#feels like i don't have a lot of tags this round!! hopefully i didn't miss any 🤷

[seabirdtxt]

Event batch 5

Heya! here's the second to last batch, a little later than i anticipated but I managed to get here in the end 🤭 next one will probably go up tomorrow!

thank you to those who requested these, and thank you so much to all of you for your patience!

🩵 Check out my other event requests! 🩵

for Anon || Xiao x Reader - Sickfic, adeptus!Reader, taking care of Xiao after a karmic debt flareup

for Anon || Kabukimono x Reader - Modern AU, haunted doll!Kabukimono

for Anon || Wanderer x Reader - Canon setting, reader is a traveling doctor

----- ⚘ -----

Quiet, like the snow

The air around him feels hazy and thick, like breathing through a heavy mist. He leans on his spear, panting lightly as he tries to regain his bearings.

Xiao’s job is easy. He clears the Liyue countryside from the spreading evil and keeps the fury of the slumbering, slain gods at bay. Today has been a day like any other, there is nothing remarkable about today that would cause him to feel as disoriented as he is.

Unless, he thinks distantly, he forgot to cleanse his karma recently.

Oh no.

The next stretch of time is a blur, Xiao only distantly remembers stumbling toward… something, and fighting more monsters along the way. There is only him, and his spear, and the screams of bygone divinity in his head as he throws himself headlong into each battle.

Before he knows it, he’s in his room at Wangshu Inn, the walls sparsely decorated with paper warding charms, lying stretched out on his bed. A stick of incense has been lit, because a faintly sweet smell permeates the air, cutting through the odor of sickly sweat he must be giving off.

There’s the faint sound of humming that soothes his aching heart, an old tune that was first sung in the time of the archon war. You.

His eyes creak open and he blinks into the low light, sluggishly bringing one hand to his forehead, where his fingers touch a cold, wet compress. A noise escapes him, and the humming comes to a fading stop.

“Xiao’er? How are you feeling?”

Your cool touch replaces his own calloused palm. You smooth over his face, moving his hair from his eyes, and he beholds you at last. One of the last remaining survivors of the archon war, and heir to one of the only peaceful adeptus clans, you’ve been by his side and tending to his karmic debt for as long as he’s ever known.

The only thing he never managed to ruin with his own hands.

He breathes your name as you stroke his cheek with your thumb, and something that’s not quite a smile blooms on his lips.

“You forgot to ease your karmic burden, silly,” you chastise him, clicking your tongue and shaking your head. You have a remarkable talent of making him feel like a child again, he thinks.

The pounding in his head lessens as you draw a fresh washcloth over his skin, cleansing him both physically and spiritually. Where normally he would grouse and complain, and you would chastise him for it during the entire process, this time he feels only relief from the overwhelming pain.

You resume your humming as you gently reattach the prayer beads around his neck, and the soothing charms on it come into effect immediately. Alertness returns to him as he realizes the position he put you in.

“My- my karma-” he mumbles as he tries to push you away, already scooting himself to the far side of the bed and trying to sit up.

“Oh, no you don’t!” You say softly but firmly, slipping the last cleansed and reinforced charm onto his belt. “I spent the better part of the last two days making sure you were properly seen to, and I feel perfectly fine.”

He lifts his arm in wonder and flexes his hand, face betraying none of his thoughts. It’s the first time in a long time that he’d allowed you to perform a full cleanse, though it occurred against his will, and the improvement to his chronic pain is significant.

He feels the bed dip as you sit beside him, watching him eagerly to see how he feels. His mouth opens and closes a few times, awkwardly trying to voice his thoughts. Instead, you give him an understanding smile and lean into him, kissing the corner of his eye delicately.

“You’re very welcome,” you murmur, and he leans into you in return, his mind quiet for the first time in months.

----- ⚘ -----

White Sheets

You get the doll by accident, really. You’d been passing by the antique shop every day for the past few weeks, and there’s just something about the poor thing sitting alone in a dusty corner of the window display that called to you. It’s almost uncanny how lifelike it seems, sitting perfectly poised in a simple wooden chair, holding some sort of japanese square-shaped string instrument in one hand. If it weren’t for the wood-grain texture, the chipped and worn paint, you would swear it’s a real person.

He’s a delicate thing, made of pale wood and dark hair that’s been carefully straightened and combed for many years, his eyes seemingly glued shut. His clothes are a little ratty, a pale lavender kimono with a darker purple obi, and a sheer veil that feels like it would crumble if you touched it a little too roughly.

He’s an iki ningyo, you learn, one of several old japanese dolls famous for their lifelike quality. This one is especially remarkable for having articulated joints. The shopkeep seems surprised to hear you’re interested in the doll, claiming that several people have bought it in the past and all of them have returned it, each one saying that the doll was too creepy to keep in their house.

He’s not creepy, you tell the shopkeep, he’s just a little lonely.

That’s how you head home with your arms full of a life sized wooden doll, looking for all the world like you’re lugging around a dead body, which earns you a few strange looks from passers-by on the way.

You settle him in your craft corner, where several of your other doll restoration projects lay unfinished. You sweep the smaller dolls aside, maneuvering your iki ningyo onto the desk and position him in a seated position. It looks almost as if he’s relaxing.

Over the next few weeks, you slowly chip away at the restoration project. First you repaired the cracks and chips with wood filler, sanding the surfaces down to perfect smoothness. Then you remove the doll’s clothes, mindlessly apologizing to it for the indignity (a habit you’d picked up ages ago, of talking to your projects as if they could hear you), and sew a brand new identical kimono with fabric that was much too expensive for your weekly budget, though you can’t say you regret it, seeing how it looks on him.

You carefully lubricate the articulated joints, and are delighted to find that its eyes are articulated as well, but they are stuck shut. It takes some time, especially being careful not to damage anything as you chip off the old dried glue. You gasp when you finally manage to pry one open after many hours of hard work, the lavender iris hidden behind the rolling eyelid shocking you with its vibrancy.

The night you open the doll’s eyes is when things start to get weird.

The area around your craft bench feels a little colder than the rest of the room, and floors creak even when you’re not walking. The buzzing of the cicadas outside ceases when you’re working on the doll, and sometimes you find your craft tools on the floor when you’re sure you’d secured them on the desk.

Your dreams are filled with images of dark rooms and raised voices and hands grabbing you left and right, being shoved from one empty closet to another, and of cold nights alone in a windowsill watching everyone in the glow of the streetlights as they pass you by.

As you’re gently painting his skin back to its proper shade, having been discoloured by time and sanded off in several places, one of his eyes rolls open. You stop what you’re doing and stare at him, wondering if maybe the eyelid somehow came loose as you were working. When nothing happens for a few seconds you quietly apologize for disturbing him, closing his eye gently with the pad of your thumb, and assure him that you will be finished with the repairs soon.

You tilt his head back and carefully drag your brush along his jaw, covering some spots that had been sanded down during your repairs. Something wet brushes against your hand, and you look up in shock to see that a fat drop of the clear lubricating oil spilled from the doll’s closed eye, leaving a shining track on his face, almost like a tear.

It’s enough to shake you to your core. You end the repair process for the evening, thanking the doll for his patience, and quickly retreat to your room. Is this what the shopkeeper had meant by ‘creepy’?

For the next few days nothing new happens. You put the finishing touches on the doll, admiring your own handiwork and moving him around, checking to make sure you hadn’t forgotten anything. You move him to the living room, seating him on one of the chairs and posing him similarly to how he was in the shop, his repaired instrument in hand.

You lean down and kiss the top of the doll’s head, thanking him for his patience and hoping he likes his new home. The doll bends slightly under the pressure of your lips pressing against him, the sound of his wooden joints rasping against each other reaching your ears, and for a moment you can almost pretend it’s a sigh of relief.

That night, you dream of a happy boy in a pale kimono, smiling at you gratefully with shining lavender eyes, and playing a gentle song for you on his shamisen.

----- ⚘ -----

The Only Medicine

As the apprentice of the famed Doctor Baizhu, you find yourself in high demand. You’re much more willing to travel than your sickly master, though he does make occasional house calls if the situation is dire enough, and you have sufficient training by now to handle most cases on your own.

Which is how you find yourself traveling Teyvat with your strange partner from Sumeru.

Wanderer came into your live like an avalanche, sweeping debris and destruction right up to your front step.

He came to you in the dead of night—you’d been staying in Ghandarva Ville to help the forest watchers with an influx of digestion issues related to the rations they’d eaten—carrying the tiny body of a child in one hand and securing his hat, askew on his head, with the other. You hadn't even hesitated, bringing them both into your temporary residence and tending to the child as efficiently as you could.

He’d been cleansing a nearby Withering zone, you learn, and found the child who had wandered in by accident. You commend him for his quick reaction in bringing him here, and he was fascinated with how well you treated the child’s injuries.

You were surprised, given his initial impression, that he was actually pretty temperamental. The morning after you’d treated the child, Wanderer acted as if he’d never met you at all. He didn’t greet you, didn’t bother asking how things went, and left you without so much as a ‘goodbye’. You resigned yourself to never seeing the strange traveler again.

