#careful zero green isn't your color

[copperbadge]

I am so close and yet so far from being done with The Chicken Salad War, argh. I have the entire rest of the book plotted out, and there's a little less than a quarter of it remaining to write, I think, but it's going to be an intense quarter. And then the rewrites will be a little more extensive than usual because I've basically been skipping scenes I don't want to write, which isn't a lot but isn't zero.

Anyway, have a scene where Ylias and Simon realize that attempting to make an edible sauce using davzda and harissa paste may be an error.

It took a few more minutes of scraping and blending, but in the end the warm, fragrant harissa paste was scooped out and into a bowl, and they both examined it.

"Now…davzda," he said, sounding excited and doomed at once, like someone about to attend an execution but fortunately not theirs.

"I'm wondering, should we just try to loosen it up with the raw hooch?" she asked. "Or actually make some shakshouka and stir the davzda into that?"

"I think to start, we make a sauce -- some beautiful paste, some davzda, and some broth," he said. "I will reserve some for further experiments."

She carried the bowl to the stove and set out a saucepan, spooning some of the harissa into it and then shuffling aside so he could add broth; he whisked them together cold, then added a careful pour of davzda from the ubiquitous gray-green bottle. The smell that rose from the mixture was…herbal, but it began to fade into something more pleasantly spicy as it heated.

[insert brief hold music here for a part of the scene I don't want to spoil yet]

"Now, I must begin prep for dinner, I think, while this simmers."

"Can I help?" she asked. 

He blinked at her. "Oh -- it is my job and I am too accustomed to it. But..." he added, considering, "You won't go yet, will you? You must taste this sauce. And I have been accustomed to company, but not so much with Eddie now looking after the little ones." 

"Can I criticize your technique?" she asked, grinning, and he laughed. 

"Only in French, and I will not be gracious about it," he replied. 

"I'd worry if you were," she said, stationing herself at the stove to mind the sauce while he gathered ingredients. By the time he was done assembling the meatballs, the sauce had thickened and darkened to an almost mahogany color. Simon procured some twist-bread and fetched crudite from the fridge ("I keep carrot sticks for Joan, and His Majesty will enjoy the leftover cucumber at dinner,") and she spooned some sauce out into a bowl, dipping the bread while he tried a piece of carrot. 

At the first taste, he looked thoughtful, chewing the carrot and harissa sauce with a blank look on his face. Ylias, taken off-guard, coughed and nearly choked when she finally tasted it.

"Oh, no, oh dear," she said, taking a long sip of water while he grinned, still chewing. "It's...so earthy."

"The flavoring in the alcohol, I think," he said, finally swallowing and rinsing his own mouth out. "The oil in the chilis brings out the mushroom in the davzda."

"Ugh, but the worst part," she managed. "That's awful. It's not even bitter, really, not like davzda is, it's just...almost cloying." 

"Yes, but..." he considered, eyes narrowed. "There is good flavor there too, just not in balance."

She tapped her tongue against the roof of her mouth, chasing stray hints of the sauce, then braced herself and took another, smaller taste. 

"You can almost get to it," she agreed, considering more deeply. "I never bother with mushrooms in shakshouka because they're just texture at that point, the flavor's too delicate for the spice. But maybe...if you could just cut the flavor a bit."

"Less davzda?"

"Defeats the point, but maybe. Or..." she considered. "There's a lot of tomato coming through, but it's the acid. Do you think a sweet note would help, or would that just make it worse?"

"Make this worse?" he asked, amused, but he was already reaching for a jar on the counter. "The family likes muscovado in their coffee," he said, using the little spoon in the jar to lift out a mound of golden-brown sugar. "Yes?"

She gestured for him to give it a try; he added a few spoonfuls and then stirred it with the whisk again. The sauce darkened further, but when they tasted it this time, the horror had receded. 

"Oh, that's...actually nice," she said. "Salty-sweet. You could even use molasses -- or a sherry if you wanted."

"Yes. Very good," he agreed, and then he leaned in and kissed her. 

It surprised them both, she could tell; she didn't pull away -- he was a very good kisser -- but when he leaned back, he looked startled by what he'd done.

"Ah, perhaps inappropriate," he said. "Only -- I like this very much, this experimentation. With the sauce," he added in a stammer. "Although, of course -- "

She held up a finger and he fell silent, looking relieved.

"I like it too," she said. "A little warning next time, maybe."

[punkeropercyjackson]

Jason Todd characterization guide

Created for fans who're too scared to read comics but love Jason!Also gentle reminder that you can just watch Batman:Under The Red Hood and be set!!

As Robin,Jason was a peppy altruistic softboy who was extremely kind to everyone and a nerd in both senses of the word but also had a huge bite that loosing his parents and living on the streets as a child gave him and had a lot of snark and cheekiness to him.He also pushed a man off a building for raping a woman so as he does now,he's always respected women and has zero tolerance for men's bullshit

He's a lifelong literature nerd and a gamer,his favorite color is green and his favorite food is neapolitan

He's very manly,yes,but not stereotypically and his anger and violent tendencies aren't a part of his gender but a trauma response and mental illness symptoms.His masculinity is the positive and healthy kind and he's not a pissbaby about femininity or kiddy things

He's canonically goth punk and i mean punk,as in part of punk subculture,not a thirst trap.He hates rich people and refuses to move back in with Bruce on principal,he believes in acab,he dosen't actively seek out to do activism due to plot but he DOES help out whoever he encounters that lives under thumb of the system,he's anti toxic social norms like amatonormativity and roasts them,he's an intersectionalist who respects all his minority loved ones identities and same goes for other minority characters he meets and while he didn't target exclusively bad people back when he killed,he DID state he believes they deserve it the most and one of his victim's include a pedophillic teacher who was csa'ing one of his student's

Pit Madness isn't real and was created to infantalize and flatten him.His ghost aspects manifests moreso in dissociation-esque moments for him and the Lazarus Pit's actual effects on him were amping up his physical capabilities by making him way stronger

His taste in partners is women of color and he's grossed out by normie women because they make him uncomfortable and pissed off with their types of flirtation due to his trauma and weirdo status-Said woc are his love interests who're an egyptian woman,a wasian/half cambodian woman and a monoracial afrolatina and the rejected normie girls are a blonde blue eyed voluptous flight attendant and the whitewashed born sexy yesterday-ified version of Starfire.Jason has class

He's in that weird place where he's super cocky and thinks he's hot shit but also hates himself and thinks he deserves even worse than he's gotten.He displays all the requirements for having ptsd,bpd and npd and possibly even DID

He dosen't care for alcohol or smoking,most likely the latter is due to A Death In The Family(where he got blown up)

He expresses his affection by bickering and non-maliciously poking fun and dosen't hold back on words of affirmation,acts of service and quality time.It's a rare occurance but he's a great gift giver too!

His Robin is Duke and he's Duke's Robin too.I cannot emphasize how important they are to eachother-Jason came back to the Batfam only because Duke is now a part of it and instantly loved him and got along with him,none of which is true for literally any other Batkids and he fully and unshakebly believes Duke is a real Robin,Batkid AND Batboy and tells him that all the time and that's exactly what he wants after being an outcast and not part of the group his whole life.Them fanarts and posts of 'The Core Batboys'?Fake,ooc and inherently erasure.There's no Jason without Duke and anybody who tells you otherwise just hates black people

Relatedly,anybody who tells you afrolatino Jason is racist also just hates black people.WE made that headcanon,nobody else so watch your mouths seeing as you're also Core Batkid Duke deniers.And on afrolatino Jason takes,he should be monoracial,dominican because his birthday is on our restoration day,a dreadhead and heavily connected to his roots as Talia,Alfred and Bruce would do research to make sure he could still grow up on his culture

He listens to punk rock and metal and is a dog person

As Red Hood,he believed he was doing the right thing by trying to control crime but the point of that is that he was wrong and that's because in real life,that's not how it works and is a problematic political stance as it's dehumanizing and criminals deserve rights(no,i'm not joking.i'm an actual radicalist and so is Jason post getting over himself and Robin!Jason was a lil anarchist)

The scene of Talia sleeping with him in Lost Days should never be aknowledge as it was written by an islamophobe who admitted to not reading her comics and if you 'joke' about it considering that and that Jason was a minor at the time,then congrats,you're a racist misogynist and a creep who shouldn't allowed near minors irl OR online.Talia and Jason interacted positively during his Robin days and their dynamic is mother and son

Him and Dick were on good terms in his Robin Days too,Tim shittalked him when he was dead a lot and Jason was never obsessed with him-much less to the extent of attraction and he's canonically anti-incest as he said he'd never wanna kiss any of the four brothers he has(see what i mean with never shutting up about Duke?),he and Damian are close and the second closest next to him and Duke in regards to Jason Batboy relathionships,Cass scares him and she shouldn't be close to him unless he stopped killing as it's a vital part of her she follows the no kill rule and her story is femalecentric one by design and him and Stephanie are found siblings

He hates Roy for coddling him all the time no matter how much he protested and thinks of him as an annoying idiot and while that's not true pre-N52 or in current canon,he has a right to establish boundries.Jayr*y Jason is Bad™️.Eddie should be his male best friend as adults instead since they were pen pals and oh yeah,actually the same fucking age instead of a 14 year old and a grown ass man with a daughter

Bonus headcanons i find very fitting as someone who started with Utrh and has read every Jason comics apperance and watched and played almost all his adaptions:He's a straightedge,he listens to Mcr and Korn and Jack Stauber's Micropop and rap,Robin!Jason was a Kory fanboy and not a Wonder Woman one because pre-N52 Kory is everything he admires in women(including the black part),his 'he's literally me' character is Ichigo Kurosaki and his ideal woman is an afrolatina version of Orihime Inoue,he's transmasc agender and goth/ghostgender as xenogenders and reclaims the f slur as a shorthand descriptor,he owns a jumbo sized Jake The Dog plush,he's a master chef with a specialty in dominican,arabic and mexican foods,he's covered in scars and some are self-harm ones,he's jacked(fat AND buff)and he's a Team Dad to break the cycle and his non-bio kids are the Kid Outlaws from mine and my mutuals Rhato fixit(120 issues and 2010-2020 runtime,is what he deserves)and Damian's generation the All New Teen Titans and if he were to have a daughter,he'd give her a gothic name

[fallinfl0wers]

thinking about xiao, who would be the last person on teyvat to care about your appearance.

don't get me wrong, he adores you, you're pretty much his biggest, and sometimes only, reason to live.

but he, out of all the characters in genshin, is the only one i can see with absolutely zero defined preferences. if anyone asked him, whether on his past or his present, about what traits he found desirable in a person, he would have no answer.

even if people say that personality is all that matters, everyone always looks at the one they find most attractive first.

xiao's case isn't quite like that.

where others, if speaking honestly, would mention specific ranges of height, build, hair colors, texture, skin colors and whatnot- like a super tall, muscular man with a well-kept beard, or a slender, elegant-looking man who wears suits, or a delicate and petite woman with big doe eyes and the longest, straighter hair possible, or a tall, well-endowed lady with a tiny waist and a piercing, alluring gaze, among an infinite number of other combinations, xiao would only tilt his head in disconcert.

was he supposed to think of any of those traits as attractive?

because to xiao, in a way, everyone looks the same.

be it humans, other adepti or the archons, xiao thinks nothing about any of their appearances.

although if you caught him people-watching during his free time or patrols, you could think he's harshly judging everyone's looks and demeanor from his unwavering, hawk-like gaze.

in truth, he takes in apperances all at once, in a fraction of a second.

woman of short hair. intact foreign green dress, according to the direction she's coming from she must be entering liyue from sumeru. no recent wounds in sight, her face is flushed from the heating sun. there is no trouble on this road. move on.

lanky man gasping for air as he reaches the peak of a mountain, adventurer's typical uniform. green eyes, black hair. the gloves on his hands ripped from climbing on stone, and his hands have minor scratches. the bandage on his arm is the work of an amateur but would've done the trick to stop bleeding. the cloth isn't soaked in blood, but he can make out the distinctive shape the blade of an arrow makes when nearly piercing flesh. whatever happened, this area is safe. send a minor breeze his way to lead him to a safe path.

the appearances of the people he sees every day are little clues that let him know of any immediate threat to the lands. he's not staring hard at that child because his haircut looks silly, but because for a second he saw a ghost following him. he's not staring at that woman with dulled out eyes because he finds her hot, but because he's feeling the beginnings of the effects of a karmic curse poisoning her soul.

xiao has no preferences, all he sees in people's apperances are traces of what they do and where they come from- he doesn't associate any specific trait of the human body to 'beautiful' or 'ugly'.

peace is beautiful. war is ugly. those are his only definitions.

it's only after you've spent long with him, letting him join you while you fulfill your duties in the city or just to take a stroll, that he starts to understand the concept of beauty as seen by human society.

differents sets of traits are deemed attractive to a majority and each individual will have a different set of traits they deem attractive- beauty is, therefore, in the eye of the beholder no matter how many times a standard is pushed as the only one.

he doesn't understand.

appearances will fade, that perfect and smooth skin will one day turn into fragile wrinkles, that tattoo won't look the same when enough time has passed, that hair will become frail and fall, humans won't look the same forever, there is no use in making such a big deal out of their appearances to the point of feeling miserable about it.

xiao doesn't find any particular trait as attractive.

until you.

due to his nature, he's not going to be immediately mesmerized by your looks, whether you seem overweight or like you have god-like symmetrical proportions everywhere, whether you're tall or average or tiny, none of that matters when he meets you or when he falls for you.

one would think an adeptus like himself would have high standards, but what makes him fall is something as painfully simple as honest, pure understanding and care.

be understanding to him, care for him, hold him on cold and dreary nights, smile for him, share little moments of joy with him, help him carry the weight of his constant grief, let him care for you, let him protect you, and protect his fragile heart.

he will fall for you.

and then, and only then, will he start associating physical traits to the concept of beauty.

beauty is you. you are beauty.

at least to xiao, that is the only logical conclusion.

whether you're confident on your looks or not, to him, it is that simple.

beauty is peace. beauty is you, and all that makes you, you, is beautiful.

