#busy to chat and i otherwise can handle being alone

[skunkes]

does anyone else relate to dis btw. I keep thinking about it since someone posted it around the same time I was having this realization about myself

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

lilia dorm uniform vignettes + book 7 parallels

I was rereading Lilia's Dorm Uniform vignettes recently and honed in on the third part, which reminded me a lot of the events of book 7. I think it's highly likely that part 3 here foreshadows book 7, similar to how Ortho's Precision Gear vignettes foreshadowed the original Ortho's passing, revealed in book 6.

***Lilia Dorm Uniform vignette(s) and Book 7 spoilers!***

Quick recap, these vignettes focus on Lilia looking after a baby bat with an injury. The third and final part involves Malleus chatting with him about the experience. Lilia describes parenting as thus: "There's never a guarantee in life that someone will be there to support you. Once you fly out into the world, there may be days when you go without a proper meal and sleep on an empty stomach. You'll experience failures and setbacks. You may have days where your heart feels like it'll shatter into a thousand pieces. As long as you're alive, there will be moments—many moments, in fact—when you must face adversity entirely on your own. A parent must ensure their child can handle such harshness while the little one is still under their protection."

Knowing what we know now... It sounds as though Lilia is reflecting back on his time traveling the world in hopes of finding a way to hatch Malleus from the egg. Firstly, Lilia (especially in the past) has expressed sentiments about being alone. He was an orphan taken in as a ward by the Draconias, yet he still never felt as though he "fit", not with the way the senate treats him like a lesser being, and not with his two best friends (Maleanor and Raverne) marrying and conceiving a child--starting a family, something Lilia feels he does not have and cannot have himself. There's never a guarantee in life that someone will be there to support you. And that's true of Malleus as well. His father is missing and presumed dead, his mother died in a battle to ensure his safety, and his grandmother is kept busy with royal duties to be there for him all the time. That's why Lilia had to step up as his father figure--because otherwise Malleus would have no guidance, just like Lilia did in his youth, which led him into becoming closed off and unwilling to learn about the world beyond Briarland. He doesn't want Malleus--or any of his "kids"--to perpetuate the hatred and distrust that claimed so many lives and left scars on the survivors.

Once you fly out into the world, there may be days when you go without a proper meal and sleep on an empty stomach. This line is reflective of the experiences Lilia had on his travels. In the beginning, it was particularly difficult due to the prevailing anti-fae sentiments among humans. Lilia was not welcome in their communities; he'd have things and nasty words thrown at him and literally be chased out of towns. True, he's also had to deal with rations and always being alert while serving as a general, but it feels particularly frustrating in this context because 1) none of his men are around to support him in these moments; he is lacking the feeling of being a part of a group, and 2) the harsh treatment is being committed by a group for which he cannot retaliate, so it forces Lilia to stand there and just take it... Both conditions which are also true of Lilia when he is able to safely bring Malleus's egg to Castle Blackscale. The senate gang up on him, isolate him, and deem him unworthy of touching the heir... and Lilia can't do anything about it. He isn't accepted at home and he isn't accepted by the world. This makes it that much more meaningful when, later on his travels, he meets an elderly couple in Harveston that welcome him into their house and home. They offer him a warm bed, food, and, more importantly, they are his company. They want to hear his stories, learn more about him and his life experiences. They’re that light at the end of his tunnel--but those things aren't promised to him, and Lilia knows he can't count on them all the time, especially as he travels to the most remote regions. And don't we all fear that dreadful realization of being out on our own with no net to catch us if we fall?

You'll experience failures and setbacks. You may have days where your heart feels like it'll shatter into a thousand pieces. As long as you're alive, there will be moments—many moments, in fact—when you must face adversity entirely on your own. Again, Lilia is also speaking about himself. He was forced to abandon his princess and flee with her child. He lost his best friends and large sections of his home country to a bloody conflict. He took the senate's verbal abuse and degradation. All of this, he faced alone--even when Baur tries to stand up for him, Lilia silences his ally because, deep in his heart, he thinks he deserves this. The wild bat incapable of love, only able to slaughter, doomed to be alone forever. It's through his forced exposure to the world that Lilia learns to open up, and it's through the connections--after enduring so many hardships, so many trials and tribulations--he makes with others that he comes to learn he is capable of love. As Silver says, this must be why the happiest moment of his father's life is the moment of Malleus hatching. A dragon's egg can only do so with the love of a parent--and Lilia has always been that for him. Diasomnia is Lilia's new family, and he's no longer alone. The problem now is that it's Malleus's turn to learn harsh life lessons, and he isn't exactly prepared for them. A parent must ensure their child can handle such harshness while the little one is still under their protection. I think this line perfectly summarizes Lilia's motivations for leaving in the fashion that he does. When Lilia attempted to depart NRC without so much as a formal farewell to Malleus and Silver, many fans were confused as to why he was acting so callous towards his children. Some theorized that Lilia was lying about losing his magic or had some other ulterior motive for lying--when, really, I think the answer is much simpler than that. Lilia wanted to leave as soon as he could, without facing his kids, because that's just in his nature. As Malleus points out in the vignettes: "Is that why you took the approach you did? [...] I suspect this bat will thrive in the wild." This entire time, Lilia hasn't been the gentlest or the most prudent with the baby bat. He fed it milk from a cup instead of a bottle (which resulted in getting the bat all wet), roughly toweled it off, allowed it to hang in a tree when it may not be ready to fly yet, brushed off the possibility of it being hurt again if it falls out, etc. On a surface-level, it looks like bad caretaking. But Malleus wonders if it's intentional. Because the bat was put through those experiences, it can take care of itself once it has parted from Lilia's care. I suspect Lilia may think the same of how he raises his own children. After all, Silver and Sebek sometimes bring up how hellish Lilia's training sessions with them were. Some of his bad childcare is due to Lilia being disorganized and just winging it in the moment, yeah (something which Malleus comments on at the end of the vignettes)--but a lot of how he raises others is also built on the idea that this should make the kids stronger and able to stand on their own.

When Lilia goes to return the baby bat to its flock, he says, "Go on, little one. You can't cling to my hand forever. Get flying." Then Malleus laughs and remarks, "Heh, it seems rather attached to you. It doesn't want to let go." Lilia continues with, "I'm shaking my arm and it's still not letting go... Goodness gracious. I didn't raise [the baby bat] to be so clingy. There comes a time in every creature's life when they have to take action. This is your time, little one. Don't miss your window." And, at last, when the bat is able to take off, Malleus realizes, "[...] I must say, it was rather harsh of you to forcibly shake off the poor fellow when it clearly liked you. Did you intentionally act detached so that it wouldn't fall too far behind the colony?"

THIS WHOLE SCENE IS AN ANALOGY TO LILIA TRYING TO LEAVE NRC WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE TO HIS KIDS.

In this analogy, Malleus is that bat that Lilia has reared--and when it comes time for Lilia to leave, Malleus won't allow for it. Malleus is the clingy baby bat gripping onto his caretaker for dear life. I wonder if Lilia knew that his prince would have a hard time with it, so he tries to have one last happy send-off--so he can grant Malleus the happiness of being invited to something, to be included, and to provide him ample opportunities to socialize with his peers from all the dorms and make other connections so they can be there for him when Lilia is no longer able to. Then Malleus was late, and the time for Lilia to depart has already arrived. But maybe it's better this way, Lilia may have reasoned with himself. If Malleus doesn't appear, maybe he can't be hurt. If Lilia acts detached, maybe... just maybe... it will give Malleus the final shove he needs to let him go, to open up to the people who are going to be present around him, so he won't "fall too far behind the colony", like what happened with the actual baby bat he raised. This is especially suspect because Lilia makes the same plea to the first years earlier in the party by asking them to please give Sebek a lil' push if he ever needs it. "Just... If you notice [Sebek is] ever stuck at some point during your time here... I would ask that you card soldiers give him a little nudge."

THE LILIA DORM UNIFORM CARD FIRST CAME OUT ON THE JP SERVER IN FEB 2023 ALONG WITH SOME EARLY BOOK 7 UPDATES 😩 It’s such good foreshadowing for what happens much later in the same book… OTL I just hope that Malleus is able to learn the lessons Lilia wants him to. Then Malleus can finally be the baby bat that’s able to take flight on his own and join a flock without his guardian at his side forever and ever…

[cruising-cats]

Adamlytic’s Relationship Chart!

these are all the connections to the major characters he has in Deltarune. Anyone else is a stranger or he doesn’t quite know very well to take a stance on.

In this post I’ll explain each and every relationship he has and why they are like that. If you just wanna look at the chart, that’s fine, I totally understand. But if you wanna listen to my insane ramblings, stick around.

Susie: Adamlytics got to understand both Susie and Ralsei like on their side adventure in Cyber City. Normally, Adam would be completely terrified of a troubled Lightner like Susie, but he was fortunate enough to see her nice side. He just hopes she’ll stay out of trouble, whether she’s in the Dark World or not.

Berdly: Adamlytics finds Berdly very annoying. He finds Berdly’s smug attitudes unbearable because he doesn’t have the smarts to actually back it up. In reality, Berdly reminds him of his younger self. Adam’s the type of smartass that can’t stand looking at his own reflection. Berdly’s just a kid, so this intolerance isn’t too deep. Adam would still be open to helping Berdly if he was in need of it.

Tasque Manager: He’s always respected his coworker for the dedication to her job. They’ll have the occasional chit-chat during their break. Otherwise, they don’t interact too much.

Sweet Cap’n Cakes: This trio has always been too loud for him to handle. He appreciates their business but their high energy is just too much for him.

Queen: As his boss, of course he’s going to be well-acquainted with her! While she may be hard to deal with sometimes, Adam knows that the Queen is capable of being a caring leader. Though after Spamton’s eviction, things had gotten a bit more complicated between them. Part of him is angry with her while the other understands it was merely business and nothing personal. Outside of their professional relationship, Adam keeps his distance.

The Addisons: Adamlytics blames the other Addisons’ selfishness for not stepping in whenever Spamton was clearly on a downward spiral. It sickens him to think that jealousy alone caused them to cut out one of their own. For this reason, refuses to conduct business with them entirely.

Swatch: Adam and Swatch have both been good friends since he gained an office in the mansion. The two have very logical minds and a drive to serve, making them pretty compatible for each other. They will occasionally talk after work hours, though they both have problems taking time to be outside of the workplace at all.

Spamton: Over the years, Spamton and Adam have had a very touch and go relationship. It wasn’t until Spamton made it as a big shot that Adamlytics started to notice him. Spamton spent countless nights writing up notes pertaining to whatever his friend on the phone was telling him but sometimes he had no idea what they were trying to tell him. Spamton frequently asked for Adam’s help in decrypting the confusing language his phone friend spoke in, knowing he’d probably be the most equipped to do so. Soon, they began to have these long conversations or just sit with each other in perfect silence. As Spamton’s fame and sanity deteriorated, only Adam was there for him. It’s been difficult but Adamlytics has embraced Spamton’s changes instead of rejecting them like everyone else. Spamton can be a little overbearing sometimes but Adamlytics believes he’s still the same man he met all those years ago.

Jevil: He’s listened to Spamton rant about him enough to write a book about the guy. He doesn’t seem pleasant, even if they’re just rumors.

Noelle: Similar to Spamton, the two have an unlikely connection. As the computer’s main search engine, Adamlytics frequently found her searching for information on Dess Holiday, someone he wasn’t quite familiar with. Though, he did his best to find Noelle any data on her that he could. Mostly it was just the same missing report page every time. He hoped that someday he’d be able to give her more answers to the question that plagued her mind: where did Dess go? Outside of that, he often found her questions the most interesting and gave them much more thoughtful responses. He hopes the best for Noelle, even if she doesn’t know he’s rooting for her.

Kris: Adamlytics doesn’t quite understand why Spamton’s so quick to take this Lightner under his wing. What makes the pair so bonded compared to any other person? Why does Spamton seem to trust this random kid more than him…? Adam doesn’t want to acknowledge the fact that he doesn’t know Spamton as well as he think he does.

Ralsei: Ralsei always came off as the reason amongst the chaos to him, so the two got along most of the time. And after the fountain was sealed and Adam moved into Castle Town, Ralsei been providing him with the most support out of anyone. He’s encouraged Adam to find purpose with this new opportunity. Adam has appreciated that more than Ralsei could ever know.

Alright, I spent way too much time working on this. I’ll go back to drawing like I usually do.

[zafill]

DEMON  SLAYER PT.3 

note: this is very short, im sorry but i have been really busy! school and stuff. but if yall want me to contiune, just say it in the comments!! Love you guys!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A few months had passed since that harrowing night, and life within the Demon Slayer Corps had shifted for (Y/N). Her hands, once so integral to her strength and skill as a Hashira, were now numb, the nerves damaged beyond repair by the boiling water she had poured over them. The once vibrant warrior was now a shadow of herself, burdened by the consequences of her actions. 

The physical pain had subsided, replaced by a persistent numbness that served as a constant reminder of her despair. Yet, it was the emotional pain that weighed most heavily on her, a crushing sense of guilt and isolation that refused to let go. The Corps had granted her a leave of absence, a "break" they called it, though it felt more like an exile. She was no longer fighting on the front lines, no longer training with the others, no longer a part of the life she had once known. 

The days blurred together in a monotonous routine of rest and reflection. She spent her time in solitude, avoiding the others as much as possible. The once proud and fierce Hashira now found herself in a place of deep introspection, haunted by the choices she had made and the impact they had on her future. 

Despite the break, (Y/N) was not completely alone. Kagaya visited her often, his presence a constant reminder that she was still part of the Ubuyashiki family, despite her self-imposed isolation. His visits were quiet and gentle, filled with words of comfort and understanding, though they did little to ease the ache in her heart. 

"You're still needed," Kagaya had told her during one of his visits. "The Corps is not complete without you, (Y/N). But you must heal, both physically and emotionally. Take this time to find your strength again, in whatever form it may take." 

But even with his encouragement, (Y/N) struggled to find her place. Her hands, once so skilled with a sword, were now clumsy and unresponsive. The numbness made it impossible to feel the hilt of a blade, to grasp it with the strength and precision that had once defined her as a Hashira. The thought of returning to the battlefield seemed impossible, a dream that had been shattered the moment she had let that boiling water sear her skin. 

Dinner with the Ubuyashiki family had become an event filled with a mixture of comfort and quiet tension for (Y/N). The warmth of being surrounded by those who cared for her was undeniable, but it was also a painful reminder of the role she could no longer fulfill. The once skilled and formidable warrior now felt awkward and out of place, her hands betraying her in even the simplest of tasks. 

As they sat around the table, the younger siblings chatted cheerfully, their innocent laughter a soothing balm to the otherwise heavy atmosphere. Kagaya and Amane exchanged gentle smiles, their presence a calming influence over the household. Despite the love and acceptance that filled the room, (Y/N) couldn’t shake the feeling of inadequacy that gnawed at her. 

“Big sister,” her younger brothers piped up, his voice full of trust and affection, “can you fill my cup with water, please?” 

(Y/N) nodded, forcing a smile as she reached for the jug. The simple request should have been easy to fulfill, something she had done countless times before without a second thought. But as she wrapped her numb fingers around the handle, the weight of the jug felt foreign and unstable in her grip. 

She tried to pour the water, her movements careful and deliberate, but her hands trembled uncontrollably. The numbness made it impossible to gauge the weight properly or to feel the coolness of the water against her skin. The liquid splashed over the rim of the cup, spilling across the table and onto her brother’s lap. 

There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone at the table froze, watching the water pool and drip off the edge. (Y/N)’s heart sank, a wave of embarrassment and frustration crashing over her. She quickly withdrew her hands, staring at them with a mix of anger and despair. 

