#i LIKE when video games are a once a week thing it becomes a special lil treat for meeee

[arcaneyouth]

i finished making chapter 7 of my comic and immediately my entire routine went to shambles cause i don't know what to do with myself anymore. girlies i'm so bored

[w1ldthoughts]

Social Media QB

Anon Requested

Disclaimer: this is a work of FICTION, the characters are fictionalized versions of real life situations and real people. It’s all based on my imagination.

Masterlist

The reputation of the Chargers social media team was unmatched. They are known for being funny and up to date on all memes and pop culture references while also showcasing players’ personalities. That alone made you apply and this past year on the job had really been a once in a lifetime experience. Working with Megan and the crew was a daily adventure and you were becoming more and more comfortable calling the guys your friends. It even got to a point where you didn’t even call them by their names anymore.

Keenan was usually “slay” or “slayer.” Mike was always “Mike Dub”, Michael Davis was “Vato” and your favorite nickname was definitely calling Justin “Sunshine.” At first it was a Remember the Titans reference but it became a lifestyle. Everything and everyone revolves around the sun and that’s exactly what it felt like when you were at work. All of the players were important and special but you could just feel the energy in the room shift when Justin was there. It was palpable, it almost took your breath away sometimes.

Off camera he was goofy, funny and had this uncanny ability to make the world stand still for a bit, even just for a few fleeting moments where it felt like you two were the only ones in the room. But then reality would hit and you were reminded that you work for the team and he’d never see you in that way, he was just nice to everyone he encountered. But on camera? It was all fun and games. There was a running joke, mostly based on his real feelings, that Justin hated cameras. He couldn’t stand being the center of attention or having people perceive him so he avoided the social media team altogether when phones were pointed in his direction.

But sometimes, a rarity, you were able to get him on camera, even if it was just for a split second. The two of you reviewed the questions he was going to be asked before their Hot Ones appearance and there was ALWAYS a discussion, more like subtle begging if you all were going to have him participate in any content.

“We need Justin for this new segment we’re doing, so you’re gonna have to talk to him.” Megan sighs, grabbing her Stanley cup that was sitting on the counter. She’d just finished editing a video where she and her assistant put fart spray on the tiny mic and could still feel the rancid scent on her clothes.

You were going through photos taken during practice earlier that morning and deciding which ones to post. “Why do I have to do it?”

Lorren and Allie giggle in the corner, shaking their heads. “You cannot be serious right now y/n,” Lorren gives you a pointed look.

“What?”

“We all know you and Justin have a thing for each other. Even if you won’t admit to us…or yourself. It’s pretty obvious.”

You raised your head up from your laptop, staring at them while also wracking your brain trying to figure out when your innocent crush had become so painfully obvious. If the girls knew, then Justin had probably somehow caught on and the thought of that made you want to dig a hole right outside on the practice field and never come out. “Is—am I that easy to read?”

“No one blames you,” Megan runs a loving hand on your shoulder. “And I’m sure you’ve been trying so hard to hide your feelings that you haven’t noticed that he’s doing an even worse job of hiding his massive crush on you.”

The look on your face sends the room into a fit of laughter. “We’re being serious. The way he looks at you and acts around you. Anyone can see he’s into you friend.”

You weren’t convinced, “I need an example.”

“Okay fine,” Lorren stands up to prepare a demonstration. “He wasn’t ready to put the mics on when he was mic’d up until you walked over and helped him get the mic in the perfect spot in his pads. And then he wore the friendship bracelet for six weeks because you handed it to him.”

Allie pipes up to put in her two cents. “And let’s not forget when he had you driving him around the golf tournament and kicked Zion to the curb. There’s no way all of those are just a coincidence.”

“Fine. I’ll go ask him if he’ll shoot the video for us but I’m not going to lose my job because of a meaningless crush on the starting quarterback.”

You waited around for the guys to leave treatment after practice and caught up with him on his way out. “Hey Sunshine, quick question for you.”

His cheeks turn a light shade of pink and he gives you a small tight-lipped smile. “What’s up?”

“I need you to do me a huge favor and be in this tik tok. It’s a short game and it’ll only take like 15 minutes.”

His deadpan face and disappointed dad sigh has you practically begging, saying “please” in your finest sing-song tone.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” You knew he’d crack, he always did. “On one condition. You also have to participate.”

You hold your hand out and he engulfs it with his much larger one. “You’ve got yourself a deal Herbert.”

