#always the same kind of fumble too. in that we don't speak to them

[misomiho]

now playing..

𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝

⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

Genre: Sfw, Angst

Pairing: Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader

✩Synopsis: Desperate for closure, you ran after the friend turned mass murderer Suguru Geto to seek for answers after his betrayal but other than answers, you were left confused with his feelings too

"To protect the people I love and to protect the weak"

Those words were enough to silence you down, past memories that were hunting you until you're out of breath because of running away. Running away from your own weaknesses.

You cowardly hid yourself when you were given the chance to speak to him one last time but if you were ever to return back time, you would've ran straight towards him and told him that he isn't alone within this mess.

That we should talk it out.

Is talking it out even enough?

That things would've returned to how they were. Suguru would be his kind and empathetic self again. Suguru would be the caring person again. Suguru would be the one who always listen again.

It wasn't going to be easy but you would do everything for it to be deemed as easy.

"He's here"

You heard Shoko's voice, it was hoarse and you felt the tinge of disappointment and sadness within those words she spoke over the phone.

You saw her as someone who's strong enough to not be held down by her own emotions yet you knew that even if she kept such barrier upon herself, it's still gonna break.

Silence.

"She's not answering the phone, guess she isn't talking to you"

You heard a hum before the phone call ended, you knew it was Suguru who wished to speak to you.

Shoko saw the same eyes expecting closure from someone dull the moment silence answered her call, she couldn't do anything but watch hopelessly.

Someone would say that was disrespectful of you not to answer but they don't know anything about your own situation.

You felt betrayed even if people were to say you didn't have the right to do so because you weren't affected anyway.

They're wrong...

You're just a mere second year who wasn't even anything off useful towards the battlefield in hopes of taking Shoko's steps in a case where something might happen, you were a back up plan.

You ARE heavily affected...

He was there to help and aid you whenever you felt as if the responsibility placed upon your shoulders were burdening you.

The way his hands would find it's way towards your hair to ruffle them up, the way his smile lines would show whenever he grins at you while you scold him out of the blue that those would destroy his beauty, the way he would offer his hands for you to stand up because the ground is dirty, the way he would hold the back of your head and push you gently towards his chest to hug you while making fun of you because you never reach his shoulders since you're shorter than him.

The way he just threw all of that out of that window and never spoke nor saw you again.

You could just feel the ache burning inside you, your throat hurts, your eyes sting, and you couldn't speak.

You remembered that one time Shoko shared another one of her horrible medical 'fun' facts about people dying from a heart break.

That's what you feel right now, you felt like you're dying from a heart break.

Would you even consider this a heartbreak?

You two were never in a relationship.

You fell down, weeping while clutching the phone towards your chest as if you let a last chance slip away from your grasps.

Without second thought, you dashed out of your dorm with tears still in your eyes, you knew they sent Satoru after him and you knew Satoru wouldn't kill off his best friend, you just have to get there and talk to him before he disappear again.

Tell me your answer..Suguru!!

"I like you"

Your hands were trembling, shaking, and fumbling to anywhere you could find to ease your discomfort and nervousness.

You just saw the special grade Tsukumo Yuki walk up to him, it wasn't your intention to eavesdrop but you were waiting for Haibara to finish his chat with Suguru so that you can congratulate the special grade personally on his promotion but then Tsukumo went ahead of you first.

You were a bit annoyed when all that frustration you had were replaced with widened eyes along their disturbing conversation.

extermination of curse energy..? just what-

You heard the woman get up and hid yourself away to wait until her departure to have a talk with Suguru undisturbed. You want to know what was on his mind when he said something about..

Killing off non sorcerers..

"What do you want to talk about?"

You got out of your trance when his gentle voice snap you out of it, you bit your lip as to ponder your next words carefully.

"Congratulations about your promotion to special grade.."

"Oh that..yeah thank you"

He's not okay, you can clearly see the visible eye bags and tousled hair he has everywhere, he isn't sleeping well and he's always..always.. thinking about something that seems to bother him.

"Suguru..I-"

He glanced your way as if expecting the next words out of your mouth.

Tell him..! tell him about what you heard!

"I like you"

You weren't expecting that to come out of your mouth instead, you were gonna question him about his statement earlier but you were just here..confessing out of the blue.

You were trembling, nervous, and fumbling everywhere, your eyes dart from him to the ground and your mouth was rushing to find your next words, crimson traced your cheeks, sweat rolls of your neck and.. butterflies were swirling around your stomach.

Was this just what you came up with as an excuse because your cowardice got the best of you when you were about to question him or was it..

out of desperation that you just want him to stay with you because something on the back of your mind tells you that he will be out of reach someday and you won't have a chance to say those words again.

You saw his eyes recover from shock to confusion to complete understanding.

oh no is he showing sympathy? does he not feel the same way? i-if that's the case, I wouldn't mind wait what? I will surely mind!

Thoughts were running around your head miles per second you couldn't even keep up.

"I-"

As soon as you heard and saw those words start to form out of his mouth , you hurriedly dash over the doors out of pure humiliation.

"I'm sorry!! pretend you never heard that or just completely pretend that I didn't exist 10 minutes ago!"

You shouted with voice decreasing and echoing when you go further down the hallway and straight through the door.

Suguru was shocked at least, a small grin making it's way to his lips while he mumbled something incoherent to himself

"..."

You shook off the memory in your head, that was a long time ago already.

Not even a long time, it's weeks ago

You confessed to him weeks ago before the mass murder he did at that village, you were eager to tell him because he was going to graduate soon and you knew there would be little to no interactions unfortunately but it seems that it wasn't the only reason you had to confess, he's gone completely different from before, he's a murderer on the loose..

he's gonna be executed..

he-

he's completely out of reach now..

You didn't care about his answer, wether he accepts it or not you're still gonna be happy, talking to him will suffice.

Gods..just please..let me know I'm not too late

The train ride was painful, the sun is slowly disappearing along the horizon yet you hope you won't be left disappointed, you kept hiding the painful lump on your throat and the tears that were blurring you eyes threatening to spill any moment, a tear would slip and you would immediately wipe it off with your sleeve in hopes you would not disturb any tired salary men on the train after their long shift from your obvious sniffles.

You reached Shibuya, finally.

You took an eager step but your feet was in place, frozen. What's wrong? Why are you stopping? those questions were swirling on your mind, your trembling hands grabbed your attention.

You're frustrated yet you can't do anything.

Do you really want to talk to him? Why are you being such a coward? Suguru could potentially disappear again, What the hell are you doing?

Why just why-

Am I afraid that he might lash out on me because I didn't want to talk to him? Am I afraid that he might say something that would be stuck with me until my last moments. Until my grave. Until after death.

In the end, you just sat there until the next train to tokyo arrives, somehow the cold chairs in the station provided you some comfort from the burning feeling inside you.

You clasped your hands together and placed them on your forehead while your knees provided support, you were in utter sadness, utter humiliation, and utter hopelessness.

Someone important to you just disappeared.

You waited until a train to tokyo was announced, your head hung low and everything was just blurry while your ears were being pierced with a static sound. Probably overstimulated from all that crying.

You came back home disappointed.

Unbeknownst to you someone was standing on the other side of the station patiently watching your every move.

Suguru was surprised you weren't reacting nor sensing his presence since you were the one among the second years known for her strong awareness. He had already suspected you weren't gonna come and talk to him but he was not expecting you more to rashly get a ride from Tokyo to Shibuya, that's more than enough for him to understand.

He understood you were somehow afraid yet he was quite upset you didn't had the courage to at least take a step and find him, he could've somehow found a way for you to accidentally bump into each other and just get things over.

Then and there, he would have said his unsaid feelings towards you and maybe just maybe..

He would've came back to jujutsu high and accepted whatever fate has in store for him but that didn't happen and never will because he already set an oath for himself that each of your feelings would never get in the way of his plan.

No. He'd never.

Then and there, he saw you get on the train, he saw how exhausted you are, he remembered how you fix your hair whenever he would approach you and whenever you would approach him yet here you are hair tangled and not a care in the world when you were about to confront him which unfortunately failed, it made him chuckle but your state right now made him stop. You were obviously crying for hours from the way your eyes seem to be puffy and red.

It made him more upset.

You entered the train, a count down began for the doors to close.

10...9

Maybe he could still get in there and tell you everything..

8...7

Maybe he could still get in there and convince you to join him..

6...5

Maybe he could still follow you to jujutsu high and get executed for good..

4...3

Maybe there's a chance..

2...1

No.

The train got on it's way to Tokyo as it's doors closed.

He pulled his hood down and continued his way because he knows his daughters are waiting for him.

"Shame..they would've loved another parent"

He bit his lips and was lost in thought

"I like you too"

Your daydreaming was interrupted by someone poking your cheeks rather aggressively, you opened your eyes groggily and saw your white haired blindfolded superior who was getting on your nerves right now.

"Oh..w-where was I again..?"

Satoru chuckled at you and shook your shoulders.

"You were questioning dear Yuuta here on why he wants to become a sorcerer!! you wanted him to answer or else you won't heal him!"

That was quite mean of you but you always knew that a sorcerer without a strong foundation is always bound to fall into their own demise just like....him

"You know..that protecting someone isn't enough"

That's right, that's what I've always said yet you always insisted. Suguru.

You were stern but you're only protecting those young sorcerers, how ironic of you..

"That's not the only case sensei.."

he fired back with more determination as if reading your mind, he clenched his fist showcasing the ring that Satoru mentioned beforehand and said..

"I wil set Rika free from her curse!"

"Standby, I'll get my materials, my technique works differently from Ieri"

The poor boy just shuddered with the thousands of horrible ways the medic has to heal someone according to some rumor (rumored by panda) and without another word you simply walked away.

A hand went up to your head and gently ruffled them. You took notice of the white glistening strands under the fluorescent lights, his blindfold pulled down as if a clear blue sky unfolds infront of you.

Satoru

"Man, you're such a crybaby sometimes, you may seem serious but I know you're vulnerable when it comes to young sorcerers"

The man simply heard silence and a little sniffle before he proceeded.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, I'm here too"

Somehow..

This scene feels familiar..

[mc-lukanette]

Marinette sighed, adding a newly crumbled paper to the amount surrounding her as she got a new sheet to write on. Best-laid plans and all, but she genuinely thought that she'd have something put together by now.

Luka was supposed to come by and she wanted - no, needed - it done by then. Her parents already knew, so familiar with Luka that he was just welcomed right into the house whenever he came over, no questions asked.

They were proud of her for so easily taking initiative as opposed to certain past endeavors, but she could do without the uncertainty that came from the humiliating memories those endeavors caused her.

She hummed, her leg bouncing as she tapped the blunt end of her pencil on her new piece of paper. Setting the page down in front of her, she started to write again, trying for a different tone this time.

She still wasn't satisfied.

As she was working, the door creaked behind her. She sighed, figuring that it must've been one of her parents checking on her; they always enjoyed meddling when it came to her love life and they hadn't come so far.

"Can you be too formal in a love letter?" she asked as she straightened up. Throwing her arms up, she explained, "I want it to sound serious, but Luka's not a formal kind of guy. I'm trying to confess, not ask him to join a business meeting!"

She got silence in response and mentally groaned. If they were going to interrupt, the least they could do is help!

Setting her pencil down, Marinette grasped the top of the backrest and twisted to look towards the door, prepared to tell them just that. Her mouth opened to speak, but stopped short when she realized who was actually standing there.

It was Luka, his eyes wide and a pink blush having bloomed across his face. Within the next second, Marinette's face mirrored his, horror striking at what must've just happened.

She turned back, eyes scanning her surroundings that she'd been ignoring until now. Seeing the blatant sunset outside the window, her hands fumbled to grab her phone and turn the screen on.

The time staring back at her told her as much: that she'd spent far longer on her love letter (attempt at a love letter) than intended. Just as the panic started to form, she heard footsteps approach and looked up to see Luka standing nearby.

"I...I can explain!" She stood up with the paper in hand, crumpling it between her palms. "We—we really were supposed to hang out! I was going to greet you at the door! It's just that I wanted to put this—" She spun on her heel to throw the paper amongst the others. "—in your bag or something as a surprise, but I couldn't find the words and then you came in and I thought you were someone else and I asked what I did, and now—!"

She stopped short, her blush spreading all the way up to her ears when it hit her that she'd just excused not coming down to greet him instead of accidentally confessing. She'd embarrassed herself before on such matters, but not like that.

As she stood there, waiting for the inevitable laugh that was about to echo throughout the room, Luka suddenly said, "It's perfect."

Marinette paused, noting that his laugh sounded vaguely like a sentence, then glanced over her shoulder at him. He wasn't laughing, only standing there while looking wholly serious.

"W-what? What was?" She gestured at the papers surrounding her. "My crumbling technique?"

"Your confession." He smiled, taking the few steps necessary to close the distance between them. "It was perfect."

In all of her knowledge of teenage slang, she couldn't recall an instance where 'it's perfect' actually meant 'that was the worst thing I've ever seen.' Furthermore, Luka had never lied to her, which led to only one conclusion.

She faced him, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. "You mean it?"

He nodded. "I don't care how it sounds." Reaching a hand out to her, he added, "The feelings you put in are all the same."

"Oh." She swallowed, still absorbing that she'd just stood there, blurted out a confession in the middle of all of her failed love letters, and he'd just accepted all of it. Even when she took his silent offer and let him have her hand, it didn't quite feel real.

Luka, turning his attention to the mess scattered around the room, knelt down to grab one of the balled-up pages on the floor with his free hand. Standing back up, he presented it to her, asking, "Can I still read them?"

"Those?" She snapped out of her daze enough to respond. Waving an arm at what was future garbage in her mind, she reminded him, "These are all my failures!"

He shrugged, unbothered. "I want to see what my girlfriend wrote for me."

"But why would you—" She perked up, losing her train of thought entirely. "Girlfriend?"

He grinned, not responding verbally but his entire expression saying 'yes'.

Eventually, he'd managed to convince her, both of them collecting the papers before sitting on the couch together. Snuggled up against Luka's side while he uncrumpled paper after paper, she determined that her attempts must not've been failures after all.

Especially because each of them brought a new smile to his face.

[starchaserdreams]

Erm, hello!

I am an aspiring writer. I have these stories in my head that I love and want to write about. But when I try, it's the absolute worst shit I've ever seen in my life.

Sorry, what I'm trying to ask is, any tips for younger writers who have no idea what they're doing...?

Hi! I have no idea what I'm doing ever, but I'll try to answer as best as I can. I'll start with generic advice, then say what works for me specifically. Sorry this got so long.

We're all kind of fumbling through life. The writing habits that I have have come from three sources:

a) hearing what other people do and building from them. I'm always in one writers group or another (currently I'm in a local writers group, and I'm regularly involved with two different NaNoWriMo groups in November, one locally and one virtually) and I've picked up a lot from them

b) a metric fuckton of trial and error. Because while part (a) is great some of the time, most of the things that work for other people don't work for me. I can't set a strict schedule at the same time everyday. I can't edit for a long time after I write.

c) NaNoWriMo (see link) helped me SO MUCH. I don't think everything can be written that way, but in terms of getting a handle on your own voice, preventing yourself from stopping to edit, and letting the story flow on its own, NaNo is amazing. It's a great starting point. Editing can come later, once the words are done on the page.

If you're unfamiliar, it's a (totally free) event that happens in November every year where everyone tries to write 50,000 words of a brand new novel in the span of one month. That's 1,667 words per day, so there isn't much time to stop and edit as you go. You just keep going. It's a competition against yourself rather than anyone else, to see if you can accomplish the task. It's also a community based event, so you can commiserate with other writers about the bad and celebrate with them about the good.