“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered, her voice shaky as she struggled to maintain her composure. “I didn’t mean to…” 

But before she could finish, her younger brother reached out, grabbing her hand with his small, warm fingers. “It’s okay, big sister,” he said with a reassuring smile. “It was just an accident. Don’t worry about it.” 

His words were meant to comfort, but they only deepened the ache in her chest. (Y/N) felt the weight of her failure even more acutely in that moment—her inability to perform even the simplest tasks, the loss of the strength and control she had once taken for granted. 

Kagaya, who had been quietly observing the exchange, reached over and gently placed his hand on hers. His touch was calm, his expression filled with understanding. “(Y/N), it’s alright,” he said softly. (Y/N) forced a smile and nodded in response to Kagaya’s comforting words, but the tightness in her chest didn’t ease.  

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She could feel the weight of everyone’s eyes on her, their concern like a heavy cloak she couldn’t shake off. 

“I… I think I need some air,” she said, excusing herself from the table. “I’ll be back in a little while.” 

Without waiting for a response, she stood and quietly slipped out of the room, the cool evening air a stark contrast to the warmth she had just left behind. She walked aimlessly at first, letting the breeze wash over her as she tried to clear her mind. Her feet eventually led her to a familiar path, one that wound its way through the trees to the training grounds where she had once spent countless hours honing her skills. 

The sight of the open space brought a flood of memories, both comforting and painful. She remembered the days when her body moved with precision and strength, every swing of her blade confident and powerful. It felt like a lifetime ago. Now, she stood on the same ground, but everything felt different. 

Drawn by a deep, almost desperate need to reconnect with that part of herself, (Y/N) approached the weapon rack where a row of bamboo practice swords stood. She hesitated for a moment before reaching out and grasping one of the swords. The wood was smooth and familiar in her grip, but the connection she once felt was gone. Her hands, still numb and weak, struggled to hold it properly. 

Stepping into the center of the training area, (Y/N) assumed a basic stance, her feet planted firmly on the ground. She tried to recall the movements that had once come so easily, but as she swung the sword, it felt clumsy and uncoordinated. The blade sliced through the air with none of the force or precision she had once commanded. 

Frustration surged within her as she tried again, and again, each attempt more desperate than the last. But no matter how hard she tried, the sword wouldn’t obey her. Her muscles ached from the effort, and the numbness in her hands made it impossible to maintain a proper grip. The bamboo sword seemed to mock her, refusing to yield even the slightest bit of damage to the air around her. 

Panting from the exertion, (Y/N) finally stopped, her shoulders slumping in defeat. The sword hung limply at her side as she stared at the ground, her vision blurring with unshed tears. The realization that she was no longer the warrior she once was hit her with brutal clarity. As (Y/N) stood there, panting and defeated, she felt a familiar presence approaching. The sound of footsteps on the gravel was unmistakable, and when she looked up, she saw Kyojuro Rengoku standing at the edge of the training grounds, his usual bright smile replaced with a concerned frown. 

"(Y/N)," Rengoku called out gently, taking a few cautious steps toward her. "I saw you leave the house. Are you alright?" 

She stiffened at his words, her anger flaring up before she could control it. The last thing she wanted was pity, especially from someone like Rengoku, who always seemed so strong, so unbreakable. His concern felt like salt in the wound, a reminder of everything she had lost. 

"I'm fine," she snapped, her voice harsher than she intended. "I don't need you or anyone else checking up on me. Just leave me alone." 

Rengoku halted, his brow furrowing in confusion. "I'm not here to judge you or to pity you, (Y/N). I just—" 

"I said leave me alone!" she interrupted, her tone edged with bitterness. The anger bubbling up inside her was uncontrollable, born from the frustration of her helplessness and the fear that she was truly lost. "You think you understand, Rengoku? You don't. None of you do. You've all got your strength, your purpose. I have nothing!" 

Rengoku's expression softened, but the sadness in his eyes only fueled her anger further. She couldn't stand the way he was looking at her, like she was some fragile thing in need of protection. It was a far cry from the respect she had once commanded as a fellow Hashira. 

"You're wrong," Rengoku said calmly, though his voice held a firm resolve. "You are more than your sword, (Y/N). You’re still needed, still valued. You don’t have to carry this burden alone." 

But (Y/N) couldn't hear him. Her mind was too clouded with pain and resentment. "Stop pretending like you care!" she shouted, her voice cracking. "You're just like the others. You see me as a failure, as someone who doesn’t belong anymore. I’m just a burden to all of you!" 

Rengoku's eyes widened, and he took a step closer, but she recoiled, backing away from him as if his presence alone was too much to bear. "You don’t know what it’s like," she continued, her voice trembling with the weight of her emotions. "To lose everything that ever mattered, to be left with nothing but scars and broken dreams." 

Rengoku remained silent, his face a mix of sorrow and understanding. He didn't argue or try to refute her words. Instead, he simply stood there, offering his presence as a silent support, but to (Y/N), it felt like another reminder of how far she had fallen. 

"I don't need you," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I don’t need any of you." Before she could take another step back, Rengoku moved swiftly and without hesitation, wrapping his strong arms around (Y/N). The warmth of his embrace was unexpected, and for a moment, she froze, stunned by the sudden contact. She could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against her cheek, a stark contrast to the storm raging within her. 

“I’m here, (Y/N),” Rengoku whispered, his voice gentle but firm. “You don’t have to go through this alone.” 

The walls she had built around herself, brick by brick, began to crumble. All the pain, anger, and fear she had kept buried deep within her erupted to the surface. The numbness in her hands, the frustration of her helplessness, the overwhelming sense of loss—it all came crashing down like a tidal wave. 

Before she could stop herself, she broke down, her body trembling as the sobs she had tried so hard to suppress finally escaped her. She clung to Rengoku, her fingers gripping the fabric of his haori as if he were the only thing keeping her from drowning in her sorrow. 

Tears streamed down her face, soaking into Rengoku’s shoulder as he held her tightly, offering the support she had so desperately needed but had been too afraid to ask for. He didn’t say anything, didn’t try to offer empty words of comfort. He simply held her, letting her release all the pain she had been carrying for so long. 

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, (Y/N) allowed herself to be vulnerable, to let someone else shoulder the weight of her grief. And in Rengoku’s arms, she found a small glimmer of solace amidst the darkness that had consumed her. 

Rengoku continued to hold her, his embrace unwavering as she sobbed into his shoulder. His hands moved gently, one softly patting her back in a rhythmic, soothing motion, while the other cradled the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair with a tenderness that spoke louder than any words ever could. 

He understood that she needed this moment to let go, to release the pent-up anguish that had been tearing her apart from the inside. There was no rush, no urgency to pull away or to speak. Rengoku knew that sometimes, the most profound comfort came from simply being present, from offering silent support in the face of overwhelming pain. 

As (Y/N) continued to cry, her sobs gradually began to quiet, her body still trembling but slowly calming under the steady reassurance of his touch. Rengoku didn’t move, didn’t break the embrace, allowing her to take all the time she needed to find her way back from the edge of despair.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tags: @imagineshazamlokimight @mlobski @nousija @i-hate-most-insects @fatkish @thefantasticlemon

[crimsonshadesblog]

I completely believe that Siete would go visit Id and say it's because he was in the area when he was like three Skydoms over

It's a normal day in Zegagrande and you're busy handling local conflicts big and small, just everything that falls into the admittedly pretty vague job description of a Mr. Fix-Id-It, mostly ignoring the playful rivalry with the senior local handyman in favor of doing a good job, when one day without so much as a word in advance, Seofon of the Eternals drops by and insists on tagging along and observing your work and offering advice that ranges from genuinely helpful to anything but. While he's all smiles and acting like a child in a candy shop, you can feel the apprehension just beneath his skin, the constant gauging going on behind squinted eyes and you wonder if he's trying to apologize for pointing a sword at you with the intent to kill or if he's judging how much of a threat to the world you are now and you find yourself wondering what that judgement is looking like. Whether you're going to wake up tonight with a blade pressed to your throat or not wake up at all.

With that nagging at the back of your head and your day-to-day keeping you busy, as well as you being you, you don't make much conversation, but find your visitor doesn't seem to mind terribly, happy to chat at you all day, sharing stories and terrible jokes and more of that advice you're not sure what to make of.

Once the work is done, he invites you to dinner and you finally manage to ask him what he's doing here at all. You figured he'd be off with the Captain and they're half a sky away. Perhaps you would have preferred the Captain to drop by over him, but you have the good sense not to tell him that to his face.

He promises they're doing fine and he's comfortable leaving them alone for a few days, he was just in the area and decided to drop by. After some pressing, he admits that "in the area" was three Skydoms over.

You're not sure what to make of that.

Maybe he is a lot sillier than you expected.

You begrudgingly let him tag along the next day as well and even put up with all his talk of being a big brother and looking after you. It is kind of nice, you suppose. It reminds you of being small and training under the watchful eyes of Gallanza and Maglielle. Their playful chiding and encouragements as you graduated from training sword to the real deal ("Unleash the fire inside your soul!" -"Be careful not to scratch that, it's a collector's item! Very nicely done otherwise."). After that memory resurfaces, you find yourself not minding Seofon's advice that much. Even if it's terrible.

[astaroth1357]

Demonic Pregnancy (But It Makes the MC… Problematic)

Okay, so hear me out. I know the prevailing idea is that a human getting pregnant with a supernatural kid would sap their strength and what not… But what if the opposite happened? So basically, getting pregnant by the brothers would make the MC physically stronger, but more susceptible to their sin… Oh this is going to be fun. 😈

Trigger Warning: Pregnancy

Lucifer

First noticed something was up when the MC came into his office to bring him coffee and casually ripped the door of its hinges… with one hand… by the handle…

He didn’t even have time to be mad about it because he was already frantically texting Diavolo and Barbs that there was something very wrong with the human. They’re not supposed to do that.

Meanwhile MC is in the background marveling at the newly freed door in their hand… They hadn’t even thought about it! Is this what having power is like?? Are they actually dangerous now??? Better not let it go to their head…

*it is totally going to go to their head*

Lucifer learns two things pretty quickly, (1) The human is pregnant with his child and (2) They’ve just been given access to a whole lot of power and they’re mind is set on one thing: Domination.

The next nine months for him are spent practically having to leash the MC or else they’ll go out to pick fights with anything that moves to prove their “superiority”… His brothers and even Diavolo included!

It wouldn’t be so bad if their body wasn’t still very human and very breakable… and also they’re PREGNANT, so please STOP!!

This baby, honestly, could not come fast enough… Good thing demons don’t develop grey hairs… Poor guy…

Mammon

Noticed something was up when they were chatting out at RAD and they dodged a stray ball from Beel. 

They dodged a ball. From Beel. And he throws at, like, Mach 7 speed… And it didn’t even look hard!

… But being the dumbass that he is, he just thought they had gotten a lot better at their magic. It was Lucifer who saw something wasn’t right when the MC was actually holding their own against Mammon and Beel in a race.

Was thrilled by the news at first but then quickly learned that he must have infected them with Greed somehow…

They wouldn’t stop begging for new stuff! Sometimes for him or the baby, but mostly just whatever struck their fancy the second that they saw it.

He’d try to tell them no but then they’d look all sad or whine about hard it was to be pregnant and how they couldn’t do things like tie their shoes or stand for long periods of time or…

(Never mind the fact that they could bench-press Beel if they wanted to, no no, that didn’t matter.)

His nine months were pretty much spent pandering to Lucifer and Levi for more loans to keep his MC happy… and praying they’d snap out of it after the baby finally came because he CANNOT keep paying for their crap…! 😥

Leviathan

MC and Levi playing games in his room and one of their online matches got particularly heated… The MC may or may not be prone to gamer rage, but that night they got so frustrated that they snapped his controller in half like a toothpick…

They were too busy trying to frantically apologize to take notice of their sheer strength, but HE did. And he was thrilled!!

Like, sure, it sucks that he’d have to buy a new controller but that was So. Cool. Their strength was like something out of a shonen!! He was honestly fanboying too hard to question, “Wait a minute, how did they even get that strong??” The MC later went to Lucifer themselves to get it all got sorted out (really Levi was no help whatsoever) and man was he shocked by the news…

Though he was even more shocked by the sudden spike of jealousy that they seemed to exhibit afterward… Like, extreme “You better not leave my sight” level jealousy… 😣

One the one hand, he’s kind of into it because being alone with the MC is all he’s ever wanted!… but on the other hand, dude really wants some space… 

He tolerates the next nine months for three reasons: (1) He does honestly love the MC, (2) Watching them break (other people’s) stuff and fight demons with their bare hands will never stop being cool, and (3) He’s somewhat afraid of what they’d do if he tried to leave so…  😥

Let’s hope the effects are temporary…

Satan

Found out something was wrong when he and the MC went to the park. He saw an old acquaintance of his and left to go say hi but came back to find that the MC had uprooted an entire park bench to squash a nosy lesser demon…

Nothing, absolutely NOTHING, he’d ever read about humans told him that they were capable of that!

Figuring this has some kind of magic origin, he doesn’t bring them to Lucifer but to their resident human sorcerer instead, Solomon…

…and THAT bright idea ended up getting the MC magic tag-along throughout their pregnancy since Solomon wanted to make "a few” observations, the lying bastard… 🙄

Even more unfortunate though, is that the introduction of Wrath into their system also gave the MC an utterly monstrous temper which didn’t help their newfound strength at all…

Poor Satan gets saddled with caring for what amounts to a hair-triggered glass cannon… (though really it’s less protecting them from the world and the world from them 😣).

Needless to say, he’s lost quite a few bookcases over the next several months…

Asmodeus

It was another night with Asmo, so another night out clubbing. He and MC were together for most of the time, but they had left him briefly to get another round of drinks… and somehow got dragging into a straight up brawl in the process.

And they WON…

Asmo brought them right to Lucifer after that. Like, he loves you sweetie, but there were like ten lesser demons there and no way a little human like yourself could pull that off without something being up.

Oh he was overjoyed by the news, but the real test was yet to come… Who would give out first? The Avatar of Lust or a very, very, astronomically horny MC…?

In truth, no one in the House ever wants to talk about what happened for those next nine months ever again… The things they saw… The things they heard… Filthy, filthy things….. 😖

And more broken beds than anyone could care to count…

Let’s just say that they’re all happy the MC was already pregnant, otherwise they’d be dealing with a LOT more demon babies running around… What a hellscape that would be…

Beelzebub

The MC was helping him move some of his weights between rooms. They were only supposed to carry the lighter ones (which really weren’t that light) but they were carrying them so easily that the two got suspicious… They tried to lift one of his heaviest barbells and, to their amazement, they picked it up even easier than he could!

They both just kind of stared at each other for a few seconds before calmly agreeing to go find Lucifer. This probably wasn’t normal…

What pregnancy even was had to be explained to Beel since he doesn’t really understand humans and he only needed one thing confirmed…

So, they’re eating for two now?

And boy did they act like it! The MC’s appetite practically tripled as the months went on and he did his best to keep up for them. He even missed a meal or two for the first time in his life because he was so preoccupied making sure his MC had enough to eat… 😣

Their tastes also got weirder as time went on… At one point they asked for Solomon’s cooking which nearly had him “Nope-ing” out of the relationship right there. He stuck through it to make them happy, but he couldn’t watch them eat it… Even he has his limits, MC… 😟🤢

Wants the baby to come out already if for no other reason than he can finally go back to being the biggest eater of the House again. Having to work around two is a nightmare for everyone…

Belphegor

Would you believe he straight up didn’t know for weeks?

