#all fun and games until i go to work and realise i forgot how to talk to people that don't have strong opinions on the board game catan

[adoregojo]

mikage's 5 steps guide! - nagi.s

i missed writing for nagi... my loverboy.. also this writing style is so fun??? wth??? i need to write like this again. i can barely keep one eye open so if there's any typo, ignore pls pls.

warnings: some cussing ig?

nagi was never that charming.

'charming' couldn't even stand being a word in his dictionary to be honest, nagi truly had zero sense of romance within him. he was an actual brick-walled person when it came to these things, or anything of strong-emotions in particular, there was no thoughts behind those void eyes of his but a circle of: sleep, eat, go to work, eat again, play games, sleep, and repeat.

even back to his high school years, not once he recalls talking to a girl, let alone getting a girlfriend, that was something beyond out of his character. maybe there was a girl that confessed to him, he remembered on valentines day he got a letter saying that he should go to the school's roof. and he ended up leaving the poor girl hanging on the air till the sky was clean orange because he genuinely 'forgot', nagi then earned the title 'heartbreaker' for a year straight, he let it be since it was much of a hassle to keep on correcting them. not like his reputation was any better before.

so you could say that nagi wasn't that much of a company to have around, on the other hand was his friend, reo who was basically the opposite of nagi, if anything he was prince charming himself. those social skills were enough to befriend anyone on sight, he got the looks, money and attention was surrounding him 24/7.

and even if reo gather the earth power to try and motivate nagi would go down hill, every time he tried setting him on a date it's either gonna end up horrible or nagi using the excuse to go to the bathroom and vanish to the nowhere. what an asshole.

at some point, reo accept the fact that maybe he's friend will in fact die alone.

and things switched around when you came to the picture.

first it wasn't that hard to notice you, your desk was glued to him after all. it was weird when you would greet him every morning and wish him a good night when you left, no one ever did that to him before, he tends to ignore and ends up being ignored. it was nice, a little reminder that somone was seeing him, acknowledging him.

slowly, the walls between you two was falling apart with each introduction. when you would pat him from his little naps for lunch time, or when it was leaving time, then he would stare at your back until your figure disappeared with a last wave, staring at the door for a little too long, perhaps wishing for you to walk back in.. who said that?

it was getting worse, or better, not the best at analysing his feelings. but nagi found himself looking out for a glimpse of you around the office, he has no shame to admit that the world suddenly felt gloomy without your presence beside him.

maybe he raised his head a little too fast when you walked in, maybe not. but he mostly did.

then you would ramble about how your shitty neighbour refused to clean after his pets filth and you two had a screaming match for a while before realising you were late. the was the worst way to start a monday morning, so you closed your eyes shut, rubbed your forehead for a peace of mind. then you opened your eyes, a piece of your favourite snaked would magically appear on your table.

for some reason your eyes traveled to the white painted head, he was looking at the other side, avoiding your questionable gaze hoovering over him.

Mondays aren't so bad after all, you thought.

perhaps he did place it there, who knows. —but nagi just really didn't like seeing you glum.

possibly, did he grew fond of you? he doesn't know. all he knew that lunch box you handed him the next day is a blessed gift within his palms. too good for him, you were too good for him.

you were the prove that the sky itself favoured him above anyone.

and when nagi wanted to ask you out, he only had one person to guide him to your heart.

so the very mysterious person behind the scene (reo) had a astounding idea that if someone like nagi; mister, game-addiction-freak. that on every step he'll get points! 100-90 if he did well, 80-70 not bad, 60-40 could've been worse.. 40-20 definitely could've been better... 20-0 yikes....

so with that, nagi was sent on a personal mission to win you over and soothe you with his nonexistent charm.

STEP ONE: be straightforward! it's not good to keep on dancing on someone's mindset with hints, it may cause a lot of confusion feelings and misunderstandings! only ask under a certain circumstances, a suitable place where were you two sit alone so they could have they're attention on you only. SIDE NOTE: try to make a good welcoming conversation to ease up the tension first then ask!

so nagi did just that, maybe a little too well.

he couldn't even eat his own lunch and just kept on rubbing his sweaty hands against each other's, staring back forth —he just noticed how many unfamiliar faces were there? did he really only seeyou?一 he was extra quiet which made you ask him multiple times if he was okay, he would just hum in response. what a smooth talker.

"nagi, you haven't even touched your food. are you actually okay?" you questioned, concerned. after taking a brief sip of your juice, but nagi just shook his head in conform, you raised a brow, a little in disbelief that he would think an obvious lie would go through you just like that. there was something off. the tension upon you two was twisting.

the words were on the tip of his tongue, yet they felt un-removed. all this stressing over four words were a pain, and a heavy burden he needed to reales before he lose his breathing track.

and the moment you took a bite and chewing on it, he just had to drop the bomb carelessly.

"go out with me."

so nagi didn't try and sooth the air, nor start a decent conversation. and when he gathered the earth courage to speak up, it wasn't even a question, that was a whole ass demand.

although, it worked. but it definitely could've gone better than you choking on your own food that you swore you witnessed death himself laughing his ass off at you.

what a great timing.

after you saw the heavens gates open for you and life flashing through your eyes, weirdly enough, you accepted.

huh, maybe he didn't mess up everything like he thought (he in fact did).

20 points!

STEP TWO: dress nice and compliment their outfit! dressing well means that you take the date seriously, complimenting them to foster a better sense of comfort and confidence, and they'll compliment you back! extra points if you made them all blushy and giddy!

nagi really wasn't the best at this.

instead of dressing 'nicely', all he wore was a big white hoodie and pants. didn't put much effort to his hair and just went off. it wasn't his problem that picking an estimated outfit was such a hassle. it's good at least it is something that covers him, right?

it all went downhill when you showed up, listen. he always thought you looked fit and nice in your suit work, and now he definitely wasn't ready to see you in regular, uniform out of work place. you just looked... so good, even great, stunning and beautiful, you name it.

nagi barely breath out a greeting, his eyes too busy scanning you from head to toe over and over, he couldn't take his gaze out of your sight even when you were on your way to the table. and he almost stumbled over twice for that, the first was nearly his face planting on the floor, and the second time he almost knocked out a whole plate of drinks. you just somehow managed to muddle over half of senses with your looks alone, maybe he should've considered writing his last letter.

"nagi.. you're staring too much."

the of yours dragged him out of his thoughts line. he saw as you held a sheepish— extra points?—expression, it was either from his heart-eyes eating you alive, or the date itself was bringing you to the nervous state, or both?

nagi cleared his throat, slightly cringing at himself for staring a little too hard. he was absolutely not doing reo's steps justice.

"sorry. you just, look really pretty." if not the prettiest of all, but again, nagi has eyes for you only to pay a mind to others around him.

your breath halts at that, you don't know what to say for a second, nagi himself was complementing you? and the fact that he said as it was a matter of a fact was such an out character thing. but at the same time a an amiable change. and it was for you only.

"thank you, I appreciate that." you say as you kept on twirling your fingers over your hair, you felt like a lovesick teenager. "I think you look very nice as well." you add, almost like a whisper, he still managed to catch it.

nagi let out a scoff, not even a smile forming on his features for that. "it's just hoodie, really."

"i still like it, it's very like you. I'm happy seeing that you can be yourself around me."

he flinch a bit at that, he really wasn't ready for this- it takes a strong-soulful soldier to handle this. and he really, really wanted to be gods strongest warrior just for you. so he gets a grip on himself and mumble a thanks.

you smile sweetly at that, and nagi may really be not the strongest soldier under your spell.

50 points!

STEP THREE: make a conversation! show interest in their personal life and listen to every ramble they have, try to also throw side comments there and here to support them and blow away any negative feelings of the talk being one-sided. also try and talk about your own life to make it easier for them to talk all night. SIDE NOTE: try and joke around to bloom a friendly tune. extra points if you made them laugh!

third time's a charm, right?

however, since nagi was uncommonly unfond of others babbling. in fact he found it annoying and it was hard keeping his eyes evenly open. but then when it comes to you, he found your feathery tune to be airy, he grew ease to it pitch.

so he handed over all his senses of hearing to you on one knee, and let you speak freely. switching between different topics form nowhere, and like the world- his world- itself was turning for you only, his eyes and soul was for you to talk and he'll rot into a shallow void to your lovely enunciate to play on a broken radio repeating.

maybe he should tell you to stop, because your non-touched food was getting cold, and maybe he should tell that to himself that too because he didn't even realize his plate was even there.

it felt like he had drifted from the original plan, instead the tables were turned and he was the one being swoon by you..

not that he minded honestly. but ending the night with you being the one who filled the space was enough to create a makeshift reo berating him, nevertheless, nagi really, really wanted you to like him back. to consider the idea of another date with him.

plus, he also liked your laugh, he really did. didn't the guide say something about making you laugh? even tried telling a joke that you actually chuckled at, something that was unneeded to say that his book was empty, he had to search on google "funny jokes" for gods sakes, how hopeless can he possibly get?

"why couldn't the sunflower ride it bike?" nagi utter flatly, "why" you slope your head to the side. "because it lost it petals." the joke was old, dusty, forsaken. and the urge to recoil the second it left his mouth was understandable. but somehow you still pushed out a laugh at it, you don't know if it was an amusingly one, or because that nonchalant face was clearly begging you to laugh. with that monochromatic tone and all made it even funnier.

that bloomed the smallest amount of exhilaration within his rib cage. it was lovely, and what was made the giddiness to flourish inside his belly was the fact that he was the reason for it. it felt priceless. a sight to a crave in his midst. completely bizarrely about all of this, nagi let's you take over him. to consume him, his heart, his breath and soul were yours to claim.

at least he did something good that night?

70 points!

STEP FOUR: walk them back home! it's quite a simple act but very affected and gentlemanly, make sure to make them feel save and guarded! hidden notes: try to hold their hand!

after paying the price, you and nagi take your leave. with also nagi's off attitude with him opening the doors for you and let you walk first. although, who were to complain about such a treatment? you'll take it

but weirdly enough, nagi was a bit on the edge. like he had a n amount of ants in his pants, couldn't look at your direction, barely spoke out a response, or anything in general. and 一was he holding his breath???一

wait, was nagi actually.... nervous?

you glanced at him, shoulders stiffened, hands moving too much and fast, mouth was dry and agape, half dizzy 一when he isn't?一

now that you did not expect.

it was even ten times worse than him in the cafeteria earlier, it felt like nagi was about to confess to you his cruelest crime. the tenseness was mixed with the deep-seated tenderness, nevertheless, it was a bittersweet taste. and it kept on going until you two stood together by your home.

"i had fun tonight, nagi." you spoke first.

he finally flinched out of his own world, he sees you rubbing your arm, the gesture was sketchy, almost as if you were waiting for him to say something, anything.

but nagi's mind was blank, blow out an air in his ear and it will run out of the other, empty head. yet his mind was roaming, that need to say something clung up to him again. too many thoughts he cannot process.

but all nagi did know was he wanted you to stay a little longer.

"that's.. good?" he should have stayed quiet, what kind of answer is that.

you nodded awkwardly in agreement, breathing out an 'yeah..' he felt a bit guilty at making you feel uncomfortable, the fact of him being unfaithful may have crossed your mind, and nagi didn't like it. but you always managed to make feel weird, he always felt too warm when you would get close to him, words were lost when he would look at your eyes, and now this..

but despite everything, he felt like himself when he was with you the most..

every game had it secret move, and his was that he need to let himself be.

"can we do this again? i also had a good night." a part of nagi wanted to add that it was one of the best nights he ever had, yet it was too cheesy, cringe.

"yes!" you replied, too fast. you sounded so desperate! you palmed your mouth, embarrassment remains on your face as you cleared your throat. "i mean.. yes, we can do this again."

nagi had to physically bent down his head, he was gonna set you on fire alive with his eyes, if he may say, you looked cute when flustered. and his heart wouldn't stop beating so infuriated, almost bursting out raw of chest.

nagi for some reason, stretched out his arms. it was bold and he knew it, he just did it and hoped for you to handle it. "um.. can i?" he sees you halting at your place. eyes ogling around but his own.

you walk up all jittery to him until there's barely any inches left between the two of you, you kept your eyes glued to your feet as if it was the most interesting thing in this moment, but it's also like you were asking him if it was okay, unsureness. so he pushes your head gently forward to rest on his stiffen chest. an arm runs around your back to force you as close as possible to him.

you shrivel when nagi's nose would be buried deep unto your hair locks. your scent would draw him at slacken, his whole body bending against yours that you felt like he wanted to crawl under your skin desperately, searching for the seeds of endless love you endowed to him.

you didn't know if you were somehow intoxicated, but you swore that you felt a pair of soft lips pressing against your skull, god, you felt like melting and soon to become a paste sliding down between his fingers. you gently pushed yourself back, and perhaps you imagined nagi's whining for you to not let go. it's like you were gonna fly away once he unwrapped you free. the second you meet his face, a pout expression on his lips, and you couldn't help yourself from cupping his cheeks, squeezing them slightly. a smile made it way to your face as his eyebrows grew frowned.

nagi's hands were on yours, pulling them down from his face, but not too far. unabashedly keeping his eyes locked with yours, he was holding you tight and close, basically hostage. the bug-stomach is back at again but more fiercely than ever.

80 points!

FINAL STEP: kiss.

the dull hue travels down on your lips. boldly, he doesn't look away for what felt like eternity, if anything it seems like they grew heavy the second you parted them slightly to say something that sticked on your tongue.

"can i kiss you?"

was he trying to kill you?

you don't respond, instead you made a move to give him a quick peck on his cheek. backing off faster than ever. nagi stood still, rooting in his place, completely bamboozled. his mind stopped working and his eyes were drifting off in different directions.一is it normal that he felt like melting to the ground?一

"im so sorry, nagi- i just got really nervous and-"

"seishiro."

"eh?"

"seishiro, call me seishiro." he finally found a piece of mind to say. he didn't know if it came out as a command, but he sincerely wanted you to call him by his name. he'd die a happy man then.

"well.. goodnight, seishiro. can't wait for our next date," you said, weaving before your door. nagi barely being able to wave back, his mind was still half empty. you just made him see the light of the stars and left with with the sweetest, loveliest smile for him to think about for the next couple of weeks.

maybe he stood there for a little longer than he should have, his face was on fire, his heart on race track. antithesis of the nonchalant face he had, he made a move to rub the spot you pressed your soft lips against. and the first thing that came to his mind that it was definitely worth it.

and by now, he absolutely forgot about the points and the game itself. oh well, at least half of it worked. he just did it in his own version, which apparently was charming to you. nagi thinks if being charm to you, than he can come over anything.

limitless points! you have made your own path to the heart!

[cactusringed]

NO BUT PLEASE THE SCARDUBS WHEN I WAS WATCHING THEIR POVS I WAS JUST LIKE OKAY OKAY. THEM BEING FRIENDS, THEM HAVING THIS DEEP ROOTED CARE FOR EACH OTHER FROM SOMEWHERE NEITHER OF THEM REMEMBER, MAYBE EVEN THEM WONDERING SOMETIMES IF THEY WERE SOMETHING MORE BACK THERE.

WHEN THEY WERE IN THE ZOMBIE SPAWNER AND SCAR SAW THE OPPORTUNITY, HE TOOK IT. IT FELT AS NATRUAL AS BREATHING. THE WHOLE PLAYING GAMES TOGETHER, WORKING TOGETHER TO OUTSMART THE RULES, IT FELT SO MUCH LIKE BEFORE. HE KNEW THAT YES, HES PULLED THIS SORT OF PRANK ON BDUBS DURING COUNTLESS FRIENDLY COMPETITIONS EVEN IF HE DOESNT REMEMBER THEM.

AND MAYBE HE DIDNT UNDERSTAND AT FIRST THAT BDUBS WAS ACTUALLY ANGRY. MAYBE HE FORGOT WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS WERE--TOO SWEPT UP IN WHATEVER CAME BEFORE THAT HE JUST CANT REMEMBER TO REMEMBER WHAT DYING MEANS HERE. WHEN BDUBS CAME CURSING AT HIM, THREATENING HIM, MAYBE SCAR DIDNT GET IT. THE IDEA OF SOMEONE 'ANGRILY' THREATENING HIM AFTER HE CHEATED IN A GAME THEY WERE PLAYING DIDNT FEEL WRONG AT ALL.

