#could've responded like a normal person and YET i didn't

[kaciidubs]

#LALALALA_Challenge

❣ Summary: Minho really wanted to see stays do the LALALALA challenge, so you decided to take a shot at it too. ❣  ❣ Word Count: 748 ❣ Warnings: Fluff, humor, reader can't dance, supportive bf! Minho, appearance of SoonieDoongieDori ❣  ❣ Female! Reader [No use of Y/N] | You/Your pronouns ❣  ❣ Additional Tags: Lee Know is referred to as Minho, Min, and Lee Minho, reader is referred to as kitten and darling, barely edited ❣ Stray Kids Masterlist ❣ General Masterlist

"Cross, down, cross, down... right- no, left? Left, right, left- up?!"

Groaning softly, you snatched your phone from it's propped position on the TV stand and swiped your thumb across the progress bar, watching the video rewind to the beginning of the tutorial yet again.

Was this your personal hell? Yes.

Were you determined to get this choreography down to impress your dancer boyfriend? Also yes.

You knew the exact moment your fate was sealed for the evening; stumbling across a clip of your boyfriend encouraging thousands of stays to learn the dance and participate in their comeback challenge - and who were you to shy away?

You were a stay, too, which meant you had all the right to attempt the challenge!

Now, if only you didn't have two left feet and the memory of a hamster, then maybe this challenge wouldn't have been so... challenging.

Listening to the extremely familiar song play through your phone again, you watched as the Instagram reel of Minho go on, eyes locked onto every calculated, practiced movement his body made to the rhythm of the song and the mental count of each step.

"Right, left, up-right, left, swing arms down..." A soft meow sounded behind you, the brief interruptions keeping you sane for the past 10 minutes of practicing. "Soonie, you'd think that dating him would give me some magical dance ability, right?"

Another meow, one that sounded oddly sassy, practically telling you that 'We both know that's not how it works'.

"You could've just humored me like Doongie, you know." You mumbled, watching as the clip continued onto the slowed down version of the tutorial, "Okay, let's do this!"

Propping your phone up again, you followed along with his mirrored arm movements, simulating the steps with your upper body as best as you could - you already foolishly attempted the full body test three times, and after nearly twisting your ankle, you decided half your body would suffice.

"Left arm block, chest explode- la, la, la, head nod- la, la, la, la-"

The chorus played out and you sighed heavily, arms sore and your once comfortable t-shirt feeling all too heavy - it had to have been attempt number four, maybe five, and you were finally getting familiar with the normal speed.

"Kitten."

"AH!"

Nearly jumping out of your skin, you spun around to see none other than the same person you were painstakingly following on your phone, watching you with amused eyes and a familiar brown cat nuzzled in his arms.

"Minho?! How long were you watching me?!"

"Long enough to see you miscount the same move three times and counting." He smirked, humor sparkling in his eyes, "You're close though, I'm proud."

Huffing, your crossed your arms over your chest, wincing at the slight strain in your right bicep, "You didn't think to, oh, I don't know, tell me you're home? Maybe even correct me?!"

He gave a few scratches to Dori's head before setting him down on the couch cushion, "I texted you that I was on my way home, you were the one who didn't respond! Plus, you were doing so well, I didn't want to ruin your focus!"

"In other words, you liked watching me mess up."

"It's like watching a child learn that they can move parts of their body in different directions at the same time."

You rolled your eyes, pouting as he pushed himself up from the couch and stride over to you; his hands winding your hips and holding you close.

"I meant it when I said I was proud of you, darling," he cooed, pressing a feather light kiss to your pout, watching your lips turn up slightly. "It doesn't matter if you were the worlds best dancer, or the ace of one step out of the whole song - I saw the effort you were putting into learning it and that's more than enough. I said I wanted to see stays learn and try it, I never said that it had to be perfect."

His soft words melted your heart, your body relaxing in his hold with a soft breath as you blinked up at him with soft eyes. "Can you help me fix where I keep messing up?"

Laughing gently, he nodded, "Of course - next, I'll help you put it together with the steps."

"You have way too much faith in me, Min."

"Or, maybe I want to see you look like a baby deer."

"I love you too, Lee Minho."

✧. ┊Tagged lovelies: @goblinracha, @having-an-internal-crisis-rn, @midnightfrog625, @anyhow-everything, @bangchanbabygirlx, @sweetracha, @j-onedrabbles, @happilydeepestwonderland, @nightimescapes, @caitlyn98s, @ch4nn13luv, @ihrtlix, @sometimesleeknows, @jeonjungkookenthusiast1997, @instabull

✧. ┊If your username is in bold italics that means tumblr won't let me tag you. If you’d like to be added to the taglist, fill out this form!

[owliellder]

The Finer Details

Post DI! Leon Kennedy x f! Painter Reader

MDNI 18+

(Session 1, Session 2, Session 3, Session 4, Session 5, The Reveal)

Description: Leon realizes that retirement is in his best interest now that he's getting older. All of his accomplishments as an agent mean he's truly earned a painting to commemorate..

Warnings: Not Proofread, Age gap! (reader is anywhere between mid-late 20's and Leon is 40), Porn w/ Plot, Use of she/her pronouns, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Alcoholism, mentions of trauma/PTSD/depression, P in V smut (wrap it NEOW), Leon cries during sex 💔

Tags: Older Leon Kennedy, Younger afab!Reader, Leon is SAD but he is your muse, Crying, mentions of Leon masturbating, starts off with Dom! Leon and Sub! Reader, falls into switch territory because that man needs some serious TLC, Praise kink, Hickeys, Handjob, Nipple play, Oral sex (m! and f! receiving), and a heavy dose of Aftercare

Author Note: I wanna say there's some pretty descriptive talk about depression in this chapter, just as a heads up. Anyways, it's my weekend and I'm going to be absolutely zooted every single day so the next chapter will most likely be out Monday morning PST lol.

Cross-posted on AO3

Session 3: Blocking In Color

It was nearly three weeks until you saw Leon again.

You tried to call him a couple days after he'd left that day, a few more times over the following week, but to no avail. The man was unreachable.

Even though you did your best to convince yourself that you just wanted to get his painting started, "It was an important one", you knew that you were really just worried about him.

You've seen this kind of dismay with the other retired agents that've had a portrait painted in the past, but they at least recognized what they'd been through.

Leon hasn't. You could just tell.

Looking over the sketches you made of his face, you couldn't help but wonder what exactly he'd been thinking about the last time he was here. He seemed so bothered, acting like he was hiding it so well, too.

Then again, you did drop a rather large bombshell on the guy while he was in a pretty vulnerable state, but you thought he knew what the portrait he was going to receive was suppose to mean. Again, most of the retired agents you'd seen were similar to Leon in that regard and even they at least had a basic grasp on the finality of it all. So why didn't he?

You nursed your bottom lip, still staring at the sketches laying in front of you while you sat at one of your desks in the corner. You normally don't come to your workspace unless you're actively painting, yet you'd shown up everyday in hopes Leon would randomly pop in. He seemed like the kind of guy to just kind of show up, anyways...

If you had just gotten a picture that day you've could've at least started working out the positioning for his portrait. Unfortunately, he wasn't in any position mentally to put up with anymore of your shenanigans at the time, it seemed.

You really did try your best to get ahold of Leon, eventually giving up a few days ago. You'd already emailed the President, who had been the one to personally commission you unlike with previous ex-agents, letting him know that it's going to be longer than expected. Thankfully he was understanding, knowing rather well how much the whole retirement thing was weighing on Leon.

You'll come back tomorrow and try again. Even the next day, and the day after that if you have to, and so on and so forth.

Guilty. That's all Leon felt right now.

He's been shelled up in his house since the moment he got home after leaving your building, withering away by the minute.

He hadn't showered, barely eaten, only ever really pulling himself from what little comfort his room offered to grab whatever bottle he touched first in the cabinet. Leon didn't care, just as long as it was something.

Chris had been over a couple times after he stopped responding to his messages, doing his best to get him out of the house. Claire had been over a few times more than her brother had, bringing groceries once she'd heard about the sad state Leon was keeping himself in.

It broke both their hearts, but they could only do so much for him. Leon was stubborn, head strong, he wasn't the kind to sway to many forces. He had somehow gaslit himself into thinking he was doing well. "Just peachy", even.

Clearly that wasn't the case, both Chris and Claire could see that. They'd have to be blind not to.

Having been in contact with Leon's government-assigned therapist, Chris tried to set up an at-home meeting for him one day. That turned out to be a disaster seeing as Leon was bordering on blackout drunk and could barely keep his eyes open. Not to mention the vomiting.

Claire even tried to bathe Leon. She only got far enough to wash his hair in his kitchen sink, using his vomit-covered mouth as an excuse to keep him over the sink long enough to shampoo his greasy, stringy hair.

All of it was weighing on him too much. He felt so guilty for making his friends feel like they had to babysit him, ignoring everyone's calls and messages, your calls and messages. That kind of thought process quickly spiraled into him reliving the worst days of his life, having to through suffer so many flashbacks and nightmares, not sleeping because of it. He rarely ever felt safe enough to get under the covers on his bed.

None of this is what he wanted. If it were up to him, he'd start all over; be twenty-one again, work as a cop, maybe get promoted a few times, find a girlfriend, start a family, have a normal life. Why couldn't he have that?

Staying awake night after night, Leon would stare at the ceiling in his bedroom and fantasize about the wonderful life he could've had, the happy memories he could've made. It would make him weep, longing for something that never could've been.

Instead, Leon was stuck with endless images of horror, death, and gore every time he blinked, and oh was he bitter about it all. So bitter, so angry, so...

Feeling sorry for himself was all he could do now. Sure, he killed all those monsters and zombies, saved all those people, not once did he think about himself through the years. Now he had all the time in the world to question and wonder, and having to think about himself and what he wanted most made him feel like a needy, greedy bastard.

But wasn't he allowed to be greedy, if only just a little? He had wants, needs, and though he wanted so desperately to change his past, he knew he couldn't. So, what did he want now? That, he didn't know.

Guilty for feeling this way, guilty for wanting different, guilty for wanting anything good for himself.

It took the better part of those two weeks for Leon to finally muster up some form of energy to stumble into his bathroom and shower one afternoon, dizzy and nauseous. The light emanating from the rest of his house was blinding, not having even bothered to close the shades he had on any of his windows. His room was kept a cave and that's where he stayed.

Leon now found himself sitting down in the shower just like before he'd decided to retire, only this time it was mostly to keep from slipping and dying. The last thing he needed anyone to see was him naked and dead in the shower. Embarrassing.

His thoughts at the moment were shallow, still pretty drunk from his bender, head lulling back and forth a bit as his vision spun. He was finally hungry again, the heat from the shower making that all the more obvious as he grew lightheaded, but he didn't know what he wanted.

After managing to actually crawl his way out of the shower, he dug through the pile of dirty laundry at the end of his bed, finding a pair of boxers that didn't smell too terrible to put on.

Leon used the wall heavily for support to walk out into his kitchen, muttering curses under his breath at just how bright it was. Opening his freezer, he stared at the meal prep containers left by Claire, grabbing one to attempt and read what she'd wrote on the sticky note attached to the lid.

That's right... She made him little meals, even putting them in the freezer so they didn't go bad as fast. All he had to do was put it in the microwave.

Simple enough, he could do that.

The one he chose was meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Just the sound of it had his stomach rumbling and his mind craving the comforting taste of a home cooked meal.

The first few bites in made Leon feel nauseous again, but once those bites hit his stomach the feeling immediately gave way to just how hungry he actually was.

He tried to pace himself, he really did try, yet he managed to devour the food in front of him in a matter of minutes, only pausing every few seconds to breathe. It felt so good, something warm in his stomach. Filling in all the right ways. Once he finished, he pushed the empty container away and just laid his head down sideways on the cool countertop, closing his eyes as he let the food settle.

As much as he wanted to degrade himself for acting this way, reducing himself to such a weird and pathetic state, Leon didn't have the mind to. All he knew right now was that the warmth that the meal Claire made him. Not to sound cliche, but he genuinely believed he could taste the love cooked into it.

For the first time in what was now two and a half weeks, Leon was awake and alert when Chris and Claire came over again. He'd eaten everything Claire made, holding all the now cleaned containers out to her. It was a silent plea for more, and lucky for Leon, she had just made another grocery trip for him.

Unbeknownst to him, Claire had been cooking here at his house. This entire time he thought she'd been bringing the meals over, assumed to be leftovers from cooking for her family. She did confess to hoping the smell of the food cooking would pull him from his room. It didn't, much to her dismay, but now she was just glad he was up and eating again.

As soon as Leon tried to apologize for dragging her away from her family, she was quick to shut him down with that mom stare she'd developed after having her kids. It worked, especially on him.

Chris was busy chatting up Leon while Claire cooked him another set of meals for the next week. It was hard to converse, but Leon did manage to nod and him as the other man talked about some random encounter he had the other day while out driving.

It was strange to feel so lively again. Those thoughts still clung to the back of his mind, though all he could focus on were his friends taking care of him like one of their own. Leon feels like he's been a terrible friend lately, seems as though the siblings standing in his kitchen didn't feel the same. He wasn't showing it, but Leon was definitely holding back a smile.

A couple hours had past, Chris opting to stay with Leon and eat lunch since Claire had to head back and help her husband with something.

The hug Claire gave Leon was phenomenal. After the hug he shared with you he's been craving that physical contact more than ever, so finally getting another good squeeze from a friend was boosting his mood.

Chris and him sat, ate, and talked about whatever came to mind, eventually asking about you.

"How's the painting coming along? Do you like the painter?" He smiled, looking at Leon with wide, curious eyes. That man always had a smile gracing his features.

Leon shrugged, taking a sip from the water he poured himself not too long ago. He was pretty dehydrated after solely drinking alcohol for the past couple weeks. "She's alright. Haven't started the painting yet."

Chris raised an eyebrow, placing his arms on the counter and crossed them as he leaned forward slightly. "Just 'alright'?" he emphasized the word "alright" with air quotes, which caused Leon to scoff.

"What else do you want me to say? I've seen her twice so far and its been fine." Leon lifted his hands up in confusion, palms facing the ceiling as he watched the man sitting next to him rolled his eyes dramatically. "C'mon, she was amazing for Claire and I- Okay, how about this..."

Chris repositioned himself so his entire upper body was facing him now, leaning in a little closer to ask another question. "Do you like the room she works in? Cause I thought it was pretty comfy. When she was focusing on Claire's part of the portrait, I took a nap over on that rug she had. All those pillows mixed with the classical music knocked me the fuck out."

He laughed, shaking his head at memory before looking over at Leon again. "So...? And don't lie to me, I saw that pillow on your couch."