Like, they told him they were pregnant a while ago but all the pregnancy seemed to do was make them really sleepy…

Combine their naps with how often he’s dead to the world and it just never got brought up. 🤷‍♀️

That was until the day it was his turn to vacuum the common room and the MC was resting on the couch…

“MC, can you move? I need to get under there.”

“Hm? Oh, sure. Let me help.”

They then proceeded to get up and lift the couch with one hand like they were Beel or something!

He was, perhaps, slightly miffed that they didn’t think it was necessary to mention they had gotten a butt ton stronger for like a month, but you know…

Belphie has probably the easiest time managing his MC anyway because ALL they want to do is sleep. At most he just has to take on the responsibility to remind them to eat and move around a little.

Lucky bastard always gets off easy… 😖

[prof-peach]

My old, disabled grandpa needs a pokemon in the house to keep him company after his wife passed away and to take care of some basic house chores for him. My parents don't know anything about Pokemon so they're letting me choose the pokemon for him. What do you recommend? (For reference, he's all there mentally, he just needs a wheelchair to move around the house)

OK! se we had a brief chat about what Gramps likes to do, and what stuff he enjoys, which has narrowed the list a little. 

Most would say get him a Mr.Mime or Audino or something traditionally used in the care industry and be done with it, but the suggestions I am about to make are a little more unusual and fun, BUT depend entirely on a pokemon with the right personality. ALL species can be hyper, difficult, rambunctious, naughty or even flat out fussy, not something you'd want for a companion. You are looking for a slower paced, patient and caring individual, who will be happy to take on some household roles to help their trainer. 

So heres my choices, and bare in mind they're just suggestions, and something far more appropriate may come along and surprise you both. 

Geodude: overlooked as care providers and helpers, they're tough, often patient, with versatile bodies and skills, they can carry shopping with ease, push wheelchairs if need be, and in the wild take pride in their home being quite tidy, being found cleaning the areas they frequent regularly, so not adverse to a little tidying or a few household jobs. Of course they come with a lot of different personality types, but also they're not rare, so finding a good match personality wise might be far easier than if you had to hunt down say a Chansey or something far more difficult to find. They're usually good natured, and have no issue bonding to trainers who give them tasty snacks and show them some love. 

Miltank: Overtly loving, they are easy to domesticate, simple to care for, and strong enough to do jobs, push chairs, and keep up with a busy man wheelin’ bout town. This species has a fondness for quiet moments, naps in the shade on hots days, and lounging about. They can be very dozey and sweet, and he’ll enjoy their entertainment, they can be a little ditzy after just waking up. Ive seen many entrust a great deal to Miltank, and the species handles tasks with skill and surprising adaptivity should things go awry a touch. 

Grumpig: often seen napping, generally lounging about, and overall being very slow paced, this pokemon is a good match to those who like a laid back way of life, and they also have the added bonus of strong psychic abilities, to get Gramps up stairs should he find himself unfortunately blocked without disability access to somewhere. They can be a little lazy, BUT they will use their telekinetic powers to do jobs for them, and despite their usual ways, they do enjoy a trip to a local park or quiet river to sit and take it all in at their own pace.

Bronzor: Kind, energetic, loving, durable, and even more so when evolved. This species, its whole line really, is a great match, needing no real feeding, and the occasional bit of care with a good dust or scrub. they're smart enough to perform tasks, and have skills with their psychic abilities, meaning they can help with household work AND with mobility should an issue arise. They also don’t need exercise to be healthy (though of course they do enjoy a good walk or bit of work) so hanging about the house a lot isn't a bad thing for them so much as a fleshy more ordinary pokemon.

Reuniclus: I mean, I cant say enough about this line, the pokemon within it are superb for care work, no need for feeding, no need for training, they're just super clean, super kind, and also very smart pokemon, capable of helping a number of people, let alone one with all his wits about him! they also make for very fun companions and enjoy partaking in any activity that involves their trainers time and attention. You could get this pokemon from a younger age and it’d do just as well, and bond to Grampa no doubt a little faster.

Diggersby: Tough, easy going, functional in the home, capable of running errands and also ding jobs around the home. They have varying personality sure, but are very functional and robust day to day. They also keep good time, so reminding their trainers about lunches, taking medicines, or otherwise doing tasks is easy stuff for them.

Oranguru: Hyper smart, often understanding and kind, with patience galore, they're overlooked often enough on all fronts, but i think they make excellent companions and care givers. their skill set means they're dexterous, capable of understanding a lot of human speech and more subtle hints and nods to how our languages work (ie sarcasm or hidden feelings aren't lost on them, they just get our language really well). They’re known for their skill with flavours, so cooking with Granpa may be a fun task they could share, and learn new things together.

Indeedee: Gaining energy from gratitude, they're happy to help others often enough, and mean well in all of their actions. They have a strong sturdy nature, good bodies that can perform many tasks, and adaptable learning skills, meaning they'll be able to tackle new or unusual task with a fair amount of logic and wisdom from prior experience. They may even enjoy a good story if their trainer would read them one. 

one of these may suit, but its the personality that means everything, so get both Gramps and the pokemon to meet, so they can see if they get along. Getting out and taking in fresh air is so vital at all stages in life, but that your fam use to enjoy going out, and doesn't so much anymore, is a saddening thing to hear. With luck they regain company, and can go back to taking time out in the local parks, read a book in the sun, or simply pop to the shops with their new partner, with confidence that nothing will stop them, or get in the way. The pokemon chosen will want to get out, so even if he stays at home, make sure they get time in the fresh air, and days off from working, so potentially two working on shifts would work best for this situation. Everyone deserves a day off, our darling pokemon carers included. Good luck, hope this leads you to finding the right pick, and don’t forget to check the local shelters, some pokemon get handed in with lack of a trainer (who may have passed away) and have no issue other than wanting company, just like your family needs now. That may just help bond the two, it wouldn't be unheard of. 

[dreamsmp-au-ideas]

Ooo, I kinda like the idea that no one sees Tubbo's akumatization coming, even Tubbo? Like, if Ladybug and Chat have filled them in that folks who are experiencing negative emotions are likely candidates for akumatization, then when the Miraculous get taken back by Gabriel, they're all on the lookout for folks who are upset so they can try to get a jump on preventing or stopping akumatizations. Therapuffy and Eret are basically working overtime to encourage open communication and emotional literacy among everyone, lol. And Tubbo's so good at appearing functional, at pushing down his issues, at focusing on the next task to ignore all the past failures, it kind of goes assumed that he's doing alright.

So one day, it's been like a couple weeks since the Miraculous got stolen back. Everyone's been on high alert trying to keep akumas under control, sometimes even responding before Ladybug and Chat do. Because they're just kids, aren't they? They should have a normal teenage experience as much as they can; the Gremlins can handle it as long as they bring the akuma to Marinette to purify later. Point being, the Gremlins have been busy.

And then Tubbo just has one bad day. He woke up on the wrong side of the bed, restless and exhausted from nightmares he didn't bother to tell anyone about, because if he can get back to sleep eventually, clearly they weren't that bad. Plus he's stressed about finding the Miraculous again; it wasn't so hard to steal them in the first place, so why are they so hard to track down now? He'd bonded a little bit with Nooroo and Duusuu, he doesn't want to think about them back in Gabriel's clutches. So he's working himself to the bone trying to figure out where Gabriel might be.

And he and Ranboo are out patrolling for akumas or any other sign of Hawkmoth, and at just the wrong time, Tubbo overhears some kids talking about current events.

"He's such an idiot! Honestly, he's a horrible president. That whole country would be better off without him."

And Tubbo... he knows they're not talking about him. Obviously they're not. No one here even knows about L'manberg, and Tubbo hasn't been president for a long time. All the same, it brings up memories of Dream, smugly telling Tubbo that he'd been playing him for weeks, for months, calling him the worst president ever, calling him stupid. And no one had even denied it, least of all Tubbo. He can't think of one decision he'd made as president that he doesn't want to take back.

But it was ages ago. And Tubbo's over it, he definitely is, he doesn't care. So he ignores his stewing thoughts and keeps walking with Ranboo, just a bit quieter.

And a few minutes later, they see an akuma flying towards them, and they both get ready to follow it and warn whoever it's going for. But it doesn't turn away, it just keeps flying towards them. And they exchange an uneasy look.

"Tubbo?" Ranboo asks, a little nervous when he takes a step away and the akuma doesn't veer from its course. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," Tubbo says immediately, like he always does, like it's routine. "I'm fine. It's not me, I'm totally fine."

But the akuma clearly thinks otherwise. And as Ranboo watches in growing apprehension, the akuma dodges Tubbo's attempts to swat it away and lands neatly on the necklace he wears close to his chest, a locket with a group photo of all the gremlins on one side and a portrait of Michael on the other. Black clouds cover the locket, and a familiar purple butterfly appears over Tubbo's eyes as Ranboo shouts in alarm.

And Tubbo had wondered in the past what it was like to be akumatized, how Hawkmoth had apparently been persuasive enough to convince half of Paris to attack their heroes. But now, he understands: it isn't Hawkmoth's offer that convinces people. It's the sudden rush of emotions that floods his veins, every inch of him abruptly crying out in hurt and betrayal and outrage. It's the feeling of a pot boiling over, scalding water splashing out and burning everything in range. It's the furious tremble in his fingers as he's consumed by the sole thought that he didn't deserve what happened to him, that he's been wronged so deeply it hurts, that the only way to make it stop is to make everyone else understand just how he feels. The blood roaring in Tubbo's ears is almost enough to drown out Ranboo, who's shouting something and tugging at Tubbo's arm, but Hawkmoth's voice comes through crystal clear.

"Ah, little Tyrant," says Gabriel Agreste, pleased as the cat who caught the canary, and doesn't that just make Tubbo's blood boil even more. "I was hoping it'd be one of you eventually."

"Get out of my head," Tubbo says, teeth clenched so tightly his jaw aches.

"Oh, of course, Tyrant," Gabriel placates. "Of course. But first... First, I am going to give you the power to ensure you're never attacked again. I will make sure you are heard. I will give you an outlet for all that fury simmering inside of you. And in return, you are going to bring me the other Miraculous."

And logically. Logically, Tubbo knows it's a bad deal. Logically, he knows Marinette and Adrien are his friends, and he'd never try to take their Miraculous. Logically, he should say no, should get Marinette to the akuma and cleanse it and move on and ignore it.

But his emotions are running higher and hotter than he thought possible, and all he can see is Hawkmoth, offering him a way to get rid of them, to feel better, to make everyone finally get it.

And it's not like it'd be hard to grab a couple of Miraculous.

"Alright," says Tyrant, eyes dark. "You've got a deal."

There's a crash of thunder, a billowing outpour of smoke from the corrupted locket, and then Tubbo vanishes, leaving Ranboo alone in the streets of Paris.

"Uh," says Ranboo into his phone, voice high-pitched with panic. "Guys, we have a problem."

;-;

Welp. This hurts. Thanks anon. Oh boy. This hurts a lot. Oh wow.

[junko-and-riri-domain]

❦ ɢᴏᴛ ᴀ ᴘᴏᴛɪᴏɴ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ? | ɴɪ-ᴋɪ

↬ ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ɴɪꜱʜɪᴍᴜʀᴀ ʀɪᴋɪ / ɴɪ-ᴋɪ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

↬ ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ | ʙᴀʀɪꜱᴛᴀ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀꜱɪᴛʏ!ᴀᴜ | ᴄᴀғᴇ!ᴀᴜ

↬ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: ɴᴏɴᴇ

The chains of familial obligations and expectations were suffocating, to say the least. For as long as you could remember, your parents expected you to be the perfect student, smile for the camera when you got an award, and exist for the sole purpose of becoming someone they could brag about. When you first discovered the Eggy Cafe, you didn’t quite know just how much of an impact it’d have on your life. You visited with the sole purpose of finding a place to study in peace and quiet. It first started off as you going every few weeks, usually before a test or when you wanted to be alone in a place where no one knew you. 

Never in a million years did you’d think that you’d become friends with Jieun, the owner, or that she’d offer you a part-time job. You weren’t looking for one nor did you need the money but for some reason, you accepted it. And so for the past year, you’ve been working as a barista for the Eggy Cafe, enjoying your job more than you should be. The scent of coffee beans and freshly baked pastries became embedded into your clothes, the sounds of conversations from customers you chatted with became music to your ears, and in the Eggy Cafe, you found the constant warmth you’ve been longing for your entire life. Just a few months ago, the Eggy Cafe started gaining attention from students on campus due to the school’s basketball team star player, Min Yoongi talking about how good your drinks (mostly the Americanos) were. You became known as a sort of fairy of caffeine, supplying people with their caffeine fix and pastries that tasted better than the overpriced Starbucks on campus.

It was nearing midnight and there were a few people still in the cafe, studying and working on homework but you could handle it on your own. Your coworker of 3 weeks, Jay had to leave a few hours before his shift ended for a reason you’d didn’t care enough to remember. You were currently making a drink for yourself when suddenly,

“Uhh, hey,” a voice said somewhat unsure of themselves. You looked at where it came from and saw someone standing awkwardly by the side of the bar counter somewhat of a distance away from you.

“Hi, do you know what you want to order yet?” you asked. He shook his head and looked around. There was an air of loneliness that surrounded him, he looked familiar for some reason probably because you’ve seen him around campus.

“Take a seat and however long as you need,” you said with a smile. He sat down by the bar counter, two seats away from you and you continued making your drink. A silence befell the two of you until finally,

“Why are all the drinks named like potions?”

“Because this place is magical and I’m a witch,” you joked.

“I heard from Jay-hyung that a fairy working here,” he said, causing you to smile,

“What kind of potion do you want?”

“Got a potion for making friends?” he asked. You knew that he was only joking but you could feel a sliver of truth in his words. Working in the Eggy Cafe for so long allowed you to get to know various types of people and how to help them out, even if it was for a few brief moments.

“Give me a sec, I’ve got just the thing.” It didn’t take long before you placed a cup in front of him and you leaned on the other side of the counter to start a conversation.

“Drink this,” you said. He looked at the cup, then back at you in confusion,

“Tea?”

“What’s on your mind, babe?”

You learned that the practically 6 feet tall guy’s name was Nishimura Riki but people often called him Ni-ki. You realized that the reason he looked familiar was because he was a dance major and you saw him practicing by the quad sometimes. Throughout the next few months, you started noticing him more and more after that day, saying hi whenever you passed by each other and smiling at him when you couldn’t say hi. One lunchtime when Ni-ki came to the cafe his order was in a to-go cup, you figured he’d be leaving. As he waited, you gave him a plate with some mochi on it. 

“I didn’t order this,” he said, looking at the plate of mochi.

“Try it out for me, let me know if it tastes good. I made it this morning and I’m thinking of asking Jieun to sell it.” He took a bite, eyes lightening up as the taste settled on his lips. He had had lots of mochi and desserts throughout his lifetime but this was unlike anything he’d ever had before.

“What is this?” he asked, looking at you in pure amazement. You made a mental note to yourself that food was something that made Ni-ki smile.

“Smores mochi, it’s good, yeah?” he nodded,

“You should sell this. Definitely.” As you handed him his drink,

“Great, it’ll give you a reason to come by more often.” You got back to work, not quite noticing the tinge of red that was starting to show on his cheeks or how he muttered,

“I already have a reason to come by more often,” to himself, just out of earshot from anyone else.

Ni-ki came to the cafe later that week with some people, one of them included Jay who also wasn’t working. The only thing was that when he saw you, you weren’t behind the register with an apron. Instead, you were sitting in the booth by the window with a laptop in front of you and what seemed like hundreds of papers on the table. Your hair was brought up in a messy bun with strands of hair around your face and you sported an oversized hoody.

