#causing him great emotional turmoil each time

[rohans-daughter]

spotify recommended this song today bc it's the first one I listened to this year and what do you know!! first breakup happening this week!!

[a-small-safe-place]

Soft!Yandere Black Noir w/ Spouse!Reader

You and Earving had shared your lives for many years, forging a bond that had withstood even the disfigurement caused by Soldier Boy. Your love had persisted through the darkest of times. Before Black Noir’s transformation, you two had been inseparable, and even as his appearance changed, your commitment to each other remained unwavering.

When the scars from Soldier Boy’s cruel act marred Black Noir’s once-handsome face, he feared that you might abandon him. He went to great lengths to conceal the disfigurement, even in the intimate moments you shared. However, his sudden withdrawal and the cessation of communication did not escape your notice. With concern etched across your face, you gently implored, “Please, Earving, tell me what’s wrong. Why won’t you speak to me or remove your mask?”

Black Noir shook his head, refusing to divulge his inner turmoil. He adored you deeply, and the thought of losing you was unbearable. He was willing to resort to any means to prevent your departure, even if it meant resorting to physical measures. You were his world, his anchor in a world filled with chaos and uncertainty.

After persistent persuasion, you finally persuaded him to unveil his masked face. The sight of the burnt half of his visage and his milky eye bulging from its socket was almost too much for you to bear. He noticed your distress and hastily replaced his mask, shaking his head as if to say, “No, no, it’s still me. I’m not frightening. Please don’t abandon me.”

Tears streamed down your face as you asked, “Soldier Boy did this?” In response, he nodded, clutching your arms tightly, ensuring you couldn’t escape his grip even if you attempted to flee. You bestowed upon him a tender, loving smile and inquired, “Were you afraid to tell me?” Black Noir nodded slowly. His fear of losing you, regardless of the extent of his disfigurement, was overwhelming.

In a surprising move, you gently lifted his mask and planted a soft kiss on the burnt part of his mouth. This gesture sent Black Noir’s heart into a flutter, and his knees nearly gave way under the weight of his emotions. He yearned to express his love at that moment but couldn’t. Instead, he fashioned his hands into the shape of a heart, conveying his feelings. You understood his unspoken message and reciprocated, your actions concealed beneath his mask, causing him to blush.

Now, the two of you are united in marriage. Black Noir has provided you with a home specially designed for your comfort and privacy, a sanctuary away from those who might covet you, such as The Deep or Homelander. Black Noir relishes the moments spent at home with you, where he can remove his mask and relish in your reassuring words that you love him. In the safety of your private haven, you belong entirely to him, and he has the privilege of taking care of you.

[feefivefoe]

Something I think about when it comes to the batfam is what if they remember reader after a long long time? I’m talking 10+ years after leaving the family. Like what would that be like? Reader wouldn’t be a young adult but someone who’s established themselves in a career and most likely moved out of Gotham, got themselves a somewhat better apartment or maybe a small house, maybe gone through therapy and has decided that they are indifferent about the families existence, to the point that reader forgets about them sometimes. Except Jason reader would probably light a candle every birthday and holiday for him

I feel like the angst potential would be like an aged wine. Bruce Wayne forgot about his first born child their entire life, plus 10 years. Maybe the only reason they remember is a Gotham exclusive on the family, a “where are they now?” type story and half the family (Steph, Cas, Damian, Duke) discover reader existed and the other half is reminded of the forgot part of their family. Oh the angst for Jason! His favorite sibling, his friend from before his death, how could he forget them?? How could Bruce forget them??? And oh god it’s been such a long time where are they?? The story said that they couldn’t find a record in Gotham anymore, are they dead? He let them be forgotten, something he couldn’t stand happening to him, and now here he is, perpetuating it. The fight this would cause!! I feel like the fam would turn on Bruce demanding answers that he doesn’t have. Jason goes to readers room and finds nothing. Maybe reader wanted to cover their tracks? Maybe they didn’t want any trace of them in a manor that never cared for them in the first place? Who knows, all the fam knows is that this building feels so much colder now with this revelation.

Meanwhile reader is getting dinner with friends and work colleagues, having a good and fulfilling life, one outside Gotham, outside of the depressing influence of the Wayne’s, rogues, and owls of Gotham (sorry for making this so long!! Hope you’re having a great day!! Love your work!)

No bc how dare you come into my askbox and drop the most beautiful ask I've seen while I'm sick and brain fogged /affectionate

No hate to anybody else who has sent asks, ily all, but this one HIT MY BRAIN SPASMS AKDMELAK-

BECAUSE YOU'RE SO RIGHT???

The longer it goes on, the worse the inevitable realization is for EVERYONE. Including reader. Because while there's no record of them legally, that's just because they're doing too poorly to have records.

Once you leave Gotham and start settling, you have legal documentation that you just need, you know, for life. Your ssn, birth certificate, etc. Documents that Bruce thought he had somewhere, only to find out you had requested them from Alfred when you left home.

Alfred, being the enabler he is and always hoping you'd reconnect with them one day, just gave you legal copies. Or illegal copies that are good enough to pass, idk how that stuff works.

Point is, they can find you.

BUT.

That's after they get past the emotional turmoil that the discovery puts them through. Imagine if one of them is watching the special for laughs, members of the family snickering at how fake and put together they all are on camera, elbowing each other at how prim and proper some of them are.

Then, near the ending, it cuts to a city far away from theirs. Not Bludhaven, which confuses them. The rest of them stayed, at least relatively close. So where-?

"Y/N L/N, formerly known as Y/N Wayne, has not been seen in the public eye for over a decade. While our reporters were unable to make contact, some still can't help but wonder on where this mysterious member of the beloved family-"

*Snap*

That's Jason, snapping the remote in half while staring at the screen.

Where...when...?

Half of them are confused. Three of them are starting to get a dawning realization.

Jason is having probably the biggest traumatic breakdown he's had since coming to terms with his death and resurrection.

Which town was that? Was that their actual home? Is that just stock footage? Did the reporter lie, did they find you? No, they would have shown that. Fucking vultures wouldn't keep the drama to themselves if they had the chance.

Those are thoughts that don't hit until later, honestly. He's too fucking furious to think coherently for a while.

He wants to scream at Bruce, and hit him, and Dick, and Tim, and fuck it, Alfred too a little. (Unfortunately, they probably have lost Alfred by now. The man was already old.)

He wants to both trash and treasure what's left of your room, small enough to make him feel cramped. It's the size of his old apartment bedroom! Fucking moneybags couldn't give his second ever child a better room than this???

There's no diary left behind, or anything that would bring any sense of closure. Actually, the only thing of note is a scattering of ancient newspaper articles badly taped up on the wall, mostly peeling or on the floor by now.

"BATMAN BESTS POLICE ONCE MORE- RIDDLER IN CUSTODY"

"WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE BOY WONDER"

"NO MORE JOKES - CLOWN IN CUSTODY"

"BATMAN'S NEWEST SIDEKICK? ROBIN REPLACED!"

"A NEW HERO? NIGHTWING DEBUTS!"

Them. It's articles about all of them. Their hero exploits, at least. None of them past his...expiration date. It looks like his death is what made you stop idolizing your family so much. Honestly, the paper is old enough to make it hard to read anything but the headlines.

There are a few sticky notes amidst the papers. Clumsy, childlike handwriting.

03/16/XXXX

Richard and Mister Wayne saved people from a bank! Bad guys almost blew em up. That's why they had to miss the concert!

07/30/XXXX

Jason couldn't have dinner because the Joker broke out, and they had to stop him again. Stay in jail! My brother is hungry!!!! >:(

XX/XX/XXXX

I hoped Richard was in town because of my birthday...I guess it was superhero stuff. But Jay remembers! Next year?

XX/XX/XXXX

Not next year :( I made a cake with Alfred instead. Gave some to Jay after he patrolled. Not as good as Alfred's yet, but he still ate it!

Notes you wrote to yourself. To hang up, to show you that even if they aren't there for you, your 'family' is full of good people. That they're doing important stuff, and that's why they can't be there for you.

As a child, you hung up a wall to show yourself why you weren't important. Why you didn't matter.

And Jason breaks.

[verstappensrealwife]

A Second Chance - Lando Norris x Reader

angst, fluff

approx. 1300

warnings: fighting, swearing. lots of time cuts :(

lando norris masterlist - here. f1 masterlist - here.

He'd been distant for months, seemingly indifferent to your final year of university. The rollercoaster of emotions, from being ignored to fervent pleas for your company, only to be met with anger when you prioritise your studies, has left you drained. His words, oscillating between confusion and outright rejection, always ended abruptly.

His words pierced the air like daggers, each sentence laden with frustration and desperation. "I don’t understand why you won’t spend time with me?" he'd lament, his voice tinged with a sense of betrayal. And then, in a sudden shift of tone, he'd declare, "No, Y/N, I don’t want to see anyone right now!" The finality in his words left no room for negotiation as he abruptly severed the connection, leaving you alone with the weight of his words echoing in your ears.

You were exhausted. of university stress, incessant arguments, and endless nights. Exhausted of him.

Now in Australia, supporting your boyfriend, you followed quietly, the aftermath of yet another weekend argument hanging in the air. But amidst the turmoil, the racetrack thrived. Fans flooded the grandstands, eager for the excitement about to unfold.

As you stepped into the F1 paddock in Australia, a vibrant tapestry of sights and sounds enveloped you. The air was alive with the hum of engines revving in the distance, the scent of burnt rubber mingling with the faint aroma of fuel. Colourful team banners fluttered in the breeze, each one a testament to the fierce competition that awaited on the track.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, you caught glimpses of mechanics working feverishly on sleek race cars, their metallic surfaces gleaming under the bright Australian sun. Everywhere you looked, there was a sense of purpose and urgency, as teams strategized and drivers prepared for the challenge ahead.

Celebrities and VIP guests mingled with team personnel, their animated conversations punctuated by bursts of laughter and the occasional roar of an engine. The paddock buzzed with energy, a palpable anticipation that hung in the air like static electricity.

In the distance, the grandstands loomed large, a sea of eager faces eagerly awaiting the spectacle that was about to unfold. It was a scene of controlled chaos, where every detail was meticulously orchestrated in pursuit of victory on the track.

After a great race from your boyfriend, him placing P3, you both went back to the hotel to get ready for some after party.“And umm, i was wondering if you were gonna come to my graduation. I checked and it’s not during a race weekend and-”

You were cut short by him hurrying you out the door, “Yeah, baby, ill be there,” He said dismissively and pushing you quickly towards the exit of the hotel.

The anticipation hung heavy in the air, coiling around you like a relentless serpent as you stood on the precipice of your greatest moment yet. Each passing second felt like an eternity, nerves tightening their grip on your every fibre, threatening to unravel your composure.

With each beat of your heart, the tremor of excitement mingled with a hint of apprehension, sending shivers down your spine. This was the culmination of years of hard work, the apex of your academic journey, and the weight of its significance bore down upon you like an invisible burden.

"Y/N Y/L/N!"

With steady steps, you ascended the stage, eyes scanning the crowd, eager to spot familiar faces among the sea of spectators, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles. all there to witness your triumph. Yet, amid the sea of loved ones, an empty seat caught your eye, causing a fleeting pang of disappointment to flicker across your expression. Swiftly, you masked it behind a determined facade as you exchanged pleasantries, accepted accolades, and grasped the coveted parchment wrapped in ribbon before gracefully departing the stage.

Of course, he didn’t show, why would he?

-

And of course a screaming match erupted between you two. 

“It was one fucking ask for you to come and you were what?!”

“S-streaming…” God he knew he fucked up.

“What the actual fuck is wrong with you?” You shouted, “Do you not care about my accomplishments anymore or is it just your own you care about now?”

He sighed, clearly getting agitated, “Fuck- Of course not! But its not like youre there for mine either!”

You scoffed incredulously, was he serious? “Because- Lando- I have a fucking job, I have school!”

“And thats more important than me?”

“When did i say that? ugh do you know what?” You stopped yourself and walked off from the kitchen to his bedroom, taking each piece of what you owned with you. Shoving it all in a bag that was clearly too small to fit it all but in your rage you managed to get it all in.

He panicked, “What - what are you doing..”

“Leaving.”

And he didn’t stop you.

-

-

You were single now, and happy.

He was single now, and not so happy.

God, how he missed you. He took you for granted, treated you wrong, and all he wanted was you back.

Even his own friends were telling him how much he fucked up.

And he knew it.

He especially knew it when he saw you, shyly walking around the silverstone pits with your best friends who were in love with the sport. He didn’t believe it at first, but you were here! Really here!

“Y/N!” He couldn’t control his own mouth, or legs as he ran over to you.

You turned around to see the messy brown hair and neon orange fireproofs. He was a sight for sore eyes. Still beautiful- probably more than before.

“Oh. hi Lan,” You smiled. Lan. He wasn’t completely in the dog house. “How’ve you been, heard you got with Joao’s girlfriend,” You said.

“No!” He exclaimed, “I - I meant no,”, It got quiet after that, he needed to say something- anything! “Because i love you still-”

As he stumbled over his words, the world around them seemed to fade into the background, consumed by the intensity of your encounter. The Silverstone pits buzzed with activity, mechanics tinkering with race cars, the distant roar of engines serving as a constant backdrop to their conversation.

Amidst the whirlwind of emotions, the vibrant colors of the racing gear and the gleaming metal of the pit equipment painted a vivid tableau around them. The scent of gasoline lingered in the air, mingling with the faint hint of anticipation that hung thickly over the pit lane.

But amidst the chaos of the racing environment, their exchange unfolded like a scene from a romantic drama, the tension palpable in the charged atmosphere. As he poured his heart out, his words echoed against the backdrop of pit crew chatter and the occasional screech of tires on the track.

You stared blankly at him. Your friends were long gone now. And you couldn’t think of anywords than… “Okay.” OKAY? It was not okay! “I- Well- same but we–”

“We can,” He interrupted, “Ok, we can, I’ll prove it. Make it up to you in any way you want, please baby”And as he pleaded for another chance, the world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for your response. It was a moment suspended in time, where the lines between love and longing blurred against the backdrop of the racing world, leaving them both teetering on the edge of uncertainty.

“Take me on a date and we’ll see,”

“Yes! Definitely!” He said, about to run off with you when he remembered the race- “Just after this race, I promise!”

“I’ll be waiting,” You bite back a smile at him as he giddily runs off towards his car

el fin 

BLEHHH posting quickly before i leave the house

[citrustan]

for what it's worth [3/4] (jjk)

pairing: jeon jungkook x reader

genre: angst, fluff, light smut, college student!reader x crush!jungkook

summary: you make an awful revelation about your crush of two years.

word count: 3.8k

warnings: some bitchiness (or like justice? idk it's up to you really)

note: yes. there is a chapter 4 because i'm not ready to let go of this just yet. and a thank you.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Two weeks passed by and you and Jia pretended as if absolutely nothing happened. It was simply the quiet before the storm.

Your days seemed to blend into nights, you felt yourself slipping into a bad place mentally. Always feeling distant and fatigued.