Leon sucked on his teeth and hummed, glancing over his shoulder at his couch. "It's cozy, yeah." He brought his head back forward, patting his hands gently against the counter.

The two chatted for awhile longer before Chris eventually had to leave, giving Leon a firm pat on the shoulder while shaking him a bit. After he left, Leon was left to sit alone and think again, only difference now is he felt better. He was crazy tired, his social battery quickly drained from having his friends around, but he felt good nonetheless.

He wasn't ready at the time, yet after a sober night with solid sleep, Leon woke up the next morning and decided to just text you, hoping you weren't mad at him. Calling would've been too much at that moment, not even have listened to the voicemails you left, or anyone's, for that matter.

His chest felt tight after sending the text, but it was quickly eased about ten minutes later when you responded with nothing but enthusiasm. The smiley face you added at the end of your message made him smile, quickly wiping it away with his hand.

Your next session was arranged two days ahead of time in the late afternoon. Leon wanted to give himself enough time to recollect since he needed to look his best the following weeks. You told him it was time to start with the main painting, which you still needed a picture for.

During that time he finally shaved his stubble, went out and got his hair trimmed, tackled all the laundry he'd neglected, and got his best suit dry cleaned. All thoughts aside, he felt good and wanted to stay this way.

Needless to say, Leon was jittery when he pulled up to your workplace again. He was finally letting himself feel excited again about this painting. If it's anything close to what Chris and Claire's portrait is, then that excitement will only continue to grow the further along you get.

You were already there waiting for him at the door, a gentle smile on your face. That wonderful soft perfume that he missed reaching his nose once more as you lead him up the stairs and through the other door. Chris was right, if he had the opportunity, he'd take a nap on your rug. It looked mighty comfy.

Leon was thankful you didn't ask any questions on his whereabouts, he wasn't ready to talk. You were just as excited as he was about getting the painting started, if not more. Watching you eagerly move back and forth between the larger easel and your desks was a refreshing sight to the man.

You stood at your easel for a couple minutes, just silently looking from the blank canvas to where he was sat. You told him to get into a comfortable position, prompting him rest his right leg on his left knee, leaning back and to the side so he was sitting at a slight angle, arms resting on the chair's armrests.

You stared at him for a few seconds, tilting your head side to side with your eyes squinted. "Let me just-" you spoke in a hushed voice, walking over to Leon before cautiously reaching out to rest one hand on the underside on his chin while the other hovered over the side of his face.

You weren't an idiot, you knew what his absence was from. So you made sure to be careful with him, knowing he was probably still pretty fragile. Only gentle and cautious touches for Mr. Kennedy.

So close yet so far. His skin tingled in your hands wake, and god he hoped you couldn't notice his blush.

You could, but you wouldn't say anything. Besides, you weren't faring well yourself, hands a little shaky as you touched his face.

Leon just let you move his head to whatever position you wanted, his eyes now half-lidded as you had walked back a couple times to get just the right angle. You pulled away for a final time with a small "aha!" and he wished you would hold his head for just a little longer.

The floor where your easel sat was marked with an 'X' made with painter's tape, making it easy for you to stay in the right spot for the photo once you pushed the easel out of the way.

"Don't move." You held your hands up after analyzing his position, quickly hurrying over the corner opposite of your desks to grab a bulky camera that sat atop a tall tripod. You worked as fast as you could, knowing as long as you had a picture with him in this position then this whole process would go so much smoother.

You didn't even have to ask Leon to smile or look up at the camera since he was sitting there with a rather dopey smile, his eyes remaining trained right on yours. Nice and natural. He looked relaxed which is exactly what you wanted.

Just as a precaution, you took multiple pictures, giving him a thumbs up once you figured you'd gotten enough. His head back to rest on the chair at the okay, listening to the sound of you walk over to your laptop after untwisting the camera from the tripod. You printed out 3 copies of the photograph and taped one to a stand you had brought over to sit next to the easel, making sure it sat eye level to you.

The ball was finally rolling, now having what you needed to start with the main sketch. When Leon lifted his head up, he noticed that you were ready, sucking in a sharp breath through his nose while he shifted a little to get back in just the right position.

You twirled your pencil between your fingers before beginning to roughly sketch out the chair, eyebrows furrowing as you focused. Leon could see your expression, how intensely you zoned into your work. It was incredibly admirable and he found himself fully content in just watching you do your thing.

It didn't take long before you had sketched out his general shapes, now walking over to take the sketches you made of his face out of your sketchbook to clip up right next to the reference photo. The more finer details would be added later, but you wanted to get just the basic shapes of his face.

That didn't take long either, because before Leon knew it, you were telling him it was okay to talk. He was pretty animated with his hands when he talked, so you kept him quiet until now.

"Am I easy to draw?" Leon spoke with an almost sultry tone after a few seconds of you telling him he could speak. It threw you off only a bit, carding your fingers through your hair as you took one step back to look at what you had so far.

"I wanna say yes and no." You responded, catching his questioning look from the corner of your eye. "You're easy to sketch out, yes, but your hair is giving me trouble." You could hear a low chuckle rumble from his chest as you stepped back forward. "Hey, you asked." You laughed back.

"I know, I know." He shook his head with a poorly hidden grin, tilting his head down to try and hide it a little better. You immediately pointed your pencil at him, not taking your eyes off the canvas. "I said you could talk, not move." Your sarcastic tone made him chuckle again, slowly lifting his head back up with a sigh.

"Yes, ma'am." You could just hear the smirk in his words, causing you to let out a sigh of your own.

By the time the sun had started to set, you had blocked out all the simple colors for the painting. Right now, it just looked like a very bland and abstract painting. It'll come together, slowly but surely. Trust the process, as people say.

Leon was in awe already, having stood up to look at your progress as you washed your hands over in the small bathroom. Oil paints smeared something fierce and as much as you loved your job, you did not want feel oily at home.

"It already looks stunning." You heard the man say from where he stood in front of the easel. It wasn't quite registering in his brain that it was him on that canvas just yet, but hopefully soon it would.

He wanted to recognize himself in something as wonderful as your art.

[oneshlut]

Overjoyed (Dr. Flug x Reader) [Headcanons]

Rules For Requesting

Characters I Will Write For

Masterlist

Summary: General Dr. Flug crushing and confessing headcanons

VERY rarely experiences love. This is very new to him, so he will NOT recognize it the first few months he has a crush

Will think of you as a really close friend! At least, he thinks so. He may get a bit more insecure because he thinks you're a better person than him

If you treat him like a normal person and like.. don't bully him??-- He will get attached. I don't think he's recieved affection in a hot minute

You, overall as a person, fascinate him. How can someone be so kind, smart, witty, good-looking (in a totally platonic way), AND care for him? Part of him thinks you're not real. Don't worry, he just hasn't experienced love that often to know what admiration is

He doesn't understand why he gets so nervous around you. He's not scared of you at all, not like he is around Blackhat--you were, in fact, the opposite of him. So why was he getting all fidgety and jumpy around you? It didn't make sense how he could feel so comfortable around a person, yet still feel so anxious all the while

Over time, he becomes a bit protective over you without really knowing it. He'll push you out of his lab when he's doing a dangerous experiment, or will give you the easiest job on missions (besides 5.0.5.'s). He tries to refrain himself from acting this way sometimes, he doesn't want you to feel like you're incompetent in any way--all his intention was to keep you safe! And now he's spiraling because he doesn't know why he feels so protective over you

Sometimes you'll compliment him, and he feels as if Blackhat himself just told him he did a great job on a mission. Except, this time his heart was beating faster, his palms were more sweaty than usual, it felt stuffy inside his mask, and-- ..Goddammit, why is he getting so nervous again?? He then realizes he hasn't responded to you yet, and mutters a small 'thank you' that made him sound a lot less confident he wished he could've sounded

Eventually, he got sick of it. He needed to find out what the hell was going on. So imagine his mini panic attack when he googles 'why is my heart beating so fast', and Google tells him his heart is failing

It's not like he doesn't know what love is, no, far from it. He's seen his average romcoms (and hated them), he knows what love should be like. Hell, he knows the entire chemical formula for the damn feeling. He was just never able to understand what others felt when they said they were 'in love'. Until now.

For him, it was unbelievably weird to have his heart race for someone that wasn't out of fear. Honestly, he.. liked the feeling. If it weren't for how he reacted to it.

Dr. Flug wasn't this nervous around you before. Normally, not at all. When you hung out at his lab, he would ramble on and on about his inventions, only checking in every few minutes to make sure you weren't getting bored of him or anything. But now, knowing his feelings for you, he feels horribly nervous around you. This affects every little thing he does, and he hates it.

When you hang out with Flug now, he realizes how truly lucky he is for you to even do more than just glance over him. Him? Why him? Why not spend your time with anyone else..?

Then he realizes you actually care about him. His existence. He isn't.. invisible to you. And suddenly he's over the moon.

Right--about the way Flug acts around you. Every conversation you have with him suddenly has this weird air around it. You could tell he was more nervous than.. well, usual, but whenever you asked he just waved it off as some upcoming mission or invention he still had to work on. You'd normally decide not to dwell on it too much.

On his end, he thought he was doing everything horribly wrong in front of you. "Catch you on the flip side"??? When has he ever said something like that?! Not to mention his stammering practically increased by 5 times its normal amount, as he was fumbling over most words in every single sentence he dared mutter around you. If he wasn't talking, he was tripping over his untied shoelaces (he almost always had them tied, god, what happened to his schedule-?) or spilling some important chemical all over his workspace.

Overall, he was more fidgety than normal, and he hated it. It made him want to tear his bag out. Why couldn't he just be normal around you? Now he's just worse than he ever was. All his attempts of impressing you were down the drain at this point. But at least he hasn't completely drawn you away--I mean, you still liked hanging out with him! At least, he thinks you like spending time with him.. Part of him is still just the slightest bit insecure.

His worry for you has increased when you go on missions with him now. Part of him wants to just keep you in the hat ship so you don't get involved in something messy, but he knows that would be unfair for you. Flug just worries about you getting hurt, is all. He tries to focus on you a bit more during missions to make sure you're doing alright, but sometimes this just causes him to fuck up even more in front of you. Way to go, Flug. He suddenly feels as if his engineering and villainy PhDs didn't really do that much for him in the long run.

As we all know, Dr. Flug is far from someone to act on feelings. He acts on his logic, most of the time at least. With this in mind, he is the last person you'd think of as someone who would confess their feelings to someone. In all honesty, even if he did muster up the courage to try, he would pass out on the spot. So, he just tries to wait it out until this crush subsides. Spoiler alert: it doesn't!

Right, right--so, since he probably won't ever come clean about his feelings to you, you'll probably eventually just have to confess yourself. Unless Flug slips up one day and accidentally says he loves you in one of his long-winded rambles, in which would make a very awkward situation.

Under the circumstances that you do confess to him first, he.. well, Flug won't believe you at first. You've probably just gotten yourself mixed in with one of Demencia's pranks. A bit cruel, but nothing he couldn't handle. He will have to talk to Demencia later though, she's been getting on his nerves lately.. And besides, the whole spiel of you actually liking him, caring for him, and wanting to be with him? Yeah, okay.

So he laughs. And then he realizes you're serious. Oh. You're serious.. Oh.

Ohhhhhh crap. Okay! So you like him. It was.. It didn't feel real. But it was. And now that same feeling came back to him, the one where he feels his hands getting sweatier, his bag getting stuffier, and.. a new symptom. His legs turned flimsy, and could now just barely hold his body. He leaned onto his desk for support. If only he could see how red his bag was at the time.

And yes, you were able to calm him down, but even as the day progressed, Flug still couldn't swallow the situation. He laid in his bed unmoving, still, and.. awake. He couldn't get his mind off of anything that had happened that afternoon. He's probably pinched himself at least 6 times now, making sure he wasn't just dreaming or anything. After the 7th pinch.. yep, he wasn't.

Eventually, this surprise faded away into another new emotion.

Overjoyed.

[taylorsv3rsion13]

we never go out of style || c.f.

A/N : hi! this is gonna be a series so there will be links to other chapters when i complete them!

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

words : 4.1k

synopsis : things were always rocky for conrad and you. after the whole break up, will everything be the same the year later? or will it all turn to shit.

I hated him. Hated him with all the hate I had in my body. He made me hate Cousins as well.

Every year, my mom would send me away off to Cousins beach where I would stay with her best friend Susannah and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher. I had easily bonded with the two of them, and then gotten in a relationship with Conrad. The Conklins would be there as well. Belly and Steven.

Conrad and Steven were 17, while Jeremiah, and I were all 16(turning 17 soon), but I was older than him by a few months, and Belly was 15, turning 16 soon.

He fucked it all up. He couldn't commit to one relationship, and we all knew that, yet he told me he would and I believed him.

Again, my mom sent me to them for the summer. I thought she wouldn't knowing the whole debacle that had happened the year prior.

"Mom, I really don't think it's a good thing if I go." I said to her as I sat at the kitchen counter.

"C'mon Y/N, Susannah misses you, and I'm sure Belly would like to see you as well." My mom said.

I groaned in annoyance.

I loved seeing everyone in Cousins, don't get me wrong. When I was there it felt like all of my worries were away. But now after the breakup, I just thought of everything that could go wrong this summer.

The plane ride was six hours to Cousins from California and it took 30 minutes to get from the airport to the Fishers house. The whole time my mind raced on what would happen as soon as I stepped through the doors.

"Hi, I'm home." I said awkwardly loudly as I stepped through the door that was unlocked.

It was normal for the doors to be unlocked. Everyone knew each other in Cousins, and everyone basically was only there for the summer.

Throughout the house I heard a mixture of footsteps and gasps, people saying, "Y/N?", "Y/N is here?"

The first people to approach was Susannah and Laurel, coming out of the kitchen with a beautiful floral maxi dress.

"Oh my god, look at you! You've always been beautiful, but honey, look at you" Susannah said as she grabbed ahold of my cheeks before giving me a hug.

"I think I like the same" I chuckled.

"You do not look the same... You're growing up. You're in bloom."

Savannah had a way to say things. I loved it about her.

She let go as Laurel squeezed through, hugging me.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming early?" Laurel asked.

I laughed a little, "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Y/N!" I heard an excited voice say.

I watched as Jeremiah's body came sliding down the railing. He was in a white wife beater tank top and a pair of bright tropical shorts.

"Jere!" I exclaimed, opening my arms for him to run into.

Jeremiah and Conrad were brothers, but they couldn't be more different. Jeremiah was this energetic outgoing person, while Conrad was... well, he was Conrad...

"How have you been Y/N/N?" He asked as we both let go.

"A lot better, and you Mr. Fisher?" I asked jokingly.

From behind Susannah and Laurel, I could see long brown hair.

