#Vexic :D

[negative-speedforce]

kinda proud of this Jessie edit I'm working on so thought I'd share it <3333

Ooh she's hot...

[angst-is-love-angst-is-life]

if you had to choose only ONE way to whump Barry what would it be? :)

WHY WHO WOULD POSSIBLY CURSE ME LIKE THIS?! ONLY ONE?!?! Sigh. I won't cheat and say 'torture' as a blanket term so.

Gotta go with some sort of captivity. Speedsters in general don't like to be stuck in one place, and even without some form of physical torture :( , it's a good psychological whump strategy. It proves extremely effective for him specifically because while he's trapped, he'll be constantly worrying about his loved ones and Central City in general because in this situation, he doesn't know anything happening outside of wherever he's being kept :)

[zeroducks-2]

ooooh I love that dark ask game! how about prompts 8 or 11 or 21 + C or Q or W with Eobarry or Sladick? :)

Thank you for the prompt vexic! I’m going to go with Eobarry because there’s a lot of Sladick in my inbox :3

8. Intimate Torturer + W. “Don’t bite” - Eobard Thawne/Barry Allen

(TW: NSFW, blood and head injury, Eobard being his own content warning)

There’s something fascinating about watching his own blood dripping from the side of his face, the steady drip of it creating a quickly drying puddle on the floor below. Barry doesn’t entirely see it, vision going in and out and sort of tunneling, his focus not really there when a palm cups his jaw and makes him look up. 

His head lolls into the grip. He’s vaguely aware of more blood pearling on the wound on his head and then going down along his temple, touching the other man’s wrist and ending up falling after a semicircle on his forearm. 

«Look at you.» A familiar voice says, but Barry has been hit on the head way too strongly to make any sense of who it belongs to. «You poor thing… it really doesn’t take all that much to put you out of commission, Flash.» Something dabs at his head and Barry flinches, pain spreading from the open wound. He tries to retreat but doesn’t get to go anywhere, the hold on his jaw sufficient to keep him right there. 

He still finds himself held against another body, kept still while pressure is applied to the side of his head. It doesn’t take long for him to stop fighting it, he lost a lot of blood and everything is so fuzzy already. He’s leaning his weight forward soon enough, eyes closing by themselves now that he doesn’t need to fight to keep his balance while kneeling down, and he’s pretty sure he heard a quiet “tsk” but pays it no mind. 

Arms surround him more tightly, hands reach his bound wrists behind his back, and then there’s a click like a lock opening. Something heavy is lifted from his forearms and just like that Barry feels like he can breathe again, electricity suddenly coursing through him and filling him up and it’s so soothing he groans quietly, the pain of his injuries immediately starting to grow dull. 

And then he’s hit with the fact that he needs to get away. He needs to get away right now, before-

The shackles click back in place and cut the connection with his powers again, his attempt to struggle through it prevented by how securely Thawne is holding him against his chest. It was just a minute but Barry finds himself lucid, the wound on his head regenerated enough to have stopped bleeding albeit it’s still raw, his body throbbing and shaking in the renewed, painful distance with his lightning. 

He’s still breathing hard when Thawne stands on his feet, a hand fisted into his hair to keep him looking up. «Couldn’t let you bleed out.» He says in a casual tone, taking back the folded napkin to wipe blood from Barry’s cheek. He tries to jerk his head away with a grunt but he’s held fast. «Now, now… » Napkin discarded, steel strong fingers dig into his jaw to pry it open and then three of them fit past his lips. «See that you don’t bite. If you do, I'm just going to bash your head open again.» 

Barry feels his eyes growing hot but closes them shut and forces himself to keep it together. It’s been a day of this already, maybe something more. He’s tired. He can tell the other is getting worked up by how he’s forcing him to swallow around his fingers, and just makes an effort to tune himself out.