MAYBE IT WASNT UNTIL BDUBS ATTACKED HIM OUT OF NOWHERE THAT HE GOT IT

MAYBE THAT'S WHAT SNAPPED HIM OUT OF THOSE FUZZY FEELINGS OF A FAR OFF PLACE INTO THE REALITY OF LIMITED LIVES AND NO REGEN

MAYBE THATS WHY HE FELT BETRAYED, THATS WHY HE KEPT DEFENDING HIS ACTIONS EVEN WHEN BDUBS DECIDED TO MOVE PAST WHAT SCAR DID TO HIM.

AND MAYBE SCAR CANT HANDLE THE FACT THAT HE DID THAT, MURDERED HIM SOMEWHERE IT MATTERS, AND MAYBE HE REFUSES TO APOLOGISE. BECAUSE APOLOGISING MEANS SOMETHING WAS WRONG, AND SCAR CANT HANDLE THAT

AND ITS 3:30 AND I NEED TO GO TO BED BUT THERES MORE THERES SO MUCH MORE AND I JUST NEEDED TO TELL SOMEONE ALL MY THOUGHTS

THE FRIENDS(???? THEY THINK ANYWAY) TO IN A DEATH GAME TOGETHER ON ALRIGHT TERMS TO WORKING TOGETHER SO THEY ALL CAN SUCCEED TO ENEMIES. THATS WHAT GETS ME. OH

Oh my GOD YOU'RE SO RIGHT ACTUALLY scar just playing around with bdubs, having this instinct of wanting to mess with him, giggling as he suffers - it's just like being a mayor and having a little lackey again, and bdubs was always so cheery around him and it was always so fun to make him sweat bc bdubs always took it like a champ. It was their thing. The little impulse of messing with him only to then look with horror as bdubs is torn to shreds and he realises just how badly he hurt him is Tasty

And bdubs' FURY is so os so tasty i love how angry he was so much - and again that causing shock in scar as usually bdubs just takes it and bears it and laughs, but scar gets to realise bdubs is someone to be afraid of and respect

And there's something inside that breaks. Something that longs to have bdubs accept his giggling apology, that wants to brush it off as just messing around. Something that wants to prerend he didn't betray bdubs and hurt him. Something that wants to pretend they'll be OK

Ough 😳

[espresso-ships]

G, L, O, S for Athenobi, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite ships

AHSHAHS FIRST OFF - THANK YOU AHH 😭❤ So glad you like them!! @thepenguinandthefiend Athenobi No. 1 fan!! 😤🫡❤❤

And thanks for asking! Been meaning to talk about how they met so this was fun :3

Game link

G - Greetings what was their first meeting like?

They met outside the plot of LCDP!

I'm thinking one year before the heist (if it follows the "canon" storyline, haven't decided yet.)

Basically a "Coffee Shop AU" because I love that trope LOL :')

Clementia worked as a barista at a cafe that Ágata went to one day.

Clemmie took her order and her first thought was: Damn. She's so pretty

But she was scared to flirt 😭

But Ags noticed her blush and the way the barista smiled at her and felt flattered.

It quickly became Ags fav cafe. She was there often because "They had good coffee" *cough* Lame excuse to catch a glimpse of her barista crush. *cough*

One day, when Clemmie fixed Ags coffee, she awkwardly started a conversation with her "Nice weather today" "Yea! I'll probably go out later and take some photos" Ágata wanted to ask the barista more but got nervous 😭 Which she didn't understand. She's good at flirting and this was new to her! (Poor baby still didn't realise she had a crush)

L - Love when did they realize they were in love?

Clementia realised early on. She always got butterflies when Ágata came to the cafe, and when she hadn't been there for a while she felt sad

She didn't even know the name of her crush yet, so when Ags came in to buy a coffee to go, Clemmie got this super cheesy idea...

Ágata left the cafe with her paper coffee mug when she noticed the text on it, a bit smudged since it was written with eyeliner. I forgot to ask for you name! Hmu ♡ •‿• Followed by her phone number

Ágata was like: ???? at first until she realised it was Clemmies way of flirting 😭

It was now that she realised that: Ohhh f**k, I have a crush.

After that, they started chatting and it went quickly, and soon after, they confessed their love to one another <3

O - Object what’s something they have that reminds them of the other?

They both find the most silly and random objects and goes: "Awww that reminds me of her 🥹"

Can be a random cute plushie, jewelry etc etc

One object that reminds Clementia or Ágata is a plushie she won for her at a carnival game during a festival they went to!

Ags has a heart shaped stone that Clemmie found and gave her :')

S - Selfies do they like taking pictures together? Do they keep pictures of the other?

Answered in this post!

But here's some cheesy pictures similar to the ones they take together!

All pics found on Pinterest!

[dingertdongert]

Chapter 9

Content warning: One mention of sex, that's it.

The first thing you saw as soon as the gift shop area came into view after walking through the large, open doors of the museum, was Steven leaning over the desk, expectingly holding his hand out.

Rolling your eyes, you reached inside your bag and pulled out the Tupperware. You ignored his open hand and walked behind the desk, placing it next to him instead causing him to respond with a playful frown.

'I've been looking forward to these all weekend' he said giddily, already popping the tub open. 'Do you not want to at least savour them?'

'Well, I forgot to have breakfast' he mumbled, food already in his mouth when you were mid question.

'I'm going to choose to ignore that, though I'm not pleased' you said sternly, pointing a finger at him, 'a more important question is how are you so early?'

'Well I was just so excited obviously' he said with a beaming smile, clearly trying to make you forget about his self neglect. It very nearly worked as well, until you remembered Steven always made his lunch in the morning.

'Did you even pack a lunch for today?' he paused mid chew, eyes widening. 'Oh bugger, I completely forgot about that'

You laughed 'God how do you continue to survive?' Steven nodded in agreement and replied 'I think I'm a scientific marvel to be honest with you'.

'Clinical trials and studies do pay a fair bit, just saying' you teased. There was truth to the matter though, from you've been told by him, he doesn't sleep, and he barely eats. How he has the energy to be standing is an amazing feat, let alone work a 9-5, travel everyday, and stay up afterwards. You worry about him each time it's brought up, but if Steven is content joking about it, then why ruin it for him by being serious.

'Did you remember your lunch for today, huh?' He interrupted your train-of-thought by playing you at your own game, staring at you demandingly for an answer. Now it was your turn for your eyes to open in horror, realising that you failed to pick up the second container of food in your fridge, which was next to the one that was now sat on the desk. Your lack of satisfaction instigated rage has now left you without food for the day. Your shoulders dropped and you let out a heavy sigh.

'Ha, gotcha' he quipped, with almost too much glee for your liking, and you responded with a firm scowl. 'Something's up with you today, I could tell as soon as you walked through those doors' he said, squinting at you with suspicion.

'And?' you replied cattily. 'Aaand' he answered, gesturing at you with both hands, a dough-ball pinched between two fingers, trying to summon an answer from you. You folded your arms and lifted an eyebrow at him in response. He rolled his eyes 'And, I'm waiting for you to tell me what's got your knickers in a twist'

You scoffed. The nerve of him, to even dare mention knickers. It's almost like he knew, the crafty bastard. 'Come on, tell me what's wrong, please? You're getting me worried now' he probed, looking at you with those big, dark eyes.

'I'm fine Steven, really'

'Really?'

'Yes, just a little... frustrated. The morning didn't start the way I wanted it to'. He nodded in understanding, though his mornings not going to plan probably took on a different meaning to what had actually happened in your scenario.

'I know what to do to cheer you up'

'Oh yeah?' you said, beginning to smile.

'Yeah, there's a mexican place, about a 10 minute walk from here. Honestly mate, their burritos are banging, I swear to you. Let me surprise you with the filling, okay?'

'Okay' you nodded, trying not to show a look of solemn disappointment on your face. It was ringing through your head.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate.

At least he was making it clear from the get go, you didn't have to embarrass yourself by asking him any questions about Saturday. Did you have fun? How are your books? Do you like me? Was it a date? Would you consider having sex with me?

He'd made it all so much easier now, clearly he didn't feel any particular way at all. About that day or you.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate.

Steven continued to ramble on about this restaurant to you. In all honesty you couldn't hear what he was talking about. All sounds around you had become dull and quiet as your mind carried on ringing that one word out over and over again, like a bell.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate.

'Hey, Y/N!'

'Huh?' you shook your head, trying to clear your mind of the sudden fuzz. 'Yeah, what's up?' you tried to give Steven a smile. It probably came off as a more pained grimace, but he seemed to fall for it.

'You don't have any allergies, right?'

[dualcastimpact]

dawntrail lore thoughts pt. i

I'm still in the early level 90 quests (I haven't even started either of the branching paths) so there won't be too many spoilers here, but I wanted to post some shots of Raginmar in Tural and ramble about the story so far.

Spoilers for early Dawntrail below the cut:

Raginmar's 6.55 is very different from the game canon in that he never actually got the letter from the Students of Baldesion asking him to come to Sharlayan, and so Wuk Lamat never got to meet him there. She did, however, end up in Thavnair following a misadventure with Kytte's experimental aetheryte — that's where she crossed paths with a worn-looking Hyuran man, who gave her words of support and encouraged her to look to her companions for strength through her coming trials. It wasn't until they parted ways that she realised he was the very man she'd been looking to meet, but then she remembered how exhausted he'd been and how he just wanted to go home, and she decided to let him go and not involve him in the rite of succession.

What Wuk Lamat couldn't have known, however, was that by the time she and her recruited companions made it to Tuliyollal, Raginmar was already there. Had been there for a while, even — he'd sailed to Tural with Hyllizirn and her dad on the other man's ship (name pending) all the way from their home island in the South Sea Isles. By the time Wuk Lamat and co. arrived in Tuliyollal, Raginmar had been there for weeks, doing business selling prize crops, produce and crafts from his homestead and buying seeds and seedlings for the next season's planting, and also spending his evenings eating tacos and sipping colourful fruity drinks by the sea.

Raginmar living his best summer vacation life in Tuliyollal.

Initially I had doubts about how it'd line up time-wise, because sailing from the South Sea Isles would take significantly longer than sailing from Sharlayan — Raginmar's home island specifically is further down south than Meracydia, whereas Sharlayan is almost right next to Tural — but then Dawntrail itself gave me the necessary canon lore to make it work: namely, the fact that Erenville had to employ some persuasion to get them on a gleaner-chartered ship to Tuliyollal, which could theoretically have taken them months instead of days or weeks depending on bureaucracy and/or the gleaner expedition schedule! Add that to my headcanon that Wuk Lamat took at least a week or two to get back to Sharlayan from Thavnair (she forgot to attune to the aetheryte crystal in Sharlayan [which is also feasible, since aetheryte travel was only introduced in Tural within the last five years!], airships are pretty fast but it's still quite the distance from Thavnair to Limsa Lominsa, and she'd still have to sail from Limsa Lominsa to Sharlayan), and it's absolutely feasible that Raginmar could have gone home, spent some time at the homestead with his people, and then sailed to Tuliyollal and arrived far earlier than Wuk Lamat and co. did.

Fun fact: Hyllizirn inherited her reckless "let's find out!" streak from her dad Ahldacht, and there's a non-zero chance (read: 100%) they badgered Raginmar into coming up with some magical means to speed up their sea voyage. Raginmar wasn't exactly averse to the idea either.

As to how he got involved in the rite of succession, the idea was that Alisaie and Alphinaud would have spotted him in Tuliyollal and tried to find him, only to find Hyllizirn blocking their efforts. She mocks them and says the only reason why they haven't found him is because he doesn't want to be found, not even by the likes of them; Raginmar later admits that to be true in a private conversation with her, but adds he'll join them even if he thinks it's more trouble than its worth — because that's what friends do for each other. I need to progress through the MSQ more to confirm this, because I'm pretty sure there's nothing stopping an outsider from leaving Tuliyollal and heading to other cities and settlements to conduct trade — and remember, Raginmar is here primarily as a trader instead of an adventurer — and so he doesn't really need to throw his lot in with Wuk Lamat's for that chance for adventure. He can just go off on his own, like Estinien did.

The problem with this setup is that Wuk Lamat and co. didn't spend very long in Tuliyollal before the rite of succession begins and they're immediately heading off someplace else. They arrive, they wander the city and become familiar with the place, then they immediately head to the palace where Gulool Ja Ja proclaims the start of the contest. It's immediate. In-game, I don't think they spent even one night in the city before heading out, and Erenville doesn't even show them to their lodgings until after they met Gulool Ja Ja. You could arrange for them to reach Tuliyollal sometime during the day, have an audience with Gulool Ja Ja in the evening, and then rest for the night before setting out in the morning — but that'd be too tight a timeframe to fit in the twins running through the city in search of him and the whole conflict between them and Hyllizirn. Raginmar would want to understand Wuk Lamat better first before deciding to throw his lot in with hers too, and him coming to find her in the morning and saying he'll join her apropos of nothing doesn't make much sense considering his personality.

The weeks he'd spent in Tuliyollal would have been enough for him to learn about the other claimants to the throne, so that wouldn't be an issue. But he'd want to determine she's worthy of his support first, and I haven't seen where that could fit in the story so far. Right now I need to go see Urqopacha and Kozama'uka and see how I could fit Raginmar in there in line with the story — maybe he's in Urqopacha doing business with the Pelu, and then the twins spot him there? Maybe he's on a guild hunt in Kozama'uka instead? Much to ponder and think about...

Also, it took me a long time to actually start the Dawntrail MSQ — first because I got too into leveling PCT and then running around aimlessly for a bit, and then because I wanted new glams for Raginmar since I'd gotten sick of his Endwalker trademark look, no matter how good he looks. The result are these two glam sets, which I'm surprisingly really happy with!

The first is his casual look, the one he wore when he wasn't expecting to be much more than a visiting trader, doing business and sipping margaritas. The second is when he's thrown in his lot with Wuk Lamat and is getting down to business to kick ass and put her on the Dawn Throne. I'm still not a huge fan of the graphics update because I think they took away a lot of his original warm, gentle charm, but if there's one thing I can really praise the update for, it's how sexily defined they made his forearms. God, it's making me feel things.

Onwards!

[tazimhasan]

My journey to becoming a blogger

Like many, I write as a hobby. Even though I’m not that good at it, I’ve been writing in my diaries for over 5 years now.

Personal journals, short stories and documenting the process have been a part of my daily routine for more than 5 years. These always helped me get to know myself better and recall exactly what I had for breakfast.

Neil Patel's blog, Nerd Wallet, Nerd Fitness, The Art of Manliness, CoinDesk, and some others on Medium have been my favourite blog pages for a long time.

I've always wanted to start my own blog page and share awesome stuff I know but never had the motivation to do so; I just kept making excuses every single time.

Then, about a year ago, COVID started to rise in my town, and many people started losing their jobs because of that. 

Now, I come from a middle-class family in a nation that's still being developed. We are doing really well here, but I wouldn’t say we are completely free of all our worries.

So, the situation above wasn't that far away from us.

That's when I really started to think about it.

As covid rose, lockdown started, leaving no way for me to go outside or even to school.

This sudden change in lifestyle really made me glued to the screen all day, scrolling social media and playing video games.

And blogging just slipped past my head for a while.

But soon, it hit me again—starting my own blog page, doing something productive with my time instead of wasting it.

And so I finally decided to step out of my cave, face these doubts I’ve had in my mind and do what I’ve always wanted to do for so long.

Out of all the decisions I made, this has to be the biggest and probably the best one yet, who knows?

Let me show you:

What would others think?

I know, everybody has thought about it loads of times and some are probably thinking about it right now.

But of course, deep down, we all know that they don't care or ever will until you actually manage to bell the cat.

I used to think about others too—what will my friends and family say? What if others at school make fun of me?

But then I slowly started to realise that the number of people in my life who think about me on a daily basis is on average every 5 in 0. 

Except my parents.

The few people whom I told that I was gonna start a blog page and write about things said nothing as I thought they would; they were just chill about it.

 And they probably forgot about it by now.