They have smaller events in April and July, but to really get the feel of it, November is when it's a party (or a rollercoaster, either way). I went to write-ins in cafes, bars, grocery stores, on the subway, etc. The event is a whole vibe, and now they have in person events again (they paused for covid). If you want to stay virtual, they have that too!

And as for what works for me:

1.

This most certainly wouldn't work for everyone, but it's my current strategy:

I think best when I'm in motion. By far. So most of my storyboarding I do while walking or driving, and I dictate into the notes app on my phone.

I do most of my dialogue this way too, because speaking it out loud makes it feel more like a conversation and more natural. I won't dictate the narration, but I'll include action tags. So it comes out like "Anthony: *flings door open, eyes wide* what in blazes are you doing??" (I add punctuation later)

Then when I get home, I often have several thousand words of notes to work from. My notes file for my last fic was 30k words, almost all of which had been dictated. It's a lot. It might sound daunting.

But it was done while out for a walk or drive, so it felt easy and effortless. And then when it came time to actually write, I got 48,000 words of a first draft done in 8 days (about 15k of which was just copy pasted from the outline. The whole time it felt like cheating and using guidelines to write the actual story, but it was all my original work, just done at different times.

2.

Keep writing as an exciting treat rather than a chore.

I've started to create little writers retreats for myself. My friends and I rented an AirBnB for two nights this winter, where the entire goal was reading and writing. Sure there was sitting around the fire talking and eating good food, but we built it up so that the writing was the exciting part. It worked SO WELL. We did writing activities together too, not just staring at a word doc. We did character studies and made little AUs to imagine our characters in.

A friend and I took a six hour road trip for another writers retreat too. We spent the 12 hours (RT) in the car talking about our stories and characters. We'd started with dozens of prompts so we'd have enough material, and we never ran out. Then we took rest stops at gas stations and restaurants and did little 15 minute writing sprints. It really got me fired up. I wrote 6,000 words over the two days of that retreat!

Keeping writing fun can be big things (my sister and I did a writers retreat like that in Hawaii) or little things (I always treat myself to a donut and a coffee on Sunday mornings and then have a leisurely morning in the cafe writing).

I can't say if any of this will work for you, because I can't even say whether it'll still work for *me* in a few years. But I hope it's food for thought!

Anyway this is like one million words long so sorry about that, hope it was interesting.

[pardi-real]

Butler's Halloween / Chapter 5 - Observe Carefully

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[Devil’s Palace, Backyard]

A few days before the costume party at the mansion...  I came to the backyard alone. Lucas, Haures, and Bastien were there.

> "I wonder what they are up to?"

Lucas: "Well then, Haures, Bastien. To prepare for the real party… Let's practice attending to guests, shall we?"

Haures: "Well… a practice sounds good, but…"

Bastien: "Why do we need to wear costumes?"

Lucas: "Fufu. That's because we're practicing for the real deal, of course. Say, if we practice in the same costume from now on, we won't fumble in the real thing, right?"

Haures: "I see. Yes, that may be true. Like this wing decoration on my back for example… If you don't get used to it, you might bump into someone."

Bastien: "So that's why… Understood. Again, I'm counting on you, Mr. Lucas."

Haures: "Thank you in advance, Mr. Lucas."

It seems that the three of them are going to start practicing attending to guests.

I was curious to see how they were doing, but I didn't want to disturb their practice... I decided to observe from a distance.

Haures: "Nevertheless… It's reassuring to know that Mr. Lucas will be teaching us."

Bastien: "Yeah. I have the impression that Mr. Lucas is always good at hospitality."

Lucas: "Fufu, thank you. I'm flattered, but it's nice to hear you say so ♪"

Bastien: "No, it's not flattery.

I mean it from the bottom of my heart. I can't imagine how you can carry on a conversation with all sorts of people...

I can't do that. I'm not proud of it, but I'm often called unsociable.

It may not be possible anytime soon, but… I'd like to be able to talk to other people as much as possible."

Lucas: "Ooh… That was unexpected coming from you, Bastien… Fufu. You've really grown up, haven't you?"

Haures: "He sure has. I want to learn from Bastien's attitude too. My hospitality skills are nothing compared to Lucas's…"

Bastien: "Is that so? From my point of view, I think you're doing a pretty good job…"

Haures: "No, that's not true. I think I talk a little too stiffly myself… and to top it off, I've always had a hard time talking to women I don't know."

Lucas: "Yes, yes ♪ It seems that both of you have done a good job on self-analysis.

I think that is a very good thing.

To overcome a weakness, it is important to look at yourself first. If you practice with that in mind.... I am sure you will do well on the real thing.

Well then...

Let's start practicing attending to guests, shall we? I'll play as a guest-...

*Close-up* Oh? The one over there…"

> "Huh?"

Lucas seems to have noticed me watching from a distance.

Lucas: "My lord. You are just in the right moment. If you don't mind… would you like to be our practice partner?"

> "Practice partner?"

Lucas: "Yes. We would like you to play as the guest ♪ Of course, only if the Lord is willing to…"

> "If you're fine with me, let me help"

Lucas: "Fufu ♪ Thank you very much, my lord."

Haures: "We appreciate it, my lord."

Bastien: "I am more motivated to practice now that I know the lord is watching us."

Lucas: "Yes, that's right. Now then, I will ask you two to treat the lord as if they were the guests. There is only one trick in attending to guests:

"Think about how you can please the other person". Keeping this in mind, you should act proactively."

Haures: "I see. It's important to take the initiative…"

Bastien: "But... How do you know what will please them?"

Lucas: "That's the thing. You have to "observe them carefully."

We can read a person's personality and preferences from the way they speak, their facial expressions, and so on.

What they are thinking, what mood they are in... things like that"

Bastien: "Hmm... Observe them and find out what they are thinking.... I see. It's kind of like fighting."

Haures: "Yeah… I guess you could say that."

Lucas: "Exactly ♪ So it shouldn't be too difficult. Both of you should be doing the same thing in battle all the time."

Bastien: "You're right…  I think I can do it, too. I can observe them and see what they are thinking… 

what their personality is like, what their tastes are…"

Bastien is staring into my eyes.

> "U-uhm…"

Bastien: "Hmm… Mr. Lucas. We have a problem."

Lucas: "Hm? What's wrong, Bastien?"

Bastien: "I've been observing the lord, as you asked, but… I know the lord well without having to observe them."

Haures: "Well, that's true. I already know the lord's personality and preferences as well."

> "I-I see…"

Lucas: "Fufu ♪ That's of course within my predictions. So I'm going to ask the lord… to do a little bit of acting."

> "Acting?"

Lucas: "Yes. I'm going to tell the lord about a simple setting in secret… Your goal is to be able to see through that setting and provide the best possible service for the guest."

Haures: "I see… Understood. I guess I should think of them as "a guest" rather than "my lord"."

Lucas: "That's right. Let's start with you, Bastien."

Bastien: "Yeah. I'm looking forward to work with you."

> "I wonder if I can play it well…"

Lucas: "Fufu, It's all right. It's just a simple scene. 

*Close-up* Well then, my lord. The first scene is...."

Lucas approached me and whispered in my ear.

Lucas: "Please do "a guest who is depressed because of a mistake." "

> "O-okay…"

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[masterkeynobi]

sinking my TEETH into the idea of wizardry itself being an act of hubris and the political-mechanical-magical differences between that and witchcraft. making demands rather than connections / relying on the sharpness of language & ritual vs the natural flow of magic through the spirit world / a blindingly magnificent imperial institution vs a cottage at the edge of the forest... i'm eating well tyvm

[ID: four screenshots from transcripts of episodes 2, 3, 7, and 8 of the children's adventure, respectively.

1.

Brennan Lee Mulligan: And I think Ame in that moment, you also do see that. Because all you've known of Suvi thus far is that Suvi is another little girl. But you see Suvi has a hunger for magic in that moment. And that's news to you as well. So whatever bonding you guys share over the fact that you know magic stuff is going on. Erika Ishii: We know that they're hiding something. Aabria Iyengar: Why are they hiding, is the thing. Magic just happens, you don't have to be weird about it. Not that she's weird. Grandmother Wren is so nice and can see through my eyes probably. Erika Ishii: I think it's because we're not ready for it. It's that magic is like, yeah, it just happens, but it's also a big responsibility, you know? It's not something you can always really control. And so the- Aabria Iyengar: That's not true. Erika Ishii: What? Aabria Iyengar: No, magic is super controllable. That's the whole thing about it. Erika Ishii: Oh.

2.

Lou Wilson: Yeah, I did magic. Aabria Iyengar: You talked to the bees but you didn't use words to do the magic, and then earlier you … I smelled it. Lou Wilson: Hmm? Erika Ishii: Yeah. It's the kind of thing that him and his family can do, right? Aabria Iyengar: Yeah, but Erika Ishii: Just like talk to bees and Aabria Iyengar: No, but magic takes … you have to learn it and you have to do spells and you have to write it down, and it takes so much to learn. How do you just do it? You can't just do it. Lou Wilson: They are friends. Friends of the forest and of the Great Bear. Erika Ishii: Magic is just there. It's not like you make it happen, it just is there. No? No. Well, we'll revisit this later maybe.

3.

Brennan Lee Mulligan: "No. No, he's not like Eursulon, Eursulon is one of our honored friends and there is magic everywhere, all throughout the world. But there are many trees in the forest that have nuts. But you still must find a way to crack them open. And many different people find different ways of availing themselves to and from and of magic. Myself and young Ame are of a similar tradition. We are witches and we attempt as best we can to help the magic of the world of spirits find its home here in the mortal world in that the bridges between the two might be kept healthy and safe and whole. That a balance between this world and the world beyond might be maintained that all things might exist in harmony with each other." Aabria Iyengar: Will I be a witch too since I've been here? Brennan Lee Mulligan: Well, if you wanted to be a witch, I would certainly be happy to teach you. Your mother and father are wizards, and they crack the nut a little differently. Long ago, but not so long I suppose in terms of the ages of the world, the very first, very clever wizards found a way to speak and write, but more importantly think in a language of magic itself. And it marked the first time that the powers of the unseen world could be wielded through cleverness itself as opposed to broaching some kind of relationship, I suppose you could say, with the world of spirits. Eursulon can disappear and put on other forms in the same way that he can breathe and run. It is a part of him. And Ame and I, we can sometimes speak on or act on behalf of the unseen world. Your mother and father speak and think in a language that means they don't have to ask for help.

4.

Brennan Lee Mulligan Describe to me what this fumbling attempt at magic looks like. Erika Ishii Okay. I would know things for healing, I've studied a lot, and for all of the things that the villagers come in, none of them have this kind of malignant, bad, powerful magic in them for curing. But I know about curing, and a lot of it is about understanding the body and the intuitiveness of knowing what bleeding to stop or what words to say to the spirits. So I think that all of my healing abilities for it have to do with the breathing and the coaxing of the poison out of her. Aabria Iyengar I think Suvi's is very, very much the opposite of that. She has so few points of data and the only spell she's ever cast, she didn't know she was casting protection from good and evil. But from the few conversations she's had, and the way she sees witches interact with magic, it's a conversation and balance. So she knows that the magic that her parents do that she's going to inherit does not ask permission. It is willful. So every intention that she's putting out, every bit of energy she's putting forth, is to wall it off and make it do what she wants, which is leave her alone.

/end ID]

[myers-meadow]

I'm definitely more a fan of spawn Astarion myself. I can certainly understand why Ascended Astarion is appealing to others and far be it from me to stop them. Besides, media of all kinds is a way to explore thoughts, feelings, and dynamics in a safer and more controlled way (that isn't to say that media can't have negative effects, as it absolutely can, but that's a separate discussion I don't have the mental bandwidth to go into). You can walk away from the piece of media if you want/need to. For me, I personally see a romance with an Ascended Astarion as one that is or will eventually become unhealthy in one or more ways (I honestly thought that it was a good portrayal of enablement). I also understand that these elements are what many others find compelling about it. I'm rambling now and worry that I'm ultimately unequipped to continue on this particular tangent without fumbling it and/or coming across as haughty or pretentious (I'm admittedly already anxious about that with what I have wrote), so I'm just going to end it here and nervously await your reply.

i understand, that's fair! We both love Astarion, even if we prefer a different end to the story we've personally been building with our Tav/Durge throughout the course of the game. That love for the character is what connects us and is more important than our differences.

I understand why you see A!A as enablement, but in my case, with my Tav, there's not such clear dynamic. I'm not arguing that it's never unhealthy or that your take is wrong! Just trying to explain where I'm coming from. The story I've created is still a bit of a tragic one, but the relationship isn't unhealthy or toxic in such a way.

I've always liked villains. My old masterlist has characters on it that are arguably way worse, morally speaking, than Astarion. I love when villains have fun being evil and are unapologetic about who they are. Astarion and Raphael fall very nicely under this category 💜.

Even though A!A feels all powerful and invulnerable, that's only gonna last him so long, and after that, I do see him heal, bit by bit, in a messy, non-linear, imperfect manner. The difference w spawn is that he's not forced by circumstance (having to give up his dream of ascension, the disappointment, missing the sun, lacking the group of misfits as greater support net etc...) to do that healing on any timeline but his own. Halsin also took a good century to heal, and Astarion can too.

I'll spare you the long ramblings about my tav! It's on my list to write about her and her polymance, and as I was compasing this ask in my head, I came up with three more scenes to write😅.

To end this, we've both played the game with the same spawn Astarion as our companion for the first 2 (and half) acts. Please don't worry your anxious self over this 🫂, I'm not taking offense. Your opinions are valid, worth hearing and i'm glad we find enjoyment in the same game and characters🥰🧡.

Xoxo

Ps I look forward to getting to ~tail ask~ after Ostara! ^^

[crinkled-emotions]

I loved that last Daderick and Rooster fic❤️❤️

If you're still taking requests I think these 2 from the whump list would work so well for Mav and a sick Baby Goose who's struggling through the day on base coughing sniffling and feverish. Maybe Penny makes an appearance too.

- his hands are shaking and he accidentally meets someone’s eyes who’s seen it happen so he shoves his hands into his pockets or armpits and stalks off

- especially a normally diligent/stoic character - falling asleep on the job or somewhere he shouldn’t, even if it’s just for a moment, and he’s startled awake by someone/something and there’s just that moment of being lost in his eyes as he tries to figure out where he is and what’s happened

Hey! Thanks for your patience, I'm working through these now so I can focus on long-term fics. Hang tight, here we goooooo!

Side note: this took a turn and I’m not mad about it? Like it’s a little all over the place but... same. Lmao.

I think we all have questions about this.

-

Every problem has a solution. Every illness has some kind of relief (seen the new last of us series? There's an exception to that rule). There's always the opportunity to back out, to say no.

Rooster really wished he'd done just that earlier, when he had the opportunity. It looked him right in the eye, asked him if he felt okay to go to work. And he'd said yes.

Y'know, like a liar.

-

It started around lunchtime, when nothing sounded appetising. Not even the mystery meat (to be fair, that never sounded appetising). Maverick was on his left, Phoenix on his right as they worked through the lunch line, and when they got to the end Maverick and Phoenix had exchanged a look.

"Are you planning to come back for the rest of it, Roos?" Phoenix asked, shoulder to shoulder with Rooster as she placed another heaping of salad on his plate. Maverick also handed him another bread roll. Speaking of rolls, Rooster rolled his eyes when he realised what they were doing.

"Mav, Tash, I'm fine. It's fine, I'm okay. Just had a big breakfast."