Here's the ask game! Feel free to prompt me again or reblog it yourself :)

[vexic929]

The D Team: Agent G-37 (he/him)

Full name: Dan Guo (郭丹)

Alias: Agent G-37, Danny

Gender: Cisgender man (he/him)

Orientation: Polyamorous Bisexual

Age: 32

Nationality: Chinese-American

Religion: Agnostic

Western Zodiac: Aquarius

Eastern Zodiac: Goat

Element: Metal

Birth Stone: Amethyst

Blood-type: B+

Personality Type: INTJ

Disabilities: ADHD, PTSD

Eye color: Brown

Natural Hair Color: Black

Natural Hair Type: 1C

Skin Color: Tan, golden undertones

Height: 5 feet, 10 inches (155 cm)

Weight: 175lbs (79 kg)

Appearance: Tall with lithe muscles and chiseled features, Dan keeps his hair short and tidy though the rest of him is a fashion disaster

Personality: Loyal, adventurous, unpredictable, and resilient

Moral Alignment: Neutral Good

Backstory: Dan is the guy who’s got a guy for just about everything, if you can find him you’re set, but after faking his death to run off and live with his minotaur boyfriend he’s not the easiest man to find

Faceclaim: Manny Jacinto

[negative-speedforce]

working on a couple edits of a young Eoland because I love a high fashion queen and thought I'd share her <3333

Slay, Queen! (I take it this is before she got all corrupted?)

[negative-speedforce]

dark prompts! 2, 5, 7, 11, 16 and D, M, N, Q, R :)

Prompts 16 and R: Memory Loss & "I thought you already knew."

With: My OCs Liah and Marie

"How did we meet?" Marie asked.

"You don't remember?" Liah sat down, concern written on her face.

Marie shook her head. "When I was assimilated, the Collective optimized my memories, in a way of speaking. Clearing unimportant data, and such. I thought you already knew."

"Oh." Liah frowned. "It was my first day at the academy. You were trying to pass as Vulcan at that point, and wow, you were insufferable. Just so you know, you'd make a really terrible Vulcan."

"I'm aware." Marie nodded. "Continue."

"Anyway, I introduced myself, you told me your name was T'Marie, and I immediately called bullshit on that- sorry for saying shit."

Marie laughed. "You're an adult, you can swear. It's fine. Keep going."

"Anyway, you kept up the whole 'Vulcan' ruse, but I just wasn't buying it. Maybe it was how you were struggling to fly into a violent rage at the other cadets, maybe it was the way the corner of your mouth perked up and you snorted when Cadet Swan stepped in dog poop." Liah continued. "By the end of the day, I confronted you, and since you barely knew me and I tend to scare the living daylights out of people when they don't know me, you immediately spilled the beans."

"I told you everything outright?"

"Well, not everything, but you said that you were half-Romulan and that you didn't want people to be mean to you for that." Liah said. "I mean, I didn't know anything else about you for a while, other than the fact that you like listening to really loud Klingon acid metal and Ferengi death rock, and you had a tendency to dye a blue streak into your hair."

"Sounds about right." Marie said. "How did we become friends?"

"I don't remember, honestly. I think it just happened gradually, but that time we got stuck in the turbolift together for three hours definitely helped." Liah shrugged her shoulders. "Do you really not remember any of this?"

"Honestly? Not really." Marie replied. "It seems familiar, but I don't remember it. I doubt I ever will, either. Those memories were deemed redundant and deleted permanently."

"Oh." Liah frowned.

"Thanks for telling me though, anyway. Sorry I don't remember." Marie squeezed her girlfriend's shoulder as she moved to leave the room. "I appreciate it."

Liah managed a small smile. "No problem. If there's anything else you don't remember, just ask me, okay? Unless it's about that Ferengi who tried to turn me into his naked slave wife. That was embarrassing."

[negative-speedforce]

depressing dialogue prompts #s 3, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 16, 22, & 29 :)

Prompt 22: "I always die in my dreams. Every time."

With: My OCs Siv and Ember

"You woke up screaming again." Ember frowned, sitting next to Siv. "Are you okay? I know you've been sleeping in the back room since you lost your place, and I don't mind. I'm just worried about you."

Siv sighed, curling their legs closer to their chest. "It happens a lot. I'll be out of your hair as soon as I find a new place, don't worry."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Ember scooted closer. "Is it okay if I touch you?"

Siv nodded. "I guess so."

Ember wrapped their arm around Siv's shoulder. "I'm worried about you, Sivonne. Are you safe right now?"

"For now, yeah." Siv shrugged. "I have nightmares. Night terrors, really, almost every night. It's not a big deal. Everyone gets nightmares."

"Not the kind that wake you up screaming." Ember cocked her head. "You can talk to me, if you want. Or, whatever. You can even tell me to back off, and I won't be offended."