The emotional turmoil of having your trust broken and your privacy invaded caused you to miss out on much needed sleep.

While on the outside, everything seemed pretty much the usual except for a few painfully obvious differences.

You had stopped (publicly) obsessing over Jungkook, and it initially invited a lot of concern from Yoongi and Namjoon. But they didn’t push you too much when you blatantly ignored their questions about him. You also avoided Jia as much as you could. She didn’t seem to have noticed.

Despite your crush on Jungkook, you had come to accept the boundaries of your non-friendship with him and the fact that he was deeply committed to Jia.

You had no intention of causing any harm to their relationship, as you had already shared your support with Jungkook for their secret.

It was difficult to not think of them. It often made you break into tears of anger and frustration. You had to mourn your loss.

Every night, thoughts of Jungkook would continue to consume you. You’d still imagine him to be yours. Images of him smiling at you and his voice calling you cute would linger in your mind.

It’s just pretend. There’s no harm in it.

You knew that Jia had described you as a ‘creep’ to Jungkook, but the label bothered you. You were not a creep, and you wanted to understand why Jia had portrayed you that way. No matter what you came up with in your head, nothing was a good enough reason to call you such a gross name. Sure, she hadn’t revealed to Jungkook your identity but that baffled you more.

Also, had Jungkook never wondered about this ‘creep’?

Too many things kept you up at night and you couldn’t stand being on the other side of the truth. You could no longer afford to let these things bother you. You were too fucking old for this shit.

With the final week before your course evaluations being right around the corner, you had subconsciously come to some harsh unanimous decisions. They weren’t impulsive or unreasonable. You really had thought this through. These decisions may be a risky, or bitchy, or just as sneaky as Jia was, but they’d still be within reason.

He needed to know the truth about you, Jia, and what she told him.

You wanted to tell Jia that you knew about them. It probably wasn’t going to come out of Jungkook, so it had to be you.

Why must you continue to suffer?

You didn’t want to wait around and anticipate Jia’s next move.

You’re not the type of person who sits around and ignores things like these. You had held it in for a while now.

You understood that your actions would have consequences and you were more than ready to face them. You hoped.

While you pretended nothing ever happened, Jia and you saw way less of each other.

You could count the times you interacted, or even passed by, or saw each other over the weeks on one hand.

Still, every time you’d think about your interaction with Jungkook, you were reminded of Jia too. Him and Jia. You couldn't help but notice his annoyingly deep feelings for Jia. He was so… considerate of her. It probably is just the bare minimum but it doesn’t matter. You could tell he was a great boyfriend to her. No wonder she kept him hidden.

Sometimes, it felt so wrong and scandalous to fantasize about the man. Maybe it even is so. But you weren’t just infatuated with Jungkook. You really liked him. Emotions like these don’t disappear overnight.

You longed to be loved and held by him too.

The campus shuttle came to an abrupt halt, indicating that it was the last stop. You had missed yours.

*

As the semester continued, Jungkook found himself missing the moments he had shared with you before everything became so complicated. Jia completely stopped mentioning you. Whenever he’d ask, she’d pout and demand his attention to be back on her. While he’d give into her, you still remained in the back of his mind.

It was late in the evening, and Jungkook had decided to take a break from his hectic study schedule, opting to go for a walk around his dorm on campus.

As he neared the drop-off point for the shuttle, he couldn't help but think about you, remembering the first time you had met at a bus stand.

He stood there, lost in thought, when he suddenly saw a figure leaning against the street light.

An involuntary smile crossed his face as he couldn't believe the coincidence.

"_____, is that you?" Jungkook called out, waving to get your attention. He jogs to where you now stood upright.

You turned towards him, your eyes widening in surprise as you recognized him. "Jungkook? What are you doing here?"

He chuckled and motioned to the bus station. "Well, it seems like the bus stands are our special spot. I thought I'd take a break and enjoy the nostalgia."

You let out a mix of a sigh and an awkward laugh, feeling a mixture of nostalgia and uncertainty. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Jungkook nodded, and he noticed the hesitation in your eyes. "Would you like to grab some dinner? We can catch up?"

You were caught off-guard.

"Right now? It's not late enough for dinner." You attempt to find an excuse.

"Sure it is. There's a new Chinese fusion restaurant right off the road outside." Jungkook urged.

"Fusion? What is it fused with?" You wondered.

Jungkook paused. "I... Actually don't know. Want to find out?" He smiled, invitingly.

Not used to the attention he was giving you just now, you found it difficult to tell him 'no'.

Especially when you really wanted to 'catch up' with him.

So, you reluctantly agreed, and the two of you were headed to the nearby restaurant.

Jungkook smiled back at you as he led the way, "Do you want me to hold your hand? It looks heavy."

WHAT?

Your mouth slightly parted open.

Oh, my god? What was his deal?

You're malfunctioning.

"No. I'd rather not..." You hesitantly refuse. Jungkook slows down to let to catch up to him. "Are you sure? You look like you've been carrying that around for a while. And, I really wouldn't mind it."

More confused than ever, "Well, it is attached to me. I'm okay."

"Well, un-attach it! I'll hold it for you." Jungkook's hands graze your shoulder.

Your brows furrow. Finally, you just ask him. "What?"

"Let me hold your bag. Unbuckle, un-attach, relax." Jungkook blabbered as he switched positions to walk behind you, gently taking your backpack off your shoulders.

Oh.

Oh, no. Did you really think he was asking to hold your hand? Really now?

You big dummy with a capital 'D'.

You sigh. "Okay. Thanks, but let me just-" You cut yourself off by unzipping your backpack and pulling out a white sweater with pearls for buttons.

The two of you pause mid-way so you can comfortably wear your sweater. The temperature was dropping my the hour.

Although you don't have your matching mittens and earmuffs, it should be fine.

"That's pretty, _____." Jungkook complimented you.

"Where'd you get that?" He asked, thinking about how much Jia would like this kind of clothing.

You shyly blush and look down at your glossy, red pointed toe heels, "Thanks. I made it myself with the yarn my mother spun for me."

Jungkook looked genuinely impressed. "No way. That's got to be worth a lot then."

You stared up at him with big eyes. Nobody had ever said such sweet things to you.

(That's a lie. Your other friends have always praised your clothes and outfits. But this is different, so it's ok!)

You wordlessly, softly smile at him. Jungkook stares back at you.

Suddenly, his expression changes. His eyes grow big and his mouth forms a smile, "Ah! Could I commission you to make something just like that for Jia? She loves stuff like that!"

And just like that, your heart shattered. Again.

Your kind smile turned into a forced one. "Maybe if I have time."

You noted that he didn't demand or suggest you to make a sweater for Jia, but rather requested it and offered to compensate for it. That just tells you more about how considerate and present he is.

Every time you've talked to people about your handmade clothes, they'd beg you to make them one or jokingly ask about it so that if you do end up making something for them, they wouldn't have to pay you for your efforts. This doesn't include your friends, obviously. And, even if your friends were to act this way, you'd gladly gift them your handiwork.

Well, even though he's somewhat of a stranger to you, if Jungkook ever asked you for something, you'd probably just do it for him too. No questions asked.

Jungkook asked you about your day and your classes. And, you him.

As you were walking on the snow covered sidewalk, you mentally cuss yourself out for picking these shoes. Not only were your feet partially frozen and numb, but also you were ruining very expensive shoes.

"Oh! Puddle, watch out." Jungkook swiftly skipped over a puddle of water that horizontally covered a significant portion of the walkway from one end to the other.

You watched him regain his footing and turn back to you.

Does he expect you to leap like that? Your legs aren't as long as his! But, you don't gave a choice.

You can't step in it, it could very well be a hole of icy water. That'd be risking a potential amputation.

You can't walk around it because there's nowhere to go. And, you can't switch to walking on the road because, well it's dangerous, and there's a metal partition placed specifically to avoid mixing people on wheels and people on foot.

Jungkook puts his hand out for you to grab.

"Just put one foot out to this side and I'll pull you up. Don't worry! I've always done this with Jia." He mentions Jia, hoping to reassure you that he wouldn't let you slip.

All it does is make you more uneasy. Just the thought of Jia. It has an odd effect on you. Your body feels colder. You shudder briefly.

Your only goal now is to get past this stupid puddle without humiliating yourself. You realize that delaying this makes you look more cowardly, hence humiliating you.

So, you grab hold of Jungkook's surprisingly warm hand. Not going to lie, you faked some uncertainty just so you could keep holding his hand.

Someone has got to get you in check.

Jungkook urged you to trust him yet again. His stance showed he was prepared to pull you through.

You lift your left foot and somehow land it on the other side of the puddle. Not even a second after, Jungkook roughly pulls you to him with all his strength.

Not expecting this amount of force, you clumsily collide into his chest, immediately wrapping your arms around his torso to avoid falling back into the very puddle you were trying to get across from.

Jungkook reciprocates by circling his arms around your shoulders and head.

How you wished he held you elsewhere, but he was so respectful.

Everything happened so quickly.

Embarrassed, your breath hitched and you suddenly pushed him to the side.

"Sorry." You whisper. You don't know if he could even hear you.

You fix your sweater and continue staring at your feet, eyeing the little droplets of water on your pants.

Your tummy and nether regions were blazing fire and you felt your nipples slowly hardening. You clench your hands into fists, desperately praying nothing is visible. I mean, you were wearing white.

You wanted so badly for Jungkook to reach out, just stick his hand up your top and soothe your pretty, sensitive nips. Your breathing has become unstable for a few seconds.

You should be beaten up for having these thoughts about a taken man.

Jungkook suddenly places his hand on your arm, making you jolt. "We're close. Look, it's there." He smiles and points to the establishment.

"Great. I'm so cold." You try to play it off, just in case he noticed something.

You then cover your chest by flipping your hair back over it.

This time, he let you walk ahead of him.

On reaching the restaurant, Jungkook skipped ahead of you and pulled the door open for you. "After you." He smiled, goofily.

You blush and instantly shake it off, "Why, thank you. My fragile hands could never."

Jungkook and you were immediately hit by the warmth and coziness of the home style, Chinese fusion restaurant.

"Huh. This is not at all what I expected." Jungkook looked around, pleased with himself.

You replicated that action.

The restaurant was designed to replicate someone's home, or garage. It had unique tables and chairs. No two items were the same. Even most of cutlery was different.

You appreciated the dedication to this concept.

"Good evening! Table for two?" A very familiar voice interrupted you.

Your head abruptly turned towards the direction of the voice.

"Joon!" You exclaimed, rushing over to throwing yourself into his personal space.

Surprised by your sudden enthusiasm, Jungkook raised a brow. This was the most chipper he'd ever seen you.

Jungkook and Namjoon knew each other.

Other than from your constant yapping, Namjoon knew of Jungkook because Jungkook was actively trying to pursue Namjoon, pleading for him to be Jungkook's musical mentor. However, Namjoon wouldn't budge.

Namjoon instantaneously engulfs your whole body with his arms, rubbing your back.

When Namjoon clearly looked at the man stood behind you, his eyes widened.

No way.

Is this why you went off-grid? Had you finally managed to bag Jeon Jungkook? Namjoon was too stunned to move.

Namjoon was just about to ask you about it when Jungkook speaks instead. "Table for two is right. Thanks."

You let go off Namjoon, confirming Jungkook's words.

Whatever. Namjoon will be blowing your phone up later either way. So, he decided to let you off the hook for the rest of the evening.

Namjoon cheekily smiles at the two of you as he leads you into an isolated booth.

It was a space behind some beaded curtains, giving the illusion of the space being more private.

The table was relatively smaller and surrounding it were three chairs; two regular wooden ones with soft cushions, and one loveseat.

Then, Namjoon abruptly left.

You didn't realize what Namjoon was doing until he returned with two menus and something that looked like a candle and a lighter.

Oh, no.

No. This was NOT happening.

You frown and awkwardly wait for him to set the table up and leave.

What? There's nothing you can do or say without overreacting! It's not like you WANT to wine and dine your friend's boyfriend.

(You totally do, but you would not pull something like that purposely.)

Jungkook seemed to just go with the flow, unbothered.

You promptly sat yourself on one of the wooden chairs and Jungkook opted to sit on the comfortable loveseat.

"So, how do you know Namjoon?" Jungkook wasted no time.

"We've been friends for a while." You continue, "Jia too. She knows him."

At that, Jungkook raises a brow. Jia knows Namjoon? Jungkook has mentioned Namjoon many times before. Jia never indicated that she knew him.

Still, he brushed it off.

"How do you know him?" You ask.

"Oh, he's like rhythm and poetry royalty. I've been sending this man emails for months begging him to mentor me... I can't believe Jia- It's so weird, finally seeing the guy who kept rejecting me." He cut himself off towards the end.

He can't believe Jia WHAT? Tell me. PLEASE.

You painstakingly push your annoyance away.

Instead you laugh, "I had no idea he was being pursued by students, wow."

"Yeah..." Jungkook giggled, somewhat embarrassed.

As the evening went on, you talked quite a bit. If he noticed, he didn't mind your awkwardness.

As if you were suddenly remembering something, you hummed. "I take it you didn't tell Jia about the... thing?" You struggled to find the right words to describe it.

Jungkook slowly nodded and repeated, "The... Thing."

"Yeah. You know, about you guys? Dating?" You press your legs together, a little anxious.

"Oh! Right!" He smiled in realization, "I actually did end up telling her about it that same night." He nodded, this time, positively.

You froze and your face dropped.

Had you been drinking something at that moment, you'd have spat that out. If you were eating at that moment, you'd have dropped your utensils on the floor.

"And then we talked about you for a while. I told her you gave me your word. I mean, I'm sure she already told you..." He continued.

Jia. She knows you know.

"Because she panicked..." Jungkook kept talking but at that point you had tuned him out.

Your mouth involuntarily formed a sad pout. Your eyes which were drying out from tiredness, slowly began to fill up with tears of... frustration, and anger, and confusion.

She knew.

She didn't even try to talk to you.

You assumed she was just busy.

But, she was actually just avoiding you. Just as you her.

Your eyes were glazed over.

The humiliation, guilt, anger and paranoia set in all at once.

Does this mean... Jungkook knows? Is he toying with you?

No. That's far-fetched. Way off. He'd never do that. He was so nice to you all night.

But, he IS a nice guy. Why wouldn't he be nice?

You're starting to make less sense now.

You don't even blink because if you do, your tears won't hold themselves back.

Jia fucking knew and avoided you on purpose. She couldn't face you. She fucking betray you, and she couldn't handle it. She didn't want to face it.

Jungkook sensed that there was something on your mind. "_____, is something wrong? Should I not have told her? What's going on?" He asked, his curiosity piqued.

You hesitated for a moment. You weren't used to being impulsive. That was never you. But, lately, that streak was becoming increasingly steady.

So, you decided to open up. Like an idiot.

"It's me."

Jungkook nervously smiled, "It's you?"

"The 'creep' with the schoolgirl crush." You added.