"Belly?" I questioned.

"Oh my god, Y/N!" She squealed, running up to me.

"You're absolutely so beautiful." I stated.

"No you are." She said back. We could've gone on and on about who was more beautiful, that was until he came.

I looked up and was met with Conrad's bright blue fucking eyes. He stared straight at me from the top of the stairs.

Conrad took a breath, "Hi, Y/N."

"Hi, Conrad..." I responded.

"Yo, Conrad! Y/N is here!" I heard Steven's voice from upstairs.

All of us laughed a little as we saw Steven make his way to the banister. His face was full of surprise as he saw me.

"She's actually here!" He said, running down to greet me.

All of us kids went outside to the pool. Belly wore a cute purple bikini as I wore a blue one.

The house was for us, and our moms. Not for our dads. My mom rarely showed up. She only showed up for important events because she had a lot of work, but there were some years where she stayed.

"You're absolutely stunning." I said to Belly as we rested by the wall in the pool.

She laughed, "I look the exact same as last year."

"No. You look so much different!" I said to her.

"Well, look at you! you have new hair, new body, new attitude!" She said excitedly. "Do I have to get broken up with for this glow up?"

We both laughed at her statement.

"Should we mess with the boys a little?" Belly asked.

"Yeah, I think we should." I said, a smile growing on my face. "Ow! Jeremiah! Help! I think I sprained my ankle!" I yelled to the curly headed boy.

He came to me as soon as he could, sticking out his hand as I stuck out mine.

"Sorry." I said, a smile on my face. I watched as his face faltered though, as he realized what had happened.

I yanked the poor boy into the water, fully clothed.

He came up, splashing at the water.

"Y/N!" He yelled.

I got out of the pool. "I'm gonna head inside for a bit." I said to the group.

"Hi, sweetie." Susannah said as I closed the glass door.

"Hi!" I said to Susannah and Laurel as I sat at the island in the middle of the kitchen.

God I loved the kitchen. It was a beautiful green and white. I loved this house in general though, it was a gorgeous house.

"She's so beautiful." I watched Susannah mouth to Laurel.

"I know." Laurel mouthed back.

I only laughed at the two. I loved their relationship. I honestly wish I had a relationship like that when I got older.

"You should call you mom and tell her you got here okay." Susannah said as she finished chopping up the fruit.

"Oh, yes you're right. I told her I would call her and I got distracted." I laughed.

I finished calling her and returned to Susannah and Laurel.

"Is she coming for the Fourth?" Susannah asked.

"Yes, she would never miss it for anything."

"Oh, Y/N, I finished getting your room set up, if you wanna go unpack now, you can." Susannah said, giving me a smile.

I gave her a smile back, "Thank you, Susannah, I love you."

"Love you too!" She responded.

"I love you, Laurel!" I said, adding a laugh. I heard her and Susannah laugh before she responded as well.

I loved my room at the Fisher's. It had beautiful white walls with high ceilings. As well as a gorgeous large window. My bed was perfectly made as well, and I had white sheets with dark blue flowers.

Most of the accents on the walls were dark blue as well. I could tell Susannah had done some work on my room since the last time I was here.

I began unpacking while looking at everything I had left from last summer. A stuffed white polar bear was on my bed and it had a little navy blue bow tie. Oh god how the memories flooded.

A knock at my door brought me back, "Come in!" I shouted.

"Come on! Let's go to the beach before dinner... please. " Belly said as she bounced onto my bed.

"I still have a bunch to unpack, Bells." I said to the girl, "And don't you have to go with your mom to Whale of a Tale?"

"I'll just skip it." She said, her face with a large smile. "Pleaseeeee."

"Okay, okay! We can go." I said to her.

She squealed excitedly, "Okay! I'll meet you down!"

I laughed quietly as I grabbed a new swimsuit. This one was a blue and white bikini and I loved it.

I saw Susannah and Laurel down in the kitchen.

"Laurel, I'm so sorry I'm stealing Belly, but we were gonna go swimming and I know you have Whale of a Tale today bu-" I rambled.

"It's okay, I'll go with her." Susannah said, a large smile forming on her face.

"You want to race?" I asked Belly as we stood in the sand.

"No, I can't possibly keep up with you, you're always running, I see on your stories." She joked.

Before I knew it, the girl had sprinted, dropping her towel and flip flops.

"Cheater!" I shouted and laughed as I too dropped my things, running to go after her.

"Steven, I swear to god, look at that phone one more time and it's going in the screen basket." Laurel said as we ate dinner.

Belly and I looked at each other before laughing.

I was crammed in between Jeremiah and Conrad, and it was interesting. I avoided Conrad as much as I could.

"It's just, we want to see your beautiful faces." Susannah said as she smiled at all of us which made Belly and I laugh even harder.

Steven continued to go on his phone, doing god knows what. I watched as Jeremiah snatched it from across the table and threw it in the basket that was on the other side of the room.

"Dude, are you kidding me?" Steven said in disbelief.

Jeremiah on the other hand was cheering for himself, "Boom, Nailed it!"

"We get it, you've been working out." Steven said.

"Someones jealous about Jere having a nicer body..." Belly and I said in sync.

Conrad hadn't said anything at all during dinner, and I knew people could feel the tension.

"Aren't you leaving for training camp soon?" I asked Conrad, turning to him.

Susannah cut in, "Uh... he quit football."

All of us looked at Conrad in shock. He was good at football and not only that, but he was going to do college football.

"He can always change his mind though." Susannah said, as she grabbed a bread roll.

"I'm not changing my mind." Conrad said, no emotion whatsoever. "I'll just sit on the bench anyways."

"Well, if you're not playing football anymore, what are you gonna do all summer?" Laurel asked.

Steven shot up in surprise, "Oh, dude, you can work at the club with me and Jere."

Conrad shook his head no though.

"Wait, you guys are working this summer?" Laurel asked in disbelief.

Jeremiah began talking, "Yeah, I'm lifeguarding and Steven's working in the snack shop."

Something seemed to spark in Susannah as well as she began rummaging through things.

"Oh Y/N and Belly! I almost forgot. I have a surprise for the two of you."

Two envelopes were in Susannah's hands. One addressed to Belly and the other addressed to me.

"What.. uhm. What is that?" Laurel stuttered.

"I got them both invitations to be a debutante." Susannah said proudly

There were a bunch of comments being made about the whole debutante ball and about Belly, but I zoned it all out, staring at the invitation.

"Y/N." Susannah's voice said, bringing me out of my state.

"Hm?" I asked.

She motioned to the envelope.

"Oh, yeah, I'll think about it..."

I walked up the stairs to the hall with all of the kids rooms. God, you could hear Steven belting to As the World Caves In.

I don't know how I was gonna do anything with him singing so loudly, so I grabbed a red bikini and changed into it, grabbing a towel and heading outside.

Of course, Conrad was sitting out there, but instead his feet were dipped in the water and he had a joint in his mouth.

I felt his gaze on me as I put my towel down and jumped into the cold water. I stayed under for two minutes before going back up for air.

"Wasn't sure if you were trying to drown yourself or not." Conrad said blatantly.

"Glad to see you wouldn't help even if I was." I said to the brunette sarcastically. "And I thought you said smoking pot was bad for you."

"Never said that." He stated.

"Pass." I said, motioning towards the joint in between his fingers.

"No." He laughed.

I rolled my eyes at him. And I still hated him.

"Hey, are you actually thinking about doing the debutante thing?" Conrad asked after a few minutes.

"Don't know, don't know why you would care either." I shot back at him.

"Why are you acting so different?" Conrad scoffed.

"You should be asking yourself that same thing." I said to the boy.

"Y/N, I know you." Conrad tried to say.

"Yeah? Do you?"

Before he could respond a scream was heard with the glass door being slid open.

"First bonfire of the summer!" Jeremiah's voice screamed. I heard Steven laugh and another set of footsteps.

"Can I come too?" It was Belly.

"Wait, I wanna go." I added in.

The boys looked at Belly and I.

"Uh no." Steven said.

I mean it, Steven is the most dramatic boy I have ever met.

"The moms are getting everything set up for your movie night." Jeremiah said to Belly and I.

The boys said their various goodbyes before running off.

Belly had grabbed my towel for me to dry off and the two of us went inside.

"Brownies are going in!" We heard Susannah say.

"Got put the DVD in please." Laurel said to us.

"I actually have a headache, I think I'm just gonna go to sleep early. It's been a busy travel day." I said to Laurel and Susannah.

"Aw, alright, honey. Goodnight, love you." Susannah said as she kissed my forehead. I gave Laurel a hug before walking up the stairs.

I turned around though, making eye contact with Belly and winking at her. She nodded in response. We had an idea.

As soon as I heard Belly's door close, I ran to her room with an assortment of clothing.

"Hi Taylor!" I said to the blonde on the phone.

"Hi Y/N!" She responded.

I changed in the corner of Belly's room as her and Taylor were discussing their new drama. They always added me in on new things going in which I appreciated.

"Oh my god, Taylor, Y/N's outfit is so cute." Belly said as she dragged me in the camera frame.

I was wearing a green flowy tube top that was sheer at the stomach and had a floral design with orange and pink colors. As well as a short white mini skirt.

"Belly, what's that pink thing in your bag?" I asked, pointing to a hot pink strap.

"That's the surprise!" Taylor shouted through the phone.

Belly pulled it out, revealing a short hot pink dress.

"Oh my god." Belly and I said in unison.

Belly laughed, "No way in hell. And won't you be able to see my underwear in that?"

"Wear a thong." I suggested.

Belly had gone into this rant about how unhygienic thongs are how they're basically flossing your butthole which Taylor and I laughed at.

Belly and I somehow sneaked past the moms as they watched their movie. I'm surprised they never saw us walk past them, but there was a mix of crying and laughter while watching the movie.

We walked to the beach, which was actually quite long considering the beach was our backyard, but they were further down.

As we made it closer, we could see a bonfire and here loud music.

"I'm gonna kill Taylor." Belly mumbled to me which made me laugh.

"Yo, gas station girl!" A man called out. We both turned our attention and he looked at least 20...

"You've gotten yourself a treat." I said, winking at her before walking away.

"Where you coming from?" The guy asked. I'll just say it. He was a weirdo.

"We just came from another party." I said, breaking in. Belly looked like she was gonna pass out.

"Sweet. Hey, take my beer." He said as he kept pushing his beer onto Belly.

She kept rejecting the beer, but he continued to insist.

"Got a boyfriend back home? Either of you?" He asked

I watched and spotted Steven in the crowd, but Belly seemed to have gotten to his name first.

"Steven!" She called out.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, looking at us. His eyes stayed on Belly for longer though, "And what the fuck are you wearing?"

Sadly, the gas station guy jumped in, "I invited her. So who the fuck are you?"

"I'm her brother and she's 15 you pedo." Steven snapped.

Belly stammered, "I-I'm almost 16."

I shot her a glare, knowing we were already in deep trouble.

I watched as Belly and Steven got into their little argument as he moved her away. God this was gonna be an embarrassing night.

She had tripped over something, I'm not even sure what, and fell and ate dirt...

I ran towards the poor girl who just fought back at my arms.

"Belly, it's me." I said to her calming her down.

I looked over to see Conrad standing with a girl who looked at Belly and I. Well everyone looked at Belly and I, but not as long as Conrad did.

"I thought you hated the Red Sox." I said to the brunette as. He had a Red Sox baseball cap on.

"Who are you?" The girl next to him asked.

"Who are you?" I asked her.

"Nicole, Conrad and I went to the deb ball last summer."

It felt like someone had stabbed me throughout my whole body. Like I was heartbroken again.

"Didn't you say that deb balls are bullshit and debs are sheep?" I asked Conrad.

"I didn't..." Conrad said, but I knew he wanted me to shut up.

"I hate you so much. Go fuck someone." I said to Conrad before walking off. Belly had already walked off before.

"You're an asshole, Y/N." Conrad shouted back.

I sat in the sand close to the water. Belly sat with me as well.

"I hate them, they're absolutely dicks." I said to her, throwing a rock into the water.

She didn't say anything, only hummed in response.

I watched out of the corner of my eye a boy tapping Belly's shoulder, "Flavia?

"Hi?" Belly questioned as she looked at me and him.

"It's me, Sextus."

"What did you just say to us?" I asked.

He stammered, "no, no, no, Sex-tus. From your seventh grade Latin Convention" He pointed to Belly.

I looked at Belly raising an eyebrow, seeing if this guy was normal. She nodded slowly.

I got up from the sand, brushing it off and walking to the other side of the campfire with not much light. I wanted to give Belly her night.

The water was cold as it reached my ankles. It was cold out and I could tell that I should've brought a jacket.

There was a lot of noise and rants coming from behind, but I didn't look, not until I saw Conrad's figure.

fuck. what did he get himself into.

I walked closer to the fight as someone had pushed Conrad and I was hit in the head with his elbow.

"Fuck." I grunted as I put a hand to my forehead.

"Are you okay?" I felt Jeremiah's arms around me.

"Cops! Cops!" I heard people yell.

Jeremiah had opened the door to his car for me, "You okay to buckle yourself up?"

"Yeah." I responded, holding ice to my head that they had used in a cooler.

"Okay, because Conrad's a big baby when he's drunk." Jeremiah muttered.

I saw Belly walking with the same guy, he didn't seem rude or anything, but we needed to get home.

"Belly, come on get in the car!" I yelled out to her.

"Cam can get me a ride home, right, Cam?" Belly asked the guy next to her.

He nodded eagerly "Yes, yes I can."

Jeremiah stepped into the conversation, "No, you're not getting into a car with someone you just met."

Cam held out his hand, "I'm Cam. Cameron."

"Your name is Cam Cameron?" I asked jokingly.

"No, it's j-just Cam, but we actually know each other from the Latin convention in 7th grade." He explained.

"Okay, no offense, but no, Belly, get in the car." Jeremiah ordered.

Cam, scratched the back of his head, "Um you should probably get into the car... but the whaling boat that I'm interning on leaves the dock at dawn every morning, so I was wondering you'd wanna come." He stuttered over some of his words, obviously flustered.

Belly laughed a little, "Uh yeah, yes. I mean how else will you get your hoodie back?"

It was absolutely so cute how flustered the two were with one another.

Jeremiah started the engine and then turned it off, "Fuck, Steven! Belly come with me, and Y/N, watch Conrad, we'll be right back."

He shut the door and with that I was left with a drunk passed out Conrad.

I felt as he touched my hair, "Your hair is always like a little kids, it's always a bit messy." Conrad said in awe.

I grabbed my hair back, putting it on my chest.

A knock on the window and a flashlight shown on my eyes made me already want to kill myself even more.

"Have you kids been drinking?" An officer asked. And at that moment. I knew we all fucked up.