"Did you? I don't remember us having a big breakfast," Maverick replied casually, thanking the staff at the end of the line. The three of them walked through the rows of tables, finding their usual place taken so they did another lap. Luckily a table toward the back was available. While Maverick and Phoenix talked about their planned training routines for the rest of the week, Rooster took the moment to zone out and try to collect his thoughts. He sneezed into the crook of his elbow, short and sharp, and Phoenix glanced at him in surprise.

"Bless you," she said, turning to her conversation with Maverick. Rooster picked at his lunch a little longer, but every bite of salad turned his stomach and eventually he pushed his plate away.

"I eat any more of that, I will puke," he said when Phoenix and Maverick both glanced at him.

"Are you going to... now?" Maverick asked tentatively, already moving as though he was going to get up.

"What? No. It's just not sitting."

"Mmhmm. Wipe your nose, you got snot."

Maverick passed over a napkin and Rooster reluctantly blew his nose, waiting for the headache to subside before he opened his eyes again. His nose twitched, threatening another sneeze, and he buried against the crook of his elbow to stifle it. Straight after sneezing he coughed, and admitted defeat as he rested his head on the table. Phoenix put a hand on his back, sighing as she rubbed in gentle circles.

"Should you be at home?" She asked, Maverick already getting up to be on his other side.

"Have you got a fever?" He asked, hand on Rooster's arm. He shook his head.

"Just... sneezed. It's fine."

"Mmhmm. The more you say that the less I'm convinced. I think you're getting sick, Roo."

"Probably. Can you keep doing that, Tash? Feels nice."

Maverick and Phoenix exchanged knowing looks behind Rooster's back, Phoenix going back to rubbing his back. Maverick fumbled in his pocket, frowning.

"It's Penny; I better get it. Roos, Tash, are you two going to be okay while I-"

"-all good, Mav, I'm watching," Phoenix said, eyes on her friend when he groaned and tensed a little. Maverick put a hand to Bradley's forehead, before answering the call.

"Hey, Pen; what's up? Oh, yeah, not a problem. I can let you in, hang tight."

-

Maverick spoke quickly with the guard on the base and he swiped Penny’s car through, Penny pulling into the park next to Bradley’s Bronco. She and Maverick quickly kissed, Maverick running a hand down her back.

“So Cyclone called you? Out of the blue? Did he say why?”

Penny smiled, leaning against her partner’s side.

“He didn’t, but this has happened before. Nine times out of ten it’s about CCTV footage for an in-house investigation or it’s about the ball for the TOPGUN graduates. I host some of it at the bar.”

“Some of it?” Maverick teased, nudging her side. She laughed.

“By the time they get to the bar to celebrate, I’m throwing most of them out for being too drunk. They spend nearly their entire ball out on the beach, being drunk and doing things that would make Cyclone blush.”

“I don’t think that man knows how to blush.”

The pair walked into the main office building on base, Maverick leading the way to Cyclone’s office.

“You said Bradley was acting off?” Penny asked as they navigated the hallways.

“He’s sick. Nauseous, fever, the lot-”

“-Captain Mitchell, Ms Benjamin. Maverick, Lieutenant Bradshaw is looking for you. Ms Benjamin, please come with me.”

Cyclone appeared from nowhere and the conversation was cut short. Maverick shrugged at Penny.

“That’s my cue; better go and see if he’s okay. Where was he, sir?”

“On his way to the bathroom. He was making a rather quick exit, but he saluted so I won’t tell him off for it now.”

Maverick’s eyebrows raised.

“Okay, I’ll go and check on him. If he’s unwell, can he go home?”

Cyclone shifted a little awkwardly, opening his door and gesturing for Penny to follow.

“I’ll see you later,” she said to Pete, winking as the door closed. Penny gone, Maverick’s attention was back on Bradley.

-

“Bradley? Are you in here?”

“M’here.”

Maverick followed the sound of his voice to the last stall in the bathroom. When Rooster unlocked the stall door Maverick frowned.

“Well, good news; you look sick. Are you sick?”

“I haven’t puked if that’s what you’re asking. How did you know I was here?”

“Cyclone sent me. C’mere, you’re just psyching yourself out if you stay here. Lemme-”

The power cut out, submerging the duo into darkness. Maverick swore under his breath, wrapping an arm around Bradley’s shoulders.

“That’s not good. Hopefully the generator should kick in...”

Maverick cleared his throat when the generator didn’t kick in, sighing.

“Hopefully the generator should kick in?”

Still nothing. 

Maverick glanced down at his leg when he felt warmth against it and snorted.

“Bradley- Roos? Really, here?”

Considering he was planted on his ass and leaning on Maverick’s leg, it was admittedly not the worst place Bradley had fallen asleep over the years. Maverick huffed, crouching down. The way Rooster had buried in against Maverick’s leg made him think he was more sick than he was letting on, but he couldn’t be 100% sure unless he spoke to him-

“-Maverick, Rooster.”

Maverick jumped when a flash of light hit his face and he instinctively covered Bradley’s face, wincing.

“Cyclone.”

“Wake him up, we have to get going.”

“What’s going on?”

“We’ll talk about it on the way. Now, Maverick.”

Maverick frowned but he carefully detached Rooster from his leg, crouching to brush a hand over the back of his neck.

“You with me, kiddo?” He whispered. Rooster grimaced, shaking his head.

“Do I have to?”

“Bradley, Cyclone said we gotta go. Something’s wrong, there’s no power on base.”

Usually Bradley was on high alert at all times, aware of his surroundings and ready to move at any point; it was what made him a great aviator. He shook his head, burying back against Maverick’s shoulder when he was close enough.

“Bradley, I need you to focus, I think we’re in trouble.”

Rooster finally pulled away and his eyes were slightly unfocused, frowning as he took in Maverick.

“What- Mav? What’s wrong? Where’s- where are we?”

“We’re on base, Roos, the power went out. Cyclone said-”

“-get up, Bradshaw, we gotta go. Now.”

-

Penny and Phoenix found each other in the mess hall, Phoenix catching Penny by the elbow.

“I can’t find Rooster or Mav,” she said, “have you seen them?”

“Cyclone said Bradley was in the bathroom. Pete went to check on him but I haven’t seen them since.”

“Fuck, Roos is sick, sometimes when his fever is too high he gets disoriented.”

Phoenix ran a hand through her hair, reaching for her phone.

“I’m gonna call him, hopefully I can- no signal? What the fuck?”

Right at that moment the doors opened and Cyclone and Maverick walked in, dragging Bradley between them. Phoenix gasped and Penny surged forward, wrapping her arms around Maverick’s neck before turning her attention to Rooster.

“What’s going on? Cyclone, sir, I can’t get any cell signal, and Bradley needs the infirmary.”

Cyclone cleared his throat.

“There was an... incident, on base. We’re all locked down until they can get it sorted. No one in, no one out.”

“Mav...”

Phoenix’s eyes snapped to her best friend and the way he stumbled, her eyebrows raising.

“I thought it was just a cold?” She said sharply. Maverick went to hush her but Phoenix held up a hand.

“He’s fucking sick, look at him! He has no idea where he is.”

“Bradley, where are we?” Penny asked him, trying to get him to focus. Maverick frowned.

“He fell asleep in the bathroom and he’s been out of it since. We need to get him lying down; could we get a stretcher in here?”

“One of the tables will have to do for now,” Cyclone sighed, hooking Rooster’s arm around his shoulders again. He and Maverick managed to get Rooster to sit on a nearby table, Phoenix pointing at one of the kitchen staff.

“Go and get me a clean cloth and a bowl of water.”

They stumbled away and Phoenix rubbed a hand over Rooster’s back, watching Penny put a hand to his forehead.

“He’s burning up,” she muttered, glancing over at Maverick for guidance on what was next. Bradley was his godson, she might have known him on and off for years, but he’d been there for a majority of his childhood. Maverick cleared his throat.

“Roos, if you can hear me, I need you to lie down, yeah? Careful, okay... there we go.”

With Phoenix and Cyclone on his left, Penny and Maverick on his way, Rooster lay down on the table flat on his back.

“S’cold,” he laughed, borderline hysterically. As his hands came up to reach for Phoenix she realised they were shaking and wrapped her own around them so Cyclone didn’t see.

“It’s okay; just breathe Roos.”

“M’fine,” Rooster giggled, “can’t I go home now? I really wanna go home-”

“-Bradley, stop!”

[brick-a-doodle-do]

Oh Brick, you should of seen this coming.

For the gt ask game

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

WHAT IS WITH YOU AND ORCHID ISTG-- /POS

ALSO I THOUGHT YOU WEREN'T ONLINE U USUALLY AREN'T ON UNTIL AT LEAST 9 FOR ME 😭....

i will reluctantly (/j) answer... :D

1: answered!

2: what size do you interact with best?

speaking PERSONALLY, i feel like i'd be a fumbling mess (in a nervious/scared way,,,) around a giant so probably my own size 😭😭

3: what would your giant/tiny home look like?

ngl i think about this so often!! i'd have a tiny home cause yk,, but i want something like pogtopia !! like the array of stairs everywhere?? it seems so eerie but i'd love it! :D

4: do you have a sona? tell us about them!

i'm like... 99% sure everyone is aware of c!brick but i'll still give a rundown

brick is my sona, she's a borrower at 2.5 inches. she looks a lot like my pfp (although her hair is more of a hot pink--think my old pfp). she's a griffin hybrid and she lives in c!orchids house :) atm c!orchid is unaware of this 💪

there's more to come on her :D

5: answered!

6: fairies or borrowers?

borrowers. HOWEVER i do not have a lot of experience with fairies,,,

7: answered!

8: sci-fi shrinking or magic shrinking

*looks at curiosity and looks back to you*

9: what's your favorite piece of sizey media?

honey i shrunk the kids trilogy it cute, my favorite of those movies are honey i blew up the kid cause what's not to love about a giant kid? :D then honey we shrunk ourselves is #2. and honestly that's probably it,, i don't really consume a lot of g/t media because i don't know a lot of it. arrietty is cute but also the only other g/t thing i've seen. recs would be nice !! :D /nf

10: what's the last tv show you watched, any size headcannons for it?

kimmy schmidt is the last thing i watch watched !!

i like the thought of the reverend being g! and the girls being t! like it'd be so much easier to kidnap them, PLUS the bunker'd be so tinyyyy sdjgds

i like the thought of t!titus too, but primarily t!kimmy is what sparks in my mind,,,

also the thought of t!lillian just murdering ppl is so funny---she'd just attack everyone lmfaoo

11: what song gives you size vibes?

i think this is a really generic answer, but always forever by cults

12: answered!

13: what kind of pet would you like at your size?

for a borrower, befriending a bug would be the most obvious things, but i'm thinking logically, and logically speaking that would be absolutely terrifying (imo). so my next option would be to befriend the household pet. it'd be a free ride. and hopefully they won't steal me and take me to the human--

14: answered!

15: what g/t scenario is the funniest to you?

same as orchids, when another person shrinks someone on accident when they're messing with a shrink ray/potion/etc. that or two humans asking a sizeshifter to size them down and they just run amok and cause chaos (hint hint school floors au hint hint) oh and also when the human is more scared of the tiny than the tiny is of the human (hint hint ghost files au)

16: answered!

17: how long have you been into g/t?

long as i can remember. when i was younger it was definitely more subtle and i didn't exactly know g/t was a thing---but still!

technically speaking i joined the g/t fandom mid-last year,,,,,

18: answered!

19: what’s your all-time favorite g/t daydream - the one thing you keep going back to?

on a daily basis, i still think about a borrower chatting with a human through a vent. like behind the bars and stuff, that way the borrower is safe. and my bed is on the floor while we wait for a new bedframe and the vent is right by my head, so that thought crosses my mind more than once a day.

also tiny workers is on my mind 24/7,,

20: a fictional character you really wanna shrink/grow?

no one, because he already exists in shrunken form

(my answer is wilbur even though technicallyyyy he isn't fictional,,)

[jodilin65]

I'm glad Andy doesn't read my journal because he's always been a bit fragile and I know this would hurt his feelings, but I am definitely not going to be looking in on his wall anymore. Same old stuff. God, Stevie, paintings, God, Stevie, paintings… To each their own, but while the paintings are nice, he can keep his delusions and immature celebrity infatuation that most of us outgrow in our twenties.

Speaking of celebrities, I saw an old movie with Jennifer Lopez in it. She was my kind of hottie back then, famous or not.

I'm a bit tired and I'm not sure if it's because I had bread yesterday to make peanut butter toast with (I got so hungry at the end of my day for some reason and this was a convenient thing to have), because I took melatonin, because I woke up a lot, or all of the above.

The more I think about it and the more research I do, the more I'm convinced I don't have sleep apnea and that my problem is caused by too many years of nasal spray use. It can cause a collapsed septum which I think is responsible for the snoring I've been doing. My throat structure has always been what it is and I've only gained a pound or two since coming here so I can't believe it's connected to my weight. Besides, I'm not that big. I'm kind of stuck in a catch-22 because stopping the spray means my nose is less stuffy and dried out, but the congestion then builds up in my head which causes problems with the eustachian tube in my bad ear, so I'll have to find some other form of decongestant, preferably one that won't leave me drowsy. If I can't figure it out on my own, then I might have to begin the work of trying to get into an ENT.

We found out exactly what's been burrowing at the side of the driveway, and the snake would have been the better deal. Tom noticed more digging activity and I could hear this weird sound coming and going. Well, they’re cicada-killer wasps! He flooded the hole to see what, if anything, might come up and something sure did. When I first saw what seemed like a humongous wasp, my first thought was that it was one of those killer wasps that was invading certain areas of the country and I went to run indoors, not knowing if a million more of them were going to erupt from the ground. In my panic, I fumbled with the lock code.

We immediately got to work researching and learned it's almost certainly cicada-killer wasps which are deadly to cicadas but not humans. Still, hundreds of flying things with stingers is nothing I want to deal with so he's been spraying the ground and today he got a special powder for wasps, ants, and similar insects. It can take a couple of weeks for the eggs to hatch and then another couple of weeks for the new wasps to emerge from the ground, so we're going to be treating it for the next month to make sure they never make it up. He filled in the hole with dirt and it rained which helped pack it in and push the poison down, so more than likely they're already trapped down there. The females don't have stingers so the males fly around the opening to protect it. With any luck the female and the eggs are dead. It should storm again later and help pack it in even more.

We picked out an outdoor bench for in back. I'll listen to music through my headphones on days when the planes fly by every few minutes, which is most days, unfortunately. I want to get about 10 minutes of sun every day that I can. It was $45 and is made of a combination of metal and plastic. It looks like it will also be easy enough to stand on its side if we need to throw it in the storeroom in the event of a cane. Funny how they said this was going to be such an active hurricane season, yet the only serious one we’ve had was Beryl. It’s still a bit early in the season, though.

I also saw a video on how to propagate lucky bamboo, so we’ll see if I have any luck with that.

[blackbutlerfandomnerddomain]

Twisted wonderland boys gets angry at liar Lila and expose her and humiliate her and her so called friends

"Yeah, why would I lie?" Said Lila as she chats the ears off her classmates during the lunch hour yet again of the tales of her lies once more.

In the side lines sit Marinette and Alya making their own conversation and looking at the girl. Alya recognize her best friend's stares of annoyance, "Calm down girl, forget her. She'll be exposed some day." "Yeah, some day. But why not today? She keeps lying..." Their hushed words get stooped when feet walked over and trays of food laid on the table. "What brings you two talking in secret?" Asked Ace, his red hair such as a mess as always of bedhead and constant ruckus, his freckles more viable since the sun touched him more. He grabs a apple from his tray and eats from it in one juicy bite.