Jungkook's eyes widened in surprise, and he leaned in, his expression a mix of shock and curiosity. "You? But... I don't understand."

He shook his head and stared at you, expecting you to keep going.

Great job, idiot.

You didn't have a choice now.

You took a deep breath and began to explain, "I had a crush on you, Jungkook. I have a crush on you. I've never been silent about it." You winced.

The tears. They're coming.

"I mean, I've never been silent about it with my friends. Including Jia."

The knot forming in your throat felt tighter.

Jungkook listened carefully, trying to make sense of this... revelation. "So, it was all a misunderstanding? There was never a 'creep'?" He reasoned.

You kept your eyes trained down at your lap, more embarrassed than ever. "I... No? I don't know." Your eyes were heavy with tears. Your nose began to sting.

You pressed your lips together to hold all the ugly sobs in, and squeezed your eyes shut.

"_____?" Jungkook questioned worriedly.

You furrowed your brows and frantically shook your head, "Jia. Everyone, my friends, everyone knew about it- that I liked you. From the day we met. The- it was like a mixer?" You slouch and let your arms fall to your sides, "I can't remember. I've liked you for so long..." You trail off silently shedding tears.

You inhale before letting out a little squeaky apology.

Jungkook only looks at you. He doesn't understand, or register anything.

"_____..." Jungkook begins.

"I didn't know Jia was your girlfriend. I'd always talk to her about you, and how good you looked on whatever, whenever- and how you, and then she..." Your shoulders begin to shake towards the end of your sentence. You fully began to cry.

Thank goodness you were separated from the rest of the restaurant-goers.

You were clearly unable to hold a conversation.

You wanted to bang your head on the table. Repeatedly.

Jungkook's brows almost touched his hairline.

"I'M the 'creep' she told you about. I'm the reason for... But I didn't know. I SWEAR. Until you told me. I knew then." You sniffle every two seconds. "I was going to tell you how I felt but then you- I'm sorry!" You finally broke down, sobbing into your hands.

"Hey. Just... breathe, okay?" You felt Jungkook shimmy out of his seat and back away from the table. He then walks over to you.

You already knew tomorrow's _____ was going to kill herself.

Jungkook pours you a glass of water.

He has no idea what to tell you.

He can't find the words to even begin to describe what he's feeling right now.

Jungkook's brain had stopped generating new thoughts. All he's thinking about is the crying girl in front of him, half-heartedly confessing her feelings for him.

Frustrated, he ran his hands through his hair. Then he looked down at you.

You are whom his girlfriend was worried about?

The same girl whom he hadn't stopped thinking about the past weeks.

The same girl who's his girlfriend's friend. His girlfriend.

His girlfriend who lied- hid things from him.

Had you planned this? Was Jia right to hide him away?

Jungkook really doesn't know what to think.

Jungkook needed to leave. He felt suffocated.

"_____, I'm sorry for the way things turned out. I... wish I had known the truth earlier." Jungkook solemnly spoke.

He hoped you believed him. He can't tell if you're in the right frame of mind to talk. He knows he sure isn't.

You sniffle harder, still appreciating his understanding. "I honestly just wanted to clear the air and be honestly honest with you...." You sigh deeply, speaking shakily. "I just thought... Maybe Jia would talk to me herself. And when she didn't--- I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable."

Jungkook just stood by you, unmovingly. It was as if he himself was trying to figure out what to say.

After what felt like forever, you hesitantly lift your head up to look at Jungkook, "I understand if you'd want to leave now."

And you meant it. You couldn't force him to watch you cry like an idiot. So, you understandingly told him he had a free will, that he could walk away.

And he really did.

Jungkook stared down at your tear-stained face for a few seconds.

Then without uttering a single word, he slowly blinked at you and walked away.

Now, you stare at the back of his head, wide-eyed.

You didn't expect him to actually leave this instance.

I mean, he didn't owe you anything, but you still felt uneasy.

The rational part of you truly understood his choice. But the emotional part of you was destroyed.

Even though you have no right to feel this way, you're so disappointed. In him. In yourself. In Jia. You think that's well deserved though; your disappointment in Jia.

Did she hate you?

Nothing else mattered.

You don’t know it yet but the biggest burden had just been lifted off your shoulders.

(Until you face Jia. But, more on that later.)

And, as for Jia; Jia had enough time to come clean. This was not on you. It was all her.

[sweatervest-obsessed]

Wasteland, Baby

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

WC: 3.4k

TW: Mentions of Murders, mentions of suicide, discussion of suicide, trauma, emotional turmoil, death, arguing, abandonment issues, commitment issues, Angst, some fluff

A/N: Thanks for bearing with me as I try to get off the struggle bus y'all. here is the highly anticipated part 2 of Stick Season !

All the fear and the fire of the end of the world Happens each time a boy falls in love with a girl Happens great, happens sweet Happily, I'm unfazed here, too

It had been three years since you left the BAU and you had just turned down a job at the FBI from Erin Strauss. You never heard from her again. 

But you did attend her funeral in D.C a week later.

You didn’t alert any of the BAU that you were returning for her funeral, since you could only imagine the pain they were feeling. 

The plane ride was filled with thoughts of what life would have been like if you had rejoined the FBI. Maybe she wouldn't have died. Maybe she’d still be calling you and sending you email after email with job offers. 

You had quickly stopped by the wake, the day before, to pay your respects, and give Strauss’ family your deepest condolences. It was painful, seeing someone you spoke to last week, stiff, lifeless, in a coffin where they will be for the rest of time. 

But the worst part was the burial. 

Blending in at a funeral has never been a strong suit of the BAU’s, except for you. You were calm, respectful, and blended in with the rest of the spectators. 

Until you looked across the circle and saw Aaron Hotchner looking directly at you. Whatever he had been feeling before, was quickly wiped away when you looked back at him, confirming his suspicions that you were here, in the graveyard. The look on his face was replaced with a more somber one as he redirected his attention back to the priest, but you knew you would be unable to just leave now that you had been spotted. 

Once she had been lowered into the ground, Hotch made his way towards you, catching his colleges interested. Where was he going? Who was he looking for?

“Y/n.” 

You smiled at him. It didn’t reach your eyes, but it wasn;t fake either. 

“It’s good to see you Hotch.” 

“I didn’t know you were going to be here today.” 

You nodded and looked over as the rest of the people migrated towards their cars to go to the reception afterwards. “I didn’t make it public information, considering I was planning on leaving after the ceremony. I’m just here to pay my respects Hotch.” 

“She called you.” 

“Yes she did.” 

“And she said you turned it down.” 

“I did.”

“Why.” 

“Hotch, please.” 

He took your elbow and pulled you away from the people, giving the two of you some semblance of privacy. 

“Will you at least think about it?” 

“What is there to think about Hotch? I don’t want to—” 

“I wish you wouldn’t lie to me. I know you miss it Y/n. I’m not just some colleague, and you know that.” 

You closed your eyes and pinched your brow. You knew coming to this funeral was a mistake. But some part of you, one that you had silenced for a very long time, was starting to break through. 

“We can talk later.” 

Wasteland, baby I'm in love, I'm in love with you

“I cannot believe you’re going back.” 

You sighed and continued to pack up everything you owned into boxes. You had only broken down the ones from a few years ago–that same part of you had saved them for whenever you had recognized you were ready to be back in Washington D.C. 

“Don’t ignore me. I thought you were done with hunting bad guys and certain doctors with glasses.” 

You slammed your hands on the table, causing Lucille to jump. 

“Sorry.” You muttered and slowly sunk to the ground, deciding it was just easier to sit on the ground and have a breakdown rather than talk it out. 

“I’m not going back for him…I’m going back for me. This…” You ran a hand through your hair. “This is n’t what I was meant to do, Luce. I’m not a teacher. I’m okay at it, but…I was meant to be in the field. Teaching is challenging, but not in the way I need. And fuck, I love my kids, you know that I do, but it’s just…”

“It’s not who you are.” She came and sat down next to you, taking your hand in hers. “I’m gonna miss you asshole.” 

You rested your head on her shoulder and squeezed her hand. “I’m going to miss you so much.” You whispered back to her. 

“You have to visit me. I’ll get lonely up here.” 

A smile spread across your face as a tear slowly tracked down your cheek. “ You have my permission to hunt me down and beat the shit out of me if I don’t.” 

“Oh don’t worry, I will.” 

All the things yet to come are the things that have passed Like the holding of hands, like the breaking of glass Like the bonfire that burns That all words in the fight fell to

Your desk stayed pretty empty for the first two weeks you were back—like you were terrified that if you got too comfortable, life would pull the rug right out from under you again and you’d have to leave. 

It was Garcia who first noticed this, watching as you’d pack everything up into your tote bag each night before you would go home. She didn’t say anything about it though, since you were not the same girl the BAU had grown to know. 

You were different, quieter. You spoke when you had something to add, or to correct somebody, but you never participated in the banter; you never stayed longer than absolutely necessary. If the group had decided to surprise you at your new apartment, they would find it covered in boxes—walls bare, fridge almost empty, only essentials like clothes and toothbrush unpacked. 

But you had never been better. Hotch had you start consulting side cases when you came back, a way to get you used to the routine of being back in the office, back in the FBI. You would consult up to three new cases a day, still helping with those that would call back a day or week later for updates or more help. They watched as you easily solved things in minutes, that might have taken the team hours. 

The first time Morgan called you ‘Girl Genius’ to your face, you punched him in the arm (admittedly a bit harshly). But he wasn’t wrong. You could feel the continuous excitement flowing through your veins; your muscles flexing as you settled back into the thing you were the best at. 

You were different, but better. 

Spencer noticed this too. He watched as you confidently answered every question thrown at you. He watched as you consulted on cases and noticed patterns he had missed. 

Spencer had missed you, badly. He knew he fucked up when he had left that night, needed to go and he spend the night away, thinking about his life; his future. Panic had flooded his body at the thought of you being the one forced to take care of him, forced to deal with his shit history and addictive personality and his annoying ass rambles. He didn’t want to subject you to that. 

But then he remembered the look on your face—the pure excitement and adoration at the thought of being able to spend every single minute of your life calling him yours. And once the panic had subsided, he felt that same joy. 

When he got back to the house, you weren’t there. 

You weren’t at work either. 

You had just vanished, and about a day later, all of your things had disappeared too. 

And Spencer was a fucking wreck. He was useless at work, and he spent so much time trying to find you, but Penelope wasn’t able to find a thing, and by the time she did, it had been months later, and you clearly didn’t want to be found. 

Wasteland, baby I'm in love, I'm in love with you

It didn’t help that seeing you again in Vermont made him want to melt on the spot. A great deal of relief washed over him, seeing you were alive and in front of him. But then he felt the anger rise in him. You had abandoned him, you had just disappeared without a second thought. 

Then he remembered the look on your face when he panicked about marrying you.

You had thought he didn’t want to marry you. 

You had no idea that he felt like he was the the problem, and if he told you know, it would just sound like a fucking excuse. 

Watching you walk back into the bullpen and set up at your desk was another slap in the face. It feels like nobody tells him anything, because they don’t. But then he realized that only Hotch knew about it because everyone froze on the spot seeing you sitting at your desk, working. 

At his desk, he would just watch you. On the plane, he would watch you. And he tried so hard to be nonchalant about it, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. Your hair, your legs, your arms, your lips—he wanted to take your hand and never let you go, fusing your skin together so he could be with you always. 

He was in love with you. And he thought you would rather die than be seen with him again. 

If only he knew that you felt the same way—you loved him right back. 

And that day that we'll watch the death of the sun To the cloud and the cold and those jeans you have on And you'll gaze unafraid as they sob from the city roofs

After about three months, infinite pining, a few longing glances passed to one another, and incessant whining from Derek Morgan, you and Spencer Reid found yourselves together at coffee one morning. 

After about a month later, you found yourself back in his apartment, lips grazing his, not being able to tell where his body ended and yours started. 

Then, the next day, he told you he loved you. 

He didn’t see you for a whole week afterwards. 

But when he walked into work that monday, and you were sitting at your desk, completely unbothered, he took it upon himself to make you talk to him. 

No one else was around, except for Hotch. But his office door was closed, and Morgan wouldn’t be around for another ten minutes anyways. 

“Where the fuck have you been?” 

You turned around in your chair and glared at him. “Excuse me?” 

“You disappeared for a week, no word about where you were going, not even telling me you were leaving.” 

You rolled your eyes. “Not now Spence.” 

“I love you.” 

“What?” 

“I still love you.” 

Your jaw dropped. “Spencer…” 

“I’m dead serious Y/n. When you weren’t here after you spent the night, I lost my fucking mind. I thought I had lost you—again. And I wasn’t about to go through that again. I had fucked up once before and I—I thought you had realized you didn’t want to be with me anymore and you had left again.” 

You were silent as he rambled on. 

“When you left three years ago, I lost my fucking mind. I sat here, staring at your desk hoping you would materialize out of thin air just so that I could apologize to you. And then when you didn’t show up, I begged Penelope to tell me where you had run off to, so I could go and find you and beg for you to listen to me while I got on my hands and knees to beg for your forgiveness. You thought I didn’t want to marry you, but I was terrified because I thought you wouldn’t want to marry me. I mean I had just gotten sober, and I thought we were doing so well and then you brought up marriage and all I could think about was how it was another way for you to find out how much you could hate me and get sick of me since—” 

You had finally snapped out the shock you were feeling and placed your hand over his mouth. “Breathe.” 

Spencer shoved your hand off his mouth, but stayed silent, taking an over exaggerated breath to prove to you he did. 

“We can talk about this later.” 

“No.” Spencer shook his head. “We’re going to talk about this now. I want to talk about this now.” 

“Spencer…” 

“How do I know that you’re not going to just pack up and disappear again.” 

“Spencer seriously? I don’t—-”

“You don’t do that? Because we both know you do. You’ve done it twice now.”

“What do you want me to say Spence?” 

“That you still love me.” His voice was low, but his eyes were locked in on yours. “I need to know if you still love me.” 

Wasteland, baby I'm in love, I'm in love with you

The Next Week

Another Day, Another Psychopath Killer. 

Another way for you to throw yourself into the line of fire because you have always had a soft spot for teenagers. 

Someone was targeting suicidal teens, convincing them to end their own lives, merely making him complicit in their deaths. It had sent you (and JJ) reeling. Both of you had lost someone to suicide, and watching as this person preyed on vulnerable kids who deserved to live and be loved took a lot out of the both of you. 

You had a bad feeling about this case when it was first passed onto your desk, but it just got worse and worse as the week went on. If only you had figured out who it was sooner, you might have been able to save this one girl’s life. But sometimes life refuses to relent. 

The jet was silent on the way back, none of you wanting to speak and break the silence. 

Spencer sat next to you on the couch, offering a comforting presence, and nothing else. He knew you (and it bugged the shit out of you). Years of being with one another meant that he knew when you were upset, and he knew that you despised being touched while you were like this, but you hated being alone. 

It bugged you so much, but you weren’t going to say a damn thing because having him next to you while you sat and listened to your music and spiraled was exactly what you needed. 

