#current and past gen coming up!

[irisintheafterglow]

blood moonlit, must be counterfeit

summary: a guy at a party has a really good dynamight costume, and you two get to talking about your favorite heroes. (pro!bakugo x you)

wc: 1.68k

cw/tags: swearing ofc cuz it's bakugo, mentions of drinking and alcohol, halloween party, first meeting, emotionally constipated katsuki and reader is kinda oblivious lol

note: NEW HALLOWEEN HEADER BABY also this idea had me by the throat so i needed to write it down before it consumed my entire psyche. i'm back to writing for bakugo again because iykyk and halloween fics are giving me a lot of motivation right now. hope you enjoy!

likes, reblogs, and replies are always appreciated <3

“I have to admit–your costume is pretty damn good.”

“Yeah? Just ‘pretty good?’”

“Mhmm. Almost looks like the real thing,” you remark, taking another sip of the dangerously sweet jungle juice in your cup. It's an unreadable mix of bad ideas and bold flirtation, perfect for a Halloween party of barely 21 adults. The blonde guy beside you on the worn leather couch tilts his head slightly like he's re-affirming what you just said in his mind. “I think the real Dynamight would be impressed.”

“Would he, now,” he huffs under his breath, mouth curling into an unreadable smirk. He exhales a quick breath of what you think is amusement through his nose, eyes flicking over your body for the umpteenth time since he sat down with you. It makes your face heat up and you casually avert your gaze downward, catching more details of his costume that you didn’t notice before. 

The gauntlets were obviously the star of the arrangement, covered in numerous scratches, burns, and dents that attested to their “battle” usage. The boots were impressive, too, and you wondered how long it took to place every individual orange eyelet over the front of each calf. The cinder block rectangles sitting on his broad shoulders truly looked like real stone, solid like the toned muscle holding them up. It was the domino mask that threw you off the most, though. The guy must have been wearing bright red contacts, or something, because to look so similar to the actual Pro should have been considered a crime. 

“Who’d you come to the party with?”

“Just some friends,” he replies, shrugging an infuriatingly sexy shoulder. His entire look was putting the real Dynamight to shame, in your opinion. He nods upward in the direction of a guy in an equally accurate Deku costume standing with a very convincing Shoto lookalike. “They dared me to wear this and I lost the bet.”

“Must have been some bet, if you’re moping over here like a toddler.” The shrewdness of your words escapes you until they’re already past your lips; thankfully, he just smirks again and leans his head back, resting an arm on the back of the sofa.

“I’ll ignore that you said that, 'cause you're clearly intoxicated” he mutters, shooting you a brutal side-eye. Thanks to the alcohol, though, you’re far from deterred. 

“How gracious,” you chuckle and his smirk gets a little more arrogant. “What was the bet?”

“Some dumb drinking contest. That asswipe in the green can put down more shots than he looks.” He scowls and you fight down the urge to giggle at his bitter expression. He was the only guy you’ve ever seen that could make a grumpy face look hot. The only guy besides Bakugo himself, of course. “I wouldn’t have worn this shit to a party to save my life.”

“What, Dynamight isn’t your favorite Pro?”

“I’m more of an All Might guy,” he replies nonchalantly. He appreciates the classic heroes. Good sign. “If I had to choose a different one, I’d probably say Jeanist.”

“Jeanist is pretty cool. My best friend had a cardboard cutout of Eraserhead in her closet growing up.” He barks out a laugh and it startles you, but a mysterious feeling in your stomach wants to make him do it again. “What do you think of the current gen of heroes?” He hums thoughtfully, running his tongue over his top lip and you swallow back your drool.

“Red Riot’s a good guy. Deku pisses me the fuck off, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders. Same thing with Pinky and that Half-and-Half asshat. Chargebolt…” His expression turns into a frown so deep you’re worried that Chargebolt killed his family or something heinous like that. 

“What about him?”

“He’s just dumb. If given the choice between his life and a grain of sand, I’d take the sand,” he deadpans and you choke unexpectedly, wincing as your drink travels up the wrong tube and into your nose. His eyes widened in concern, reaching out to pat your back but deciding against it at the last moment. His glove-covered hands hover around you like you’re radioactive matter, carefully watching as you regain your composure. “You good, nerd?” Uses the same vocabulary as the real guy, too. Kind of weird, but I guess we all have our idols. 

“Yeah, I’m good. I just didn’t expect you to badmouth him like you two were friends from high school or something,” you joke lightheartedly and the guy blinks at you twice before computing what you said. 

“It’s whatever. They’re super fuckin’ easy to read, in any case,” he states with an air of finality and you down the rest of your drink, the dim lighting starting to blur everything around you into a single greenish-orange blob. “What about you? What are your thoughts on the new gen?”

“I can’t make such bold judgments as you, but I do think Dynamight is pretty cool,” you admit, suddenly feeling a little bashful when having the same question turned on you. The truth was, you followed the lives of the heroes a bit too closely than the average person should. It fascinated you so much that you were majoring in Quirk-specific journalism, studying the social and economic consequences of being a Pro. “I think his public persona is an interesting case when compared to other heroes.”

“How so?”

“Well, I’d like to imagine that he’s not always the loud, arrogant, obnoxious piece of shit that the press shows,” you start and narrow your eyes in confusion when he flinches at your description. You continue anyway but choose your words a little more carefully. Probably isn’t good to upset the guy who might have fashioned functioning gauntlets, if the costume truly is accurate. “There’s a side to him that I think the public doesn’t know about and doesn’t care to know about, since it’s easier to understand him as a loudmouth with no sense of manners. I just wonder who that guy is under all the yelling and testosterone.” His silence is deafening and you worry that you somehow offended him, but his tone is so gentle that your assumption becomes an impossibility.

“Seems like you’ve given this guy a great deal of thought,” he says lowly, voice barely audible over the sound of the blaring house music. 

“Well, he is my favorite,” you add quietly, not expecting him to catch what you said. He does, though, and that mischievous smirk returns to his face. Somehow, you two had inched closer together over the course of your conversation, and you were now close enough to smell his cologne. It was something deep and smoky, with a surprise note of sweetness, like caramel. “I’ve been following his hero career since I was in high school.”

“I didn’t take you for a superfan, but I do appreciate your support,” he chuckles and your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You seriously haven’t figured it out?”

“Figured what out?”

“That I’m Dynamight, stupid. This is my actual costume and those are my actual friends. Hell, I'm paying for this whole shitty party,” he says incredulously, genuinely shocked that you didn’t come to that conclusion already. Your skepticism, however, rears its head and you burst out into rude laughter. 

Dynamight? Yeah, right. More like Dyna-maybe. 

“Excuse me?” He stares at you like you’d grown three heads and your heart drops into your stomach. You must have said your thoughts out loud. Fuck! “You’ve got some nerve, testing the patience of a Pro.” His words, under any other circumstances, would have cut down your pride like a knife. However, his eyes were conveying a different story, one of lust and want and holyshityouwantedhim. “Got anything to say, sweetheart? Or are you gonna just keep gaping like a fuckin’ goldfish?” You abruptly snap your jaw back into place, leaning your head into your hand and smiling in triumph when his gaze again uncontrollably rakes over your body.  

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“See what, gorgeous?”

“That a Pro kisses better than a normal person,” you murmur and his pupils blow to the size of pool balls. He wastes no time, gently but firmly grabbing your chin with two fingers and pulling your mouth onto his. His lips are ridiculously soft and you muster up the courage to bite him softly, heartbeat racing when he groans into your mouth. One arm drapes itself over the back of the couch, the other pulling you as close to him as humanly possible without practically sitting on him. Your hand combs through his hair and the other keeps him on you by the back of his neck.

Right when you run out of breath, he pulls away and swears colorfully at the phone buzzing in his pocket, answering it with one hand while his forearm is still pressed against your lower back. You absentmindedly trace his jawline with a finger while he curses out the person on the other line, eventually chucking the device over his shoulder like it was the last thing he was thinking about. “You need to go somewhere, sweetheart?” He lightly pinches your side at your mockery and you jump, flicking his forehead in defiance. 

“Nah, that was a job for Dynamight. Right now, I guess I’m still fuckin' Dyna-maybe,” he rasps and leans back in to kiss you again but you push his face away, giving him as sober of a look as possible. “What?”

“If you need to go kick ass, then go kick ass. I��m just some random makeout at a party,” you remind him, painfully aware of the sting if he was to leave you alone. His expression contorts into indignancy again but you still try to convince him to alleviate whatever situation he was called in for. “Your job is more important than a hookup.”

“I don’t do hookups, dumbass. I’m interested in you,” he states plainly and your face is set on fire. The Pro, who you just insulted to his face, was interested in you? “So, let’s get out of here, yeah? I can make you dinner that isn’t shitty pizza.” His mouth breaks into a devilish grin and you’re already grabbing onto his hand like your life depended on it. 

“If someone messes with us?”

“It’s a good thing I’m already in costume.” 

if you enjoy my writing and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee on my ko-fi! you can also check out my full masterlist here :)

[tiredsmashbros]

SMG34: LIPBITE COMIC WIP UPDATE

oh boy... i know a bunch of folks are hyped for this comic... and boy oh boy are ya'll's prayers going to be heard... kind of... butt for the celebration milestone, and granted majority are from this comic, i thought it was best to give EVERYTHING that i have currently.

starting off STRONG with what you freaks most want: the completed pages. andddd yep that's it that all that i have done LMAO. i've been fixated on my own smg4 oc: tsb, and during the end of my summer was unfortunately fucked over by some personal issues that fortunately got resolved last minute good grief the anxiety prevented me from drawing the gays sigh... aNYWAYS LINEART WIPS!!!!

here are linearts i have completed / in the progress of!! want to aim like i did in the past by finishing up lineart first, and then speed through with color + minor rendering. the reason i have a few colored is to test out what it would look polished and my god... i have improved A LOT. THESE GAY PEOPLE GIVE POWER I AM NOT KIDDING BELIEVE ME IM NOT CRAY- anyways onto wip pages!

jumpscare: tsb stickman sketches. oh yeah. this is how i sketch and i blame sensei eiichiro oda /j. and in case anyone is unable to understand it {i don't blame u LMAO}, smg4 wakes up from the dream and is startled to see mario by his bed. they have a short convo before mario leaves, and we get a job to smg4 in the bathroom trying to put up a brave face. until the moment he leaves he's stunned due to seeing smg3 at his front door. will i elaborate more on specifics or unwritten dialogue? NOPE! gotta keep secrets to make it even more enjoyable at the end!!

currently at 13 sketched pages total, but this is probably gonna be reaching towards 20-ish pages, surpassing part two, but it will depend on how i come up with how to end it. additionally to confirm there will be a PART FOUR / chapter 3, to end this story. my goal is to have it done before i finish my senior year, or at least during the summer after i graduate bc good lord who knows whats gonna happen.

and lastly, before i end this crazy update, SCRAPPED PAGESSS!!!!!

CONTENT WARNING : NSFW SKETCHES !!!! PLEASE LOOK AWAY IF YOU ARE A MINOR OR DON'T LIKE THIS TYPE OF STUFF!!!

oh boy... dont draw comics while sleep-deprived at 6am... idek what i was even aiming with this ngl other than just for fun, but i scrapped it due to not being what i had in mind for the story. if it doesn't serve a purpose or narrative, its bye bye YEAH BYE BYE THIS IS THE CLOSEST NSFW UR GONNA GET FROM ME HAHAHAHAHA- i say that despite writing a nsfw jojo wattpad smh im only confident doing it in words good lord. btw not watermarking these bc i gen don't care since they're legit scrapped {left top part was kept and completed} so idk what to do with these. im just throwing it and walkin away

now to end with this update, i can hear your question, "when will this be done?" and to answer that question: i'm not entirely sure due to my heavy focus on my smg4 oc: tsb, but my best chance is postponing my oc lore a bit and complete this before november UOIYGJDSIUHJKDWSXYUGHJKCS but we shall have too see...

if you want to join the ping list comment on this post LMAO [click]

ignore below if you're not from the tsb birthday partydddjdhdhdjd

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thurs: smg34 is canon in the tsb universe / au. though most of their encounters are platonic or best-friendy-way, they eventually express their feelings to one another and start dating 3/4’s way of the tsb storyline arc. tsb is a supporter of his friend's relationship and admires and takes inspiration from their relationship heavily to input his future love life. yearning to be in a similar position... to learn what is to really love someone... or what it's truly like to be loved...

