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januaryembrs · 3 days

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hi em!! im so late but happy 3k, it’s so deserved you’re an amazing writer! anyway, could i order a tea? i saw this picture: https://pin.it/mv0D4zZ9s and i thought it would be fun if bushy and spencer went to the beach and he was hating it cos of germs and all that, but then he had to wear his sunglasses over his normal glasses and bugsy’s just teasing him—have fun!

description: Bugsy and Spencer have a little downtime at the beach after hiding their relationship for all of one week

length: 1.1k

warning: nothing really, talk of spider mating rituals lol. Picture nonnie was talking about included above!

part of the trouble almost all my life universe

She leaned into his embrace, her back pressing against his warm chest, his skin sticky with a meld of sweat and suncream as they watched the waves rolling into shore.

“I love them all so much,” She sighed, Spencer’s arms wrapping around her waist to lean a book on the soft of her stomach, creasing where she’d pulled on one of his shirts over her bikini, “But I miss things being just us sometimes,”

“Bug, we live together,” Spencer smirked, and she groaned, flicking a glance up at him where he was squinting behind the lenses of his prescription glasses, trying to read his novel whilst looking over her shoulder.

“You know what I meant,” She grumbled, feeling stupid for saying it, only for him to chuckle, the sound vibrating through his chest and into the nooks of her spine. She smiled at the feeling, the grin widening when he kissed the side of her head sweetly.

“I know what you meant,” He agreed, giving her a few more pecks for good measure because as much as he loved teasing her until she was unnaturally shy, he loved the affectionate side of her more. “It’s getting hard hiding it from them,”

“And yet we’re so good at it,” She quipped, the two of them sharing a towel instead of a sunlounger, Spencer’s head being propped up by their bags and jackets, his girlfriend nestled between his legs like they were a single cell amoeba, “We could be like spies, all this undercover work. Seven whole days hiding a relationship from five of the best profiler’s in America, that’s got to be some kind of record.”

He smiled, and lay his book down flat on her stomach, sacrificing his now free hands to wrap all the way around her and squeeze her to him tightly. Because she was right. He loved the every day routine they’d slipped into at home, the natural kisses before bed and before they left the comfort of their four walls, the only space where they could be so openly themselves without prying eyes. He wished he could hold her like this every day, or atleast didn’t have to watch over his shoulder for any of the team watching just a little too closely when they would exchange loving looks.

He loved being able to hold her so unapologetically, loved that she preened and nuzzled into his touch like it was all she’d ever wanted as well. Spencer never had to question himself a single moment he was with her. He knew every shred of love he’d ever felt for her was reciprocated, and the thought of it alone made him warm inside, where they lay comfortably on the sunny beach, only a handful of other patrons enjoying the Friday morning waves.

He felt a headache brewing however from the light glaring in his eyes, and he cursed not listening to her when she reminded him to get his contact lenses ordered, deciding almost immediately that she would always know better than him no matter how high his IQ was or how many doctorates he polished on his shelf. Because she always knew everything when it came to him.

“Too bright?” She asked, as if she’d wormed her way into his head, though it wasn’t difficult to guess from his squinting, the way his nose scrunched in pain as he nodded. And with no more explanation needed, she drew the sunglasses off her own nose to slide over the top of his specs. Pushing them up gently with the tip of her finger, she giggled as she saw his shaded hues looking down at her through four separate windows, and he raised his eyebrows at her. “Better?”

“Oh, yeah, much better. I love looking like some kind of weird Spider man with an insanely hot girlfriend,” He said flatly, and she sniggered, her face upside down when she looked up at him, the crown of her head pressing against his chest.

“I always had a thing for Spider-man,” She said, blinking up at him and Spencer wondered what he ever did to get a girl so pretty she was attractive even upside down and smeared with oily sunscreen, “Don’t know if you’d know this but I have a thing for the tall, genius guys with kind eyes.”

“I didn’t know that,” He said with a wry smile and an adoring gaze, and he couldn’t help but steal a small peck to her lips, knowing he looked a little dumb with his second pair of glasses slipping down his nose. She didn’t seem to care as she kissed him back. She settled back into his chest, picking his book up to flick through what he’d been reading, and she felt him bury his nose into her hair, his hands slipping under her shirt to paw at the free skin of her belly, running his fingertips over it lovingly.

“Technically if you were some sort of Spider/Man hybrid, you’d need to do a mating dance to woo me away from other suitors,” She said mindlessly, and he chuckled, his headache ebbing away with the sun’s rays deflecting off his face.

“Yes, and then you’d more than likely eat me afterwards,” He replied, and she moved a hand away from the book to trace an invisible drawing over his forearm, following the grooves of his veins and nerves where they pulsed against his humid skin, her eyes never leaving the pages of the book.

“Good thing we haven’t mated yet then. I kind of like having you around,” She quipped and she felt him freeze, flicking him a smile so he’d know she was teasing him. Because they hadn’t gone any further than long kisses and soft touches just above the waistline. Hell, seeing her in a bikini was the closest they’d gotten to being naked, and even then she’d covered up with a shirt mere moments after. That little word ‘Yet’ dangled over them, and Spencer found himself smiling back at her, knowing they could take all the time they needed because for now it was just between them. No nosy questions from Garcia and Morgan, no intrigued if not worried glances from Hotch, no knowing smiles from Rossi and Blake. They could just be them. Just Bugsy and Spencer, the way they’d always wanted it to be.

“Not to mention the fact you’d have to give birth to about two-hundred babies that would eat you alive,” He murmured, and she giggled, squeezing his hand in her own.

“God, you know just how to talk dirty to me,” She said, and he chuckled, tugging the cap off his head to slide onto her own because he could feel the heat beating down on her face from here, and knew she would forget to re-apply if he didn’t step in.

Yeah, Spencer was more than happy to have things stay like this for a little while.

#spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds x reader #spencer reid fanfiction #bugspence

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cheri-2047 · 2 days

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Helloooo do you write for aventurine from hsr?

If you do, would it be possible to request an aventurine x gn reader where he tries to comfort the reader who has religious trauma? If that's a little too complicated then something like aven trying to comfort the reader when they were suddenly reminded about their trauma from parents.

I'm really just desperately trying to make myself feel better 😭 anw the decision is still up to you <3 I hope you have a wonderful day and I hope that you stay safe and healthy, take care!! 💞💐

IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG 😭 I LOST MOTIVATION TO WRITE ANYTHING 😞😞 I’d love to write this for you but I’m not so sure on what religious trauma is so I focused on reader getting triggered by their parents instead, I hope that’s okay. Please don’t hesitate to comment if I mischaracterized him, this is based off what I see online since I don’t play hsr, thank you!

Aventurine comfort:

TAGS: slight mentions of self harm, hair pulling (out of stress) angst, fluff and comfort at the end

CHARACTERS: Aventurine

You were on your way home after meeting up with your parents. It’s been awhile since you last saw them so you thought you’d pay them a visit.

They welcomed you with open arms and were very glad that you came over, your mother excitedly sharing new stories of what’s happened while you moved away and your father just simply listening to you two.

Everything was smooth sailing, you had fun with them, sharing laughs and all until it all went down the drain.

“haha…” you chuckled it off. You hated hearing about the incident that had happened. Your parents brushed it off by now as a joke, but to you it was anything BUT that.

you continued to catch up to them, holding up a smile to get away the memories that ran through your brain.

stop stop stop

You clenched your hands tightly, continuing to laugh along with the “jokes” your parents made. You couldn’t stop thinking about it now, everything that happened, everything that you worked so hard to forget, all of it GONE just because of a few simple words.

“I might be home a bit late sweetheart, please don’t stay up waiting for me. Love you”

Your phone buzzed, a message from your boyfriend, Aventurine.

perfect.

You took this to your advantage, deciding it was a good excuse.

“Ah I need to go home, sorry mama, urgent things at work.”

You made a white lie. You knew it was a bad thing to lie, it would make you a sinner, but you would do anything right now to get away from that so called ‘home’

“I hope you visit again, we love you”

Your father kissed you on the forehead, before both waving off.

You quickly shuffled to your car, driving as fast as you can away from your parent’s home. You were thankful for your boyfriend’s text, not only can you have alone time but you also were able to lie with getting home.

You drove faster, the music louder, anything to try and get the flooding memories away. You clenched the wheel tightly, taking rough turns, completely ignoring your surroundings.

shut up shut up shut up shut up

please.

You reached your home, running to your bedroom, your safe place.

You opened the television, had your snacks around you and all but for some reason, nothing would work. The thoughts still lingered at the back of your mind, the unspoken memories, the things you’ve tried to hard to forget.

Little did you know, you ended up spiraling. Your eyes on the TV, your mind elsewhere. It all came back too quickly, too much for you, the way you were treated, the rules you were forced to have, the life you so desperately wanted to escape, and it felt like you were back. “…y/n… y/n? Hey hey-“

you got started by the sound, only to realize you had been pulling your hair a lot,

“ah- y-you’re back earl-“

He wrapped his arms around you tightly, Aventurine pulled your hands away from your hair,

“Shh, shh… there there”

he rubbed his hand on your back, you leaned into his touch, before looking down to see blood on your fingernails. “What happened?”

Aventurine pulled away, cupping your cheeks and rubbing your hand, careful not to touch the skin you picked.

You didn’t even notice it, but you were crying. You had tears run down your face as if your eyes were waterfalls.

“I visited my parents today”

“mh…did they do anything?”

“they just…mentioned something and I got triggered and started spiraling I guess…”

as you spoke, aventurine started to wrap some bandages around your fingers.

“What did they say?”

(cutting this part off here so you can like…. Explain to him ykyk. He doesn’t know much of your trauma so u explain that you went through that before)

“Oh sweetheart…”

he wiped your tears and kissed you on the cheek, before hugging you and hurrying your face into the crook of his neck.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t know that’s ever happened, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to remember…”

he frowned and pulled you closer,

“I’m sorry…. If you’re up to going to your parents again, I’ll be here to accompany you. If you don’t, then that’s alright, I understand.”

he kisses the top of your head multiple times, hoping to sooth you with his affection.

He intertwined his hand with yours as he continues to speak reassuring words. “I am always here for you, alright my dearest? If you feel triggered by anything ever again, please don’t hesitate to tell me. I’m never ‘too busy’ for you or any of that. I love you”

you smile as he tells you how he has your back and how he will never leave and swear to always protect you. As you stop crying, he starts to clean up the snacks you left and comes back with more of your favorite foods.

“I got some before I left work”

he chuckles, lying next to you on the bed as you two stayed in the comfort of each others arms.

“I love you, I always will and I will never stop.”

He presses a kiss to your lips, pulling away to see your smile, which makes him smile as well.

A/N: OKAY… so I tried to make it like him as much as I could, I think he’s the type to gen take things seriously in scenarios like this, and the part where he like… pushes(?) your head to his neck for comfort, that means a lot since I hc him to not like being touched there or anyone touching him there either, so yeah. Thanks for requesting and I hope this is ok!! Comments are appreciated (for tips, if I mischaracterized or just to say hi) I hope ure okay dude, if you want more of these feel free to request

#Hsr #star rail #x reader #aventurine #aventurine x reader #Fluff #headcanons #aventurine fluff #Hsr x reader #Star rail x reader #star rail aventurine #aventurine hsr

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yourmomsawh0r3 · 2 days

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Heated

Summary: tommy gets into a heated argument with his wife y/n. in result, y/n gives him the silent treatment. he wants her to forgive him? he must grovel. on his knees.

Tommy shelby x wife female reader

Tommy slammed the door behind him, the echo reverberating through the spacious halls of Arrow House. The tension was thick in the air, and his wife, Y/N, stood in the center of the room, her arms crossed and eyes blazing with anger.

“Y/N, we need to talk,” Tommy demanded, his voice barely containing his frustration.

“Talk?” she snapped, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “All you ever do is talk, Tommy. And it’s always about you. Your business, your problems, your bloody empire.”

Tommy’s eyes narrowed. “Everything I do, I do for us. For our family. You know that.”

“Do I?” Y/N shot back, her voice rising. “Because it doesn’t feel that way. It feels like we’re just pawns in your endless game.”

Tommy clenched his fists, trying to keep his temper in check. “That’s not fair, Y/N. You know the pressure I’m under. The enemies we have. I’m doing my best to protect us.”

Y/N laughed bitterly. “Protect us? By pushing everyone away? By turning our home into a fortress? This isn’t a family, Tommy. It’s a prison.”

The words stung, more than Tommy cared to admit. “What do you want from me?” he asked, his voice quieter now, almost pleading.

Y/N didn’t answer. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, leaving him standing there, a mixture of anger and desperation swirling inside him.

The silent treatment began immediately. Y/N went about her days, caring for their children, managing the household, but never once did she acknowledge Tommy’s presence. She moved like a ghost, her silence a constant reminder of their unresolved conflict.

At first, Tommy tried to give her space, hoping she would cool down and they could talk things out. But as the days turned into a week, his patience wore thin. He attempted everything he could think of to get her attention. Apologies, flowers, even jewelry—none of it made a difference. Y/N accepted his offerings with a blank expression, placing them aside without a word.

One night, Tommy found himself sitting alone in the parlor, a glass of whiskey in his hand. The silence was deafening, driving him to the edge of his sanity. He couldn’t take it anymore. He stood up abruptly and marched upstairs to their bedroom, where Y/N was getting ready for bed.

“Y/N,” he said, his voice rough with frustration. “This has to stop. I can’t stand this silence. Talk to me. Tell me what you want.”

She glanced at him through the mirror, her expression unreadable. “What I want, Tommy, is for you to understand. To really understand what it means to be a husband and a father. Not just a leader.”

He ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. “I’m trying, Y/N. I really am. But you shutting me out like this—it’s killing me.”

For a moment, Y/N’s eyes softened, but she quickly looked away. “You need to show me, Tommy. Words aren’t enough. I need to see that you’re willing to change, to put us first.”

Tommy sighed, feeling the weight of her words. He approached her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I will, Y/N. I promise you, I’ll make it right.”

She finally looked at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and skepticism. “Actions, Tommy. Not promises.”

With that, she climbed into bed, turning her back to him. Tommy stood there for a moment, watching her, a newfound determination settling in his chest. He realized that if he wanted to win her back, he would have to do more than just speak. He would have to change, to prove that their family meant more to him than any empire.

As he left the room, he vowed to himself that he would earn her trust again, not with grand gestures or empty words, but with genuine actions. And this time, he would make sure Y/N knew she was the most important part of his life.

Tommy Shelby stood in the dimly lit hallway, his mind racing with ideas on how to break through the wall of silence that had come between him and Y/N. He needed to show her that she was the center of his world, more important than any business deal or gang rivalry. As the thought solidified in his mind, a plan began to take shape.

The next day, Tommy put his plan into action. He made a few discreet phone calls, ensuring that everything would be perfect. By late afternoon, he had transformed a secluded spot in their expansive garden into a romantic picnic setting. A soft blanket was spread out under a large oak tree, adorned with pillows for comfort. Lanterns hung from the branches, casting a warm, inviting glow as the sun began to set.

Tommy had spent the day in the kitchen, a rare sight indeed, preparing all of Y/N’s favorite foods. There was a selection of fresh bread, cheeses, and fruits, along with her preferred wine. He even managed to bake a chocolate cake, her favorite dessert.

As evening fell, Tommy found Y/N in the sitting room, reading a book. He approached her quietly, his heart pounding with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.

“Y/N,” he said softly, holding out his hand. “I’ve prepared something for you. Will you come with me?”

She looked up from her book, her eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of skepticism. After a moment, she placed her hand in his, allowing him to lead her outside. As they approached the picnic setup, Y/N’s expression softened, a flicker of surprise and appreciation in her eyes.

“Tommy, this is…” she began, her voice trailing off as she took in the scene.

“I wanted to show you how much you mean to me,” he said, his voice sincere. “I know I’ve made mistakes, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make things right.”

They sat down on the blanket, and Tommy served her the food he had prepared. They ate in comfortable silence at first, the tension gradually easing as the evening progressed. As the stars began to twinkle above them, Tommy poured them each a glass of wine.

“This is lovely, Tommy,” Y/N said softly, her earlier anger seeming to melt away.

“I’m glad you think so,” he replied, reaching out to take her hand. “I wanted tonight to be special. For us.”

After they finished their meal, Tommy led Y/N back to the house, where he had one final surprise waiting. He guided her to the bathroom, where a hot bath was ready, the room filled with the soothing scent of lavender.

“I thought you might like to relax,” he said, his voice low and tender.

Y/N looked at him, her eyes glistening with emotion. “Thank you, Tommy. This means a lot to me.”

He leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be right outside if you need anything.”

As she settled into the bath, Tommy waited patiently, giving her the space she needed. After a while, Y/N called out to him, and he entered the bathroom once more.

“Join me,” she whispered, her voice husky.

Tommy’s heart raced as he quickly undressed and slipped into the warm water behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. The feel of her body against his, the scent of lavender filling the air, it was intoxicating.

“I’ve missed you,” she murmured, her lips brushing against his ear.

“I’ve missed you too,” he replied, his voice thick with emotion.

Their lips met in a slow, passionate kiss, a spark igniting between them. Tommy’s hands roamed her body, exploring every curve, every inch of skin. Y/N responded eagerly, her hands gripping his shoulders, pulling him closer.

As the water sloshed around them, their kisses grew more fervent, their need for each other undeniable. Tommy’s hands found their way to her breasts, kneading them gently, eliciting soft moans from Y/N. He moved lower, his fingers teasing her, drawing out gasps of pleasure.

“Tommy,” she breathed, her voice a mix of longing and urgency.

He shifted, positioning himself between her legs, their bodies aligning perfectly. With a deep, shared breath, he entered her slowly, savoring the sensation. They moved together in a rhythm as old as time, the heat and intensity building with each thrust.

The bathroom echoed with their shared moans and the sound of water splashing, their bodies entwined in a dance of passion and love. Tommy’s lips never left her skin, trailing kisses along her neck, her shoulders, whispering words of love and devotion.

As they reached the peak of their pleasure, their cries mingled, a harmonious blend of ecstasy. Collapsing into each other’s arms, they remained in the warm water, their breaths heavy, hearts pounding.

Tommy gently stroked Y/N’s hair, his lips brushing against her ear. “I love you, Y/N. More than anything in this world.”

She turned to face him, her eyes filled with love and a promise of forgiveness. “I love you too, Tommy. And I believe you. Let’s work on this together.”

In that moment, surrounded by the warmth of the bath and the glow of their rekindled love, Tommy knew they had turned a corner. They would face the future together, stronger than ever.

#tommy shelby x reader #tommy shelby #peaky blinders #peaky blinder fanfic #tommyshelby x female reader #tommy shelby x female reader #tommy shelby imagine

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thetardisisnotourdivision · 1 day

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Silly prediction for Empire of Death.

If they do get Carole Ann Ford back as Susan, I'd love them to do a scene like in The Empty Hearse in Sherlock. Like the Doctor's doing six things at once and trying to find the thingamajig which, it turns out, he'd have gotten far earlier if he'd just LOOKED at the random old lady who kept talking to him.

Something like:

Susan: oh, it's nice in here, isn't it? Doctor (not looking up): how did you get into the tower? Susan: I have my ways. Used to travel a lot. You pick things up. Doctor (figuring out a complex formula because the world is about to end): well just stay over there and shut up, ok? Susan: I might have the answer? Doctor: no, you don't, just stay there. Susan: I could always come back and help you later. Doctor: please don't distract me. Susan: I don't get anxieties, you know. And I don't cry, either. So I could be a good help. After all, we don't want a time war on our hands because of hysterical delays. Y'know. A race against the clock. Time. War. Susan: and of course, a lot of problems look BIGGER than they are. Susan: on the inside. Doctor: sure, fine. Susan (basically just having fun now): ooo, that police box is nice. Doctor: that's my TARDIS, stay away from it. Susan: TARDIS? What does that stand for? Doctor (as Susan mouths the words exactly as he says them): Time and Relative Dimension in Space, now stop talking. Susan: haven't seen a police box since… ooo, November 1963? Doctor: I really don't need this right now. Susan: my husband used to say that there were a few up in BEDFORD, but I never saw them. (pointedly) DAVID. My husband's name was DAVID. Doctor (not listening): wonderful. Susan: and my kids. Who I named after people I loved. DAVID, IAN and BARBARA. They used to say that one day they'd go to SPACE and see MARINUS and SKARO like MUM DID. Doctor: fantastic. Please be quiet. Susan: you really are stupid, aren't you? Doctor: I'm currently trying to save all your lives, now shut up and let me work. Susan: it'd be a shame if the planet got destroyed simply because nobody thought to ask the little old lady any questions. Doctor: you've talked quite enough already. Susan: after all, it is TELEPATHIC POWER you need. PSYCHIC POWERS. LIKE YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER. Doctor: … Doctor: remind me to tell Kate to get better security on the Black Archive. Susan: are you KIDDING me. Susan: right. Ok. Perhaps you should look up the answer. Doctor: Google can't help me here. Susan: no, I mean you should LOOK. UP. *she makes him look at her and hands him the thingamajig he needed. Whatever is exploding immediately stops exploding.* Doctor: oh. Susan: you get it now? Doctor: oh shit.

Sorry for the long and weird post but I genuinely just think that something like this would be hilarious.

#doctor who #classic doctor who #classic who #susan foreman #empire of death #15th doctor #dw

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bluebirdscorpio · 3 days

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Hello everyone! ☀️

I’ve been into astrology for so many years now that it seems a part of me at this point.

I entered the tumblr community for the sole reason of learning more about astrology, and I cannot refuse to admit that there are some decent profiles that I would even trust with my personal details for a reading.

Unfortunately, I have also understood that there are a lot of astrologers wannabes who are not necessarily educated nor they have competence on how to interpret it.

I write this to remind you, the readers, the consumers, to be cautious when reading everything, because a post may be too subjective, based on very few observations or just not based at all on astrological means, therefore false information.

Some people are wounded and struggling and want to accuse certain aspects for their feelings. Don’t take this personally, they need healing.

So I beg you to check everything and not be foolish or naive to trust everything right away.

Also a reminder for people that never read a book on the matter - AN ASPECT OR TWO DO NOT DEFINE YOUR CHARTS.

Misinformation can be a dangerous tool and that’s why I beg you to be critical as readers, and please, astrologers, be critical as writers because readers without experience and knowledge can be misled.

Also, last but not least - just because someone doesn’t agree with you, it doesn’t neutralise your opinion, but also it doesn’t confirm it. So always be critical, and you’ll differentiate the astrologer from the wannabes as they get offensive but they do not possess adequate arguments, they just want to get you on their sides with manipulation - to use their ‘authority’ as a writer to discredit your disagreement.

So please, all of you that are really dedicated - do not stop working. At one point, it will all come together.

I thank and appreciate you for your work and I hope the algorithm lead me to you. 🥹☀️☀️☀️

With all my respect and gratitude,

BlueBirdScorpio

#astro observations #astro #astro chart #astro community #astro notes #astro placements #astro posts #astro tumblr

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theealbatross · 2 days

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marry me (s.s.)

Plot: The 3 times Sebastian thought about marrying you and the 1 time he asked.

Tags: miscommunication, mentions of murder and poisonings, fluff, implied smut, dangerous idiots in love, fluff, 6k-ish words

A/N: sorry this took so long i went on a vacation! One of the funniest line about Ominis locking the two of them up was written by @/shinzhon in our discord server!

Series Masterlist - the rest of the chapters here

“Seriously Sebastian, how many times has it been this month?”

“It’s not my fault this time, I swear!”

“So, you slipped and somehow ended up in the Restricted Section? Is there some secret passage I hadn’t known about? Care to share to the class?” Ominis pinned him with a look and despite knowing his friend was blind Sebastian still raised his hands in surrender. Ominis sighed, there was no point really. When he had agreed to be friends with the troublesome boy in their first year he had signed up for this. It’s his fault for not seeing the mischievousness in those innocent brown eyes.

“I’m surprised,” Ominis continued as he started the trek back to their common room, the painful small talks he had with the headmaster in order to prevent anything getting sent to Solomon already fading as he got further away from the office. He could only imagine the absolute hell the old man would’ve sent their way if he had heard of his rendezvous in the Restricted Section. “It just isn’t like you.”

Sebastian scoffed, “To be in the Restricted Section? Where have you been the past year?”

“No, you idiot,” he hissed. “It isn’t like you to be caught.”

The falter in Sebastian’s steps had him raising an eyebrow, neck snapping back in accusation. “I’ve been caught once,” Sebastian reminded him quickly of the time Scribner first put the anti-Alohamora charm in the doors of the Restricted Section.

"I'm not finished," He’s hiding something. “It isn’t like you to be caught twice.”

He stopped on his track at the sound of Sebastian’s wince. “Okay, don’t be mad –”

“Oh no.”

“The new fifth-year needed some help to get in the restricted section because – well, I actually can’t tell you, she made me swear – and it’s bigger than the both of us and it was going so well! But Peeves caught just as we were about to –”

“Honestly, Sebastian, enough!”

He didn’t need to hear any of this.

Sebastian was right. Whatever great big mess that new kid was in the middle of was bigger than the both of them. And he has had more than enough on his plate trying to keep his friend out of trouble without the additional presence of another mysterious adrenaline junkie being thrown in the mix – one who was worryingly a magnet for big trouble. It was no wonder Sebastian was transfixed; he was looking at the damn mirror.

“Whatever fascination you have with that girl ends now,” It doesn’t escape him how much he sounded like a father getting in-between two lovers. He would’ve laughed in incredulity at the current situation he had found himself in if he wasn’t so bloody frustrated. “You get in enough trouble on your own, she doesn’t need to be sucking you up in her own problems.”

Sebastian makes a sound that doesn’t sound like a ‘yes, Ominis’ and the blond’s blood vessels nearly pop. He cannot believe this.

“Come on, it wasn’t like that. Honestly, she was brilliant! You should’ve been there; she took to the Disillusionment spell so quick that if we hadn’t let out guard down, we –”

“Oh, Merlin’s Beard, why don’t you marry the damn girl and the both of you leave me out of your tomfooleries!”

That would be ideal, he thinks. In a perfect world, he’s going to lock the two of them in a room and eat the key. There he would have no daily nuisances, won’t have to worry about sneaky Slytherins and the explosion of troubles they bring with them, and won’t need to suffer through Headmaster Black’s presence to get them out of it. A thankless job that brought nothing but headaches.

It was only when he was out of his blissful reverie that he realized his headache had stopped walking behind him seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

No.

“Sebastian … “

The other boy audibly flinched, his breath now irregular, and Ominis will bet all the galleons in the Gaunt’s vault that if he could see his old friend’s face would be as red as a Gryffindor’s arse right now.

He could almost cry, his palms producing embarrassing cold sweats at the absolute worst-case scenario unfolding in front of his unseeing eyes. “Please – I am begging you – not this one.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Oh no, no, no.

Suddenly, the prospect of Sebastian and this troublemaker getting together was not that idyllic. In quick successions, all possible worst-case scenario popped in Ominis head. Sebastian was bad enough, if he had someone who was equally as reckless and rash as him it would be something out of his worst nightmare.