Take this story from "Psych Central" for instance:

"While seeking approval from others may be inevitable, problems may arise depending on how far one goes down that road. When caring how other people perceive us interferes with our own intuition, that’s when you may need to simply follow your heart and do what you feel is right. If you find yourself biting your lip from saying a quirky comment out of fear that others will raise their eyebrows in judgement, maybe that’s a time to try to bury that mindset and just be yourself." - taken from this article

In the end, whatever anyone is saying to you, remember that you're the only one who knows what's actually the best for you, so don't let others judge you.

What should I write about?

Chances are, you've probably come across videos or blog posts starting with a title like this:

"30 Day Weight Loss Journey: Before and After!"

"I tried the most productive daily routine for 30 days—here’s what happened."

"Weight Lifting Transformation: Day 1–30"

Many people post videos and posts online sharing their experience with a certain habit, career path etc that they’ve tried and how it affected them.

You likely haven’t done this kind of work before or haven’t tried this habit yet.

But many others have, wouldn’t it be interesting to know how they did it?

And you can tell by their view count that other people find it very interesting.

Whether you want to try out the habit yourself or not, there’s always some curiosity everyone has about new things.

And this curiosity never ends, even if we already know about that particular habit.

For example, I’ve been working out for the past 6 months. And in the meantime, I’ve read hundreds of articles about fitness and made many changes to my routine based on those articles.

It's not like I change my routine every time I see something new, but I still read them anyway.

Who knows, maybe I am doing this exercise wrong and need to be corrected before I badly injure myself or something like that.

Ultimately, what I mean is,

All these Behind-the-Scenes and Transformation videos and articles online are getting millions of views daily because people are very interested in knowing how things are really made and what happens behind the curtains.

So, that’s why I decided that I am gonna document my journey on my blog page and share my experience with all the people around the world who want to know how to get started in starting their own blog page and writing online.

Why would anyone want to read my blog posts?

I don’t have any experience blogging or writing online; I am a total beginner, and so why would anyone want to read my blog posts?

When they can just read other bloggers out there with way more experience and a larger audience than me?

This makes sense, but,

This is actually the reason why someone might prefer reading my posts more than other experienced bloggers out there.

This is something known as "The curse of knowledge"

It’s when you become so good at something that you forget what it was like to be a beginner.

Most people, when they start to pursue something new, don’t have any prior experience about that topic and often get stuck because of that.

That’s when they start to look at others who are on the same path as them and find out what they did in that situation.

Now, skimming through a bunch of articles at once can be frustrating.

And since not everyone has the same level of understanding, a good amount of those articles won’t really come in handy.

And not to mention, writer’s block.

It happens to every beginner and is easily one of the main reasons why many people quit writing.

It makes you feel unmotivated and uninspired to begin because of doubts in writing itself and if it’s really the one for you.

This is why many people want to see an actual beginner do it.

Seeing a seed slowly grow into a tree can help overcome many of these insecurities and doubts they have in mind.

Of course, to succeed in writing, you have to learn from professionals too. Reading articles from experienced writers can help you a lot in this field.

But sometimes, a beginner can also be your favourite choice because they can explain it to you better than someone else and with real-time evidence.

How do I write a blog post?

As I said, I've been journaling and writing short stories in my diaries for more than 5 years now.

But I still felt like my writing wasn’t good enough for this.

I started writing multiple drafts and just scraping them before I even finished a page.

And I wasted a good amount of time doing just that. And this got me nowhere.

But then I finally realised that, "Writing is not about perfection"

If you keep thinking your ideas aren’t good enough, you’re just going to lose motivation.

Instead, the best thing you can do is just go for it and begin to shape your ideas, one at a time.

Then edit your drafts later.

So, I stopped looking for perfection and started to actually finish my drafts. Doing this helped me progress a lot in my next drafts.

Not gonna lie, the first few drafts came out as nothing as expected.

But it was still way better than the ones I wrote before it, which barely had a page in them.

Another thing that helped me overcome this problem is practising.

I would write at least one article every day.

This took me anywhere between 2-5 hours and sometimes more.

This way I couldn’t make any excuses and had to finish it on time, even if I didn’t "feel" like it.

Another thing to keep in mind about writing is that you can’t judge your own writing skills.

The only way to find out how good you really are, is by publishing content online and having others rate it.

So, even if you think your writing is bad, keep posting on your page and revising them as necessary based on the feedback you receive from readers.

Conclusion,

Thanks a lot for reading!

All these questions, doubts and excuses later, I finally managed to publish my first blog post online!

This took me way longer than expected but taught me many valuable tips along the way.

Now keep in mind that this isn't just my start—but many more who want to start their own blog page.

So, what’s holding you back?

Let me help you in the comments below!

[jupitermelichios]

So I’ve been playing a lot of skyrim lately, because it’s video game comfort food, and I decided it was time for my Redguard Dovahkiin to settle down. (Actually I specifically just wanted to be able to adopt some of the random orphans you meet because I felt guilty about them, but you need to be married before you can do that so that there’s someone at home to take care of the kids while you’re off galivanting).

So I travelled around a bit, chatting up likely looking npcs until I found one I both liked and didn’t feel guilty about marrying (I feel bad if I marry one of the warrior adventurer types, making them be a stay at home mum) and settled on an obnoxiously cheerful argonian called Shavee because her life was frankly shit, and I thought she’d probably be good with kids.

So off I go to Riften to the Temple of Mara to arrange the wedding. I book it in for the next day, realise I didn’t bring anything nice to wear, and spend the night before the wedding robbing every house in the city in the search for something to wear. Eventually decide everyone in Riften has terrible fashion sense and break down everything I stole into raw materials and use them to craft myself an outfit and some jewellery that i’m pretty happy with. I even carefully pick out my fanciest looking sword to wear.

(don’t know why I bothered, frankly, shavee turned up wearing a shirt covered in suspicious stains and weilding a pickaxe, it’s like she doesn’t even care about this marriage)

(also for comedy purposes, bear in mind I play with survival mods that mean my character needs to eat and sleep to live, and I literally spent the entire ingame night on this and forgot to eat and drink anything either and then just downed four bowls of wolf stew right before entering the temple so I didn’t starve during the ceremony. also I discovered during the wedding that I am dying of rockjoint, which I contracted from sleeping in a pile of hay on the floor of a skeever infested cave, so even being six foot tall and jacked can’t make up for the fact that I am exhausted, running a fever, and probably covered in wolf which I spilled because my joints are slowly atrophying, and even the fanciest clothes in the world aren’t going to cover that up)

so I enter the temple, and my finance is there, and Lydia my housecarl, and some random NPCs the game thinks are my friends because I did fetch quests for them

One of the random NPCs is Lisbet. Atfter I did her fetch quest, I then did another quest in which I discovered Lisbet is secretly a cannibal and part of a demonic cult that worships the daedric prince of decay by kidnapping priests, sacrificing them, and then eating their corpses. Raw. I think the raw meat is the sticking point for me here honestly.

I ultimately decided not to sacrifice the random priest to a daedric prince in exchange for one magic ring and all the raw human I could eat, because frankly, that doesn’t sound like much of a deal to me. I was expecting there to be some kind of dialogue choice where I could nope out at the last minute, but it turns out there isn’t one, so after they drugged the priest and tied him to the altar, I just got out my sword and started swinging.

I killed most of the cult (including the town butcher, because I had brought meat from him before and was extremely pissed off that he might have been secretly feeding me humans) but a couple of them got away, which I figured was fine because they weren’t trying to kill me.

Except it turns out, if any of them escape, then every time you see them in the future there’s a random chance that they’ll fly into a violent rage and try and murder you.

Lisbet is at my wedding. Lisbet decides that clearly me marrying this random argonian woman with two lines of dialogue is the happiest day of my life, and she cannot allow me that happiness, when I’ve taken so much from her.

So she tries to kill me. Only she can’t, because I’m stuck in a pre-rendered wedding animation, and also she’s sitting next to Lydia, my faithful retainer and owner of a really big axe.

It also turns out that Lisbet is essential, meaning she can be knocked unconcious but not actually killed because she’s needed for some quest or other. And the minute she wakes up from unconciousness, she tries to kill me again, so Lydia knocks her unconcious again, and I’m stuck, I can’t move, because I’m supposed to be in the wedding animation.

Except Shavee has, not unreasonably, see all this and decided that she doesn’t like me enough to risk getting murdered, and has done a runner, leaving me at the altar, but more importantly, leaving me trapped in a broken pre-rendered animation, so all I can do is stand there at the altar, staring at the space where my fiance was supposed to be, listening to the sounds of Lydia trying and failing to beat a cannibal to death behind me.

Okay, I think, clearly this wedding isn’t going to happen, I’m going to go for the registry office option and complete the wedding using the dev commands. I do this. The priest gives me a wedding ring, and I can finally move again. I chase after Shavee, who has an impressive turn of speed on her, and eventually catch up right by the city gates. I try to talk to her.

Apparently using the console has completed the wedding for me, but not for her, because she still only has the same 2 lines of dialogue she usually has.

Clearly this is working, I can’t leave my kids with someone who can only say 2 things and doesn’t even know she’s their mum, that’s irresponsible.

I try loading from inside the temple. I get the same problem.

Eventually I figure out that I need to use the dev controls to disable Lisbet’s entire existence in the universe.

Shavee and me get married. As the priest reads the vows, I stare at Shavee and wonder why she couldn’t even be bothered to put on a clean shirt. I wonder what kind of mother she’ll be.

Once the ceremony is over, and I’m happily married to the dirty green lizard of my dreams, and we’ve agreed that until I can make her recognise my extremely nice modded house exists I will share her single bed in the unheated flophouse in Windhelm she calls home, I re-enable Lisbet, because I’m worried I’ll forget if I leave it too long.

Fun fact about skyrim, it loads in quite a lot of npcs and objects by dropping them from the sky. I have no idea why this is the case, but it’s objectively the funniest way to load in objects.

I re-enable Lisbet. She falls from the sky, clips through the roof of the temple, and lands in the pew beside Lydia, stands up, draws a knife, and is immedately beaten unconcious.

I no longer care, because Shavee now has all the exciting new spouse-only romantic dialogue options like “Could you cook something for me” and “have you made any money lately”, and I know she’ll be a great mother.

I limp to the door of the temple, while around me the guests not involved in the Lydia-Lisbet murder cycle scream and duck for cover.

I open the door to the temple, immediately collapse and ragdoll down the steps, which is how I discover I am dying of rockjoint.

I limp to the orphanage down the street, adopt two kids, and then finally remember that I’m carrying garlic bread, which as we all know, cures all known illnesses.

When I emerge back into the street, full of the joys of motherhood and garlic bread, I find the town in disaray. Lydia is chasing Lisbet through the streets with an axe and a dragon is circling overhead, burning npcs to death. People are running for shelter, screaming, while the guards try to take down an entire dragon using only the worst bows and arrows in the game.

I decide that as a parent, I have to think of my own safety first and leave them to it.

I head out of the city, intent on returning home and figuring out why Shavee refuses to move in with me. A man hanging around the stables challenges me to a boxing match. For want of anything better to do, I agree.

Halfway through the fight he dodges at the wrong moment and I punch one of his horses in the head.

Two guards attack me while I desperately try to surrender. My kids will miss me, but I’m prepared to go to jail for my horse crimes, I’m an honest citizen. Also my horse crimes seem somewhat less important than the dragon.

The guards refuse to accept my surrender. I am stabbed to death. As I collapse in front of the indifferent horse, Lisbet exits the city, followed by Lydia. The last thing I see before I die is Lydia swinging her axe at Lisbet’s face.

[violettelueur]

GOJO SATORU || FOR A LIFETIME

| featuring : gojo satoru from jujutsu kaisen

| warnings : grammar errors other than that n/a

| form : imagine

| word count : 1733

| published : 19 november

| request : Gojo Satoru x wife! Reader. They're just cuddling and being all lovey dovey until his students burst in, and are immediately asking questions cuz they didn't know he was married. He just says they've been married for three years and met at the Academy, and she's just smiling as they start asking her questions and how he managed to search up a pretty girl like her

| barista’s notes : i really loved writing this imagine for some reason  ʕ·ᴥ·　ʔ like i just had so much fun thinking all the events that could happen with the trio but i kinda feel like i didn’t paste my imagination well into words ʕ ﾟ ● ﾟʔ other than that, i hope you love your cup of classic black coffee and i hope you come again and order soon once we’re back open ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ

Stretching your arms upwards, you could clearly hear the few cracks that your back had released telling you that you had been sitting in the same position for too much time causing you to groan from the satisfaction that your back felt lighter than it did a few seconds ago.

Looking at the clock that was hanging to your right side, you had come to the realisation that you had been working on your reports for a full three hours, leading you to take a deep breath as you were glad that you had managed to finish everything before the sun was going to set. Quickly standing up, you collected all the papers you needed and started to make your way out of your office and let your feet guide you to wherever they wanted to take you.

From what you could recall from this morning, no one had a mission assigned to them today unless it was an emergency to which that was unavoidable - sometimes you can’t even escape them yourself. However, compared to the other Jujutsu sorcerers that were in Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, you weren’t a teacher but rather the school principal’s right-hand person as you were a student of his back from when he was a teacher himself. 

You continued to walk around aimlessly around the corridors until you stopped to see a sliding door in your way. Tilting your head to the side, you wondered why your feet decided to drag you here while you were daydreaming, causing you to grab one end and quietly slide the door open to see if there was anyone that was in the room right now.

To not much of your surprise, you ‘unexpectantly’ found a very tall man relaxing on a chair acting like he didn’t have any students to teach at this current moment in time. After sliding the door behind you, you walked up to the sleeping man before taking a seat on the remaining space of the chair and decided to rest your head on the palm of your hand that was relaxing on your knee. To think that you were married to his man, made you wonder what was going on in your mind when you said ‘yes’ to his proposal.

“Am I that handsome to you honey?” the man suddenly asked in a teasing tone, as he used his thumb to lift up part of his blindfold to reveal one of his bright sapphire eyes staring at you back, “you’ve been admiring me for quite some time”.

“Nah, I was wondering how drunk I was when I said ‘yes’ to marrying you,” you answered with a playful smile before you suddenly started laughing when your husband gave you an offended expression on his face. “Honey, I’m hurt by that comment,” Gojo stated causing you to reply with, “well you have to live with that for the rest of your life,” leaving him no choice but to give up this little game of banter - since the day both of you became friends, Gojo knew that you were one of the rare people that he wanted to remain by his side as he did with Geto, but that didn’t half of his dream didn’t come to last, yet you were here with him by his side. For a lifetime.

Slowly, he leaned forward to gently grab your sleeve before tugging it, somewhat telling you that he wanted you to move closer to him. Looking at his hand that was holding your sleeve, you scooted closer to him to the point where you were on his lap with your legs hanging out from the side and the side of your head was resting on his chest with your reports in hand.

“What’s that? Shouldn’t you be concentrating on me?” Gojo asked as he looked at the papers in your hand. “These are reports babe, something that you never do,” you answered, before rolling up and sheets and using it to hit the top of his head. However, before Gojo could even playfully comment back at you, the door was slammed open causing you to slightly jump at the sudden interruption leading you to look up, only to see three students with the most confused expression on their faces.

“So I assume you didn’t tell them that you were married,” you quietly asked your husband to which he used your head to rest his head on top and in a high tone muttered, “I forgot wifey~”

“Gojo-sensei!” a boy with pinkish hair yelled out - to which you assumed to be Itadori Yuji - leading to the only female student - to which you quickly figured out that she was Kugisaki Nobara - within the trio to then say, “who is the pretty lady?”. While Fushiguro stood there with the surprised expression still plastered on his face.

“I assume you forgot to tell Megumi as well,” you then giggled out, to which then Gojo laughed with you, as he remembered that after all the years he took care of his precious student, not once he had mentioned you to him.

“This pretty lady here is my little wife, Gojo Y/N,” said to the confused trio, fully and finally introducing you to his first-year students.

“YOU’RE MARRIED?!”

“It’s nice to meet you all, Itadori, Kugisaki and Fushiguro, am I right?” you greeted them with a smile, as the three of them quickly grabbed a random chair out of nowhere and sat down in front of you as if you were about to get interrogated - to which you technically were.

“How does she know who we are?” Kugisaki asked as she was confused about how you knew all their names.