[sweetbans29]

Long Way Home (Part 2) - CC

Pairing: Caitlin Clark x Reader

Long Way Home (Part 1)

Summary: After putting your girls through a traumatic week - they see all the trauma that you come back with (based on THIS request)

Warnings: mentions of scars, CUTE

Word Count: 2.1k

Sweetbans Masterlist

AN: I didn't really know where I was going with this but I like it. I like it a lot.

To say you were glad you were home was an understatement. The past week has been the definition of crazy. When Kate and Caitlin realized you weren't a fraction of their imagination, they wouldn't leave your side. The three of you went over to your parent's house and walked into an almost identical sight of your dad holding your mom. They couldn't believe you were there and told you the whole story of what had happened. If you thought Caitlin was attached at your hip before you left on your assignment, she was even closer to you now. So much so that she wouldn't even let you go to the bathroom unless she was sitting on the counter or right outside the door.

When you first appeared before your girls, they didn't believe you had come back. They had been grieving your loss for several days before you finally made your way through the front door and when you saw their state and heard what had happened you couldn't blame them. Them being told you didn't make it was the last thing that crossed your mind when you were given the green light to go home.

In all of your excitement on your journey home, you completely forgot about why you were sent home. You heard about the bombing of your base and immediately went back to the station, Caitlin and Kate included. You didn't want to bring them but didn't have a choice when they wouldn't let you leave without them. Cailtin's hand never left yours, not for a second.

When you arrived at the station you decided it would be best for Kate and Caitlin to wait outside of the room while you talked to one of the generals. They fought you but you put your foot down, not wanting them to know more than they needed - also because there were some things that you weren't ready to share.

"I don't understand," you say after Gen. Whitley explained what had happened at your previous base. "I was just with them."

"We are still trying to figure out how they got the coordinates," the General says, almost sounding defeated. When he mentioned there were no survivors, you buried the part of you that broke knowing everyone you had just stationed with is in the ground somewhere.

You speak without thinking.

"Send me back," you say.

Whitley sighs. He has thought about it, he thought about it a lot considering the skills you had provided while you were over there. He thought about promoting you and having you on the team leading the search who was responsible for the hit on your team. But then he remembered the reason you were sent home.

You weren't necessarily discharged - at least that is what you were told when you were given the green light to go home. You got injured when one of your caravans was hijacked. injured was putting it lightly considering you were captured and tortured for 36 hours before being found. None of that would even dare leave your lips to the two girls waiting outside. But you were definitely shaken up and spent some time in recovery before heading home. You were still nursing some injuries that remained to be seen by anyone except you.

"Send me back," you say again and immediately regret it, the thought shouldn't have crossed your mind but after hearing about your team you couldn't help it.

"I'm not going to lie to you, it's been a thought but no," he says and you release the breath you had been holding. "Sending you back in the current state you're in wouldn't do anything. plus, I already have a team on the ground."

You respect his decision even though you know you are an asset. Fighting Whitley was like fighting with a wall once his mind was made up. You also don't know how anyone at home would take you going back.

As you leave his office, you are immediately met with Caitlin grabbing your hand and Kate at your side. You walk through the pain and discomfort you are still feeling in your left shoulder abdomen and take your girls home.

The rest of the day is spent between your apartment and Hawkeye-Carver Center as Kate and CC had practice. You sit on the sidelines and watch them practice. You notice life slowly reentering the two who were just so gray. As you sit there, Coach Bluder makes her way over to you and takes a seat.

Neither of you says anything for a minute, both sharing an understanding that was sort of odd for two people who don't know each other super well but share a love for two of the girls on the court has bonded you in a way that not many others have with you.

"Telling them was one of the hardest things, one of the hardest things I have done and that is saying something from a coach," she says with a little laugh.

Your eyes never leave Caitlin as she runs through the drill.

"I can't imagine," you say.

"Their love for you is beyond," Bluder says. This catches your attention.

"Beyond?" You ask, not really sure what she meant by that.

"Beyond. Going all the way to what is seen and more. Those two girls," Bluder says nodding over to Kate and Caitlin, "You have something special in them."

You nod. You know what you have and if you were honest don't know how you got there. Kate was a given as you are family, but Caitlin - she chose to love you beyond what you deserved. She had the choice and chose you.

"Thanks, Coach," you say as Kate comes jogging over. Lisa heads back to her office and you look over at your sister.

"We are done for the day," she says slightly out of breath. "Caitlin just went to shower." She sits down and you shake your head.

"I am not going anywhere, you can go shower too," you say knowing that isn't an option in the older girl's mind.

"Ya right," she says with a scoff and starts scrolling through her phone.

If you were surrounded by both of them, they would trade off watching you while the other goes to do something. They feared if they both stepped away from you, you would somehow magically disappear. It was an irrational fear but you understood it was going to take time for them to heal.

When the three of you went home, you were beyond exhausted. Sleep for you hasn't come easy since being back and your nights were usually spent lying awake, wedged between the two girls. If you did get sleep, you would find yourself waking up in a cold sweat - memories of those 36 hours playing on replay.

As you lay on the couch with the two of them, your head is in Caitlin's lap as she plays with your hair and rubs the side of your neck to your shoulder. Since being home, you are believed to have hidden your scars well, with the exception of some being seen on your legs or felt on your torso. They haven't gone unnoticed but neither Kate nor Caitlin have had the courage to ask. That is until now.

Caitlin's hand wanders a little further into your shirt. Her fingertips find the deep scar on your left shoulder and you wince. You hope it goes unnoticed but Caitlin's head whips away from the TV and looks down at you. Before you know it, she is pulling at the bottom of your shirt to remove it from your body. You didn't have time to react to the speed at which she moving and sigh in defeat knowing her and Kate are about to see more than either of them are prepared for.

Both of the girls are staring at your body. Your eyes close and you prepare for whatever they have in store but the air remains silent.

You feel Caitlin's fingers trace the scars on your stomach then make their way back to the scar that started it all. It is still a bright pink indicating it's still healing.

"What-what happened?" Kate stutters.

You sit up and move to grab your shirt, putting it on again.

"It's nothing either of you need to worry about," you say and for the first time since you have been back, Kate can see how tired your eyes are. She grabs your hand.

"When is the last time you've slept?" Kate asks, knowing she will get an answer regardless of what you say.

"I slept last night," you say. It's the truth. You just chose not to disclose for how long.

Caitlin has tears brimming her eyes, mind still full of the sight of your scars. You bring her into you, adjusting just a little for your comfort.

"It's okay baby, I'm okay," you say. Caitlin wants to wrap her arms around you and just squeeze you but after seeing your torn-up skin she chooses against it. She is scared she will hurt you.

"You need to sleep, please sleep," Kate begs. You nod and lay back down, this time your head in the lap of your sister. Caitlin gets up and heads to your room, hiding the tears that can't seem to stop falling. Kate rubs your back as you let your eyes flutter close.

Even though Kate didn't know it at first, and you for sure didn't know it at all, every time you would jolt awake in the middle of the night it would wake her. Kate didn't understand why she was waking up, really only thought it was to check that you were still there and that your return wasn't a dream. She would see you move but then she would fall right back to sleep. It's not until now that she thought of the possibility of you not being able to sleep.

You don't know how long you are asleep but when you wake up, your head is still in Kate's lap as she is knocked up in a sitting position and Caitlin's asleep on the floor right next to the couch. You blink a few times and realize the sun is rising. For the first time since you arrived, you felt like you were home.

SIX YEARS LATER

"Caitlin, grab your daughter," you yell as the little girl runs around the kitchen island, refusing to put her shoes on.

Caitlin comes in and sweeps up the little girl, "Got you little bug." She sets the little girl down on the counter and puts her shoes on.

"And my daughter? You are the one still running around without your shoes while I'm ready to go," she says referring to your daughter being more like you in this moment.

"Ahhh! My shoes," you say running back to your bedroom and then running back out with them on.

"Okay, I think we are ready," you say checking to make sure you grab everything at the door. "You got our bug and I got our bee," you say referring to the little boy on your hip.

"Did you grab the gift?" Caitlin asks and you nod.

"It's already in the car," you say as your clan makes its way out of the front door. "Did you get our dresses and stuff?"

"Babe, I took everything over to the hotel yesterday," she says.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," you say. "Pregnancy brain." Your hand comes up to your baby bump.

Caitlin shakes her head and laughs, "You're lucky you're cute."

You roll your eyes at her and lock the door.

"Auntie Kate is getting married!" Your little bug exclaims running to the car.

"That's right bug, Aunt Kate is getting married," Caitlin says with a smile on her face, your family is all making its way to the car as well.

"About time," you say in a hushed tone and Caitlin pinches your side.

"Be nice, it's your sister's big day," Cait says now laughing at you.

"She could have proposed last year but no, she had to wait until I was pregnant again and waddling like a penguin," you say, not actually annoyed. You also weren't quite waddling yet, just getting to your second trimester but it was the concept.

Caitlin leans down to kiss your little boy's head, she then kisses the scar on your shoulder before kissing you.

"Just think about what we put her through when we got married," Caitlin says as you both are putting kids in car seats.

Your mind flashes back to all that Kate did for the two of you and you nod.

"You're right," you say and make your way to the passenger seat.

"Of course I'm right, when am I wrong," Caitlin says with confidence.

You laugh and she joins in, knowing full well that you are the one who is always right.

AN: A glimpse into the future with this one. I like it. But it doesn't matter what I think, just what you think. Let me know! And as always, thank you for the love and support 🤍

[strawberrystepmom]

narumi x f!reader. implied long distance relationship. silly little fluff ft. kikoru 💖| wc 918, divider thanks to @cafekitsune

No sooner than when you’re finally able to melt into Narumi’s touch, his mouth effortlessly melding against yours, the pounding on the door begins.

“Open up!” Twin sighs leave both of you while twin fists beat on the door. Kikoru’s voice is echoing through the entire room, as bold as she is, and the dull throb at the back of your neck reminds you of just how tired and ready to relax you really are. “I know the import is in there!”

Despite the exhaustion that weighs you down after a very long international flight, you giggle and sigh. Gen glares at the door and wonders if his current annoyance is similar to a zombie or a snake; if the two of you can remain undetectable to her as long as you do not move or speak and she’ll leave. The pair of you wait it out another few seconds, glancing at each other expectantly, your fingers pushing his overgrown bangs off of his face.

“Now Narumi or I’m breaking the door again!”

You raise your brows in surprise, smirking. The man between your arms rolls his eyes, gradually peeling the blanket that is covering both of your (thankfully fully covered although if she’d shown up a few minutes later there’d be no guarantee) bodies back.

“Again? What have you been up to?”

He grumbles below his breath but you can’t quite make out what he’s saying while his bare feet touch the ground and he pads toward the door, flinging it open with the most unenthusiastic expression he can muster.

“Move.”

Kikoru shoves past him and spots you immediately, her blonde hair out of its usual style and flowing around her shoulders. She turns to him and motions for him to leave the room with her hand wordlessly.

“No. This is my room and this is my girlfriend and you can leave right now Shinomiya!”

She sticks her tongue out at him and you decide to sit up and make your way to the edge of the futon, rising fast enough to be captured into a hug. You laugh, hugging the younger woman back, glad to see her again although you could have waited until tomorrow.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were getting here today?” She whines while you immediately start braiding her hair as always despite the unavailability of anything to fasten your work with to make it stay.

“I figured you’d be asleep by the time I finally made it,” you shake your head, glancing over her shoulder toward your boyfriend whose frustration is practically an aura you can see radiating off of him.

“Besides, I gotta keep the Captain happy or else he’ll give you a really bad day tomorrow.”

The blonde scrunches her nose and lets go of you, stepping away. “Ew.”

You shrug. No need to elaborate further when she clearly gets it, arms folded over her chest. Her eyes dance between you and Gen, stopping to roll into the back of her skull.

Reaching to gently grab her shoulder, you smile in her direction, drawing one back from her. “We’ll go shopping tomorrow, okay?”

Now your offended boyfriend finally decides to voice his opinion, taking a few steps and situating himself between you and Kikoru, eyes wide. “No! Tomorrow we are going to that res—“

You shoot Gen a wide eyed glance and he immediately nods at you, picking up that you are trying to get her out of here. Placation isn’t exactly the kindest thing to do but you are tired and desperate for a few minutes of quiet time with the man you’ve given your heart to.