Marinette smiles softly when Deuce shoves him away from her seating spot as he sits between. She has found these group of boys in the cold one night, Alya and Luka soon confirming to have finding young boys suddenly in the night, each one from a world the guardian can not think to fathom in her mind and currently stay in Paris to find a way home. They're good guys, Marinette and her friends know. Odd but good.

Deuce's peacock green looks behind him at Lila and then at Marinette. "Does she always have a crowd?" He ask curious. Ace looks back as well, "She's kind of cute." Marinette rolled her eyes back in a groan, "She always is. And it's cause of lies." Ace looks ahead again, "Not cute anymore." Epel's cute face peeked at Lila's table and make a curious noise, "She tell lies? Then how come people surround her? Where I'm from liars get punished severely." Alya shrugged to answer his question, "She's good at it. I even fell for it at first."

Marinette played with her food with her plastic food as she sighs, "And she knows how to make people stop being around you..."

Deuce's hand formed into a small fist against the table.

Then, words of Lila's current spun tale comes to their ears- "Riddle Rosehearts? Of course I know him."

The table freezes, if the foreign lives didn't believe the girls to begin with they believe it now faster than a bucket of ice cold water.

Without missing a beat, Lila continued, "He and I go way back. We went to the same nursery and everything. Don't tell him I said this but he used to tell me he wishes I was his big sister." She giggled. Max made a impressed gasp, "Incredible. I thought no one would know them since they don't know around here much-" "That's not all. Vil Schoenheit and I also met. It was during my cruise last summer, he and I danced to the latest Jagged song under the stars." Liia batted her lashed in fake reminiscence. "It was so romantic. But of course such affairs would be so scandalous so don't tell anyone."

Ace's mouth hangs open in stunned shock that this girl has the audacity to drop such obviously easy to debunk lies like a hat. Even more that people are eating this up. "I-Is she for real..?" Was all he could fumble out into words, Marinette only nodding in agreement. Before the table could react, Epel stood from his eat and started making his way over to the liar herself. Marinette stood up and went after him to prevent the lavender haired boy from swinging a punch to her words, no matter how much she understands the feeling of his upperclassman's name being smudged in mud.

Just when Epel's near her table and the girl with pigtails catch his arm, another lie was spoken, "See this bracelet? Leona gave it to me." "Leona? The new guy? No way." Said Rose in wondrous awe. Lila giggles, "Mmmhm. Me and him met years ago during one of my trips to the Caribbean islands with his family. He gave me this bracelet on my last night there, said a cute girl like me should always remember him somehow. I was so happy to run into him again all this time."

"Oh really now?"

Heads turn to look at the deep voice speaking, Lila too and all the color suddenly and slowly drain from her face.

"That's a interesting story. But, are you sure it was me? I mean, I never been to the Caribbean islands before." Said Leona, his emerald eyes glowing in anger nuzzled deep like a bird hiding in a nest. Marinette can see under his green beanie his little eats flickering in lost of patients.

Vil stared down at her sitting for as well, though his eyes shine more of disgust, "How funny you mentioned a cruise. I went on one with my boyfriends last year. Though, I don't recall you there dear." He said, his words dripping with poisonous anger.

Lila looked her eyes to the floor, almost as if trying to play the act of a statue that never spoke words before. She flinched when Riddle's softer voice speaks, "I have never once met you. Period. My mother wouldn't allow me to go to a nursery, let alone one with someone like you in it." His voice suddenly grew rasp in gentle anger, "You recall me of my mother, and that is a memory I wish to forever burn from my memories. Lies and manipulation behind a make up face and gentle innocent is just one of the things you make me think of through your face and name, Lila Rossi."

Leona looked pass the crowd at Epel and Marinette. "Come on babe, Ruggie got us lunch." Everyone looked at the two, instantly Marinette let free of Epel's arm to try and remove any hints of that idea out their minds, all watching as Epel hurries to Leona's side and hugs his arm. "See you at home Marinette." Said the farm boy as the four walked off.

Marinette could only smile as she walked to her table as Lila hurried to the bathroom with a red flushed face and loud mummers coming at at her wake.

[starlessea]

Here Comes the Sun: XVIII. Seven Nation Army (Daryl Dixon/Reader)

Series Masterlist: Here Comes the Sun

Summary: Daryl Dixon scares the hell out of you climbing out of that damn creek. It takes hauling his ass halfway across Georgia and taking a bullet for him to realise that you're not half bad. He slowly starts to come around, despite grumbling about how much he doesn't like your singing, or that you can't use a gun for shit - and don't get him started on that ugly yellow tent of yours. It takes him a while before he starts to see for himself that he's found a best friend for life, and that he doesn't actually mind the colour yellow that much, after all.

Words: 6040

Chapter Warnings: Language, Not full-on nsfw but QUITE SPICY, Some canon divergence.

"You're good with 'er." Daryl said, like the words had just slipped from his mouth without him realising.

You held Judy in your arms, cradling her against your chest as she looked up at you with wide, innocent eyes. Daryl seemed equally as mesmerised by the baby, as he stroked his thumb over her supple cheek and watched her give him a gummy smile in return.

You glanced over at the man, leaning against him where he stood. "So are you." You told him, but he shook his head in response.

"Nah I ain't." He muttered, his gaze still resting over Judith like she was the most precious thing in the world.

You hummed back, not wanting to break the moment you were having by arguing with him. You wished that things would stay like this forever - that Judith wouldn't cry, and the governor would never come, or that Daryl would not have to leave.

"Where are you going?" You asked the man, as he took a few steps away.

He held up a hand, gesturing for you to wait, and offered a warm smile to reassure you of his return.

"Jus' gimme a minute." He mumbled, walking towards your shared cell.

You raised your eyebrow, watching him disappear behind the bars, before turning your attention back to Judy. You thought that she had Lori's eyes, as they stared up at you in childlike wonder. You continued humming your song to her, now that the man was out of earshot and wouldn't tease you as you sang it. Daryl had suggested sticking the walkman headphones on her every time she cried, but Carol had scolded him for even thinking of the idea. You giggled, remembering the exchange, and how you just watched the two of them get along like old friends whilst you sat in the corner bouncing Judith over your lap.

Daryl came back not even a few minutes later, dragging his rucksack over the floor. He didn't have many possessions to begin with, so you cocked your head in his direction - confused about what could possibly be in there. He returned to your side, resting his arm around your shoulder as he hovered over it to make a face at Judith. You giggled, wondering what the others would say if they had the pleasure of seeing Daryl like this. Though, at the same time, you almost wanted to be completely selfish and not share that side of him with anyone.

You watched as the man fumbled around in the backpack for a bit, before pulling out a familiar, child-size sheriff's hat that couldn't possibly fit on his head. He grinned at you, taking in the way your eyes lit up in response.

"Said we'd give it to lil' asskicker, didn't we?" He teased, before placing the hat gently over the baby's head.

The sight made you want to melt. Daryl began to call Rick over to see, but you slapped his chest and hushed him before he did, wanting to enjoy the moment for yourselves just a little while longer. Daryl narrowed his eyes at you, but his expression soon softened as he noticed the way you stared down at Judith, who was staring right back. You felt like you were holding the future in your arms - and that future wore a sheriff's hat and went by the name of Judith Grimes. What you wouldn't give for a camera; you wanted so desperately to take a photo of her with her brother, and gift a copy to Rick as a surprise.

Daryl had his hand resting over the small of your back. It had hovered there at first, uneasy as usual, but it seemed like he'd forgotten his shyness for a brief moment as he watched the pair of you. You felt like a makeshift, adoptive family, and you wouldn't want it any other way. The hat started to slip down Judith's head, still too big for her yet, and Daryl tipped it back up gently with his knuckle. It was like an impromptu version of peek-a-boo. Everytime the hat fell and covered her face, Daryl would prop it back into position and the baby would smile. You weren't sure you could take it anymore; the entire exchange felt too adorable to keep from the rest of the group any longer.

Just as you were about to call for them, Judy grabbed onto Daryl's finger with her entire fist - which still wasn't able to close all the way around it. You laughed softly at the man's expression, as he stayed perfectly motionless in fear of making her let go.

"I think she likes her uncle Daryl." You whispered, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek in your attempt to unstick the frozen statue.

To that, you could see a faint blush spread over his skin, but this time you decided not to tease him about it.

The two of you made your way to the communal area after a few more minutes, and the others quickly gathered around to get a look at Judith before they left. It was a nice break from the tension in the atmosphere, and it helped you forget, too. Rick gave his daughter a kiss and headed outside to test the vehicle they'd be driving. 

Soon, the meeting with the governor would be taking place. Andrea had set it up, like she'd promised, and so Rick, Daryl and Hershel would be heading out under the guise of diplomacy. However, you couldn't say for sure that you believed in the plan very much. As you'd all established before, the governor just didn't seem like the type of man who'd let both sides co-exist peacefully.

Carl had taken his sister from you at some point, and you watched as he compared their hats and made Carol laugh with his antics. Behind you, the Greenes were bidding goodbye to their father and reminding him to be careful, and Daryl approached you under the amused eye of Merle.

"Rick says it's time to go." He told you, affirming the words you'd been dreading to hear.

You put on your best, bravest face and shot him a smile that only faltered a little. He caught it, though - he always did. He pulled you into a hug, and you leant your forehead against his chest, feeling his heartbeat there.

"Be safe." You murmured against him. "Come home this time or I'll kill you myself."

The man chuckled, which you felt rumble through his torso. You looked up at him with a playful smile and he caught your lips, giving you a quick kiss there when he thought no one was looking. In moments like these, it was refreshing to get a glimpse of the old, shy Daryl - never wanting to be in the spotlight. You nudged him gently with your elbow, sending him on his way with a teasing ruffle of his hair. Perhaps you were being too nonchalant about the situation, but you didn't want to dwell on it - or you'd become a crumbling mess like the last time.

You stood next to Beth as the rest of the group filtered out, and the others returned back to whatever they'd been doing before. The girl smiled at you, watching the way your eyes followed Daryl's back as he left the cell block.

"I'll never get used to that." She said quietly, looking between the two of you.

You thought that she'd perhaps seen the exchange take place, but you couldn't really say that you minded.

"Me neither." You confessed, and Beth giggled in response.

You remembered the jokes you'd shared with her, back at the farmhouse. You'd made a promise to talk to her about boys whenever she was sad, and let her laugh at your misfortune in return. Yet, things hadn't exactly played out like that. Daryl was a world away from those bad experiences you'd once recounted to her, but you somehow seemed even more nervous to talk about him in their place. Perhaps it was because you wanted to keep the man all to yourself, just like earlier - as though the very act of speaking about him would disclose some kind of secret you weren't willing to share. Daryl Dixon was yours, but you felt almost too shy to admit it.

"I used to think that Daryl would be the last man standing." Beth confessed, startling you. "Out of all of us."

You nodded back, letting her words sink in.

"I can see why. He's like a one-man army." You replied with a smirk, thinking back on all the times he had proved himself so.

Though Beth shook her head, seeming to almost disagree with herself. You stayed silent, awaiting her response.

"But I don't think that anymore." She told you, like she was completely certain of herself. "It'll probably be you."

Immediately, you raised an eyebrow, wondering if you'd misheard her. Beth's expression didn't change, so you let out a snort in disbelief - amused by the seriousness of it all.

"Me?" You repeated, looking over at her like she'd gone mad. "Why's that?"

The youngest Greene bit her lip, as if deliberating whether to tell you her next words. Eventually, she gave you a light-hearted smile, as though having finally decided to reveal a secret.

"Because there's no way Daryl would let you go down before he did."

You spent the majority of your time waiting in your cell, trying to keep yourself busy by cleaning it up. Daryl had hauled his mattress into the room, and the two of you had abandoned the bunk frame in favour of pushing the two beds together on the floor - creating a makeshift double. You'd also stolen an extra sheet from the laundry room and hung it over your doorway for some privacy. It was still a far cry from the decor of Hershel's farmhouse, but it was starting to feel more comfortable nonetheless. Daryl had given you some thin rope from his rucksack, too, so you'd been able to replace the fraying string from which your polaroids had been strung up. It still wasn't a home yet, but it could be. 

The last few days had been tense, so you couldn't blame yourself for slumping down onto the mattress and staring up into a starless, stone sky for a while. You followed the cracks on the ceiling like you were trying to create patterns there, and eventually you felt your eyelids grow heavy as sleep overcame you easier than it had done for as long as you could remember.

When you woke up, the room was dimmer than it had been before, and you thought that it had to be late evening. You'd roused to the sound of footsteps approaching, echoing over the catwalk as though the person wore thick, heavy boots. You smiled to yourself, instantly recognising who they belonged to. The metal doorway squeaked open, and some light filtered in as Daryl lifted the sheet hanging there, letting it fall back down behind him as he entered. You greeted him, but he was wordless in response. He shrugged his leather vest off and let it fall to the floor, not even bothering to place it anywhere.

You raised an eyebrow at the man, debating whether to scold him for making the cell messy when you'd spent your whole day trying to make it nice for him when he got back. Yet, you took one glance at Daryl's face and decided against it. The man looked exhausted. Probably not physically, you realised, but definitely mentally. He seemed to have a permanent scowl tacked onto him, and you could make out the frown lines over his forehead even in the poor lighting. So, you said nothing when the man tugged off his boots and flung them at the wall - where they fell with a thud into a pile.

Sitting up on the mattress, you plumped your pillow against your back and rubbed your eyes. You could almost feel the stress radiating off Daryl as he paced back and forth, so you patted the spot beside you and pulled back the covers to invite him in. He eyed you for a second, as if considering the offer, before taking a seat there. Though, he didn't allow himself to lay down or make himself comfortable, and instead stayed sat over the edge of the mattress with his back to you. Slowly, you crawled over to him, before perching on your knees and resting your head on his shoulder. 

"How'd it go?" You whispered, but knew you could probably guess the answer.

Daryl's back was tense; you could feel it. Tentatively, you began to knead your fingers over it, trying to work out the knots in his muscles. Instead of flinching like he usually did, you felt the man relax into you as you pressed your knuckles along his spine.

He growled, but the sound became lost in his throat as you rubbed along his shoulder blades. "It ain't gonna work out." He muttered, eyes closed as he said it.

You hummed in response, more preoccupied with the sounds the man was letting out than his words. It reminded you of being back at the farm, and those days where he'd try to relieve the tension built up in your stiff arms and neck from learning how to shoot.

"Why?" You asked, feeling the deep breath he took underneath your palms.

"Jus' ain't." He replied, but his voice came out strained. 

You ran your thumbs down his spine in tandem, all the way from the top of his neck to his lower back, and you felt him shiver slightly under your touch.

"Okay then." You said, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Daryl opened his eyes and glanced back at you.

"Tha's it?" He questioned, like he'd expected something more from your response.

You hummed back, returning to pressing over his shoulder blades. Though, the man turned around this time, bringing his legs onto the mattress as he looked over at you.

"I trust you. And I trust Rick." You explained, meeting his questioning eyes. "Whatever we have to do, we'll do."

Daryl frowned, and looked at you like you didn't understand in the slightest. You did, but you didn't want to burden him any more than you had to.

"We gotta gear up for war." He told you, narrowing his eyes like he was trying to convince you of his words - or wait for them to sink in.

You nodded at him, reaffirming that you understood.

"Then we better start loading our guns."

Daryl seemed to break at your words, shaking his head like you'd answered him in the way he'd least wanted. This time you didn't understand, and ran your thumb over the back of his hand to try and coax out an explanation. The man sighed, and took your fingers in his palm as he pressed a kiss over the tips of them.