“Your useless teacher here talks about you guys from time to time, so I sort of already know you guys without you knowing.” you answered her as you used your thumb to point at your husband, leading Kugisaki to ask, “can we call you Gojo-sensei as well then?”

“Wouldn’t that confuse us as well as them?” Itadori then asked, to which Kugisaki looked at him to shout at him, only to realise what he was trying to interpret to her. 

“You can call me by my first name not to get confused, I’m alright with it,” you mentioned to her, leaving the students to nod at you.

“Gojo-sensei, how long have you’ve married for?” Fushiguro asked, still wondering why he didn’t know this piece of information about his teacher, let alone that he was with someone.

“Three years!” Gojo proudly announced as he lifted up three fingers as if they didn’t understand what he said so he had to show them. “How did the both of you meet?” Itadori then pressed on with his hand up, seeing how much information he could gain about his teacher’s love life.

“We both met then we were students here and then time flashed by and here we are married,” Gojo answered his student with the vaguest answer that he could have given to anybody, leaving his student annoyed.

“Y/N-sensei, how did both of you met?” Kugisaki then asked you, as she was not satisfied with the white-haired man’s answer.

“Well like Satoru said we met when the both of us were students here, just like all three of you. We were on the same team with Shoko and another person, causing me to have to deal with this man since my first year at Jujutsu High,” you then answered in some detail, causing the students to be more intrigued on the both of yours relationship.

“What do you do Y/N-sensei? I don’t see you around the school at all,” Fushiguro then asked, leading you to smile at him before answering with, “you could say I’m the assistant principal,” causing all the first years to look at you with surprised expressions again.

“GOJO-SENSEI THERE IS NO WAY SHE IS YOUR WIFE, SHE TOO SMART AND PRETTY,” Kugisaki shouted as she looked like she was about to flip her chair - as she confused on why you would be with someone like him - causing you lightly blush at her compliment before giggling at the chaos that was happening right in front of you.

‘This is really just how I imagined it to be. Chaotic’

“Here’s a picture if you don’t believe me,” Gojo then casually stated as he suddenly pulled out what seemed to be a small picture from his wallet, causing you to be curious of what it had to show since you didn’t know he kept something like that within his possession. Once he passed the picture to Fushiguro, you leaned forwards slightly only to be surprised on what the picture displayed.

It was a picture of you and Gojo standing together with you wearing the traditional white kimono with the white wataboshi on your head, while Gojo was wearing the traditional black kimono that contrasted with his bright white hair and bright blue eyes perfectly. It was your wedding picture. 

“Y/N-sensei you look so beautiful!” Kugisaki stated as she snatched the picture out of Fushiguro’s hand to take a closer look at the image, “your makeup is so beautiful, you really suit a red lip,”.

“You look really pretty sensei,” the boys simultaneously said, as they had a light blush on their faces after seeing the picture.

“Since when did you have that picture?” you asked your husband, as you turned around to look at him, only to find him looking at you without his blindfold - fully showcasing his beautiful blue eyes that you have fallen in love with since you met him - as he brushed his fingers through your hair, amused at your surprised expression.

“Since I got the picture printed after the wedding,” Gojo admitted before he moved his hand to caress your cheek causing you to suddenly feel the coolness from his wedding band. "You looked really beautiful that day,” Gojo sentimentally said to you, causing your cheeks to go a light shade of red.

“But you always have been and always will be”

Slowly, he took your left hand in his left hand leading to both your wedding bands to hit against each other lightly, reminding you that this whole thing wasn’t a dream. 

“For a lifetime ha?” you questioned him with a soft smile painted on your face, to which Gojo reciprocated back to you. 

“For a lifetime wifey~”

[nuttersincorporated]

The Narrator Parable

Story Premise: The Player is away and the Narrator is in a bad mood until he comes up with great idea! He’ll take human form and let Stanley tell a story for once. What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter One: The Narrator decides to try something new

Word Count: 1,807

AN: This is a role swap au that’s also a form swap. It was inspired by the this comic by @celestetcetera about the same premise.

This is unbetaed. If you notice any spelling or grammar mistakes, please feel free to tell me.

I want you to know that the Narrator – when he takes human form – looks like Idris Elba in this fic.

Also, on AO3

Narrator Note: Hello reader! Reblog and/or reply to earn an achievement!

Chapter One

Stanley realised he’d made a mistake the moment he hit the 3 button and the Narrator actually growled in frustration.

“Oh, of course. A three, heaven forbid you make an actual choice on your own.”

Stanley glared at the Narrator who was currently in his favourite form as a shadow like figure[1] against the wall.

‘Unfair!’ Stanley signed. ‘I just wanted to play with the cars. I didn’t think what I pressed mattered. You know I like your game.’

“Oh, I know do I?” the Narrator said sarcastically. “Yes, of course I know. That’s why I keep the feedback buttons here and ask you to press them even when the Player isn’t around.”

Stanley walked over to the 5 button and pressed it.

‘There. Happy?’

“No,” the Narrator said flatly. “Obviously, my game – that I work so hard to make enjoyable for both you and the Player – isn’t worth any actual critical thinking or feedback from you. I’m the villain for wanting a little engagement.”

Stanley closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, ‘I’m not getting to play with the cars today, am I?’

“No.”

Stanley sighed and sat down.

‘This is because the Player chose 1 last time they were here, isn’t it?’

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the Narrator said a little too quickly.

So that was a yes, then.

Stanley really wished that the Narrator didn’t care so much about pleasing the Player. It was the one thing they disagreed about the most; the Narrator always looked forward to the Player’s return and Stanley dreaded it.

Stanley hated the Player. He hated what they did to him and the Narrator. Even if he’d long since given up hope of escaping the parable itself, he still hoped that one day the Player would stop coming back and he’d at least be free of their influence.

Perhaps Stanley and the Narrator’s difference in opinion wasn’t really that surprising. The Narrator wasn’t the one who had his body hijacked and forced into traumatic situations. Stanley also remembered all the endings. At least he assumed he remembered everything. Maybe they both forgot things and he didn’t know.

Without the Player, the Narrator didn’t follow a script and things only reset when the he wanted them to. The Narrator didn’t mind Stanley going off track. Stanley was free to wonder the office to his heart’s content and go places that were normally inaccessible to the Player.

When Stanley did choose to follow paths set out for the Player, things were much more fun without them and not just before he was the one making the choices. The Narrator allowed him to do things like play with all the assets in Games Ending, rather than just the balls… but apparently not today.

“I don’t think you appreciate how much work I put into making this enjoyable for you,” the Narrator said sullenly.

Through a force of will Stanley didn’t roll his eyes or point out that he wasn’t exactly having much fun at the moment.

‘I’m sorry, okay? Your game is very good. How about you reset things, I’ll turn off the mind control and we can go outside together until the Player comes back.’

“No,” Stanley watched the Narrator’s shadow stalk moodily around the walls of the room. “Since, you apparently don’t enjoy my game, there’s no point.”

Stupid Narrator and his stupid constant need for reassurance and praise, Stanley thought.

Why couldn’t he just let the Player’s 1 go? He knew how much Stanley appreciated the effort he put into making this prison[2] as enjoyable as possible.

This time Stanley did roll his eyes.

“Oh, real mature, Stanley,” the Narrator snarled. “Okay, you obviously don’t feel ambivalent about my story, you hate it and you hate me.”

‘You know that’s not true!’ Stanley signed frustratedly. ‘It was just a stupid button! I said I was sorry! What more do you want?’

The Narrator came to a holt and a slow smile spread across his face.

“What do I want? No, no, no! It’s what do you want Stanley?” the Narrator said slowly.

Oh, this can’t be good, Stanley thought.

“Since my attempts at entertainment are obviously such a failure, I’m going to give you the chance to show me how it’s done.”

The Narrator snapped his fingers.

Stanley was back in his office but everything felt wrong. He wasn’t standing at his desk. The Narrator – now in human form – was standing in Stanley’s normal spot instead.

Stanley looked down at himself and swore. The Narrator hadn’t just given himself a human looking body, he’d given Stanley a shadowy form.

“What do you think?” the Narrator asked, as he spun around arms out, showing off his new body.

Distracted for a moment, from the form the Narrator had put him into, Stanley’s eyes narrowed. It really wasn’t fair that the Narrator could always make himself look so attractive in human form. The body he was in this time, looked male and Stanley tried to push the words ‘silver fox’ from his mind.

The Narrator was black, had a nice smile, brown eyes and a beard that had started to go grey. The suit he was wearing was too posh for the office. However, due to the purple bowtie and yellow glasses which clashed horrible, he came across as dorky rather than overdressed.

‘You look… it suits you,’ Stanley coincided, then remembered he was supposed to be angry. ‘But change me back right now!’

“No, no, no, Stanley! This will be fun!” the Narrator smirked. “You hate my story so much, well here’s your chance to make something better. You’re a creative kid, I’m sure it’ll be something fun.”

Stanley shook his head and make a rude gesture.

“Oh, come on, Stanley!” the Narrator grinned. “It’s your turn! Narrate for me!”

Stanley gave him pointed look before patting his throat – the touch felt weirdly like cool water – and gestured to his mouth.

“Hmmm, fair point,” the Narrator conceded his smile dimming slightly.

The Narrator thought for a moment before his smile came back in full force. He clicked his fingers again and words appeared in front of Stanley.

“There we go! You just press the ones you want, I’ll read them out and follow your instructions.”

Stanley shook his head again.

‘Put me back!’ he demanded.

Stanley realised for the first time that his words weren’t exactly clear in this form. His hands were now nothing but shadows on a wall. However, the Narrator had never needed to read his hands to understand him before[3] so he supposed it didn’t really matter.

“Oh, come now Stanley. This will be fun!” the Narrator chided. “You wanted something different, well here we are. You wanted to decide what happens; I’ve given you control.”

‘This isn’t control! You’ve changed my form but I can’t change anything. You didn’t give me the option to actually change things when you made me like this. All the options are still things you’ve programmed. I can only choose from the options you’ve given me.’

“Well of course,” the Narrator said impatiently. “If I gave you too much control, you might damage the game and then what would the Player think? I’ve given you new choices though. You can pick from them how an ending will go.”

The Narrator stretched and walked out the door of Stanley’s office. With nothing else to do, Stanley followed him, moving across the walls and floor.

“Use the dialog options I’ve given you Stanley,” the Narrator said, “and we’ll make a new story together. If you do a good job, I might give you a keyboard to write your own script later, won’t that be nice?”

Stanley looked at the options. In the corner there was a small option to restart, which he ignored in favour of reading the others.

All of his co-workers were gone… Once upon a time… On a dark and stormy night… Call me Ishmael… Far Out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the galaxy lies a small unregarded yellow sun… It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen…

“Hurry up, Stanley! Make a chose! That’s what you’re all about, isn’t it?”

‘This will end badly,’ Stanley signed before reaching out and pressing the first option. The options instantly disappeared to be replaced with new ones.

“Really, Stanley?” the Narrator sighed somewhat disappointedly. “I give you new choices and you just picked my normal lines anyway? Very well, if you insist,

‘All of his co-workers were gone…’”

Stanley looked at the new options,

Protagonist’s name:

Stanley… the Narrator… Mary Poppins…the Doctor… Arsène Lupin… Prince Charming… Jo March… Mr Darcy… Ford Prefect… Nancy Drew…

Stanley smiled despite himself as he chose,

“‘Mr Darcy…’” the Narrator said, then he stopped walking started to laugh. “Well at least you're picking something new now and what a perfect choice too, Stanley! I think I’d make a rather good Darcy; don’t you agree?”

‘Yes,’ Stanley grinned teasingly. ‘You’re both British and very argent, for a start.’

The Narrator shrugged, unoffended. “He’s adored by his sister.”

‘He’s unfriendly and aloof.’

“His staff think highly of him and he’s generous with his money.”

‘He’s terrible at proposing.’

“Only the first time.”

They both laughed. Despite his instincts, Stanley found that he was enjoying himself. The Narrator was also clearly in a much better mood. Maybe this hadn’t been such a terrible idea after all.

He looked at the new options and made his choice,

Mr Darcy decided to:

Go to the meeting room… Go to the library… Go for a swim in the lake outside… Check his emails… Call Jessica Fletcher… Call his wife… Check if the internet was down… Ignore the problem and hope it went away on its own…

“‘Mr Darcy decided to for a swim in the lake outside…’ Now you’re getting into the spirit of the thing Sta…”

The Narrator was cut off mid word as the world went black.

[1] For the most part, the Narrator looked like a normal shadow in this form but his mouth, glasses and a bowtie were visible to give some contrast. It was the form he favoured most often, though he could choose others. In his shadow form, Stanley could see him – unless he was hidden by real shadows – but the Player couldn’t.

[2] Not that the Narrator would ever admit it was a prison.

[3] Stanley wasn’t quite sure how it worked. The Narrator couldn’t read his mind. Stanley needed to say the words and the Narrator needed to be able to see him to understand. However, the Narrator didn’t need to watch Stanley’s hands themselves. It was as if he could hear the words Stanley signed if he was looking at him.

[allieebobo]

i thought you might find it fun that i stumbled onto this tiktok and went "oh that's my Enby On The Men's Team!MC for College Tennis. their dance moves are their Big Guns of a weapon for flirting - Oooh Look At Me, You Know You Want Me And Nobody Can Blame You, Watch My Body, Wish Your Hands Were On It, WOOOH" like. imma multishipper so im just going. Dayum. Imagine Them And Tobin Showing Everyone Up And Their Teammates Fake-Gagging When They Dance Again On The Way Home. Imagine Them Dancing While Rayyan Watches Until Rayyan Finally Stands Up To Claim Their Partner. Imagine Them And Sam Giggling While They Dance Ridiculously. Imagine Them And G At Another Party And Then Again In Private. Just Imagine Their Team Going "OOOOOHH!!" During MC's Smug, Adrenaline-Fueled Victory Dance.. Bonus Points If They Can Get Their Doubles Partner To Do A (Far Easier) Little Coordinated Jive With Them

just. thanks for the ability to make the MC a dancer. i really like all the opportunities to show how much music means to MC (singing with their dad in the car, their mom's mix-tape, dancing at the resteraunt and the party, so on and so forth). it's a detail i really like and now have headcanons about how theyve learned and what music means to them (and, yes, their major is related haha). and, bRUH, you KNOW i am playing a Lead Singer (who got late bc of a work emergency as Nat sighes that they are a workaholic) and selecting Kareoke As The Family Tradition for Merry Crisis, and taking that Qiu Listening To MC Sing headcanon as canon. i cannot wait to see more of music playing a recurring role in both games, you know what ill be picking for my MC to be doing every time music/dancing is available, theyre both now experts forever and always haha sending you lots of love and inspiration, all the respect to you and your craft ❤️❤️❤️❤️ hope you enjoy the lil dancey tiktoks hahaaaa

OH MY GOD I forgot to actually reply to this!!

Sorry, I absolutely 100% LOVED this, because bruh, you've got a whole universe of CT:OS headcanons in the form of tiktok dances here. (How very, very '21st century modern art' of you).

I especially especially loved the idea of Tobin and MC dancing/jiving to music at Valentina's in public (or wherever, really, at a party, maybe during a random lunch stop as they drive to an away game etc.) just for fun, and just being ridiculously good at it and being cheered on by everyone watching, and then driving back from somewhere and finding some little pocket of time to dance for just themselves, with everything/everyone else melting away. Also that one with Sam dancing ridiculously with MC: I can 100% see that happening with those jokers.

I am also 1000% in love with the idea of a coordinated doubles partner victory dance, and it is absolutely canon that Tobin would do that with MC. In fact, it's so canon that I'll give you my word to write that in. Rayyan will be... far more difficult to persuade, though :P

Also - you are absolutely right (that was some high level literary analysis you did on Merry Crisis HAHA) I didn't even realise I'd jam-packed so many music-related scenes/concepts/choices into (both) IFs. Super cool how you've got so many threads linking Qiu and Nat and your family in one playthrough alone. You're going to think this is absurd but Shay is also (and this is canon) a drummer in a band? I'm SORRY I PLANNED IT ALREADY, BEFORE I READ YOUR ASK!!