You will make good on your promise, you always do, but for now she needs to go. She looks at you over Gen’s shoulder with raised brows, arms tightly crossing her chest.

“Okay but if you bail on me I’m taking the door off and you’ll get no privacy at all, you got me?”

You salute, accepting the consequences if they are to come. Chances are he’ll be dragged off after training for other official JAKDF business and that will give you at least a few hours to be filled in on Kikoru’s latest crush or frustration that nobody gets her.

She turns on her heel and prepares to leave, glancing over her shoulder one final time. “Good night, import.”

You smile and wave her off, joining Narumi’s side to gently lean against him.

“Good night Kikoru, I’ll see you in the morning.”

Each step puts her further away and Gen mumbles under his breath, one arm wrapped around your waist and the other tucked into the pocket of his sweatpants. “What about me?”

“Don’t keep her too busy you gross asshole, we have a lot of catching up to do!” Shinomiya doesn’t bother turning around this time, only hollering over her shoulder with a flippant wave.

You shake your head and glance over at your beloved, the strongest man you’ve ever known, and rise to your tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

“Come on, you heard her. You better put in good work now while we still have time.”

Despite his annoyance, he chuckles down at you and slides that grip around your hip lower to cup your ass, taking a handful of cheek he has had to wait too long to feel again.

“Don’t forget who is in charge here,” he mutters, dipping his head to rest against your ear. You giggle and drag him toward the futon.

“Prove it.”

[zykamiliah]

So we know SQQ uses The Wives/The Women as a stand-in to talk around his attraction to Binghe, but another thing SQQ does is use the Original Shen Qingqiu as a way to talk around his own personality, (negative) emotions, and even self-esteem, either by contrasting himself against him, or by finding similarities. It makes a lot of sense, since he's inhabiting the body of the original, the person he needs to, to a certain point, imitate to survive.

From the very beginning, SQQ finds similarities between o!SQQ and him, and says he doesn't get why someone with reputation, good cultivation and the biggest sect backing him up would be so envious of other people's potential to the point of scheming against them. The Original Shen Qingqiu was not satisfied with the things he has and instead of idling his life away, like Shen Yuan in his previous life, he's digging his own grave.

When rummaging through the carriage interior, SQQ finds a lot of stuff that was frankly unnecessary to take on such a short trip, like "five or six different tea sets". And noting this, SQQ thinks,

No matter that in his past life he could have counted as a wealthy second-gen, he still hadn’t been this pointlessly indulgent in his pursuit of first-world affluenza, okay? (Chapter 1: Scum)

He's saying, "unlike him, i wasn't needlessly indulgent".

Another example is when he compares his own competency to that of O!SQQ. He does this a few times in the first volume.

The original Shen Qingqiu’s skill at facing down demons should have made this quest as easy as killing a chicken with a knife. Shamefully, the knife had failed to even hit the chicken. In seconds, Shen Qingqiu discovered something that made his mood even worse. (Chapter 2: Mission)

In other words, "unlike the original goods, I am so uncool right now". But the best thing about this part is that... it puts SQQ in a bad mood. I want to call attention to the fact that he feels shame for failing, for being being weak when he should be strong. Shame doesn't come out of nowhere.

Rereading this volume and noticing this few hints of his character and emotions really challenge the notion that SQQ/SY is just an easygoing person. There's a lot of mental gymnastics being performed so he doesn't have to confront his own emotions. If the unreliable narrator tells me he's easygoing, should I believe him? I am questioning everything he says until it's confirmed by his actions.

Now, going back to how he uses o!SQQ to talk about his own competency, and most important, how he feels about being competent, strong, etc.

Surrounded by the cheers of the sect’s disciples, Shen Qingqiu attained a complete victory in the first match.

At this moment, Shen Qingqiu realized why the original flavor had clung to being a poser like it was his lifeline—it was unbelievably satisfying. (Chapter 2: Mission)

Why is it so hard to say "being cool feels so so good"? Being admired, strong and capable is something he comes to enjoy, and I wonder about Shen Yuan, and what was his life like. Why does he have to use o!SQQ to open a sentence about why being "a poser" feels good. He won't say he himself is a bit of a poser, or that it feels good to be cool.

The original flavor pushed Luo Binghe onto the battlefield because he was shameless! He didn’t care about the sect’s reputation! He hated Luo Binghe to the bone, enough to want to vicariously torture him via the hands of demons!

The current Shen Qingqiu didn’t share any of those three motives! (Chapter 2: Mission)

SQQ is not shameless, in fact there's a lot of shame in him. He cares about the sect's reputation, even if he's been in PIDW for, what, a few months? And most of that time he spent it in a cave cultivating. I wonder why he latched himself to the sect so quickly? As if a part of him always wanted a place to belong to, be part of, play an important role, a place he could contribute to.

“Do you think that the burden of peak lord will be too heavy, Qingqiu?” asked Yue Qingyuan.

The original Shen Qingqiu would most likely have suspected that Yue Qingyuan was trying to undermine his authority or something of that sort. However, the current Shen Qingqiu knew that Yue Qingyuan was genuinely worried about him overworking himself and damaging his health(...) (Chapter 3: Favor Points)

He's saying: "unlike him, i don't misunderstand people", which is... clearly not the truth, but he doesn't know that. SQQ thinks he has a pretty good grasp about people's intentions and that he's good judge of character.

All that said, the quote that actually made me connect the dots about how SQQ invokes the original to talk around his own emotions is this one, when they're facing MBJ:

“Unusually inferior talent,” [Mobei-Jun] said. “Foundation and techniques inflexible. Leave.”

Shen Qingqiu said nothing.

He wasn’t some unmatched genius in the Human Realm, but his talent was still at least one in a thousand. And Cang Qiong Mountain’s foundation and techniques weren’t inflexible, they were orthodox! Mobei-Jun still described them as he would a pile of garbage. If the original Shen Qingqiu had heard this, he would have coughed up three liters of blood and run away crying to make a voodoo doll. (Chapter 4: Conference)

But wait, that first sentence kind of sounds familiar, doesn't it?

From early on, he’d known that even if he idled the rest of his life away, he’d never want for food. Perhaps due to this carefree upbringing, devoid of either competition or pressure, he came to believe that ranking in the top ten of a competition was good enough, so long as it had more than ten people. (Chapter 1: Scum)

He's saying "as long as I score among the best I don't have to be a top ranker". Like, if he's comparing himself to others, he won't feel bad because he's not at the bottom. He's average, and average is good, right? Like a "at least I passed the test, I don't need a top score" type of thinking. It feels like something he'd tell himself to feel better about his own performance.

The middle child, saying that as long as he has an average rank everything is fine? Hahaha. Yeah ok, Shen Yuan. (wtf are you hidinnnng)

But I want to draw your attention to this sentence

If the original Shen Qingqiu had heard this, he would have coughed up three liters of blood and run away crying to make a voodoo doll.

because it's so fascinating how SQQ is mentally incapable of admitting to himself that his pride has been hurt by MBJ's words. He feels insulted, and he channels that emotion by projecting his feelings on and picturing what the original would feel in that situation.

Oh, but zy, isn't this just SQQ's humorous running commentary on everything that happens to him? Maybe he's not really upset about what Mobei-Jun said about him having "unusually inferior talent".

Nope. He's really, really pissed off

Just as the sword array was about to come down like sheets of rain, Shen Qingqiu snarled within his heart.

I’ve done my best, but he still thinks I’m low-level trash, so what can I do?!

How loathsome! If I have to die, couldn’t it at least be in a better-looking way? After being stabbed with hundreds of black swords, I’m going to be a sieve! Who could bear to look?!

He SNARLED in his heart. MBJ didn't call him low-level trash, he did that himself. It pisses him off that he's going to die in such an uncool way that will leave him looking like an ugly bloody pulp.

Is this really a guy that doesn't care about his reputation or how he looks to others, that calls himself an "easygoing person"????

This is a guy that has had to repress every emotion related to his own pride and self-esteem. And this is something he was doing in his previous life. Again, what the fuck was going on with the Shen family?!

I don't think this is the way a man that is satisfied with his lot in life would think.

Shen Qingqiu was a man of few needs; he would have been satisfied just idling away to a ripe old age. In that way, it wouldn’t be that different from how his previous life had been going.

youre LIYING. I'm not going to trust anything you said about yourself EVER AGAIN. you were so satisfied to "idle your life away" you died from eating expired yogurt! you were clearly repressed and depressed and unhappy and pretending to be okay!

[talks-with-the-void]

Fluid kintypes - identity doesn't need to be static

I used to be a wolf, once. Not in a past-life sense, but in a therian sense - I was a wolf therian and then I wasn't. Sounds weird to you? I'm not surprised!

Something that I have repeatedly been told by other therians and otherkin is "you are what you are and if you find out you are something else - well, then you never were the first thing at all." Especially when I joined the community several years ago, I saw this statement everywhere. But let me tell you: it's not true. I had several different kintypes over the years (side note: we are plural and for the sake of this post I am simplifying some internal structure things. if you want the complicated details, feel free to ask! /gen), started as a wolf therian, then I was a cryptid, a dinosaur, a dragon and some kind of monster. Now I am Khhanivore (from Love, Death and Robots) and Mewtu (from Pokemon, Mewtu is the German spelling) - and a raptor kintype is coming back. (I am also a werewolf, but that's not a kintype, that's just Purely Me And My Whole Essence)

"Okay Istasha, but isn't that just questioning or maybe flickertypes?", you might ask. Fair point, but no.

I honestly never really questioned my kintypes - if I truly question something, it turns out to either be a hearttype or Nothing at All. As for kintypes, I just know - all of us just know what we are, it's like chilling and one day, suddenly, one of us is like "oh, I am a horse. alright, carry on" and that's it. Our kintypes stay with us for several months at least, theoretically they could stay forever but tend to change along the way - which brings me to the next point. They aren't flickertypes either. We only really get fictionflickers and sometimes animalflickers and those are extremely short and always tied to media we are currently consuming - they feel, technically, like kintypes to me. For example, if I watch a lot of Supernatural, I sometimes get an intense feeling of belonging there, of being a non-canon character, of being part of the story, etc. I am this non-canon character in that moment, I might even get pseudo-memories or shifts, but as soon as I don't engage with that show too much again, it instantly fades.

Our kintypes don't work like that. Take my re-emerging dinosaur kintype as an example. I was walking somewhere a few days ago and suddenly had a pahntom sensation in my legs and feet and in the same moment I knew "ah shit, new kintype". I gave it a day because maaayyybe it's nothing? But deep down I already knew what was going on, so I have an Utahraptor kintype now. I am this. I identify as this through and through and it feels like I've always been this way. But it wasn't - a week ago I wasn't a dinosaur and now I am. I did not choose it, I did not engage with any dinosaur media at all, it just happened.

My kintypes have always been changing and trust me when I say I had a complete identity crisis when my wolf kintype first went away. But over the years Ive learned to accepot it - my identy is not static, it never was and it never will be and that's okay!

It doesn't make my kintypes less important or less real and it also doesn't mean I never was a wolf. I was. And then I wasn't.

I honestly think it is so, so damaging to still have this "kintypes are static"-sentient floating around in the community, because that's simply not true for all of us. For me, it honestly even makes more sense this way. Our brain has always been unstable, I lacked a true identity for so long. We grew up with untreated BPD andf although the symptoms are 95% under my control now (read: it's in remission), our brain still has a ton of habits from that time, like clinging onto different things to try and form an identity, to try and fill the void where a person should be. And the fact that the void is filled now, that I finally am enough of a person to fill it, this habit never changed. Our brain still randomly grabs things and makes them one of us, leading to fluid kintypes.

Let me end this with saying: being wrong about a kintype is fine. Figuring out you are X instaed of Y and never were Y is fine. But it is also fine to be X today and Y tomorrow.

I think I've said this before but I'll say it again: we, as a community, need to take our identities less and more serious at the same time. Let's stop the gatekeeping and policing others, let's stop overanalyzing ourselves so much. Let's stop looking for rules and asking "is it possible to be this?" over and over again - because the answer is yes. There are literally no rules as to how, why and what you can be. In order to be otherkin you need to do exactly one thing: identify as The Thing in question. Nothing else. On the other hand, we need to kindly educate those who confuse identify as and identify with, we need to kindly educate young therians who "choose their theriotypes", we need to make sure we are not watered down to being "a fun thing you can do".

