#been debating over whether or not to make this haha

[personinthepalace]

For Your Consideration - @the-chipped-cup-awards

I’m not sure if I’m doing this correctly or even if I should do this in the first place haha, but I started watching ouat and fell in love with Rumbelle early last year (just a few days after the Skin Deep anniversary actually). I mainly spent the rest of 2022 reblogging a lot of wonderful rumbelle stuff, but I did make a few video edits, and I’m quite proud of them.

So if you would consider voting Rumbelle Wedding or Rumbelle and Whouffaldi Parallels for Best Video then I would really appreciate it - thanks :)

[crowsyart]

Honestly don’t know much about these guys cause I haven’t read the manga or seen soul eater not and don’t exactly. Plan on either but

Also apparently Kim’s a witch and a tanuki one but I designed this before that so. I’ll figure out how the full animal transformation witch thing works later. I’m thinking insect based or something. Or I might just ignore it we’ll see.

Also hiro is there I guess

[bo0zey]

i’m so tired of pretending i’m not tired lol

[backwardsbread]

Hazbin Hotel Characters:

~Marriage proposals~

Warnings‼️: genderneutral!reader, established relationship, characterxreader, lots of fluff, Valentino existing, mentions of cannibals/cannibalism, possessive behavior, pet names used, mentions of divorce, some swearing.

A/N: How would the Hazbin hotel characters propose! I might do a vise versa, where reader proposes. But this one is the characters proposing to YOU. Enjoy~!

This is pretty long- I don’t know how to find word count, but if anyone wants more, drop a request :))

?Semi proofread?

Lucifer:

This man is a NERVOUS WRECK.

When he realizes he wants to marry you, he lowkey panics. Starts acting like you guys just now started dating.

He’s super anxious, trying to impress you, and prove that he’s good enough for you.

(Whether he’s trying to prove that to you, or himself, is up for debate.)

The two of you met on a whim. You didn’t really know it was the king of hell you were talking to when you first met.

How could this be the king?? He was so goofy. His playful demeanor immediately drew you in.

With even learning about how Lucifer was, it didn’t stop those fuzzy feelings towards him that bubbled in your chest.

It took him a long time to even get into a relationship with you, due to him being caught up in his past with Lillith.

But overtime, your affection is what gets him through the tough days.

He gets all flustered and embarrassed at your sweet gestures, trying to hide the fact that he’s realizing he wants you to always only be his.

As we know, he had a previous marriage and that commitment failed him before. He had a right to feel nervous of the subject that once bruised his soul.

But in his heart, he truly knows this is what he wants. He wants to spend his eternity with you if you allowed him to.

When the thought has finally settled, and he knows he’s ready to try marriage again, it doesn’t settle his nerves.

This has to be PERFECT-

He needs the perfect ring, the perfect setting, the perfect outfit. All of which he had easy access to, he is the king afterall.

Yet, nothing seems to be perfect enough. Nothing is enough, nothing he can think of matches how strong his feelings are for you.

Once he thinks he’s decided on what will be perfect, he ditches the idea to try and come up with something better.

He consults Charlie on this issue a lot. Including her in this is very important to him. He makes sure she’s comfortable with the idea of him being married to someone who wasn’t her mother.

Charlie is a bit put off by the idea, it’s strange to think about. She never thought of her father getting remarried, but the thought doesn’t necessary upset her. She’s more worried about history repeating itself.

Overall, she wants her father to be happy, and helps him prepare for the proposal in any way she can.

(Mostly moral support because this guy is in emotional turmoil over this.)

He’s in a constant inbetween of if this was the right thing to do. Was it too soon in your guys relationship? Was it too soon after his divorce? Would you even want to spend the rest of your damnation with the one who started it all?

With heavy encouragement and reassurance from Charlie, he finally has the guts to ask you the big question.

But….. when he takes you out on the date where he meant to propose…

He chickens out. (Or ducks out haha)

“It is quite beautiful tonight.. you know I love you, right?……. Good! Yeah-! U-Uh-.. oh my golly! Look at the time! How that darn old thing does fly-Haha! W-We should head home!- boy am I tired-!”

Rinse and repeat this process a handful of times.

You do start to get a bit skeptical of your partners behavior. You guys had been going on extremely fancy dates at least once a week.

And while you had no complaints on spending time with Lucifer, you did notice his strange behavior.

The way his mood would incline before your guys’ date, and then suddenly decline when it was over. Then having to take the rest of the week to heal his pride.

It was just a big rollercoaster of emotions. You were starting to worry you were the cause of his stress.

(I mean. Technically you were)

During one of his many attempts in asking you, he had already internally given up when he stumbled over his words in the middle of dinner.

Your date was coming to a close, and like clockwork, Lucifer’s chipper mood deteriorated.

His shoulders slumped, he was pouty, and dragging his feet on the way back to the castle.

Before the two of you can enter, you grab Lucifer’s hand, stopping him. He gives you a confused look, posture straightening to look at you.

You give him small pecks all over his face, in hopes to cheer him up from whatever was troubling him.

Your actions have the affect you were hoping for, as he laughs and steals your lips into his own, a wide smile on his face as he rests his hands on your waist.

His nerves seemed to dissipate as he felt an overwhelming sense of security and love for you.

His body was moving before his mind could keep up. The moment just felt right.

He pulls away from your shared embrace, reaching into his pocket, and getting down on one knee. He opens the ring box, revealing the glimmering jewelry within it.

You look at him in shock and he returns the same look, surprised at his own actions. Well there was no backing out of it now- (saY SOMETHING LUCIFER-)

It takes him a few seconds to recover from the shock and he’s tempted to just pretend to tie his shoe. But you knew his intentions and watched the nerves wrack their way up his body once again.

Before he can even speak, give a speech he had rehearsed probably a hundred times in front of his mirror, you say yes.

And the relief that washes over this man— the weight that lifted off his shoulders in that moment— felt amazing.

You bend down with him, smiling ear to ear and chuckling as you realized this is why he was so worked up the past couple months.

Tears fill Lucifer’s eyes as he slides the piece of jewelry onto your ring finger.

You kiss away the tears that slip down his face and he wraps his arms around you, pulling you into a hug.

His tattered heart feeling stitched back together that day.

Alastor:

We all know Alastor isn’t the biggest on romance.

He’s a true gentleman, of course, but public displays of affection and intimate relationships weren’t his cup of tea.

The two of you had know each other for years in the afterlife, yet it was only recently you had put a label on your relationship.

Falling for you was never part of his plan.

He first saw you as an prey, only a possible soul he could claim for his ongoing collection.

But your sickening sweetness unfortunately grew on him over time. He once wanted to take advantage of it, but he became too fond of you to corrupt it.

You moved from his prey to his acquaintance.

You lived in cannibal town where he would frequently visit.

You join the gossip sessions with him and Rosie, indulging in their banter. It starts by you just walking by and throwing a comment towards their conversation you were listening in to. Eventually you had your own designated seat at their table.

Rosie definitely saw the potential the connection you and Alastor had, so she subtly pushes the two of you to hang out more.

This leads to your relationship advancing from mere acquaintances to good friends. The transition quick due to Rosie’s persistence.

Anytime Alastor would visit cannibal town, he would make effort to pay you a visit. He just felt so drawn to your company.

His smile felt less strained, his body would relax, and he could do what he wanted while you served up some fresh pinkie fingers.

There would be occasions of Alastor realizing he’s dropped his guard around you, and he would be snippy and aggressive those days. In fear of going soft and losing his mojo.

The first time he did this scared you,

(I mean obviously, the mans body grows two-ten times in his demon form)

But after a talk with Rosie about it, you tried to be understanding. Instead of falling away or distant with Alastor after his little tantrums, you simply waited it out. When he was back to normal asking softly if he wanted to talk about it or move on.

It wasn’t clear to you when you guys really started being affectionate towards one another. It just kind of happened.

You knew Alastor to be a gentleman before formally meeting him. So him linking arms with you, kissing your knuckles, holding open doors was nothing new.

It seemed like everyone besides the two of you knew the true feelings you two had for each other before you guys did.

You were holding hands, seeing each other everyday, Alastor would give you his coat to borrow on colder days, etc. Just small sweet gestures the two of you would share.

It took an incredible amount of time for Alastor to come to terms with his feelings. He hadn’t done this before and had no control of what his heart wanted. It was scary.

Putting a label on what you guys had didn’t seem necessary. The two of you knew what you meant to each other in an unspoken agreement.

(Rosie did eventually pressure him to actually ask you out however. It was the gentleman’s thing to do)

(But enough backstory)

More often than not, Alastor found himself spending his nights with you. Not to leave until the morning or midday after.

The two of you practically lived together when the overlord wasn’t too busy with other matters.

We already went over how the two of you weren’t big on labels. It wasn’t until Rosie asked that Alastor had even thought about marriage.

“Sooo… when are you going to put a rock on your pretty thang’s finger?”

“Hm? I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“What?? You’re kidding right? That darling and you have been together ages! You wouldn’t want someone else swiping them away from you, right?”

“Hah! Never going to happen. Who in their right mind would try that?”

“…”

“You do know where we are, right?”

It had never occurred to the Radio demon before. You guys had made your relationship official of course. Anyone else who would try and court you and take you away from him would be simply insane.

But the thought wormed itself into his brain and flourished.

The thought of not knowing what you were doing 24/7. The thought of someone possibly stealing you away without his knowledge.

The thought of some undeserving sinner having their hands on what belonged to him.

It irked him.

After that conversation with Rosie, say goodbye to your privacy. You’re not going anywhere alone. He can’t risk someone even attempting to steal you away.

It was irritating how he was always tracking you, keeping a shadow with you at all times.

If someone even dared to hold open a door for you that wasn’t him or his shadow, he’d show up at your side in an instant.

It made you anxious and overall, you felt your partner didn’t trust you.

You did express these feelings to Alastor, but your words seemed to phase right through him. You had no idea what had gotten into him to make him (even more) protective.

You joined him in bed one night, as he was stilling up, enjoying a book with jazz music emitting from his aura.

You cuddle close to him, the feeling of fuzzy static that enveloped you a comforter for your slumber.

Before you can let yourself drift off to sleep, your partner closes his book with one hand, the loud thump making you jolt.

“Say darling, what do you think of marriage?”

The sudden ask has you dumbfounded, giving him a deer in headlights stare. (Hah-)

He had never even mentioned marriage before yet here he was now, smiling at you as he waited for your response.

You give honesty, telling him you never really thought of it yourself and you were surprised to hear the idea from him.

You did mention how the subject didn’t draw you away. You knew you loved Alastor with your entire soul. Your heart and soul were his without one of his binding contracts.

Once he hears your approval he snaps his fingers making one of his shadows appear, holding out his signature red coat to him. He reaches into the pocket of his jacket, fishing out what he desired.

He pulled out a small box and handed it to you, his shadow dismissing itself from the scene.

You give him a confused look, before gently opening the box. Your eyes meeting the small band inside.

Oh- he was serious?????

You give him a puzzled look, while he just tilts his head at you, silently asking ‘too soon?’

Your eyes continue to track from the ring, to him, back to the ring, then back to him.

Your hesitation comes off as denial to Alastor, so he reaches out to take the box back. Before he can even lay a finger on it, you pull it to your chest protectively.

You give him a glare for even having the audacity to try and take this away from you. Your actions make him chuckle and hold his hands up defensively.

You slip the band onto your ring finger. Once it’s perfectly snug onto your digit, you pull your partner close to you, peppering his lips with small pecks. Scolding him in between your kisses for being so nonchalant.

He simply chuckles against your affections, telling you the ring will be a reminder you are always his.

And you wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Vox:

Vox is not one for settling down. No shot in hell.

Have you seen this man?? Holy hell take a chill pill.

A lot of Vox’s priorities lie with his work. He’s always pushing the boundaries of tech, eager to create something new and be on the face of it.

He never thought of dating. Being tied down to one person made him cringe. So the thought of marriage never even entered his system.

Then there was you of course. Messing up his plans.

How could he not fall for you? You were charming, beautiful, and down right too good for him.

(According to him.)

Your presence and the feelings you gave him made him feel threatened. He tried to put him a wall between the two of you, avoiding you at all costs.

But when he would look at his phone, seeing your icon pop up with messages to him. His fans would kick into gear, his cold heart ticking rapidly in his chest.

Yeah he had it BAD.

When you became a priority to him as well, it kind of threw a wrench in the balance of his schedule.

Yes he loves you but that fact scares him. He wasn’t exactly the safest demon to be around.

So he found it better that the two of you keep your relationship secret. Mostly spending early mornings and late nights with you.

It was difficult to manage. You wanted nothing more than to try hang out with your partner all day but he was always busy.

You would visit him at work, but on very rare occasion. You still owned your soul, which meant Valentino saw it as up for grabs, despite Vox’s warnings (threats) to not lay a finger on you.

As much as you enjoyed visiting your partner at work, you understood his reasonings for being uncomfortable with it.

Besides that, the chance of others seeing the two of you in public was way too high. You guys didn’t usually go on dates.

Your partner was more comfortable having you stay at home, having a double life without him. You lived with Vox, but outside of the time you two spent together, you had your own things going on.

Vox knew about it of course, he cares about you more than anything. He needs to know what’s going on at all times. And what you had going on outside of him was important to him.

He always has a screen pulled up in his monitor room while working. Just to see what you were up to.

The screen usually tracked a camera on you whenever you went out, it displayed your phone screen whenever it was in use, and showed your vitals on the bottom corner of the screen.

He didn’t trust the sinners that roamed these streets, rightfully so. Being able to track you gave him a source of comfort when he couldn’t always be around.

As mentioned before, going out on dates wasn’t really a thing. But Vox would usually clear up one day a month in his schedule. Just to spend the entire day with you.

(Of course he occasionally shuts down, checking how everything is going at V headquarters while he’s not around. Cant take this man entirely away from his work)

You’d spend those days cuddling, ordering in some takeout, and just catching up with each other. Getting in as much affection as you could.

The nights were soft and intimate. It was what you always looked forward to.

Vox had some things to do early morning on the day designated for the two of you. You did pout and complain to him, but he promised to be back as soon as he could.

Hours passed and you started to get a little bit peeved that your partner had yet to return home. Checking the time, you decide to take matters into your own hands.

You get dolled up, pack up a small container of snacks, and head to V’s headquarters.

Making your way through the crowd of demons and sinners. You head up the elevator, but it stops on Valentinos floor.

And with just your luck, the lustful demon is standing there, waiting to get on. When he sees your face, he grins wide and enters the elevator. Standing uncomfortably close.

He blows out his pink slut smoke into the small space, making you cringe and try to waft the stench away from you.

Valentino is touchy and that’s an understatement.

So when he bends down at your level, once again offering a job to you, your heart rate spikes.

Meanwhile, Vox is having a one sided argument with Velvette, the young overlord scolding him as she changed his outfit several times.

It wasn’t often Vox was used as a model for Velvette, but he had actually asked her ahead of time to design something special for you and him.

By ahead of time, he asked yesterday, not giving Velvette nearly enough time.

While he tuned out of his teammate reprimanding him, his watch buzzed, alerting him of your abnormal heart rate.

He gives a confused look, his screen going black for a second as he brought up his home security camera on his screen. When seeing you weren’t at the house, his eye twitched.

Where the hell did you go??

He was brought back, his face glitching in and out as he pulled out his phone, bringing up your location.

He saw how close you were and immediately thought the worst.

He zaps himself into the nearest camera, zipping through the electronics to find where you are.

Within a minute, he’s found you in the elevator, practically cornered by Valentino who was literally drooling on you.

The lights flicker in the elevator as it comes to a screeching halt. Cue your partner showing up with a crack of blue electricity, yanking Valentino away from you by the moth’s wing.

He puts himself in front of you, acting as a shield so you don’t have to be near Valentino’s poison.