Ominis is a good person. This can’t be happening to him.

“Sebastian, listen to me –”

With only a breeze as his answer Sebastian skipped right past Ominis and up the grand staircase. Ominis could feel the heat of his face. “No time to talk. Got somewhere to be –”

“Sebastian, no!”

Why must it keep happening to him?

Sebastian was pretty sure the house in Feldcroft has not heard Anne’s laughter in a long, long time. Yet, here you were, huddled together with his sister, whispering giggle-worthy stories about him no doubt by the way your gaze kept fluttering back to him, and lifting the dreadful ooze that has monopolized the small space since his sister’s illness.

“Nice girl,” He had nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized his uncle had been sitting on the spare bed hidden by a curtain.

“Y-Yeah,” Merlin’s beard you even got his unpleasant uncle’s favor in such a short time – a miracle worker, truly. “She’s … quite something.”

Talking to him has always been awkward.

Even before Anne had gotten sick, he found it difficult to converse with the man who looked too much but was simultaneously nothing like his gentle, kind father. And maybe it was also the childish insistence that if he had let the man into his heart, he would betray his parents – his father – that he just couldn’t let him in. It would feel too much like replacing him so he just opted in letting Solomon linger at the precipice of his life and the man was more than happy to do so.

After all, if Solomon was nothing like his father, Sebastian was everything that reminded Solomon of his dead brother. And those were holes none of them could fill for each other.

“You know, your mother was the same,” Sebastian’s eyebrows raised, never hearing Solomon talk about her till now. “When she was a 7th year I was just starting in Hogwarts and let me tell you, I had little hope for that brother of mine of ever getting her attention.”

His uncle continued to stare at you like he was seeing a ghost – the good kind – not the kind he sees when he looks at him. “She was brilliant, loved by even the firmest professors. And was always willing to hold out a helping hand, even to lost first years whose ass of a brother left to go fend for himself in the confusing moving stairs of Hogwarts.”

Even Sebastian let out a chuckle at that ridiculous image. Sometimes he forgets that even his old uncle had once been a child. The thought is uncomfortable, especially looking at the man he is now. “I always told him he was out of his mind for courting your mother but did my crazy brother listen? Absolutely not.”

Where was he going with this?

Sebastian returned his eyes back to you.

Brilliant, admirable, courageous you.

With your bright smile that feeds his ego by always shining brighter with him. The recklessness that never fails to infuriate and impress on his last nerves. The kindness you innately had in you that makes him want to wrap you up in the finest silk then lock you up in an impenetrable room so nobody else may ever touch it – so nobody else may have you.

That would be best, he thinks.

“It would seem even that insanity he had passed on to you.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened, forcing himself to take slow, deep breaths so all his blood doesn’t go to his face, unable to look at the older man. “It’s not like that,” he cleared his throat, now unable to look at you. “We’re … friends.”

“A good … companionship is built upon friendship,” Sebastian’s head whipped to this uncle as if to say ‘how would you know?’ but his uncle just grunted, shrugging before standing up to busy himself in the kitchen, calling you out to assist and telling Anne to take her medicine.

A good companionship. He knows it’s a bit too early but the thought of it wasn’t as horrifying as he thought it would be. The budding interest he had in his new friend was pushed and shoved into the deepest nook of his brain – he had more pressing things to tend to, one that was more important than discerning why he could recognize the sound of her laughter in the middle of dinner in the Great Hall.

But if he really thinks about it, takes a moment to breathe and considers it … it would be nice. She’s had research interest but with her grades and skill being a renowned curse-breaker or even an auror isn’t out of the question. If he works hard, he knows he’d be able to keep up and support her and Anne – maybe even set up an apartment in the city, they can just visit his sister when they have the chance.

Of course,he will try to encourage her to settle back down in Feldcroft if Anne still lives here but Irondale is quite beautiful too, a good place to practice flying when they have a family, let his children experience a true childhood surrounded by peace and quiet – two kids would be nice. Twins run in the family so maybe he could convince her for another one if their first pair are of the same gender. He would really like a daughter who looks just like --

“I like her.”

“Bloody hell!” Sebastian jumped when he realized his twin sister was now right in front of him while he was deep in his embarrassing delusions. (When did the members of his family become so sneaky?) She grinned at him as if she knew exactly what had him so distracted. To avoid her piercing stare, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders as he guided her in the little nook of her bedroom where all the vials full of her medicines were stored.

“I knew you would. ‘s why I brought her here.”

“Oh?” Anne nonchalantly drank a disgusting-looking fluid in one gulp. “So, it wasn’t cause you wanted to monopolize her and get ahead of your competition back at Hogwarts?”

Sebastian gawked, his entire body heating up from the accusation. “What – no, it’s not – I thought she would cheer you up!”

He quickly took a quick peek at the corner, relieved that you were too busy charming his uncle off to hear such absurd allegations against him. He wouldn’t want you to get the wrong impression of him at all. After all, for how wondrous those visions are, he puts your friendship on a pedestal above anything else.

He thinks he’ll be more than content to be just your friend. Maybe.

“How gracious of you, brother,” Anne smirked, in this light it was almost like the old Anne.

Sebastian smirked at her, masking indifference, “I try.”

He should’ve known. Anne would be the one who might just see through all of him, even the things he likes to keep from his head. Even his most impossible dreams of cozy cottages and soft days.

“Sebastian!” The twins straightened up at your voice, both felt like they had been caught red-handed as you cheerfully rounded the corner. “Oh, was I interrupting –”

“No, not at all!” Anne pushed Sebastian firmly, making him stumble and catch himself just as he was about to crash into you. The proximity forces him to stare as your eyes crinkled when you smiled. He stops breathing.

You’ll look dazzling in white; he thinks.

“Your uncle told me your neighbor had some mint in their garden, said you could help me find it? It would go well with the juice.”

Sebastian’s eyes fell to your lips as you spoke before physically ripping his eyes out to look at your eyes, nodding, as his brain tried to keep up between his imagination and the reality of your face in front of his. You grinned, already walking towards the door. He lets out a breath, the faint traces of your perfume that he gave you wafting an enchanting trail that kept his gaze on your retreating back.

“Get on with it,” Anne pushed him again and this time he gave her his deadliest glare as he followed after you. “You can’t hide her in Feldcroft forever.”

“Zip it.”

Solomon stood next to Anne as they stared at the two sweethearts in their own worlds as they made an adventure out of the small trip. Anne couldn’t help but giggle when Sebastian tripped because he was too busy looking at you instead of the road.

“Are men always this stubborn and stupid?”

“No,” Solomon grumbled, heart aching fondly when in a blink he could almost see a different mirage of figures that were both familiar and strangers at the same time. “He’s just his father’s son.”

“It’s over.”

Sebastian turned his head, straying his eyes away from the night sky framed by the room’s glass ceiling to look at you. “It’s over.”

The two of you lay down on the floor of the room of requirement, sneaking away from the graduation party to spend the last moments of your life as a student in Hogwarts together. It wasn’t intentional, you had sneaked out for a proper goodbye to the sentient room and thanked it for everything it had provided for you but, like always, Sebastian had gotten ahold of your sneaking form before you could take two steps away from his side.

Sebastian can see that the inevitability of it all is making you emotional, a Hogwarts-shaped hole already forming in the crevices of your heart. The thought of no longer having this haven to escape the world's cruel realities makes him sigh.

“I’m terrified,” your whispered confession surprised him.

His gallant darling? Scared?

“What for?”

You smiled at him sheepishly. “It feels stupid but … I’m scared of things changing. I feel like that little girl again – 15 years old and alone in this great, big world I was thrust into.” Sebastian noticed a shudder crawl over your body. “And this time I won’t have a cheeky Slytherin lad to show me around.”

Sebastian frowned, unsure if he was more disappointed at you for thinking you would lose him that easily or at himself for not nailing that the two of you were tethered forevermore in that bright head of yours.

Instead, he took your shaking hands that you tried to hide and held on to it tight.

You smiled up at him. “Promise to stay in touch?”

He could almost scoff at such an understatement of a request. Do you know I’m never letting you go?

“You’re not getting away from me that easily,” he grinned, hoping to charm the rest of your remnant fears away. “I expect weekly letters while I’m away from training.”

You scrunched your nose, which he thinks is just adorable “What? So you can brag to your fellow trainees you have a lovesick lady waiting for you at home?”

He laughed at that, eyes crinkling and heart racing, “Maybe I should keep a photo of you plastered on my wall then, really commit to the part. A pretty face like you on my walls should make me the envy of my entire group.”

Her laugh came out nervous, her grip on his hands tightened. She’s still scared.

If only he had been sorted in Gryffindor maybe then he would’ve been daring enough to say something. To fall to his knees in this room and let his forehead kiss the ground and beg you to stay with him, run away with him, marry him. To let him spend the rest of his lowly life making sure you will never be lonely again.

But the fates were cruel and for all his pretense of confidence, the gods’ honest truth is he is a coward. A coward with no prospects.

If he wants your hand he needs to prepare, to follow the plan he had mapped out since the night he had realized he would very much like to spend the rest of his life with you or die trying. He might not be worth anything for now but he’ll make himself enough. He just needs to hold on … just two more years – it’s all he asks.

Just two years for him to establish himself, to become someone, to earn the right to ask you. He knows it will be hard, you’ll be engrossed in your own research and won’t be able to see him as he trains to be an auror. And there was always a risk of you meeting someone else but he’s already made Poppy swear to report everything to him while she accompanies you in your travels, a contingency plan for any hurdle that may put a wrench in his plans.

If all of this fails then so be it, but he won’t lose you from a lack of planning or trying.

“Why are you looking at me like that?

He didn’t realize he was staring at you while his thoughts ran wild. The dark of your eyes reflected the ceilings you had charmed with the sky of the Forbidden Forest. The dim hue of the room made you look ethereal, like a forest fairy sent to lead him to a beautiful doom. He’d follow you anywhere.

Is it too soon to tell you I love you?

Is it too late?

“Have I ever told you that you’re the only one I need?” Sebastian suddenly whispered, vulnerable.

It’s the closest thing he’ll allow himself to say for now, placating the intensity of his need to be close to you by properly laying on his side and pressing a firm hand on your cheeks as you followed his lead, your own loosely dangling on his waist.

“Don’t you think Ominis will be quite offended by that?” you teased, your fingers tracing patterns on his spine.

He couldn’t help but match your grin, “He’ll live.”

“Sebastian,” your words quiet but he moved his hand at the back of your head to pull you in closer, muffling your following words on his chest. “Promise me nothing will change?”

Sebastian’s hold on you tensed, pressing the gentlest kiss at the top of your head to silence his protests.

No, he wants to scream. Everything has to change.

He’ll change everything for you.

“I promise,” he lies.

He’s no Gryffindor, after all.

[ 5 years later ]

“I almost fucking killed you!”

You rolled your eyes, which was a bad idea considering the curse that malfunctioned in Gringott’s brought upon a gaggle of Inferis along with a mutated one that grew about ten feet tall. Before it could lunge straight at your head, Sebastian – Merlin’s beard, he was still as handsome as the day you had left Hogwarts – pulled you into him before casting a Protego followed by a Confringo, blasting the undead’s arm away.

Still his favorite after all these years.

“What? You become a bigshot Auror and forget my face?!”

With an Incendio, the rest of the Inferis were now weakened enough that Sebastian was able to finish them all in one go (bloody hell!). Giving you time to gather yourself and lash out a heavy burst of ancient magic to take care of the giant Inferi once and for all.

You wobbled from the effort but firm hands and a chest caught you. When you looked up you were greeted by a cantankerous Sebastian covered in dust and dirt.

“As if I could see your face in those ridiculous glasses you’re wearing. Is that a lizard’s eye?”

You pulled on the offending thing, turning and standing on your tiptoes to put it on him, then he could see that it helps with seeing the traps laid out around the vault. “Satisfied your inquiries, Mr. Auror?”

He pushed the glasses to the top of his head, still looking down at you with a suspicious glare. Damn him and damn the entire male race for their inability to stop growing their limbs. “I should have you arrested. Illegally breaking into Gringots? What were you thinking?”

“Please, any curse-breaker you sent this way would’ve been eaten by that curse, I barely got out with my life if not for my ancient magic.”

Sebastian’s eyebrows twitched in the familiar way when he wasn’t particularly fond of you – which usually only happens when you throw yourself in danger … like today. Old habits die hard.

“I –”

“Save it,” he raised a palm. You sucked your lips into a thin line comically – it has been half a decade since you last saw him after all, you’re not entirely quite sure If this Sebastian in front of you would hesitate in throwing his prodigal best friend into the cold stone walls of a ministry ordained prison. “You owe me.”

Before he could, you fired off a blast of ancient magic behind him, crushing the lone Inferi that was bidding its time under a rock. You smirked. “Are we even now?”

“Not even fucking close,” His face was blank, unamused. Sebastian’s patience has never been the longest but this is one of the few times his ire was aimed at you, the novelty of it would make you blush if you weren’t so guilty. “Where have you been?”

This time it was your smile that fell, eyes dropping with it in shame. Straight to it, huh.

“Sebastian … I left a lett –“

“A letter! You call that a letter?!” He guffawed, turning his back on you and started pacing just at the ledge that led to a very, very, long fall to the bottom of Gringotts. Your fingers twitched to reach out for him but you had a feeling he wasn’t particularly interested in getting mothered right now as he spiraled out the words you’re sure he had surely been holding the past years. “My dearest friend, one who fights trolls for practice and is the most wanted woman of all dark wizards in the country disappears without a trace even when I spent an entire year searching for her –”

He looked for you?