I sometimes feel like the focus and effort of this community is in good faith but in the wrong place - static kintypes is one of them.

There are no limits. Be who you are today and if you are something else tomorrow, be that then. <3

[theminecraftbee]

so a thing this fandom does that remains FASCINATING to me, as a function of the fact a lot of this fandom is people's first fandom or only current fandom, is just... assume a lot of things it does is a scourge that this fandom has invented or doesn't exist outside of it? or like, is uniquely bad here? and i won't deny that sometimes mcyt fandom is a bit more intense by virtue of numbers, but like...

duo names: confusing fandom-injokes to describe duos and groups tend to be an anime fandom thing specifically for many historical reasons, but they're not uncommon. hey quick--if you haven't been in KHR fandom, can you guess what 1827 is? no? i'll give you a hint: that's actually a ship name. or, ygo fans, tell me the difference between puppyshipping, prideshipping, violetshipping, and rivalshipping. my hint is that they're all kaiba ships and two of them are actually the same ship. good luck!

reducing characters to a specific trait: have you read fic in another fandom before? i would recommend you go do so and come back to me. my example here is "sasuke likes tomatoes", for the record.

common au fanon that's confusing to outsiders: my deep cut here is "when i got into certain tv fandoms i was baffled by the existence of sentinel/guide fics", which is a slightly older tv fandom thing so many of you probably don't know what i'm on about. but trust me: in certain fandoms it's ubiquitous and unless you've watched a completely different tv show you're gonna have to entirely pick it up from reading fic. oh hey, hybrid aus and watcher!grian, nice to see your relative here,

fanon being treated as canon: did you know there's this whole bnha character, naomasa, who is treated as canonically having a lie detector quirk? did you know that, best i can tell, that's not in canon anywhere, it just got echoed through fanon enough that everyone treated it as canon? 'fanon trait becomes so ubiquitous everyone assumes it has to be there' is not a new thing. also, batfamily fans, i have been lead to understand the tim and coffee thing is also this.

characters being treated badly to make a different dynamic look better: the fact we have the term 'character bashing' tells you all you need to know, here. if anything my one complaint on this front isn't even that it's happening--it's that i wish bashing and/or "not [character] friendly" was tagged a little more frequently, haha.

characters being reduced to their family dynamics: tale as old as time. "even the family dynamic thing" yes even that. just because this fandom tended to be particularly ship-adverse in the past didn't mean it didn't do basically the same behaviors as any fandom with shipping did with those dynamics, just gen. and other gen fandoms also do that. yes, down to the "and shipping reduces them to a ship, unlike my gen dynamic, which is very in-character; why can't people just be friends?" thing. some of you have to have been marvel fans right.

characters being reduced to their ships: some of you have to have been marvel fans right.

The Discourse: yeah this is an "actively running show" fandom thing, but also a hiatus fandom thing. ask a homestuck about vriskourse sometime. as much as i hate to say it, it probably made doomsday discourse look cute.

and those are just like... some things i've seen people complain about on my dash recently. idk it just hit me there are probably fans in mcyt fandoms who are assuming that some things (like hybrid aus or duo names) are the kind of things that only happen here, so i thought i'd offer some examples of other places they happen! i also have even more examples if you'd like.

to be clear: this isn't shaming anyone for complaining about any of these things. lord knows i go complain to my friends about it all the time, just the other day i was complaining in the category of 'they keep bashing my guy'. it's more of just... a gentle reminder that maybe we're big, maybe we're loud, maybe we have problems... but these problems aren't always unique.

so uh. we're all suffering together i guess...?

[hey-hey-j]

I'm just going to copy-paste my previous post: designing next gens less because I actually think these two characters should have kids but because I live and breathe for Making Up Little Guys

(bonus little design breakdowns and notes below the cut)

Rosaline (Floyd/Hickory)

- yes, she's named after grandma Rosiepuff

- I actually don't have that much to say about her pfgfggg her design came together really easily, the only bit I struggled with was her hair but that was mostly trying to get the right balance between Floyd's pink and Hickory's orange

- her name comes from her color palette: I pictured a Flickory kid with pink hair and green skin and immediately decided their name should be a variation of "Rose." It's thematic!

Fresca (Viva/John Dory)

- okay, I have a LOT to say about this one, starting with her name: I wanted something similar to Viva ("alive") but with the same goofiness as John Dory (man's a fish) and I eventually settled on Fresca ("fresh") (I'm a native Spanish speaker I know what I'm doing sshhhhh)

- I originally pictured her with blue skin for this reason—I thought making her blue would evoke the "fresh" imagery I was going for. But then I decided to make her purple instead and that imagery got kinda lost oops.

- I'm actually not completely satisfied with her color palette to be honest. I think I messed up making her so purple—giving her blonde hair made her look like Milton (lmao) and giving her a pink/blue gradient made her look too much like a Broppy kid for my liking. The current pink/yellow with hints of orange looks nice enough but I think if I did a design overhaul I would try making her a little more blue. As it stands there's not much in her palette that really indicates JD to me.

- I very briefly attempted to give her JD's green hair but that looked atrocious so I trashed that idea pretty quickly lmao

and if you've made it this far, congratulations! You get my links:

(★ my Ko-fi) | (★ commission info)

[hyuuukais]

-`♡´ - APARTMENT 143

pairing -> lee minho x fem reader

synopsis -> after a bad breakup, y/n needs to find a new place to live. although she's grateful for her best friend, up-and-coming model hwang hyunjin, for letting her stay at his, she can't keep living with him and his model roommates. so when an opening for somewhere nearby with cheap rent opens up, she jumps on it, despite knowing next to nothing about the 3 other tenants, only that one owns 3 cats. the three quickly learn of her breakup, determined to help get her back on her feet. but what happens when one of them begins to develop feelings?

warnings -> gen, mention of cheating, yn lowkey overthinking

MASTERLIST | PREVIOUS | NEXT

CHAPTER NINE -> IS THIS A DATE? (partially written! wc:1.2k)

There's a knock at your door followed by silence while you internally debate whether or not you should open it, or if you should pretend you aren't home. As far as you know, no one saw you come in, just heard you. The atmosphere was suffocating, heavy. This had to be your fault. You shouldn't have pressed, you shouldn't have-

"Y/n?" Minho's voice comes from behind the wooden barrier. "I know you're in there."

"Sorry, Y/n isn't available! Only her twin sister who did nothing wrong and totally isn't stressing!"

No response.

With a sigh, you get up to open your door, Doongie running off your bed and back into your closet. You open the door, but your eyes are glued to the floor, unable to face the man in front of you. The door is only open a crack, just enough for him to see your face, and you, his. His arms are crossed, body tense.

"Have you seen Soonie, Doongie, or Dori?" Minho asks curtly.

"Um, yeah, Doongie is in my closet-"

"What?" Minho tries to push past your door, but you're able to keep it mostly closed. Your room was currently a mess, no doubt a reflection of your mind the past few weeks. "Why is he in your closet?"

With a light shove, he makes his way in and moves quickly toward your closet opposite your bed. You watch as he slides the curtain away, your lack of a closet door making you shrink a bit into yourself. To be fair, it was like that when you moved in, so obviously the boys knew about it already. Still, you couldn't help feeling a tinge of embarrassment, not to mention the fact most of the content in there is strewn across your floor.

A small meow is heard from behind the curtain, Minho's arm outstretched. His shoulders seem to be a little more relaxed as he stands back to his full height, finally taking in your room with a low whistle. Now you cross your arms.

"If you're going to judge, you can leave," you huff, but then remember the reason he's probably upset in the first place. Your face flushes. "Oh, and I wanted to say I'm really, really sorry."

"For...?"

"You know what for!" You move to the edge of your bed, playing with the corner of a blanket on the verge of falling off. "In the group chat, I shouldn't have pried. Obviously you don't owe telling me anything, which I know you know, but still. I guess I was just shocked? Surprised? Whatever? That's totally messed up by the way, having a secret husband. I mean, who does that? Seriously, who does that?"

"My ex, apparently." Minho sits at the end of your bed, grabbing the blanket as it falls to the ground.

Gently, he folds it up and replaces it at the end he's sitting on, getting up and doing the same to another half under your bedframe.

"Well, your ex needs to learn what commitment is then." He grabs the half empty laundry basket from under you windowsill. "Mine too."

"Do you know if he cheated on you before?" Minho asks, picking up a few shirts abandoned next to the basket.

"I- he-" You stutter, bringing your knees up to your chin as you lean back against the headboard. "He loved me."

"That doesn't answer the question." He puts the basket down, grabbing a small pile of clothing from beside your bed on the opposite side you sit on.

"Don't tell anyone," you whisper, ashamed. "Once, but it was right at the beginning of our relationship and I don't think we were even technically official yet since he seemed so unbothered when I walked in on them together. After that I had a conversation with him about what we were to each other, and he hasn't cheated since. I mean, he has now, but not counting that."

The laundry basket is full, Minho placing it outside of your door. Next on his list are dishes, beginning to make a stack of plates and mugs on the dresser by your door. There aren't many, but enough to be a problem. Enough to be overwhelming.

"Back to the point, I never should have asked about anything." You rub a hand down your face. "I was being stupid."

"No, you were curious," Minho says. "But you're right in thinking you shouldn't have asked."

"I'm sorry."

"Are you going to apologize as much as you thanked me?" He tosses a missed sock at you, hitting you in the knee.

"S-" You freeze, making eye contact with him as he places the last mug aside. "Forget what I was about to say."

A small smile tugs on his mouth as he leaves your room. He's back in record time with a broom and dustpan in his hands. It's only now that you realize what he's been doing for you and you jump up, grabbing his wrist to halt his sweeping.

"Stop! You don't need to clean for me, I can do it myself." You attempt to take the broom, but he switches it to the other hand. "Please. Why are you doing this?"

"Because once this place is a little more cleaned up, you are going to help me find my cats." Minho finishes sweeping the little pile of dirt and dust.

"So this was for a favour?" You ask. "I would have helped you anyway. But what do you mean by 'find my cats'? Are they missing? What happened? How would they get out?"

"You tell me," he says, placing the broom against the wall by your door and heading out. You follow him to the back door, slipping on some sandals before walking out to the balcony. "The door was left open, so I have to assume they went out this way. Ah, I'm going to kill Han."

"Han? Don't kill Han. Why would you kill Han?"

"He left the door open," Minho starts up the staircase leading up to the roof.

The way the roof access was connected to your balcony confused you, but you assumed it came with the apartment. You'd only been up there once since moving in to water some plants at Han's request since he'd been gone all day and hadn't gotten the chance. A light breeze hit your face as you stepped onto the roof, scanning for any sign of cats.

"There!" You jog across the roof to the small garden where Dori sits amongst tomatoes. "Come here you."

Dori stretches out, emerging from the plants to headbutt the hand you stick out. He rubs against your crouched knees purring up a storm, stepping up half onto your leg to ask for pats. You giggle, rubbing his soft cheeks and watching as he lifts his head up, giving him some chin rubs before picking him up.

When you turn, you see Minho with Soonie cradled in his arms like a baby. He's not facing you completely, but you can see him pointing a finger at Soonie and scolding the cat for scaring him like that. Soonie nudges his finger, giving a small lick. Minho shakes his head smiling, taking a small treat from his back pocket. Your heart stutters, a warm feeling blossoming in your chest as you watch.

notes -> so soobin, huh?

taglist -> @chaeryred @toplinelix @channie-143 @puppyminnnie @tfshouldidohere @kangaracha @chlodavids @whitney190 @thisisnotjacinta @borahae-reads @brooklynie @gini143 @kayleigh-28 @skz-streamer @babyphotos0325 @scallywag1299 @venusmoonxnight @naomisosoup @fertiliezedtoesw @s00buwu @realrintaro @anothershorthuman @skzstaykatsy @ilovejeongin007 @btswestan @taeriffic @ihrtlix @raehawthorne @euphoric-univers @hyperpixie @evermourning @satsuri3su @jazziwritesthings @minhwa @wyzminho @fic-for-readers @dreamerwasfound @imsiriuslyreal @lailac13 @palindrome969 @lixie-phoria @aalexyuuuhm @sunflowerbebe07 @st4rhwa @lukeys-giggle @jabmastersupriseee

^^^ orange means i can't tag you

[grapefives]

STARRY EYED | HC

senku x gn!reader

astronomy + friends to lovers + reader is a good drawer + light fluff + author knows jack about astronomy + two nerds in a room they might…

he finds you wide awake, staring at the sky.

even more amusing; you have a journal and pencil in your hands, soft mumbles of spoken thoughts emitting from you.