[aller-geez]

Bless You

By Levi’s Owner, not sure if she wants her name here ☺️

Please note! She doesn’t have the kink, but dabbles in a LOT of kink spaces that she doesn’t have, and she knows how much I love RemixLevi and wrote this amazing OneShot with permission to share 🥰 it got me GOING I cannot lie. A little sub/dom relationship, snz teasing, public sex in a bathroom, and definitely NSFW 18+ content.

BLESS her heart, she searched the internet for snz spellings too 🥹🥹

please enjoy~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Thomas bus door swung open and inside climbed in a tall, overtly excited man who bounced the entire house as he danced and jumped about. "Babe!!" he cried out looking for his smaller counterpart, emerald orbs scanning quickly around the small space but not immediately seeing the love of his life.

"Im in here," Remi heard a soft muffled voice coming from inside the pile of stuffies on their bed, followed by the soft ambient music of a video game he knew too well, minecraft. The wolf smirked at the pile shaking his head and rolling his emerald green eyes.

"Enrichment time in your enclosure?" he asked casually before the leopard's mop of white and black hairs came popping out through the middle, cheesin.

"How could you guess?" he giggled sliding out of his stuffie cave, putting his game on pause and setting it aside. "Whats up? You look like someone set fireworks off in your pants," he teased, poking his index fingers up and down the man's fairly chiseled, but clothed, abs. Remi swatted at his partner's hands and laughed through his nose.

"Baaaaabe," he rolled his eyes and then grasped both of his lover's wrists in his hands, gently, but it only gave Levi an even more squirrely case of the zoomies.

"Ooo you gonna make me??" he giggled again, tugging and pulling on his hands as the wolf's grip tightened, he sneered at him with lust behind his eyes before pushing their foreheads together gently.

"Why would I reward such bratty behavior? Be still and let me share this good news, maybe Kitten will get some play," he brushed their lips just barely together, a whisper of what a kiss really was, his fiance's face turning bright red, eyes sinking and he nodded ever so slightly with a gentle swallow. "Good boy," Remi patted the side of Levi's face with a light slap, a bit harder than one normally would their partner, but the cat loved abuse. Tingles shot down the leopard's spine as he wiggled to attention.

Standing up straight this time now, fixing his beat up leather jacket and lifting his head held high, Remi spoke "WE, you and me, have a big opportunity tonight, we have dinner with this dude from Wallstreet, he can get me an in and even though I know nothing, and have zero experience he's willing to teach me everything so we can be rolling in the money!" absolutely excited for the chance to be able to pay back tenfold what Levi has done for him the past 5 years, was euphoric, but he immediately sunk in himself when he saw the look on his mate's face. "What's wrong?" he asked cautiously, almost timid. Levi looked down at his hands and twiddled his thumbs, he wasn't sure he had the right words.

He loved Remi, more than words could ever describe, they were soulmates and he hated the idea of him throwing his soul away to work in corporate, worse yet, WALLSTREET. "Honey....wallstreet is where dreams die and lives are ruined at the expense of paper," his artic colored eyes looked up now at Remi's completely crushed face.

"You're not...proud? or ...excited?" Immediately feeling like a pile of the 'worst fiance' ever quickly, the cat threw his hands out in waves.

"No baby, I AM proud of you, and Im so excited that people are willing to see your potential, and that theyre giving you such opportunities to be successful but, this isn't your dream, my love, and I just don't want you to fall back in your progress because you think you HAVE to make millions of dollars to take care of us," he had stood up to face Remi, well, face his chest he was still significantly smaller. Sliding his hands up and down the nervous man's front in a soothing motion to calm him back down, making eye contact again, "I apologize, my love, you know how I can be, I should have had a better pros and cons talk with you after the dinner, I should have just been excited for you," instantly feeling bad for his realism that often rained on Remi's parade.

Leaning down to kiss him in a soft peck, Remi brushed his hand against the younger's cheek and gave him a reassuring smile. "I know you're just thinking about my mental health, I'll always be grateful for that because no one else ever has," their eyes met and they regrouped their emotions by sliding themselves into a deep but disciplined kiss. Before things got handsy, Remi pulled back and bopped the tip of Levi's nose with his long index finger. "Get ready, we can talk more after the dinner and consider the options," nodding his head in agreement, the skinny white haired male lept up and got into action. Remington wants to have a nice fancy dinner with a rich fancy wallstreet man? Fine. No problem. He will just have to create a little "devine intervention" tonight. The two of them immediately started scrounging and scouring to get ready for this opportunity they both had been suddenly blessed with; different motives, but opportunities none the less.

Remington had hopped himself in the shower, Levi had already cleaned himself this morning so he was ready to throw on his clothes, but which would he pick? If he was going to cause some ruckus he was going to need to pull up to all the stops. Out he snaked a pair of leather black tight pants, adorned in black rose lace down the sides of the legs "He looooves these on me," giggling in almost a demonic fashion, he slid whatever he was wearing off, and pulled on the pants, no underwear, cause that would absolutely ruin the aesthetic of exposed lacey flesh on the sides. Levi stood shirtless as he could hear Remi fumbling in the shower with the many bottles of product. Trying hard not to laugh to himself knowing the wolf was probably overly rushing himself, causing panicked chaos in the shower. He was right. The grumpier of the two was absolutely having a terrible time in there.

"ITS SO FUCKING SMALL IN HERE!" the leopard covered his mouth quickly to stifle the laughter threatening to explode from him as his lover shouted from their bathroom. Shaking his head now he went back to his mission of top, and accessories. Plucking it gently from his closet was a light blue silk shirt "Amazing," he kissed the air before sliding that onto his thin frame, looking himself up and down in the long mirror attached to the wall. "Hmmm," he contemplated as he looked himself all around, then tucking his shirt loosely into the pants, and unbuttoned 3 of the buttons to reveal a bit of chest flesh. "Thatll do him," sliding on some black loafers that had the image of a blue iris embroidered on the tops, he began scanning through his jewelry. Remington stepped out, towel over his head as he tried his best to dry out his hair, walking past Levi to the otherside of the bedroom cabin was his side. "Clothes....Clothes...." he started tearing into his closet nervously.

Looking back at his partner from the mirror while adjusting his one diamond earring in, "Honey, wear the beige trench coat with some black, you'll look perfect," the mate said honestly. Remi looked up in his cabinets and considered the suggestion, he pulled out his black straight leg dress pants, they just neatly clug to his legs in all the right places.

Back on the other side of the cabin, while Remi fished for his dress shirt, Levi was linking around his slender neck a sparkling, thin diamond chain and in the middle that sat against his freckled, exposed chest was a wolf's paw print, melded in sterling silver. Last but not least, a silver chain he link around his waist, a long piece connected that draped down his hip. Twirling around and admiring himself in the reflection, he fixed up his hair with some gel, and made his way out of the bedroom so Remi could have the mirror now. Still not paying full attention to what his partner was wearing or even doing, he scampered over to the mirror fixing any mistakes there may be. He had gone with a tucked in black long sleeve button up, shiny black tied dress shoes and ontop of it all was a very expensive looking, light brown long coat that toned in all the black he was wearing. Flicking the lapels of his jacket a few times and running his fingers through his hair, he made finger guns and clicked at his reflection. "Lookin good brother," he offhandedly said to himself before exiting the bedroom.

Bent up against the front door, keys dangling from the tip of his finger he licked his teeth, canines more specifically, he had dazzled in gems. Remi stopped in his tracks, gazing vertically at his mate, feeling a wave of possessiveness boil through him. "No," he said immediately. "You can't wear that, it'll have me in heat all god damn night, No!" his face flushed as he tried to keep his eyes off, but could only keep them locked on.

"Remington, You know far too well this isn't a fight you'll win so grab the keys to Ethel and lets get going," he stuck his tongue out over at his man, who in turn rolled his eyes, squeezed the bridge of his nose and sighed in frustration.

"Its going to be a rough night for me I can tell," swiping the hunk of keys off the counter, Levi snorted.

"You never know~" his tone said, innocent, like 'oh trust the universe itll bring good things' but it had been far too long with his mate to know from that very instant, the man was up to no good, and Remi was already quaking in his shoes. They followed each other out, locked up Maybelle and got going in Ethel, which Remi had pretty much turned into his studio room with added storage space for his things. They were working up a way to create space for a bed somehow, for nights he has to be away from Levi for whatever reasons.

It wasnt a very long drive from the park they were currently staying at, out to the city, and eventually, restaurant. However, they did get very, very crusty side ways looks from the rich folks watching Remi drive into the lot with his van. "Bunch of prudes," Levi scoffed as he folded his arms against his chest. He hated rich white people, always so concerned with what everyone else has going on. Remi chuckled at his comment, he didn't give a shit. Look at him whichever way, however way you please, as far as he's concerned, with Levi by his side, his sister safe and the world back to being enjoyable, inbred rich people opinions couldnt touch him.

Parking the vehicle, both men got out of the van and walked up to the podium that said Reservations. "Remington for 3," the towering raven haired man said firmly, eyeing the employee down. Giggling softly, Levi grabbed onto Remi's hand and leaned himself against his partner's side, eyes judging the sweating employee infront of them. Clearly this establishment wasnt used to people like them whether that be gay, or just not visibly rich.

"Right this way gentlemen..." the usher said carrying them to a table with a much older, clean cut looking sir already seated, and scanning through the menu with a bottle of merlot sitting beside his half full glass. "Here is your table, please enjoy," the waiter bowed and left two more menus behind for them. Like the true knight in shining armor he was, Remington pulled one of the chairs out slightly for his fiance to sit at, Levi taking the gesture and letting his man push him in as well. "Good to meet you, I'm Remington, hope you don't mind me seating my partner first," extending a strong calloused hand out to the business man who smiled brightly and shook it enthusiastically. "No problem, at all, Good to meet ya! I'm Bill," he introduced himself cheerfully as they all were now seating themselves comfortably and glancing around the table. "This is my fiance, soulmate and partner in crime, Levi Anderson," the leopard extended a hand across the table as to shake Bill's already waiting hand.

"Pleasure," the shortest of the three said charmingly. The men began to discuss things as men do, but it was Levi's biggest shot now. Guards were down, ideas were flowing, plans were being made, if he didn't act fast, his lover was going to get smooth talked straight into hell through the promise of money and good benefits. The waiter came by silently, dropping off a charcuterie board for the table and leaving, Levi spotted his opportunity. As Remi continued to talk business with this plain old man, Levi was coveting some of the crackers to hide the fact he was also grabbing the pepper shaker. Looking around him to make sure he wasnt going to get caught doing such a childish thing in such a fancy establishment, but he dumped some on his cracker and brought it to his lips, without being noticed he silently, and secretly, snorted it up his nose. The second he did, it forced its way out from him like a volcanic eruption, no time to prepare, only react.

"HET-CHU!!~" He sniffled his nose, before another wave hit him. "cHU!~"

*Thadump* a sound Levi knew, so very intimately. Remi's heart beating loudly.

'No....No he wouldnt...' Remi flushed trying to swallow the sexual anguish he felt after hearing his partner break into sneeze, shifting ever so slightly in his seat to remain calm, to keep himself in check.

"Are you alright over there?" Bill asked concerned with the sudden series of sniffles, sliding an inch away, cautious of a virus.

"Oh..yes, I just have really bad allergies," he said sheepishly tucking a piece of loose hair behind his ear, his voice inflected to sound more stuffed up than he usually would be after two sneezes. The older man nodded turning back to Remi, who dead eyed his mate that only returned his gaze with a sly wink.

