#but i‘ve just only ever been in the other position so this is a first and tbh im just. not very excited about it 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[its-tea-time-darling]

my roommate has a girl he‘s started to date, and his room has a common wall with mine and i did hear them have sex on the first date they had at our place and now, tumblr fam, im gonna be honest im terrified of what the future will bring regarding sex noises 😭😭😭😭

[blackcurlsgreeneyes]

As the Moon Sheds Its Shadow // Closed RP

@fidelixcorde

The announcement had gone up on all common room boards the day of, making it rather abrupt. But it had everyone excited enough that word spread, so Harry had no doubt that the Great Hall would be quite full despite short notice. And even those who might not have been inclined to join a Dueling Club were talking about it, clearly intending to attend, presumably because of the same fears that had prompted the staff to implement it to begin with.

"What, they reckon that Slytherin's monster can duel?" Ron asked dryly as they left study hall after dinner had been over for an hour, heading back downstairs among the throng. "Still, it'll be useful for more than just this year, I reckon."

"Considering that you two wound up accepting a duel from Malfoy last year with limited spell education, let alone dueling training," Hermione snorted, "yes, I think you might need it."

Harry frowned. "Huh. That reminds me, he's been quiet this year, hasn't he?" he asked as they entered the Great Hall. As if conjured, he spotted the blond across the room, sitting on the small risers that had been raised around a candlelit golden stage stretching the length with Pansy Parkinson, Theo Nott, and Blaise Zabini. His usual guard dogs were sitting off on their own.

"Maybe even he has to admit that You Know Who coming back wouldn't be ideal," Ron muttered as they took their places along the stage.

"I wonder who‘ll be teaching us?“ Hermione mused. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young—maybe it‘ll be him.“

"As long as it‘s not—" Harry began, but he ended on a groan: Lockhart was walking onto the stage, accompanied by none other than Snape.

Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend ourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions—for full details, see my published works. Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape! He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don‘t want any of you youngsters to worry—you‘ll still have your Potions master when I‘m through with him, never fear!“

Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them. "As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position, “Lockhart told the silent crowd. „On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course.“

Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried, "Expelliarmus!“ There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

"Do you think he‘s all right?“ Hermione squealed, watching through her fingers.

"Who cares?“ Ron laughed. Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end.

"Well, there you have it!“ he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm—as you see, I‘ve lost my wand—ah, thank you, Miss Brown—yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don‘t mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy—however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…“

Recovering, Lockhart went on, "Enough demonstrating! Time to give you students a chance..."

[the-travelling-witch]

pspspsps for that fanfic author ask meme, hows about every 10th question? :)

every tenth question, i like that idea hehe

10. have you ever written for a fandom without reading other fanfic for it?

starting off with a question to which my answer will be pretty bland because no, i don’t think so

i’ve definitely read fanfic for all the fandoms i wrote for at some point in time; maybe not always while i was writing for it but before that, sure (mostly because if i like something enough to where i‘d write for it, i‘ve definitely inhaled all forms of content about that specific thing)

20. have/would you ever rewrite a fic? if yes, would you take the original down?

i can say that i‘ve ever rewritten anything before, mostly because there’s always so many new ideas to write and i already don’t have enough time for all of those

but it’s not totally impossible i‘d ever redo a fic, even if right now nothing really comes to mind where i could significantly improve upon sth; whether i‘d take it down depends on what and how i‘d change the original

30. do you continue to write for a fandom after you’ve moved on or do you focus solely on the new one?

this question feels like a personal attack ^^;

it’s not like i drop fandoms because i know i will relapse into them at any given point in time the second i see like a fanart of my fave; it’s true though that i mostly write for whatever hyperfixation has currently taken root in my brain

(haikyuu, tokyorev fans… i haven’t forgotten, one day i will come back with new content suna is just too pretty not to)

40. do you feel like you put out enough content?

HAHAHAHAH no

i hate my output capacity sooo much, it’s unbelievable; if i could, i‘d post new stuff every week but i hardly do that; most of the time, i either don’t start because i think i won’t do well and when it’s done i don’t post because i get shy (yesterday i started writing angst and half way through the first scenario was like oh no this is weird, let’s do sth else ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ...)

sorry you guys have to wait half an eternity for mediocre content ㅠㅠ

50. has writing fanfic had a significant impact on your life? would you say it’s entirely positive?

oh yeah for sure!! i wrote before sharing it with people online but ever since posting on here, i‘ve been more dedicated to it and it has become something i look forward to

i think it’s a pretty great creative outlet, especially because my college degree is the exact opposite of creativity, and i can channel all the thoughts about my favourites into something instead of just spinning them around my head for eternity

also i‘ve made some pretty great friends along the way, some of which i talk to everyday (why are all you guys so far away though?? i can’t get on a plane just because i want to see @virtue-and-beneviolence or @watatsumiis irl ㅠㅠ)

but it’s not all positive; there are times where i feel so bad about my content that i have thought about stopping to share it and times where i can’t help but compare myself to others; i think that’s more of a personal mindset though and not something that’s necessarily a writing thing only

[fanfic author ask meme]

[kithtaehyung]

Jett is good at a lot of things, but words isn‘t one of them, so don’t expect this long of a response from me ever again. But I have a lot of thoughts that I‘ve been holding onto since I started reading 3tan, and I was waiting for the proverbial "right time" to say them. I guess now feels right.

Fanfiction in and of itself is an unrealistic genre, but even so, I feel like a lot of writers lose themselves in the dramatic delusions and fantasy of the genre. I’ve been reading and writing fanfics avidly since I was maybe 10 years old (I‘m 22 now, so safe to say it’s been a while), and what I always despised about the things I’ve read is how unhinged and unrealistic it is. They painted a skewed image of what relationships should look like, what healthy friendships and intimacy should look like, and I know a lot of people who don’t have experience outside of fanfics adopt these views as their own.

Which brings me to my point of why I hold you, and three tangerines to such a high regard: it’s so real. It’s so blatantly obvious that you understand who Yoongi is at his core, and even though he still has a slightly altered personality for the sake of the AU, it’s still *him*. The fact that we can see his insecurities and his tumultuous inner monologue and he’s not just hot hunky perfect man for the sake of a fanfic is what I love, because it shows your understanding. That, and Y/N isn’t just a spiraling damsel in distress for the love interest to come and sweep all her problems away. She’s her own person, she has layers and a complex personality, she has friendships and a job outside of Yoongi, she‘s honestly the realest OC I’ve seen ever.

And then there’s their actual relationship. Their communication and lack thereof. It’s not perfect, and that’s beautiful, because it’s not supposed to be. What really caught my attention the most was how you write the sex scenes, because again, with fanfic it’s so easy to get carried away in the fantasy and making everything seem perfect, but you write in the teeth bumping into each other, the uncomfortable noises, the cleaning up afterwards, the awkward pause waiting for a condom to be put on, all these things that aren’t necessarily "perfect," but it makes it so much more real. I think it goes so far beyond making it more enjoyable for me, but I think you’re part of a bigger change to setting a healthy standard for what relationships and sex should actually look like. Before 3tan, I had never read anyone asking for consent in a fanfic. I never read about having to switch positions to be more comfortable. I never read about such an open line of communication right in the middle of sex, and it’s a shame I’m only seeing it now. I hope more people take notes from you, because you truly should be the standard that people strive to be.

Last thing, I love that despite the length of your chapters/parts, it’s not wordy. It’s not boring. It’s not long just for the sake of being long. Every word is purposeful. As a writer, that’s something I struggle with so much, so it’s really nice to see lengthy chapters done right.

You deserve the break. You deserve all the love. You deserve it all.

jett, you are wonderful, powerful, and so, so lovely. you are a writer and you certainly do have a way with words bc my god you made me BAWL when i read this the first time. i honestly don't know what to say to this. but i will try my best.

to start, i'll say this: thank you for touching on the aspect of three tangerines being real. because my point from the start was to make it as relatable and comforting as it is spicy, but of course a year later it has turned into more than that. more than i ever imagined and will continue to be part of my life no matter what.

i'm really happy you also like this yoongi. whether he's really like the real yoongi or not, i don't know for sure. but i do know that he brings me peace and comfort to write and there's a connection i feel whenever i work on this series. and i know he's not perfect, because i don't want him to be. none of my characters are flawless and i've set that point for my fics from the very beginning. everyone is just gonna be human, with all the good and bad that comes with it. same thing goes for reader. not perfect, just genuine. real. complex, like we are.

along with people, i know relationships aren't perfect, either. so that's what i wanted to also showcase here, too. but you're right: that's what makes this magical - the push and pull, the dancing, the tension, the imperfection. the sex, too. it's all about keeping this as real and organic and human as possible.

"I think it goes so far beyond making it more enjoyable for me, but I think you’re part of a bigger change to setting a healthy standard for what relationships and sex should actually look like. Before 3tan, I had never read anyone asking for consent in a fanfic. I never read about having to switch positions to be more comfortable. I never read about such an open line of communication right in the middle of sex, and it’s a shame I’m only seeing it now. I hope more people take notes from you, because you truly should be the standard that people strive to be."

i genuinely don't have words for this. you've rendered me speechless here and i feel.. idk, like i accomplished something above what i wanted to and just feel like crying. because this is meant to be a comfort series, since the beginning. that all of this is what you should look for. it's all normal and fine and okay.

thank you so much for all of this. i'm just sitting here not really knowing what to say and all of this response probably didn't make sense because i was typing with blurry vision but. yeah. thank you for telling me this. it's thoughtful as hell and i can only hope i keep this standard.

i shall make the most of my break, babe. my brain does need to rest and i will give it what it needs<3

[rawdogmeharry]

will you write something about reader and harry having a 12 year age gap, but fans and everyone are really supportive of their healthy relationship? like they’re so in love. lots of fluff and maybe a tinge of smut? 🥺 love your writing 🥺🥰

old man

or, the one where Harry’s family loves Y/N and he loves her even more.

]part 2: old bones]

sorry for the wait, hope you enjoy babe <3 and thank you very much, that’s lovely to hear!!

requests go here:)

masterlist

•

“What d‘ya say, baby, red or white wine?“ Harry ponders, leaning one hip against the kitchen counter and holding up the two dark glass bottles in his hands, showing them to Y/N.

“I dunno, I‘d say red but Anne‘s not really a fan of it, so let‘s just take the white,“ she shrugs her shoulders, little animated hearts dancing around in her eyes from watching Harry look so fucking effortlesly hot for no damn reason. His sheer button-up that shows his vast collection of body ink and the way his black jeans fit snugly on his juicy thighs are the reasons her panties are drenched inside out.

Little does she know, he‘s thinking the exact same thing.

She stands in the kitchen doorway, dressed in a tight, sand colored turtleneck, black bell bottomed pants and the pointed-toe nude Louboutin heels Harry had gotten her for her last birthday, looking like Harry‘s next meal. All he wants to do, is take those pants, shove them down to her thighs, bend her over their glass dining table and bury his face in her cunt and ass.

But, they‘ve got places to be and people to see at the Styles-Twist family gathering.

Dead puppies, grandma boobs, cow udders is all that circles his head because nothing else can bring his boner down.

“Hey, where‘d you go?“ Y/N waves her hand in his face, seeing his spaced out face and eyes weirdly zoned in on her tits.

“Huh?“

“Y‘zoned out on me, Har, y‘okay?“ she slowly walks towards him with her brows furrowed, her heels making a really satisfying noise on the gray kitchen tiles.

“Oh, yeah, ‘m fine, kitty, just thinking ‘bout how pretty y‘are,“ he grins and tugs her in close by her love handles, then gradually migrates his hands down to her ass and gives it a firm squeeze once she‘s fully enclosed in his arms. And about how hard I want to fuck you, you fucking Goddess, he thinks to himself.

“Let‘s go then, bub, don‘ wanna be late. Been a while since we last saw your mum, I‘ve missed her,“ she smiles up at him. “And, wanna get home as soon as possible as well, also been a while since we used those handcuffs, huh?“

Harry watches as she bites her bottom lip and feels her dainty hands stroking up and down his back, and just as he‘s about to ram her against the wall to spank her and remind her how daddy doesn‘t like to be teased like that, she quickly slips out of his embrace and spanks his firm bum, telling him “let‘s go, Har“ and giving him a pointed look as if to silently tell him that she knows exactly what he‘s thinking.

‘‘‘

“Oh, yeah, since ‘m on winter break right now, me ‘n Harry started re-watching Friends, but my old man can barely keep his eyes open past 11, so it‘s been goin‘ really slowly,“ Y/N giggles, and that‘s the only part of the conversation Harry hears as he‘s approaching his lovie and Gemma, the two of them talking alone on the outside bench of Anne‘s back garden.

He feels finally free after hearing his uncle talk about the new corn he‘s been growing and how the high fiber content has really helped with his digestion for the past half an hour, and all he wants to do is throw Y/N over his shoulder, go home and fuck the ever living shit out of her. Maybe they won‘t even make it inside the house, he thinks, maybe he‘ll just take her in the car in the driveway.

“Hey, is the old man you‘re talkin‘ about supposed to be me?“ he pretends to be offended with raised brows and mouth open in mock offense, throwing his arm around his lovie‘s shoulders and leaning against the side of the bench in a hunched over sitting position with his bum right at the edge.

“Well, I don‘ really have any other old men watchin‘ Friends with me,“ she shrugs, her eyes regaining the light they get whenever Harry‘s around.

“Better not,“ he says in a stern tone, expression softening once again as he feels her hand on his thigh, rubbing softly in reassurance.

Then, he hears someone else giggle beside his baby, completely forgetting that Gemma‘s been sitting beside Y/N, because all he sees, knows and breathes is Y/N.

“You guys are so cute,“ Gemma giggles again and Harry notices just how tipsy his sister is from the sparkly look in her eyes, no doubt from the delicious wine set out on Anne‘s kitchen island. “Can I tell you a secret?“

“Go ‘head, Gem,“ he chuckles, brushing his fingers through lovie‘s soft hair, “jus‘ don‘ be mad at me if y‘gonna be embarassed by it for the rest of y‘life.“

“Oh, shut up,“ Gemma rolls her eyes, “I may be drunk, but ‘m not stupid, it‘s nothin‘ embarassing. Jus‘ wanted to tell you both how glad I am you two ended up together.“

“We‘re glad too, Gem, thank you,“ Y/N smiles at her, a fond look taking over her face from the realisation at how lucky she got with her sister-in-law. Or actually, Harry‘s whole family, really, and she feels beyond grateful for how accepted and loved she feels in it.

“No, like, ‘m sayin‘ just-just how grateful I am my brother ended up with someone so amazing, so understanding and just—overall such a great person. Really, at first, me ‘n mum were a bit skeptical because of—you know—the pretty big twelve year age difference and all, and Y/N bein‘ only eighteen when y‘met. But over time when we got to know you, you‘re mature beyond your years and I wouldn‘t wish Harry any other person. ‘M really glad that all the negative comments, looks and hate y‘both got at the start of your relationship didn‘t break you up or put any tiffs between you. Y‘gained the fans‘ trust, didn‘t let them overwhelm you. Just proves that no hardships can separate you‘s, you‘re meant to be.“

And Y/N‘s got tears in her eyes at the end of Gemma‘s mini speech, because she couldn‘t imagine hearing nicer words from her boyfriends family. If everyone genuinely thinks all of this about her, she‘s quite literally the luckiest person in the world.

Harry watches as Y/N doesn‘t hesitate to give Gemma a big, fat hug once she‘s done talking and all he thinks is how right Gemma is.

How right she is by saying that Y/N is the most fucking amazing thing to ever happen to him, how nothing can separate them and how they‘re meant to be. That‘s all  Harry thinks about all day every day, and to think that his sister and probably the rest of his family have the same outlook on their relationship is like putting in the last missing piece of the puzzle.

Y/N pulls away from the hug and subtly wipes at her undereyes, “thank you, Gem. I just-I don‘ really know what else t‘say except thank y‘so much.“

“No, but seriously,“ Gemma grins at the next part she‘s about to say, “jus‘ the other day me and mum were talkin‘ about the adorable little buggers you‘d make with your good genes and all an-“

“Okay, Gem,“ Harry chuckles and takes the almost empty wine glass from her hand, “thank y‘for the kind words, but tha‘s all for tonight, I think.“

Gemma pouts, “hey, why‘d y‘take my wine?“

“C‘mon, let‘s go find Michal, he‘ll know what t‘do with ya,“ Harry smiles at his sister and helps her up from the bench and watches as she uncoordinately trots towards the door, heading inside of the warm house where the rest of his family are chatting away amongst eachother.

He stays behind and quickly leans down to whisper in Y/N‘s ear, gripping her thighs in both of his hands, “bathroom upstairs. In five minutes. Daddy doesn‘t like to wait.“ And walks away, catching up to his sister and leads her away to her boyfriend. He wants her, and he wants her now, because he physically cannot contain all of the love and absolute appreciation he has for her inside of him any longer.

Y/N just sits there with clenched thighs and an irregularly beating heart.

‘‘‘

“Fuck,“ Harry pants against his lovie‘s neck, keeping her hands pinned to the wall above her head by her wrists, “how are you this fucking beautiful, huh?“

“Fuck, please do something, Har,“ she mewls into his ear, desperately wanting to grind against something and longing to feel his cock lodged deep into her pussy.

“That‘s not my name,“ Harry growls and grips her wrists tighter.

“Daddy. Daddy, please fuck me, just-please, do something.“

“God, bunny, y‘drivin‘ me crazy. Can‘t fuck you here, don‘t want m‘family t‘hear you screamin‘ fo‘ daddy to fuck y‘ass harder. Gonna make it home, first. Or halfway.“ He grinds against one of her thighs and his cock is leaking so much precome he‘s sure there‘s gonna be a wet stain on his dark jeans once they get out of this Goddamn bathroom.

“Just stop talking, Daddy,“ she pants out, not really caring for the consequences of talking back to daddy at this exact moment and slots her lips to his own, immediately sucking his tongue into her mouth.

And Harry thinks he‘s gonna let her off for this one, because they both need it so much that the bloody rules daddy made can fuck right off through the window.

He moans into her mouth and takes his tongue out of it, quickly pulling back and looking into her eyes, “put your hand into your panties and feel how wet y‘are for me.“ And let‘s go of her wrists.