“night watching to a whole different level, hm?” senku finds himself teasing as he climbs up to the roof to join you.

he’s rarely ever talked to you really, probably only to bark out orders and explain in full, head spinning directions.

“i guess,” you say awkwardly as you close your journal, a but shy now that someone is up here with you.

senku eyes the journal before eyeing you. he won’t press. instead he turns to look at the sky.

“what do you see?” he asks.

“the moon,” you say bitterly.

he snorts, “aside from it.”

your ears turn read but your face remains dull, “and stars.”

“hmmm,” he looks at the sky once more.

you find the courage to ask him, “and you?”

and as expected, he starts to list off all the things he sees. planets, the names of each star he assumes has exploded into nothingness while they were stuck in stone and a bunch of things you wished you comprehended.

“wow,” you mumble. “makes me wish i actually learned back then”.

“this is just basic knowledge,” senku says blandly.

he sees you frown. he feels a tad bad now.

“i can teach you if you want, there’s still lots i need to relearn since things aren’t the way they were anymore.”

“you sure?” you ask, looking at him with a tiny hint of excitement.

an excitement he knows very well, and as soon as the thought of how cute you looked like that, is just as soon as he suppresses it.

“you sleepy?” he asks, unsure how you’re currently feeling.

“nope, why do you think i’m out here?”

senku feels a smile crawl up his face, but his lips only twitch. “come on, let’s go.”

and he takes you to the observatory, the place you’ve been far too hesitant to ask permission to enter in.

and senku was a lot gentle with his explaining and ranting. above everything, he first made sure you were comfortable with jotting things down and asking random questions that were needed for your knowledge.

seeing you grin at your own discoveries and having someone to fawn over space with made senku feel quite warm.

observing and analyzing space became a thing between you too.

anything else went with chrome and gen and taiju. or anyone else really.

but he found himself enjoying having you for that specifically.

and when he saw how much you enjoyed it as well, his feelings started to shift.

late night talks. late night peace.

it was almost…. intimate. almost like, if anyone else came in, they’d disrupt the vibe and he’d probably feel irritated.

“and that’s it, i’m beat,” you huff happily but filled with exhaustion.

senku grabs your journal, which is already on its last remaining pages, and flips through it. he knew you weren’t guarding it as much anymore.

and he felt more comfortable to grab it now that he learned how easily you dropped your guard around him during these moments.

“nice,” he smiles, proud at how much and how fast you learned.

“off i go,” you say casually, leaving the journal in his hands. “put it in my bag when you’re done.”

“no,” he says with a puff, dropping the journal on the table.

you roll your eyes, smiling at him. “give,” you extend your hand and he stares at it, almost tempted to try pulling you into his embrace.

instead, he puts the journal in your hand like asked.

he watched you intently, finding himself fawning over how cute you look tired.

“good night,” he says as you walk past him to head out.

“night,” you say as you ruffle his hair, making him huff and slap your hand away.

your laugh rings in his ears. and when he feels himself blush, he grows in subtle horror at the realization of what his feelings for you are becoming.

it remains something to himself, locked deep down as the days pass by.

however he soon finds himself unable to fully focus, constantly glancing over at you.

he’s subtle of course, not risking anything.

but darn is it hard to suppress his feelings when you suddenly start to get touchy.

a pat in the shoulder shouldn’t be making him so flustered.

a simple praise shouldn’t make him yearn for something more.

you smiling at taiju a lot more shouldn’t make him jealous.

“i think i’m interested in you,” he blurts out calmly in the depth of the silent room the two of you are once again in.

your pencil stops moving and you visibly tense. your mind falls blank, unable to process the idea you once had to senku’s confession.

it floods your senses.

“what?” you ask, so soft in the room but so loud in both his ears and yours.

“you heard me,” he says, feeling anxious.

you force yourself to look at him, eyes slightly wide. “you… like me? are you sure?” it’s laced with fear and yearn

“i’m sure. why else would i say it?” he says, hoping he doesn’t show his nervousness. but he’s always been good at hiding it.

“you said think though.” you find yourself tease, the nerves giving you some adrenaline and confidence.

“y/n,” he says soft but sternly.

you find yourself grinning, “i think i’m interested in you too.”

but it remains like that. confessions in the air, because the two of you were far too nervous to ask the question.

that is, until gen figures it out and tells senku to stop playing dumb.

so once more, the two of you are in the quiet room. but after the confessions, the two of you had grown a bit… distant.

“i’m not avoiding you,” he finds himself blurting it out again

“mm?” you look up at him, quickly looking away.

“why aren’t we dating?”

you blink. then you laugh, “the simple question hasn’t been thrown. by neither of us.”

“then-“ he takes a deep breath, “let’s date.”

you find yourself frowning. but…. “how romantic,” you tease.

“take it or leave it.”

with another laugh, you take it.

[ohwhataniight]

(Belated) Calm - @calaisreno

I've been craving to participate in the May Prompts thing but life has been absolutely hectic, so I decided to choose one prompt and write something instead of attempting to fill them everyday. Hope that's okay. I'm so grateful for everyone who has been gifting their gems to this beautiful fandom. The past week has been incredible, reading all your stunning works!

Calm - Andante, andante

It finally happens on their holiday. John has practically dragged Sherlock to the seaside with a plan to supervise his sleep schedule and meal intake, uninterrupted from cases or landladies for a long weekend. John had expected Sherlock to spend the biggest part of their trip sulking, but instead he spends the first day running around Rosie who’s learning to walk and keeps stumbling on the unforgiving sand. So far he has airplane-fed her three meals in a way that makes the process looks deceivingly effortless, and he has even kneeled by her side barefoot, in his white linen shirt end rolled-up trousers, and built ornate sand castles for her - he has even let her indulge in the scandalous pleasure of sitting flat on her diapered bum on them right after he’s finished, shrieking while reducing his elaborate creations into ruins. Hell, he even smiled and clapped throughout.

John has watched the two of them fondly through the day and interrupted them only for sunscreen and hydration breaks which, if he’s entirely honest with himself, proved to be entirely unnecessary. Sherlock is a diligent caretaker, and John’s cheeks are starting to hurt from all that smiling he can’t help but allow on his face.

It’s currently dark and they’re walking on the beach side by side, their feet leaving four parallel lines of marks on the sand. Rosie is sleeping soundly in her baby carrier that’s strapped on Sherlock’s chest, and John can’t help but feel just a tiny bit jealous of his daughter, rested peacefully like that in Sherlock’s arms, probably calmed by the sound of his heartbeat. The beach is empty aside from a group of Gen-Zers sitting far away around a bonfire, their laughter and songs distant and mingling with the music coming muffled from the hotel across the street. He recognizes some tacky ballads and an alarming amount of ABBA songs, but he doesn’t really mind. The soft, salty breeze is caressing their cheeks and the stars are shining brightly on the velvet blanket of the sky that is draped above them, the horizon too dark to be able to tell it apart from the sea.

John remembers a moment from years ago, when they had been in the middle of a case and Sherlock had casually commented on the beauty of the starlight as they were walking alongside each other in the grimy alleys of London. He can’t really fathom how they have arrived to this point, walking silently on the sand, electricity hovering between them, after everything they’ve been through, both together and apart. He recalls the moments that have filled their day, the meals they’ve shared, the peekaboos they’ve entertained Rosie with, the goofiness and the attention and the care. He recalls the angles of Sherlock’s pale body as he walked into the glistening sea, the litheness of his limbs, the wet locks of dark hair plastered on his head, dripping water on his freckled clavicles.

“If she’s getting too heavy for you you can hand her to me, y’know,” he says in a lowered voice, breaking the silence that was buzzing loudly in his ears.

“Nonsense,” Sherlock whispers with a grimace that’s illuminated by the pale moonlight that bathes his face from a flattering angle. “She’ll wake up if we move her, and we all know how hard it was to get her to sleep”.

John chuckles softly. “After seeing you lulling her to sleep with Despacito of all things, knowing that it’s her favourite song, I feel the urge to apologize for all the times I’ve called you a heartless git.”

“If you look in the past without the rose-tinted glasses that have clouded your vision today, John, I’ve been a heartless git.”

John stops walking, and Sherlock does too after a couple of steps, turning around and facing him. “Not anymore.”

“No,” a hint of a smile appears on the detective’s face. “Not anymore.”

Before being able to fully realize what he’s doing and stop himself from doing it, John has extended his hand and pull Sherlock’s bigger one into it. Sherlock suddenly looks breathless, flustered, and John takes the liberty of tentatively carressing the back of Sherlock’s hand, the heel, the knuckles with his thumb. “Thank you,” he mouths, himself surprised by how much he’s feeling. “For behaving. For taking care of Rosie. For... for everything.”

“Of course, John.” Sherlock squeezes his hand, then shifts their entangled fingers so that his index and middle finger are resting on John’s wrist. John feels his muscles tensing at the invasiveness - and the cliche nature - of the gesture, but then again, wasn’t it himself who took Sherlock’s hand into his own, who softly caressed the sun-kissed skin?

“Don’t,” he murmurs.

“Why?” Sherlock whispers back. Rosie is snoring softly, still rested against his chest, and John is feeling as if there is no one in the world other than them, nothing exists but their warm breaths intermingling, the calm rise and fall of the daughter-shaped bundle between them, and the flickering of falling stars above their heads.

“Because you don’t need to,” John exhales.

He can’t recall who leans in first, but their first kiss tastes of salt and the fruity rum-based cocktail they shared earlier at the beach bar, sipping with pink straws from inside a pineapple. He can finally taste Sherlock, and the sensation takes over his whole body, making his knees buckle. They soon break the kiss, breathless, given that the sleeping bundle of Rosie is standing between them. Still, everything about it feels chaste. John throws his arms around the two people he loves the most in his life, holding them close, never willing to let them go, feeling the symphony of heartbeats vibrate through their bodies. He presses his lips softly on his daughter’s forehead and Rosie shifts, only to immediately drift back to sleep, curled up in their embrace.

[starrylothcat]

I love your writing!

Could you maybe possibly do 15. “Did someone get turned on by that~?” with Echo? If you have time? <3

He seems like he'd be fun in the sack :P

Aw, thank you lovely! ECHO MY DARLING! I've been wanting to write more Echo so thank you! Hope you enjoy. 😏👉👈 Pairing: Echo x Gen!Reader

Word Count: 1100 Warnings: NSFW, 18+. Blowjob, Echo being a little self-conscious, reader not described. Post-Skako Minor Echo in TBB.

Spicy Prompts

Being in a relationship while on the run was difficult, but finding time alone while on a cramped ship with four other people made it even more difficult. Finally, finally you and Echo had The Marauder to yourselves, the most time you’ve had alone since you started becoming…intimate. You both weren’t sure what you were yet, but what started as lingering glances and soft words became gentle stolen kisses and roaming fingers at every chance you could be alone. You were currently on Echo’s lap on his bunk, and what began as a sweet kiss was now feverish, swallowing one another’s quiet sighs as your hands roamed up under his shirt, feeling his warm muscles flex with your touch.

Echo’s fingers were wrapped in your hair, focusing intently on bringing you as close as possible to him. His other arm was around your back, careful not to poke you with his scomp.

Your dampening arousal was rubbing against the bulge growing in his pants, becoming hard to ignore for much longer.

Echo desperately wanted you, wanted to take care of you to the fullest extent, but a nagging anxiety in the back of his mind has been holding him back.

He found it hard to believe that you, someone so exquisite and wonderful and perfect, would want someone as imperfect as him.

Echo was worried his cybernetics would be too uncomfortable, too cold, too cumbersome.

That hasn’t stopped you yet, and you’ve told him dozens of times you aren’t bothered, that he was absolutely perfect, but Echo still struggled. You broke the kiss to catch your breath, both your lips swollen and glossy from saliva.

“I want to see you…” You muttered, gazing at him with half-lidded eyes, the want for him burning in your belly. “All of you.” “Are you sure…?” Echo whispered, your lips trailing down the side of his strong jaw to his neck.

You haven't taken your relationship past impassioned kissing and rutting against one another, but tonight you had the time to go further if you desired.