He only offered his hand when the plane hit some turbulence, and your entire body began to shake unconsciously. It was between the two of you, and all he did was flip it, so the palm was upwards. It was an invitation that you could immediately ignore and refuse if you wanted to. 

But something in you caused your hand to drop next to his and lace your fingers through his. 

God was it so fucking warm, and soft. You wondered if he still used the lotion you had recommended to him all those years ago when he would complain to you about his hands being “gross” and “too dry”. He absolutely did. 

He managed to hide his smile when you took his hand, but he did give yours a soft squeeze, and continued to read his book, pretending that his insides weren’t aflame and his mind was anywhere but on the words in front of him. 

He didn’t turn a page for over four minutes once your hand was in his. 

And I love too that love soon might end Be known in its aching Shown in the shaking Lately of my wasteland, baby Be still, my indelible friend, you are unbreaking Though quaking, though crazy That's wasteland, baby

That Night

“Thank you.” 

It was the first thing you had said in over five hours, including the plane ride. Once the plane had landed, you and Spencer went back to his apartment, and the two of you had sat in his living room, in silence. He didn’t mind, as long as he could keep an eye on you. 

Your mind was far far away. It was back in college. Thinking about your friend and about the life you could have lived if she was still with you. 

Spencer had left a cup of tea next to you, your favorite, and sat on the couch. You were situated in the chair by the window, staring out into the night, watching as the rain drops raced down the window and as the lights blurred together. 

He was close enough to provide you with some comfort, but far enough away to let you have whatever space you needed.

“Spence?” 

He snapped out of his head, looking towards you. Your eyes were tired, and your body reflected the same type of exhaustion. 

“Sorry. What do you need?” 

“I—.” You interrupted yourself with a yawn, cursing under your breath. “Shit sorry. I should probably go..” 

“It’s okay if you stay.” 

You looked out the window then back at him. 

“I’m not just saying that to get you into my bed—oh my god that came out wrong, I just mean I don’t want you out in that weather and I don’t really like the idea of you being alone tonight, especially after this case because—” 

“Spencer.” 

“---yeah?” 

“I’ll stay.” 

“O-oh. Good. good…” He nodded. “I can uh, take the couch and you can have the bed.” 

You rolled your eyes and smiled slightl;y. “You’re a gentleman, Doctor Reid, but I’m not kicking you out of your bed.” 

“But I—”

“Spence.” 

He huffed, crossing his arms as you just laughed softly to yourself, amused. 

“Why don’t we both go get ready. Together.” 

“Together?” 

You nodded. “Yeah Spence.” 

“Okay.” 

Spencer stood up, and offered his hand to you. 

And for the second time today, you took it. 

When the stench of the sea and the absence of green Are the death of all things that are seen and unseen Are an end but the start of all things that are left to do

And maybe the two of you would never be together ever again. Maybe you would. 

But something about the way Spencer would make your favorite tea, 

or the way he would save you the crossword puzzle on his morning newspaper since he knew how much you loved to solve as much as you could without his help, 

or when he would leave you notes on your desk, making you feel like a giddy high schooler all over again, or when he felt like a good start to something new

or when he would kiss you good morning and good night, promising you he’d be there whenever you woke up

or when he slowly got rid of things in his apartment to create space for your things as you moved in slowly 

or whenever a case was particularly rough for the both of you and he wouldn’t pester you to talk to him about it, instead offering his hand for you to take, and squeezing it, letting you know he was there for you

or the way he would take you on small vacations up to Vermont so you could go see all of your friends and escape from the world of the FBI

or the way he would never storm out of the apartment after an argument, but still give you the space you needed so you could both decompress without getting at each other's throats

or when he whispered every thing he would do for you for the rest of your lives so help him god when he thought you were asleep in his arms

or how he would whispered ‘I love you’ to you as you passed by while you both were working

or when he would never let you run off in the middle of the night because you would panic about whether or not this was all a dream, and one day he would wake up and not love you anymore

or when he got down on one knee and proclaimed his undying love for you, hoping you’d promised to love him forever in the same way he loved you, wanting to be with you, wanting to be near you always

made you feel like everything might be okay after all. 

Wasteland, baby I'm in love, I'm in love with you

[littledovesnow]

president snow, the prelude

a/n: so there were like 750 words that didn't make it into the final fic for president!coryo, here they are! i wasn't going to publish this, but it sets up a lot of the backstory for future fics i have planned :)

-----

The room was electric as Lucky Flickerman’s face popped up on the TV, ready to announce Panem’s next president.

Your husband, who was freshly twenty-five and had his name on the ballot fo the first time, stood next to you, hand laced in your own.

“You’re a shoo-in, Coryo, I don’t know what they’re even doing counting the votes. Everyone knows you’re going to come out on top. After all, Snow lands on top.”

Coriolanus smiled softly at the sound of his family’s favorite phrase. He knew he had most likely won the election as well, but he wanted to hear the final vote before celebrating anything.

“The results are in,” Lucky Flickerman’s dramatics were dialed to a hundred tonight, as he flicked open an envelope brought to him by a station worker.

“Panem’s next president is,” he trailed off, wanting to build the anticipation.

You could feel the electric in the air, squeezing your husband’s hand as Lucky opened his mouth to continue. “The Capitol’s own Coriolanus Snow!”

Cheers erupted from the Snow’s great room, Coriolanus’ closest family and friends having gathered for the momentous occasion.

Mr. and Mrs. Plinth, who thought of you considered your in-laws, wasted no time in congratulating the young man, their next president. “We always knew you had it in you, Coriolanus. Ever since you and Sejanus first were mentors way back when!”

You and Coriolanus shared a look, neither of you had ever come out with the truth about what happened when Coriolanus was exiled the summer after the 10th Hunger Games.

Putting on a smile, Coriolanus hugged the older woman, and shook hands with his late classmate’s father. “You’ll do this nation proud, boy.”

“Thank you, Mr. Plinth.”

Mrs. Plinth brought her attention to you, the nation’s next First Lady. “You’ll be a splendid First Lady! Oh, the Capitol will be overjoyed to have a young couple at the helm again! Especially once a child is brought up!”

You stopped yourself from frowning, instead giving the woman a soft smile.

Coriolanus watched with a careful eye, not wanting to cause a scene at the woman’s comments. He and you had been trying for a child for a few months, to no avail. One of his first tasks as president would be to find better fertility care, as he was growing worried that each failure was taking a larger toll on you than you let on.

“If you’ll excuse us, I believe I do need to go make a speech.” Coriolanus smiled, tugging you out of the room with a promise to catch up at his inauguration.

You waited until you two were in the privacy of your bedroom before letting any emotions go, inner turmoil over your husband’s victory and sadness over Mrs. Plinth’s comment.

“Hey, hey, look at me.” Coriolanus murmured; voice much softer than when he is in public. “What’s going on in that pretty mind of yours?”

 You looked at your husband with tears on deck, stomach rolling over. “She’s true. The Capitol’s going to want us to start a family as soon as possible. I’m going to be seen as a failure if I can’t even get pregnant!”

Coriolanus wrapped his arms around you as your emotions crumbled, heat growing in his heart. He wanted to immediately call for her to lose her tongue, with little regard that she was one of the two people who had helped him financially be able to make it to this point in his life.

“We’ll figure it out, my love. I vowed to help you become a mother, and it’s a vow I intend to keep.”

You sniffled, wiping your nose on your sleeve, earning a tsk from the president-elect. “I just wish it was as easy as It is for everyone else. I deserve this, for God’s sake!”

Coriolanus frowned, hand running up and down your spine. “I know, my love.” He wasn’t sure what else to say, so he kept his lips closed.

The two of you stayed like that for a few moments more, until there was a knock at the door, an Avox opening it once Coriolanus granted permission.

Holding a phone up, the Avox gestured to Coriolanus, who begrudgingly stepped away from you to take the call, which was Lucky Flickerman himself, conducting a phone-style interview live on air.

Coriolanus rolled his eyes, playing into the pizazz and cheer over the phone, stating how excited he was to have this honor as president, all while sitting on the luxurious bed you two shared, hand moving up and down your arm as you curled into his side.

-----

a/n: and there it is folks, basically why i made coriolanus want funding for a fertility clinic :)

[flightfoot]

ML Fanfic Recs for 2023: 5K - 10K words

So I’ve been going through and adding particularly good fics I’ve read throughout the year. Only Complete fics, of course. Enjoy!

Plagg eats Destruction while Tikki eats Creation. They choose not to tell their Holders exactly what that means.

Ladybug’s partner joins with Hawk Moth and she can’t figure out why. Not at first, anyway.

Adrien had started expecting the family breakfasts. He had NOT been expecting his father to collapse in the middle of one.

Adrien and Marinette both vaguely remember young playmates from when they were kids. Their first friend. Shame they didn’t remember each other’s names.

Marinette’s itching to win a prize for beating a merfolk in a race. Thankfully, a merman, Chat Noir, decides to challenge her. Pity that Adrien was busy that day.

Adrien finds a tiny, mousy guest in his new home, and makes a new friend.

Marinette helps lead a revolution to overthrow King Adrien with the help of her most trusted ally, Chat Noir. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir find a toddler wandering around during an akuma attack. Who could her parents be?

Chat Noir wrote a tweet mocking himself as Adrien. This totally does not come back to bite him in any way.

An akuma swapped Marinette’s and Chat Noir’s bodies. Marinette AS Marinette, not as Ladybug. This causes some problems.

All this and more below the break!

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you don’t even know me at all (but I was made for loving you) by @ladyofthenoodle

They didn’t remember each other. The hospital told them there’d been an accident—brain damage—but Alya had told them the truth, later. Who’d they’d been to each other. What they’d given up, and why.

But even with their memories of each other gone, Adrien and Marinette are still inextricably tied together—by law, by their social circles, and by their hearts.

And in the apartment they share, there's only one bed.

Yep, it’s the “there was only one bed” trope XD! I especially love how it was used here, how Adrien and Marinette are strangers now but they had a whole life together, and they pine for each other even without remembering, and how Marinette just can’t believe how in love with her Adrien is even though he doesn’t remember her. I loved the emotional turmoil the two of them went through together in the fic, and the resolution, it’s great!

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Experimental Feeding by Machina_Fun_T

Plagg eats Destruction*. Tikki eats Creation*.

They don't explain that to their holders.

*Warning - This diet has side effects.

I just found the whole idea here fascinating. Basically, Plagg and Tikki prefer to eat things that align with their concept somehow, and even get boosts from them. They decide not to explain the details to their Holders though (just to mess with them I think) which prompts Adrien and Marinette to both do a lot of experimentation to figure out what their kwami likes to eat the most.

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Until I Found You by @linnieluna

Working their way up to a settled adulthood, Marinette and Adrien, now 23, gain a reason to believe that they are expecting—way earlier than they ever planned. Still unwed, it evokes a revelation on Adrien’s behalf.

Was it time to take the next step forward?

I loved the emotions here, how Adrien and Marinette reacted to the results of the pregnancy test, how complicated their feelings about it were - and how it prompted Adrien to take action. It’s a really sweet fic!

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From school bells to wedding bells by @linnieluna

When the superhero duo takes on another exhausting fight against an akuma, Chat Noir does what he never hesitates to do and takes a hit for his partner. The problem being: neither of them knew what power the akuma possessed.

That is... until he is transported into the future. More specifically, to his friend Marinette's wedding.

Ah I love time travel fics! Older!Marinette’s surprised, Younger!Adrien’s bewildered, and Older!Adrien is off knowing exactly what happened and giving his younger self some subtle heads-up. 

It gives Adrien something to look forward to, to cling onto, through bad days in the future at least!

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u + me = love by @xiueryn

Marinette has a massive crush on Adrien. He has a crush on the superhero, Ladybug. When he says the only person he'll invite as his plus one to an event is Ladybug, Marinette takes her chance to romance him for the night. AU.

(a fanboy and fangirl start to date.)

This is just a fun Ladrien story. Ladybug is happy to oblige in Adrien’s fantasies, and no one else believes that he’s actually dating Ladybug.

---

Disintegrated Pancakes by @scribeofrhapsody

Adrien had started expecting the family breakfasts. He had NOT been expecting his father to collapse in the middle of one.

I’m shocked I haven’t seen more of this sort of thing, with Adrien finding out his father’s Monarch via seeing the Cataclysm wound. I love that Alya gets involved in this, being the person Adrien runs into after fleeing the room, and then Adrien getting to talk things out with Gabriel and Nathalie. Thankfully Gabriel is at least not completely incapable of being reasoned with here, or things could have gone worse than they did. It’s a nice little read, though with an ambiguous ending (at least at the time when I write this).

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Like Smoke From A Furnace by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

Marinette and Adrien give up their Miraculous. Ladybug and Chat Noir never meet again.

This one’s an angsty fic with a happy ending (though there is a little fluff in there as well.) Adrien and Marinette get together and have a family together, while Scarabella and Kitty Noire continue to fight Monarch for the next decade. But it still eats at Marinette that she never found out what happened to Chat Noir, that he never said anything before they both vanished, and Chat reappearing during an akuma attack when Kitty Noire was taken out of commission doesn’t help with that - especially since he won’t leave her head and she needs to commit herself to her family, doesn’t want to be torn by his presence. She cares about her family too much. 

Ladybug and Chat Noir never meet again... but there are other ways for them to meet up and talk things out.

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with this ring by @thelibraryloser

She thought “you and me against the world” had sounded like lopsided odds before, when she hadn’t even dreamed “you against me” was a possibility. Or maybe she had dreamed it, but at least in those dreams he’d had cold blue eyes and a stark white mask.

The villain she’d fought today had looked at her through her partner’s own bright green eyes.

It wasn’t meant to be this way.

Short and sweet Sentiadrien enemies canon divergence fic here! I adored Marinette finding out why her kitty seemed to have “betrayed” her, and the righteous anger on his behalf once she figured out that it wasn’t of his own free will. Her comforting Adrien about it was just... really good. It’s a Hawkmoth Defeat fic too, so the immediate aftermath gets covered as well. Adrien needs a hug.

---

Miracoffee by @pauliestorylover

Ever since the last Mr Pigeon attack over nine months ago, Hawkmoth has fallen off the face of the earth, seemingly for good. There’s never been a better chance for an identity reveal—but after keeping her identity a secret for so many years, Marinette feels incredibly nervous about one.

When Chat Noir accidentally finds Ladybug working at a café, Alya comes up with a brilliant idea. If Ladybug and Chat Noir interact regularly in a civilian setting, surely they’ll move towards an identity reveal without outside interference?

Adrien Never Goes To Public School Coffee Shop AU here! It’s funny how he clocks Marinette as being Ladybug IMMEDIATELY. And then after discussing it for awhile, decide to make a bit of a game of the identity reveal, having Chat come in on pre-determined days and seeing whether Ladybug can figure out who she is, all while they get to know each other, even if in passing. 

Love the other Miraculous heroes making cameos as well, Marinette seems annoyed that Nino cosplaying as Carapace actually doesn’t tip anyone off XD.