'That sadistic little shit....oh he's going to get it whe-' staring blankly at the man who was prattling on in front of him before his thought was shattered by the sound of yet another sneeze. 'Keep it together Rem...' his groin twitched.

"eh-TSH-eh!" Levi snuffled and rubbed his nose into the napkin in small circles, pulling it away, a bead of sweat started to slip down the side of Remi's face. Bill not noticing a single thing wrong as he boasted about his career and accomplishments, all the things he could do for Remi. All Remi could concentrate on was all he could do to Levi in this very moment. Would he go to jail if he just ravaged him here?

"TSHOO!" Levi tried to hold that one in halfway to give it a more dramatic effect. He knew it was sending waves of electricity down the wolf's spine, he wiggled in his seat. His baby blues blinking gently in the direction of his tortured lover.

"Hey, Remi arent you going to offer your fiance a hand or something?" Bill looking over between the two of them, Remi's soul completely out of his body due to the position he was currently in.

"I- Uh, yes I uhm....honey?" He held out his bare hand to Levi, brain completely not registering what he was even offering, Bill cocked an eyebrow, even the leopard looked slightly confused, but taking it anyway and then letting out another one, gentlier this time, nothing crazy flying out, just hot ridged breath in between his long shaking fingers. "ESHUH~" it came out almost high pitched in sound, too cute to the wolf's ears, his cock started to pump full of blood. The sensation of feeling such a gentle action, the sound, the absolute publicness of this display, it was so entirely naughty. They both clearly knew between the two of them, what was really going on. While Bill laughed out loudly and threw himself back with his hands on his stomach.

"I LIKE him! Funny guy you have yourself promised to here," he slapped Remi on the side of the arm who tensed up and snapped his gaze back to reality.

"Oh I- uh...Yeah, he sure is something isnt he?" joking along nervously, the dark haired man was lucky that this old rich idiot was far too concerned with his ego to notice how absolutely rock solid and flustered he was. Slamming his fist on the table he coughed "We should order right? Food? That would be good..." He muttered scanning the menu lazily trying with every last inch of his soul to distract himself.

"Oh yes I'd love a clam cho-OWCHUH!" the white haired adonis male was interupted again by yet another violent sternutate. "Terribly sorry, don't mind me I'll just have to excuse myself to the....restroom, I'd like a clam chowder bread bowl," ordering as he stood up, glared at his partner to follow him, and continued his journey to the back bathrooms. While Bill's attention was on Levi to remember the order, Remi quickly snagged the pepper shaker, shoveling it into his pocket before he too stood up. "Yeah, I gotta piss, steak, rare, thanks, I'll be right back, so sorry," he excused himself as Bill waved him off without a care in the world, or concern on his plate.

The second, the absolute milisecond Remi pushes past the doors of the restroom and locates his partner's shoes in the correct stall, he practically peels the door off its hinges. "You think you're clever dont you??" He shouts in a whispered fashion incase anyone comes in.

"What do you mean, my lover?" playing it completely innocent in high brat fashion, cornering himself against the wall of the handicapped stall. The wolf loomed closer, each step of his shoe echoed within the chambers of the bathroom itself. Diamond eyes traced every move up the masculine man's body, stopping at the slightly enraged, but completely passion stricken facial expression.

"Oh? Oh we want to act like I'm stupid?" Raising a thin black eyebrow as he walked himself an inch away from Levi's face, "You've been playing with fire all night, my naughty little kitten, and now you're going to be punished, severely," He gripped Levi by a fist full of hair, knuckles white, Levi's eyes forced open by the pressure, mouth cocked.

"Hng~" The leopard whimpered softly, legs buckling underneath the sheer dominance of his mate. "D-daddy please I didnt mean to upset you..." his lips quivered but it was too late, the black haired man ran his tongue up the smaller's thin, etched neck, nipping at the line of his jaw. A whisper of a moan came bursting from out of Levi's vocals, like music to Remi's ears, but that wasn't what he wanted to hear tonight in this bathroom with amazing acoustics. While Levi's head is pulled back he takes the shaker in his other hand and swiftly brings it up to the man's nostirls. "NNnNGh~ AHHH~~~ EHhHhHhCHTUUU~!" Levi sneezes loudly, aggressively, suddenly into the side of Remi's face, echoing inside his ear drum, unhinged, uninterupted, bouncing off the walls and giving him a second helping.

"Mmm you wanted to entertain, so you're going to entertain me.....unleash it," he referenced, grinding his painfully erect dick up against the younger through the painful fabric of his pants. Wasting no time while head cocked in position backward, he still expertly found his way to his partner's belt unclinking it. "Give Daddy another, come on, be good for him now," He said gripping tighter against Levi's thick hair, between the pepper, the position of his face against the ceiling lighting, he didnt stand a single chance.

"etSHU! ET-SHU! EHTSHU-EH!" it came out in a series, as they spilled into the air around them, Remi forced the afflicted one just under his ear at the crook of his neck by the nap of his hair, instead of pulled backward, he wanted to intake every last reverberation through his core. Levi's hand fumbled its way past his waist band, through every inch of fabric to touch hot, throbbing flesh in his palm.

"Oo-fu-fuck," Remi hissed beside Levi's ear, the leopard's own pants feeling relatively too tight, but as in true punishment fashion, knew he was not the focus of this particular event. He was in big, big trouble. "Now, now, don't be shy," whispering in a sultry dark tone. "Don't stop," huffing faster now as Levi slid the pad of his thumb through the wolf's tip. "Hnngg..." strained now as he forced the shaker back over into Levi's nostrils.

"EH-TSHU!" this one rocked his body forward, eyes watering and tears starting to streak down his face, the tip of his nose cherry red, and his hand stuttering in his strokes as they got faster but sloppier. "Please.....TsHO...."Another, smaller sneeze. Emerald orbs disappeared through the back of Remi's skull as the hand on his cock twitched under Levi's skilled but nonmetrical fingers that worked to squeeze and pump him.

"Little more, kitten," he gasped low, guttural, deep from within his throat, Levi's own eyes rolled back from heated pleasure. They were rutting and rubbing up against each other in an animalistic, heated fashion, complete desperation for the both of them in this moment, who knows or cares if Bill was even still out there waiting. They were lost in this moment. The cat glanced to the side up at the light shining from the ceiling and it triggered one last...

"ACHOOO~" Levi's hand clasped tightly around his lover's leaking member, between the pressure of that and the sound of his mate's last big sneeze, he came, hard into's Levi's hand and down his shiny black leather pants, which would be a crime if Levi had the concentration to care. As he was still absolutely wasted off lust from being completely used in this fancy restroom. Remi, coming down from the high of his orgasm slumped lazily against the wall and his partner, catching his breath and trying to find the capacity to have logical thought once again.

Both of the men took a minute to cool off, to breathe. However, once Remi was recouped he had Levi tugging at his coat. "You're just going to use me, mess me up and leave me like this?" whining gently followed by a pouty lip as he pointed down to his own throbbing issue, and the spooge on his pants.

"Oh...Baby," Remi pouted back in a gentle tone that immediately changed into a devilish grin. "Yes I am," sticking his tongue out like the evil revenge master he was. "That'll teach you to rile me up like that in PUBLIC during important meetings,"

"I-...Bu--t....I-...Yo-..." He stuttered standing there flabbergasted as he fluttered back and forth.

"Bless you," he kissed the dumbfounded man on the sweaty forehead, before fixing his pants, buckle, and stepping out confidently. Leaving his partner behind to clean himself up and to maybe reconsider messing with a wolf.

[miskatonicfolly]

Meet the Mun

what’s your phone wallpaper: My 2 TF2 OCs, Rupert the ghoul scout and Reinhardt the medic.

last song you listened to: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) covered by Brian David Gilbert

currently reading: If Chins Could Kill by Bruce Campbell

last movie: Renfield

last show: King of the Hill

what are you wearing right now: A green and black long sleeve shirt with G.I.R and piggie on it. Pajama leggings with cutesie animals and flowers.

piercings/tattoos: None. I'm very boring

glasses? contacts?: I use glasses for reading

last thing you ate?: Pizza and wings with a coke zero.

favourite colour: Black. Yes, yes, I know black isn't a fuckin' color. I don't care.

current obsession: Bruce Campbell (just in general), Reanimator/Evil Dead (constantly on my mind), Renfield (god, the hyperfixation is hitting hard with this one. If I end up making a Renfield RP blog, someone kick me in the shin, please!)

do you have a crush right now?: Not a real life crush, no.

favourite fictional character: Spyro the Dragon, Raziel (soul reaver), Godzilla, Ash Williams (Evil Dead), Herbert West (Reanimator), Lara Croft (Tomb Raider), and countless more that constantly hold a chokehold on me.

Tagged by: @ikkaku-of-heart

Tagging: @whiskeysmulti

[songs-about-girls-like-me]

chapter 19: an almost deleted scene (2)

(a/n: alternative title for the chapter: Feisty)

"Okay, take out your lipgloss" Poppy scattered her collection of BeautyRush on the school desk.

I had two lip smackers that my sister had gifted me. One was skittles, the other one was sprite. I also had a roll-on straberry gloss I had bought myself (my parents' money) at "Todo Moda" during the weekend. The five of us put them in the middle of our school desks making a considerable collection that looked so cool in their plasticky colorful glory and, idk why, we put them into a light green plastic pencil holder that Poppy had brought from home.

"This way we can share while we're in class!" It was a cool shiny display in the middle of our school supplies. Our gloss obsession was a bit deluded and silly but the bond between us sharing them felt so real. We were doing geography or math and we had taken over the desks at back of the classroom. Mr. G hadn't scolded anyone for completely disregarding the sitting chart and changing places, so my friends and I were all together in one "school team", rolling with it. We all went in to take one, I chose the most true-pink gloss, almost like a magenta shade that looked just clear on the lips. It smelled like pure sugar. I was happy that MJ took my Skittles lipsmacker.

"1, 2, 3, lipgloss"

"That one is so dumb, guys" called out Liv. Maybe it was, but we just laughed.

"This is awesome"

We nodded in agreement with Ella, I flipped my front pieces of hair off my face so it didn't stick to my lips, the now familiar thick texture of petroleum jelly making me smell berries under my nose.

"Oh, wait. Careful with the cherry gloss!" Said Poppy pausing the silly bliss of the moment.

"This one??" I asked showing her mine.

"No, it's red. The 'cherry bomb' one isn't clear gloss, it's so so red."

"Which one?" we all were moving the glosses around on emergency mode all over the desks but it wasn't there. Then I smelled cherry. We all darted our eyes to the head of the table.

"Wait, this one?" Ella's lips were dripping red like a vampire frozen in spot with the lipgloss still pressed to her bottom lip, squeezing more product out. It was definitely THAT one and we all cracked up laughing. It smelled really fucking good, I could smell it from 1.5 metters apart, holding on to my chair while laughing so much I could've fallen to the ground. Ella bursted out a laugh still confused, not knowing how funny she looked but having an idea by how much we couldn't stop laughing. Her lips were red, the gloss making a line down the left corner just like blood, and MJ didn't miss the moment to call her sexy. Elizabeth sent each one of us a flying kiss, playing along to the dumb sexy vampire jokes. I wiped my tears away to keep writing down whaterver we were copying from the blackboard, still carrying a giggle in my chest.

That afternoon we were messing around still at school before Jazz. We all had been perfecting a walking technique, a model stride that made your hair move in the wind, even with zero breeze needed. My friends and I would line up and practice before dance class or recess or whenever we could in the hallways, each starting with the right foot on the count of 3 to be coordinated. By this moment, it was a nonchalant reflex to go everywhere chatting while walking like that. So we walked the length of the running track at least three Times just to enjoy ourselves while discussing TV shows, probably talking about Shake it Up's latest aired episode.

"I almost cried with 'Add it up', it was so good." MJ held Ella by the shoulder while still strutting with us.

"Yeah!! I liked it better than 'Meatball it up'" She agreed. I was wondering how in the hell they knew the episodes' names.

"Rees? Did you catch 'Add it up'?"

"Mhh... I don't think so..." I had watched the first episode and the Olive Garden one like five Times now, but apparently I was missing more. Sometimes my mom would be late to pick me and my sister up from school and I couldn't catch it before America's Next Top Model started.

"O.M.G. You'll love it" MJ would spell out OMG when talking. "It's about Cece!" A smile grew on my lips.

