#and he doesn't look too shabby if i do say so myself

[undiscovered-horizon]

"Everywhere is good but home is..." - Mihawk x Reader

@thetempleofthemasaigoddess wondered why Mihawk doesn't quite get along with his mother-in-law and who am I to keep such secrets to myself?

SUMMARY: Mihawk is not exactly fond of his in-laws. Nevertheless, he compliantly tags along whenever you pay your parents a visit. If it makes you happy, he's willing to bite his tongue. For a day, at least.

WORDCOUNT: ~ 2.6k

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Imagine, if you will, an angry boar. A large, stout boar with birse as dark as the night sky. As boars do, it will gore with its tusks to let out the frustration and get rid of whatever it was that made the animal seethe. Now, if you take away its tusks, what can it do? Angrily dig for truffles? 

Or maybe stand beside you, a scowl on his face and a begrudging “I am fine” every time you ask about the bitter expression?

Mihawk doesn’t like visiting your parents. It’s the sickeningly sweet familial atmosphere that suffocates him. Don’t misunderstand - he’s fond of the thought of having a family with you but the aura of your childhood home is a little too… overwhelming for him. A little too picture-perfect. But being the man he is, Mihawk has never outright talked about his dislike because he’s aware of how much that would hurt you. Still, you know your husband a little too well to disregard his sighs and frowns. This piece of secret knowledge always makes you love him more - he’s willing to suffer for a day or two just to make you happy. If it’s not love, what else could it be?

The farmhouse looks different than it did last year when you visited: the roof tiles have been changed, the outside of the building has been repainted and even some of the fence surrounding the land is new. Clearly, your parents have been busy with their retirement.

Despite the irate expression on his face, Mihawk silently overtakes you and opens the shabby wicket gate to let you enter first. He gives you a questioning look when you suddenly stop.

“It’s going to be fine, Mihawk,” you reassure him.

“So you’ve been saying, darling.”

Comforting warmth spreads inside his chest as you smile at him and kiss his cheek. He turns his head, hoping to catch your lips but you’re already on your way to the older man raking leaves in the distance. Mihawk clenches his jaw and lets out an exasperated sigh. With a loud bang, he closes the gate behind him. He follows you in slow steps, naively putting off the fateful moment of meeting your family.

Walking down the path leading to the farmhouse and the fields behind it, Mihawk looks around the desolate landscape. It’s quaint, he thinks to himself. Tall trees sway on the chilly, autumn wind. Right above their peaks, although far away, are mountains with their tops covered in snow. Uncut grass brushes against his clothes. A flock of cranes flies high in the sky, disappearing and reappearing as they fly through grey clouds. Their key is directed south, towards warmth that will shield them from winter snow. The area is a bit too colourful and bright for his liking but with a nice “please” from you, Mihawk could see himself settling down in a place like this.

Dracule just comes into earshot and has the displeasure of hearing your father yelling:

“Pumpkin!” The older man’s voice is filled with excitement. He lets go of the rake, letting it fall on the ground. Despite his age and clear exhaustion from the work, he wraps his arms around you and hugs you almost to death. “Honey, come out!” he shouts towards the farmhouse. “It’s Pumpkin!”

Mihawk almost can’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. You’re a grown woman, married at that, and they still call you by a nickname they had come up with while you were still in diapers. ‘When I asked where children came from, they told me that they found me between pumpkins in their field,’ you once explained to him.

The door to the building flies open. Soon enough, your mother is running to you. Her greying hair is braided into a plait. She’s wearing an apron with traditional patterns hand-stitched into it. Half of the motif had been done by a skilled hand, stitched with precision and perfection. The other part, however, is a lot more crooked and amateurish, probably done by a child’s hand. Your hand.

Tears glisten in your mother's eyes. Despite her older age, there’s vigour and youth inside those irises - a certain love for life that you’ve taken after her. She quickly wipes her hands on the apron and hugs you.

“Oh, Pumpkin!” A stray tear leaves her eye. “I haven’t seen you in ages! You could have said you’re visiting.”

“You’ve always loved surprises, mum.”

She lets go of you and redirects her attention to Mihawk. Her face lights up as though he’s her own son, beaming with love and pride. To his absolute horror, your mother puts her hands on the sides of his face. He almost pulls away to avoid the unwanted affections.

“Sweetie, you look handsome as ever!” she exclaims. Her expression falls as she looks him up and down. “But you’re a bit thin, aren’t you? And that open shirt, tsk. Winter is coming, sweetheart, you’ll catch pneumonia if you don’t cover up.”

“Delighted to see you again, ma’am,” Mihawk lies through his teeth. To some degree, you’re impressed with how honest he sounds.

"Oh, sweetheart, I told you to just call me mum!” She laughs. “We're family now."

You can see the relief in Mihawk’s eyes as your mother lets go of him. Some part of you wants to burst with laughter as you recall countless moments when you’re the one cradling his face and Dracule is more than overjoyed with the tender touch. It feels like there’s something beyond special about you, that he welcomes such intimate things. Although, truth be told, when it’s your hands on his face, you usually lean in to kiss him and that’s definitely not something he wants to think about while standing in front of your mother.

“He’s a grown man, honey.” Your father nags at his wife. He waves his hand in a dismissing manner. “Leave him be.” Mihawk’s terror returns when a heavy hand reaches for his shoulder. “Come, son, you’ll chop some wood for the night. I’m too old for this. The last time I tried chopping firewood, I got sciatica.”

“Pleased to help,” Dracule drones his words. He gives you a glance like a silent plead ‘Look what I do for you’. Then, he follows your father further into the garden.

You feel your mother put her arm around your shoulder. “Boys are off to have fun and we have a dinner to make.”

Something inside you stirs with excitement - cooking and baking used to be your bonding activities with your mum. Since you’ve married Mihawk, you’re not allowed to do any housework. Everything is taken care of by servants. You find that you’ve grown to miss the rhythm of mundane life, although it would be a lie if you said that you dislike the life you have with Mihawk. It’s just… different.

The sound of pots, pans and knives hitting the cutting boards is like a symphony to your ears. An aria to your childhood. If you closed your eyes, you could almost see the world as it used to be, your eyes right below the level of the countertops, always standing on a stool to help your mother.

But the thoughts of your younger years dissipate as you stare out of the kitchen window. You have the perfect view of your husband chopping firewood with your father raking leaves in the back. Mihawk’s skin glistens in the afternoon, autumn sun. There’s not a bead of sweat on his torso. He appears completely relaxed as he swings the axe with one hand. Some logs are already cracked or particularly dry and those he rips apart with his bare hands. Those same hands that tear pieces of wood into matches have caressed your skin with almost fearful softness; the arms that bring destruction have tirelessly shielded you from the dangers of the world. 

Your dad looks over his shoulder at the pile of firewood with a nod of awe. If Mihawk keeps up his tempo, he’ll prepare enough fuel for the next week.

“You remind me of your dad and me when we were younger.” Your mother’s face shakes you awake from your thoughts. Suddenly remembering that you were supposed to be helping her, you look down at the awfully chopped carrots. At least you didn’t cut off your finger. “Always stealing glances as though we weren’t already married.”

A sigh of yearning leaves your lips. What did you do in your past life to deserve a man like him?

“Dad still looks at you in an uncomfortably intense way,” you answer, a smile on your lips.

Your mother’s laughter brightens up the small, crowded kitchen. It’s not hard to correctly guess what your dad saw in her that made him want to spend his life with that woman. “He does the same when you’re not looking,” she says while vaguely pointing at Mihawk.

Her words make you blush. A deep shade of red covers your cheeks, making your whole face hot to the touch. “What do you mean?”

She looks at you with sympathy. “I saw it the day you introduced him to us. And each time you come over, he seems to be a little worse in his affliction, staring at you like you’re the one who hung stars in the sky. It made your grandma remind her of grandad so much, that she cried at your wedding.”

Listening to her, your longing gaze returns to Mihawk who appears oblivious to your undivided interest in him. “Mum, does it ever get boring?” you ask without looking away. “The sense of calm when you’re around him. Like everything could be ruined but it’s fine because he’s there.”

“It’s the only thing in the world that never gets tiring.” A flustered, juvenile smile decorates her face. Even with wrinkles and greying hair, she looks barely older than you at the moment, reliving the flame of love inside her that has never dwindled. “Now, let’s finish with the sentiments and stuff the duck, eh?”

Mihawk is reaching for another log when something makes him momentarily freeze. There, in front of the stump he’s been chopping wood on, sits a dog. It’s clearly a mutt, each feature taken from a different breed. The fur is an amalgamation of markings in different colours: orange, grey, white and black. As the dog notices Mihawk’s interest, it gets up, restlessly stomping in place or rather hopping as the pet is missing one of its hind legs.

“Gulliver,” Dracule recalls the name of the mutt you’ve told him so much about. Your first and only friend growing up in the countryside.

The name is taken as an invite and so the dog places a drool-covered, chewed-out ball next to the piece of firewood. The pet sits again, tail wagging as fast as it can.

For a moment, Mihawk is torn. He wants the dog to leave him be but that would mean he has to put his hand on the slimy toy. Then again, the pet is sure to continue disturbing him now that he has acknowledged its existence.

Cringing at the wet and warm sensation of the ball, Dracule picks it up, only furthering Gulliver’s excitement.

"This means nothing," he drones his words and throws the toy so far it almost disappears from sight. The dog, overjoyed, runs after the ball. 

Considering that your dad’s throw has gotten weaker with age, Mihawk might have dug his own grave with the distance he made the ball fly. Gulliver will probably want another run. Or ten.

For a moment, Mihawk goes back to the fantasy of settling down with you in a mountainous wonderland. Maybe you could have a dog too? Not a mutt but a hunting hound? They look very noble.

But he shakes those thoughts away and continues chopping wood.

The dinner went well. Homemade food, family you haven’t seen in a year, the cosy and sentimental atmosphere of your childhood home… And Mihawk didn’t look as miserable as he probably felt. Although you’re enjoying this little family reunion, you seize the opportunity for solitude when it arises:

Your parents go to the kitchen to put away the dirty dishes, plate the dessert and brew some tea. Tugging on Mihawk’s arm, you pull him outside the house.

The old flooring of the porch creaks under your weight. A bright, melodic tune is carried by the wind as it brushes against the chimes hanging under the roof. The sun has recently set and the sky is still in a lovely, indigo shade. Birds croak in the distance, announcing nightfall.

His warm hand rests on your lower back. The touch makes you momentarily take a deep, relaxing breath. Your thoughts become both orderly and fuzzy as though Mihawk’s presence turned all of your wandering, useless ideas into static you can easily ignore. How can a person have so much control over you? 

Mihawk is towering over you. He tilts his head downwards to look at you. Something about his looming aura makes you feel not only protected but also well-cared-for, as though you could give yourself up to him completely and you’d still live like a queen in a castle.

“If you keep frowning, your face will stay like that,” you say to him.

Mihawk’s expression relaxes at the mere mention of his visibly bitter mood. Or maybe it softens because he’s looking at you. “I was under the impression that you’re rather fond of my face.”

“And you’d be correct. But I do have to say that seeing you tear wood apart was much better.”

You lean closer to him as you put your arms around his neck. He welcomes the gesture, allowing his hands to travel an inch or two downwards, a little too low for when one is in the vicinity of others. Especially someone’s parents.

“So my wife likes to see me do manual labour,” he states, his warm breath brushing against your cold cheeks. There’s no surprise in his voice and there shouldn’t be. He’s noticed the way you look at him when he wields a sword and Mihawk would be an awful liar if he said he doesn’t enjoy those glances.

“I like seeing you, full stop. Chopping wood is just a nice variation to the scenario. Strong arms and all that.”

The said arms pull you by your hips into a kiss. Although he’s spent only a day in this part of the region, he already smells like fresh mountain air and pine needles. Mihawk groans, feeling the curves of your body against his. He will never get enough of this. Enough of you.

“Tea is served!”

Your mother’s exclamation makes you pull away from Mihawk. He instinctively chases after your lips before letting out an annoyed sigh. A chuckle rumbles in your chest. Dracule rolls his eyes but lets you thread your fingers with his and pull him back inside the farmhouse. There, you interrupt an interesting conversation:

“Darling, when’s the cake tasting again?” your father asks while flipping through the calendar, a pencil in his hand.

“On the 25th, honey,” she answers. The dining room is immediately filled with the aroma of bergamot as your mother pours the tea. “At 6 in the afternoon.”

“Cake tasting?” you repeat in confusion. “What’s going on?”

“Our golden wedding, of course!” the older woman beams with joy. “We’ve yet to send out the invitations, though, so don’t tell anyone. Especially your aunt. Gods know she runs her mouth like it’s a marathon.”

As though you’re thinking the same thing, Mihawk and you glance at each other. The miserable, irate expression in his eyes elicits a burst of bright laughter from you. He just can’t catch a break, can he?

[ywpd-translations]

Ride 759: Pressure

Pag 3

1: Even if the towel gets wet it's still

2: A towel, huh?

4: Ahh, I'm sweaty

Ohh, how lucky, I have the shower room all to myself!

5: What-

Waaaa

6: In the dark!? In the shower!? Midosuji-kun!? And there's so little water

How long has he been taking a shower.... he's really too weird....

Pag 4

1: The water's...

2: stream runs down the limbs and falls on the ground

3: The towel has no power anymore

No meaning

6: But is that really true?

Pag 5

1: What is he mumbling about

Ahhh, please just hurry up and finish your shower

Can I turn on the light... is that okay...

2: I just can't find the meaning

4: If I....

5: take that to be the case!!

7: I found it, in a place like this- the answer!!

Pag 6

6: Oi, Midosuji... kun!!

Pag 7

1: Sohoku's.... those guy's stage is starting

Don't you wanna hear their comments!? They might say something about their strategy...