---

Nothing Else Matters by LiquefiedStars

Marinette couldn’t figure out Chat Noir. He was supposed to be her partner, but instead ended up working for Hawk Moth. Still, her heart betrayed her and when a strong connection forms between them, Ladybug goes to Chat looking for answers, finding out more than she bargained for.

Sentiadrien enemies AU fic! He never wanted to fight against her, but Gabriel caught him before he could transform for the first time, and with his father using his Amoks against him, he had no choice. 

I like that there’s a solid explanation for why Fu let Adrien keep his Miraculous even though he’s been working against Ladybug, I don’t often see explanations for that that I’m satisfied with.

---

For the Sake of a Ring by @rosie-b

An akuma that transfers people's consciousnesses into other universes hits Ladybug, sending her into a world where everything is the same... but instead of earrings, she's wearing a ring on one hand! She's only just arrived in this universe, but already Plagg seems to have gone missing. It's up to Marinette to figure out what happened before she's sent back home!

This fic takes place in the future, after Season 5, but it does not contain any leaks or major spoilers. Please keep the comment section spoiler-free, too!

This is really cute, Marinette gets transported into a world where she’s married to Adrien and is really confused as to why and how they got married at sixteen. Adrien’s just an adorable puppy who thinks his wife is the most amazing person in the world! 

---

His Princess and Her Knight by @seas-of-silver

Adrien, Marinette, Nino and Alya have a group assignment about how the past has shaped them into the people they are today, but they’ll make a discovery that’ll send them searching for answers.

This fic is adorable, Adrien, Marinette, and Nino uncover that they all went to the same preschool together, with Adrien and Marinette immediately latching onto each other, Adrien being the knight to Marinette’s princess, and also making friends with Nino. Sadly he was pulled after two weeks, but it made quite an impression on him.

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A Friendship Not Abandoned (Just Delayed) by @nomolosk

Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste first met as tiny little kids, but then Adrien had to move away. When they finally meet again, will they even remember each other, much less become friends again?

Poor Adrien keeps on saying or doing just the wrong thing to give Marinette the impression that he’s a bully like Chloe when he’s not, and he keeps desperately trying to fix it. So a bit of an enemies au in that way, since Marinette doesn’t like him much. He does gradually manage to convince her that he’s a good person though.

---

as luck would have it by @silver-hibiscus

It's Adrien's birthday, and there's an akuma attack. Luckily, Ladybug and Chat Noir are there to save the day! Even if they're not the heroes that we're familiar with...

Not so much a kwami swap as an another au entirely.

Same title as one of my own fics, funnily enough! Though entirely different premise. This is a Gabenath fic, with Gabriel as Chat Noir and Nathalie as Ladybug, complete with a lovesquare and some unspecified other person as Hawk Moth. In this version, Gabriel and Emilie had some terrible fights and were separated, with Gabriel realizing along the way that he’d been a distant father and working to rectify that, he’s a pretty decent person here. I could actually kind of see this being a feasible path Gabriel could have gone down, if he wasn’t so desperate to revive Emilie and hadn’t gone so far to try to distance himself from who he was and where he came from back before he met Emilie and started changing to fit in with the upper class.

---

The Price by @clawsoutspotsoff  

He clutched his chest, feeling his lungs burn  as his body started to give out beneath him. No. Not now. Not this time, when he was so close.

He wrenched his arm back, striking with the other as he called his sword to his hand, fire and lightning and ice tearing through his nerves as he did, but finally, finally, the resistance gave way and he stumbled backwards.

Without looking, he turned and ran, calling a portal to appear before him. He fell through it, landing on a cold, hard floor in utter darkness. He could still hear shouting over the rushing in his ears, every part of his body failing at once, and before he could be pursued, before he could collapse any further, he forced raspy words through his torn, aching throat.

"Plagg, Tikki, unify!"

The world went blessedly, eerily silent.

---

Written for MiraculousFanworks' fanfic wars 2022

Will that be cash, credit, or memories?

This was a great look at how the Wish could potentially happen, what the kwamis might do to help mitigate the worst aspects of it on the people they care about... and what the price would be for it.

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Emotional Mountain Ranges by @liiinerle

After Zoé's attempted romantic confession to Marinette is interrupted by an incensed Chloé and Audrey Bourgeois, she's left distraught and adrift, a crying mess in an alleyway far from home. Ladybug saves her from the incoming akuma, and tries to help her back on her feet - and Zoé wonders what she could possibly have done to earn this much attention from a superhero...

Lovely Zoenette fic here! I especially like how Marinette talks to Zoe, reassures her that she’s good enough, that she (as Ladybug) isn’t as perfect and composed as she thinks, and just... tries to get Zoe to have more confidence in herself. It’s mostly from Zoe’s perspective too, which I like since there aren’t a lot of Zoe POV fics.

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The Mer-Human Race by @rosie-b

Bringing her hand closer to his lips, Adrien tried to plant a kiss on it, but Marinette pulled away before his lips could touch her.

“Save it for your girlfriend,” she said teasingly. “Or do you still not have one yet?”

Adrien smirked and crossed his arms.

“It’s a girl,” he said. “And I know her in real life. That’s all you get. Now, let’s get back to planning, shall we? We have a mermaid to beat.”

Lovely world-building here! Merfolk and humans have had a treaty for a long time, so there’s a tradition where merfolk can challenge humans to a race, and whoever wins gets to ask for a reasonable sort of reward (in Marinette’s case, she wants to be allowed to captain a ship at a younger age than is usually allowed). Alya, Nino, and Adrien are naturally very encouraging towards Marinette, and luckily for her, a nice merman going by the name of Chat Noir shows up and challenges her to a race...

Yeah you can see where this is going XD. It’s fun, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Late Bloomer by @generalluxun

On what might very well be the last night of her life, Sabrina Raincomprix pulls out a very special scrapbook, pressed between the pages is the past, the past she has never shared with anyone. She relives how she got to this moment one page at a time, preparing herself for the end. A phone call interrupts her self-imposed exile and brings news that could change her life forever.

Even if it does though the question looms... change it how?

Sabrina-centric Hanahaki AU here! I love how it goes into Sabrina’s relationship with Chloe over the years, the good and the bad - and even what happens post Revolution. 

I love the description of some of the plants involved, and what they mean, what they represent. If you want a fic that delves more in Sabrina’s character and her relationship with Chloe, this is a solid choice.

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Slowly Fading (from my misery) by @wehadabondingmoment

“You’re looking awfully deep in thought today, minou.” Ladybug’s gloved hand stroked over his hair and Chat Noir closed his eyes with an unstable breath.

He got like this sometimes. Lately, it had been getting worse.

Or: Gabriel likes using the rings to order his son around. After a while, it starts having effects on Chat Noir as well. (The more often Gabriel commands Adrien to act a certain way, the more it gets ingrained in his mentality. He suffers because of it.)

This is a gorgeous fic. Adrien’s been puppeted around, forced to obey orders for reasons he doesn’t understand, for so long, so often that a lot of times his own body doesn’t even feel like his. A lot of residual orders keep on bubbling up and stopping him from doing what he wants to do, and he just... doesn’t understand why. Considering how Adrien looked in Pretension when Gabriel forced him to go to his room so he could talk to Marinette alone, and how desperately Adrien tried to head back there but couldn’t make himself open the door, how terrified and confused he’d seemed, I think his feelings here, his mindset, is pretty close to canon.

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Spread Your Wings by @myladynoire

Set before the Finale. Félix uses his Kwagatama to summon his father's memory and has a talk with him.

I love Colt’s characterization here, how we see his mindset, his beliefs, and even what made him the way he is. We have a limited amount of knowledge about him in canon, only having the play Felix and Kagami put on to go off of, but myladynoire made good use of it! I’m glad Felix got some closure here as well.

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Cheating Cat by @11jj11

When Emma and Isaac Dupain-Cheng realize that Adrien is Chat Noir, that can only mean one thing... that he's cheating on Marinette with Ladybug, and they're the only ones that know!

This is really cute, with Emma and Isaac being worried about Adrien supposedly cheating on Marinette and wanting to talk to Ladybug to stop her from dating Chat Noir. That’s not all that’s going on here, though - Isaac’s actually adopted, but he and Adrien are still related, which puts an interesting twist on the tale. There’s a reason he’s especially sympathetic to the fact that Adrien being Chat Noir means he would have had to fight his own father...

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A Mousey guest by charliepoet13

Adrien Agreste has finally managed to break away from his father and make his way out into the world. One faithful night, after settling down in his new home, he spots a strange guest.

Adrien X Multimouse fic here! So this is inspired by the Borrowers, with little people the size of mice living amongst ordinary-sized humans, and Marinette got a little careless here XD. But soon finds that Adrien’s friendly and not a threat. It’s adorable and reminds me of the The Littles book series that I read when I was a kid!

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Three Crazy Days by @lea-panthera

In which Marinette's mind is forced to stretch a mile.

So Bunnix drops off Marinette’s future daughter for her to take care of, who blabs that her grandfather is Hawk Moth, and then things quickly spin out of control XD.

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all of your flaws and all of my flaws (are laid out one-by-one) by @coffeebanana

Ladybug and Marinette have both been acting strangely since Monarch's defeat, and Chat Noir would give anything to know why—to be able to help them. He just...didn't expect his answers to come when Ladybug drags him to his father's statue in the middle of the night along with a bag full of spray paint.

If you felt unsatisfied with Adrien being left in the dark about Monarch, with Ladybug lying about Gabriel being a hero, this is a great fic to read. Marinette’s breaking down keeping this secret, seeing people treat Gabriel as the hero she told people he was, until she finally snaps and has to do SOMETHING, has to tell SOMEONE the truth. 

Which Chat takes pretty well! He knows how persuasive his father could be, and he’s mostly just relieved at finally hearing someone say that Gabriel wasn’t a hero. It’s still a lot to cope with though.

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@ ladybug by @hefoundme

Trending in Paris

1 · Trending #JusticeForPapillombre

2 · Technology · Trending Tsurugi Corp Trending with Tomoe Tsurugi

3 · Trending #LadynoirStrong

So this is a multimedia type fic showing various online conversations and things that would likely be going on in Miraculous Paris. It doesn’t really have a coherent narrative per se, and is more like a series of vignettes. It’s a lot of fun, like there’s a section going over Andre’s ice cream reviews, Alix talking with Max about how she’s worried about Alim falling down conspiracy rabbit holes, an image of the most popular google search terms for Adrien, all sorts of things! It must’ve taken a lot of work and I think it’s worth a look. 

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Don’t be a Stranger by @wackus-bonkus-maximus

Chat Noir has been fighting Chrysalide alone for years when one day, Ladybug appears. She seems to already know him, and is a little too eager to be friends. But the more she pushes for her and Chat Noir to reveal their identities, the harder she is to trust.

Written for Ladynoir July Prompt 31 - “In Every Universe”

This is an intriguing story, with a somewhat open ending. I don’t want to spoil too much about it - the plot hook in the summary should already give you a pretty good idea of the premise. It is a little strange seeing LADYBUG pushing for an identity reveal and making jokes during akuma fights, but given what’s happened, I could see why she’d try to do things that made her think of Chat.

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hands red series by katrinette

Summary for the first fic in the series, a serpent in these still waters:

Marinette's on her knees before her new king, preparing to swear the oath that binds her to serve him to the best of her ability.

To the man whose father had her parents killed.

Every word tastes like ash in her mouth.

Marinette’s plotting to overthrow the corrupt monarch, as the French tend to do. She doesn’t know King Adrien all that well, since he just ascended to the throne recently, but she’s certain that he’s just as bad as his father.

Of course, rebellion’s aren’t very effective without help, so after biting her tongue with the new king, she rants to her partner in crime, a man whose true name and face she does not know, but who she deeply trusts nonetheless: Chat Noir.

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Falling (sick) with you by @chocoluckchipz

Nothing would be easier than taking a pair of earrings off an unconscious Ladybug. Doing so would bring his mother back and end their decade-long strife. He shouldn't be hesitating when a chance of a life time presented itself to him. He should not be looking for excuses and reasonings as to why spending another twenty or so years fighting this woman rather than pleasing his father and giving his mother another chance at life was not such a bad idea after all.

Ah, I love a good enemies au! Even when they’re enemies, Chat is unwilling to hurt Ladybug. Though honestly, he makes himself out to be more of a villain than he actually is, it’s pretty obvious to everyone that he’s not trying as hard as he could to get her earrings. There’s very good reason for that.

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Lost Little Kitten by soliea0death

Monarch hasn't been seen for a while, but that doesn't mean that Ladybug and Chat Noir aren't still needed as the heroes of Paris. Also, the new holder of the rabbit miraculous may need some more practice when dealing with time travel. One-shot Ladynoir ;);)

This is adorable. Ladybug and Chat Noir find a toddler wandering around and try to find her parents, to no avail, so they decide to take care of her (well Ladybug said she was gonna leave her with Marinette, but you know what that really means). Of course Bunnix had to come to collect her since she was displaced from time, but neglected to say who her parents were...

Anyway this was adorable, and I loved the explanation for how, exactly, the little girl ended up in the wrong time period.

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Eat, Pray, Duck by @trishacollins

Gabriel Agreste split his twin sons apart when his wife died, keeping one with him and sending one to London with his sister. Unfortunately, the Supreme was not willing to let this be.

He wanted a matched set.

Felix is a weapon, a servant of the Supreme. On a mission to retrieve the stolen Miraculous.

In a world that has outlawed kindness, sometimes the most dangerous person is the one who chooses it anyway.

I love this glimpse at what might have been going on with Felix back in Shadybug and Claw Noir’s world, I did wonder what might have been going on with him. Poor kid, he managed to have it even worse than he did in canon. I really loved seeing his interactions with Luka, the Couffaines rebel through kindness it seems!

---

Front Page News by @tiredfloridianbutverygay

Nadja couldn't sleep at night, not when there were still so many unanswered questions about the final battle. How did the Alliance rings seem to have the exact answer, to know exactly what to say?

Why did they turn everyone into a Miraculous-powered army? Why was Gabriel asking everyone to join with Monarch to help capture Ladybug and Cat Noir?

It was time to get to the bottom of this, and Paris' best investigative journalist was on the case! No stone would be left unturned and Paris would never be the same.

This one’s a pretty unique follow-up to the season 5 finale! I love Alya and Nadja investigating to try and figure out what happened with Monarch and exposing the truth, people deserve to know.

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Friends who kiss by @kuromori4

It’s been about a week since Shadybug and Claw Noir’s goody-two shoes alternate universe counterparts convinced them to betray the Supreme and join the Resistance. And while they are determined to be better… It hasn’t been easy. While both Shadybug and Claw Noir have a lifetime of problems to untangle if they want to be good people, they realize a new look doesn’t magically make you a nice person. As if that weren’t hard enough to deal with, the two ex-Villains struggle with defining what their new relationship might be.

