoever, he crossed his arms and leaned against the back end of the bar, looking across from you and shaking his head.

“More like C-3PO.” he laughed out, unable to hold the laugh you let out in response, remarking at the familiarity of looking like a gold robot, even if it was Mugler.

“Not funny.” you tried to scold through your laughter, tucking a piece of your hair behind your ear as you picked your wallet back up, unzipping it and pulling out your card.

“Oh, that’s right, im workin’.”

Sharing another laugh together, he stepped towards the register, holding his index finger up to begin punching in whatever it was that you wanted.

“What can i get you.” he paused, turning his head towards the back before looking back at you and leaning in. “Between you a me, if i could get a pic with you for ma, it’s on the house.”

Rolling your eyes, you held out your card to him.

“Just a cola is fine, and i’ll take the picture for Camille, but im still paying for it.”

Making a small victorious pumping motion in the air, he stepped to the side to pull out a class, using one of the pumps to start filling it before placing it in front of you, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his phone.

Watching him walk around the bar and flip up the counter top, part of you did feel slightly embarrassed, but you knew it was for his mama, so you didn’t have the heart to say no.

Without hesitation, he wrapped an arm around your shoulder, holding up his phone to take a selfie, the pair of you smiling brightly as it clicked a picture and added it to his gallery.

Pulling his arm away, which part of you almost felt sad about, he opened the photo and looked at it, grinning.

“Hell yeah, she’s gonna love it.” putting his phone back into his pocket, he crossed his arms once more and leaned against the customer side of the bar, obviously intent on still chatting with you as you took a sip of your drink.

“I remember how excited ma was when she heard your name on the radio, came straight home and asked if i remembered you.”

The image definitely warmed your heart a bit; you hadn’t actually realised just how many people here were excited for your rise to fame, always assuming you’d been pretty promptly forgotten only a few days after you left.

“She claims she always knew you were gonna be famous, said she knew from the first time you sang the national anthem before one of the rodeo’s in ninth grade.”

Shaking your head, you laughed along with him, unable to stop yourself from feeling a little sheepish, he’d most definitely had what your personal trainer referred to as a ‘glow up’, what with his softly toned arms and absolutely gorgeous shoulder length hair pulled into a loose low bun.

“Yeah well, never would have guessed you’d grow out of your braces.” your joke only seemed to make him smile proudly, pointing at his now perfectly straight teeth with a massive grin.

“You like em, huh?”

It was slightly adorable how proud he was of of his new smile, his pointed hand moving to scratch his stubbled jaw line, before promptly moving to tug on his ear softly as he turned his head to look across the restaurant.

Making eye contact with you once more, he seemed to only smile across from you in silence for a moment before speaking once more.

“Well, if you ever come in for a drink again, make sure you stop by and say hi okay? I’d hate to miss you before you skip town again.”

It was a joke of course, but part of it stung, of all the other people from highschool you’d seen so far, niki was probably one of the closer friends you’d had, considering he was your science partner for the better part of two years in school.

You could distinctly remember the time he’d cursed up a storm in spanish when he’d burnt his hand on the bunsen burner he’d been clumsily setting up, the loudest youd ever heard his voice ring out before.

In your haste, you’d hardly even said goodbye, much less even told him you were leaving, you could only imagine him finding out from his mother or father, wondering to yourself if he’d ever looked for you, unsure why he hadn’t seen you around for days.

Your brows furrowed upwards slightly, just about to open your mouth before a voice rang out from behind Niki, the source hidden until he turned.

“Y’know if you keep flirtin’ with the bar staff, no one’s gonna get served.”

As Niki turned to reveal Rhett standing with his upper arms leaned against the bar, his head directly forward and not looking at you, you couldn’t hide the sour expression that came to your face.

Just as always, maturity seemed to escape him, Rhett still seemed intent on ruining anything that made you happy, for no particular reason at all.

Turning back to face you, Niki only made a mockingly terrified face, his mouth falling open in a silent cry of terror before he grinned at you, lightly brushing your upper arm with his hand and stepping off of his spot at the bar, walking back around to get behind the counter.

“Another beer?” he asked Rhett, who only nodded his head and held up his empty bottle, a douchey way to do it in your opinion, but maybe he could make anything seem douchey.