"Lame, Rees! Keep up with the episodes!" Ella and I had the most savage friendship at Times, so I pushed her by the shoulders, making her laugh and starting a quick physical fight between us. After being stopped by MJ who was giggling and Poppy who finally snapped out of counting the petals of a pink geranium from The Flowerbed, we reached the basketball court. The four of us found a bech facing the basketball court to chill at before having to change out of our school uniforms. The boys before jazz were still annoying, but today we were hanging around them even while they were having basketball practice. Everyone was in for the banter, which some days could actually be just innocent enough to make us more friends and less enemies. MJ and Poppy were bickering with the boys warming up for practice. Ella and I were once again quoting Disney Channel not paying too much attention to the dudes doing shoulder rolls and neck stretches wearing baggy basketball shorts and tanktops.

"I tipped over the canoe, I cut my lip... and my top came off." I was even copying Cece's voice and closing the imaginary olive green jacket over my flat chest. We would do this scene all the Time, unprovoked.

"Cece, you were 10. Nobody even knew you were a girl." Ella was my Rocky, pretending to sit back on a bench in the Chicago subway. (The irony in this, I was currently actually 10 loll).

"I knew!!" our cadence was exact, and in the end we would burst in laughter and repeat it all. The rhythm between us was the best thing, like a quick witted game of cards we had perfected.

"Go Joe!" Poppy was being her extra cutesy self, while the team did some laps around the court. Joe winked at her, still running.

"Get out of the way, girls" Max came up to us, pretending she was about to throw a ball to our face and retrieving it at the very last second before it hit us. We were so used to it by now, we barely even flinched.

"Stop that!" Poppy whined in complaint of the aggressive game.

"Let me try" Ella jumped up and quickly took it out of her hands.

"No. Let go" MJ, Poppy and I were now laughing at the scene. Both girls fighting over it, Ella hunching over the ball hidding it from her reach, her curly hair falling over her face.

"It's mine now, Max" she stated with a laugh.

"Noo, Elizabeth, let go." Max was trying to use her elbow to make the dirty synthetic ball fall from my friend's grip. Max lets out a laugh too. "Ella."

"Ohhh, Max can be nice. Did you just call her "Ella"? I loved pissing her off like this. She looked me in the eye with half a laugh and her basketball back in her hands.

"Watch it, Rees" She did the trick again, only this Time the ball actually hit me straight in the face by accident. "Omg, sorry" She was laughing but sounded genuinely surprised by the slip. We were laughing too, cause it was one of those good days. She rubbed my forehead a bit, holding back a giggle.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, thanks" I acted just a bit pissed keeping her hands away, but finding it funny too.

"You girls are distracting" Mick yelled wearing that crush he had on both Poppy and MJ on his sleeve.

"So focus" asked MJ. I could laugh so much when my friends acted like this. Some of the guys were finishing their laps now, panting from the running, while forming a group in one corner of the court.

"What are those? The cheerleaders?" Their coach was paying attention now, shading his eyes with one hand to be able to see us better. He was so deeply annoying.

"Yea, they're our cheerleaders" Joe agreed, he seemed very okay with the idea and I fucking hated his coach.

"In your dreams" Poppy blew her boyfriend a sarcastic kiss, while she walked her way closer to them. The rest of us following behind to back her up.

"Oh, we'd never be cheerleaders for you." MJ was being real now, sniggering.

"You should! Isn't that what you do?" This was getting my blood heated.

"Oh, they're your friends who do dance" their coach didn't speak directly to any of us.

"Yes. So you could cheer if you're going to be here watching us"

"We dance. It's so not even similar" Ella corrected Rick, her arms crossed. We nod our heads, as if all of us had said the thing.

"What's the difference, again?" Max was back to being annoying, and the boys were too, laughing.

"You just twirl around in mini skirts" They all broke into a laugh at Rick's joke. I didn't know the word "misogyny" at the Time, but these dudes were constantly making me discover the concept from firsthand experience.

"Cool, as opposed to what?" I had been quiet but my voice appeared harsh and hostile. "Running like graceless deadbeat horses after one single lap? The team is terrible ?" I said bluntly making them silent. I wasn't used to talking back like this, even worse cause it sounded like my insult went out to an adult too. But what the fuck?!

"Yea... you guys always lose your games" Poppy added, her eyebrows furrowed. And it was true.

"Girls, we're in the middle of practice. You can't even be here to start with." The adult who started this decided to speak again. "Imma ask you to leave"

"Yea, kick them out coach!" our classmates encouraged him finding their laughter again, booing.

"Yea, let's go girls." Said MJ. That was the cue for our hair flips but this was too serious for that. "Enjoy your stupid class" She murmurs, starting to walk away. I know most of them caught her words.

"It was a joke, girls!" Despite de half-apology, Joe was partially still laughing.

"You are a joke!" Ella had to scream it from the other side of the courtyard and I knew it was a good retort to exit with. I flipped my hair subtly over my shoulder to feel less shaken up as we walked lined up, all four pairs of legs matching the beat.

"Damn! Graceless deadbeat horses was insane, Rees" says Ella as a compliment. I hear the naughty snigger on her voice and we all break in a bit of a laugh at what I said, hopefully they'd hear us giggling. I wanted them to know it had no effect on us.

"'Enjoy your stupid class' was crazier" I break from the line to jump a bit and look at them. "And Ella, just now?"

"It was good" says Poppy in deep recognition of the scene. We strode taking the short hallway to get completely away from their sight. The running track was more populated yet chill as always. It felt funny, even if we had to take some punches, I was so fixated on the good parts. Did I really have those harsh comebacks in me? We kept walking,four different shades of medium to dark brunette hair moving in a made-up breeze of our own.

"I really hate the boys, though. And Max." MJ was setting the pace for our coordinated walking.

"Yea... we should stop talking to them. And the school should get a cheer team, maybe that would show them how hard that also is." I state, feeling a bit amused. They conversation gets cut short cause we see a girl a year below ours was approaching us, directly to Poppy. I couldn't tell right away, but then I recognized her brother's hazel eyes.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" Joe's sister was asking for a word with her.

"Sure, Sienna. I'll see you in a minute, guys"

"Catch us at the bathroom" Poppy nodded at Ella's words while picking up her pace to match Sienna's. It was not the first nor the second Time this happenned. She was good looking, prettier than Joe and she had a cunning look in her eyes he didn't have. Poppy had already told us how Sienna was a big cause of drama and arguments between Joe and herself. She had even cried to us about it a couple days back, so I didn't understand how she would still have these private conversations with her but... I think she was trying to get on her good side, so she stopped talking shit about her to her brother, making them fight.

"Hmm... Sienna is a bit..." MJ started.

"Yea, I don't like her either." stated Ella. I sighed. I mean, I didn't even fully liked Joe to begin with, so. "Anyway. Let's get changed?"

[getmybuzzup]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: SAXX Men's Vibe Super Soft Boxer Brief with Built-in Pouch Support.

[ankit20222]

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[opbackgrounds]

Zoro’s just jealous

[chevvy-yates]

OC Interview Questions

I saw @smilepal's post with Hiro being interviewed, thought it was cool and wanted to do as well (also goes for the idea to have the character answering for the interviewer, so I thought I'd make that as well.)

Tagging: @nervouswizardcycle @dreamskug @a-pirate @wraithsoutlaws @jaymber and everyone who want's to do this (no pressure).

Edit: Imagine his voice being similar to SPN S1 Dean's (just a lil' lighter maybe).

---

Name?  

Vijay. — jus' V's fine, tho.

Are you single? 

I was in fact — until last week. smirks So, I'm off the market. Sorry to all the gents and ladies out there!

Are you happy? 

I'm mostly good but I wouldn't call it happy in every case. Being happy really's kinda rare. Since I live in NC and left Portland behind, yeah I guess I'm much 'happier'. But there's always room for improvememt. (bonus ask) But you seem happy to me? That's because of my face. I got a happy face. Doesn't mean I'm always the happy cute guy you see in me. Anyways: yet, I appreciate it when I'm also not happy — See, I don't think u can achieve to be the happiest either. There'll always be times u get kicked off of your rainbow shootin' unicorn, u know.

Are you angry?

Show me one person in NC who's not? Everyone's angry. Not all the time, and I believe many hide it, so they're practically lyin'. I get angry, too, at times. But I tend to vent quickly and not wasting any more time with it because I got better things to do.

Are your parents still married?

Heck do I know? Don't care 'bout 'em anymore.

=NINE FACTS=

Birth place?  

Monterey Bay. Scenic coastline, almost looks ike some neat painting. I used to play a lot at the beaches and swam in the ocean when I was a kid. Area is thrivin' with wild life. There isn't one day I'm not thinking about it. Once I'm gettin' tired of the city life, I'm gonna buy me one of these fairytale cottages and spend the rest of my days sitting on my porch watching the sun setting beyong the ocean.

Hair color?

Ginger. And yes, I have a soul.

Eye color?

Used to be pure green but I had to replace them with optics because of the biz, so now got a color that looks green to blueish? Depends on the lighting.

Birthday?

February. Close friends get the numbers.

Mood?

's good for now.

Gender?

I'm a male.

Summer or winter?

Well, this is NorCal. It's mostly Summer throughout the year. Even Portland didn't get much of a Winter thanks to global warming shit noone could stop yet. I don't even know what a real Winter feels like. Maybe I should take a trip to where Winter still happens to be? Then u might get an answer 'bout this.

Morning or afternoon?

Often get to enjoy mornings since I mostly work at night and come home or finish a job when it's about to get morning. Yet, I've always loved afternoons way more. The moment u can just watch the sun getting lower until it's disappearing behind the horizon has always been and is very peaceful to me.

=EIGHT THINGS ABOUT YOUR LOVE LIFE=

Are you in love?

I defintiely got that strong butterfly feeling again I haven't felt in a long while. Feels great!

Do you believe in love at first sight?

Nuh-uh. I believe it's attraction that's drivin' people mostly when they think they are in love from zero to hundred. Maybe there are exceptions, though, dunno. But for me — there's no "at first sight". It developes after time is what I can say from my experience.

Who ended your last relationship? 

I did. Personal issus I couldn't cope with. That's all you need to know. We're still very good friends. It's not easy that easy though.

Have you ever broken someone’s heart?

He told me I didn't, but I think I did. His eyes do tell me that.

Are you afraid of commitments?

What kind of commiment?*

Have you hugged someone within the last week?

Yeah, sure. Hugs are important. It's part of my love language.

Have you ever had a secret admirer?

Yah, bet I got some. But I don't — uh … really care? Come to me, talk to me — rest we'll see.

Have you ever broken your own heart?

Yup. Got to do with these people called "parents" I once had.

=SIX CHOICES=

Love or lust?  

I like both but lust always seems to be stronger, lingering deep inside, waiting to get into action. I've got a better understanding of it than love. The latter is unpredictable and hits you totally unexpected. But the two can go along well together if you got the right person at your side and keep both balanced.

Lemonade or iced tea?

Lemonade — always a good choice. Am I gettin' some now? Don't forget to put some gin into it for me, alright?!

Cats or dogs?

Send me all them doggos u got! I love them. -happiest face ever- They are the only animals that love you unconditionally. Cats would eat u if they were bigger than us for sure.

A few best friends or many regular friends? 

After Portland I went with "few best friends". The rest is only mutuals, too me. U need to be careful with whom you talk about personal stuff — especially in this city. True friends takes a while to find, though.

Wild night out or romantic night in?

Can u stop askin' me 'this or that' stuff? It's both. Wild nights are a lot of fun but if I got someone I just wanna spend time alone with? — Fuck yeah! Nothing can beat a romantic night at home. I crave for that as well.

Day or night?

Where are we right now? Right – NIGHT City. More than half of the city sleeps at day and is awake around night, same goes for me.

=FOUR HAVE YOU EVERS=

Been caught sneaking out?

Where to? If u mean by that, as a kid — dozens of times. If on a job — I stopped counting.

Fallen down/up the stairs?

In my biz? Couple of times.

Wanted something/someone so badly it hurt?

Yup. But as I said — done with it.

Wanted to disappear?

As in getting invisible for my job? Heck, wouldn't that be awesome!? Otherwise, nah.

=FOUR PREFERENCES=

Smile or eyes?

Ohhh, it's eyes alright. They tell you so much about a person sometimes it's incredible.

Shorter or taller? 

Well, I ain't got anything against people smaller than me, but — nearly same height as me is very pleasing, bc you don't have to bend down all the time. I'm 6''4 so, there ain't many people taller than me. Well, Jackie is — was, tho …

Intelligence or attraction?

I must admit I go for attraction in the first place and therefore intelligence does come a bit short in some cases. But it is also very important. So, both.

Hook-up or relationship?

I prefer relationships, but hook-ups are nice, too — especially when you had enough of relationships for a while.

=FAMILY=

Do you and your family get along?

Why are there so many family related questions? U can answer this to yourself. Don't have to tell ya twice, bro!

Would you say you have a “messed up life”?