“Okay the rules of the game are simple,” Megan begins from behind her phone screen before hitting record, “we’re going to give you these Canadian snacks and you’ll rate them on a scale from 1 to 10. One being it’s awful I’ll never touch that again and 10 being a solid snack that you’d eat everyday if given the opportunity.”

You and Justin nod, diving in on everything from the ketchup chips to the toffee. The video didn’t take long as promised and the quarterback went about the rest of his day with no further distractions.

In your office a few days later on the team’s off day, you were contemplating your life. Maybe you should take a step back from him so people didn’t get the wrong idea. Sure, your coworkers were convinced the crush was mutual but what if he was just being nice? He was always so focused on football and making the most out of every opportunity why in the world would he waste time flirting with a social media manager? It just made no sense. Instead of continuing to run a million imaginary scenarios in your mind you packed up your stuff and tried heading out to the parking lot. Even after all this time you still struggled to maneuver all the twists and turns of the building and somehow found yourself walking past the quarterback room. You intended to just keep walking but he was in there alone and called out your name when he saw you.

“What are you doing here? I didn’t think anyone would be in the building today.” His bright eyes staring down at you made your heart feel like it was beating out of your chest. You desperately needed to get it together.

“I came in to finish up a few things but I’m heading out now. What are you doing? I think you’ve watched enough film to last you a couple lifetimes.” That gets a light chuckle out of him and he shakes his head, the two of you knowing that his quest for perfection would never allow him to believe he’s watched enough film. “Thank you for shooting that video the other day. The fans are gonna love it, they’re always begging us to get you on camera.”

“No problem, anything for you.” He clears his throat after whispering the last part, desperately hoping that you didn’t hear it. Even though you definitely did. You should go home for the day and leave him alone in the office so he can get back to work. You should stop staring at his lips that look so soft and just begging to be kissed. He should turn around and get back to the playbook and the computer but here he is, standing still right in front of you.

You’re just here, waiting for some to rip the carpet out from under you, to fall on your face, for someone to tell you that this isn’t actually happening. The space between your bodies diminishes significantly, so much so that you can smell the Dr. Squatch Birchwood Breeze radiating off of him. It’s intoxicating and you swallow the fear in your gut and ignore all of the common sense thoughts plaguing your mind, allowing you to feel.

The kiss is tentative at first, he pulls back slightly, whispering if it’s okay to keep going as you felt his breath against your lips. You don’t respond but instead pull him in closer, hearing a satisfied husky moan from him as he allowed your tongue access to his. His right palm rests against your cheek until he’s tilting your head up ever so slightly to deepen the embrace and he picks you up, holding on for dear life while closing and locking the door behind you. It was so much more than he imagined, these feelings that he’d been pushing aside were being confronted and magnified by the second. This innocent crush that you had on him were genuine, real feelings that created a deep ache in your bones, actively being soothed with his hands all over you as the two of you made out like helpless teenagers.

You didn’t think you’d have the strength to tear yourself away from him…until his phone rings. He ignores it the first time but it’s all you can think about by the fifth ring.

“Answer it,” you whisper breathlessly as he places you back on your feet. A thousand unspoken apologies are painted on his face as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. He keeps the call short and sweet but the look of devastation is clear when he hangs up. “You have to go don’t you?”

“I’m so sorry. We can—we need to talk about this I know. And I promise we will I just, I need to take care of this.” He doesn’t want to leave, not like this. Even if he knows you understand. Justin presses a kiss to the side of your head and whispers another “I’m so sorry” leaving you in the room to think about what just happened.

You walk around the empty parking lot until you reach your car, letting out a deep sigh at the thought of what the conversation with him is going to look like after this. You need to be mentally prepared for good news, bad news and everything in between.

He is the sun after all. And sometimes when you stand too close, you might get burned. And maybe, just maybe, you’d avoid the burn altogether and bask in the warmth as long as you can.

[atom-writings]

hetalia axis & allies (+ canada) xmas headcanons

1.6k words ~ gender neutral headcanons

tw: uhhh christmas obviously. mention of religion and underwear?? uh... i think that's it

a/n: this is my first christmas as a jewish convert so that's been weird. anyway I just wanted something quick, so its mostly a list of gift ideas (:

America

Alfred is SUCH a huge Christmas fan. I mean, canonically he dresses up as Santa, so he goes all out for the entire month of December. He's been working on a huge holiday home display for decades, and it shows.

He plays Santa at his local mall during the weeks leading up to Christmas; and on the night of, he hands out hot cocoa outside his house. It's fun, but it also means he's a little distracted when it comes to you.