“What’s up?” a voice asked, turning your attention away from your laptop and whoever it was.

“Jay-hyung, don’t bother her,” Ni-ki said as he went to your table. A guy whose name you later found out was Jungwon sat next to Jay while the other 4 guys were in line at the register.

“It’s not a bother, I’ll always welcome your company Ni-ki,” you said. He knew damn well that you were saying it out of friendliness but he couldn’t stop the heat that rose to his cheeks. You were introduced to the 5 other guys and learned that Ni-ki and Jay were a part of a group that put out performances.

“Y/n-ah, you work here?” the one whose name you found out was Sunoo asked already comfortable with you. Sunoo was bright and cheery at the first meet, the opposite of Ni-ki but you realized that the two complimented each other. 

“When I’m not studying I’m either sleeping or supplying caffeine,” you replied with a smile. As everyone settled into their own conversation, you started eating the chocolate chocolate chip muffin you baked earlier. Even though you weren’t working today, Jieun still let you have access to the kitchen and coffee. Seeing Ni-ki eyeing your plate, without thinking much of it, you ripped out a piece and brought it up to Ni-ki’s mouth. As he accepted the bite, his arm reached over behind your shoulders to get his cup of tea which was by the ledge of the window.

He returned the cup back to its original place but his arm stayed around your shoulders. You didn’t mind it, if anything you were glad for Ni-ki and his presence lately. Somewhere down the line, the once 7 guys you were with became just Ni-ki by your side.

“Can I walk you home?” Ni-ki asked as you started packing up your things.

“Well, if you’re offering to be my bodyguard tonight I won’t refuse” As you and Ni-ki walked to your dorm, it didn’t quite register how much you enjoyed being with him until he had to leave. Once at your doorstep,

“There’s a dance showcase happening at the festival tomorrow, I’m performing with everyone else and solo. If you’re not busy, do you wanna... come?” Dancer Ni-ki was a part of him you had yet to see and you heard so much about it from everyone else. Over the past few months, his closed-off persona was slowly fading and little by little he was letting you into his world.

“I’ll be there, we can celebrate your win at the cafe after!”

“Yah, what makes you think I’m going to win?”

“If you lose then we can celebrate the fact that it’s over.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Mhm.”

The next day came by quicker than you were expecting, the only part you were looking forward to was the showcase. You were able to be close to the front of the stage with a few of your friends and you cheered as loud as you possibly could when it was time for Ni-ki’s performance. In awe of how he commanded the stage, you couldn’t believe just how powerful Ni-ki was, practically leaving you more breathless than when the two of you were next to each other. He was definitely going to win. And if the judges thought otherwise you were going to throw a riot.

Later that night, the Eggy Cafe was full of chatters as the group and solo dance performance trophies were set on the counter. The boys were clearly tired but still happy nonetheless. While Jay was teaching Jake how to make a puppuccino for Layla, Sunghoon was washing the dishes that you guys used since it was after closing time, Jungwon and Sunoo taking selcas, and Heeseung asleep on the couch, Ni-ki was sitting across the counter from you.

“Y/n?” he asked.

“What’s on your mind?”

“You updated the menu names?” he asked, looking behind you. They were still as crazy if not more as they were originally.

“Which potion do you want?”

“Got a potion that’ll give me the courage to ask you out?” Unable to stop yourself from blushing, you set a cup of tea in front of him. He took a sip,

“Are you free tomorrow?” Nodding as you took a sip of your own drink,

“I am.”

 ↬ ᴀ/ɴ: 

first of all, thank you so much for 100+ followers! thankful to everyone out there who reads the content from this blog :)

sorry for not having any updates since like 2ish? weeks (school has just been giving out so much work)

hopefully there’ll be more fics when we go on break!

if you have any reqs feel free to send!

❦ end of story, written by riri | blog masterlist

Qᴜɪᴄᴋ ᴄʟɪᴄᴋꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɴɪ-ᴋɪ ꜰɪᴄꜱ

huh? | exam season 

[larphacks]

Process Hack: Welfare

Hi all! After a long hiatus, ya boy is back with more unsolicited advice!

What are we talking about this week? It’s LARP welfare!

Common at medium and large games, the role of welfare officer, sometimes called “site parent”, and sometimes divided into crew welfare and player welfare, is very important. It’s also something which can go really smoothly if you do some decent prep before the event. I’ve been discussing the role with some LARPer friends recently, and I’ve put together some advice for good ways to tackle this role.

Some of the below advice falls into the category of sensible prep that everyone can do before a game too, so feel free to read even if you don’t hold (or want to hold) a position like this!

Some of the jobs I outline below might not fall into every welfare officer’s purview - mix and match as you choose. (If you’ve been asked to look after player or crew welfare and don’t know which of the below are your responsibilities, that means you need to have a chat with the chief organisers and find out!)

1. Positive Energy

This can be a surprisingly high-energy role. Particularly in the crew room, one of the most important things a welfare officer can do is be positive and energetic when everyone is feeling a bit tired and down. This is hard! But a bit of jollying-along goes a huge way to changing the dynamic. This is even harder when YOU'RE the one feeling tired and cold and sad. But if you are visibly struggling, nobody will approach you when they need help! A "brave face" is your best weapon.

2. Shut Up!

Sometimes you need to be the "voice of reason" - getting people to concentrate, or quiet down, when it's important that something needs to be done quickly. One good way to do this is to be cheerful enough most of the time that people LISTEN on the rare occasions that you raise your voice and ask them to please shut up for a minute.

3. Early Start, Late Finish

The two above points are ESPECIALLY important during set-up and take-down. You need to be "on the ball"/on duty during periods where other people are transiting into and out of the game. During set-up, your keen crew and players will all be busy frothing and sniffing each other's butts because they haven't seen each other for a year, they want to show off their new kit, and their adrenaline is through the roof. But - it's 30 minutes to time-in and nobody's in kit and the IC areas aren't set-dressed. You need to get them moving!

During take-down, everyone is exhausted, a bit overwhelmed, and wants to sleep (including the refs). But the site needs to be taken down, cleaned and tidied up, lost property needs to be organised, and there are always last-minute disasters involved in the logistics of getting people off site. You can't collapse now - your job isn't done. You might not be in charge of take-down, but you ARE the right person to gently corral and rally tired people towards the plan.

4. Who does what?

If you're the first point of call for someone who's having an issue, being able to confidently signpost to other crew is really important. So firstly, you should know exactly what the other other staff members do and where they're likely to be (in both time and space). If a player comes to you and says "I'm really struggling with the Sorcery rules and I feel very stupid", then sure, you can (and should!) offer them some immediate comfort and consolation. But in order to help them with the root of the problem, you need to know several bits of information:

a) What are the different staff members' responsibilities/expertises? Who does what? (Mike is the person who handles Sorcery rules.) b) Where in space are the other staff located? (Mike is currently refereeing the Clawed Fiend encounter on top of the hill.) c) When in time are the other staff available? (The Clawed Fiend encounter can't be interrupted. It is scheduled to end at 2100hrs. Mike should come back to the crew room after that.)

I'd also recommend you have a good "ticket-tracking" system to make sure your incoming queries are handled and nobody falls through the cracks. You could devolve this onto players ("Come back at 2110hrs and ask to speak to Mike") but it will help things flow smoothly if you are also logging things yourself. I'd recommend carrying a small notebook and pen so you can note things down and tick things off. You can also help things along by being an active communicator and setting the emotional context for solutions. If Mike comes back at 2100 and immediately gets jumped by an emotional player, he might be tired and confused and not give the best answer. But if he comes back and you tell him "There's a player who is having a bad time with the Sorcery rules, they seem quite distressed, I think you can help, they'll be around in 10 minutes" then he won't be surprised and will have the right bit of his brain switched on.

5. It’s all in the Filofax

There is admin information about players/crew which will really help you if something goes wrong too. I'd suggest having the following on-hand, glued into your notebook, on a tablet, or otherwise kept secure on your person (since some of it's sensitive personal data):

a) A list of everyone's allergies and medical conditions. b) A list of qualified first-aiders, and the locations of first-aid kits. c) A list of every vehicle on site, registration number against player/crew name, in case you need a car moved in a hurry. d) A rough understanding of who arrived from where, with whom. It doesn't need to be exhaustive, but if the vehicle which brought 6 people from London breaks down irrecoverably, then being able to help sketch out solutions to get those people and their kit home will be massively easier if you know roughly where people came from.

6. The Outside World

You are likely to also need to be able to signpost to help *outside* the game. If a player comes to you with a problem that can't be fixed with on-site resources, what are you going to do about it? You can't predict every scenario, but at a minimum I'd suggest having the following prepared:

a) A breakdown service for the vehicle that won't start (in the UK the most common is the AA). b) A mental health or emotional support helpline, like the Samaritans (116123). c) The emergency number for injured wildlife - in the UK, the RSPCA (0300 1234 999). d) The emergency and non-emergency medical numbers (in the UK: 999 emergency, 111 non-emergency) and police numbers (UK: 999 emergency, 101 non-emergency). e) A clear understanding of where on site you can get mobile phone signal. f) A plan for how you would get an ambulance onto site if you needed one: run through the whole thing (where on site can I get enough signal to call the ambulance? What is the postcode of the site, and do I have a set of clear directions to give the dispatcher in my notebook? Who am I sending to the site entrance to walk the ambulance on? Is their most likely route of approach clear for a large vehicle?). If you've never called an ambulance in this country, then ask someone who *has* to practice with you, so you understand what questions they'll ask and in what order.

7. Kit & kaboodle

The following are things which LARPers reliably fail to provide for themselves, and which you will benefit greatly if you have on hand. Find out from the organisers what your budget is, and buy accordingly:

a) Salty snacks (crisps/nuts) and quick energy (sweets/fruit). Keep a small separate store aside from the usual 'crew food' to help someone who is struggling. b) The ability to make a hot sweet drink in a hurry. c) Hydration solution (Dioralyte, Powerade, or the cheap alternative, which is six teaspoons of sugar and half a teaspoon of salt per litre of clean water). d) Paper and pens. e) High-powered torch (for searching for lost objects). f) Your own phone on an in-country network, plus at least one charged mobile phone powerbank with multiple charger ends. g) Ice packs - ideally the "squeeze to activate" sort so you aren't relying on the site freezer. (Most common item left out of first aid kids - and immediate relief/comfort for the most common LARP injuries.) h) Warm blankets. i) An idea of how you'd provide a simple hot meal in a hurry. (This could be a packet of rice you can chuck in the microwave, a cup-soup and kettle, a ration pack and a Jetboil, or a good understanding of what the caterers' plan is for an emergency meal.)

If someone is in a lot of distress, going through the process of dealing with their physical needs (food/water/temperature/etc.) can often help them become better able to communicate their psychological/emotional needs. Often a LARPer who is dehydrated or low on blood sugar doesn't KNOW that's the problem, they just know they feel awful and are crashing hard.

8. Know the Ground

KNOW YOUR SITE - I can't stress this enough. If someone has a costume disaster and needs somewhere private to change, where can they do that? If someone is overwhelmed and needs a quiet, safe, cool (or warm) room or tent to lie down in for an hour, where can they do that? If a shy new player shows up and asks "Where do I put my kit?", then being able to answer them quickly and competently with a smile on your face will immediately endear you (and mean that they WILL come to you later, when they're suffering, instead of sitting alone on their bed being sad about it).

9. Late Bloomers

What is the late arrivals plan? If you went IC at 1900 and the traffic means some of your players don't arrive till 2200, then most of your key refs/crew will be busy running the game. You're the most likely person to escort the late arrivals onto site, get them set up, and get them integrated into the game. You'll need to reassure, but you'll also need to understand a lot of admin details to make sure they don't feel any more overwhelmed and embarrassed than they already do. This might involve giving a second safety briefing, pointing out any last-minute changes that weren't included in the game pack, and pointing them to the right ref to get their characters timed in. You can be as nice and friendly as you like - but some people will be even more reassured by practical, reliable and clear directions when they’re feeling rushed and panicky.

10. Herd those Cats

What is the crew plan? Depending on role, you may or may not be involved in "crew wrangling" - this is often a separate role, and deserves its own post. But even if you aren't "crew boss", you need to understand and be able to help balance crew energy and engagement. If there are long periods where crew are likely to be sitting around bored, where are the "pick-up-and-play" roles they can briefly read, digest, and go out to engage in? If crew are doing three hours of back-to-back combat roles, where is the plan for ensuring that they're all fed, watered, rested and properly kitted before their next high-energy role? The best refs will have considered this and have a clear plan for managing crew in small teams to maintain their energy levels - but as a welfare officer you are likely to be the advocate/interface if it doesn't seem to be working well, so make sure you understand where the weak spots and frictions in the plan might be so you can deal with them in advance.

What happens if a crew member comes to you and says they're really struggling with their NPC role and aren't enjoying it? (If you're the approachable face, they'll likely come to you first before a busier ref!) Do you understand the crew matrix well enough to think about solutions, alternative roles they could do, or how the timetable could be re-worked to end their role early? Wherever possible, you should strive to go to the refs with a solution rather than a problem: "Harry is struggling and I think if we brought the poisoning forward an hour, then let him play a gremlin for the rest of the night, that would fix it" is better than "Harry is struggling". They may not accept your solution, but the conversation is already moving onto alternative ways to fix the problem.

11. Easy In, Easy Out

How do players enter/leave the game if they're fatigued or unwell? Your game may not have a clear system for this, and it may be players' own responsibility to manage their fatigue. However, some will struggle to cross the IC/OC divide here: if the character is fighting for their life, how do they resolve that with the player needing to have a lie-down for an hour so they're safe to drive the next day? One of the best games I've run had a clear, signposted system where players who needed a break could "vanish" IC (with a clear IC logic for their disappearance) and take as much time as they wanted. When they were rested, they could go see a ref for a special briefing which told them what had happened while they were away (and explained how they reappeared). You won't find this in every game, but think about ways to make taking an OC break feel like a positive and productive experience, which leaves the character with plenty to talk about when they return, rather than a potentially embarrassing one which leaves the player out-of-the-loop and feeling like they've missed out on the fun.

12. Look After Number One!

Practice active self-care, both to facilitate all of the above and as a good example to others. Going back to the first point, most people can't project positive energy if they're sad, wet, cold, tired and hungry. Have a routine worked out to look after yourself. Understand what you can and can't do and work to your limitations. If you have lots of physical energy but are struggling to deal with six emotional crises in a row, get up and walk around site. If moving exhausts you, pick a central location to base yourself and make sure all the things you need to do your job are in easy reach.

Feel free to reblog with your own additions, checklist items or hacks for looking after your fellow LARPers’ welfare. Suggestions gratefully accepted!

[vancilocs]

Can we get lyssa and izkiel and orion and vesper?

orion as the cis man who ruins everything

What is each member's love language?

Acts of service, verbal affection and quality time from Lyssa

Physical affection from Vesper, acts of service from Orion

What would they describe as their perfect date?

A calm candlelit dinner with no hurries to go anywhere, some drinks, quality time at home and then off to bed at a reasonable hour for Lyssa, but she's willing to spend time at a club and/or go on a walk with Izkiel as long as she doesn't get too exhausted

Orion would prefer to pick a movie, pick snacks and watch it together while cuddling, Vesper would take him to the club so he'd get worked up at the noise and people and then bring him home to work the anger out

Who made the first move?

Lyssa, Izkiel didn't really notice

Vesper

Who is more sentimental?

Probably Lyssa, she likes mementos and taking pictures and all that

Vesper, Orion doesn't do sentiments

Which member calls the other in to kill the spiders?