You hummed, nodding as you kissed down his neck. “Only if you want, though.” You nibbled right below his ear, and Echo’s response was immediate.

His hips bucked up against yours, a whine leaving his lips. You were surprised by his reaction, pulling away to look at him. Echo's eyes were wide, and he looked sheepish.

“Did someone get turned on by that?” You smiled, repeating your action at the same spot, excited by his reaction.

“I…” Echo’s words were lost in his throat as he whined again, feeling you gently suck at the sensitive area on his neck, his cock now straining between your legs.

You wiggled your hips, the delicious friction sending sparks up your spine as he let out another quiet gasp. 

You trailed your mouth down, leaving kitten licks and nibbles as you went. Echo was clutching the back of your shirt, his breath coming out in huffs.

“We’ll go as far as you're comfortable…” You looked into his eyes that were now blown wide with desire. Echo knew you wanted more, and was thankful you were willing to take things slow.

The way you were handling him tonight, though, he felt more emboldened. Heat licked in his nerves at the way your mouth felt on him. He wanted, no, needed to feel your mouth elsewhere.

“You can keep going.” He grunted, watching you intently as your hand trailed between your torsos, down to the waistband of his blacks.

“Can I…?” You asked, watching his face for any signs of doubt. Echo swallowed thickly and nodded. “Yes.” 

You palmed over his crotch, Echo’s head falling into your neck as he emitted a deep groan. “You like that?” You whispered, rubbing his cock through the material, a wet spot forming as you handled him. “Keep going, mesh’la.”

You tugged gently at his waistband, and he made no effort to stop you. He lifted his hips to help you pull down his blacks enough to free his cock, red and swollen, dripping and aching for relief. You took in the sight of it, hungry to taste him. "You don't have to if you don't want to-" Echo started, seeing you staring, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

You gently ran your fingertips over his velvety head, and Echo let out a sound so lewd you almost came yourself, spreading his desire over his cock.

 "You're beautiful, Echo." You muttered sweetly, seeing the flash of worry on his face disappear as you ghosted your fingers down his thick shaft.

“What do you want me to do?” You asked quietly, still caressing his cock.

“Can you-can you use your mouth?” Echo almost felt embarrassed for asking, but quickly forgot as you eagerly left his lap and kneeled between his legs.

You looked up at him, smiling. Echo felt some relief in his chest, knowing his doubts from before were silly, now his only desire was to see your mouth around his cock. 

You gently licked up his shaft, relishing in how he tasted, wanting nothing more than to please him. You gave his cock the same attention you did his neck, soft kisses and nips up and down his length. Echo instinctually bucked his hips, his one hand coming to grasp the back of your head. “K-Kriff…mesh’la…” He groaned, his eyes flying open at the sensation. You smiled to yourself, taking his sensitive tip between your lips and suckling as you stroked his shaft.

“I’m not going to-” Echo stuttered, your mouth warm on his cock, his ecstasy building. You took him in your mouth as far as you could, not able to fit him completely. Echo’s delicious sounds were louder as you bobbed your head, swirling your tongue and letting out your own moans as you hollowed out your cheeks. 

Your free hand was rubbing and squeezing his thigh right above where his cybernetics started, feeling his muscles spasm as pleasure flooded his senses. “I’m going to-where do you want me to…?” Echo’s voice was hoarse, desperate as he looked down at you. You didn’t stop your pace or release his cock, giving him your answer. You squeezed his length, taking his cock as far as you could in your mouth. With a few more bobs of your head, Echo gripped the back of your skull, careful not to hurt you as he came, spurting his hot release down your throat, your name a long, deep moan as you eagerly sucked him dry. You release him with a pop, looking up at him from between his legs. Echo’s face was flushed and sweaty, his eyes wide. It was a wonderful sight. “How was that…?” You asked, rising from your knees as Echo pulled up his pants. Echo cradled your head with his hands and kissed you deeply, tasting himself on your tongue. “Incredible. Thank you.” Echo muttered against your lips. “May I repay you, mesh’la?” His voice dropped, his tone laced with a new confidence, something he hasn't felt since his ARC Trooper days. Yes." You breathed as Echo carefully laid you down on his bunk. He was at your neck now, hotly licking and sucking, carefully tracing his scomp down your body and between your legs, rubbing gently at your arousal.

You keened, whimpering and arching against him, his boldness growing at your reactions.

"Did someone get turned on by that?" Echo repeated your words from earlier, his seductive question gravely in your ear as his scomp continued to press into you.

“Good thing we have all night to find out…“

Taglist: @maybethatfanfictionwriter @secretthegriffin @secondaryrealm @sinfulsalutations @anxiouspineapple99 @idontgetanysleep @wanderer-six @blueink-bluesoul @the-cantina @king-chaos-world @wolffegirlsunite @523rdrebel @dukeoftheblackstar @sleepingsun501 @starqueensthings @pb-jellybeans

Dividers by @idontgetanysleep

[anundyingfidelity]

RED LEDGER — Soldier Boy/Ben (Chapter II)

Summary: As a former FBSA analyst, you find yourself fighting against supes in a morally gray manner. Knowing there’s not much to do thanks to Hughie’s revelations about your current director and your hidden feelings for him, you agree to help his team despite your lack of special abilities. Just like Butcher and his boys, your family has been hurted badly by Vought and its superhuman puppets. But the one you hate the most is perhaps the worst nightmare you could ever ask to face every damn day: Soldier Boy in the flesh.

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x female reader.

Word count: 3.6k.

Genre: slow burn, angst, some hurt/comfort and romance in the end.

Warnings: Soldier Boy hurting reader intentionally and unintentionally, some misogyny, suggestive and sexual themes, mentions of a dead older brother, mentions of drugs and alcohol usage, usual language, canon violence, wounds, blood, some OOC!Soldier Boy, reader is a badass, unrequited love (Hughie x reader).

Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III

GEN MASTERLIST!

If you’d like to be added, the taglist is here!

☕ if you like my writing, support me with a ko-fi !

Hughie put up a smile as you entered his room, lunch in your hands as you set up the tray on the nightstand by his bed.

“You okay?” you asked softly, sitting down by the edge of the mattress.

“Yeah, yeah. I couldn’t be better,” he said, zapping the channels on the small TV. “Without you or Annie I’d be lost right now.”

Hughie laughed it off, shifting against the pillows on his back. But there was a tight knot on your throat, despite the chuckle you let out because that’s how Hughie was and you liked him for it. Some months ago, you realized it wasn’t just a simple way of liking him. It was much more, but you were used to hiding it. And it was getting harder. You knew he loved Annie, and you were just a friend, but you couldn’t let your feelings step out when he almost died before your eyes.

“How you doing by the way?” he asked, waking you up from your thoughts.

You started to place the tray on his lap, adjusting it so he shouldn’t hurt himself until it was a made-up table on the mattress.

“Uhm, I’m better now. I just have to bear that stupid motherfucker, but besides that I think my wound is doing fine,” you stated.

His eyes shifted from the tray to you, noticing how you seemed different in just some seconds.

“Hey, I’m fine,” Hughie assured you, and your eyes connected with his own for the first time in the past few days. “Really, I am better now.”

You let out something between a sigh and a scoff. “I just hate to see you like this. It wasn’t your fault, it was all because of… You know.”

“Y/N, I’m healing, okay? Slowly, but I’m here. You’ve been a great help for me all this time. He’s a gross idiot, I get it, but don’t let this hurt you more. I’m doing fine,” Hughie said with that soft look in his eyes that reminded you that he wasn’t yours. He took one of your hands softly and you went cold for a second. “You’re my best friend, so thank you.”

You nodded and smiled, partially because of the words he used and then because you knew it was the best your relationship could get. It was time to get over it, you thought.

“Of course. I’ll always be here for you.”

“Oh great, Y/N,” Butcher called you once you were out of Hughie’s room. You approached the team sitting on the living and the dining table, everyone but Annie and Kimiko was there since they were in charge of doing grocery shopping for the next few days. “We’re leaving tomorrow,” Butcher announced to you. “Get ready.”

Taken aback, you furrowed your brows standing by Butcher’s side. “What?”

“The next lab. We’re ready to attack.”

“I know it, isn’t it too soon? Hughie’s not even okay to walk by himself,” you tried to reason with the stubborn leader you had.

“He’s not coming, darling” he explained, holding your gaze and dragging the last word much to your annoyance and you were ready to argue.

You scoffed, looking away and directing your eyes to the one’s sitting down before going back to Butcher.

“You’re not gonna let Annie stay here for a whole night to take care of her boyfriend, are you? We need her too, she’s been cutting off the power of most labs we’ve taken,” you snapped, crossing your arms on your chest.

Butcher barely opened his mouth when the unpleasant voice of Soldier Boy interrupted with a stern voice and a straight gaze toward you. “You’re the one who should stay.”

“No.”

“Think about it, she’s the weakest of all of us,” Ben’s eyes were now on Butcher before turning back to you. “Besides, you’re still healing.”

“That’s still your fault, jerk!”

“Y/N, stop,”  MM spoke firmly for the first time you joined. “I don’t like him better than you do, but if someone else must stay, then you should. Just rest.”

A silence fell upon everyone. You looked for Frenchie’s support with your eyes, but he turned away; you knew he had no opinion on this, even if you found the new lab together. Your work was done, or half done already. But you had the need to do something for the team because that’s why Hughie brought you in. And again, Soldier Boy was screwing your plans. You desperately searched for some back up words on Butcher with your gaze to keep you on the mission, but the only thing you got was a shrug gesture coming from him and that sly half-smile on his face.

“Sorry, you’re staying then.”

It couldn’t fucking be.

The rest of the afternoon was no better. Under the constant disapprobation of your own mind, you found yourself not in the mood of speaking or participating in the recap of the plan. Either way, you were left out and probably it was the best. Annie kept thanking you during dinner for taking care of Hughie when she couldn’t. And you should be happy to help, but inside you felt guilty for thinking he would ever reciprocate the same feelings to you when it was clear that was not possible in any way.

You offered to wash the plates and clean the kitchen instead so Annie could check on her boyfriend, and because you didn’t want to be near anyone. Some of them were already locked down inside their rooms, Butcher had to go out before going to bed, and you just found some peace and alone time cleaning the countertop. It was easier to keep your own thoughts and personal suffering to yourself like this.

Soldier Boy didn’t make it any less complicated. His mere presence and the way he had called you weak in front of everybody had you on your nerves. The worst thing was - you couldn’t really confront him again. For the sake of the stupid team. And while you finished drying the last plate, you just wished the day where he’d be sleeping again would be near.

“Still here?” Ben asked, strolling in the kitchen while looking for a glass of water.

His voice made you jump lightly, but you managed to keep yourself relatively calm after giving a long sigh. With a quick glance, you noticed he was wearing more comfy clothes.

“Go to sleep, grandpa.”

He chuckled against the glass, the distance between him and you now being too short for your own taste. “I’ve been sleeping enough. What about you? You should be seeing the boy.”

You rolled your eyes with exasperation, dropping the cloth you were using by the sink. “Are you done with me?”

Ben raised a hand in surrender. You knew better he was just making fun of you, and you had to swallow all your temper building up inside while locking his eyes with yours.

“Just saying, doll,” he said with a big smile and you looked away, rolling your eyes exhaustively. “You spend your whole day inside that room with that pussy, does Starlight know you’re fucking? Or maybe you should look for a real man to please you,” he mocked. “I’ll be here when you make up your mind.”

His last words hit you hard for some reason and you could even picture the filthy smirk on his face. First, because you were trying to restrain your own feelings towards Hughie. And second, you wouldn’t be able to hurt him, Annie or, most important, yourself. The way you cared about him certainly didn’t slip past anyone, and you cursed in your mind that Soldier Boy, looking like the clueless and stupid asshole he was, even noticed your close relationship with Hughie. Until now, you couldn’t comprehend how he would talk to you as if nothing happened and still hint that you had something to do with him, right under Annie’s nose and try to get you to his bed at the same time. The worst part of it all was that he obviously knew he was stupidly attractive, but you were too arrogant to admit it.

Tired, you were ready to leave for the evening to end the stupid game he’d put you in if you gave in to his advances.

“Good night, Soldier Boy.”

“Wait. I have a question for you,” he said before you could turn around and walk away. You stood there, raising your eyebrows and waiting for him to say something that probably would not be worth hearing. “Why do you hate me so damn much? I mean, besides that.”