It was messy alright, until I got myself together and got out of it. At least for that messed up life part. The one I'm in now is a different messed up. I don't think about that much. Pulls you only down, to be honest. Just tryin' and get the best out of it everyday I wake up. You live only once, right? So make the best out of it.

Have you ever run away from home?

Not really. U could say I did but he part at home didn't bother either? Does that makes sense? Ah fuck — just get me the next question!

Have you ever gotten kicked out?

No. I was gone before anybody could have 'kicked me' out.

=FRIENDS=

Do you secretly hate one of your friends?

Ehm… why should I hate one of my friends secretly? Your questions reaching the peak of lowness, seriously.

Do you consider all of your friends good friends? 

Didn't we already have a similar question? The few friends I got, are my GOOD Friends — the rest is, already said, mutuals.

Who is your best friend? 

Was– best friend. Jackie — I still miss him. But Ryder, my team mate, is always there for me if I got somethin' on my mind. I met him about the same time as Jackie. We've been very close to each other for a while.

Who knows everything about you?

Jackie knew a lot about me. I would go that fare and say he'd know almost everything, yeah. But Jack's gone, so I'll pick Ryder. He might know almost as much about me as Jackie did. And I know he'll keep private things for himself. I know I can trust him.

[lady-ragnvindr]

you more so have been an unassigned assistant for albedo. or rather care taker. 

with long sighs leaving your lips as you somehow always get the chief alchemist to leave the lab, if just for a few minutes. get him to eat food that has just been made, smoke coming from the hot foods and drinks. getting him to set a hygienic schedule. of course, he doesn't smell all that bad, but it does accumulate when never leaving and being surrounded by all sorts of potions and discoveries. not good of a scent for klee, if she were to visit, or anyone for the matter.

setting this favoritism did bring rumors and questions, but you denied any and all that were to circulate of being his lover. because you weren't, you were a friend and practically his care taker, and assistant.

you were no where near as informative on the subject of alchemy, but you did know a thing or two due to being around him a lot. so it came to no surprise when you would help him in what you can.

like sorting the potions and glass that klee had gotten her hands on. or moving a few boxes around when getting new equipment. handing him books, open to the section he needed it on. even making a basic potions that can aid in his future research. 

but you helped him. especially now.

when you got ready for the start of the week, ready to hand him an earful when he didn't leave his lab when you were out on a weeklong commission. with a basket of the nutritional food and drink, and some new materials that you saw he lacked of. you made your way to his lab.

seeing the sign of "lab in use" in it's bold black ink, you sighed when noticing the door is locked. grabbing your key, readying yourself to give him a short lecture on taking care of himself, a rather loud noise care from inside. it wasn't of anything falling or breaking, no explosions, if anything it sounded as if it came from a person.

with the door unlocked, you knocked three times before entering. nearly dropping your basket, and jaw at the sight in front of you. coat on the floor, boots taken off and looked as if thrown by his chair. gloves were on top of the table. his usual braid was undone, pale skin now tinted with a pink hue. even his hair, the tips looked as if he dipped them in a light pink dye.

heavy pants came from him. mumblings of incoherent words leaving his mouth, drool dripped down the corners of his lips. his eyes were closed. 

gulping down nothing when spotting his hands, better yet his shorts too. which pooled at his thighs and his hands moved across his length in a quick pace.

seeing him in such a state did something to you.

-"it's too hot." 

this time dropping your key at his words, he stopped at the sound and turned to your direction. you froze, mostly from him knowing that you're with him, but also from the eye color. his usual teal blue eyes, now pink.

-"it hurts. it hurts."

swallowing nothing and close the door, locking both of the locks. where with one of them, the only one with the key is albedo. placing your basket on a side table and walked to him with slow steps.

he kept mumbling of the heat and pain, his hands continued with the pace they had. wanting to do something, to help him, to release any pain he is enduring, but did you want to? his mind is probably already clouded with fogginess. probably couldn't give you any consensual reaction if you were to do something. you didn't want to strain your relationship with the alchemist after this. 

you lifted a hand, near his left cheek, yet you didn't touch him. his eyes were already open and had watched you getting closer to him. he went to lean against your palm but you pulled away. tears were gathering at his eyes. everything about the situation was screaming that this isn't right, that this isn't him. 

"so much. it hurts so much." 

a sound, similar to a a whimper, when you wiped the tears that fell. 

"can I touch you?"

nodding frantically at your question.

"use your words." 

you cupped his cheeks to continue wiping the tears that fell. with the prominent blush on his face, you could feel that he was burning.

-"yes please. please touch me. touch me. touch me." 

with one hand still on his face,the other traveled down. moving your thumb across his. he let go, your hand replacing his, and you set a pace. occasionally swiping your thumb in his head 

he shuddered, he groaned, he moaned in just a few seconds after speeding up. bucking his hips and without warning came. 

wiping your hand on his soiled shirt, and more noises left his lips.

-"more more more. please. plea-" 

your hand hadn't left his face, went over his lips. the table would be the best choice, but you didn't want to clean, the only other choice was that floor. you knew there was a side that had almost zero experiment cloud, usually kept simple for when someone visited.

"can you stand?"

you removed your hands from his body, and his torso moved as if to chase after your fleeting touch.

when he stood up, his legs wobbled and he fell back down on the chair. but before he did, you finally took notice of the hight difference. with his boots, he was able reach just above your nose bridge, but you never took notice as you were never this close. he had the perfect height for you to kiss his forehead

running your hands on his shirt to take it off, but he did himself. admiring his body before moving.

you were so thankful for joining the adventures guild to become stronger. and become strong you did. with ease, you were able to pick him up. placing both hands on his bum, and you felt something you haven't felt in awhile.

his legs wrapped around your waist, with his arms around you neck.  he felt a far better pleasure than what his hand could do.

"we're just gonna move a little." 

he stopped moving his hips, to hear your whisperd words on his ear.

you moved and settled him on the floor, that had a carpet. a loud whine, whether because he wasn't able to continue the friction, or your body no longer closer to him, or because of the squeeze he felt when your hands left his bum.

"im going to take off the rest of your clothes."

he rushed in helping you. and you, you sat back on your calves to admire him. 

"so beautiful." 

you whisperd to yourself, but he might have heard, if his legs moving to cage you or something said anything.

running your hands on his torso, from his shoulders to his waist before settling on his hips. you just couldn't stop staring at him. 

-"please." 

blinking away from his length, and stared at his face.

"is this fine?"

your hands found themselves on his inner thighs and they trembled. he reached for your hand that wasn't on his thigh. holding his fingers with your left, and your right had lowered to his length.

moving forward, your knees touched his bum, you tightened your grip on his hand before letting go. leaning down, his breath was labored and you couldn't stop yourself from touching his thighs again.

-"more, please." 

he whined and bucked, your hands lightly touching his length. he certainly wasn't big, nor small. but he wasn't thin either.  

"is this fine?"

-"yes." 

he nodded fast and you stared back down. needing to know that he was okay still 

it wasn't long before he came again, painting his stomach and chest. head red and still dribbling a bit. he twitch when you started your pace again. writhing from your touch, and you paused.

overstimulation. you thought. you wouldn't hurt him. not when he was in this state.

"still hot?"

-"is... is better." 

you sighed and had your hands move his legs. spreading them, careful to not touch him yet. leaning down, not caring about your shirt getting dirty when it met his torso

"green means to continue."

you spoke to him softly.

"yellow means to slow down."

you felt his arms go around your waist. his legs moved, but were still spread.

"red means to stop."

you heard him breath deeply. your face near his ear. leaving an open kiss where his shoulder and neck meet, and leaving more kisses around his neck.

"color?"

you would never forgive yourself if you hurt him when he is like this. 

-"green. green." 

it took a few minutes for him to respond. you were patient enough and just rubbed circles on his hip with your right hand.

humming and trailer kisses downwards. licking at his chest, mouthing at his nipples, all while your left hand held his. giving the other side the same attention and enjoyed the noises that fell from his lips.

a sudden whimper and his hand clutching tighter around your own, had you leaning away to let go. he had come a third time, but he whined as you lifted your torso. as you had only payed attention to his chest, you hadn't noticed his hips moving at the friction that your shirt gave when you were close.

-"give more. more more. please. just more."

it was all still new to you. seeing this side of him, one that probably doesn't even exist when sober.

sitting back on your calves and he whined once more. eyes trailing more down. it's to help him. you thought. not for yourself. avoiding the heat on your stomach when seeing his hole.

"tell me your color."

and your finger only rubbed the rim. his sudden jump from your action, had you pulling away.

-"green! it's green." 

he continued to repeat the word. hesitating for a moment and moved your right hand over his mouth. he only opened his mouth and you had to tell him to get them wet.

feeling that it was enough, you moved you hand below and inserted only your middle finger.

it only brought his fourth orgasm. blinking slightly at your finger, your knuckle barely touching him. then at his face.

it was flushed with more red, it couldn't be heat. was he embarrassed by it? eyes were closed and his hands were in fists by his sides.

"doing so well."

his leg that was propped up, and kissed his knee. 

"so well for me."

when moving your finger, you made sure to stare at his face, at his body. hoping to find that he isn't uncomfortable. he wasn't, he was only whining for more. 

"I'm going to add a second."

he groaned and his hips moved, pushing your fingers deeper than you wanted to. a whimper from him and a tsk from you. the stretch was big for him. you stopped moving, having him get used to it first.

"better?"

he breathed out and had you lean in when pulling at your left hand, the one you haven't let go. huffing a smile and let go to wipe his drool. continuing the rhythm and you finally noticed something, something you should have the second you started thrusting your fingers. 

he was wet. from what you knew, men aren't meant to be wet there. would it because of whatever happened before coming this way. no. what exactly happened?

blinking at the sudden pull from him, the whining of why you stopped, and his hips moving themselves when you stopped.

"still green?"

he nodded and you saw his eyes. they were back to his usual color but when he went to blink, the pink was back.

"I'm going to add a third, okay?"

wide eyes stared back at you and this time he pulled you in closer, just in time for your third finger to go deeper.

lips against lips. sighing into his mouth and made sure to continue thrusting. 

"you're doing so well." 

smiling and giving him a peck before leaning back. 

the smile dropped when your fingers pressed against a special nerve. gasping and his eyes closed. feeling him clench around your fingers when deciding to press again.

tears were falling as he came for the fifth time. noting that the pink tips on his hair got darker. his skin was no longer burning. and his legs dropped. body twitching here and there when removing your fingers.

moving yourself to get up. he shot up to grab you. wincing, and wide eyes.

"I'm just going to get the basket." 

you pointed over to the direction of where it sat and gave his sweaty forehead a kiss. brushing the hair that stuck to it and smiled at him.

you didn't take long to retrieve the item. opening it and you were glad to have gotten something that tastes just as good when gone cold as it would when warm.

"it's probably too much right now, so drink." 

getting the flask with the tea and move him to sit on your lap. he leaned undeniably close to you and his head fell in between your shoulder and neck.

taking small sips of the tea, he sluggishly wiped his lips and you were lucky to bring in bananas for yourself. 

"you still with me?"

he hummed and his face was facing your neck instead of the basket on your right. laughing a small bit and hand him a few slices. 

"I'm going to have you put you down for a bit-"

-"no."

"okay."

kissing his temple and brought him closer. not caring of getting dirty. 

you sighed into his hair, the tips getting lighter and his skin getting warmer.

"I'm guessing I'll be staying in here longer than a should."

only response was a shudder and a bite to your shoulder.

"certainly gotten bolder."

.....😳 I- please 🙏 😢 moreeee

[lovelytarou]

the language of flowers — oikawa tooru

pairing: oikawa tooru x gn! reader

genre: fluff, flowershop!au

tags: flowerboy!oikawa, slowburn, strangers to lovers

word count: 4.06k

a/n: i finally finished this after 2536484 years of procrastination! but thanks to my moots shae and julie for showing support and giving their opinions about this concept hehe. this is the longest fic i've written wow 😳

⤷ summary: the flowershop on the street you frequently walk on going home is a wonder you didn't notice until recently when the smell of flowers caught your attention. deciding to enter it one day out of pure curiosity, you met the owner of the shop and with it, the start of a blooming romance.

life was filled with repeating patterns, certain routines and habits that everybody has gotten used to doing. like the way you always took the same path when going home, passing by the familiar faces you encounter all the time, seeing the similar architecture and landscape that brings some sort of familiarity to you whenever you see it. 

your feet stopped in their own accord when a sweet smell invaded your nose. you inhaled deeply, the aroma pleasant and fresh. going a few steps back, you finally saw where it was coming from. the flower shop stood out like a sore thumb in the street with its vibrant flowers that you can see through the clear glass. the sunlight was shining down upon the beautiful flowers and they looked charming even from afar. 

you thought for a moment and decided that you'd stop by in the flower shop for a little while. besides, if the smell alone has caught your attention, who knows what else can? 

the soft tinkle of the bell on the door signalled your presence. you were simply in awe at the sight of the decorations inside the shop. it was breathtaking. numerous flowers, bouquets, wreaths, and some that you don't know the name about were placed neatly and elegantly inside the shop to let the customers feast their eyes (and noses) upon. 

giggles and loud laughter snatched you away from your thoughts, a huddled group of women and men alike are circling over something - or someone? - and they seemed to be too entertained about it than the flowers themselves. chuckling quietly, you shook your head and decided to look around the place more for yourself. 

there were buckets and baskets of anemones in pinks, reds, and purple. there were also daffodils, camellias, and tulips of many colors that you can't help but get sucked in by them. you can't think which one to go to first, there are so many! the hanging plants are wonderful as well, they can make for great decoration. the succulents look cute and adorable, it can also be manageable if you find yourself too busy to take care of a plant. 

you were too deep in your thoughts, caressing a blue tulip to even notice the sudden silence in the shop and the ringing of the bell at the door that tells you the previous patrons have exited the flower shop and you're now alone. or so you thought.