Izkiel brings them out, Lyssa will usually leave them alone

Both kill them

Who falls asleep first?

Lyssa, she's often tired at the end of the day

Usually Vesper, Orion keeps thinking about everyone who's done him wrong before he rages himself to sleep

Who wakes up first?

It depends I think, Lyssa does have a schedule but Izkiel also has a job he needs to go to

Could be either, usually to the same alarm though

Who is more more relaxed/carefree?

Izkiel, not like he's super loosey goosey with things but Lyssa has a bunch more on her plate

Vesper in general, more of an ayy lmao attitude about life

What’s one way their personalities compliment one another? (Is it opposites attract or are they pretty similar?)

I think both are genuine and kind and want good things for people and each other, so they do compliment each other pretty well even if they do have differences

Both are intense and passionate as all hell, sorta aggressive, relentless and could defend their point of view in an argument for hours. They're similar, they just went different directions with it.

Who is always cold?

Lyssa is half evarian so she has a lower body temperature in general, she can handle cold better than Izkiel

Neither, but Vesper handles cold better thanks to their evarian half

Which member is always trying to bring home stray animals and which member always has to say no?

I don't think either would, they're responsible enough

Neither

Who worries more?

Both worry, but I think Izkiel is more worried about Lyssa's health

Vesper was more worried about Orion's mental stability

What are some non-sexual activities they do together?

Cuddle, cook, watch videos and movies, clean, go on walks, go to the hot springs to soak, chat about their day

Work out, cuddle while watching TV or being on their phones, do Vesper's hair, cook and eat

Who would be able to talk their way out of a speeding ticket?

Lyssa for her pure innocence and explaining that she's a doctor and someone needs help

Both, Vesper through seducing and Orion through threats

Who is the better cook?

Maybe Lyssa, being raised by a busy single parent she has learned to make herself healthy meals since she was quite young.

Orion, Vesper doesn't care about cooking and prefers takeout

What are some things they don’t agree on?

I think stuff that has to do with Lyssa saving lives and Izkiel occasionally taking them, it doesn't bother them though

Vesper doesn't subscribe to Orion's view of "everyone including you and me fucking sucks and they need to hear it", dude being negative won't help anyone

Which member is more physically affectionate?

Both are cuddly, Lyssa has some boundaries on where she likes to be touched but otherwise she likes it

Any outwards affection is more Vesper's thing

Which member is more verbally affectionate?

Lyssa is big on compliments, Izkiel probably picked it up from her also

Vesper, Orion has probably never complimented them

How does each member feel about PDA?

Within boundaries it's okay. Holding hands, hand on shoulder or around waist, kisses are fine in public

Orion doesn't do it but accepts it from Vesper who's a fiend

Who’s the safer driver?

Lyssa doesn't drive because of her health

Orion

What’s each member flirting style?

Compliments, showing pictures of two cute things and saying "look it's us" for Lyssa

Compliments and touches, suggestive questions from Vesper, suggestive looks and showing off from Orion

Which member steals borrows the other ones clothing?

Izkiel can borrow Lyssa's sweaters and dresses all he likes, though the dresses don't really fit him

Vesper steals everything from shirts to underwear from Orion, nothing is safe

Who is the cuddle initiator?

Both can

Usually Vesper but Orion positions himself accordingly. He can snuggle up too if Vesp is laying down already

Are they an introverted couple or an extroverted one—AKA would they prefer to go out to a party or event together or would they rather stay in?

Neither minds going to a club, Lyssa likes to dress up too. Maybe not a party, but having people around isn't awful

Vesper likes parties as much as they like staying in, Orion fucks off after 10 minutes at a party or he would start swinging

Who is the big/little spoon?

They swap

Orion is big spoon unless he's asleep and Vesper sneaks behind him

Who is more likely to make an impulsive decision and who is the voice of reason?

Izkiel would do something impulsive, Lyssa begs him to consider first

Vesper isn't very likely, but more likely to do it. Orion doesn't do jack shit to stop them

Who’s more likely to laugh at their own jokes?

I think Izkiel

Vesper

Who takes longer showers?

It's kinda equal, Izkiel needs to moisturize but Lyssa needs to wash her hair

Vesper, Orion takes 5-minute cold showers

Who is “more loved” by the in-laws?

Lyssa's parent was very sus at first, Izkiel didn't seem like the good sort for their child. Odin also kept an eye out but he's mainly quiet. Izkiel's family loved Lyssa.

Orion's dad wouldn't have approved of any relationship but they hated each other anyways, Vesper's parents would honestly have loved Orion which was a red flag in on itself given how much Vesper doesn't like them

Who is more likely to get jealous?

Lyssa did a bit about Izkiel's habit of having someone cute on his lap when gambling. But not anymore

If either, then Orion. Vesper was so sure of Orion's hatred of all living things that he wouldn't look at other people

What was the most surprising thing they learned about one another once they started dating?

Maybe how dorky Izkiel could be, this big bad bounty hunter. Also what a hottie Lyssa is when she wants to be

How needy for touch and affection Orion really is even if he'll never admit it, and how serious and domestic Vesper could be

Who stays up way too late and who tries to drag them to bed?

Lyssa will go to bed whether you like it or not

Orion will stay up, Vesper doesn't care, they're off to sleep, be tired if you want hardass

Who’s messier?

Izkiel

Vesper

Which member is more likely to accidentally spend $300 at Target?

Neither I don't think, they're fairly responsible

If either then Vesper

Who wanted/would want kids first?

Neither really wants kids, too much for Lyssa's health and their jobs wouldn't allow it

Orion would sooner get hit by a car than have children, no he hasn't forgiven his father for creating him (Vesper is bound to agree)

Who gives piggy back rides to the other?

Neither I don't think

Vesper will yell combat carry and jump on Orion's back and he'll tolerate it for 20 seconds or so before he drops them

Who fell in love first?

Lyssa, took Izkiel's demiromantic ass some time

I think Vesper both got and lost the feelings faster

[vs-redemption]

This is the fourth piece out of seven written for the one year anniversary collaboration event for the @konoblog-simps discord. I encourage everyone to check out the masterlist for today's prompt and support the other creators. Some content might not be suitable for minors so please pay attention to the warnings.

Prompt: Song Piece (Tooru Oikawa x Reader)

Word Count: 1.6K Warnings: Mentions of alcohol

Song: Case Of The Ex - Mya I'm old, just like this song, so I apologize if you don't know it. I provided a link if you wanna check out the song/video.

It took a certain kind of person to date a guy like Tooru Oikawa. It wasn’t for the faint hearted for sure. First of all, you had to be fine with long absences since he traveled so much for work. If he wasn’t off competing against the best teams in the world, he was spending an absurd amount of time in training camps and practices. His career as a pro volleyball player alone would put strain on any relationship but the obstacles didn’t end there. Oikawa was more than just an incredible athlete. He was also known for being one of the most attractive male sports stars on the planet. He had a huge female fan base and had appeared on a disturbing number of magazine covers for his looks alone. Anyone who dated him would have to share his attention with every single other person who thought they might have a chance with the devilishly handsome man. It would take someone awfully secure in themselves to withstand pressure like that constantly looming over them.

“Hey cutie! Can I buy you a drink?”

The first time you met Oikawa was unfortunately during a bar crawl for a friend’s birthday. It wasn’t the type of thing you’d normally participate in, but you endured it this time because of the special occasion. You were already at your third stop of the night and ready to go home when a ridiculously tall, obnoxiously attractive man appeared next to you.

“I think you already did,” you tell him while holding up the glass in your hand. “Wasn’t it you and your buddies that bought a round for my friend’s birthday?”

“Yeah, but that was a while ago,” he tilts his head curiously at you. “Don’t you need another by now?”

“I’m pacing myself,” you tell him flatly. “Thank you though.”

“I’m Tooru Oikawa,” he smiles and spreads his arms, lifting his chin proudly and reminding you of a peacock showing off and you laugh.

“I know.”

As the night dragged on, you continued chatting with the famous volleyball player as your friends continued with their shenanigans. You could admit that conversation with Oikawa was easy, and he definitely made the night more interesting. He was cute and charming, not to mention rich and famous, but you knew you didn’t have the energy to get involved with someone like that in any capacity. You allowed yourself some light banter, figuring he could just move on to flirting with someone else once you parted ways.

“How about a date?” he asks you once your friend signals you that it was time to head to the next stop of the night.

“I don’t date pretty boys.” You reply apologetically, a hint of amusement in your voice.

“How about meeting for coffee as friends?” he quips without any hesitation.

“Are you serious?” You ask and he nods while pulling his phone out from his pocket. You shake your head, pushing his phone away with a mischievous smile on your face. “I’ll tell you the time and place,” you tell him. “If you actually show up, then I’ll give you my number.”

What you hadn’t known was that Tooru Oikawa was persistent when he knew what he wanted. Not only did he show up to the designated place on time, but he also kept the conversation light and friendly since you’d been adamant about it not being a date. As promised, you exchanged numbers and saw no reason to refuse when he asked to meet up again soon.

Oikawa wasted no time in integrating himself into your daily life. At first, having regular correspondence with him made it easy to forget his celebrity status. He never acted like the hot playboy he was made out to be in the media. He never seemed too proud to send you goofy selfies of himself, or tell you about something embarrassing that had happened to him in one of his practices. When he was too busy to meet you in person, he scheduled time to do video calls. It surprised you that he never seemed to lose interest. The way he took his time to let you really get to know him and build up a mutual trust made it difficult to say no the next time he asked you on an actual date.

“I know my volleyball is going to make things tough,” he’d admitted from the very start, and you respected that he could acknowledge that. The first step in overcoming the hurdle was admitting it existed in the first place. He was more than willing to talk and compromise as much as you needed though, continuing to make you feel better about entering into a relationship with him. After all, despite your efforts to remain rational, you’d ended up falling head over heels for the idiot.

Being with Oikawa was too good to be true. You’d known going into the relationship how busy he was, and although you were fine being on your own sometimes, he still made sure you never felt neglected. Hardly a day went by without at least a phone call since he claimed that going to bed without hearing your voice was impossible for him. He was so cheesy sometimes, but you appreciated his transparency. Even dealing with his popularity turned out to be less of a problem than you’d imagined. Seeing all the comments and likes on his posts never made you feel jealous. In fact, it made you happy to see your boyfriend getting the amount of love and attention you knew he deserved. He never made a big deal about it and did everything in his power to make sure you knew he only had eyes for you.

“Good night, my love!” He smiles and pulls your face into his hands, pressing a kiss to your mouth before yawning and snuggling into the blankets next to you.

“Night, pretty boy,” you reply with a teasing smile that makes him pout. “Stop,” you poke his cheek, “You know I love you.”

“Mm,” he hums happily. “Love you too.”

Sometimes it still blew your mind knowing Tooru Oikawa was your boyfriend, but as you curled up next to him and slowly drifted off to sleep, you couldn’t imagine anyone else making you feel as happy or as loved as he could.

“Do you understand what time it is?” The sound of Oikawa’s voice pulled you back from the depths of sleep and you blink your eyes tiredly, the numbers on your alarm clock coming into focus and revealing that it was still the middle of the night. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

He was clearly on the phone with someone, and before you could roll over and ask him if everything was okay, you hear him whisper the caller’s name. Your heart immediately drops to your stomach, knowing right away who he was talking to. When you’d finally decided to give your heart to Oikawa, you’d thought you’d taken everything into account. His career. His fame. His fans. For some reason it had never occurred to you to worry about his exes.

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” You could tell Oikawa felt awkward by the tone of his voice. “Do you really think I’m the right person to talk to though? We’re not together anymore.”

You squeeze your eyes shut and try to calm yourself. He’d never given you a reason not to trust him before, and it wasn’t his fault if his ex was calling him in the middle of the night. Oikawa had told you about them before though, and you couldn’t help the memories that sprung up from those conversations. You knew how much they’d meant to him, and how they’d hurt him when they left, giving him an ultimatum between their relationship and his volleyball career. It had made you mad to hear about that. Loving Oikawa meant accepting all of him, including his love for volleyball, and you could never imagine asking him to give it up for you. Still, if even a hint of his feelings for his ex still existed inside him, who knew what talking to them again might mean for you.

“I can’t do this right now,” Oikawa’s tone was getting impatient. “I don’t know. Maybe. Fine. Goodnight.” You hear him set his phone back on the nightstand and let out a sigh. After a moment, he lays back down and tries to get comfortable.

“Tooru?” you whisper.

“I’m sorry if I woke you up,” you listen for any hints of guilt or panic in his voice. “Did you hear all that?”

“Kind of,” you weren’t going to lie.

“I shouldn’t have even answered,” he admits softly while snaking an arm around your waist. “It’s just been so long and I was surprised.”

“Is everything all right?” you ask.

“I guess so,” his words come out muffled against your back. “Let’s just go back to sleep, okay?”

“Okay.” You wanted to ask him if you had anything to worry about, and if he planned on getting in touch with them again. You had so many questions that you knew were rooted in insecurity, so you held back from asking so as not to insult the trust you’d built up over your time together. You’d handled every other obstacle in your relationship so far, so hopefully this one wouldn’t cause too much disruption either. At the end of the day, it was up to Oikawa to choose who he wanted by his side. And until he gave you a reason to believe otherwise, you decided to just be thankful that, for the moment, that person seemed to be you.

[p1nkwitch]

@lonelyeyesweek

Day 1 - First Meeting

Peter was very reluctant to go to the Magnus institute funding party; uncle Nathaniel informed him that one of his new duties would be to make business with James Wright and he really didn't want to do that. A beholder… What a nightmare.

I would've stayed at home

'Cause I was doin' better alone

Peter was very reluctant to go to the Magnus institute funding party; uncle Nathaniel informed him that one of his new duties would be to make business with James Wright and he really didn't want to do that. A beholder… What a nightmare.

The party was unfortunately the most informal way to meet the man, otherwise he would be forced to enter a small room with the watcher to make sure he didn't dry up his family money for an indefinite amount of time.

So he was really dreading the moment he would be meeting this man, Simon kept telling him that James was an old friend and that it would be fine, that he was actually funny beneath all the politeness, however he wasn't so sure about that.

Due to Simon’s and his uncle’s influence he has a very loose idea of some boring old man, a type of academic with a nondescript look that he will forget as soon as he leaves.

With any luck he would just make his acquaintance today and then he may go from the party, Peter preferred to be at home instead of dilly dallying with the masses. As much as he likes to observe people, he likes it better when it's on his own terms and when he is not forced to be part of an event.

So he goes with very little hope for the night, the only positive is that he may get some free food and some alcohol, albeit champagne will not do much for him.

The moment Simon sees him, he zeroes on him and stays nearby talking about his trips to Europe. He also tells him about a few sacrifices he made that actually seemed rather interesting. Still Peter preferred the ones he committed at the ocean, but he knew the man was always more partial to the sky so its not surprising they are all on that vein.

“What about you Captain? You have a few voyages under your belt now lad, how did those go? Were they to your liking?” And the answer to that is a bit complicated, Peter is still getting used to handling a ship, his crew hasn't been properly trained yet to keep themselves in check so he has to… ugh make a few rules.

The other problem is that most of his crew is formed of older, more experienced sailors. Peter is 26 and unfortunately has a rather… soft looking face, he has been trying to grow a beard to at least make himself look a bit more rugged or older looking, but that will take time and he just has a five o’clock shadow for now. It will take him months to have anything resembling what he wants. The graying hair does work a bit better, that he can count for at least.

He is considering hiring someone to relay his messages to, so that way he can stay away most of the time and he can practice his solitude in peace. He really would love to not be perceived until he looks like he wants.