“W̵̰̻͍̉̔̅̀̐͐͒͆̒̚ḥ̸̨̧̗̮̖̽̂̓̀̍̋͋́̅̃͘͜͝ǎ̴̯̀͠t̸̫̫̤͕̳̻̰̣̭́̌̉͝ͅ t̸̫̫̤͕̳̻̰̣̭́̌̉͝ͅḥ̸̨̧̗̮̖̽̂̓̀̍̋͋́̅̃͘͜͝ë̸͓̮͉͈͇͍̖͎̩̞͈́́́̋̇̾͋̈́̾͆͑͘͘͜͠͝ f̵̢̻͈̫̬̻͔̘̞͈̆̇̍̈̌͊ͅu̷̬̩̰̫͕̘͎̔́̃̄̍͋̓c̵̛̥͊k̵̘̺̦͉͖̪̪͖͉͊̆̔́̈́̍̃̈́͒̂̑̀̚͜͝ d̶̡̲̗̼̮̤̤̳̲͖͓͍͔͓̓̎̽́̽̏̐͂̆͆͘͘͘ŏ̸̡̼̺̫̥̻͈̞̍͆̏̓́͜͝ͅ y̶͔͗ŏ̸̡̼̺̫̥̻͈̞̍͆̏̓́͜͝ͅu̷̬̩̰̫͕̘͎̔́̃̄̍͋̓ t̸̫̫̤͕̳̻̰̣̭́̌̉͝ͅḥ̸̨̧̗̮̖̽̂̓̀̍̋͋́̅̃͘͜͝i̶̡̹͈͎̳̞͙͖̾̂̀͑̀͆̑̓̽̉͐͘͘ͅǹ̷̨͍̮̥̹̘͙̗̻̬̬̜̥̮̃̒̈́̽͗̿̍̄̂̏͆͠͝k̵̘̺̦͉͖̪̪͖͉͊̆̔́̈́̍̃̈́͒̂̑̀̚͜͝ y̶͔͗ŏ̸̡̼̺̫̥̻͈̞̍͆̏̓́͜͝ͅu̷̬̩̰̫͕̘͎̔́̃̄̍͋̓’r̵̡͕͈͚͍͍̼͕̍̀̈́̽̎̍͗̍́̏̚͜͠ë̸͓̮͉͈͇͍̖͎̩̞͈́́́̋̇̾͋̈́̾͆͑͘͘͜͠͝ d̶̡̲̗̼̮̤̤̳̲͖͓͍͔͓̓̎̽́̽̏̐͂̆͆͘͘͘ŏ̸̡̼̺̫̥̻͈̞̍͆̏̓́͜͝ͅi̶̡̹͈͎̳̞͙͖̾̂̀͑̀͆̑̓̽̉͐͘͘ͅǹ̷̨͍̮̥̹̘͙̗̻̬̬̜̥̮̃̒̈́̽͗̿̍̄̂̏͆͠͝ǧ̷̡̟̲̹̩̱͉̮̭͇͚̮̖̟̽̓͊̔̓̕??”

(What the fuck do you think you’re doing??)

Vox’s voice glitched out, muted TV static layering his voice as the fans whirled in the back of his head. In a desperate attempt to cool him down.

Valentino doesn’t give much of a reaction, putting his hands up in feigned innocence.

“𝒟𝑜𝓃’𝓉 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝒱𝑜𝓍𝓍𝒾𝑒! 𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝑜𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓁𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈𝑒𝓁𝒻-“

“You better watch your mouth.”

“𝒪𝒽𝒽, 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝑒𝓃’𝓉 𝒶𝓈𝓀𝑒𝒹 𝓎𝑒𝓉. 𝒲𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝓂𝓎 𝒷𝒶𝒹 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓈𝓅𝑜𝒾𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝒾𝑔 𝓈𝓊𝓇𝓅𝓇𝒾𝓈𝑒.”

Valentino speaks with sickening sarcasm. You look between the two, incredibly confused. Vox looks like he’s about to explode.

The lights flicker back on, and the door opens, Vox demanding his business partner leave.

The moth scowls at the both of you, before putting one set of hands on his hips, the other set of arms crossing across his chest. In the most sassy way possibly leave the two of you behind.

Vox waits for the elevator door to close before he can breath again. He’s muttering angrily to himself, one hand on either side of his screen as he tries not to blue screen.

You put your hand over his, his cold hand giving you a subtle shock of electricity as you touched him. You give him a concerned gaze, silently asking if he was okay.

Vox looks at you, shoulders relaxing just looking into your comforting eyes. Little bolts of electricity shoot out from the side of his screen as he tries to calm himself, his fans working overtime.

You set down the bag of treats you were bringing for him to hold his hands in your own. You give him a bright smile, concern not leaving your eyes.

You reassure him that whatever he had planned isn’t ruined. You could just pretend you didn’t know! You didn’t want this little run in to ruin your guys’ day.

You ramble on as he just stares at you, almost blankly, his screen fading from blue to a baby pink as he listened to you.

As you’re apologizing for causing trouble, he puts a hand up to stop your little speech.

He reaches into his pant pocket, pulling out a small halo shaped piece of jewelry. He holds your left hand in his own as he gets down on one knee in front of you.

I mean.. you knew he had a surprise planned, but seeing his actions didn’t fail to shock you.

He gives a little speech to you, stuttering and glitching over his words as he tries to explain himself.

For being a perfectionist overlord, this was one hell of a show.

He’s a blushing glitching mess, cursing to himself when he couldn’t find the exact words he wanted to say.

You grab the sides of his screen, looking him in the eyes and forcing him to meet your gaze. You’re saying yes before he can embarrass himself anymore.

He looks a bit shocked by your response, he can’t believe you said yes after that display he just put on. Before he can get the ring on your finger, he blue screens from shock and embarrassment.

You kind of chuckle and sit down beside your partner while you wait for him to reboot. Not like you could go anywhere with the elevator being stuck with the two of you inside. You do gently take the piece of jewlry, sliding it onto your finger and admiring its design.

Cuddling into Vox’s arm, you can’t help but smile brightly at the decorative piece snug on your ring finger.

It was perfect.

[biolumien]

Hi!! Your rooftop smoke fic with Hoshina was just superb. 😭💖

Was wondering If could request a scenario where they had been mutually pining for one another. And they'd, on more than one occasion catch each other's eyes across the room. And a handful of people from the Defense Force notices. Cause could they be more obvious?

Whether that would end up angsty or with a happy ending is up to you! I love the way you write for Hoshina. You capture him pretty perfectly haha

Stay safe and healthy!!

notes: omg... thank you for your compliments... it means smsm! uhh... well. this kinda took on a life of its own, i'm sorry. i hope you don't mind ;-;;

say it! come on, say it!

soshiro hoshina x gn!reader alternatively: romcom except then i smacked it so hard with angst at the end. sorry. word count: 2400

“you need to close your mouth when you’re staring.” you feel the ice-cold touch of a can press against your cheek, and you shriek as you stare up at–

“ah, fuck. i’m not staring, narumi,” you mutter, taking the soda can from him. narumi seemed less than convinced, his eyes barely visible from underneath his bangs. 

“o-kay. and you’re totally not ogling hoshina with googly eyes.” narumi cracks open his own soda, taking a long sip from the can. “why don’t you just date already? i’m gonna be honest, i’m sick of you looking at him like that. it’s boring, bland, predictable… fuckin’ hate that will they won’t they bullshit.” 

“i can’t,” you complain dramatically. 

hoshina, from the other side of the room, was talking to captain ashiro while examining some paperwork. occasionally, okonogi would come over, point out some new development, and there’d seem to be another heated debate between the three. you always liked seeing hoshina in his element—whether it be instructing other officers, training with his blades, or awkwardly not making eye contact with him when he spoke to you. 

“like hell you can’t!” narumi hissed, reaching out to put you in a headlock. “stop looking at him like that!” 

“like hell what? who’s looking at who?” 

hoshina had come over, staring at the two of you, right as narumi’s arm was beginning to wrap around your neck. narumi immediately flew back from you as you laughed nervously. 

“uhh, like hell i, umm…” you fumbled for an answer, staring up at hoshina nervously. why had he just come over? why was he looking at you like that? your lips quiver for a moment.

“oh, relax!” hoshina clapped you across the back, laughing. “you look so nervous! like you’ve just confessed you had some very, very personal feelings or something! that’s adorable…” 

let me die, you think furtively as hoshina’s hand brushes your shoulder. narumi’s face was pinched. 

“don’t let narumi bully you too much; he’s just a little lowlife, after all,” hoshina said with teasing venom in his voice. 

“you bitch,” narumi growled. “i have no idea how they see anything in y—” his face paled as the words left his lips, and you think you almost see god for a minute. you hide your face with your hands, waiting for hoshina’s verdict, and you swear that the next moment you get, you were going to make narumi very sorry for spilling your metaphorical, hell, call them literal at this point, guts out in the open. 

“hmm?” hoshina hums. the world fell silent—at least silent to you, in any case, your eardrums pounding in time with your heartbeat. “well—”

“vice captain hoshina!” mina ashiro’s voice was sharp and piercing. “time to go.” 

“huh?” hoshina cocks his head. “ah, of course, captain. be right there!” 

he turned to you and narumi with a small smile, one of his fangs peeking out for a moment before waving his fingers. 

“see you.” he nods his head to you specifically before he turns away. 

you wait until you are absolutely, absolutely sure he’s out of earshot before turning on narumi, throwing your soda can at his head. 

“fuck!” narumi swore. “what the fuck was that for?” 

“you idiot! why did you basically confess to him for me?!” you hiss. “i’m trying to count on you to not run your damn mouth!” 

“hoshina’s an idiot,” narumi says sullenly. “i bet he didn’t even notice.” 

[…]

the walk through the hallway was silent, up until—

“you’re red,” mina says, her hand reaching for her skirt pocket to pull out her phone. 

“stop,” hoshina’s voice is strangled, far more strangled than he’d like it to be. “no, i’m serious. no photos. you’ll need to talk to my PR agent about that.” hoshina’s ears were tinged pink, and he raised his hands to try and hide the flush. 

“hoshina,” okonogi sounded disapproving, “why don’t you just confess already? i’m getting tired watching you get so concerned over them…” 

“ha! confess,” hoshina laughs. “and what good would that do? i’m not exactly peak romance material, you know this…” 

“the only one not noticing that is you, hoshina,” mina mutters. “you get all sullen when they leave and happy when they come back, but you have to act like a… hmm… what does he act like, okonogi?” 

hoshina’s eyes went wide as okonogi hummed. 

“a cat!” okonogi declares emphatically. 

“yes. you’re right,” mina says decisively. “that’s a good fit. you act like a cat about it. you try to—”

“stop. stop it, stop it, i don’t want to hear it. stop analyzing my personality. this isn’t some kind of joke,” hoshina says, his voice sounding more flustered as he went on. “they’re never gonna say yes. it’s stupid. confessing like this… it would only be a burden on all of us.” 

mina and okonogi exchanged a look.

“besides, i’m a bad boyfriend. remember that last girl, from operations,” hoshina laughed. “broke her heart in three seconds flat.” 

“… if i remember correctly, you liked her quite a lot, though,” okonogi said hesitantly. 

“ha! so what if i did?” hoshina asked. “she only just left when i… hm.” his smile seemed to falter somewhat, but he laughed. “it’s fine. it’s fine. i’m fine.” 

behind his back, mina and okonogi exchanged another look. 

but his mind flickered back to his hand on your back, and wondered if you leaning into his touch was a fluke. 

[…]

you stare at hoshina from across the room. he’s eating by himself, half a piece of melon bread in his mouth as he stared down at some papers in his hand. you’d have asked to sit next to him, if only you were braver. but you were a coward, so here you were. you stare down at your own food, tearing off a corner of the red bean bun you were eating, popping it in your mouth. 

your crush on hoshina was about as subtle as a freight train. which is to say, you felt it coming on, and then by the time you’d fully reconciled it, you were already being run over repeatedly. it was just grappling, mostly, with how cool he was, endlessly. 

you wondered what it would be like to live under the intensity of his stare, as it enveloped you whole. 

would it be like a benevolent fire? or would he raze you so wholly that there’d be nothing left? 

you wanted to find out. you wanted to find out, but you were so scared he’d burn you before you could even get close. but what was important was that hoshina, for sure, didn’t even bother to reciprocate your feelings. that’s what you were so sure of—because why would someone like him give you the pleasure of his time? surely his time was more valuable than wasting it on a nobody like you. 

his intensity, sharpened to a fine point, was better spent figuring out how to permanently eradicate the kaiju threat altogether. 

right?

you sighed miserably. 

“now that sounds like a miserable sound to me,” hoshina’s voice rang out right next to your ear. 

you nearly jumped out of your skin as soon as you heard his voice, too focused for a second on the soft, tickling sensation of his breath against the shell of your ear. your face bloomed bright red, and you immediately backed away from him, your heart pounding loudly in your chest. 

“hoshina!” you stammer. “what—what are you doing?” 

“eating?” hoshina raises his eyebrow, a teasing smirk on his lips. “noticed you were staring. take a picture, by the way, if you want. they do last longer than the momentary glances.” he sat down next to you, continuing to eat.

so he had noticed you staring. 

“s-sorry. for staring,” you say. 

“huh? why are you sorry?” hoshina asks, cocking his head at you, one of his eyes opening a bit wider. “i don’t mind. if i minded, i woulda said something.” your face flushed a little more at his words, and you looked away as he laughed. 

“you really are cute,” he says fondly, reaching out a hand to pat your head.

… huh?

“what?” you ask weakly. 

“huh? did i say something weird?” hoshina asks, the picture perfect image of innocence—or so you’d say, if his eyes weren’t narrowed at you, and the smile on his face a little too much like a smirk, waiting for how you’d react. 

“no…? i guess? it’s just not something i thought you’d say. to me,” you say falteringly, looking away for a moment. 

“mm. i guess i should make a habit of saying it more, huh?” hoshina teases, removing his hand from your head. 

and as you fluster a little more, you curse god for your crush on soshiro hoshina. 

[…]

“you need to quit fucking around,” narumi says, pointing a dumbbell at hoshina in the training room. 

“fucking around? i’m doing nothing of the sort,” hoshina says, that mask of innocence still on his face. narumi’s brow furrows. 

“sure, and you don’t also ogle… you need to get your shit together and confess, or swear to god, i’ll kill one of you. or, hell, why don’t we just kill both of you so i don’t have to fucking look at you?” narumi scoffs, anger spiking in his voice. 

“ha, yeah, maybe if you do that i’ll finally be free from hearing your annoying, grating voice,” hoshina says, prodding narumi in the chest.

“yeah, but then you won’t confess your feelings and then i’ll have to die knowing i broke up a couple that hadn’t even gotten together,” narumi grumbles. “i’m not a monster.”

“huh?” hoshina asks.

narumi looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

“wait, so you didn’t know they reciprocate?”

“i–well, i… hoped?” hoshina says, realizing how stupid he must sound. his mind flit back to your reactions the past few days–hell, the past few weeks? maybe the past few months? “oh. shit.”

“oh. shit. indeed,” narumi mocks. “so, are you going to tell them?”

“i…” hoshina suddenly realized how terrified he was. his face paled, his hand coming up to his mouth. “i… shit. wait. this is–fuck. i…” he ran a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs up past his face, a shaking sigh passing his lips. “no. this is… how would i even begin to explain it? i’m not… i can’t. i’m not–i can’t be a good partner. not in this line of work. my judgement could be compromised! that wouldn’t–”

“your judgement is already compromised,” narumi says, a bared snarl-turned-smile on his lips. “you know, hoshina. this is probably the most interesting you’ve ever been. you’re always facades, niceties. pretended you were untouchable, swimming in that sea of self-loathing and ineptitude. but maybe you’re beginning to live a little, aren’t you?”

hoshina’s eyes widened.

living?

[...]

it’d always come to the worst, you thought. you coughed up a mouthful of blood as another round of rubble began to creak overhead. you tried to force your body to move, and your suit pulsed in response to your movements, attempting to close the bloody gashes across your body from the kaiju attack. 

“command, come in,” you gasped out, holding up a shaking hand to your in-ear. you winced as there was only a clicking static in response–was no one coming? were you all alone? were you going to die like this, your limbs barely even able to hold up their own weight even with most of your combat power unleashed? is this all you were good for? your knees buckled as you collapsed onto the ground, coughing out a mouthful of blood.

were you going to die like this?

you couldn’t.

you didn’t want to.

your vision swam a bit as you coughed out another mouthful of blood, your mind lingering.

hoshina had touched your back right before you’d left, a small smile crossing his face.

“don’t die,” he’d said. 

and here you were, stumbling through the rubble, hurting so badly that you might as well be dead. 

it was utterly and painfully cliche to think about letting hoshina down. you didn’t want to, and yet there was a horrifying possibility that you would. and as you buckled again, collapsing onto your knees, you coughed out another mouthful of blood.

fuck.

“command,” you repeated, in a weaker voice. “please. if someone–if anyone can hear me–i need help. suit damage is–” you cough again, wiping blood from your mouth. “--critical. please.” 

and as your vision swam, you felt a hand press against your shoulder.

“there you are.”

you blinked hard, staring up at the face of soshiro hoshina, who’d pulled his mask off, leaning down to pull you into his arms.

“hoshina,” you whisper. “i’m sorry–i shouldn’t have… i got…”

“why are you apologizing?” hoshina asks, his voice sounding more choked than you’d like it to be.

“i didn’t mean to–i didn’t mean for this to happen.�� you think you’re bleeding across hoshina’s suit, across his gloves as you press your head against his shoulder. 

hoshina laughs desperately, wetly.

“you didn’t mean to–of course you didn’t mean to!” hoshina protests. “the attack was more than any of us could have predicted–of course you didn’t mean for any of this happen–i don’t want you to apologize for that.” his hand reaches up to swipe some blood away from your brow. “come on, love. i have to tell you how i feel–that bastard was right, after all. my judgement was compromised from the beginning, around you.” 

“that bastard? narumi?” you ask, coughing a bit. why did it feel so cold? your eyes fluttered for a moment,  “what does he have to do with any of this–”

“i love you,” hoshina says. “i’m sorry it took me this long to tell you. and i’m selfish, for waiting until you’re bloodied, like this, to tell you.” you didn’t like the desperate look in his eyes like he was convinced you were going to die. you leaned up, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“you bastard,” you muttered. “couldn’t you have thought up a better time and place for all of this?” 