3: He's not here!? Huh!?

Komari... that guy said he was going for a trial run to look for... “good meat”? And other stuff that didn't make any sense

4: Hatchobori went and followed him... but

Ahh, dammit, has everyone else also gone to the stage and that's why there's no one in the tent?

7: A child!?

Pag 8

2: Who's this kid

3: Ah? In our tent!?

Ah? And that's Midosuji's seat!?

Pag 9

1: This is why I hate kids!!

They don't listen and cry too easily!! And even before the important Inter High, this is so annoying!!

2: Oi, what are you doing, brat

Don't just come in wearing shabby, dirty tank top

Just because it's open doesn't mean you can't come in

3: Oi!!

4: Look at me!!

5: Are you in fifth or sixth grade!?

I'll take you to the main office

Pag 10

2: Huh

It's thick!?

3: Huh!?

4: Huh!?

5: Huh!?

6: Why

Pag 11

1: Funatsu-kuun, are you suddenly grabbing someone's arm

Waaaaaaa

4: It was Midosuji....

It was Midosuji!!

5: It's always been him!?

He looked like an elementary school kid!!

Pag 12

1: Why!?

Funatsu-kuun

Pag 13

1: I was here.... since earlier?

Here....

2: Waaaaaa

3: You said “shabby, dirty kid”

Who was it!?

4: Since the beginning of this year.... he's become even more precise in controlling his pressure

No, no, it was nothing

5: Adding to the way he could look bigger last year, now there are times when he lowers his pressure and looks small!!

Pag 14

4: So... this guy

5: can lower his pressure to the point that he can look the size of a kid at will...?

6: To compete in the Inter High

Pag 15

1: This guy has sharpened both his body and mind tremendously!!

2: Puku!!

3: Uwiii-

5: You really have a tremendous control on your pressure

Pag 16

1: Midosuji-kun

Waaaa Hakogaku's Manami!!

2: Why.... why are you here

Can I come in?

I don't mind

Is that okay!?.... okay then, come in!!

3: Is it okay that you're no watching Sohoku's fantastic stage?

4: That's just a show

It has nothing to do with the race

Pag 17

1: As expected, puku, from the man who only feels joy in running and who's only specialized in running, Manami

2: It's the last Inter High, after all, I came to say hi

3: With your team?

5: It's personal

6: Will we race each other at some point?

For sure

7: Because

Pag 18

1: we want the same thing

2: Ugh!! Ugh.... this guys has a tremendous pressure too!!

3: Oh....

4: Then should we do it....

5: A race

Pag 19

1: After I defeat that Sakamichi!!

Pag 20

1: Yeah

2: I'm different this year, you know?

I've already found the answer!!

[bisexualhomelander]

Sunflower - Butchlander or Billy

@pochiperpe90. This is your ask. Tumblr deleted it before I had a chance to reply. I am so sorry lmao So I just re-sent it to myself on anon.

sunflower; adoration

"How about, maybe, you stay still and let me do this, hn?"

The petulant huff Billy gets in response earns Homelander another drag of Billy's beard against his inner thigh. At this point (three consecutive orgasms Billy has sucked out of him in), the supe does little more than keen in discomfort.

"Chrissakes, you're bulletproof."

One look at the clock on the nightstand (gold, fuck off) confirms he's spent the better part of an hour between Homelander's legs. His jaw started aching twenty minutes ago, but Billy Butcher does not half-ass anything.

Homelander tiredly beckons him closer. He makes sure to drag his beard over a nipple on his way there just to feel the supe's entire body jerk.

"How come they made you have a weakness like this, luv?"

Homelander ignores him in favour of touching his face. "I like your beard."

Billy turns over. He sighs at the sight of Homelander's Americana history museum mirror cabinet nightmare room with no doors to speak of (and Ashley Barrett coming in every single day at 9AM sharp - weekends, too).

He does not sigh at Homelander nuzzling into him, bringing their bodies together because one minute without direct contact is apparently unbearable. "I'm happy," Homelander mutters into his chest.

Billy wraps an arm around him, starts trailing fingers up and down Homelander's bare shoulder, and looks up at the ceiling to see that reflected like some Renaissance fresco. At least Billy's cock is bigger than those of the naked blokes Michelangelo painted.

There are many things Homelander does not say, but Billy understands: 'I'm happy you're here (in this room that everyone is scared of) with me (who everyone is scared of).'

Billy disentangles himself from arms that falsely feel too weak to hold onto him and ignores the little noise of dismay as Homelander is forced to slide back under the blanket for warmth his inhuman body doesn't need. He stumbles into the bathroom because soon, the morning sun would make him come to terms with things again, and he'd at least like to have finished showering and drinking sweetened coffee from the vending machine in the Vought Tower lobby by then.

The thing about obsession is that you start putting up with discomfort (shabby New York apartments on the hunt and gilded portraits of presidents past) to get what you want (his death, his death, and those little keens).

[utapri-translations-uuuu]

The Great Rescue Operation - Translation (救出大作戦)

Please do not repost/retranslate without permission.

I have also made a version which includes the members' notes found in the script.

[Sadness and despair - Red poppy field, evening]

A high-pitched sound like ringing in one’s ears echoes.

***

Dream (Flashback)

The aunt and uncle converse in a dark and somber atmosphere.

Uncle: No matter how much we work and work, life doesn't get any easier… Crops don't grow well on this desolate land.

Aunt: We're doing our best just to make sure we have enough to eat, and if something were to happen, we wouldn’t be able to make ends meet.

There’s a knocking sound in the walls and the house creaks.

Uncle: This house is old and shabby… And above all, it's too small.

Aunt: Well, originally it was just you and me living here. Theo's getting bigger and bigger, too. What should we do…? 

Uncle: Was it a mistake to bring him into this house...?

Aunt: What are you saying, honey?!! What if Theo hears?!

Theo groans in his sleep and holds his head in his hands.

Theo: Ugh… Uncle…! Aunt…!

Terry's words from the poppy field echo.

Terry: Let at least Theo… return to Kansas…

***

Theo suddenly springs to his feet.

Theo: … Ah! (panting) Was that a dream…?

Tin Woodman: Are you awake? You were groaning a lot...

He looks around in a panic.

Theo: … No, it wasn’t a dream! Terry is…?

Scarecrow: He’s still in the flower field. I don't think it's life-threatening, but it's dangerous to let him sleep for too long…

Theo grabs the Scarecrow by the shoulders.

Theo: Well, then, we need to hurry up and go help him!! We don’t have time to relax!!

The Tin Woodman steps in between the two and pulls Theo away.

Tin Woodman: However, I cannot agree with blindly going to help. The scent won't work on me or the Scarecrow, but those flowers have thorns that will get in our way.

The Scarecrow shows his clothes.

Scarecrow: As you can see, my clothes got snagged in multiple places, and the straw nearly popped out.

Theo: … Well, what about you, Tin-san?

The Tin Woodman makes a dull grinding sound and shows his wrists by turning them.

Tin Woodman: I'm not feeling well, maybe the pollen from the poppies is getting into the crevices in my body… Inhaling too much of it may have adverse effects.

Scarecrow: Besides, even if the two of us tried our best, we could only help Terry-kun. Lion-kun is too heavy for us to carry.

Theo leans forward and pleads.

Theo: There's no point in granting a wish if it means abandoning your companions! Don't you all think so, too? Are you satisfied as long as your wish comes true?

Scarecrow: … I want a thinking head.

The two were about to give up somewhere in their hearts.

They reflect on their weakness.

Scarecrow: … But I’d hate even more to lose my friends in exchange! I'd end up not being myself anymore.

Tin Woodman: I… don't want to lose anyone I care about ever again either. If I go to get a heart to love people, and then abandon our companions, I would be misplacing my priorities. That would be the same as throwing away our hearts.

Theo: Thank you, guys… Well then, let’s go help them…!

The Scarecrow steps in to stop Theo, wagging his finger.

Scarecrow: Stop! Let us handle this! I don't want you to collapse as well!

[The rescue of Terry and the Lion - Red poppy field, morning]

The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman are building a large cart.

Scarecrow: … I'm not tired, but it's so hard that the straw in my arms is getting all messed up.

The Scarecrow draws attention to his arms by exaggeratedly moving them.

Tin Woodman: Move your hands more than your mouth! You're the one who came up with the idea, weren’t you? To build a big cart to carry the two of them, right?

Scarecrow: Yeah, but~! It doesn't have to be so sturdy, does it? We’re only going to use it one time.

Tin Woodman: Cutting corners or being careless can be fatal! Failure means possibly losing our friends, you know? Lion sacrificed himself to help us. We must repay that.

Raising his fist, the Scarecrow praises Terry.

Scarecrow: Yeah, I guess... And Terry's courage, too! Even though he should’ve been saved, he was the first to suggest he stay behind.

Tin Woodman: I’m sure he must have thought we’d be able to handle the situation.

[Successful rescue - Quadling, Glinda’s palace]

Glinda watches over the five with his magic.

Glinda: The cart strategy, a joint effort between the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, was a great success.

He clasps his hands together, looking pleased, but also worried.

Glinda: They carried a much heavier weight than they normally would be able to with ease. However, Terry and the Lion had inhaled so much of the scent that they didn’t wake up easily.

The scene of Terry and the Lion is projected into the air.

Glinda: Theo is by their side, taking care of them and watching over them. What a dreadful scent it really is. You never know where danger lurks.

He speaks quietly, with a warning gesture.

Glinda: They must have learned that danger and temptation are closer than they think and that they appear to be safe and beautiful… Perhaps it is only when you lose it that you realize how precious it is to be at peace and learn not to take it for granted.

The magic wand resonates.

Glinda: Oh... It seems like the two of them have woken up.

[The rescue of Terry and the Lion - Grassland, morning]

Terry gets up, rubbing his eyes.

Terry: Ugh... hmm...? Where am I… I… was saved.

Theo hugs Terry tightly, crying tears of joy.

Theo: I'm so glad…! I'm so, so glad...!!! I thought you'd never wake up...

Terry: Jeez, you’re exaggerating… Don't make it sound like I died.

The Lion, who had woken up first, apologizes, full of remorse.

Lion: I held you back and put you in harm’s way. How can I apologize for that…? If something terrible had happened, I think… I…

Terry firmly pats the Lion on the back.

Terry: There you go again with the cowardice~! Who was it that noticed the danger first and sacrificed himself so the others could escape?

The Scarecrow also pats the Lion’s back.

Scarecrow: Oh, you were so cool, Lion-kun! It was an act of bravery!

Lion: … I was just trying to do what I could to help.

The Tin Woodman gently approaches Terry.

Tin Woodman: Besides that, Terry-san also... taught us the importance of companionship.

Terry puffs out his chest.

Terry: Things might get even more dangerous from now on. If we can't reach the Emerald City, we can't go back to Kansas, so we need companions on this journey! Companions who share this same strong desire! It's like a puzzle that can't be completed without any of us.

Theo: …

The three speak in unison.

Scarecrow: Let's go! To the Emerald City!

Tin Woodman: Let's go! To the Emerald City!

Lion: Let's go! To the Emerald City!

⬤ Insert song “Emerarudo shiti e no michi” Scarecrow & Tin Woodman & Lion

[hiemaldesirae]

Swap AU:

Charlie and Vaggie both know That Vox is there on Lucifer's behalf, but once they see Vox freak out because of Alastor's Shadow (Alastor took over the Shadow and was gently petting Vox's rabbit ears (just how sleepy Vox likes it), before he spoke through the radio to Vox, saying I love you.) Causing the overlord to have a panic attack and blow the power in half of pride. So Vaggie actually gets pretty overprotective of Vox, seeing Alastor as Vox's Adam.

This panic attack is also what allows Husker and Vox to setup their contracted souls and they start building outside of the hotel. Little restaurants, and a gambling joint (where the biggest prize is TVs you don't have to rent, which Charlie thinks is pretty awesome. Not even Nobles have their own TVs, so this will definitely bring in the spotlight for the hotel!) One of the surviving contracted souls of Vox's is a goetia, who can go to earth, and Vox uses them have the hotel offer earthly goods.

At the overlord meeting...since the remaining Vees are contracted Overlords, they aren't invited. Only Alastor and Rosie can come for the Entertainment District and Cannibal town. Vox is on a high dose of (I think it's Xanax they give you for this? I know it's what they gave me to take during my flights because of the anxiety for flying so I'm guessing it may be the same idk) meds so he can get through the meeting unfortunately, Husker can only sit on one of his sides....Who takes the other seat beside Vox? Why Alastor of course.

Who catches Vox's hand with his own under the table, giving it a squeeze and rubbing his thumb over Vox's pulse point in his wrist while Carmilla talks.

While Husk brings up the Angel's head, and points out it could be the cause of the second extermination coming up, Vox is beginning to slowly freak out. He's glad when Carmilla and Zestial say the meeting is over, and he stands up about to jerk his hand away--when Alastor kisses it, murmuring "I'm sorry, my beloved. I'll see you soon." And Husk hisses, grabbing Vox and they hurry back to the hotel.