“Its ok, I still need to figure out a few things to be honest, I would love it if the crew was a bit less…”

“Talkative?”

“Friendly” Simon nods at him and pats his shoulder before going back to another story of a trip he made like 250 years ago. It is quite interesting, albeit Peter gets struck with how old the man is. Most of the time he can forget it, easy to do when Simon is so lively, but when he tells him these stories…. hard to ignore in all honesty.

Picking up an offered champagne glass he listens distractedly wondering when he will meet the man organizing this whole charade.

The older man talks to him but at some point his sentence drifts off and he looks behind him with a grin. A bit lost and now concerned, those grins never end up well for him, Peter turns back to check what exactly was his companion watching.

The answer comes to him like a hit to the face.

An older man talking and entertaining several people at the same time, Peter doesn't realize that he was gripping his glass very tightly until Simon waves and calls for the man over.

He wasn't boring looking like his uncle or very, very old like Simon. He must be in his fifties, he was dressed up impeccably with a black shirt that had his sleeves rolled out to his elbows, a deep green vest with golden details and dark green pants.

The man also has a pencil moustache and a few moles near his jaw, which made him stand out. He was also a bit shorter than him, but most people are so that doesn't surprise him.

The air of surety, of knowing he had made him feel bigger than he was however.

Peter swallows and feels his face warm up for reasons he can't comprehend.

When the man turns around towards Simon, he can see his eyes-

Grey.

Peter never looks anyone to their eyes and yet, and yet-

For a second it feels as if the man also froze looking at him, he had a look of….surprise almost?

But it was only for a second, the next thing Peter knows is that the man starts to approach them while he is struggling to not disappear in a puff of smoke. Oh, Forsaken protect him.

“Hello Simon” His voice is very low and amused, oh fuck.

“Hello James!! It's been a while hasn't it?” Ja-

James?

“You are James Wright?” Peter cuts off the man before he answers back to Simon and he realizes that he is an idiot, shit-

No wonder he was so eye-catching then.

…

For some reason James' lips twitch upwards as if he was trying not to smile at something. Peter has no way to know what is so funny.

“You must be Peter Lukas then? Nathaniel… told me about you, its a pleasure to meet you” Peter smiles his usual vapid smile to keep him from prying, he already feels exposed and kind of confused about the man. Better to make this quick and go.

“Yes, uncle mentioned you too, albeit he did not do you justice” ???? What the fuck is he doing, what is wrong with him??? Why did he say that??

Peter feels his hands sweat and his face warm up, he is praying he is not red in the face.

James looks perplexed and he feels Simon staring at him with the biggest grin ever as if he was having the time of his life which knowing him, he probably did, he loves drama after all.

“Is that so?” The man crosses his arms and Peter has to keep himself from staring at the flex of it he has to.

What the hell is wrong with him?

“Yes! He made you sound like a boring old man to be honest, but you are quite the opposite, you look very-” Peter spends a lot of time alone, meaning he doesn't properly talk with people. His usual mechanism of defense is to talk so much that everyone just lets him be.

That translates into him not having a filter, because of that he just says what is on his mind, even if he knows he shouldn't. In this case it is a shot in the foot and he has no idea why, why is he reacting like this? The man is-

Is just a bit good looking thats all!! No need to be so nervous.

“...Good” His face is burning, Peter knows he must be red all over.

He is an embarrassment to the family name, he has to go, he has to go now. How is he going to face him to do business oh shit-

James for his part seems to look at him with something akin to wonder an a bit of curiosity, while Simon-

Simon for his part is sighing mentally about his nephew’s taste in man. Very on brand for a Lukas, albeit Jonah seems to be quite taken aback.

Peter might look like Mordechai but they are not alike at all.

“Well thank you Mister Lukas”

“Peter is alright” Why won't he shut uppppp, what is wrong with him? This has never happened before, a little bit more and he will spontaneously combust.

James smiles at him and something in his chest squeezes. Is he dying? Is his heart giving out on him so soon?

“Well Peter, it was lovely meeting you. I can't wait to make business with you. I'm sure we will get along… very well”

“I can't wait” !!!!!! He wants to die.

Peter is going out to sea for the next 4 months just to get rid of whatever this is.

James grins at him and is about to leave, making him let out a breath of relief when he turns slightly.

“Say… I was going to ask Simon to drink with me after the party, in my office. Would you like to join us?” No!

“Sure” The man gives him a smug look and goes.

Simon pats his back.

“You need to get better at flirting, albeit i do believe you impressed him quite a bit, he usually ignores all the Lukas that come to make business with him”

“Im going to kill myself” He hates his life so much.

“Ah lad don't be like that, its just a few drinks, it doesn't have to go anywhere else”

Several years and flings with the man later. Peter is left with only grief at James sudden passing. They had something of a thing going on, not really labeled, since neither liked that. But the man suddenly broke things up and Peter in his anger left for months on end.

By the time he came back he found out James died and he had a new replacement.

Elias Bouchard.

He hates him on principle.

Peter is cold with him at every little meeting, speaks just as necessary and goes before the man even attempts to chat him up. At least he has his own loneliness, the only thing that truly lasts for him.

It sings out to him, like a siren song, it's easier to get lost on it, to just… become colder and harsher. What else should he do? It's not like Peter could ever love someone like that again.

Or want to.

“-ter, Peter!!”

“What do you want Mr Bouchard?” The younger man was glaring at him and it feels unfair, he should be the one glaring.

“I was asking you if you intend to stop being difficult and listen to me for once! I swear i get you lonely ones love playing at the grief stricken partner, but its been months already im getting tired of trying to talk to you like pulling teeth. Listen- i know i was kind of an ass, but really i needed to do the switch and i was worried a bit about people talking about some favouritism-” What the hell is he on about now??? Also how dare he!

“What- are you talking about? I'm not faking- what are you-!? Listen, I'm not up for games, let alone your games. I have better things to do than be your little entertainment, give me the papers to sign and I will be on my way, off of your life-” Elias gets up and slams his hands on the desk making him flinch.

“That attitude!! I don't want you out of my way!!! I said what I said as James because I was going to change bodies and people were talking about our relationship too much, it would look odd when I became Elias and we hooked up again!!”

Peter freezes.

“What- what do you mean became Elias?” The man who is not Elias??? Narrows his eyes and then suddenly looks surprised and confused.

“You don't know-”

“What do you-”

“How can you not know I told you- i-” Elias? Drifts off and looks to the empty room with a blank expression.

“I forgot to tell you”

“Um-”

“I thought i told you after- oh, oh fuck we ended up sleeping together after sacrificing that woman at the restaurant, i got distracted and-”

Peter starts to piece together a few things.

“James…?” Elias flops on his chair covering his face and doing a muffled scream into his hands.

“I can believe i forgot i got so excited that you let me tie you up that i completely forgot” Peter’s face burns.

“I-”

“Yes, yes it's me, I thought you were being difficult not that you- oh my god you actually were grieving me weren't you? You sap” His face turns smug, and it's so familiar-

The eyes-!

“Yes, those are really mine”

“You-!” Peter wants to punch him.

“Me?” Elias already closes his eyes expecting a punch. Yet he side steps the desk, comes closer and pulls him up to his feet by his tie.

“If you- you want to choke me-” He shuts him with a kiss. It takes a bit to register on the other’s mind because once he does he grips his hair and pulls them closer practically melting against him. Peter doesn't stop kissing him, cnat.

“You twat-” In between kisses he curses him out, he was making the rounds across his neck, decided that he was going to leave pretty little marks for everyone to see. Elias? James? Doesn't seem to mind much.

“Sorry-”

“You- fucking- bloody- ass!!” A bite close to the jugular has him moan a bit, Peter’s hands go to grip his thighs and the other catches his meaning because he lets him lift him up. He carries him to the small couch and drops him there with an ompf-

“Hey-” That he interrupts when he climbs on top of him and starts to kiss him again with a very clear intention in mind.

“Oh…” Yes, Peter is glad he can use forsaken to soundproof the room, he had no intentions to let the other be quiet.

Now that he is not upset, angry or… turned on, Peter lays his head on top of Elias' chest, while he explains the whole being Jonah Magnus, and thinks that he is very handsome.

Not in the same way as James was, no, but he was still very handsome.

“I was leaning more into pretty but unassuming, but thank you for the vote of confidence for the new body” What a smug prick.

“He is not…?”

“God no, only fragments or echos, the real Elias is very dead, its just me”

“Jonah?” Elias nods at his question.

“Basically”

“Huh” The shorter man’s hands play with his hair making him nuzzle his neck. He thinks about it for a bit, but decides to go for it, after all he has gotten this far anyways “Pleasure to meet you Jonah”

The other stays quiet for a bit.

“Pleasure to meet you Peter”

Their relationship is not conventional or normal by anyone's standards, but…

It works.

Somewhat.

“So… I got you so distracted you forgot to tell me huh?” Elias sighs.

“I can show you exactly how enticing you looked to me to make me forget, do not tempt me” Feeling his face heat up he tries to play it off.

“Maybe when we are in an actual bed and want to experiment a bit” Elias chuckles and then turns into a full blown laugh that makes him feel the rumble of it against his ear.

“I can't believe this, but i missed you” He hears Elias heart speed up while admitting that to him, it makes his face warm up.

Peter knows he missed him too, but he wont admit that, too out of character. So instead...

“Will take that with me, feels delicious”

“Oh hush, you already cannibalized yourself, don't be a prick”

Yes, he definetly missed this bastard and he will have so much fun re-aquitaining to him properly. They are closer in age now, Peter’s body is a bit older than Elias now, just 6 years, but it feels good.

This time people will give Elias looks instead of him, Peter’s gray hair and beard made him look older.

“You are impossible Peter”

“Stop reading my mind then” Elias sighs and kisses the top of his head hesitantly.

“Don't make it so easy then” Peter lets out a breath.

Prick.

"Never"

"Rude, what a rude person you are" Peter nuzzles him and that shuts him up.

Better.

[elle-imagines]

Headcanons for Shikamaru, Naruto, and Gaara reacting to their female S/O having a dangerous stalker?

Shikamaru Nara, Naruto Uzumaki, and Gaara Reacting to Their S/O Having a Dangerous Stalker

Naruto Uzumaki

Naruto couldn’t even hold in his anger. Even if he could, he wouldn’t. There would be a stream of questions like: Why haven’t you told him sooner? What do they look like? I’m gonna kill that bastard! What did they do to you, did they touch you? What about a weapon? I could have protected you! When he gets started like this, he’s like a machine and is darting through your home to check your windows and air vents. He’s so angry because he felt he didn’t protect you, that he should have noticed something wrong, that once again he was not enough for you. Feeling inadequate in protecting you, no matter how much it’s out of his control, makes Naruto lose sight of himself.

You’re trying to get through to him, to calm him down because he’s making you nervous. He’s in the midst of throwing a few of your belongings in a backpack - the shirt he said he liked on you, your toiletries, even a few of your favorite books that bored him, and he threw your miniature potted plant in for measure. Yep. When the plant goes in the bag he’s keeping you for a while. He’s pissed. Naruto tells you that you’re staying at his home for the time being, and he will deal with the stalker as soon as possible. He embraces you, in his signature tight hugs, and you wonder if his thoughts surround the thought of losing you.

After you’re settled, don’t be surprised if he attempts to persuade you to look for the stalker on his own instead of reporting them to the authorities. It took some critical thinking, but he decided that was the best thing to do - the stalker will now have a record on him and he could focus on caring for you. 

He will get a bit clingy and follow you closely around his apartment. Naruto gains a bit of clarity to kick some empty ramen containers out of sight and take a peek to make sure his bathtub is clean (read: it isn’t). When he isn’t cleaning, he’s making sure you’re eating or staring out of his windows.

Gaara

Once you tell him, you can notice the flicker of coldness on his face that he tries to subdue in front of you. He does not speak for a while, holding eye contact but thinking through this situation. You could see the muscles sharpen on his throat and his hands tighten around each other over the table. After he recovers, he places a hand on yours gently, a silent communication that you will be safe, and he will be your strength in this moment.

Gaara always keeps the darker recesses of his anger away from you, no matter how often you tell him to express himself. He allows frustration, sadness, and worrying to show around you, but the beginnings of his rage will never meet your eyes. Gaara would suggest you to stay with him, as he is in Konoha and has been lended a confidential abode since he’s a high-rank official. Your safety was guaranteed. While packing it doesn’t go unnoticed that he spread a bit of his sand throughout your home - you’re aware he can use it to sense people who cross it.

I wouldn’t put it past Gaara to maim the stalker, but he wouldn’t outright kill him because he knows you wouldn't approve and as Kazekage he feels he must prove he isn’t a monster. He had to exercise a lot of restraint to just allow the stalker to be caught when he was found tampering with your windows. 

You notice after the incident he stares (more than often), and transports his work somewhere he could watch you. He anticipates when you want to be alone, and when you want him near. Gaara will allow you to discover how you could feel safe again, and to not live in here. However, he will always be close, and will not hesitate to suggest you come with him to Suna where you will always be safe.

Shikamaru Nara

Like Gaara, he will keep his anger well-controlled and focus on you first. His first  question would be: Do you feel safe here? Shikamaru will keep his carefree demeanor, but you can tell by the minute tensing of his jaw that it was a farce. It was just in case you were being watched at the moment. 

He’d allow you to stay close to him, to do what you need to do to feel safe. He never asks too many questions, rather he reports it and leaves a suggestion that he’s on the team that handles the situation. Shikamaru wouldn’t mind escorting you to work or school, allowing you to stay over his place or vice versa, and will even bring you lunch if you’re too afraid to go alone.

If you let him, he will get Ino or Choji to help you out when he’s too busy, but otherwise he will put most of his duties on hold to come see you and make sure you feel safe. Other than people you’re both close with, don’t be surprised if he gives a dark stare to anyone you don’t know well trying to chat with you.

He’s a great listener if you need someone to talk to as well. Shikamaru is familiar with feeling helpless and not in control of certain situations, so he tries his best to help create a consistent routine. He will show up to escort you at the same times, eat lunch with you around the same hour, or plan small walks in public places with you.

[chat-noir-always-here]

Debunking “Adrien is perfect”

  To voice a rather non-Marinette-like opinion of Adrien: He’s not perfect. He’s never been perfect. He has, in fact, been riddled with flaws from the very beginning. Part of the reason Chat Noir gets hate is because he serves to exaggerate Adrien’s flaws and make them more obvious, destroying the perfectionism façade. And the sooner Marinette tosses the “I love the perfect Adrien” filter in the trash where it belongs, and starts actively recognizing and acknowledging his faults, the better off the endgame relationship will be.

 Long post is long and I don’t like cuts, cuz i’ve lost a few posts in the past using them. Please filter the tag “long post” I use it for walls of texts like these. 

First of all, flaws are just one of the many things that happen when someone either learns something the wrong way, spends too much time in the wrong environment, lack any decent role models... really there are a plethora of causes. What i mean is character shortcomings aren’t necessarily reasons to hate the character themselves. They’re more or less internal obstacles put there to be overcome in order to portray character growth. Of course spending an exaggerated amount of time with these characters without seeing them overcome particular shortcomings is frustrating it does not necessarily mean they will never be redeemed or developed and are/were deserving of hate.

 Except for Gabriel. That creature belongs behind bars.

 Most of Adrien’s flaws come from his toxic home situation:

The Miraculous Wiki puts Adrien at fifteen. Meaning Adrien has only been actively leaving the house (for public school and the occasional social get-together) for about a year. His fourteenth birthday was one of the earliest episodes and im assuming his fifteenth birthday happened off screen between the s3 finale and the new york special.