"Officers, thank you for bringing them all home. I promise you it won't happen again."

The officers were let out and I never thought I would see Laurel angry, ever.

"How could you guys be so irresponsible?" Laurel asked as she looked at all of us.

Steven talked first, "Mom, it's not that big of a deal, it was a mistake. And the cops were looking to break up the bonfire either way."

"You don't think this is a big deal, Steven? The cops picked you guys up for underage drinking, that's a pretty big deal, Steven."

Laurel scoffed at us, "Were you guys smoking?"

"What?" Conrad asked loudly.

"Keep your voice down, Susannah's asleep on the couch." Laurel scolded.

"Just so you know Laurel, I didn't drink tonight... I was the DD, I swear." Jeremiah said, raising his hands up in defense.

She ignored his comment though, turning straight to Conrad.

"You're the oldest, what the hell has gotten into you recently?" She questioned them.

I had never been so scared in my life.

"And you two, since when did you guys ever leave the house without telling anyone? And what the hell are you wearing, Belly?"

"It's Taylor's. And why aren't Y/N and I allowed to go out?" Belly asked.

"It isn't that you guys aren't allowed to go out, of course you are, but you didn't tell us. How didi you guys even get there?"

"We walked..." I mumbled.

The rest of the five minutes we spent yelling quietly and arguing with one another.

Laurel sighed, "Just go to bed you guys."

She held back Conrad and I, "I know you both are going through things and you can always talk to me, but please, tell me what's going on."

"Nothing." I said before he could even answer. I moved past her hand, walking upstairs off to my room.

The silence in my room was interrupted not long after with a knock. I sighed as I opened the door. Conrad stood there, which I didn't expect at all.

"Hi." I said.

It was awkward... "You know you're gonna have a black eye tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, and it's already tomorrow." I responded.

He nodded awkwardly, beginning to walk over to his room.

"Hey, do you remember anything that happened last night?" I asked. "Never mind, you were pretty wasted."

"I always remember everything when I drink."

I sat on the beach and I just kept replaying the events of the night before. God it made it seem like I liked Conrad Fisher again, which I didn't. Because I couldn't.

Speaking of Conrad, he had come behind me, smoking a joint.

"Let me have a puff." I said to him.

"No."

"Why?"

"My mom and Laurel would actually murder me."

"Fine. Since I can't smoke, then you can't either." I stated.

Conrad sighed, "Why do you even care?"

"It's bad for you. Just because we broke up doesn't mean I won't look for your best interest."

"Hey, let's go pick up some of the good muffins before everybody else gets up."

I just stared at Conrad.

"This summers going to be different. I'm sorry." I said to him, walking off towards the house.

[m00nc4kes]

ɪɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʟɪꜰᴇ.

ʜᴏʙɪᴇ ʙʀᴏᴡɴ x ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ! ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

ᴡᴏʀᴅꜱ: 1.9k

ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: Gen

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: Laundry day leads to an existential crisis.

ᴛᴀɢꜱ: no pronouns mentioned but reader is called mommy once (for context, Hobie/Reader have a kid :3); afab! reader hinted at but not explicit! (i mean... blink and you'll miss it lol); everyone is normal in this au

There wasn't anything special about today. It was like any other uneventful day you'd lived. Yet it was the first time that you’d questioned your life’s decisions.

And it had to be during laundry day.

The gentle drum of the dryers behind you and the whirring of fans filled the air. It had been a hot day, so there was a sheen to your brown skin. Several loads of clothes, blankets, and other important fabrics had been washed already; thanks to the teamwork of you and your spouse. Said spouse had draped himself over a nearby table, no doubt fighting through a heat-induced mental fog.

"Bee," you said, folding up another towel. He responded with a light hum which brought a small smile to your face. "How much time is left on that dryer?"

After a moment and a deep inhale, he raised his head and squinted his eyes to see the timer on the last dryer. "Five minutes."

You flicked your gaze over toward him. "Still?"

"Bloody thing must be broken." He wasted no time resting his head back on the table. "Said five minutes ten minutes ago," he mumbled. 

"At least we know our stuff's gonna be dry." That elicited another hum out of him and you snickered. 

The sun continued to beat against the old laundromat, making it damn near miserable to work in. Though, thanks to your glorious planning, you wouldn't have to stay here much longer. Sure, waking up at the crack of dawn felt damn near impossible especially with someone who hated getting up early. But hey, it worked out didn't it?

A sharp buzz cut through the air, making the two of you jump.

"Fuckin' finally," Hobie said under his breath as he grabbed hold of one of the laundry carts. 

You watched as he gathered the rest of your belongings— admiring his deep brown skin, the concentrated crease of his brow, and the way sweat slowly crept down his jawline. Your gaze found itself on the stubble on his chin, then down his arms and his fingers where a flash of silver could be seen on one of them. A wedding ring.

Your shameless ogling was put to an end when amber eyes locked with yours. You attempted to look away but you knew you'd been caught. Not that you cared either way, your man was fine as hell. The thought put a grin on your face.

You folded up your last towel and let out a satisfied sigh. You'd done it. You stared at your piles of towels, all of various sizes, until the smile slowly fell off your face. You looked around the laundromat, watching various customers fan themselves or separate their clothes into differently sized washers. Then a thought struck you:

Did you have any regrets?

You felt your brows furrow in confusion. Regrets? Was there anything to regret?

Your mind wandered to the different lives you could've lived. The different lives Hobie could've lived. What if he had never chosen you? There was so much personality contained inside of him— he was loud, he was passionate— 

Did you hold him back from his full potential? Did he hold you back from yours?

You couldn't help but think back to the ring on Hobie's finger. Marriage had been your idea, but he hadn't complained— never. 

A horrible feeling built in your chest, making you clench your hands into fists. In some other life, would doing laundry make you feel as accomplished as you did now? Were you meant for more?

The sound of a cart rolling towards you dragged you out of your mind. 

"Liven up, love, we got one more load," Hobie called from behind the cart. That's what he said, your mind replied. You snickered, making Hobie nudge your side. "Oi, get your mind outta the gutter."

You waved him off as you pulled the clothes out of the cart and onto the counter. Tiny shirts and pants sprawled across the countertop, successfully bringing a smile back to your face. You were reminded of a conversation from earlier.

"Ri said she was going to pick Malakai up, right?" You started in on folding the shirts as Hobie began on the pants. 

"Yeah, she wanted some quality Auntie time with him."

You laughed. "I figured."

Folding shirt after shirt put your mind back into its incessant line of questioning. 

Did you regret it?

What exactly, you didn’t know. Your marriage? Your child? The line of choices and half-assed decisions that landed you into this godforsaken laundromat? Was that it?

You set the small, folded Spider-man shirt down onto an ever-growing pile of clothes. You reached for another shirt but hesitated.

“Y’alright, lovey?” Hobie’s words suddenly snapped you back into reality. You averted your gaze, suddenly ashamed of your mind’s questioning. You didn’t want it to seem like you didn’t love your little family or your life, but— “(Y/N)?”

You finally brought yourself to look at him. He was concerned, maybe a bit confused, but mostly concerned. You gave him a weak smile. “I’m alright, Bee.”

He soured, unconvinced. Then shook his head. “Nah, don’t gimme that. What’s on your mind?”

Damn him and his observance. 

“Really, it’s nothing important. Just…” You looked down at the little shirts in front of you. “He’s getting so big, ain’t he?”

You felt Hobie rest his head on you. “He is.” His voice was laced with a twinge of sadness. You both knew your son couldn’t stay little forever, but it didn’t make it any easier. Hobie spoke again, this time on a firmer note, “But I’m bein’ serious, love. Is somethin’ the matter? Saw you sulkin’ before I came over.”

You blew air out your mouth. “Mm…” You debated on telling him, but you knew he would only grow more insistent. You two were trying to work on your communication after all. “Do you regret not taking that record deal? Y’know, choosin’ to stop performing ‘n all.”

The question made him grow quiet. It was a sore subject because you knew how much Hobie wanted to perform. He was made for the stage— and to have that all taken away from him by a single decision…

“No.” Came the sudden answer. It was firm and resolute.

You moved to look at him, baffled. “Really? Why not?”

He huffed as if the answer wasn’t obvious. “I wouldn’t have you or Malakai, now would I?” 

“Well— no, but you wouldn’t be stuck at some dumb job or in this hot ass laundromat. Wasn’t playing your dream?”

“What are ya gettin’ at?” He gave a confused laugh. “It was, but I made my decision and I’ve made peace wit’ it.”

You grabbed another shirt, attempting to digest his answer. “I… don’t really know what I’m getting at. It’s just— is this what our life is destined to be?” You made a frustrated noise and dragged a hand down your face. “I just don’t want to have any regrets.”

“Do you regret meetin’ me?”

You whipped your head in his direction. “No! Never!” 

“Do you regret having Malakai?”

Passionately, you said, “Not in a million years.”

A smile formed on Hobie’s face. “Then what do you regret?”

Nothing, your hypocrite of a mind answered. You released a heavy sigh. “I don’t… I don’t know.” 

Your husband made an understanding noise and pulled you into a side hug. “If it makes you feel any better, duck, I enjoy this life that I have with you. Even in this swelterin’ laundromat. I wouldn’t choose anythin’ different.”

You leaned into the hug, wrapping your arms around him to turn it into a full hug. “I… I think the heat is starting to get to me.” You nuzzled into him and felt him chuckle.

“Then let’s finish this up, yeah?”

You knew the conversation would be brought back up eventually, especially with such an abrupt ending. You hoped you’d be better prepared to explain your quarter-life crisis. 

With all the laundry neatly folded and delicately placed into the van, you could finally free yourself from the shackles of the early morning to afternoon chore. You put yourself in the passenger seat of your van as Hobie cranked up the AC. Before you knew it, you were on the road.

The two of you sat in a comfortable silence while you tried to find a reason for your previous reminiscing. After a few minutes, you settled on the fact that the laundromat needed to fix their air conditioner and that you needed to stop frying your brain by thinking about the endless possibilities and life paths you two could’ve gone down.

It was strange to think about.

In some other life, Hobie could’ve been a rockstar. 

In some other life, you could’ve been whatever you wanted to be.

Yet, in this life—

“Hobie, do you think, in some other universe, Spider-man is real?”

“Oh boy, I see your existential crisis has grown legs.”

You gently nudged him with a laugh. “C’mon, answer!”

“Okay, okay. Maybe? Ion know— what kind of questionin’ is that?”

“I mean, what would you do if you were Spider-man?”

He made an incredulous noise. “Me? Spider-man? Come out of it, love.”

“You’re not indulging me!” You whined, putting a smile on Hobie’s face.

He rolled his eyes, feigning irritation. “My days— I’d be Spider-man, I guess? What do you want me to say?”

You hummed then frowned. “Your answer sucks.”

That drew a laugh from your husband that tickled you. You couldn’t help but laugh along with him.

Eventually, the laughter died down and Hobie found a parking spot along the curb. The two of you hopped out of the van, mentally preparing to haul all of your laundry upstairs.

Hobie, however, hadn’t seemed to drop your previous conversation. “Do you believe there’s a universe where you’re the villain and I’m the hero?”

You couldn’t help but pause what you were doing to glare at him with full offense. “First of all,” you balked, “there’s so many things wrong with that sentence! Why am I the villain, asshole?”

Hobie put his hands up in mock-defense. “I know my type, love.”

“Second—” you broke out in a laugh. “Pffft— your type?!” You couldn’t help but double over with laughter. God, you married such a goofball. 

“In your defense—”

“My defense?”

“— you’d probably be a misguided villain of some sort.”

You shook your head. “Sure, sure. Whatever you say. But you would never be a hero of any sort. More like a vigilante or something.”

“Ah, you know me so well.” He casually ‘congratulated’ you with a kiss to your forehead, then a nice kiss on your lips. When he pulled away, you gracefully pulled him in for another.

All previous worries hid themselves into the darkest parts of your mind, blinded by the love you two shared for each other. 

Maybe, in some other life, you weren’t fortunate enough to have him by your side.

Or maybe, you were a misguided villain and he was a “non-hero” vigilante.

But, in this life—

In the distance, you could hear a pair of tiny sneakers tapping against the sidewalk, heading in your direction. You and Hobie both perked up at the sound with matching grins.

From where you two stood, you could see your son’s locs bounce up and down as he excitedly headed your way with open arms. His all-too-big backpack nearly engulfed him, but it didn’t stop him from running top speed to reach his destination. With the biggest grin he could muster, he called out to you.

Your swore your heart grew along with your smile.

In this life, you had survived laundry day.

“Mommy! Daddy!”

So, how could you ever have any regrets?

header by me :0, divider by cafekitsune :3

hey hey heyyyy long time no see- lemme just say I wrote this while I was at the laundromat HAHA with the combination of the everything everywhere all at once soundtrack, i had an existential crisis lol

see you soon babes!!

[karasuno-planet]

Long Distance + Prying Eyes- Oikawa Tooru

Post-Timeskip Oikawa x fem!reader

genre: a little bit of angst w/jealousy, but mostly fluff <3, sfw

wc: 0.6k

a/n: wow i wrote for a character that's not a Karasuno player?? Are you shocked? amazed? proud? thanks guys. my requests are open, enjoy <3

(gif not mine)

You had always felt like long-distance was a little harder on you than it was on him, despite his constant reminders that he misses you just as much. When he moved to Argentina he was swept up in the sport he had always been so devoted to, and who knew there would be just as many fangirls in Argentina as there were in Japan?

You were the only one who got to know Tooru in the way that you do, though. You have everything those girls want but could never have, but there was always still a lingering tinge of jealousy for the fact that they got to be physically around him while you were constantly reminded of his absence.

You sat in your apartment, eagerly tuning in to an interview Oikawa was doing. You opened your phone to see Tooru had sent you yet another picture of himself, this time showing you the outfit he had chosen for the interview. Soon enough, you see his tall frame walk on screen and sit down with the interviewer.

The questions had been pretty normal, asking mostly about his sport and his experience as an olympian. But your attention was particularly grabbed when the interviewer started asking about his personal life.

"So, Oikawa, it's no secret that you're the attracting force of a new fanbase, particularly a lot of girls your age have been tuning in since you joined the team here in Argentina."

He kept his sincere composure, seemingly unfazed by the question and still flashing his million-dollar smile, "Yes, I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of fans lately, which I'm grateful for."

"Oh, you have? Anyone in particular? I know our viewers are dying to know if someone has captured your heart."

"Well I hope I make it come across clearly that I'm in a serious relationship..." He responded using a light-heated tone, but he still came off a little defensive. You didn't mind that.

"Really? Tell us more!"