"It's fine." Siv shook their head. "I always die in my dreams. Every time. It's been a pattern for years, ever since I was eighteen, but there's nothing I can do about it. I've tried melatonin, I've tried valerian, I've tried pills, but nothing seems to help. Some nights, it's murder, some nights, I'm ripped from existence, and some nights..." Siv took a deep breath. "Some nights, it's my fault."

"That sounds hard." Ember replied. "You probably haven't been sleeping well, then, have you?"

"No, but I'm used to it." Siv shrugged. "I can run on a lot less sleep than most people."

"If you say so." Ember was still concerned, but chose to let the subject go.

"Yeah, I do." Siv stood. "Now, I'm gonna get back to work. This place isn't going to be keeping rogue teenagers out by itself."

[negative-speedforce]

working on your Marie whump ask so back at you :P how would you whump Ira? <3333

Hmmmm....

So, we'll go with a bit more emotional whump, and have Barbara get particularly injured after a nasty scuffle with Eoland. She'll be fine, especially with her healing factor.

Unfortunately, while her and Ira are out, they get 'Run, Iris, Run'-d, where Ira gets Barbara's powers transferred to him. Immediately, the injuries that Barbara sustained rear up, ones that wouldn't affect a speedster too badly, but could be near-deadly to a normal human.

This leaves Ira frantic, since he probably feels responsible for Barbara being in critical condition, but he has to focus on protecting the city. Maybe he even gets hurt a few times since he's so focused on Barbara, instead of the villain of the week?

Eventually, they find the meta who swapped Barbara's powers, and get her to swap them back to normal. Barbara, who was on the brink of death, immediately perks up, and Ira's immediately hit with relief... and quite a bit of pain from the injuries that his healing factor hadn't taken care of yet.

Idk, what do you think?

[negative-speedforce]

“ i wouldn’t do that if i were you. ”, “ go! get out of here! run! ”, “ don’t get in my way. ”, “ what’s going on in that head of yours? ”, “ you do not turn against your family. ”, “ you’ve never had to fight me. ”, “ it’s over. you lost. ”, and/or “ you can’t protect any of them. ” :)

"You've never had to fight me."

With: @vexic929 's Eoland and my Siv

"Who are you?" Siv narrowed her eyes at the woman sitting on her sofa. "Get out of my house, or you'll regret it."

"I doubt someone like you is capable of that." The woman, who was fairly tall, with striking red eyes and platinum hair, replied. "I detected one of my doppelgangers here. Where are they?'

"There's no one like you here, lady. Have you tried the freak show?" Siv crossed their arms. "Now, get out. I'm not joking."

"I'll stay as long as I like." She replied. "Bring me the Thawne of this world, and I'll go in peace."

Siv groaned. "Shit. Yep. That checks out. What did you say your name was?"

"Eoland. Eoland Thawne."

"Yeah, so..." Siv grit their teeth. "Whatever you used to find this place was faulty. Your doppelganger isn't here. I'm pretty sure he's temporarily dead, again." Siv reached in her back pocket, pulling out a business card. "Here."

"This is a card for a strip club." Eoland glared down at the small yellow card in her hand, like it would give her horrible diseases just by her looking at it.

"Shit, sorry, that's mine, from my old job." Siv again reached in their back pocket. "Here's the right one."

"Sivonne Alessandra Thawne, Dark Streak." Eoland read. "Thief, assassin, and vigilante."

"Yeah. Youre looking for my dad, who I hate and I want dead. So unless you plan on giving me money or free food, get out. I don't appreciate unwanted guests." Siv sneered. "Especially ones like you."

"Who are you to order me around?" Eoland stood up, towering over Siv's short stature. "You insolent child. I've met hundreds like you, young speedsters who are too sure of themselves, and killed them all."

Siv blinked, unimpressed. "Clearly, you've never had to fight me."

"And what's so special about you, Sivonne Alessandra Thawne?"

"Are you saying my full name to intimidate me? Because it's not working." Siv wasn't fazed by Eoland's threats. "I've been through horrors the likes of which you could never understand. You don't scare me, dipshit." Siv checked their nails. "And, to answer your question, I have some tricks up my sleeve. Not to spoil the surprise, if you have the audacity to actually try to take me down."

"Is that a threat?"

"Maybe." Siv shrugged.

"Fine. Maybe you'll learn your lesson not to test me."

Siv took a deep breath, summoning up all their repressed rage. "I hope this works."