What he would get you: Posters of your favourite movies, super comfy pyjamas, expensive figures of characters you like, candy you like but never get for yourself, model planes or Legos for you two to build together, novelty pens, a stupid cowboy costume so you can match <3, those handmade coupons because he 1. Loves you and 2. Forgot about Christmas until yesterday

What he would want: Any video games, Funko Pops, vinyls of music he likes, those big packs of shirts (he is constantly running out of shirts because he rips or irreparably stains them,) Marvel comics, anything with an eagle on it, those mini wacky waving inflatable tube men things, bulk pens and pencils because he also breaks those constantly-

England

Arthur is not big into Christmas and never has been. He'll celebrate with you, but he's not going out when it comes to any aspect. If anything, he finds it a little exhausting getting gifts for everyone

But, he does adore walking around and looking at all the lights. He'll do that a couple times with you in December.

What he would get you: Any novel you’ve mentioned even once, tickets to a concert both of you will enjoy, classy jackets that fit you perfectly, cute keychains, fancy art supplies, fragrances that remind him of you, bags/purses that fit your style, CDs

What he would want: Sewing supplies (thread, new needles, new fabric scissors,) framed photos of the two of you, Doctor Who merch, foreign tea, a book on how to take care of your eyebrows properly (he will not learn otherwise,) slippers, those sarcastic magnets that all millennial women have at least one of, any ridiculous piece of merch with the union jack on it

France

Francis has very mixed feelings about Christmas. On one hand, he hates how consumerist it has become, but on the other hand, nothing makes him happier than seeing the joy the season brings to others.

Plus, he does enjoy giving and receiving presents. The music too? Wonderful. As long as you don't get too stressed out, the holiday should be perfect.

What he would get you: Tons of clothes; stuff that's already your style, and completely new stuff, room decorations (NOT posters,) a reservation at a nice restaurant, bracelets that he made for you, makeup (if you like that kind of thing,) candles that smell like his cologne, CHEESE

What he would want: Fancy fabric, any clothes (he doesn’t care what they are as long as you think they’d look good on him…) paintings or photography, literally ANYTHING creative you’ve made, hair ties (he loses at least 5 a day,) bird stuffed animals, (Basically anything! Francis is not picky)

China

Christmas is a new occurrence for Yao, and he isn't the biggest fan. He'll buy you stuff for it, but he would do that normally. The lights and the music aren't anything special to him either. Basically, he won't celebrate unless you want to.

What he would get you: Elaborate, very expensive jewellery, huge stuff like a car, Chinese cookbooks, traditional clothes that he made specifically to represent you (: luxury handbags (that he got at SUCH a good discount,) tons of weird off-brand merch of your favourite show, probably a nice meal too!

What he would want: Yao is hard to buy for. Soft robes, stuff to help with back pain, face masks, Hello Kitty keychains… reading glasses maybe?

Russia

Although he isn't as excited about Christmas as he is about the New Year, he still loves the holiday. It's a nice excuse to see family, and everyone is just so happy around the season! He's especially excited to celebrate it with you.

He's not the best at giving gifts, but he could be worse. Regardless of whether you like all of it, you're gonna get a lot of stuff.

(Also, he plays Santa for the kids sometimes. It's so cute-)

What he would get you: Random knick-knacks he probably found at a local market, knitted hats and gloves in your favourite colour, a scarf to match his, tickets to go somewhere warm on vacation, stuffed animals! books that made him think of you (usually philosophical or religious novels,) pretty rocks (:

What he would want: SUNFLOWERS! (This works for every occasion,) baked goods, clothes that aren’t 250 years old- new doilies and paintings to decorate his house, pictures of yourself, friendship bracelets, stuffed animals, if you can make a scarf somehow, DO THAT

North Italy

Feliciano cares about Christmas in a more religious way, but he's never mad about getting presents. So, he'll probably spend most of the day in church, but he still did put a lot of effort into getting you stuff you love.

What he would get you: Pajamas & bath robes, shitty romance novels that he wants you to read, weird hand-made knick-knacks, makeup, strange mugs that he found at a thrift store, a painting of you (: probably a pair of his boxers-

What he would want: New paint brushes, novelty pasta shapes, fancy jackets, any art that you’ve made (regardless of quality,) cat stuffed animals, The Ability To Get A Grip, skincare products, shiny garbage (For art purposes, duh,) those handmade coupon things

Germany

Ludwig does not enjoy Christmas particularly. He's terrible at giving gifts but he wants to so desperately that he spends all of winter stressing out about it. Yes, he's excited to see your reaction to his gifts, but at what cost?!