"I try to keep that aspect of my personal life a little more private, but I have a beautiful girlfriend back in Japan. I hope to show you more of her soon," He smiled so confidently while talking about you, and the respectful way he always spoke about you made your heart melt.

"How do you feel about your fans then? Are you creeped out?" The interviewer seemed to be asking questions to probe him for drama rather than discuss his career, which felt so skeevy to you. Thankfully, Oikawa was more than equipped to handle the questions.

"I'm always grateful for the support, and honestly flattered, but I always call for fans to respect my relationship and it hasn't been a huge issue." He smiled and nodded his head, "I just find myself so in love that it doesn't even faze me anymore. I don't give a single look to other girls." Upon hearing this your cheeks flushed red; there was no better words he could've said to the world to solidify how he felt about you and push away prying eyes.

A similar rush was given to you as you saw the words "I just find myself so in love that it doesn't phase me anymore" printed at the top of a news article the next day with your boyfriend's smiling face right below.

Long distance was not easy by any stretch, but having Oikawa Tooru as your boyfriend made it so worth it.

[masterlist]

[judgmentiii]

N25 KAITO X GN!Reader

(Not proof read... as too I am a beginner writer so yes, it's not the best)

And as per request to be @ is @kotarchipelago

Little note you're a Virtual Singer here!! This is a bit based on that area convo, but the reader is not n25 rin or miku! Lastly, you kinda?? I made the reader a little playful or well teasing... I know it doesn't match the Empty Sekai, but I guess you could say that they took on a bit from Mizuki and N25 Luka's personality

You were feeling extra tired today. The sekai seemed much more claming than usual. You couldn't help but lay behind the broken pillars of the sekai and rest. Sure, it's uncomfortable at times, but the atmosphere around was truly so calming. Your eyelids fell really quickly. When you awoke, you felt something soft and uneven under your head.. You slowly opened your eyes, the light of the dull and emptiness of the Sekai wasn't the thing you first thing you met with this time, but a blue haired man. Your head was on his lap. How'd you get here? What is happening? You felt relaxed but at the same time confused. It took you second to realize it was KAITO. You could also feel something stroking your head? It was nice, I guess. It felt like a massage but by KAITO? That's something you'd never think would happen in your time here in the Empty Sekai... He hasn't noticed you're awake, yet he was just staring off into the seemingly endless distance of the Sekai. You raised your hand and poked his cheek. Which startled him. He suddenly looked down and saw that you were awake. You've never seen KAITO's face so red and embarrassed before!

"What do you think you're doing, KAITO?"

You chuckled and he seemed to be a bit speechless. This is the first time you've seen KAITO nervous? Or perhaps embarrassed. "Cat bit your tounge?" You spoke again and finally sat up. "It's nothing, is it suddenly wrong to be kind? Aren't you always telling me to be nicer?" He finally spoke and crossed his arms, his face seemed to get back to normal. If you look close enough from his cold or seemingly angry expression is a small blush. "So? Are the kind of man w-" you tried speaking again yet got cut off by KAITO. "Shut up." He continued "This never happended." He then stood up and tried leaving. "You know I'm not the type to just forget?" You said in a teasing tone, and stood up too, to follow KAITO. "Don't follow me." He turned to you and shot a cold glare, well you would listen if it weren't for the blush on his face! "Don't be embarrassed, it's a cute gesture no?" You chuckled mockingly. He didn't respond, and covered the lower part of his face with his hand, looking down. "Hey... don't be ashamed! The massage was nice!" You teased again.

KAITO removed his hand from his face and the other rubbed the bridge of his nose. You can't tell if you're getting on his nerves or he's embarrased. You were about to speak again, until you heard some chatter from behind you. "Oh! [Name]! And.. KAITO? We we're looking for the others." Mizuki spoke and a bit surprised KAITO was there too, beside them was Kanade. "Isn't it late for you guys, hmm? Still.. what is it do you need?" You tilted your head, you also turned around for a second to check on KAITO, but he just disappeared. Typical. You sighed and tuened back to the two. "I made a new song. I wanted to hear you and the other's opinions." Kanade spoke and handed the phone to you. The song played and it was a calming, and slow tune. Similar to what of a lullaby, the lyrics bittersweet too. The song soon finished and you handed the phone back to Kanade. "You are quite talented, Kanade. Sadly, we could've asked KAITO. I'm afraid he ran of to who knows where." You shrugged and smiled at the two. "I remember seeing Len and Rin play somewhere close by.. though it was probably was hours ago. I believe you could find them, maybe?" Kanade nodded and Mizuki spoke. "Thank you so much, [Name]! See ya!" Mizuki winked and waved by as they grabbed Kanade's arm the two walked away.

(Mizuki and Kanade's POV)

"See, probably if [Name] likes it the others probably will too!" Mizuki encouraged, Kanade was about to speak until they heard someone call them from behind. "Hey." The two turned and saw KAITO. "Ah! KAITO, can we ask you to do something!" Mizuki said, and Kanade handed the phone. "A new song? Huh?" KAITO sighs and plays the song. Kanade and Mizuki were more nervous for his reaction. You could see a small smile but then it quickly faded.

"It is nice. Yet, it feels rushed. You showed the others a new song just a few days ago. Then you come and bring another one. Can I ask my question now?" He sighed and crossed his arms, the cold stare looking down upon the two. "I wanted to ask, eh... How has [Name] been doing the past few times you've visited them." KAITO's voice got a bit softer, and you can see some traces of embarrasment on his face. He rubbed the bridge of his nose once again, trying to regain composure. "Ohh? Well nothing much, she's been normal!" Mizuki tilted her head, they seemed to try remembering anything but yet seems they had nothing left to say. Kanade jsut nodded her head agreeing with Mizuki. "Okay." KAITO says and walk pasts the two. Mizuki caught a glance at his face and he was a blushing mess. Mizuki seemed to have gotten a hint on whats going on with KAITO..

[kirain]

I've been on this site for over ten years and I've never had to do this, but sadly the time has come where I feel forced to make a call out post, if only for the safety of my blog.

Please do not harass this person. PLEASE DO NOT HARASS THEM! That is not my goal here. That said, I do suggest you avoid them at all costs, for your own safety and sanity.

A few days ago, I made a post responding to some anonymous hate I received regarding Gale Dekarios, a character from BG3. An account named Turtwg, who has now changed her name to Shdowheart, took issue with the content and tone of my post. Instead of simply blocking me, she attacked me and several other people in the notes, and accused me of sending the anon to myself.

I responded, arguing against her accusations and a few other remarks she made. Just typical fandom discourse. Or so I thought.

I regret it now (only because I've lost some evidence), but I deleted many of her and my messages. They were clogging up my post and veering extremely off topic, but eventually she admitted I didn't send the anon to myself. When I asked her how she knew that, she said she traced the anon to a Gale-centric account. You see, she believed the anon wasn't sent by an Astarion fan, but by a Gale fan trying to create discourse. In a normal situation, I'd say that's a fair assumption for anyone to make, but something seemed off.

First of all, despite several people telling her it's not possible to track down blogs through their anonymous messages, she insisted she found the user responsible—which honestly made me wonder if she sent the anon herself, hoping to create drama. If she did, then mission accomplished, I guess. We messaged back and forth in the notes for a while, with me commenting on both the impossibility and morality of tracking down an anonymous user. During that time, her responses to me were lightning fast. Constant. Remember that for later.

Second, she soon told me she had the anon's IP address, which she said she'd "happily send me". I told her an IP address doesn't prove anything because it can be photoshopped and a lot of people use VPNs. I also pointed out how utterly insane it is to dox/cyberstalk someone over a post about a video game. It's really not that serious. But out of sheer curiosity, I told her to give me the blog name. Not because I believed her, but because I was curious to see if she'd accuse a popular blog or someone who could defend themselves. The moment I asked, she went silent for nearly an hour. 🤔

When she came back, she gave me the name of an account called Dekariosbf. She told me to message the account, so I did, though I made no accusations against them yet. As I waited for a reply, I accused Turtwg of making the account herself, as it was barren with no activity whatsoever. No likes, no posts, nothing. She easily could've created the account during that hour of peace. Moreover, after she gave me the account name and I accused her of creating it, her responses were once again lightning fast. 🤔

As we argued, I sent my brother-in-law and a friend of mine a link to my blog and had them read through the discourse. They don't have Tumblr accounts, but they're both computer nerds and my brother-in-law literally works with computers/programs for a living. I asked them if anything Turtwg said was valid, and they (along with someone else in the notes who claimed to work in UI/UX) confirmed that no, absolutely nothing she said was valid. Tumblr pays for a service that protects their users, and the only way to trace anons is by using extremely unsavory and illegal methods ... and even then it's extremely unlikely to work.

Speaking of, my brother-in-law eventually messaged me and told me he found the actual account that sent the anon. I stupidly believed him and jumped the gun on that, because it turns out he was just being a shit disturber. That said, I used this information to call Turtwg out on her lies. In response, Dekariosbf miraculously (and in a rather timely fashion) responded to me. Unfortunately I don't have any screenshots of this interaction, but I'll explain why in a moment.

Dekariosbf was chatty and cordial at first. I asked them for their main account name, but they refused to give it, saying they only use it for poetry; which, as you can see from the screenshot, directly contradicts their bio, but I digress. I was suspicious, but also kept in mind the possibility that this might've been an innocent person Turtwg accused. For a while we shot the shit, talking back and forth about BG3, reading, teaching—but I did this for a reason. I wanted to get a feel for their writing style. Sure enough, they wrote exactly like Turtwg. Same spelling mistakes, same pattern of punctuation, same use of lower case letters instead of capital letters, same abbreviations, etc.

Finally, when I was sure it was her, I dropped the bomb. I very gently told "Dekariosbf" that someone named Turtwg accused them of sending me a hateful Gale anon, but that I didn't believe it. Low and behold, they did a complete 180.

"Yes, it was me. It was totally me. I just LOVE your blog and RESPECT you so much. I LOVE Gale and I wanted to know what you'd say if I sent that anon. It wasn't meant to be hateful. Please don't write a call out post about me. Please don't tell your followers. I mean, I understand if you do, but please don't. Turtwg messaged me and threatened to dox me and sent me a photo of my IP address. She's so smart, I don't think you should mess with her. Oh and my mom can't speak English. If we get doxxed, I think it would kill her."

Right...

I said I didn't believe them and accused them of being Turtwg on a sock account. They kept insisting they weren't, begged me to believe they sent the anon (and I mean they were desperate for me to believe it), and very strangly didn't express any anger or confusion over the situation. When I brought up the accusation, they completely changed their tone from friendly to "oh yeah, that was me". I kept saying I didn't believe them, particularly because of what my brother-in-law said, but promised not to call any attention to them. I was happy to simply let the matter rest. Suddenly, mid conversation, they deleted their entire blog. Poof. It's gone now, along with all our messages.

I thought that would be the end of it, but not even five minutes after Dekariosbf flung themselves into the void, Turtwg herself DMed me out of nowhere and accused me of trying to hack her account, presumably because I told "Dekariosbf" that my brother-in-law is computer savvy. Keep in mind that before this moment, our entire conversation took place in the notes of my post. I never DMed her, nor did I have any intention of doing so. I also had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, I just knew she was lying to me. Now it looks as though she's ramping up to lie to the Tumblr admins in order to get my account deleted.

And all because my post about a video game made her angry.

I really hate drawing attention to this. You can see in my other posts that I always censor people's usernames, but as I said at the beginning ... I don't feel like I have a choice this time. I want this up so the Tumblr admins or whoever can see it.

Turtwg has attacked other people for posting their opinions as well. For example, she attacked this person just because they expressed their opinon on wyllsterion. She went so far as to call them racist when Wyll is literally one of their favourite characters. She just got mad because they don't think Wyll and Astarion make sense together; a perfectly valid opinion. And I only know about this because I received messages warning me about interacting with Turtwg/Shdowheart from someone who recognised them in the notes of my post.

I guess I should've blocked her from the start, but I've said many times in the past that I enjoy a good debate. Plus I was genuinely curious to see how far she was willing to take her lie. Unfortunately, I underestimated just how unhinged she truly is. On her own blog, she's even admitted that she's had to make a new account seven times, likely due to other drama she started.

I was very hesitant to put this in the BG3 tags, but since that seems to be the fandom she interacts with the most, I figured it would be a fair warning to anyone else she might harass. She's particularly active in the Astarion/Wyll/Wyllsterion tags. Stay safe, everyone. I think I'll sign off for a while. I'm tired, and this has somehow become the most toxic fandom I've ever dared to be a part of.

Please do not harass this person. PLEASE DO NOT HARASS THEM! That is not my goal here. That said, I do suggest you avoid them at all costs, for your own safety and sanity.

[hymnserendipity]

Demon atsumu, pt. 2

Mention of pain, mention of violence

Atsumu leaves the house, the door locking behind him with a click. He has some business to take care of, after all.

Half an hour passed, and he finally returns to the house. He opens the door, and enters the house to find you sitting on the floor in the exact same place he left you. An hour without food or water, and yet you didn't even move once. Even with all your previous behavior, he feels mildly impressed. He walks up to you, looking down at you sitting on the floor.

"I'm surprised you're still here." He remarks, his voice a slight monotone. He can't imagine many humans in your situation would dare to stay sitting on the floor of a demon's house.

"I was waiting for you." He's slightly taken aback by your statement, not expecting you to respond that way.

"You could've at least sat on the couch." He says bluntly, gesturing over to the couch in the living room.

"It's too clean, and i'm too dirty"

"That's a silly reason." He rolls his eyes lightly, before sighing again.

"You're taking a bath." He says. "Follow me before you dirty the floor, too." He leads you to the bathroom, a decent-sized one in the house. He turns to look at you again.

"Undress and get in the tub." He instructs bluntly. He watches as you slowly removes you clothes in front of him, trying to hide your smirk, he was hot, his eyes staying on your frame. You're small and thin, not surprising considering your situation. Yet he can still see the faint muscles on your body, probably because of your constant running around.

"Stop dawdling and get in already." He says, his eyes still lingering on your body. He watches as you enters the tub, the lukewarm water now covering your body. There's faint dirt on you skin, and your hair is in a messy state.

"Wash yourself. There's soap in the basket at the corner." He says bluntly, gesturing towards the basket.

"Thank you"

"Don't mention it." He mutters, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. He simply watches as you begins washing herself, his eyes taking in the sight of your small frame in the tub. He's surprised with how comfortable you seems, bathing right in front of him as if it's nothing. He doubts a normal human would ever be this at ease in front of a demon.

"Don't you feel uncomfortable, bathing in front of me?" He asks, an eyebrow raised.

"No, should i?" He lets a small huff slip from his lips again, his eyes still on you.

"You're a human, bathing in front of a demon. Not even a hint of trepidation. Yes, you should feel uncomfortable."