She does as she‘s told, feeling so fucking thankful for the small amount of friction she gets from her fingers quickly brushing on her clit as she passes it to her weeping hole and rubs her her pointer finger at the entrance of it.

Taking her hand out of her pants, she shows Harry her shiny, slick fingers coated in her juices.

“Suck on them like you‘d suck my cock.“ He rasps out with his hands put on either side of her head.

She takes them into her mouth and moans at her own mouth-watering taste, sucking her fingers to the back of her throat and gagging on them like she‘d gag on Harry‘s cock.

Harry moans out from the filthy sight and locks their lips together for a final time, “five minutes to say goodbye t‘everyone and then I want y‘in the front seat of m‘car with your pants in the back.“

[iwriteallkindsofstuff]

Short story for Junpei because this boy needs so much more love >:((

Junpei Yoshino x reader

(Interactions such as reblogs are as always appreciated:3 Enjoy:))

(PS. I wanna continue this one a bit. Expect another part)

(PPS. This an AU in which Junpei never ever gets involved with Jujutsu sorcerers. I’m just so sad, okay-)

———————————————————————

I was never one to draw attention to myself. I didn‘t like people looking at me in the streets when we passed eachother. I didn’t like people looking at me when I answered questions in class. I hated doing presentations or working with people I didn’t know.

I hated it when my Math teacher picked on me because she knew I didn’t know the answer, even if in her head, she only wanted to encourage me to speak up. In short, I just didn’t like attention.

And that directly tied into me not really looking for confrontations. I am a very fair person; I hate bullies just as much as any other person who isn‘t a moral asshole. However, when it really comes down to it and there is a guy infront of me, directly spitting accusations and insults in my face, I am not as witty as I would like to be. The words get stuck in my throat and my thoughts speed up to an degree where I can’t follow them anymore. I look away, my shoulders come up a little.

I’m coward, I hate to say it. It‘s easier to just duck under and let the Desaster roll over you.

Then try not to hate yourself afterwards for not acting differently. Honestly, that’s the hardest part. Not adding oil to fire.

But every person has their limits. Every single one, there is no denying it. And, to my surprise, I reached mine when I witnessed someone else get bullied. Actually, that isn’t quite right. Abused would be a better word. Someone else might have said that there was no reason to get involved. They couldn’t be more wrong. In that moment, I didn’t think that, of course. My head had been empty, actually. But now I can say, that if hadn’t done what I did, I would have never forgiven myself. The guilt would have eaten me alive. Interfering was the best choice I had made in my entire school-life. I don’t regret it one bit.

The boy‘s name was Junpei Yoshino - a thin, pale kid who had an emo haircut that covered his right eye. Dark hair and green eyes. He didn’t stand out, just like me. But he had his friendgroup; I think maybe one or two other guys. I had one friend, Yuuki, who was a bit of a loner herself. She wasn’t weird - at least to me - she just did her thing. Which is why I felt incredibly lucky to have her to turn to. As a foreigner, there weren’t many kids who wanted to have anything to do with me.

Fine, my Japanese wasn’t the best, but was not silent. I guess everyone just had their reservations. Maybe some were just shy, who knows. Yuuki kind of took me under her wing after the first week at this school - she saw me trying to avoid the lunchbreak by finding a spot by the fence at the back of the school; the spot where usually, there was no one there. We’ve been friends ever since.

I was in the same class as Junpei - he sat a few desks to my right, two rows infront of me.

Junpei never really spoke up in class, rather just looking at the headboard and taking notes or just staring off into space. I can count on one hand the amount of times I‘ve witnessed him answer a question in class. I always thought that, if you get to know him, he was probably much more vocal. He seemed like a person I would want to be friends with. But I had no clue as to how to approach someone. How was I supposed to go up and just initiate a conversation, let alone a friendship? And my position as the outsider/foreigner didn’t exactly help my reputation - for all I knew he didn’t want to have anything to do with me, just like most of the other students.

So I remained as a simple Observer.

And then came the day in Summer where I happened to be in the right place at the right time.

I was on my way to leave the schoolgrounds and go home - my Father texted me, saying that he could come and pick me up. I heard them before I saw them. It was the same boys that would bully me, though not as extremely as Junpei. I think one of them was named Shota. I never realized… There was a girl with them, one with long, brown hair and a mean, typical bitch-face. I’ve seen her in the hallways; she’s a year above me and always hangs out with those Bastards. I didn’t like her. For a moment, I was just standing there, mid-walk and couldn’t decide whether or not I should check on what they were doing. I mean, I had a fairly good idea. And then I caught a glimpse of an emo haircut.

Junpei was sitting on the ground, backed up against the fence. The blonde one kicked him. Laughing; mean, ugly laughing rang in my ears. My face flushed. Junpei coughed and a camera flashed.

And all of a sudden, I got angry. Angrier than I had gotten at any comment those boys had ever thrown at me, every judgemental look I received in the hallways. Yes, I hated that nobody wanted to talk to me because I wasn’t Japanese, or even „cool“ for that matter. But I could live with that because it wasn’t anything new to me. At home, I had two close friends. I’m not what you would call popular. I could handle some teenage boys being annoying to me. I could brush it off. However…now I was livid.

Before I knew what I was even trying to accomplish, I strode over, yanked the girl to the side and kicked as quickly and as hard as I could. I don’t know if it was at all strong enough, but I hit that asshole right in the nuts. „Oomp-„ he toppled over, stumbling, but not falling. They turned, eyes wide. „What the fuck?!“ And then it got ugly.

The girl began screeching and two of the boys turned to me. „YOU BITCH!“ A hand grabbed my hair, yanking me backwards hard and throwing me off balance. The stinging pain only fueled me - fine, so we were doing this. It was to my luck that she didn’t let go when I turned around; it left her wide open and I flung myself at her, taking her down and pinning her. Behind me, I couldn’t tell who was getting hurt, but they were definitely fighting.

„YOU DAMN IDIOTS GET THE HOE OFF ME!“ She scratched and clawed at my face, her nails ripping some of my skin dangerously close to my eyes. It hurt like hell. I grabbed her wrist and twisted it as hard as I could. Just as she screeched again, a boy grabbed me from behind, pulling me off of her, arms beneath my armpits so I couldn’t escape. I kicked and writhed, fuming and scared - what would happen if the principal saw me? Sent back home? Leave, just like this?

The boys breath was in my ears, heavy and stinking of cigarettes and junkfood. My skin crawled.

The girl, her hair now messed up and her uniform dusty, kicking me right in the stomach with an ugly, evil smile. I couldn’t help the gasps and groans. My eyes began to fill with tears; not from fear of her, but from the anger and pain. And the worry of the consequences. That fucking bitch…

„What?! Not so brave now, are you, you bitch?!“ Another kick. My head hurt. My vision began to get foggy, then became much too clear and bright, alternating. The only thing left for me to do was to scream. So I did, as hard and as loud as I could. It tore my throat up like glass shards.

A punch to my Adam’s apple shut me right up. I swore something popped in there. She crouched down to say something snarky, and I could hear a mixture of laughing, cameras and punches.

I tasted blood and snot in my mouth. I felt hot, and my heart pounded in my temples. I gathered saliva in my mouth and spat in her face. She turned red, eyes wild with furry. And then, thank god, someone came. Eventhough it didn’t stop her from punching me and breaking my nose. I almost passed out. But finally, finally someone came.

„HEY, THATS ENOUGH! STOP THIS; I‘M CALLING THE POLICE!“ It was the principal, being towed by Yuuki, who was running at us. Her usually relaxed and somewhat bored brown eyes were wide open and her nostrils flared. I’d never seen her like this. „Get, she pushed the girl, hard, off her - and you, she turned to the guy who had me locked in place, let. her. go.“ Spit flew from between Yuuki’s clenched teeth and I thought I saw her tremble a bit. But my head was all over the place; I couldn’t think straight. It hurt so badly with every heartbeat, like someone was playing the drums on my skull. „Fucking Coward-„ Yuuki reached out, grabbed me and pulled me up to my feet with a yank. Thin as she was, I was surprised at her strength. And once again, thankful.

I can‘t describe - accurately at least - how happy I was to see Yuuki here, pissed off at these pieces of shit.

The sudden move made me dizzy and nauseous. I fell to my knees and vomited right then and there. „(Y/n), are you okay? What did they do?“ Yuuki crouched next to me, rubbing and patting my back. My throat and nose burned with the stomach acid. I wiped my eyes and spit out once more. „Kicked my stomach…that whore here…“ I pointed at somewhere behind me, too exhausted to get properly angry. And suddenly, I remembered why this happened in the first place. I sat straight up, ignoring my body protesting. „Junpei! Is he here?! They beat him up, he needs-„ My eyes found him in the exact same spot, standing this time, holding his side.

There was a nasty blue bruise on his cheek and his nose was bleeding. But he looked right at me, eyes wide and teary; he looked like he had seen a ghost. Before anything could be said though, the principal began to thunder a lecture and all of our attention was turned to him or ourselves.

***

I didn‘t go to school for the next three days.

Orders of the principal and my hostparents. At first, I wasn’t too upset about it; I didn’t really feel like going, as one could probably imagine. But then I thought about how this made me, the foreigner, look: an angry, out of control girl who gets into fights, probably on racist grounds.

And then she doesn’t show up for almost a week. If not before, everyone certainly wouldn’t want anything to do with me now. The stereotypes that they believed of me just got proven or reinforced because of what I had done. Suddenly, I wished I could go to school, even if just to show that I wasn’t scared or hiding from everyone. I was so frustrated. It‘s ridiculous how quickly you can ruin any image you might‘ve had in just five minutes.

My Hostparents were really angry.

‚What were you thinking, getting into a fight?!‘

‚Do you know what this does to your reputation? You could get sent back for this, (Y/n)!‘

I let them vent, because they obviously were in the right, however, at some point I couldn‘t help myself and began to cry because of how guilty I felt. Disappointing them was the last thing I wanted to do. I apologized, over and over, told them about Junpei and how those kids had bullied him, and to a lesser extent me, for months on end. They softened up a bit after that; they were still mad, but they still made me have dinner with them and then apologized themselves for making me feel at fault.

‚(Y/n), my mother said, you were right to help this boy; but being reckless and not thinking when it matters most isn‘t something to be praised.‘ That was basically as good as a grand jury saying I was off the hook. And when my father gave me a neckchop, smirking at me sideways and then telling a story of his own fight back in his schooldays, I almost forgot about what everyone would think of me in school. Japanese parents are (generally) much tougher than western parents. So having them forgive me felt like an honor. My heart grew lighter and my shoulders lifted for the rest of the night.

Yuuki came by once after school, telling my parents it was for homework - that wasn‘t a lie, but it was more than obvious that she was there for another reason. So I told my parents I‘d bring the trash out so I could accompany Yuuki back to the bus. It was friday, and really nice outside; big, beautiful clouds drifted across a rich blue sky. You could clearly see the many different shades, giving them the appearance of an acrylic painting. There was a breeze that smelled of the river and citylife; cold cigarette smoke, gasoline, flowers from the gardens, the occasional meal that was being cooked with opened windows… It was a good day to feel happy and contend.

However, as I walked Yuuki down the street to the bus stop, my heart dropped into my stomach, sitting there like a stone. „Gossip is at an all-time high, (Y/n). It‘s all over Instagram, y‘know? Everyone is talking about you…“ She spoke half Japanese, half English with me; English for slang like ‚Y’know?‘, the rest Japanese. Unless I asked her to repeat herself so many times she got tired of me and just translated it if she could. „But not everyone is against you; heard Junpei‘s friends say they think that you have twice the balls that they do.“ Yuuki grinned at me. It was difficult to smile back.

My eyes found a tree to my left. It was tall and cast a comforting, glowing green shadow above me as I walked beneath it. I remembered how much I liked to sit beneath the Oaktree back home whenever there was light rain. How it kind of hid you away from everything and everyone; nothing gives the same type of safety as an Oaktree sheltering you from rain. I continued walking.

„Well, that‘s sweet, but it doesn‘t make this better… Has Junpei been to School?“ Yuuki kicked a pebble, hands dug deep into the pockets of her black shirt-dress. „Yeah, came back yesterday; actually - she turned, looking at me with a meaningful glint in her eyes - he asked about you; came up to me all shy and hesitant and wanted to know if I knew anything about your well-being - my man said „Well-being“, (Y/n). He‘s like, so oldfashioned.“ I couldn‘t help but snort.

„Come on; ain’t nothing wrong with liking movies, Yuuki! Besides, Well-being is a normal thing to say.“ She scrunched her nose, cocking her head to the side and standing still for a moment.

„Is it? Is it normal to say that nowadays? How many kids ask you about your ‚Well-being‘ me lady?“ She tipped me an imaginary hat. Then she grew serious. „But (Y/n), for real, I don‘t know what anyone‘s said to you - but what you did was good. Real good. Not a single person in this damned school has even half the courage you have.“ Yuuki shifted from one foot to another. We approached the bus stop slowly, walking along the side of the street. A passing car made the ends of her dress drift a bit in the wind. „Standing up for Junpei was the coolest thing I have ever seen anyone do in this place. I hope you don‘t forget that; you‘re cool as fuck.“

It might‘ve been the fact that the lasting pain in my throat and stomach irritated me all day and made me sleep less. I might have been just a bit more tired than usual and the anxiety got to me. Tears clogged up my throat, which only made it hurt more; it wasn‘t intense anyore, just pretty sore. „Ey, don’t cry now.“ She opened her arms and pulled me against her. I nodded. Yuuki was slender and even a bit fragile against me and smelled like she had just showered earlier. It was obvious to me then, as she hugged me, that she would forever be the cooler one of us.

***

The shocker came when I arrived at school on Monday and everyone would not stop looking at me and whispering as I walked to and from classes. I knew it would be coming, but nothing could’ve prepared me. ‚Come on, I thought to myself continuously, only eight hours you can do this.‘ ‚Only five hours, you can do this.‘ The reason I really did do it is because Yuuki stuck to me for the entire day. She waited for me at the gate and she walked with me to classes. In PE she teamed up with me like usually, and when nobody picked me for Volleyball, she said that the both of us had cramps and couldn‘t play anyway.

Mr. Yagami, our PE-teacher didn‘t think much of it. But he had to have known. Everyone did. Either way, I was grateful he didn’t force me to play, and had us run laps instead. We gently jogged, obviously.

„You know you don‘t have to stick with me, right?“ I was slightly out of breath. Yuuki not so much. „Ha- what- ha, do you mean?“ We turned the corner. „Sticking with me. Have your reputation ruined.“ The words fell solemnly out of my mouth. I hated to admit it, but not even seven hours had passed since I entered school and I already wanted to hide and never look at any of these kids ever again. The thought that Yuuki might get the same idea and just leave me all alone terrified me. Yuuki was my only friend. She puffed next to me, slowing to a walk, her hands on her hips. „Bullshit, bitch, she huffed, trying to catch her breath, I got no, hah, reputation except, hah, being weird- we cool!“ She looked at me like I was a freak. „Why are you so fit?!“ For the first time that day, I genuinely laughed. „How aren‘t you? We basically walked quickly…“ „Shut…up.“

Junpei was there too, but he never came up to me. Which was fine by me, I suppose… What was there to say after that? Occasionally I would catch him glancing at me or vice versa, but that was all. I tried not to think about it too much; he was shy, like me, and we were watched by everyone at like every minute - it really did feel like I had somobody‘s eyes on me all the time. By the time the final bell was about to ring, I was just about ready to sprint out of the school.

‚Be there in ten, okay? Maybe have Yuuki wait with you…‘ I smiled tiredly; it still relieved me to know that my host-parents weren‘t disappointed in me. And having them react to it so genuinely made me feel even better. Despite everything, I knew that eventually, this would pass. Of course, right then, as I tried to ignore all the heads turning or the fingers being pointed at Yuuki and I as we waited for my Dad to come, it was hard to believe that. But I had the hope that in some time, kids would get bored of talking about it, seeing as nothing else would come from my side.

Hopefully those boys and that one girl, who‘s name apparently was Yuri, would leave me alone too; my parents have talked to the police, and the whole thing about a charge was still in the making. But I knew for a fact that their parents were contacted, so I hoped that the prospect of a charge would keep them away from me.

I was currently trying my best to listen to whatever Yuuki was talking about, when someone approached us from behind. Fearing the worst, I turned around, only to see Junpei standing there, all nervous and fidgety. He made eyecontact, but looked away quickly, his brows furrowed together. He looked very much uneasy. Yuuki stopped talking.

„Hey.“ I said, lamely. „O-oh, uh, hey.“ There was a short pause. „Hey!“ Yuuki jumped in, looking at the both of us in a slightly mocking manner. „You guys talk this out, I’mma wait for you at the gate, okay (Y/n)?“ I gave her nod, adjusting my backpack. „Yeah, thanks Yuuki - see ya.“ As she walked off, I turned fully to Yunpei. „Um, you wanna go behind those bushes to talk? I don’t like how everyone just keeps staring…“ Against my usual reserved nature, I decided to be blunt. After all, we were in a fight together - doesn’t get much blunter than that.

***

We waited a few moments until we thought that most of the students had already left. „Listen, Junpei began, studying the ground beneath his feet, hand grabbing the strap of his backpack a little too tightly, I…wanted to say thank you, I guess - and sorry aswell.“ He glanced at me.

„You don‘t know me, but you stepped in anyway; and now, everyone refers to you as ‚the violent immigrant‘. If they‘re being nice. People are calling you all sorts of stuff…“ Pausing, he seemed to gather his words, unsure of what to say next. „I feel like I‘m kinda reasponsible for that…I‘m really sorry, (L/n).“ To my surprise, he bowed; it was something I wasn‘t used to yet - at least, to someone else bowing to me. I raised my hands, not knowing what to do with them, stumbling over my words. „Uh- n-no, please, don‘t apologize! Those assholes bully me aswell, so I was already angry when I saw what they were doing that day…“ I realized that I hadn‘t asked if he was okay.

„My god, speaking of - are you okay?! I saw what they did, I-„ „Oh, uh, no, don’t worry about me - he quickly rose back up, face reddened with embarrassment - I’m okay, really; just a few bruises, that’s all. What about you?“ The bruises on my abdomen were very much visible, and they while they hadn’t stopped hurting, they were getting better every day. There was a scratch on my cheek aswell, just beneath my eye; as if a cat had gotten to me. I tried a smile. „Same here. They’re gettin better by the day.“ There was an awkward pause. I took a breath and forced the things out that were on my mind. I studied the grounds of the school infront of me, listening to the cicadas buzzing.