Nodding back, Niki disappeared behind a corner, off to find the brand from one of the many mini fridges lining the inside of the bar.

Unable to hold back the small scoff that left your mouth, you held your cola in one hand, your purse in the other, and made your way to walk past him and back to the table the rest of the family was at.

“You just can’t help yourself, can you?”

His comment was enough to make you whip around, your eyes wide and brows turned downwards.

Finally he turned to look at you, leaning his elbows on the bar top and tilting his head as he stared across at you, an eyebrow quirked in what felt like an extremely judgemental look.

Unsure exactly what he was referring to, but having enough of an idea, you placed a hand on your now jutted out hip, narrowing your eyes at him.

“You wanna tell me what you mean there?”

Your voice was sharp, experience from shutting down invasive interviewers on live TV having gifted you with more than enough candor and confidence to match his hostility.

Raising his arms mockingly, Rhett’s voice heightened, seemingly trying to imitate you.

“Ooh, do you wanna take a photo with me? Did you buy my newest album?”

As he continued, his voice grew out of the mocking impression of you and back into his own voice.

“You really can’t stand not being the center of attention for five minutes?”

His words stung, his lack of understanding doing nothing except infuriating you.

In highschool, the things he was saying might have made you cry, but now, it only made you want to point a finger in his face and insult him right back.

If what had been happening recently, all of the shit that brought you back to this dustbowl in the first place was anything to go by, maybe if he was smarter he could have guessed that you want to be anything BUT the center of attention.

Any good mood you might have had tonight had been thoroughly spoiled by an ultimately unnecessary comment on Rhett’s end, the anger bubbling up in your stomach currently keeping you almost completely silent as you took a deep breath before saying something that might get you in trouble.

“First of all, Rhett. He asked for the picture, it was for his mother.”

As he opened his mouth to say some other undoubtably snarky number, you raised your finger, pointing across at him before he could say anything.

“Second of all, I seriously don’t know where you get off coming at me like this, I dont know what the hell i’ve done to make you despise me, but I haven’t come back here to make nice with you.”

Watching you speak, Rhett’s attitude only seemed to grow worse by the look on his face, your response seeming to egg him on if anything, another scoff leaving his lips as he took a few steps towards you, only stopping when he was so close you could almost smell the minty gum he was currently holding between his teeth.

Narrowing his eyes at you, his head leaning down to keep his voice low, he finally responded.

“You seriously think waltzing around with your father on your arm is gonna make anybody think you are anything except the shallow diva you’ve always been?”

Even if you’d opened your mouth to speak, nothing could come out, you were just standing there waiting for something smart to conjure up into your head.

Yet when Rhett only scoffed once more before stepping past you and heading back around the corner towards where everybody was sitting, you could only stay stood there, staring at the deep red carpet that had no doubt seen some better days.

You wanted to go sit back down without a word, to smile and pretend like you weren’t upset, because that would have been the stronger thing to do, the better way to stick it to who had seemingly become a bully, yet you couldn’t.

Stringing your purse over your shoulder, you walked over to the hostess stand, the smiling young woman waiting to bid you a goodbye, all ready seeming to gear herself up to ask if you enjoyed everything.

Trying your hardest to muster a smile back, you pulled your card from your wallet, handing it to the young hostess as politely as you could.

“Put everything that table sixteen ordered on here.”

It was the least you can do for the rude exit, a nice offset when the rest of the Abbott family found out you’d left without saying goodbye.

“Just apologise and tell them i wasn’t feeling good.”

The hostess nodded, pulling up your bill on her little tablet, implementing the card details as she made a comment about how nice it was of you to pay for the whole dinner, comments that only seemed to go through one of your ear’s and out the other.

Just as you were about to turn and exit, your sudden realisation at the lack of transport had you leaning back towards the hostess, your voice low.

“Could you call me a taxi please.”

-

It was pretty obvious that you going to absolutely cop it from your father when he realised you’d left in a taxi without him, so to hopefully soften to blow, you’d waited until you were pulled out of the restaurants car park to reach for your phone and send him a quick text message.

‘Went home to rest, love you.’

You’d hoped that would be enough to offset the unexpected exit, that on top of paying for everything. It wasn’t like you didn’t have the money anyway.