Vox leaves the lights on in his room that night, but it doesn't stop Alastor from visiting, and covering his precious picture box up with the softest blanket he can conjure....and he also spots the large Cyan scar on Vox's chest, and tears fill the deer demons eyes--he hadn't ment too, he thinks claws digging into his palms. Never you Vox....it'll never happen again. Once I have your soul under my hand no one will hurt you again...myself included. You'll be safe right beside me, where you belong.

oh my GOD vaggie and vox friendship theyre so precious to me <3 wait okay so does al like. send his shadow to the hotel since they cant really get rid of it anyway and they dont know yet that al can posess his shadow ? or what is really going on here im a little lost sorry. the image of al taking the opportunity to stay close to vox when hes in his most vulnerable state just kinda scratches something in my brain though... hes SUCHHH a freak about it all get a JOB stay away from him

OH !!! thats so cool. wait so before that did they just like. have nothing at all lmfao?? cause vox was hiding away or something? cause i dont know if i can image the hotel looking like the shabby rundown mess it was in the show considering the Gambling and Media overlords are here to help run it lmfao. also a GOETIA? my god,, by jove how did that happen

oh this is. oh thats so.... URhrgdhjkfd... the fact that alastors idea of love and posession is so warped that he can only think of owning voxs soula s a means to keep him safe... and he regrets it all so much but its not something that he can ever properly express because he knows vox wouldnt listen and would just try to run away again... im gonna be SICK nonny dont do this to me. i hate ithere

AND YOU DIDNT ANSWER MY QUESTION LAST TIME ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY GET A HAPPY ENDING !!!!!! :sob: im so scared nonny i really am what are you doing with them....

[saminator]

the joys of being a masculine trans man

Today, sometime around 9:30 pm, I had an epiphany. Maybe I finally found the joy of being trans. I'd always heard people say it, but I thought it was bullshit. Until today, being trans had caused me nothing but misery and fury. If you asked me anytime before today, April 3rd, 2024, at 9:30 pm pst, whether or not I liked being trans, it would have been a hard no.

I have prom coming up. I'm going to the prom at the school I would have gone to if I'd stayed in my middle school's town. I know a lot of people there, and three of the people at that school are the only hope I used to have when I was 14 and 15, still figuring myself and the world out. Don't get me wrong, I still am, but I was so unhappy back then, and they offered me unlimited comfort. Anyway! I'm going to prom with them and I was kind of excited about it. I'd been having a hard time getting myself to be excited about anything lately. I told my parents I needed a suit for prom and they asked if I could wear something I already had. I said no. All I have are two blazers from the women's section that I got in 2021, one red and one gray, which are incredibly comfortable and nice but they were from a time when I wasn't allowed to shop in the men's or boy's section, and another 3-piece suit which is a bit too large for me that my ex-girlfriend (who's trans) gave to me because I would enjoy it far more than she ever did. I'd also borrowed a blazer from a friend, and again, while it was wonderful, it was also from the women's section. I wanted something new, something that I picked, something that fit me and made me feel okay. So, we started looking for one.

My dad and I went to the mall two days ago to try and look for a suit, but they were either really expensive, or just not my size. Then, my mom told me to look for it online and have my dad pick it up on the way back home from work. I did that. I ordered a gray blazer and dark blue dress pants from the boy's section. My dad got them home. I tried them on. I loved it more than I had ever loved any piece of clothing before. My dad was so encouraging about making sure I looked good and he kept suggesting different variations I could try of the outfit. After a whole hour of trying on different shirts under the blazer and showing my mom and having her feedback on it, I went to go change. Then my dad called me, saying "don't change! wear your blazer!" and asked me to move the trash bins into our backyard because it's extremely windy and they were being knocked over (also because HOA hates when trash bins are left out apparently). So I went to do that.

And I was walking down the driveway with the wind blowing in my hair, I thought Wait. Is this what they mean by the "joy of being trans?" Earlier, I couldn't stop staring at myself in the mirror because I looked so fucking handsome it was UNBELIEVABLE. My smile didn't feel ugly, my hair didn't feel shabby, my entire body didn't feel like a mistake. And now, in the wind, dragging the landfill bin behind me, I felt happy with being trans.

I don't care if others don't see me as a man. The mirror sees me as a man. That's all that matters. The sheer happiness I felt wearing a suit that wasn't someone else's or from the women's section or too big or not mine was crazy, Suddenly, my short height, my high-pitched voice that no matter how deep I try to make it still gets me misgendered, and my un-muscular body didn't matter. I WAS IN A FUCKING SUIT THAT I LIKED THAT FIT ME THAT WAS FROM THE BOYS SECTION THAT MY PARENTS ALSO LIKED THAT KEPT ME WARM IN THE WIND. I was smiling like a maniac on the way to the backyard.

I'm sure this experience doesn't just happen to masculine trans men. Maybe you're a cis man reading this and you're short, have a high-pitched voice, and aren't jacked up. I see you, and I know how isolating it can feel to be the way you are, no matter how hard you try. I've tried working out to get muscles. I can't gain weight easily. I'm literally 5'1'' and 90 pounds. I hate it. But who cares! I have a suit that's sexier than sex!

I love being masculine. That's something you won't hear people say often because masculinity is demonized because it was always weaponized in the past (and still is). But I'm not all of those men. I'm my own man and I choose to love and embrace masculinity. What is masculinity anyway???? Is it suits? Is it being built? Is it having a deep voice? Is it having a beard? Is it being tall? Is it doing taxing manual labor? No! It's none of those things objectively, not even the suits. I've said this before and I'll continue saying it, if wearing dresses or skirts or doing makeup makes you feel masculine or is your definition of masculinity, hell yeah! Go for it! To me, masculinity is home. It's looking at myself and smiling because I look good. It's wearing a suit and feeling warm and cozy and ready to do anything. It's having a better relationship with my parents because we're all trying our best. It's being daring and taking risks just because I want to. Femininity couldn't give me any of this.

Especially in a time like now, where no trans space is safe from discussions of the happenings of the world, the world where people want to erase us because they think we're a threat. The fact that people are afraid of us is astonishing. But we persevere, we wear our suits or dresses or overalls or corsets or fishnets or khakis or hoodies and we pursue happiness because it's comforting to think that it exists for us. And it does. If someone like me could find euphoria in being trans, anyone can.

But yeah, in conclusion, the joy of being a masculine trans man is trying on your prom suit with the wind blowing 18 miles per hour in your hair and feeling alive and manly masculine male >:)

[getthisbread]

Hello!

I think ur writing is pretty neat and was wondering if I could get head cannons of what it would be like to be in a polyamorous relationship with Jay and Cole? (Gender neutral reader) It’s totally ok if ur uncomfortable writing for poly, if so just make it separate pls. Also could you add in a little scenario where Jay, Cole and their s/o are fighting over something (probably something dumb lmao especially Cole and Jay) and then they do something stupid and start laughing over it? Btw I might draw out the scenario so pls let me know if I should tag u if I do. Thank you so much and hope ur having a good day!! :))

Gentle with me

I would be so happy if you drew this omfg- thank you for the request!!! I am totally fine with poly!! I kind of made a reference to Cole x Jay in my last post lmao.

title creds: Touch tank, Quinnie

summary: These boys share one brain cell but, their stupidity is more often endearing than not. <3

Cole Brookstone, Jay Walker (poly) x gn!reader

The road to where you are now was not easy, by any means. Starting to date your now boyfriends was very rough at times, the both of them had trouble coming to terms with the fact that they liked each other and you. In the beginning, there wasn't any communication, Jay, being more emotional thought Cole hated him. Cole didn't exactly realize something was wrong at first, (he's a little dense.)

After a very long heart to heart, the beginning of the relationship was a bit awkward. Jay was raised in a very loving and open home, so affection towards the both of you came a lot easier than it did for Cole. Cole and Lou were never exactly close, and when Lilly passed away, it created an even bigger rift between them. It took Cole a bit, but he does become more open to giving and receiving affection.

Once you have settled into being with them their regular bullshit resumes! Sometimes you will sit in on their hobbies, you and Jay watching drooling over Cole working out, he legitimately looks like a Greek God. Or, you and Cole watching Jay tinker with his creations, he's so cute when his face is all scrunched up in concertation. <3 They like to watch you work too!! It doesn't matter what it is, you could be doing paperwork for all they care, they just want to take in everything about you.

Having two S/O's that are BOTH ninjas definitely makes you worry about every little thing, how it could go wrong, etc. But, on the other side of that coin, Jay and Cole often worry that a villain will hurt you to get to them. So all in all, everyone is worried about each other.

Cole and Jay will have you constantly laughing, the would kill to see you smile. Constantly cracking jokes, pulling pranks, and so much more!!! Anything for your beautiful laugh!

It was just another average day on The Destiney's Bounty, and by average, you meant Jay was pouting because Cole ate his cake! "The nerve! To think, my own boyfriend would steal MY cake! It had my name on it and everything!" Jay ranted. "I'm sorry, okay! I wasn't exactly looking for a name tag! I just saw cake and ate it!" Cole whined back. They be at it all day if I don't step in, you thought. "Cole you of all people should know food is sacred, and Jay, I'm completely sure that if Cole knew it was yours he wouldn't have eaten it. So just kiss and make up already." you said, trying to ease the tension.

Later that night, you and Jay had already settled into bed, Jay being fast asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. But, you were still awake, waiting for Cole to join you both in bed. After 10-ish minutes, Cole still hadn't come to bed, Where is he? You thought as you slipped out of the covers, careful to not wake Jay.

As you walked down the hall, you noticed the kitchen light still on. Curious, you walked into Cole frosting a lopsided blue cake. "What're you doing hon?" You asked, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. "It's an apology, I didn't realize it was his cake, so I made him another one! No too shabby if I do say so myself." Cole responded. Eyes now adjusted to the light, you got a better look at the cake, the frosting was patchy, it was leaning to the left, and he even spelled 'sorry' wrong. In black letters at the top of the cake it said 'Sorrry Jay' 'sorry' having three r's in this instance. You took the frosting spatula from Cole wordlessly, and started to even the frosting. You didn't fix the 'sorry' though, you thought it was funny.

After placing the cake in the fridge, you and Cole went to bed. The next morning, you and Cole were still asleep when you heard a girlish scream come from the kitchen. Jolting up, and booking it to the kitchen, you burst into the unsightly scene before you. Jay on his knees, Cole's masterpiece of a cake strewn on the floor before him. One look at the scene had you and Cole howling in laughter. "Don't laugh! This is the second time I've lost a cake!" Jay cried. "We'll make another together, don't worry." you managed to get out between giggles. Jay soon joined in laughing with you both, because while he did lose his cake, he got to make another with the people he loves. <3

I'm not sick anymore and I couldn't be happier!!!! I have my cat to thank for nursing me back to health, he's my baby. :) Also, summer can be a time when people feel alone, so if you need someone to just talk to, my dm's are always open to everyone. Love you all <3

[alder-saan]

The Path of Poisons .4

Asphodel

Larissa Weems x gn! OC

The Path of Poisons masterlist . [01] . [02] . [03] . [04] . [05] . [06] . [07] . [08] . [09]

words count: ~1.8k

WARNING: I'm translating this from French to English. As it takes sooooo much time to do it myself, I use an automatic translator. BUT neutral doesn't exist in French so even if I proofread to change every "he/him/his" or "she/her/hers" in "they/them/their" I might miss some.

"Ugh, shit!"

"Well, I'm glad to see you too, Rei."

Rei looked up from their phone. Thalia was in front of them. This time she was wearing green overalls and a flowered shirt, with a braided straw hat to hide the snakes in her hair. The Weathervane was their usual meeting place, now that the summer holidays had begun. They met several times a week in the mornings to catch up on old times. After all, it had been almost five years since they had seen each other. Rei had dyed her hair red. A dark red, rather, so that the colour would look natural. He was wearing a cream shirt and brown trousers.

"Sorry, Thalia. It's my editor who says he can't edit my book at the moment, I still have to work on it. Except I'm going to start running out of money, you know? I was counting on the sales of this book to bail me out."

"Well, you know, there are ways around that."

"Like what?"

"A botany teaching job just opened up at Nevermore. And you're more than qualified."

Rei took a sip of their coffee.

"In botany, maybe. Not in teaching."

"Think about it, even if it's only temporary, it might make your situation a little more secure."

"I don't know if I really want to…"

see Larissa Weems again.

"to teach a bunch of insolent kids."

"They're very nice, for the most part. Besides, I can teach you a lesson if you like. We've got all holiday for that. Oh, I'll have a lie-down, please," she said, calling out to the waiter."

"Listen, it's nice of you, really, but I'd rather ask the florist if she doesn't want to hire me for a few months."

"As you wish. But know that if you change your mind, I can always plead your case to Mrs. Weems. She's very understanding, you'll see."

"I'm sure she is."

Their tone seemed a little dry. Thalia frowned.

"Hey, Rei. Just because you're having a bad day doesn't mean you have to be that nasty."

"Excuse me, this whole thing is getting on my nerves," they sighed.

"Well, do you have any plans for this morning?"

"I'm going to go to the florist."

"Oh, by the way! I found an old photo album of Nevermore from the years you were there but I don't see you… Wait a minute."

She rummaged in her huge backpack, pulling out various things: an umbrella, tissues, a water bottle, a jumper, another hat… and then the photo book. Rei took it and opened it. They searched for a few moments before pointing to a picture of a darker-skinned girl with disheveled black hair, wearing a uniform that was half-stained and torn in some places.

"Oh. My. God. Is that really you?"

"Haha, yeah, no wonder you don't recognize me. I don't think anyone would guess it's me."

"But you've had surgery?"

"Not at all, and that's the crazy part, I just changed a lot."

"Now that you mention it… But it looks like you've changed your ethnicity. In this picture, you say you are a Cree, I believe you. But today, your white-passing spoils everything."

"Yes, I don't know why it did that," they laughed, "miscegenation sometimes has strange results."

They turned a few pages and found themselves better combed, but still wearing the same shabby uniform. Next to them was Larissa Weems, with her arms wrapped around them, as if to cuddle them.

"Oh! That's Larissa! She's changed very little, though. Well, she has, a little, but you can tell. You look close in this photo."

Well, it's… It was probably time for that talk. In any case, Rei couldn't hide their past with Larissa forever. They leaned their back on the backrest, crossed their arms and legs, and looked outside, staring blankly.

"To tell you the truth, we were. But we didn't leave each other on very good terms. I'd even say it was on very bad terms."