„I’m glad they didn’t do more than that…“ I shifted my weight left to right, right to left. Suddenly, I was very aware of the summer heat on my face. „I hate that they do that to you, y’know…I think you’re cool. And nice. I don’t get why they want to hurt you so bad. It’s so damn unfair.“ Another pause. Subconsciously, I turned more and more towards the school, my face burning. Goddamn it, why did I say that? That was weird as hell.

„I think you’re cool too. I…“ I looked back at Junpei, who was fiddling with the hem of his school shirt, then letting it go before going back to fiddling. „Wh-when you read ‚The Shining’ before class one day, I honestly wanted to ask if you’d seen the movie…“ I snorted softly. „Duh. It was one hell of a movie. I had nightmares for, like, three days.“ His eyes lit up. He stopped fiddling.

„I know, right?! I watched it, what, five times! It‘s a prime example of what a scary movie actually is; one that uses Psychology to get under your skin!“

„Totally; but also: you spaced them out, right? I watched it twice in maybe a year so the effect would at least be similar; I don’t think it would have been as scary if I had seen it, like, three weeks after the first time.“ And just like that, we were talking.

Maybe three minutes later, my Father honked outside of the gate - my cue to leave; I felt a little disappointed as Junpei and I left the school.

Just as I approached the car, Junpei called out behind me. „(L/n), wait!“ I turned around expectantly. „Yeah?“ He was all red in the face again. „Uh, d-do you wanna go see a movie with me? Like, this Friday? It‘s ‚Godzilla vs King Kong’ - I thought it might be fun…“ I laughed, imagining what type of movie this would be. „First of all: Call me (Y/n). Second of all: absolutely. Would love to. Wanna work details out tomorrow?“

Junpei‘s eyes went wide and he smiled. I liked his smile. It was really sweet. „Y-Yeah, okay! Thanks! Then, see you tomorrow!“ I opened the passenger door with a „You too!“ and hopped in.

For the entire rest of the day, I couldn’t help but smile the entire time. I was ecstatic, and my host parents noticed.

„Well, I’m glad that you are so happy; I was worried that you might get into trouble again…“

My Mother took a sip of her water, then smiled at me. „You’re handling this very well, (Y/n). Over all, I mean.“ If it were possible, I only grew happier. I’m pretty sure that by the time I left the table to get ready for bed, I was glowing. I heard my Father chuckle as I skipped up the stairs with a muffled squeal. I could‘ve taken on the world if I wanted to. Instead, I danced around my room as i got changed into my Pyjamas and then made some doodles of an excited girl exploding into the air, taking off like she was Superman. It took a while, but when sleep finally came, I drifted off with a content sigh. Life was good.

[hikarus-shida]

Hook: "First Time"

Hook x fem!reader

genre: fluff, semi-nsfw

warning: semi-nsfw, mentioning of sexual intercourse but not in great detail - also not proofread!

summary: hook and the reader have been dating for a long time. one night, they decide to lose their virginities to each other.

requested by: anonymous (I hope you enjoy!)

Masterlist

Tag List: @cutierocker202

This is a semi-nsfw imagine. Nsfw actions such as intercourse will be mentioned, but not explained in great detail. Please read at your own discretion, thank you. :)

I hope you all enjoy this! I didn’t wanna make it super nsfw since it didn’t really sound that way from the request. Kind of just wanted to make it wholesome and sweet.

*I do not own this gif!*

Despite dating Hook for almost a year now, the two of you hadn’t really talking about having sex. For some people like your friends, they found it really weird; you and Hook both being in your twenties, they would’ve thought a guy like him would’ve made the jump and put it down in the sheets, but it never came up.

You were thankful for that. Unbeknownst to many, you were actually a virgin. You had planned on it for staying that way for awhile, not because you were waiting for the right person to have sex with, but because you didn’t really feel the need to have sex. It wasn’t something that plagued your mind or something you needed to do in order to feel like an adult. In fact, before you met Hook, you hated hook-up culture and how that’s all some people wanted to do nowadays.

Hook was super respectful when you told him. He didn’t hover or push and actually understood everything you told him; how you felt about sex, hook-ups, and why you didn’t have it yet. You couldn’t even remember whether or not he was a virgin, though. From his beautiful face to the way he kissed you when you would have make out sessions, you definitely thought he wasn’t. There was no way that he was a virgin, you were sure of it.

The conversation never really came up until one night when he was back in New York with you. The two of you laid in your bed, your favorite show playing in the background as white noise, while you cuddled. The room was dim, the only light being your television as it was nearing 10 pm.

“Have you ever wondered what your first time would be like?” Hook asked, breaking the silence that was oddly soothing. His question was extremely random, but you chalked it down to it being something that he was just thinking about. You looked up to face him and shrugged, “Not often. I know I wouldn’t want it to be something planned out because nothing ever goes according to plan. If it happens, then it just happens.”

Hook hummed in response to you. It seemed like there something on his mind and you didn’t wanna pry, but it felt like the right thing to do. “Why do you ask?” You questioned him, which you felt was better than straight-up asking him what was wrong with him.

“Just...I don’t know,” Hook sat up and looked down at you, “I‘ve been thinking a lot and I’m ready... if you’re ready. We’ve been dating for awhile and we’re the least conventional people I know. I wouldn’t mind losing my virginity to you right here, right now.”

You furrowed your brows and sat up with him too. “Now since when the hell were you ever a virgin?” Confusion settling into your features. Hook laughed and scratched his neck, sighing. “Well shit, I may have forgot to tell you...... Surprise.”

You laughed with him, unable to feel anything other than content being next to him. Knowing Hook was a virgin made you feel way better, whether or not you two were getting down to it tonight. It helped knowing that you both were in the same boat. “Well.. I’m ready.” You admitted, completely nervous but excited to be sharing a moment as intimate as this with him.

You two waited a few seconds before making the move; kissing and making out, caressing each other before jumping to take off each others clothes. This was so amateur of you two, but it was starting to get more and more fun. You two couldn’t even take each other seriously, especially when it came down to oral.

Hook went down on your first and the experience was magical. You swore you orgasmed twice, but of course he thought you were being generous in saying that. When it was your turn to give him head, you got so shy. Hook thought it was cute how you couldn’t bring yourself to do it at first, but once you started all he wanted to do was make a home in your mouth and so did you. It was amazing seeing him crumble and moaning your name.

When it was time, Hook had put on a condom and laid you on your back for missionary. He confirmed with you one more time that you were ready and you nodded, as well as verbally saying yes. It had went on for no more than 25 minutes; changing of positions and loud moaning, holding each others hands and sharing sweet kisses that would turn sloppy, dirty talk and encouraging each other to cum.

After it was over, the two of you laid on the bed and panted. Once catching your breaths, you both laughed again. It was so crazy how quick that things had happened, but neither of you would change it for a thing. You both made sure to freshen up and returned back to bed once doing so, cuddling each other again.

Your head laid on his bare chest, tracing circles with your index finger on his stomach. “I’m glad we did that tonight. I really enjoyed it.. and I’m happy I lost my virginity to you.” You said, beginning to feel super mushy.

Hook kissed your forehead and reciprocated your feelings as a hand ran fingers through your hair. “I’m happy we did it too. I trust you more than anyone else and can’t imagine this not happening with you. I love you, Y/N.”

[teshamerkel]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 20] (24 Pages)

<< First | < Previous | Next >

Nia finally gets to talk with Xander, and Team Scarlet prepares for their trip to Ghatha.

-

The morning after their training session with Val, Nia and Tobias head to the guildmaster’s quarters. Verene must be out on some kind of business, because August answers the door instead of the mantis. The giant, leafy gorilla greets them warmly, inviting them in and settling himself back into his chair. From the parchment scattered across his desk, it seems he was busy filling out forms.

“What can I do for you two?” He asks, deep voice a pleasant rumble.

“W-Well, uh.” Nia glances nervously at Tobias, and the charmander urges her on with a wave of his hand. “You know that we’re leaving for Ghatha tomorrow, right?”

August nods. “Yes. Tobias notified me of your trip a while ago. Have your plans changed?”

“Oh! No, w-we, uh, talked to Andyn and Ezra yesterday—from Team Evergreen? They said they heard something from a traveling Pokémon about some…tension. Between Pokémon and former humans. A fight or something? They said they told Verene, but we were wondering if you’d heard anything about it?”

“Basically, should we worry about getting jumped since Nia’s human?” Tobias summarizes, crossing his arms and giving August a serious stare.

August’s warm, friendly expression slowly falls as Nia speaks. At Tobias’ question, he heaves a sigh. “I see. Yes, Verene informed me of Team Evergreen’s report. I wish I could say that it was only a rumor, but I’m afraid some of the mail carriers have confirmed it.”

Nia’s stomach sinks, and she shoots Tobias a worried look.

“So there are actual fights happening between Pokémon and humans?” Tobias asks, frowning.

August makes a troubled sound and runs a hand through his leafy mane. “Only one notable argument so far, at least that I know of. It happened far from here, on the other edge of the continent. Nothing serious, but enough to catch attention.”

“D-Did they say why the fight broke out?” Nia asks. She can’t imagine why Pokémon would get so upset by someone claiming to be human—it’s not like the humans tried to bring themselves to this world. And why would someone in her position be so mad at the Pokémon? So far everyone has been incredibly kind to her.

“The reports are vague and scattered,” August hedges. “Apparently each side claims that the other started it, and they were just acting in self-defense. I suspect there is more to it than that, but only those who were there could clear it up.”

Nia furrows her brow. “And this is completely new? I-In all of the years that humans have been appearing here, there hasn’t ever been a serious fight like this?”

“Not caused by the origins of the Pokemon involved, no. At least not that I’m aware of. There have been a few disagreements, I’m sure, but this is the first I’ve heard of them escalating into a serious physical altercation.”

There’s a beat of quiet, and then Tobias speaks up again. “So what does this mean for us? Is it something we need to watch out for or not?”

August brings a hand to his chin, looking thoughtfully between the two of them. “If I were to guess, I would say this is an isolated incident that will soon pass. Don’t worry too much about secrecy on your trip, but perhaps be cautious about openly discussing your human past unless you’re sure of your safety, Nia. Lie if you feel you have to.”

Nia’s head snaps up. What? Sure, she’s a Pokémon for now, and in this situation it makes sense, but...not admitting her past almost feels like denying it even happened. Like it wasn’t even real.

“That’s not exactly practical when the whole reason we’re going to Ghatha is for a human meet-up,” Tobias points out. Nia latches onto that more logical reasoning.

“I-I’m sure we’ll be fine!” She pipes up. “We’ll be careful, and I won’t go shouting it from the rooftops or anything!”

Nia knows she sounds a little shrill, but she tries to ignore the feeling of Tobias’ eyes burning into her. August stares at her for a few moments with something like concern, then finally sighs.  “It’s unlikely you two will run into any trouble. Just be prepared in case you do.”

Nia nods, trying on a shaky smile.

August waves them out. “Unless you have other matters to discuss with me, go on. I’m sure you have a lot to prepare before you leave tomorrow. Have a safe trip.” 

Nia and Tobias say their thanks, turning to leave. As soon as the heavy doors are closed behind them and they start making their way down the staircase, Tobias speaks up.

“So what was with your little freak-out in there?”

Nia swallows hard past the lump in her throat. “I...I don’t want to have to lie about being human.”

“Why?” Tobias asks, sounding genuinely baffled.

Nia isn’t sure how to articulate why she’s so upset with the idea. Finally, she settles on saying, “Because if I lie about it then it feels like I’m saying it didn’t happen. That I wasn’t ever actually human. But I was. I am.”

Tobias doesn’t answer this time, probably hearing the distress in her voice, and Nia is grateful for it. They make their way down the tree in silence, passing a few Pokémon on the way back to their room on the medical floor. Nia tries to calm down along the way.

It’s fine. So there were a few disagreements half a world away. It was bound to happen eventually. That’s not going to scare her into hiding that she used to be a human—that she is human still, on the inside. It’s an important part of who she is, after all. She won’t go out of her way to bring it up, but she won’t deny it either if someone calls her out on it.

Nia’s so wrapped up in her thoughts that she walks right past their floor. Tobias calls her back with a roll of his eyes and Nia follows him with an embarrassed smile. When the two of them reach the doorway to Maggie’s quarters, Nia is surprised to see a familiar crew of fluffy black and blue Pokémon in the room. Xander, and all three of his little siblings. The lion cubs—shinxes?— are happily chasing each other around the space, weaving between Maggie’s legs and leaping over Xander’s flicking tail as they play tag, squealing.

Laine is the first one to notice Nia and Tobias, and skids to a stop to shout, “They’re here!”

Luca stops to look too, and Leor slams into him with an “Oof!” The two go tumbling into a lump of fluffy shinx fur.

Xander and Maggie were talking, but both look over at the kids’ ruckus. Xander’s eyes skim past Tobias and land on Nia, staying there. His expression drops into something serious, ears flicking back in an uncharacteristic nervous gesture, and Nia swallows. They haven’t talked since the other day, when Nia told the luxio his aura color and he completely shut down. She can’t help feeling a bit apprehensive about him suddenly showing up now.

“H-Hi?” She manages.

The shinx triplets race up to them, all three excitedly talking at once. They hop and circle around her and Tobias, and Nia smiles despite herself.

“Slow down, furballs, we can’t understand a word you’re saying,” Tobias says, voice edging on a laugh.

Even now, Nia is still surprised to see an openly happy grin on the charmander’s face. He shuffles into the room and flops back onto the floor. Immediately, the kids swarm him, shrieking with joy and talking a mile a minute as they climb on top of him and bury him in blue-and-black fluff. Nia smothers her laughter as she watches.

Xander pads over to her side, eyes trained on Tobias and his siblings. His brow is furrowed in an unreadable expression, but Nia would almost say he looks...puzzled. After a moment of silence between them, he finally looks at her. “Hey. Would you, uh. Have time to talk?” 

Neither of them have to say what about. Nia hesitantly nods, desperately wanting to clear the air between them but nervous about the conversation ahead.

“Great. We’ll be back in a few,” Xander says, louder, directing his voice to his siblings. “Be good, all right?”

“Yeah, yeah!” Luca says, pausing in his clambering to stick his tongue out at his older brother.

Xander sighs, and Nia barks out a laugh. Then, the luxio turns and heads out of the room, flicking his tail in a beckoning gesture. Nia follows.

There’s a moment of heavy silence, before Xander glances at Nia over his shoulder. “Your scarf looks nice.”

It’s an awkward start to the conversation at best, but Nia feels herself relax a bit, eyes trailing down to where her red attack scarf is tied around her bicep. She’d already forgotten that she had it on. True to his word, Tobias had helped her with it this morning, only grumbling to himself a little as he did so. Honestly, she suspects that he was more embarrassed by their close proximity than actually irritated about having to help her with tying it. He’s funny like that.

“Thanks,” Nia says, voice soft. Then, not wanting to drown in silence again before they reach wherever the luxio is leading them, she adds, “Your siblings are adorable, by the way. I don’t know if I ever told you that.”

Xander snorts. “Adorable little pawfuls are what they are. Especially Luca. Every time I visit them, Arlo has to fill me in on what trouble he’s gotten into in the last 24 hours. He usually drags his more well-behaved siblings down with him.”

Nia shrugs, biting back a laugh. “He’s a kid. Trouble is what they do.”

“I suppose,” Xander grumbles. Then, his gaze grows thoughtful. “You know, the kids have been telling me for years about how fun Tobias is to play with, and I never understood why they’d say that, with...well, how he is. But seeing how he was with them back there...”

Nia smiles, feeling an unfamiliar surge of pride for her partner. “Pretty different, right?”

“Completely,” Xander admits. He still looks shell-shocked as he glances at her. “Is he like that around you?”

Nia’s expression falls a bit. “He talks to me, but he’s not exactly like...that, no. I’ve only ever seen him that open around kids. I know he’s really fond of your siblings.”

Xander frowns, looking forward again as he leads them down another corridor. “I‘ve always worried about that. I was afraid he was being mean to them, or teaching them how to cause more trouble than they already do. But any time I visited the nursery, Arlo always insisted that Tobias was a good influence.”

Nia looks at Xander’s face, and sees the conflicting emotions there.

“He’s one of the only Pokémon in the guild with a good opinion of your partner, you know,” Xander adds. “Arlo, that is. It makes sense now, since he’s one of the only Pokémon to ever see Tobias like...well, like that.”

Nia takes a moment to gather her thoughts, tracing her fingers along the wooden walls of the hallway they’re walking down. Lattice-like windows are woven here and there out of the twisting bark, and Nia admires the bright flashes of green and blue that she catches as they walk. They pass through patches of warm sunlight, standing in sharp contrast to the otherwise cool, dim lighting of the hall.

“Tobias isn’t a bad Pokemon,” Nia eventually says, voice quieter than she’d like. She thinks of the charmander and how he’s been the past week, how he endures her constant questions about the Pokemon world and how he’s actually talking to her now. “I know a lot of people at the guild seem to think he is, but really, he’s...he’s trying. And he’s already a lot nicer to me than he was when I first met him!”

Nia knows her voice is a bit uncertain, knows that was a pathetically weak defense of her partner. But it’s hard to defend someone who started out treating her so badly, especially when she really admires and likes being friends with Xander. She doesn’t want to drive him away by disagreeing with him.

After a few moments, Xander makes a quiet, thoughtful noise. “I suppose I can’t really argue with you about that. Other than Pokemon like Maggie and Arlo and Fen, you’re the one who knows him best.”

Nia stops in her tracks, the casual truth of that statement slamming into her. She always feels like she hardly knows Tobias, but Xander’s right. Nia’s only been here for…what? Three weeks? And already she knows the charmander better than almost anyone else in the guild.

Could anyone else name his favorite berry? Or his favorite color? Could anyone else recognize when he’s biting back a laugh or notice that he rubs his scarf between his fingers when he’s nervous? She only knows the simple things about him, the surface-level tidbits, but at least it’s something. The two of them may not be that close, but it’s still a stark contrast to how distant Tobias is to everyone else.