“no,” hoshina admits. “because i’m selfish, after all.” he smiles at you, the corner of his mouth twitching ever so slightly. “come on. let’s get you to the medbay. i’m not letting you die on me yet.”

“okay,” you whispered weakly. “okay.”

[xeas]

Can you please do a Norton and fool's gold with a reader where the reader has cinnamoroll personality (cinnamoroll is from sanrio)

MIND OVER MATTER IS MAGIC!

🍍 IN WHICH: drabbles (seperately) of Norton Campbell and Fool's Gold with a reader who is like cinnamoroll from sanrio (basically, shy yet sweet who will also help out their friends whenever they can)

🥥 NOTE FROM XEA!: thank you so much for your request! i love writing for norton but im wary my fools gold may ooc...haha...

🫧CONTENT WARNINGS: pre-established relationship, Norton may appear overprotective, mc may appear to be 'pure and innocent' in a fashion that may be perceived as corny to some readers. reader is referred to as "doll" in Norton's section, "babyface" in Fools Gold's. Seer is mentioned and Grave keeper is implied in Fools Gold section. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

NORTON CAMPBELL; The Prospector

NORTON swears up and down he's done nothing worthy of him deserving you.

The way your thumb grazes his knuckles in a comforting manner--whether to soothe your own nerves or his is unsure-- but the expression of innocence coated on your face both makes his heart sink to his stomach and gives him butterflies.

You have the eyes of someone who has gazed at few possible traumatic scenarios and the skin of one who not been lashed by the harsh truths of the world. He squishes down his feeling of envy when he feels he's going too far down the rabbit hole of his thoughts.

But now, as he bandages up your wound from the cold Night Watch, he can't help but realize how that weighs you down. It wasn't supposed to be you with the gash in your thigh it was supposed to be the teammate you wasted no time saving. You took a hit for them, and for what? So they could have a futile 5 seconds to run as fast as they could only for the harsh winter wind to yank them back to the hunter? You we're such a fool, having so much faith in these people.

But that's what led you two to become such a power couple. You gave him a chance.

"Norton-"

"Hush up, doll." And you do just that.

He looks angry and you feel nervous because of it.

"I'm sorry for getting injured." You mumble quietly. You don't expect a 'Its fine' or a 'Its not your fault' because this was a rookie mistake and you by no means are a rookie.

He remains silent, finishing up dressing your wound. His gloved hands go to hold your thighs as you sit in some corner of burned down building in the Arms Factory.

"Don't do that again." He states. Its not up for debate and you silently nod, moving to give his forehead a kiss as you steady yourself to get up and work on getting out of here.

NORTON CAMPBELL; Fools Gold (Hunter Identity)

"Hm, shame. Really."

Fools Gold let out a teasing laugh as he shoved you into a chair. He leaned on the wall behind it as you glared up at him. Fools gold clicked his tongue (does he even have one??) and fake pouted, most likely mocking you.

"D'aw, don't look at me like that, Babyface. You wouldn't be like this if you didn't sacrifice yourself for that silly little seer."

At least he was brutally honest.

Your muscles are screaming at you and you can feel them throbbing after you spent the last 2 minutes running and jumping and rolling to get away from him.

He traces your jawline with his pickaxe, you can feel your face heat up as Fools Gold lets out a wheezing chuckle. "All bark huh?"

You try to stutter out a response not until you see the ground beside you break. This was going to take a while.

୨🐙୧ ‧ 𝙃𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝘼𝙉 𝘼𝙈𝘼𝙕𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝘿𝘼𝙔! ⋆ ˚｡

🌺 𝙓𝙊𝙓𝙊,

XEA!

[runnning-outof-time]

Could you do "your more fun to miss" with John maybe angsty fluff but whatever works for you and your brain 😁

Thanks for sending this one in, anon!! And I need you to hear me out on this - I KNOW that the gif is of Joe Cole as Sean Wallace in Gangs of London, BUT this could ALSO be Modern!John Shelby … which is what I was going for in this blurb. I figured I’d think outside of the box for one of my John stories since no one is really reading them anyway… But if you are reading them…Enjoy! :) …oh and again, I just focused on the face he’s making rather than what the woman talking to him looks like - I felt the face really matched the situation haha. Ok, I’m babbling now..on with the story!

I’D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! - YOUR COMMENTS & REBLOGS HELP ME WRITE!

Part of my 3.5k Celebration - find more stories here!

More Fun to Miss

Modern!John Shelby x Reader

Warnings: language, drinking, insinuations of cheating

Word Count: 1165

Summary: (Y/N) lets John have a piece of her mind when she sees him (against her wishes) for the first time in three weeks at a club.

“Don’t look now…” (Y/N)’s friend, Kara, began, making she sure had the woman she was addressing’s attention before continuing, “but that man has literally been eye-fucking you all night,” her grin grew as she finished her statement.

(Y/N)’s brows furrowed at her friend’s comment. Then she looked over her shoulder to see who she was talking about. The first thing that came to her mind when she located said man was fuck.

“What? Do you know him or something?” Kara asked upon seeing (Y/N)’s reaction to her observation.

“Yeah, I do,” (Y/N) answered with a sigh.

Kara looked over her friend’s shoulder to take another glimpse of the man before turning her attention back to the conversation. She bit on her bottom lip to conceal her grin as she debated whether or not saying what was on her mind would anger (Y/N) or not. After a few moments, she thought ‘the hell with it’. “He’s hot as fuck,” she commented, her grin in full view now.

“I beg to differ,” (Y/N) disagreed, sipping on her drink and hoping she didn’t look too disgusted.

“Well he’s been staring at you literally all night.”

“Yeah, that’s because he knows me too.”

“Care to share the details?” Kara’s eyebrows raised in intrigue.

“I’d much rather move to a different table,” (Y/N) responded, grabbing her drink in one hand and her clutch in the other before she stood from the table they were sitting at.

“(Y/N)! Wait!” Kara called, scoffing before she hurried to grab her things and catch up with her friend.

(Y/N) silently cursed the fact that the club was rather packed, which made it hard for her to find another open table. At this point, she’d much rather leave the place than go back to where she’d been sitting.

Her path was soon blocked though, and the second she looked up, she had to muster all of her restraint not to throw her drink in the man’s face.

“(Y/N)? I thought it was you,” the cocky shit that was John Shelby wasted no time in making conversation. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he asked with a grin.

“It’s been three weeks, John. Get the fuck out of my way,” (Y/N) dismissed his pleasantries, hoping that he could tell by the glare she was wearing that she wanted no parts of talking to him.

But, of course, John didn’t catch onto it. Or maybe he did and decided to continue the conversation in spite of her. “Three weeks too long, darlin’,” he commented, his eyes raking over her figure, “I’ve missed you.”

“You found him, (Y/N)! I knew you’d taken off for a reason!” Kara chimed into the conversation before (Y/N) could respond with a snide remark.

“I didn’t find him, he blocked my path, Kara,” (Y/N) muttered to her friend, hoping that she’d catch onto her facial expression and help her out.

“You’re a friend?” John asked before Kara was able to get a good look at (Y/N)’s face, succeeding at pulling her attention to him.

“I am! Who might you be?” Kara asked, her grin growing by the second.

“Oh she didn’t tell me about you?” John’s eyebrows raised in surprise, “I was sure she would’ve.”

“No, she didn’t, and I’m rather confused as to why,” Kara responded, frowning at John before she sent (Y/N) a glare and elbowed her side. This set (Y/N) off even more. You’re supposed to be on my side!, she menatlly screamed at her friend.

“Why didn’t you tell her, love?” John now directed his surprised gaze at (Y/N).

“Because contrary to your belief, John, you’re really not someone I’d scream from the rooftops over,” she spat back, eyes shooting daggers at him.

“The noise complaints we got from my nieghbors beg to differ, baby,” he cracked back, his words dripping with smugness. I outgha just throw this fucking drink at you, (Y/N) thought as she stared him down. If looks could kill, he’d be flat on the floor by now.

“I bet they come knocking for every girl you decide to take home to fuck,” (Y/N) decided against making an even bigger scene, keeping the glass gripped firmly in her hand as she snapped at him, “and they probably complain pretty regularly considering you take a different one back every night,” she paused, seeing the surprise return to his eyes. It egged her on even more. “You thought I didn’t know, huh? Thought I hadn’t caught on to it? Why do you think it’s been three weeks and I haven’t answered a single one of your fucking texts, John?” she let him have it, taking her frustration out on him all while getting more frustrated by how he was looking at her.

It seemed like he hadn’t actually heard a word she said, because he was too busy flicking his eyes down to her lips, watching them as she unleashed her anger on him while his grin grew smugger with each word said.

“Oh shit…” Kara’s voice was full of surprise as she looked between the two, the dots finally getting connected in her mind. “That’s why you wanted to go…” she said to (Y/N) then.

“Yeah, that’s exactly why I wanted to go,” (Y/N) answered her friend in a huff, finally breaking eye contact with the man she’d been standing toe-to-toe with. “And I’d like to leave now,” she added, her desperation returning as her anger started to make her feel sick. This was certainly not where she wanted to have this conversation.

“I’ll take the glasses back,” Kara told her, gently taking the glass that (Y/N) had had a white-knuckle grip on from the moment John stopped her. (Y/N) didn’t even realize she’d been holding it that hard until she moved her fingers and they were sore from the tension they’d been under.

The end was in sight now. All she had to do was wait a few more moments for Kara to return. Then she would be away from John Shelby forever.

But of course, John Shelby couldn’t let her get away without one last word. “Like I said, (Y/N)…I missed you,” he said to her, looking her over one last time - as if he was committing her to memory because he knew he’d never cross paths with her again. I hope my memory fucking haunts you, she thought to herself as she thought of one last thing to leave him with.

“Yeah, well you’re more fun to miss,” she sneered at him, looking him over once more also before she pushed passed him to the exit. Kara would have to find her outside because she didn’t want to be in his presence for one more second.

More fun to miss, indeed…although she wasn’t sure if she’d even miss him.

…ok so that was more angsty than fluffy, but the prompt took me on a ride and I had a bunch of fun writing it. I hope you don’t I strayed from your wishes slightly, anon!

**tags in reblogs so that hopefully the notification gets sent out

MASTERLIST

[doughliciousfrosting]

What was it like for your Transfem Leo to come out to her family?

Intro:

Oh my god I love this question. I LOVE ANY QUESTION ACTUALLY. Personally I've been debating on whether Leo would come out as transfem before or after Splinter's death. I've decided before for the simple reason that I really want Splinter to have a nice moment with her as her daughter yk? I guess I'd have to start off with how Leo realized she was transfem. I'm gonna be honest prior to this ask I hadn't given it much thought so I'll try my best to figure it out here right now!! If my initial headcanon for this changes I'll make an update post on it later.

Leo realizes she's transfem:

I'd imagine the turtles themselves don't really have a strong sense of gender, since not only are they turtles, they've also spent the first 15 years of their life in social isolation in the sewers. The only idea of gender they really percieve stems from Splinter, and from their perspective I imagine they kind of just interpret Splinter as a ninja and nothing else. So I think Leo initially tries her best to mimic Splinter and his behaviors. I think Leo's view on herself completely shifted when they met April, because she was an entirely new person. I think Leo at first didn't think much of it because April was human, but then when they met Casey she didn't feel the same kind of envy YKWIM?? Like Leo took one look at April and was like "idk what that is but I wanna be that." I feel like this internal dialogue came to a climax when she went to visit the tea girl from S1. I headcanon she still visits and they have cute lil tea parties lol. So the little girl says she wants to give Leo a makeover, and at first Leo is like "haha no." And the girl is INSISTENT she's like "if you don't let me I'm going to scream and get my dad over here" and Leo caves finally, she's like "OKAY OKAY 😰😰" so the girl dresses her up with what she can (obviously the little girls clothes wouldn't fit Leo who has a huge ass shell on her back LMAO) and she tries to do Leo's makeup. Leo looks in the mirror and thinks like wow.. something abt this just clicks for me. And it kind of makes Leo realize like, this is what she had been wanting since she realized there were genders outside of her rat dad LMAO.

Coming out:

April:

With this in mind, I think that Leo wouldn't exactly have a word for what she is? And frankly I don't think she'd immediately take action either. I think she'd go to April for help, and after telling April what she felt, April would be able to explain what Leo is experiencing. So I guess unintentionally, she came out to April first LMAO 😭 and after Leo realizes she might be trans she's kind of like ermrmmm what do I do abt it now.... So I imagine April gives Leo help on where to start! I think she'd recommend Leo come out to her family members one at a time (if that's what she wanted). So Leo thinks on it for a couple of days or weeks.. (Let's be honest, months). And after finally mustering the courage, she picks a sibling to talk to.

Donnie:

I don't know if this is surprising to some people or not, but I feel like Leo would come out to Donnie first. Mainly because Donnie wouldn't yell (Raph) and would be less likely to accidentally tell other people (sorry Mikey..) Since the 2012 turtles aren't as in touch with emotions as the ROTTMNT turtles, I think that it would definitely be very awkward, but Leo would try to approach it as scientifically as possible. Which serves a double purpose of not being confusing and also being a little more devoid of emotion. I think Leo would start like "you know how gender is a social construct and etc.." And then after blabbing over her words Donnie would be like "hold on are you trying to tell me you're trans?" And Leo would be like "erm.. Yas? Unless u think it's weird because then no.." I think Donnie would know what trans means bcuz Donnie studies human society and stuff. I don't think he'd know how to respond, but I think he'd def question Leo on it out of curiousity, not malice. So after a thorough interview so Donnie can collect data LMAO Donnie kicks leo out the lab is like "cool thanks sis," and that's the end of it.

Mikey:

I think Leo would go to Mikey next because I dont think Mikey would care much BAHAHA. I imagine it's just Leo pulling up next to Mikey (whos doing something like hanging out with I.C.K. or practicing skateboarding) and I imagine the convo goes somewhat like this:

Leo: "Mikey?"

Mikey: "Yeah bro?"

Leo: "uhh I'm not ur bro, I'm ur sister it'd be cool if u could call me that from now on"

Mikey: "cool sis."

Mikey and Leo: "...."

Mikey: "do I still call u Leo orrrr?-"

Leo: "Leo is fine! I have to go train now so uhh bye?"

Mikey: "k bye Leo!"

Mikey would be so unbothered I think LMAO

Raph:

I think Raph would be last, why? Because any sort of convo with Raph regarding emotions tends to be very heavy for Leo and Raph together lmao. I think Leo would STRESS OUT, after telling Mikey she 100% has to tell Raph soon before someone else says something. I think Leo would ask to speak to Raph while Raph's in his room. After knocking and being allowed inside, Leo would sit on raphs bed completely silent and withdrawn. Raph would realize the serious atmosphere and give Leo his full attention. After a little awkward silence, raph would get over it and I think the convo would go something like:

Raph: "Whats up leo? You kinda just made urself cozy in my room. "

Leo: "I..... need to talk to u abt something"

Raph: "well yeah I figured that much"

Leo: "right...."

- more silence -

Raph: "so?? -"

Leo: "Raph. Do you hate girls"

Raph: "WHAT???"

Leo: "WAIT NO THATS NOT HOW I MEANT TO ASK THAT"

Raph: "are u asking me if I'm gay???"

Leo: "NOOO NO NO I'M ASKING ABOUT ME"

Raph: ".... Are *YOU* gay???"

Leo: " WAIT NO.."

Raph: "cuz it's fine if u are this is just a rlly weird way to say it"

Leo: "NOO NO I LIKE GIRLS, THATS NOT WHAT I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU"

Raph: "SO SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!!"

Leo: *sighs*

Leo: "okay I like girls right?.. But I dont just LIKE girls, I also like um.. BEING a girl."

Raph: "huh???"

Leo: "LIKE. YOU KNOW??"

Raph: "wait so.. youre saying that youreeeee a girl?...." (Brain processing)

Leo: "yes...."

Raph: "....so are you gonna like wear dresses and tiaras now?"

Leo: "dude. Have u ever been around a girl?? U don't see April walking around in dresses and tiaras!"

Raph: "I was just asking jeez!!"

Leo: "well don't ask dumb questions!! And to answer ur dumb question no, I will not. I'm a ninja first, I don't think doing flips and Parkour around the city in a big poofy dress is very practical.."

Raph: "righttt.... so when are you gonna tell everyone else?"

Leo: *cringes* "emm I kind of already told everybody else besides splinter? ":)"

Raph: ".........."

Raph: "WHY AM I THE LAST PERSON TO KNOW!?"

-- end scene LOL --

Splinter:

I don't exactly have dialogue for this one, but I think it would definitely be the hardest one for Leo to do. I think Leo would feel like shes ruining splinters expectations of her or something yk?? So she starts off on this big ramble about how she'll always be splinters kid and she hopes this doesn't change anything. I think she'd come off as kind of hysterical so splinter would shut her down and straight up ask what's wrong. So Leo would blurt it out and splinter would 100% be accepting. I think splinter would tell Leo that back when he first named them, he assumed them all to be boys bcuz he didn't want another daughter at the time since he was still mourning Miwa and didn't want to feel like he was replacing her. Splinter would tell Leo he's honored to have her as a daughter now, and then ask if she wants another name that suits her. I personally think Leo would decline, I think she'd want to keep it because it's the one splinter gave her and she doesn't have a problem being called leonardo lolol

Conclusion:

Firstly, this was a long read so if ur still here thank u for listening to my word vomit!! Secondly, I'd like to give a disclaimer here.. **I AM NOT A WRITER** HELPMEAHSLAH I don't know if thats clear or not. I have a vague idea on how these events would go, but I can't always articulate them correctly. I hope this was somewhat comprehensible. And lastly, to the person who sent the message thank u for the asking!! This was very fun to answer and it made me give thought to something I hadn't before!