Regardless the majority of his life was spent in isolation and his only company was his immediate family, Nathalie, Felix and Chloe. None of whom are particularly good role models except for Emilie. Maybe.

He’s rather overworked for a 14 y.o. boy. On top of school, he has fencing, piano and Chinese lessons. This leaves him with very little time for himself. 

He lost his mother. In Feast, Adrien expresses Emilie was a source of joy in his life--”Only Mom can make me laugh like that.” Felix marked the one year anniversary of her disappearance.  Worse still, we’re led to assume all Adrien knows is that Emilie disappeared. Did she abandon him? Was she kidnapped and killed? He doesn’t know. He has no closure regarding her absence. 

On top of losing his mother, his only remaining parent is an emotionally manipulative and abusive prick. Gabriel has denied Adrien a birthday party, threatened to take Adrien out of school just because he can, never lets him have friends over for any reason, hardly ever makes time for Adrien and only once in a blue moon will actually sit and eat a meal with the poor kid.

And on top of all of this he’s not out of the woods yet. He’s still living with his abusive father. He’s still not allowed to see his friends outside of school much. He’s still got a packed schedule. He still doesn’t have closure regarding his mother’s “disappearance.”

Looking at it like this paints Adrien in a rather sympathetic light.

 Marinette doesn’t know Gabriel is Hawk Moth either, but she does understand Adrien is lonely, isolated and in need of a source of love and comfort. She also understands to some degree that his heart is delicate, so she constantly handles him with kid gloves and looks on him with a perfection filter. 

We see how Mari reacts to upsetting Adrien in Malediktator when she softly whispers an apology after Adrien expresses his sorrow over everyone celebrating Chloe’s departure. She’s seems pained and distraught over causing him to be upset. Thus the reason Marinette calls Adrien perfect isn’t that she never sees any of his flaws--she just cannot acknowledge or process them under these conditions. Shes too busy trying not to hurt him. She also has shown some signs of having extreme anxiety, which messes with ones head and makes it difficult--nearly impossible--to think straight. She wants to be the source of love and comfort he desires (and already is in a way) so his faults go unprocessed.

But what are Adrien’s flaws?

1. He has trouble standing up for himself. 

He’ll take a stand for others.

 He stood up to Chloe on Mylene’s behalf in Horrificator and on Marinette/ Cheng Sifu’s behalf in Kung Food. He stood up to Lila in Oni-chan and Ladybug. He stood up to Gabriel in Simon Says--but as Chat Noir, not Adrien. 

There have only been two-ish instances of Adrien, not Chat Noir, standing up for himself. I say -ish only because he was kinda standing up for Lila in the first and Chloe in the second. 

First in Volpina he stood up to Ladybug for how she handled the situation with Lila. He personally believed she handled the situation poorly (which she did--there were/are serious consequences for that. still) and although he was kinda wishy-washy in conveying that it was only because he was scared of sounding too much like Chat Noir. Her partner. Her chief-of-staff. Who can and will call her out on such behavior. 

Second in Malediktator, when he more or less told Marinette she was wrong to be happy about Chloe leaving. Granted this was partly him standing up for Chloe, but aside from her—he, Adrien, was deeply upset chloe was leaving on such bad terms and made sure Marinette understood that. 

Abused children tend to be somewhat submissive/agreeable/etc. They have trouble speaking out when they’re uncomfortable or don’t want something or think a particular action is wrong. Usually because they are anticipating some kind of punishment for speaking out or afraid of offending the other person to the point that said person wants nothing to do with them anymore, or both.

 For Adrien to fix this particular flaw, he needs to prioritize himself and his own wants more. However he also needs someone who doesn’t chastise him for doing things he likes, tending to his own needs and setting boundaries. Kagami is not that person--she’s actually quite demanding of him and cold. Her understanding of relationships isnt great either, which is why these two really aren’t that great for each other. 

2. He puts his faith in the wrong people

  Adrien’s fucking household is about as toxic as it can get (please don’t take this as a challenge, S4). On top of his immediate family consisting of his abusive, toxic, terrorist father, there’s his cousin Felix. Felix who squished cheese under Adrien’s pillow, stole his phone, pretended to be him and sent an outrageous and awful video to his friends. 

 There’s also his mother Emilie whom, despite his love and adoration of her, lied to him for who knows how long and messed around with a broken miraculous to the point it forced her into an indefinite coma and left Adrien at his father’s mercy. There are theories that she did this for her family but nothing concrete or canon has been proven--all we know is that Emilie had been having frequent dizzy spells while she was still awake and using the peacock miraculous, and that she anticipated her fate and Gabriel apparently promised to save her.

There’s Lila, as well. “She’s not dangerous. She just craves attention.” Wrong, Adrien, she’s very dangerous. She is conspiring with your father to spy on you, attempted to get Marinette expelled from school, tricked you into leaving Ladybug alone with a supervillain whom she personally requested to kill Ladybug, pinned Marinette against a bathroom wall and almost got her akumatized, actually got Marinette akumatized and nearly cost you both the Ladybug Miraculous and TIkki. She isn’t just dangerous she is an actual threat, whether or not she is the future Hawk Moth who sent Timetagger after you when you were children with time-sensitive powers. Adrien has a slightly better understanding of that after the events of Ladybug and Oni-chan, so hopefully he will be on his guard at least in regards to Lila.

 The reason for Adrien’s overly trusting nature may lie in the fact that literally everyone closest to him, everyone for the first thirteen years or so, was toxic and/or a liar. You know what happens when you can’t trust anyone around you? You live with it. You accept all these bad people as they are, without making any effort to establish healthy boundaries. Adrien certainly lived with it--how’s an abused, isolated boxed-and-sheltered son supposed to know what healthy boundaries are when he’s lacking any healthy connections? I bet he can just barely endure all the anguish but he can’t stand to be alone so he just tolerates it. Not to mention the most guilty is his father. Where else is he supposed to go?

Like a frog sitting in a pot of water, you don’t realize you’re in trouble until the water is too hot. So you just accept it--all the bad feelings--you accept it, live with it and it still hurts but you rarely complain. Because anything is better than being alone. 

I think Adrien understands, deep down, that the love he is clinging to, the love provided by his relatives, isn’t really there. But if he looks at it too long and lets this knowledge sink in he’ll lose it. He really did lose it in Chat Blanc-- just that sky-crashing-down-on-him realization that he didn’t have his fathers love, hadn’t had it for a long time, just completely ruined our boy. 

 Of course the knowledge is there. It’s literally right there in front of his face and it’s only a matter of time before he is forced to turn and look and face the music. At which point I hope Marinette knows who he is and has a plan to save him otherwise Chat Blanc is just going to happen again. 

3. Yes, he takes the flirting too far sometimes

No--that doesn’t make him toxic.

Yes, Adrien overreacted to Ladybug never showing up in Glaciator. He shouldn’t have been upset with her in Frozen for not accepting the rose. He should have told her the damn truth about being forced to leave the city at the same time she was in the New York special. 

 However, he also apologized for overreacting in both Glaciator and Frozen. And again, abused kids live in anticipation of punishment for their mistakes. Adrien’s father has taught him that the slightest mistake can result in loss of freedom or trust, even if its circumstances beyond his control. And he now understands that Ladybug isn’t going to blindly punish him for being honest with her, which he now knows to do. 

 He makes mistakes, apologizes for them, and learns from them. That’s not fucking toxic--it’s natural, human and allowed. 

 He’s flirty and suggestive, yes, but the minute she signals she doesn’t want it or isn’t feeling it he stops. He has had immense trouble with not flirting with her, despite her telling him she isn’t interested multiple times. That much is true. But he truly and deeply cares for her and he would never force himself on her and it isn’t because he knows she’ll kick his ass if he does. It’s because unlike the vast majority of his family, he’s actually a decent human being. 

 He has even begun to “flirt platonically,” toasting their partnership and friendship rather than offering a romantic relationship she can never say yes to. If that isn’t the most soft and respectful fluff I don’t know what is.

 4. He is leading Kagami on

Did he cheat? I’m actually not sure. Thomas is being vague in his tweets and won’t give us a decent answer (because he likes “watching fandom burn”--i mean MOOD but clarify please). 

 Here’s what we know and have observed: 1. Chat Noir told Ladybug “I have a girlfriend” 2. He immediately followed that up with “It’s not good at all. I just said that to make you jealous”  3. He allowed Kagami to kiss him in the new york special 4. but he has trouble telling girls not to touch him--been a problem since episode one. Yes its generally cheek kisses chloe gives him but sometimes its not and he looked downright uncomfortable in a lot of cases of physical contact with her and with Lila 5. he seemed rather comfortable with kagami kissing him--except he did say no to her kissing him in the finale 6. but he’s also trying to move on from Ladybug and be with Kagami  7. If he were in a relationship with Kagami, he’d likely keep it a secret because both of their parents are controlling of them and may not allow it 8. His understanding of relationships and girls is kinda dreadful due to not having his mom around for advice and his father’s general lack of a concept of what healthy romantic relationships and boundaries are, and, as Nino put it, not being able to understand signals very well

Adrien’s current relationship status is up in the air. I’m about eighty percent certain he’s dating Kagami--but there’s still that twenty percent chance he’s not.

 Putting aside the question of whether or not he and Kagami are official, Adrien’s been attempting to move past his feelings for Ladybug. Which--won’t sugarcoat it--he kinda sucks at. At the same time, Kagami is aware he is in love with another but lacks the understanding that his moving on will take time. 

 The main issues here is that Adrien knows who he wants but can’t have her. Kagami is a wonderful person herself and he wants to get to know her better, but they aren’t really a good match and they are both going to get hurt in the end (Love Victor anyone???). Until that happens we are going to have some questionable moments in the show, and we just need to remember that Adrien is a child with a poor understanding of relationships, and not an evil person. Kagami doesn’t necessarily have a great understanding of them either--”Your indecision hurts me Adrien,” “Adrien you and I are perfect for each other!”--and she has flaws of her own she needs to unlearn. 

 For the time being, Adrien is leading Kagami on (it needs to be said--even if they aren’t dating he’s flirted with her, given her roses etc.) I say leading her on because, no matter how much Adrien believes Marinette is just a friend and they weren’t flirting in New York, loyal boyfriends who wish to be monogamous don’t dance with other women.

 Or look this happy when that other woman touches them

Does this make Adrien a deceitful and hateful character? No. Does this make him an unworthy character? No. It makes him an abused child with little to no concept of healthy relationships. 

Also Adrien’s friends, including Marinette, have no reason to believe he is dating Kagami. They know he is interested in her and she in him, but as Nino said, Adrien has a hard time picking up signals and understanding their meaning. Not to mention the boy is fifteen. Flirting skills, understanding boundaries, and other relationship concepts are a challenge even for ordinary fifteen year olds in healthy environments to grasp--case in point: Marinette.

Adrigami and Lukanette are simply not going to end well. The Love Square is the endgame and ultimately both Lukanette and Adrigami are going to fall apart to make that happen--I knew that going into the possible Adrigami and Lukanette  territory that the finale created.

 Kagami is a strong, intelligent person--she’s likely going to be the one to end it given what we’ve seen. I don’t like to think about what might happen then--she may be akumatized and Chat Noir would feel rather guilty and may not be able to fight her. But they will both come out of it with something they needed--Kagami will understand (as Marinette needs to) that Adrien isn’t her perfect soul mate incapable of making mistakes. Adrien will understand relationships better. 

 Its unfortunate that this has to happen in order for Adrien to learn due lessons, given that he actually does have someone who can talk to him about girls and relationships and loyalty: Nino.

 Given what Nino wasted no time in scolding Mari for spying on Adrien and Lila when she confessed doing so in Chameleon, as well as how he treats Alya, I undoubtedly believe Nino would be the one to come out and say “You can’t dance with Marinette when you’re with Kagami.” 

 Assuming he is with Kagami. 

In conclusion: Adrien is flawed but not deserving of hate. He is a traumatuzed child stuck in a toxic household who lacks proper mentors. Marinette, Alya and Nino are out of the loop about his potential relationship with Kagami. And Marinette and Kagami both need to acknowledge Adrien is imperfect. Nino and Adrien need to do guy talk like two seasons ago. 

Also Marinette probably has some intense anxiety issues. But more on that later.

[generalfoolish]

Feel The Heat

Part One: Cruel World

Pairing: Frankie Morales x OC Juniper Collins

Rating: 18+ Warnings: fem masturbation, male masturbation, cursing, mentions of casual sex

Word Count: 4k

Summary: June visits the farmer's market and meets Frankie, a grumpy farmer. She's interested, but they're both MASSIVE idiots.

A/N: Hey babes! I've been working on this massive Farmer!Frankie AU with an OC. I'm excited to debut this first part, the story is going to be a little slower so I can put in SO much pining. Anyway, enjoy 💕

Masterlist | Part two

~~

June breathed in the fresh air as she pulled her tote strap onto her shoulder. The canvas bag held her wallet and keys, but was otherwise empty. She smiled, knowing that soon enough it would be almost too heavy.

The farmer's market was always busy on Saturday morning, and this one was no exception, she realized as she neared the stalls. She had a certain path she liked to follow, but she was feeling overwhelmed about the crowd. It was much busier than she had anticipated, and she always got a little panicky in throngs of too many people. So, she veered off her normal route, and found herself on the far end of the market.

It was much quieter, and much less crowded, she noticed right away. June also noticed that the produce was amazing. Late summer the fruit started to get a little smaller, but the berries at these stalls were still plump. The vegetables weren't as uniform as some of the bigger stalls, these were misshapen and discolored. Two indicators that the flavor would be divine, she thought as she roamed the stalls.

Her bag was getting heavy quickly, she noted, and she was determined to explore the whole area, so she walked straight to the end. The last stall on the property. Her hopes were not high as she marched up to the display stand.

"Would you like to try the tomatoes?" A rich baritone asked, and she quickly met his eyes. They were silky and brown, and breathtakingly deep. He had his cap pulled low, but his face was scruffy.

"Sure, that would be great. Are you the farmer?" June asked, taking the sample, and eyeing the selection.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm Frankie, and that is a Brandywine. All of my produce is hand picked, and that process starts at seed selection." He told her, his voice softening. She smiled and popped the tomato into her mouth. It was delicious. Acidic and sweet, not overpowering to the palate. Frankie must have seen the delight on her face because he grinned, knowing what she was experiencing.

"Wow, Farmer Frankie, this is so good." She laughed a little as she chewed, wanting to savor it. "I'll take a basket please." She decided, and nodded down at his table. He nodded and started to bag it. "I have a bag, thanks! What do I owe you?" She asked, pulling out some cash. He merely waved his hand.

"Don't worry about it." He told her. June only frowned.

"I can't do that. You worked so hard, I want to buy something." He chuckled and took his cap off before running his hand over his head.

"Look, it's early, and I couldn't possibly charge someone as beautiful as you." She blushed deeply, but thrust a twenty at him anyway.

"My beauty isn't for sale, but your tomatoes are. Have a good day, Frankie." She told him and turned around quickly. She wasn't normally bold, and she had no qualms with getting stuff for free. She had no idea why she had fought him, but as she walked away all she could think about were his beautiful, brown eyes.

—

Frankie kicked himself hard as he watched the woman walk away from him. What was he thinking? He didn't even catch her name; he had no business calling her beautiful. He was off his game, and badly.

His phone buzzed, so he fished it out of his shirt pocket. An old t-shirt with a pocket on the chest, tattered and dirty, and that's what she saw when she walked up to him. What was she doing in the back of the market anyway, no one ever came this far back. He opened the message and sighed at how long the group chat was. Santiago and Benny could talk for hours, even texting. He wasn't up for it this morning, which wasn't unusual. He skimmed the messages, and decided it wasn't worth responding to. He had to sell some produce.