“beautiful,” a sing-songy, lilting voice spoke from behind you, causing you to jolt from where you're admiring the flower and turned towards the owner of the voice. 

if the flowers took your breath away, well he made you get your breath stuck in your throat. he looks like he's not from around him, and simply breathing in his space is something short of disgraceful. you took in his wavy side-swept dark brown hair, and his welcoming eyes of the same color that shone with mischief. his lips are stretched into a smile. 

wow, he is really tall. you're surprised he hadn't reached the ceiling of the shop. he seemed pretty intimidating with his height alone, but there's an air around him that screams playfulness.

“ah, i meant the tulips.” he apologized as a blush coated his beautiful clear cheeks, a hand touching his nape.

“oh!” you cleared your throat, immediately bringing the tulip back where it respectfully resides, “yes, they're very wonderful to look at. you have a lovely shop, uh…” 

he seemed to perk up at the inquisition of his name, he chuckled to himself before offering his hand.

“oikawa tooru, nice to meet you! and thanks, i do try hard to keep this flower shop presentable for customers like you who have taste.” he winked, walking past you and you followed suit – eyes practically glued to his form as he moved swiftly around his small shop.

“must be difficult to run a business like this all by yourself,” you wondered, fingers brushing against petals that your hand can reach. 

it's odd, but staying in there for just a few minutes has brought you a sense of relaxation. as if the flowers all around you and talking to oikawa is such a breath of fresh air. 

“well, you get used to it after a while. besides, i have my friends, uh...help me sometimes.” he nervously chuckled, he certainly knew that 'help' means that force his friends to carry things around while blackmailing them and bribing them for lunch, then sure, he had them help him. 

you only hummed in response. 

he turned around after a while, a pink lily in his hand.

“i think this suits our gorgeous customer, don't you think?” he smirked, handing the flower with a flourish which you took gently – causing your hands to touch and making you feel that slight tingle people talk about in movies and books. 

you felt silly about the way your face heats up at the small gesture, your gaze not straying away from the flowers in fear of letting oikawa see his effect on you. 

but you can try with all your might, nothing can stop him from already seeing your flushed face. he always does these things to entertain the customers but he found his chest feeling warm staring at you like that.

going back to his place in the cashier, he started to tidy up a bit for the next customers that will visit the shop. his brown eyes kept staring at you from time to time as you walked around, trying to see if there's anything else you could buy along with the lily – but we all know it's just to keep your attention away from him and the fact that he can make your heart race with mere flirting.

“i never really noticed your shop before, and i have walked this street for how many times now.” you droned on, playing with the cute pots on the shelf – some of them were heads of the cliché green alien and other space themed stuff which you find adorable, bringing a fond smile to your face.

“oikawa's flower shop is like a secret garden, my dear customer.” he boasted, spraying freesias on the cashier desk with a smile on his face.

“it truly looks like one,” you agreed, with one final look in the flower shop, you walked closer to the cashier and got out your wallet. 

“no, no. it's on the house, lovely.” he beamed, stopping the hand in your bag.

“really? thank you.” your face flushed at the feeling of his hands – the very same one who took care of these beautiful flowers – touching yours. 

he recoiled, as if burned. his face painted a deep red like the roses by the windows. both of you looked away, like two magnets of the same sign – coming in contact with each other only to repel.

“well, um, i'll see you around then.” you muttered, breaking the silence. 

“yeah, see you.” oikawa smiled warmly. hopefully much sooner, he hoped.

with one last look at each other, you turned around and exited the secret garden. you walked home that day all smiles and giddy, still feeling the lingering touch he has left on your skin, how warm and calloused they felt. maybe from how hard he was working. 

you wondered if you'll ever see him again soon. 

the second time you visited the flower shop was when you saw oikawa in one of the coffee shops you frequented. it turned out that he usually stops by for coffee and his milk bread when the shop's particularly slow. he asked to walk you home and since you're both taking the same path, you agreed. 

he turned out to be a very chatty person – not the kind that will annoy you because they only talk about themselves, but the amusing kind because he has a lot of stories stored inside his big brain full of tales about him and his friends, and occasionally asking about your life as well.

you two had fallen into a comfortable pace as you walked together, sipping both your beverages. 

“hey, let's play truth or dare!” he blurted, eyes sparkling in excitement and thinly veiled mischief, a bright smile on his lips.

“really? here? now?” you asked, incredulous. isn't this something people do in parties around a lot of people? 

“yeah! it'll be fun,” he shrugged. 

“well, okay then.” you sighed, before sipping your drink, “you go first.” 

“okay…” he pretended to think hard, eyes darting everywhere as he hummed, “truth or dare?”

“you don't really need to think so hard about that,” you chuckled.

“just pick!” 

“alright, alright. truth!” you beamed at him, trying to understand what his brain will cook up to ask you.

“ah, that's easy. what's your name?” oh, that's right. you forgot to tell him back then the first time you went in his flower shop. and so, you told him.

“y/n. what a beautiful name. okay, my turn! my turn!” he excitedly chanted, eyes never losing their sparkle. 

you ignored the butterflies that erupted in your stomach the moment he said your name, as if he's taking his time and tasting it around his tongue like a foreign delicacy he hasn't tasted before. 

you cleared your throat, averting his gaze as they zeroed in on you, “truth or dare, mr. milk bread?” 

“hey, they taste really good, i'll have you know.” he scoffed, before his face morphed back into excitement again, “dare!”

you thought for a moment, there isn't really anything too interesting to do while walking. and then you smirked.

“i dare you to greet the person who will walk this corner as if you knew each other for a very long time,” you grinned devilishly. he gaped at that, before darting his gaze towards the street corner you were talking about. 

“y/n-chan, i didn't know you would be the type,” he teased, you were about to retort when a huge, buff man walked around the corner. he looked intimidating, even for you and you wondered what oikawa might be feeling right now. 

but you didn't need to wonder about it any longer as he was already walking up to the man, confident and grinning. he raised his hand in the air before slapping the guy on the shoulder. 

“hey, long time no see, man! say hello to the wife and kids for me, will ya?” the man gave him a weird look before shaking his head, walking past and minding his own business muttering about 'kids these days'.

once the guy was out of earshot, you and oikawa bursted out in laughter, looking at each other with relief and surprise.

“i thought he was going to pulverize you!” you wheezed in between chortles.

“i know! me too! i thought he'll get mad at me or something,” he threw his head back as he laughed. you stopped your own giggles to stare back at him. he looked radiant as he let himself go, you thought he looked attractive with the way he candidly showed his happiness.

“something wrong, y/n-chan?” you hadn't realized he stopped laughing and was left staring at him. his head was tilted in curiosity as he peered at you in concern.

“not at all!,” you catch yourself, suddenly feeling hot and embarrassed, hoping he didn't notice you ogling him, “where were we?”

“it's your turn now, truth or dare?” feeling bold, you chose dare next. 

oikawa gave you a broad smile, his hand extending towards you as if encouraging you to take it, “i dare you to stay a little longer with me in my shop,”

to be honest? you expected him to get back at you and maybe make you do an equally embarrassing (if not more) dare, but you did not expect this. 

what you also didn't expect is the fact that you had stopped in front of oikawa's flower shop with your back turned to it. how did you reach there so fast? it seemed like talking and walking with him made time stop. a part of you would like to keep it that way, if only it was possible.

“i would love to,” was your answer. oikawa opened the door to his shop, letting you in first. he then led you near the back of the shop, opening into a wide backyard that resembled a small, gorgeous garden with different kinds of flowers. some even you haven't seen him display in the shop inside. 

the two of you sat on the two seated table. you were simply at awe with how ethereal this all looked. your eyes couldn't get enough of all the wonderful colors that it landed on.

“wow,” was all you managed to say, taking in your surroundings and appreciating every nook and cranny presented to you.

“i spent most of my breaks here,” oikawa came back with two glasses of water and placed them on the glass table. 

“usually talking to myself and talking to the flowers. i heard it helps them grow faster and makes them more beautiful.” he, too, looked around his small garden with unconcealed pride and fondness. if you looked closer, you could also see the hint of sadness hidden in there. 

“you talk to your flowers? that's so cute!” you gushed, hiding your smile behind the glass of water as you sipped it.

“if anything, you're the one who's cute.” he complimented as if it was nothing, eyes boring into yours as his smile widened.

you choked on your water, coughing it up out of surprise and it was the opposite of cute. but his opinions didn't change.

oikawa barked a laugh, reaching over to pat your back soothingly. once you calmed down, you avoided his gaze once again and decided to stare at the sunflowers nearby. 

“we should just continue the game,” you decided to divert the topic. 

“truth or dare, cutie?” oikawa bit back the grin from emerging on his face. hiding it with a palm propped up on the table.

“d-dare,” you answered without thinking. and oikawa being the little shit he is, took this as an opportunity.

“i dare you to go on a date with me this saturday,” he sincerely declared, eyes not leaving you once. your head whipped back to him so fast, you swear you got whiplash. 

you're not one of these flowers and yet you felt the butterflies going wild inside of you.

your heart beat rapidly inside of your chest, pounding hard and ringing in your ears. 

“you don't need a dare to get me to say yes,” you reasoned with a wide smile.

oikawa tooru, like his flowers, is a lively, blooming person. you get to know that the moment you agreed to go on a date with him. it followed a few hangouts, and frequent bumping into each other considering this was a small town, afterall. how you haven't noticed such a vibrant person in your life was beyond you.

you see him everywhere, every day in your life right now. in the small bushes that your neighbor has in their garden, the alien and sci-fi movies in the store which were his favorite every time he invited you to watch a movie, the milk bread you saw in the coffee shop you both love to go, and even the characters in the books you love to read. oikawa tooru practically invaded your life the moment you invited yourself in his flowershop and you loved every second of it.

every time you two hang out together, he never misses to bring you any flower. you'd always keep them with you until you come home, placing them in a vase and watering them constantly, taking care of them like how much oikawa takes care of the flowers. you paid no mind to it, only thinking that it was a sweet gesture from him until your friend decided to comment on the fresh flowers on top of your coffee table.

the both of you had known each other for a very long time now and that she's going to get married, she wanted you to be a part of it too. setting down the tea in front of her on the table, you sat down beside her, engulfing her in a hug. 

“oh, y/n! i missed you so much! it's been busy with all the planning for the wedding and the people to invite, i still haven't tried on my dress and tasted the cake, it's kind of stressing me out!” she immediately let her sorrows and agony free the moment you let go of the hug.

“speaking of stress, is there anything i could do to help?” you reached for her hand, rubbing it soothingly in circles. 

she hummed thoughtfully, sipping her tea to calm her nerves, “now that i thought about it, we still don't know anyone good enough for the flower decorations in the venue,” she pouted, sighing sadly. 

a lightbulb lit itself on top of your head, making you perk up, “i know someone who does!” 

“really? are they good?” oh more than good, you wanted to butt in but shake your head free of those thoughts. 

“of course! he's actually the one who gave me these, he takes real good care of them.” you gestured towards the tulips in your vase. it seems like her eyes lit up and she immediately fell in love with the flowers. 

“tulips?! oh, y/n, my dear, he's in love with you!” she squealed in glee, bouncing in her seat like a little kid.

“how did you know that by simply looking at my tulips?” 

“giving tulips to someone means a declaration of love, sweetie.” she sighed dreamily, “you might as well plan for your wedding too!” 

“don't be ridiculous!” you exclaimed, trying your best not to smile too wide. 

you weren't too against on the idea, but you just met afterall. it would be too early for another wedding. even though he never failed to show his affection every time you are together, there's still a lingering doubt whether he did like you in that way.

as promised, you asked oikawa about it the next day, stopping by his flower shop with coffee and his beloved milk bread since it's his break. 