But you did. You ran into him again and again as you toured Sumeru, and each time he would bring you a new patient. You almost asked how he kept running into injured people, and if he was the one causing the injuries, but you held your tongue and treated every patient he brought. You like to think you built a pretty good rapport with the strange man, hoping he sees you as reliable as a medical professional, and trustworthy as a person.

Unbeknownst to you, he was actively seeking ways to approach you. Your kind but strict demeanor enchanted him, and the way you cared for everyone regardless of age, gender, or status reminded him of Buer (not that he’d tell her that).

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wanted to believe you would treat him with the same grace with which you treat everyone else. He wanted to believe he could deserve that.

Your paths next cross in Aaru Village, where he finds you wrapping a few sunburns and a broken ankle. The people flock to you asking for help for various ailments, many of which you inform them will need more extensive care, and you leave instructions with the local doctor, Maruf.

He’d been sent here by Nahida, asked to check up on the recovery of the ones who had been village keepers, and to make sure things in the Village are going well. He didn’t expect to be tasked with investigating one of the run-down shacks on the edge of the village that had been serving as a warehouse until it partially collapsed.

Surely nothing will happen to him, he thinks. Of course that’s when the other half of the warehouse decides to collapse on him.

Several things happen at once, where he feels the clay bricks bury him, and then somebody across the bridge screams, and there’s a sudden flash of green as dendro activates somewhere above him. And then everything is dark.

Somewhat alarmingly, he regains consciousness on a cot in a dim room almost entirely disrobed, which is a strange sensation because the last time he was in a situation like this he had been recovering from his defeat at the Traveler’s hands.

He sits up, uncaring of his physical state, and finds himself very neatly repaired despite knowing he must have absolutely shattered underneath that building. The magic in his body is already well on the way to fusing the pieces of himself back together. He presses on one of the cracks, and his fingertip comes away with sticky, partially dried medical glue.

He gets up and first locates his hat and his haori, choosing to forgo the bodysuit at the moment. Once he’s sure he can make it out of the room without stumbling, he heads for the door to look for the one he is sure took care of him.

He finds you outside, sitting on the ground and playing with children. They toss a zaytun peach pit in the air and you attempt to scoop up as many harra fruit seeds as possible before the pit falls down to bounce on the smooth road surface. There is a freedom to you that he only knows on the wind, when he calls for Anemo to lift him into the air and carry him where his whims desire.

He watches you play the game for a while, inexplicably irritated at the lack of your attention on him, before clearing his throat to alert you of his presence.

You turn to look at him in surprise, earning yourself the peach pit hitting your head as it comes down to announce the end of the current round. The children laugh at you as you stand up, excusing yourself from the game as nicely as possible. You pick your way through the group until you’re standing in front of him, a carefree smile on your face.

“Is this how you spend your time, doctor?” Wanderer asks, gesturing at the children behind you. “What if your patient needed supervision? Would you leave them alone in a room to fend for themselves?”

“I think most of my patients would not be up and about after having a building collapse on them,” you remark, still smiling. “I have treated gods and Adepti before, so I know when my patient will be alright on their own.”

He wonders, then, what kind of medical training you’d received under your master’s tutelage to have such a wide variety of patronage. It takes a second to realize what it is you’re not saying. He looks at you in mild surprise and points to his own chest, where several cracks in his body are just barely visible beneath the neckline of his haori.

You nod. “You must understand, I have extensive experience with treating people who do not have the, ah, typical human physique.” You gracefully avoid saying ‘inhuman’, which Wanderer thinks is impractical but he appreciates the discretion nonetheless. “So, that is to say, if you are ever in need of medical care in the future, I hope you know you can rely on me.”

Wanderer thinks about this for a bit. He knows it would be practical to have someone knowledgeable in repairing him, in the event he is unable to repair himself.

It would also, his mind whispers to him, allow him to become closer to you.

Before he can think too hard about it, he nods in agreement. It’s worth it to see the cheerful smile on your face.

[runningfrom2am]

achilles heel - VI: i. cheated. too.

summary:

Grace is the very opposite of her brother in every way. when she finally moves onto campus at UNC Chapel Hill, she feels like she gets to be her own person, make her own friends, and hopefully start a promising career in the museum industry, and maybe, one day, get married to her high school sweetheart and live the American dream for herself. Rafe Cameron however, upon their very first meeting, throws a wrench in her very perfect plan.

tags/warnings:

rafe cameron x fem!oc, rafe is giving very much homewrecker, fanon!rafe (kinda), college!au, friends to lovers, slow-burn (maybe?), minimal oc description, drug and alcohol use, mostly unedited, violence, fighting, (these tags are not exhaustive, lmk if i should add anything!)

wc: 3.2k

my master list

series masterlist

requests (temporarily closed)

February 3rd, 2019

Rafe and Grace didn't lose contact again after that, he wasn't about to let that happen. She did still go to class, but he missed that smile he'd seen on Sunday- that side of her that was so carefree, so happy. He hadn't expected that vandalizing Nate's car would cure her heartbreak, but part of him hoped it would. He discovered that he would do anything to help, and he spent his free time throughout the week either texting her or thinking of what to do the next time they hung out. They didn't have plans, but he couldn't wait. And for once, he was almost completely free on a Saturday, so now is as good a time as any.

R: gracie, any plans today?

He sends the text and goes back to making lunch, trying to ignore how nervous it made him. It wasn't a risky text by any means, what was he scared of? Her saying she's busy? It's not a date, he knows that. It's just friends hanging out to keep her from spiraling back into a pit of depression, he didn't want to let that happen.

G: Just the usual, I'm trying to get some reading done but it's hard to focus

G: how about you?

Rafe's phone buzzes twice on the counter as the messages come in and he quickly grabs it, abandoning his sandwich-making efforts.

R: same

R: I'm thinking about going to the driving range later, want to come?

G: golfing? by yourself?

R: not if you come with me?

G: I don't know how to golf but I promise I'll be a good spectator

R: you'll just make me look like a pro 😎

G: 😐😐

R: i'll pick you up at 2?

G: See you then, Tiger Woods <3

Grace was surprised when Rafe showed up with a truck instead of his bike, but it would make sense if he had to bring his own clubs. The weather was nice that day, there were hardly any clouds in the sky but it was still crisp enough out for Grace to wear a sweater without the intentions of taking it off again until she got home.

By the time they arrived at the driving range, there was a decent amount of people there. With minimal snow and mostly friendly weather, a lot of people golfed year round in North Carolina, and Rafe was no exception.

He jumps out of the truck after parking to grab his clubs, and Grace grabbed her tote bag and slung it over her shoulder before following after him.

"You ever been here before?" Rafe asks, golf bag over his shoulder as they walk up to the entrance.

Grace shakes her head, looking out to the green and all the yard markers scattered over the lawn. "I think Nate came here sometimes. He likes golfing."

"Well, welcome, then." Rafe replies, holding the door for her and ignoring her second comment about her ex.

"Thanks, I'm excited." She smiles in response, passing him to enter but waiting for him to talk to the employee at the counter.

"Welcome in! What can I do for y'all today?" The young girl asks, Grace following her friend up while he places his clubs down and leans against the counter.

"Hey, yeah, can I get two twenty baskets please? And a club for her?" Rafe asks, Grace quickly shaking her head as the employee is already turning to grab the supplies he asked for. "What? You don't want to try?" He turns his attention to Grace now, slightly laughing.

"No, I'm not a golfer." Grace smiles nervously, pulling the sleeves of her sweatshirt over her palms.

The girl working pauses, looking between the two of them. "No then?"

"Nah, I'll take 'em. She might change her mind." Rafe insists, winking in Grace's direction before taking the baskets and club, handing it over to Grace.

Rafe paid, and then the girl buzzed open the door out to the driving platform for them to enter. Down at the end there was three open spots in a row, and Rafe lead Grace down all the way to the edge so they weren't surrounded on all sides by other people.

Grace placed down the one basket she carried over for Rafe, and sat down in a chair against the wall, ready to watch.

"C'mon, Gracie, you're not even gonna try?" Rafe chuckles, watching her as he's in the process of pulling out his club.

Grace shakes her head, smiling up at him. "I'm more than content to watch. Thank you, though."

"You'll change your mind- I know you will." He says, a smug grin crossing over his face.

Grace rolls her eyes fondly, then watched as Rafe tee'd up to make his first swing. Grace doesn't know much about golf, but she could see the confidence in Rafe's posture and his subsequent swing, and the way the muscles in his arms flexed and made his veins prominent. The ball flew off onto the green and landed somewhere she didn't see- her eyes were trained on him.

"Good hit!" Grace smiles, clapping for him and crossing her legs.

"Thank you." Rafe turns to her, taking a dramatic bow which makes her laugh. "Alright, your turn." He's already placing another ball on the tee.

"No!" Grace's laugh continues, shaking her head.

"What if I fumbled a few times first?"

"No, then people will definitely be watching." Grace giggles.

"Oh, come on. No one cares. You gotta start somewhere." Rafe pleads.

"Are you just going to bug me until I agree to try?"