I guess it just happened because for me, music has always been so intimately entwined with memories (both good and bad), and spending time with people I love (family, friends, romantic partners). I don't think there's been a big moment in my life that I don't associate with some song or music.

Thank you so much for sharing this :) Also, p.s. this is not helping my CT:OS/Merry crisis blog divorce, at all :P I don't even know how to tag this.

[bts-hyperfixation]

How to Lose a Couple Guys

The real part 2

The Maknae line is chatting over break one day pondering their colleagues. When it comes to you they come to the unsurprising conclusion that they all find you attractive. And so, despite your no co-workers rule, they make a bet to see who can win your heart.

Eventual smut, Big dick, Rough, Mirror sex

I honestly don’t know how I forgot to post this with the rest but here is the guys asking y/n out

Jimin caught you at lunch time. Just as you took your meal from the microwave he invited you into the office to eat lunch together, despite the fact you both knew he usually ate with the other two. You jumped at the chance, knowing he wouldn’t have the opportunity to see the others between now and the end of the workday. You could feel the daggers being glared in your direction as you walked to the secluded office, Jimin looking particularly smug.

You talk for a little first, about work, about yourselves, about tv. Normal lunch time conversations. Jimin is actually extremely easy to talk to. If it hadn’t been for your no co-worker rule you might have considered the date he’d asked you on when you first started. But after a bad experience with a guy in the job you had at 16 it became a permanent decree that came with every job since.

Still as you watch him talk, you can’t help but wonder what might’ve been if you’d only said yes. And then you remember that he is currently in the middle of a childish bet with his best friends about who can get you to kiss them. You tune back into the actual conversation then, just in time.

“So what do you think? Wanna check it out with me?” He asks, the look in his eyes a little too sincerely vulnerable for your liking.

“Sorry check out where?” You ask, ashamed that you’d missed his date proposal. A little of the hope he had burning in his gaze fades as he repeats himself.

“The new karaoke bar in town? Want to go with me after work on Friday?”

“Oh? Yeah that sounds great.” He grins like the Cheshire cat as the realisation dawns on him. “I better get back to work, send me the address I’ll meet you there.” You get up to leave, but he reaches for your wrist.

“Don’t be silly, I’ll pick you up at 8.” With his offer fully extended he lets you go back to your day.

As soon as you’re out of the office you track down Taehyung under the guise of a new presentation. He is very easy to find seen as he has been pacing past your desk every so often since you first went into Jimin’s office. He tries to act nonchalant when you emerge. Talking to your desk buddy, but they give the game away immediately by shooing him away. You pretend not to notice.

“Hey Tae, could you give me a hand with this? I think it needs an extra something.” You point to the open PowerPoint on your screen. He nods excitedly and pulls up a spare chair from nearby and sits on it backwards leaning his head on the backrest. You sit in your own chair and point towards the problem areas. He hangs on your every word subconsciously shuffling closer to you. You don’t realise how close he has gotten until you turn your head and are practically nose to nose. It should be criminal to be this pretty you think staring straight ahead into his dark eyes. Eyes that flit down to look at your lips before meeting your gaze again.

You manage to pull yourself away before he seizes the opportunity to win the bet and ruin all your fun. He looks disappointed. You watch from the corner of your eye and takes a deep breath. He then continues to walk through you fun ideas for the presentation letting the moment pass in favour of work. A move no doubt calculated. You’d asked him to help with work, not flirt. He knew the best way to stay on your good side was to wait until you were finished to ask you out. And that’s exactly what he did.

The moment you click out of the document he springs the question on you.

“Go out with me?” Its comes out too quickly, like verbal diarrhoea.

“Go out where?” You ask casually.

“To dinner? On Saturday? With me?” He asks phrasing each segment as a question, the las clearly to check you heard that you knew it was with him.

“Sounds good Tae. What dinner were you thinking?” He talks about the idea he has for a big romantic date. Dinner in a nice restaurant, drinks at even nicer bar, a walk through a park in between the two. It sounds lovely, it really is a shame it’s only for the bet. Any other girl would be lucky to go on this date with such a handsome and kind man.

It occurs to you then that you aren’t sure when your brain made the switch between annoying and kind to describe Taehyung, but it did seem to fit him better.

You listen to him go on about each detail. How the perfect date would go in his head. You find yourself truly wishing that you could have someone that thoughtful actually pursuing you for you. And with that you push him away, giggling about leaving some things a surprise. He nods happily, his boxy smile shining brightly. A smile that doesn’t leave his face for the rest of the day.

You don’t manage to pin down JK until the end of the day. Too many of the execs have him running errands. Luckily he comes back into the office just as you shut down your laptop for the day.

“Y/N? I thought you’d be long gone.” He comments setting the paperwork he had gathered on to somebodies desk. Typical for them to send out an intern and leave early. “I’m glad I got to see you today.” His dimples deepen as he smiles widely at you.

“I’m always happy to see you too Kookie.” You return his smile and reach for your coat.

“Heading home? Let me walk you, it’s in the same direction as my place anyway.” He offers, although you could’ve sworn he usually heads in the opposite direction to you. You agree anyway, wanting to see if this is how he makes his move.

He chatters all about the tasks he had been made to do that day. You listen carefully and provide supportive “oh dears” and “I hate that guys too”. He asks about your day, but you try to avoid the questions, so you don’t have to bring up Tae or Jimin. If he finds it suspicious he doesn’t mention anything. You pull up outside of your apartment building in no time. You turn to Jungkook expectantly. You wait a moment to see if he takes the hint, batting your eyelashes. But he just stands with his hands in his pockets and stares at the ground.

“Okay Jungkook, good night.” You think about saying something yourself but that would give Jungkook an unfair advantage, so you drop it. If he misses out it’s his own fault. Your about to enter your pin when he hurries up the stairs after you.

“Y/N wait.” He is holding your wrist, but he clearly hasn’t thought this through enough. He swallows hard trying to form the words he needs. You silently will him to find his voice. Not that you should really care about who wins the bet… not that anyone is going to be winning the bet. But still Kookie is too cute to go out like this. He’d never live it down with the others.

“Is everything alright?” You prompt, dipping your head to look into his eyes. He takes one more deep breath and finally finds the courage.

“Go out with me Saturday?” He asks, you curse him for choosing the same time as Taehyung.

“I can’t do Saturday.” His face falls and it feels like you’ve kicked a puppy. “I could do Sunday?” You hasten to add, not being able to cope with being the source of his sadness.

“Sunday? Absolutely! It’s gonna be really fun I promise.” He surges forwards to hug you before he can stop himself. It’s so endearing to watch his excitement. He lets go before you can hug him back. “I’ll pick you up Sunday, lunchtime, 12ish! See you tomorrow at work Y/N.” With that he runs off into the night. Back the way you had come.

Part 1

Masterlist

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

[peakyblindersxx]

whiskey business - john shelby x reader (part 6 of ?)

gif by my queen @michaelgreys, i'm basically her fanblog now but im not mad about it :) i mean just look at him!!1! i almost fainted

a/n: first of all, if you stuck around to this point, tysm for reading!!! this has been one of the most amazing fics ive ever been a part of and it's all thanks to the gorgeous @stxdyblr-2k, who generously took control of the next few parts. her brain is beautiful and we all owe her flowers or something. when i read what she sent me i couldn't bring myself to change much except for some small edits, so pls give her lots of love if you like it!!!! i'm still working on requests as well :)

love, abi xxx

read part one two three four five | my masterlist

tagging: @datewithgianni, @mayaslifeinabox, @deepdonutkid, @springsoulofengland, @lilymurphy03

prompt: nothing this good can last forever. john doesn't know how to feel, and neither do you.

warnings: nsfw! a teensy bit of smut, angsty as fuck prepare yourselves accordingly, a lil fluff if u squint, yeah this fucked me up

Obviously, it wasn't the last time.

Over the coming months you had many last times; his mouth pressed against your neck said as much. As his responsibility at work increased, you'd find yourself heading to his office after your lectures and night classes more often, perched on his lap, smoking, while he finished up his numbers under your critical gaze.

Thomas was more than aware; his snarky comments made it obvious he had his ways of monitoring your actions. You'd seen the dark car lurking outside your rallies and lectures, and no matter how you'd try to throw him off, not even telling Ada where you were going and even, in a moment of desperation, through your neighbours back window, somehow, his silent shadow was still looming. He was practically begging you to make a mistake, to give everyone an easy out. You just couldn't give him the satisfaction. You knew Tommy saw the world as a chess board, always several moves ahead of his opponent. Even when you played him in chess club all those years ago, you could outflank him if you thought on your feet and kept him thinking he was winning until you obliterated him in the end game. It was brutal, sure. But as he told you, there were bigger games at play. You had your own. Thomas could read your mail, intercept your phone calls and have you followed, but he couldn't hear what you said out of earshot. Your lot could smell an interceptor in your ranks, so spying at that close of a proximity was out of the question.

That's why he'd decided to let you have John. You knew his silent approval and his constant management of the narrative meant he saw a tactical gain. There was only so much information he could get from Ada, but John? He just had to agitate him in the right way and all your secrets would come tumbling out. It was difficult hiding your world from John; of what he knew of, he was supportive, quizzing you over current affairs and political discourse, listening intently. Yet, you had to watch your mouth. You had to keep a barrier up and you knew John sensed the distance. Fundamentally, there was nothing either of you could do.

So here you were, in a comfortable limbo. Your days were filled with work, evenings were for lectures and reading groups at the city's university, Ada and you often stopped for a drink or three; you'd go by your flat to freshen up, and then to John's office. Sometimes, you wouldn't visit for a week or so when the guilt sent you over the edge, it was draining to be living so many lives and knowing you were betraying the person you loved most on earth. Ada was oblivious, taking you on her nightly adventures filled with men, dancing and waiting while she was busy kissing in dark corners. Sometimes a young blinder would ask if you wanted to be walked home. The first occurrence you thought was sweet, but as the nights it occurred coincided with nights John seemed extra pent up, you'd decided to ask. The boy, who couldn't be older than twelve but who you knew was trained in using firearms and had a revolver pinned to his hip and a razor in his cap, looked confused.

"Mate, it's not a tough question. Why do you come and ask?"

"There's a phone call." He shrugs, "Isaiah or Michael tells us to go and get you."

Isaiah and Michael were somewhat aware? Fucking hell. Your fling was basically a military campaign at this point, so many of your friends were complicit. The little lads who ran as messengers around Birmingham were complicit. You had to just end it.

But when you sat on his thigh, his chin hooked over your shoulder, it felt so worth it. He never turned you away when you came crawling back. He never mentioned it until after you were finished, hooked under his arm.

"Fucking missed you, gorgeous."

Sometimes he'd remind you not to be a stranger with a wink, but you could tell it was tearing him apart too. He never once came to you. That's how he could justify it in his mind; obviously, the bare minimum was not having sex with his sister's best friend, but in failing that, waiting for you to initiate it was somewhat better. He barely talked to Ada now, citing work as an excuse, but truly the guilt sickened him. He couldn't believe he was prepared to continuously hurt his little sister and betray her. But every time you turned up at his door, he couldn't find it in himself to turn you away. In his mind, every single time you came to visit him was the last time he'd let it happen, yet he was always waiting for you to come back, his blind closed to signal he was prepared. He never would call, it had to be your choice.

You'd been off and on for over five months now. It was so difficult to hide in plain sight, but you just couldn't stop yourself. Neither of you purposefully meant for this to be happen but fuck, was it fun.

For your birthday he'd gifted you a fur coat from the same shop his sister, aunt and the fashionable crowd of Birmingham had purchased theirs. He joked that you looked like a "proper razor chaser", kissing you when you pouted at his teasing, begging you to wear only the coat when you fucked him next. It was a practice for blinders to buy a coat for their wives and girlfriends as a status symbol. You were neither, but John claimed that being his "favourite lass" also counted.

John was a laugh, but you knew at any time he could close his door to you. Until he decided he couldn't be bothered with you, you weren't going to get caught. You just had to be careful until he got bored.

***

You did end up putting a foot wrong. It was a Thursday night; you were sitting on the edge of John's desk while he was ridding you of your blouse. It was past midnight, Birmingham was asleep. You almost didn't bother coming out tonight, but you knew John had lost a deal and you wanted to be there for him. Your skirt and stockings were strewn across the desk with his shirt, vest and waistcoat, muddled into the files and papers which were once neatly stacked.

His fingers were pumping in and out of you, his mouth lapping at your breast, your head tipped back in euphoria, groaning. The stress made him more affectionate and tender with you, and it was nights like these that made you wonder. Wonder if this could ever be something more, something real.

John's body suddenly pulled away from yours, quickly turning the light off.

"John, what-" You were cut off by John’s hand over your mouth, muffling your words.

"Shut up and get behind the desk." He hissed. "Someone's coming upstairs."

You quickly grabbed your clothes from the shiny oak surface and crouched, hiding yourself from view, quickly making yourself decent. You weren't going to get shot through the head with your tits out. You listened to the stairs creek, and it sounded like a group. You two were easily outnumbered. They were talking, but the thick panels of wood muffled their voices.

As your eyes adjusted to the darkness, the cracks in the door giving the room a dulled glow, you could make out the figure of John. He was free of his shirt, toned body on display, standing with his back flat to the wall, revolver produced from a discreet notch in the door frame, gaze fixed on where they'd enter. He was tense, ready. The door was unlocked from the outside, the door handle twisting.

John's lip shifted in confusion yet still he kept his trigger finger ready, not a single shake from your general.

The light flicked on and a shriek rang out. It was blinding, and you stood up slightly dazed. Finn was in the doorway, John next to him clutching his chest, panting and lowering the gun.

"Jesus Christ, Finn, can't you knock like a normal person? Scared the shit out of us." John bellowed, shaking as the adrenaline coursed through his body, resting his hands on the edge of the desk as he regained his breath.

"You're the one who pointed a gun at me! I didn't even know you were in 'ere!" Finn yelped.

The commotion had attracted the attention of Ada and Isaiah, who had come running and stopped in their tracks upon seeing you standing behind John's desk in the middle of the night. They weren't stupid. John was topless, your clothes obviously rumpled, both with matching tousled hair and practically stinking of guilt. You'd been caught red handed. Ada's eyes flicked between both you and John, and you could practically see the pieces of the puzzle clicking together in her mind, all the moments she found questionable since you'd returned suddenly making sense, realising she had been deceived by the two people who she was meant to trust most in life. Finn looked absolutely crushed, he'd never been able to conceal his emotions as well as his older brothers and sister, linking his fingers through Ada's, squeezing her hand.

"I forgot to drop this off earlier." Finn stated, holding up a money box, "Ada had keys so we thought we'd sneak in so I wouldn't get done by Tommy. We did call round yours, Y/N. We thought you were in bed."

"I'm sorry." You said. It was not enough but you just didn't know what else to say. You couldn't make it right, you'd really fucked up this time. Tears pricked at your eyes, as Ada examined you in silence.

John stepped in front of you defensively. "Look, Ada-"

"How long has this been going on?" She asked, her voice shaking with rage. You and John exchanged a glance. "I said, how fucking long?"

"Five months, six in a fortnight." He answered.

Isaiah whistled lowly. "That's fucked. I thought it was only a few times, that it'd finished."

"Never really over when it's John is it." Finn interjects, you glance to him, were you just one in a long string? You shouldn't be surprised but it was easy to pretend he may actually care about you.

"You've been fucking around for six months behind my back?" Ada yelped, Finn trying to comfort her but she pulled away from him. "And you fucking knew Iz."

"I'd expect this from you, yeah? Wouldn't put anything past you these days.." she sneered at John, "But you? You?! You're meant to be my best mate, but here you are sneaking about fucking my brother?"

"Ada-" you began, eyes welling with tears.

"I thought I could trust you. You're just another fucking razor chaser, aren't you?" She spits. "That's why you came back."

"No it wasn't, Ada-"

Her eyes flashed with anger, but this time John was on the receiving end. "You bought her that fucking coat ,didn't you? The fur one. You did! Fuck's sake!" Her fists were clenched, shoulders squared. For the first time in your life, you understood why crowds parted for Ada Shelby. Understood all the free drinks and cab rides, the nervous serving staff declaring your meal on the house (always acknowledged by Ada with a hefty tip), understood why the men of Birmingham didn't last long with her.