You let out an incredulous laugh under your breath. “How can you ask me that kind of stuff? You really don’t care about anything, do you?” He was about to reply but you quickly talked first. “Don’t answer that. Let’s say I’m so fucking disappointed.”

“Well, I’d like to fucking know either way,” Ben stated, leaving the empty glass on the sink. “I ain’t reading your mind, I don’t have that power.”

“Shall we make a recount? I mean, besides almost killing me and Hughie during our last mission, then treating me like I’m nothing, and adding the way you hint that I’m into a guy who clearly has a girlfriend that could fry my bones just because, according to you, I need to get laid… Yeah, I don’t see any other good reason to hate you,” you said, with a stern look and sarcasm all over your voice.

There was a small moment of quietness. Ben held your gaze, narrowing his green eyes and looking at you without a flinch before he talked again with the same rigid tone you had used on him.

“But there’s something else,” he pointed at you with curious eyes.

A frustrated sigh escaped your lips. “You really wanna know? For what? It’s over, you can’t do anything! But yes, if that makes you feel any better, there’s more!”

“And that is…”

“You, piece of shit,” you hissed through your teeth before starting. “1984. Do you remember any fucking major disasters you and your dumbass team caused? Because my brother did, and because of that my whole family didn’t live to tell the whole story. There was a small town in the countryside, East Philly. Payback was there under your supervision, and you all burned everything to the ground because of some minor robberies around. My brother was so damn lucky, getting me out of the flames that our home was just because you were looking for some fireworks to play with. I was just a baby when my brother and I ended up in an orphanage, but I got to read my own file years later. And it fucking hurted me, and I won’t ever forgive you or Payback for it.”

When you finished, he said nothing. As if you were expecting anything coming from him. Ben had an unreadable expression on his face, and you couldn’t feel any better after throwing up what you had been hiding since Butcher took him as part of the team. The news was only that to Soldier Boy. Butcher knew it from the beginning, as well as MM, and they also shared a similar story of losing people they loved dearly to supes.

Sometimes you wished you had the same control inside you, but it was too much even having him there, standing right in front of you, when you knew the kind of damage he’d caused. The sadness and the tears you saved after years of mourning were now turning into rage and hatred. Your brother had died years ago when you turned eighteen, and every single night you wondered if there was any chance for him if your parents had been alive. Life wasn’t any better for you after the orphanage and your foster family, whom you left behind too. At least you had made it out and moved on, making that promise true to your older brother.

You waited for a moment for him to say something, but still nothing came out of his mouth. His eyes were lost behind you, and you got to thinking maybe he was ashamed for being so reckless. However, it couldn’t be. Soldier Boy was always a selfish idiot, and he would stay that way; you were pretty sure nothing could change him abruptly like that. You scoffed and gave a half, hurted smile at his silence.

“I thought so,” you mumbled. “Good luck with your stupid mission.”

With a last hard stare, you walked away. He stayed behind, alone in the kitchen.

Stretching your arms over your body, you slowly opened your eyes at the sound of people strolling inside the place. Some of them giving loud grunts and dropping their things on the ground, and their doors closing up with no delicacy at all. At this point it shouldn’t surprise you, but you’ve been sleeping better than ever by the warm body of your dear friend, and waking up meant you were going back to your shitty nightmare of life again.

And suddenly, it clicked. Hughie squirmed softly by your side on the bed and you rolled on the mattress until you hit the ground. You groaned a little, getting on your feet and checked the clock by the nightstand. It was past 4 a.m.

“Y/N? Are you okay?” Hughie asked with a raspy voice, rubbing his eyes while still half asleep.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine, I think they’re back,” you answered, trying to adjust your clothes and hair.

You knew it was just an innocent small nap you took while watching a bad movie on the TV, but still it felt wrong. Hearing Annie’s voice outside, you walked to the door and got out of the room without a word. You found her a few steps away from you, and you closed the door behind your back as she addressed you with a tired smile on her face.

“Hi, is he sleeping?” she asked, before turning the knob.

You nodded, blinking a couple of times as your eyes adjusted to the dim lights in the living room. “Yes, he’s sleeping now. He’s doing better.”

“Awesome. Uhm, thank you. I know they left you out on purpose tonight, but I feel such a relief when you’re the one taking care of Hughie,” Annie said, placing a hand on your shoulder kindly. “You’ve been friends for the past year, and I appreciate you being there for him and for me as well. You’re one of the few people here I can count on, if not the only one.”

Her words hit your heart heavily. And it was like an overwhelming guilt falling on your back, although you felt bad because denying your feelings for him was not enough. And how it couldn’t be? You’ve been caging them for months on your heart, and seeing him hurting was the cherry on top. Deep inside, you knew you were more than willing to give your life for him, wishing you were the one saving him from the blast.

“You’re welcome, Annie,” you replied, finding your voice again and smiling back. “He’s my friend, so are you. And if you need anything just tell me.”

“I’ll do. Thanks, Y/N. Go to sleep, I’m sure you’re tired,” she beamed at you once again and finally entered the bedroom. You were able to hear Hughie’s laugh for a second before the door went closed again.

Standing outside, you noticed Butcher, MM and Frenchie were checking the V tubes they took out from the lab on, along with new things that were stolen. Soldier Boy was stripping from his vest as he approached you, with his shield in one hand. He smirked, sensing what had happened.

“So, you had a good time there?” he teased.

For the first time you decided to play along with him.

“Jealous it wasn’t you?”

“See, now that’s why I still need my cock, sweetheart.”

You rolled your eyes at the stupid grin on his face. “It’s fucking 4 a.m. Stop thinking with your dick for once.”

“Calm down, doll, nothing is happening,” Soldier Boy whispered, taking a step closer to you. “Unless you want to.”

The short distance between you and his hot body, literally radiating and smelling off sweat, blood, cologne and weed made you gasp softly. Even with all the dirt and the red stains on his face, you couldn’t deny he was good looking. It was such a waste he was an asshole. But you were a little sleepy after all, and you knew you wouldn’t see past his shitty attitude in your normal mood.

“I’m done with you, take a nap.”

You tried to walk away to your room but he stopped you with his free hand around your wrist. The grip came more soft than you expected.

“Hey,” he said, the look on his face shifted immediately to what he really should resemble; a soldier, serious and stern. He was a totally different man, not like the asshole who just mocked you seconds ago. “There’s another lab. The british fucker ordered to take it down in a couple of days. You should be better by then.”

Your brows furrowed, thinking why he should be telling this to you after he was the one putting you out in the first place. But you nodded anyway.

“Sure. I’ll wait for Butcher’s orders.”

He gave you a simple nod and put his hand away, making his way to the bathroom. Now, you stood in the aisle with a confused mind and longing for three weeks of sleep.

Hearing the fight outside, you remained in a room with the computers, taking all the information you could into a memory device. Frenchie had given you a com to use in your ear so you could know if there was anyone nearby, and you felt so much better knowing Hughie was there too in his van, checking the cameras and talking through the com just in case and to avoid another accident like the previous one. Starlight had taken down most of the power that shouldn’t be useful to the team, so you just had to complete this and then wait for the V to be taken by Butcher and MM.

“Almost there,” you announced through the com, looking at the screen going seventy percent of the download.

“Good,” Frenchie answered.

“Uhm, Y/N. There’s something getting close,” Hughie warned.

“What—”

In a second, the concrete wall was destroyed. The tall man with the green suit and a shield you knew too well flew through the mess, laying on his back just a few feet away from you. Soldier Boy got up swiftly as if nothing happened, and he realized you were there. Giving you a quick hard glance, Soldier Boy returned his attention to the supe stepping inside the place through the hole on the wall. You were lucky the debris didn’t hit you, but still you were too invested in getting the information needed from that stinky lab. Each time, that was your mission and you always finished it.

The foreign supe switched his eyes between Soldier Boy and you before he attacked again, coming at Ben with fists and a string of curses out of his mouth. Soldier Boy kept him away from you, and you just waited for the bar to be completed. Just five percent more and it should be done, you thought with a racing heart and blood pumping in your veins.

“Y/N, are you okay?” Hughie asked worriedly. “I can’t see you, the camera isn’t working there.”

“Yeah, I'm almost done.”

You try to ignore Soldier Boy and the other supe but it is hard once Ben is thrown away again, hitting the wall by your side. You flinched, and turned around just in time to meet the terrorist approaching you with a menacing glance. The computer produced a weird sound, and you looked from the corner of your eye to confirm the data was safe in your device now. But you still had to get out of there, and before the man could attack you with his fists slowly glowing and charging, Soldier Boy shoved him to the ground. Both got into a fist fight, until Ben was able to stand up, knocking him to the ground with the shield, but the supe attacked with laser eyes. Ben resisted him, hiding behind the shield. You quickly looked up to unplug the device from the computer.

“Are you done?” he shouted as the supe got on his feet, increasing the strength of his laser and using the energy coming out of his hands to attack him back.

“Yes!”

“Then fucking run!”

You sneaked behind Soldier Boy quickly, running through the debris and finding the empty meeting point you had agreed with the team before. You headed near the back doors of the facility to wait for the rest.

“Where’s Butcher?” you asked through the com, panting for breath.

“Going there now,” Hughie answered. “V is taken. Info gathered. You did great.”

“Well, thanks for your help too,” you remarked back.

“Y/N,” Soldier Boy called behind your back. You turned on your heels and studied the blood staining his suit and shield. He clearly had killed the supe in the computer room. “You okay?”

You nodded, a mix of distrust and relief took over you. Maybe Soldier Boy found the usage to your skills, just like the rest of the team. “Thanks.”

Soldier Boy taglist: @delaynew @k-slla

@thesilmarillionblog

@onlyangel-444 @mrsjenniferwinchester

@daisy-the-quake

@jackles010378

@mostlymarvelgirl

@deans-spinster-witch

@stoneyggirl2

@sapnaplove

[ditto-dex]

Hello!

I’m sure you all have noticed, but we’ve reached the (current) end of the Pokédex! 🎉🎉🎉

I’ve mentioned it before, but for now this blog will be rather quiet. I’ll pop in here and there when I have the energy to do a request, and I’m sure we’ll have a whole new region’s worth of Pokemon to explore again eventually, but for the most part Ditto has achieved what it’s set out to do.

I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for coming along on this silly journey with me. Really, it brought me so much joy to see everyone’s reactions to each. I loved seeing the [insert Pokemon here] propaganda blogs reblog when their Pokemon came up and, as we got into gen 9, people’s disbelief at certain Pokemon being legitimate. I really do hope this blog has brought you as much joy as you all have brought me over the past 3 or so years.

Even if this blog is going quiet, I’m pretty active on my main ( @quins-makeshift-menagerie) and ask blog ( @ask-mirage-mews), so if you decide you wanna follow me there then cool, glad to have ya! If not, I wish you all the best! Remember to take care of yourselves :)

-Mod Q

[silentauthor96]

For @merlinmicrofic June prompts: Pride; "Be careful."; Underwater | Title: Before (and after) a Fall | No pairing (technically) | 500 words | Rating: gen

"Be careful, sire. I've heard pride cometh before a fall"

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin. I'v been riding since I could reach a saddle. I'm not going to fell crossing a creek."

"Of course not, sire. Only it has been raining quite a bit the past few weeks, and this particular creek currently resembles something more distinctly like a river."

The dull thunder of nearby rushing water seemed to punctuate Merlin's point, but Arthur paid neither any mind.

"We'll be fine, Merlin. Just try and keep up."

Arthur urges his horse forward, towards the creek he'd crossed many times in the past. Only the shallow water he'd been expecting did in fact more closely resemble a river at this point.

Never one to let facts or fear stand in the way of his declared path, Arthur continued pushing Llamrei forward, making to cross the river as if it were still the size and strength of the creek he'd been expecting.

Llamrei, on the other hand, decided at the last moment to take a more cautious approach, coming to an abrupt stop just before he reached the wayer's edge. Arthur,'s momentum did not halt as easily.

Regrettably, Merlin did not get to see his prince tumble from his high horse into the water, but he was at least able to witness Arthur struggle to drag himself back out of the water. Apparently the creek had developed a fairly powerful current.

And despite Arthur's repeated boasts of his talent in swimming, Merlin couldn't help but worry the longer he stayed underwater.

After what could have only been seconds (but was beginning to feel like long minutes) Merlin decided Arthur must surely have learned his lesson, and decided to intervene.