Or how distant they are to him.

The riolu frowns, meeting Xander’s eyes where he’s stopped a few feet ahead, looking back. “Has...Has anyone ever actually tried to be Tobias’ friend?”

The luxio’s ears flick, and when he speaks again, he sounds frustrated. “When he first came here, sure. But all he did was pick fights and snarl at us to leave him alone. So eventually we did.”

Maggie’s words flash through Nia’s head, about the state she’d found the young charmander in when they met. Scared and hurt and completely alone. He was just a child, and it sounded like he’d just lost every shred of normalcy in his life. Of course he didn’t want to push aside all of that turmoil and make new friends at the guild. He was upset.

“Did you even think about why he was brought here?” Nia asks, surprising herself with the heat in her tone. “Why he was so angry all the time? He—“

Nia abruptly remembers that this is not her story to tell, and she snaps her mouth shut. She looks down at her hands, now curled into fists. She lets out a shaky breath. She shouldn’t be angry with Xander. This was years ago. And it’s understandable that he wouldn’t want to be friends with someone who clearly hated his company. Xander didn’t know about Tobias’ past. He still doesn’t.

Besides, if she’s being honest, then the only reason Tobias is as neutral towards her as he is is because he has to be. She threatened to end their partnership if he didn’t at least try to be nice. Nia feels a sudden and unexpected pang of guilt. She’d told Tobias she wasn’t blackmailing him, but...she kind of is, isn’t she? She’d felt so justified at the time when offering him her ultimatum, but Xander probably felt justified too in avoiding the temperamental charmander when they were younger. And yet here she is getting mad at the luxio, like she’s any better than him. If she grew up here, was a Pokémon all her life, she might have ignored and avoided Tobias the same way. She probably would have in this life if circumstances hadn’t brought her to live in the same space as him and Maggie.

She feels like an awful person, all of a sudden.

Nia takes a deep breath, trying to pack the remaining anger into her chest, and lets it out with a heavy exhale. It helps a little. Xander doesn’t say anything, and when Nia looks up, the luxio is watching her with an unreadable expression. His tail is flicking, claws out and kneading into the wooden floor, and for a heartbeat Nia thinks she sees that red aura of his trying to act out, sees the burst of emotion he smothers under a carefully calm expression.

Then, he sighs, and all of that explosive, contained energy seems to leave him. He casts a quick glance over his shoulder before sitting down. “This isn’t where I was going to tell you, but it’ll have to do.”

“What?”

“The reason I...shut down. A few days ago. I wanted to apologize and explain. You’re...what you said about Tobias. It reminded me of what I wanted to talk to you about in the first place.”

Xander waits, not gesturing her closer in any way but clearly hoping she’ll agree to talk. Nia doesn’t really feel like sitting down and hashing out their feelings anymore, still feeling oddly protective of her partner, but she steps closer and slides down the wall to sit with her knees tucked up to her chest.

When Xander realizes she isn’t going to speak first, he sighs. “First, I wanted to say I’m sorry. For just going quiet like that, and not explaining anything to you. And I’m sorry too for being less than...encouraging. About your choice in partner.”

Nia blinks at Xander, not expecting him to jump in so quickly.

“I’m really not fond of Tobias,” he continues, sitting down and curling his tail over his paws. “But my siblings love him, and he’s your partner. I should try to be more...open. To accepting that maybe he is actually improving. Or at least that he can. How he acted in the past wasn’t right and I stand by that, but…maybe there was at least a reason for how he behaved.”

Nia stares at Xander’s earnest expression, immediately wanting to forget her brief stint of anger towards him. After all, him and his teammates are some of her closest friends here in the Pokemon world, alongside Andyn’s team.

The riolu forces herself to relax her tense posture. “I-It’s fine. Sorry for getting so upset with you. Just...give him a chance? Please? I know it’s hard, but…”

Xander’s tail twitches where it’s curled around his paws, but he nods. “I’ll try to be more open to the idea.”

Nia smiles, relieved. “Thank you. And I wasn’t mad about you not explaining things the other day. Just worried that I did something wrong.”

“And that makes me feel even worse,” Xander mumbles, some self-deprecating humor in his tone. Then, his expression sobers into something serious. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure?”

“Have you ever wondered why my siblings are here at the guild with me? Why they aren’t being raised in an actual home instead of in the daycare?”

Nia’s blinks, caught off-guard by the question. “I...No, I haven’t really thought about it. Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad you haven’t.” The luxio is clearly lost in memories, gaze going distant. “I’d rather Pokémon not know where we came from. It’s better for the cubs to be guild kids than to grow up with...“

Xander trails off, then shakes his head, meeting Nia’s eyes. “To keep a very long story short, we didn’t come from the greatest home. Our mother was...not a good parent. I just kind of took it when I was her only target, but that changed when the cubs were born. As soon as they could walk, I got us out of there. Ended up finding the guild and never looked back.”

Nia stares at Xander with wide eyes. “How old were you?”

“About twelve or thirteen. Old enough to realize that she wasn’t going to treat the kids better than she had me. Probably worse. I could defend myself a bit at the end since I was a luxio, but I knew the kids didn’t have a chance. They...they were just so tiny. I had nightmares for weeks that she was going to hurt one of them.���

“I’m so sorry,” Nia says, quietly. She’s trying to keep the horror out of her voice, but she knows it’s still there on her face. She doesn’t remember her family in detail, but she remembers how she feels towards them, the emotional connection that’s still there, even worlds apart. Everything in her recoils at the thought of any real fear between them.

Xander shakes his head, the faintest of smiles on his face. “It’s fine, Nia. Really. We found refuge here at the guild with August, and it’s been years since then. I’m doing much better now. It’s just...” Xander hesitates. “I always think I’m over it. Over her. But then something happens and I...”

Nia isn’t sure what to say in the silence that follows. Eventually, Xander speaks up again, voice rough.

“When I think of her, I always think of how explosive she was. Her temper, her mood swings, how strong her emotions were. It didn’t even matter if she was happy or sad—every reaction was just...devastating. If it wasn’t a forest fire, it was a flood. So when you told me about my own aura—“

Nia’s stomach drops as she sees where this is going, recalling her own description of Xander’s aura. Passionate. Intense. 

“I’ve never felt someone’s emotions as strongly as I did yours.”

Before her panic can spill out in a rush of apologies, Xander holds up a paw.

“Don’t apologize. It’s fine. I gave you permission to read my aura and didn’t stop to think about what it might say about me. That was my fault.”

“But—“

“I’m fine, Nia. Really. Avery already talked me down. Just because I’m like my mother in some ways doesn’t mean I am my mother.”

Nia lets out a breath of relief, thanking God for the kirlia’s cool head and seemingly infinite wisdom. “Right. F-From what I can tell, I don’t think a person’s aura really takes into account like...how they choose to act. Even if you’re a really emotional person, clearly you keep a handle on your feelings so you don’t lash out at others or anything. I mean, you’re one of the calmest people I’ve ever met!”

Xander huffs a laugh. “Handling my emotions is a skill I’ve been working on with Avery for a long time. Glad to hear it’s paying off.”

They’re quiet for a moment, and then Xander shakes his head. “Maybe that’s why I’ve had such a hard time giving Tobias a chance. He’s just so...angry and aggressive. Unrestrained. I’ve spent so long trying to learn how to control myself and he’s just...”

Nia frowns, absently smoothing her hands down the sleek fur of her legs. Xander isn’t...wrong. Tobias doesn’t really bother with filtering his thoughts to avoid hurting others’ feelings, aside from her. And that’s just because he has to, per their deal to stay a team.

“Tobias is a bit rough around the edges,” Nia admits. “But he’s had my back whenever I really needed him, even from the start.”

Her gaze flicks to her arm, to where her bite marks lie hidden under her scarf. He’d bandaged her up after that fight and helped her back to her bed. Made sure she was fit enough to fight before having them train again. And even when they first met, before she even had a name, he didn’t ditch her in the dungeon she’d dragged them into.

“I trust him,” she says. “W-We’re not friends, not really, but I know I can rely on him to do his best and to make sure I’m not left behind.”

Xander doesn’t necessarily look pleased by those words, but he nods. He seems thoughtful, if nothing else. “You’re hoping you’ll be friends, one day,” he guesses.

Nia winces, peeking up at him. “You think it’s a lost cause?”

“Do you?”

“No.” The answer comes immediately, before she can even think about it. Nia thinks she’s more surprised by her answer than Xander is.

The luxio smiles. “Well, there you go. You know him better than I do, so if you don’t think it’s hopeless then you’re probably right.”

Nia looks down, brow furrowed. Even if she still feels like she hardly knows Tobias at all, she does want to get to know him better. She wants to be more than just his Seekers partner--she wants to be his friend, too.

A soft weight drops onto Nia’s head, and then Xander’s got her trapped in something like a headlock, giving her the noogie of a lifetime. Nia shrieks a laugh, struggling to shove the luxio away.

When she finally succeeds, Xander smiles down at her. “You looked a little lost in your head. Thought I’d help you find your way back.”

Nia’s still reigning in her giggles, smoothing the mussed fur on top of her head and shooting him a playful glare. “Jeez, no wonder Luca likes causing you trouble!”

Xander usually seems more like a parent to his siblings than an actual big brother, but Nia can see that part of him shine through on occasion. In some weird way, even his interactions with her are starting to feel almost brotherly.

Brother.

Nia stills, feeling her chest suddenly ache at the word. Longing and grief for someone she doesn’t remember rips painfully through her lungs. She chokes on her breath.

“Nia?” Xander asks, sounding a thousand miles away.

But Nia’s drowning in the emotion of lost memories, feeling tears well up in her eyes, flooding her vision in a messy watercolor mosaic. Brother. Did she—does she have one of those? She must, to feel this aching loss. To feel it carving its way through her body from the inside out.

She has a brother. She doesn’t remember him, but she misses him so so much.

Nia doesn’t even realize she’s crying until Xander pulls her into a hug, foreleg around her back and pressing her close. She buries her face in his chest and tries to stifle her sobs. Xander’s warm and soft and solid, and he smells like hay and something like ozone. It’s weirdly comforting. Distantly, she notes that there’s a very slight tingle on her face, where her tears press into his fur—his electricity causing static?

The riolu tries to bury her sorrow, tries to calm down from this overwhelming, unexpected wave of anguish, but it takes longer than she would like. After a few minutes of sniffling, she manages to calm herself down and box up the emotions to deal with later. When she lifts her head from Xander’s chest, the luxio leans back to look at her, concern tightening his expression.

“Sorry,” she rasps, rubbing the last of the tears from her eyes. “You just...reminded me of someone, suddenly. From the human world. It c-caught me off guard.”

Xander offers a tentative smile, looking like he’s not quite sure how to respond. “It’s fine.”

The riolu smiles back. It’s watery and pathetic, she’s sure, but it’s there. She gently pushes away from Xander’s hold. It feels colder without him sheltering her from her own emotions.

“C’mon,” Nia says. “They’ll be wondering where we are.”

Xander hesitates. “You sure you’re okay to go back? If you need to talk about it we can—"

Nia cuts him off with a shake of her head. “I’ll be o-okay, Xander. Thanks.”

The luxio still looks unsure, but he nods and follows Nia as she sets off down the hallway. When the two of them make it back to Maggie’s quarters, Tobias and the shinx kids are crowded around an array of herbs on the ground. Luca is leaning over the charmander’s shoulder to look, and the other two are glued to his sides.

“Ooh! What’s this one do?” Laine asks, pointing with a tiny paw to a purple flower.

“Helps fight infection,” Tobias responds. “You mash it up and put it on a wound under the bandages.”

“It’s awful pretty,” Leor says quietly. “I dunno if I’d want to hurt it.”

Luca’s ears twitch, and he looks up at Nia and Xander, face breaking into a smile. “Nia, did Xander say he was sorry?”

Tobias and the other cubs look up, and Nia giggles. So the kids were in on this? “Yeah, he did.”

“Good!” Laine says, puffing out her chest in a proud sort of way. “He was all mopey, and Av’ry said it was ‘cause Xander hurt your feelings, so we made him come apologize!”

Tobias had been looking at Nia’s puffy eyes, but at that news he moves his focus to Xander, a devious grin putting all his sharp teeth on display. “Really? The kids had to get you to come apologize? That’s pathetic.”

Nia bites back another laugh and glances at Xander. The luxio is clearly mortified, ears pinned back as he shoots the shinx cubs an embarrassed glare. “Hey, kids? I love you, but shut up.”

The kids burst into peals of laughter. Tobias just looks smug about seeing Xander so off-kilter for once. The luxio sighs, accepting his fate, and bends his head to give his chest fur a few rushed licks. Does he do that when he’s embarrassed? That’s adorable!

“Sounds like I missed all the fun while I was out!”

Nia turns towards Maggie’s voice in the doorway. The meganium looks unbearably fond of the good mood spilling from the room, a small pile of documents held in her vines. She carefully steps into the room between the smaller Pokémon, making her way over to her desk. “Did Tobias teach you kids anything while I was out?”

“Yeah!” Luca jumps up from his seat. “He’s been telling us about medicine, and how to do all kinds of cool stuff!”

“We even learned how to wrap bandages!” Leor adds, starry-eyed.

“A little too well,” Tobias says. “You looked like a trio of tangela.”

Laine nods, looking proud. “Toby said we’re basically doctors now!”

Maggie gives the charmander an amused look, and he shrugs. “Sarcasm isn’t their strong point.”

The cubs don’t catch that comment, already back to chattering with each other about what duties each of them will handle in their medical office. Poor Leor seems to be taking the worst jobs without much complaint.

“It’s nice to see them dreaming about something other than becoming Seekers,” Xander says softly. “It’s a dangerous job, and even if they decide to follow that path, I want them to know that there are other options.”

Nia frowns at that. Her and Tobias are only E-rank, and already she thinks she’s going to have lasting scars from that outlaw fight. She can only imagine how difficult it’s going to be farther down the road.

She looks over to where Tobias is answering the cubs’ questions about the different jobs of medicinal Pokémon. The shinx cubs are still so little—she can hardly imagine any of them going out into a dungeon. She doesn’t want to.

“But they won’t have to choose for a while yet, right?”

Xander nods. “They have plenty of time to decide.”

They’re quiet for a few moments, and then Xander stands. “Well, kids, let’s get going. I’m sure Tobias has other things to do.”

The three cubs let out an overdramatic “Aww!” in unison. Xander looks unimpressed. Tobias snorts.

“I’ll come visit as soon as we‘re back from Ghatha,” the charmander promises.

Xander‘s ears swivel forward with interest as he looks to Nia. “You’re going to Ghatha?”

“O-Oh! Yeah, I guess I hadn’t gotten to telling you with, uh. Everything else. We’re leaving tomorrow. Should be back in a couple of days.”

The luxio hums. “Well, have fun and be careful. You won’t be in our little community anymore.”

Tobias rolls his eyes. “Duh. We’re not idiots.”

“Yeah! Toby’s really smart!” Luca cuts in. “He knows medicine stuff and Seeker stuff!”

Xander gives his little brother a dry look. “All right, smart guy, c’mon. We’ll visit the training floor before I take you three back to Arlo.”

The cubs seem disappointed, but obediently press against Tobias one at a time in an armless hug, mumbling, “Bye, Toby.”

The charmander gives each of them a short squeeze before releasing them. “If you mope, the coaches in the training area will make you run laps,” he warns.

Laine perks up. “Really?!”

Luca bounces on his paws. “Ooh! That sounds awesome! We’d be like real Seekers getting trained!”

Leor’s the only one to not look thrilled at the thought, shifting his stocky little body. “Uh. I don’t wanna run laps, though.”

“No one’s running laps,” Xander says, patiently corralling the cubs with his tail. He smiles gratefully at Maggie. “Sorry for dropping in so suddenly.”

“It’s fine, dear! I love the company. It’s quiet here nowadays without Tobias and Nia around as often.”

Tobias winces. Nia tries to catch his eye, concerned (is he still worried about leaving Maggie on her own for medicinal duties?), but Xander turns to her before she can.

“Thanks again,” the luxio says. “If you two need anything before you go, let me know.”

And Nia knows he means it, too. She smiles warmly at him. “Will do, Xander. Thanks.”

Then, to her surprise, the luxio turns to Tobias. “Thanks for, uh, for watching the cubs, Tobias.”

The charmander looks just as shocked as she feels for a second. Then he hurries to hide it, scoffing as he starts to collect the herbs strewn across the floor. “Whatever. I didn’t do it for you.”

The cubs look confused about the tension between their brother and their favorite charmander. Xander, however, doesn’t seem offended. He just narrows his eyes, looking thoughtful, before nodding and turning to leave. “Come on, kids.”

The shinx cubs hurry towards the hall, waving their tails as they call out their goodbyes over their shoulders. “Bye Toby! Bye Maggie! Bye Nia!”

Nia waves back as she watches them leave. Then, she kneels by Tobias to help him gather the scattered herbs.

“Such good kids,” Maggie comments when they’re gone. “A lively bunch, too.”

Tobias snorts. “That’s one way to put it.”

“You love it,” Nia teases, daring to give him a grin.

Tobias gives her a halfhearted glare in return and blows a puff of smoke in her face. She yelps and falls back onto her butt, laughing and waving the smoke away. “Not fair!”

Tobias doesn’t answer, but he’s smirking as he collects the rest of the herbs. While he places the herbs back in their rightful spots in Maggie’s storage, Nia goes to their bag. She plops down to rummage through it and double-check that they have everything packed for tomorrow.

“Ready for your trip?” Maggie asks.

“I think so! Tobias took the lead in shopping since I, uh, had no idea what we’d need.”

The meganium sets aside her forms and steps over to peer curiously into their satchel. “You have food? Healing items?”

Tobias joins them, rolling his eyes. “Yes and yes. We’re good.”

“Maybe you two should’ve had Vera make you some coats before you left. What if it’s cold in Ghatha?” Maggie frets.

Nia laughs. “We’ll be fine, Maggie! Really. Don’t worry.”

The meganium still looks concerned, and Nia is intensely glad that they had elected not to tell her the news about a human-Pokemon conflict popping up. She’d be a nervous wreck if she knew.

“And you know the way to the flying outpost?” Maggie asks.

“It’s like an hour’s walk from here, Mags, you can see it from the tree. Chill,” Tobias says.