Eoland stared at Siv, tapping her foot. "How disappointing. You're just like the others. All bark, no bite. You're pathetic, and weak. I'm surprised my doppelganger didn't kill you years ago."

Siv froze. "What did you say? Did you just say I was 'weak'?"

"Clearly, you lack the power to ever defeat someone like me." Eoland scoffed. "And here I thought that maybe, I'd actually have fun destroying you. Too bad."

"Oh, hell no." Siv bared their teeth, her voice beginning to echo, as if they were multiple people talking all at once. "No one calls me weak. Especially not some little bitch who comes into my house just to insult me to my face."

Eoland watched as Siv levitated off the ground, her body beginning to glow with a too-bright aura, while simultaneously being obscured by shadow. Their hair appeared longer, though it might have just been the effect of it floating above their head as if they were underwater. Like Eoland's own, Siv's fingernails and canines were both longer and sharper, and when they opened their eyes, they were black, with only a thin red slit in the center.

If Eoland had been any other person, she probably would be freaking out right at this moment. Unfortunately for Siv, she was not.

"You're supposed to be scared." Siv looked disappointed. "So you're telling me that I just blew a hole in my ceiling for nothing? Now I have to move. This is awkward."

"On the contrary." Eoland grinned. "You have something to offer, I have something to offer. How would you like help with your... patricide problems?"

"I mean, as long as you don't want me to punt a baby across a field like a football, I'm down." Siv's otherworldly appearance faded. "I can see this as the beginning of a great partnership.

[negative-speedforce]

L'Harann has taken a liking to a plant growing in your OC's garden/window/wherever they can grow plants and is determined to study it - what do they do? :)

I feel like most of them would just be willing to either give her the whole plant, or give her a cutting to propagate herself. I can't really imagine any of them doing anything more interesting- except maybe Director Hawke, since she's already wildly xenophobic and would assume that L'Harann would be using the plant for something evil.

[negative-speedforce]

pinterest dialogue prompts #s 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 11, & 17 :)

Prompt 2: "I do this thing called 'Whatever The Fuck I Want'."

With: My OCs Onnie Thawne and E-2022's Jay

"Sivonne? What happened to you?" Jay looked up at his childhood best friend, who was looking down at him with an air of haughty disdain.

"I changed, Jason. The girl you knew is gone." Onnie ran their finger against the tip of the knife that was in her hand, drawing a single drop of blood before the wound instantaneously closed up. "She was weak, cowardly, a doormat. She didn't know her true worth, what she was capable of. Now? I do this thing called 'Whatever The Fuck I Want'."

"Have you lost your mind?" Jay struggled against the ropes holding him against the chair he was tied to. "You're killing people."

"Please." Onnie scoffed. "They're just humans. They're worthless to people like you and I. We could be gods. We are gods, we just have to reach out and take it."

"Up until a little over a year ago, you were human!" Jay retorted. "These are people, with lives, and families. You can't just take that from them."

"Correction- I never was human. I've always been a monster, just waiting to rear her head and strike. And I think you'll find that no one can tell me what to do." Onnie pressed her blade against Jay's throat, forcing his head back and making him look into their eyes, the grey-blue corrupted with flecks of scarlet. "Including you, Jason. Now tell me the truth. Why were you spying on our operation?"

"I thought you were dead." Jay's voice quivered. "You vanished for six months. We all thought you were gone. We mourned you, held a funeral for you. Now, you're back, and you're-"

"Celerity." They interrupted. "It's an archaic word for 'speed'. I think it suits me quite well."

"That's not what I was going to say."

"What were you going to say?" Onnie raised an eyebrow, pressing her blade even closer against Jay's throat. "Call me a monster? A criminal? I know I'm both. But every villain has their reasons, and I intend to burn this place to the ground, and every fool who's stifled me with it. Do you understand?"

[negative-speedforce]

Star Wars (TV edition) or almost any current Marvel property for the assign me ask game? lol

For Star Wars, you get- Hera Syndulla! She's the space mom of all time. She's a rebel general. She took in a bunch of unruly teens and they all live together in her space minivan-turned-tank. When it comes to ships, I think you'd be a big fan of Kanera, which is Hera Syndulla/Kanan Jarrus, her Jedi boyfriend/husband/something along those lines, it's never quite clarified. They are very wholesome, and the amount of pining between those two is just *chef's kiss*

For Marvel, you get- Yelena Belova! She's an ex-assassin. She breaks into people's houses and makes macaroni and cheese. She tried to kill Hawkeye and only didn't succeed because of the magic of friendship. For ships, I think you'd like PeggyNat, which is Natasha Romanoff/Peggy Carter, from the alternate universe in which Peggy became Captain America and ended up in the 21st century. It's not canon, but there's obviously SOMETHING going on between those two.