One of your only hopes was that the Abbott’s didn’t take it as an insult, your own anxiety no doubt would find some way to convince yourself it was somehow rude.

But you feared that if you’d sat back down at that table, you wouldn’t have been able to hide your absolutely disdain for Rhett.

Sending your father the text had reminded you of your promise to update Amanda; Honestly, she felt like exactly who you needed to talk to more than anything right now.

It hadn’t taken long to arrive back at your house, only about twenty minute drive, thank god.

Paying the driver, you stepped out and headed back inside, pulling your cardigan closer to your body as the temperature seemed to want to make a show of dropping unexpectedly.

Your bedroom had never seemed more inviting, your vanity still as messy as it was when you left the house in a haste, a habit that you never seemed to let go of even after years.

-

“So wait, you’re telling me you were absolutely killing it with this hot bar tender and then he not only comes in and breaks it up, but then insults you?”

Turning to make a face at the camera, you watched Amanda’s face curl into a cringe; she was laying in bed holding her phone up as she talked to you while you were in the process of taking off the makeup she’d so meticulously helped you with.

“Uh huh.”

Your response only made her let out a sound of dislike, waving her hand up to express it even further.

“He’s lucky I wasn’t there, honestly. I’d have had him by his ear makin’ him apologise.”

It was a correct assumption that talking to Amanda was going to make you feel better, the image of her holding Rhett by his ear bringing a smirk to your face, as petty as it might have been.

Continuing as you rubbed the makeup wipe along your eye softly, trying your hardest to get the last remnants of the black inky mascara off, you let your thoughts go out loud.

“I just don’t even understand what I did to him? I don’t get why he’s going out of his way to be such a asshole.”

You finished with a deep seated sigh, running your hands along your now freshly cleaned face and standing to start the process of changing out of the dress, bringing your phone with you.

“You should fuck the hot bartender.”

Unable to hold back the burst of laughter from Amanda’s version of problem solving, you placed the phone on your bedside table and began to rummage through the suitcases to find something to wear to bed.

“Niki.” you clarified.

“Yes exactly, you should fuck Niki.”

Holding a hand up, you shook your head, pulling out a pair of printed pajama’s that you were certain would do the job.

“I can’t do that, I haven’t even been here for a week.”

“Who gives a fuck? Listen, when he was talking to you, was he making eye contact? Was he touching you? I need to know these things to make a correct assumption.”

Stepping away from view of the camera, you started the process of unzipping and hanging up the dress in your closet, you tried to recall the way Niki had spoken to you previously, buttoning up the top half of the pajama’s when you finally stepped back into view.

“Well, he stepped around the bar to keep talking to me, and when he left he touched my arm like-”

You imitated the motion just as Niki had done to you before, Amanda’s mouth falling open as you picked up your phone and sat down in bed, pulling the blanket over your legs.

“Oh, girl. He’s DTF. Send me a photo, right now.”

Rolling your eyes, you minimised the face time, pulling up facebook and hoping and praying that you could find a photo of Niki somewhere.

Roughly a minute into your search, you stumbled upon what looked like a recent photo on the restaurants facebook page oddly enough, it was him smiling with his dad, holding up a sign to celebrate ten years.

God he looked good in the photo too.

His hair was pulled into a loose low bun just as it always was, his smile shining as he had an arm around his father, the two of them proudly holding up the sign.

Saying nothing as you took a screenshot and sent it to Amanda, you waited without saying a word for her to receive and look at the photo.

Immediately, you knew she’d seen it, as you heard a comical exaggerated moan come from her end, watching as she seemed to sit up in her bed to look at the photo.

“Are you kidding me? This how they make em’ down in Wyoming?”

“Well, I mean, His ma’s from Mexico, but yeah.”

Nodding her head satisfied, she let out a small “Mhm.” of approval, laying herself back down in her bed and taking off her glasses.

“You have my approval and my blessing.”

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 : @foreverchangingmind . @tsukikyo . @marsupialnoises . @iknowrocknroll . @astromilku .

[jjwolves]

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • · Punishment for the Moon · • —– ٠

A *biiiig* thank you to @namosaga for commissioning this piece! I hope it lives up to expectations, honk honk.