I love the two of them talking things out, and struggling. Shadybug in particular is still very prickly and prone to making snide comments about Adrien, even though she doesn’t really know him, and she still hasn’t totally come to terms with her own true feelings about Claw Noir. Though by the end they um. Figure that out, I guess you could say XD.

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Dragon by @liiinerle

Tomoe keeps telling Kagami about the importance of her heritage, but refuses to tell her what that heritage is. When Kagami looks it up for herself, she finds a lot of interesting information, a lot of frustration, and a deep and burning question - which Tomoe refuses to help her answer.

This is a Kagami character study, with Kagami questioning her mother’s actions, but knowing that standing up to her is a no-win proposition. It doesn’t help that D’Argencourt’s mirroring some aspects of her mother’s behavior, with being upset if she doesn’t fight well, but also being upset if she beats him. There’s no right answer here, which leads her to take out her frustration on others. Luckily, Marinette’s there to calm her down, to talk things out with her.

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adrien agreste and the consequences of tweets making fun of yourself by Anonymous

Well, Adrien thinks, what’s the worst that could come from a few poorly thought-out tweets lightly ribbing his own civilian identity?

I love the focus here on how people just assume what Adrien’s thinking and feeling and act on his behalf, without actually waiting to see what HE wants, and Adrien’s growing frustration. How they create a version of him in their heads, but don’t care to check with reality to see whether he actually wants their “defense”. 

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Spin the Bottle by @kasienda

When the bottle cap comes to a stop dead center on Nino, Adrien’s both relieved and somehow more anxious.

His first kiss - not his actual first kiss, but still kinda his first kiss - the first kiss he will remember, will be with someone he deeply cares about.

But Adrien also cares what Nino thinks of him, so what if he’s a terrible kisser?

Nino offers him a reassuring smile, and he relaxes. Adrien glances at Alya for permission, and she just shoos him towards Nino.

Adrien turns to Nino, leaning closer. If his stomach had been squirming before, it now feels like a half dozen Kwamis have taken up residence in his gut. But Adrien doesn’t hesitate. He blocks out the presence of all of his friends watching, and instead focuses on Nino - like Nino is a stage partner in a photoshoot.

Except kissing Nino is nothing like a photoshoot.

...

Adrien kisses Nino in a game of Spin the Bottle, and then neither can stop thinking about it. Alya really likes how flustered her boyfriend is by all this. Marinette though, can't handle it and keeps running away.

This is a great Alya X Adrien X Nino X Marinette poly fic! I love them all talking out their feelings and realizing new things about themselves. Alya’s instrumental and bringing everyone together, though she, herself, is also nervous about confessing to her longstanding crush XD

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a rose by any other name by @asukiess

Adrien's scared Loveybug only loves Catwalker.

Loveybug's scared Chat Noir only loves her, and not Ladybug.

How does the rest of the saying go again?

So obviously, this is part of the Loveybug AU, where Marinette gets stressed by her responsibilities as Ladybug and wanting to get away from that persona, and adopts a new persona as Loveybug, complete with a new transformation. This is a really good glimpse of this AU, I really love the Ladrien (Lovedrien?) especially, with her talking out her conundrum with Adrien.

---

The Two-Body Problem by @mixelation

Good news: they now knew how the akuma’s power worked, and the akuma had run off and given them time to regroup.

Bad news: the akuma’s power meant she was now in Chat Noir’s body, and Chat Noir was in her body. Her body, which was currently still Marinette.

Ah, I love a good body swap. This is set while Adrien and Marinette are dating, so he can’t help flirting with Marinette a little, even in these circumstances - which is a bit of a problem since Marinette doesn’t realize he’s her boyfriend. And also they’re in each other’s bodies, which makes it feel weird.

And then there’s the whole “someone is gonna need to use the Ladybug Miraculous” problem. It’s not as if Chat KNOWS that he currently has her Miraculous in his earlobes...

---

Windows 5 + 1 by @dadplagg-mamatikki

A bet between Kim and Alix trigger a chain reactions of events where Adrien jumps out of windows.

I love this. Adrien needs very little prompting to jump out of windows, heck he’ll do it with NO prompting, it’s hilarious XD. Heck he even asked whether Kim would prefer a normal jump or a theatrical one! It’s really not that surprising though, considering how we’ve seen Adrien dive from the top of his rock-climbing wall onto his couch.

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I know there’s been pain this year (But it’s time to let it go) by @ninadove

“What? Nooo! Adrien doesn’t hate Christmas.”

“Are you absolutely certain? What was he like last year?”

“Well, he —”

Marinette furrowed her brow, scanning her own memories. Of course she was absolutely certain. At least, she thought she was.

Okay — she could not ignore that Adrien had run away from home that night, wandering the snow-covered streets to escape the freezing cold of his own home. Nor could she brush away the disintegrated Morris column, cataclysmed for the crime of bearing his own face.

Oh, and the shaky videos circulating on YouTube. That musical number was… Concerning, to say the least. Still, it was no smoking gun.

Right?

“Oh my god,” she squeaked, plopping down against the counter. “Adrien hates Christmas.”

I love Marinette and Felix doing their best to cheer Adrien up, it’s adorable. Especially Marinette’s attempt. It’s very Marinette, I laughed out loud XD. There’s a lot of senticousin bonding here, so if you like that, this is a good one to check out!

---

A Shadyverse Holiday by @lucid-ao3

The duo's curiosity grew after the encounter with their alternate selves from the Shadyverse. What was this other world like, and how were Shadybug and Claw Noir doing in the aftermath of their visit?

It's the polite thing to do, after all, for a superhero team to check in on their parallel universe counterparts and wish them happy holidays.

That is, if there's any happiness to find...

[In which Ladybug and Chat Noir take a holiday trip to the Shadyverse.]

I love this glimpse of the Reverse World, and how it makes Ladybug and Chat Noir question whether their own is really so different, if things could have turned out in their own world the way they did in the Reverse World - for better or worse.

---

what makes a human (am I?) by GraceM_TheStoriedLife

Adrien comes to Marinette's out of nowhere. Usually Chat is her rock. Tonight, it's her turn. (Or, in which Adrien discovers some secrets he's not prepared for and Marinette is as Marinette-y as always.

So Adrien discovers he’s a sentimonster and immediately runs to Marinette for support. It’s as cute and angsty as you’d expect. She is, of course, very supportive of him. Also some discussion of Gabriel being abusive, since both she and Nino had been trying to get Adrien to see that. Especially with how, exactly, Adrien found out he’s a sentimonster. He can relate a little better to Felix’s experiences now than is healthy, I’ll just say.

---

Caught In A Multimouse Trap by @a-flaming-idiot

Adrien was having a rather slow morning. That was until he discovered a tiny superhero trapped in his home and decides to be a bit of a hero even out of his suit.

This was adorable! Adrien does his best to care for the little miniature superhero caught in a mousetrap, bandaging her up as best as he can (thankfully only her tail got caught so it’s more of a phantom pain than an actual injury) and just... it’s really cute.

---

fine line by @bbutterflies

“Catwalker?” Loveybug asks.

“Hmm?”

“Do you remember… what happened before us?”

“What do you mean?”

“Before we were heroes. Was there someone else?”

Catwalker goes quiet for a moment. “I don’t know,” he finally says.

This is a surprisingly angsty take on the Loveybug AU. Here, since the Loveybug and Cat Walker transformations are so unnatural, they’re having negative side effects on Marinette and Adrien, causing them to be constantly exhausted and even to get amnesia the longer they continue using them.

---

You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess by @mexicancat-girl

With Team Miraculous now full-time holders, Ladybug has them patrolling in pairs like her and Chat Noir.

New partners Pigella and Purple Tigress get along phenomenally, their easy banter and similar wavelengths making working with each other a joy in and out of combat.

But sometimes Tigress is surprised just how close she is with her partner. Sometimes she tries not to feel too guilty thinking about it.

There’s some nice Julerose here! I love them kinda getting into a lovesquare with each other, though it’s not as much of a problem as it is in canon since it’s reciprocal in every relationship and they’re both down for a poly. It’s fun, and I love the “Luka attempting to woo some of his love interests” plot going on in the background XD.

---

Plans Aren’t Everything by BeeRye

Feeling a bit fed up with constantly having her dates with Marinette cut short, Kagami sets aside some time in order to plan the perfect outing for the two of them. Despite being the holder of the Miraculous of the Black Cat, she believes one day of romance isn't too much to ask for. As long as she treats it all like she does everything else in her life, the results she wants should come to pass.

She doesn't quite know what to do if that ends up not being the case.

This was adorable and captured Kagami’s mindset well, she decided, rather optimistically that she could just brute force the date into going well. Unfortunately, that’s not gonna stop Hawk Moth. Fortunately, Marinette has her own back-up plans...

[donquixotehomura]

Roronoa Zoro x Reader, Hawkeye's Daughter?!

Master List

A/N so I got another one and it isn't Doffy thus time, unbelievable! 😂 Anyways hope you enjoy this has a (technically) part one but it's not well written I just thought I'd post this one, once I'm done with it I'll post it

As Zoro and Y/N stepped onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny, hand in hand, the Straw Hat crew’s reactions ranged from excitement to utter shock. Wide eyes and dropped jaws greeted the unexpected revelation — Zoro not only had a girlfriend but she was the daughter of the formidable Mihawk.

Cheers erupted from the crew as they gathered around, eager to meet the woman who had captured Zoro’s heart. Nami and Robin exchanged knowing glances, while Chopper couldn’t contain his excitement. Usopp was already envisioning epic lies/stories to tell. Luffy laughed stretching his arms to catapult himself in front of her, grabbing her by the arms “this is interesting, welcome to the crew Y/N” she smiled at him “thank you Captain it’s an honor” “Luffy is fine” “got it Luffy”.

However, Sanji, always ready to express his emotions, couldn’t hide the jealousy that loomed over him. “Marimo, you’ve been holding out on us!” he exclaimed, his tone a mix of disbelief and frustration.

“How are you dating?! And you’re dating Mihawk’s daughter?!” Sanji’s voice escalated with each word, a blend of shock and irritation.

Zoro, seemingly unfazed, smirked. “Didn’t realise I had to report to you Ero-Cook.”

Sanji’s eyes darted between Zoro and Y/N, a tumult of emotions crossing his face. “Is this some kind of joke? Are you playing around, Marimo?” he demanded.

Before Zoro could respond, Sanji turned to Y/N with a skeptical look. “Are you sure you want to be with this idiot? I mean, seriously?”

Y/N, maintaining her composure, met Sanji’s gaze and replied calmly, “I’m absolutely sure. I love him.”

Sanji’s world seemed to crumble as he grumbled in frustration. “How does the moss head get a hot, strong girlfriend before me?” he muttered, visibly pained by the unexpected turn of events.

Brook approached her laughing “that’s great Yohohoho, can I see your panties?” he asked her and she just looked at him and blinked “ that’s not possible, cause I’m not wearing any” she said nonchalantly making Brook crumble to the ground. Franky who had over heard fell to the floor “suuppperrr” and Sanji had another nosebleed crisis.

The crew, ignoring Brook and Sanji’s turmoil, and what Y/N just said, continued to welcome Y/N with open arms, excitedly discussing her skills with swords and her connection to Mihawk. Amidst the chaos, Zoro stood watching the events unfold, he was glad it all went well, he joined the group wrapping an arm around Y/N’s shoulders, causing Sanji to have a worse crisis as she leaned into him.

A/N I have no idea what I'm doing send help please

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for "forcing" my best friend to break up with his boyfriend?

🧸

I (22 cis m) and my best friend 'A' (21 ftm) have been friends since we were 10 years old and I love him more than anything. He’s genuinely the sweetest, most thoughtful, and funniest person I’ve ever met. He means everything to me and we’ve been there for each other through the hardest times of our lives so far and I plan on staying until the end.

It’s always been us two. Btw, everyone mentioned here uses he/him pronouns exclusively.

A has been with his boyfriend (21 cis m) for about 2 years now, and from what he told me, things were going great. Even if I’m not too fond of his boyfriend. A few days ago, we got pretty drunk at a friend’s housewarming party. A and I live together, and as soon as we got home, he suddenly started rambling about how he wishes his boyfriend cared about him the same way I do.

Legit felt like I was in some dumb romance movie for a moment there. I felt a little uneasy and asked him to elaborate. In short, his boyfriend essentially treats him like a doll instead of a person with real emotions. He feels as though his boyfriend just uses him to get his daily fix of physical affection and sex, that’s it. The only positive thing his boyfriend can say about A is that he’s cute, which boggles my mind. It’s true but there’s so much more to him as a human being.

A is an incredibly talented artist, super kind, super emotionally intelligent, and has a plethora of interests he loves to infodump about. I’m trying my hardest not to make this entire post about how amazing he is. He’s helped multiple friends clean their depression apartments and took them out to get fresh groceries etc. because it’s basic decency to him. He has such a big heart and holds so much love in it for everyone in his life. Being around him is just so easy and makes life worth living.

He’s just an incredible person all around and every single person that has him in their life recognizes that, except his boyfriend. They’ve had issues in the past because they’re not sexually compatible, which led to some miscommunication and made A feel like he was coerced into things he didn’t want to do. He just did them to make his boyfriend happy. He does a lot of things for his boyfriend, actually. He’s constantly buying little gifts, remembering what he likes, and plans cute dates for them to go on. His boyfriend does none of these things.

I want to mention that A has bpd and avpd. He has an intense fear of rejection and will do everything in his power to appease others so they won’t leave him. I always take the time to reassure him that I love him for who he is and not what he can give me. Basically just making sure he feels loved. Keep in mind, his boyfriend is aware of this but he just gets annoyed when A seeks reassurance from him. His behavior has made my blood boil several times in the past already, but I always kept it to myself for A’s sake. If I was vocal about disliking his boyfriend, it probably would’ve caused A a lot of distress and emotional turmoil.

Still, I don’t think this relationship is healthy for A and I know him well enough to know he won’t break it off on his own. It’s just his combo of personality disorders that makes it impossible for him. I told him about my concerns and he agreed, but said he feels bad for his boyfriend since he apparently doesn’t have any friends outside of A. From my POV, it just looks like his boyfriend knows A is out of his league and is grasping at straws to make A stay with him out of pity.

This is where I might be the asshole. I got a little frustrated and raised my voice, which I severely regret. I don’t want to blame it on the alcohol but it definitely had a hand in it. I finally told him about all these grievances I have about his boyfriend, how much I dislike him and how A deserves so much better, etc.. At one point, I essentially gave him an ultimatum. It���s me or his boyfriend. I didn’t really mean it, it was just a heat of the moment thing I spat out. I would never leave him like that.

A started crying and begged me to calm down, at which point I realized how shitty I was being and immediately began apologizing. We hugged, I comforted him, and we spent the rest of the night cuddling and talking about how he could approach the breakup.

Now that I’ve sobered up I feel like absolute shit. I know it’s not my place to tell A what to do with his romantic relationships, even if I’m his best friend. Plus, I want to be 100% honest here and say I might have romantic feelings for A. I think I have for a long time, but I always wrote it off as intense platonic love. So I may be biased in this whole conversation about his boyfriend.