Edit: WAIT LAST THING I FORGOT TO ADD. I AM NOT TRANS!!!! So if the way I describe this experience for Leo doesn't seem right please let me know 😭😭

[starrylothcat]

Prompt request for our sweet boy Echo (or our lovely Captain Rex) ..."I'll do anything you want me to do to you, but you have to say it out loud." 🫠

Oh, Captain

🔥Captain Rex x Fem!Reader One-Shot

Summary: No plot. Just smut. Rex shows you just how much he loves you.

Warnings: NSFW. 18+. Minors DNI. Established relationship, consensual PiV sex, cunnilingus. No super detailed description of reader. 2000-ish words.

Author’s Note: Sorry this took so long, dear anon. I had to debate super hard whether to do Rex or Echo, haha. But Rex is my original husband so this is what happened (aka writing yet another self-indulgent smut fic)

Thanks for 100 follows, the Star Wars/Clone Wars/Bad Batch fandom has been such a joy to write for and be part of! Drop me a line, let me know what you think. 😘

This one’s for all the Rex simps 💅

You and Rex rarely had time alone.

He was a busy man, as was expected being the Captain of one of the most successful battalions in the war. But he always made time for you, even if it was just a quick kiss in a dark corner or a sweet word in your ear as you passed one another in a busy hallway.

But tonight was different, you had the time. Rex was given a few days of shore leave, and neither of you wanted to waste a single moment.

Your mind was spinning as Rex pressed his muscled body into yours, sinking you both into the motel bed. Caging you between his arms, he deepened an already loving and passionate kiss.

Rex rolled his still clothed hips against you, his hardening desire rutting deliciously against your already wet core. Your pants and top were already thrown somewhere in the room, leaving you only in your panties. His armor was stacked by the bed, discarded a long while ago.

The feeling of his stiff cock rubbing on you pulled a deep moan from your mouth as pleasure shot up both your spines. “Rex…please.” You begged, wanting to feel more of him as you gently ran your fingers through his buzzed hair. He trailed kisses from the side of your swollen lips, down your jaw, until he was nibbling on a sensitive spot on your neck. The deep ache you had for him intensified, wanting him to fill you up and never let you go.

“Please what…?” He hummed. One of Rex’s hands was now teasing your breast, gently squeezing and kneading as he continued to rut against you, while his other arm held his weight over you.

You whined at his words, his teeth grazing across your collarbone, his stubble against your exposed skin making you shudder.

“What do you want, mesh’la?” You let out another whine as he began to roll your nipple between his fingers, your mind turning to mush.

“I’ll do anything you want me to do to you. But you have to say it out loud.”

His seductive words shot pure arousal to your core, surprised at his alluring order. You threw him a playful look as he lifted his head from your neck. “Is that right, Captain?” You purred, willing to indulge in him.

“Yes,” he mumbled as he switched his hand to your other breast, delivering it the same attention. “Tell me what you want…” His eyes flicked up to yours, his hand still rolling your pert nipple between his fingers, your mind in a haze. Rex was ready to please you, worship you. You were his everything and he wanted to make sure you knew it.

“I want - I want you…” you panted as you tugged at his blacks. “I want these off.”

Rex let out a low chuckle as he lifted himself off you. “Yes, ma’am.” Rex quickly stripped himself of his blacks, leaving him completely naked. You ogled his tanned body, even though you have seen him naked many times before. His chest was peppered with scars, ones that you have memorized twice over, remnants of close calls on the front lines. His cock ready and willling, swollen with craving. You swallowed, wanting nothing more than him inside you, to feel his passion.

Rex climbed back on top of you, but stopped halfway, hovering over your lower half.

“Now what?” He husked, starting to really enjoy the game he had started, a playful gleam in his eyes. “Tell your Captain what to do.”

Rex’s pupils were blown with lust, ready to please you in any way you wanted. You licked your lips, thinking for just a moment, though rational thoughts were long gone in your head. “Touch me.” Your voice a hoarse whisper, your body burning with desire.

“You’ll have to be more specific…” Rex lowered his head between your legs, his warm breath fanning over your still clothed pussy. Rex knew what you wanted, but you needed to say it.

“Touch you where? With what?” His fingers ghosted up your thighs as he pressed light kisses to the inside of your legs.

Rex wanted nothing more than to rip those panties off and feast on your arousal, but he was a patient man. He wanted to hear how much you wanted him. He needed to hear it.

You shifted your hips, wanting him to get on with it already, though you secretly loved his teasing. “Rex…” His name a long sigh from your lips as he gently dragged a thumb over your clothed lips, giving you some of the friction you so desperately wanted.

You bucked against him, hungry for more of his touch as he lazily rubbed his thumb against you.

“I want you to say it, mesh’la.” There was desperation laced in his voice, his own body on fire with anticipation as he awaited your response.

You couldn’t help but smirk, watching how he was trying to hold himself together. You propped yourself up on your elbows, fully looking at him now. He was poised, ready to do whatever you wished of him.

“I want your handsome face between my legs, and I want you to make me cum with just your tongue...” You voice was an octave lower, husky with desire, loving the way his eyes darkened at your demand. “Is that clear enough for you, Captain?”

“Your wish is my command, ma’am.” Rex rumbled, grinning as he hooked his fingers under the waistband of your panties, sliding them down your legs and tossing over his shoulder. You watched as he brought his mouth between your legs, his hands gently but firmly holding your thighs in place. “Just like this?”

Rex pressed his mouth to your pussy, delicately probing his tongue at your entrance, slowly licking up and down your lips.

You threw your head back against the pillow, falling back down fully onto the bed, feeling his tongue work magic between your legs.

“Y-yes, Rex, just like that…!”

He couldn’t help but groan at how wet you already were for him as he began his meal, licking at a steady pace, setting your entire body ablaze.

You gripped the sheets, gasping out a loud curse as your legs shook at his ministrations. “Rex, ahh, please…” Your head lolled against the pillow, your eyes screwed shut in bliss as he licked and sucked at a perfect pace, your entire body feeling like it was boneless.

Your moans spurred him on, his own cock desperate for attention, but not until you were fully satisfied.

Rex increased his pace, his tongue now working at your clit, circling and sucking as your body twitched and shuddered in response, getting closer to release. One of his hands slipped from your thigh and moved to your lower abdomen, keeping you in place as your body trembled more vehemently, your cries and whines becoming louder, feeling your orgasm build with every roll of his tongue. “D-don’t stop…”

“I wouldn’t dream of it...” He purred against you, knowing you were close, needing to hear his name call from your lips as you did so.

He loved you, more than he could ever express in words. You complete him in every sense. Obviously there was more to your relationship than sex, but he longed for these few and far between moments in which he could truly show you just how much he cherished you.

You let out a choked sob of his name, your hands flying to grip the sides of his platinum head as pleasure ripped through your body. Your orgasm washed over you as he continued to lap and hold his tongue against you. He almost came himself at the sounds coming from deep in your chest and the feeling of your body convulsing under his hands and tongue.

Your hands fell from his head, your body beginning to relax as your intense orgasm subsided. Rex lifted his head, gazing at your limp body on the bed, your eyes fluttering open to meet his.

“How was that?” He murmured, wiping your slick off his chin. “A-Amazing, as always.” You couldn’t help but smile as your chest heaved, trying to regain your senses.

Rex felt pride swell in his chest, seeing how blissed out you were from just his mouth, the look of love in your hooded eyes as you came to from your pleasure.

“You’re so beautiful, you know that?” Rex muttered as he climbed back on top of you, pressing his throbbing cock against your pussy, gently grinding down, eliciting a groan from both of you.

“Now...” His lips brushed against yours, your arms wrapping around his shoulders. “…what do you want me to do?”

His forehead dropped to yours, stopping himself from slipping into you. “I want you to fuck me until we both can’t think straight.”

That’s all he needed to hear, his body shuddering as he pushed inside your soaked entrance, not wanting you to wait any longer.

He let out a shaky sigh, his eyes meeting yours as he bottomed out, beginning a slow, deliberate pace. “I love you.” Your breathy whisper in his ear melted him as you wrapped your legs around his waist, your fingernails digging in to his defined back muscles. Rex rocked in to you, deeper with every thrust, his movements languid as you savored the sensation of him filling you up.

“I…love you, too.” He responded as his lips caught yours, only you and your devotion existing as he continued his leisurely pace. “Rex…” you groaned against his lips, “I want to ride you.” His honeyed eyes gleamed, and before you could say another word he flipped you both, finding yourself on top of him. “Like I said, love,”he huffed, a slight grin on his face as he ran his hands up your belly to your breasts, giving them each a gratifying squeeze. “I’ll do anything you want.”

You smirked as you pressed your hands down on his chest, beginning to move your body, unhurriedly at first, as he did to you.

Now it was your turn to see him beneath you, watching every twitch and hearing every moan that left his lips as you rode him. You relished seeing him like this, fully relaxed, fully undone.

You loved looking into his captivating eyes that held so much emotion, feeling his powerful shoulders that held too many burdens, hearing his quiet impassioned confessions only meant for your ears. You wished you could run away from it all, be like this forever.

Rex’s hands moved to grip your ass, enjoying the plush handfuls of your flesh against his palms and the view of your body bouncing above him. Maker, he loved you. You were everything he needed. Soft, loving, understanding. You gave him another reason to fight, to ensure a peaceful Galaxy where he could spend the rest of his life with you in moments just like this.

“You feel so amazing…I love you…so much…” he slurred, his hands traveling up from gripping your ass to caressing up and down your back, feeling your warm pussy working his length deliciously. His mind now turning to mush at all the sensations.

You leaned down and brought your lips to his, tasting him deeply. Your tongue explored his mouth as you swallowed eachother’s moans, bouncing faster on top of him, stoking the flame that was growing in both your bellies.

Rex’s hands solidly clutched your waist, careful not to leave any marks as his hips drove up to meet yours. He always felt bad when he left a bruise or accidental hickey, being the gallant man that he was, but you secretly loved it when he did.

Your head was buried in his neck, your body slick with sweat as you climbed your peaks. Rex’s groans were getting louder, taking the form of your name, letting you know he was getting close. You were close too, your thighs quivering with exertions, your hands gripping the sheets around his head, each thrust up into you sending electric shockwaves up and down your body.

“I want you to cum for me Rex, please…” You rasped against his neck, needing to feel his release deep inside you.

“I’m close-so close…” Rex panted out, not able to hold back after hearing your words, feeling your soft walls flutter around his cock as your were reaching your own climax.

Rex’s thrusts became erratic as he let out a gutteral groan of your name, spilling himself deep inside you.

You followed, your own orgasm exploding over you as you chanted his name, both of you drunk with lust and pleasure, your movements slowing as you came down from your highs.

Your thighs now officially jelly, you gave a few last, slow thrusts as the pleasure wore off, leaning down to catch his lips.

Rex wrapped his arms around your torso, pulling you down flush on top of him as your body melted into him.

You blinked tears away from the intensity, from the pure adoration Rex had for you. He rubbed his hands up and down your back, nuzzling his face into yours as your bodies relaxed. You slid out of him, rolling off and cuddling to his side, basking in the afterglow.

“Are you still taking orders from me, Captain?” You whispered as you laid your head across his chest. “Of course.” He chuckled as he tightened his embrace around you.

“Always be mine.” You uttered as you sat up to gaze at him, his eyes holding only the utmost reverence and adoration for you. “Only if you promise the same.” Rex kissed you, loving and tender, knowing you had his heart, and that he had yours.

You could feel a slight electric tingle in your body, feeling Rex’s hands begin to wander and gently squeeze at your curves. You giggled as Rex maneuvered over you, kissing all over your cheeks and down your neck.

“Now, I think it’s time for you to return the favor… …if that’s okay with you…” His voice gravelly, the playful gleam back in his eyes. You nipped at his jaw, your burning need re-igniting, excited to give him the same total attention he had just given you.

“Yes, sir. Anything for my Captain.”

@wanderer-six 👀

[literallyjusttoa]

Muses HC's!

Bc why not, the muses are awesome. Also! Just a quick refresher bc I know not everyone is insane and has all the muses memorized.

Clio: Muse of History

Eutyrpe: Muse of Lyric Poetry

Thalia: Muse of Comedic Poetry

Melpomine: Muse of Tragic Poetry

Terpsichore: Muse of Dance

Erato: Muse of Erotic Poetry

Polyhymnia: Muse of Religious Hymns

Urania: Muse of Astronomy

Calliope: Muse of Epic Poetry

I know that Hesiod said they were daughters of Zeus but you know what I say? I say NO. I instead listen to what some other poets said, which is that the muses are very powerful nymphs that burst forth from sacred streams. I like to think this happened like five months before Apollo was born, and everyone was very confused about these nymphs that seemed to have control over domains that no one else really had any claim over, and then Apollo was born and everyone was like “ohhh that makes sense, yeah.” In a way, they prophesized Apollo’s domains (haha get it, cuz he's the god of prophecy, I’m a genius guys i’m a comedic geni-)

Thalia and Melpomine argue about everything, but they’re also inseparable. You’ll often find them discussing heroes' stories and debating whether or not their lives should take a comedic or tragic turn. 

Calliope doesn’t just write epic poetry. No, she also appraises weapons and artifacts of bygone myths with Clio, maps out constellations with Urania, and watches over upcoming epic heroes with Apollo. She’s really the jack-of-all-trades of the group.

Soprano: Eutyrpe, Thalia Mezzo-Soprano: Terpsichore, Calliope, Erato Alto: Clio, Polyhymnia Contralto: Melpomine, Urania

(Obviously they can sing all the notes but this is like, their preferences when it comes to harmonizing) 

Eutyrpe and Terpsichore love to have mini shows, with Eutyrpe performing any new lyrics she’s cooked up and Terpsichore improvising dances to her songs. 

Clio’s kind of the unofficial leader of the muses. Like, Apollo is the official leader, but whenever he’s out of town Clio’s in charge. 

Whenever Apollo makes a new poem, he shows it to whoever’s sphere it falls into first, and then Urania, bc Urania just loves reading poetry and her praise will heal the bruised ego he might have if the first draft was not approved. 

 Whenever Urania makes a new constellation, the whole group has an overnight star-watching session, where they reminisce on old heroes and make smores. 

Polyhymnia and Erato actually have a lot of overlap. Especially because Polyhymnia was making religious hymns for greek gods and, well, you know how greek gods are. This is why Erato is the only one not surprised by Polyhymnia’s dirty jokes. The other sisters think Polyhymnia is “too pure”

Apollo has been with all of the muses, but it’s honestly more of a queer-platonic sort of thing (and/or a friends with benefits situation) he has a very fluid way of showing affection with all of them, since they’ve been some of his closest companions throughout his life. Also, the ten of them have single-handedly made it through the equivalent of thousands, if not tens of thousands of tech weeks together, and I don’t think anything could bond people together more than that.

[stargirl-writes]

devotion

pairing : f! reader x anakin skywalker

word count : 1.3k

masterlist | ao3 link

summary

when you decided to sleep with anakin skywalker, you have set an arrangement to keep it purely physical. but it was getting harder to repress that you've fallen for him. and tonight, you aren't sure if you can keep seeing him in like this anymore.

tags : angst, hurt/no comfort, pining.

warnings : !mature content! (implication of sexual themes, but not discussed) and drinking. kind of a cliffhanger (i'm debating whether i should make another part still)

notes : hello lovely people, i'm currently hyperfixiating on media referring/relating love to faith and cannibalism (as smone with religious trauma haha!) so here's my tiny drabble on that, i hope ya like it 🪽

likes, comments, and reblogs are highly appreciated!

Corruption begins at the mouth. To consume the flesh— the wanting. The thought of being ready to devote entirely. And to be devoured with the same intensity.

So when you agreed to have sex with Anakin Skywalker, you convinced yourself it was purely physical. The attraction has always been there, one of you is bound to break, and to your favor, Anakin had been the one to come to your quarters.

But it doesn't matter. Whatever you feel is overcome by your fear of intimacy. You can satiate the physical sensations without ever needing to commit.

He wanted you. And you wanted him — in the same manner. Purely physical, that was the arrangement you set.

The days are most exhausting but you can give into the relief of coming apart by Anakin's touch, and his hungry kisses, and his deep thrusts. You'd forget the stresses of the galaxies. You'd allow him to hold you, without him knowing that no one has ever stood to your soul as he does when his eyes fix on you at the edge of your climax.

And Anakin would fuck like you were the most beautiful thing he'd got his hands on. He becomes greedy, he'd become the closest thing to intimacy you can define.