“y/n-chan! it's always a pleasure to be visited by you again,” he greeted you, he was attending to a few customers in the store and excused himself before talking to you. your heart swelled with the action, not being able to hide your smile this time.

“tooru, i was just stopping by to ask you a favor. my friend's wedding is getting near and she still doesn't have any flower decorations for the venue. i mentioned you and i was wondering if you're the one who could do it instead?” you bit your lip nervously, fumbling with the paperbag containing the bread as you looked up at him hopefully. 

seriously, how can he resist you looking at him that way? your eyelashes fluttering, mouth formed into a pout, eyes shining brightly. you're just asking him to devour you whole. before he knew it, he had leaned in to peck the corner of your mouth. 

it completely shocked you to your core. he hasn't done that kind of thing before, always being respectful and never doing anything you didn't want to. but strangely, you weren't mad at him for it. to tell the truth, you kinda wished he kissed you more. 

“i'd love to, y/n-chan.” he uttered, pinching your cheek before turning to hide his own reddened face. 

that was basically the last time you saw each other since you recommended him to your friend. and since then, he has been busy and you tried to help with the wedding as well. you figured oikawa has his hands full with taking care of the decorations for the wedding, but even then, he would still message you or even facetime you after – asking about how yiur day went and craving to see your face without him being able to for how long.

the day of the wedding came and it was magical. your heart melted the moment your friends said their “i do's” as everybody clapped and rejoiced with them. the moment you stepped into the venue, everyone was amazed, speechless at the decorations being the first thing their eyes could feast upon. pink and white roses was all you could see – ranging from vine-like ones hanging from the ceiling, to arches in the doorway, and some are even placed neatly on the tables. 

to sum it all, it was breathtaking.

“your boyfriend did amazing,” your friend teased, bumping her hip to yours as she walked away with her husband to greet some guests.

you were left standing there, mouth agape as you took everything in. you couldn't wrap your head around the idea of oikawa managing to do all this by himself, but then again, he has surprised you by doing a lot of things you didn't know he could do. 

“you know, if you stayed here longer there won't be enough food left for you.” the familiaf voice you grew to love and got used to spoke from behind you. something tugged in your chest, the events seeming like déjà vu all over again. 

“i'm just admiring your work, tooru.” you smiled, turning around to face the man behind the beautiful decorations. 

he's changed his clothes into a more formal attire than his usual getup with the aprons and white button up shirt for a maroon suit and tie. he even styled his hair back, if you didn't know him long enough you might have mistaken him for someone else. 

“you look...good,” you managed to breathe out, it seems like the decorations aren't the only ones that are breathtaking. your eyes drank him in, how the clothes hug his frame perfectly, the color complimenting his skin tone, and the fact that his fluffy hair is swept away really makes you want to jump his bones right here, right now.

“and you look gorgeous. i must say, i don't mind you looking like this all the time, y/n-chan.” he chuckled, a shit-eating grin blooming on his face as he eyed you up and down slowly. your face grew hot against his stare and you felt naked, as if his eyes can see through you. 

“th-thanks, tooru.” you mumbled, playing with the hem of your clothes. before any of you could speak, however, the emcee spoke on stage calling out the bride and groom to give a speech. 

you all gathered around the small stage as they thanked everyone for coming to the wedding, inclduing the guests, their helpers, the staff. after all the mushy speech, she declared it was time for the dance, turned around and threw the bouquet (that's also from oikawa) to the audience. 

you saw the thing flying to you and out of pure instinct, you threw your hand in front of you and ended up catching the bouquet. everyone around you clapped including oikawa himself as you stared at it wide eyed. your gazed met oikawa's and as if your face couldn't get any hotter, you also felt the fast beating of your heart when you stared at each other. 

everybody howled and chanted teasing remarks at the two of you. instead of paying attention to the newly weds they picked the two of you as the center of their amusement. 

your friend's voice overpowered them all as she also chanted, “kiss! kiss! kiss! kiss!” 

oikawa looked at you with a raised brow and you can only smile bashfully in return before you felt the world turn upside down, oikawa dipping you as he kissed you passionately and deeply. time seemed to stop once again as everything blurred and all you can feel is him, and all he can feel is you. he hoped it would be enough to pour all the emotions and words he wanted you to know. 

it felt like the kiss lasted forever before he pulled away, the two of you out of breath as you giddily smiled at each other, both sharing a lovestruck look.

“is it too early to ask you to marry me?” 

general taglist: @chibishae34 @behan @bukojuiice (tagging you here bcs you're excited for this)

[demon-trees]

Douxie x chaotic y/n headcanon?

Idk its late and you know what that means time to write up a story idea but never write!

Enjoy this little headcanon I came up with! Is it good, probably not 😅

_______________________________

She is chaotic neutral

Very chaotic

Her magic will overrun everything, like her, its wild and tricky but very powerful and she's not afraid to let it run free unlike some wizards and witches. She enjoys the beautiful chaos it does. It doesn't hurt that the color of it is a nice green/blue it goes well with Douxie.

She's a bit mental but usually keeps herself in check but it slips when she's in mid battle with an enemy then she just doesn't care about the damage around her. The fact that she's not afraid to kill someone does bother Douixe a lot but tells him he should be grateful that she does has morels to extent, kill those who do harm to others and protect those who are too young to do it themselves(a slight foreshadow to her backstory perhaps?). She enjoys dark humor hehe

Sometimes she'll cause a little chaos for the fun of it but, makes sure it doesn't effect any women and children but gives zero shits about men (maybe certain ones). Her little antics sometimes land her on the opposite sides of him and at times the trollhunters. Again she just wants a little fun no need to get upset over spilled tea this isn't the Boston harbor 😊(may have caused war but that just means her fun will last for awhile longer).

She will always flirt with Douxie he'll do the same but they never date its a will they won't they type relationship, she thinks he's better off with someone else who's more stable and doesn't cause him too much trouble. She'll may lean in for a kiss but pulls a nasty trick and leaves the poor boy hanging, he'll get even eventually. Maybe?

Is deathly protective over "her" sweet medieval punk boy, but will dropkick his ass if he does something stupid like WHO LEADS PACK OF GOBLINS TO A CITY(she would but nows not the time for that!). She may not always travel with him but that doesn't mean she can't run into him every now again. Once he had a whole Dracula's army after him because he took his precious book and was on the run for 2 years that was until she got word on the situation. Let's just say there's a reason people believe vampires are just make believe. She could have killed Dracula himself but some Hellsing or whatever got ahold of him before she did. Such a shame really.

I imagine before she starts an adventure or battle her clothes change into something extra (think of Loki from marvel in that  one scene where he's walking and his clothes change into armor). Lastly if you think I won't give this boy a big titty goth girlfriend your wrong because that's what she is. Sometimes when she's in the middle of a fight and has that crazy look in her eye he can't figure out if he should be scared or kiss her senseless. Maybe if he's quick enough he may have a chance of actually kissing her(no that one time when he was drunk did not count!)

She is deadass a half century older then him but stopped aging at 20 but is a whole 2 heads shorter then him(wears high heels to make herself around the same height as him this absolutely unacceptable wanna fight you walking emo bean stalk cause she will! 6ft my ass STOP LAUGHING YOU ABSOLUTE NINEY). He plays guitar and she sings but prefers a mix of edm,techni,dubstep into it.

And now finally yes she gets along with archie she loves him but loves fenrir a bit more.

========================

I'll leave some pictures down here of what her fighting clothes would look like and dm me if your interested in taking this story and making it your own.

Battle outfit (you'll pick which one)

Everyday outfit

And the rare casual date outfit

Note he hasn't seen her in any type of dresses or skirts since the early 1700s

[wordstrings]

@worsethanpixels replied to this post:

i wanna seee garden pics tho

Ohhh, you asked, and now you shall get the spam.

Part of this whole adventure has been an educational journey as I forcibly teach myself about plant species that are native to my area. I've discovered like 96% of typical gardening just grabs whatever pretty plant from wherever on the globe, with little to no consideration for if it's actually a good idea to introduce it to the local ecosystem. A pollinator could come searching through the lush gardens in my neighborhood and only find a distressingly tiny number of plants it has spent millions of years relying on.

So I've picked up the crusade to, over time, replace all the non-native plants in my garden with native ones. Not only is this good for wildlife, those plants will require basically zero care and maintenance. They're built for the worst conditions here, and no poor soil or summer dry spell will daunt them.

But anyway! Aside from the plants themselves, my favorite feature of my landscape is this stone retaining wall along the front of my property. It's got amazing character and grows the best mossy patches.

Above one portion of that wall is my front walk. I spent a long, sweaty time the other week sorting and arranging the rocks to edge the gravel path. Eventually I want to get big flagstone slabs to pave this walkway, but for now, the reddish stones complement the brick and the stone wall nicely.

There's not a whole lot flowering here right now – the non-native daylilies are just starting, but most everything else either kicked its payload a month ago or was too small and new to get a chance to establish and bloom this year.

This part here went from one of the most hopeless corners to one of the more interesting after I added Some Garden-y Stuff instead of spending a small fortune on plants to fill it out. There's a colorful little bee house for solitary nesting bees, a bird bath with a fountain, stepping stones inherited from my mom's house, an aged concrete container that's been successfully growing sedum with zero help for at least a decade (it's been completely untouched at the back corner of the house ever since I moved in – I'm kind of afraid that I might have wrecked its perfect balance by moving it here, but we'll see what happens), a little owl statue, and a magic glowing orb (which is a glass light shade I picked up at a thrift store years ago and filled up with solar-powered fairy lights).

One other little effort I'm proud of is all the labels I made for everything. Not only does this help me remember and memorize what everything is, it just makes things look that much more neat and orderly.

This is the beebalm-and-coneflower section, tucked between the lilies that have been here for ages and will eventually be replaced. Beebalm is supposedly excellent for attracting hummingbirds, but this area isn't visible from within the house, so I don't know if any have visited yet.

More coneflowers here, plus a bright orange pop of butterfly weed, which is surprising me by turning out to be one of my favorites. I was not expecting that. But look! A bee!

Bee!!!

Seriously, honeybees have been so rare to spot here lately, so this is very exciting for me. I have half a mind to check the local regulations to see if I could host a hive on my property.

So yeah, all of that is part of the contest judging. We'll see if they give a poop about it or not!

And now, my tomatoes.

They are barely in control, and there are so many green tomatoes in here. So many. They'll probably ripen all at once and I won't be able to use them fast enough. (Pro tip: however tall you think your tomato cages need to be, get taller ones. No, taller. A little taller still.)

Thanks for asking about my little side-hobby!

[joshua-flipping-washington]

EllieDina Week - Day 7: Infinite.

Oh man, I can't believe that- Well, yesterday was technically the last day! But I still can't believe that the week is over. I had such a blast, getting to write something for an entire week. One thing for each day, it really brought back my motivation. And- It showed me how creative and talented the community truly is! I was introduced to so many phenomenal new artists and writers because of this event.

Rating: Teens and up.

°○•●

Ellie was stood up at the front of the church in Jackson, she grimaced at the feeling of her palms sweating and she wiped them off on her pants. She had no clue why she was so nervous, perhaps it was because she wasn't religious and she was going to marry Dina in a church? That couldn't be the reason, that would be dumb. She'd be over the moon even if their wedding was held in a dumpster, as long as she got to marry the woman she loved, it didn't matter at all.

They had been unable to find Ellie a SUITable tux for the wedding, so she was wearing her best looking flannel and a pair of brand new jeans. Ellie hadn't had the chance to see Dina yet, apparently it was some kind of rule before Outbreak Day. And for some reason, everyone in Jackson was insistent on her following that to a T. Ellie had grumbled under her breath, not to pleased about having not seen Dina in over sixteen hours.

JJ had popped by when Ellie was getting dressed, she had smiled upon seeing his arrival. " Hey, Spud! What have you been up to? " She said as she scooped him up and spun him around. He giggled and squealed in excitement, though he was happy when he was set down. Ellie reached out and grabbed his shoulder to steady him. He grinned and happily shared with her what he had been doing, and where he had been. " I was visiting Mama! Aunt Maria says you aren't allowed to know how she looks. "

JJ seemed very puzzled by the entire thing, but he had excitedly spent time with Ellie until he was called out to get ready for the wedding reception, he was going to be their ring bearer. And he had been taking the job very seriously, practicing all the time leading up to the date of the wedding.

Ellie tugged at the collar of her shirt, man was it surprisingly hot for the time of year it was. She turned her attention to the center isle, watching as some of the kids excitedly rushed up, tossing flower petals as they went. Stopping to stand on their respective sides.

The kids of the town had been so excited about the news of Ellie and Dina getting married, so of course Dina and that big heart of hers couldn't say no to the children asking if they could toss the flowers. God, Ellie loved her with every fiber of her being.