“—but oh no! All is well Sebastian, she left you a bloody note!”

You felt like a reprimanded toddler but maybe (just maybe) you deserved it. “It wasn’t my finest moment.”

Something in your words snapped the last of Sebastian’s nerve. The gall of you – to stand here like it was nothing. The days he had spent tracking you, dreading the moment he would be greeted by your corpse.

How dare you leave? How dare you leave him? Of all the people in this world you were the one who was supposed to stay on his side.

‘I’ll be back. I promise. I just need time’

He marched to where you were standing, cupping both of your shoulders so you can look at him. “I will be given an explanation.”

Instead, your eyes fell on his left hand. He followed your line of sight, the gold band around his finger making all your cruelest nightmares come true.

How did it come to this? You scoured your memories of your entire friendship – how had the two of you come from being unable to keep a single secret from each other to strangers that have too many unspoken grievances in between them?

Was this inevitable?

Finally, you gathered your strength. He did deserve the truth from you of all people. And you could truly never keep a secret from Sebastian even now – which is also why you left. The shame, the unjustified anger, the hurt in your chest when you looked at him – you couldn’t handle it.

“I … I heard from Leander.”

His frown deepened. What does Leander have anything to do with this?

“I was going to visit you on the last weekend of your training. Then Leander caught me in town and he said … he said that after you had finished your auror training you were planning to propose, that you were already looking for a ring.”

He is going to kill that orange blabbermouth fuc –

“I couldn’t – surely, you couldn’t be that daft. I … I loved you, Sebastian! And I know I’m your friend and I should’ve been there for you. And I really am – I am happy for you,” you took his hand, your gentle touch shakily running through the gold band around his ring finger as you tried to hold back the tears. It felt like it was mocking you, like it could burn a mark on your skin. “If anyone deserves to build a family it would be you. I just … in that moment I couldn’t be happy for you. I needed to remove myself from the situation and I couldn’t say goodbye – you wouldn’t have let me! I panicked and I was hurt and … I really am sorry. I’m so sorry, Sebastian.”

As humiliating as it was to say all the hurt that you were carrying with you as you traveled the world to escape your love for him it did make you feel lighter. Were you a coward? Maybe so. But you will not shame your past self for what she did out of hurt and fear. It was painful but necessary.

It wasn’t until Sebastian was cupping your face and wiping your cheeks with his thumb that you realized you had been crying.

“Darling, who did you think the ring was for?”

You blinked, “What?”

You could tell he was trying to lengthen his patience with you, clearly as he was the more emotionally stable one at the moment even though it looked like he was at the precipice of choking you. "Have I ever told you that I was courting anyone?”

The conversation was taking a turn you weren't expecting. “N-No, but Leander and Everett used to keep teasing you about the Ministry girls that was always at your tail so I just assumed …”

He raised his eyebrows, holding onto your cheeks tighter so you had to look at him. For the first time in your entire friendship, you couldn’t read him at all. “I assumed you became interested in one of them.”

He sighed, “No, sweetheart. I did not become interested in any of them.”

You frowned, still feeling the cold ring on your cheek. “Then who did you marry?”

“I’m … not married.” This time it was him who seemed to blush, actually breaking eye contact to chuckle. When he looked back at you it was like you were getting a peek of the boyish Sebastian you once knew. “I would have been if the beautiful witch I had been chasing did not disappear on me right when I was about to propose.”

His words sunk into you like molasses, the wrinkle in between your eyebrows disappearing as your eyes widened in realization. Surely, he doesn’t mean –

“I just wore it since I would’ve been wearing it either way if someone had said yes. And it’s a more effective way to ward off any hopefuls. A little white lie to cover up my bruised heart and spare their egos”

“Wait, wait –“you tried to push him away but one of his arms just wrapped around your back, pushing your chest to his. He wasn’t going to let you get away this time, if he has to cast a binding spell on you without your knowledge then so be it.

The past five years had been torture enough.

“I guess it’s what I deserved. Letting the love of my life wait around just because my pride wanted me to earn the right to ask for her hand. The Hero of Hogwarts, the brightest witch of our age – surely, I couldn’t just ask her, could I?”

The abundance of information threatened to drown your head in. Pieces of the grand puzzle that never seemed to fit right clicking and clacking in your head as you slowly pieced together the blanks in the history of your relationship because you didn’t bother to ask and he didn’t bother to say anything.

He means you right? He was going to propose to you? The bloody ring you’ve been having nightmares about was for you?!

But he had never … I mean sure you flirted here and there but it was nothing … official. No words were ever shared, no announcements, nor formality.

It was all very … murky and ambiguous.

“Hey, back to me, darling,” he gently pressed his thumb that was still holding on to your cheek. “I swear even when we’re together it’s like you’re still running away.” As if suddenly lost in thought himself he murmured, “Should I charm a chain on you, after all?”

You blinked and the dark glint in his eyes that you had only seen in his darkest moments in your fifth year disappeared, now replaced with a small cheeky smile.

“Sebastian, the ring was it – surely it wasn’t –”

“For you?” He was so close now that you could count all the freckles in his face, his lips running through your cheeks, even pressing a kiss on your temple. “Then riddle me this, my love – if not for you then who else would it be for? Hmm? Who else would I be begging to be my wife if not my most treasured friend? The one person who stood beside me through it all?”

Another kiss on your cheeks. “The only light in my life?”

The underside of your jaw. “The beautiful witch who had rudely stolen my heart when we were children then had the nerve to run away with it just as I was able to gather all the courage I had to ask for hers in return?”

He moved both of his hands to wrap around your waist, pulling and pulling and pulling as if he wanted to meld the two of you together. “Who else but you? There was and would’ve been nobody else but you.”

A shadow of a kiss at the edge of your lips. “You’re the only woman I have ever loved.”

Your heart threatens to explode.

“And you’re the only one I will ever love,” he whispered, but the quiet of the caves of Gringotts made his voice echo inside your overheating skull.

You had been aware of Sebastian’s charms when you were younger but now that he was using his pretty face and raspy voice at its full extent while professing his love for you in the murky caves of Gringotts and pieces of Inferi corpses scattered on the ground – you could almost feel your brain malfunctioning.

“I had resigned myself to a life of isolation if you had never come back,” he declared. “But you did. Why?”

He was not going to accept anything less than the truth. The intensity behind his eyes, the grip he has around you was so firm you were almost hanging off the ground. The unbearable weight of your guilt for almost driving this man to insanity even if it had not been your intention had you letting go of your defenses.

“Because I missed you,” you admitted, eyes looking straight at him to finally bare your soul. “And I couldn’t find anything the world could offer that could compare to you. Even if we just remained friends I –”

His chuckle cut you off.

“We could never just be friends,” he whispered, you couldn’t agree more. “We were never just friends. Darling, I’m not a religious man but if soulmates are real then yours and mine have always been tied to each other. And if whatever god is up there was cruel enough not to have done that then I would’ve knotted it myself.”

You giggle through your tears – you had played out so many fantasies of Sebastian’s confessions and yet now that you were living your wildest dreams it felt like your heart was trying to escape your chest.

“If you hadn’t come back, it would’ve done nothing short of killing me, you have to know that,” a ragged breath escapes him as if the mere memory of your escape were enough to cause him physical pain. “Because I love you and I have always loved you even back when I didn’t know what love is. Even when love was a mere flutter in my chest every time I looked at you. Even when I was a fool in a path to destruction I … I have always, always loved you.”

You nodded, almost gasping at the intensity of his words. “I love you too, Sebastian. So much. I would’ve always come back. I couldn’t – I would’ve honestly poisoned your wife if you had married another.”

A laugh exploded out of his mouth at your sudden proclamation, echoing through the eerie corners of the caves. “And I had more than enough daydreams of torturing any lovers you might’ve taken in your travels.” The sickly-sweet tone that contrasted such horrid words had you giggling.

“Think we should stick to each other then?” You roped an arm around his neck, letting him carry your dead weight. “Spare some poor suckers from poisons and murders.”

He grinned, leaning in closer and closer, “You always had been the one with bright ideas.”

You smiled just as he finally pressed his lips into yours. Even your wildest dream couldn’t compare to this. Sebastian’s greedy grip on your waist, his familiar scent, his taste – him. It wasn’t perfect – a bit too rough, too needy yet somehow never enough – it was better, a perfect amalgamation of your entire relationship.

“Marry me,” he commanded in between kisses, too desperate to separate from you for more than a second. “Tell me you’ll have me.”

“You’re mine,” You gasp when he suddenly turned you around and pressed you on the jagged wall of the cave. “Always been mine.”

You’ve never not been mine.

Suddenly, Sebastian ended your kisses, a whine slipping out of your throat which he placated with a quick peck before he haphazardly pulled a necklace of some kind around his neck, snapping it to let the pendant fall into his palms.

Only it wasn’t a pendant. It was a ring. The ring.

“Oh my, Sebastian,” your vision blurs with tears as he gently takes your shaking hand, slipping the beautiful jewelry on your ring finger where it shall sit forever. “It’s beautiful. I can’t wait to marry you.”

He groaned, pressing his forehead to your temple as you continued to admire the ring on your finger.

“You keep buttering me up like this and I’ll have to kidnap the first priest I see when we get out of here.”

“I wouldn’t object to that, we’ve never been one for propriety.”

“I can’t believe we had our first kiss in Gringott’s of all places,” he muttered, the vibration of his voice tickling your chest as he buries his face in it.

“That wasn’t my first kiss.”

That had his head snapping, eyes murderous at your words. "What?”

“It wasn’t yours either.”

“Huh.”

You nodded slowly, not breaking eye contact as he tries to scour through his memories.

“Remember our fight in the Room of Requirement? About the Triwizards game?”

He winced. “I’d rather not remember that.”

You shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

You settled back, knowing him well enough to know his mind was rapidly working through his memories to figure out the cryptic declaration you had confessed.

It had been frustrating when you had remembered such important event days after it happened. All it had taken was a faint whiff of Sebastian’s shampoo in your pillow in the room of requirement before you were shooting up in your bed at the memories trickling in your brain as you tried to figure out if it had been one of your more apparent daydreams only to scream when you had realized it had happened and the two of you completely forgot about it.

You had become wary of Sebastian then, staring and studying his face at any hint that he also had the luck of remembering such bold confessions from you. You aren’t sure if you were more relieved or disappointed when he showed no inkling of gaining the curse of such knowledge like you.

But at your sudden engagement to him, you believe you have suffered enough of such vexations alone. You are to be married after all which means the two of you shall share every burden from now on -- even the most embarrassing and frustrating ones.

Sebastian’s muscles locked, pushing himself up to cage you in bed as his frantic eyes widened.

You grin. He remembers.

“No fucking way.”

“Yes way.”

He slumps back down in your chest, groaning. “Are you sure you're okay with marrying a bloody idiot?”

Your body shakes with laughter. “Lucky for you, idiots are just my type.”

#sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow fanfiction #hogwarts legacy sebastian #sebastian x mc #hogwarts legacy fanfiction

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The Double (Ep. 32): You reap what you sow

I'm always riveted when I watch a Shen Yurong scene because not only does Liang Yongqi have electrifying chemistry with the actresses around him but my goodness do I LOVE how the show's visual storytelling reinforces what a pitiful man he is.

Framing, Blocking, Lighting

For example, this episode makes fantastic use of doors and other forms of architectural framing to show Yurong's fundamental flaw: his cowardice.

At the beginning of the episode, we see Fangfei gaze at two doorways, one that could lead to her future (Duke Su) and the other a painful reminder of the trauma Yurong has caused her. It's only when she recalls Duke Su's reassurance ("A'Li, from today onwards, there's no need to be afraid of anyone") that she's able to step forward and face her memories.

But when Yurong enters the hall and offers to open the door for her, suggesting he knows her true identity, Fangfei side-steps him and their blocking slowly changes. Fangfei now faces the light, her back to the door of their past.

They've never been quite aligned as husband and wife, and in this moment the gulf between them is even clearer.

Unlike Fangfei, who fights for survival and will no longer compromise what she believes in, Yurong refuses to see that he has always had a choice to fight for his conscience, regardless of how difficult it might be. His constant need to pass blame instead of choosing the path he knows is right has left him a pitiful shell of the vibrant scholar he once was and so he remains shrouded in the darkness of the hall.

SIDE NOTE #1: I love the parallels between Fangfei's argument with Yurong ("So, in your opinion, the crimes of your mother and sister don't need to be atoned for, while my innocence and grievances don't need to be compensated") and Grandmother Jiang's admonishment of Minister Jiang ("Can you really let this go?...You haven't fulfilled your responsibilities as a father for all these years"). Both are men who have failed their families--my heart broke when Yurong distinguished between Fangfei and his "family"--by choosing who they decide to protect.

Camera Angles

Ok, this scene has GOT to be one of my favorites from the whole show and so much of that is due to the way it plays with camera angles and the visual language of power.

In cinematography, low-angle and high-angle shots are often paired to visually enhance the power imbalance between characters. Low-angle shots make the subject look more powerful and threatening while high-angle shots make the subject look weaker and more vulnerable.

But in this particular scene, that visual relationship is subverted.

The scene starts with Yurong taunting Princess Wanning.

He is at such a low point after being accused of assaulting Fangfei that he embraces the idea of banishment or death. He is shot at a high angle with the Princess looming over him as usual but it's clear that at this moment he has reclaimed some power now that his all-consuming despair has liberated him from his fear.

When she tries to attack him, he pushes her back and then gets up to bow mockingly. It is he who is now shot from a low angle, signifying his dominance.