"Did it feel good to swan about town in that fucking coat, while acting as though you cared about me? It's so fucking embarrassing. All trussed up because my knobhead big brother makes you feel special? Thanks for rubbing it in my face."

"Ada, I love you. I never meant to hurt you, I got caught up and that's on me. It's my fault."

"You're not acting like you love me. This isn’t what love is, Y/N." She retorted.

You couldn’t do anything but nod. She was right.

John opened his mouth to speak, Ada silencing him, a scowl darkening her features.

"I don't care what you have to say. Any of you. Who else knows?"

"Thomas, Michael, Arthur-" John listed off slowly, each name prompting Ada to break down a little bit more in front of you.

"I didn't know Arthur knew." You said pointedly, John sending you an exasperated glance. He was planning on dealing with that later, but right now was about his sister. Fuck him if he thought you were going to stick around much longer. You didn't want to hear him justify everyone else knowing about your fling with your best friend being left completely in the dark.

"That all you have to say for yourself?" Ada snaps at you.

"I have fucking no defense, do I Ada? I should've walked away." You pushed your hair back, frustrated at yourself, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. You begged yourself not to cry. Tears wouldn't help anything.

"Why didn't you?"

You didn't know. Your silence only riled her up.

"Why didn't you fucking walk away?" Ada yelled, slamming her hands on the desk.

You felt hot tears run down your face, quickly moving your hands to dab at your tears.

"Don't you dare fucking cry. After all you've done, you don't get to cry in front of me." Ada growled at you, John going to shush her, obviously wanting to comfort you. "You can all fuck off. You've all lied to me and gone behind my back. Fuck’s sake, you could've just told me. You could've just told me."

"We didn't want to hurt you." John said, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder but she flinches away.

"This hurts so much more. You get that you all lying to me is so much worse, don't you?"

"We weren't thinking."

"You really fucking weren't." Ada laughs bitterly, shaking her head, blinking away tears. "Fuck you lot."

She stormed out, tailed by Finn, begging her to slow down and talk to him, protesting his innocence in the situation. Isaiah hesitated in the doorway, his eyes flickering between you and John.

"I had no idea you two've been at it for so long."

"Iz, fuck off yeah? I've had enough today." John shot back, sliding across the desk towards you. "You alright, lass?"

"We're done here, John."

He slid off the table, his hand cupping your face, "Hey, gorgeous, I get it but don't go breaking my heart tonight. Can we just leave this for tomorrow? Sleep on it."

The idea of getting any sleep at all tonight was laughable, you'd be up all night replaying these moments and torturing yourself. Tonight couldn't get any worse so you had to finally end it. Now was the right time.

"John, it should've never happened."

"But it did."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. It's over."

"Y/N. You know for me it was never just about-"

"You're making it difficult. Stop making it difficult. Whatever you say isn't going to change that right now we have to do the right thing."

"I know you're right, but I don't want to let go. Is it so wrong to want you? I adore you, you know that."

You wouldn't meet his eyes. Sighing, John pressed his forehead to the side of your head, chin brushing your shoulder, eyes closing. He was begging you to stay with him. There had to be a solution, you'd figure it out together. His voice was cracking, eyes glassy. He looked so much younger when he was pleading. The tall bloke who terrorised the Midlands with his razor rimmed cap, a revolver in his hand, and a ruthless trigger finger had vanished. You wanted to stay, burning to curl up with him and for him to kiss it better.

"I should go." You told him. He rested his forehead on your shoulder, letting out a shaky sigh before pulling away, nodding.

"I'd drive you home but obviously-"

"Obviously."

John suddenly turned from you, eyes narrowing at Isaiah who was still hovering at the door. "Thought I told you to fuck off. Make yourself useful and get Y/N home safely." His tone was ice cold once again.

Isaiah nodded, offering his arm to you. You reached the door and instinctively looked back at John. His eyes met yours, staring at you from his desk, just as you knew he would. He prepared himself to watch you leave every night, but this time was different. That was it with you two.

Isaiah strode down the street with you in silence. You were tucked into his side as was customary with the upcoming blinders who were particularly ambitious, but there was no relaxed chat.

"Isaiah. What’re you thinking?" You asked, voice tinged with nervousness.

He sighed, running his free hand across his jaw, "That was intense in there."

"Just how he is." You shrugged.

"Does he love you or sommet?"

"Fuck knows… does it matter?"

"Of course it does. Do you love him?"

"Drop it. None of that matters, it shouldn't have happened in the first place so it can’t," You snapped, the anger at the situation you'd created suddenly overwhelming.

Isaiah whistled, raising his brow at your obvious turmoil. "You're in fucking deeper than you want to admit."

He walked you up your path, watching you turn the key to the side door leading to your bedsit. You paused, turning to him.

"Iz… I don't know what to do next."

It was so dark, you could see his face only by the lit cigarette burning to embers between his fingers. He inhaled deeply, pausing before delivering his carefully laid out plan of avoidance. Obviously the event of him crossing the Shelbys and losing their good graces weighed heavily on his mind. You nodded, listening intently, noting his ideas of relocation but he explained they were a final resort. The best thing to do was try to regain their trust; in the long run, he had calculated, it was the only option that didn't result in your life being haunted by the Shelbys. Even if they left you alone, their enemies would make a point to go after you, seeing you as an easy target. The other option was to leave the country.

"Good luck, Y/N. I mean it." He muttered as you turned the handle to the temporary safety of your home. You nodded, offering you cheek for the polite good night kiss you'd become accustomed to. He rolled his eyes and obliged, pressing an affectionate kiss to your cheek and ruffling your hair. "I'm serious. Watch your back."

***

John broke down when he finally heard the lock click shut. His eyes had been prickling with boiling tears, his jaw tensed to hold them back. He yelled out in anger, flipping his desk with force, a loud crash as the wood splintered against the stone flooring, glass shattering from the photo frames. His hands went to his head, unable to stop the gasping breaths escaping from his trembling lips, his face reddening.

"Fuck’s sake." He growled. He'd fucked everything up. He had nothing, just as he'd told you the first night you returned. The consequence was no surprise, he'd anticipated the fall out for a while, but he couldn't resist you. He was completely guilty and had no defense; his only justification being that you made him think with his cock, not his brain.

Fuck’s sake. Polly was going to murder him. She'd always had a soft spot for Ada, as the only girl in the family, and was no stranger to lecturing him over his flirtatious behaviour around Ada's friends. She'd murder him. He had a half mind to never go home. He rubbed at his eyes with his knuckles. Polly had no use for tears. That's what she'd tell him when he was a boy coming home with a skinned knee. This was far worse.

He was also sure that he was a worse brother than Tommy, perhaps the worst in the world. His baby sister, who he'd helped to toddle, carry proudly on his shoulders after school and race with her on his back through the fields on the outskirts of Small Heath, had walked in on him obviously in the midst of fucking her best mate. If he had swallowed his pride and actually talked to her, he wouldn't be in this mess. He could've told her that things changed, that for the same reasons Ada loved Y/N he had fallen for her, that he was truly sorry but she had to know before it got too far and someone got hurt. He couldn't go back.

He should've never approached you that night.

He should never approach you again.

He looked over the mess of his office, the splintered wood and shards of glass, a confetti of paperwork. Now nothing mattered. None of this mattered. He'd lost everything and he had only himself to blame.

[mochiimiiki]

| Be my valentines |

[zhongli, Venti, Childe, Xiao, Kaeya, Diluc x F!reader]

Here’s the scenario:

You’re alone on valentine’s day, probably thinking of your own problems and not paying close attention to the festivities of this new event. That is until he approaches you.

You’re standing alone in Liyue harbour. Watching the people of Liyue busy themselves down below. It was easy to distinguish the couples from the singles, as they all seemed to flock together.

You don’t notice the geo archon approaching until he clears his throat.

To which you’re obliged to spin around and face your contender, to your surprise you’re met with a familiar simple smile. A smile in which the last few months you had grown accustomed to.

You countered back with your own cheerful smile, eyes squinting against the sunlight as wrinkles formed around your eyes.

Your expression was priceless to the archon. Something that he would gladly die laying his eyes upon it for a final time.

Now unbeknownst to you Zhongli had made it his mission to confess his feelings to you, afterall Zhongli new all of Liyue’s history and he new today was a day of not only couples celebrating but of confessions.

The archon pulled a magnificent bouquet of glaze lilies out from behind him. He watched as your eyes lit up in twinkles and you gladly accepted his gift.

Clearing his throat he begun. “Y/N in the last few months we have spent together I have found myself growing rather... attached persay.”

“I was wondering if you would do me the honours of—”

“Yes!” You cheered, cutting himself off mid sentence.

“You didn’t even allow me to formally ask, it’s not official until I do so.” This grandpa and contracts I tell you.

Anyways in the end he officially asked you to be his girlfriend to which you joyously accepted and you spent the rest of the day together, showering each other in love.

Troubles long forgotten.

You’re actually relaxing in mond as you listen to your little bard friend play. He’s singing and dancing about making children laugh and couples smile.

He sings and tells tales of romances from long ago, how they fought to be with one another and died to stay together.

The talk of romances and relationships has you sighing, you had wanted to ask Venti to be your valentine but had cowered out at the last minute. Kaeya (your friend) had tried to convince you to continue, but unfortunately there’s no way to sway a stubborn mind.

Venti jumps over to you and plops himself down beside you. Leaning up against you which in turn cause a ferocious blush to spread across your cheeks, you spin away praying he missed it.

He didn’t of course.

Venti hums quietly to himself before finally piping up. “You know Y/N you’re so troublesome, I’d dare say more so than me!”

“No i’m not Venti!”

“You are so! You go about acting like you’re fine when there’s a question youve been dying to ask me all day, you can’t deny it I see through your lies.”

He booped you on the nose as your face snapped back to meet his turquoise gaze. HE KNEW?!

Venti whispered into your ear. “Kaeya told me, and yes. I’ll be your valentine.” He hummed sweetly before jumping up and singing once more.

You’d kill Kaeya if you ever saw him again, although he did get you your valentines so you couldn’t be too mad at him...

no you were defo mad and totally hit him as venti cheered you on

in the end you and Venti spent a wonderful day together singing and dancing and falling more madly in love than ever before, to top it off the two of you watched the stars from his statue.

Where you may or may not have shared a first kiss.

Childe didn’t actually formally ask you to be his valentines but he had seen your troubled expression earlier and big brother instincts took place.

He had grabbed your hand and said “Girlie let’s have a little fun, shall we?”

And so the two of you spent the day together, running from stall to stall eating fine Liyue cuisine.

Playing festive valentine games and winning each one, you know how Childe is hes in it to win it no other way.

It was the end of the day when the two of you had found a spot not far from Liyue, but far enough to be alone.

There you two sat alone, well actually with a giant bear Childe had won for you.

This time you spoke up first. “Childe... I wanted to ask you and I know valentine’s day is basically over but... would you be my valentine?”

Childe was taken aback. “Ojou-chan...” He began. “Wasn’t that what we were doing all day?”

hold up. WHAT??

“No way! Childe that wasn’t- did you think that was a date?”

“THAT WASN’T A DATE?!”

It took awhile to explain but he finally realised that no it wasn’t a date. Ngl he was disappointed but then realised you asked him out anyways so he cheered up fast.

Please he’s just a child someone explain to him you have to formally ask these things...

Okay please this man. “I have no interest in mortal festivities.”

He doesn’t. He really doesn’t. So lowkey like Childe you’re going to have to bring it up.

You go to Wangshu inn in hopes he hasn’t gone off to fight demons and as luck would have it he hasn’t!

You go up to his floor and see him staring across the endless Dihua marshas. In the golden light of the evening they’re actually something to marvel at.

You clear your throat in an attempt to get his attention.

He acknowledges your presence with a grunt and a, “What now?”

Nervously you step forwards and begin. “I made you almond tofu! A-and some chocolates... of course you don’t have to accept them but they’re for you so here!”

Xiao turns to face you. And unlike your expectations of having him meet you angrily at disturbing his peace hes actually surprised, shocked even. A mortal has never prepared him any kind of delicacy before.

Never mind that and chocolates. He isn’t oblivious to what you’re trying to do and he’s well accustomed to the ways of the Liyue people.

He knows exactly what he’s doing when he accepts them from you.

“I’m not very good with words... but if you want me to be your valentine you didn’t have to go through all the trouble. I may not care for mortal festivities but... I care for you.”

please marry me.

HOHOHO Kaeya.

Kaeya knows what he’s doing better than anyone in the seven counties of Teyvat. He has it all planned out.

Meet you in the morning with chocolates and a bouquet of flowers and then bring you to his favourite restaurant for some of mond’s finest cuisine and then he’ll take you out of the city where the two of you can watch the stars while sipping on dandelion wine.

However, the moment he sees you standing at the fountain centered in mond he’s for once at a loss for words.

You were utterly breath taking, a sight that he wished to savour like a fabulous glass of a 60 year old bottle of death afternoon wine.

You turned around and spotted Kaeya, waving him over. For a moment he forgot himself and actually stood staring. Before realising he wasn’t frozen in place and ran over to you.

Kaeya grinned his usual charismatic smile and handed you chocolates and calla lilies.

“I was wondering perchance, if this fine lady would do me the honours of accompanying me on such a romantic holiday?”

With a charming grin and honey laced words who could say no? Of course you were madly in love with this man so you accepted within a heartbeat.

Believe me when I say, Kaeya knows how to treat a woman. And that’s like a queen.

You went to visit him at Dawn Winery. He said he was too busy with work to come up to mond so you wanted to surprise him with a little gift; a box of chocolates prepared especially.

Like Xiao and Childe you were going to have to make the move with someone like Diluc. He didn’t care so much as for physical displays of affection and while he always took initiative love was a foreign language to him and so he didn’t know where to begin.

His butler let you in and you headed straight over to his office, knocking on his door.

“come in.” You heard the familiar low raspiness of his voice, a telltale sign he was overworking himself.

Upon entering you presented the chocolates with a proud smile. Almost immediately he got up from his seat and went over to greet you.

“I never expected to see you here Y/N but may I say you have made my day... and oh? What’s this?”

“Chocolates Diluc. I made them for you and I was uh... actually wondering something.”

He took them from your hands with a smile. He knew what you wanted to ask and yet he longed for you to speak the words.

“What is it Y/N?”

“Would you... be my valentine?”

Diluc’s smile grew, it was wider than you had ever seen it and it even seemed like a childish manour danced in his eyes.

He carefully embraced you and planted a kiss to your forehead sighing in pure bliss.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

[flysafepapi]

the sin factor 5/?

Peaky Blinders Scream AU

masterlist

Warnings: Disposing of a body, general murder themes.

Summary: It’s in the eyes, too, the same ambition and clawing desperation to be more, get more, hidden behind a carefully blank stare. He also knows that Duke has something Tommy never had although it’s more likely that it’s the other way around, because Tommy has lines that he won’t cross for reasons that are his own. Duke has no such reservations.

tagging: @zablife​​​ @the-makingsofgreatness​​​ @peakyrogers​​​ @hb-writes​​ (let me know if you want to be added on or taken off)

The thing about making plans is that you always have to account for an unexpected deviation. Someone overhearing them and needing to be taken out of the equation so they don't tell anyone what they heard isn't exactly something either of them anticipated, but it's easy enough to deal with the problem. The amount of blood is somehow surprising, though, and it makes holding the knife firmly enough to keep from slipping and cutting himself difficult.

"It's not that different from breaking down game, if you think about it. All the same parts, just put together differently," Duke says, facing no problems himself but he's done this before and has experience that Isiah doesn't. It takes a bit of force to get the limbs separated from the torso, but Duke swings the axe like he was born to have it in his hands, and soon enough he's separating everything into different piles and binding them together with a thick, hempen string. "Think we should take the fingers, to stop them from being able to figure out who it is?"

"Easier just to cut the fingerprints off."

"Where's the fun in that?"

Somehow, the crack of bone and snap of ligaments that fills the room as Duke starts to work on the fingers sounds worse than anything they've done so far, and he's just got done sawing his way through joints and muscle with the saw that they'll introduce to an acid bath once they're done here.

"I wonder when they'll realise."

"Not any time soon, she was already leaving. I guess she just realised that she was better off cutting contact with everyone and disappearing completely without the kid."