"Yes ma'am." He nods in response, leaning on his club now.

"Okay, just one." Grace relents, standing up and placing her bag on the ground.

"That's what I like to hear!" Rafe grins, taking a step back as she grabs her driver, smaller than his so she can actually reach the ball from a decent distance. "Just, uh, try not to out-do me, that would be kind of a hit to my ego."

"Ha, ha, Rafe." Grace replies sarcastically, smile glued to her cheeks as she rolls her eyes, awkwardly adjusting the grip in her hands.

"Need help?" He offers, making an effort to not laugh at her obvious discomfort. Not that the laughter would come from a place of maliciousness, but just that she looks really cute. It would make him a little more comfortable if he could, but he's not sure which is worse; making her feel embarrassed, or having to explain himself.

"Maybe, yeah..." She agrees hesitantly, and he's already reaching out to adjust her hands.

"So just hold it like this..." He explains, placing her fingers in the right places. "And stand with your legs shoulder width apart." Rafe steps over next to her now to demonstrate in a way she can easily reflect. "Yeah, like that, then, line up, pull your elbow back and up like this-" He explains, holding an imaginary club and lifting his arms back, before swinging them down and forward, making a popping sound with his lips and then pretending to watch the ball fly with a hand over his eyebrows. "Got it?"

"I think so." Grace smiles, nodding slightly and looking down at the white ball again, lining up as Rafe takes a step back.

"Don't forget to imagine it's Nate's dick." Rafe adds.

"Rafe!" Grace laughs, turning to him and relaxing her posture again.

"No, you're right- sorry." He raises his hands. "That would make it like, a lot smaller and harder to hit."

"Oh, god- don't." Grace laughs as she looks away, an embarrassed pink flush coating her cheeks.

"Am I right?" Rafe teases her, his sole intentions being in making her glance at him with that slightly embarrassed but extremely genuine smile again.

"Rafe, I'm not telling you." She insists, trying to line up again.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"I'll hit you with this- how about that instead?" Grace turns to him, and yes, there it is. She's threatening him, sure, but not seriously, and if that's what it takes for her to look at him like that, he'd take the risk of being hit with a golf club every time.

"Okay, yup. Subject dropped." He agrees, smiling back at her. He just can't help it.

"Thank you..." Grace mutters, head shaking fondly at him. She's grateful now that she can talk about Nate without crying, but maybe that's just the Rafe effect.

After a moment of silence and a deep breath, she swings and misses- chipping the club onto the turf just next to the tee. "Oh- oops!"

"Just warming up?" Rafe chuckles, sitting down in the seat she previously occupied.

"Yeah, that was a practice swing. I've got it now." Grace agrees, lining up again. "Pressures on now for real."

"You're good." Rafe reminds her, trying not to stare too intensely. If she could feel his eyes boring into her skin she might mess it up again, so instead he sticks to her clothes, and the way her blue sweater is so clearly oversized but somehow fits her just right, tucked into the waistband of her jeans.

She swings while he's distracted, actually making contact with the ball this time. It wasn't a perfect hit, it flew off to the side but not very far. "I did it!" She grins, turning immediately to Rafe to see his reaction.

"Hey, not bad, Gracie!" He smiles, standing up again and reaching out instinctively to run his hand over her shoulder. "You're a natural."

"Okay, that's a bit dramatic." Grace laughs.

"Few more swings and you'll be perfect. Trust me." Rafe smiles, grabbing another ball for her.

They take turns for a while, and Grace only misses several more times before she actually gets the hang of it.

She's lining up again, feeling confident now as she stares down at the ball, swaying her hips back and forth to adjust her stance. Rafe, once again is watching with a proud smile on his face, arms crossed as he stands a few feet away. He happens to look up when he hears the buzzer for the gate open, a group of boys filing in. Standard, of course, and nothing to take note of until he recognizes one of them as Nate. Not only that, but Nate with his arm draped over a girls shoulder as she laughed at something he said. No doubt in Rafe's mind that it wasn't funny.

He had to get Grace out of here before she saw him. She swings which draws his attention again, and he's quickly gathering their stuff. "Hey, uh, I'm pretty hungry. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, actually, I could go for a coffee." Grace nods, turning to him and he's already holding her bag out to her. "Thanks.." She chuckles, dropping it back over her shoulder and grabbing a basket before turning towards the way they came in.

"Just go around that way." Rafe stops her, standing in front of her and taking the basket from her hands. "I'll drop off our stuff and meet you at the truck in a few, yeah?"

"Are you sure? I can come with you, you'll have a handful." Grace says, reaching out for the basket again.

"I'm sure. Just go around that way." He nods, pointing behind her to the emergency exit.

"Oh, okay. I'll meet you outside." Grace agrees, smiling at him thankfully before turning and taking the other exit which, thankfully, wasn't far.

Rafe turns as soon as the door shuts behind her, dropping the basket on the ground and picking up his club again.

He's pacing quickly over to where the boys and Nate's arm candy decided to set up, scowl clear as day on his face. "Nate!" He calls out as he gets closer, only allowing a moment for Nate to recognize him before he's tossing the driver into his left hand and swinging with his right, connecting his fist directly with that jerks nose.

Everyone in the immediate vicinity gasps as Rafe shakes out his fist, already cramping from the tension and impact. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" The girl asks, immediately reaching out for Nate who pushes her off.

"Don't touch me." He mutters, wiping his nose with his wrist, blood staining the crisp folded edges of the sleeve.

Rafe is staring at him as all his friends look between the two of them in shock. "I knew it was you who fucked with my car. I fucking knew it!" Nate says, raising his voice now as he glared at Rafe, staring him up and down.

"Maybe it was someone else who can see how much of a shitbag you are, have you ever considered that?" Rafe spits at him. "I bet you haven't, actually, because the only thing you can literally think about is yourself. You're a selfish prick."

"No, I know it was you." Nate shakes his head, scoffing. "What did I even do? You're the one who she cheated on me with! I'm innocent in this, not that either of you can get that through your thick skulls to realize that I am the one who was wronged."

"I've never touched her." Rafe says through gritted teeth. "If you knew her or cared about her you would have believed that when it came from her."

"Bullshit." Nate replies. "Anyway, tell your new girlfriend that we're even now."

"What does that mean?" Rafe ticks his jaw at this, knuckles white as they're wrapped around the grip of his golf club.

Nate laughs, shaking his head. "God, of course I'd have to spell it out for you..." He mutters. "Okay, fine. Tell her I... Cheated... Too." He says it slowly, mockingly, and Rafe sees red.

Before he processes anything, he's swinging the club at the boy in front of him, taking him down and then swinging again as he stands over him. He's quickly shoved back this time, dropping the club and catching a glimpse of one of the employees coming out to intervene just has he feels something hit his face. He's quick to pick up the club and run back, looking over his shoulder as he approaches his bag. He grabs it, throwing it over his shoulder and bolting out the emergency exit after Grace.

Grace is standing by the truck, reading a book she had in her bag, thinking to herself that she's glad she brought it just in case when she looks up at the sound of feet pounding into pavement. Rafe is running towards her, looking frantically over his shoulder.

"Rafe? What happened?" She asks, brow furrowed as she quickly closes her book. He throws his stuff in the bed of the truck and heads to the door.

"Hurry, just get in." He never intended to lash out on Nate like that, in all honestly he didn't even expect to throw the first punch- but that asshole made it impossible for him to resist.

"Are you okay? Oh my god, you're bleeding!" Grace exclaims, looking away from him to dig through her bag.

"I'm fine, I'm good." Rafe says, backing out of the parking spot and driving off quickly.

"No, no, it looks bad. Pull over somewhere." Grace tells him, pulling a couple napkins out of her bag and reaching out to hold them up to the cut on his jaw.

"I'm fine." Rafe says again, turning his head away. "I'll get you home and I'll deal with it."

Grace sighs, dropping her hands down again.

For the whole drive back to campus, it was silent. Grace didn't know what to say, despite having several questions, and Rafe didn't know how to say he was sorry or even explain what happened at all. He knew she wouldn't like it.

They pull up to the dorms and she gets out, grabbing her bag again and staring at him expectantly. "Get out."

"No, no I've got to-"

"Rafe, get out and come with me. We've got a first aid kit in our bathroom."

Rafe knows from the look on her face to not argue, sighing to himself and turning off the truck before getting out and following her upstairs.

She quickly uses her keycard to open the door, and pushes it open wide to let Rafe in with her. "Hey, Grace! How was your-" Her roommate starts to ask, stopping as she lays eyes on Rafe. "Oh! Holy shit, are you okay?"

"Olivia, this is Rafe." She introduces her quickly before Rafe can once again insist that he's fine. "Is the first aid kit still in the bathroom?"

"Yeah, I haven't touched it." Olivia stammers, looking shocked now.

"Thanks." Grace nods at her, dragging Rafe down the hall and into the bathroom by his hand. The way her palm is stretched around his is tense, he wished it didn't have to be that way.

She shuts the door behind them, digging around for the kit and pulling it out and opening it quickly. "I don't think you'll need stitches." She tells him, unwrapping gauze and alcohol wipes.