But then Princess Wanning seductively leans back in the straw. As they trade barbs, she is shot from a high angle but it's clear there has been another shift in power:

Yurong: Your highness, you don't have to save me. You've fooled me for so long, I'm sure you're bored of it. Princess Wanning: I'm not bored. Shen Yurong, in this world, I'm the only one who can decide how you die. Your life is in my hands.

As noted by @dangermousie, Yurong's lack of self-interest just "makes her more interested again, because someone broken is not her thing but someone who she can potentially break more?" And we can see the fear creep over his face again once he realizes that.

Regardless of the temporary relief he might have felt challenging her, it was all an illusion, as demonstrated by the constantly shifting meaning of the scene's camera angles to maintain her power within the scene. He is completely trapped now.

SIDE NOTE #2: The fact that Princess Wanning always finds a way to make a crop out of anything even a piece of straw and bring a man to his knees (literally or metaphorically) cracks me up.

SIDE NOTE #3: This moment? Hot. Am eagerly waiting for the fanfic.

#the double #墨雨云间 #cdrama #meta #cinematography #wu jinyan #liang yong qi #li meng

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buddiebeginz · 1 day

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Fyi these are the kind of posts that B/T stans are sharing:

I still 100% believe that Buddie is in the works for season 8 but if we want to make sure of that we can't let the 911 social media accounts be full of this crap. We need to be out there constantly reminding Tim and anyone else connected with the show how supportive of Buddie and 911 we are.

Don't forget it was our fandom that had a hand in getting the bi buck storyline to even happen. There's no way they would have done it if we hadn't been pushing for it for years. We need to continue to be just as vocal now for Buddie.

I know a lot of things didn't go how we wanted in s7 and I know things with fandom right now are frustrating (to say the least) but we still need to be a positive voice out there for Buddie. If we aren't reminding those involved with the show and the rest of the 911 audience of Buddie then the main thing they're going to be seeing on the 911 social media accounts is love for B/T.

For years people have found 911 and started watching because of Buddie. We still want that to be the case. We don't want the trajectory of the show to change in s8 where T*mmy gets more popular so they decide to keep him and Buck together for awhile longer. And like I said I don't think that will happen but shows change so you never know.

Make sure you’re liking/sharing Buddie tweets on Twitter, talking about Buddie on every official 911 account post that has Oliver and Ryan in it (including the B/T one). This includes instagram, tiktok, yt (they're not really active on twitter rn but maybe for s8). Also make sure to reblog and not just like Buddie related posts here on tumblr. It's important we are able to do things like get Buddie trending on places like tumblr and twitter. Also try and create new posts when you can even just texts posts tagged as Buddie help.

We don't just want people involved with the show to see how much love is out there for Buddie we also want people who are new to the show to see what's so great about our ship. I've seen newbies to 911 message B*mmy shippers and ask about the show because the most they know about 911 is the hype they saw around the B/T kiss. There is so much more to 911 than that and there is so much more to Buck's story than that.

A huge portion of the 911 audience is because of Buddie. People have always been drawn to the show because of Buddie and we want that to continue. It's also important that people who are new to the show feel welcomed into our fandom. Our fandom is where people can truly see Buddie for the amazing love story it is and not the warped version that B*mmy shippers have concocted.

I know everyone gets busy and doesn't always have time to devote to fandom stuff but I'm just putting this out there to as reminder that the other side is pushing for their ship. So just don't forget to show your love for Buddie even in small ways when you can. Buck deserves a better love story than the one he had in season 7 with T*mmy. Both Buck and Eddie deserve the epic love story they should have been having by now with each other and we can't stop reminding everyone of that.

#911 buddie #buddie #buddie 911 #911!

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facewithoutheart · 2 days

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Thanks for the tags @monbons & @rimeswithpurple ❤️

I’ve finally finished the first draft of my COBB which feels super good. For once, I’m not doing a multi-chapter fic but I’m pleased with how it turned out. It needs a bit of finessing at the end so I’m going to let it sit for awhile. Come back when it’s closer to posting time for last minute tweaks.

Have some cute goat content:

Simon shrugged one shoulder. “Who can say? But he’s been loved. That’s what counts.” He placed the goat gently on the ground and the little thing scrambled away, bleating like a banshee at the kids who had yet to take flight. “Of course he’s also been a right bastard. Maybe that counts more.”

Cute/deranged, same thing.

Song vibes if you need them:

Tags & original fiction thoughts below the break.

I also spent some time making piccrews of my OCs. I only like to write original fiction about love triangles with two men and a woman so here, meet Hawk, Gabriel & Zoe:

Shout out to my brown eye peeps although I forgot Hawk actually has hazel eyes. WHOOPS. We’re just gonna pretend he has flecks of green sprinkles in there that only Gabriel can see. And yes Zoe is that hot on purpose. She’s a messy bitch and I love her.

One thing I’ve been thinking about lately is the theory that words written are not words wasted. As in, don’t regret the things you wrote that aren’t published or make it into the final piece. And I’ve had to adopt that for fanfic to original writing because sometimes it’s hard looking at my, frankly ridiculous, back catalog and wonder if it wasn’t all worthless. Because in the end I spent all that time and energy writing someone else’s stories.

But this is a fruitless and, frankly, untrue line of thinking. I’ve spent years honing my ability to write plot and setting and dialogue and action and messy situations. Sure, I’ve been using someone else’s characters and outline to do so, but the skills transfer even if they do also require new ones. I would never have had the courage to take on messy characters for a romance novel if I hadn’t written Boulders or This Charming Man. These two fics directly inspired my original idea.

So I’m kind of sitting around feeling really … grateful? I guess? That I’ve taken this time, I’ve written these words, and I’ve stretched these muscles. Writing an original novel is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid and it feels really good to be working on one again, especially after my rather demoralizing attempt at NaNoWriMo in 2022.

Which is all just to say I’m having a good time, and all your efforts are not wasted, and does this make any sense? Maybe not entirely. And maybe you’ve skimmed it but maybe this is also something that will resonate with one of you all.

Okay now. Tagging @martsonmars, @sillyunicorn, @bookish-bogwitch, @thewholelemon, @raenestee, @cutestkilla, @skeedelvee, @artsyunderstudy, @palimpsessed, @aristocratic-otter, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @stitchyqueer, @run-for-chamo-miles, @larkral, @whogaveyoupermission, @moodandmist, @mooncello, @creepyspice, @ivelovedhimthroughworse & @shrekgogurt

#snowbaz #fanfic #original fiction #swept away #Cobb 2024 #writing #WIPsday #WIP Wednesday

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puppyslutposting · 2 days

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Hope you had a good night's sleep, puppy! You deserve it. Taking a knot's no joke :3

-🐻

Oh yeah, I slept like a rock!! X3 I'm a little sore today but it was soooo worth it.. I just wish I didn't have to take a break today because, surprise surprise, I've been crazy horny allll day

Anyways, I'll use this ask to talk about how it went! :3

At first, my owner started out with some good foreplay. Leading me to the bed and kissing/biting all over my neck and shoulders, gripping at my inner thighs, and clipping on my collar and leash. Once I was nice and aroused, she hopped out of bed and told me she'd be right back. I was confused, but waited patiently for her. She came back into bed holding an edible in her teeth, and instructed me to take it. I took it obediently, kissing her in the process. Then, the real fun began.

She slipped my boxers off and started teasing my wet boycunt with the tip of the toy, saying, "You want to be bred so badly, don't you? Are you a good little knotslut?~" She kept dirty talking and teasing me, until I got so desperate I started bucking my hips and begging her for it. She chuckled at me and got up, slipping on the strap panties and positioning the toy in them. Seeing her stand so confidently with the knotted dildo on made me moan "oh, fuck" out loud, which was really embarrassing >////////>

She then got back on top of me and teased me with it more, fucking me with only the tip. I think she just wanted to watch me squirm and buck, trying to get more of it into me. She slowly gave me more and more, until she was eventually fucking me ruthlessly with the whole shaft. At this point, I was so needy for it that I had my legs wrapped around her back, trying to pull the big knot into me. Realizing how needy I was for it, she asked me, "Are you ready for your first knotting now, pup?~" Of course, I nodded like crazy. I was more than ready, i felt like I NEEDED it. My hungry cunt had been milking hard and trying to pull it in this entire time...

Suddenly, she gave one rough thrust into me. I gasped and yelped a little. I wasn't expecting it, but the toy was big enough for the thin tip to penetrate my cervix a bit. She of course checked on me to make sure I was ok, but to be honest I loved it. Surprisingly, I ended up loving that sensation so much I didn't even feel the knot that much. After a sec of just feeling my pussy pulse and milk around the dildo, she started fucking the whole thing, knot and all, in and out of me. I could definitely feel the knot now as my entrance stretched around it with every in-and-out motion.

It was around this point that the edible started to kick in and I was feeling a pure, euphoric high. Between my stoned state and the intense pleasure, my mind was completely slipping away from me. I don't remember much of what I actually said, but i do remember rambling about how it felt like this is what I was made for, and begging her to cum in me. (forgetting that it was just a hunk of silicone)

By the end of it, my insides were radiating dull pain around my entrance and my cervix from the pounding and stretching. But it felt so good. The pain made me feel so accomplished and proud, serving as a constant reminder of how good i took it... >//W//> AND she called me a good boy for taking it so well!! Woof!!

Anyways, if I wasn't so sore today, I'd definitely be masturbating right now while thinking about it. Typing it all out got me so wet it isn't even funny... >~< ruff...

As always, thanks for the ask!!~ :3

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halliescomut · 2 days

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Love Sea Ep 2 Thoughts

Okay. I've had some time to consider the episode, organize my thoughts (potentially) but I think this still might be a bit of a ramble....sorry.

So we do start off right where we left off where they're coming back on the boat, and they're talking on the beach. I mentioned in my watch along a lot of these thoughts, so I'm kind of just expanding on them, so it might be helpful to read that first. But I've taken an interest in a lot of the body language happening in the show, and looking at the scene it gives me this feeling of Mut sort of invading Rak's space, but just enough.

Like their legs are entwined, but there's decent distance from their upper bodies, which given Rak's hesitation to get too close, or be too charmed by Mut really works for me. Given the scene prior, and Rak's sort of level of upset, it feels pretty clear that Mut is working to kind of distract Rak. And Rak basically jumps on that opportunity. It actually kind of reminds me of Sky in that way, like we don't have a confirmation of Sky's general MO in regard to sex, but the ONS read a little bit to me as an intentional decision to distract himself. I get that same feeling here, Rak doesn't want to think about why he reacted as he did, or consider how vulnerable he made himself, and so he kind of thinks by jumping into a sexual experience that will distract both him and Mut.

I have (as is kind of always the case with Mame) reservations on the kind of D/s undertones she uses. I got to be honest, part of the issue is the weird commitment to putting Peat's character in the more submissive position (she did it with Sky too) I honestly don't find that it suits him or his characters well, and is based solely on his body type versus his personality. Setting that aside for now, I will say that I appreciate direct expression of oral sex. In LITA specifically (I know I'm calling back to that a lot, but it's hard not to use it as a comparison, specifically for the NC scenes) we saw two separate allusions to oral sex, or honestly we were robbed of two NC scenes involving oral. The ONS, where Pai doesn't let Sky give him a BJ, and then the bathroom scene that ended up getting cut where we see Prapai giving. I made this observation (among friends, not publically...I don't think) that I think the intentional exclusion of that specific sex act in Thai BL leads me to believe there's a particular reason why it's not included. In terms of MM sex we see your standard penetrative sex pretty regularly, and then small sprinkles of handjobs in general, but oral is almost never even alluded to, much less shown. Now I'm honestly not super caught up on a lot of Thai BL, but I would say I've seen more direct expressions of oral in the last year, than I had seen in two years prior since I got into Thai BL. So overall I think it's a step in the right direction in encouraging a more well-rounded and accurate depiction of the gay experience.

In terms of the actual physical acting of the scene...I'm gonna say C+. It's less about their facial expressions and more about positioning and timing...in a way. I will salute the decision for oral sex if you're doing it on a beach, because that is going to be your least chafe-y option.

Following this we get a return of the humor with Rak saying they need to go back to the hotel room immediately...Clearly leading Mut to believe that the sexy times will continue, but they do not. Rak starts writing, we don't get insight into the specific scene, but I do wonder if the written scenes mirror the IRL experiences or not. Like how similar are they? During that time we see Mut basically pouting and then googling Rak. This gives us our first suggestion in the show I think that Rak is basically a self-insert for Mame. And we see the covers for The Boy Next World as well as Love Director, two novels that 'Rak' has written and are being made into series. He follows that up by checking what looks to be basically Rak's Instagram, containing many pictures of Rak looking incredibly attractive and then basically excuses himself to take a shower.

Rak finishes his scene, and I'm not really sure if he's kind of run out of mojo, or if he's just done with that scene in general, but he goes looking for Mut and he sure does find him. Now I did miss the arm movement initially and thought we were just appreciating the rear view so to speak, but then you realize that Mut is in fact jacking off.

Overall, it seems a case of "Well, we've already crossed the line" and we have the most minimal discussion of terms. I'm not a person who cares at all about the sexual decisions that adults make, but as someone who is close friends with people who have and continue to work in the sex industry, it is of course not a necessarily safe way to go about those types of negotiations. This is not a dealbreaker for me by any means in regards to watching the show, I genuinely don't expect anything overly realistic, it's just an observation.