"Don' wan' ya to have to fight." He admitted quietly, but knew he didn't have a choice.

You shuffled forward a little, so that you were almost sitting in between the man's thighs. His head was low, and he couldn't quite meet your eyes until you spoke.

"That's not up to you to decide." You said, but did so as gently as you could. "It's not like lil' asskicker can hold a rifle yet."

His eyes flickered slightly at the mention of Judith, and you understood that completely. He realised that as much as he wanted to keep you safe, there were now other people who needed his protection more. 

"I'm not worried." You reassured him, and pressed both of his cheeks under your palms until he pulled a face that made you laugh.  

"I'll be fine because you're here." You told the man, and watched as his expression seemed a little lighter than it had done. "And you're all that I need."

He pulled you into his chest and fell back against the mattress with you in his arms, and you giggled as your noses pressed together. You moved your knees so that they rested either side of his hips, not wanting to crush the man as he squeezed you tight against him. 

"What I do to deserve ya?" He mumbled into your hair, and it tickled your ear.

You sat upright, so that you were looking down at him and watching as your hair trailed over his cheeks.

"Hmm, I don't know." You said with a grin. "Bribe me with pretty flowers and music players?"

He smiled back softly, and took the ends of your hair between his fingers, playing with them where he lay. You felt a bit exposed, practically sitting on the man's torso and straddling him as he just stayed perfectly still, content beneath you. For once, you felt like the shy one, as he rubbed over your thigh with his hand - tracing shapes over your jeans. You thought about his question once more, and decided that he deserved a serious answer, too.

"When I first saw you trying to haul yourself up that cliff, you gave me a purpose." You admitted smally, catching his attention like you hadn't even realised you'd lost it. "I think that's reason enough."

Daryl let the small wisps of your hair fall from his fingers as he looked up, focusing on you completely.

"A purpose?" He asked, like the word was foreign on his tongue.

You nodded, trailing your fingers over his chest absentmindedly.

"Even if it was just to get you back to your camp at first." You mumbled, almost like you were talking to yourself as you voiced your innermost thoughts. "Before that, I was just living day to day." 

You smiled at the memory, thinking that it was perhaps your favourite one. You'd felt so young back then, but at the same time so old. The world had really had its way with you before you'd stumbled upon Daryl and his group. You might have only been in your mid-twenties, but those few months after the collapse had aged you more than you cared to admit. It wasn't until you met Daryl that you remembered how it felt to be young again.

"One of the first things you asked me back then was why I helped you." You recalled, letting your nails lightly run across his chest, sliding upwards to the exposed skin of his neck. 

He stayed silent, like putty in your hands as you spoke.

"I remember finding it a really hard question to answer." You whispered softly, like you were revealing a secret to him. "I ended up saying that I only wanted the chance to be a good person."

Daryl's skin was warm as you ran your thumb along his jawline, surprised at how docile he'd become under your touch. 

"But I think that was a lie." You smiled, and the words felt almost devious to admit. "I'd forgotten what it was to even be a person before I met you." 

You leant down to press a kiss to his lips, and pulled away before he could kiss you back.

"Thank you for reminding me, Daryl."

You looked down at the man sweetly, like you'd just poured out your entire heart to him. And, he decided to give you his in return.

Suddenly your world spun like clothes in a washing machine as the man flipped your positions, and you snorted rather unflatteringly as your back hit the mattress. Your legs were still wrapped around his waist, but now he kneeled between them - with your thighs either side. Your laughs soon trailed off as you noticed Daryl's expression, and you suddenly became quiet without having even realised it.

He leant down to capture your lips, but pulled away before you could deepen the kiss - just as you had done.

"Ya can't just go sayin' shit like that an' expect me not to do nothin'." He growled near your ear, and you quickly realised how dangerous your situation had gotten. 

You looped your hands around his neck and pulled him back down, threading your fingers through his hair and letting your nails drag along his scalp. He rested one of his palms over the mattress as he hovered above you, but the other one came to your cheek as your lips met again. You could distinguish Daryl's kisses so easily by now; you knew the soft morning ones from the emotional ones with trembling lips, or the teasing pecks that made you laugh - and that's why you could easily tell that this one was needy. 

He bit your bottom lip between his teeth and you immediately whimpered against him, feeling your head spin at how fast everything happened. You'd gone from the washing machine to the dryer without even realising it, and you felt yourself get equally as hot and disorientated.

"Daryl-" you mumbled against his lips, hooking your ankles together around the back of his torso. 

He moaned in response but said nothing, letting his thumb trail from your cheek to your neck, where he rested it over your quickly beating pulse. You had your palms pressed flat against his chest, rubbing over the area and feeling the warmth radiate from him. You wanted to take the shirt off, and feel his skin over yours, but you were too preoccupied by his lips on you to do so. He kissed you with more pressure, and you whimpered again as you felt yourself becoming more lost to his touches. You'd thought that Daryl Dixon was a shy man, but recently he seemed adamant to prove you wrong

You unintentionally squeezed your thighs tighter around him, as you felt your head being pushed back further into the mattress. Your jeans rubbed against his uncomfortably, and you felt the buttons dig into your hips and chafe your skin every time you moved. You pulled away for a brief second to catch your breath, and took in the dangerous sight of Daryl Dixon. 

You realised that perhaps you'd made a mistake - when you looked at him, that is. His lips were swollen a blush red, and his pupils were blown as he watched you, watching him. You looked away first, feeling shy under his gaze. You wondered how this had happened - when it had happened. You hadn't thought of yourself as the nervous one, but you were made nervous for him. 

Without meeting his eyes, you tugged at the hemline of his shirt - making it clear what you wanted. He kissed your forehead gently, and you almost got whiplash from how quickly the man could switch from giving you deep, intense kisses to leaving sweet pecks over your skin like he was afraid you might break. He moved back from you, sitting up so that he was kneeling in between your legs, and pulled off his shirt without you having to ask.

You bit your lip, taking in the sight of his barreled chest and toned muscles as he threw the shirt over his shoulder for it to get lost somewhere in the sheets. You didn't get too stare long, because he was back on top of you in an instant - almost like he'd never left. Though, you didn't mind much, because now you could feel the warmth of his skin pressed against your own chest. Softly, you gasped just from the intensity of it, but Daryl quickly caught your lips and silenced it. You ran your hands up his back, feeling the ridges of scars and the contours of his muscles as he held himself up. You allowed your nails to dig into him slightly, enjoying the way he moaned against you as you did.

Even inside the walls of a prison, Daryl's voice sounded so good up against your ear, as he left your abused lips to focus his attention on your neck, instead. You immediately turned your head to the side in response, feeling your cheek press into the pillow and muffle any noises you made there. You tried to stay quiet, but it seemed like Daryl was intentionally out to make you fail. His tongue ran along your neck and you scratched him particularly hard on his back, stuttering out an apology as you removed your hands and clenched the sheets instead. 

It didn't seem to bother the man, however, as he continued to work his way down until his teeth grazed over your collarbone and made you cry out. You quickly shot him a warning look, and he glanced up at you for a brief second before he did it again. It felt utterly euphoric, so you moaned under him unintentionally before you felt him chuckle against your skin. 

You would have scolded him, or pulled a face, but your words felt so far away that you doubted you'd be able to form a complete sentence even if you tried. One of Daryl's hands had wandered to your waist, and then dipped lower to your hip. His thumb ran over the bone there, and it sent shivers through you as he gripped your skin tighter. You ran your palms over his bare chest in response, still not entirely used to the feeling. He stopped what he was doing, probably leaving some marks over you without you noticing, and ran his finger along the oval collar of your vest.

"Take it off." He mumbled, his lips still pressed against the skin just above it.

A whine left your mouth before you'd even realised it, and you didn't think Daryl Dixon even knew how he sounded right now. He pulled back to look at you, cheeks all flushed and eyes glossy where you lay beneath him, and you nodded.

He helped you shrug the vest over your head, and left it lying next to you on the pillow. You turned away from his eyes almost instantly, feeling more exposed than you had in a while. He had trusted you, and you wanted to be able to give him your trust in return. Yet, you couldn't help but feel shy under a gaze that intense. You reached your arms over your chest, like you were trying to shelter yourself from the cold - despite being incredibly hot. 

The man narrowed his eyes at you, not happy with your decision in the slightest. He leant down so that his lips hovered just above your stomach, and you expected him to place a kiss there in hopes of coaxing your arms away. Except, he didn't. He blew a raspberry against your skin and you all but screamed as you wriggled beneath him, and flung your hands out to push him away. 

"Stop!" You yelled, but it had come out strained between a mixture of giggles. 

You felt the man smile against your stomach as you panted deeply, in utter disbelief about what he'd just done. Your arms rested either side of you, hands tangled in the sheets just like he'd planned, but you weren't happy at the cost you'd had to pay. You glanced down, ready to chide him, but stopped when you noticed how quiet he'd gotten.

Daryl's eyes were fixated on your waist, and he ran his thumb gently over the small scar there - as though afraid to press too hard and hurt you. Your eyes softened when you saw his expression, and the way he chewed his lip between his teeth. You knew that guilty look from a mile away, and you wouldn't let him wear it any longer.

"Don't." You said into the silence, lifting his hand away from the little indentation there.

You brought his knuckles to your lips and left kisses over them, offering him one of your best smiles in hopes of coaxing one out of him in return.

"It was worth it." You told him. "I'd take another bullet for you if I had to."

Daryl let his forehead drop against your hip, like he was completely exasperated by the response, and muttered something below his breath.

"Why's everythin' that comes outta yer mouth so damn sweet?"

He crawled back up the bed and kissed your lips as if to prove his point, and you moaned against him - having missed the feeling. You were chest to chest, skin pressed fully against each other as you arched your back to try and get even closer. Your fingers trailed lightly over his arms, and you could almost make out the rhythm of his heartbeat as your chests heaved together in time. He reached a hand down to the button of your jeans, and pulled away from the kiss to wait for your response.

Nervously, you glanced over towards the entranceway of your cell, only covered by a thin sheet draped there.

"What if someone hears?" You whispered, suddenly aware of how loud you'd perhaps been beforehand.

Daryl dotted some light kisses over your neck, trailing them down as he spoke between each one he gave.

"Don' care." He mumbled, reaching your sternum.

"Don' care if Rick comes to tell us Randall's gone walk about." He said, and tickled your stomach with his lips.

"Don' care if Carol knocks to say the governor's here with an army an' wants his fuckin' walkman back."

He got to your hip, and this time noticed the tattoo that just about peeked out over the top of your jeans. He raised an eyebrow, and you smiled sheepishly in response.

"Don' wanna wait anymore." He said softly, and neither did you.

He sat up and rested his palms either side of you, looking down at your face with the most affection you'd seen from him yet.

"Okay, then." You whispered back, and interlocked your fingers with his. "I'm yours."

You woke up to warm, morning light streaming in through the pale curtain of your cell, and landing on your cheek. Your eyelids fluttered, and it took you a few seconds to adjust to the brightness - feeling the tears well up as you did. You hummed into Daryl's chest, lying over it with your palm resting there. You'd slept so well, but you'd woken up even better. 

His bare skin was warm against yours, so much so that you didn't feel the need to pull the sheets up higher to cover you. You rubbed at your eyes, finally opening them to notice that the man was already awake. You'd been tucked in the crook of his neck, your head just over his shoulder, but he'd been looking down at you as you roused from sleep. Shyly, you smiled at him, and hid your face back into his skin. You felt his laugh rumble there, low and groggy.

"You been up long?" You asked, the words coming out thick as you said them.

You felt him shake his head, but weren't too sure if he was telling the truth. His arm rested over your waist, and you had only just become aware of the weight of it as he rubbed his thumb over your hip beneath the covers.

"What is it?" He murmured. "Didn't ask ya 'bout it las' night."

It took you a few seconds to realise what he meant. You shrugged back the sheet, looking at the part of your body he was referring to. 

"I think you were a little preoccupied." You teased, and he pinched your skin there in response.

The ink stood out strongly against your paleness, dotted over your lower hip so that it was concealed even when you wore low-rise jeans. You recalled that night back at the Greene farm, where you all shared secrets over the campfire and the group had seemed surprised to discover that you had a tattoo. Nobody else had ever seen it; Daryl was the first.

"It's a rune." You told him, feeling his calloused fingers trace over the lines so carefully. "They were one of the things I studied before all this."

A small blush worked its way onto your cheeks, as you suddenly felt embarrassed under the man's intense gaze.

"Looks like an arrow." He noted, inspecting it closer.

You hummed in response, not having thought of it that way before.

"I guess it does, doesn't it?" You chuckled, thinking how appropriate it was for the archer to have been the one to notice.

"It's the symbol of the Norse god Týr." You explained, and he watched you talk passionately without interrupting. "Have you ever heard of the story of Sigurd?"

Daryl shook his head with a small smile, already knowing that you were going to tell him no matter how he answered.

"In the sagas, he slays the dragon Fáfnir and carves the runes of Týr into his sword." You said, excitedly. "They're meant to be the sign of a warrior. To ensure certain victory."

Daryl seemed perfectly content, gazing down at you as you spoke with so much life in your voice. It reminded you of that first night where you shared a bed together in the Greene's spare room. Even then, having barely known you more than a day, the man allowed you to ramble whilst he listened in silence. He'd made out like he was ignoring you, but every small detail you'd given during those early morning hours he'd seemed to recall - even a few weeks later. But now, you thought it was slightly different. He made no attempt to pretend like he wasn't interested in your stories, or that you talked too much for him to stand. He looked at you like your words were law, but he'd somehow ended up in a prison anyway.

"Tha' why ya weren't scared 'bout facing the governor?" He teased, once you'd finished your brief lesson. "Certain victory?"

You snorted, having only just realised the irony of it all.

"No." You admitted, slapping his chest lightly as you laughed.

Maybe it was the rune, but it was more likely the one-man army at your side who assured you of that victory. 

"I think this tattoo would be much more suited to you than it is me." You confessed, tracing its shape over the back of his hand. 

He watched you make your invisible markings, and remained wordless as you did so.

"I got it just after I started teaching. To remind myself to be brave." You told him, and this time he was the one to laugh.

"So teachin' students was as hard as slayin' a dragon?" He questioned, and you could practically hear the smirk through his voice.

You raised your head from his chest to look at him in mock offense.

"If I had a student like you, then maybe." You teased, and the man grabbed the sheets and bundled you up in them tightly as you struggled against him.

The two of you lay there for a while, not quite yet ready to face the day. You knew the inevitable would be coming soon, and you wished you could just pause this moment as easily as you paused the songs on your walkman - immortalising it in an old, labelled cassette. 

"A lot of the time I don't feel very brave, but I've decided to trust it more recently." You mumbled, feeling the edges of sleep start to return.

Daryl questioned you, before realising that you had carried on with the earlier conversation - seemingly by yourself. You felt him trace over your hip again, but your eyelids were too heavy to look at him.

"There anythin' ya don't know?" He grumbled, but it was too playful to be considered so. "Yer too smart for yer own good, Sunshine."

You hummed against his chest, wanting nothing more than for the morning hours to drag along slower, and for the night that followed to stand still.

"I could tell you stories of dragons and knights, and speak to you in languages that have long since faded away." You told the man, but it came out half-hearted and muffled against his skin.

"But there are still many things I don't know, Dixon." You admitted. "Like what I did to deserve you, too."

A/N *mic drop* Ok but for real, who let me have alcohol whilst writing this??? Tipsy me gets WAY TOO SPICY WAY TOO QUICK- The chapter plan had way more in it, but I accidentally threw the plot out the window because I got preoccupied *cough*...