I didn’t say these things because of that. I genuinely think his boyfriend is a huge dick and full of shit, no matter how sweet and loving he pretends to be. It’s all in the way he treats A. He’s one of those guys that paint their nails (nothing wrong with that but you know the kind of guy I’m talking about), pretend to be feminists, and steal their romantic partner’s personality to seem cooler. He even asked A to stop taking testosterone because he didn’t like how hairy A was getting or some shit like that.

He’s pansexual but has only ever dated girls and started dating A before A began medically transitioning. There’s obviously nothing wrong with that and changes nothing about the fact that he’s pansexual, he just pisses me off when he criticizes A for being 'too masculine'. You can have a preference for feminine people but don’t make that shit your partner’s problem when they just want to pass.

I feel like A’s boyfriend just thought A would always stay the smooth, baby-faced twink he was before going on testosterone and now makes him feel guilty for looking like a grown man. Some people don’t know how to appreciate hairy tummies.

Sorry for making this so long but I just want to be as honest and informative as possible to get proper opinions on the issue. A is now dead set on breaking things off because he now knows that I actively despise his boyfriend and he always puts my opinion above everyone else’s.

Was I in the wrong for doing this or am I just protecting my best friend? I’m glad he intends on ending things but I feel a bit like a conniving snake considering everything. It feels like I’m taking advantage of his mental state even if I’m not doing it consciously.

[inmyfxith]

Finding our way home

Pairing: Neteyam x reader

Summary: Neteyam and you, a skilled warrior and hunter, have been together for years and are deeply in love. However, your happiness is threatened when you are chosen to participate in a rite of passage that will take you far away from Neteyam for an extended period of time.

Words: 922

Neteyam and you had been inseparable for as long as you could remember. From the moment you had laid eyes on each other, you had known that you were meant to be together.

Now, as you sat in your favorite spot by the river, watching the sun set over the majestic trees of Pandora, Neteyam couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

"What's wrong, my love?" you asked, sensing the turmoil in Neteyam's mind.

"I'm just worried about you," Neteyam admitted, taking your hand in his. "You leave for your rite of passage in a week, and I'm not sure I can bear the thought of being away from you for so long."

You smiled and leaned your head on his shoulder. "I know it will be hard, but we have been preparing for this moment for years. I will do my best to honor my ancestors and return to you as soon as I can."

Neteyam sighed. He knew that you were right. As the princess of your tribe, you had a duty to fulfill. But that didn't make the thought of being apart any easier to bear.

"I want to go with you," Neteyam blurted out before he could stop himself.

Your eyes widened in surprise. "You can't be serious," you answered. "The rite of passage is a sacred tradition, reserved for members of my tribe."

"I know that," Neteyam said. "But I can't stand the thought of being away from you for so long. I want to be there for you, to support you and help you through whatever challenges you may face."

You looked at him with a mixture of affection and concern. "Neteyam, I appreciate your devotion, but this journey is not for outsiders. It will be difficult enough for me to prove myself to my tribe. If you came with me, it would only make things harder for both of us."

Neteyam had always respected the traditions of your people and didn't want to cause any trouble. But the thought of being apart from you for so long was almost unbearable.

"Please, Y/N," he begged. "I'll do anything to stay by your side. I'll work hard and prove myself to your tribe. I'll show them that I am worthy of your love."

You looked at him with a sad smile. "I know you would do anything for me, Neteyam. And that's why I can't let you come with me. This journey is not about proving ourselves to others. It's about discovering who we are and what we are capable of. I need to do this on my own, without the distractions of someone I love."

Neteyam nodded, his heart heavy with sadness. He knew that you were right, but that didn't make the thought of being apart any easier to bear.

As the days passed, Neteyam did everything he could to prepare you for your journey. He helped you pack your supplies and sharpen your weapons. He listened as you talked about your fears and doubts, and he did his best to reassure you.

And when the day of your departure finally arrived, Neteyam stood by your side, holding your hand as you said goodbye to your family and friends.

"I'll miss you," Neteyam said, his voice choked with emotion.

"And I'll miss you," you answered, tears welling up in your eyes. "But I promise to come back to you as soon as I can. And when I do, I will be stronger and wiser than ever before."

Neteyam nodded, trying to hold back his own tears. "I believe in you," he said. "I know you will do great things."

You leaned your forehead against his, and then you were gone, disappearing into the dense jungle foliage with a group of your tribe's bravest warriors.

Neteyam watched you go, his heart heavy with sorrow. He knew that he had to be strong for both of you, to hold down the fort and keep things running smoothly in your absence. But it was hard to do that when he felt like a part of him was missing.

For the next few weeks, Neteyam threw himself into his work, focusing on the tasks at hand and trying not to think about your absence. He worked hard to prove himself to your tribe and to his, showing them that he was a valuable member of the community and worthy of your love.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. It wasn't until you returned, when you came running into his arms, that he realized what it was.

"I'm home," you said, your eyes shining with happiness and pride. "And I couldn't have done it without you, Neteyam. Your love and support gave me the strength to face my fears and overcome them."

Neteyam held you tight, feeling his own strength and determination return. "I'm so proud of you," he whispered. "And I'm so glad you're home."

As you stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, Neteyam knew that he had made the right decision. No matter how hard the journey had been, it had brought you closer together than ever before. And as you looked into each other's eyes, you knew that you would face whatever challenges came your way, as long as you had each other by your side.

[forthetwins]

fred weasley — shadows of serendipity.

the yule ball was a whirlwind of color and laughter. however, for you, it was overshadowed by a heavy sense of longing.

as head girl, you had been swept off your feet by another student weeks ago, leaving fred weasley to watch from the sidelines with a pang of envy gnawing at his heart.

throughout the evening, you couldn't help but notice how fred's eyes seemed to linger on you whenever you crossed paths.

his forced smiles and polite conversation with angelina johnson, his date for the evening, couldn't hide the turmoil beneath the surface.

meanwhile, fred struggled to mask the ache in his chest as he watched you twirl around the dance floor with someone else.

as the night wore on, fred found himself retreating to a quiet corner of the great hall, unable to bear witnessing your happiness with someone else. he knew he should be happy for you, but he couldn't shake the feeling of loss that consumed him.

just when he thought he couldn't take it anymore, you approached him, a concerned look in your eyes.

"fred, are you okay?" you asked, your voice soft with worry.

"why do you care?"

"cause im the head girl. and no matter what house i'm from, it's my job to check on the students,"

fred forced a smile, his heart aching at the sight of you standing before him, looking radiant in your gown.

you frowned, sensing his discomfort. "you don't seem to like yourself tonight. is something bothering you?"

fred hesitated, unsure if he should admit the truth. but before he could respond, angelina approached, a bright smile on her face.

"fred, there you are! i've been looking everywhere for you," she exclaimed, linking her arm with his.

fred glanced between you and angelina, feeling torn between his loyalty to his date and his unspoken feelings for you.

but as angelina pulled him onto the dance floor, fred couldn't help but steal one last glance at you, silently hoping you would understand.

as the night drew to a close and the final song began to play, fred found himself lost in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions.

but when he saw you standing alone, watching the festivities with a hint of sadness in your eyes, he knew he couldn't let the opportunity slip away.

seeing angelina happily engaging with her friends, fred made his way to your side, his heart pounding in his chest.

"may i have this dance?" he asked, his voice trembling with uncertainty.

you looked up at him, surprise flickering in your eyes before a soft smile spread across your face.

"i thought you were with angelina," you remarked, your tone laced with curiosity.

fred shook his head, his gaze never leaving yours. "i realized that there's someone else i'd rather be dancing with,"

and with that, he took your hand in his, pulling you into his arms as the music swelled around you. in that moment, everything else faded away until there was only the two of you, lost in the melody and the warmth of each other's embrace.

"how many times did that guy stepped on your feet?" fred asked mischievously.

"you noticed,"

"ofcource i did,"

"three," you say as the two of you chuckle.

as the song came to an end, fred brushed a strand of hair away from your face, his eyes searching yours with a mixture of hope and longing.

"i've been wanting to do this for a long time," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.

before you could respond, he leaned in, delicately pressing his lips to yours. and as you melted into the embrace, all the pain and uncertainty of the evening melted away, leaving only the promise of a new beginning between you and fred weasley.

[acourtofkindness]

Thank you for sending in all the stories, here you can find the collection! Some of these are one-shots, some are longer stories, just click your way through them and also check out their other fics!

Mother Save Us From Your Twisted fate

@chunkypossum Inspired by a few lines of dialogue between Eris Nesta and Cassian in ACOSF. Azriel finally finds his mate, but it's entirely too late.

A Court of Covert Desire

by @fieldofdaisiies In order to finally bring about change and rule over the Autumn Court instead of his father, Eris has to go to great lengths: Beron must die. Adding to the complexity is his love for someone tied by a bond they desperately want to break. Azriel, the Night Court's shadowsinger and spymaster, disrupts Eris's life unexpectedly. Will Eris succeed in his mission while navigating the turmoil within, or will destiny choose another path for him? 

All Things End

by @acourtofladydeath Eris struggles with losing his memory due to complications from traumatic brain injuries caused by Beron's abuse. He forgets parts of his life and steps down from the mantle of High Lord. Azriel and their children take care of him the best they can, until he eventually passes away. After losing his mate, Azriel tries to move forward, but eventually dies from a broken heart. This is a very sad fic, but they love each other very much. Based off a tumblr post and written with permission from the creator of the original idea.

Howl

by @iftheshoef1tz When Azriel suspects that werewolves are behind the disappearance of his brother, he turns to the only werewolf expert he knows. Unfortunately for Azriel, Eris might be the werewolf he's been looking for.

Rancor and Risotto

by @born-to-riot Initially just expecting to get a front row seat to Azriel’s family drama, Eris Vanserra finds himself disappointed yet ultimately not surprised when the arrival of Lucien at the Night Court family dinner forces his own problems to be served up as part of the main course.

Decode this Case

by @witch-and-her-witcher There couldn't be worse timing for the new allegations against Night Co's coder as Azriel struggles with his emotional state of isolation and loneliness as his family and friends seem to move on without him. Enter Eris Vanserra to make Azriel's life even more complicated, smug and regrettably handsome as ever. Eris has impeccable timing - or is it all just careful calculations? Whatever has aligned their reunion, he knows nothing will be accomplished until he can pull Azriel from his fog.

A Court of Shadows and Ash

by @futurehunt For the sake of his court, Eris has broken away from his father and his role as heir apparent. He's suffered his whole life in pursuit of being High Lord but Beron's collusion with Koschei threatens everything he's ever known. In order to protect Autumn in the future, he must leave it in the present. The story of how Eris aids the Night Court in the fight against Koschei.

The Beginning and End of Friendship

by @unanswered-stars Letters exchanged between Eris and Azriel post ACOSF that show the beginning of friendship, and maybe something more.

[3eeeeeeeeeee]

~ Shadow of The Heart ~

Summary: Y/N is shaken by rumors circulating about Sebastian's interest in another girl, intensifying her emotional turmoil. Deon's unwavering support becomes crucial as she navigates this revelation, while Sebastian's efforts to mend things with Y/N are clouded by misunderstandings and accusations. As tensions rise and feelings deepen, each character faces pivotal moments of reflection and uncertainty about their relationships and futures at Hogwarts.

______________________

** Chapter 5: Whispers in the Shadows**

The days following Sebastian's confession left Y/N in a state of turmoil. Her heart was a battlefield of conflicting emotions, torn between the memories of the love she had shared with Sebastian and the new bond she was forging with Deon. Sebastian's heartfelt apology had reopened wounds she thought were healing, leaving her vulnerable and confused.

Deon sensed Y/N's inner struggle, the uncertainty that clouded her usually bright eyes. He was there for her, offering a comforting presence and a listening ear. Yet, as much as he tried to be supportive, a seed of jealousy began to grow within him. He feared losing Y/N, the one person who had truly seen him, who had shared his loneliness and understood his heart.

One morning, as Y/N entered the Great Hall for breakfast, she noticed the buzz of whispers and stolen glances in her direction. Her heart pounded with unease as she took her usual seat. She leaned in to catch snippets of conversation, and the words she heard made her blood run cold.

"I heard Sebastian is interested in another girl. She's a Ravenclaw, I think."

"Did you see them together yesterday? They looked so close."

Y/N's heart sank as she listened to the rumors. Deon's words from that night echoed in her mind, mingling with the gossip that now surrounded her. She felt a rush of betrayal and heartache. Had Sebastian been leading her on all this time? Was she just imagining his feelings for her?

Deon, sensing her distress, sat down beside her. "Y/N, are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine concern.

Y/N forced a smile, trying to mask her turmoil. "I'm fine, Deon. Just... hearing some things I wish I hadn't."

Deon nodded, his eyes darkening with understanding. He hated causing her pain, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing her to Sebastian. "I'm here for you, Y/N," he said softly. "Always."

As the days turned into weeks, Y/N struggled to come to terms with the news. She found herself avoiding Sebastian, unable to face him without the painful reminder of what she had lost. The sight of him with Anne, their laughter echoing through the corridors, was a constant dagger to her heart.

Deon, sensing her growing distance from Sebastian, made a concerted effort to be there for her. He accompanied her to classes, shared meals with her, and spent countless hours in the Room of Requirement, practicing spells and dueling techniques. His presence was a balm to her wounded soul, a reminder that she wasn't alone.

One evening, as they walked along the lake's edge, Y/N finally voiced her fears. "Deon, do you think... do you think Sebastian ever really cared about me?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Deon looked at her, his heart aching for the pain she was in. "I don't know, Y/N," he replied gently. "But I do know that you deserve someone who truly sees you, who values you for who you are."

Y/N nodded, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Thank you, Deon," she whispered. "For being here for me."

They continued walking in silence, the soft lapping of the lake against the shore a soothing backdrop to their thoughts. The moon cast a gentle glow over the water, illuminating the path ahead as they navigated the complexities of their emotions.

Suddenly, Y/N stopped in her tracks, her gaze fixed on something across the lake. "Deon, look," she whispered, pointing towards a shadowy figure in the distance.

Deon squinted, trying to make out the figure through the dim light. "Is that... Sebastian?" he asked, his voice tinged with surprise.

Y/N nodded slowly, her heart skipping a beat as she watched Sebastian standing by the water's edge. He seemed lost in thought, his silhouette framed against the moonlit sky.

"Should we... should we follow him?" Deon asked tentatively, his eyes never leaving Sebastian's form.

Y/N hesitated, torn between the desire to confront Sebastian and the fear of what they might discover. "I... I think we should," she finally replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

They trailed Sebastian discreetly, keeping a safe distance as they followed him through the winding paths around the lake. Y/N's heart raced with anticipation and dread, unsure of what they would find at the end of this journey.

As they turned a corner, they saw Sebastian talking to a girl whose face was obscured by shadows. Y/N's heart clenched at the sight, a whirlwind of emotions flooding her mind. Was this the girl from the rumors?