"What are we going to do about him?"

When Duke wipes his hand across his face, trying to get the sweat out of his eyes, it leaves a streak of red across his pale skin. It shouldn't look as appealing as it does, but when has Isiah ever had anything close to a normal thought when it came to him? He watches in mild fascination as Duke removes the fingertips with his knife anyway, just in case.

"Nothing. He's just a kid."

"A kid that will grow up one day."

"That's generally how it works. Pass me the bone saw."

Isiah holds it out, then pulls it back before Duke can grab it, ignoring the annoyed look it gets him. "I'm serious. He's going to figure it out one day, and-"

"No kids. If he wants to make the mistake of coming after us when he's older, then we'll deal with him just like the others, but until then we stay away."

"Look at you, with your soft heart."

"Careful. It won't be hard for you to join dear Lizzie here."

~~~

It takes about two days for someone to find Arthur's body, and he knows when the news gets around, because his father calls for him again. Unlike last time, he's not worried that there's something he forgot to do that led to someone figuring out what they'd done. There is nothing, and whatever his father thinks he knows will never be proven. Isiah doesn't offer to come with him, and he doesn't suggest it. This is something he has to do on his own.

"I don't know what you're doing, or how you're doing it, but whatever game you're playing, it ends now."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do."

It's fascinating to watch his father run his hand along his face, like he's already been defeated by whatever news he's been hiding from them for weeks. For a second, it almost makes him feel bad for what the news of the deaths might be doing to him, then he remembers the entire reason he's here with the family he never knew he even had until now. The only thing worse than a psychopath is a psychopath with a reason to want you and everyone you've ever loved to end up six feet under the ground.

"Is there a point to this?"

"If this is some sort of revenge-"

"I wouldn't know if it was or not. Have you made these accusations to everyone else?"

Duke wonders if this is close to what people see when they look at him, the unblinking stare that seems to look through a person rather than at them, if that's why they seem so uncomfortable whenever he actually makes eye contact instead of looking at some imaginary point just over their left shoulder. Whatever the intended effect is, it doesn't work and he looks back, unbothered in the slightest.

"You were the one that brought me here, do you think I'd do something like this? Why would I?"

Even in the short time he's known his father, he knows that he rarely tells the full truth, hiding instead behind half-truths and lies designed to divert people's attention away from where he doesn't want it. It's what makes the stark truth in his next words hit like a suckerpunch to the gut, borderline manic in tone.

"I think you're a punishment sent for everything I've ever done wrong in my life."

"You asked me to come here. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"Not like this."

Duke looks at him, his face betraying nothing. He’s careful to say anything that could be taken as admission of the numerous crimes they’ve already committed. "You don't get to ask for someone to be your dark side and then change your mind when you get exactly what you wanted. Surprise, Dad. I'm the monster you were always afraid that you were on the inside.”

[bruhstories]

Dazed and Confused

Summary: You and Connie have been friends for ten years, crushing on each other like a bunch of idiots who can't confess their feelings for one another. Until you go on a trip with your friends. Pairing: Connie Springer x Fem!Reader Warnings & Content: 18+, language, oral sex (female & male receiving), unprotected sex, weed smoking, alcohol consumption, f l u f f Word Count: 4.2 k

A/N: I got so pissed at that last anon that I finished this oneshot quicker lol. @fiaficsxo here it is!

You loved parties. Not the loud music and thick smoke, not the booze and smell of vomit, but your friends. Every time they gathered at someone's place, your heart fluttered, filled with happiness and content and long-lasting memories.

Connie had the brilliant idea of spending a week in the mountains during your spring break, and you wasted an entire night searching for the perfect cottage to rent. Luckily everyone was down with his suggestion, the only problem was how you'd sleep. Historia obviously wanted to share a room with Ymir. Mikasa and Eren were an item now, so they'd have to sleep together. Armin wanted to try his luck with Annie, so no one objected to that. Jean declared that he wanted to bunk with Connie, like the two eligible bachelors they were, and that left you and Sasha to share a room together. You didn't mind it, in all honesty you loved Sasha with all your heart — but you secretly hoped someone would pick up on your feelings for Connie and let you sleep with him. You weren't that lucky.

You packed your bag the night before the trip, obsessively ticking everything on your list and double checking every item and pocket. It was ready, with one item missing — the white lace babydoll smoothed on your dorm bed. You chewed the pen cap, debating whether to bring it with you or not. You bought it for special occasions, but you haven't had a dick appointment in a long time, and you doubted you'd have one this week. With a shrug, you decided to bring it — you never know what might happen. Nighttime passed quickly and you soon found yourself all dolled up, albeit still sleepy from all the tossing and turning, excited to make more memories with your friends.

The train station was packed with people, especially students who went back to their hometowns for the break, and you were relieved to find Armin and Mikasa there. You three were always punctual, followed by Jean and Annie. Eren, Sasha and Connie were always late, which is why you told them the train leaves at 7 am instead of 7:30. It was a dirty strategy, but no one wanted to miss such a fun opportunity because of those lazy fuckers. And lo and behold, they decided to appear at 7:15.

"That was some good thinking." Jean shook his head, hand sympathetically placed on your shoulder.

"I'm only glad you guys rolled with it." You laughed without noticing the way Connie stared at you, and even he didn't understand exactly what he felt. Was he grumpy because he hated morning, or was it Jean's hand on you that irked him?

"It's not polite to stare." Sasha pulled Connie out of his thoughts.

"I wasn't staring, I was looking." Connie rolled his eyes, gripping the handle of his suitcase a bit too tightly.

"I just don't get it why you don't tell her you like her." The girl popped a bubblegum baloon, proceeding to chew it very loudly.

"Are you kidding me? She obviously likes Jean. Look how she's laughing!"

Sasha placed an arm on his shoulder, a sheepish smile on her face. "You, my friend, are a dumbass."

"Takes one to know one."

To say that your friends were loud during the train ride was an understatement. They didn't really care about the nasty glares other passengers shot at them, opting to talk, sing, eat and practically embarrass themselves. But two hours later you arrived, and the fresh, crisp air of the mountains was a blessing. You didn't regret coming, all of you deserved a break after all the exams, studying and all-nighters you guys pulled.

"We could visit the military museum!" Armin suggested, but Connie scrunched his nose.

"We came here to get high, drink and spend time together, why the fuck would we visit some old ass building?"

"I'd like to go to the museum." You awkwardly smiled, earning a 'see?' from the blond. Mikasa, Eren and Annie backed you up, and since it was a democracy, you ended up leaving your bags at the cottage and touring the small town to find the military museum. The building wasn't massive, and inside it was dark, with crimson carpets and dim lights. It was actually quite a romantic atmosphere, had it not been for the weapons and armours displayed in glass cases. Connie watched you intently, taking in every movement, every flinch, every hair tucking, every scrunch of your cute nose. You absorbed the information, hungry for knowledge. This was something you and Connie didn't share — yes, you were down to drinking and smoking, but you were also eager to learn and study, while he always preached how 'you can always retake an exam but you can't relive a party.' He wasn't stupid by any means, but unlike you, Jean, Armin and Mikasa — who alwaysstudied and never skipped lectures — Connie would wing it and somehow end up getting better grades. His strategy didn't always work, and sometimes, when you were in college, he'd ask you to tutor him. Now you were second year undergraduates, and while you were studying different subjects, you still made time for each other.

"That's a nice, uhh..." Connie squinted, "...shotgun."

"It's a musket." You chuckled, your fingers accidentally brushing his as you turned around to face him.

"Shotgun, musket, same thing."

"Actually, muskets are muzzle-loaded and fire a single bullet, but shotguns pack multiple pellets in one shell." You explained. "I'm sorry, you're probably not interested in my ramblings."

"No, no, it's... interesting. I just wasn't expecting you to know so much about guns." He rubbed his nape and smiled at you.

"Well, I do study history, in case you forgot."

"How could I forget that?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" You awkwardly elbowed Connie. Why was it so hard for you to just tell him your feelings? Oh, right, because you've been friends for ten years and if he didn't like you back, it would only ruin a great friendship.

"It means you brag about it so much it's kind of hard to forget." He told you, quickly realising just how insulting that sounded.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that's how you felt..." You sighed, eyes darting back to the weapons.

"No, I didn't- forget it." Connie shook his head. Well played.

Back at the cottage, with enough food and booze to last the group a month, you decided to stay in your room for the rest of the day. It wasn't the first time you had embarrassing moments with Connie, but this particular one made you anxious to be around him. Did he really dislike you that much, or was it just friendly banter? If you were to ask him, you could find out, but every scenario in your head had a bad outcome, so avoiding him for now was the smartest choice. Sasha pleaded with you to spend the evening in the living room with everyone else, but you brushed her off, telling her you weren't feeling quite well.

"Text me if you need anything." She told you before leaving. It was immature to act this way, you knew that all too well, but it wasn't like Connie cared, right? You eventually decided to go downstairs after finishing a long episode of your favourite tv show, your stomach begging for nourishment. As silently as possible, you tiptoed behind the couch. The hallway was dim, the sun had already set, and the only lights were the ones from the wide TV screen in the living room where your friends were watching some corny horror movie. You could cut the suspense and tension with a knife, and when you dropped a teaspoon, everyone jumped.

"Sorry, sorry! It's just me!"

"Jesus Christ, Y/N, you almost gave me a heart attack." Jean got up from the floor and walked behind the couch. "How are you feeling? Sasha said you're ill."

"I'm fine, don't worry." You picked the spoon up and threw it in the sink. "It's just a headache, I'll sleep it off."

"Good, we need you here." The man wrapped an arm around you. "You're missing how Connie's crapping his pants at this shitty movie."

From the outside it would seem like you and Jean were a couple, but the truth was far from it. You two grew up together, his family was friends with your family, and what you had was nothing more than a brother-sister relationship. Jean's little remark earned a disgruntled look from Connie, you quickly picked up on that, and so you playfully jabbed him in the stomach.

"Connie's crapping his pants? You're the one who almost had a heart attack." You grinned.

"Oi, that was only because you dropped your stupid spoon. I was invested in the movie."

"Mhm, sure you were."

"Hey, you sure you don't want to join us?" Mikasa waved at you from the living room. You pondered over her question. Perhaps it wouldn't be too awkward to sit with them.

"Alright, sure, why not?"

"Come, sit next to me." Sasha shuffled to the side, but what she really meant by that was 'sit next to Connie', because she shuffled to the otherside.

The following two nights were surprisingly quiet, all you did was play board games, watch movies and walk around the town taking pictures. The tension between Connie and you seemed to dissipate, and you both forgot the unpleasant interaction you had on the first day. But on the fourth night, that's when shit hit the fan. Annie and Armin left for a date, and Eren and Mikasa wanted to spend the night alone in their room, leaving you, Sasha, Jean and Connie unsupervised, bored and tipsy. There was absolutely nothing good to watch on the TV, and you almost wanted to scream when your friends wanted to play truth or dare. It was one of those games you despised, because the whole point of it was to put the players in uncomfortable situations. And you didn't like being uncomfortable, unlike your friends.

"Jean, truth or dare?" Sasha beamed.

"Dare, duh."

"Alright, I dare you to switch roommates for the rest of the week." She sipped her blackberry cider.

"Okay? So, I'll stay with Y/N, then."

Good lord, if looks could kill, Connie's would annihilate Jean and Sasha off the face of the Earth.

"No, no, you'll stay with me. Y/N will stay with Connie."

"Eh? Why does your dare involve us?" You asked, confused and curious of your friend's proposal.

"Because." She shrugged. "Don't pussy out."

"I'm not pussying out. A dare's a dare." Jean scoffed. "I'm gonna go take my shit in your room and shower."

"Y-yeah, I'll go bring mine, too." You got up, using this time to hyperventilate alone. What the fuck was Sasha even thinking? Was this some stupid joke? But your friends wouldn't harm you, so why would she suggest such a stupid thing?

You took a quick shower before curling up in the bed, blankets covering you from neck to toe. Connie wasn't back yet, and you didn't want to go after him, that would just be odd. You were hoping you'd fall asleep before he returned, to avoid any unnecessary fuss, but just as you closed your eyes, the door opened. Maybe you could pretend you were asleep? He struggled to find his pyjamas in the dark, stumbling over furniture and knocking things down, and you turned the bedside lamp on to ease his search.

"Did I wake you up?" Connie bit his lower lip, and through the dim light you watched the way his grey eyes glistened, the way his short brown hair was ruffled, and how the sage green t-shirt hugged his toned abdomen.

"No, no, 's alright. I wasn't sleeping. I can't exactly fall asleep." You clutched the blanket at your chest as you shook the intrusive thoughts away. Connie was your friend, damn it, there was no room for romance between you.

"I can sleep on the floor if you want."

"Oh, God, no, it's... stiff."

"Um, yeah, it kinda is. Alright then, I'll jump in the shower real quick before going to bed." He stumbled into the bathroom and you really wanted to fall asleep now.

But you couldn't. Every time you closed your eyes, Connie's face popped in your head. So much for resting. You tossed and turned on the mattress, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in, but nothing helped. It didn't take long for him to finish his shower, and you mentally chastised yourself for not falling asleep when you felt him shuffle under the same blanket that was covering you. For a minute, you didn't utter a word, you barely breathed, afraid to disturb the silence in the room.

"Are you asleep?"

"Nope." You heard the click of Connie's phone and turned around. You couldn't see him, but you could hear him.

"Do you wanna talk about something? Until we fall asleep, I mean." You suggested.

"Hmm, sure." He turned on his side and you felt his breath fanning over your cheeks. You were too close to him. "Actually, d'you wanna smoke?"

"Aren't the others gonna be mad if we smoke without them?"

"They don't have to know. Besides, you and I never smoked together." Connie was already up, rummaging through his backpack with the flashlight of his phone. "And then we can talk as much as you want."

"Alright, I'm down."

You laid on the floor, your head next to Connie's as you looked at the ceiling, smoke leaving your lips. He took the joint from you, fingers touching yours and you blushed, the haze of the weed melting your worries away.

"Do you want me to skip the song?" Connie asked, and for a moment you forgot there was a song playing.

"No, I like it." You confessed. "I didn't know you liked Led Zeppelin."

"There's lots of things you don't know about me, Y/N." He passed you the joint.

"Okay, tell me something else I don't know."

"I like it when you randomly say historical or scientific facts."

"Didn't you say I brag too much about it?" You took one final drag before you stubbed the joint out in a makeshift ashtray filled with a bit of water. By this point you were high as a kite, every trace of rationality gone.

"That doesn't mean I don't like it." Connie smiled and you could feel it in his voice. "Now you tell me something I don't know about you."

"I can't sleep with open doors. It freaks me out." You sat up, a breeze blowing through the window sending shivers down your spine. "It's a bit cold, do you mind if I close the window?"

"Go ahead."

You got up and picked the ashtray up but before you could close the window, you stumbled over a chest of drawers, the ashes mixed with water spilling over your t-shirt.

"You okay?" He quickly crawled to you, concern written all over his face.

"Yeah, I'm just clumsy." You laughed it off and waved your free hand. "I'll go get changed, I should have a spare shirt."

But you didn't have a spare shirt. All you had was that stupid white babydoll, and anxiety seeped through your veins. You couldn't exactly show up in that in front of your crush. And you didn't want to ask him for a shirt either. Fuck it, what else could you do?

You peeked out the bathroom door and saw Connie back in bed, lazily scrolling through his phone. God, this was embarrassing.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." He laughed, but when your facial expression didn't change, he frowned. "Y/N?"

"Um, so, I didn't have a spare shirt and- Jesus, this is awkward." You opened the door and his eyes widened. "Is it alright if I sleep in this?"

"Oh, I get it now." Connie scoffed.

"Get what?"

"You were hoping you'd share a room with Jean, right?" He sounded almost disgusted.

"Excuse you? Where did you even get that idea?" You slammed the bathroom door shut, arms folded across your chest.

"I'm not stupid, Y/N. I've seen the way you two act. Do yourselves a favour and just fuck already."