Although he does still like all the decorations at least. Maybe he just likes re-decorating though.

What he would get you: Puzzles you can complete together, soft sweaters, practical stuff you need (like book bags, lens cloths, that kind of thing,) stationery, reservations for private tours at museums you would find interesting, a subscription to whatever silly service you want (:

What he would want: Books about city planning, nerdy card games, a fun lanyard, a new coffee machine, those aroma-therapy diffuser things, household tools like vacuums and stuff (Get him an air fryer. He’s going to be fascinated.) stress balls, pens (He is boring.)

Japan

Kiku really has no particular feelings towards Christmas. If you weren't there, the most he would do was put up a mini tree. He's stressed out by both giving and receiving presents and is only willing to do that kind of thing if you want to.

What he would get you: Electronics, merch of your favourite Sanrio character, books that he thinks you’ll like, stickers, a bento box, comfy sweatpants, cute hairpins, plushies from your favourite media, a bunch of pillows, some obscure Japanese snacks too!

What he would want: Miku figures, posters, video games, manga, general nerdy stuff, history novels (he likes to correct them,) blackout curtains, cute face masks, a Polaroid camera, a guide on socialization (Seriously.) a knit scarf, if you can knit (:

South Italy

Romano desperately wants to care about Jesus more than getting gifts. He's a devout catholic, g*ddamnit! But... he does just really love eating baked goods and getting gifts more than anything. Getting together with family, the music, the lights, he just ADORES the holiday.

What he would get you: Blankets and pillows, your favourite snacks, clothes that are a little more revealing- cruise tickets (if going on wouldn’t be hell for you,) a journal where he wrote down all of the things he loves about you (completely honestly,) religious items, fancy perfumes

What he would want: Paintings from local artists, post-its (so he can finally remember SOMETHING,) anything with the Italian flag on it, stupid bumper stickers, pictures of the other nations that you’ve written insults on, fancy patterned scarves and fabric

Prussia

Like Alfred, Gilbert loves Christmas in a very childish way. He embraces that side of himself during the holidays and he'd love it if you joined him in that. He constantly insists on going out to see the lights, and he just can't get enough of Christmas movies. Even the bad ones (He's a Hallmark girlie.)

What he would get you: A vintage music box, hair dye, DVDs of your favourite movies (just to have,) stationery, random snacks he picked up from a gas station an hour ago, weirdly sentimental jewellery? Vintage journals, pictures of himself

What he would want: Coupons (???) goofy temporary tattoos, metal CDs, tea (he’s weirdly embarrassed about liking tea and doesn’t buy it for himself?) vintage maps that he can frame and hang up, probably like, WD40? DC comics, novelty trophies, Pokemon cards, video games

Canada

More than anything, Matthew loves winter. So, therefore, he loves Christmas! Seeing you smile when you open your gifts, he looks forward to it all season. It seems like the only time of year when everyone else is either as miserable or as happy as he is, so it's his favourite holiday.

Cuddling up in front of the fireplace with hot cocoa, watching some old Christmas movie, its all he wants.

What he would get you: Comfy hoodies, comfy slippers too, hot cocoa packs, big stuff like a new PC or fridge or smth- decorations for your room, face masks, fidget toys, novelty Canadian keychains, figures of your favourite characters, festive sweets (like candy-canes and stuff.)

What he would want: Anything with a maple leaf (yes, he wants MORE of that,) boring stuff like socks, wood-working tools or like a new snow shovel, fairy lights, DVDs (because he still uses them? Why.) a new phone case, gift cards (HES BORING,) pre-packaged crafts, lotion and cologne that smells like pine

merry christmas if you celebrate! this'll probably be the last full thing I post until 2024, so thanks to all you readers for sticking around this year (: you have no idea how much it means to me. i love yall. and to all a good night or whatever santa said

[novorehere]

Famished First-Time

Hello friends! This is an especially special post that I am very excited about, because the story you’re about to read was not written by myself. A friend who would like to remain anonymous submitted this amazing story to me and wanted me to post it to my blog for you all to enjoy. While they don’t have their own vore blog, I hope you can all enjoy and give them some praise and feedback! Words cannot describe how much I ADORE it, and I think you all will too no matter if you’re familiar with Obey Me or not <3 

Enjoy!

_____________

“Thank you!” Yuki, the lovely young cashier, smiled sweetly as Rayfa plunked down the appropriate amount of Grimm—plus a generous tip—onto the counter. “Come again!”