"Oh, really? Why would you say that?"

"I don't want to tell you. Thirty years have passed, Larissa Weems then and Larissa Weems now are not the same person. What she did is in the past now. I hope she wouldn't do the same thing today."

Thalia had a pout on her face that meant "I'm worried about you… and I like gossip, too"

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"I'm sure. Especially as she's your boss, I don't want to put her life on display in front of you. And to be honest, she's the reason I don't want to be a teacher there. I don't want to see her again."

"But still, at the hospital…"

"She was sleeping. And then you know my curiosity. I wanted to see how much she had changed, physically at least. Please don't tell her I'm back. Don't tell her it was me. I think she'd be uncomfortable, too."

Rei laughed nervously.

"To be honest, I don't know if I would have moved back if I'd known she was there. Anyway, now that I have, I'm not going to move again just for her."

Speaking of the devil…

Rei turned pale. Mrs. Weems had just passed the window and was heading towards the entrance. They motioned to Thalia to put the open book away, and pretended to drink their coffee peacefully. Their friend did not understand such a reaction, she had not seen Larissa, as her back was to the entrance. Mrs Weems went first to the counter to order and then saw her colleague

"Oh, hello Mrs Kedlan!"

Thalia understood.

"Hello Mrs. Weems, this is my friend, who I think I've already told you about."

"Raine Asphodelus, nice to meet you," Rei agreed, standing up and holding out her hand to the tall woman.

"Likewise, Larissa Weems," she replied, shaking their hand.

They had agreed with their friend and former colleague Raine Asphodelus, author of The Book of Plants and Legends, to impersonate each other if the situation called for it. It was Raine who started it by impersonating Rei to the brother of one of their exes who came to beat them up.

"I wanted to thank you personally for buying me these flowers. It was very kind of you."

"It's nothing, I hope you like shrubby everlastings. These flowers are not to everyone's taste."

"I especially liked the symbolism."

The principal smiles. Shit. Larissa had become so beautiful. And then her eyes… Her eyes. It just brought back all the feelings they'd had for her in the past. Her outfit fit her so well, as if it had been made just for her, a very light blue that only enhanced the blue of her eyes. 'Pull yourself together, Rei,' they thought, swallowing their saliva.

"Dearest, are you all right? You don't look fine…"

"I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm just a bit lost here, I haven't been here long."

"Oh, when did you arrive?"

"The night you were attacked, I think. That's terrible, you were very lucky to get away…"

The waiter gave Mrs Weems her order.

"Very lucky that Avareïda Hydrurga had the idea of writing a book on poisoned plants I'd have to contact her again, by the way and have a student who had read it find me. I'll leave you now, I have to tell the police about my attack. I only came to get a coffee to go. Have a nice day. Oh, Thalia, I'll be calling a meeting for Mrs Thornhill's replacement soon, so I'll email you a schedule so you can all vote on what time works best for you."

"No problem, Larissa. Have a good day."

"Have a good day too."

The woman left. Rei fell back in the seat.

"FUCK."

"That's clever, I'll have to call you Raine now," Thalia said sarcastically

"You can keep calling me Rei and it won't be a problem."

They slumped on the table, one cheek against the wood, both arms on the seat.

"Why does she have to be THAT beautiful?"

"Wouldn't you like to give her another chance? I mean, professionally speaking… I'm telling you, she's a really good person. She helped me a lot when I was having problems with my family. And then she didn't recognise you!"

"I'll think about it… But if I accept, it's under the name of Raine Asphodelus. I really don't want her to know it's me."

Larissa was walking back to Nevermore, a little confused. Raine, huh? There was something about them she liked. Their eyes, maybe. She parked her car and got out. She liked this stranger. Maybe she was going to ask Thalia for their contact… She wanted to have fun, to get to know someone. Her near-death experience had opened her eyes. She didn't want to end her life alone. She wanted to find someone. She went upstairs to her office and walked to a door next to the fireplace. On the other side was the room she slept in during the week. She looked in the mirror. She had grown old. She should have done something about it before. Besides, most people her age were either already with someone or didn't want anyone. She felt ridiculous. Not attractive enough. Too old. She felt like she was waking up after a battle.

And then she remembered Ava.

Ava wore what she liked, even if her clothes had holes in them. Ava was strong. Ava didn't care what others thought. And that was why she liked her. She wanted to be like her. She walked out of her room and out of her office. It was strange, the empty corridors. Every major holiday she felt a little empty. But she still had work to do. She had to look at all the admission files for the next year. So there was no time to daydream.

______________________________________

The romance officially begins!

[13as07]

Attachment

(Jiraiya)

[Art work is not mine! Credit to kokodraws01]

Requested by: Myself

Keys:

Y/N: Your Name

Word Count: 4.517

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

Non-romantic one-shot; more fatherly one-shot vibes

This is 100% word vomit so I’m sorry

———————————————————————

I can feel my fingers going numb as I cling to the vest of the Anbu that's been babysitting me the past couple of days. They hate when I call it babysitting but it's what they've been doing. "Kid, loosen your grip," my makeshift nanny says, trying to force my grip loose. I do as I'm told, loosening my hold a bit so my knuckles are no longer white.

      I keep a hold on them though, following behind them blindly as we weave around the Hokage's palace. I don't know why I'm here. All I've been told is Lord Third wants me to meet someone. It's probably another shabby attempt at adoption.

     Ever since Lord Fourth died, I along with his baby have been left alone in the world. I've seen the baby a few times. He's the cutest little bean in the world. Chucks of blonde hair on his head, cute little whiskers imprinted on his face, and the chubbiest cheeks I've ever seen. I think his name is Naruto but I'm not too sure about that either. I'm not too sure about anything.

     I can't tell if I'm looking into it too much or not but I'm pretty sure Lord Third has been purposely keeping me away for Minato's and Kushina's baby. I think the Lord is worried I'll get too attached to the baby. After all, Kushina and her husband took me in after my father's death during the war. That technically makes me the bean's family I suppose.

Maybe the Lord is right for keeping Naruto and me apart. He has to have his reasonings for it. I know the little bean has the Nine-Tail locked up in him, just like his mother did. Maybe that's why the Kage is so worried about Naruto getting attached to me, or me to him.

From my thoughts consuming my attention, I don't notice Mr - or Ms - Nanny has stopped, which causes me to bump into them. "I'm sorry," I murmur, getting sharp eyes cast down at me. Not the best reaction but better than a lecture.

"Remember your manners," Nanny says, glaring at me for another second before opening the door in front of us.

     The command is a mix of my mouth with the Hokage and said attitude scaring off the people who were 'considering taking me in'. I have a bad - ego-humbling - habit of reminding Lord Third that he's not Minato, among other things. I think Kushina would be proud of me. Maybe that's why the Kage doesn't want me around her son.

"Y/N," Nanny's voice husks out, a warning in their tone as they tug the door half open, eyes peering down at me again. Maybe Nanny is a mister.

     "Yes, Nanny," I mumble, pushing past them and walking through the doorway.

     "I am not your nanny!" They call a bit huffy as they follow behind. "I am a high-ranked Shinobi of our village! I am not a nanny!"

I let my eyes roll at their tantrum, a bit of a smile tugging at my lips. Who knew it would be so easy to break the ego of an anbu?

"Y/N!" Lord Third calls, his fake chirp to it.

"Third," I mumble, doing a half curtsey. It might make me a bad person but I can't stop wishing Lord Third died instead of Minato. Maybe he knows that and that's why he doesn't want me near the baby.

     "Jiraiya, this is the girl I was telling you about," the Lord says, turning his attention away from me.

     I perk up a bit from the name. I've heard a bit about the frog-themed sage; most notably from Minato. Kushina talked about him a bit but most of the time she just called him a pervert.

The old man looks exactly as Minato described him; red strips down his face and fluffy wolf-like white hair. He's a weird-looking man.

"Is this another attempt of you pushing off your responsibilities?" I ask before I can stop myself. I can feel the anbu's glare from here. So much for watching my manners.

A string of coughs comes from the Kage before he clears his throat. "No, no, no. Of course not. I'm just-"

"Sick of me? You know, when Minato couldn't handle my attitude he'd go for a walk. He didn't pawn me off to the nearest person." Maybe I am just being difficult.

The room goes silent as a lovely staring contest starts. Anbu glaring at me. I try not to let the regret of my words sit on my face as I look at the Hokage. Lord Third looking at me with wide eyes and a fish mouth as he struggles with his words. Lastly, Frog Man flipping between Third and me.

"As I was saying," the Lord finally pushes out, his attention turning away from me again. "Minato's student has seemed to inherit his wife's... personality." The word is painfully obvious to be a cover-up. It makes a happy smirk sit on my face. Kushina would be proud... I think. "On the plus side, it seems she did inherit Minato's drive for service too."

"Ya, no," I cut off, my previous smirk falling off my face. "I'm not willing to die for this village, much less you." I take it back, I'm not being difficult. Lord Third is a jerk and I just happen to treat him as one.

Once again silence falls over the room with stares filling it up. "So..." the white-haired man starts, "your S.O.S message was for this brat?" He asks, thumb pointed at me.

     "I'm not a brat!" I bark back, arms crossing over my chest as I glare at the frog.

     "Yes, you are."

     "No, I'm not."

     "Well, I've never met a not-brat that so openly insults the Hokage."

     "Well I've never met a Hokage that pushes off his responsibilities to the point that his co-worker dies," I hiss out, teeth clenched hard enough that ripples of pain circle around my jaw.

     A gasp falls from the anbu posted up at the door. The gasp is quickly followed by a deep, exhausted sigh from the old man behind the desk. "Y/N," Kage says slowly, eyes snapping closed and another sigh spilling from him. "I... please wait outside."

     "And if I don't?"

     "Out-" Lord Third yells before softening his tone, "-side, please."

     I let my eyes slit, nails digging into my arms as I stare at the sorry excuse for a leader. "Don't be mad at me because Minato was a better Hokage in his short rein than you've been for the past handful of decades."

     Lord Third's face scrunches up, his knuckles bumping against his desk a couple of times before he opens his eyes. "Please wait outside," he repeats, tone even and cold. I hit a nerve with that insult. Good, he deserves it. If Lord Third has no haters left, just know I'm buried six feet under.

     I glare at the village leader for another beat before turning away. I waste no time weaseling out the door, anbu glare hot on heels.

     I hate my nanny, I hate Lord Third, I hate the frog man, and I hate Minato for dying. How could he die? How could he leave Naruto with so much responsibility at the very start of his life? How could he leave his son alone in this world? How could he leave me all alone?

     The tile of the floor is cold as I sink to it. My knees bump against my chest as I curl myself up into a small, hatred-filled ball. How much trouble would I get into for swinging on Lord Third?

     The thought scares me a bit. I know the Shinobi life is filled with a lot of violence, a lot of sadness, a lot of death, but how could I have a thought like that? How could I so quickly jump to violence? Especially against a fellow Shinobi? The Hokage none-the-less?

     The anger in my chest quickly bubbles over to sadness. I hate this month. It's the worst month of my whole life.

——————————————

     That was... interesting. Sarutobi-Sensei wasn't kidding when he said the kid has the 'personality' of Kushina.

     My eyes trail after the girl as she sulks out of the room, her anger filtering out with her. I've heard very little about her; nothing more than passing comments when my path would cross Minato's. Despite the small comments, he seemed quite proud of her. Well, she and Kakashi. All of his students, actually. Those two are the only ones still alive though.

     "Okay, I get why the message was an S.O.S. but what do you expect me to do about... that?" I ask, turning my attention back to my Sensei.

     It's hard to notice, but after all my years serving under him, I can pinpoint the proof of anger and sadness on his face. The little kunoichi mercilessly went cutthroat for the Lord. I will say, that was pretty ballsy of her. Not many - if any - Shinobi would be willing to insult the Kage to his face. Much less, such a young ninja.

     "I don't know," my sensei finally says, tone soft and eyes pushed closed again. "I am just worried that..." another sigh is pushed out his nose. "Orochimaru has been spotted with the recent death of Lord Fourth. I cannot help but wonder if it has something to do with the... loss the village is grieving."

     The small speech rolls around my head, not-so-good connections being made. "You think it has something to do with the kid - kids Minato left behind?"

     "Well, we already know Orochimaru has a vendetta against Kakashi. I would not put it past him to go against Kakashi again. Or try to go after Naruto... or Y/N." Silence fills the space between us, Lord Third thinking over his next words. "I have faith that Kakashi would have the... means to deny any 'quick to power' situation Orochimaru would try to offer or to hold his own against him again if need be. Y/N... is filled with anger and hatred for me. My past student isn't above using that as a manipulation tactic."

     I hate to admit it but that's the same conclusion I came to. I can't help but see it as a waste though. Is protecting this single student worth so much effort? Wouldn't my time be better spent doing literally anything else? "My Lord-"

     "Just think about it Jiraiya. Get to know the girl. If you decide you're not willing to take her on, I'll..."

     "You'll what?" I push slightly, my eyes turning back to the door.

     "I'll have to pull her as a Shinobi. I cannot take the risk of Orochimaru having such an easy target. Even if my worse fears don't happen, I can't have a Shinobi with unchecked anger."

     My eyes glance back to my sensei before settling on the exit again. This seems like a whole bunch of not my problem.

     The room is filled with the sound of the Kage moving his chair and the soft sound of him sitting down. "It would be such a shame to lose her as a Shinobi. She might be a bit hot-headed, but she sure does possess your student's loyalty and spirit."

     The words sting a bit, to the point I can understand the Kunoichi's rush to anger. I've done a good job avoiding the acknowledgment of Minato's death. I've done an even better job at refusing to process it.

     "What's to come of his son?" I ask, using it as an excuse to further push the dread out of my thoughts.