Ellie's heart rate accelerated as everyone in the church pews began to stand up, her green eyes grow wide in awe and her jaw nearly drops, her throat feels raw with emotions as she takes in the sight of Dina, who is smiling brightly like the goddess that she is- Walks down the aisle, being lead by Jesse's father.

She's wearing a burgundy colored dress, with black and gold accents. Ellie had never even thought about that color combination looking so good, but seeing Dina in it convinced her. Dina was absolutely stunning, that sparkle in her brown eyes as she stops in front of Ellie says it all. " Hey. " Dina says softly.

Ellie cleared her throat and smiled at Dina. " Hey, I missed you, babe. You look- Fuck me, you look absolutely stunning. " Dina was the only one who could pull words like that out of Ellie's mind.

Dina smirked in amusement and teasingly winked at Ellie, finding absolute joy in the way her face grew flushed. " Oh, in a rush are we? We still have to get married, goober. But let's save that talk for later. "

They both grew quiet at the sound of their sons little feet, tearing up the isle with a string of giggles. The rings bouncing wildly as he comes to a halt in front of them. " Mama! Mom! I got the rings! " He announced in a delighted tone, earning a few chuckles from the congregation.

Dina laughs softly and smiles down at him. " Good job, bud! You are such a smart little guy. " She ruffled his hair, watching as he goes and stands where he was told, still beaming with pride.

The wedding commences right on time, the pastor going through the motions of what had been discussed with him. There is a mixture of Jewish traditions, like the breaking of a glass. And some things that were apparently common in a wedding back when people still had them.

Ellie crouches down slightly, taking the rings carefully from the pillow JJ was holding. She smiles as she hands Dina hers, her mind is racing and her heart is hammering heavily.

They both slip the rings on one another's finger when they were given the go-ahead, they didn't exchange any vows. Not in front of people, they didn't need to prove that they loved and cared about each other in front of everyone else. All that they had been through signified that, how far they had come.

" I now pronounce you, wife- And, uhh wife. You may now kiss the bride. " The pastor said, clearly not ever having married two women before.

Ellie chuckles softly, gently cupping Dina's cheek with her hand. She leans forward slightly, her breath tickling Dina's nose as she whispered. " Don't mind if I do. " She pressed her lips to Dina's, sharing a passionate kiss with her wife. Ellie wrapped her arms around Dina and dipped her, unable to hold back the laugh that escaped her mouth at JJ's enthusiastic clapping, his claps actually covered up the applause from all the others.

Ellie picked Dina back up, a fond smile on her lips, her arm wrapped around Dina's waist. " Y'know, I like him like this. He isn't yet disgusted by our love and affection for one another. "

Dina smiled and gently brushed her hand over Ellie's cheek, pushing a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. " Yeah, we are still lucky for now it seems. Unfortunately, he will probably grow out of that and get embarrassed of us. "

Ellie snickered to herself. " JJ is going to have a hell of a time bringing people around when he gets older, guaranteed. " She just meant that they would one hundred percent embarrass him with their love for each other when he attempts to bring a crush home with him.

Dina lightly slapped her wife's arm as JJ came rushing up to them, they both crouched down and pulled him into a tight hug. " You did so awesome, Spud! Proud of ya! " JJ beamed happily, his toothy grin brightening up their world. " Now we are a family. " He said softly, nuzzling his head against his mothers'.

《 》

The dinner and party that is held after the wedding goes on for quite some time. Everybody is laughing and singing, chatting and dancing. The music is soft, yet loud. And it reminds Ellie of the night her and Dina shared their first kiss. The same type of lights are strung up, illuminating the dance floor.

Ellie stands near the counter, her gaze almost blank as she stares straight ahead. Her mind begins to run as all the events that followed began coming to life in her mind. She dropped her head with a gasp, and placed her hands over her ears. No- She hadn't done this in a long time, this was supposed to be their new beginning, she was supposed to be making new memories.

Dina had been talking with Maria, JJ latched to her side like a little monkey. When she glanced around the room for a second, her eyes zeroed in on Ellie, hands clasped over her ears, eyes glazed over and wet with tears. She excuses herself and rushes over to Ellie's side. Gently placing a hand on her face. " Ellie, Ellie I need you to come back to me. Come back to me, El. Our son wants to dance with his mom. "

She gently brushes her fingers through Ellie's hair, whispering softly to her until she was able to pull her out of it. " El, you are home, babe. With me and JJ, we are here. We love you and you are safe. " She repeated this as long as she had to, until the light returned to Ellie's eyes and she dropped her hands slowly.

Ellie looked at Dina with guilt written all over her face. " I'm… I'm sorry, Di- I don't know what… I've been doing so good, that… Hasn't happened in months. " Dina can see that Ellie is on the verge of tears, so she gently takes hold of her hand. " Ellie, I'm not upset with you. These things- They happen sometimes. To the best of us, it doesn't mean you've undone every single ounce of work you've come through. I'm so proud of you, and I just want you to be okay. " She placed a gentle kiss to Ellie's lips.

Carefully pulling her by the hand, she leads her out of the church after saying a quick thank you and goodbye to everyone as a whole.

Ellie looked at Dina with confusion, she really had screwed things up. They were supposed to dance and enjoy the wedding party. " What are we doing? What about- "

Dina shook her head and handed JJ over to Ellie. The other woman grunts slightly from the sudden added weight. " Ellie, we can dance together as a family. "

It's hard to argue when your wife looks so excited at the thought, who cared if it wasn't in front of a crowd. Wasn't that how she preferred it, anyway?

《 》

They soon reached their humble little home, it was no farm house. But it had two stories, and was just the perfect size for their family of three.

Ellie set JJ down on his feet as soon as they stepped inside the house, the boy excitedly followed after Dina as she went to the record player and put on a record for them to dance to.

Ellie smiled faintly at Dina as she grabbed hold of JJ and started dancing with him. He was practically bouncing up and down in excitement as they grooved their way over to her. She gasped as Dina grabbed onto her hand and pulled her into a loving embrace, gently swaying to the music that didn't fit at all. JJ stood on Ellie's converse clad feet, and swayed with them. Her hands holding onto his small one's so he wouldn't fall.

The three of them danced until they couldn't dance anymore, and what that meant was they danced until it was time for JJ to go to bed.

" I'll put him down, babe. " Ellie said as she scooped up a tired JJ from on their couch, she carried him upstairs and helped him get ready for bed. " I love you, mom. " He said softly, drifting off to sleep easily, very worn out from the events of the day.

Ellie slowly walked back down the stairs, surprised to see Dina standing in the middle of their living room, gently swaying to the music and humming to herself. She smiles as she approaches Dina, and wraps her arms around her from behind. Swaying to the music with her, their bodies in sync.

A smile grows on Dina's face, and she turns around in Ellie's embrace. Bringing her own hands up and wrapping them around Ellie's shoulders, letting her head rest against her chest as they swayed to the music. Her brown eyes were filled with so much love for the girl in front of her. " I think that this- Right here, is the start to our forever. I love you, El. "

Ellie's eyes well up with tears and she laughs softly, pressing a quick kiss to the top of Dina's head. " I… I believe that you are right, this moment… And all the one's after. We are stronger together. I love you, Dina. Thanks for allowing me to prove myself, time and time again. "

[kidneyyybean]

A Retrospective on The Truce in Resident Evil Zero

There’s a lil something I wanted to talk about because I think it’s one of my favorite things they did with Resident Evil 0; and that's the way the writers executed the fact that neither Billy nor Rebecca could have made it out alive had they not worked together.

I’m gonna try to focus more so on the story but I’ll absolutely touch on gameplay cause it’s hard not to with this sort of topic. This is also going to consist of objective facts but also a lot of my own speculation because why else would I care enough to write this if I didn't have my own Thoughts to fill in some blanks. 

Considering how we had seen Rebecca portrayed before, I’m sure it was tempting for the writers(ignoring the fact that it would make terrible gameplay) to have multiple of the same scenario where Billy saves Rebecca and where she’s simply cowering behind him. I’m sure it was tempting to imply that Billy probably would’ve been fine on his own and it was Rebecca who needed him rather than them mutually needing each other. Instead they make it very obvious on multiple occasions that had it not been for the other, neither of them would have made progress and would’ve inevitably died.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s some cheesy instances of Billy being the Big Ole Hero, but there’s also so much more than that where I feel some people may gloss over.

Throughout the game it’s shown that each character has a different skill set. One isn’t 100% better than the other, they’re just well versed in a different area. When the player is given the ability to control both characters, we’re given information on each character’s unique skills and assets. Rebecca has a mixing set, where she can mix various chemicals you come across in order to make solutions needed for puzzles. She also has the ability to mix herbs, a skill Billy doesn’t have. Billy has a lighter that you’ll need in order to solve puzzles, as well as the ability to move large objects, something Rebecca doesn’t have the ability to do. These specific skills and assets of each character, or lack thereof from character to character, are what make it necessary to work together and use both characters. One character isn't better than the other in every respect, making certain situations better suited for one of them as opposed to the other. It can be tempting to just send Billy into most of the rooms, do the muscle work of clearing it out, not worrying if he takes a bite or two since his HP is higher than Rebecca’s. It’s a lot of people’s go-to to use his character to do everything, to hide Rebecca away from danger. And while this is a good tactic in certain situations, in others it's just not possible.

Take the portion of the game after the lab for example. Billy and Rebecca find a cable car, a way out. But of course an obstacle arises, and that obstacle takes out half your team, the half that can take 4 zombie bites and still be “fine”. Now you're forced to use Rebecca and Rebecca alone, having her in high risk situations that you might’ve been using Billy for up until now. It’s a challenge, one that’s unique to this game. The trial and error and learning of how to use the characters as effectively as possible, although a nuance to some, is exactly what I love about this game. Instances like the previously mentioned one also serve as evidence that Billy wasn't the one that made or broke both characters' survival. There are also parts where, although you could just send Billy and err on the side of caution, it’s actually more effective to send Rebecca instead.

The lab is a part where this happens. You could send Billy up to the second floor with the hookshot, but it’s actually better if Rebecca goes. On the second floor in the lab, you have to create a chemical solution in order to obtain one of the leech charms. When sending Rebecca up, you would have her get the capsule that contains the charm, run out of the first room and fill her mixing set with the needed colored chemicals. The only enemies standing in your way of these chemicals are zombies, and if you're smart, these are easily taken care of. Had you sent Billy, you would have had to send the leech capsule down to Rebecca and have her go into the mimicry marcus hallway in order to obtain the needed red chemical, putting her in more danger. You would also have to backtrack all the way to the training facility to get the needed green chemical. There are so many more loops needed to progress if you absentmindedly send Billy up based on his HP advantage alone. The game forces you to utilize both characters, whether by force or your own strategy, further proving that just one of them wouldn't have stood a chance.

I think there are two key points in the game that really drive home my argument that Billy needed Rebecca as much as she needed him. One was with Billy’s run in with the Eliminator that results in him falling and being washed away into the water treatment plant. If Rebecca had decided to go with Enrico rather than continue to look for Billy, he’d probably be as good as dead- if not actually dead due to drowning. He’d be alone to deal with whatever lurked in the water and even if he managed to get up and keep going, he wouldn’t have stood a chance against Queen Leech without Rebecca’s quick thinking regarding the boss’ weakness. Not to mention he couldn’t be treated, or at least as well, for any injuries from his fall.

The other point I think is the most impactful in the story is on the cliff. Despite it all, they survived. It’s finally over. But Billy’s not off the hook like Rebecca, he’s back to square one. A fork in the road, he either reports back to the marines and serves out his sentence, or runs for as long as he can. So, Rebecca carries out the final action of their truce; she lets him go.

I don’t think people give Rebecca enough credit, in this game especially. When, honestly, I think she’s the strongest in this game. And I'm not talking about the change in demeanor as opposed to the first Resident Evil. I’m not talking about her ability to run on survival mode and face the hunters that would corner her in paralyzing fear and exhaustion in her second nightmare. No, I’m talking about how much strength she shows in her decisions, and she makes some tough ones in this game. It would have been so easy to leave Billy behind and instead go with Enrico into alleged safety. But she instead decides to go into the face of danger just to save a man she barely knows because deep down, she believes he’s good and deserves another chance. A chance that only she can give him. And so she does. She not only lets him go free, but also promises that in her official report, lieutenant Billy Coen is dead, giving him as close to freedom as she can manage.

The beauty of Resident Evil 0 is that our protagonists don’t have to go through it alone. It’s a unique title in the franchise where the characters themselves and how to use them are their own puzzles, controlled by a sole player. Not only that, but the whole experience helps evolve these two characters, together and fighting to survive by pure chance. The next steps of their story, their fate, are completely reliant on their work with each other. Had there’d been no truce, there wouldn't have been Resident Evil 0.