“You know I will!” Rayfa laughed, and the demon chick behind the counter laughed too. They had become fast friends—what with Rayfa being a proud regular and all—and Yuki knew she’d be back again within the week.

It always started with an unrelated shopping trip. An excursion to buy some nail polish and ribbons for her next sleepover with Asmo. Or perhaps an errand to pick up the newest video game Levi had pre-ordered, for he was too anxious to go out himself. Regardless of where her ventures began, they always ended back at the bakery—where she could purchase a little something for Beel. It hardly cost her anything (mostly because Yuki gave her legendary discounts) and Beel always got so adorably excited when she came home with dessert, so of course Rayfa had made it into a habit. It was such an easy way to put a smile on his face! How could she not?

“I’m already looking forward to it!” Yuki beamed. “See you next week, hun!”

“See you then!”

Rayfa carefully lifted the hefty white cake box into her hands, then began her leisurely walk back to the House of Lamentation, the soft chimes of the bakery’s doorbell twinkling faintly behind her. It was a lovely night outside, pleasantly warm but with the welcome caveat of a gentle breeze. It was the kind of evening that Rayfa liked to spend admiring the beauty of the Devildom, but something about this particular night was making her uneasy. She felt like she was being watched—nay, hunted. Instinctively, she quickened her pace, trying not to think about it. It was surely just her imagination.

Rayfa was maybe two blocks away from salvation—the HoL—when disaster finally struck. Out of nowhere, Rayfa felt burly/muscular arms wrap uncomfortably tightly around her waist. She readied herself to scream, but a freakishly large hand—with claws—clamped down over her mouth. She fought and kicked as violently as she could, but humans were no match for demons, and her attackers callously dragged her into the nearest alleyway.

Once they were far enough back not to be spotted from the sidewalk, Demon #1 forced her up against the wall and spat out an impatient order.

“I’m going to remove my hand now. Scream, and we’ll make things far messier than they need to be. You understand?”

Rayfa, shaking with fear, nodded frantically. Devildom nights were darker than black, and the streets had been relatively barren earlier, anyway. Rayfa doubted that anyone would come running even if she did scream. The clawed hand was removed, and Rayfa gasped for breath. It wasn’t that she couldn’t breathe before; She was just relieved to get that grimy hand away from her face.

“It’s not every day you see a human ’round these parts…” Demon #1 chuckled darkly.

Rayfa spied two more demons over his shoulder. So there were three of these fuckers, then.

Demon #1 stepped forward to grab her chin—to force her to look at him—which Rayfa desperately wanted to resist. Her self-preservation instincts told her to keep quiet though, and frustratedly, she obeyed.

…Until the dirtbag harassing her stepped purposefully on top of the cake box that had fallen from her grasp during the scuffle.

“That was for my friend…!” Rayfa growled angrily, surprising even herself with how upset she had gotten on Beel’s behalf—especially when her own current predicament was so much worse.

“Yeah, well-” Demon #1 scoffed and cruelly kicked the cake box aside. He stepped closer—again—and made a very deliberate show of licking his lips. “Your friend’s not the only one who needs to eat.”

Rayfa went pale. This guy was actually Oberon levels of creepy. (Levi would have been so proud of Rayfa for that SAO reference.)

“Wait! You-! You can’t eat me!” Rayfa squeaked. “I’m, like, the face of the exchange program! You could ruin relations between the three realms forever!”

“Tch. Like we care about that!” Demon #2 mocked boisterously. “We never wanted to make friends with those stuck-up celestials in the first place!”

“And humans, of course, are just snacks!” Demon #1 tacked on gleefully. “Who gives a fuck if Diavolo’s little exchange program falls through?”

Rayfa gritted her teeth. She wanted to argue more, but they had clearly already made up their minds. She was so royally screwed.

Demon #3, who had been relatively silent throughout the whole exchange, suddenly stepped closer. He was easily the largest of the three degenerate demons; Rayfa had to tilt her head almost all the way back just to meet his eyes. Intimidating. Demon #3 stared her down with the ferocity of a lion. Then he began to speak—quietly yet gruffly—the words foreign and unrecognizable. Suddenly, realization dawned on her. He was reciting a hex.

But by the time Rayfa realized, it was already too late. Her body shrank rapidly and she dizzily watched the world around her grow larger and larger and larger—until finally, she was left untouched at 2-3 inches tall. Things were not looking good for her. But! At such a small size, they couldn’t possibly clamp a hand down over her mouth again! Right?