What: 6 ENA the Worker X Werecat Reader Headcanons

Who: ENA the Worker from ENA Dream BBQ (by Joel G)

How Much: ~1500 Words, ~5 Mins

Credits: Image Banner -> Joel G, Divider -> @saradika-graphics

Warnings: None

ENA took a liking to you almost immediately. Many entities in her world were fluid in shape, but few held a similar motif of duality within their being as concentrated as she did. In her eyes, you were just like her. And on top of that, you wanted to… be with her! She didn’t know how to quantify nor explain how enlightening such a bond was to her, so she simply expressed it in the only way she knew how. “I think that our shared assets have a similar trend, and they multiply in value every single day, so… It’d be the financially wise decision for you to see me every day, right?” Salesperson donned a gentle smile and tilted her cap over her eyes, gently dancing in place from side to side. You agreed, of course; ENA was something just as special to you. She knew what she was like, and in knowing herself understood you deeply without needing to say a word. Never a fright nor judgemental stare was elicited by your admittedly fearsome form. Meanie put it best. “Why should I be scared of a furry mountain like you?! You’re nothing but fuzz-origami!” Her words were harsh, but she stood on her tippy-toes so that her clawed hand could gently scritch your ears. Something in the back of your mind told you understood what she was saying. It was probably true. Something else told you that she wasn’t insulting you. That one was unsure; her tone made it hard to tell.

ENA picks up on a lot of similarities between you two, and tries to “capitalize on the trend,” as she so corporate-speaks it. Practically speaking, it’s like a bonding exercise where she tries to copy your metamorphoses. When you shift into your werecat form, bulking up and going wild, pointed ears flicking out, she tries to mimic your transformation and unleash Meanie, striking a pose and brandishing her clawed hand, cackling madly. “Now we’re getting incendiary! GUNS BLAZING!” When people look at you two in alarm, you frantically try to wave your paws to assure them that you are not going to go on a rampage, despite ENA’s enthusiasm. When you shift back to your humanoid form, ENA pockets Meanie and slips into Salesperson, cunning grin spread across her face and conspiracies already noted down in her daytime planner. “What an effective weight loss technique! I suppose finesse is the name of the game today?”

Your cubist girlfriend has, quite sadly, never had a real friend who simply enjoyed her company, let alone loved her. Most of her relationships were one of proximity to speaking coffee machines and “hey, I have a job for you”. Her greatest trade offer of all was thus: in exchange for your love, she loved you back. Hard. Starting out, though, she has trouble knowing what to do with herself and how to navigate the testy waters of a new relationship with you. While ENA didn’t mean to, she started out treating you a little bit like a tool to help her get to where she needed to be. She’d lead you to an obstacle and clap her hands with practiced enthusiasm, usually something you could demolish which impeded her progress. “Say, partner, how about a deal? Could you become a titan of industry for me and crash the market? Go big or go home? Feline up to it?” ENA’s success made her happy, which made you happy, so you gladly monstered out and destroyed whatever wall or barricade or incredibly rude rainrock golem stood in her way.

Over time, ENA learns to slow down and be more intimate with you. While she usually loves zipping all over the place with productivity spring-loaded into every step, ENA learns that she actually really enjoys taking it easy with you and napping together. She busies herself frequently with missions, but it’s not uncommon at all for her to make a stop at wherever you’re at and insist that you take a rest with her. You’re more than happy to sleep next to the one you love (two amazing things in one activity), but you like to put up some playful resistance to see how she reacts. Meanie always tags in to take the bait. “Listen up, bud. I’m here for my regularly-scheduled mind maintenance! I marked it on your calendar three times already, not to mention my stupid planner!” She rips open her planner and flips the pages angrily in your face. Coupons with your face doodled on them fall out and she frantically recollects them. “Ignore those!” Eventually you drop the act and agree to snuggle. ENA’s crimson side likes to lay next to you and position her arm as a pillow for you—it’s sort of a weird side-hug. Her pale side drapes herself over you, turning you into the pillow. Sometimes ENA likes to snuggle you in your humanoid form because she can hug all of you at once, but other times she not-so-subtly hints that she wants you to be the big cat for a while. She says things like, “Paws ON the merchandise!” (Who can blame her? You’re big and soft.) She doesn’t know the word ‘werecat’ nor ‘therianthrope’, though, so she once prompted you with this bit of gold: “Can you be the mascot for me?” And just like that your pride was shattered. Not that there’s much left to salvage when a simple touch from her is all it takes to earn a rumbling purr from you.