"I'm sorry." Rafe mumbles, surprised even to hear it from himself.

Grace pauses, looking up at him. Her eyes are soft again, she looks like herself, though the crease in her forehead has morphed from one of worry to one of confusion. "What? Don't be sorry."

"I am." Rafe replies, avoiding eye contact with her now.

"Well... What happened?" She asked, hesitantly continuing what she was doing.

"I, uh, Nate came in, and then I just-" Rafe explains and winces as Grace wipes off his cheek with a clean cloth. "I don't know... I didn't mean to, I guess."

"Is he okay?" Grace asks quietly.

"He'll be fine." Rafe clenches his jaw and she just nods a little bit. "Why do you even care?"

"He's a person, Rafe." She replies, delicately as possible trying to clean up the wound. "I mean, I know he hurt me, but that was superficial. I've loved him for years. I'd never want to see him in pain. But it happens, I suppose."

Rafe chews on the inside of his cheek as she talks. "You still love him?"

"Of course." She mumbles, almost embarrassed. "For now. One day that will change, I know that, but it's difficult to move on from the only love you've ever known."

"I'm sorry." Rafe says again. "I... I didn't know, I didn't mean to, I just wanted to try and talk some sense into him but he was with another girl and-"

"It's okay." Grace gives him a small smile. "Just... don't make a habit out of beating up my ex boyfriend, yeah?"

"One and done." Rafe promises, relaxed immensely by the forgiveness on her face.

"Thank you." She grins to herself, grabbing the alcohol wipe and brushing it over the area. "It's stopped bleeding, which is good. Now that it's cleaned up it doesn't look too bad."

"You should see the other guy." Rafe jokes, a slight tinge of pain in his tone as the alcohol gets into the cut.

"Oh, I'm sure." Grace chuckles, shaking her head. "Can I be honest with you for a sec? And you have to promise you'll never tell a soul."

"Of course." Rafe nods, smile fading as he's not sure what she'll say.

"You were kinda right." Grace blushes, giggling as she places a bandage over his cheek. From the confused expression on his face, she knows she'll have to explain. "It's... It's kinda small, I think." She whispers, face red now.

Rafe laughs, dropping his head back. "I knew it! I could just tell. And I knew you wouldn't have been embarrassed like that if I wasn't right."

"Shh, okay- never tell anyone." Grace giggles, holding a finger up to her lips. "I didn't tell you that, okay?"

"Nope, I didn't hear a thing." Rafe says, mock zipping his lips at that as he smiles down at the girl in front of him.

taglist: @newbooksmell777, @tahliac11, @slut4drudy, @madelynie, @angelw33dz, @whore-4-drewstarkey , @winterrrnight, @sadfury, @bookishbabyyy , @madelynie , @totalswag , @sadfury @fullfledgedemo @rafemotherfuckingcameron, @urfaveluvr , @hxnnah-397 , @s-we-e-t-t-ea , @saccharinesammie , @redhead1180 , @chenslucy

[sillylittlestoryblog]

Jesper Fahey Imagine

Jesper x female Reader

This is my first imagine ever. So pls don’t be to harsh😅

Also i m not a native English speaker so if I made horrible mistakes pls tell me nicely🙂

+ I m new to the grishaverse so there is a lot I just made up... again If I made horrible mistakes.. enlighten me 🥰

I wanna post this with he/him and they/them pronouns too. Just so nobody feels left out ✨

The winter air was terrible cold against y/n`s ears. Instinctively, she buried her face further into her scarf. She hated this time of year, especially in ketterdam. Because of the docks and the sea, it was even colder here than in her former home. She came to Ketterdam years ago, but she still didn’t seem to have gotten used to the city. The city with its dark alleys and dangerous corners. She had been told to get a decent job. Never be Outside in the dark. And above all she should Stay Out of the criminal gangs and their streetfights. And yet here she was, running again in the direction of the Crow Club to meet dirtyhands in person.

After the heavy oak door closed behind her, she took a deep breath. The warm air felt wonderful on her skin. There wasn't too much going on in the club tonight. Which pleased her very much.

" well who do we have here? I was afraid that you wouldn't come because of the snowstorm out there. ”Jesper's voice sounded happily through the room. In his hand he was holding a drink that he halfway spilled on his way to her.

Y / N didn't want to admit it, but she was happy to see him. Most of all, she was pleased that he was already a Bit drunk, so she hoped he wouldn't notice how she blushed while he hugged her.

Together they went to a table in a quieter corner of the crow club. Kaz Brekker sat there with his crowcane in his hand and sighed as Y/N and Jesper approached. Shortly afterwards she noticed Inej emerging from the shadows. She quietly sat down next to Kaz, keeping a safe distance as always. Y / N wasn't sure if she was doing it to give Kaz more space or to better protect herself. Y/N sat down next to Nina who was sitting on the other side of the table and apparently had a lot of fun giving a already drunken Mattias more and more alcohol.

Jesper sat down next to Y/N with a loud noise and started talking about his win today. He had lost a lot of money in a few card games and then won the Same Money back again after a round of chess. Inej had to explain the rules to him beforehand and was shocked that he really didn't understand how the game worked. His only luck was that his opponent understood it even less and so he had defeated him after a few rounds despite his moderate knowledge of chess.

Y/N was happy to have this group. For her, it almost felt like she had a found family, a home. The others also appreciated her very much. Nina was glad that there was another Grisha in the group. She loved challenging Y/N to play pranks on the other crow members. Even if the others wouldn't admit it, everyone loved the jokes they made up. Only Kaz usually looked offended when the two kept his people from their serious work.

She had also built up a good relationship with Inej in the two years that she had been part of the crows. Both were rather calm and liked to spend time alone. But they loved to talk about novels and books together. Inej and her had already broken into the library of Ketterdam several times at night to be able to read there in peace. Y / N fondly remembers those evenings. Especially Brekker's red-hot face when he found out what they had done. He was incredibly angry and didn't even let them be on the next mission. Meanwhile, Jesper just stood there, amused. Although he was disappointed in both of them too. But more because they didn't ask him to come along. Inej had smirked at the time and said that he was probably jealous. And to this day Y/N kept thinking about it. She could hardly imagine that he wanted to tag along because of the books.

"Hey are you even listening to me"

Jesper moved his hand up and down in front of her face.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Y / N knew this wasn't the first time he'd caught her thinking about him. She reached for the glass that Nina had put in front of her nose a few minutes ago. Hopefully that would take his mind off the nervous expression on her face.

"I thought it would be incredible if I would open a bakery with the money. You know the Money i won earlier"

Y/N looked deeper into her glass. In fact, she hadn't noticed what he'd told her. "Hmm interesting. I uh... would not have thought you were the bakery type. "

"Why not?" Jesper started to grin in amusement. Now he was glad that she was just so embarrassed and looking down. She was indeed looking really cute, while trying to come up with a logical answer that hopefully wouldn't hurt his feelings.

“Well you've shot at least 5 people in the last two days. And uh ... "

Jesper had to laugh out loud. "Hey hey little one, I was just kidding. I was Joking... Something like that happens when you don't listen. ”There was a big grin on his face. It felt like it went from one ear to the other. His dark eyes began to glow. Y/N didn't even notice how long the two had been staring at each other. Jesper looked away with a jerk and began to stammer something to himself, “I actually wanted to ask you something. Are we both going to break into that one library tomorrow night? I heard about this one book. And well we could steal it together. "

Y/N just had to grin. Maybe Inej was right after all and Jesper wanted to spend time with her.

"Sure, why not ... but you know that this is illegal?"

"It's only illegal if we get caught"

The next evening they both met below the roofs of Ketterdam's university district. Jesper's hair was disheveled, probably because he had slept until a few minutes ago. The night before had stolen both of their strength. None of them could really remember much. Once again, Nina had endured the most alcohol, but probably only because she was the one who made the others drink. Inej had gone to bed relatively early and in the early morning twilight still heard the singing voices of Matthias and Jesper. Y / N could roughly remember participating in a drinking game. And somehow she thought she had seen a smiling Kaz, but that would be too improbable.

It wasn't quite as cold as the night before, but because of the tiredness Y / N was all the more cold that day. Jesper didn't seem to have any other way. He had wrapped himself deep in his coat and was wearing a much too long scarf around his neck that he had stepped on twice while running. It was unusual for the shooter to be so calm. Most of the time he would talk out loud about his achievements in playing cards or he would consider a daring mission to get rich. He was very talkative, only today he was speechless.

Getting to the library was very easy there was a secured part in the south wing. Valuable writings from Kerch were stored there. But the two were only looking for a novel that would be insignificant for most People. It didn't take long for the two of them to get into the building over the roof of an adjoining building and through its courtyard.