Nia’s ears prick up. “Really? You can see it from here?”

“Up on the mail floor, yeah.”

“Oh! That reminds me,” Nia leans back to look at Maggie. “How do you send mail to other Pokémon?”

“I’ve never had to, so I told her to ask you,” Tobias adds, pulling the bag into his lap to dig through it himself.

The meganium blinks. “Mail?”

“Yeah! I wanted to, um, send a letter to Hazel? In Afon’s Cap. I told her I’d keep in contact, but I uh. Don’t know how.”

Maggie’s confusion clears. “Oh! Yes, of course. Don’t worry, it’s simple. You just need to write the details of who it’s from and who it’s to. Name, species, location, those kinds of things. Then send it off with one of the mail-mon.”

“That’s a lot like how we do it in the human world, actually,” Nia says. “Huh. They’ll be able to find Hazel with just that?”

Maggie nods. “Mail-mon tend to handle specifically assigned areas, from what I understand. So anyone who delivers to that area should be able to find her!”

Nia straightens up, beaming. “Thank you! That’s a relief. I think I’ll wait until after we get back from Ghatha to write her. W-Would you, uh, mind helping me write it?”

The meganium laughs, no doubt remembering the riolu’s last attempt at writing in the Pokémon language. It was a wobbly disaster. “Of course, dear.”

“Okay, so here’s your money,” Tobias interrupts. He tosses a small sack of coins to Nia, and it lands with a muffled clink at her feet. “I’ve got mine, too—“ he pats another small pouch at his side. “And then we still have a bit of team money left over after shopping today.” He pulls out another small sack and places it on the floor.

As Maggie returns to her desk, Nia tilts her head and opens her pouch, slowly counting through the coins there. It takes longer than she’d like with the strange currency, but she thinks it’s around 700 poke. Which sounds like a lot? But she isn’t really sure. She knows that even in the lower ranks, Seeker jobs pay pretty well, and they haven’t really bought much since they started out as a team, but...

“H-How much do we have left in the team pouch?” She asks. They usually put half of their money found from jobs and dungeons into that stash, and then split the other half between them for their own personal funds.

Tobias frowns, glancing over the coins again. “Maybe around 800 poke?”

Nia hums. “That doesn’t sound too bad. How much does flying cost?”

“Not sure. Probably around 500 poke for a trip all the way to Ghatha, but we get a huge discount since we’re Seekers. So maybe like 300? 400?”

“Oh.” Nia nibbles at her lip, thinking hard. “W-Will we have enough for the trip? Like to eat and stay somewhere for a couple of days?”

Tobias brings a hand to his chin in thought. “We should be fine as long as we don’t go overboard. We’ll have to eat cheap.”

Nia nods, way too excited about the trip and Tobias’ good mood to even consider being disappointed by a lack of fancy food. She doubts she would have anyways. “That’s fine by me!”

“It’s still warm enough that we could camp out too, if we have to,” Tobias adds in a mumble, talking more to himself than Nia.

She grins. “I don’t even care! I’m just so excited to be going. I’m gonna meet more humans, Tobias!”

The charmander gives her a look, but it’s more of a tired sort of exasperation than anything. “You don’t say?”

Nia laughs again. “It’s just...even if we don’t have a way to go back home yet, it’s so nice to have someone who understands what you’re going through. Hazel was amazing, but she’s kind of already made her life here, y’know?”

Tobias shrugs. “I guess. I don’t really get it, but I’m also not a human.”

Nia ties her money bag closed and drops it into their satchel, shooting her partner a warm smile. “I’m just...really happy. Thanks again for agreeing to go with me, Tobias. I appreciate it.”

Right on cue, the charmander rolls his eyes, focusing on organizing their items as his cheeks flush. So easily embarrassed. “Yeah, yeah. Remember, we’re gonna ask about the outlaw trio too while we’re there.”

“Of course!”

“Are you sure you two have enough poke?” Maggie asks worriedly, looking over at them from her desk. “I can give you a little extra just in case—“

“Nope,” Tobias objects, tone final. “We’re good, Mags. Keep your money.”

“Thank you, though!” Nia adds.

Maggie frowns, looking concerned. “Okay...if you do end up needing anything, remember I’m just a short letter away. Call on me right away if you need me.”

“Yup!” Nia springs to her feet and stretches, skipping over to Maggie’s side to look at what the older woman is working on. Documentation of her herb stores?

“You’re gonna be like this the whole way there, aren’t you?” Tobias drawls, walking over to Maggie’s other side to peek at her work as well.

It takes Nia a moment to realize he’s speaking to her. “Like what?”

The charmander raises a brow, gaze flicking down to her legs then back up to her face. Nia realizes she’s bouncing in place, tail wagging. She forces herself to a stop. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Maggie laughs, looking down at the riolu. “You certainly do seem excited.”

“I am! I have no idea how I’m going to sleep tonight. I wish it was tomorrow already!”

Tobias snorts and points out a tiny mistake on the meganium’s form, which she dutifully fixes. “Just don’t keep me awake.”

Nia agrees and resumes bouncing on her toes. Dawn can’t come soon enough.

[okskz]

Out in the Open. (pt.1)

Elsy + Got7

elsy wakes up to many texts and miss calls from the boys after the rumor breaks out, causing her to be in her first scandal.

I really hope you guys enjoy this post and of course let me know what you guys thought of it. your feedback is always appreciated!

[8th Member of Got7/Soloist]

It was early in the morning when Elsy heard loud knocking against her door of her apartment, causing the girl to wake up in a frantic. Sitting herself up quickly, she could still hear the loud knocks, letting out a huge groan.

Slipping out of bed, she quickly made her way out her room where she then heard her name being called out. “Elsy! Elsy, open the door!” She heard no other than Jackson yell.

“What is your problem-“ Elsy was cut short when Jackson barged into her apartment right after opening the door for him.

“Have you not seen my texts? Or calls? Have you not been aware of what’s going on?”

Elsy furrowed her eyebrows. “I just woke up!” She exclaimed. “What are you even talking about?” Elsy grabbed her phone that was set on her counter, seeing the many messages and missed calls she had. But not just from Jackson, the rest of the group as well.

Elsy was confused as to why all of them were messaging her. She even caught glimpse of her manager sending her a text too, with a couple of missed calls. “Why is everyone literally blowing up my phone?” She questioned, opening up her manager’s text first. It saying “we need to talk about this as soon as possible.”

And when Elsy finally read the message, she felt her stomach dropping from what the previous message was before that. It was a link to an article that showed a picture of her and Jinyoung, and with her hands already shaking, Elsy tapped on the link where an article popped up. “Oh no.” Elsy gasped out loud as she read the title. “This can’t be happening.”

Her heart was racing super fast now when she continued to read the rumor of her and Jinyoung hooking up with each other. It was uploaded almost an hour before Jackson had arrived, meaning many were aware of it. Elsy swallowed hard as she looked up at Jackson, tears already forming in her eyes. She felt devasted, overwhelmed, and didn’t know what to do. She’s never been in such a situation before, as her first scandal, Elsy didn’t know how to feel.

And she was even more crushed that it happened a couple of weeks before her first ever solo debut.

“Elsy?” Jackson called out, seeing the girl in some sort of trance.

Elsy continued to stare, spacing out as she thought about the article more. How could this have happened? Why was this happening?

She felt her lips quiver as Elsy slammed her phone down on the counter. “Why, why why?!” She exclaimed. “Why is this happening? Why now? Who could have possibly even done this?” She cried.

“It said it was someone anonymous that overheard our conversation.”

“How could I have been so stupid?!” Elsy pulled on her hair.

The sound of her phone ringing caused her to get startled. It was Jinyoung. And soon Elsy began to get really nervous having to hear him. “H-Hello?” She stuttered.

“Jiyeon.” He said coldly. “Have you seen what’s been going on? Your manager and I have been trying to contact you.”

“Yes.” Elsy breathed out. “I‘ve been asleep. I barely just found out.”

“My team and your team are setting up a meeting at your company. See you there.” Jinyoung hung up, giving Elsy no time to answer him. By the time of his voice, Elsy knew he wasn’t too happy.

“I have a meeting soon.” Elsy told Jackson.

“Are you okay?” Jackson questioned in concern.

Elsy shook her head. “No. This is literally the worst thing to wake up to. Everyone’s going to see me differently. And of course I’m going to be the one getting more attacked than him.”

The girl let out a defeated sigh. All while Jackson went up to hug Elsy tightly. She even wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly as well, happy that he was there for some sort of comfort.

Soon after Elsy was dressed, she made her way out of the building where her manager was waiting for her outside. Jackson came along, trying to give Elsy some support, and knowing she didn’t feel like being alone at the moment. Although she kept on insisting for him to go home.

And once she arrived, she was met with Jinyoung, who she could tell was annoyed when looking at Elsy.

“The meeting is starting soon.” Her manager said as soon as he spotted Elsy. Both teams went into the room to talk about the article. Elsy sat next to Jinyoung, fidgeting with her fingers. She was overwhelmed, never having to be in this type of position before.

She was going to be starting fresh soon and now that she was in her very first scandal, she felt as if everything was going wrong. Because even after the meeting is done, that article was still out there in the first place, and who knows who hasn’t seen it.

Both CEO’s of Elsy and Jinyoung’s companies came in and that’s when the long meeting began.

“Let’s begin.”

***

After almost an hour long of talking and agreements from both companies, they came up with a statement that was soon going to be released.

The two knew they couldn’t lie, which is why they went ahead and confirmed that the rumor was in fact true. But they didn’t mention it was in the past, and the two didn’t see each other that way anymore.

Right after the meeting, Elsy still felt a heavy heart. None of this wouldn’t of happened if she didn’t talk about her and Jinyoung out loud in public. Because you never know who could be eavesdropping.

When going down to the first floor of the building, she noticed Jackson standing with his back facing her. Meaning he was talking to someone, and as she got closer she noticed it was none other than the rest of her members. Seeing them only caused her stomach to churn.

Bambam was the first to notice Elsy and Jinyoung. “Hey!” Everyone’s heads turned to look at the two. Elsy hearing a frustrated sigh coming out of Jinyoung’s mouth. “What are they doing here?” He asked lowly.

“We came to see if you guys were okay.” Jaebeom said as they approached them. “What a ridiculous rumor.”

“Yeah!” Bambam exclaimed. “People these days come up with anything. Out of all things why this and why you two?”

“Noona, you look pale.” Yugyeom brought up. “Are you okay?”

Elsy slightly nodded. And there was no denying the both Jinyoung and Elsy looked a little off. “Are the both of you okay?” Jaebeom then asked.

Silence was all they got. Elsy looked everywhere but at her members. While Jinyoung kept his head low with his arms crossed.

“You guys are acting as if the rumor is true.” Bambam snorted. Again, Elsy avoided looking at Bambam. But her being silent about it, caused him to raise a brow. “It’s not true is it?”

Jinyoung exhaled deeply as he turned his head away. Jackson stared at the two, biting the inside of his lip.

“Oh my god.” Bambam whispered. “It’s true.”

All of them waited for at least one of them to deny but when a few seconds past and none of the two said anything. They knew their answer. “What the hell?” Jaebeom said. “It’s true?”

Elsy slowly nodded, already feel ashamed of herself as she lowered her head. “When? H-How? Why?” He said.

Everyone was in deep shock. Confused as to why they even did it in the first place. The two never saw them to be the ones to have any sort of relationship, especially with what they were being accused of.

“Doesn’t matter anymore.” Jinyoung said harshly. “It’s over and done with. We’d like to get past this.”

“And you.” Jinyoung said, whipping his head to look at Elsy. “Next time, try to keep your mouth shut while being out, yeah?”

“I get that you’re mad but no need to attack me.” Elsy retorted.

“If it wasn’t for you we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”

Just what Elsy needed, after the two had finally made up, here they were arguing yet again. “You have it easy anyways! Everyone’s going to probably see me differently now because of this, but you, you can still go on living your normal life.” Elsy argued.

“You don’t have anyone to blame but yourself for that.”

It was in that moment Elsy wanted nothing more than to strangle Jinyoung on the spot. She hated this side of him, not caring about how she felt and honestly how he only thought about himself. Elsy was tired of constantly getting attacked by Jinyoung over anything situation that involved her.

“It was actually my fault.” Jackson spoke up. “If I hadn’t said anything to Elsy about you two. She would have never mentioned it.”

“And how did you find out?” Jinyoung asked.

“I overheard you two talking.”

“Great.” Jinyoung huffed.

There was silence between the group again, all of them taking in the information about their two members. Elsy only hoped this wouldn’t ruin anything or her relationship with them. She wish there was a way she could take all of it back.

“Where are you going?” Youngjae questioned Jinyoung as he began moving forward to the door.

“I’m done here.” He replied. “Also Jiyeon, I think it’s best if we don’t see each other. At least until this blows over.”

Elsy was a bit hurt from his words, but knew it was for the best. Someone could have had suspicion of the two and they were seen with each other after this. The girl nodded, staying silent again.

She continued to think about everything that has happened from the moment she woke up. It was all too much for her. But she let out a small gasp when she thought about something else. More specifically, someone.

“Bang Chan.”

[lilydiaone]

Spoiler for 139 AOT

I know a lot people say they like the ending but personally I‘m really dissatisfied with it. It felt rushed and there are few characters whos end I actually liked. I‘m not gonna send death threaths over it like some people (that‘s messed up), still I like to make some points and see what the fraction that loved it has to say about it. I‘m gonna write down the ending of the important characters and what exactly I thought about it

Levi: I honestly liked his ending the best because I‘m so suprised he surrived at all. No but I liked how he ended up staying with Falco and Gabi, especially since he protected the latter in the last few chapters. I feel like he finally can live his life in peace. Really liked as well when he saw the rest of the deceased Survey Corp.

Gabi and Falco: Their reunion was really cute and I liked that. I do think after all these Falco being able to fly as a titan was kinda a plot device but I can live with it. However I wish Falco would‘ve been shown some reaction over his brothers death which he more or less caused. All in all I felt like everyone just kinda forgot Colt? Yeah but all in all okay.

Jean and Connie: Jean and Connies end was alright as well (though why did they thank Eren? but to that latter more). I‘m glad they didn‘t die and personally didn‘t feel it was neccessary for them to die. I also liked when they saw Sasha however I feel like they should‘ve seen Marco as well? Marco is singlehandly the reason why Jean joined the corps in the first place and I was bummed not to see him. I also would‘ve liked to see Connies mother... I would‘ve loved to see a reunin between her and Connie.

Pieck: I don‘t have much to say beside the fact, I‘m glad she surrived.

Reiner: Reiner is in my opion the one I was most suprised to see alive. I was sure he was gonna die but I‘m okay with it. The scene with his mother was nice and all but Reiner wanted to be a hero all his life and I‘m sad we didn‘t get to see more of it now that he basically is one. I also like to point out that Reiner was shown to be depressed and downright suicidal,this part of his story I feel like we didn‘t get any satisfactory conclusion. And his mother, we didn‘t see much of her but she felt a little out of character to me when she said she was fine with him not being a titan anymore when she pushed him into it since he was a child. But maybe she changed her mind with the rambling. Can live with that.

Annie: Her ending was alright as well but I feel like I‘m the only one who thinks her father is a bad guy. It‘s nice that he wanted her to come home but are we gonna forget that he mercilessly pushed he when she was nothing more but a child. Seriously he treated her horribly. I would‘ve like a solution with that. But you know what that‘s okay.

Historia: Her ending simply didn‘t make any sense. Back when she talked to Eren about what he was planning she was not okay with it but now she is the leader of the Yaegerists?! She apparently married the farmer which was kinda leftfield for me. It also feels like her pregnancy literally had no relevance for the story AT ALL. Like I was sure her baby would get a titan or anything but it was basically just used to sideline her, though I feel like they could‘ve sidelined her simply because she was the queen. Her ending didn‘t make ANY sense.

What truly made the ending horrible to me was the ending of the main trio. Here‘s why.

Eren: Look personally I was not a fan of Erens villian arc because such an emotional character suddenly was emotionless. I felt like you could‘ve handled it better. I even theorized he‘s only doing it because the other future he saw is literally so horrible there really is now other way but to become the villian. Eren killed 80% of humanity. That‘t a lot. He did it so his friends would be heros. AndI mean his friends alone. The rest of Paradis is fucked because everyone blames them. The worst thing is despite this plan, Sasha and Hange more or less died because of Eren. It is also rally shortsighted. The Eldians on the island are kinda worse off and I feel likeit was horrible of Eren to do this. In my eyes he‘s not redeemed at all. He‘s still a villian and a really bad one at that. The worst thing however was when everyone started thanking Eren, like his sacrifice was so great??? Like it literally benefitted 10 people at most. Killing millions of people for this was excessive and didn‘t change anything what he did. They all said him killing everyone was awful and if they instead of fighting him decided to stay on paradies the same thing would‘ve happend. It was still the same situation. why were they thanking him??? And it was revealed that he killed his mother by leading Dina to them. I‘m confused to why Dina couldn‘t eat Bertholt because that would‘ve meant they had another titan with Royal blood. I generally only see advantages to this (seriously can someone explain this to me???)

Armin: Honestly I‘ve been dissatisfied with Armins arc for a long time now. Back when Levi decided to give the titan to Armin instead of Erwin, I was a hundred percent sure it was the right move. Now I think this wouldn‘t have happened if Erwin was still alive. Since the very beginning Armin was smart and his smartness was played of as such an important thing but in the end it didn‘t matter at all. The only time I remember him using his brain after he became a titan was when they attacked Marley and even then Hange said it was was an Erwin like plan, so Erwin could‘ve come upmwith this as well. I held hope till the end that Armin would come up with some grand plan. He didn‘t he just talked to people (is this fucking Naruto?!) and then their minds were changed. His inteligence was totally forgotten. At the end he became the hero because he took credit for what Mikasa did (to his defence Mikasa didn‘t want it anyway but still). His entire arc was an disappointment and I don‘t understand why he was made Commander despite not doing anything other than crying over Eren when Jean was right there.