     "I'll take care of him for now. Naruto... will have a difficult life. One that I'm sure will lead him to you sooner or later. But, for now, Naruto does not need your guidance, Y/N does."

     The bundled-up guilt trip doesn't work as well as I'm sure my sensei wishes it would. It still seems like a waste of time. You can have as much loyalty and spirit as you want but it won't make you a good or useful Shinobi.

     "Give it a week Jiraiya. Get to know the girl how you wish, but at least give her a chance before you chalk her up as a dead end."

     That guilt trip didn't work either. At the very least, I was given an order so I'll obey it. I don't know what my sensei thinks a week will change. A short-tempered, anger-riddled Shinobi has no place as an active-duty ninja. She would serve the village much better after being pulled from the Shinobi rankings.

"As you wish," I mumble before following the kunoichi's previous path. Sometimes I don't know what goes through my Sensei's head.

——————————————

What a waste of time is all I can think of as I walk down one of the roads of the village. The Lord has insisted I visit the village nursery to 'at least meet Naruto'. I don't have time for a student, let alone a baby. Despite that, I'm not one to deny an order. Which is why I'm huffily walking to the nursery with a pass gently tapping against my chest.

When the nursery comes into view, I'm a lot less mad about being ordered to make a stop. The two ladies at the desk are a sight for sore eyes, and my eyes are definitely sore. I take my time walking in front of the nursery, using this chance to soak in their beauty through the giant windows.

"Welcome in!" The blonde one says once the bell above the door rings. "Who are you here to pick up?"

"You, hopefully," I answer a little too eagerly.

That doesn't work how I want it to. Her cheery smile falls as the redhead behind the desk chuckles a little. "Don't pay the Sannin any mind," the redhead says, standing up and walking around the desk. She squeezes the blonde's shoulder and whispers something in her ear. Ms Blondie groans before walking away. I would be pretty upset with her leaving if the sight of her walking away wasn't so nice.

"Jiraiya," Ms Red-Head calls, pulling me from the beautiful curves of Ms Blondie. Again, I'm not too upset, the woman in front of me is nice to look at too. "My condolences for Lord Fourth," she says gently, face going soft with pity as she looks at me.

It's annoying having everyone in the village look at me like this. So what Minato died? It's part of the Shinobi life. Everybody knows that, including me. He died with honor, why would that upset me? I don't care about his death, he was just one of many students... maybe I care a little bit. Just a tad, if I care at all, which I don't.

"Thank you," I grumble, turning my focus away from the girl in front of me. All of a sudden she's not as beautiful as I thought she was.

Silence hangs in the air for a while before a screech is let out down the hallway. "What do you think you're doing?! You're making him upset! Give him back!" A voice calls anger and fear very evident in it.

     "Is someone trying to steal a kid?" I ask, sparing a glance at Ms Redhead again.

     She lets out a long, deep sigh before rubbing her temples. "No, Y/N gets a little... protective of Naruto when we try to separate them for any reason." The word any is stressed so heavily I almost feel bad for the nursery worker. It seems Minato's little kunoichi has been making problems for everyone.

     "Give him back!" The whine comes again. A door slamming cuts off her next sentence but that doesn’t stop her little rant. "You're upsetting Naruto!" She isn't wrong about that, Minato's kid is screaming his lungs out.

     The train wreck making its way down the hallway is a bit funny; the hot-headed Shinobi tugging on the worker as said worker tries to keep the baby out of reach. Kushina’s personality sure as hell is poking through.

“Fine! Take him!” The nursery worked says, her patience finally breaking.

Within seconds, the bundle of blanket and Minato’s legacy is pressed against Y/N’s chest, her hold soft but strong. Lulls and hums spill from her as she ogles over the baby, who does calm down.

My heart tings at the sight of stress evident on the older child’s face as she worries about Naruto. Sensei was right about Y/N being too attached. No, nope, I’m not getting attached now too. So what if Minato’s student stresses herself to death over his son? That’s not my problem. That’s her problem. Even if she is just a baby herself… a baby that lost another set of parents… which isn’t my problem. At all.

I turn on my heels, shoving the image of Y/N clinging to Naruto like a lifeline out of my head. I met Naruto, at least as well as Y/N will probably let me, so my assignment is complete. I tried, not my fault I failed.

——————————————

Between Sensei’s goose chase, villagers down my throat, and helping out with the smaller missions, I’ve had no time for my research.

Until today anyway. I managed to avoid Sensei so he couldn’t ‘accidentally’ guide me onto Y/N’s path. She’s getting suspicious that it’s not accidents anymore, so at least she has a bit of a brain behind her eyes.

I try not to let a smirk sit on my face as I walk into the bathhouse. The last thing I need is someone getting a bad feeling; I can’t get band from another hot spring. Especially one of the only mixed-gendered bathhouses still in the village. It saddens me a bit that it’s a swimsuit required spring but hey I’ll take a bathing suit and hot women over no women and nudity.

It was a blur, check-in, changing, and walking out to the spring. Not so much a blur now, but it is disappointing. There’s only one other person in the spring, their back facing me as I rinse off. Their head is tilted back, towel covers their face as most of them are dipped into the spring. Only the tops of their - bare - shoulders and random strains of hair are visible.

The person is tiny compared to me. Small frame, almost fragile looking. The idea of it being a child flickers through my head but is quickly ran off. It’s school hours so civilian children would be in class and the new shinobis should be busy with their sensei.

Once the water starts running cold, I turn it off and grab my towel. Even if there’s only one pretty lady to look at, I’m not letting my money go to waste. Plus, maybe they’ll be very pretty… or maybe it’s just a feminine guy.

I shake the idea out of my head as I approach the water. I take my time, tying my hair into a bun and looking over the other person. That is definitely a child, which makes me a pervert. Maybe Tsunade is right about my hormones getting the better of me. Once again, I shake my previous thoughts out of my head as my face scrunches up.

“Jiraiya, are you stalking me?” The hazy voice comes, sleep almost evident in it. What child is skipping out on their responsibilities to sleep at the hot springs?

“What?” I ask, arms dropping to my sides once my bun is set in place.

A pruning hand smoothly escapes the water, not even a ripple being made as it moves. I watch carefully as the little lady removes the towel from her face; being met with the features of an exhausted Y/N. What the hell? Is this some master plan of Sarutobi-Sensei?

“No,” I answer shortly, eyes jumping around her face. The stress is catching up to her, lines and dark circles already starting to form on her face. If Y/N keeps stressing herself out like this, her stress lines will be at Itachi’s level in no time.

The familiar ping is back. I hate to admit it but every time I’ve come across her, my heart has torn a bit more. I see Minato’s loyalty to the villagers, Kakashi’s kindness, Obito’s childishness, Rin’s undying love for everyone, and so many hardships. God damn it Sarutobi, why do you always have to be right? Just the thought of my sensei is pissing me off.

“Seems like it,” she mumbles, sliding her towel back over her face; this time only her eyes are covered.

“How’d you know it was me?” I ask, sparing her another glance before sinking into the water. I take my time, letting the water work around my muscles while making sure to keep space between myself and the child. The last thing I need is people calling me a pedo instead of a perv.

There’s a long hum before Y/N shifts some in the water, a bone or two creaking as she does so. “Before… everything, Minato started me on the basics of senjutsu. Mostly just sensing energies around me and such.”

Congrats Sensei, Minato is now at the top of my shit list. How could I leave this kid half trained on senjutsu? Especially with the threat of Orochimaru hanging in the air?

“I don’t think I’ve been around you enough for you to be able to pick out my chakra,” I push gently, hoping to find out how far her training had gone. Another hum but no answer follows it. Y/N is not going to let me have my way easily is she?

The space stays silent other than the natural noises of the spring. At that moment the girl across from me hasn’t moved, making me a bit worried she fell asleep. It’s not safe to sleep in a body of water, even if there is someone else around. She doesn’t trust me enough to sleep in such dangerous conditions… I don’t think.

When I go to move to check if Y/N is asleep, she finally breaks the silence. “You keep popping up because Lord Third is worried about Orochimaru, right? He’s worried if you don’t train me that I’ll turn to the snake sage to finish my training?”

I freeze in the middle of the spring, ripples stretching out without new ones following. “What makes you say that?” I ask carefully, eyes scanning the child in front of me. She’s covered in markings, bruises being the lesser and scares being the more decor. There’s a mix of scars, some still fresh and pink while others are a faded white color. Y/N definitely has put her time into the Shinobi world. Most notably the Nine-Tail attack that took her Sensei.

“I’m not dumb, Froggy Sage,” she hisses, head snapping up and towel being discarded from her face. “I know your fellow Sage didn’t like Minato and I’ve heard the whispers of him being sighted. If they’re true, Naruto, Kashi, or me are most likely his targets.”

I almost laugh at the nickname. I’ve never had someone call me Froggy before and I can’t tell if I like it or not. “Just, tell Lord Third to stop worrying. I have no interest in Orochimaru or any power trip he’ll try to manipulate me with. You can also let him know I won’t be mad at him forever too.”

My head spins with the thought of Y/N overhearing my conversation earlier this week. Does she mean it or is she just trying to play me?

I let my body sink back into the warm water, this time seated closer to the girl. “So… what’s the deal with Minato’s baby?” I’m getting tired of asking questions.

“He’s almost two months old so he doesn’t do much. He smiled for the first time the other day. The nursery says Naruto can hold up his head during tummy time now, which they say is good. I’m worried he’s a bit behind though. Keiko says I’m just anxious though.”

“Keiko?”

“The red-head you googled at the other day. She’s Naruto’s primary caregiver.”

I roll around Y/N’s answer for a second, even though that’s not what I meant. “What’s your deal with Naruto?”

Another hum, though this time the melody is different. “I just worry about him. I don’t want him to be alone in the world. Though, he has Lord Third and Kakashi too.”

“We will be traveling a lot so you’ll have to check your attachment.” What?! That’s the first answer that pops into my head? That’s what spills from my mouth?

I did not mean that. There is no ‘we’ just ‘me’. I travel a lot, Y/N stays here, in the village, with her anxious attachment to Minato’s son. How do I take that back? Do I say ‘just kidding’ and hope I get a minor reminder of Kushina’s anger issues?

“We?” Y/N asks, eyes sharp and guarded as she looks at me.

“Yes.”

No!

That is not the answer! The answer is no because there is no ‘we’. I do missions alone, I travel alone, and definitely do not travel with a child-aged girl. Do you know how much of a damper she’ll be on my women game? Or maybe she’ll help with it… no!

A huge smile cracks across her face, stress marks damping with her happiness. “You really mean it?”

“Yes.”

Maybe.

Her body loosens a bit as she moves closer, a good amount of space still between us but she’s still noticeably closer. “Is it pity training?” Y/N asks, a sad teasing tone to her words, and her smile all of a sudden seeming fake.

“No.”

The smile is back, huge, happy, and reaching her eyes this time. God damnit Minato, why did you have to have such skilled students? I can’t let their potential go to waste.

“This is going to be fun,” Y/N whispers to herself before crawling out of the hot springs. Her skin is a bit pink, making the faded scars stand out more.

“Yes,” I answer to myself, letting out a small huff. Why’d I let myself get attached? I don’t have time for a student, let alone the patience for one. And yet… I just signed myself up for the one that’s going to test my patience the most.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Froggy,” Y/N says, patting my bun before turning around to walk away.

“I don’t like that nickname! It’s not sticking!” I call after her.

“Yes, it is!” She calls back before the door cuts off our conversation.

Yes.

It’s going to stick because I could hear the smile in her voice as she said it. “Screw you,” I mumble to the sky, smile on my face as I say it. I can imagine Minato laughing his ass off at the situation he left for me, the situation I talked myself into. I guess Minato won’t be the only unofficial child I have anymore.

[oceansprompts]

Daredevil: Cutting Edge Quote Starters 1

quotes taken from the Marvel novel, Daredevil: The Cutting Edge (1999) by Madeleine E. Robins // adjust pronouns and lines as needed.

Don't bother to buzz him, I've been summoned.

It couldn't happen to a more deserving victim.

I don't believe in fairy tales.

It's too nebulous, too pie-in-the-sky.

Not one of 'em understands the bottom line, I'll bet.

Can I bring you a cup of coffee? I'm already on number seven or eight... I forget which.

So now we talk about my coffee consumption?

We do need to talk about your health.

Who the hell's been telling you these lies?

Wouldn't you like a chance to go, I don't know, live on a beach somewhere, drinking rum punch or something?

I'd rather go to hell, I love this. This is what I do.

Everyone dies sooner or later.

This room would lok so much better with lighter color, less brass and leather. It's such an old money look. It's old fashioned.

I've given myself a little time. I've given myself almost a year. I don't want to wait any longer.

This room defintiely needs to go lighter. Get rid of those horrible dark drapes, all the leather.

Maybe it's better this way. It's really very graceful of you; I wouldn't have thought of it. You die, I get the insurance money, we save the cost of a gold watch, and I get your office.

Don't look at me that way; I'm not the one who drank a dozen cups of coffee a day and never got any exercise.

I think my work is done. Thanks for the chat, it's been lovely.

Boy, is he in a mood! He asked not to be disturbed, and I suree wouldn't go in there if I were you.

By day, lawyer, friend, even lover. By night, Daredevil.

Not bad for a skinny blindd kid from Hell's Kitchen.

Not as flashy as Spider-Man, maybe, but not too shabby.

Heads up, Charming!

Great, he likes to fight. Okay, pal, then party it is!

Heading this way; hope they brought an ambulance.

All right, longjohns, we'll do it without the blade.

I didn't kill him. Not with that blow, not this guy.

What is this guy, a zombie?

You moron, he's not the perp!

Okay, Mr. Off-the-Rack, what else did you leave behind?

How did you know ⸺ Oh. He told you.