It never mattered how you felt before.

He always made sure to have you feel good first, and you'd always make him crumble by your touch after.

It was a mutual exchange.

There's no need to complicate such a clear line by confusing his kisses as something romantic.

You knew he was carnivorous about love— he'd want to be teeth deep in possession. He could love you, if you let him, you could become his God.

And that terrified you more than your fear of intimacy.

You stood up from the sheets, legs still trembling.

Despite the moments earlier, you wrapped your robe around your body, feeling exposed.

You know Anakin would never stay after. It was good that he didn't. At least, then you can reestablish some space after such a binding ritual of fucking and vows that leave his lips in the heat of the moment.

You sat down by the chair away from your bed, pouring yourself a drink. It was a vice you developed during the war. One you can't entirely quit because it sends you straight to sleep.

Anakin was steadying his breath. You heard him shuffling, as if he too was trying to come down from the high.

You downed your drink and poured another. Begging for that warm buzz to come over quickly so you'd stop feeling so... excessively.

Through the mirror, you saw Anakin put back his garments— his hair stubbornly a mess.

You take your gaze away from lingering on his bare torso. Or his sharp jaw. Or his tight back.

You drank your shot once more.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Anakin says, his profile the only thing you could make out from the reflection.

Your heart aches, torn between wanting to say yes, i'll see you tomorrow, please come find me tomorrow, hold me tomorrow, and no, i can't keep doing this tomorrow, i don't want to see you tomorrow.

You cannot admit that you knew loving would destroy you. if he comes tomorrow, you fear you'd break and finally tell him. But then again, if you refuse, he'll know how you felt.

The stage is finally set; for you and Anakin to dance and circle around waiting to be consumed by one another.

Possession is cruel, it corrupts. You thought, with all the love you have— you could eat him whole.

You don't speak, Anakin steps forward, standing very close to your back.

The heat of his body emanates to your robes— casting imprints on the fibers of your soul.

You saw Anakin's gaze land on the drink you were having. He never did like how you turn to alcohol for some sort of relief.

"Did you not want me to come tomorrow?" He insists after noticing your silence.

Your lips purse, "No"

He tilts his head, lost by what you meant.

"No— no, you can, if you want to" you clarified, unsure how committed you were to your own words.

You downed the rest of your drink— feeling the familiar haze of its effect.

"Then what's bothering you?" Anakin speaks softly, you hated how much you didn't want to ruin this.

You sigh, shaking your head "Nothing"

"Nothing at all"

Anakin kneels down, wanting to see your eyes. His eyes were dark, intent, you wondered what they'd look like if he fell in love.

"Did I—" He begins, Your eyebrows furrow at the concern coating his voice.

"Did I hurt you? Did I do something?"

You pressed your palm against his cheek, forcing him to look up. "No, Anakin"

Under your touch, he looked like everything you asked for. Underneath your sinful fingers, he becomes something you could worship.

You caught yourself dreaming and withdrew your hand, taking the glass of alcohol instead.

You could feel his eyes burn at your skin watching you drink.

"I'll see you tomorrow" You dismissed, standing up, trying to establish some space, so you can stop being so encased by his warmth, or his eyes, or his hair, or his hold on you he was so blissfully unaware of.

Your head spun, you fought through the blurriness.

You found yourself at the balcony instead, a breath of fresh air would do you good.

You waited to hear your door lock— held your breath til he left.

But he stays.

"You know, you really should stop depending on alcohol" Anakin appears next to you.

You ran your finger to the rim of your drink, huffing a breathless laugh.

"It's the only thing that comforts me nowadays" You sigh, not intending the double entendre.

Besides, you doubt he'll interpret your attraction to him as anything else.

The silence hung once more. The cold of the midnight air felt crisp against your bare legs, so you hugged your robe against your skin.

"I worry about you" Anakin's voice was husky, exhausted. "We used to be able to talk about everything before"

Your heart tinges in guilt. Along the way, you somehow have pushed him farther away by denying how you felt.

"I'm sorry, I've just been trying to figure out some things"

You're doing it because of love. And for love, you disappear.

"Well, come to me. You know you can always come to me, whenever you need me." Anakin stresses.

You look up, biting your tongue. Begging to stay in one piece.

If you offer yourself— it'd be the most selfish thing you'll do.

You'll be mine. You thought as you get lost in his eyes.

Burning devotion. For all eternity.

"Anakin, we can't keep doing this anymore" You said finally, submitting to your truth.

Anakin's eyes furrow in focus. "Doing what?"

You frown, trying to explain something incommunable.

You've always felt ashamed for wanting. For taking. It wasn't a virtue, it was a disguise. Because you can't love without giving yourself entirely, bones and all. Ravenous, intense, unforgiving devotion.

Because isn't bite also a form of touch?

Finally, Anakin seems to understand the expression painted on your face. You held your breath, bracing for his reaction.

"You wanted this" He reminds. The sterness of his voice made you flinch. It felt like the cruelest rejection.

"I know"

"You said clear lines. No attachments"

"I know" You felt like you were being caught in the act of doing something forbidden.

Anakin's expression hardens, seeming to process your admission.

Your tears were threatening to fall, but you refused to let them. You didn't want him to feel sorry you felt that way. You didn't want him to know how far you've pathetically fallen for him.

He turns to his heel and your heart breaks.

The tear finally leaks your left eye, as your hand reaches out, just enough to grip on the end of his robe.

"Stay"

part ii?

© to @cafekitsune for the borders!

[teataglia]

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟐: 𝐀𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐮 + 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

pairing: atsumu x f!reader

warnings: smut, facesitting, oral (f!receiving), petnames (angel, baby, sweetgirl), masturbation (m)

tea’s note: haha just realized that ive been writing so much about the reader getting eaten out buuuut everyone deserves head so im gonna keep going hehehe, day 12 down, not proofread again sorry! maybe ill do it tomorrow probably not tho, enjoy anyways!! look forward to lauren’s fic tomorrow: megumi + aphrodisiacs!

wc: .8k

kinktober masterlist !

“Tsumu, I’m not sure about this,” you whisper, cheeks aflame as you hover directly over Atsumu’s open and drooling mouth. Your thighs tremble from anticipation and strain, letting out a meek whimper as you feel his hot breath hit your folds. “What if I hurt you?”

Atsumu barks out a laugh, he’s just so desperate to feel you on his face. You’ve been unintentionally teasing him for the past twenty minutes while you debate on whether to take a seat or not. It took ten minutes to get you to even bring your cunt anywhere near his face, and another ten of your hips floating right above him. Your pussy lips so close yet so far, just out of reach of Atsumu’s eager tongue. “You won’t, angel, now sit.” Atsumu’s thick fingers wrap around your thighs gently trying to tug you onto him.

You resist and pout. “But what if I suffocate you?”

“That’s the point, doll,” Atsumu sends you a lopsided grin, even though you both know he’s not joking. 

“But-”

“No buts unless it’s yours on my face,” he’s been so patient with you all night, but now he’s getting restless. His dick twitches against his abdomen, bare, leaking and sensitive. One of Atsumu’s massive hands snakes down to grab it, giving a few rough pumps to keep himself at bay. This doesn’t help, in fact makes it so much worse when he sees the slick collecting at your core. His mouth waters, trying so hard not to buck his hips into his fist. 

You glance behind you, hearing the raw slaps of skin on skin. You eyes widen and hole flutters as you see what exactly Atsumu’s doing behind your back. Being front and center of your reaction, Atsumu groans and raises his head enough to give your kiss a gentle kiss. 

You jerk at the unexpected contact and glare down at him, tangling your fingers in his blond hair to hold his head down. You were intending to calm him down, but instead your action triggers the adverse reaction of Atsumu groaning at your force, hips jerking wildly. 

“Baby,” his tone drips with desire and his half lidded eyes stare up at you pleadingly, “I can make both of us feel real good if you just. sit. down.” Both of Atsumu’s hands fly again to grasp your hips, pulling you unceremoniously down onto his face. After so much exertion of keeping yourself up, your thighs give in, allowing you to fully sink onto his extended tongue. 

The wet muscle immediately laps up your juices, running over your slit repeatedly. The lewd noises Atsumu’s mouth makes leaves you squirming and bouncing on his face, completely overwhelming you. Your thighs squeeze the sides of his head deliciously, but not too tight that he can’t hear the sweet moans that fall from your parted lips. 

Your hips rock into him harshly and you start riding him, angling your clit to brush against his tongue with every buck. The feeling of you losing yourself on him has Atsumu lightheaded and he’s drinking you in harder than before. 

“Fuck, angel, you taste so good,” Atsumu’s growling between slurps, the intense vibrations on your folds has your eyes rolling back. “That’s it, sweet girl. Let me take care of you.” 

And you do. 

Your mind reels when you feel Atsumu’s tongue trace from your clit to prod at your clenching hole. Stuttering in his grip, he forces himself in. A wanton moan tears from you as you feel your walls stretch to accomodate the intrusion. His deft tongue hones in on the area that has you tightening around his tongue, stroking and flicking against it. His nose presses firmly against your clit and the sensations combined send you over the edge. 

You throw your head back, fingers digging into Atsumu’s scalp as you cum on his tongue. A searing hot white blinds your vision and your form shudders in his secure grip. You ride out your high, Atsumu smugly enjoying his view from below. After only a few aftershocks still plague your body, you topple off of him, back hitting the soft mattress. 

He gathers you in his arms, gently resting your head against his broad chest as he feels the tickle of your eyelashes fluttering shut. 

“Get some rest, baby. We’re doing that again when you wake up.”

Blissed out and half asleep, you nod compliantly.

“Attagirl,” Atsumu smirks, kissing your forehead as you drift off next to him.

© teataglia 2022, all rights reserved. do not plagiarize, copy, translate, repost my content on any platform.

[agi-ppangx]

hi lovely 🫶🏽

are you going to make a part 3 of the pregnancy fic? like maybe the boys making sure that you were okay 24/7 and they're always making sure you have with you any food that you crave?

overall just being really chaotic and caring uncles :,)

please don't have to feel pressured to do it 💓

hii !! thank you for this idea ^^ i wont lie, i was kinda struggling and im not sure if this is what you wanted, but at the same time i had so much fun writing this haha hopefully youll like it, please let me know if you enjoyed<3

part one | part two

feedback and reblogs highly appreciated🫶🏽

since you and minho told the boys about pregnancy, they haven't stopped talking about it on a daily basis. they called at least four times a day to ask if you were doing okay or if you needed anything. they even created a separate group chat to only talk about you and the baby, worrying over you 24/7. you appreciated their efforts, it was really cute when they pinged you at a random hour with a question "uncle no 5: @/mother🫡 have you eaten anything today????? we know you've been craving mcdonalds lately so we bought a few happy meals and we're on our way to your apartment !!! see you soon".

that's how you ended up in the current situation - on your couch, minho running some errands in the city, felix and jeongin on both your sides, and twelve happy meals in front of you. "how did this happen…?" you asked, dumbfounded. "i thought you said a few happy meals". you whispered the last part, trying to process all of it. "yeah, i mean, we didn't really know which combination you wanted so we chose, well, twelve," felix stated and jeongin added a quiet "ta-da", both of them smiling awkwardly. after a long moment of silence, you suddenly started sobbing, the hormones taking over. the boys looked at you, confused and scared at the same time - did they do something wrong? "yn, what's- what's going on? are you okay?" jeongin stuttered, not being sure whether to hug you or leave you alone. he made eye contact with felix, silently debating what to do and gesturing vividly over your crying figure. "no, it's just- i can't eat all of this and it makes me sad, because you bought it for me and-" you were starting to ramble and felix had to place his hands on your shoulders to ground you. you looked at him and started taking deep breaths with his help. after you stopped hyperventilating felix spoke softly. "yn, it's absolutely fine, we're not mad at all. just eat as much as you want and we'll take care of the leftovers." you nodded but the tears didn't stop. "i'm really sorry, i appreciate your efforts and i would love to eat all these happy meals but it's just too unhealthy for the baby and i don't want the food to harm it" you began again, the hormones making you feel guilty. "we get it, yn, it's totally okay, don't worry. and please stop crying, it breaks my heart," jeongin said and wiped your tears. you giggled at that a little, feeling a bit better. you took one happy meal and started eating fries. "is there anything else you were craving lately that's maybe healthier than mcdonalds?" felix asked suddenly and you took a moment to think about it. there was one thing, way better than fast food. "cherries, i was craving them for the past few days" you mumbled. "okay, cherries it is" felix stated and took his phone to send a message to the group chat.

"uncle no 5: guys

uncle no 5: you have a mission

uncle no 5: buy some cherries for @/mother🫡 and come to her and minho hyung's apartment

uncle no 5: also, we have around 11 happy meals to eat

uncle no 1: what the fuck do you mean by 11 happy meals ???

uncle no 5: come and find out ;) bUT DON'T FORGET THE CHERRIES"

after around an hour you heard banging at the door. you wanted to get up and open them, but jeongin was faster. you saw five men at your front door, each of them with a box full of freaking cherries. "hi yn! how are you feeling? are you okay? did- did you cry?" changbin bombarded you with tons of questions as soon as he placed his box on the coffee table in front of you. "i'm fine, don't worry, but- i thought you would bring maybe a kilogram of cherries and not five boxes…" you replied, looking at the fruit in you living room. "i mean, don't get me wrong, that's really thoughtful of you, but what i'm gonna do with all these cherries?" you muttered, getting up and examining the boxes. you noticed on the side of the box that one of those was eight kilograms, which meant… "where did you even get forty kilograms of cherries?" you exclaimed, astonished. you didn't know if you were happy because of the support or if you wanted to murder them for buying forty kilograms of cherries for one pregnant woman. they remained silent as they smiled awkwardly, caught off guard by your reaction. as you were standing in the middle of the apartment, you heard key jingling at the door and you saw minho enter the room a moment after. he stopped in his tracks as he noticed the chaos - twelve happy meals, five boxes full of cherries and seven men in his living room as well as his pregnant partner standing around the coffee table. "what the hell…?" he looked you in the eyes, dumbfounded. "anyone want to explain this to me?" minho continued, looking around the room and then taking a few careful steps in your direction. "yn was craving some food so we bought it for her…" jeongin started, unsure. minho examined the room once more and then he shifted his gaze at you. he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but then closed them and simply brushed it off with a wave of his hand. he made his way to the kitchen to take something to drink and in the meantime you gestured at the food and clapped your hands. "okay boys, let's eat!".

there you were, an hour later, munching on some cherries and all of the boys, including minho, sitting around you on the couch and the floor, finishing their happy meals. they placed all of the toys on a pile in the middle of the coffee table and suddenly hyunjin spoke. "hey, we can keep these for the baby. you know, when their older they can play with them, right?". minho jumped at his words, clearly not happy about his idea. "absolutely not, i'm not gonna let my daughter play with 12 plastic minions" he almost shouted and you gave him a warning look, but it was too late. "wait, what? you're having a daughter?" seungmin asked and shifted his shocked gaze to you. "um… surprise?" you revealed and saw the boys jump from joy, shouting and hugging each other. you peeked at minho, his face was almost as red as the cherries the boys brought and he was fidgeting with the hem of his hoodie. when he sensed your gaze at him, he mumbled a faint "i'm sorry". in response you pecked his lips and smiled widely at him. "it's okay baby, that was actually a smooth way to reveal the gender. unplanned, but certainly smooth," you smirked and minho chuckled at that. you took his hand and watched the chaos together, feeling blessed to have such amazing people in your life.

[hyunsvngs]

Omg I did not expect that last post to get so many likes. I have found my piss kink brethren and Juno is our queen haha

I got so excited I mayy have written another one, with Hyunjin this time. Apologies for bombarding your inbox but what do you think? Should I keep going and write more?

---

"Hyune?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Can I take some pictures of you?"

You're a photographer so it's only natural for you to notice and capture beautiful sights, and - in your professional opinion - there is nothing in this world more beautiful than your boyfriend.

Hyunjin, however, has always been shy about letting you photograph him. He's laying on his stomach with his long legs stretched out, wearing simple grey joggers and a sleeveless top which shows off the sculpted muscles in his arms. Your eyes linger on the rounded curve of his ass, practically begging to be rubbed, smacked or bitten - you're not fussy. And neither is he.

He lets out a high-pitched groan and buries his bare face in his arms. "Why do you want to take my picture, I don't have make up on."

"You look perfect," you tell him honestly. "You always look perfect. Pleasee baby?"

He's a sucker for praise, he pretends not to like it but you see the colour dust his cheeks and his little smile peeking up through his arms. He finally relents and you run to get your camera.

It doesn't take long for Hyunjin to start enjoying himself. The boy is the biggest exhibitionist you've ever met, he loves being watched by you and it's only when the camera comes out that he gets self-conscious. But you're patient, gently coaxing him to relax, mixing in soft words of encouragement with professional directions about the best angles and poses.

You're pleasantly surprised when he pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it aside without prompting. He bites his plump lips and gazes up at you, his boldness masking the raw vulnerability underneath. Your eyes roam hungrily over his smooth chest and stomach, his rosy nipples and the dark trail of hair disappearing beneath his joggers.