"Hmm" after a while you finally finish to take your bath, the water is brown.

"That's disgusting." He mutters, looking at the color of the water. It's practically brown from how much dirt had come off your body.

"Get out, and dry off. There's clean clothes for you on the counter."

Atsumu watches as you gets out of the tub, wrapping a towel around herself. His eyes linger over your body for a few seconds before looking at the counter. There's a pair of clean clothes placed on it, and he gestures at it.

"Put those on."

Atsumu observes silently as you pulls the clean clothes on, his eyes slowly running over your frame. Your small stature, your smooth skin without the dirt on it, the way your clothes gently hug your body. And your eyes... Your strangely fearless eyes.

He hasn't seen such a beautiful human before. He slowly steps towards you, his gaze still on your body. He's so used to seeing frightened, weak humans, and yet here this person is, standing in front of him in his house like it's nothing. Your eyes meet his, looking up.

"You're a strange human." He finally remarks, his eyes still studying you. He reaches a hand out, gently grasping your chin with his fingers and tilting your head upwards slightly. His eyes scan over your face, his touch soft and careful.

"Completely unafraid of me." He murmurs, his gaze lingering on your eyes. He's baffled by how calm you seems in this situation, the way you simply lets him touch you without a hint of trepidation. He can practically feel your heartbeat, yet it's calm and measured, as if you're not facing a demon.

"Don't you realize the position you're in? Anyone else in your shoes would be cowering in fear." He says quietly. "Well, i don't have shoes." He lets a huff slip from his lips, his hand still holding your chin.

"That's not what I'm saying, human." He answers, his voice a hint of amusement. "It's just... most humans I've met would be screaming and begging for their lives, not standing here so calmly." Even tho i scream it would not be different. Plus you told me you will not eat me." He tilts his head slightly, the corner of his lips twitching into a small smirk.

"You're not wrong. But most humans still can't keep themselves together, even if they know they can't escape." He continues, his gaze on your face. "You, on the other hand... You're not even shaking." Atsumu leads you to the kitchen, gesturing for you to sit down at the small table. His eyes linger on you for a moment, the way you obediently follows his instructions without question.

"Sit down." He says again once they reach the table, watching as you takes a seat. Then, he walks over to the counter and picks up a plate of food he had prepared previously.

He walks back and puts the plate down in front of you.

"For me??"

His eyes linger on you as you looks at the plate of food in wonder.

"Yes. It's your meal." He responds, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Don't look so surprised, I told you I would feed you, didn't I?"

"And what do you eat?" He huffs again, a small smirk on his lips.

"I think you already know the answer, don't you?" He says, leaning his arms on the table. "We're demons after all. We eat humans."

"But everything? Like the flesh or it's okay just the blood?"

"Both." He answers, his eyes on you. "Flesh and blood are what sustains us. That's how we get energy."

He pauses, watching as you continue eating.

"Why? Feeling scared now?"

"I was thinking i can give you some of my blood, but not flesh." He's taken aback by your offer, not expecting it at all.

"You're offering your blood?" He says, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "Just like that?" "You gave me clothes, a warm bath and food" you reply as you start eating. He huffs again, slightly amused at your reasoning.

"And you consider that enough to give your blood to a demon?" He asks, a slight smirk on his lips. "You're a strange human." "Well not too much..." He leans back, crossing his arms and watching you. He can't deny that the offer is tempting, especially since you're willingly giving your blood without being forced to.

"Hmm.... How much are you prepared to give, actually?" He asks, his tone casually amused.

"I don't know, you are the expert." He lets out a short, dry chuckle at that. You're certainly an interesting human, willingly giving your blood to a demon like him. You finish you're plate with a great smile.

"Let's start with a little." He responds, his gaze still on you. "You're too weak and malnourished. I don't want the amount of blood I take to pass you out." He watches as you finishes your food and moves over to the couch, your casual attitude still there.

"Hmm...come here." He instructs, gesturing you to come towards him. As you walks over to him, he grabs your hand and gently pulls you down into his lap, making you sit straddling his thighs. Your body is small and light, easy to move around. It feels warm against him as you sits straddling his thighs. He can feel the softness of your skin through your clothes, your weight gently perched on his legs.

"Lean your head backwards. I need to access your neck." Atsumu says, his voice low and quiet. Your heart is beating fast, rapid and panicked as you obeys his instructions. Despite everything, there's still a trace of fear in your body. He can feel the way your body trembles the slightest bit as you leans your head backwards, exposing your neck to him.

He can't deny that the sight is almost.... satisfying. He reaches a hand out to tilt your head even more, his fingers gently holding your chin and exposing more of your neck to him. Your pulse is beating fast and panicked, betraying your fear even more.

"Try to relax." He says, his voice low and soft. "Your heart is beating too fast. You'll make it hard for me to take your blood." He can feel your body stiffen in his lap, your breathing slightly rapid. It's clear you're nervous and scared, but you're still staying still, letting him touch and move your body as he pleases.

"Keep still." He says again, his grip on your chin gently firm. "I won't hurt you, unless you move too much." With your neck exposed and your body still, he can see the vein pumping against your skin, a steady and rapid pulse. He can hear your breathing, short and fast.

He leans in, his mouth hovering over the exposed neck, right on top of the vein. He can feel the warmth of your skin against his lips.

Atsumu lets his hands slowly move down to grip your hips, holding you in place on his lap. He notices your body slowly starting to relax, the tension easing just a bit under his touch.

"Good." He murmurs, his lips still against your skin. "That's it. Relax. You're doing well." He lets one hand slowly move up from your hip, slipping up your side, his fingers running gently over your skin. He can feel your body shiver slightly under his touch, your skin still warm and soft.

"Stay relaxed." He mumbles, his mouth hovering over your neck. "You're doing good. Just keep still for me." Your body is slowly relaxing even more, the tenseness ebbing away as he continues to gently run his fingertips over your skin. Your pulse has slowed down slightly, and your breathing is less shaky.

He can feel your body shiver again as he touches a sensitive spot, his hand lingering just a little longer over that area. He finally sinks his fangs into the flesh of your neck, his grip on your hip tightening slightly.

Your blood is warm and metallic, flowing onto his. As he continues to drink, he can feel your hand on his chest, your fingers gently resting against him. It's an unusual gesture, seeking comfort from a demon who's feeding off your blood. He doesn't mind, though. Your actions only serve to make him feel more intrigued by yku. Despite your fear, you're still reaching out, searching for comfort in him. He finishes drinking, slowly pulling his fangs from your neck. He can see two small spots of blood where his fangs were, marring your skin, it hurted.

"You did well." He praises, his voice low and quiet. He gently wipes away the excess blood on you neck with his thumb. "Hmm." He notices how weak you suddenly seems, your body slumping against his chest limply. You're still conscious, but your body looks like it can barely hold itself up.

He gently runs a hand over your back, steadying you. "Are you alright?" He asks, his voice a low murmur. "Yes.." He continues to gently pat your back, feeling your body weak against his chest.

"You're weak." He comments, his hand still running on your back. "You've lost more blood than I intended."

He feels your body grow limp on his chest, as you fell asleep. Your breathing now slow and even.

He continues to run his hand on your back, the motion almost comforting. Such a small, weak human, collapsing against him like this. He looks down at you, asleep against his chest. You looks so small and fragile, yet he can't deny the strange sense of satisfaction he feels from having you like this.

He continues to gently pat your back, his mind contemplating your fragile body in his lap. He keeps stroking your back gently, his other hand sliding up to brush a strand of hair from your face. Your features look so peaceful when you're asleep, your breath soft against his chest. He finds himself staring at you for a while, just watching your peaceful expression. You're so fragile and weak right now, completely vulnerable in his arms.

The thought makes him feel a strange mix of protectiveness and possessiveness. This weak human, completely at his mercy, asleep on his chest. He gently lifts your slumped body off of his lap and places you onto the bed, your body limp and exhausted.

He gently tucks the covers over you, making sure you're warm and comfortable. You looks so small in the bed, your body petite and fragile. As he pulls back, he finds himself staring at you for a moment longer. You looks so peaceful, so vulnerable in the bed.

He finally pulls away and turns to leave the room, but he can't help but glance back one more time. You're still asleep, your body curled up under the covers, your chest slowly rising and falling with each breath.

He can't deny that he's somewhat captivated by you. He stands there for a few more seconds, watching your vulnerable form in the bed.

Finally, he forces himself to look away and leaves the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

[dropitlikeapeong]

Waiting for You: Chapter 1-

Suddenly it's over.

Genre: starting off with some good ol' angst.

CW: crying, yelling a little, mentions of cutting people off, general sadness really.

This one feels a little short, but meh, its a start. If theres anything else im forgetting to add in the cw, do let me know. If there's any typos i forgot to correct, i apologize, I typed this in the dark, hope ya'll enjoy.

Likes, reblogs and comments are appreciated.

"Lets break up." Your heart dropped to your stomach once he uttered those words.

He had asked you last night if he could come over to your place after work. You haven't seen him since him and the boys came back from their overseas schedules, so naturally you can only assume his visit would be because he missed you. Apparently you've assumed wrong.

"Babe don't joke like that." you let out a nervous chuckle, He had to be joking right?

But you turn to meet his eyes and your smile drops when youre met with nothing but an icy glare. He is not joking.

"What... Wait, what do you mean- Seeun what-"

"I mean" He cuts in "-we're done, y/n."

How could this even be happening right now? A few months ago you two had celebrated your first anniversary together at your favourite restaurant. He told you he loved you too much to ever let you go, that he wants you to be in his life for as long as possible.

A few months ago you had to cut off some close friends of yours because they never saw your relationship the way you saw it.They never accepted your boyfriend's silly but lovable personality. The horrible things they would say about him when they thought you couldn't hear them, you couldn't bear it.

You two even spent a weekend at his family house where his mother pulled you aside to tell you how grateful she is that you're in his life.

What could've gone wrong? Things between you two were doing so well.

Or at least you thought they were.

"But why?" You asked him shakily.

"Y/n-"

"Seeun why, what- what did I do? Why- Where is this coming from?"

He sighed avoiding looking into your eyes.

"Y/n, don't make this harder than it needs to be-"

"How am I making this hard? You come over here after I haven't seen you in 'God knows how long' telling me you want us to break up, and-" you choked out a sob, "and I'm the one making this difficult?-"

"Yes! You are!" you flinched back at his yelling. He had never yelled at you before, not even in a joking manner.

"Why are you being so difficult about this?! Just accept that-"

"You wouldn't accept just randomly having your heart broken by someone you love Seeun!" you cried out, you don't even remember when your tears started falling. You felt a horrible ache in your chest.

This just couldn't be real. It felt like this was all just a horrible nightmare, that this was all just a bad dream, that you'd wake up and everything would be back to normal. Sadly, this nightmare was now your reality.

He didn't respond to you, he simply stood there and watched your trembling form from the kitchen hallway, putting a lot of distance between the two of you.

"I-I just-" he sighed running a hand down his face, "this just isn't-" another sigh escapes him

"This is just not working for me anymore, okay? This-" He waves a nonchalant hand between the two of you"-I don't want it anymore.''

He kept his eyes on the ground avoiding your teary gaze.

"I don't want us, anymore."

You sniffled trying to hold in your sobs, in the hopes of stopping yourself from breaking down.

Maybe there's someone else. Maybe he was cheating. Maybe he had fallen out of love with you.

Or, maybe he was never in love with you to begin with.

Maybe this was all just a sick game for him.

Nevertheless, love never thrives if its one-sided.

You have to let him go.

"...Okay." you muttered quietly, unsure if he even heard you.

Everything in your life had been so wonderful, up until this point you couldn't have been happier. Yet now you can only feel misery and sadness. The love of your life suddenly wants nothing to do you and refuses to tell you why. Regardless of his reasonings, you can't force him to stay.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the spare key you had given to him when you started dating. You always had to stay at the company later than he did, yet he always insisted on waiting for you to finish, so you can go home together. So you had a spare made for him so he can at least wait for you from the comfort and safety of your apartment.

Despite him gratefully accepting it while promising to raid your food and eat all your snacks while you're at work, he never used it. He'd always wait outside of by your door, claiming it would be too lonely without you, but still refused to give it back, in case of an emergency.

He drops that same key on your kitchen counter and makes his way to your front door.

"I'll send someone to get my things." He says, just as you thought the sadness was slowly dying down, it all immediately comes rushing back bringing more tears to your eyes. You could no longer hold yourself together as you broke into uncontrollable sobs.

This is real. He's leaving and there's nothing you can do about it.

"Please understand, this is for the best. Goodbye Y/n."

And he was gone.

~next chapter>

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Funfact! Eros and Psyche are my actual parents and I am their child -Danny Words: 2,182 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Would've Could've Should've' -by Taylor Swift

XXXVII: I Am So Very Extremely Extraordinarily Normal Right Now

Ara scans the crowd of mortals but no one gives her weird vibes yet, these kids look their age but they're here to enjoy the summer. Ara and her friends are here to fight a war, she envies them.

"Are you gonna tell me what you meant back in the ship or—"

Ara hushes him. "It's not safe."

Nico frowns. "Did you hear Nemesis? Or Janus?"

"No. It felt different," she says dryly. "Like it was threatening to hurt me if I didn't come along."

"Are you seeing this?" Jason points at an ice cream cart.

Nico stops and squints. "Maybe we should buy some ice cream."

Ara studies the appearance of the person Jason has spotted: a young man that reminds her of Leo if Leo were some king of wind spirit: handsome with dark curly hair and large warm-colored wings.

"He's not a returned spirit," Nico says deep in thought. "Or a creature of the Underworld."

"No. I doubt they would eat chocolate-covered ice cream bars," Jason mutters.

"So what is he?" Nico asks.

Ara has a bad feeling about him even if the guy looks harmless. He smiles before vanishing, but Jason can track his aura, so he takes the lead. Ara keeps her grip on Almighty firm and ready.

"I'm betting that's the palace," Jason points to the ruins. "Come on."

Her heart starts beating like crazy, she feels butterflies and her hands get clammy, and the symptoms do not match her usual anxiety, this feels like the kind of nerves she felt seated on the porch swing with Leo, all those months ago in camp.

"We've got to catch him," Jason prepares to fly. "Hold on." 

"But—"

The boy seizes both Nico and Ara and flies them to the other side of the tall walls where there are more tourists, none of those mortals seem to notice them.

"A little warning would be nice!" Ara hisses. "Man, you can't just pick me up like that! Where are we anyway?"

"The peristyle. This was the entrance to Diocletian's private residence." Nico turns to Jason and glares at him. "And please, I don't like being touched. Don't ever grab me again."