He saved my life, did he tell you that?

Do you know how the attacker knew your name?

It's okay, you've been very brave.

It was a kind lie, kindly meant.

Don't ever let me lose you.

Pleading "blind man walked into the door" again, your honor.

It's impressive. What did you do?

Must have been one hell of a wall ⸺

Yaaaay for thee good guy!

So, he was the wall you ran into?

Yeesh, I don't have to worry about you.

The fumes play havoc with my sniffer.

Wht is that tune? You've been humming it for weeks.

Show off. I bet you even know what it means.

If I told you what it meant, that would be showing off.

Maybe it just works better when you've got a little life experience under your belt.

Triumph and hell, all at once. I wish you could have seen it.

Do you have time for coffee?

How about dinner tonight? In a real restaurant. Like grownups.

Off to Rykers. Another day in Fun City.

Have fun storming the castle!

Well, for the love a' ⸺

Maybe I should get Seeing Eye cat?

Seeing Eye gorilla, maybe!

Well, of the two, I guess the brain's more important.

Okay. Tell me the story the way you want to tell it.

They thought I'd be most... diplomatic.

Doesn't it seem a little too tidy? The pink ribbons and all?

Very good. Getting lots done. Very busy.

Does she have spies everywhere?

It's really lovely. I think you'll like it.

It should be lovely, for the amount of money it cost us.

Do we really need three playgrounds?

I presume that when you say "we are taking care of it" you mean you and ⸺

A problem? My dear, I trust you implicitly.

I don't care if you kill off a few of the local to drive the rest off, but don't taint the neighborhood.

He's playing golf! Who put this guy in a position where he can talk to the public?

Go away. You're interrupting my golf game.

Not me, I'm naturally susicious.

I was wondering if it was really any better in the lunch room than at your desk.

I just thought this might be more fun than what you were writing.

Tooth extraction would be more fun than what I'm writing.

Okay, hotshot, I'll take a stroll across the 'Net and see what turns up.

Does it look like they're going to be done with the painting anytime soon?

I don't like to leave you holding the bag, partner, but ⸺

Hey, I know what the fumes do to you.

The painters must be doing a brilliant job, because they're certainly taking their time. Only office is fully painted.

The chaos is too distracting.

Hang tough, partner. The painting can't go on forever.

The painting can't last forever, it'll only seem that way.

The paint fumes are probably eating my brain cells as we speak.

I can't smell anything, my food tastes funny...

I'm wasting away to a shadow of my former self.

I owe you one, when the painting'sdone and you can smell again, dinner's on me.

Two-bit mouthpieces! He actually said that? Who writes his dialouge?

At least he didn't call me shyster. I hate that.

So this guy deals with his problems by insulting you?

Why not just wave a big, huge red flag that says something susicious here?

Diplomacy is great for negotiation, but it makes lousy radio.

I will be the soul of discretion.

Is that what it says?

Nah, but I had you going for a minute, didn't I?

Geez, what a way to die.

Cripes, come down if you want to talk. I don't need a stiff neck.

You find anything out, share the wealth, will you?

Try not to break any of your well-informed friends too badly loking for information, okay?

Right, everytime you come in to chat, I wind up doing renovations. New plate glass, new tables, new ribcage...

[bks-blogs]

So... a while back, my pet human gained a little interest in an HBO exclusive Hanna Barbera TV series called "Jellystone", directed by the same person who worked on "Chowder" and served as one of the writers for SpongeBob SquarePants. That's when he decided to experiment the show's art style using several 101DS characters. It doesn't look too shabby at all if I say so myself!

So, I thought about reposting this year-old pic on Instagram to show you dedicated pups what Dylan, Dolly, Hansel, Fergus and Snowball would look like in Jellystone's Chowder-esq art style! What do you think?

@atomiccartoons

[mslanna]

Disclosed Desires

Chapter 4 of A Mortifying Ordeal now up on AO3

95% smut. You can skip when he vanishes his clothes.

I have no idea how I got through that dinner. The food was delicious, like utterly out of my budget and Raphael just sat there like a statue of Adonis only looking better and alive. Has the world ever seen eyes so brown? Probably not because it didn't implode and gods know I was so close.

Also, that voice. Once he realised The Purr had me in a stranglehold, he defaulted to it. Kept quizzing me about Baldur's Gate 3, too. Embarrassing and the one thing that saved the chair I sat on. I'm bad at meta, won't lie, so trying to explain things to him was pretty excruciating.

He kept insisting on me having a favourite way to play dialogues and such being a sign of me remembering and trying to be who I was before. Looking at that sopping soft guy who hid a complete devil under that face, was close to making me believe. No other reason anybody's pursue me with such fervour. But then I also have a favourite way to play Dragon Age 2 and I'm certainly no Hawke.

The thought of Varric turning up and trying to convince me to return to Kirkwall stuck around for almost half a minute. Mind you, he wouldn't have such convincing arguments for making me want to be Hawke and return.

Raphael, though? He's truly impossible, not gonna lie. I have to admire his staunch belief that I am in fact his Tav!Tav. Almost enough to make me doubt myself.

And gods do I wanna be them. He woos with the fierceness of a thousand suns, looking about as hot. Doesn't help if he's in his human form, guy is on fire! And not backing off. I am be as red as his devil skin when we arrive back at my room. Godsdamned, it is shabby. I am shabby. And he doesn't even care.

Also, he's utterly gorgeous. Tall. I have A Thing for tall guys, might be a reason none of my guys was under 2 meters. And in devil form Raphael is even taller. And so big. Need I say I wanna be all over him? Probably not, I am thirsty. I am horny and I want to cry so bad.

Poor sod deserves better. Deserves his actual real Tav. I know they'd love him so good. Kiss every inch of that man. Empty him like the last capri sun on the planet. Damn, they lucky. And I just have a finger under my chin and stare up into those damning eyes. Needs a licence for those, he does.

"Having second thoughts?"

Gah, I hate the soft insecurity in his voice. "Not about the – the thing itself no." Honesty, I whack myself internally. Honesty served me well so far. Gotta keep it up. "I wanna bang you so bad. 'til we both see stars and worse."

"But?"

"I know you think I'm your Tav. And man do I wish I was." I take his hand that holds my chin between mine. "But I'm not and you – you deserve better," I sigh. Can't hold his gaze either.

Waiting for him to react is the worst. My flight or flight instinct kicks in hard and my heart at least listens and pumps like mad. Thanks body.

Raphael is silent way too long. Probably having second thoughts himself and third thoughts and fourth thoughts, too. He's a crafty one. What am I even thinking? He got better things to do with his life than me. Which is why I can't let the Tav angle go. It's my one and only chance to get my hands on him. I am corrupt down to the bone. Or at least down to the cunt.

Doesn't help I had a taste already after amarettini and espresso. How he tastes so good, flavoured with almond and coffee. It's a small miracle we ended up in my room again and not in jail for public fornication. Coulda climbed him like a tree there and then.

"I appreciate your concern," he finally says. "It is very – consistent for you to put me and my feelings before yourself despite your obvious state. Please know that I acknowledge your worry, though I do not share it. Of course it is up to you, if you want to proceed. I will accept your withdrawal, much as it pains me. But you don't have to do anything more than let your gut guide you. Trust me."

How did he make so many words for before getting to the point. I get lost in his voice immediately and barely surface for the final 'trust me'.

"I do." Gods it is the most stupid thing ever. But I trust him. And I want to believe him, not only because his voice is utterly gorgeous but also because he says things I am desperate to hear. I want to believe so bad.

"Then, with that out of the way, you should ignore your misgivings for now. "

Wish it was that easy. Like, in theory it is, people making their own decisions, being their own people and you having to accept that. But it is hard to watch somebody you love, of fuck, I'm up in delulu-land further than the maps chart it. Still, it is hard to watch him throw himself uselessly at the nearest lump that looks like his Tav.

He must read my hesitation all wrong (unsurprising) because he takes my hand and brings it up to his lips. Damn demon devil. The way his index finger pokes into my palm is outrageously suggestive for it being mere hands. Good lord, sir what those fingers do?

"Maybe it will help bringing your memories back." He straightens with that predatory smile and my inhibitions don't even pretend to put up a fight.

"You fucked?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"You know that Tav fucking Haarlep and you fucking Haarlep in Tav's form isn't really you two fucking, yes?"

"Well," he grins like a wolf, "maybe it is time then to do the real thing."

In a swoosh of hellfire. Raphael transforms and also, sheds all of his clothes. I freeze except for my mouth that manages to go completely dry and water at the same time. Raphael's smile turns sharps as a knife as he points downwards. "Kneel."

Oh. Oh, hot damn, I will. I so will. But first – I cannot not touch him. His chest is broad and inviting and the skin is hot and all those ridges swirling everywhere. Gods strike me down if he didn't shudder when I placed my hand on him. He's burning under my fingers that move down his sides, up his arms and head. I can't reach very high on the horns but it doesn't matter. They feel alive under my palms, rugged.

The smile spreading on my face threatens to split it in half. Raphael is a sight. A whole banquet. More than I can hope to ever eat and most likely more than my mouth can hold. My hands round back over his shoulders, feathering over the collarbones. So many delicious ridges. I wanna bite them all. Nibble and munch until my jaw tires.

"Something you like?" His tone is only half mocking. "I am not used to having my orders disobeyed."

My eyes hitch on his mouth, that moves temptingly as he speaks. "Kiss me." I don't think. And when his hands alight on my sides, I jump at him, wrap myself around him any way possible and strain towards his lips.

Raphael laughs, low, and I feel it hum through my body. He takes it slow, lips tantalisingly out of reach until they meet mine ever so softly. I moan. He tastes so good. And as soon as his tongue demands tribute, I open up and swallow it whole.

Bad in bed whatever. He can kiss. If I didn't cling to him like a desperate koala, I would have melted into a puddle on the floor. As things are. My with feet hooked at the small of his back my legs can go as wobbly as they want. I am secure against him, ruining my pants and trousers too. Totes worth it.

He pries me off way too soon. The coronas in his black hole eyes burst with fire. "On your knees," he repeats and the low rumble is in itself enough to send me to the floor.

Not quickly, mind you. Can't pass on the chance to kiss all them ridges. And that is obviously allowed. My hand vanguards between his legs and damn. He's big. He's full of bumps and ridges I can't wait to pommel my insides with. But first – the chest. Only a little hair remains, but I'll take it.

As long as my head is on a slow descent, I can nibble on the red skin wherever. Don't care if my moans are louder than his. I'm in heaven. His problem now. Then I reach the happy trail and boy does it make me happy. I want to slurp it up, swoosh down and suck up the whole devil cock first.

Taking time is so hard, but then, so is he. Oh how delicious to arrive at a full on erection. My fingers mover over the pronounced ridges, feeling for future pleasure as I lean in. He's got a little crown of bumps just under the tip that looks absolutely delish.

A hand slips under my chin and raises my head. "Look at me."

Oh hot damn, if that's how he wants to play it. I lock my eyes to his and slip my lips over the very tip of his cock ever so slowly. He's so very still I can feel the tremble of his muscles tense to keep in place. I press the tip of my tongue against his tip, move it slowly, keep his eyes caught. This is a battle of wills he won't win.

Listen, I may be a little out of practice but I know my stuff. And he's signalling like nobody's business. Gods, he tastes so good, little burning flecks of precum on my tongue and the way he shivers when my tongue laps it up.

My head moves on without breaking eye contact. His cock slips in easy and deep and my tongue can't get on to those ridges fast enough. I'm sucking him like a lollipop. Every inch is to be explored, tasted, caressed. Rumbling sounds fall over me from above and only entice me to go down deeper. I want all of him inside of me and if this is how it happens, I will swallow.

His hands tangle in my hair. Gotta hand it to a guy who can find purchase in a pix cut. Not that it'll help him any. I help myself liberally to all of his cock abolishing my gagging reflex on the spot. Ain't nobody got no time for that.

I suck him in as deep as I can and then some because I am greedy. I want all of him and that's what I'll have and if it kills me. I don't care. I suck him in hard, deep and hungry. My teeth hitch on the ridges. My hands tighten on his balls and I wanna wring him dry, crush him like a lemon in the squeezer. Mine now. All mine.

Raphael's hands close on over my scalp. I am rabid. Clawed fingers press in tightly. I feel the nails pierce my skin as I go all in. The pain is familiar and exquisite. Unlike the fire erupting into my mouth, running down my throat like whiskey and chili.

I gulp it down as if I hadn't just feasted on the finest Mediterranean food. Gotta keep going. The cock is easier to take now that it softens and damned if I won't gurgle it down to the hilt. I'm almost offended when he pulls me up and definitely too short when he bends to kiss me.

Doesn't deter Raphael the least. He's big (oh yeah) and strong and just stands me on the bed so we can smooch good. He's sucking his taste from my mouth as if I stole it. Well, I'll gladly give him all I got. Also, I'm having an advantage because my hands run over hot skin (oh those swirling ridges!) and I'm still dressed.

His fingers bunch the fabric of my shirt and his tail wraps around my right ankle. Oh that's driving me wild. I'd be moaning all over the place if my mouth wasn't busy exploring every inch of devil it can reach. Little tugs of the tail in reaction to what goes on further up. Enough to turn my knees into pudding.

Raphael pushes me back a little, running a hand down the button tab. A knowing smirk plays over his lips. I wanna kiss that away. I wanna drink it up until it fills my whole existence. And he knows. Raphael tilts his head a little. "Open up."

Oh there is good reason that line isn't in the game spoken by him. I'd open up my legs wide no questions asked. Unfortunately, he's still looking at my shirt. Reluctantly I take my hands back to myself. If that's what he wants, he can have it. Gods, this guy can have everything. (Doesn't he know it.)