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[mirohlixie]

Love Talk (Hyunjin)

Hyunjin x Reader (gender-neutral) Genre: Smut, one-night-stand Words: 3.3k

Summary: Y/N accidentally bumps into a stranger in the club. The two of them have a dance-off and leave the club together. The two strangers end up sleeping with each other without even speaking the same language, or knowing each other's names.

Content Warnings: Alcohol, Marking, Oral Sex (Male Receiving), Sex.

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!Disclaimer!

I don’t know any Korean, so the Korean that appears in this fic comes from google translate and I cannot vouch for it being free of mistakes. Furthermore this fic works with the idea that Hyunjin doesn’t know any English at all. This only so that the plot fits with the song! I know reality is different, don’t worry!

It was Saturday night and this week was no different than any other week. Y/N and their friends were at the club, the one they usually went to on Saturday nights to get drunk, dance and leave with a stranger. It had become a ritual they went through every single week, and nobody was complaining so why would they leave it behind?

They walked in, wasting no time before getting on the dancefloor and dancing like there was no tomorrow. Most people were shy and only danced a little. Y/N and their group weren’t. They knew no shame and definitely were not scared to show off their moves. People often looked at them, but they didn’t mind at all. The DJ played a nice song and a lot of dancing started to occur.

After a little while Y/N heard some commotion at the entrance of the club, but they were too focused on their surroundings and the music to care enough to check what was going on. If it was of importance, it would become clear soon enough anyway.

“Look at you go,” Y/N’s friend shouted over the music. “You got moves,” Y/N smirked and moved their hips, feeling one with the music. Dancing had always been a talent of theirs and they loved being able to do it in such a casual setting without too many people giving weird looks.

After dancing for a bit, the group stumbled to the bar for a drink. It is truly like a work out. They decide on a round of shots and throw them back before getting a more substantial drink of choice. While drinking, Y/N looks around to see what the commotion earlier was about, but there’s nothing that seems to be different from the usual. They shrug it off and decide to let it go again.

The group drinks a couple more drinks before heading back to the dancefloor again with a drink in hand. The music’s gotten even better so everyone is absolutely enjoying themselves moving to the rhythm. More and more people are starting to gather on the dance floor now and it’s getting quite crowded.

That’s not going to stop Y/N though, cause they didn’t mind a few people around them when dancing. They kept swinging their hips and shaking their ass to the beat as they tried to work their way around all the other people.

Their friend smiled at them as they swung their hips in sync. Y/N did a step back to create more space between them and then saw their friend’s eyes go big, their word forming the word “watch-”, but it was already too late; Y/N had bumped into someone. They turned around and looked right into the eyes of a stranger. He looked slightly annoyed, as he eyed Y/N head to toe. He was taller than them, so his looking down at them seemed even more apparent than it was supposed to be.

“조심해!” He yelled over the music. Y/N squinted their eyes, looking at him in confusion.

“What?” They yelled back, not having understood a word he said just now. The stranger rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak again, repeating “조심해!”

“I don’t speak whatever language that is!” Y/N said. The guy looked Korean, but Y/N didn’t want to make an assumption like that.

“신경 쓰지 마,” the guy said before giving Y/N one last glare and walking back to the little group he was dancing with. They all looked really stylish and important, but Y/N had no idea what they should know them from. The gey they’d bumped into had long blond hair, reaching over his shoulders. His face seemed almost unreal, which annoyed Y/N. How could one person be so flawless? It was unfair.

He seemed to have forgotten about what had just occurred, so Y/N decided to do the same and continued dancing. They were a little more careful than before, scared to bump into someone again. As the evening progressed, more drinks were bought and consumed, and everything started to become a little fuzzy. In a good way, though. The music was more intense and the moves Y/N made even more careless and passionate. More people started to watch, but not in a bad way. They seemed generally impressed. This caught the attention from even more people, and also one person in particular.

When Y/N awoke from their daze a little and looked up, they saw the guy from earlier looking at them again. His eyes had narrowed into a glare as he eyed them up and down. He didn’t want to show it, but he was clearly impressed, if not interested. He approached Y/N as they kept dancing, sending him a challenging look. What did he want anyway? Why was he looking at them so intently?

Y/N’s friends moved aside and made way for the tall guy, which made Y/N look at them in surprise. What the hell was going on here? Then, right before they could fully process what was happening, he started to move to the music as well.

God damn, he was a great dancer. He moved to the music smoothly and moved his hips right on the beat. This wasn’t the first time he was doing it; he must’ve been a professional dancer or something like that. Y/N didn’t shy away, though. He clearly was challenging them to a dance battle, so a dance battle he would get.

The people didn’t exactly form a dance circle around them, but somehow it made Y/N think of those when they saw everyone gathering around to watch. The guy must be some kind of important person, or people wouldn’t be this invested. It was hard to believe this particular dance battle interested them all this much.

“Come on Y/N!” One of their friends cheered and Y/N saw this as a sign to give their all. As the music kept going, the two danced their hearts out. The stranger was really good, but Y/N was absolutely not giving in to that. They were determined now, even if only for the guy’s denigrating gaze. They swung their hips to the beat and made fitting movements with their arms and legs.

They were evenly matched and the crowd around them grew bigger and bigger. They were cheering for both sides, which gave Y/N new strength as the stranger stepped closer and grinded against them, throwing them off a little due to the sudden proximity. They stepped around him and gave him the same treatment, making him move his hands to their hips. They heard him take a sharp intake of breathe and smirked to themself, knowing what they were doing to him.

The music changed once again, the crowd began to dissipate as the dance fight grew less intense. Y/N only vaguely remembered this song, but they were familiar with the beat.

“You got me sayin', you got me sayin'. How you doing? Tell me what's your name, what's your sign,” the singer sung. Y/N swung their hips, slightly grinding into the stranger as he tightened his grip on them, digging his fingers into their skin.

“진정해,” the stranger spoke in their ear, making Y/N giggle softly as at the same time, the lyrics of the song were “Baby we two distant strangers. I know you don't speak my language, but I love the way she's talking to me.” It was all very convenient. Y/N turned around, pressing their chest against the stranger’s as he moved his hands to their waist. They draped their arms over his shoulders and bit their lip when they realized how close their faces were now. “I can hear it callin'. From where you are. Loving the way you wanna talk. Touch me tease me feel me up.”

“당신은 그렇게 나쁘지 않을 수도 있습니다,” the stranger said, making Y/N look at him. They shook their head and chuckled softly before answering.

“I have no idea what that meant, but I think we should kiss,” apparently the stranger could understand the word ‘kiss’, cause it only took him a split second to smash his lips on theirs. They kissed back just as eager, though, wrapping their arms around his neck. They heard whooping from their friends and stuck up their middle finger behind the stranger’s neck.

As the song progressed, the kiss became needier and more lustful. The stranger bit Y/N’s bottom lip softly and tugged on it before pulling back slightly, making them long for more.

“Wow,” Y/N whispered, a universal word the stranger knew too, as he smirked in a cocky way.

“내 집으로 돌아 갈래?” The stranger asked, making Y/N furrow their eyebrows. They really did not understand what he was saying whatsoever. The stranger squinted his eyes in thought before speaking again. “My hotel?” He repeated, in broken English now. Y/N gasped quietly and nodded, letting him take their hand as he led them out of the club. In that moment, they didn’t really care if their friends knew where they were. They’d probably assume where they went anyway.

Luckily, the hotel wasn’t too far away and when the two got to the elevator, they couldn’t manage to keep their hands off each other. When nobody else entered the small cabin, Y/N was pushed against the mirror wall. Eager lips found theirs as they made out in the fancy space. Y/N was ready to lose themselves in that kiss, but soon enough the bell rang, indicating they’d reached the floor they were supposed to be on.

Stranger dragged them out of the elevator, down the hall to his hotel room. He quickly fumbled with the keycard before opening the door and pushing Y/N against it when he’d closed it.

“나는이 일을하는 바보 야,” he muttered before connecting his lips to Y/N’s neck, immediately sucking and nibbling, creating marks that would definitely still be visible tomorrow.

“I don’t understand a fuck from what you’re saying, but it’s kinda hot,” Y/N admitted, tilting their head to the side to give the tall guy more access to their neck. He absolutely attacked it, leaving marks everywhere before moving his lips down their collarbones, stopping at the collar of the top Y/N was wearing. He looked into their eyes, asking for permission with silent words. Y/N nodded and before they could blink, the top was off and the stranger was kissing down their chest, leaving hickeys all over there too.

Many hickeys from both parties later, the stranger had somehow pinned Y/N under him on the bed. Their hands ran up and down his sides as they were entangled in another kiss. The only thing restricting them at this point, was their underwear.

His entire body looked so good under those clothes. He definitely looked trained, so the guess of him being a professional dancer hadn’t been that strange after all. All of this showed signs of years and years of intensive training. Y/N wondered how this would show in his skills in bed. He might’ve been really flexible, after all.

Y/N gently bit the stranger’s bottom lip, causing him to release a moan an be distracted for a split second. Y/N took this opportunity and pinned him under them on the bed. They left kisses down his torso, stopping at the waist band of his underwear before looking up at him.

The stranger, who was watching them as he bit his lip, nodded briefly, giving Y/N the okay. They pulled his boxers down and were immediately greeted by his large member springing up and slapping against his stomach. They gasped audibly, earning a cocky chuckle from him. They rolled their eyes and licked a strip up his shaft, eliciting a suppressed moan from his lips. He leaned his head back on the bed as they wrapped their lips around his tip, sucking playfully as his moans turned into whines and his hips bucked up.

“놀리지 마,” the stranger muttered and Y/N assumed that he didn’t wish to be teased. They giggled around him before letting their head sink down around his length. They slowly started bobbing their head, occasionally swirling their tongue around the long shaft. Stranger was evidently enjoying this, since his content moans were hard to mask. They gently grazed their teeth over his sensitive skin, making him whimper. A quick “fuck” escaped his lips, making Y/N almost jump in surprise since they weren’t used to hearing an English word from the stranger.

He began to twitch in their mouth when they hollowed their cheeks to increase the pressure and they quickly withdrew their head from his member, earning an aggravated groan from him.

“Not yet,” they whispered with a satisfied smirk. This made the stranger regain the confidence he had earlier as he flipped them back over. He moved his head down to remove their underwear with his teeth. This sight was so hot that Y/N got even needier on the spot. They needed him and they needed him now. No more teasing, no more playing.

“Fuck me,” they said boldly, sure that even the most no-English-speaking person should understand those words. Luckily the stranger did, as he moved back up, grabbing a condom from the nightstand and ripping the wrapper before rolling it onto his hard length. He hovered back over Y/N, dipping his head down to catch their lips in a feverish kiss before lining up with their entrance.

“Ready?” He whispered with a thick accent. Y/N nodded, looking up at him while biting their lip. He slowly pushed himself into them, earning moans from the two of them. His large member stretched Y/N out good and hit just the right places. Their tight hole encompassed his length perfectly and he waited for a second to help them adjust before slowly moving in and out.

Y/N dug their nails into the stranger’s back, making him groans. They made a mental note: he definitely enjoyed pain. They weren’t sure why they were even making this mental note, since it obviously was just a one-night stand and they weren’t even sure if they would stay the night after this.

Y/N wrapped their legs around his waist, urging him on to go faster, which he did. He snapped his hips forward in a sharp movement and grazed over their sweet spot. They moaned out, only encouraging him to go faster and harder. It was passionate but also rough at the same time. It was perfect. Exactly what Y/N had expected from this stranger with the amazing body.

He sped up more, clearly chasing after both of their climaxes which were approaching fast. Y/N didn’t know how much longer they would last as they started to clench around his length.

“C-close,” they moaned in his ear. “P-please,” this much he understood, as he somehow moved even faster and harder. He pulled all the way out before slamming back in, making Y/N cry out in pain and pleasure. They wouldn’t last anymore and by his twitching they could tell that he wouldn’t either. They whimpered as they felt their orgasm wash over them, clenching around him strongly, sending him over the edge as well. He groaned in their ear, connecting his lips with theirs as he eased the both of them off their highs. They stayed like this for a little, steadying their breathing as their bodies trembled in pleasure and satisfaction.

“Wow,” Y/N muttered when the stranger eventually rolled off them and laid back next to them. Neither of them spoke for a while as the minutes passed. Y/N was unsure of what to do next. Were they supposed to leave now or? They sat up slightly, ready to get dressed. However, the stranger grabbed their shoulder.

“Stay,” his thick accented voice muttered. He was clearly struggling to find more words, but he didn’t know what else to say. All they knew is that he didn’t want them to leave. Not now, at least. His fingers started to trail over the skin of their arm tenderly. Y/N scooted closer to him and he wrapped his arms around them, holding them close to his chest as they listened to the steady beating of his heart.

They fell asleep like this, forgetting about the world around them. It wasn’t until the next morning that Y/N was woken up by a loud knock on the door and some voices in the hallway. With their head pounding from the hangover, they quickly got dressed and ready to leave. The stranger woke up too, panic immediately taking over his face. He quickly got up and dressed as well before opening the door. Y/N hid behind him, silently cursing him for opening the door while they were still here.

It was the friends he had with him at the club last night and they seemed surprised when their eyes roamed over the two of them.

“Uh, hello,” one of them said, his voice covered with an Australian accent. He had freckles and his eyes were friendly. “We are here to pick him up for an interview,” an interview? So he was some important person, then?

“Oh- Of course,” Y/N said. “I have to go anyways,” stranger’s friends sent him knowing looks and he looked away, blushing a little. Y/N smiled at him and nodded their head before grabbing their purse and leaving the room.

“Well, goodbye,” they said. “I had a good time,” they knew that probably nobody except the guy who’d just spoken English to them would understand, but they reckoned they couldn’t leave without saying it.

Stranger nodded back and stopped Y/N before quickly whispering something they couldn’t understand to his Australian friend.

“Um- He wants to have your number,” the latter said. “He wants to talk to you more, if you’re okay with that,” Y/N was surprised, but nodded before quickly writing down their number on a piece of paper that was handed to them. They smiled, handing the note to their one night stand, before saying a quick goodbye before actually leaving.

“What your name?” They heard him calling after them.

“Y/N,” they said over their shoulder, smiling briefly before taking the elevator down and walking out through the main entrance of the hotel. They realized they’d forgotten to ask him for his name, but alas, it was time to go home. When they got to the pavement, they were crowded by cameras and microphones. They looked up in surprise, blinking against the flashing lights. What was going on here?

“Miss, miss,” one of the people behind the microphones said. “Is it true you came back here with Hyunjin last night?”

“Who?” Y/N asked, for a moment forgetting who or where they were due to all the attention that was placed on them right now.

“Hyunjin, member of Stray Kids? The popular K-pop group?” The person said, looking at Y/N as if they were stupid. Member of the what now?

“Popular K-pop group?” Y/N repeated.

“They’re known worldwide,” the interviewer said, clearly growing impatient.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Y/N shrugged them off before quickly making their way to a cab and giving him the directions to bring them home. So their hook-up was a celebrity? A K-pop idol? Woah, no wonder he’d been such a great dancer. Hyunjin… They definitely had to look him up when they were home. What kind of shit had they gotten themselves into now?

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[monsterfloofs]

The Ghost in the Parlor (Sfw and anonymous protagonist!)

It was one in the morning when you rose from bed, sliding on a pair of slippers and feeling your way through the dark to exit your room. The sound was faint, barely audible, but you knew. . .

He was playing tonight.