Mikasa: Mikasa was done by far the dirtiest. Like I can‘t even believe this. Personally I never liked how Mikasa was potrayed as totally dependant on Eren but this... Damn. The entire time I hoped Mikasa would realise that her love for Eren was not healthy especially when she stopped wearing the scarf. That did not happen. Look I know many people like Eren/Mikasa so I will not say what I thought about Erens admission that he wanted to be the only one she ever loved. What pissed me of was how the story tying Ymir and Mikasa together made no sense at all. Ymir loved King Fritz besides anything he did to her which is a pretty awful message but okay that wasn‘t the things that made me mad. Mikasa was the one that could stop it because she was kind of in a similiar position. Her relationship with Erem was toxic (before Eren/Mikasa shippers come for me it was when he was the villian and threathened to kill everyone, you can‘t deny that) and by breaking free of it Ymir would break free as well. But Mikasa didn‘t break free. She killed Ymir but we see her years later still pinning for Eren and sitting by his grave and fucking talking to him. How did she free Ymir from King Fritzs binds??? I really hate the idea that she never gets over Eren because after all that she still depends so much on him. Honestly by far the worst character ending.

All in all: All in all nothing really changed, everyone still hates Paradis making me feel like the rumbling was pointless. And I know many people say it‘s realistic and I agree it‘s realistic but why did Eren have to do that??? For what? The Eldian vs everyone else dynamic is still thereand nothing is solved. It just feels like there are gonna be many more years of war amd everything Eren did was utterly pointless. So yeah I didn‘t like it. It was rushed and just felt off. Still let me know what you think.

[ponds-of-ink]

One-Shot FNAF 3 AT + Sketch: “Springtrap’s Intervention“

”I’m not asking you to let me out,“ Springtrap insitsed as he slammed his padded paws on the table. “I’m asking you to let me… r-rest.”

The night-guard paused. “So, you’re not opposed to a little fire?” he asked cooly, flicking the lighter on. He stared at the miniature flame, then back at the rotten rabbit. ”How do I know it’s you and not your ‘playmate’ talking?”

Springtrap winced, risking his voice box shutting up again. “Because, most times, he tries to lead this game we play,” he reasoned, his eyes now directed at the cluttered desk. “If he were doing this now, he would definitely try to get me to walk out of the room. Too scared to face his fears, I guess.”

”Fears?”

”From what I get, he‘s terrified of death above all else,” Spring explained, lifting his head. “Of course, he’s got other things, too. I‘ve heard him rambling on and on and on about stuff you’d probably never guess.”

”I can think of a few things,” muttered the listener, shaking his head. “But enough about that. You’re saying that what I’m about to do would scare him, ironically, to death?”

”It would freeze him up like you’ve blasted a ice ray to his feet,” the rabbit chuckled hoarsely. “But I’m not gonna go further than that. Look, I don’t like what he’s done, but I’ve promised myself never to tattle on him. Especially since we’re linked.”

The night guard nodded thoughtfully. He shut off the lighter and set it down. “I’m going to let you leave, then watch you through the cameras,” he explained as he pulled out the monitor. “If everything goes right, you‘ll be in the Safe Room without any… interruptions. I light the place, you get your rest along with everyone else. Sound good?”

”It sounds like a dream come true!” Springtrap chuckled wearily. “But I shouldn’t worry about him waking up anytime soon. I think you’ve rocked him to sleep somehow. Like giving a villain a lullaby in the old cartoons.”

The night guard furrowed his brow, but shrugged it off. “Thank you for your time, Spring-Bonnie,” he concluded as he sat back down in his chair. “This has been very insightful.”

”You’re welcome, Mr. Guard,” Springtrap grinned. “And thank you for listening!” With more energy than he ever had in his entire week, he skipped away from the room and entered the first hall. The guard followed him through each camera. So far, so good. Then came the next chamber. Still no fighting from William? The man’s expression darkened. Was this a trap from Afton or was Spring being genuinely oblivious? As soon as the rabbit made it to the Safe Room, the guard turned on his microphone. “One more thing I should mention,” he said, alerting the rabbit. “From what I’ve heard, Mr. Afton had three children. Two sons, one daughter. Does any of this ring any bells?”

Springtrap tapped his foot. “I remember two boys who’d always stop by Fredbear and me,” he explained with a huff. “But I don’t see how that means—“

”Do you remember the daughter?”

Spring stopped. His ears raised. “Only in passing,” he noted with a hum. “Will’s been seeing her in his sleep recently. Something about a place called Circus Baby‘s. And… an accident.”

”An accident?”

The rabbit put a hand to his face. “Turns out he built some bots with extra perks Mr. Henry couldn’t put in us,” he grumbled. “Listen, we have no time to lose. If you want to find out more about it, you’ll have to go and read up.”

”Very well,” the night guard answered, relieving some of the tension. “Looks like my learning’s only getting started.” Sounds of shuffling broke the silence as the rabbit placed himself in the position he started in. He could feel his robotic body tremble as he sat there. How much longer…??

”It’s all set,” announced the voice somberly yet with a hint of triumph. “As soon as I turn off the PA, I will be running outside while the flames start rising. Anything you want to say?”

Springtrap looked up at that wall-fastened box with a broken grin. “I just hope my legacy lives on and not Will’s,” he admitted softly. “But, maybe with your help, you’ll have just made it happen. Thank you, …Michael.”

Michael jumped at the name. Not only the name, but also the tone. ”Father?” he asked, a cold sweat overcoming him. “Are you saying this or did Spring Bonnie recognize me?”

But Springtrap didn’t answer. He lowered his head and seemed to shut off. A few seconds later, a loud click emitted from the PA. He remained motionless as a faint orange glow shone brighter and brighter.

As for Michael, he was panting next to his car while the fire spread. He sifted over everything they had just talked over. Circus Baby‘s, his father’s fear of death, the fact that Springtrap somehow knew it was him but didn’t say anything… The more he thought about it, the more an answer became clear. Somehow, William was playing Spring Bonnie one last time. And, even more so than ever, his performance felt sincere.

[teeztheflag]

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Wolf!Ateez Reaction to another member hunting down their mate

trigger warning! ⚠️ strong language, suggestive, alcohol, violence, non con themes, non con marking, kidnapping, angst, mentions of rape, sexual harassment (don’t read if you’re uncomfortable with those topics)

a/n: please notice that this is not related to the other wolf!ateez reaction/s; I hope you like it anon 💋 although I changed this request a little bit like I always do 👀 and please, always keep my disclaimer in mind!

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k i m h o n g j o o n g

„alpha, I think they’re coming tonight...“ he concentrated on the papers in front of him and just let out a hm. he knew they would come... the only safe place for his mate was in his arms and the highest priority to keep you safe. as the luna of the pack everyone wanted to protect you.

the one desiring you a rebellious werewolf of a rival pack called choi jong ho. it wasn’t unusual some wolfs tried to steal away mates and especially lunas from other packs if they were said to be gorgeous and in good shape for giving strong pups.

unfortunately you were quite the catch and the still unmated wolf wanted to steal you away from hong joong. the fresher the bond was the higher the chance to complete a mating process with another wolf and hong joong feared for that so much ...

as the night came you were cuddled in hong joong‘s arms in your bed and slowly drifting off to sleep. hong joong tried to steady his breathing to not interrupt you but when howls could be heard he knew it was about to begin. you stirred in your sleep and the young alpha took you bridal style into a secret room under the house. you shot him a questioning look and he hushed you with a sweet kiss.

„stay here my love and don’t make a sound.“

with that he left the house and changed into his wolf to fight off the scum that wanted to take his precious mate. he arrived at the borders where werewolves already lunged at each other and started to fight the intruders. after a while they managed to overpower the rival pack but hong joong noticed something really bad... where was jong ho? pure horror filled his mind when he ran back to his mate as fast as he could but he already was too late...

the attack only intended to distract him so jong ho could get you... he had been so dumb! he plumped to the ground and cried into his hands... his beta put a hand on his shoulder and sighed.

„we will get her back... she’s our luna.“

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p a r k s e o n g h w a

seong hwa usually was a calm boy with good manners. he tried to avoid fights at all costs although he was well skilled but when you and the black wolf went to the annual mate festival of your region a mistake was made.

jung woo young decided to attend the festival, too. a young wolf that once trained with seong hwa back in an advanced camp for skilled fighters. seong hwa and woo young had quite the problematic relationship ship as the younger one loved to get on his nerves all the time. seong hwa didn’t really know why woo young hated him so much... but when he saw him being accompanied by some of his friends entering the area his grip around your waist automatically became stronger.

he tried to avoid the younger like a plague but eventually you had to go to the toilet some time and that’s when woo young took his chance. he ordered his friends to attack seong hwa and distract him so he could get you when you left the restrooms.

„what are you d-“ a cloth has been out over your nose and mouth and you fell unconscious at the scent that drifted off of it.

you awakened in a room handcuffed to a bed still dizzy and your wolf already scared and sick worried for your mate. „where’s seong hwa? where’s our mate, y/n?“

„so you’re awake, love“ a boy came through the door and emerged your form on the bed with confident steps.

„who are you?! and why am I here?“ you struggled and tried to shift but something stopped you from doing so.

„don’t even try. those are magical cuffs. I brought you here because I am going to make you mine.“ he smirked at you and crawled on top of you securing your hands above you with a tight grip. you tried to struggle out but he just laughed at you and neared your neck with his emerged fangs.

„this is going to hurt a little bit, well at least I‘ve heard that...“ you cried out loud when he left a deep dirty mark over your mate‘s one.

„s-seong hwa...”

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j e o n g y u n h o

jeong yun ho had everything... the looks, the popularity and the prettiest girl out of the pack. yeo sang could only scoff at the way he was holding hands with you at his birthday party and having this dumb grin on his face whenever you would say something or someone would compliment the two of you. he was sick of it.

how much he’d like to wipe that smirk off his face... if he just wouldn’t have you... maybe than he wouldn’t be so happy anymore.

„yeo sang? don’t you want your birthday present now?“ he flinched a little bit don’t realizing you were standing in front of him smiling so sweetly. oh how he loved you, you and him were the best friends until mr. lover came.

„do I?“ your eyebrows furrowed at his words not really getting his hostility.

„don’t be like this... come on! I want to show you something!“ you grabbed his hand and left the place with him to bring you two to your old favorite secret spot deep in the forest where a little pond was located. yeo sang couldn’t believe what he saw, you managed to put candles everywhere and prepared something like a picnic but with a bottle of tequila.

„why did you do that?“

„why not? it’s your birthday and I thought we could take a swim again; you know, like back when we were younger... and you looked pretty bored back at the party.“ you shyly fiddled with your fingers thinking it was a bad idea. yeo sang on the other hand found it really cute that you were thinking he didn’t appreciate your afford.

he smiled at you and started to get out of his shirt. you smirked at him and soon you were giggling and playing in the water. why couldn’t every day be like this again... or maybe it could be? after some time the playing turned into something more heated and you soon realized that your wolf wasn’t really into another man touching you at places he shouldn’t... you struggled out of his touch but yeo sang let his inner beast free and dragged you back to the land to crawl over you and leave marks all over your neck and breast while holding you still.

you being paralyzed tried to scream or cry but nothing came out, too shocked at yeo sang’s actions. suddenly yun ho ripped the boy off your body and back to the ground, growling so loud yeo sang changed into his wolf. yun ho felt that something was wrong and knowing where you wanted to bring yeo sang he decided to check and seeing the boy harassing you made his blood boil.

a fight began and yun ho definitely was a lot bigger than yeo sang and used this to win over the other wolf. finally yeo sang stopped and crawled back to a tree licking his wound.

„if you ever lay a finger on her again I won’t hesitate to snap you neck!“

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k a n g y e o s a n g

yeo sang usually has been a very cautious wolf and knew his mate was a beauty around the female wolves. you still being unmarked and not mated with yeo sang, yet, got flirting remarks here and there. his friends told him that there was a boy from the rival pack, where you originally belonged to, that was still after you. his name was jeong yun ho.

to his bad luck at a night out with your and his friends yun ho happened to be in the club, too. yeo sang didn’t know the guy that suddenly went to the dance floor wrapping his arm around your waist and whispering something into your ear. yeo sang trusted you and hoped you would get out of the situation on your own but when he saw you searching for him in the location his wolf told him he had to help you. he should mark his territory and only once not back up.

without realizing he stood up and emerged your forms on the dance floor. the atmosphere changed and people made space for you.

„haha, don’t tell me this is the fool you were leaving me for?“ yun ho placed his chin on the top of your shoulder and smirked provocatively at your mate.

„let go yun ho! he’s my mate!“

„yeah, but he didn’t even try to make this official... maybe he just doesn’t want you as much as me?“

„take your hands off her or I will make you.“

yeo sang’s friends and yun ho’s were gathering behind the boys ready to attack. although yeo sang was quite scared he felt the urge to be brave for you. yun ho let go of you and positioned you behind him.

„tell me, little boy... why didn’t you marked or mated with her yet? you aren’t man enough for her!“

„why do you think I have to rush those kind of things? not everyone’s a dick like you fucking around and thinking a bond can only be made by doing those things. what connects me and y/n is much deeper and I know you are someone who will never understand those kind of things...“

people whistled and howled at yeo sang’s words and girls swooned over the young wolf. yun ho‘s cocky attitude slipped. he wasn’t used to be put down like that only knowing one way to win a fight. before he could take a hold of himself the bodyguards of the club interrupted the scene and everyone went their own way again, you two deciding to leave.

yeo sang drove in silence and you took his one hand to put it into your lap.

„you know, I never knew you thought of our relationship like that... I really like it.“ yeo sang sensed you blushing beside him and his wolf felt proud at your words.

„it’s because I value you as the person I love and we are the only ones who make the rules for our relationship.“

you smiled at him, knowing you couldn’t get a better mate like kang yeo sang.

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c h o i s a n

hong joong knew he had to have you. a white wolf was considered to have best genes to bear strong pups. the first time he saw you he deeply fell in love... just when he planned to confess to you and make you his luna you found your mate, choi san. a dirty omega of your own pack. hong joong had been devastated... but he heard of a way to make you his and he decided he would do anything to get you.

„let go of me!“

„what’s wrong with her, why is she struggling so much? y/n? do you hear me? you’re safe now! kim hong joong kidnapped you but we managed to free you from his pack!“ jong ho didn’t know what was wrong with you but when he saw the look on san‘s face he knew his heart literally broke at the sight his mate acted like that.

„y/n, my love... don’t you recognize me? what did that bastard do to you?!“

„who - who the hell are you?!“

„me...? I am your mate, oh my god, what did they do...“ he stroked you face while they bondaged you to the wall in the dungeon not knowing how to cope with your fighting against them.

„you have to be delusional. I don’t know you and my mate is kim hong joong. now let me go!“

he stopped in his tracks and sadly watched you crying and being scared of his touch. san didn’t know what was going on... seong hwa entered the room overhearing the talking outside.

„I didn’t even know this was possible... but I think y/n’s under a spell. a strong spell to admit, possibly done by a witch.“

„what the fuck? how did they got a witch to do that?“

„I don’t know... but only a witch can heal her. we can rescue her but I won’t need to tell you that it’s going to be hell dangerous.“

„you know I would do anything for my mate!“ they both nodded at san and exchanged looks to leave him a little bit alone with you. you scoffed at the boy pretending to be your mate when he neared your form on the ground.

„don’t worry my love, I will find a way.“ his eyes watered at your bored stare...

hong joong was in his office looking over some notes when his beta opened the door.

„everything‘s going well. they have her but she doesn’t remember san.“ hong joong devilishly smirked at him and dismissed him with a swift wave of his hand.

soon you would be back in his bed and he could complete the marking and mating; a prestigious future awaitening the two of you.

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s o n g m i n g i

it wasn’t a secret the light and the shadow pack always had a big disput, maybe even linked to their contrary names... they always competed against each other; like the girls comparing who had the more prettier ones, the boys fighting against each other or alone the two alphas getting on each others’ nerves whenever there was a chance.

song min gi also participated in those horseplays and his favorite opponent from the rival pack was the beta park seong hwa. they always teased each other, hyping eachother up who could run faster, have more girls, win more fights, kill off more rogues and hunters... it all ended soon when min gi found his mate, y/l/n y/n. you found the antics your pack made silly and were quite shocked when you and min gi turned out to be mates, but he changed for you.

much to the displease of park seong hwa. he was literally bored, hearing from the omegas that min gi found his mate and didn’t want to compete with him anymore...

wolves were really prideful and always in for a strength measurement, it practically was anchored in their nature. as seong hwa was a boy who cared for nothing he decided he wanted his fun back, so he made a plan to kill you. having an angry min gi would mean he would feel the urge to fight against him again.

it was one night when you went for a run in the woods. you still were on your territory but far away from the zivilisation of your pack. seong hwa took his chance and attacked you. he managed to cut deep into your waist with his fangs and licked his blood smeared snout when you tried to limp into the direction of your home. you let out a loud howl in the hope someone heard you.

min gi instantly awakened knowing something was off. he changed into his wolf form and sped into the direction he could make out your scent. he mind-linked the guards who told him they were on their way.

„y/n? where are you?“

turning around another tree there were you. your fury neck between seong hwa‘s canines ready to break it.

„what are you doing you bastard!“ but it already was too late when he lunged forward and seong hwa bit hard into your flesh. you let out a howl, luckily the guards arrived and seong hwa knew he couldn’t win this fight. min gi was about to join the others in hunting the beta but his wolf held him back and urged him to get to you. he changed back into his human form tears already running down his face like a waterfall.

„oh no, my dear y/n...“ you were really lucky seong hwa wasn’t able to break your neck and your genes speeding up the healing process, but you had to be stationed into the pack hospital for over four weeks being put into a artificial coma.

„y/n, I am swearing this time was enough... the alpha said there‘s going to be a war. I promise you no one will ever hurt you again because I am going to kill park seong hwa.“ he took your hand into his kissing the top of it. every day he came to the hospital sitting by your side and speaking to you...

park seong hwa crossed a border and min gi would make sure he would pay for it.

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j u n g w o o y o u n g

although choi san has been from a pack his own wasn’t on good terms so much. the two had been the best friends since one could think of. that’s why woo young wouldn’t have ever thought san would make a move on his own mate...

it was typical night back at your and woo young‘s apartment only san being there this time as all your other friends either canceled or have been too engulfed into the heating session this spring. your waves came occasionally but as you mate took care of you yesterday you were certain this evening nothing would happen.