I hold his gaze and open the first button. Very slowly. I can see the fire flare up in his eyes. I can also feel his adventurous little tail move up my leg. The next button and another upwards slide wraps the tail around my knee. Raphael's grin a threat and a treat. Sweet hells. I can't even slow down any further because I started at least possible speed.

My fingers play with the next button and the tip of his tail dances against the inside of my thigh. Swallowing hard, I open the button and let the caress of skin snaking around my thigh wash over me. Two buttons left to go.

The second to last button brings him up against my cunt. The tail has no problems slipping between my folds; I'm wet as a waterfall.

I open the last button and nothing happens. I cock my head in a question and Raphael motions to brush the shirt of my shoulders. With a dry mouth I do and as soon as the fabric crests my shoulders, he moves in. His tail is hot, smooth and prehensile. I drop the worst moan ever as my knees give in, shirt hanging forgotten at half-mast.

Raphael catches me. Shirt forgotten he buries his face against mine again, tongue digging deep as his tail. My hands are on his chest again, gripping and grappling. Raphael pulls me close. His left bunches my shirt behind my back, trapping my hands as he bears down for another kiss. I'm flush against him, and my mans is working up an erection again already.

My cunt rises like a neon invitation. I arch perfectly against his chest, diabolical alchemy, I'm sure. Can't think further with my cunt full of tail and moth full of tongue – both slithering and slipping and demanding.

Clawed hands move down my sides, leaving red trails of fire. His fingers close in on my pussy and while I am all for that, he is in his cambion form. Pain is fine in moderation but there is some things I am not ready for yet.

"Before you can even think of putting any of those in down there, we gotta file of the claws," I gasp. In retaliation, I get his index finger into my mouth I suck down hard and accept the middle finger that follows.

His left still presses me against him, tail working up my cunt and fingers down my throat I hang on by that thread. I'm overflowing. I still need more. And he's generous. Boy is he giving. I may not be stuffed, but I am not empty either. My walls clench taking what they can and my mouth is muffled by fingers and want as he bends me backwards.

I fall freely and unworried. Hit the mattress soft enough. Barely registers through my horny haze as I rut at him like the last freak alive. He tastes so good. I wanna suck his mouth dry as well. Doing my best. Getting paid in hungry growls. Oh we feasting tonight.

Then he goes down. Not even slow. Skips all the in-between steps (it's fine, nothing to see there) to breathe hot air over my clit. And before I finished gasping out a hopeful moan, his tongue descended and I am deceased.

Doesn't matter if he'll come two thrusts in. I'm fucked already, writhing like a snake on silk sheets, getting nowhere but deeper into desire. Devil down there hums, send that reverberation into my bones through my sogging wet pussy. I'm so far gone, I can't even wish for him to finish me off.

Raphael's mouth works my clit as if I won't ever need it again, hungry tongue making short work of my arousal. I clench around the tip of his tail, riding on waves of ecstasy. Best night of my life.

[sincerely-sofie]

Check-in for October 24, 2023

I'm planning on doing regular check-ins that peeps can read or skip as much as they please. If you want to see behind the scenes of my projects or get to know me a bit better, feel free to peek below the cut! If not, just look at this color palette I made for my web dev class and admire it:

I know green and pink are my favorite colors, so I may be just a tad biased, but look!!! Look at how pretty it is!!!

I plan to use the palette for a website that is basically a guided tour of a fictional town that's populated by bug people, and while the colors used in the initial character sketches are still my preference, I don't think they look too bad in this proof of concept image! They definitely need some tweaking, and some details in the art itself need correcting, but all around it's not too shabby :>

I also made the logo for the website which, while uninspired, doesn't look that bad. I'm not in a logo design course, so I can't be too upset about that. I made two versions--- a light and dark one--- so that I could have it appear on most colors of background.

Also, I've printed off tons of art and stuck it on my walls over the past few days to inspire me. The art wall has been very successful in beautifying my space, but I've been a bit too worn out to draw much other than the start of a project where I draw individual generations of pokemon by memory. Venusaur looks exactly like I remembered it, but also nothing like that at all. Charizard's line only looks halfway decent by virtue of Twig existing.

I must say, though, that I am charmed by these drawings' doofy lil grins. Just look at Bulbasaur. He is raring to go! Charmander is ready to shake your hand! Look at these lads!!

I've been trying to learn Clip Studio Paint by drawing a new The Present is a Gift comic in it, but I cannot begin to explain to you all how intimidating of a program it is for me. I'm a Procreate gal, y'all. I have a conniption whenever I look at the Photoshop interface. When I look at this:

I am desperate for the cozy white space of this:

I spent over an hour struggling to draw a simple piece for Instagram, admittedly while desperately trying to get OBS to not give out on me while I recorded my screen, but I think that I'm slowly learning how to not faint whenever the Paint window boots up.

Anyhoo--- enjoy the WIP teaser for the upcoming comic featuring a chat between Dusknoir (piloting a KO'd Twig) and Darkrai amidst a cave-in. If I am found dead, know that said comic worked alongside Clip Studio Paint to kill me.

As an update for The Present is a Gift in terms of the fanfic, I recently broke 6,000 words for the first draft. I haven't been writing too regularly--- when I do, it's usually to just sit down for 30 minutes max to try and get a little bit of a head start on NaNoWriMo coming up--- but whenever I do, the words come in batches of 400-700+ at a time. My dudes, I used to take a week to reach the lower end of that amount. I've been beating perfectionism back with a stick while sobbing "Quantity begets quality! Quantity begets quality!", but since I've set myself a challenge to write as many garbage words as possible without editing them until the first draft is done, I've been writing--- and enjoying the process of writing--- more than I have in my entire life.

I've been trying to win NaNoWriMo, a challenge where you write 50k words in November, for the last 7 years. I resigned myself to being a NaNo rebel and trying to write just 15k words next month. But if I keep cranking out 1,500 words in under two writing sprints per day--- without properly trying to eliminate distractions--- I think I could actually win for once??? I didn't think Pokemon Mystery Dungeon fanfiction would be what gave me a fighting chance at winning NaNoWriMo, but here I am. PMD brainrot truly is a miraculous thing, but I'll have to see exactly miraculous it is on the 1st of November.

So... yep! I probably should have figured out a way to sign off on check-in posts before deciding to publish this. Oops. Welp. Um. Thanks for reading?

Sincerely, Sofie

[whats-wild-to-you]

Dr. Daredevil (Jay Park AU)

Chaeyeon

I stood a good five minutes in front of the old and shabby building.

It hadn't changed since the last time I was here.

I, on the other hand, had changed.

I became busier, and greedier, in Seoul. Now this, this was a step back.

Hwang Inseok's last words before I left rang in my ears. 'If you end up not getting in, you have the chief resident post waiting here for you.'

I had believed him then, but was shaking with fear now. Would his promise still be good?

"Only one way to find out!" I encouraged myself, finally taking another step towards my old workplace.

No one was expecting me, yet no one seemed to be surprised by my appearance.

'They know.', a small voice said inside my head. 'They know you failed and are crawling back here, begging for your job!'

I shook my head. There had to be another reason as to why Hwang Inseok was too busy to answer my call.

Taking a few shaky breaths, I eventually knocked on his door. I entered his office upon hearing his muffled answer.

He looked up and immediately his eyes lit up. Maybe he didn't know after all.

"Chaeyeon, what a surprise! Come, come. Sit!"

I reciprocated his warm smile and sat down.

"What brings you here?"

I pondered. Did he really not know? Was he pretending to not know? Was he expecting me?

"I- ah! Hwang daepyonim, I think you know why I'm here."

The smile on his face faded. He furrowed his eyebrows, creating deep lines on his forehead.

I guess I had been right all along. There was no way my dismissal wouldn't become a topic among two friends. The only thing I needed to find out was how much Hwang knew.

"What the hell happened?"

"You're asking me? I was fired for no reason! I had hoped you knew, since you're friends with Kim Donghyun."

I put extra emphasis on the last part. If they were such good friends, Hwang might know that it's secretly Chairman Park who runs Kim Donghyun's hospital.

"Me being friends with him doesn't mean I always agree with his decisions. But I also don't tell him how to do his job."

I nodded. His answer eased my mind only momentarily. I knew he would ask me again, or even worse, ask Kim Donghyun.

"I called." I blurted out after a long pause. "As you can imagine, I need a new job now. I thought about coming back."

Worry spread across Hwang's face. Worry and warriness.

"You know I think highly of you. Of course you can start here immediately."

There was a 'but' hanging in the air, I realized that Hwang struggled to fully commit. He looked like he was fighting with himself over whether he should tell me.

'How bad could it be?', the voice inside my head urged. 'Just ask!'

"But?"

While he previously did his best to evade my stare, he was now looking at me dead in the eyes.

"But I'm afraid I can't give you the chief's resident position."

Seems like everyone is under Chairman Park's thumb.

I refrained from asking why. We both knew the reason very well, no need to make Hwang more uncomfortable.

"If I could have my old job back, I'd be more than happy."

"That I can do."

I nodded, and since he didn't need to show me around, I excused myself and went straight to the locker room.

Jaebeom

Frustrated, I stared at my phone. Chaeyeon didn't call me back. She also didn't reply to my texts.

I was so stupid to think my grandfather would stay out of my private life. Of course he threatened Chaeyeon, and while she was alone and devastated, I was having drinks with my grandfather's lackeys.

For the tenth time today I tried to get a hold of him. He wasn't stupid though, he would continue to ignore me.

Against Kang Huyntae's advice I didn't seek Lee Kangmin's help. I knew exactly where Chaeyeon was. Talking to Dr. Lee now would only result in him trying to beat me up and I didn't need that kind of attention on me.

Instead, I sprinted to Kim's office as soon as I was done with my surgery.

But on my way there I stopped dead in my tracks. If my grandfather really got Chaeyeon fired, what did he say to Kim to influence him? That she was distracting me? His star surgeon? Or...

I shuddered. What if Kim knew all along about my charade with Dr. Kang. What if my grandfather convinced Kim that Chaeyeon knew our secret and thus, became a liability?

"No, he wouldn't..." I mumbled to myself, before entering Kim's office, not bothering with knocking.

"Mr. Park, I was expecting you! How did dinner go last night? The Chairman told me you met some influential people!"

"Why did you fire Dr. Baek?" I spat instead. I had no patience for shallow small talk.

"Dr. Baek? I- Well-"

I sat down, crossing my legs, arms crossed behind my neck. I noticed Kim started sweating, and as much as I enjoyed the sight, I decided to speed things up.

"It was my grandfather who told you, wasn't it? Did he not tell you the reason why he wanted Dr. Baek gone?"

"Jaebeom..."

It was the first time ever Kim had addressed me by my first name. Immediately I knew him and my grandfather were in cahoots.

"So you knew all along." The truth dawned upon me and I spoke in slow motion.

"It all makes sense now. Why you wanted Dr. Kang so bad. Why you wanted Dr. Lee so bad. Were you going to replace me? Or doesn't the Chairman allow that? Are Dr. Kang and Dr. Lee the scapegoats or Plan B?"

The old man didn't dare to answer. Now, for the first time since I came to this hospital, I recognized how unfit to run this hospital Kim Donghyun really was. If he had any guts at all, he would stand up to the Chairman.

He really was just a puppet. A figurehead. With his 64 years he still went to the gym and dyed his hair each month, did Botox and wore makeup, and took pictures with patients who thought of him as a saint.

"You're pathetic. I quit!"

He didn't have time to process my words, I stormed out of his office, determined to find Kang Hyuntae.

Kang Hyuntae

Jaebeom headed towards me like a steamroller, dragging me along with him when we ran into each other in the hospital's hallways.

"I just quit. And I want you to quit as well!" He announced unceremoniously as he shut the door to his office.

"What? What the hell are you talking about?"

I took a good look at him. He was huffing and puffing, his eyes full of determination and hatred.

"Why woul-"

"He knows everything. Kim knows everything!"

I stumbled back, ungracefully plopping down in Jaebeom's couch. My whole career flashed in front of my eyes. Everything I worked so hard for, every sacrifice. Gone! Erased.

"I- You have to relax!"

"Listen to me! If we leave, he has nothing!"

I could only speculate about who the he was.

"And go where? Do what? You're all set, but what about me? I need a job!"

Jaebeom laughed mockingly. "You don't understand, do you?"

"I understand you want revenge, but think rationally."

"I'm not staying here, and if you do, you'll end up as my grandfather's puppet too. I know he helped you, but it was only to benefit himself. Doesn't that make you angry?"

I was about to answer. Of course it made me angry to know that the hospital director hired me because someone told him to, not because I was worth getting the job.

The door opened and Lee Kangmin stumbled inside.

"Has anyone seen Chaeyeon? I can't reach her phone!"

Jaebeom and I exchanged a quick look. I energetically shook my head while Jaebeom grabbed Dr. Lee's arm.

"Sit down."

"Dr. Park, I have patients!"

"Sit. Down!" He grabbed the frightened young doctor's arm and more or less threw him on the couch. "We need to talk."

Jaebeom

I hissed when I touched the bruise underneath my eye. It was starting to swell. I disinfected the area and put a bandaid on it.

Who know Lee Kangmin could throw such a powerful punch.

From the corner of my eye I had seen Kang Hyuntae protesting, practically begging me to not tell anything to Dr. Lee.

Knowing that I would probably get punched, I still decided to fill him in. Maybe losing me wouldn't affect Kim Donghyun, but simultaneously losing Dr. Kang and Dr. Lee too would definitely be devastating.

After giving the two men all the information I had, I left them alone to think about what they wanted to do. Now all that was left, was to get a hold of Chaeyeon. I dialed her number again since this morning, only a little bit surprised that my call didn't go through.

She blocked my number?