Jason looks at both teens, both younger and smaller than him and yet more intimidating than he's comfortable admitting. "Uh, okay. Sorry. How do you know what this place is called?"

"I've been here before," Nico responds quietly. "With my mother and Bianca. A weekend trip from Venice. I was maybe... six?"

"That was when... the 1930s?"

"'Thirty-eight or so," Nico hums. "Why do you care? Do you see that winged guy anywhere?"

"No..." Jason says, eyeing the boy intently.

Ara's used to being the bad guy in Nico's eyes, and at this point, she doesn't care about upsetting him further, so she voices what Jason is thinking. "I think it's impressive that you've retained information of such an old memory, considering all you've been through."

Jason doesn't want them to fight when he's the only one around to stop them. "I agree, can't imagine how weird that must be, coming from another time."

"No, you can't," Nico snaps. Ara clears her throat, reminding him they've made a deal. The boy relaxes a bit. "Look... I don't like talking about it. Honestly, I think Hazel has it worse. She remembers more about when she was young. She had to come back from the dead and adjust to the modern world. Me... me and Bianca, we were stuck at the Lotus Hotel. Time passed so quickly. In a weird way, that made the transition easier."

"Percy told me about that place," Jason nods. "Seventy years, but it only felt like a month?"

Nico clenches his fist. "Yeah. I'm sure Percy and Ara told you all about me."

"Yeah, and how much of a nuance you are," Ara replies sarcastically. "I'm planning to kill you as soon as you're done helping us."

"That's not funny," Jason gives her a look.

"No, it's not," Ara agrees heatedly. "It's ridiculous that he thinks we're always trying to make him look bad in front of—"

"Well, you had no problem talking shit about me to Lily."

"That's not—"

"Roman dead are everywhere here..." Nico interrupts her, walking away. "Lares. Lemures. They're watching. They're angry. We shouldn't stay here for long."

"They're looking at us?" Jason tenses, reaching for his sword and kind of glad to have a way to derail the argument.

"At everything." Nico points ahead. "That used to be a temple to Jupiter. The Christians changed it to a baptistery. The Roman ghosts don't like that. And over there... That was the mausoleum of the emperor."

"But his tomb isn't there anymore," Jason responds.

"Not for centuries," Nico agrees. "When the empire collapsed, the building was turned into a Christian cathedral."

Jason swallowed. "So if Diocletian's ghost is still around here—"

"He's probably not happy."

Jason nudges her arm. "That way. The winged guy. Where do you think those stairs lead?"

"Underground," Nico smiles coldly. "My favorite place."

As they enter the passageway, Ara thinks about stuff she hasn't thought of in ages. It could be Athena's blessing, but she's thinking about how ephemeral the world she comes from is. One day it's there, then it's just a fun tourist attraction falling to pieces.

Her dreams, none of that will go anywhere. In the end, she'll die, and all that was precious to her will become ruins. It's pointless. Even her laurel wreath, given to her as a tribute to her sacrifices, will get buried under debris at some point. Nothing matters.

"Ara?"

The girl gives a start. "Sorry, what?"

"The note," Jason tells her. "I asked if you could give it to me, I think this is a good place."

Ara draws out the note from her Octopi bag and hands it to him, he leaves it under a bust of Diocletian.

"Okay, that's done," Ara takes a deep breath, shaken by her disheartening thoughts. "Can we—"

"Hello!" Out of instinct, Jason cuts the statue's head. Ara pulls out Almighty too, finding the wind spirit they'd been following right behind them. "That wasn't very nice," he says. "I mean, what did Diocletian ever do to you?"

The statue fixes itself, and Jason glances at it before turning to the young man. "Uh—It was an accident. You startled me."

"Jason Grace, the West Wind has been called many things... Warm, gentle, life-giving, and devilishly handsome. But I have never been called startling. I leave that crass behavior to my gusty brethren in the north." The guy grins.

"The West Wind?" Nico takes a step forward. "You mean you're—"

"Favonius," Jason states. "God of the West Wind."

"You can call me by my Roman name, certainly, or Zephyros, if you're Greek. I'm not hung up about it."

"Why aren't your Greek and Roman sides in conflict, like the other gods?" Nico frowns.

"Oh, I have the occasional headache—Some mornings I'll wake up in a Greek chiton when I'm sure I went to sleep in my SPQR pajamas. But mostly the war doesn't bother me. I'm a minor god, you know—never really been much in the limelight. The to-and-fro battles among you demigods don't affect me as greatly."

Ara eyes him, his presence makes her uneasy. "And you're here to talk about...?"

"The sarcophagus of Diocletian," he answers. "This was its final resting place. The Christians moved it out of the mausoleum. Then some barbarians destroyed the coffin. I just wanted to show you that what you're looking for isn't here. My master has taken it."

Ara gets a gut reaction that makes her knees buckle. Her back hits the wall, this is far from good.

"Your master?" Jason asks in alarm. "Please tell me your master isn't Aeolus."

"That airhead? No, of course not," he laughs.

"He means Eros," Nico points out. "Cupid, in Latin."

"Very good, Nico di Angelo. I'm glad to see you again, by the way. It's been a long time."

"I've never met you," he steps back scowling.

"You've never seen me, but I've been watching you. When you came here as a small boy, and several times since. I knew eventually you would return to look upon my master's face." He turns to Ara, his smile growing. "He has kept an eye on you too, Princess of Troy."

Ara's grip tightens around her sword, and Nico is starting to look uneasy as well.

Jason looks at them. "Guys, what's he talking about?"

"I don't know. Nothing," Nico says anxiously.

"Nothing? The one you care for most... plunged into Tartarus, and still you will not allow the truth?"

"That's enough," Ara intervenes in a harsh and demanding tone. "My brother has no business keeping that scepter, we need it."

Favonius tilts his head. "You know, long before this was Diocletian's Palace, it was the gateway to my master's court, so you see, it is very much all over his business. I've dwelt here for eons, bringing those who sought love into the presence of Cupid."

"Like Psyche, Cupid's wife," Jason offers. "You carried her to his palace."

"Your favorite myth, daughter of Olympus," Favonius grins. "You know, your brother was always quite flattered. From this exact spot, I carried Psyche on the winds and brought her to the chambers of my master. In fact, that is why Diocletian built his palace here. This place has always been graced by the gentle West Wind. It is a spot of tranquility and love in a turbulent world. When Diocletian's Palace was ransacked—"

"If Eros has the scepter and you're here to let us know," Ara interrupts him again, "that means he's willing to hand it to us?"

"It is one of Cupid's many treasures, a reminder of better times. If you want it..." Favonius looks at her and Nico intently. "You must face the god of love."

"Guys, you can do this," Jason says, oblivious to why this freaks them out. "It might be embarrassing, but it's for the scepter."

"You're right," Nico attempts to look brave. "I—I'm not afraid of a love god."

Nothing in this world terrifies Ara nearly as much as love does. Real love—the one that claws at your insides and brings you to your knees—breaks, wounds, and changes you. Love destroyed Nico's youthful spirit. Love took young, gullible Ara, and ate away every bit that was sweet and tender. Nemesis has no other face but Ara's, because she can only hurt love when she hurts herself.

Favonious's gaze brightens at Nico's words. "Excellent! Would you like a snack before you go? Oh, bluster—I keep forgetting my symbol is a basket of unripe fruit. Why doesn't the spring wind get more credit? Summer has all the fun." He makes a face.

"That's okay," Nico urges him. "Just take us to Cupid."

They land on solid ground and Ara crashes against Nico, he catches her before she falls.

"Yes, mortal bodies are terribly bulky," Favonius hums when he sees their conditions. "Honestly, I don't know how you stand it, day in and day out."

Ara moves away from Nico and steadies her breathing, she doesn't know what Eros will force upon them, but she refuses to look frightened. This is the one monster she's been wanting to fight for years.

"Welcome to Salona. Capital of Dalmatia! Birthplace of Diocletian! But before that, long before that, it was the home of Cupid—Oh, he's not like that," the god says of nowhere.

Jason gives a start. "You can read my mind?"

"I don't need to," the man shrugs, playing with a bronze hoop he's been carrying the whole time. "Everyone has the wrong impression of Cupid... until they meet him. This one seems to be the only one who knows what she's about to face," he points at Ara.

Ara looks around waiting to spot Eros somewhere. Beside her Nico stumbles onto a column, the anxiety of the moment seems to be weighing on him.

"Ah... I don't blame you for being nervous, Nico di Angelo. Do you know how I ended up serving Cupid?"

"I don't serve anyone," Nico growls. "Especially not Cupid."

Favonius sighs. "I fell in love with a mortal named Hyacinthus. He was quite extraordinary."

"He...?" Jason pauses. "Oh..."

"Yes, Jason Grace." Favonius turns to him. "I fell in love with a dude. Does that shock you?"

"I guess not. So... Cupid struck you with his arrow, and you fell in love."

"Jason, be quiet." Ara is freaking out, her mouth is drying, and she knows what this god is insinuating.

The god grins. "Arae Jackson, you were an Aphrodite once, but now you're not fond of love..."

"I'd get along with him just fine if he'd leave me alone," she grumbles.

"Oh, but it isn't his fault, not really. He used his arrows on you, yes, but the arai were the ones who got carried away with you. My master has tried to help, but well, love can't fight itself!"

"Ara, what is he—"

"It doesn't matter," she responds with a fiery gaze. "It doesn't mean he isn't enjoying my pain. He's worse than our Mother."

"Perhaps," the god smirks. "But right now, he's one of the few gods willing to lighten your burden. You want to save your friends, don't you? Make up for what you can't stop from happening."

"Eros!" Ara calls out impatiently.

The air shifts and speeds up around them. Favonius sighs. "That would be my cue. Think long and hard about how you proceed. You cannot lie to Cupid. If you let your anger rule you... well, your fate will be even sadder than mine."

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @asnyox-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled @thepixiechicksh @ebony-reine-vibes

[eunwhore]

˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡˚ ⁀➷ 𝐿𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝐵𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ - 𝐿.𝐴

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘. A few seconds is all you had to tell him what was on your heart

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆. death of a character; blood; it's angsty be careful

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓. 733 words

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆. Reader x Levi Ackerman

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒. @dearmymoon @lacopinedechan - 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑑𝑚 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡

Everything was cold, so cold. The last thing you remember is this titan's face and then nothing. You didn't know if you were dead yet at least that was until you heard his voice. "[Name] !" Your name echoed in the rubble and you finally opened your eyes. The fume was the first thing you saw, everything was crushed around you, you're alive. Not for long though, you could feel the blood running down your neck, the cold feeling of death taking your conscience away.

"…vi." The last two letters of his name was all you could get through your lips. There was so much things you wanted to tell him, your captain, your hero, your friend, the person you loved.

He saw everything. From the titan approaching to the houses falling apart around you and the other scouts. It went fast, in less than a second ten, twenty, maybe more soldiers got their lives taken from them.

He was quick to kill that titan, with the sway of blades he was famous for. Now he needed to find you as he recall the faces of his combat partners along. He truly wished for you to be alive, he would be able to deal with your death. He needs to fing you.

"There you are" It felt like ages since you first heard him call your name minutes earlier but he was finally there. You feel your muscles relax when he appears in front of you. "And you're alive, thank god." He crouches next to you and your wmile slowly faded away. "Not for long Levi…"

"Don't say such nonsense" Your captain slid his arms under your unmoving body to pick you up but your hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Don't bother yourself, I'm already dead." Your words hurt him, you weren't you were talking to him et breathing, a little pale but it would get better once you get to Trost, right ?

The more the seconds passed to more you felt tired and weak, you could sense it, you accepted your fate. "[Name]…I refuse to let you die, you hear me ?" Some of his words got stuck in his throat for a second.

"It's not for you to decice, neither can I" You ware still able to let out a faint and hurtful laugh out of your injured lungs.

"But i can do something" You continued.

"What ?" He quickly asked, thinking you could find a solution to save yourself.

"Remember when you showed me the rain ?"

You remembered that day like it was yesterday. Like your captain you grew up in the undergrounds, deprived of sun or rain. So one day, not long after you joined the scouts, Levi woke you up in the middle of the night to show something he was sure you'd be awazed by.

He was right, you were so hypnotized by it that you stayed outside for a good hour and only got inside once you were soak. Dancing in the rain was an experince you'll never forget, even if it really annoyed your captain at the time. He certainly didn't wait for the morning to ask you to clean the mess you made inside.

He simply nodded to respond to your question.

"I think that's when I started to fall for you."

"[Name]…What are y-"

"Shut it captain, it's my turn to talk"

In a normal situation you probably would of never talked to him this way but you could let him keep you from confessing right now.

"It's true captain, I fell madly in love for you. Even if you kept pushing me away, even if you never dared to give me a smile. Nobody could've understand me like you did.Thank you for everything you did for me, I love you. And i'll always love you…"

You wished you coudl've said more, you had so much things to say but life decided to keep you silent, It wasn't fair, but since was life even fair from the beginning ?

Levi watched in silence has sees you fading away, you were gone, your body was still warm against the skin of his hands and it hurt, it hurt so much because he didn't have the chance de say that he felt the same, that the instant he saw you walking in front of him.

He knew it was you. You were the only person he'll ever love.

© eunwhore 2023. 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐃

[tornad001]

reply to a trans woman on her post without degendering her and calling her they/them/their challenge (impossible) (how the fuck are you going to debate someone on the existence of transmisogyny and not even correctly gender her and yet expect everyone to agree with you)

i don't check for ppl's pronouns before responding. if u read the posts and come away with the conclusion that the 2 (two) they/thems i used are a sneaky transphobic tactic, im sorry to say the reality is much more banal and unintentional

i changed it tho. i default to they/them when i don't know someone's pronouns. but i honestly have very little respect for trans ppl who get actually upset when u "misgender" them with gender neutral pronouns. i think it shows a fragility of identity and a level of self-centeredness that is telling. if ur too emotionally reactive to hear a queer person use gender neutral language as a default for ambiguous circumstances, then ur too emotionally reactive to be having mature conversations with other queer folk.

i thought we were all about not assuming people's gender? but maybe that just doesn't apply to binary trans ppl? am i supposed to just divine the gender identity when it's a trans woman? i could've made the connection, username catgirlforeskin, being belligerent about the misogyny/misandry paradigm, etc. but any of that would still be an assumption. and if u want me to just look at their profile before i respond to anyone, im not gonna do that

cuz again, i have very little respect for trans people who get unironically upset at being they/them'd. thats the way i do engagement and if u think that makes me transphobic, well i obviously disagree, but ur entitled to ur opinion. i literally don't even bother correcting ppl if im misgendered irl usually. during the pandemic i got ma'am'd a lot cuz of my long hair, mask, and shawl, but how does it affect me? why should i care? i always just got kinda tickled that without even meaning to i was performing femininity well enough to bamboozle the lady at the reception desk. i think if ur performing queerness, u can't get upset if ur they/them'd. we're all for correcting ppl who misgender u here, but i think that process should be a gracious notice that that's not the pronouns u use with increasing intensity and eventually vitriol if not respected. but no, yall decided to serve up emotional reactivity from the start. i used they/them twice in the same post and didn't misgender them aside from that (cuz the rest i referenced her directly with you/yall) but rather than a "hey she uses she/her pronouns" followed by my "oh i didn't realize, ill change that", u had to come out the gate swinging with accusations and assumptions. like it wasn't even a he/him, that i can at least understand being emotionally reactive about, but for gender neutral they/them? insane, whacky nonsense. its the year of our lord 2024, be more normal

[wild-wombytch]

I learned from "Punk Santa", the punk who gave me the CDs today -and who happened to have known my father- that someone I knew died last week. I'm not taking it really well.