You were speechless. Completely reactionless. The weed amplified your anger, but his words brought tears to your eyes.

"You... you fucking asshole! You think I brought this for Jean? I brought it for you!"

"Eh? M-me?" Connie was confused, and you were pissed.

"Yes, you. Jean's like a brother to me, oh my God! Ew!"

"Wait, so you and Jean are not in love with each other?"

"In love?? Connie, how high are you exactly?" You walked closer to the bed, arms still crossed.

"But- Fuck, I am stupid." He shook his head, the memories of you flirting with him flashing before his eyes. "I fucked up, didn't I?"

"A bit..." Your muscles relaxed and you sat on the mattress. "Really, Connie, I... I like you. A lot. But you're always giving me mixed signals."

"That's because I always thought you liked Jean!" He threw his hands in the air in exasperation.

"No, you're the only one."

"Huh, guess I've really been dazed and confused."

Calloused fingertips ran across your hips leaving goosebumps in their trail. Your hands roamed his back and the way Connie kissed you was better than any high you've ever experienced. He was touch-starved, and you were just as needy. His knee found its place between your thighs and you moaned when it barely brushed your cunt.

"I've been dreaming for this moment for as long as I can remember." Connie breathed into your neck, the hot breath tickling your skin.

"Me too, you blind bat." You laughed and he turned you over, hovering over you.

"'M sorry I didn't notice quicker." He kissed you again. One hand travelled lower, pushing your underwear to the side before he pushed two fingers between your folds. "Fuck, you're so wet."

"Well, at least now I don't have to finger myself thinking about you." You whimpered with a grin.

"Oh?" Connie arched a brow. "Is that what you've been doing?" He curled up his fingers and you threw your head back with a moan. "I thought you were a prude."

"T-there's lots of things you d-don't know about m-me!" You replied back between oh’sand ah’s, imitating his words from an hour ago. That only earned a sneer from Connie, his head dipping between your thighs. "Wait, what are you do- ooh fuck!"

His tongue lapped at your cunt, fingers pumping in and out of you, and you completely sunk into the mattress, moaning his name over and over again. You gripped the sheets, flexing the muscles in your legs as you squirmed and thrashed. Connie stopped and you almost crushed his skull with your thighs at the empty feeling. He pulled your underwear down and shoved the cotton panties in your mouth.

"Don't wake everyone up, Y/N. You don't want them knowing what a little slut you are, do you?"

You shook your head and Connie went back to circling your clit with his tongue, adrenaline rushing through your entire body with each lick, each suck. Tears of pleasure pooled at your eyes, nose and cheeks red from the thrill of your incoming orgasm. The way he was sloppily eating your pussy and moaning while doing it drove you insane, and within seconds you came undone, thighs trembling with delight. In fact, you were so sore you had to push his head back, begging him to stop so you could return the favour.

"You taste so sweet." Connie licked his lips. You don't know what possessed you to pull him into a kiss after you removed the makeshift gag, but he was right, you were sweet.

"Can I...?" Your eyes drifted down to his twitching cock, your voice soft and quiet.

"You wanna suck it?"

"Yes."

"Later. Right now, I wanna fuck you."

Connie gave you no time to protest, his elbow pushed one of your things to the side, the blushing tip of his cock grazing over your overstimulated clit, up and down your slit. Inch by inch it disappeared into your cunt and he let out a satisfied sigh. You bucked your hips, manicured nails digging into his shoulders with each thrust.

"Shit, you're so fucking tight!" Connie growled, head lowering to kiss you. You could still taste yourself on his lips and that only made you clench your spongy walls around his cock. That seemed to please him, because he rocked his hips harder and faster. "You like it?"

"Oh, God, yes!" You gasped, beads of sweat forming on your forehead as you clawed his back.

"Fuck, I want you to ride me." He gripped your hips tighter and turned you over. You tried your best to get in the new position without letting his cock slip out of you, and when you finally adjusted yourself, it was a whole new challenge. Gravity pulled you down, and his tip brushed your cervix, your eyes squinting at the slight pain. "If it hurts, stop-"

"No!" You cried out, your hands resting on his chest. You bounced up and down, the uncomfortable feeling slowly replaced with pleasure. Connie's hands traced your thighs as you rode him, another wave of heat flushing through your core. His palm met your cunt, thumb circling over your clit. "I can't c-come again!"

"Yes, you can. And you will cream on my cock."

The disgust words worked like magic and you flexed your thighs, bouncing faster, head thrown back, hair cascading down your back. "You're so beautiful, Y/N."

"Connie, I-" The words stopped in your throat, the pressure too much for you to handle.

"You what?"

"I'm- oh, God!"

"Atta girl!" He praised you when he felt your silken walls relaxing and your thighs quaking. The second orgasm was so intense you let yourself fall over his chest, dizzy and tired. You thought he'd give you a break, but Connie wrapped an arm around your back, holding you in place before giving your oversensitive cunt a few more thrusts. "Now you can return the favour."

You mustered up some strength to get up and kneel in front of the bed, between his legs.

"Please don't come in my mouth." You asked him before wrapping your pretty lips around his cock.

"Gotchaah-" Connie choked on his words when he felt himself in your hot mouth. You bobbed your head up and down, cheeks hollowed and eyes on him. You didn't break eye contact when you pulled away and spat on the tip, hand pumping his cock to smear the spit. "Hot." He mumbled before you went back to sucking. You felt the throbbing, tightening your lips around him and picking up the pace. "Y/N-"

It all happened in a flash — Connie yanked your hair and pulled your head back, thick ropes of milky white cum shooting all over your face and neck.

"Eew!" You scrunched your nose, hand under your chin to stop it from dripping down the floor.

"What do you mean ew? That's, like, a billion kids!"

"Actually, a fertile man produces around-"

"Don't start. Do not." He pressed his index finger over your lips. "Let's get you cleaned up."

You woke up sore, especially between your thighs, but damn, was it worth it. Connie wrapped an arm around your waist, mumbling something about how pretty you are, but you assumed he was still sleeping — or still high. The sun shone through the blinds and you squinted, annoyed by the brightness, and so you turned around, watching the way your crush snored peacefully.

"Cute." You smiled and planted a kiss on his forehead, waking him up. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Why?" Connie rubbed his eyes. "Waking up to you is a blessing."

You couldn't hide the tinting of your cheeks and the grin on your lips. "I didn't think you were the romantic type."

"There's lots of things-"

"I don't know about you. But I'd like to know those things. If you let me, of course." You bit your lower lip, eyes filled with hope.

"Can I be your boyfriend?" He sat up, his eyes serious.

"I thought you'd never ask."

Okay, so maybe Sasha knew a thing or two when she dared Jean to switch roommates.

You walked into the kitchen after getting ready for the day, with Connie following behind you. Everyone was eating their breakfast, and Jean instantly dashed to you.

"Connie, bro, take me back. Sasha's leaving crumbs all over the bed! I can't sleep like that!"

"I can't, man, I wanna spend the rest of the week with my girlfriend." He sneered and you elbowed him.

"I forgot to mention Jean's overprotecti-"

"Your what? Hands off my sister from another mister, you creep!"

"Creep? You're the one who was sexting someone's sister last night." Sasha chimed in, mouth full of cereal.

"Thanks, Sash." Jean rolled his eyes. "For real, how did this happen?"

"You see, mate, when a man and a woman love each other-"

"Nope. I will not hear this."

[tomtenadia]

Blind mistake

Rowaelin month - day 8

So, this fic was fighting me at the beginning. as I started, deleted and restarted a million times.

Then slowly the idea came and here it is. What I was not expecting was to write a A Little Braver AU.

Aelin and Rowan meet under different circumstances and are two different people from thee actual story. Aelin is still the captain at east station and Rowan still the airforce captain.

Yes, this is a happier fic but as Aelin said in KoA... she loved Rowan because it was him, the man who had known pain as deep as hers.

IN order to enjoy this fic you do not need to have read ALB. A part from Pete popping up for a brief second at the end, this is a complete stand alone story and no knowledge of ALB is needed.

Rowan sighed. His love life sucked so much that he ended up using a dating app. Since Lyria dumped him a year before he had been struggling to go back in the game. He had been on a few dates but so far none of the women he met had sparked his curiosity. Far too bland and with almost no personality or far too bothered by looks. Some of them had been downright stupid and he had been a gentleman and played along when all he wanted to do was run away screaming. The last nightmare had been a woman called Remelle who Lorcan had recommended to him. He had to feign food poisoning and pay the chef to let him escape from the back of the restaurant to flee the monster. He had paid the bill sneakily, and once home he had insulted Lorcan and his poor taste in women.

Now he was again in a restaurant, ready for probably another fiasco. He and the woman had chatted a bit and she had seemed interesting so he had dared to ask her out and she had accepted. On the paper it was all good. In reality he was getting ready for another crazy escape. Maybe he should just give up and live alone and become a grumpy old man.

He had a kingsflame on the table near him, their code to recognise each other at the restaurant. The fact that they knew very little about each other made him nervous. It was a recipe for disaster. He knew she was a personal shopper and that she liked movies and music. He was really dreading the encounter now, and started to realise that perhaps it had been a mistake. She could have lied.

Until he raised his head and he noticed the woman who had just entered the restaurant. He then spotted the flower pinned on her green dress as they had agreed. Gods, the woman was way too hot for him. There was a catch somewhere. His heart raced when realisation dawned on her face and she waved and started to walk to him. The smile. Damn, the smile could stop a man’s heart. The woman walking toward him was a goddess. He was expecting her to turn away for another table until she sat down in front of him at his table. Rowan was speechless.

“Sorry, I am late. Accident on the ring road. I stopped to give a hand to west station.” She used her hand to brush off the smudge of grease he had only just noticed she had.

“You stopped?”

“Yes,” she looked at him with a strange light in her eyes “I am a firefighter. I am the captain at east station.”

Rowan blinked twice. Shit. She was the wrong woman. She was not here for him. Of course. It was too good to be true. She had sat at the wrong table and a part of him was sad.

“I am Aelin.” she said and he knew that it had dawned on her as well that he was not her date “You are not Chaol.”

Rowan shook his head “I am Rowan.”

“Holy shit. I saw the kingsflame. The restaurant. And you smiled at me when I came in. I just assumed...” He did not want her to go. 

“Ach, I was having second thoughts anyway.” He shrugged.

In that moment the waiter came and they were hesitant for a moment then Aelin grabbed the menu and started ordering, surprising him. Rowan got some wine for both and they placed as well their order.

“Our dates are late anyway. Maybe stuck in the horrendous traffic out there.”

“You will not hear me complain.” Said Rowan with a smile “so, you stopped and helped?”

Aelin nodded, sipping a bit of her wine “I couldn’t resist it. West station was there but there were so many cars involved that I had to something. The traffic wasn’t moving anyway.”

Rowan could not believe the woman in front of him. Not only she was a goddess. She had even stopped to help her colleagues save people from a car crash on her way to a date. Where had she been all his life?

The waiter came with their order and smiled at the expression of joy when Aelin looked at the amount of food in front of her. Another point for her. She had an appetite. He had no need of another date ordering a boring salad. He was a healthy eater but loved a woman with an appetite, especially because he loved cooking.

“So Rowan, what do you do?” She asked him while tackling the gigantic prawn on her seafood tagliatelle.

“I am an airforce pilot. I am a captain.”

Her face lit up “as in the uniform and all? And the awesome planes?”

Rowan nodded.

Aelin was about to take another sip of her wine when two figures stopped at their table. A brown-haired man and a blonde woman. Both had a kingsflames pinned on their dresses.

“Excuse me but you are with my date.” Said the stranger.

Rowan looked up from his risotto “finders keepers.”

“And he is my date.” Said the woman in a shrill voice.

“What he said.” Added Aelin while eating another prawn.

“We got stuck in traffic. There is a massive road accident on the ring road.” Chaol complained, not letting it go.

“Yeah I know. I stopped to help and I still made it here before you.”

“So what does this mean?” Asked Chaol.

Aelin stared at Rowan. It was a no brainer. Chaol was cute but Rowan was sex on two legs. Between the silver hair and the green eyes he ticked all of the boxes. And he was a pilot. Chaol was an accountant.

“You two can go on a date together.” She suggested and hoped they took the hint.

“That is rude.”

“Oh shoot,” said Aelin covering her mouth in fake surprise “I must have left the fucks I have to give in my bunker gear.”

Chaol looked at her aghast. The blonde woman turned on her heels and left.

“You missed an opportunity.” He added before he left as well.

As soon as he left Rowan burst into laughter and she joined him “no fucks to give…” he said trying to catch his breath “I have to steal this when my CO drives me nuts.”

“Ansel, one of my firefighters, she taught me that.”

“It’s fucking perfect.” 

And both resumed their dinner without the awkwardness of a blind date. No stupid questions like how many siblings do you have or what is your favourite colour. No, with Rowan there had been a connection from the start and the joke had been the final proof.

“Most guys would have left running at my joke. I have a big and foul mouth. Not very lady-like.” She apologised. “I work in a male dominated place. Apart from Ansel and my two paramedics, I am surrounded by guys and well, they are not easily scared.”

Rowan chuckled “I am in the military. My CO uses fuck you as a term of endearment and one of my lieutenants has the record for the most innuendos in a sentence.”

“How many?” Asked Aelin curios.

“Ten.”

“No friggin’ way.”

Rowan nodded solemnly. Then looked at her and he was glad she sat at his table mistaking him for another man. They had known each other only for twenty minutes but he was dumbstruck by the woman.

She was fierce, intelligent and with a wicked sense of humour.

The meal had been perfect. Aelin had polished every single plate in front of her and also ordered dessert. And when she offered to pay for half the bill he had smiled. He had plenty of dates where the woman didn’t even offer. She took it for granted that he, being the man, was the one paying. He had no issues with that, he was happy to pay, but the fact that Aelin offered made him realise that she was different.

They left the restaurant and he gasped when he saw a red pickup reading Terrasen fire department on its livery, parked just outside the restaurant.

“Way to scare the patrons away.” He joked.

“Sorry. Yesterday I took a lift to work from a colleague and I forgot for a moment that I had a set the date for tonight after my shift. So I grabbed my work pickup to get here. I need to go back to the firehouse and return it.”

“I’ll follow, you drop off the pickup and then I drive you home.”

“I can take a cab, you don’t have to come all the way to the station and back.”

“Humour me,” he said giving her a beautiful smile and she accepted.

Ten minutes later they were at east station and she parked the pickup in its corner at the side and out of the way.

She saw Rowan getting off the car.

“Welcome to east station.” She said extending her arms. She pushed a button and the rolling doors slid up and two big trucks appeared in front of him. He had always wanted to see one up close.

“Cap,” said a man at her back “what are you doing here? I thought you were on a date?” He smiled “that bad? I told you accountants were a bad idea.”

Aelin laughed “looks like I got myself an airforce pilot instead.” She winked at him and Rowan’s heart skipped a beat.

“I’ll tell you next shift, Pete. I just brought back the pickup before Dorian kills me.”

She waved at her relief captain and followed Rowan in his car and told him her address.

While he drove she studied him. He was wearing a nice pair of jeans, a shirt and a black leather jacket. She should have guessed he was military. Aedion had the same posture and he was ex-army.

“Which house?” Asked Rowan, waking her up from her thoughts.

“The one with the blue door.”

He parked and walked with her up to the door “I had so much fun tonight,” she said to him, not wanting him to leave her.

“I am so glad that you sat at the wrong table. This was the best blind date ever.” He looked at her and wanted to kiss her so badly but they had just met and he did not want to pass a a pig.

She moved a step toward him “I am glad too.” And her lips brushed his cheek in a kiss “perhaps we could go on a proper date. One where we are actually meant to meet each other.”

Rowan sighed relieved “It would make me very happy.”

Aelin rummaged in her bag until she found a pen then grabbed his wrist and pulled up his cuff a bit and wrote down two numbers.

“The first one is my personal mobile number. The second one is the direct number to my office. I am known to leave my mobile in my bunker gear.”

“Thank you.”

“Let me know a date and if I am not free we can find a better one. Us firefighters have crazy long shifts so I need to be off.”

He took her pen and her wrist and wrote his number “then you text me. A day that you are off shift. I work regular hours. This makes more sense.”

He took a step down from the few step and she hated the idea of him leaving.

“Goodnight, Rowan.” She opened the door and looked at him one last time.

Rowan waited for her to disappear behind the door and then went back to his car and was grateful for the best blind mistake of his life.