I tried to remain calm, give her the space she obviously desperately needed, but found it hard to sit still. My feet wanted me to run to either Dr. Lee or Dr. Kang and use their phones, hoping, praying that she didn't block their numbers as well.

Lee Kangmin

"What did you do?"

I heard heavy sighing at the other end of the line, followed by more sighing.

"Everybody's going crazy over here."

She sighed again. No need to tell her who everybody was, she knew exactly who I was talking about.

"Say something! Let me hear your voice once, that way I know you're okay."

'But I'm not though.'

"I know." I replied almost immediately. Chaeyeon sounded defeated. Broken.

'You don't kn-'

"I know everything. Jaebeom told me." A shudder ran through my body. Now I was even on a first name basis with that guy. When did I get so close to him?

'Then you know that you shouldn't be talking to me if you want to keep your job in Seoul.'

I laughed sarcastically, quickly changing the subject.

"Where are you now?"

'Where else would I be? Back home in Andong, of course!'

She had barely finished her sentence, when I heard her mumble cursing under her breath.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody!"

No need to, both Jaebeom and Kang Hyuntae knew exactly where Chaeyeon was.

'What do I do now, Kangmin? I'm doomed.'

"Just stay put. Eventually time will fix everything."

It was weak consolation, but all I could come up with at that moment.

"I need to go back in now. I'll call again, okay?"

I suspected she was nodding in response and the call disconnected after a few seconds. My initial plan, to call her and tell her what crazy idea Jaebeom and Dr. Kang had come up with, immediately vanished when I heard the defeated tone in her voice.

Now here I was, still unsure of what to do. It was true, what Park Jaebeom did was wrong. Even Dr. Kang was guilty by association. But still, I found it hard to condemn these two men. It must've been hard on them, constantly having to worry about getting caught or putting the patients's lives in danger.

As far as Kim Donghyun is concerned, I never liked him. He made me nervous when I first met him. I realized he was a man with a lot of secrets, but didn't care as long as I had a job that paid well.

Chuckling to myself, I remembered the reason I even accepted the job in Seoul. I wanted to be close to Chaeyeon. Maybe even get her to notice me as a man. How foolish of me!

"Dr. Lee, I thought you left?"

I turned around, locking eyes with Dr. Park. The bruise under his left eye had begun to swell. I couldn't hold back a triumphant smirk.

To my surprise Park Jaebeom didn't get angry. Instead he held my gaze and a twinkle appeared in his eyes.

"So? What are you going to do?"

I combed my fingers through my hair, exhaling forcefully. Was I really about to destroy my career? Just leave my job without knowing if I could get hired anywhere else? But then again, if Chaeyeon managed to get her old job back, maybe I could too. Still, it was a step backwards. I didn't want to admit it, especially not in front of Park Jaebeom, but it hurt my pride.

"Suppose we do this. I might be able to get my old job back. What about Dr. Kang? Sure, you're all taken care of, but I assume Dr. Kang doesn't come from money. He would have to find work elsewhere! Would other hospitals hire him?"

"Ya! I didn't know you and Hyuntae were so close! And what do you mean, I'm taken care of? If news of my resignation reach my grandfather, I'm done! I have it worse than both of you!"

I bit my lip. He was right. Dr. Park wasn't better off, he would lose everything. Yet he was willing to risk it all.

"And it's not just payback?" I'd hate to be a pawn in Park Jaebeom's scheme against his grandfather and Kim Donghyun.

He quickly shook his head. "I'm sick of this charade. I wanted out long before any of this happened, but grandfather wouldn't let me. Do you think I enjoyed it? People kissing my ass because they thought I was a God? Kang Hyuntae was the only friend I ever had but my grandfather had to include him in his scheme and ruin our relationship!"

"What about Kang Hyuntae then? Is he on board?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself? He's waiting inside."

With heavy steps, I walked next to Park Jaebeom. In the distance, Kang Hyuntae was leaning against the wall. The hospital seemed quiet, but we knew Kim Donghyun was still in his office. For someone who didn't have much say, he spent a lot of time at work.

"Are we doing this now or what?" Kang Hyuntae asked, looking deeply relaxed. Apparently he had already made up his mind. This made it easier for me to decide what I wanted to do as well.

"Let's go!"

-> next chapter

[rigelswrittingsquare]

my small human wheatley HC scenario

because I'm down BAD!!!!!!!!! RAH!!!!!!!!

- wheatley having an absolute PUPPY crush on you and finding the stupidest excuses to see you , him being stupidly down bad self just to confess in the end after a (time skip) few weeks

indulgent saansosnaKSNSHAHA, and not written very seriously

for gn readers!!

So you've caught his attention. HOUGH. Let's say you've been working around Aperture as a data logger or some other desk job, most preferably one that doesn't require a lot of talking, but his cubical is like right beside yours. It's basically like a drab monotone setting, classic crammed together offices under that gross florescent lighting

He's talked to you a few times, mostly small office talk, classic conversations by the water cooler, that stuff. GOD he talked a lot in those small moments. saying things like:

"Some brilliant water right here, it just... Quenches the thirst, like water should, you know." He's propped up his elbow on top of the water jug on top while drinking from those pathetic little paper cups, looks like he could just drop that thing with how bad his hand is shaking, and yet he STILL continues.

"Nothing like .. Aperture refreshments, like, seriously, it's some...er..." He drones off, before looking at your confused yet entertained expression, and trying a DIFFERENT approach than the pathetic water convo starter. bravo wheatley!

"...How's it going!"

Usually he can never get very far to talking to you without being told to go back to his cubical, so he's practically quaking in his own skin right now?

if you give him a nod or any positive affirmation? he lights up says things along the lines of:

"Brilliant! That's great to hear mate! Ah ..I mean. Good, good. That's good. Myself? Not doing too shabby, just small quarrels with Jerry here and there, no problem, no problem whatsoever."

however if you are feeling stressed out of not really your best?:

"Ah..Right, hmm..Right, I'll tell you what, at least you haven't spilled your coffee all over the desk, right?.... Don't look, no, don't look at my shirt, I still haven't gotten the stains out." He nervously chuckles, trying to cheer you up. there is a VERY prominent coffee stain plastered on the mid section of his shirt, it's.........it's something alright.

When the two of you part ways, and go back to your cubicles, he's absolutely anxious. we are talking about nervous leg bouncing, chewing on pencil erasers, tapping his hands against the desk, just absolutely ITCHING (hehe you get it like the chapter in portal called the itc * gets thrown off the stage * anyways) to see you again. His gaze drifts down to the gap that separates you and him, and gets an idea. He scrawls something on a piece of paper, before tearing off on his APERTURE BRANDED stick it note pad, and bending down to the floor to push it under the gap with his pencil, stretching to poke your leg with it to get your attention before sitting up in his chair

the note??? you ask?

"Lunch is in 30, can I buy you something? - Wheatley :]"

If you decide to go, oh he's DELIGHTED. definitely knocks on your door the MINUTE OF. NO LATER. and waits for you to come out

he's absolutely Smitten. with you, watching carefully as you point out what you want, and he gives it to you, maybe even splurges on a stale cafeteria cookie for the two of you, and finds a small break room for the two of you to chat

He doesn't care that you don't talk much, it makes you all the more interesting. What's stewing in that brain of yours? What mysterious oasis lays inside that noggin? He's going to crack that egg and find out, one ramble at a time.

He blabbers on about something, noticing you watching him, and he gets flustered, but continues blabbering nonetheless :

"Just thought of something, and quite honestly, it's bloody unnerving. You ever noticed them birds perched up on the lab equipment? Nasty critters, they are... Conniving....Bet they are plotting something ..something big.. nasty... But! But, but but... If you like birds, that's cool too, in all honesty it makes you seem cooler than you already are.. That is, if you even.. Like them critters."

He runs a hand through his hair, before sinking in his seat with relief of your laughter. So this makes him continue.

"But aside from them nasty.....Corvids, I'll tell you what, mate, these things are uhm..." He gestures towards the stale cookies, before clearing his throat. "Horrible. GOD awful. Quite honestly, I'm ashamed to have even given you that." oh he's pitiful. I love him so much

he would continue to do this for some amount of weeks, before working up the gall to finally ask you on a proper date. It started out as usual, him sliding the note under your cubical and buying your lunches, but this time, he takes you outside the office space, and onto the catwalks. He sits down, patting the spot beside him, before staring out into the abyss, just outside the guard rail.

"So.. Uhm.. Sorry about the change of scene, er, I figured it would be best if we found a little snug spot, hm?" He couldn't even look at you without thoughts of backing down plaguing his mind, so he continued on.

"Listen, I've been thinking for a while and uh.. We're good mates, yeah? We're office buddies, we get along, have a bit of banter, eat lunches together.. you listen to my absolute LUNACY, and.... My banter, which it's honestly maddening how you keep up- which is absolutely amazing! I'm glad I got you mate, really, I do." He glanced over at you, looking for any mutual understanding in your eyes, before continuing, looking away once more. god he's a mess

"Well I guess what I'm trying to get at is... More so propose, I guess in a sense, is that I wanted to know if.. you possibly... Wanted to be more than mates?" His eyes darted to your face, before looking away once more. "You just make my day, and..Even if I talk you up a bloody tree," he chuckled, running his hand through his hair again, before pushing up his glasses, facing you entirely. "I think I genuinely like you. Like. Like, like you, if you know what I mean. You don't gotta nod, you don't even gotta answer! Although that's most... preferable, I figure I should just... Y'know...out with it!"

when you accepted, oh he was happier than a kid who got turned loose in a candy store. had to absolutely PHYSICALLY restrain himself from squeezing you into a hug, if it wasn't for you eating your food, he would be more than happy to swoop you up into his arms. however one thing was for sure, he was definitely already calling you luv instead of mate.

it was you, and he didn't want to keep the two of you a secret.

after all, we are talking about you!! who would keep you a secret?

[kelsiejayy]

Hi! ❤️

Do you still take ship requests? If no — that's okay, I understand, and you can just ignore my message. But if you do, then could you write one of those for me, please? Stranger Things and Marvel but it's okay if you choose one of them.

So that's how it goes: I'm 5'7, pretty curvy, have really pale skin with a lot of freckles, short black hair and big blue eyes. My ears are pierced — 6 earrings on each of them. My wardrobe consists of dark clothes and that's what I usually wear — black skinny jeans and a dark shirt or t-shirt. Then black coat and combat boots, and I'm good to go.

I'm a pretty shy person who doesn't like socializing at all and would gladly stay indoors 24/7. The only exception is travelling, cause I love learning about new cultures. (And drinking nights! I hate clubbing, but going out every once in a while with someone I trust to drink all kinds of alcohol in some shabby bars? Sign me up!) You can call me a typical introvert; people say I tend to appear as a rude and cold girl, bitchy even. In reality, I love taking care of my loved ones and complementing them and encouraging them is my favorite thing to do. Like, yes, I do have social anxiety and being in public places/talking to people makes me wanna throw up but if you're afraid too, then I'm gonna put on a brave face and do everything in my power to make you as comfortable as possible.

I love reading books (usually horrors, psychological thrillers and all the books abt certain historical periods), listening to true-crime podcasts, watching true-crime documentaries (and historical documentaries, cause even tho my memory is terrible, I love history), watching TV shows and writing short stories. Some say I'm a nerd for loving Marvel goodies and literally drowning in LOTR world. Others say I'm strange, cause I love Korean dramas and movies (criminal ones!). And I say I'm just a boring fellow who doesn't have friends, so all those things entertain me daily. Then I also love... Studying people if you can say so. I just find them very interesting and intriguing, and observing them (not in a creepy way!) or reading abt them is one of my favorite things to do. When it comes to music, I love almost all the genres, but rock/metal definitely are my favorites.

My personality type is INFP-T and when it comes to zodiac sign – aries sun, libra moon, gemini rising (although I have no idea what it means, cause I know literally nothing about astrology). And I don't think I've mentioned this before but my pronouns are she/her and I label myself as asexual panromantic.

I hope you have a great day! Smile often and remember that I have time, so don't hurry yourself. You and your needs are the most important here. Don't overwork yourself, okay?

I apologize for my English... Not my first language. But I do hope you understood everything I've written above! Oh, and I really do apologize for this being so long.

Much love! ❤️

thank you for your request! your english was perfect and thank you for being so kind, with that said here are your ships :)

STRANGER THINGS: eddie!

i feel like y'all both have the same problem with people's perceptions being different than the actual person you are. eddie would understand what it is like to experience things like that and i think it would make your bond a lot closer. as you said you don't really like going out and i don't think eddie minds. he isn't the type to need a glamorous date he just likes the quality time. with that said tho your dates probably consist of listening to new music while jamming out and attempting to cook dinner together. although you might need to get take out because i feel like y'all would get too caught up in the music to pay full attention to preparing your meal. i'm not sure if you've heard of people watching, it's where you go into a public place and try to decipher and tell people's life stories just by looking at them. i feel like you and eddie would be at a coffee shop or dinner on a date and come up with silly stories for the different people around you guys. overall y'all are pretty low key but i think that fits both of your vibes when you're together

MARVEL: loki!

you and loki also seem alike with the outside exterior not matching who actually are. i think loki instantly sees that and you both click. when you first start dating it's a normal quaint relationship but after a while, i think you both would become very connected. loki would love to hear you talk about different things in your life and vice versa. he would come to you with issues and for guidance trusting your judgment more than most people. i also feel like he would see you need to protect everyone and want to reciprocate that ten-fold to you. i feel like a lot of the time you spend together would also be introducing loki to earth literature and such and the same with you to asgardian culture. all in all you guys deeply care about one another and it can be seen through the small actions you both take to comfort and protect one another.

i hope you enjoyed! if you have any feedback feel free to tell me i love to hear y'alls thoughts!

if you would like a ship head over to my blog requests are open as of 6/23!