You like to be around her, not just to hang out with her, but to protect her as well. It’s a dangerous world out there, and even if ENA is faced with something that even a lumbering werecat can’t stop, you feel a bit better knowing that it’s at least an option that she can fall back on. ENA appreciates it but is pretty blunt with how she feels about this. “Your application is noted and appreciated, but I have a lot of job experience. You have made a very safe investment. Besides… YOU HAVEN’T EVEN SEEN ME WITH A HANDFAN YET! DO I LOOK WEAK TO YOU?! EVERY MOOK IS A TOUGH CUSTOMER UNTIL THEY’RE… ahem. Until they’re liquidated.” She sings that last part like it’s a corporate jingle. You end up insisting on coming along with her on adventures anyways. It’s not just physical danger you ought to protect her from—there’s emotional danger out there, as well. And ENA’s pride won’t allow her to admit it a lot of the time, but it helps her a great deal to have you near. Once, ENA had to deliver a samurai’s suitcase to a shady casino owner in order to negotiate with him. She was confident in her deal-making technique and social poise. You didn’t want to her to be despirited, but the truth of the matter is that ENA isn’t a perfect salesman; in fact, on some days she’s more like a loon whose speech is decorated with suit-ties and shoe-polish shine. And you love your loon. You need your loon. But you’re not sure that your low-poly sweetheart can handle an actual diplomatic meeting. So, you stand by to… assist. “Let’s identify your cold spots and construct a graph. Every angle confirms my conspiracy theory: This suitcase is a lucrative asset for you to invest in.” The casino boss looks disinterested (or, as disinterested as a hieroglyph of a jellyfish can look). When ENA is too busy gesturing wildly to her captive audience, you shift into your much more intimidating form and lean forward to properly menace. The casino boss sweats a little and ENA turns back to you, huffing from an intense and passionate sales pitch. You’re already back to your human form, waving inconspicuously to her. The jellyfish guy took the deal and ENA stood triumphant, jumping up and kissing you and buzzing with victory. “What happened tonight will revolutionize the lottery sector! Oh thank you, thank you!” Did she know what you did? She never said anything if so.

There are times when your instincts kick in and you take off after a particularly annoying character. You can’t help it, and ENA knows that. Now, ENA herself is not a very violent person (at least not anymore), but she definitely won’t try to reign you in if you’re dealing with a real hardhead. She runs after you when you tear off after the source of irritation but doesn’t lift a finger to help your quarry. “Where the revenue goes, one must follow!” she shouts at you as they run away. Her hat is blown off her head in the chaos. She really doesn’t mind this behavior from you; in fact, she likes it. ENA has a soft spot for your wild strength and finds it attractive, especially when you're standing up for her. (Imagine that, someone big standing up for her!) “You really suited up for battle… All for me,” she says, giving you a kiss. “How about next time, you let me be the auditor?” Later on, when you’re being harassed by a stick figure nobleman, Meanie jumps out of the bushes and screeches through her megaphone at them, an admittedly startling event. They run for the hills. “I am a beast of burden, and my taxes are never fully filed.” She smugly adjusts her cap. You pick up the crown and wear it, your spoils of victory. ENA flashes a crimson smile. "You look like promotion material!"

[sorrowfulrosebud]

𝕲𝖊𝖓𝖗𝖊: angst

𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖙: in which Katsuki sees you get rid of a scrap book you planned to give him after he broke up with you

The breakup was… rough to say the least. You supposed it could have been described as a perfect mirror image to your relationship to begin with; the crushing pain of Katsuki being Katsuki.

Katsuki cracked his knuckles loudly from outside of the Heights Alliance building as he waited in the cold for you. Everyone was out doing something with the group, and Katsuki could not have been more quietly grateful. Even though he was going to rip your beating heart straight out of your body, he wanted you to maintain the dignity and pride that he had originally fallen in love with.

It wasn’t like Katsuki had woke up that morning and decided that he was going to break up with you; months of inner self-depreciation crept into his thoughts day by day, alongside the crippling realisation of his ex-victim’s strength and progress. The weight of his existence was slowly crashing around him, and he needed all of his attention for his strength.