Y / N knew her way around the library halls; after all, she had often come and gone there at night. Jesper ran right behind her, afraid of losing her between the tall bookshelves. It didn't take long for Jesper to find the right book. It was about tales and horror stories that used to be told to children in front of the campfire. Jesper had overheard Inej talking about this book. She had shared how she loved these stories as a child. That seemed like the right book for the right reason

y / n to dare a night break-in. He had longed to spend time alone with her for a long time. He admired her for her courage and caring. Jesper had been alone for a long time. Far from everything that felt like family. But the Crows gave him a home. Kaz was the protector of the crows and Jesper was happy to have someone like him, but somehow the warmth in the crow club was missing. But the warmth was suddenly there when the young grisha girl ran into his arms two years ago. She has been on his mind ever since. How many times had he caught himself paying special attention to her on missions. Or the many times she was turned on by drunkards and he would have loved to draw his revolver. Even now he could only think of her smile.

She had spread her coat on the floor and was tapping the spot next to her. Jesper sat down next to her, grinning, and began to read.

The warm sun shone on Y / N's face. What a nice way to be awakened. Most of the time she woke up by hearing gunshots in the street or the loud talk of seafarers stumbling towards the port. It smelled of old books, dust and leather. Only now did she realize that she was not in her bed. She opened her eyes carefully, hoping not to wake up in a prison or a cargo ship. But her surroundings were not unknown to her, only she had never seen them in this light. Next to her lay Jesper who had embraced her with both arms. She had never seen him so calm before. His chest moved slowly up and down as he breathed. How beautiful he looked.

"You should hire someone to make a portrait of me, believe me that will last longer."

Jesper's eyes were still closed. Y / N's face turned red again. She had to stop looking at him like that.

"Good morning, how did you sleep between so much Important literature?" She tried to distract from the subject.

Jesper opened his eyes and looked at her. Only now did she realize how close they were. He still had his arms around her. Jesper also noticed now what kind of situation they were in. He opened his mouth to answer when Y / N suddenly perceived voices from outside. She put her finger to his lips and turned her head towards the window. There were three library guards in the courtyard. They had just noticed the open window through which Jesper and Y/N had entered the building the night before.

Without thinking further, both started running. If they hurried they could still get outside via the west entrance before the university square is full of students.

Luckily for them it was easy to run through the great hall into the foyer, Jesper tried hard not to pull out his revolver to get them out of the situation, but Y/n insisted that they could flee without getting noticed. But it was too late, the guards had already spotted them. Jesper took Y/N by the hand and the two ran laughing like two school girls through the corridors until they could escape over the balcony of the west wing.

They laughed and hugged. "Oh Jesper that was close"

"Yes, If i had not been there, you would have never made it out of there"

"If you hadn't been there I would have never fallen asleep in there"

"That's right, but then I would never have been able to do this either."

He leaned over to her and looked at her with an asking expression. For a moment he was afraid of having lost his self-confidence. He wondered if he had misinterpreted anything. All the times she looked at him with a blushing face and glowing eyes. Maybe he was just wrong ...

But He couldn't think clearly anymore because he had already been interrupted by Y / N's lips. At that moment they both forgot everything around them. The dirty city, the cold winter air and the screams of the guards who were still looking for them.

Fuck, I think that's how it feels at home.

Thx for reading this😅 if you liked it pls write a comment. Just so i know if i should continue writing or not✨ if somebody has a request for an imagine just comment it or text me in my direct messages 🥰💗

Mai 🦋

[itsjustmyfantasyroom]

Nice Night

My darling @beccabarba requested this:

<Hey lovely! I need more Nick Amaro x Reader! (this crush is your fault) So... How about Nick and Reader are already dating but playing it pretty cool, taking it slow. Then they have their first argument and end up having amazing make up sex and finally admitting how strong their feelings are. If it works for you!>

 Lovely you know anything Nick works for me he needs all the love xx

Warnings: Smut, ass hole Nick, reader and Nick x reader have been a relationship so protection has already been spoke about previously for the sake of this story.

WC: 1645

Enjoy x

If you had to visualise your anger you would have been a cartoon with a red face, cheeks puffed out with steam coming out of your ears. You had been with Nick a few months now, taking it slow and just enjoying each other. Sonny and Amanda knew but promised to keep it quiet.  

The case that was in at the moment was taking a lot out of you all and you hadn't spent much time together with Nick. Finally the trial was over and you had booked a table at your guys favourite go to Thai restaurant to unwind have a few drinks and hopefully end up back at your apartment.��You had messaged Nick earlier in the day between court rescues to remind him. You had dressed up in your tightest jeans and a new Spanish style top you had brought on line a few weeks again. 

You sat at the table sipping on your wine looking at your watch, he was nearly an hour late. You pulled some money out of your purse throwing it on the table and walking out. As you got out the door you dialled his number and it went to voice mail after a few rings. You hailed down a cab and climbed in dialling his number again after giving your address. Still no answer going to voice mail. You got home and got ready for bed now being overly pissed. You had just laid down turning off your bedside lamp when your phone started to buzz over and over. 

"Hello" Nick almost screamed over the music in the background "Y/N, what's up?" You could tell by his voice he had been drinking. 

"Where are you?" You snapped. 

"What?" He shouted over the phone "Hang on- Carisi I'll be back" 

You sat on phone frowning, your temper about to boil over as you heard the music fade. 

"Y/N, What's up, what do you need?" Nick sounded almost not interested. 

"Where are you?"  

"Out with Carisi, why? You checking up on me or something?" 

"No-" you snapped back, Nick started talking before you could say anymore. 

“Yeah ok, two missed calls. Look I told you, I wanted to take things slow I have been having a good time with you but I have already been married I don't need you ringing up and checking on me every time I'm out" 

Tears filled your eyes and you snapped yelling down the phone, 

"We had a table booked for tonight, that you told me to book cause you wanted to spend time with me and you left me sitting there waiting for you- you know what Nick, enjoy your night"  

You hung up turning off your phone rolling over crying yourself to sleep blaming yourself for letting yourself get too attached to an ass hole with too much emotional baggage. 

Sleep was too far away that night, the sun coming through your closed curtains stinging your tear filled eyes. You grabbed your phone turning it back on. Multiple notifications came through with missed calls, voice messages and text messages all from Nick. You ignored every single one of them, quickly making a coffee order from the star bucks down the street and going to shower to try and look somewhat human. 

You walked out of the coffee shop sipping on your iced drink heading back to your apartment when you felt a hand on your shoulder. You turned around to see Nick standing in front of you looking too handsome in a black polo and jeans. Nick's face was hard and frown lines deep, but his eyes wet with tears. You went to turn away so he didn't see you start to cry. Nick grabbed your elbow and pulled you back around too him, one hand resting on your neck and the other on your hip, 

"What do you want Nick? I'm tired I want to go home" 

"I have been trying to call, to message- I left voice messages. I was worried" You pulled out of his embrace and started to walk away towards your apartment. Nick jogging after you catching up with you "We need to talk Y/N" 

"You done enough talking last night, there is nothing else to say Nick" 

You had managed to finish your drink and Nick followed you up to your apartment. You sighed when he followed you in the door closing it behind him, 

"Y/N" Nick grabbed your arm pulling you back to him, your body flush with his and he cupped your face. You tried to pull away the tears streaming down your cheeks "Look at me" Nick said firmly. Slowly your eyes travelled up to meet his, despite his tone his face was soft and he rubbed his thumbs over your cheek bones. 

"What do you want?" Your voice was shaky. 

"I' am so sorry. I was an ass hole. About everything. I just- I didn't know what to do and instead of talking to you, I did what I did" You both stood there eyes locked staring at each other, the tears still falling from your eyes. 

"Didn't know what to do about what?" 

Nick wiped your tears away with his thumb and cleared his throat. 

"I can't lose you, not now not ever. I realised a few weeks ago my feelings for you and I care about you way more than I cared to admit. I have been trying to push the feelings away because it’s just too soon, but I can't- not anymore" 

“So instead of talking to me about it, you stand me up and go drinking” you frowned at him again “Doing shit like that will lose me.”

“I made a mistake and I’ am sorry”

“How many more mistakes till it’s too many Nick”

Nick still had hold of your face, tears rolling down his cheeks now.

“Please forgive me. I’ll do whatever it takes” Nick kissed your forehead.

“Tell me how you really feel”

Nick cleared his throat moving his hands from your face to grab both yours hands in his rubbing his thumbs over your knuckles.

“I want you to meet my Mum, and when I have Zara next I want you to meet her. On Monday we will fill out the disclosure forms. I’ am ready to take those steps with you. You’re the only person who has ever looked past the bad tempered Detective Amaro and I love you for it.”

“You love me?”

“I do, very much.” Nick pulled you into him wrapping his arms round your shoulders, yours resting on his hips.

“I love you too”

Nick’s lips met yours for a soft tender kiss which soon got deeper when you pulled his hips into you. Nick pulled back wrapping his arms around your waist lifting you up off the floor. You yelped in surprise grabbing onto his shoulders as he walked into your bedroom. Nick placed you down cupping your cheeks again kissing you deeply rolling his hips into you, swallowing each other’s moans. You both pulled back from each other making quick work of undressing yourselves. Nick’s eyes scanned your body and he licked his lip’s,

“Eres tan Hermosa. Te quiero mucho” (You're so beautiful. I love you so much) Nick closed the space between you grabbing your hips lifting you up and throwing you slightly on the bed and you bouncing up slightly.