Everything became a blur for Y/N. She couldn't bear to watch any longer. Turning on her heel, she fled, tears streaming down her face. Deon called out to her but quickly followed, his concern for her outweighing his curiosity about Sebastian's companion.

They ran until they reached the safety of an empty corridor. Y/N collapsed against the wall, sobbing uncontrollably. Deon knelt beside her, wrapping his arms around her in a protective embrace. "It's okay, Y/N. I'm here," he whispered, his voice filled with compassion and determination.

Y/N clung to him, her heart breaking under the weight of her confusion and sorrow. She couldn't understand why Sebastian would do this to her, why he would lead her on if he was interested in someone else. And yet, the comfort of Deon's presence reminded her that she wasn't alone, that someone still cared for her deeply.

As she cried her eyes out in Deon's arms, exhaustion overtook her. Her sobs quieted, and she fell into a restless sleep, her head resting on his shoulder. Deon gently lifted her into his arms, carrying her back to her dormitory.

The next morning, Y/N awoke to find Deon sitting by her bedside, a worried expression on his face. He had been up early, waiting for her to stir. "Hey," he greeted softly, his eyes filled with concern. "How are you feeling?"

Y/N managed a small smile, grateful for his steadfast presence. "I'm... I'm okay," she replied quietly, sitting up slowly. "Thank you for being there last night."

Deon nodded, his gaze gentle. "Anytime, Y/N. You know I'm here for you."

A few days passed in a similar fashion. Deon continued to support Y/N, his unwavering presence a source of comfort amidst the turmoil of her emotions. They studied together, laughed together, and shared quiet moments of reflection by the lake.

Meanwhile, Sebastian's resolve that Y/N and Deon were dating solidified. He couldn't shake the image of them together, of Deon carrying Y/N with such tenderness. The pain of seeing Y/N happy with someone else gnawed at him, but he knew deep down that he wanted her to be happy, even if it wasn't with him.

One evening, as Sebastian prepared to sneak out of the castle, he paused by his broomstick. It was a new model, sleek and powerful, a gift he had planned to surprise Y/N with. She had broken her old broomstick saving him from ashwinders months ago, and he had spent nights perfecting charms and enchantments to ensure it was the best.

But now, as he looked at the broomstick, doubts plagued his mind. Would Y/N even want a gift from him now? Had he lost his chance to make things right?

With a heavy heart, Sebastian left the broomstick behind and ventured out into the night. He had to clear his mind, to sort through the tangle of emotions that threatened to consume him. The cool night air offered little solace as he wandered aimlessly through the grounds, his thoughts consumed by memories of Y/N and the ache of unspoken words.

Meanwhile, Ominis waited for Sebastian in the Undercroft, frustration evident in his demeanor. When Sebastian arrived, his expression troubled and lost, Ominis wasted no time in confronting him.

"Sebastian, what's going on?" Ominis demanded, his voice tinged with anger.

Sebastian looked up, confusion written across his features. "I... I don't know, Ominis. What are you talking about?"

Ominis folded his arms, his gaze piercing. "Don't play dumb with me. I've been hearing rumors about you and some mystery girl. And now I saw you sneaking out at night."

Sebastian's heart sank as he realized the implications of Ominis's words. "Ominis, I can explain..."

But Ominis shook his head, his frustration boiling over. "Save it, Sebastian. I thought you cared about Y/N, but if you're sneaking around with someone else..."

Sebastian's mind raced, searching for the right words to explain himself. "It's not like that, Ominis. I... I was planning to surprise Y/N with a new broomstick. Her old one broke, and I wanted to make things right."

Ominis's expression softened slightly, though skepticism lingered in his eyes. "A broomstick?"

Sebastian nodded, his voice pleading. "Yes, Ominis. I messed things up with Y/N, and I wanted to show her that I still care. But now... now I don't know if she'll even want it."

Ominis sighed heavily, his anger dissipating into resignation. "Sebastian, you need to talk to Y/N. Clear the air, explain everything. If you truly care about her, don't let misunderstandings tear you apart."

Sebastian nodded, gratitude flooding his heart for Ominis's advice. "Thank you, Ominis.

[theodork]

Ticci Toby X Reader Part 2

A/N: Ayyee the long awaited part two.

Warnings: A lil angsty but it's all good

I finished my meeting with Slenderman after returning back to the Slender mansion alone. I didn't know what I expected from him. Of course he'd would have been mad. I ghosted him and didn't even reach out. What the fuck does writing letters do when you don't send them. I should have sent those damn letters and I should have said Goodbye to Toby. 

I stepped out into the foggy forest, replaying my conversation with Toby over in my mind. He was right to be angry - I should have had the courage to face Toby one last time before leaving. My hands pulled at my hair as I decided that this time before I left I'd do the proper thing and tell him goodbye before leaving. I steeled my nerves and walked back towards the mansion, following the fading lights in the windows through the dense fog.

As I approached, I heard laughter echoing from within - Toby's laugh, the comforting sound of his charming, boyish chuckle, along with others and If I had to guess it was Brian or Tim. My heart clenched at the thought of him finding joy without me, but I had lost the right to feel jealousy. I owed him the truth. I was his friend. I should have been the one in there laughing with him. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Toby stopped laughing and looked up at me with a confused expression. I slowly walked in, my heart pounding. The warmth and light of the foyer felt foreign after so long in the cold fog. Brian and Tim exchanged puzzled glances before noticing the tense stare shared between Toby and I. The levity died in their throats. More than likely they didn't know what happened, and were puzzled at my appearance back at the mansion after so long. "Oh hey, You’re back" Brian said, his voice hushed and very obviously nudged Toby in the side. So they in fact didn’t know about earlier. I was too overwhelmed to speak. I slowly closed my eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.

And then Tim interjected, “That’s great, are you staying? It gets so annoying to hear Toby whine about you.” With exaggerated gestures and a theatrical flair, Brian and Tim clung to each other, enacting a ludicrous pantomime of Toby's complaints.

Toby's eyes performed an exasperated pirouette. “Oh, h….Hilarious,” he deadpanned, the words dripping with sarcasm, while the other two erupted into boisterous guffaws that ricocheted off the walls.

“I'm not staying, I’m going back. I just came to say goodbye this time.” I said. Brian and Tim gave me an awkward look before quickly changing the subject.

“What! You just got here!” Toby exclaimed. I sighed softly, gathering the courage to meet Toby's pleading gaze. "I know, and I'm sorry. But I can't stay - there's something I need to take care of. I only came back to say a proper goodbye this time." Silence fell as my words sank in. Toby searched my face for answers, his brow furrowed with confusion and hurt. 

“No” Toby grabbed my hand and pulled me up stairs into a room alone, Slamming the doors shut and grabbing my shoulders, “You can’t f-fucking leave again, not so soon, not before I… Not before I could try convince you to stay”

“Toby…”

“N-NO! Don't you dare ‘Toby’ me” I met his eyes, seeing the turmoil of emotions within - pain, anger, fear of being left alone once more. My own heart twisted at having caused him such distress again. He took a shaky breath as he looked at me with the expression of a kicked puppy. “Why did you have to go? Why couldn’t you stay here with me?” He asked, his voice was hoarse as his grip on my shoulders tightened.

“Life was boring here I wanted a little more adventure”

“So I guess I wasn’t important enough for you to stay then?” his voice filled with hurt and contempt.

“Don’t put words in my mouth like that, I care about you, I do. And you are very dear to me-” I said, trying to calm him down. Toby groaned and cut me off.

“Y…you don’t get it” He slid off his muzzle and drew my face nearer to his own, the roughness of his chapped lips pressing insistently against mine. The sensation of his chapped lips pressing insistently against mine was rough yet urgent, like a plea for understanding and connection. I could feel the texture of his dry skin brushing against my lips, each touch carrying a hint of desperation and longing. It was a tangible reminder of the intensity of his emotions, leaving a lingering imprint that spoke of unspoken words and unresolved tensions. I hardly had time to register what was happening.

“Why couldn’t you stay for me?” Toby asked again as he whined.

I stood there frozen, my mind reeling as I processed what had just transpired between us. Toby searched my face hesitantly, clearly distressed by my stunned silence.

"Toby, I..." My eyes fell closed as I took a steadying breath. When I opened them again, I gently took his hands in mine. “I never wanted to hurt you. I love you, I really do. And that's partly why I left, I thought some distance might be good because I thought you didn’t feel how I felt-” My confession tumbled out in a hurried stream, but Toby cut me off with another kiss. His calloused hands, like worn leather, cupped the sides of my face.

As Toby drew back from our kiss, I searched his eyes, seeing longing matched only by fear. He cared for me deeply, that much was clear - yet opening one's heart to another means risking profound hurt. I understood why the prospect of my leaving again had pained him so. I had been so blind and so dumb. I had been so blind and so dumb. I felt a familiar fluttering in my stomach. I had to stay now.

“Stay” Toby's plea was gentle, his chocolate eyes locking with mine in a silent entreaty. I nodded unable to speak. He pressed his forehead against mine as he let out a deep shaky breath of relief . "Th...ank you...Thank you. I love you"

[raedroid]

Kiss Writing Prompt #1

“It would’ve been better if you’d just let me go and we left it at that… but you had to go and say you loved me, and that was a little too easy for you.”

After the end of the War of Kissteria in 2000, Kiss thought all of their troubles were solved until Paul and Peter finally talked to each other. They had disagreements on the battlefield and in the band and now it was becoming too much for them both to handle. And some news had caused them to lose their minds

TW: violence, swearing, angst and mentions of war

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The War on Kissteria had just ended. Even though it was over, the devastation was still there, with buildings and towns in ruins after The Dark Clipse and Kissterian Armies fought against each other viciously. The Elder looked over her dimension in great terror. She could not have predicted such a catastrophe as The Crimson Witch left her mark on her home. The pain was too much for her and knew she had to prepare for the next attack just in case. However it was all becoming too much for her to bear.

Not only was she in great turmoil but so was her loyal comrades, Kiss. They had returned to Earth in hopes of recovering from their latest battle but deep down, they felt defeated and lost. Paul looked at all of his band mates and could tell that they were feeling all kinds of emotions and pain. Gene was hiding all of his emotions again which was typical of him. Ace was drinking all of his problems away, another typical behaviour of him and Peter was sitting in anger. He was the most angry one of them all and Paul didn’t wanted to make him any more angry. But he was the only one he could talk to at the moment. With Gene avoiding everyone, Paul had to talk to him.

He looked at Peter’s door in worry. Paul never gets worried about confrontation but for some reason, meeting Peter was making him nervous. The last time they chatted properly was ages ago. Peter was pissed at him over the tour arrangements. Paul stood his ground on the matter and Peter never bothered him again. But after the war, Paul’s feelings on him started to change again. He had to talk to him and was ready for Peter to get pissed at him. He slowly knocked on his hotel door and saw Peter’s tired expression on the other side

“What do you want?” Peter asked annoyed. Paul sighed and looked down

“Can I come in? There’s something I want to ask you.” He asked. Peter stumbled to the side and let Paul walk in and sat down on Peter’s bed

“Whatever this is, make it quick.” Peter said coldly

“That’s what I hope as well.” Paul agreed. “Look. I know it’s been a few weeks since the war but there’s been something that’s been bugging me lately. You were completely ignorant over what was going on.”

“What do you mean?” Peter asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down in front of him.

“The Elder trusted us to protect the citizens in the smaller towns on the outlands. And you did something that was completely unacceptable. What were you thinking, letting Dark Clipse soldiers invade the towns in order to arrest them”

“Come on we had to do what we had to. At least I took down a bunch of soldiers that were trying to kill us. What were you doing?”

“Evacuating people like what we were ordered to do. But you completely ignored them and let those soldiers go in! Many people were killed from that stunt you pulled!” Peter was slowly getting angry from his words

“You didn’t even considered the good I did. Those soldiers would’ve killed more people if I haven’t done anything. And people were gonna die in this war anyways. That’s war that’s how it works.”

“How can you say that?! They were innocent people just trying to live their lives and because of your stupid actions, you got them killed!” Paul was getting irritated and Peter looked at him with rising anger

“Don’t pretend you care about a bunch of random strangers in Kissteria. You don’t care about your own band mates. A true Guardian does anything to help the world. As for you, once you lost your sword trainer, you just gave up. You don’t care.” Peter was getting delirious after the war and Paul could tell

“I wasn’t trying to seem like that. But you know how much he meant to me.” Paul replied

“Yeah to you. Everyone else around you is nothing. You’re becoming a greedy, insecure, weak man after that war. You didn’t cared about any of us when we got hurt or anything.” Peter slowly got out of his chair

“Peter? Where is this coming from? I know I’ve made mistakes but I’m talking about the war, not what’s happening in the band ok? We can discuss that with the rest.” Paul watched Peter grip the chair and he prepared himself. He knew that Peter is able to attack with no resistance.

“Once again, you are forgetting about all the shit you’ve done. I don’t care about that stupid war. I’m talking about you, the so called leader of Kiss. I love you man but sometimes the way you act just makes me sick. You only care about us when it benefits you.” Peter argued. Paul felt like he was suffocating and felt his body slowly shaking, panic rising in his body.

“I came here to talk about how you acted at the war. I care about you, I care about everyone ok? I just don’t know how to show it. If you can just listen to me-“ He was interrupted by Peter summoning his powers and blasting Paul with magic, sending Paul flying at the wall.

“SHUT UP ABOUT THE STUPID WAR! ITS OVER!” Peter roared, summoning claws and going to attack him. As he lunged at him, Paul used one of his star shields to subdue him. He looked at Peter, his eyes full of rage and tears. Paul knew he was troubled and wanted to reach out to him

“Please stop this. I get that you’re not feeling well.” Paul spoke calmly

“So what are you gonna do to me? You gonna throw me out again?! That’s what you did with me the last time!” Peter shouted. “All of this because I didn’t acted the way you wanted me to!”

“You let so many innocent people die! I know you had good intentions but-“ He was interrupted again as Peter freed himself and grabbed the chair

“But what?! I’m allowed to do what I want ok?! I don’t need your judgement! If you truly cared about me, you wouldn’t judge me right! The war is over! Deal with it!” Peter shouted. Paul sighed and slowly felt tears building up but held himself together. The war had roughed them up in so many ways and they knew that they had broken the last bits of trust that they had for each other. Paul felt incredibly disappointed in his actions and this situation and looked at Peter fuming.

“I’ll leave you alone Peter. I’m sorry I made you feel like crap. I do care about you Peter. Truly I do.” Paul muttered as he walked to the door. “But you really did fucked me up today and during the war. It would’ve been better if you’d just let me go and we left it at that… but you had to go and say you loved me, and that was a little too easy for you.”

Peter watched Paul leave the room. Paul closed the door and slid down to the floor. Tears exploded from his eyes as all emotions hit him like a sledgehammer. The farewell tour was about to end, the war broke him, his marriage was failing and now the band is falling apart again.

This time, he knew it was his fault

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Tagging: @spacedoutman @elrohare @namelessbutters-doodles

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