Unfortunately, that meant cutting away dead weight.

Your happy humming could be heard as you wandered your way to your boyfriend. Your face lightened at the sight of him, before your smile drops at his scowl.

“Hi, Suki! Is everything alright?” You asked him worriedly, head tilted to the side. Katsuki’s scowl deepened, causing you to reach out to him.

“Suki please, you’re starting to worry me,” your voice rang through his ears as his hand locked around your wrist before it could reach his fluffy locks. There was a long pause as you retracted your hand, staring wildly at your boyfriend’s face.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” he sneered. If he was going to break your heart, he had to rip it out and shove it in the blender. Your eyebrows furrowed as you took your hand back.

“Katsuki, I-,” you were interrupted by Katsuki.

“Don’t fucking call me that either,” he grunted, shoving his hand in his pocket. Tears threatened to prick at your eyes.

“I’m breaking this thing up. It’s not worth my time at all. I’m training to be the number one hero, so I have no time to waste on other useless shit,” his gaze steeled, no ounce of insincerity to be detected. His words cut deep like a sword, your knees feeling weak as tears cling to your lashes.

“Y-you don’t mean that,” you sniffed. Katsuki let out a gruff laugh.

“Don’t I? Look, I guess it was fun when it started, but my priorities haven’t changed. You were just a distraction, something I could put my mind to. I’m not wasting any more time on you, so just leave me alone. I don’t care what you do, or who you get with. Just don’t fucking talk to me anymore, got it?”

His strength was impressive, you thought. How he could say such horrible things to you without buckling or feeling barbed wire dig into his throat. You could only stare at him with tears in your eyes, before shakily nodding. You turned at your heels and unsteadily walked off, before delving into a run back to the dorms.

Katsuki waited until you left. And he waited. And he waited. Until your sobs could no longer be heard. His body shook, before hushed hiccups and cries left his lips. His exhausted body slumped against the wall, shaky hands knuckling at his wet eyes. Well, his dirty deed was done.

Life afterwards was rough for you. After being together for 10 months, your daily routine stung in ways you didn’t know was possible. You found yourself stopping during tasks you had grown unconscious to; you had to stop texting him during the day. Even just the silly thoughts in your head couldn’t be translated in a text to him.

You could only make protein shakes for one now. Laundry loads grew lighter, snack trips became quicker and physical touch with others withdrew exponentially. For the next month, you rotted in your dorm. You ate when Mina would bring you food, her hugging you tightly and angrily grumbling about how much of a dick her friend was.

You managed to stumble to class when you didn’t oversleep the day away. Insomnia plagued you like the Black Death, tossing and turning as you tearfully mourned the relationship you lost. You arrived to class way later than your ex would, avoiding all eye contact even though you were deskmates. (You soon requested a seat change).

Aizawa had had enough when you stumbled late to his lesson for the 5th time, demanding you stay back after class. You gulped and felt your cheeks heat up, embarrassed that your teacher called you out.

The bell for the end of class sounded, bringing you out of your daze.

“(L/N), stay behind please,” came the tired drone of Mr Aizawa. Mina offered you a smile and a rub on the back as she walked off with Kirishima, throwing you a sympathetic look when she left.

Mr Aizawa cleared his throat as he signalled for you to take a seat in front of his desk. He continued marking some papers as his onyx eyes slightly looked at you.

“Your grades are slipping. You’re arriving late to class. You’re avoiding… certain classmates. If you’re struggling, I’d recommend telling me now and continuing the course. If not, pack your bags and take your grievances elsewhere. We’re training heroes, so you need to be exemplary,” he said bluntly, eyes flickering back to his paper.

You sniffled a little, rubbing your eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mr Aizawa. I’ll be better,” you promised dully, wiping your eyes on a tissue. His eyes looked back at you.

“I’m not an idiot. I can tell that you and Bakugou have come to some sort of disagreement. If it can get sorted, I would recommend making up as soon as possible-,” he starts.

“We broke up. He… he dumped me. He said such… horrible things to me. About me,” you whimpered, face screwed up as you clutched your uniform. Aizawa stopped writing before putting down his pen.