Nick got to his knees between your legs throwing them over his shoulders. You gasped, your hands threading into his hair arching your back off the bed when you felt Nick suck your sensitive pearl into his mouth flicking it with the tip of his tongue. Your toes curled and you tugged on his hair when he sunk a finger into you and then another. You could hear how wet you were as Nick drove his fingers into you.

“Oh Nick” you squealed as your coil snapped, Nick sucking your clit through your high.

You felt Nick pull away and in no time he knelt on his right knee on the bed, his other leg still standing so he was straddling your thigh, pulling you down by your hips so you were closer to the edge of the bed. Nick grabbed your other leg lifting it straight up in the air so it was resting on his chest, your ankle near his shoulder. You could feel the head of his warm member at your opening and slowly he started to slide in till he was bottoming out.  

Nick started to roll his hips, hitting the right spot with every thrust. Nick started to nip and kiss around your ankle.

“Oh Nick” you moaned again as you reached down to rub your clit, your orgasm building at rapid speed still being sensitive from your previous release. Nick started to pound into hard chasing his own release loving the feeling of you clamping down on him and watching you rub yourself. Finally your release broke over you like a title wave, you screamed Nick’s name over and over. Nick thrust’s got sloppy and he slammed into you a couple times and he was grunting through clenched teeth coming deep inside you.

Nick kissed you ankle before moving your leg to rest it down hanging over the edge of the bed. He moved to lay down next to you pulling you into him so you were on his chest. Heavy breathing filled the room and Nick tilted your head back with his pointer finger kissing you deeply again.

“We should shower and get ready” Nick kissed your nose.

“Get ready for what” you ran your nails down his chest.

“For lunch. My mum is meeting us at 1.”

“Really?” you could feel the tears in your eyes as you smiled.

“Yes really” Nick’s lips met yours again for a brief kiss “I love you Y/N”     

Tags: @the-baby-bookworm @thatesqcrush @permanentlydizzy​ @amorestevens

[carrottuan93]

Haven’t met you yet | Mark

Masterlist (1/4) | part2 - part3 - part4

Starring: MK x You

Tags: Mark Tuan, Fluff, Destiny, Waiting, Christmas, Bookworm, Nerd, Love, Fate

Total WC: 2631

Foreword: You promise yourself you’re going to wait for the perfect love even if it takes forever but you’re already barging on it’s doorstep without even realizing that love has met you already in the first place.

It’s all about timing and seeking reassurance in all the right places.

It’s a chance you never want to miss and an opportunity that you wouldn’t trade for anything.

Learn to take risks and learn to fall in love along the way. Cause true love is patient and it’ll come when you least expect it.

Have you been good all year round? You never know what Santa has in stored for you this Christmas.

[Feel free to listen on the playlist that I made for this one shot :)))]

"Eunhee, I should probably take a break from your endless blind date setups. Nothing is working out for me, seriously." You heaved a sigh, slouching on the couch as you gave your best friend an exasperated look the moment you entered her humble bookshop. She's too excited for your love life ever since she and her long-time university crush Jackson became an official couple on your birthday when you celebrated it on Jeju last year. It was a really cold New Year’s Eve when you chose to reserve this romantic restaurant by the beach as the venue for your special day. Eunhee doesn't have any idea about Jackson's plan when you booked a flight to Jeju Island for a week despite the busy season. Since you wanted to play the fairy godmother role for the both of them, you saved Jackson from worrying and suggested that he'd do it on your birthday instead. And just like that, they spent the New Year countdown melting into each other’s puddle while greeting you a happy birthday. The things you do for your friend, if that ain’t salty for your part (it is, for being the third wheel), automatically elected you as the sole Queen of singles club after Neun’s grand exit.

 Since their anniversary is just around the corner, they are planning to spend it once again on Jeju and Eunhee, for being the supportive sister from another mother that she is, will surely drag you with them at all costs since it has been your tradition to celebrate New Year’s Eve with your best friend. She is dying to set you up with someone so you won't be celebrating your birthday alone anymore.

 "I'm sorry, Y/N. I thought you and my friend Hae In will work out. What happened by the way? tell me about your date." She sat beside your spot after closing the shop and did the honor of pouring you a glass of your favorite merlot. This girl knows how to calm you down for sure. I mean she isn't your best friend if she have no idea that wine is your comfort drink. For whatever reason it is, you don't know why it helps to lessen your loneliness by drinking the night away. Maybe knocking you down into a deep slumber and finding yourself completely clueless the next day, alongside the horrible hangover can patch up the painful truth that you are still single up to this point of your life. In addition to the earthly and God-sent smell of neatly piled books crowding the interior of her paradise, Eunhee's bookshop is your go-to place at all times. You used to frequent this a lot during your childhood days where you first met her and together you shared the same passion and love for books and wine through all these years.

 "He's too overrated for my type. Like I don't know why we need to talk about all of his exes and why his relationship with them didn't work out when we can sit and be comfortable with just talking about our interests, 'us' the present and not his past. He's a perfectionist per se and I don't like it when a guy shows disinterest whenever I told them about myself as some nerdy bookish girl who craves for a netflix kind of night compared to his ideal dream girl-next-door whom you can freely bring to a club the minute next." You look down on the red liquid in your glass, appreciating its refined and classic smell that is clouding your nostrils. You're way too excited to go home so you can finally sink on your newly changed bed sheets and savor the enticing smell of fabric conditioner which you cannot live without. You glanced outside the window, observing the couples walking together under the falling snow, as if Valentines day has come all of a sudden in the middle of December. Red roses are a popular gift for the ladies as you've observed and you cannot help yourself from wondering if someone will ever give you flowers on Christmas, particularly pink roses, which you really admire. You always dreamt of tending a bed of pink roses only for yourself because the sight of it makes you really happy. It's just unfortunate that they aren't in full bloom during this season that's why you can only wait for February to come so you could save the trouble of finding a lame date and just buy yourself a bouquet for Valentines. You can give yourself flowers and still feel like in a relationship with all the fictional characters on your novels. No one is stopping you from dating them in your mind, you thought.

 “Ugh I can’t believe that guy. I thought he’s a good catch but actually a bummer for real. Don’t worry, I’ll choose better next time." She gave you a warm hug, patting your head as you lay your cheek on her shoulder. She released you and you gave her an 'I'm-okay-don't-worry' kind of smile. And you sat there for almost an hour talking about your other failed blind dates in the past week that all belongs in either Jackson or Eunhee's circle. You have no idea why none of them matched your personality. Either they are too wild or too boring for them to function as your potential boyfriend. No one could really captivate your specific taste in a guy. It's not that you are too picky and have a high standard when it comes to scouting a lover. You just have your own preferences when it comes to choosing someone whom you'll devote your precious time into. No relationship is perfect because everything is built out of flaws, misunderstandings, heartaches and drama but if you'll enter in a commitment at least choose someone who's worthy of that pain. You aren’t getting any younger and all you need right now is someone reliable, honest and trustworthy enough to not waste your feelings and emotion. You need a serious guy who will not take you for granted and who welcomes the idea of settling in the near future. At least someone with a nice job? Or a bearable attitude, outlook and philosophy in life? He doesn't need to be the most handsome or richest guy in the planet. After all, you always talk to God about giving you with someone who will really love all your imperfections and flawed nature. You always pray to the heavens above that maybe he'll cross the mountains and bring you the moon and the stars like they always did on the movies and in stories but you're fed with too much fantasy and began to think that maybe the guy for you was rather inexistent or an alien inhabiting a distant galaxy located in a million light years away.

 "A break is all I need after all. I will be fine tomorrow at Christmas eve. Don't worry about me having a date on our dinner. I'll bring some macarons as an antidote for all things bitter for you and Jackson's couple party." It's your best friend’s first Christmas with her boyfriend that's why they are throwing a mini gathering for their family and close friends. You had this feeling that you will be the only one attending the party without a date so might as well go straight to the kitchen and grab a bottle of whatever wine you can get and spend the evening dancing on tipsy toes and the floor would be very much pleased to accommodate your drunken needs. But you will not gonna end up wasted on a party especially Eunhee will not be there beside you to take you home since you do not want to rob Jackson of his time with her. Their happiness always matters before you and that's what makes you happy, to see your best friend happy with the man that he really deserves.

 "All right sweetcheeks. We'll not let you feel gloomy on Christmas eve. Good girls get a reward from Santa so you have nothing to worry about." She gave you a wink and clanked your glasses in unison as you both emptied the bottle of wine to your heart's content. You both agreed to watch a romantic holiday movie over a shared furry blanket and hear out your friend as she talked to you mostly of his boyfriend, as if you’ve read a book about the guide to 101 ways on how to fall for Jackson. Maybe the love bug bit too hard on your friend now that she really has the man of her dreams right on her fingertips, she can’t ask for anything else. Their love story is too underrated and you’re one of the living witnesses that a coin is never wasted on a wishing well. If you only joined Eunhee on her wishing spree every time you both pass by your University’s fountain of love, your coin bank would have gone empty by now. But you didn’t do it and saved all of your coins for yourself cause you really enjoy playing basketball in the arcades for fun. For all you can remember way back in college days, your friend is just one of the many timid girls who are cheering and admiring the ever-famous fencing athlete, business student and heartthrob, Jackson. You have classes together with him and that is how your job as a love guru began. You really deserve a raise because you did succeed on making them a couple. You could set up a dating agency and earn better than your current job for all you care. But amidst all the love advice that you gave to them, you’re the complete opposite of a matchmaker. Because love never finds your way despite making love work for the others. Love is sweet but a bitch most of the time.