„oh shit, I forgot the salsa sauce!“ your’s and san‘s gaze drifted off the couch to where woo young was searching in the refrigerator.

„you know there‘s no chance we‘re eating tortillas without salsa.“

„yeah, just start the movie... I am driving to the store and get some. I won’t take too long!“

he took his keys and gave you a last quick peck on your lips to leave, not noticing san‘s eyes focused a little bit too much on the little gesture. after some minutes you playing with your phone and occasionally watching the movie you gasped when you suddenly felt san‘s hand at your slit. just when you wanted to shout at him, smack him or anything out of shock a deep wave of pleasure came over you.

it was risky. female wolves sending off vibes to the male ones in heat... not only the mate could smell the arousing scent but the others, too. that’s why mated pairs usually sticked to each other at those times. what san was doing at this moment was the shittiest thing someone could do, not only betraying his friend like this but taking advantage of your vulnerable state, too.

he smirked at your moaning form you not being able to do anything but melting into his touch... you hated it but your body betrayed you because of the stupid animal in you.

„s - san, please, stop...“

„you don’t mean that. you know, I think I could make you moan my name louder than woo‘s able to.“ your eyes widen at his statement

„w - what do you mean.“ he only increased his pressure on your sensitive spot and neared your ear to tickle it with his hot breath „I mean, the times I slept over... you don’t really think I didn’t hear you?“ you blushed at that. a tear escaped you and you just hoped he would end this nonsense...

„what the actual - “ woo young let the bag fall to the ground and you heard the glass splitter. he lunged forward and grabbed san by his hair to smash him into the wall, a picture crashing down in the process.

„you motherfucker! what do you think you’re doing with my mate?!“ his fist meets san‘s cheek and the boy grins while blood is tickling down his chin

„you’re my bestfriend! you damn know she’s in heat!“

„I am not your bestfriend! I just waited for the chance to destroy you! the alpha told me how your pack uses every chance to discriminate us! and I know to hurt you I have to take what you love the most...“ his gaze drifts to your still shaking form on the couch. woo young follows his gaze and feels his canines grow at the statement. he watches san and just feels anger and betrayal but instead of snapping his neck he let go of him.

„fuck off. if I every see you on our land again I will kill you. and don’t dare to look into her direction ever again!“ with that san leaves the place and you put your face into your hands too ashamed of what happened.

„y/n...“

„don’t! I am disgusting! I couldn’t hold myself back I really tried and fought but I wasn’t strong enough... I am so sorry woo young... I don’t deserve you.“ you hiccuped and cried but woo young managed to get your face into his own hands staring deeply into your eyes.

„it wasn’t your fault, he knew what time it is and took advantage of it... I would never doubt your love and loyalty to me.“ he took you into his arms and let you cry into him. what really hurt the most was the fact the his once best friend hated him from the beginning... he knew you could never hurt him like he did.

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c h o i j o n g h o

„choi jong ho! you didn’t really put a bet on me? I am definitely not going on a date with this guy!“

„of course you won’t go... min gi cheated I just have to prove this...“

„you know what? fuck off, if you’re handling me like I am a damn trophy or something like that I will go on that stupid date and we will see how you’re coping with that!“

„y/n, please wait!“ jong ho tried to stop you but you were already emerging min gi and his friends position right over the fighting field. you knew he came from a rival pack and since the fightings started he glanced over at you from time to time. your wolf tried to stop you and told you it was a dumb idea to anger your mate more than he already was but you knew jong ho lost and a debt had to be paid.

„stop!“

„don’t make a fool out of yourself, jong ho. I could smell y/n‘s arousal back over here when you told her the news!“ his friends snickered behind him and you were embarrassingly blushing at his statement although you were sure none other than your mate himself could make you feel this way.

an idea plopped into jong ho‘s mind. he knew min gi was too much into competitions. „how about a rematch? you can have her for one night but only if you’re able to catch her the first when she’s hiding in the forest.“

your eyes widened at your mate‘s statement. now he really lost all of his brain.

„choi jong h-“

„alright.“ huh? you really didn’t know who was dumber...

but you soon found yourself running into the forest and searching for a good hiding place. min gi and jong ho got themselves ready to hunt you. jong ho mentally smiled to himself, min gi was unmated and didn’t know what your mates scent smelled like... it was the most delicious thing a wolf‘s nose could ever encounter. he definitely would be able to get to you sooner than the dumb boy.

they started to rush through the woods and jong ho luckily already got a good track of your smell and followed the trail to you. and it came how it had to come. jong ho won the battle and min gi was so furious he crashed down a whole tree to get rid off his anger; his friends scolding him off being so dumb to join another competition and losing the date with you.

you were currently cuddled in jong ho‘s lap back in the pack house. he buried his nose into your neck and sighed.

„I am still mad, you know?“ you turned your head to look at him and saw him pouting at you knowing it was your sweet spot for him.

„I am going to be a good mate from now on.“

„no competitions?“

„no competitions anymore, promise.“

„hey, jong ho! the others want you to join us in arm-wrestling-“ jong ho just was about to push you out of his lap when you scoffed at him to which the stopped in his tracks.

„haha, right... no competitions anymore. but for how long?“ you rolled with your eyes laughing out... what a mate you got.

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↺ back to navi

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[jbbuckybarnes]

List of Firsts

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader (2k) Description: You’re working on a movie project with Sebastian & Anthony in Atlanta and the topic of “Experiences in your late teens and early twenties” comes up. Warnings: anxiety, panic attack, not proofread A/N: I don’t write much RPF anymore, so I hope this doesn’t read too awkward.

Masterlist

You had been experiencing a lot of great things on set. Not only was this your first role you ever got, it was also a freaking side role in a few episodes of a Marvel series. With the potential to become something bigger. But that wasn‘t the main reason why it was great. You finally got the positivity you had been craving all your life. The man playing Bucky Barnes, Sebastian, had been an absolute delight to be around. Always joking, always listening and always getting way too deep and philosophical. Anthony had the joking part down and whenever you had a bad day on set you just stood around him to get some of that positivity. „So I gave her a piggyback ride so we could get out of there without her whining about her feet hurting.“ Seb talked about some party a couple years back with a big smile. „I‘ve never gotten a piggyback ride.“ You commented looking up at the sky. You two were on daybeds and had a break from filming. He looked at you with a frown, „Excuse me? You‘ve never had fun in your life?“ You chuckled, „I guess so.“ It kind of hurt to know that you didn‘t have the life you wanted until now. You barely had any friends and never really got out of the house. The last big memories you had made were 4 years ago. „You know, I just didn‘t do a lot of cool or random things until now. I was either the annoying girl or an outsider. And when that started to change my anxiety hit and I isolated myself. So I never really had late teens or early twenties to just have fun,“ you explained. „Gosh, sorry, that probably sounded really mean then.“ He frowned thinking about his comment. „It‘s alright. I‘m used to it.“ You mumbled. „Do you have a list, you know, of things that you haven‘t done and still want to do?“ He asked curiously. „Like a list of firsts? No. It would probably be super long, especially when you include a food section.“ You chuckled at the image of Spongebob‘s endless list in your mind. „Name one.“ „Gosh, I don‘t know, holding hands? Cooking with someone that‘s not family? Forehead kisses? Oh, I have a good one, water pistol fight.“ You giggled and saw him light up a bit. „And food?“ „Sushi, Poptarts, any Thai food pretty much, Tapas.“ You counted them off. „We‘re gonna have sushi for dinner then.“ He decided in disbelief and made you laugh. You knew he just wanted everyone to be happy around here. It showed in his little efforts to make you feel more comfortable.

___

„Here.“ He held out a water pistol to you the weekend after you had talked. „Wait, what?“ You looked up at him confused. „It‘s hot, we‘re in Atlanta and we happen to have an outdoor pool in this hotel, so I bought these.“ He shrugged as if it was nothing. „Seb, I‘m wearing white.“ Your right eyebrow shot up. A shrug came back again with a sly smile, „Shit happens.“ He ran towards the pool to fill up his water pistol, „No!“ You ran after him with yours and the fight had begun. A splash of water drenched your shirt, showing your black sports bra underneath. You retaliated and aimed at his chest while trying to get into a hiding spot. „Nice bra.“ He laughed like a little boy. „Nice abs, macho.“ You rolled your eyes aiming at him from your spot behind a pillar. His hair was hit and ruined with a celebratory laugh from you as he started charging for you, making you run with a giggle. The back of your shirt was hit too, as well as your hair. „Seb!“ you squeaked out and hid behind another pillar where a back and forth ensued. „You‘re an idiot.“ You laughed before he leapt forward and grabbed you to empty the rest of the water he had onto your head with a big pout from you. „Just because you‘re bigger than me.“ You crossed your arms as the water ran down your shoulders. „Poor baby.“ He cooed before unexpectedly getting the rest of your water straight into his face. „You play dirty, I see.“ He smirked mischievously with water droplets from his hair hitting your face that had a giant grin on it. You reached down to wring out your shirt, „Do you have anything to change into? My stuff is in the washing machine downstairs.“ „Uh, yeah.“ he mumbled before getting off his shirt and wringing it out too. Half an hour later you sat in the lobby with a big hoodie and a cup of tea. Even better, you sat there being held warm by a certain idiot.

___

„Hey, what‘s wrong, darling.“ He asked softly leaning forward to meet you at eye level. „Nothing, I‘m just having a headache and feel very dizzy. I‘ll survive it,“ you mumbled and cuddled deeper into the coat your character was usually wearing. „Already took a painkiller?“ His head dipped to the side and you nodded a little weak. „Sebastian, Y/N, next scene.“ An assistant knocked at the door. „Coming in a second,“ he answered. He held out both of his hands to help you up and saw you almost fall back again. „Oh, dear.“ He exhaled at your state of health. „Did someone stick a knife in my head?“ You asked defeated. „C‘mon, take my hand. You‘ll sit down in between takes and I‘ll stare down everybody that wants you to overwork yourself.“ He grabbed your hand softly and felt you squeeze it back for stabilization. The rest of the day was spent in front of the camera, on a chair with a water bottle or hanging onto him for dear life to not trip. „Thank you,“ you mumbled by the end of the day and had two giant hands on your head, slowly pushing down on pain points. „Hey, I know how fucking awful it is to work with a knife in your head.“ He chuckled. „You didn‘t have to do it though.“ You shrugged and relaxed a little at the pain points in your neck being released. „Okay, that might hurt a little more.“ He mumbled as he pushed the points connecting neck and shoulders. An uncomfortable whimper left you, „Ouch.“ „Sorry.“ He went over them softly and had you fall against his chest seconds later. „God, I feel so much better now.“ Your voice was muffled against his clothes and he gave you a full bear hug, side to side swaying and all. „Can I always have someone like you when I feel bad?“ You asked looking up with a tired smile and got a grin back.

___

„You two are cute, you know?“ Anthony commented as Sebastian looked over to you filming a scene alone. „What do you mean?“ A brow shot up as he looked to his friend. „Everyone‘s been saying that you both, uh, spent some time alone in your trailer last week after we wrapped.“ A cheeky grin came back. A frown built on his face, „Yeah, she had a headache and I just did that pain point thing my mom always did to me when I was younger.“ „Then why have you been holding hands that entire day?“ Now Anthony‘s brow shot up. „She was tripping all over the place because the headache made her dizzy. So I just helped her to not fall on her face all day.“ „Oh. So that‘s why she sat so much between takes.“ „Do you wanna tell me,“ His hand went over his face, „That people see me holding someone‘s hand and immediately assume I just-“ „I mean, it‘s not half bad. There are worse people to be your rumor girlfriend.“ His friend chuckled and stopped pretty fast at the concerned face. „I just...She told me a bit about herself and how her life was before this and I‘m honestly just trying to make her days a little bit brighter. I don‘t wanna come off that way.“ „Hey, don‘t get in your head about it. She clearly enjoys being around you too.“ A smile. „I‘m not int-“ „Anthony!“ And he needed to film his next scene. You looked over to him in the chair as you talked to someone from the production for a while, but when you wanted to walk towards him he was gone. And he was for the rest of the day unless he needed to film. The same happened the next day and the day after. „Anthony?“ „Huh?“ „Is there something wrong with Sebastian?“ His face got worried, „Not that I know of, why?“ „I don‘t know. He just hasn‘t talked to me in a few days and I don‘t know why.“ You fidgeted with your hands. „I‘ll talk to him, alright?“ A nod and then you got back to work.

___

You got all internal about it. What did you do wrong? Did you say something hurtful? Did something bad happen in his life that he didn‘t want to share? Maybe you were just not a priority with all his friends around, you‘d understand that. But why was he in his trailer all the time then? You woke up the next day and had an anxious and sad feeling sticking to you the entire morning. You could handle certain uncertainties but not the ones that had to do with people around you. After a while you got ready for the day and went into hair and makeup. He was no different today. Well, a little different. He wasn‘t in his trailer the entire time anymore. Whenever you weren‘t needed you just cowered together in a chair or some other place. Your breathing got uneven, your thoughts started to spiral, heart rate picked up, palms got sweaty, your knees shaky. „Oh please no,“ you whispered to yourself. Anxiety attacks you could control, panic attacks only came when you were stressed out and without a trigger. You hectically looked up and looked around in your cotton-feeling world, when you saw him talk to one of his friends. You made a beeline for him with a deep frown in your face that he couldn‘t ignore and couldn‘t run from. Your head landed on his chest and with a whimper you got out, „Panic attack.“ You felt arms wrap around you softly and a thumb going through your hair. „I‘m here. Breathe slowly,“ he murmured in a soft voice. You followed the 5-6-7 rule for what felt like an hour, your knees feeling more and more like jello. He got down a little and picked you up, „Keep it up.“ He carried you away from all the noise and into a room drowning it all out. „You made me so worried,“ you whimpered, „What did I do?“ „I‘m sorry, you did nothing. I just...I guess I‘m just an idiot.“ „Yeah, but why?“ You looked up at him as he set you back down. „There was a rumor about...us. And I didn‘t want that to, you know, ruin anything.“ You dipped your head to the side, „I don‘t care about rumors.“ „Yeah, usually me neither, but I guess there was something to it when it comes to me.“ he shrugged. „Please never do that again. I thought I did something bad,“ you mumbled and felt his hands by your face again. „Promise.“ A kiss was placed on your forehead.

___

„So, uh,“ he stood there with a demeanor of a schoolboy on one of your location shooting days, „would you, after we filmed today, maybe, you know, grab something to eat with me?“ „Yeah, sure.“ You shrugged. „As...like a date.“ He added a little softer and scrunched up his face expecting a bad response. „Oh, uh,“ You could feel the heat rise up to your face, „Y-yeah. Sure.“ You saw triumph on his face and boxed him against the chest, „You said grab, not sitting in a loud restaurant.“ „Uuuh, you wanna cook with someone else for the first time?“ He wiggled his brows. „Someone that can‘t cook, may I add.“ You rolled your eyes with a smile. „Congratulations, you signed up for a whole series of firsts just with having me cook.“ He laughed before you were sent to do your job again. A job that went by way faster with something to look forward to.

[disbander-of-armies]

2020 tag

I was tagged by the wonderful @hiddenlookingglass! Thank you!

Rules: answer the questions about 2020 and tag some people to pass it on!

Favorite films you watched in 2020? Waves, Phoenix (2014), 1917

Favorite TV shows you watched in 2020? Unorthodox, The Good Place, The Queen’s Gambit, and just finished and loved The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. I also watched Barbarians. The plot is only meh imo but the spoken Latin is excellent!

Favorite songs you listened to in 2020? I don’t really have any because I hardly ever listen to songs, I much prefer soundtracks. I‘ve already mentioned it but this piece from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack has helped me a lot lately. And I really like this remix of the Vikings intro song.

Favorite books you read in 2020?

 -Fiction: Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (really anything by Le Guin is great, Lavinia is one of the best myth retellings I’ve read so far!), Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, Der Tag, an dem mein Großvater ein Held war (The Day my Grandfather was a Hero) by Paulus Hochgatterer

-Non-Fiction: Big Gods by Ara Norenzayan, Ghost on the Throne by James Romm (about the years following Alexander the Great’s death - it reads like a novel!), Ordinary Men by Christopher R. Browning, Biased by Jennifer Eberhardt

How did you spend your birthday this year? My birthday is in June and since we didn’t have any special restrictions during that time it wasn’t different from any other year, which was nice.

What was your most memorable day this year? One was definitely the day of my oral exam for a class where we translated a song from Homer’s Iliad. I feel really honored by the feedback the professor gave me. They told me that they can’t give me the best grade because I wasn’t as good as the others (most of the other students were from the Classical Philology department, which focuses heavily on Ancient Greek and Latin. I’m from the Ancient History branch which focuses on history and culture and has very few mandatory language classes. I’d love to do both but I just don’t have the time). But they also told me that I was the only non-Classical Philology student that didn’t drop out at some point during the semester (I had no idea because everything was online) and they really appreciated all the honest and hard work I put into my translations.

I just appreciate it so much that this professor gave me honest feedback but at the same time saw my love and ambition. I know it will take me a much longer time than others to be able to reach a really good level of Ancient Greek reading comprehension but I am as determined as ever!

What was the most memorable meal you had this year? Eating pizza on a roof terrace in Naples on a warm summer night.

Did you find any new hobbies or interests in quarantine? I started doing yoga. I took a break later on but a friend of mine is giving online lessons now so I started again.

What was the last big thing you remember doing B. C. (before Covid)? I was at a good friend’s birthday party. A lot of nice people and great food, what more could you want?

Positive things that happened to you/biggest lessons learned in 2020? These are actually two separate questions but I want two answer them as one because I think in my case it makes more sense. It’s also the reason I’m doing this ask meme. I’ve already done quite a few of these and I don’t want my blog to become too monotonous but I think this is an important lesson to learn that I want to share.

This year really sucked. One big setback was that my landlord decided it was a good idea to terminate the lease of my roommate and me during the pandemic (class act). I first wanted to move in with a friend but this didn’t work out so I had to move back in with my parents.

And now I’m just ... so thankful it turned out that way. As I’ve already mentioned, my guinea pig Mia had to be put to sleep on December 25th. The last few years, I always left in the morning of December 24th (after filling the cage with veggies and hay of course) to go to my parents and returned in the evening of December 25th. This year I didn’t and so I immediately noticed in the morning of the 25th that something was wrong with her and took her to the vet. If it had been like the years before, she would have had to suffer a whole day and I would have had a huge shock when coming home and probably wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself. But this way I was able to get help as quick as possible and had someone there to give me a hug.