“I-I know I’m not exactly as composed as Todoroki, or as fast as Iida or as smart as Yaomomo, but I thought there was something about me that he liked. It just hurts how quickly he discarded me. I’m sorry for disturbing your lessons Mr Aizawa, it won’t happen again,” you quietly cried as you sunk your head in shame.

Only to lift your teary head as Mr Aizawa’s large hand encompassed your scalp. He looked at you with slight concern as you wiped your eyes.

“While it’s true that some of your classmates have advantages that you do not, a real hero doesn’t sell themselves short. Where Todoroki is composed, you’re bubbly and outgoing. Although Iida is fast, he often lacks the ability to let loose and enjoy the small things. And yes, Yaoyorozu is a prodigy student due to private schooling, but you put in the hard work and reap the rewards” his words soothed you as he softly rubbed your head.

“A real hero wouldn’t let someone who had to be chained up at the sports festival make them cry. So don’t sell yourself short. That boy has been in far too many detentions to have the nerve to point out your shortcomings,” he finished, removing his hand and gently pressing his fist into your shoulder.

“Understand me? I’ll let this incident pass if you can prove to me that you can put in the rest of the work and be a hero that everyone can put their faith in.”

The tears returned, but for a completely different reason. You quickly hugged Aizawa, his face immediately shifting into one of discomfort before gingerly patting your back. He let out his signature sly grin.

“Besides, if he tries anything, I can always say to Gang Orca that he needs more classes at the provisional licensing centre.”

You smiled at your home room teacher.

“Thank you Mr Aizawa,” you said, releasing him. He let out a small cough.

“Thank me with your actions. Tell anyone I let you hug me and it’s detention for the next month, understand?” He grilled you.

“I understand sir,” you giggled.

“Now go find Ashido, I can smell her anticipation from here,” he instructed.

“Yes sir.”

After Mr Aizawa’s curt but helpful words, you aimed on self improvement. You focused on bettering a routine, sleeping more and eating healthier. Days you would have spent rotting in bed were forced into activities with your classmates.

The breakup still stung like a knife, but it was easier to manage and slowly dwindled down to a papercut. You hadn’t talked to your ex in 2 months, only sly glances when he wasn’t looking.

Unbeknownst to you, Katsuki was absolutely miserable. Seeing you rot and struggle to cope absolutely murdered him inside knowing that he was the person who ripped your heart out, and that he couldn’t stitch it back together. He managed to keep his own composure, training even harder to avoid seeing you or bumping into you.

He nearly passed out from training, he was overworking so hard. It was his own fault, he knew that. He just couldn’t work past his issues with you there; you didn’t deserve to be at the end of his shitty stick.

The pride he felt when you started cleaning yourself up and interacting more with your classmates made his chest swell. You looked so much more beautiful and radiant; the person he fell in love with.

And dumped.

“Stupid fucking Sparky, gettin’ sick and makin’ me do his chores,” Katsuki grumbled, arms overflowing with bin bags as he stumbled to the large bins. It had been 2 months since your breakup. Or, even worse; your 1 year anniversary.

His heart was absolutely wrecked, but he could now slide quick glances to you without fear of you looking at him. He was so proud that you were able to overcome his asshole behaviour, and hopefully swallow any more feelings that you had about him. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sniffling.

He peeked his head around the corner, dropping the bin bags as quietly as he could. His eyes widened. You were stood near the incinerator, a thick book wedged in your hands.

Tears slowly trickled down your face as you looked at the book. A small smile appeared as you thumbed the cover.

“I… I thought we would have made it. I don’t know, I thought it was all going so well. I know I’ll never probably understand what was going through your head that day, but… it’s time to let go of the past,” you say quietly, rubbing your teary eyes as you open the incinerator door.

“I loved you, god fucking damnit! More than I think I could have ever loved anyone! I suppose a small part of me always will now, though. I just thought we had a better chance. Happy one year anniversary, Katsuki,” you finish as you let out a sob, throwing the book into the furnace. You ran off before checking that the book was fully inside the furnace, slamming the door and running back inside.

Katsuki waited until your steps made no noise, before running forward and pulling the book from the furnace. It was a scrapbook; the book was ridiculously chunky, with glitter glue and doodles smothering the outside, as well as stickers from your combined favourite TV shows. The furnace had charred a large chunk of the book, the smell permeating his nose.