Moving on to the main event as it were, the sort of antagonistic flirting is on point, which with Fort and Peat is not surprising. They mentioned that Mame gave them an opportunity to do what felt natural for their characters and I do feel that in the conversation and acting in the shower. Once we move back to the bedroom things move very quickly, and while I think the scene is very good, it doesn't feel passionate in the same way the earlier scene does, or previous NC scenes we've seen from FortPeat as PrapaiSky (except for one in particular and I'll get back to that). I'm not personally sure if this was an acting choice, if it was just how the scene ended up, if it was directing, I truly don't know. I think though it really fits the situation in a particular way. The almost emotionless sex feels appropriate because they don't truly have feelings for each other yet, not really. Flirting and attraction aside, there's not a true emotional connection, especially on Rak's part. And I'm sorry, but it reminds me of the ONS in LITA. It's the only sex scene we see of Prapai and Sky where there are positions where they aren't facing each other, which creates an emotional distance. It's why we see missionary position so often in BLs even when that may not be the go-to position for MM sex. Having characters face each other creates an emotional connection.

The choice makes sense if you consider that both Rak and Sky are going into this sexual encounter with the intention of maintaining emotional distance. And even Mut and Prapai at this point, while intrigued by this very attractive person, aren't coming into it from an overly emotional place. So, overall I do think in this scene it's a vibe that really works for me, and I'm interested to see how these scenes change as the characters open up more to each other.

Once Rak is done, he's very definitively done and sends Mut away, but does admit to himself that this Mut is one of the best he's ever had.

We then cut to the next day and get more of what I personally call Mut's village rounds, just him going around and talking to different people from the community, and we see more interactions with Palm, the bartender from episode one. They're interactions are really cute, I actually really enjoy him. He has good doofus energy. Anyway, after that Mut heads to the hotel because Palm told him that all the single staff there were trying to 1- figure out Rak's sexuality and 2- potentially woo him because he's rich. So Mut is there sitting with a group of ladies, to Rak's eyes he's flirting, but we don't hear much if any of the conversation, so it's unclear if there's actual flirting or if it's just Mut's general charisma. I also don't think we've gotten any specific clarity on Mut or Rak's sexuality in terms of whether they are gay, bi, or pan. I personally suspect that Rak does not feel attracted to women, but that's my own read on it. Mut is harder to nail down, but we haven't seen nearly as much of him in a flirting-approriate situation. But back to the point. Rak sees Mut with the women, he hears hotel staff talking about how he's a catch or something (I skimmed over that on the second watch, sorry) and he's jealous.

We see a peek at Rak's impulsiveness here (like the beach and the shower, and even the robe scene of last episode) and he sends Mut 65,000 Baht which is $1,771 in USD, so not small change, and basically comes up and stakes his claim on him. We get more of Peat's English here, and I'm guessing we might get more of it when he returns to Bangkok, or maybe just more if we see more conversations with Connor. I have feelings about the whole "I paid for you, I don't share", as discussed above, but I do think it gives insight to Rak, and the kind of slippery slope he's found himself on here.

Mut leaves with him after agreeing to feed him and we do get an adorable montage of them on the motorbike. While the tone of the episode shifts throughout, I don't feel like it's quite as abrupt as the previous episode, and I think the motorbike scene really sets up the future of Rak kind of finding some peace not only in Mut, but also in this rural community. Once they arrive at the area where the restaurant is we get the joke that the motorbike ride set up, which is that it may not be the best mode of transportation if you spent the previous night engaging in pretty vigorous anal activity. Fair enough, and the teasing there from Mut using his Southern dialect is downright adorable, but what's most interesting is we get confirmation that both Mut and Rak are out in their communities.

While this is not necessarily surprising with Mame, outside of her university set stories most of her characters are reconciled of their sexuality from the start. They may not necessarily be publicly out, but they're aware of and enerally accepting of their sexuality and even confident in it. I actually think Mame's spectrum of where people are at in their coming out journey is one of the better aspects of her shows, as it gives people at all different parts of that journey characters they can relate to.

We re-encounter Palm here, he's kind of similar to Mut, or at least Mut a few years ago, a less than flush native of the island who works whatever odd jobs he can find. Rak finds him a bit annoying which is fair, but I did enjoy the small bit of teasing between Palm and Mut. I think they have a pretty cute bro relationship. Once they go to sit down Rak (and we the viewer) get to meet another community member who heaps quite a bit of praise on Mut for his work and contribution to their community. Mut's shy reaction is very sweet and the scene overall offers a glimpse to Rak of the person Mut truly is, beyond the shameless flirt.

We also get backstory for Mut, learning that he had a falling out with his father at 15, leading to him leaving that home. It's not clear if his sexuality may have been a factor, but homophobic parents have been present in Mame's work before and are something that very sadly continues to be consistent in many queer kids lives IRL, so I don't think it's farfetched. This particular scene is one of the most well-acted I think we've gotten from Fort in it's minimalism. I think Fort feels comfortable with the flirty-charmer character type, and the way he holds himself, how he schools his face, his tone, as he talks about the fallout with his father is so well done. His eyes too, Fort does a lot of really excellent acting with his eyes. What particularly felt accurate to me was the sort of emotionlessness that we see. Experiences like he had, particularly with a parent are really hard to reconcile. As humans we want to have a loving relationship with our parents, more specifically we want to be certain they love us. When it becomes clear they don't, it's a very difficult thing to accept, in particular because it's necessary to simultaneously recognize that you are not at fault in the situation. That's kind of why most people require actual therapy to work through experiences like this. But when that's not an option, the way you deal with it is usually dissociation. You can't dwell on it, let it get to close, because then it will cause a problem, so you keep it at arm's length. That's what we see here with Mut, and what Fort portrays so well. We also get one of the most heartbreaking lines in Mut saying "My dad never takes back what he says. I suppose that's the only thing we have in common." Mut is proud of being a person who keeps their word, we see him mention it before, and we now see that it's a trait with a direct connection to his father. Seemingly the only potentially positive connection he can create there.

For Rak's part, we see those little cracks forming in those walls, he recognizes Mut's vulnerability, he's practically appalled at the idea of Mut's father kicking him out, which based on what we can presume is a very close relationship with his mother, sister, and niece, is understandable. He doesn't understand that betrayal from family really. But he's starting to see Mut as a more well rounded human being, versus the way he'd initially saw him which is solely a potential sex partner/distraction. We then start to get our first bit of insight into Rak when Mut asks him why he became a writer. In the voiceover we hear that he started writing to escape, but his spoken response is that it started as him just wanting to share stories he loved with people. Given that his chosen genre is romance, he wanted to escape to these happily ever after love stories, and share them with people who also want that, because to him happily ever after is only a fantasy, it's not attainable in the real world. Peat's body language is wonderful here, the crossed arms, and looking off kind of the side instead of meeting Mut's gaze directly show that he's being deliberate in how much he's sharing, but in the end I think he still reveals more than he intended with his answers. Mut questions if he's happy, and Rak says that if he weren't he wouldn't be Tongrak, the writer, to which Mut replies "That's all there is to life. And you've been doing a good job". Now I kind of feel like there's nuance missing in the translation, but I'm not the person to address that. But the sentiment seems to be 'happiness is what's important, and by valuing that you're doing a good job' and Rak is very touched by that. He says he doesn't recieve compliments very often, and while I don't know if that's fully accurate given his success and handsomeness, there's a great deal of difference in someone complimenting your work or your looks and someone recognizing that that you're doing a good job as a person, especially a person with a traumatic past. Being a survivor of any kind of trauma creates a lot of pitfalls that are difficult to overcome and create even a semblance of a normal life, and so having that effort recognized, even if not directly is really affirming. We see Rak very intentionally return this compliment to Mut, which communicates a level of recognition.

This conversation also kind of confirms for me that Rak is a bit of a self-insert character for Mame, especially considering that he brings up criticism that his stories get. I've never directly seen or encountered it, but I have heard rumors of Mame getting upset and even responding to negative critiques of her work. Her use of more problematic tropes is a valid criticism, and while I can see some progress from one series to the next, I do also feel like she falls back on what's "easy" instead of really trying to push her stories into more positive directions. While her sexuality is her business, she is a woman writing about gay male relationships, and honestly sometimes it's unrealistic to the point of being distracting. As I've said before, I don't truly expect realism from Mame, but her stories are meant to be in the genre of realistic fiction, they're not fantasy or sci-fi (leaving TBNW out of it for now). It's also very important to recognize that many gay men who watch BL do find some of the tropes she often uses to be damaging, both because they portray gay men in not the best light, but also because they set up potentially problematic expectations in young queer or questioning men who might partake in her stories.

We then cut to night again, joining Mut at home and he's trying to weasel information out of Kom, who does ask Connor, but Connor refuses to give any, only telling him to ask Rak himself, which I appreciate. We can suspect that Connor is kinda trying to matchmake here, but I appreciate him being a good friend to Rak and not revealing his secrets. In the end he calls Rak and invites him diving and we get to the last portion of this episode. Let us pray I can fit my thoughts in a single post.

Now aside from how honestly weird it is that Rak showed up for diving in a small fortunes worth of luxury jewlery (why?), when he sees Palm there as well he gets a little upset, seemingly because he thought there was potential for another hookup. Which I guess is fine, but why would you think diving is the code word for that, when it's literally part of how Mut makes is living? But moving on, they get out into the water, Mut get's Rak all set in his gear and as he's going to get Palm to help him get his gear on Rak goes ahead and dives (that impulsiveness again!). Setting aside my frustration with Rak's fully dangerous decision here, we do get a really lovely little scene of the underwater flora and fauna. Things take a downturn when Rak has a series of flashbacks. It's not really clear what triggers them here, but we see three scenes back to back. First his parents arguing, when he's quite young...8-9 (?), then him comforting his sister, both of them late teens it looks like (they look to be in school uniforms, but could potentially be college), after her boyfriend leaves her after finding out she's pregnant, and then with his mother again, the final sentence is a bit garbled, and not translated in the captions, but logically I think it's something along the lines of "Don't trust in love, if you don't want to end up like me."

As a child, watching two women he cares for deeply suffering because men that they trusted to love and care for them simply didn't would certainly put a bad taste in anyone's mouth about love. So we've kind of identified the catalyst for why Rak doesn't believe in love, even having witnessed it with Kom and Connor. Though I understand in the book there's perhaps some insight into negative feelings related to that relationship, and Kom "taking Connor away". I haven't read either Love Sea or Love Sand, so this is based off of conversations with people who have, so I could be wrong, but I don't think it's a stretch to think of Rak grappling with negative thoughts related to Kom and Connor, even if he's recognizing that those thoughts are a bit ridiculous. It's normal to mourn the loss of what was easy and comfortable when friends find romantic partners and you have to figure out what the new normal is, you just have to make sure you keep resentment and negative feelings under control and don't let them fester.

I will point out though, is that one cinematic choice that's made here is having the sort of washed out blue tones of the flashbacks match the underwater coloring. It keeps the scenes from being too jolting as they cut back and forth, an dI think it was an excellent idea.

Due to the flashback Rak kind of panics, looses his regulator and Mut basically finds him just in time. Giving him some mouth to mouth oxygen before getting him reset so they can go back to the surface.

This type of scene would have been very difficult to film, even if it wa managed in a single take, which is kind of unlikely, and so massive props to Fort and Peat for doing some amazing work here.

Returning to the boat we see Mut become very serious about how dangerous Rak's actions were, but that seriousness is balanced with a lot of empathy as well. I can't fully express my thoughts on the metaphor I feel like is intended in the "they need buddies" conversation, but there's something happening there. Mut does try to talk about why Rak panicked, but Rak shuts him down and we get a convo about the wordplay that is their names instead. Mut here is trying to lighten the situation a bit, and I think Rak kind of recognizes that, but is too stuck in his darker memories to really let it happen and he says something I don't know that he means to. That "Love is a figment of our imaginations". And he believes that, and you can see that Mut know he believes it, and his reaction is the most "Oh sweetie" look I've ever seen. (Seriously, Fort's expressions are always so fantastic). The moment is broken when Rak pulls a Kim Theerapanyakul and says "I'm hungry" and walks away.

We do get s teensy post credits scene which returns us to the restaurant where Rak sadly finds out that at many fresh seafood restaurants those tanks aren't just for ambiance (Bless you red fish for nourishing us) and we get some more good natured flirting from Mut "Will you eat me if I'm tasty"...boy if you don't.

Now we saw this same kind of thing last ep, where we ended on a pretty serious tone, go the end title screen and then a more humorous scene after. I think it's kind of intended to leave us as an audience on a more positive note instead of just wandering through the rest of our day traumatized and sobbing.

As we see the actual credits roll we get confirmation of my suspicion that the scene might change and progress as the episodes go on and indeed this episode we see Mut join Rak at the beach at a companionable distance. A bit curious to see if we might also have a change up when they go to the city.

Overall this was an excellent episode, clearly much to unpack (as you can see by this 4000 word post. It's well paced, the acting is very good, we're kept engaged as an audience. I didn't talk much about P'Vie and Mook, but I'll make a much shorter separate post for that.

#love sea #love sea the series #love sea ep 2 #tongrak #mahasamut #mutrak #tongrak x mahasamut #fortpeat #peat wasuthorn #fort thitipong

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theriu · 2 days

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What advice do you have for someone who wishes to (eventually, as soon as she has both the space and the money) have a cat, but who has never had a pet before?