[negative-speedforce]

Show: Winx Club or Owl House ?

Character: Janeway or Nora West-Allen ?

Pairing: Barriscowest or Westhallen ?

I love TOH, but Winx has owned a special place in my heart for the vast majority of my life (I started watching it when I was 8, for reference). Several of my first crushes were Winx characters (Stormy, Aisha, Musa), and that show was a huge part of my lesbian awakening.

Again, I love Nora West-Allen so much, she's a more interesting and complex character than a lot of people give her credit for, but... sweaty MILFs with muscles in tank tops. I'm sorry. Kathryn Janeway is EVERYTHING.

WESTHALLEN WESTHALLEN BARK BARK BARK GRRRRRRRR okay I'm normal now. That ship has so much chemistry and fixes literally every issue I've ever had with s1 (Eddie Thawne tell me why you were giving Barry those eyes please inform me why it looked like you wanted to eat him for lunch like Billie Eilish????)

[negative-speedforce]

platonic sentence starters ❛ do you think we’re friends in every universe? ❜ ❛ you’re interesting and different and i like that. ❜ ❛ i like being alone but i’d rather be alone with you. ❜ ❛ you’re important to me, you little shit. ❜ ❛ no offense, but you look terrible. ❜ ❛ alright, who am i beating up? ❜ ❛ because you love me! duh! ❜ :)

"Because you love me! Duh!"

With: My OCs Siv, Hailey, and Jay

"In the wise words of Taylor Swift- welcome to New York." Jay grinned, dropping two suitcases on the apartment floor.

"Thank Cassandra's parents for us, will you?" Hailey hung the key on the peg by the door. "This view is amazing."

"No problem. It's been in their family for years. I tried to convince them to sell it for more- a three-bedroom condo with views of the Brooklyn Bridge has gotta be upwards of ten million these days."

"I mean, with the money I inherited when I got that stupid fucking death certificate rescinded, I probably could have paid them at least double that." Siv opened the floor-to-ceiling blinds, light flooding the front room. "Did you know my dad had over a billion dollars in offshore accounts? I have no idea if he got it legally or not, but honestly, I don't give a shit."

"Honestly? Me neither." Hailey dropped her bags on the sofa. "This place was such a steal."

"So... why Brooklyn?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

"New York doesn't really need more superheroes." Hailey squeezed her fiancee's hand. "That's why we wanted to move here. So we could scale back. Deal with city-destroying crises rather than world-ending ones."

"I want to go to art school." Siv said. "I mean, I need to finish my high school diploma first, but I'm pretty sure the knowledge I picked up just from my dad is enough to take care of that, plus at least the equivalent of a year or two of college."

"Never thought of you being an artist, but okay." Jay shrugged.

"I don't know, I want to try something new." Siv replied. "I'm trying not to live in the past anymore. I want to push myself to be something better than I was. And now that me and the Negative Speed Force are finally getting along, I won't have any more of those embarrassing incidents."

"I wouldn't call accidentally blowing up a building because you're pissed off a minor incident." Jay laughed. Siv elbowed him.

"To be fair, there was an attempted robbery and I was just trying to cash my paycheck, and I didn't blow up the entire building, I just accidentally overloaded an ATM that exploded and caused a chain reaction that made all the other ATMs explode." Siv corrected. "You should have seen that homeless guy outside, when all the money came flying out with the blast."

"Wait- that actually happened?" Hailey snorted. "That's fucking hilarious."

"I swear to god Hailey if you don't shut up now I'm leaving everything to Delilah." Siv clutched their cat close to their chest.

"What? You have to admit, it is funny." Jay replied.

"Remind me why we're friends again?" Siv rolled her eyes.

"Because you love me!" Jay elbowed Siv. "Duh."

Siv handed Delilah to Hailey. "See, I seem to remember finding some random weeb who didn't have any friends and inviting him to sit with me."

"Actually, if I remember correctly, I reached out to the friendless weirdo who everyone was terrified of because they kept getting in so many fights. And winning, of course."