A whimper from Hyunjin pulls your attention and he suddenly presses his thighs together.

"What is it baby?"

Hyunjin only shakes his head, appears to debate with himself for a moment, and then hooks his fingers into his waistband and pulls his joggers and pants down in one go. His gorgeous lean cock springs free and this time it's your turn to whimper.

He immediately presses the heel of his palm against his cock and lets out a louder, more desperate groan. That's when you remember the huge glass of water he drank earlier and realise why he's squeezing his thighs together so tightly.

"Do you have to pee baby?"

Hyunjin's face blazes red and he ducks his head shyly. "Yes."

"Are you going to pee for me?"

This is unchartered territory. Hyunjin has masturbated for you before, tugging his achingly hard leaking cock while you watch until he sprays come all over his stomach - but he's never pissed himself in front of you.

"I-I want to," he admits. "But I'm embarrassed. It's so dirty."

"I like you dirty."

This pulls another whimper. He's gripping the base of his cock so hard you can tell he's about to burst. A small spurt of pee splashes over his hand, as if he can't help himself, and he gasps - half relieved, half mortified.

"Yes that's it, my dirty boy" you tell him, your fingers slipping into your own soaked panties. "Let go."

Whether it's the sight of you touching yourself for him, or because he simply can't hold it any more Hyunjin releases his bladder. An arc of pee gushes from his cock and splashes up onto his stomach while he throws his head back and curls his toes. The man even pisses beautifully.

It's the sexiest fucking thing you've ever seen, but suddenly seeing it isn't enough.

"Stop."

His head snaps up. "W-what-"

"I said stop, Hyunjin."

He obeys, albeit with a cry of discomfort. You know he wasn't even halfway done. You strip yourself naked and walk over to him, abandoning the camera in your fevered need to touch him.

You crawl into his lap, balancing yourself on his hips and pressing your dripping pussy against the tip of his cock. Hyunjin's breath hitches as he realises what you're about to do. He grabs you and pulls you against him.

"Baby, are you sure? I can't hold it-"

"Please Hyune." You brush the hair back from his sweaty forehead. "I need it. I need to feel it inside me. Want you to piss in me, please love."

That's all the warning you give before sinking down onto his cock. Hyunjin screams with pleasure and you feel him erupt, filling your pussy with delicious warmth until it's so full his piss spills out over both of your legs.

He clings to you the whole time, alternating between loud moans and capturing your lips in desperate kisses while his body trembles beneath you.

It feels so unbelievably good you think you might actually pass out. By the time he finally finishes, you're both shaking and so turned on that he doesn't even pull out - he just fucks you hard until you come screaming his name.

-😺 anon

THOUGHT I WOULD POST THIS RN CAUSE I JUST HAD AN ANON ASKING DOR MORE FROM U… SO SEXYYYYY U R INSENANDNEE

[thenovelartist]

The Collector - Honkai: Star Rail fanfiction

This game has me in a vicegrip. And I, the chronic shipper, have latched onto DanStelle. So... here we go. A "short" 8.7k (haha) one-shot.

It all started with a dumpster.

Dan Heng would give Stelle the benefit of the doubt in this case. She was a girl who, for all they knew, had only just entered the world via way of a stellaron inside of her. So it wasn’t unusual for her to be curious about things.

It just momentarily caught him off-guard that one of those things would be snooping through the trash.

Well, he supposed once was harmless enough for a girl in her situation. He’d warn her against it later.

(Not that she would listen, to him or March.)

~~~

Next it was papers. Before Dan Heng realized it, Stelle had amassed quite a collection of reading materials ranging from letters to instructions to random bits of fiction. She seemed quite proud of herself for these things, holding onto them with a small smile.

“Are you going to read those?” he quietly inquired after he’d caught her taking a tattered guide book off a crate.

She simply shrugged as she flipped through the pages with a proud smile.

He wasn’t sure how to take that answer.

~~~

It finally hit him after the Belobog debacle was over. Actually, it wouldn’t have hit him so hard if Himeko hadn’t forced him to go grab March and Stelle from their respective rooms for breakfast, a task he’d been less than thrilled with at the time.

After waking March, Dan Heng headed to Stelle’s room, only for her not to answer no matter how many times he knocked.

“Just open the door,” March groaned, having emerged from her own room. “She’s been staying up late lately.”

“Do you know why?” Dan Heng asked.

March just shrugged.

“Then you do it,” Dan Heng said, beginning to walk away.

“I gotta go to the bathroom!” she protested, already skipping away. “You do it; it’ll be fine.”

With a sigh, Dan Heng watched March disappear before turning back to Stelle’s door. Although hesitant, he did push the door open, sticking his head inside to see Stelle fast asleep on the futon of her room.

“Stelle,” he called out.

No answer.

Just as he was debating whether or not just to leave the clearly tired girl alone to sleep, he caught sight of her room, making note of the stack of papers and booklets that were sitting against a wall. To the left of that nicely organized pile was a much smaller pile of records she had managed to find. Her only impressive finds in Dan Heng’s opinion. On the opposite side of the paper pile was an odd assortment of objects that she had found while searching through the trash. Or through boxes. Or random suitcases.

But that was it.

His brow furrowed as he realized that, in terms of physical possessions, that small pile of pilfered objects was all she owned. All she had coming into the world were the clothes on her back, and even those were folded up carefully by her bedside. What she was wearing now was a nightgown that Dan Heng knew she had borrowed from March.

His eyes narrowed on the objects carefully arranged in the corner of her room, new questions coming to mind. Was she collecting those objects because she had nothing else? While he was not one to like collecting possessions, he knew March loved her clutter. Was Stelle the same?

The sound of shifting sheets brought him back to reality. However, he realized Stelle had still not woken up and was simply snuggling her futon blanket closer.

He sighed. He could muse over her empty room later. He had a task given to him by Himeko to accomplish.

But before that…

He looked at her one pair of clothes laying folded by her head. When was the last time those were washed?

With a shake of his head, he left Stelle’s room with the intent of going to March and telling her to give Stelle some clothes to borrow, but she wasn’t in her room. Meaning she was still in the bathroom.

Did she get distracted by her phone again?

Rather than waiting around for whenever March decided to reappear, Dan Heng headed into his room, shuffling through his things for something that would fit Stelle so that her clothes could be washed. That’s when he found an old outfit that had been handed down to him when he had had few possessions: a standard-issue Herta space station uniform. It would do.

Heading back to Stelle’s room, he set the folded shirt and pants next to the bedside of the still slumbering girl.

“Stelle.” He placed a hand on her shoulder.

She stirred at that.

“Stelle, wake up.”

Finally, her eyes blearily cracked open. “Dan Heng?”

“Himeko asked me to wake you for breakfast.”

With a groan, she buried her face back in her pillow.

“I have a spare change of clothes for you,” he commented. “So I can wash yours.”

She froze momentarily before blearily looking up from her pillow to see the stack of clothes he had brought. “Huh?”

“When was the last time yours were washed?”

“Donno,” she groused, voice still tinged with sleep.

He huffed, the corners of his lips quirking upwards as he grabbed her clothes. “Don’t fall back asleep.”

Plopping her head back down onto the pillow, she groaned. “Fine.”

“Or I’m sending March to get you.”

“I can deal with her.”

“Pom-pom, then.”

“You make mean threats.”

Fighting back his smile, he headed out the door.

“Thank you.”

He paused, realizing she was thanking him for the change of clothes. “You’re welcome. You can keep them if they fit. March shrunk them on accident the last time she offered to do everyone’s laundry. Which is fine; they were emergency clothes, anyway.”

He noticed how she finally picked her head up off the pillow, reaching out a hand to examine the new clothes before her. “Still, thanks.”

With a nod, he slipped out the door.

~~~

The Xianzhou ship was no different than Belobog, Dan Heng soon realized. That is, in the way that Stelle continued her habit of rifling through everything she could and collecting anything she found interesting.

“Was she like this in Belobog?” Mr. Yang quietly asked Dan Heng. “That is to say, should I be worried?”

Dan Heng shook his head. “She’s fine. She won’t stop even if you say so.”

Mr. Yang hummed thoughtfully. “I suppose it’s harmless enough. Here I thought she’d be more like March and gawk over things in store windows. Or maybe be like Himeko and be more subtle about it. This was… unexpected.”

That’s when Dan Heng recalled the empty state of Stelle’s room. “I think it’s not incorrect to assume her to be like March. She seems to like collecting things but doesn’t understand how people normally acquire them. And considering she came to us with only the clothes on her back and a baseball bat, she might do this because she wants things of her own.”

Mr. Yang hummed, lips pursed as he mulled over his companion’s words. “That is an entirely reasonable hypothesis. On that subject, I do suppose finding her some changes of clothes would be a necessity.”

“She would need a wardrobe, as well,” Dan Heng continued. “And since I doubt she will give up her scavenging habit any time soon, some shelves for her things.”

“A shelving unit seems more appropriate in her case,” Mr. Yang continued. “At this rate, she will amass quite a—” Mr. Yang suddenly paused, his brow knitting together in confusion as he stared over to where Stelle was. “Did she just find a record in that vase?”

Dan Heng looked over at Stelle, who was practically beaming as she studied the vinyl she managed to excavate out of a broken vase. He couldn’t help but smile despite himself. “Not that I want to encourage this habit of hers, but you’d be amazed at what she finds where.”

“Huh.” Mr. Yang gave a small smile as Stelle approached them again, her prize in hand. “In any case, I think this place is as good as any to find appropriate furniture for her room.”

“Agreed. Though, I do wonder how she’d like actual shopping for once.”

“Maybe we should give her a little spending money and see what becomes of it,” Mr. Yang suggested. “I’d be curious to see how she reacts compared to March or Himeko.”

~~~

It was their last day on the Xianzhou, Mr. Yang decided to give the trio some spending money. Hence, Dan Heng was given the option to either monitor March as she ran about or take Stelle shopping.

He felt sorry for giving Mr. Yang the hard task, but Mr. Yang was the one giving him the choice in the first place.

Dan Heng soon learned something interesting about Stelle: when given money, she became very picky about what she spent it on. That was not to say she didn’t admire things; she admired many things, but spending her money on those things is a different matter.

Which begged the question: what made the things she found different?

As Dan Heng pondered this, he failed to realize she was looking at the same jade abacus pendants for the third time. Only when she came over to him did he snap back to reality.

“Find something?” he asked, any more words dying on his tongue as she came in close, holding the two pendants up to his horns.

He froze, staring at her as she studied the pendants dangling on either side of his face.

And then she smiled, pulling them back. “Thank you.” With that, she turned around, placed one of the pendants back, and purchased the other.

But that’s it. 

Furthermore, that was all she bought, despite looking around at many other stores.

It took far too long for Dan Heng’s ability to speak to return. “Maybe you should buy some clothes while you’re here,” he gently suggested, the warmth in his face fading. “So you don’t have to borrow from March anymore.”

She tilted her head, almost as though the thought hadn’t occurred to her. “I have the ones you gave me, too.”

“As a spare.”

“But I like them.”

Just like that, the heat returned to his face. Furthermore, he wasn’t sure how to respond.

Maybe it was best to just drop it for now and leave the subject of clothes to someone else. “Then are you finished shopping?”

She nodded, holding the pendant close. “Yes. We should get back to the ship. We’ve taken too long.”

“My guess is March is still out shopping,” Dan Heng said. “Or at least meandering about. If you wanted to look for more, seeing as you still have funds—”

“You do, too.”

He ignored her. “Then we can continue.”

“You don’t want anything?”

He shook his head. “There is nothing I require as of now.”

She studied him a moment, mulling over his words before nodding. “I’ve also found all I wanted. We should head back before it gets too late.”

Dan Heng wouldn’t argue. “Then we can start making our way back. And if you see any trashcans that catch your attention, then I’ll pretend to not know you.”

“Hey!”

Dan Heng just chuckled.

~~~

With a twinkle in her eye, Himeko had kindly offered to take March and Stelle into town for the day under the guise of “restocking supplies.” Which was actually her making a perfect excuse to take Stelle out of the Astral Express so Dan Heng and Mr. Yang could bring in the furniture they had bought for her.

“She really only bought the pendent?” Mr. Yang asked, his voice strained as he helped Dan Heng carry one of the two shelving units down the hall.

“Yes,” Dan Heng replied. “Oddly. I thought for sure she’d get more considering how much she likes—turn left—rummaging for things.”

Mr. Yang maneuvered the bookshelf according to Dan Heng’s commands as they carried it through the train. “Maybe the hunt is what she considers fun.”

“Maybe,” Dan Heng conceded. He then focused on instructing Mr. Yang on getting the shelving unit through Stelle’s bedroom door. Once inside, they set it up against the wall that she once had her things lined up against.

Dan Heng then took a moment to place her things onto the shelf. She could reorganize them later, but for now, he felt it the respectful thing to do since he had moved everything to make room for the furniture in the first place. Considering what little she had, it wouldn’t take that long, anyway.

“Well,” Mr. Yang started, assisting in stacking the papers on the shelf, “I suppose it’s not the worst thing in the world. She can have her habits, however odd, as long as they make her happy. Though, it wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on her.”

Dan Heng couldn’t disagree.

“If she shows interest in anything else,” Mr. Yang said once they finished replacing Stelle’s… “collection” on the shelf, “we’ll get it for her.”

Before Dan Heng could respond, he heard the light clatter of metal accompany the soft pats of footsteps coming down the hall. He turned around, only to see Stelle carrying a new “collectable” in her arms.

Her brow quirked in confusion. “What…” But upon catching sight of the new furniture in her room, her eyes widened.

Mr. Yang smiled. “We thought you would like somewhere to put your things.”

When she smiled, it lit up the room, her golden eyes holding the light of a blazing star within them.

“Sorry for trespassing,” Dan Heng said, his face heating up as he turned away, unable to withstand the light that shone from her.

“It’s revenge for trespassing in your room, isn’t it, Dan Heng?” she teased, remarking all the times she came into the archives to search for research material.

“Let’s… call it that,” Dan Heng hesitantly agreed, if only to cover the fact his body was reacting strangely and not calming down.

Mr. Yang shot him a look Dan Heng couldn’t quite decipher before turning back to Stelle. “So, you found a cycrane?”

Stelle smiled, showing off her newest possession. “It was broken in an abandoned box.”

“Don’t you think you should return it to have it fixed?” Dan Heng suggested.

She looked down at the metal bird, the light in her eyes dimming at the thought.

And suddenly, Dan Heng felt a pang of guilt for ever suggesting taking her things away from her. “I suppose they should have taken better care of it. It might have even been replaced already.”

Her shoulders relaxed in relief, and the knot in Dan Heng’s stomach disappeared.

“We actually have two more pieces for you,” Mr. Yang said. “Which we should go get now. We apologize once again for trespassing, even if it was done with the best of intentions.”

“No, it’s cool,” she dismissed, looking over her shelving unit with glee. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” Dan Heng dismissed, happy to leave for a moment so as to get his mind back in order. He followed Mr. Yang out of the room, and closed the door behind him.

“That was kind of you.”

Dan Heng’s brow furrowed. “What was?”

With an amused sigh, Mr. Yang shook his head. “Nevermind.”

~~~

The next thing to be put up in Stelle’s room was a cork board, like the one in March’s room, so she could hang photos March took. It also sported a few pictures Dan Heng himself took for records that Stelle commented she liked as well as notes left by the Astral Express crew for her. Unlike March’s decorative board that was randomly spattered with photos, Stelle’s was organized to hold as many pictures as possible.

Currently, the crew was indulging in one last day of exploring before leaving their current location. Well, most of the crew members were. Stelle was currently laid up in bed, sporting a leg injury after their last battle here. March had one arm in a sling yet was still determined to roam about, hence why Dan Heng was pushing past the throbbing of his own bruises to watch her. Heaven knew Himeko was in no condition to come out, and Mr. Yang insisted that he would take responsibility of watching the Astral Express in her place.

And watch out for Himeko as well, Dan Heng would guess. Mr. Yang was protective in that way.

“We should get everyone ‘get well’ gifts,” March suggested.

Dan Heng bit back his urge to protest. Just because he didn’t see a point in such gifts didn’t mean they weren’t important to March. “As in?”

“I don’t know. Flowers or snacks or something.”

“Food or medicine would be the most practical.”

March stuck out her tongue at him. “I forgot who I was traveling with,” she flatly snipped.

“Then I will leave that task to you,” he batted back.

After some time, she finished picking up gifts, and they headed back to the express. On the way, they passed through an open field area, one littered with yellow flowers that had caught Stelle’s eye when they had first arrived. At the time, she had only picked a single wilting flower to examine, but Dan Heng would guess she had chosen one on its last life due to his dry comment of it getting ruined on their upcoming adventure.

But now… now, if she were able to pick them, she would be able to keep them safe and admire them for a few days. And considering her scavenging tendencies, she might be out here picking flowers if she had the chance.

He stole a glance at March, who was humming happily as she marched along ahead of him, one of her gifts cradled in her good arm. Dan Heng carried the other gift—an assortment of interesting snacks—since her arm was in a sling. As it were, paying attention to him seemed to be the last thing on her mind, so Dan Heng bent down and plucked a large, yellow flower still in good condition. Then a second and third followed.