I still think 2020 sucked. But this way I can make my peace with it a little bit and that is the lesson I take away from it: There are still things to be thankful for even in dark times like these.

What are you most looking forward in 2021? Things returning to (somewhat) normal and me continuing to improve my French skills (I’ve been doing French on Duolingo for a few months now and I hope I’ll stick with it)

[lranyc]

Thank you to @allons-y--spaceman for helping me get this in the right shape and for encouraging me to start writing at all! All mistakes are mine.

Enjoy reading!

_______________________________________________

Prompt: Sharon and Andy going star gazing at the observatory.

“Wow!”, her eyes and mouth opened wide. He was definitely stunned. He was observing her features in the shadows created by the faint lights on the inside of the observatory and the moonlight shining in the night sky, “This is amazing, Andy!”. Sharon’s face was one huge grin. Her eyes were sparkling, those beautiful emerald green eyes of hers and he couldn’t get enough of it. Of those eyes, of her.

“I knew you’d like it”. Andy walked towards her and put his arms around her waist from behind. A few seconds passed before he said, "You know I love you, right?!” He was holding on to her a little tighter and Sharon could feel it.

She smiled to herself, “Andy, of course I do," and turned around in his arms. Then her expression changed and she frowned, “I love you, too, but what’s gotten into you? Are you okay? You’ve been strange the entire day and I’m worried about you.“

“I... No, Sharon, I’m fine. I just, uh, ”Andy stammered but when he saw the worried look on her face, he knew he couldn’t make this about himself. She was so happy just a few minutes ago, so he continued, “I‘ve got a surprise for you.“

Sharon was confused. He could see it. Her head changed position and she leaned back from him, "Andy, this was already a great surprise and I loved it. I always wanted to visit an observatory and watch the stars. Did you even look through that telescope?” Sharon said, pointing at it. "It’s just amazingly beautiful how clearly you can see the stars," her face started to light up again and those eyes of hers began to sparkle once more while she was talking so eagerly about what she just saw, "It’s like they are right in front of you!”

Andy had to smile. She was just so adorable when she was excited about something. He cupped her cheeks with both hands and kissed her gently, "Then you’ll love what will come next even more," he told her, their faces where only inches apart now, "Just close your eyes and trust me.”

Without another word Sharon closed her eyes and held on tightly to Andy’s hand and left arm as he let his hands slip from her cheeks down to his sides.

He lightly pulled her with him as he started walking towards their destination.

Not long after, Sharon broke the silence, "Where are we going?"

"You’ll see. We are almost there. Juuust wait...," Andy said, before continuing “aaaand, here we are.”

Sharon wanted to say something but before she could, Andy added, "Keep your eyes closed.”

He led her a few more steps ahead and told her to sit down and lie back.

"Andy what are we doing?” she asked, with a little uncertainty in her voice. Man, if she didn’t love that man so much. But she did love him and trust him with everything she had and so she did what she was told. It felt like she was lying on a lounger, not an overly comfortable one because it was hard but at least there was a small pillow placed under her head.

She felt Andy move, presumably lying down beside her but she couldn’t be sure because next thing she knew, she felt his hands gently cupping her face again.

She loved when he did that.

He pressed a light kiss on her lips and whispered, "You can open your eyes now, beautiful.”

The first thing she saw was Andy’s handsome face with that typical Andy Flynn smirk on it but as he slowly moved to his side again and away from her line of view, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Never in her entire life had she felt so overwhelmed and awestruck by nature. And never had she felt so much love and gratitude for a man before. Andy presented her the stars. Her man brought her the stars. She never thought, she’d say that one day. As he cleared her line of vision, a huge glass ceiling came into view with millions of stars in the dark night sky above it.

Sharon took a quick breath, "Oh my..." her hands flew over her mouth and Sharon sighed, "Andy... what in the world, I mean, how...?" she was at a loss of words.

All this time Andy observed her reaction and couldn’t quite grasp how he deserved this woman. "You deserve all the stars in the whole wide universe, Sharon, and more."

Sharon’s hands slowly left their place over her mouth and her right hand fell over Andy’s left one and she squeezed it. She turned her head to the right and looked at him, "I don’t know what to say...I just...this is so...you are..."

"You don’t have to say anything," he interrupted her.

"No, Andy, I do because this is amazing! And I know, I’ve been saying this a lot today but this day, here, with you, It‘s just...what you did. It’s the most beautiful, romantic and thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me and I don’t know how I deserve you but I’m endlessly grateful to have you in my life. I just love you so much, Andy Flynn."

Andy could see tears glistening in her eyes and he didn’t know how much longer until he his own eyes would glaze over, so he kissed her with more intensity and pressure than before. While their lips locked, his right hand found its way to her cheek and into her hair again.

When Sharon pulled him just a little bit closer, nothing else mattered anymore, except the two of them under a sky full of stars.

_____________________________

"Do you know that when I was little, I’d always sleep with my window open. No matter what season, no matter how cold," Sharon started. She lay with her head on Andy’s shoulder, his left arm around her back and stroking her arm gently. They were gazing up at the glass ceiling, observing the stars.

Andy frowned a little, not sure where she was going with this but all the more interested to learn something about her childhood. About a life before him, before they met, about a time where she was still a little girl and not that strong and independent woman she is today.

He looked down slightly but she never turned her gaze away from the stars.

"I had this room with the window right beside my bed and when I’d lie down I had this perfect view of the night sky. So when I couldn’t sleep I’d open the window and observe the stars, the sparkling and wandering lights that airplanes create and sometimes even the moon. This and the fresh night air lulled me to sleep all the time, when nothing else would," she paused and then continued, "Somehow, they never fail to calm me down and get my mind off of things.".

When she felt Andy’s fingers had stopped moving up and down her arm, she turned slightly to look up at his face. When his eyes stayed fixed in the stars over their heads she prodded gently, "Andy?"

His face still didn’t move, so her left hand cupped his right cheek and turned his head to her slightly, "Hey," she whispered, "are you still with me?"

Then his eyes suddenly focused on her and he seemed back in reality. "Yes, yes, of course. I... what, why did...," Andy wanted to ask but Sharon interrupted him because he still seemed a little out of it, "Honey, where did you just go?"

"I don’t know. I guess I was just lost in thought."

"Yeah, I could see that," Sharon smiled slightly and stroked her thumb gently over his cheek.

They looked at each other when Andy suddenly asked, "Why did they calm you down? The stars, I mean."

She looked at him a little while longer and pressed a short kiss to his lips, "Let’s go home and I‘ll tell you there."

She turned to stand up and heard a soft, "Okay, " then she felt him stand up too.

She didn’t know what was going on with him but something was definitely not right. He seemed kind of sad and she was going to find out what it was, but she needed to be at home with him to accomplish anything and for him to open up.

She looked up at the glass ceiling again and the millions of stars above and then back to Andy and hugged him. "I had the most beautiful day today," she murmured in his shoulder, "Thank you."

____________________________

Back home, Sharon was sitting on the balcony with a steaming mug of tea in hand, looking out over the city and waiting for Andy to come out of the shower. It was a particularly quiet night, not a lot of sirens, no honking of cars whose drivers weren’t patient enough for Los Angeles’ traffic.

She loved that view and she loved the sounds, even on not so quiet nights because she loved this city. She had liked the city from the day she moved there but she came to really love and appreciate this city on her first evening on this balcony. That’s when it clicked. She and this city just connected. To that day she couldn’t pin point what it was exactly and she stopped guessing and started to just take in and appreciate.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Andy speaking up, "Now I know why you’re always out here," he was leaning on the doorframe of the sliding glass door.

“Huh?"

"It’s the stars," Andy started moving towards her, "You are sitting out here all the time watching the stars, because they calm you."

She chuckled lightly and looked up at him, moving towards her, "How long have you been standing there?"

He smirked, "A while."

A moment passed before he gave her shoulder a gentle nudge and slid in behind her, between the back of the lounge chair and her. He pulled her back against his chest, his legs next to hers.

He slung his arms around her, careful of the mug in her hand, and breathed in deeply with his nose nestled in the crook of her neck, right behind her ear.

He waited a few moments until he felt her relax against him and then asked, "Will you tell me now?"

It seemed like she was pondering his question, "Tell you what?"

"Why the stars calmed you down as a kid and still do now."

"Oh, right. Well," she moved, put the mug down and snuggled more firmly into Andy. He tightened his hold just a little bit and started caressing her arm with his fingertips.

"You might not think so but I wasn’t always going to school with a happy face as a teenager and I didn’t always pull through so smoothly. In my final year I was impatient. I didn’t want to put up with teachers and other students anymore, I was sick of smiling and being nice to everybody when I just felt so empty and exhausted inside. Basically, anyone annoyed me at the time. And now you might say that’s sounds just like a classic teenager," Sharon waited for Andy to say something or to at least react in any way but when nothing came, she continued, " but it wasn’t like that. I knew that wasn’t me, I didn’t like me that way. At least not all of it. I knew something had to change," she took a deep breath, "Anyway as it all weighed down on me and life added more and more, I couldn’t sleep well and I found myself opening up my window for fresh air before sleep and I saw those beautiful stars shining right outside my room. It looked so wonderful. It was like magic and it mesmerized me, I just kept staring at them and all the other lights on the clear night sky. I kept observing them and just forget about all that other stuff. The imagination that the sky, the universe, is able to create such lights, made me realize that we are so small. This world is so small and the sky with the moon and these millions of stars are so big and the real deal. It was just so fascinating to think that there might be more out there, up there. More beautiful and magical things like stars. And I believe in life after death, so these stars have to mean something. At least they do to me."

Sharon finished talking and after a moment she realized she had just kept talking and talking and Andy hadn’t said a word. Right, Sharon, the reason why stars calm you down and not because of how miserable your life was at 17. Gosh, get a grip. What’s wrong with you? He’s probably bored out of his mind, she thought.

"But you didn’t want to know all of this," Sharon lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him, "You just asked why they still calm me down. I’m sorry," she smiled sheepishly and started to push away from Andy to sit up properly. Putting a little distance between them, "I just kept on rambling. You must be bored out of your mind."

Andy didn’t say anything and just stared at her, so she slowly stood up from the lounge chair, "Anyway, um...it’s late, so we should go to bed. I’ll just go now. Good night, Andy." She felt a little weird and maybe a little disappointed. Why wasn’t he saying anything?

Sharon was opening the door when Andy finally snapped out of his daze and grabbed her wrist, "Sharon! Wait, no please. I’m sorry. I’m not bored. Of course I’m not. I... please sit back down," he was pleading her with his eyes and if she had to be honest, she was curious to hear what he had to say, so she sat back down again, leaving more distance between them.

He seemed to understand that she needed a little space but he still wanted to feel her close so he settled for talking her hand in both of his. He looked down at them and watched his thumbs stroking over her hand slowly and gently.

"Sharon, I listened to what you said," his head moved up and he looked at her, "Just a few minutes ago and ever since I‘ve known you. I listened to you, to every story, to every word you’ve said, because I wanna hear you. I wanna understand you and get to know you, get to know your story," his hands squeezed hers just a little tighter, "and every day I realize that there is still so much that I don’t know about you, about your life, about your story, Sharon," Andy’s eyes bored into hers, "whenever I think 'I know her', whenever I think I’m a step closer to you, I discover something unknown, something that was covered until now," he lowered his head again slowly, "and even though I‘m grateful for every little detail I’m allowed to discover," he paused and took a deep, shaky breath, "It also terrifies me because…" when she got a look at his eyes again, she saw tears in them, threatening to spill out and it broke her heart to see him like this but she let him continue, "...because I’m afraid that one day you might realize that I don’t deserve you and that I’m not worthy of you, that I’m not the right man for you and that you will leave me," a sniffle that was more like a sob wracked Andy’s body and the tears in his eyes were suddenly running down his cheeks in streams.

Sharon didn’t know what was happening and her heart shattered in a million pieces when she saw him breaking down right in front of her, so utterly terrified to lose her.

She pulled her hand from his grasp and cradled his face in her hands, "Andy, I’m here. I’m not leaving you," she looked him in the eye but she was sure, he couldn’t see anything because of all those tears. He just wouldn’t stop shaking, so she pulled his head to her chest, right under her chin and wound her arms around him, squeezing tightly, letting him know, she was there.

The only thing that came from him were pained whimpers. He clung to her and his fingers grasped the back of her shirt so tight that she feared he might hurt himself.

"Andy, I’m here," she was stroking his back and moved her hand in his hair, massaging him in a soothing manner. Wanting to calm him down. "Shhhhh, I’ve got you," she whispered in his hair, "I’ve got you." She pressed kisses to his head and told him over and over that she was there and they’d be alright. That she loved him so much.

_ _ _

It took some time but his grip on her loosened a little and he calmed down. His breathing evened out and he felt heavier against her.

She let him rest a few more minutes against her chest before she stroked his cheek with her left hand and told him they should get up, "Andy, honey, come on, let’s get into bed."

He was slow, visibly exhausted from his break down but he followed her to bed.

She covered him with a blanket after he fell onto the mattress and got in beside him.

She turned to switch off the beside lamp when she felt a hand reach out for her and a faint but worried, "Babe?" came from behind her.

She turned to him after switching off the lamp, covering his hand with hers and snuggling up to him, "I’m here, honey. I’m right here and I’m not leaving."

When they were lying there like that, snuggled up so close, her arms around him, stroking his back and caressing his head, his right arm around her back, holding her close and not letting her leave, his head nestled against her chest, turned upwards into her neck, when they were lying there like that, everything clicked into place for her. Why he seemed so sad from time to time today and now that she thought about it, more times in the last few days or even weeks and why he hadn’t said anything on the balcony before, when she’d rambled on about her teenage troubles. It was one of those moments again, where he learned something new about her but it terrified him and when he couldn’t take it anymore, he broke down.

She was sure they’d talk about it again soon, maybe even the next day, but that night, with his weight on her and his deep breathing against her neck, that night she was just glad that he was there in her arms.

[reputallison13]

13 things I learned after watching Miss Americana💙

1. Taylor is the cutest person in the world and I will always love and protect her no matter what😍🥺

2. Just because it looks like your life is perfect aka you’re Taylor Alison Swift she is still human and goes through heartbreaking and terrible things in life.

3. Stop living for approval from others. I’m such a people pleaser and always try to live for people’s approval and that is not a healthy way of living. We just need to live for ourselves and what makes us happy. We also shouldn’t care about impressing or proving ourselves to anyone but the people who mean the most to us.

4. You always have to stand up for your beliefs and what you believe is right. Seeing Taylor speak up about politics makes me so happy, she’s using her fame for good. She had people telling her to stay out of it but just by watching the film and seeing how emotional she got you can tell this is very important to her. No matter what you just need to focus on your beliefs and continue fighting. I love Only The Young because the young is the future of our country and we can stand up and fight for our beliefs💙

5. Taylor my role model and friend has suffered and been through some of the same things I’ve been through. Taylor talking about how fucking impossible the standards of beauty are is very relatable. Everyone is beautiful no matter what size they are. I’m so proud of her.

6. Seeing Taylor cry broke my heart. Hearing the person who I’ve spent half of my life loving and supporting crying because she says people have fallen out of love with her killed me. I will never stop loving and cheering her on.😭💔

7. Watching that moment when the man who should not be named ruined my baby’s moment just brought me back to watching it the first time on tv and tears filled my eyes. I still don’t understand what kind of sick person would do that to a 17 year old girl! Hearing her say she thought people were booing me KILLED me! I never want Taylor to feel anything but love and happiness.

8. Taylor being brave and raw and talking about her sexual assault case was very moving and powerful. No one will ever understand what she went through. I’m so fucking proud of her.

9. Taylor saying she’s so happy makes my heart so happy! Seeing her so in love and genuinely happy is the best thing ever, because she deserves all of the happiness in the world. The CIWYW video melted my heart she’s so in love and it’s what she deserves. She found her one true love and Prince Charming who loves her for her. Seeing her run off stage and straight into his arms was so sweet! She feels safe and at home with him. I love them together and wish them all of the love and happiness.

10. CATS- seeing Benjamin, Olivia, and Meredith be the stars of the show was the best thing ever. The itty bitty kitty committee is purrfect. My favorite cat pat was either Olivia in the backpack just wondering around or her sitting at the table eating dinner with Abigail and Taylor like she owns the place, because we all know she does.😹😻

11. One of my favorite parts of the documentary is seeing Taylor do what she loves best and creating music. I loved seeing behind the scenes in the studio. You just see how talented she is. She really comes up with the lyrics on the spot. I‘ve said it before and I’ll say it forever Taylor Alison Swift is a lyrical genius! Seeing the songs start out how they did and then seeing them come together and listen to them now is incredible! I will never get over seeing ME! come to life👏🏼🎉🥰🦄

12. Andrea Swift is the star of the show! This woman is the sweetest and most genuine woman I have ever met as well as her daughter. Seeing her in this film made me so happy. You can tell that she is Taylor’s number one fan! I remember meeting her at the secret session and her being the sweetest lady ever and giving me the biggest hug and saying she was glad to see me. Also fun fact I fed Kitty a chicken nugget at the secret session, she’s such a sweetheart. The part where they talked about her cancer hit me hard. My dad passed away from cancer 3 years ago and it was the worst thing I have ever had to go through and don’t wish that on anyone. Hearing Taylor day the “c word” and imagining what their family is going through breaks my heart. Andrea and her family are so strong and I hate that they are going through this terrible and difficult time. I’m sending good thoughts, positive vibes, and prayers to the Swift family🙏🏼💗✨

13. I have a few favorite quotes from this film but my favorite and the one I probably relate to the most is “I want to have a sharp pen, and a thin skin, and an open heart” this quote is so relatable because you CAN have all of those things. I just love this woman more than she will ever know and cannot be more proud of her!😘

this documentary is a masterpiece and I LOVE it! Thank you for being so real and open and sharing your life with us. You and Lana did a phenomenal job so thank you for this and just for being a part of my life for so many years. I honestly don’t know where I would be without you and your music. I’m so proud of you and I love and miss you so much @taylorswift 💘

*plays Miss Americana again*