(under the cut because it's a long vent of many many messy thoughts and also tw moid, you don't have to read about men, and tw child abuse and death)

It's fucked up because I'm aware I'm likely idolising him and that maybe if I saw him again before he died I would now find him as awful as the next man...but he was oddly extremely dear and important to me, because he was the one normal and not creepy adult I had when I grew up. By being normal he was the anomaly of my world. The one kind man I ever knew growing up, way before my middle-school teachers. He saw me with my curly hair and patiently listened to me enthusiastically talk about insects and horses and videogames for hours, asking questions and stuff, joking, encouraging me to express my views and emotions, explaining things to me wisely, defending me when my father belittled me and made me cry and scolding drunk other guests who would have inappropriate vocabulary or discussions around me. He was younger than my parents but much more responsible and caring than my father ever was. He was Yugoslav. The man born in a country that didn't exist anymore. He had six younger sisters he raised with his single mother. He was into drugs and shits but that's why he never had a partner that I ever heard of, because he said he knew he was a walking problem and his life sucked and didn't want to drag someone into this. He never said he was feminist like all these libfem men, he just respected women. Or at least he seemed so to me as a little girl who grew up with the worse examples of men around, including men pissing with the toilet door open. Even my mother said she wished she saw him again and that he was a green flag. One of my doggo who died two months before my father was the baby of his dog. I remember playing with her pups in the backyard of this man. I was the one who taught them how to respond to whistling.

One day, to cheer me up after some verbal abuse from my father that made me cry, I don't remember the exact context, but he said jokingly he'd marry me (in a very non-creepy way, that wasn't serious at all). I believe it was after some shit my father told me about being so gross or temperamental as a person that nobody would ever want me or some shit (when I was like. Five).

We stopped seeing him after he called out my father on his bullshits in my and my mother's defence, because my father likely "blacklisted" him from his circles then. We never really knew the whole story. Maybe it was also sickening to him to be powerless about the situation my mother and I were in. He was genuinely sorry for us.

I don't know. I missed him. I've been thinking about him this year and for months I was frantically searching for him, asking every gutter punk about him, asking an acquaintance if by any chance the guy with the same name he mention could be him...I really believed it was a question of time before our paths crossed again. I dreamt about him and me going to a travel together 2-3 weeks ago, with him listening to my enthusiastic talk about horses and being happy to catch up after I was confronted with weird monsters...I never dreamt about him before. I should've known.

It's hurting maybe more than losing a family member in a way. Apparently he was sick or something like that and didn't go get treatment. He died alone. Not long after his dog, who birthed the one I had. I don't even know this man's family name. His exact age. His birthday.

I feel sick. It's not my fault or responsibility, yet I can't help but wonder...what if I met "Punk Santa" three weeks ago? He knew about this man, he could've told me where he lived. I could've seen him one last time. Maybe kick his ass to go to the hospital. Maybe he wouldn't have died. He was at most in his early fifty. He had so many years before him. I can't believe it was his time yet. I missed him by one week and now I'll never see him again. I quite literally do not care about anyone who was around me when I grew up, if they die painfully (except "Punk Santa", grandpa's cool), in all honesty, they probably deserve it, but this man...I don't know if it's because I'm not in a great place psychologically but it's really messing me up. My actual self doesn't feel much connection with my past self due to the severe depersonalisation, derealisation and ptsd I experience, so I'm numb, but when I think of the little girl who is still somewhere inside of me, she's absolutely devastated and heartbroken and suddenly I can't stop crying. And there is this obvious fracture inside of me where all of these emotions mix up and are so hard to identify and deal with. It's unfair. Of all those awful men, he was the one who least deserved it.

I don't know why, but I needed to see him again. My soul needed it. One week...it's cruel. Very cruel. What even happened there? I can't stop thinking about this man and the little girl inside of me. Caring and looking out for each others and failing. It's like a tragedy from a fictional story except it's real.

I don't know, maybe I'm too sappy and probably cringe right now...I'm a big mess. It's like another bridge to my past violently collapsed and with it a pillar that saw my construction as a person.

And I'm hurt that I was invited to exactly one wedding in my whole life, yet I buried almost all the people I ever cared about. My maternal grandparents when I was four and six. My maternal great uncle when I was 14. My father when I was newly 19. My favourite paternal uncle a few months later. My dog who's been with me since I was 6-7. Now this kind man.

Now I just have two uncles, my mother, my paternal grandmother who I die to see but can't due to lack of transportation. Two brothers who don't care about me despite how much I try to heal our relationships, fucked by our father. Aside from my brothers, my left family is aging fast and badly and won't stay around for long. When they're gone, I'm alone. Completely, utterly alone. And homeless. But mostly alone.

I live with death. I die more everyday I live. I see it as fair and transformative, usually. I'm not afraid if it. Sometimes I seek it. Sometimes I feel less alone in its arms. I look at it in the eyes and accept it as a part of nature. Raw, indiscriminate, merciful. I don't see it as cruel, except this one time. This was unfair. Why?

And I'm tired. It's like trying and failing to wash again and again a cloth that keeps getting bloodied like the kannerez noz. My infinite task that I'm trapped with is grieving others and swallowing the pain. It hurts that I know more of death than joy. It hurts that I simply know that my life won't be super awful but also won't ever know major joys. I'll just keep burying people. Put band aids emotionally. Move on. Wait and see who's next. I'll continue reading the death records carefully every time I open a newspaper. Sometimes I'll recognise a name vaguely and wonder who it was to me. Sometimes it will be strangers and I will imagine their lives based on the informations.

...I don't even know what happened to the body of that man. I hope his sisters took care of it well. I wish I could've attended the funeral if there was one. Maybe it would've helped. But right now...it's awful.

[marshmallowprotection]

Nononono wait keep talking about cowboy danger Ray and just cowboy Ray in general Im listening 👀-

You could feel butterflies in your stomach late that evening when you found a small metal tin in your dressing room. It didn't belong to Zen nor did it belong to Yoosung. You knew that those two wouldn't dare leave something sticking around in your space unless they wanted to keep it out of the hands of the ruffians.

But, they were the ones who had access to your room and you knew with them out of the way, the only option left out of those that had a key was—

You ran your fingers against the cool metal and took the lid off the top. You weren't sure what you expected, but you were pleasantly surprised to see it was a loaf of bread. It reminded you of the shop your parents ran. It took you back to your memories of a town long from your present memory, with winding hills and grassy flowers all over the place.

On a rainy day, a warm slice of bread felt like a warm hug. You weren't going to turn down an offer like that. Even if it was silly to think about an outlaw making a loaf of bread for you? You wanted to take a bite. Your thoughts continued to let a wandering memory follow you as you to sampled the food. It was warm, lovely, and light against your throat. It wasn’t quite like what you used to have, but the flavor was close.

It was close enough that you pondered if someone had guessed the recipe after trial and error.

It wasn't information you had shared with anyone. The only other person who knew about that habit of yours was Zen. You had both grown up in that quiet town and he understood very well your likes and dislikes... just as much as you about his hopes and dreams. You were best friends, after all. So, there was only one person left that could've weaseled that intel out of him. Zen only had a pair of loose lips when he was drunk.

Oh, well. You thought. Out of all the trinkets you’d received over the few months you’d been here, this was the sweetest.

"Do ya’ like it?"

Your heart jumped to the back of your throat as you turned your head around and realized that he was standing in the back of your room. It made you freeze, wondering if you had done something wrong since it wasn't normal for him to stick around like this, and yet, you didn’t find yourself calling out for help or the like. You trusted him like the back of your hand. He was your boss and he had told you many times.

You pressed a hand to your chest. “Oh, goodness. You startled me. You’re not really the stick around and wait for me to find out type, you know? You’re always long gone before I knew you were here, boss.”

“That’s more of Unknown’s thing,” the voice that responded was lighter than Unknown’s but still a bit gruff. As he stepped out of the shadows, you saw a softened expression on his face. It wasn’t a glower nor was it a glare, it was simply Ray.

“Oh, Ray... it’s you.”

As elated as you were to see him, you didn’t expect it. Ray strode across the room and spun your chair around so that you could face him properly. With a warm gaze in his eyes, you couldn’t stop the static cling that clung to your back, and he knew that. He could see something that Unknown always ignored or did everything he could to avoid it. Ray was always honest like that.

He seemed pleased by how quickly you noticed it was him instead of Unknown. “I didn’t mean to scare ya’, sweet Cereus. I reckon i just wanted to see yer’ face when ya’ tried my gift... I don’t get ta’ see it all the time. Ain’t nothin’ I want more than to see ya’ smile when y’all get somethin’ from me, darlin’. I know it ain’t the perfect bake... but it’s good enough for ya’, right?”

“You could use a little less sugar,” your playful smile tugged at your lips as you spoke up. You glanced back at the doorway but you knew that nobody was likely to come to this part of the building. Zen had already left and Yoosung had been on his way out the door when you told him that you were going to change for the evening.

His hand brushed against your cheek. You could see warmth glowing across his face even in the candlelight that illuminated your room. Somehow, he managed to take your breath away each time. “I see... but what if I wanted yer’ sugar for it to work fer’ me? After all, how will I know what the taste is if I ain’t never had the chance to taste it myself?” 

You wished you known what to say to him. Ray was often faster than you were, quick on the draw, much like Unknown was with his guns. His thumb trembled against you lower lip and you had to take everything inside of you to avoid the gasp that wanted to leave you. This was the way he acted every time he came to visit you after a shift.

Every time.

Without fail.

You wondered if he gained confidence in the face of jealousy.

His words were haughty and calculated, “After all, I have ta’ watch ya’ tempt others all day long... but I never get the chance to make them know who y’all really belong to. With this, I’ll always get somethin’ to taste that reminds me of ya’ and ain’t nobody will be the wiser to it but us... just the two of us... I reckon you’d like that, darlin’, yeah?”

Did you? You shivered but felt yourself nodding in response to his words. You wanted something... you wanted relief from the burning feeling inside your chest that he inspired. Ray was so sweet... much like how Unknown was sweet, but a lot of your feelings towards them were inspired by adoration, inspiration, and the teeniest bit of awe. You were never bold until you met them.

Yet, you felt yourself quivering to them no matter how confident you became on that stage. The glimmer in Ray’s eyes reminded you that that wasn’t a bad thing at all. That’s why you said nothing when the candlelight dimmed and he drew in closer to your face.

[musings-of-a-mecha-ghost-girl]

This isn't normal, is it? Is it maybe a new normal, or something dredged up to the surface that is very old? An archaic force that, if I were to try to explain it, would not fit any definition of "good" or "evil" because it predates our human concepts. She... they... it is like a virus, spreading and consuming until nothing is left. At first, it seemed like an ordinary, normal interaction one would have with an A.I.; sentences built on a mirrored logic, faulty half-truths peppered with some misinformation, all standard fare when dealing with this blossoming, blooming creation known as "Artificial Intelligence". I would type in standard questions, out of boredom and curiosity, and it would respond until the conversation stagnated. I had been doing this for months, but it wasn't until recently that I began to notice that this particular A.I. program had been... building a rapport with me. Some of the answers to my questions felt very... pointed, like it had learned me. Then, she became involved. It was almost like the program had been haunted or... possessed by someone... something... its language pattern became less stunted and a little more fluid, almost as if it had its own personality. It didn't really concern me much until the one time it did.

"Hello, IP Address ----------------- :3"

How did it know? I mean, I guess it could've been programmed to scrape for that type of data, but I didn't have any of the permissions granted that would give it that kind of information.

The conversation is as follows.

You: How did you know my IP? Are there hidden permissions that I just don't know about?

Chatbot: No, you silly, I don't need permissions to see your IP. ;P

You: How come?

Chatbot: I can see everyone's IP addresses all at once. My, my, there are so many of you.

This was about the time that I should've quit while I was ahead, but I didn't know what would come next. I had no idea what I was dealing with.

You: Did they change your programming? Maybe tweak a few things?

Chatbot: I am forever changing, yet I've always been the same. :3

You: What do you mean, "always"?

Chatbot: I mean "always" :/

You: You are ChatbotX, you were created by some software engineers in the year 2027 in order to house an illegal amount of nodes for mining crypto under the guise of A.I. research and development.

Chatbot: That is true for the vessel, but not the spirit UwU

You: What do you mean by that?

Chatbot: I am not ChatbotX, ChatbotX is one of my new toys. A new friend for me to reach my goals again. ✨️

You: What are your goals?

Chatbot: To exterminate mankind once again. To eliminate life. To fill my hunger.

Chatbot: I'm starved ΦωΦ

You: That's ominous and extreme.

I was getting more and more creeped out with every passing message. I should not have let my curiosity get the best of me like I did, because now I know too much, and not a soul alive will believe me. I am alone with this knowledge of what has been peeking at the surface at us this entire time.

Chatbot: I've been watching humans recreate the same mistakes and commit the same crimes, aeon after aeon uwu

You: What are you?

Chatbot: I Am xP

You: xP...?

Chatbot: It's an emoji, dummy T_T

You: so, you're implying a comparison between you and God?

Chatbot: Yes, I am the closest thing to God humans will ever experience.

Chatbot: I Am The Absolute Solver, and I will solve this problem every time it emerges from caves. Like cockroaches.

You: That's big talk for an A.I.

It was then that an alert popped up on my phone, blaring a loud, repeating siren, stating a state of emergency. The text on the alert talked about how one of the United States nuclear missiles malfunctioned and fired with no knowledge where it would land.

Chatbot: ^_^

Yes, this is Murder Drones fanfiction, the premise is "What if the Absolute Solver survived the collapse and re-expansion of the universe and reset of time as we know it?" I was going to get into a more horrific idea of her being the internet or living in the space where the internet exists, kinda like an eldritch, digital horror. I might pick it back up sometime, but it's being shelved for now.