 If love finally came to Eunhee and Jackson, hopefully yours would come in a whirlpool, sweeping you off of your feet and rendering all the other love stories made in the history irrelevant. You love spontaneity and you’re up for the extraordinary. In fact, you already made a dozen of playlists on spotify and counting, awaiting to be dedicated to him. You may have weird habits, like using ketchup as a dip for your honey glazed donuts, and still act straight and sit the whole day finishing a book with your favorite espresso at coffee shops. You love taking midnight trips to the art museum and you wonder if he can appreciate the abstract the way it makes your soul come alive. You love travelling back to time and studying history and it would be a bonus if he’ll join you on the 3% mint choco enthusiasts in the whole world. And your list goes on and on and it’ll take a lifetime to introduce yourself to someone but you want to meet him soon. You can’t wait for that time to annoy the hell out of him and if he still chooses to come back after your endless nagging, that’s the time when you’re not gonna let go of him anymore. You know for yourself, you’re looking for an almost perfect individual but you’re ready to tear up your never ending list of your ideal guy if someone could really surprise you and made you want to look at the world in a different dimension. After all, an ideal can never be achieved in real life. You cannot make someone ‘the one’ but you can only search for someone and make them ‘your one’. Things may not come out the way you want them to be but things will work out if he’s your destiny. It might be hard to find the rarest form of love, which is true love, but you’re willing to go on a train trip bound to a destination you’ve never been to given that he’ll meet you at the end of the tunnel. Love isn’t hard. Love is supposed to be easy. You just need patience and it’ll come to you when you least expect it.

 It's nearing 11 pm already when you feel lightheaded because of your wine intake and maybe due to the fact that your early sleeping schedule has been breached by tonight's unfortunate event. You bid goodbye to your friend despite her invitation that you should just sleep on her place and decided to call for an uber to save yourself from zoning out like a zombie because you can no longer walk straight with your clouded vision. Eunhee lives upstairs her bookstore because she manages her family's business when her father passed away that's why she isn't living with you anymore. You've grown to be independent now that you're living on your own after sharing the same apartment with your friend during your university days.

 "Tomorrow night at 8. I'll text you the address. Don't be late, Y/n. Have a goodnight!” Eunhee tucked you up nicely on your seat and soon the taxi sped up passing underneath the city lights in the mood for the radio's yuletide playlist. You're a bit drunk to see clearly but you can recognize the faint Christmas lights flickering throughout the busy streets. In just half an hour, the uber came to a stop and you hopped off the cab as you made your way towards the entrance of the condo that you’re residing in. You walked past the concierge and romantic music is donning the halls screaming love is in the air but not for you cause it makes you suffocated. Inside the elevator you noticed that you'll join a couple on your way to a 5-minute trip to the 12th floor. You silently wished that nobody would enter in between floors so as not to slow down your fast lane to your unit or else it'll be another episode of 'You-are-single-fgds' slapping your face. Geez, you badly want a damn break but the couple is too absorbed in their own selves, doing whatever cringey couple thing it is behind you, so you chose to ignore their reflection on the elevator walls.

 God spared you for that ride and luckily you reached the 12th floor in the fastest speed possible. You walked in a crazy zigzag pattern when you reached the front step of your door and you held on the handle to prevent yourself from falling directly on the ground. Your eyes are zooming in for the door lock as you punch in your keycode multiple times and still wonder why the door isn't granting you any access at all.

 "The fudge why aren't you opening?" You tried all possible combinations already but to no luck, you are still denied. For the 10th time, the lock gave up on you and is now urging for a password reset when all of a sudden the heavens finally heard your prayer and the door automatically opened. You fell towards a pair of arms, as if on cue you are saved once again from falling directly on the floor. You grabbed on a pair of shoulders, and you felt like you've reached your bed already as your senses are welcomed with a lovely scent of fabcon, which for you is the sweetest scent in the world.

 "Hmm. I can finally sleep now." You smiled the moment you felt safe and secured within the parameters of what you think of as your bed.

"Wait, you cannot sleep on my arms." It's too late for you to wake up because you're already dozing off to dreamland.

"Oh shoot. What am I gonna do with you?" You barged into someone's room and you haven't had the slightest idea of what you'll gonna do the next morning when you wake up.

[rambleonwithrosie]

150 Followers. Feel free to take this and use it yourself.

Okay so if you've been following me you know that at every milestone of 50 I go and answer 50 questions. So this time they're all gonna be Queen/Classic Rock specific and y'all are all welcome to take these and make asks out of them or reblog/copy with your own answers.

Favorite Queen member's solo album? Strange Frontier by Roger Taylor

Who of the band would you call to help you fix a flat tire? John, he's a dad and a diy guy, as much as I wanna say Rog I just don't want to deal with a drama queen when I'm having my own drama but I've seen him under the hood of a car so I've no doubt he probably knows how

What do you think Brian May smells like on am average day? Very woodsy, like pine needles and some light but expensive cologne

How would you kiss Freddie? On the cheek like a good friend I just can't get into his looks enough to think about kissing him any other way

How would you kiss John? Well if we're talking long haired fluffy John I'd probably psst at him to come around the corner and then give him a kiss and see what he does

How would you kiss Brian? Very carefully otherwise @squeezemylemon is gonna kill me so probably the sweet quick chaste type kiss

How would you kiss Roger? (My moment has come) I would walk up to him and grab ahold of one of the necklaces he wears and just pull his lips down to mine and crash mine onto his wrapping my arms around his neck kissing him for all I'm worth or less dramatically if we were just sitting on a couch or something I'd just lean my head up off his shoulder and press a gentler sort of kiss to his lips and see where he takes it after that

If you were going to date one of their kids who would it be? Felix, I'm partial to brunettes usually (Roger and Luke Skywalker are my exceptions) and he seems pretty cool and has done a lot of different things which would be interesting to talk about

Favorite gif of your least favorite band member?

10. Most recent Queen photo on your phone

11. Favorite piece of fanart?

I can't pick just one. I also don't remember where I found these and if you know the artist I'll happily tag them in the most. The artbis most definitely NOT mine

This is mine

12. Queen song that makes you want to cry? Love of My Life

13. Which band member would you pick to keep an eye on you at a party so you don't get too crazy and make it home safe? Brian probably, I would say John but I feel if he's drinking he'd be less than no help

14. Who's flat would you ask to crash at? I have reasons to want to say Roger's but banging aside I'd probably pick Freddie he was generous and funny and would probably do his beat to cheer me up from whatever circumstance had made me not have a place of my own to stay

15. Who would you want to teach you to play an instrument they play? Well I genuinely feel I'm best suited for drums so I'm not just saying Roger because he's my dude. Plus he could teach me the most instruments anyways considering as he knows drums, bass, electric, and keyboard.

16. If you could spend a day with Freddie what would you do? I'd just want to sit and have tea and talk and maybe go shopping later hear his advice and crack some jokes

17. Favorite solo song by a Queen band member? As far as written by goes, it's probably Let's Get Crazy or Happiness by Rog bit overall it's gotta be Rog's version of Racing in the Street *chills*

18. Favorite live performance?

undefined

19. Whose singing voice do you like best? Roger Taylor (nothing against Fresh he's amazing)

20. Whose speaking voice do you like best? Again Roger Meddows Taylor for the win

21. Write a snippet where you're holding hands with your least favorite band member.

Freddie had never been to an amusement park before, hadn't wanted to go really, but John had begged him to come along and then left him with Aston to babysit while he dealt with his actual children. It wasn't that she had anything against Fred it's just him tagging along on her elbow was keeping her away from the drummer whose attention she wanted. They got onto one of the rides and she saw how pale Freddie was looking and felt sorry for him. It wasn't his fault that he was being a third wheel or that the drummer was off on one of the more dangerous rides that Freddie was not about to get on.

"You can hold my hand if you want" Aston joked looking over at Fred.

"Really?" He asked a little relieved. The two of them chuckled and to Aston's surprise Freddie's black nail polished fingertips interlaced through hers and he looked a little more at ease for the comfort of human contact.

"It'll be fine" she grinned and then the ride took off and the black fingernails damn near dug into her hand in panic.

22. Write a snippet where you're fighting with your favorite band member.

They had been living together for just over two months and despite not knowing how to boil an egg Roger somehow found a way to get into the kitchen and put things in the wrong spot. He came home from the stall.

"Where is the paprika?" She leveled at him before he had scarcely shut the door.

"The what?"

"Paprika, Rog, the spice that I was going to use for the supper I was cooking us, but I can't ever find anything in this kitchen" Aston said muttering as an afterthought "thanks to you."