"Smart addition." Siv jumped slightly as a portal opened in the floor, the rest of the suitcases and furniture being spat through to their new apartment. "Thanks, Cassandra, I guess."

"It's pronounced 'kuh-sand-rah'!" Cassandra yelled through the portal before it closed.

"That's... literally what I said." They frowned.

"You said 'cass-ahn-drah'." Jay said. "You know Cass hates that."

"Babe, where's your jacket?" Hailey asked, going through a box.

"I'm wearing it, Hailes." Siv laughed.

Hailey looked up. "I'm tired."

[negative-speedforce]

dialogue prompts #77 for all the characters: 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, & 10

Prompt 10: Whatever you say. you can't live off spite alone, you do actually have to eat something." "Liar."

With: My OC Siv and @vexic929's OC Eoland

"Still working on that plan?" Eoland slinked into the kitchen, where Siv was sketching out a blueprint.

"Who are you to judge? You're the one crashing on my couch because Barbara rejected you for the millionth time." Siv continued to sketch, only hesitating when their stomach made a loud gurgling noise.

"When was the last time you ate?" Eoland asked. Siv snorted.

"As much as you may be my dad's doppelganger, that doesn't mean that you have any authority over me, so please, kindly, fuck off."

"You're no use to anyone if you die of hypoglycemia." Eoland pulled the blueprints away from Siv.

"Give that back! I'm fine!" Eoland rolled up Siv's plans, holding them up above Siv's head. Siv jumped, attempting to reach them, but they were hampered by their limited height.

"Whatever you say." Eoland began digging through Siv's fridge. "You can't live off spite alone, you do actually have to eat something."

Siv snorted. "Liar."

"How about this? I need you for our deal, to take down Barbara Allen. You'll be no use to me or any one else if you're in a daze from low blood sugar." Eoland ignored Siv's attempts to take her blueprints back. "I'm going to make lunch, because your cooking is wholly inedible. Once you eat something, I'll give your plans back. Deal?"

Siv narrowed her eyes at Eoland. "Fine. By any chance, so you know how to make those waffles my dad used to make, or is that just a thing from my earth?"

"Now you're pushing it, Brat."

[negative-speedforce]

yet another song lyric prompts 1, 5, 7, 9, & 10 :)

Prompt 5: 時間なんてものはとても時として残酷ででもその残酷さゆえに今が作られて Time is sometimes a cruel thing but the present is made by that cruelty (Trauma)

With: My OCs Marie and Qiara

"You came back for me. Why?" Marie looked up at Qiara from the chair she was seated in. "You and I both know I'm not worth it."

"What?" Qiara bent down, cupping Marie's face between her hands. "Don't you dare ever talk like that about the woman I love! I came back for you because I care about you, you idiot."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Marie rolled her eyes. "I could have killed you when I was... y'know."

"Possessed by a delusional cyborg with a god complex?" Qiara raised an eyebrow. "No, I had it all under control. Mostly. It would take a whole lot more than that to kill me, trust me."

"But..." Marie took a deep breath. "I'm standoffish, prickly, difficult, terrifying. At least, that's what the crew says. I've been voted 'Worst Bedside Manner in the Fleet' three years in a row. You put your life, and Liah's, on the line just to take me home, even when I told you to stay away."

Qiara laughed, tears leaking from her eyes. "Since when have I ever followed orders? I wasn't going to let them keep you. Not when I had never told you the truth about how I feel. You mean everything to me, Marie, and I'm sorry you've never had anyone to make you feel your true worth."

"You're such an idiot." Marie pushed Qiara's hands away, curling into herself. "I told you to stay away. I didn't want you to get hurt. Or worse, if they would have taken you, too? I would never be able to forgive myself."

"Listen, Marie." Qiara kissed Marie on the forehead, sending shivers down Marie's spine when her girlfriend's lips brushed against the metal implant just below her hairline. "I made a choice. Both me, and Liah. We knew the risks, that this might be a one-way trip. But you're worth it. You are so worth it, and the fact that you don't see it? It breaks my heart in two. You are an amazing, brilliant, beautiful woman, and I wish you could see yourself like I see you."

"Me too, I guess." Marie shrugged. "It'd be nice to not hate myself for a while."

"Someday." Qiara squeezed Marie's hand. "Someday you'll learn to love yourself. But until then, I promise I'll be there to do enough loving for the both of us."