As you weave your way towards the stairs, you could hear the chords beneath you, the stirring voice of a piano pulling you through dark corridors. As you stop and peer over the banister. You can see from up above, candles alight with a ghastly blue fire. Their light casting eerie wisps of shadows to dance upon the floor. In the middle of this spectral scene was a luminous form sitting at the old grand piano. His spindly fingers like spiders upon the keys, procuring the tune that wafted up the stairs. The sound is sweet and melancholic, mourning things that have been lost, and the ever present march of time. Always moving, never relenting.

You knew all this because you had asked him, it was his favorite tune to play. He played it often and there were times where you could almost feel his deep rooted bittersweet sadness. Tears would spring to your eyes and you would have to mop your face with your sleeve. Tonight the song felt especially lonely and with careful footing you crept down the stairs, your shadow timidly trailing after.

"Have I disturbed you?" His melodic voice intones as you sit down beside him. "No, I came to hear you play, if you would have me as company mister Sterling." "Sleep is for the living" he sighs wistfully, "You should be asleep, dreaming sweet dreams of tomorrow." 

He talks to you but his hands, ah his quick and nimble hands keep playing. You watch them sweeping across the keys, mesmerized until he stops. You blink and look up at him. His face is turned towards yours, an eyebrow quirked inquisitively. "A little distracted, were we?" You smile sheepishly, "Ah, yes, I'm sorry, but your hands do work magic. What had you been saying?"

He gives an embarrassed huff, "It's late is it not?" They pale eyes staring at you unblinkingly from beneath round vintage glasses. "Well yes," you reluctantly agree, "But I have missed your nightly performances. And I was hoping you could give me another lesson tonight." You say softly as he flexes his long spindly fingers. "Ooh. . . perhaps. You have always been kind to me. Letting me keep you up at odd hours of night with my prattling."

"You know I would stay even if you didn't give me a lesson. Your music is beautiful." He turns his head away from you, but you can see a hazy pink color introduce itself onto his countenance. When he turns back the color has all but bled out, except for some swirling traces. "I have had nothing but time to perfect it. Though as despairing as it may be, to watch seasons pass without being able to participate in the world, I still have my music. I wonder, is it what holds me here? Is my comfort my cage? Alas-- Dear, aren't you going to put your hands to the piano? You did ask for a lesson you know."

You look up at him before doing as he asks. Aligning your fingers to the keys, "I thought you were still deciding. . ."  "Oh," they respond absentmindedly, "Don't mind me, I'm particularly lost in my thoughts tonight, death, life, it's all just one big mess. . ." Sterling rambles on talking about music as you sit together playing chords and sections of songs. As you are still learning the basics he keeps things simple, most of the time you are echoing his voice on the piano or remembering notes and chords. But he has seems to have become happier with having someone he can talk to, rather than to stew lost in his own thoughts.

"You are doing quite well," A pleased smile tugging on his lips, his crinkled eyes twinkling. "Have you been practicing?"  "A little. . . Not as much as I would like though." You slid your hands onto your lap and smile. "Thank you for the lesson, I appreciate you taking the time to sit with me and do that. I hope I'm not inconveniencing you."

"Of course not," he sniffs, "I. . . am very fond of your company." There was something with the way he said it, that stirred your heart. You can feel your own face grow a little warm, "I'm glad. . . haha." He glances at you, his hands poised to begin playing again. You swallow hard and press on, "Though I h-have to admit, I am more than a little fond of you."

--BADOOM His hands slip hitting the keys too hard and causes a loud blunder of noise. Practically falling off his chair, Sterling’s hands shielding his face in embarrassment. "I-I. . .WHAT?" He stammers, your eyes widen that he reacted so dramatically. "I just meant that, I c-care about you a lot--" The candles snuff out around and you are suddenly plunged in darkness. The ghost has left the building. 

Your head flops into the piano, a few keys playing as your face presses into them. You give a groan of defeat Dammit! Way to go, you probably just killed him. . . AGAIN. Despite his usual stuffy demeanor he can get easily flustered. He tries to hide it under a punctual and proper air, but was a much shier person than he let on. You liked that about him though, there were little things that he did that just enchanted you. He was a deep thinker, and he always took the time to explain things and be patient with you. So of course, you had to go and fall in love with a ghost. You had been trying to gather the courage to tell him your feelings for about a week now. Slowly working your way towards the right words you say. But like music, timing was just as important as the notes. To be honest you had gotten so nervous you are sure you had fumbled in both regards. You sigh heavily, best head to bed, perhaps you can try and talk to him tomorrow.

You slink away in defeat, retiring to your chamber until sunlight streams through your window. Leaving a dappled trail of light and warmth inside your room. You grumpily turn over in bed, refusing to move until you have properly sulked for just a little while longer. Trying to wrack your brain how you were going to approach the ghostly pianist now. With Sterling being so shy, you weren’t sure if his reaction was bad or good. Only time will tell, but in the meantime you're up and making breakfast. Then busying yourself with doing chores around the house and trying not to let your mind settle too much into last night. You go about whiling away the hours until sunset. That's when Sterling becomes active inside the house. You don’t exactly know where he goes during the daytime. You have attempted in the past to nonchalantly snoop around in the basement but to no avail. 

Before you know it, the sun is setting in the sky. Golden light filtering across the floor, flooding the rooms with dying light. You peer into the parlor, and step inside. Running your hands over the black and white keys. You can feel a faint prick on the back of your neck, you turn around and You startle, coming face to face with the musically inclined ghoul. You put a hand on your heart. "Oh my goodness!-- Sterling!" you sigh weakly, feeling your heart pounding in your chest. “Hello,” He murmurs faintly, you look up at him, feeling suddenly shy. All this time you had been waiting to talk to him, and now only an awkward silence fills the room. Both of you starting to speak at the same time.

“I’m sorry, what were you going to say?”

“N-no that’s alright, please, continue”

“Aaah-- why don’t you go first, I was the person who upset you last night”

A hand flutters anxiously to the glasses upon his crooked nose. "You didn’t upset me. You, w-well surprised me. I  was flattered, but I don’t think you truely want anything to do with this old goat." "H-huh? What do yo--" He cuts you off with a flourish of his hand. "I'm an old man dear, not just old, decrepit. I died in 1839, my bones are buried outside, wouldn't that bother you?" His face flushes an eerie pink and he splutters in embarrassment. "I mean, it should bother you. . . " A light bulb blinks on in your head and you stare at him with new found insight. "Y-you, like me too, don't you. . ." "I beg your pa--" "It was you, wasn’t it?" With a rush of feeling, you practically jump a foot off the ground from excitement. "I was always wondering about those poems left on the door step-" your mouth goes agape. "And those flowers!" His eyes dart back and forth in a panic, his mouth wobbling. "W-what??? Me? I don't know anything about that!" You can tell he's wanting to bolt and you make a grab at one of his translucent hands. Surprisingly your fingers successfully curl around it and his shoulders jerk up. Trying to calm yourself down before trying to talk to him. You were spooking him, a novel thought, but not what you had been intending to do. So you take a different approach, "Why. . . didn't you ever tell me?" The specter is sweating bullets now, he mops his brow with a wispy handkerchief. "I-I” he groans in defeat, “A ghost cannot do romance! A ghost cannot do much of-- of anything! No matter how I felt, I couldn't keep you here, you deserve to be free, to experience life to the fullest. Not to be shackled to me and this house." You flush, truly surprised by his answer. "But, I don't want anyone else, I like you. . ." Tentatively you take his hands and hold them gently in your own. His expression quivers, looking down before he gently pulls away. His fingers wisping through your skin before reconstructing themselves back together. He puts a hand into his breast pocket before he pulls out an envelope with a flowery wax seal. He looks away from you but hands you the letter, his expression flushing as that same red color is introduced into his normal pale blue complexation. You look up at him searchingly before you gently take the letter. The smooth paper has a fragrance like all the rest of the notes you recieved, like roses and vanilla. You carefully peel back the floral seal, opening the envelope.

You watch Sterling lights the candles at the table in the parlor. It has been a week since the two of you had become a couple, and you cannot remember a happier time, then the hours you have spent together. “Didn't you say, a ghost cannot do romance?” You tease him with a smile, your eyes crinkling as you watch him with a loving gaze. He huffs softly, "That I did, and I wish more than anything I could take you to a fine dinner out of this house. . . " He pinches the wick of one last candle, and when he removes his hand, an enchanting blue fire flickers to life. “I think a candlelit dinner at home is just as lovely.” He looks at you for a moment, before he gives a little smile, “If you say so darling.” “I do.” He bends down to give you a chilly peck on the forehead before he sits down at his piano, flexing his fingers before he begins to play. The blue lights of the candles flickering to the sound of his haunting melody. But the tone has changed, no longer lachrymose. You can hear something happy stirring in the song that projects itself out of the house, and into the starlit sky.

[twstinginthewind]

❄️ Bobby throws a snowball at Juniper, who doesn't GET snow yet. This might be her first time out in it.

Warm & Fuzzy

Bobby Sherwood liked to think of himself as having become more of a sophisticated, civilized gentleman, now that he was a sophomore at the elite and lauded Night Raven College. The way people carried themselves here, the way they acted, even the kinds of trees that grew here and the smell of the air was a far cry from how things are where he grew up, in the North Woods of the Shaftlands. And Bobby was definitely not just that raggedy little fox who ran around his town causing trouble, not by a long shot. The trouble he causes is much more complex now.

However, there is one thing in particular that will always bring him back to the same happy mindset that he enjoyed as a kid, and he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face one crisp morning in late November as he stepped onto campus.

"Jon, my lad," he said as he elbowed his friend Littlebear, pointy elbow still managing to be felt through his coat. "Do you happen to see what I'm seeing?"

"I doubt I could miss it." Jon sighed. He knew what was coming, and started to dig in his pockets for his gloves.

"The first snow of the winter. Oh, what a day! I daresay we could take a couple of minutes to properly enjoy it, yes?" Bobby already started to head off of the shoveled path, leaving footprints behind him in the untouched snow. "Traditional snow war rules apply, as always!"

"Bobby, we need to get to our classes," Jon protested, but he followed suit. "We need to be quick."

"All right. We play to one direct hit, yes?" Bobby flicked his fluffy tail over the snow. "And the one struck down gets the winner hot cocoa at lunch."

"And no starting until the count of three, as usual?"

"You've read my mind. Let's have at it. One! Two! Three!" As Bobby reached three, he and Jon both sped off in different directions. Bobby scooped up an armful of snow as he ran, and shaped it into a ball while looking for a good place to launch his attack.

Ah! There, on the library steps. Bobby took position, and watched. Jon was impatient. He would always try to seek him out.... yes. The larger boy was visible among the crowd of students; some watching their chase amusedly, others focused on their walk to their destination. Bobby narrowed his eyes, and threw with all his might.

And Jon ducked. Bobby watched as his snowball sailed through the empty space once occupied by his friend's torso, and landed directly on — oh no. Juniper had been walking behind Jon, and now she stood stock-still and blinking, chunks of snowball sticking to her dark hair.

Bobby ran over to do damage control. "Miss Moon! Oh, oh I am terribly sorry to have gotten you involved. Are you all right?"

"It's really cold. And I thought it'd be softer.... Sherwood? Bobby? Did you..." She sounded a bit dazed. "Was that a snowball?"

"Yes, and I am TERRIBLY sorry, I think you should know that you were not my target, oh, goodness. Here," he fumbled, offering a handkerchief. "Your hair will be soaked."

Juniper took it, and began dotting at her face and hair. "What were you doing throwing that, anyway?"

"Trying to hit me," came a voice from behind them. Bobby turned around, and looming above him was Jon. Arms raised. A huge snowball in both his hands, and a sneaky look on his face.

Bobby didn't even get to open his mouth to speak again before Jon rained down on him with cold, fluffy hell. Juniper burst out laughing at the sight of her clever dormmate being outfoxed so easily, and kept on laughing as he wiped the snow from his face and hair.

"Got you," Jon snickered. "Now you owe me a cocoa. And I think you should get one for poor Juniper, too, since she got caught in our crossfire. Don't you agree, Miss Moon?"

"I guess that's only fair; if Jon says that's the standard, then I'll take it!" she said with a grin. "But why were you guys throwing snow?"

".... that's just what you do with it," Bobby answered slowly. "Yeah. Two cocoas, see me at lunchtime for those. Or we can challenge again then, maybe wager a slice of pie to go with?" He tilted his head back and laughed, fully aware of how goofy he must look. "Golly. What a day!!"

[andguesswhat]

The fool on the hill - Chapter 6

If you want to know what happened on the hill..

(on the Archive)

The hill

*

"Do you mind if I go for a little jog out there to keep me warm?" Tom asked Lea, pointing to a hill a little off the set. 

The production assistant shook her head. "No, you go ahead. I'll come get you when we get back to shooting. You've got thirty minutes, tops."

"Thanks!" 

Tom smiled. He couldn't wait to get moving, it was cold as hell and the wind was blowing mercilessly through the abandoned mine they were shooting in.   

Sophia didn't seem to mind being blanketed in layers of down jackets and getting a hot mug of coffee in her hand; but him, he hated standing in the cold doing nothing, he had to move. 

So he put on his headphones to listen to the music Nathalie had given him and started jogging. 

Up the hill ...then back down again. 

It was a hard to get purchase with the gravel and he definitely didn't have the right shoes on, but Tom didn't mind, he was happy to run. The hill was steeper than he had expected, but he enjoyed the burn it gave him, a welcome change from the chilly set.

The music was good and he lost himself in it, just running around the hill. Up, then down.

It didn't take long for his mind to wander to Owen and he paused and took some deep breaths, trying to stop the thoughts, but he wasn't surprised that they quickly came back.

Owen had been in his mind for weeks now. 

He had been so happy to work with him. He was smart, compassionate, and funny, and Tom loved his curiosity and commitment.... All the little ideas they came up with during the shoot were just so much fun. On top of all that, the connection they had was a gift that Tom couldn't take for granted. They could talk about anything. And that meant anything, really. And they did.

And he loved the way Owen smiled at him, winked at him, and flirted with him. Ever since that day they'd played tennis, Tom had felt that the flirting was becoming highly.... sexual. At least for him. And no wonder - hearing Owen grunt on the court and seeing him naked in the shower... the images came to his mind all by themselves. 

Because Tom thought that Owen had a really nice body. 

And that he wouldn't mind touching it. 

And licking it. 

Every part of it, actually. 

Especially that prominent line around his hip. 

Yeah, he would like that. 

In his imagination, he had licked it more than once, and ended up licking something else. In his imagination, of course.

He wasn't sure why he hadn't made the first move yet. 

Maybe because he thought Owen would. 

Maybe that made him a little insecure.   

Or maybe they just hadn't found the right moment yet. 

They were busy filming and hadn't had any scenes together in the last few days. 

Tom missed Owen. Just being around him. Brainstorming. Laughing. Flirting. 

Suddenly, Tom felt a hand on his shoulder. 

He thought it was Lea, but he was more than surprised to see it was - 

"Owen!" 

His face instantly lit up, his heart began to pound and his whole body was flooded with a sudden feeling of warmth.

Oh God, how he loved seeing him. 

"What are you doing here?" he fumbled to take the earbuds out and looked at his.. friend.

Owen shrugged and smiled cheekily. "I thought I'd check out the set."

Tom just smiled back. 

He couldn’t say anything, but just smiled happily at Owen. 

He knew he should say something to keep things from getting weird, but he didn't know what. 

There were too many questions in his head. After all, why was Owen really here? It was a boring set, it was cold.... 

"God, it's fucking cold here," Owen interrupted his thoughts as he rubbed his hands together. "Let's jog some more, shall we?"

Tom was still smiling, still unable to speak properly. "Yeah..." He tried to get that probably stupid smile off his face, but it was hopeless. "Yeah... Sure!" Well, at least he could manage that.