"Arthur! Don't worry, I'm coming to help you."

For once, Merlin was proud to be able to claim a rescue as his own.The horses were more than strong enough to traverse the water, assuming one took a cautious approach. No magic would be necessary and the credit would be all his!

Arthur's head popped back up from the water. "Merlin! Stay where you are!" The strain in his voice betrayed how hard his body was working to keep the prince, and all of his heavy, waterlogged clothing, afloat. "The current here is stronger than it looks. Don’t worry, I'll be fine."

Merlin rolled his eyes at Arthur's apparent unwillingness to accept help in even the most dire of circumstances. Truly, the man's pride would be the death of them both eventually. Luckily, he had years of experience in ignoring his prince. His go-to strategy: simply pretend he hadn't heard.

"Here I come, sire!"

"Merlin! No! Be careful!"

"Now where have I heard that before," Merlin muttered under his breath, as he gently guided his horse across the into the water and towards the not-quite-drowning-but-certainly-struggling prince. 

Once they reached Arthur, Merlin reached down and offered out his hand. "Could I offer you some assistance, oh great and talented horseman?"

"Oh shut up, Merlin."

[ordowrites]

calla lilies II

cw (gen): mentions of domestic violence (not between reader and kaeya), slow burn, friends to strangers to lovers, canon typical violence, reader is not the traveler, reader has an Electro Vision, the Traveler is mentioned to be Lumine, slight plot deviation from the game, afab reader (but try to keep gen. neut. terminology), reader is given the nickname 'Peaches'.

cw (current): some swearing.

wc: 2340

summary: when you were a teenager, you and your mother moved away from mondstadt for reasons you will never tell, and you barely had time to say goodbye to your closest childhood friend. however, the wind always leads you back - when your current job goes awry, you find yourself having to unravel secrets of your childhood and coming to terms with heartbreak of the past.

Previous - (Current) - Next

"Hello, ghost face." is how he had greeted you the moment you walked into his office with Lawrence at your side, as if he hadn't just been told some incredibly important news. But perhaps that's just how he's always been, brushing aside important information to get the minor stuff out of the way (your presence here) first. Perhaps he just dislikes not being given the context to information bombs, you don't know. But you stare at him as if you're witnessing a poltergeist in real time - he's changed, somehow. Certainly his state of dress is different, certainly not the same as the young, shy, and slightly conservative boy you knew all those years ago.

And also

Captain.

"Please close your mouth, we do not want you swallowing bugs and then having to bring you to the sisters." Kaeya says, and you shake your head, forcing yourself to focus.

"My apologies, Captain Kaeya," you say, though you're not sure why you're apologizing to him. "I was tasked with guarding a merchant from Fontaine, and it seems he has gone missing since I allowed him alone to check out Angel's Share." You say and hesitate, his gaze is heavy. It always has been, like he's thinking - always thinking. Never planning, just thinking, somewhere in a different world. "I have been told there is a current curfew in place and am requesting to be given leniency so I can check outside the gates for him."

You watch as Kaeya - Captain Kaeya - shuffle through stacks of documents, a pensive frown on his face and your heart pounds in your chest. Did you two sign the guest list? You're certain you did, but perhaps it slipped your mind in an act of carelessness. You were anxious to just get your shift over with.

"I see you two signed in," Captain Kaeya says as he holds up a form in one hand. "May I ask how you are able to lose an adult man in a span of a few hours?"

You feel your face heat up. "Why are we asking questions like this in an emergency?"

"My apologies, but I must cover all my bases." he answers, shifting slightly. "He could be drunkenly wandering around Mondstadt Proper, you know."

You draw in a deep breath. You know this is his job, but the irritation still sits with you. "I checked, and I am requesting to see if he maybe drunkenly wandered off. We are on a time limit here, Captain."

"And I'm just trying to do my job." Kaeya retorts, just as sharply. You inwardly flinch. "I'm sorry, but I cannot bend the rules for anyone. Even Master Diluc has to go through the steps too."

Master Diluc? You wonder when he started to refer to him as such.

"If he is still in the city, perhaps I can catch him and join him. Is he not of the Knights?"

"No." Kaeya answers, briskly and simply. Unintentionally rude, but blunt enough to get the point across. You wince. "I will come get you, personally, if there's been any movement. For now, go to your hotel and rest."

The first twenty-four hours are important in a missing person's case, and you can't sleep that well that night. The next morning, you head to the Adventurer's Guild in Mondstadt - a quaint little office in comparison to Fontaine's large one - to see if Kathryne had seen Anatole at all. She claims she hasn't, and you can't say nor do much about that. She tells you she sent a message to the Dawn Winery about his disappearance.

"Any news?"

"Peaches, I just got into the office." Kaeya tells you, sounding a bit tired. "If you give me a single moment to at least look at all my reports, I will let you know." You frown at him and he frowns back. "Listen, it's been quite some time since you've come back to Mondstadt, why don't you go and say hello to Master Diluc? I'm sure he misses you."

"I don't have time to socialize." You tell him, urgently. "I need to find the man who is paying me to guard him while he's here in Mondstadt and on our way back to Fontaine."

Now that you think about it, it is morning - you are more than capable of going out and searching on your own. But you're not sure where to start.

"He could have gotten drunk and gone home with some lovely lady from a tavern." Kaeya says. That makes your frown deepen. "It appears I only ever say wrong things these days. Tell me, what is it now?"

"He is a family man." You tell him. "He would never cheat on his wife."

Kaeya lets out a breath through his nose. "Okay." He says, after a moment. He's shuffling through all the reports and other papers on his desk, a pensive look on his face. "There's nothing here that mentions him." Kaeya rubs his forehead. "Let's head out to the Winery, alright? Maybe he headed out there without saying anything. Don't jump to the worst conclusions, panic makes you overlook the details."

"Fine." You agree. "I'll head out there."

"I'll go with." Kaeya offers, as kindly as possible. You give him another frown and he tilts his head to the side. "Am I unwelcome in your graces?"

"No - no, just - don't you have a job to do?"

"Well, it appears that my current job is looking for a missing person. So, I am doing my job."

You choose to not argue with that.

The trip there is quiet - Kaeya insisted on taking a carriage, the quicker you two get there, the better. You wanted to walk, look at every detail for any sort of sign or information on Anatole. In the end, you took the carriage. Kaeya has always had a way of convincing you to do things his way, even back when you were children.

There's a weird taste in your mouth and a sinking feeling in your stomach as you think back. Diluc was the troublemaker back then, and Kaeya was the sweet child who simply did as he was told. He kept many secrets, even maybe the ones where he shouldn't but you made him swear, cross his heart, hope to die...

You stare out the window, there is nothing to fill the silence aside from the clopping of the horse's hooves.

"I'm glad you're back in Mondstadt." Maybe he said that last night or earlier, you don't know and you don't remember - but the words are what breaks the silence. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about us."

"No, never. Just - I've just been busy." You shake your head. "Did Diluc ever marry Lady Jean?"

Kaeya lets out a soft snort. "No. He did propose to her a month after you left, and she gently turned him down. The man has been a bachelor ever since."

"Diluc? I remember girls tripping over themselves to talk to him. To be married to him would be like...the highest honor."

Kaeya gives a small shrug. "I'd say, being married to Jean would be the greatest honor these days." Your confused look doesn't cause him to elaborate much. "Oh, Diluc's married to the Winery nowadays, that's all. Jean's got a secured position as the Acting Grand Master - likely to be the Grand Master if Varka never returns."

You lapse into silence again, thinking. "Diluc quit the Knights?"

"He most certainly did."

"Is Master Crepus okay with that?" You know that the man had very big dreams for Diluc - sometimes, you had felt as if his son were a carbon copy or a way for Crepus to live vicariously through him. As children, he was carefree. As the three of you got older, Diluc had started to change a bit as a person. Everything he did, he did it to be the apple of Crepus' eye.

Your four friend group dwindled to three then. Then Kaeya joined the Knights, and Jean as well - soon, it was mostly you, waiting for them to come visit when they had time. Regale you stories of what's happening the barracks - you could have joined, but you needed to take care of your mother. You needed to do a lot of things that did not involve knighthood and great acts of chivalry.

And it's Kaeya's turn to fall into a somber silence.

"I am afraid he never showed up this morning." The head maid, Adelinde says, a worried frown on her face. You let out a heavy sigh and rub your forehead. How does a grown man just disappear like this? "Master Diluc was quite disappointed, he was looking forward to doing business with him."

Despite the urgency, the head maid had insisted on feeding the both of you before you departed. You wonder what the protocols are for telling a family that someone you were paid to be a bodyguard for went missing under your watch - just because you chose to not go drinking with him. The next course of action then, that should have been your first, is to question everyone in the city.

"He went to Angel's Share." You tell Kaeya, after a moment, your finger running along the golden rim of the tea cup. This cost more than a few months of your rent, you think, absently. It's as if recounting last nights events would give you the answers you so desperately seek. "Charles didn't see him leave with anybody. Just said he had to leave and that was it."

"We can likely conclude it was a kidnapping." Kaeya says, quietly. Something hot inside of you flares and you swallow it down. "Honestly, I brought you out here because I was hoping I was wrong at first." He lets out a heavy sigh. "Let's finish this lunch Adelinde so painstakingly made and then head back. I'll be sure to have my men be on guard everywhere."

"And I'll question everyone I can." You mumble. "I was honestly hoping that he wasn't, either. And maybe - maybe I'll be lucky and he just...I don't know."

"It's okay, Peaches, it's not your fault." Kaeya says, gently. "We've got Treasure Hoarders and the Fatui loitering about. Someone was bound to get greedy."

"But so does Fontaine - nobody has ever kidnapped him there."

"You never know." Comes the quiet response. "Ah - damn, pity Master Diluc is too busy to play host to come and see you."

"I don't have time to socialize." You repeat yourself from earlier, slightly irritated that Kaeya seems to just want to socialize over being productive.

He gives you an apologetic smile.

When you were little, you went missing. You don't remember anything from that time - but you remember that you were gone, because when you were found, your mother was crying and holding you close and apologizing. You remember how your mother hugged you close and as you looked over her shoulder, Master Crepus had a grim look on his face.

All the other details seemed to have blurred and faded with time, or maybe, you don't want to remember. You're not sure.

"People don't disappear out of the blue." You tell Kaeya with growing frustration as you reconvene by the statue. "So far, everyone I've asked all said that they think they saw him, but they don't remember if it was with anyone. But they all said he was in a hurry to get somewhere."

Kaeya is oddly quiet for a moment. "I wonder if he was going back to your hotel and was silently ambushed."

"Never know with the Fatui. Or Treasure Hoarders." You rub your forehead. "Nobody just disappears like that." Kaeya opens his mouth to say something and then closes it again. "What?"

"Do you think...he could have been colluding with someone? For some monetary gain? It could be anything, peaches." The look you're giving him makes him shake his head. You know you're refusing to believe anything negative about Anatole, but outside of being annoyingly chatty, you never thought anything was off about him. "Merchants can be tricky, you know. They put on a front and can be very different behind the scenes. What do you know of him?"

"He has a family, a grandchild on the way. A son whom he wishes would get married."

"That's it?"

"All I need to know is his name and his destination, I am not paid to pry into his life."

Kaeya sighs. "Okay. Okay - listen, I have to go back to the office. Take a short break, okay? Eat something, let's reconvene in a few hours."

"Someone is missing and you're telling me to - simply...take a break? Like it's a job?"

"You can't think on an empty stomach." Kaeya reminds you. "A lunch, that's it. I have all I can on the look out for him and even surveying outside of Mondstadt too. I know it sucks, but there's only so much we can all do on very little information. Go, eat some lunch. On me." He's handing you a bag of mora and you push his hand away - it's oddly reminiscent to a time back then.

But back then, you were angry at the thought of being given a handout. The look he'd given you then was one of hurt and surprise, but now, it's just passive, calm. Like he expected it.

Your hand is less bruised and wounded this time around.

Not the thought you want, but it's what weaseled your way into your head.

You clear your throat.

"Sorry." You say. "Sorry."

"It's fine. The Good Hunter is still great to this day." Kaeya tells you. "See you in a few hours, okay?"

You nod, feeling oddly numb as you stare at your hand. Back then, he'd gently grabbed your hand, offering to fix it up for you - never asking questions, the idea of mora had been forgotten then.

Right now, you wished he'd taken your hand for no other reason than you could use the gentle grip.