There. Stelle might be miserable on bed rest, but at least she would be able to study the flowers that had always caught her eye.

Once back on the train, March flipped around to face him. “I’m gonna go see Himeko first. Can you put that in my room so I can give it to Stelle later?”

Dan Heng, who had angled himself away to hide the flowers behind the folds of his clothes, simply nodded.

“Thank you!” she sang-sung before skipping off to Himeko.

Dan Heng sighed. Her chipper mood almost seemed out of place considering how affected she’d been by their last battle. It had taken him far too long to realize the extent to which she was forcing her mood, successfully hiding her anxieties for the sake of the others who were bedridden. In fact, she was doing such a good job that Dan Heng thought maybe he should have gotten something for her, just to take her mind off things and offer a moment of distraction.

Glancing at the flowers in his hands, he headed to March’s room, both to put down March’s gift for Stelle on her dresser and leave one of the flowers for her. Catching sight of the notepad on March’s bedside table, he scribbled “Get Well Soon – Dan Heng” on the top sheet and left the flower on top of it.

Once finished, he headed to Stelle’s room and knocked on her door.

“It’s open,” she responded, her voice flat and bitter. Likely a result of having her foot trapped in a cast.

Dan Heng opened the door, revealing a normally feisty girl in his old clothes trapped on her bed by a cast that supported her broken ankle. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

She shrugged, putting aside the book he had given to her before he’d left with March. “Fine?”

“You don’t sound fine.”

She just sighed. “Maybe not so fine.”

With a frown, Dan Heng approached her. “Is there anything you need?”

“Other than my leg out of this cast?”

“Not until it’s healed.”

“Then no.”

At the way she glared at her cast, her nose crinkled in frustration, Dan Heng couldn’t help but smirk. Cute, he thought.

Before he instantly caught himself and felt his cheeks warm.

Covering his embarrassment by clearing his throat, he extended the two remaining flowers to Stelle. “You were looking at these when we first arrived, right?”

The huffy gloom that was hovering over her expression morphed to surprise before giving way to that starlight smile once again. “You saw that?” she asked, her cheeks coloring a bit as she reached for the flowers.

As if he didn’t think she was pretty before, that shy blush only added to his distress. “I did. It’s my job to look out for my teammates.”

“I didn’t realize that meant ‘observe’.”

“Force of habit.”

She chuckled, amused.

As she studied the flowers in her hands, carefully running her non-gloved fingers over the petals, Dan Heng was struck with an odd sense of how lovely the sight before him was. In many situations, Stelle was a force of nature, one that not many dare to reckon with. Whether it be a baseball bat or a lance of fire, she was a blazing tornado that left a path of destruction in her wake, all in a matter of seconds. And yet, that same girl was here before him delicately stroking flower petals the color of her eyes, ones that now held an unmistakable softness. Those flowers in her hands were treated with the same respect and care that she treated all her objects with, no matter what their origin. This picture of gentility was so warm and welcoming that Dan Heng didn’t quite know what to make of it.

So he stood there awkwardly as his heart pounded in his chest.

He should leave, he thought. But all he managed to do was take a single step backwards before he froze. While he knew what he should do, he didn’t want to. Which left him wondering why he wanted to get closer, to be part of this picture of gentility before him.

Why did he want to get so close to this part of Stelle?

“Dan Heng?”

Her words snapped him back to reality, causing his heart to thump almost painfully in his chest. “Oh, uh, sorry. I… got lost in my own thoughts.” His cheeks were burning now. Hopefully, she wouldn’t ask what those thoughts were; he wouldn’t be able to tell her.

Her brow furrowed with concern as she laid the flowers off to the side. “How are you fairing? You… you took a beating, too.”

Oh, she was inquiring about his injuries. “Don’t worry about me,” he quickly dismissed. “Bruises heal faster than breaks.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean they don’t hurt.”

He simply shrugged.

With a sigh, she patted the spot next to her on her bed. “You can sit, you know.”

“I’m fine.”

At the look of disappointment that crossed her face, his iron will broke. He allowed himself to sit on the edge of her bed, which brought a happy smile back to her face.

“Did you want the company?” he inquired, curious.

She ducked her head, almost shyly. “I wouldn’t mind having you around.”

Before he could come up with a response to that—

“Dan Heeeeeeng!”

—a particularly emotional cry sounded from outside Stelle’s room.

Next thing the duo knew, March was standing in the open doorway of Stelle’s room, tears in her eyes as she clung to the flower Dan Heng had put in her room. “You got me a flower?”

Well… this reaction was not the one he’d expected.

“That’s not very Dan Heng of him, is it?” Stelle teased as she reached for her own flowers.

“It is not very Dan Heng of him!” March cried, shuffling over to throw her one good arm around Dan Heng.

A soft oof escaped him as he caught the girl who practically fell against him, reminding him that he wasn’t as healed as he thought. “March, bruises,” he grunted out.

With a gasp, she scrambled away. “Sorry!”

“I knew you were lying,” Stelle grumbled, now glaring at Dan Heng.

“They’ll heal soon enough,” he dismissed, his voice tight as he waited for the pain to subside.

It earned him an eyeroll from Stelle.

“Anyway, look at the flower he gave me!” March said, showing off her slightly worse-for-wear possession to Stelle. “And he was complaining about get-well gifts.”

“The fact that it didn’t kill him is astounding.”

At Stelle’s teasing smirk, Dan Heng glared.

“Oh! He got you flowers, too?”

Stelle’s smile softened as she brought the flowers close to her chest as though they were a prized possession instead of an afterthought plucked from the side of a road. “Yeah.”

“Man, what’s gotten into him today?” March remarked.

“I’m right here, you know,” Dan Heng flatly remarked, not that either of the girls were listening.

“But why did she get two?” March whined.

“Because I’m special,” Stelle retorted, puffing out her chest with pride as she flashed a mockingly haughty smile.

To which March stuck out her tongue. “I was going to say you should have gotten a whole bouquet for your ankle, but I take that back now!”

They stayed like that for a while just chatting back and forth, Stelle never letting go of her own flowers even as March walked away waving hers in the air.

“Thanks, once again,” Stelle said as Dan Heng was getting ready to leave. March had already left claiming she was tired and wanted to rest a bit. “For these.”

Dan Heng nodded. “You’re welcome.”

“Even though it’s not a whole bouquet.”

His expression fell at her mischievousness. “Then next time, I’ll each get you a single one so you won’t fight.”

“Aww, don’t do that,” she batted back. “This way, the flower has a friend. So she’s not lonely.”

Her last sentence was quiet but not to the point he would miss it. “Then…” He bit back the comment about bouquets, realizing just in time that wasn’t what she was talking about. “She doesn’t have to be lonely. She’ll always have a friend.” With that, he patted her shoulder before standing up to leave.

Behind him, he could hear Stelle’s quiet chuckle. “A friend, huh?” she muttered, smile clear in her voice. “Maybe I am special.”

Dan Heng paused in the doorway before he could go. “Yeah, you are.”

And then he left, unsure why his heart was pounding as he did.

A week later, March had already tossed her flower out, its petals all wilted and fallen. Stelle, however, still had hers. Mr. Yang had shown her how to press and preserve them, and they had been stuck to paper that now hung proudly on her pegboard.

Dan Heng didn’t know why, but seeing the care she’d put into an off-the-cuff gift embarrassed him. It had taken him all but three seconds to pick those flowers, yet she’d taken care of them as though they were priceless. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised considering how she took care of things she found out of the dumpster, but he still was.

It wasn’t long before Dan Heng decided that the next gift he gave her, and any after, needed far more thought than before. He’d give her things to treasure.

And he tried not to think of how happy that thought made him feel.

~~~

It took a while, but Dan Heng finally discovered the pattern in Stelle’s ever-growing collection.

Things she found were free game. He realized that, through those things, she explored her surroundings. She studied each trailblazing stop by reading all the reading materials she could get her hands on, listening to whatever music she could find, and studying the objects she found in the world, such as the cycrane that she had brought back from Xianzhou and tinkered with. It now hung from the ceiling above her small bed.

On the other hand, things she purchased were done with careful consideration and thought. They had to remind her specifically of the adventure she was on and who she was trailblazing with. Occasionally, she splurged for music or food or other odd items, but that wasn’t common.

Clothes were another matter entirely. Dan Heng had made one mention to March about Stelle’s limited wardrobe, and March had become determined to remedy that. Himeko was also more than willing to jump on the bandwagon, and the two of them became solely responsible for filling Stelle’s wardrobe.

Which was why Stelle was sporting an (admittedly cute) white sundress as they wondered around a festival on the last day of one of their adventures.

It was a rare occasion that Himeko and Mr. Yang had dared leave the Astral Express unattended so the five trailblazers could all partake in the festivities together. Dan Heng had offered to stay behind, but the duel looks of disappointment from March and Stelle had him reconsidering.

“I’ve been here before,” Himeko had explained. “And I trust the security around the Astral Express enough to leave it be for a little bit. It’s rare to have an outing like this.”

“Indeed,” Mr. Yang agreed. “I say we enjoy this while we can.”

March was the most determined to make that happen. She led the charge, suggesting different game stalls to compete at while also buying different foods for everyone to try.

 Dan Heng had to admit that he was enjoying himself. “Family time” was quite the foreign concept to him, but he found this time of being with everyone he’d come to care deeply about quite precious.

Currently, they were sitting at a table, munching on what Mr. Yang insisted should be the last snack March bought for them—much to March’s chagrin—and talking about how to spend the rest of their trip. It was while March, Himeko, and Mr. Yang were discussing this that Dan Heng caught Stelle staring off into the distance.

He turned to see if he could spot what had captured Stelle’s attention, but there was nothing specific that stood out in the line of game carts. “What has your attention?” he quietly asked.

Stelle startled, likely not realizing she’d been caught, before turning back to the half-finished snack plate March had bought. “Nothing.”

“Clearly not nothing,” Dan Heng pressed.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get a reply.

“I think that if we want to watch the show tonight,” Mr. Yang began. “Then we should start migrating over in that direction. It would be better to be early to find good seats.”

“A wise idea,” Himeko said. “Why don’t we head that direction then and scope out the place first. If it’s still empty, then we can meander around a little longer before sitting down.”

“Sounds good to me!” March chipped up. “Stelle, Dan Heng, what do you guys think?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Stelle agreed.

Dan Heng simply nodded his agreement.

“Perfect,” Himeko said. “I say we finish this, then head that direction.”

Their snack was finished quickly, curtesy of March who deemed it her favorite of the snacks she’d bought thus far. But as they were heading over, Dan Heng finally realized what Stelle had been looking at all this time: a game stall.

More specifically, the dragon plush toy that was hanging as a prize.

“Does that interest you?”

Surprised, Stelle’s attention snapped to Dan Heng. “No, it just…” She shrugged, a bashful smile creeping across her lips. “Kinda reminds me of you.”

It was Dan Heng’s turn to be surprised. He stopped in his tracks, staring up at the dragon toy hanging from the awning of the stall by a rope around its neck like a noose. “You… wish to see me hung?”

Scoffing, Stelle threw a playful punch at his shoulder.

He chuckled, brushing off the hit that was probably a little stronger than she meant it to be. “Would you like it?”

Her eyes widened. “Huh?”

“We can play for it,” he offered. “If you want.”

“O-oh.” She turned to look at the toy once again, and Dan Heng could see the little gleam in her eye that he’d come to recognize as happiness for an item.

With a smile, he placed his hand on the small of her back, pushing her towards the game. “From what I can tell, you have to knock over a certain number of masks for the prize.” It also looked like people were having a hard time aiming for the small and probably heavy targets.

That’s when he saw that happy gleam in her eye turn to a competitive spark, like she was facing off against an enemy and preparing to hit them with a farewell hit after screaming “rules are meant to be broken!”

Not for the first time did Dan Heng think that her brand of odd really did fit well with the rest of the trailblazers. Maybe being strange was a job requirement.

“Hello, good sir!” the game stall owner called out as they approached. “Aiming to try your luck?”

“What are the qualifications to win the dragon?” Dan Heng asked.

“Ahh, I thought I saw the lovely young lady with the eye on the prize,” the stall owner playfully commented. “Behind me are three kinds of targets: blue haired, yellow haired, and red haired. Knocking down ten of the targets with red hair will get you the dragon. Are you up for the challenge?”

Dan Heng looked at the mask targets lined up on the shelves. Of the available targets, the ones sporting tufts of red hair seemed the smallest of the three. And if Dan Heng had to guess, there was likely a trick on how heavy they were, too.

“Are you up for it?” he asked Stelle.

Not that he needed to; he swore the energy of her fire lance was glowing in her eyes. “Let’s destroy them.”

Dan Heng chuckled as he pulled out some money. “Five balls for me, five for her.” 

“Daw, don’t be like that,” the stall owner teasingly jabbed, still taking the money and offering up the balls. “You’re gonna make the lady play for her own prize?”

“The lady is more than capable,” Dan Heng clarified, sliding five of the balls over to Stelle.

Taking one of the balls and gleefully tossing it in the air, Stelle seemed to stand tall in pride.

The stall owner huffed, amused. “Well, I suppose your willingness to play along with your girlfriend is one of the reasons you have her.”

That got both Dan Heng and Stelle to freeze, sparing each other a glance before quickly looking away. “Um…” she stuttered. “That’s… not it.”

“Huh?”

Yeah, Dan Heng didn’t think it sounded convincing, either. Not that he had anything better to say.

“Er… so the red ones, right?” she asked, sharply changing the subject as she stepping back into a stance.

Happy to play ignorant, Dan Heng also took a step back. “Yes.”

She turned to throw him a competitive look. “Then let’s show them what we’re made of.”

Dan Heng felt his grip on the ball tighten, his own competitive spirit flaring in response. “Let’s.”

Ten balls and ten red-haired masks later, the stall owner, who was looking a little white in the face, was taking the stuffed dragon toy down from where it hung. “Congratulations,” he flatly said, his voice a bit breathless. “Take the toy. Please don’t show up again.”

With a bounce in her step, Stelle took her prize, squeezing it against her chest as she beamed at the man.

“We should go find the others,” Dan Heng commented, already guiding Stelle away from the stall. He couldn’t blame the man for wanting them gone. However, Dan Heng would admit he found it quite amusing to watch the man blanch paper white upon watching Stelle throw her first pitch so hard that red hair exploded off the target.

~~~

Dan Heng had developed a very bad habit as of late. Never before had he cared for objects. He was content with his books and meager necessities. However, he recently found his eye drawn to shop windows and merchant carts wherever he went.

Why? Because he was always on the lookout for things to give to Stelle.

The clothes he had first given to her were ones she still wore. Even after having accumulated her own wardrobe, he still spotted her lounging around in his old outfit. His heart still fluttered whenever he caught sight of the flowers he’d given her several stops ago. Even now, they still managed to maintain their color, having been preserved at the right time.

As for the stuffed dragon toy they had won together…

It was loved well, he’d say that. A few nights ago, he’d found her hugging the toy tightly as she gazed out the windows at the stars in the main car. Apparently, she’d had trouble sleeping and wanted to see if leaving her room would help. The toy had never left her arms. Instead, it had been hugged tightly as though it were her lifeline. Having been worried for her, he’d stayed up to talk with her long into the night, and as she’d grown tired, she’d used the dragon’s plush head as a pillow.

Knowing how much she cared for these things, he began to wonder if she’d take care of other gifts he’d give to her. Which lead to where he was now. Honestly, he found it a bit embarrassing and hoped no one ever found out. But considering the way Himeko was currently looking at him, he doubted he could hide it much longer.

“It’s not like you to window shop,” she remarked, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “And there’s no holiday or event coming up, as far as I’m aware.”

Dan Heng shrugged, absently wondering how long he could escape Himeko’s prodding.

“You’re not the type to like souvenirs,” she continued. “And I could be wrong, but this culture’s style isn’t to your utilitarian tastes, so it’s unlikely you’re getting anything for yourself.”

 “It would be faster for you to simply ask your question,” Dan Heng answered, realizing with a tinge of disappointment that the answer to his previous question was “not very long.”

“Is it for Stelle?”

At the sound of her name, his stomach twisted, feeling fluttery. He sighed. “Am I being that obvious?”

Himeko giggled. “No. However, when someone has known you as long as I have…”

Dan Heng would give credit where credit was due: Himeko was quite observant.

“Forgive me,” she continued. “I can’t help but meddle when I see a romance bloom before my eyes.”

Dan Heng choked, his heart now fluttering along with his stomach.

Himeko’s smirk fell as she looked at him with bemusement. “Oh? Are you that stunned that I picked up on it? Or…” Her smile slowly returned. “Did you not realize it yourself?”

“I-it’s not like that,” Dan Heng protested.

“Really now?”

“Yes.”

Despite the warning in his voice, Himeko hummed, unperturbed. “Then how would you define your relationship, considering that you’re looking for a gift for Stelle when you’re not doing the same for March?”

Dan Heng opened his mouth to retort, only to catch himself. His answer would surely lead to further doubts, yet it was the embarrassing truth. However, not answering the question would only lead Himeko to believe her original guess was correct, meaning he’d have to explain in detail to avoid confusion. Er… any more of it, anyway.