Oh goodness, I don’t feel like an expert but I will do my best! Here’s a few tips I can think of from my own experiences:

1) Decide how okay you are with shedding. Of my two cats, the long-haired one obviously sheds a lot more noticeably, and it can be a bit aggravating to find clumps of fur all over the carpet. Hard floors can make this less of a nuisance since you can sweep it up easily, but if you have a lot of carpet, I’d suggest a short-hair cat unless you just SUPER LOVE long-hairs. Of course, my cats were both strays so those kinds of considerations didn’t really factor in. 😅

2. Determine if you want a cat that is indoor/outdoor or indoor only. Now, there is a lot of argument against letting cats run free outdoors, but I used to live out on a farm right next to a trailer park full of stray cats, so a few more (all fixed) weren’t going to make much difference to the local wildlife. Once I moved into town, though, I rehomed my one cat I knew would be miserable being indoor-only, and the other two have adapted pretty well to being indoor cats. (They do try and sneak out the door sometimes, though.) I did this mainly because risks like being hit by cars or being mistaken for a stray and adopted by some well-meaning person are much higher in town. They are still risks elsewhere, though, so keep a collar on your cat, and consider getting it microchipped. Also, know that you will probably need to get the cat some extra shots, for diseases they can only get outside. Also also, make sure you spay/neuter! (The kitten issue aside, female cats are so WEIRD when they are in heat!)

For indoor cats, my house has stairs the cats can run up and down and they seem to stay in good shape, but just make sure they have some kind of ability to exercise if they can’t run much. Stimulating things like feeder dishes that make the cat work for its food can help mentally and with keeping them from overeating. (I got this neat feeding bowl that is actually a holder of five cups of varying sizes that get filled with food, and the cats have to paw it out of the cups. It’s really helped with how fast they were eating.)

3. Cats have very different personalities, so I think it’s good to try and figure out what a cat is like before adopting it. I kept all my cats because they were really friendly compared to other cats I had known. Of course, there is the issue where my two current cats don’t always get along, but they at least don’t get into full-on brawls. But if you don’t have any other pets when you get the cat, this should be easier - you only have to get it used to you! Cats don’t always show friendlieness by cuddling; a lot of times, they just want to be in the room with you. But if you’re looking for a cuddler, see if you can find one that isn’t too afraid of people and will come right up for petting. When introducing it to your home, give it plenty of space and time to get used to its new surroundings and roommate.

4. Remembering to feed and water and change the cat litter can be hard, especially if you have ADHD. >.> My solution on the water front has been to fill a large decorative bowl in the living room and the cats just drink off that. XD For the food, Stormy will always remind me when she thinks the food is low (this is generally a false alarm the first couple times, the drama queen). Make sure you clean the litter box frequently, or the cats may find other, less agreeable locations to go. 8/ (Such as, oh I don’t know, INSIDE THE DRYER ON MY CLEAN LAUNDRY) If your cat does pee somewhere, you want to get those pet cleaner sprays because they break down the stinky enzymes that make cat pee smell so bad for so LONG.

5. As mentioned, some cats are cuddlier than others, but here’s a few general tips on cat behavior: a slow blink is how they show they trust you. A cat rolling onto its back is also showing trust that you WON’T touch its vulnerable belly (but some cats do actually learn to love tummy rubs; you kinda have to figure that one out on a cat-by-cat basis). They often like being petted on the area over the hindquarters near the base of the tail, but they also have a lot of nerves there and can get overstimulated, so if a cat goes from letting you pet it to trying to bite your hand, it is probably telling you that petting needs to stop NOW because its nerves are going CRAZY. This can also involve some trial and error; my former cat Clyde still sometimes knee-jerk reacts to being petted, but my sister says he has never done it to her, so we think she just pets less firmly than I do. Meanwhile, Shuri has NEVER reacted poorly to petting, and in fact would love nothing more than for me to spend an hour petting her so hard that she squishes into the mattress.

6. Don’t waste money on fancy cat toys unless you have some indication your cat likes that kind of toy. (This may be different if you raise them with the fancy toys from kittenhood; mine were both strays and are Very Suspicous of anything fancy I get them.) Laser pointers are an INSTANT FAVORITE and only cost a few dollars! And a dangly thing on a string can usually get them excited. Cats will often prefer a plain cardboard box over a fancy catbed, but they like pillows and piles of clothes and chairs and couches and people beds. And sometimes the round puzzle you put together on top of your hope chest, because Borders Are Safe Zones.

7. GET SCRATCHING POSTS OR THEY WILL MAKE THEIR OWN. (They will probably make their own anyway; my couch is regretably covered in claw marks. But the scratching posts at least help slow the deterioration.) Fun Fact: Cats don’t use scratching posts to “sharpen” their claws, but rather to rub off the outer layers on their claws. If you trim your cat’s claws yourself, you may notice how the claws kind of flake off when clipped. Be very careful not to cut into the quick (the blood vessel) when trimming! If your cat strongly opposes this process, the vet can do it for you for a small fee, but I generally just wrap mine up in a towel and make them suffer the indignity. It’s cheaper for me and less stressful for them than a long car trip and a visit to the strange vet’s office would be. (And they always forgive me pretty immediately after I release them. I cannot speak for cats that may hold grudges.)

I’m sure I haven’t covered even a tenth of the useful info, but I hope these are helpful and that you find just the right cat buddy in the future! 😄

#river replies #cats #cat owner #cat advice #pets

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lionhanie · 12 hours

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sungho as your boyfriend! ♡

boyfriend sungho x gn reader!!!!, fluffy fluff, he loves you so much :-(

word count: ~720

warnings: none

a/n: bf sungho everyone CHEERED!!!! i literally geeked writing the last point bc i'm madly in love with him... hope u enjoy ^_^ also he's actually so breathtaking in that pic im going crazy

likes ♡ and reblogs ↺ always appreciated!

i lowkey feel like in the start of your relationship he’s super … well mannered? not that he isn’t normally, but moreso ... the last thing he would want to do is make you uncomfortable so he goes out of his way to make sure he isn’t overstepping any boundaries until he knows you’re okay with something

the two of you are eating dinner with each other & sungho can’t stop looking at the sauce on the side of your mouth; he contemplates not saying anything about it because you look really cute when you’re enjoying the food so well…he eventually holds up a napkin by your face and he’s just like

“can i…?” once you understand what he's asking, you’re a little embarrassed because how long was there something on your face????? but regardless you give him a small nod & he gently wipes the stain off your face, as both of you struggle to keep the smiles off your own faces

always giving gifts with MEANINGS like boy will do his research and go above and beyond!!!!. and will always be so happy to explain said research if you happen to ask about it

(im specifically thinking about their debut gifts to each other and sungho was so drawn to the Meanings of the flowers he got for woonhak rather than focusing only on what they looked like)

at one of your relationship milestones, he pulls out a jewelry box. there’s a dainty ring sitting inside of it, with two gemstones planted side by side in its center. you immediately gasp because IT’S SOOOO PRETTY? but you can’t help but wonder where he got it because it looks… handmade?

“where did you get this? the gems complement each other so well!”

“ah… taesan and i went to a jewelry making workshop a couple weeks ago, so i wanted to make something for our anniversary,” he grabs your hand to place the ring on one of your fingers, finding it to be a perfect fit. “it’s not the best, but i tried my hardest. i even put our birthstones on it!”

even if sungho didn’t think the ring was perfect, it definitely was perfect to you <3

when you give him gifts he will be OVER THE MOON, esp if it was something you got for him /just cause/. he falls in love with you even more knowing that you put in the same effort he does when it comes to gifts

a necklace? he never forgets to put it on before he goes out for the day. a framed picture of you two from your first date? it lives atop his dresser for him to see every morning :3

i'm a firm believer that sungho will go out of his way to implement constant reminders of you throughout his daily routine (because you're obviously his favorite thing to think about), which is why he adores the things you get for him

u already know this man does not hesitate to serenade you whenever he gets the chance to. omygooooddd his angelic voice paired with a love song you just KNOW he is dedicating to you

plus i feel like it’d be intimate as hell…. he’s gently strumming his guitar, playing the chords to one of your favorite songs, only breaking eye contact to take a quick look back at his fingers to make sure he plays the next notes correctly OHHHH i’m in love with him i fear

when the time comes for his weekly deep clean of the dorms, he swears he’s ready to propose to you right then and there as you help him tidy up everyone’s mess LOL

sungho’s accepted the fact that he sometimes needs to clean up after the other members, but now that you’re wiping down the kitchen counters next to him as he washes the various pots and pans that have been piling up in the sink, he almost looks forward to it. it’s oddly domestic-- not that he’s complaining.

“you know, you don’t need to clean up their mess for them. it’s not like you’re their mom or something,” he says as he places another clean plate on the dish rack beside him.

“i mean, i know that. but you don’t need to either! i don’t mind helping you out if it means i get to spend some more time with you.” you shyly admit, spraying the counter with disinfectant. out of nowhere, he comes up behind you and places a sweet kiss atop your head, thanking you for everything you do for him. ♡

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punkshort · 2 days

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What would a pregnancy scare look like between ikwya Joel and Reader? What do you think Joel’s reaction would be? Love your work ❤️‍🔥

Hi! I'm sorry I know you sent this in a month ago. I have a stockpile of asks/requests that I've been working through and I wanted to give this one some thought because I think both their reactions would be different pre and post accident.

I Know Who You Are Masterlist

Pre-accident Joel would absolutely panic. I think he would immediately think of Sarah and how he failed her, then Ellie and how he almost failed her, and he would get too in his head about failing a third child. He would probably say something he would end up regretting in the heat of the moment and I think pre-accident reader would give it right back to him. She wouldn't stand for his shit, she would call him out and remind him it takes two to tango and it wasn't something she expected, either, but there's no point in being an asshole about it because what's done is done.

They would probably get into a fight about it and Joel would grab the bottle of whiskey and take a shot. Then, without really thinking, while Joel was rambling on and on about how dangerous it is to have a baby, reader would reach for the bottle and Joel would slap her hand away, asking her 'Are you fuckin' crazy? You might be pregnant!' And reader, feeling embarrassed that she almost made a mistake, would yell back, 'It's your fault! You got me all worked up, I can't think straight! What do you even care, anyway?' And Joel would throw the bottle back into the cupboard and shout, ''Course I care! Kid'll already be stubborn as shit with her mama's smart mouth, we don't need to be addin' to it!'

Then reader's eyes will soften a bit when she says, 'You think it's a girl?' And Joel, still working through all his anger and adrenaline, will flare his nostrils and slam his fist on the counter and say, ''Course it'll be a girl! Look 'round. I'm surrounded by girls who talk back to me and drive me fuckin' crazy all damn day. Why would this be any different?' Reader would step a little closer and wrap her arms around his midsection, resting her chin on his chest while she bats her eyes up at him and says, 'Maybe it'll be a boy.' And Joel's resolve would begin to crack. The corner of his mouth would twitch and his hands would slowly find their place on reader's hips as he thought about the idea of having a little boy. All his anxiety and anger would melt away when he asks, 'Think we can name him after my Pops?'

Now post-accident Joel and reader are different.

They've been through hell and back. Joel thought he would lose the love of his life. After everything they went through, I think both of them have a new lease on life. Initially, Joel would be shocked, then scared, then happy. It would be a rollercoaster of emotions. Reader would be terrified, telling him she has no idea what she's going to do, she doesn't know anything about babies, she's not going to be a good mom and she would begin to cry. Joel would chuckle softly and pull her close, then murmur in her hair she was wrong, that she would make a wonderful mom and she wouldn't go through it alone. He would tell her all the reasons why she would be a good mom: how patient and strong she is, how smart and headstrong she is, and how he hopes if she is pregnant, that it would be a little girl so it would be a mini version of reader.

They would spend the rest of the night thinking about it and wondering what life would be like. Joel would be in the middle of dinner, quietly eating, and suddenly suggest that he could make a crib from the birch tree in the backyard. They would go to bed and each of them would be reading and reader would break the silence and mention Maria and Tommy probably have stuff they don't need anymore and they could use. The next morning, reader would wake up with Joel's face nuzzled against the side of her neck with his big hand splayed wide over her belly.

And if it was just a scare, the idea would be planted in both their heads and after a few months, maybe they would be walking home together from the Tipsy Bison, hand in hand, content and happy until reader suddenly asks, 'Do you want to try for a baby?' And Joel, without missing a beat, would say, 'Absolutely,' and practically drag her down the street towards home so they could start that night.

#ask #anon ask #ikwya fic

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mappingthesky · 1 day

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never not mine

here’s the long-awaited jealous nymphia prompt i have been promising for some time now.. thank u for ur patience :’) i also want to thank @headgleeksana for her contributions to this fic & for being the best beta reader in the universe (and for being a total muse) without further ado, pls enjoy some sexy sweet angst ::)

It shouldn’t have come as such a surprise, because this is what she’d said she wanted, but it comes as one anyway.

It isn’t Nymphia’s party, it’s really just Xunami’s excuse to get a bunch of beautiful girls in one place, but the whole thing feels like it’s orbiting around her. She’s sitting pretty in the center of the room, a vision in hot pink and a ponytail, and feels every bit as effortless as she looks. She’s freshly unattached to anyone, for real this time, and, by the looks of it, other people have caught on. She exudes a quiet rule over the room, gracious and bubbling and effervescent. She feels the eyes of other girls on her outfit, on her lips. They hang on her every word, their laughter following the last word of her jokes like thunder after lightning. They want her, or they want to be her. She feels in control, like she could make anything happen, like she could change the flow of the whole night with the flutter of her fingertips. Everything comes back to her - she’s the center of gravity.

She’s only vaguely aware of Jane’s arrival, and is determined not to pay any attention to it. Jane is a mere tug on Nymphia’s force field as she circles the party, honey blonde and apparently happy, her smile a glittering flash in the corner of Nymphia’s eye. Jane, Nymphia reminds herself, is just one of many small planets revolving around her. Even if she happens to be exceptionally, unfortunately gorgeous. Even if she’s dressed in something black and skintight. Even if her hair looks a shade darker, and making Nymphia wonder whether she’s the reason why.