He looked down at the crisp twenty dollar bill on the table and cringed again. Twenty was way too much for the tomato basket. They were marked purposefully cheap, since they cost nothing to grow and always brought people back, and she had overpaid. Grossly. Even a ten would have been too much. And what had he done? Nothing. He hadn't even gotten her name. All he knew was that she looked great in shorts, her hair was a deep red, and she loved his tomatoes.

—

"What do you mean?" Stella asked, sipping her glass of wine.

"I mean how do I fix it? Like I want to try his other stuff, but I was so rude." June told her, sighing into her own glass. Zinfandels usually brought her mood up, but she was still feeling from earlier.

"You just go back, darling. I doubt he'll remember you. I mean you only talked for five seconds. Also, I think paying for your stuff is the opposite of rude." Stella took a bite of her pasta before pointing her fork back at June. "Unless, it's more than that. It's definitely more than that. Are you trying to date the farmer?" June felt her face flush, and quickly took a bite of her own pasta to buy some time to think. She had gotten worked up, but she hadn’t thought about why that was. She grumbled as she bit into the ravioli. It was dumb, but Stella was right. She wanted to get to know Frankie more. It didn’t make a lot of sense, but she wanted to see him again.

Stella took Juniper’s silence as a win, and a grin spread across her face. June had always thought that Stella’s signatured wicked grin could rival the Cheshire Cat, and this one was no different. Too bad, June thought, that she hadn’t tumbled down a trippy tunnel where answers were held in clearly labeled vials. She took a wistful sip of her wine and looked back up to Stella.

“You’re right. But have I messed it up too bad? Like, I was pretty rude.” Stella laughed.

“You could have stepped on him and he’d thank you for it. June, you’re hot. He’d be lucky if you even thought about him. You couldn’t have messed it up.” June laughed, not really any more confident, but loving Stella’s hype game anyway.

“How’s...Bernard?” June asked, struggling to remember the man’s name. Stella had a habit of switching out lovers pretty often. June thought of it as her “man of the week,” and while it was good fun for her to envision a horrible reality show it wasn’t conducive to remembering their names, or anything about them.

“Ben,” Stella sighed, correcting June and pausing dramatically, “Is gone. I’m seeing Javi now. He’s much younger, and a lot richer.” Stella teased, taking another mouthful of food. June rolled her eyes. Stella had launched a business when she was in college, and had made a small fortune by the time they graduated. She was independently wealthy. In a way that June was not. June had opted for an education degree, and now was in charge of a bunch of literal children.

She took a sip of her wine and considered that path for a moment. She actually loved her job. She didn’t make shit, but it was worth the long hours to see those kids be nurtured and educated. She cared for them, and that made it worth the lack of zeros in her bank account.

“Javi, huh? He sounds posh.” June said, not really thinking about Javi or Stella’s various other affairs.

“He is not. He’s new money, so we can be tacky together. Anyway, lunch is on him!” Stella told her, laughing. June cringed at that, thinking back to Frankie. She groaned. She should have just taken the damn tomatoes. She didn’t even want them now, the thought of eating them just made her shrivel in on herself.

While Stella took care of the bill, June wondered if she shouldn’t just go back to the stall. Introduce herself and apologize, she thought. It’s the only thing to do in this situation. She set to getting her nerve up to do it, but at the end of lunch she just hugged Stella and went home.

--

Frankie slid into the booth next to Benny and across from Santiago and Will. When he had gotten around to answering the text chain the guys had decided to go out for a drink, and Frankie had wanted a drink after his day.

“Fish, Liv wants to stay the night.” Will announced, watching Frankie take a thoughtful sip.

“If Becka doesn’t mind, neither do I.” He shrugged, and Will nodded. Becka had been Frankie’s saviour. She was Will’s wife, but her and her little girl had taken up with Liv so easily. Being a single dad was not easy, but Becka had never let him feel alone. Hell, she handled everything for him. She was too good to him.

“Course not. She loves Liv. Not as much as Ashley, but I think she loves having another kid to spoil. Bad news for me, probably.” Will laughed out, and the rest joined in. No one had expected Will to get married so quickly, and none of the guys had been prepared for his girl to already have a kid in tow. Will had taken to Ashley quickly though, and had settled into the family role easily. Frankie noted Will’s painted nails and smiled. He was lucky to have such a great group of brothers.

“Enough kid talk, I have a fight coming up. You coming?” Benny asked, nudging Frankie’s arm. Frankie took his cap off and ran his hand through his hair.

“Who’re you up against?” Will asked before Frankie could answer. Honestly, he was searching for an excuse. Not that he didn’t want to support Benny, but the fights were always too loud, too tempting.

“Jones. It’s a special rematch. That’s why I need my boys there! Pam!” Benny hollered after the waitress and held up four fingers. Shots, Frankie thought sarcastically, just what they needed.

“Ben, of course, we’ll all be there. I’m bringing a plus one, though.” Santi announced, demanding the attention of the table.

“Who’s the victim this time?” Frankie asked, sipping his beer. Santi shot him a dirty look and clapped his hands together.

“Her name is…” He paused, making sure he had everyone’s attention. “Sam.” Frankie rolled his eyes at the theatrics.

“What does Sam do?” Will asked, not minding the dramatics.

“Sam is a school teacher.” Frankie’s eyebrows shot into his hairline.

“Surely, not.” Benny snorted. Pam sat the shots down, and everyone grabbed one.

“To Santi, maybe learning something!” Will toasted, and they threw back. Frankie relaxed as the tequila warmed his throat. This was normal, and meeting with the guys did his body some good. He wouldn’t even think about the woman from earlier. He grimaced as he thought about it. His problem, he was realizing, was that he was too sober. He caught Pam’s eye and nodded at her. They came to this bar enough that they knew the waitstaff by name, and the waitstaff knew their orders. Frankie preferred it that way, less chance of an awkward encounter.

“Sam is a local gal, but she has not yet heard of me.” Santi told the group, clutching his drink. He had a bit of a reputation of being a lady killer. It was rare he found someone who didn’t recognize his name.

“I guess teachers aren’t normally in the same crowd as strippers.” Benny joked, and grabbed his shot when Pam sat them down. “Damn Fish, long day?” They knocked them back, and Frankie just nodded.

“There was this lady at the stall today. Total knockout, and I just flubbed it hard. It was early, y’know?” They all laughed at him and he couldn’t help the grin that spread on his face.

“She’ll be back. I mean, look at yourself, Fish. You’ve got it back together.” Will offered. Frankie smiled at him and sipped his beer again. They shifted to riling Benny up about his on and off again girl, so Frankie just relaxed. It wasn’t uncommon for him to space out, and the guys could fill any silence. He surveyed the bar, taking in the patrons and just assessing the crowd. Saturday nights could go two ways: chill or not chill. It was an old habit to scan for danger, but it suited Frankie. He could sip his beer and watch for thugs or idiots or drunks. The waitstaff never complained when they stepped in. He supposed they didn’t mind four ex-service guarding them a few times a month. Sometimes they drank for free, but Frankie had no issues with bloodying his knuckles up every now and again.

He was smirking, thinking about their last fight, when he saw her. He had to do a double-take to make sure his eyes weren’t fooling him. He couldn’t believe it. There she was. She’d changed. Opting for small jeans shorts and a tight t-shirt over the yoga shorts she’d had on before. He gulped loudly, and shifted in the booth. Her hair was down, curled, and she looked amazing. He didn’t think she could look any better. He wanted to go to her. Instead he leaned on the table and cleared his throat.

“She’s here.” He told the guys dumbly, cutting off something that Benny was saying.

“Who is?” Santi asked, looking around, probably for Frankie’s ex. They all hated her, but she wouldn’t come here.

“The girl from earlier. The knockout.” Frankie told them, trying to keep his voice low. He nodded in her direction, surprised that she hadn’t noticed him. It wasn’t a large bar. Maybe she didn’t recognize him, he thought. He flushed even as he thought it. He hoped she would remember him. Santi whistled low as he faced Frankie.

“She’s good.” He murmured, and took a sip. Will and Benny agreed.

“Buy her a drink, Fish.” Benny suggested, clapping Frankie on the back. He grimaced as the loud noise rose above the din of the bar. As if on cue, she looked up and saw him. He was staring at her, and there she was, looking at him. He looked away, chickening out. He wouldn’t say anything. She had stormed off earlier, hadn’t she? She should apologize to him, he thought, getting his hackles up.

--

June couldn’t believe it. She had agreed to go out with the new girl from work, came to a bar she had never been to, and here he was. He looked great, she admitted to herself. He had thrown a plaid button up over his shirt, and it suited him. Farmer Frankie, she mused, and then turned to Samantha.

“Do you come here a lot?” Samantha looked up from her hard seltzer and shook her head.

“I came with this guy I’m kind of seeing. Everyone knew him here, and I liked the scene. It’s kind of dive-y.” June nodded, and took a drink of her rum and coke.

“Are you settling in, you know at school?” June asked, deciding to ignore the farmer. If he wanted to say something, she wouldn’t stop him, but she had no intentions of approaching him.

“Oh yeah, you know Keira? She’s been super helpful.” June nodded in agreement, Keira was the secretary but she ran the place.

“Like your kids? You’re what 5th?” Samantha nodded.

“I have no idea how you handle those 6 year olds, they’re too wild for me.” June laughed.

“I couldn’t handle the ball jokes, honestly. Tweens are the worst.” They both laughed, and sipped their drinks. June felt eyes on her, but tried to ignore them. She repeated to herself: if he wanted to talk, he’d come over. She made it her mantra. She focused on Samantha, willing the handsome man to go away.

“Tell me about this guy you’re seeing! I haven’t been on a date in so long.” June laughed, not wanting to admit how long it had really been.

“He’s so sexy, June. Like, literally so hot. It’s mostly sex though. We’ve been out dancing once, drinking a couple times, but it’s mostly just hook ups. I’m thinking about breaking it off, honestly. Like, the sex is good, great even, but how long is that sustainable, y’know? Like, I want to nurture a relationship at some point.” June nodded, trying to push her jealousy aside enough to be empathetic. She would take some great sex, even if it meant not having a relationship.

She peeked back at the Farmer, who flitted his eyes away as soon as she did, and knew that wasn’t true. She was long overdue for a meaningless hookup, but she wanted something real, whatever the hell that meant.

“Have you tried just telling him? I mean, maybe he doesn’t know you want something more. Men are kind of oblivious to that sort of stuff.” June added. Samantha took a sip, thoughtfully.

“That’s a good idea, Junie. Are you seeing anyone?” June laughed, a little too loudly.

“Just my therapist.” Samantha swatted her shoulder playfully. “No, I, uhm, I got out of a bad relationship last year and I’ve been so nervous to get back in the game.”

“Oh my gosh, my guy has tons of friends! Maybe I can set you up?” June thought for a minute.

“Maybe, I guess I could be open to it.”

“They’re all like ex-Army or something. I’ll text him.” June watched Samantha tug her phone out, and tried to ignore the feeling of being watched. He will come to you, she reminded herself. “Ooh, two single friends! Fish or Benny? Oh nevermind, just Fish. Apparently, Benny has drama. Bullet dodged there, huh?” June snorted, bullet dodged indeed. Fish? What a weird nickname.

“What the hell, set it up.” June told her, throwing back the rest of her drink and indicating another to the bartender.

“Yay! I’m so happy you came! Tuesday night?” June nodded.

“Have him come to the Italian place on 5th street at 7pm. I have parent-teacher conferences, but that should be late enough.” June explained, sipping deeply. Her hands were shaking, she hadn’t been on a proper date in years. Her ex hadn’t been one for dates, so she was out of practice. She raised her eyes to meet Frankie’s, knowing he’d look away immediately. He didn’t, but the look on his face was confusing. Almost angry, so she looked behind her and saw a guy approaching.

“Hey, I’m Kyle.” He introduced himself and sat down on the stool next to her. She looked at him bewildered.

“June.” She said shortly, taking another sip.

“Can I buy you a drink?” Kyle asked.

“Have one.”

“The next one?”

“I think I’m good. There are a lot of empty stools, why don’t you find a new one.” She murmured lowly, and turned her back to him. Samantha giggled.

“I think I know why you don’t get dates!” June rolled her eyes.

“It’s pretty lame, okay. To come up and just sit down. I’m already a little drunk too, it’s just not very cool, Kyle.” June chided, raising her voice so he’d hear. She sighed when he left, and looked back at the booth where Frankie was. The booth was empty, now, she realized sadly. She wished he had approached her. She wouldn’t have turned him away. Why was he so cold?

--

By the time she made it back to her door, June was pissed. She stumbled in her hallway and pulled her shoes off. They hadn’t been at the bar that long, but the last round of shots had been the death blow for her. Samantha had bid her farewell, saying her ride was there. So, June had ordered an Uber, clutching her keys like a weapon, hoping Kyle didn’t want revenge or something. She pretended to be sober in the Uber, and had chatted easily with the driver on the drive to her house.

Once inside though, June groaned in frustration. She couldn’t believe the stupid luck. It was too much, seeing him there. It was too bizarre, too much of a coincidence. She had stormed upstairs and turned the shower on.

A habit she had started in college, when she was overwhelmed, a hot shower was just the thing she needed. She stripped down and stepped in before the water had warmed up completely, but she didn’t really notice. The shower was just a vessel; June just needed space to decompress. So, she thought about the tanned skinned farmer, and how cold he had seemed. He hadn’t seemed interested, but she had felt his eyes on her all night. She had seen his anger at another guy approaching her. She had felt how angry he was from across the room.

She lathered her body up, and almost absent-mindedly rubbed small circles around her budding nipples. She worked down, and let the soap wash off. She didn’t normally masturbate, but his brooding face and broad shoulders wouldn’t leave her mind. So, she slipped a finger inside herself with one hand, and worked her clit with the other. It was lazy at first, but then she remembered their encounter from the morning and she started going harder, getting worked up. She came hard, whimpering to herself in the steamy shelter of her bathroom. The hot water pelted her skin, and she rested her forehead against the cool, tiled wall.

Whoever this Fish was, she was going to fuck him. She had to get this farmer out of her mind.

--

Frankie was seeing red as he stormed up to his door. Of course, he had no reason to be pissed. He knew he had no reason to be pissed, but here he was, stomping to his kitchen and grabbing a beer from the fridge. He had wanted to break that guy’s legs for even coming near her. He scoffed at himself, her. He didn’t even know her name and he was ready to pummel someone for looking. Someone was looking, someone would always be looking. She was so gorgeous. He folded over his counter and rested his forehead against his hands. Nothing could help it now. Santi’s girl had messaged him, and the night was over. What was he supposed to do? Watch his dream girl get hit on by some idiot? March up and apologize for being such a giant dickhead? He suspected he was onto something, but he was just buzzed enough to ignore it.

He went to the couch, and threw a few stuffed animals on the floor. He had already kicked off his shoes, but he let his jeans fall to the floor now. The perks of Liv having a sleepover, he chuckled to himself before laying out on the couch. He adjusted himself, his hard dick straining against his underwear.

He planned to ignore that too. But, then he was thinking about her. Her hair down her back, deep and dark. Her smooth skin, inviting and leading his eyes to her ass. He pulled himself free and started slowly rubbing. He thumbed over the tip, and groaned at the precum pooling there. He wanted her so bad. He started thinking about how soft she would be, what she would look like on her knees doing this to him, and he fucked up harder into his fist. He closed his eyes when he felt the snap, and grunted through the orgasm. He wiped his hand down his shirt, and groaned.

He had to get her out of his head.

Part Two: Something More