“Stelle has a habit of collecting things,” he began.

“Yes, she does,” Himeko agreed, nodding along amusedly. “You and Welt were very kind to set up those shelves for her.”

“Specifically, she enjoys collecting items that meet certain qualifications from each place we stop at.”

“And you’re looking to give her one of these items?”

Dan Heng nodded in response, thinking for a moment that Himeko might just understand after all.

“Why?”

“Why?” Dan Heng repeated, confused at the question.

“You don’t indulge March like this.”

“March likes anything and everything,” he dismissed. “Getting her something for the sake of getting her an item would only clutter her room.”

“But Stelle is different?”

Dan Heng realized too late that he did not like where this conversation was going, yet he was helpless to stop it. “Y-yes.”

Much to his surprise, Himeko hummed and nodded, happy to quietly accept his answer. “So, one more question: just what are the qualifications for this item she’s looking for?”

A seemingly safe question. Frankly, Dan Heng would take this one over any more prodding over a crush he most certainly did not have. “She likes things that remind her of us.”

“Us?”

“Specifically, of the people she trailblazes with on each mission.”

Himeko hummed. “So that’s why she has a jade pendant that is reminiscent of your horns, the flowers you gave her, a plush dragon toy, and your old clothes as sleepwear. I see.”

Dan Heng glared at Himeko, whose eyes once again held a wickedly teasing gleam.

She giggled. “Are you looking for something that will remind her of you this time?”

He crossed his arms, unsure of how to answer.

With a sigh, that gleam in her eye softened. “Dan Heng. Can I give you a bit of unsolicited advice.”

“I have the feeling that even if I were to say no, you’d still want to give it.”

She smirked. “I have trailblazed all over the cosmos for many years, and several people have come and gone from my life. If I were you and the option to deepen a bond with someone was set in front of me, I would reach out for it. Trailblazing is a lonely life. Having someone by your side to have and hold would make that life a little more comforting, don’t you think?”

The sincerity in her tone gave Dan Heng pause. “You, Mr. Yang, March, and Pom-pom are all equally my companions,” he responded. “Just as much as Stelle.”

“Yes, but to you, Stelle is different from the rest of us, isn’t she?”

“She… is still the newest member—”

“You would not have done this for March,” Himeko repeated.

At that, Dan Heng had no answer.

Giving him a reassuring smile, she leaned forward, almost conspiratorially. “Dan Heng. Take the chance.”

And with that, she walked away, giving Dan Heng much to think about.

~~~

It was after their most recent mission was completed that Dan Heng finally came to a decision. Himeko had been quietly encouraging, and she must have told Mr. Yang something as the man seemed to be giving Dan Heng subtle looks of approval.

March was clearly still left in the dark, thankfully.

For the umpteenth time today, he reached into his pocket, squeezing the object he had bought. Although he still had his doubts, he’d already made a decision to press forward. He’d spent enough time mulling things over, debating the pros and cons of what this decision would bring and if he really wanted this in the first place.

But now, as he was walking around the outskirts of the city with Stelle by his side, two things solidified in his mind: yes, he really did want this, and yes, any drawbacks outweighed the rewards he would gain if they did move forward.

“Did you happen to find any souvenir you liked?” Dan Heng asked, starting conversation.

Her nose scrunched in frustration as she shook her head. “No. And we leave soon.”

“Maybe it’s a good thing,” Dan Heng teased. “Between that and your scavenging, you’re going to run out of room on your shelves.”

She glared at him.

Despite himself, he smiled. “When was the last time you cleaned all your trinkets, anyway?”

“Four days ago,” she easily answered. “After Pom-pom kicked me out of the parlor when I put my feet on the couch.”

“You should really know better by now.”

“I took off my shoes!”

“Pom-pom doesn’t care.”

Stelle just rolled her eyes. “Pom-pom needs a hobby.”

“Other than cleaning?”

“Other than micro-managing.”

Dan Heng chuckled. “I’m not sure that’s possible.”

“Is that why you coop yourself up in the archives? To avoid Pom’s ‘charm’.”

“No, it’s March’s I tend to avoid.”

At that, Stelle snorted a laugh.

Cute, Dan Heng thought. She’s cute. “Are you certain I cannot talk you out of collecting yet another trinket to dust?”

Stelle grew quiet at his question, her smile fading as she pondered his words. “I… I want to remember.”

His brow furrowed. “Remember?”

“My adventures with everyone,” she clarified. “I don’t have memories before waking with this stellaron inside of me. I want… I want something to remember these adventures by.” By now, her voice had dropped to a murmur. “I want something to prove these times I spent with you happened. Er! All of you, I mean.”

Dan Heng found himself squeezing the object in his pocket once again. “Then here.” He held out his hand, object enclosed within it.

Her expression scrunched in curiosity as she stuck out her hand in response, and he gave her the gift he’d been holding onto for the last three days. Her eyes widened as she studied the little wooden totem now in her hands, one carved to resemble a blue lizard.

“They don’t have dragons on this planet,” Dan Heng said. “That is the closest they have to resembling them.”

She turned her wide gaze up at him. “You got this for me?”

He nodded, taking out the object in his other pocket. “And I got this for me.”

Sparing a glance at the second totem in his hand, she quirked a dubious brow up at him. “You don’t like trinkets.”

“I don’t,” he confirmed. “But… it reminded me of you.”

Her head tilted, she studied the odd, gray creature in his hand. “How so?”

“The locals call them ‘trash bandits.’”

“Hey!”

Dan Heng chuckled.

“Don’t laugh. How dare you.”

But there was no bite behind those words, so Dan Heng didn’t bother to stop.

Rolling her eyes, she turned to walk away.

“Stelle.”

Automatically, he reached out to stop her, snatching her wrist and pulling her back to him. But even once she had turned around, her expression flat, he didn’t let go. “I wouldn’t have gotten it for no reason.”

Slowly, realization began to dawn over her face. That unamused glare turned to something softer, her gaze searching for an answer.

His hand holding her wrist slid lower to hold her fingers.

And something sparkled in her golden eyes.

“It was not meant as a mockery,” he spoke. “Only a reminder of you.”

Her mouth opened, but when no words came out, she closed it and glanced away. When she looked back, her voice was soft. “That’s unusual for you.”

“It’s not a habit I plan to pick up, no. But…” The words died on his tongue, and he glanced away, struggling to find them again.

“Hey, Dan Heng.” Thankfully, she seemed to find words of her own as she gently squeezed his hand. “I… like things that remind me of you.”

It wasn’t quite the confession he was expecting, yet it was still better than his.

He squeezed her hand in return. “I’d rather be there for you so you didn’t need things to remind you.”

At least that wasn’t a half bad response, he thought.

When her face grew pink, he felt his heart pick up its pace.

“Then… can you stay by my side?” she asked.

He smiled. “If you’d let me, I’d like to.”

~~~

As someone who had suffered exile, Dan Heng had grown accustomed to being alone. In general, he was a quiet and reserved person, but loneliness was different. Hence, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t relieved to join the Astral Express crew, to have Himeko extend the invitation to not be alone. He took comfort knowing that this place contained people who cared for him and that he cared for in return.

But then came Stelle, who somehow swayed his heart enough for him to decide to accept her as his significant other. And while that change was a large one for Dan Heng to adapt to, the comfort it brought made the transition go smoothly. To have someone by his side, whether that be while exploring a new planet or simply spending quiet time together in the archives, was something Dan Heng quickly learned to cherish.

Of course, there were many other things he learned about being with Stelle. One being that while he considered her his significant other, as she was significant in his life, she in return—

“Dan Heng?”

He blinked up at Stelle, her worried voice cutting though the foggy mess in his head. “Oh, you’re back.”

“I brought some food,” she said, closing the door to his rarely used room behind her. “Don’t worry; Himeko didn’t touch it.”

“Thank you.” He looked at the tray of food, hoping his stomach wouldn’t protest at the sight. As resistant to illness as he was, there were occasions where something from a new planet hit him so hard he went down. Such was the case currently. Although, his pride would insist that the lack of sleep, the high stress of this stellaron hunting mission, and the beating he received at the end were the reasons he was weak enough to catch an illness in the first place.

He would ignore the fact that Stelle, who’d also gone through the wringer with him, was fine.

Kneeling beside his futon, she placed the tray on the floor beside her. Hands now free, she reached out to press one of her wrists on his forehead and the other on his cheek.

Compared to the heat in his face, her touch was cool, to the point he automatically leaned into it seeking relief.

“I’m trying to source ingredients for one of Natasha’s cures,” she mentioned, pulling her hands away, much to his dismay. “Don’t worry. I’ve almost found everything. We’re trying to find a substitute for one thing, though. For now, this is all I can do.”

She held out the bowl of congee to him, one that was speckled green with what he’d assume were medicinal herbs. “Thanks.”

“Think you can stomach it?”

He shrugged, reaching for the offered spoon. “Hopefully.”

“I suppose of all of us, you’d be the most likely to hold it down, Mr. Iron Stomach.”

“Not necessarily.”

With a slightly amused smirk, she quirked a challenging brow at him. “Unlike the rest of us, you test your willpower against Himeko’s morning sludge—er, coffee, on the regular.”

“Did Pom-Pom tell you that?”

“Yeah.”

He huffed, taking a bite of food. It was slightly bitter, but not offensively so. Furthermore, his stomach didn’t seem to protest it yet. By his approximations, he would be able to get most of the bowl down. “Are we going to leave here soon?”

Stelle shook her head. “Mr. Yang suggested staying here a couple days longer for your sake. We’ll leave when you’re on the upswing.”

“No need to wait that long,” he protested. “We could leave now.”

“I agreed we should stay.”

He quirked a brow at her.

Her smirk now faded, she reached forward to lay a hand on his thigh. Even through the blanket he had draped over his legs, he could feel the light circles she made with her thumb.

Warmth flooded his cheeks as he looked down at his bowl of food. That’s right. To Stelle, he was her precious treasure, and she took very good care of everything she considered ‘hers’. Including him.

Especially him.

So if she wanted to stay for his sake, search around for all the ingredients for whatever concoction she was determined to get for him, he wouldn’t protest. After all, that was just her way of showing how much she cared. “Thank you,” he simply said, raising another spoonful of the food she made specifically to help him to his lips.

She gave him a tender smile. “You’re welcome.”

[velvetures]

May I RQ a reader who is trying to learn their language to help them feel more comfortable, but feels insecure due to them not really being fluent? They mispronounce and misuse the slangs in context, but hopes they can make the boys see the effort they are trying to go through for them.

Lessons In Miscommunication

A/N: Hi doll, I hope you don't mind me using König for this one. I've got a lot of experience with Spanish irl, but that's not super applicable here, haha. To anyone who's German... please forgive me. 🤍 Summary: You're on comms during a mission getting a small lesson in König's language while waiting for your next orders from HQ. Things get complicated, and there's a language and culture barrier that makes things... challenging. T/W: canonical warfare, cursing, non-fluent use of German, flirting, feelings, and some other stuff probably. Not proofread, as always.

To put it simply, you didn't expect just how difficult it would be to learn a new language in your twenties. Sure the science spoke to the provable trouble you would have compared to a much younger version of yourself, but for all meaningful purposes, you really didn't think it would be this nuanced. And while Spanish, French, and other languages were of great importance, there wasn't anyone who could teach you those. The one person around was König, and he spoke German.

When you'd approached the topic nearly eight months ago, he'd been honestly shocked and surprised that you'd come to him in the first place and secondly that you thought he would be a good teacher. He was often thought of as reliable as a Colonel, but giving you suitable enough tutoring in German to be conversational was nothing short of uncharted territory for the pair of you. This made for very interesting moments in and outside of missions as well as a few times where it would've been better if you'd used an online app or something to keep from unintentionally embarrassing yourself.

Posted almost two miles away from the Colonel on a rocky outcropping overlooking a small encampment of a radical terrorist group, you laid on the hillside with a rifle and radio trying to pass the time between now and when you'd get the call to secure the site. The men and women down below were only one small stop-off point for a far larger caravan of armored trucks and a few tanks carrying supplies and weaponry toward the closest city of Almazra. It was a threat that couldn't come to fruition if the buildings and people still living there were to be left standing by the end of the week.

On the other end of the two-mile distance was König and a selected squad of men who were waiting just as impatiently as you were to not only get this mission over with but to get out of the damn desert heat. For security's sake, you knew you should be keeping the airways clear for any kind of information about the insurgent's movements, but König had insisted that this would be a perfect opportunity for you to get some practice in without losing focus of the task at hand. Your job at the moment was to keep eyes on the encampment through the lens of your sniper rifle and report anything that looked to be of importance.

König's definition of what was important could be easily debatable, yet it did ensure that you could make simple connections between real-world objects and the German words or phrases that matched. Whether or not the Colonel realized it or not, both of you had slightly gotten off the target of what you were supposed to be talking about and wandered into the more... personal aspects of things. Specifically just how bad you wanted to be home after nearly a full month away from American soil and your personal home.

"Ich habe für immer Fernweh," Your accent was certainly progressing, at least in the Colonel's mind, but he wasn't quite sure exactly what you meant by that.

"Was meinst du damit? Kannst du es dieses Mal auf Englisch sagen?"

His voice sounded a little confused and more than a tinge humored at the way you'd sounded so... formal. Even diplomatic to a degree. It was one of the more difficult parts of teaching you. Dialects, slang, and even simple English-to-German translations didn't always have a very direct or clear answer. Often it meant that you would say something with full intention and innocent honesty, and König would have to keep himself from chuckling. Most of the men he worked alongside didn't speak for one reason or another, so getting to hear at least one person -especially you- made the near and far miscommunication more than worth the effort.

Looking through your scope at a group of five sitting around a small fire, you sigh a bit, trying to think of how to explain yourself.

"I meant I'm feeling homesick," You mutter a little more quietly than necessary, almost as if saying it in English was broadcasting your secret while German somehow kept it from being found out. "What did you hear me say?"

König chuckled, his laugh vibrating in the speakers of your comm quite nicely. "You said you have wanderlust forever," You could hear him smiling from the other end. "It's okay, sometimes the words don't always mean exactly what you think they do. I had the same problem when I learned English." For a moment he paused, laughing softly again. "I still can't say Squirrel... properly."

"Vielleicht habe ich doch Lust auf etwas..." You mutter a bit frustrated and somewhat skarkily under your breath, making a small jab at wordplay not thinking that König could hear you over the radio or that he'd be more shocked to hear you say such a thing.

The radio stays silent for a long few minutes, almost tricking you into believing that you'd been safe in making your comment under your breath without any audible witnesses. Only on the other end, the Colonel was struggling between the actual meaning behind your words, the way it sounded so damn sexy... and how he was supposed to actually answer you without sounding too affected by something as simple as your voice.

"Se-Sergeant..." His voice sounded a little weak, much in the same way it did when he was in an uncomfortable social situation. "What did you just say?"

Instantly your body tensed up from fingers to toes and you felt a shock of heat roll through you. König heard you. Right away you assumed by the growl in his question that you were going to be in for some kind of punishment. Maybe even a good ass-chewing in front of the rest of the squad for saying something so easily considered lewd and totally unprofessional to utter in the presence of a superior officer. Your best bet was apologizing, and hoping he'd just let it go...

"I'm sorry, I was just frustrated and-"

His voice deepens over the radio, almost like he's got it pressed right up against his mouth. "Say it again." The command felt heavy in your stomach. "Now."

You repeated the phrase, staring through the lens of your scope with bated breath. waiting to hear what the Colonel would say in response. And the last thing you expected was to hear an almost pained sort of growling sound vibrating in your ears. It made you shiver and despite König being almost two miles away, it felt like he was breathing down your neck.

"Du klingst so hübsch, wenn du das sagst..." A noticeable static over the radio took your attention, but when it didn't get worse you had the mental capacity to translate what König said word by word until you had the full sentence running through your head.

The time between his praise and your response was nearly indistinguishable between seconds and years. Had it not been for you watching your targets moving in real-time through your scope, you would've thought the whole world had come to a stuttering halt in anticipation of your response. Yet it seemed that the world still had to do other important things which included bringing the key turning point of this mission right to your front door with the sudden sound of an approaching squad tailing the convoy of insurgents giving information and callouts for how to proceed forward. Of those, orders for König and his men to begin working down the side of the mountain to intercept the meeting of the convoy and the small ground sitting in tents around a high-burning fire.

"Ich werde später herausfinden, wie hübsch man klingen kann, wenn man schmutzige Dinge auf Deutsch sagt." The Colonel's voice growled lowly, almost threatening in a sense.

There was no telling what would happen after the mission ended and there wasn't a threat of being shot or failing to secure Almazra. What you could count on was König finding you and testing out his theory of all the things you could say in his language they may or may not have been provocative - on purpose or not. Something in your body shivered in delightful nervousness and anticipation of just how he planned on getting that kind of information out of you. A couple of ideas swirled in your mind, but the movement of the incoming convoy didn't allow you the luxury of daydreaming about your Colonel or how your mistaken words and German lessons had landed you here.

Comments and Reblogs are Always Helpful <3