Then he saw your names scrawled neatly in cursive. His heart started to thud as he thumbed the pages.

Polaroid photos of you on dates were plastered neatly on the pages; some photos he remembered, others he had no recollection of. Movie ticket stubs, post it notes with cute messages detailing your affections, stickers you gifted each other, silly photos from photo booths that you dragged him into.

Each page was a flash of white-hot pain. There were photos of him during a festival winning you a fish from a difficult carnival game, his eyes smoked beautifully with eyeliner as he grinned (and won the fish). He wonders if you still had it.

Another photo of his birthday party. The two of you had snuck off to your favourite spot in the woods, where he found that you had created your own picnic spot with a spread of his favourite foods. Photos of shy hand-holding, of him resting in your lap and vice versa.

Katsuki was struggling to see the paper for the tears he tried so desperately to blink away before reaching the last page. A whole page was filled with your writing, and Katsuki had to knuckle his eyes to read it.

Dearest Katsuki,

Wow, a year already! I’m so happy that we’ve come so far, my love. I’m so indebted to you for everything that you’ve done for me; helped me with training, putting up with me, hell even just being there for me.

I know I’m not exactly the easiest to get along with, I know I’m easily excitable and not exactly quiet. I love and appreciate that you can listen to me and not get bored, just as I do with you.

Training to be a hero is hard work, so I’m so thankful that you’ve chosen to take your journey with me, even though you’re training so hard to become number one.

I love you more than words can ever describe; you’re the reason I wake up everyday. I adore you, and I hope we can have many more years together kicking ass and beating Deku >o<

Lots and lots and lots of love,

Your (N/N)

Katsuki couldn’t stop the tears that trickled down his face. Reading your words of quiet insecurity, thanking him for things that he threw right back into your face like you were nothing made his heart ache so badly.

He clutched the scrapbook to his chest tightly, sending silent but desperate apologies to you as his head sunk to the floor. Guttural cries escaped him as his choices swirled through his head. The scrapbook’s cover buckled due to the force of his grip as he sobbed his heart out.

Months of self deprecation caught up to him as he craved your touch; he wanted you to hear him, to turn around and hold him tightly to your chest and never ever let go ever again. He needed your sweet affirmations as you played with his hair; “my number one hero,” you would croon as you hugged your tired boyfriend.

His stupid pride got in his way once again, and he finally came to the one conclusion he should have met those 2 fateful months ago.

He couldn’t do this without you.

The trip back to Heights Alliance was a painful one, but Mina hugged away your issues as soon as she saw your misty orbs.

“I’m so proud of you for doing this bestie. You deserve so much better. It’s time to let go of the past,” she told you softly, pink hair tickling your face. You smiled at your best friend.

“Thank you for everything Mina, I really mean it,” you sniffle, wiping your nose and taking a deep breath. You let go of your friend as you smiled at her.

“I think I’m gonna go for a nap, training was super rough today,” you told her, squeezing her hand as she squeezes back.

“Okay, let me know if you need anything. Sleep well, and I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready,” Mina promised, giving you one last hug.

You gave her a wan smile as you walked to your dorm room, throwing a pained look at your exes room. You shook your head as you unlocked the door and got changed into some comfy clothes. Tired bones sunk onto your bed as you let out a sigh.

“It’s time to let go of the past,” you murmur as you fell asleep. As soon as you were about to beat Shigaraki to a pulp, a loud knocking on your door pulled you from your dream.

The knocking was quiet at first, then grew louder, more desperate. You thought it was Mina, and that you had skipped dinner.

You let out a tired laugh, getting out of bed and redoing your hair.

“Okay, okay Mina, I’m coming-“ your voice was cut short as you opened the door, seeing a disgruntled ex staring at the floor.

Clutched tightly in his hand was the scrapbook, as you looked on in shock. How did he get it?! He wasn’t there when you- oh fuck.

Katsuki raised his head, volcanic eyes plagued with tears as he wildly searched your face. He gingerly reached for your hand before sinking to his knees, placing your hand on his face.

“P-please take me back. I know I was a dick, but I’m willing to show you all of my vulnerabilities. Please baby,” he raised his head again.

“I can’t live without you.”