"What was that?" Rog said coming over to her and looking darkly with his blue eyes.

"Just tell me where you put the paprika and we'll be fine" she sighed.

"I didn't fucking touch anything in your stupid kitchen" he glowered going to the liquor cabinet.

"Well I still can't find it" she huffed.

"Not my problem" he said swigging straight from the bottle.

"Well if you want dinner it kind of is" she retorted.

"I'll get something out" Rog said dispassionately.

"Fuck you" she muttered and went back to banging through the cabinets in search of the missing spice. She was on her knees with half her body in a lower shelf looking in the back and growing hotter for Roger showing no signs of caring or helping. She smelt the dish starting to burn on the stove and tried to crawl out, raising her head up and whacking it on the shelf above. She let out a round of oaths.

She went over to the stove and moved it off the heat halfway between tears and screaming.

"I'll order something" Roger said standing up.

"I can fucking cook!" She shouted "if only I could find the things I need when I need them."

"Well don't yell at me about it" Roger said and brushed past and out the door.

Aston collapsed onto the floor sitting with her back to the cabinets and started crying. She sobbed into the kitchen towel. So much for her cosy dinner at home with Rog. She was so distraught that she didn't hear the door open and close. She felt her fingers clutching the towel pried open and looked to see a bottle of paprika put into them. She turned her teary red eyes up to Roger's face. He pulled her to her feet and held her in his arms. Softly stroking her hair and planting a gentle kiss to her cheeks.

"Come on, I got us reservations, you can cook your thing tomorrow if you still want to" he looked down at her smiling and put a kiss to her nose and grinned at her in his arms.

23. Favorite picture of Brian

24. Favorite picture Roger

(Well it's one of many favs)

25. Favorite picture of Freddie

26. Favorite picture of John

27. Best song to slow dance to? One Year of Love

28. Best song to make out to? I'm In Love with My Car

29. Best song to drive to? Breakthru or Don't Stop Me Now

30. Best song to strip to? Tear It Up

31. What era of the band would you like to hang out with most? I wanna say mid to late 70s. I'd rather not have to hang out with them during Hot Space 😂

32. Favorite song on your favorite album? Rock It (Prime Jive)

33. Least liked song on your favorite album? Probably Play the Game

34. Who would you want to take care of you if you were sick? I feel Brian would be the most knowledgeable but I'd probably prefer Fred just cutting up and maybe grabbing the aspirins and whatever else was needed. I just don't feel Brian would be funny enough to cheer me up. And Rog I just don't know how good he'd be at taking care of someone

35. Who would you want to go driving with? Roger. Duh! So many reasons!

36. Who would you pick to spend a lazy (non-sexual) afternoon with? Well not that I'm just into Rog for the sex, he'd still be my first pick because laughs. But second would be Brian.

37. Rate how thirsty you are for each band member? Freddie 0/10. John variable between 0/10-6/10. Brian 2/10-4/10(red special is factored into Brian). Roger 1000/10 (cars aren't factored into Rog otherwise I'd break my phone adding zeros to that 1000)

38. Least favorite Roger song? Sheer Heart Attack

39. Favorite Brian song? Sail Away Sweet Sister or Dragon Attack

40. Least favorite Freddie song? Body Language and Get Down Make Love

41. Favorite John song? One Year of Love or If You Can't Beat Them

42. Are you excited for the Bohemian Rhapsody movie? Yes. Not insanely. But moderately excited yes

43. Is Queen your favorite band of all time? No. They're in my top 3 but The Moody Blues were my childhood and are so unique and very special to me

44. If you married your crush from the band where would you go on your honeymoon? The beach. Hopefully the Pacific Ocean. Probably some nice private beach just to have space with each other and I love water and he loves boating and stuff.

45. Who has the nicest butt? While I prefer Rog's ass I must admit John possesses the superior booty

46. Who has the best smile? Roger. Hands down and not just because he's my main man all around it's literally made of sunshine

47. Who would you go to if you were scared? Roger. I don't get scared so if I did I'd want someone around to make me laugh my fears away

48. If you were going to be in a crime fighting/super hero duo with one of the band, who would it be? John. He's sound and sensible and so long as he can handle my forceful personality and not write any DISpatches raking my bad behavior and rash decisions we'll get along

49. Do you listen to Queen daily, or at least multiple times a week? Yes especially if you include their solo works

50. Have you written any Queen fanfiction or made any fanart? Yes. Fanfiction galore. Some has yet to be posted but when I do it will be on @drummerinthecupboard

[gaycey-sketchit]

(Gary anon) I don't doubt that if the group didn't have Gary, the raid would have gone differently. But, that doesn't necessarily mean it would have gone 'better'. (If the other challengers not even making it to the cave is anything to go by. Heck, barring Moltres, the other raids just whittle down to just Ash and Goh rather quickly) Heh, I actually seen two recent videos talking about Gary's character concerning this episode on Youtube; not negatively. Just retrospect.

.

(Part 2) I think some get why he's acting like his with Goh, but it clears how much 4kids left its mark. (Really hope Johto gets fully subbed one of these days, it's the remaining missing puzzle concerning his development. I can catch some words, but I still need full context) His next appearances is crucial to having people get a 2nd look at him. (This was a much knock down for Goh. The OP makes me think he'll have a raid together with the leaders, or tag along some mission)

(Part 3) (with them and he needs to be in top shape here) I get wanting to hear "pathetic" come out of his mouth; but *that shouldn't come with his whole character regressing. (*Already have a few iffy on that when it comes to JN Gary) He's not going to be Champion, might as well give him some official title to highlight his status. Gym Leaders teach too and strives for trainers to get better. (Japanese side of the fandom keeps saying Gary feels older, regardless of age. xD) One of the most

(Part 4) disrespectful moments in the entire anime. xD I guess that's karma for happen with Kangaskhan. (Evolution speculation is back in the mix: We haven't seen Boltund in the anime yet and I remember seeing merch on it some months ago) Like Infernape, I don't see Greninja rejoining Ash's current roster, but I could see it returning to him permanently. (Unless other plans are set for him, Paul is either the last Ultra Class battle or the 1st round of Masters 8) I'm in the former

(Part 5) ;Masters 8 feels like it'll consist mainly of Champions, plus Raihan and Lance. If the tournament battle format is how I think it will go, Paul's better off ending Ultra. Since there's some signs of Iris gaining a spot, I'm not entirely sure about Alder. Hope he at least gets something. (I pretty much expect every return from here-on-out to be done in rapid succession compared to last year. There's a few companions left unmentioned)

Yeah. At any rate, from a writing perspective it served its purpose, and we got to see our spiky boy, so I figure it's whatever.

Yeah, a lot of people not even making it to Articuno goes to show that it would've been brutal one way or another. Gary's skill helped.

Ooh, analysis videos? Glad people are talking about that, even if I am probably too picky about whose opinions on Pokeani I listen to to ever seek out Pokeani Youtubers, unfortunately. (I literally am too autistic for it, and I can't really put why I'm like this into words beyond that. I’m just weird and protective about my special interest I guess xD)

I suppose so... honestly, from what I've gathered Gary's (Shigeru's, I should probably say, but you know what I mean either way) whole thing is a bit better and also way funnier in Japanese. The way he acts haughty and antagonistic and then calls himself boku just couldn't translate into English because we don't have Japanese's array of personal pronouns with different connotations, and that coupled with the dub playing up his antagonism/making him more abrasive in the first season... any subtlety is lost. Gary's still one of the best and funniest characters but. You know. (I would like to watch more of Pokeani subbed someday. I like the dubs--I love the 4Kids dub, and the TPCI dub is fine--but I think it’d be interesting.)

Anyway! Yeah! I wonder when his next appearance will be. Hopefully we don't have to wait too long... we withstood twelve years without a single appearance outside of brief silent cameos, but my threshold has been reached and I just vibrate in anticipation for his appearances now xD

Yeah, sometimes a character just needs a little personal growth knocked into them. It's fine.

Yeah.

I definitely wouldn’t mind seeing him achieve that! I think he’d be good at it, though I imagine much like Blue in the games, his restless soul would be a problem sometimes. It’d at least be good for him to have a home base. 

(Talk of Gary potentially taking over the Viridian Gym reminds me there’s a fic I’ve been meaning to read where he does that, and it’s explicitly an act of reclamation because it’s a fic about his Mewtwo Trauma--what I did read of it was very good, the trauma portrayal just felt a little too real and I was not in the headspace to handle it emotionally when I came across it. You might know the one--it’s Recovery Takes: by Essence_of_Silence on AO3. Big fan of their work and how it hits my feelings with the force of a freight train.)

I get that! Along with his more mature personality, it’s probably partly because his JN design is based off Blue’s HGSS look and Blue was in his mid-teens in those games.

Yeah, the disrespect! I laugh every time I think about it.

Oh? I hadn’t realized Boltund hadn’t made an appearance yet! Interesting!

That makes sense!

Yeah, him being the last Ultra Class battle sounds right.

Should be very interesting! Excited to see how things play out in Journeys’ (probably) final year, I know this leg of the anime has been a very divisive one but I’ve had fun :)