So they jogged down the hill. 

Side by side. 

Both smiling. 

And Tom felt like a silly teenager, giddy to just be around the person he had a crush on.

When they got back to the bottom of the hill, Owen turned to Tom and said, "Okay, that didn't work so well for me. I'm still cold. How about a little sprint challenge?" He slapped Tom on the chest, smiled challengingly at him "Show me what you can do!" and just sprinted off, up the hill, without any warning. Or without waiting. 

Tom was in no position to react that quickly. But after losing at tennis, Tom really felt the need to defend his honor, so he sprinted after Owen, giving it his all.

But why the hell was Owen so fast? 

If he wasn't warm after that sprint, he didn't know how he could do it. He was almost out of breath! 

He tried to get past Owen, but he didn't know how.

So he just grabbed Owen by the waist in the last few meters to push him out of the way, but the hill was steep, the gravel too slippery, and the sole of his shoe too smooth, so he slipped, fell, and dragged Owen down with him. 

Hhn!

And now Owen was buried under him.

They were both panting heavily.

Their bodies pressed against each other.

And Tom had to admit, that wasn't bad at all. He wished he could stay in this moment forever.

"Your start wasn't really fair, was it?" Tom gasped in mock seriousness and braced himself with his hands. 

Owen turned, still lying under Tom, and smiled at him. "Yes, it was. With your model legs, you could have easily caught me."

Model legs? Tom once again didn't know what to say. 

So he continued to gasp. 

And just looked at Owen. 

How Owen looked at him. Attentively. 

Smiled at him. Tenderly. 

His mouth slightly open. 

He could hear him breathing. 

Felt his chest moving up and down.... 

He couldn't believe how beautiful Owen was.

Tom bit his lower lip.

He felt himself getting a hard-on, lying on top of Owen like this. 

But he didn't want to get up at any cost, this was just too good, so he tried to move his hip, tried to get his leg - 

When suddenly he felt Owen's hard-on too. 

God.

Time stood still. 

Just them looking at each other, still panting.... 

And Tom knew this was the moment. 

This was it. 

So he rubbed their hard-ons together lightly.

God, yes.

And it felt even better the second time, when he heard a small moan coming out of Owen's mouth. 

But that was nothing compared to how it felt when Owen's hand slid down to his ass, kneading and squeezing it before going down between his ass a little to grab his leg and pull it up slightly. 

Tom tried to stifle a moan. 

He couldn't tell how much it turned him on. Being grabbed like that while their hard-ons were still pressed against each other. 

As much as he had loved women in his life, Tom was sure, he could only feel something like this with the same sex. 

The same energy...

The same power...

Just being on the same level.

Owen slid his hand into Tom's hair and slowly, very slowly pulled him down... so they could savor this moment of absolute tension.... before their lips would finally meet....

"Tooom!" Tom heard his name being called.

No.

"Tooom!" Lea was calling him.

No!

Tom closed his eyes for a moment.

He felt Owen's hand slip from his neck.

No!

It wasn't real.

This couldn't be true.

He sighed. And looked at Owen.

Who looked at him compassionately.

No! He wanted to kiss Owen, he needed to kiss him, feel his lips...

Again he sighed. And surrendered.

One last time he rubbed against Owen's hard-on, straightened with a flourish, and let out a frustrated growl before shouting down the hill.

"I'm coming!"

Owen chuckled beneath him. "Are you?"

"Not funny." Tom held out his hand for Owen to stand up.

But Owen hesitated for a moment.

"I feel like I’m always looking up to you," he said, smiling up at Tom. "I like it. It's appropriate."

Tom's whole body softened like pudding. And he wished it wasn't.

Because yes, it was just a joke, just a reference, of course....

But still...

And once again, he had absolutely run out of words, and he really needed to change that. Even when he somehow liked the silence when Owen was here.

Together they walked down the hill. And despite his frustration with this situation, Tom was genuinely happy. He couldn't remember when he had felt more comfortable with another person by his side than with Owen. Just walking down a hill.

And even though Tom couldn't quite grasp what had just happened, he knew he would never forget it.

Owen grinned at him. "By the way, I like your hair flip. Kind of sexy. I wish I could do that too."

Tom rolled his eyes, feeling that Owen was really doing this on purpose. And yes, he was embarrassed, but what annoyed him more was that once again he didn't know how to respond.

But before he could think of anything, they were at the bottom of the hill, standing right in front of Lea.

"Are you all right?"

Tom nodded. "I just ... slipped."

Lea looked at him sternly. "Don't do that again, or I won't be able to let you off the leash next time. I don't want Kate yelling at me because you splashed your ankle or something. Okay, let's go then." She signaled him to follow her.

And as soon as Lea turned to leave, Tom turned to Owen, gave him a quick but soft lick just below his earlobe, and whispered, "I think you're sexy as hell, too."

The look Owen gave him was priceless.

Tom grinned triumphantly.

There. Well, who was speechless now?

*

[luvlyrv]

Duel | Seulgi x F!Reader | Knight!AU

Request: Okay so I have a request 👀 you don’t have to write it if you want want to, but the idea came to my head and I thought why not request it from one of my favourite writers! 🥺

SO, knight!seulgi. Or basically Seulgi with a sword and being bad ass 🥴 maybe a small bit of enemies to lovers, who knows? But just Seulgi. With a sword. 😳🥵

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: i hope you like it! i'm not big on action scenes so they were kind of rushed, sorry :( also sorry that it took so long my dear!! hope you're doing well <3

Date: 4/11/21

You uncomfortably roll your shoulders back, a phantom pain gradually enveloping your body. Somehow the mere sight of Seulgi was enough to send shudders down your spine as your body recounts the sensations of the many fights you've had with her. Maybe defeat has already etched itself into your muscle memory.

You let out a quiet breath as you observe her sparring session with a fellow damoiseau, a knight-in-training. Your mind feels a bit torn by the sight in front of you. On one hand you are entranced by the fluid motions and contortions that Seulgi managed to make her body do. On the other hand you struggle to not make an obviously unsettled face. Your mood sours at the disappointment you feel when reminded of the fact that despite how much you try to observe and study her, you have never bested her in a duel.

Besting the people around you had always come easy. You've enjoyed the pain of your training, knowing that it would be proven a worthy investment of your time when you see a pitiful body laying on the floor in front of you. When you get to see the face of defeat, hear the admittance of it. For all you know you are the perfect warrior. A noble knight worthy to serve the monarch.

You're better than everyone. You know it. Except for her.

What was it? What did you she have that you didn't? Every time she bested you in a duel it dealt a bastardly blow to your ego. The words 'second best' would make your eye want to twitch. For all your strength and endurance, your familiarity with the motions of battle, Seulgi just seemed to understand it more.

You recount the many times your body would strain itself after being dealt with many sharp thwacks. The throbbing pains from falling and rolling, again and again. The sense of hope and excitement as you pushed yourself to take on a stance and seemingly deal a final blow, only for Seulgi to easily and gracefully step away, just to kick you back to the ground.

You hate her. You hate the weaklings underneath you too. You swear you can hear them snicker when you lose to her, that treacherous woman.

You stop your thoughts when you suddenly hear the booming voice of your master calling for you. Your grip strengthens around your training sword as you slowly make way towards Seulgi. It's time for the two of you to repeat the process. This time though, you are determined to win. Certain of it. Seulgi, the best apprentice in your regiment, would not longer make a mockery of you.

Your jaw hurts as clench, barely containing your anger. You try to calm down and refocus on the situation at hand. You look at Seulgi as she stands in her own battle-ready stance in front of you. You wonder how her blows deal so much power when her frame looks so delicate.

Focusing on calming down your breathing, you slowly advance forward. Your opponent does the same and soon enough you're circling around each other. It's the same story again. The same beginnings.

You want to end things quickly and dive in for the first blow. One blow should be all you need, you think to yourself. You force yourself to go as quickly as possible, everything around you a blur except for your target herself. All of a sudden though, she disappears and suddenly you feel your training sword facing resistance, threatening to escape your grasp.

You grunt in frustration and reorient yourself to find Seulgi. You spot her and balance yourself waiting for another opening. She is always on the defensive it seems, but you are never one to wait. As the seconds go by you deem it the right time to go for a slash. It feels as if your body is moving through molasses as you watch Seulgi glide out of your weapon's way in horror. You see her sword and a painful thwack is given.

It's the same story again. The same middle.

You repeat and repeat these motions. You going in for a hit only to be countered. Sometimes you'd get one in, but like you your opponent is hardy and gets back up. After a brutal pummeling you must resign yourself to defeat, as much as your heart hates it. The same ending as always.

This time though you can't seem to hold your tongue back.

You storm up closer to Seulgi and roughly hold onto the collar of her training attire. "What the hell is it? What's your secret?" You shake the woman a bit until her hands come up to your wrist. She pushes them down and you decide to let go. "Rematch tonight. I'll prove my worth." The words come out viciously but quietly. They were a promise both to her and yourself.

The crowd of spectators around you stay quiet after your outburst, and Seulgi doesn't say anything either. Not bothering to look at anyone's faces you leave the grounds to change clothes. They stuck to you with sweat and the gritty dirt that covered it bothered you

You can't think much for the rest of the day. The thoughts of your failure prevents you from enjoying training or beating other people. Soon enough you find yourself looking at a bowl of measly soup and bread in the mess hall all by yourself.

The warm soup makes you feel marginally better, but you don't pay much attention to it. Instead you take in your surroundings. This scenario is routine. You sit by yourself somewhere among the crowds of people interacting and enjoying their meal together. Even if people were nearby you simply would not speak. Why waste your breath on them?

In contrast to you though, you notice how hordes of people flock around the number one apprentice. Vying for her attention. Are you jealous? You can't tell. You just wonder if people would act that way towards you if you were the best.

Soon enough you hear the familiar yelling of a commander telling you all to return to your bunks. You quickly put away your bowl and utensils before hanging back from the line of people walking back towards the measly barracks that housed you all. Through the large body of people you see the crowd finally thin out as people their respective barracks. As you get closer to yours you finally spot Seulgi towards the entrance of the building. Coming up behind her you speak out.

"You didn't forget, did you?" She takes a moment to think before huffing.

"I suppose I should humor you after all."

You turn without letting her speak further. There's a silence between the two of you as you go to retrieve your training swords. You'd expect to hear loud padded footsteps behind you, but surprisingly Seulgi's footsteps sound faint. Nearly nonexistent.

The night sky of course makes it hard to see things, but your years of training has ingrained the layout of the entire area into your heart. It also helps that the moonlight allows you to see just enough as well. You make it to your destination with ease, picking up your weapon you watch as Seulgi grabs hers too.

"Where are we going to fight?" She questions you tiredly.

"Out in the field." Your answer is curt as you once again lead Seulgi, this time to the middle of the field you had fought in earlier in the day. When you arrive you distance yourself farther away from her and take your stance.

"You ready?" You ask her as you plant your feet into the ground and focus on your breathing.

"Mhm." Seulgi, unlike you, decides to stand there. She seems uncommitted, like she doesn't care about the fight. How dare she do that when your pride is on the line? When you're taking this so seriously?

Frustration builds up inside of you as you take her attitude as disrespect. You move in to give her a quick jab. Extending your arm, you feel your weapon graze her before she moves out of the way. A popping noise fills the air as she strikes down near the hilt of your weapon, trying to make you loosen your grip. It almost works but you quickly readjust your hands. You force up your sword in retaliation, breaking away the contact between your two swords.

With your sword so high up you decide to go for a horizontal swing towards Seulgi's body. In the early moments of your swing though, Seulgi ducks down and gives you an upwards jab towards your chest.

You heave as air forcefully leaves your lungs, a pain exploding around your chest.

"God!" You wheeze out loudly. Seulgi stands in front of you while she lowers her sword. You get down to your knees and look at the ground. Your breathing normalizes quickly but you try to get your bearings before rising again.

"I still... don't get it." As quickly as your breathing returned to its normal state, your voice quivered as your eyes felt hot. The disappointment that you seemingly always felt around Seulgi had made its reappearance. This time it hit harder than normal. Hard enough to make you start crying.

As your breathing began to become more uneven you finally raise your head and stand up. The form of your opponent gets closer to you. The only sounds between the two of you is the noises escaping your throat as you broke down again.

"How can you manage to fight like that?" You notice Seulgi has put both of her hands out to you. Your hesitance to take them spurs her to speak.

"I'll show you." Her voice touches you somehow. How have you never noticed how angelic she sounded? How gentle she was being with you right now? "Just take them."

You allow her to take your hands. She carefully clasps her similarly calloused hands around yours and begins to move. Her body sways, you don't quite understand why but you try to follow suit.

"I don't get it." You say as you try to mirror her movements. You fumble in embarrassment as Seulgi moves with confidence and grace. You're like a fawn who hasn't learned how to walk next to her.

"I'm a dancer, don't you see?" She momentarily lets go of your hands and walks backwards. You miss the feeling of her hands but you're entranced by the short show she puts on.

She performs for you, the dance itself was beautiful as she created curves and angles with her body. The moonlight enhances it, bouncing off her body and allowing her to glow.

Why have you never noticed how delicate her features looked? How it looked as if she was hand sculpted by the gods?

She returns back to you, taking your hands in hers and leads you back to dancing. You focus harder on trying to mimic her correctly. Eventually the both of you are gracefully dancing across the vast field. You're calmer now, happy even.

"See?" Seulgi says after a while of silent dancing. "The battlefield is my dancefloor, and I'm simply dancing around your blade."

"You're an incredible dancer, Seulgi." Seulgi has brought the two of you closer now. You notice how her lips tug up a bit as you pay her a compliment. That was the first time you've complimented her, perhaps even anyone here. It was the first time you said something without malice to her.

"I try." She laughs a bit. "I wanted to be a professional dancer at first actually. My family wanted me to go into a more noble field though, for the sake of our reputation. I protested at first of course. As I thought more though I decided I wouldn't mind protecting people. I still try to dance everyday though."

"Oh." Shock is laced through your voice. Listening to Seulgi was a humbling experience to say the least. You had wanted to become a knight for your own honor, to attain glory and recognition. You hadn't paid much thought towards protecting other people.

It was also strange to see Seulgi treat you like this. Her kindness was unprecedented. Was your hatred and spite one-sided all along?

"Hm?" Seulgi is curious to your shock as she quirks her eyebrow.

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"I've..." It hurts you a bit to say sorry, let alone apologize correctly. You force yourself to do it though. Maybe, just maybe, you need to change. "I've certainly acted coldly towards you and others. My actions have been... conceited." You here a soft giggle before Seulgi speaks again.

"You're cuter when you're not being awful, you know?" You're glad that the sun has set and that Seulgi can't see the embarrassment on your face. Seulgi hums a tune as you continue dancing together.

"Try smiling more and scowling less. You'd be more approachable that way, along with some attitude changes of course. Aren't you lonely?" She tries to advise you, and normally you'd lash out if anyone made comments about your behavior, but you can't help but to listen to the soothing voice of Seulgi.

"...I can try." You whisper. "I think, if I may speak frankly, I would be okay with being second best under you." Seulgi laughs again.

"Oh? Was dancing with you all it took to make you earn some humility?"

"Maybe... can we dance again another time?" You ask with hesitance before you quickly elaborate. "To get better at fighting, like you! Of course. Only if you want to."

"If this would effectively make you learn your lesson, then sure."

This was the first time you could talk to someone like this, and you like it.

"Thank you, Seulgi, for your patience."

You understand why she's the best apprentice out of all of you. Why people flock around her. Who wouldn't want to be near the giving soul of Seulgi?