She brushes the thought away, because this is what she wanted, and focuses on making the pretty girl across from her lose her mind. The girl is going on about the band Nymphia mentioned liking, clearly trying to make a lasting impression, although Nymphia’s attention seems to have been diverted for no particular reason. Whatever, it doesn’t matter. She’s back now. Nymphia hones in on the girl with expertise; leans in ever so slightly, locks eyes and flutters her lashes. The other girl stutters, tries to stumble through the rest of the sentence before losing sight of it completely.

It doesn’t matter that Jane doesn’t seem to be looking at her, at least not when Nymphia steals a second glance, because it's better this way. Crazy things happen when Nymphia and Jane get together - crazy, obsessive, mind-altering things that contradict Nymphia’s attachment to not getting attached. She doesn’t need someone who can’t tear themselves away from her, she needs her freedom. Besides, should Nymphia ever need her, Jane will never be too far away. She doesn’t have to catch her staring to know that Jane’s eyes are on her, stealing glances when Nymphia isn’t looking. It’s inevitable, not that Nymphia really cares. Still, she reasons that, if she’s going to be looked at, she might as well look good. Besides, she’s got it down to a science: she sits up straight, or stands with a delicate arc to her spine so her ass sits right. She flicks her hair, flashes smiles, holds her drink just below her mouth to emphasize her lips, drags her finger slowly where the cocktail is clinging to the corner of her mouth. She’s sure of her approach, sure that if she turned her head just now, she’d find Jane staring. So, just to prove a point…

It’s a calculated glance, a cinematic turn of the head worthy of slow motion cameras and silver screens; Nymphia’s hair flying over her shoulder, her lips parted mid-word, like she only just happened to look in Jane’s direction. Everything is precise, perfect - except for what she finds when she gazes across the room and into the kitchen. Because Jane isn’t looking at her.

Jane is thoroughly distracted. She’s got a drink in one hand and a girl in the other. A pretty, short, curly-haired brunette who slides herself suggestively between Jane and the edge of the countertop. Wedging herself perfectly into the space Nymphia has created for her. The space Nymphia said she wanted.

It’s a tiny deviation from the natural order of things, a miniscule slip in the grand cosmic scheme, but it upends everything. The entire order of the universe as Nymphia knows it ceases to exist. Gravity fails, and every celestial body orbiting around her becomes little more than stray debris floating haphazardly through space.

Someone might be speaking to her, but Nymphia isn’t listening. She’s watching, transfixed, as Jane’s hand flies to the brunette’s waist as though compelled there by some strange magnetism. She smiles down at the girl and it’s gut-wrenching - it’s toothy, her canines pointed with want, tongue catching just between her teeth like she has to hold herself back from attaching herself to the other girl’s neck. The brunette says something and Jane laughs like she has to, her hand inadvertently lifting as she gives some flirty response, then willed back to its resting place on the shorter girl’s waist by some force Nymphia can’t comprehend. Nymphia glares at the back of the girl’s head, her chocolate curls bobbing as she laughs. She talks and Jane tilts the last of her drink into her mouth, sets it aside, and lays her palms flat on the countertop on either side of the girl. Nymphia watches as Jane leans into the brunette, looking down at her with this devious, fascinated sort of expression. It’s not quite the way she looked at Nymphia just a few weeks before, but it’s a little too close. It ignites something in Nymphia she didn’t know was capable of burning.

Eventually the girl is dragged out from under Jane by a friend. She holds her hand until she’s torn away, and promises she’ll be back. Don’t bother, Nymphia thinks.

Jane’s looking after the girl as she totters off after her friend, her eyes low and almost certainly on the brunette’s ass, and Nymphia’s up off the couch and crossing the room to her in half a second flat. Jane’s head turns when Nymphia storms into her periphery. She straightens up and is halfway through some polite, only half-surprised hello until she sees the look on Nymphia’s face.

“What?” she says, wide eyed and suddenly serious. She doesn’t look caught, in fact she actually looks concerned, and Nymphia doesn’t know if that’s better or worse. Jane is a deer in headlights, desperately trying to work out just what has Nymphia so uncharacteristically riled up. She doesn’t have much time, because Nymphia just grabs her hand and drags her down a hallway. She hardly has a plan, much less an idea of what it means - the inexplicable notion that she needs Jane, needs her anywhere but here.

“What?” Jane questions over and over while Nymphia’s shoving her into the bathroom and locking the door behind them. Nymphia turns and huffs and it’s supposed to be out of frustration, but her breath catches in her throat halfway through, because for the first time tonight she’s letting herself really look at Jane.

“What is it?” Jane presses, dark brows knit tightly together. Her eyes look almost silver, rimmed with a sparkling shadow and searching Nymphia’s face. Nymphia sees them and thinks of a hundred different ways to keep them on her, thinks she wants to try them all one by one. She looks at Jane’s lips and wants them, wants the pale pink of her lipstick stamped across her skin as evidence that Jane still wants her. The honey blonde of her hair cascades in waves down her back and Nymphia wants to ruin it, to bury her hands in it while Jane moves down her body. She’s wearing this little black dress that’s making everything worse, because Jane looks so good in black, and the thin straps are begging to be slid down her shoulders, and her shoulders are begging to be bitten, and Nymphia isn’t quite begging but she’s not that far from it.

“Nymphia,” Jane looks actually worried, and it’s a painful reminder how much that she actually cares. The last time they’d spoken it had been about seeing other people, and it’s too soon to say whether or not that was a mistake, but from where Nymphia is standing it sure looks like one. “What’s up? What happened?” Jane urges.

What happened is that there’s a room full of people who would probably take Nymphia home in a heartbeat. What happened is that she thought that's what she wanted. What happened was she saw Jane wanting someone else, and she wanted her to want her instead. But Nymphia doesn’t say that. All she can manage right now is, “Are you having fun?”

Jane blinks. “That’s it? You’re holding me hostage in a bathroom to ask me if I’m having fun?”

Nymphia shrugs and leans back against the wall. It’s supposed to be an invitation. “It looked like you were.”

“Did I do something?” Jane asks, and she’s so concerned with not upsetting Nymphia that she’s completely missing the point - that Nymphia wants her to ruin her completely. “Because I’ve been trying to stay out of your way. That’s what you wanted, right?”

“Is it not cool that I’m here?” Jane continues, “because I thought about staying in, but ‘Nami told me I should come. She said you’d be fine with it.”

Nymphia rolls her eyes. “Yeah, well that’s because she wants to fuck you, Jane.”

Jane groans, tilts her head back and stares at the ceiling because here we fucking go again. “Ok. I’m not fucking Xunami, if that’s what you’re worried about. I told you I wasn’t interested in hooking up with your friends, remember?”

Nymphia does remember, remembers how she was so certain that she was the only one Jane really ever wanted. It was easier to brush her off when she thought that would never change.

“What about that other girl?” Nymphia’s voice is low, decidedly sultry as she steps closer. “In the kitchen.”

Jane misses a beat, cocks her head. “I’m sorry, did you not tell me I should sleep with other people?”

Nymphia ignores that last bit, and closes in on Jane. She slides herself against the sink, trying to work out what it’ll take to get Jane pressed against her like she was with the other girl. “Do you want her?”

Jane looks confused for a moment, then it all just melts away. “Oh,” Jane makes some personal revelation, smiles like something is funny. She steps back and Nymphia’s spell is broken.

“What?” Nymphia whines, actually stamping her foot because she’s trying to seduce Jane and there’s nothing funny about it.

“You’re jealous.” Jane turns back, suddenly smug, Nymphia wants to wipe the grin off her perfect fucking face. Wants to dip her fingers in her mouth and pull her smirk apart.

Nymphia tries to shrug it off, to remain unflappable, but feels flimsy. “Maybe I just don’t like the way you looked at her,” she says. Jane doesn’t fall for it.

“You’re so jealous,” Jane repeats, and she has Nymphia completely trapped in more ways than one. She angles closer, nearly pinning Nymphia to the countertop. “Ironic, isn’t it? Weren’t you the one telling me I was too obsessed?”

She’s hovering over Nymphia now, looking at her like she’s trying to decide just how worth it it would be to tear into her, trying to determine just how fucked she’d be afterwards. It crosses Nymphia’s mind for the first time that it doesn’t have to be like that, but more on that later.

“Look at you now,” Jane coos, soft and searing. She’s smiling, because she’s actually the fucking worst. Her eyes drag over Nymphia’s face like she knows they’re allowed to, seeing right through her and directly at the things she’s not saying. Jane always had this gift for reading people, for turning them transparent, for finding that one thing that they’re desperately trying to hide and bringing it right to the surface. Out of admiration or kindness or something much bigger, Jane’s always given Nymphia the courtesy of a blind eye, but not anymore. Now Nymphia’s on the other end. She feels wholly and completely exposed, and it should be terrifying, but instead it's overwhelmingly sexy. Voyeuristic somehow.

“Okay,” Nymphia gives a little. Maybe it’ll be enough. “So what if I am jealous?”

“So what if you are,” Jane shrugs, playing as unbearably indifferent. “I went after her because you told me to.”

Okay, so maybe Nymphia’s jealous. Maybe she misses Jane, and maybe it’s that the girl she was seconds away from tearing into looked nothing like Nymphia, and it’s doing horrible things to her head. Maybe she’s just fully lost her mind, because she deviates. She doesn’t say the thing that’s scientifically proven to seduce, she looks up at Jane and says the thing she really means:

“Don't you still want me?”

It’s supposed to be sexy, and to some degree it is. Nymphia is baiting, because she thinks she knows what the answer will be. It’s not until the words pass her lips, until she’s already asked the question, that she realizes she may not like the answer. It’s not until then that she realizes why she’s really asking - because she’s uncertain. Her doubt manifests as an almost undetectable lilt to her voice - just a touch too sad, too pleading. Most people would miss it, but most people aren’t Jane. There’s a little flash of feeling in Jane’s eyes when Nymphia says it - like she can't fathom why Nymphia would ever have to wonder.

Nymphia is a little awed by it - the way that Jane, just for a moment, goes immeasurably tender. How immediately she’s willing to do it for Nymphia; even here, even now. There’s a small shake to her head when she says it, Jane’s eyes soft and her voice unmistakably sincere. “You never have to ask me that, Nymphia.”’

It’s everything Nymphia didn’t know she needed to hear, and suddenly she’s moved by something much more than simple desire. She’s leaning up to seal the deal, to make Jane hers again - that’s when Jane hardens once more.

“Ah-ah.” Jane pulls back; not by much, but just enough to watch it happen - the way Nymphia’s eyes fill with want for what’s just beyond her reach. She’s finally got Nymphia right where she’s always wanted her, melting and malleable and in the palm of her hand, and she’s going to make the most of it. “I want to hear you say it.”

Nymphia gapes up at her, lips still parted in what was almost a kiss and eyes still filled with love-struck stars. All she can manage is a flustered, fluttering, “huh?”

“You’re jealous,” Jane smiles as she stares down at the indisputable proof. Her words burn like liquor - hot and addictive and getting Nymphia a little high. “What do you want me to do about it?”

Oh, Nymphia thinks, and her mouth moves towards a grin, because she knows what happens next. This is the part where she gets the upper hand, where she exacts her carefully calculated control over Jane like she knows she can. She keeps her eyes on Jane as she wets her fingers with her tongue, watches her eyes fill with want as she slides her hand down her torso, dips beneath her skirt-

“Uh-uh,” Jane stops her hand. “Use your words.”

Nymphia scoffs, starts on some sort of excuse, but it’s no use. Jane presses against her, and there’s nothing she could do about it, even if she wanted to. She knows her too well. Jane leans and offers the slightest incentive, her lips brushing all too softly on Nymphia’s neck. “What do you want?”

Nymphia’s eyes flutter at the feeling of Jane finally on her, at the feeling of all the places she still isn't - all the places she still needs her to be. “I want you,” Nymphia whispers. It’s an admission, but it’s barely audible, and it doesn’t even come close to the full extent of the truth.

Jane nips at her neck and Nymphia actually fucking gasps at everything it is - pressure, presence, punishment. “You can do better than that.”

“Jane,” Nymphia pleads, because she doesn’t know if she can. She’s flushing red and she feels hot to the touch, and Jane’s hands are firmly planted on the sink but Nymphia needs them everywhere. Speaking with her body is one thing, but actually saying it out loud has her uncharacteristically nervous.

“You can say it, baby,” Jane encourages, drawing back, eyes reverent. It’s cruel, and it’s caring. She brushes the hair behind her ear, a small gesture of composure in the face of Nymphia’s falling apart entirely. She leans back in, offers a start. “You want me to…”

She sinks her teeth into Nymphia’s earlobe, and her hand flies to the nape of Nymphia’s neck as she nearly dissolves in her hold. Something swells inside her. It’s the collapse of everything, the world as Nymphia knows it, and the birth of something new: A supernova, an unexpected safety found in the complete surrender of herself to things outside of her control. She finishes Jane’s sentence, as easy as an exhale, “fuck me.”

All at once Jane is everywhere - lips at her lips, right hand at her hip, knee sliding expertly between Nymphia’s thighs. She kisses her and Nymphia’s not afraid anymore, not of anything. She offers half a dozen alternate endings, the words surging up and out of her.

Have me, when Jane’s thigh works against her. Make me yours, when Jane pulls Nymphia’s hair from her ponytail, sends it streaming down her back.

Take me home, when Jane’s eyes meet hers. When Jane leads her through the hallway, flushed and flustered. When they pass through the party hand-in-hand. When they make it known that it was never over, not really.

#this one was spicy who cheered #EVERYONE SAY THANK YOU HEADGLEEKSANA #literally could not do it without her #can u believe i finally wrote angst…#i have a whole fluff piece in my drafts but i felt like we needed this after The Events #also….#guess who the brunette was in my mind. GUESS.#planymphia #she writes #prompt

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