Desperately, Rayfa began to recite the one phrase she prayed could get her out of this mess:

“Hear me, denizens of the darkness, you who are born of shadow and you who give birth to it! Hear me and do as I command!”

“Stop her!” Demon #1 roared furiously, and Demon #3 (the nearest) made a desperate grab for her. Rayfa just barely managed to scramble out of the way before he could get his grubby hands on her, silently cursing the fact that the summoning incantation was so ungodly long. Nevertheless, she was determined to see it through.

“I, Rayfa, call upon you to send forth one of your number! I summon the Avatar of- HnghGruh!”

Though he had failed to grab her, Demon #3 was still determined to shut her up. He backhanded her—hard—which was enough to garble her words and send her flying backwards across the pavement. Rayfa winced at the scrapes she received. They were gonna hurt like a bitch tomorrow, assuming she lived to see it.

Interrupted as she may have been, though, the spell—blessedly—had still gone through. There was a blinding flash of golden light, and then there, standing before her, was none other than…

Mammon, the Avatar of Greed.

Huh.

Rayfa had (admittedly) been hoping for Lucifer, but whatever panicked sound she’d made upon being swatted away had apparently sounded more like the word greed than the word pride. Honestly though, Rayfa was just relieved to see a familiar face.

…As endearingly incompetent as that familiar face could sometimes be.

Mammon stumbled around dazedly for a moment, and Rayfa felt guilty knowing that her poor casting of the spell was likely to blame. Quickly, she shook her head to clear her mind. Guilt could come later; Right now was her chance to escape!

Even though Mammon had not immediately chased off the three depraved demons, his unexpected appearance alone was more than enough of a distraction for Rayfa to work with. At the very least, she no longer felt quite as cornered as before. Demon #1, Demon #2, and Demon #3 were focused entirely on Mammon now, and that gave her the perfect opportunity to disappear. A full-sized demon was a much greater threat than a tiny human girl, after all! Rayfa instantly began scheming. Maybe she could subtly sneak away now, text Lucifer or Satan to come pick her up, and apologize to Mammon for using him as an escape later. He would fake like he was annoyed by it, she was sure, but there was no way these demons would actually be able to hurt him—not like they would hurt her—and Mammon would recognize that too. He’d just be relieved that he’d protected her, even if unknowingly at first.

Rayfa was just about to make her move, ready to dart out of the shady alleyway, but right before she took the first step, dark blue eyes swirled with gold locked onto her.

“Rayfa?!” Mammon spluttered out with confusion, as the last of the vertigo from her botched summoning spell finally wore off.

It took a good few seconds for Mammon to realize exactly what was happening, but eventually things did click for him, and the Avatar of Greed whirled on the lesser demons indignantly. Unfortunately for him, Demon #1 and his lackeys had finally recovered from the shock of their surprise visitor and were eager to make him pay.

“Oh shit!” Mammon swore, lightning-fast reflexes kicking into gear as he ducked to avoid a punch.

Demon #2 quickly lunged after him, but Mammon—surprisingly tactfully—sidestepped that, too. Levi really hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that Mammon was “Fast as fuck, boi!” Seriously! He moved so quickly that Rayfa could scarcely make out a blur! Mammon deftly avoided several more attacks, then glanced around with wild eyes, searching for an out. When he found one—as he always did—his body moved before his brain could catch up. Rayfa supposed she shouldn’t hold his recklessness against him though. It was what she was currently banking on to save her life.

When Mammon finally threw a punch of his own, the attack was surprisingly calculated. His fist connected squarely with the jaw of the head honcho—Demon #1—and Mammon capitalized on that fact. All he had needed was an opening, which he’d succeeded in creating for himself when Demon #1 had stumbled backwards from the force of the blow. He quickly darted past the now capsized enemy, taking advantage of the clever little “escape route” that was open. And then…

Mammon just fucking ran for it, gravel flying as he skidded past the remaining two lackeys and began sprinting directly towards poor terrified Rayfa. He didn’t slow down as he neared her. In fact, Rayfa swore he sped up! She squeezed her eyes shut as Mammon barreled forward at breakneck speeds, leaning down at just the right moment to scoop her up as he careened away from the alley. Rayfa let out a squeak of alarm as she felt Mammon’s fingers curl around her, but she relaxed somewhat when she realized that he had actually taken great care to hold her securely (but not so tightly that she’d be uncomfortably squeezed).

And then, just like that, they were gone.

Rayfa hadn’t expected anything less from him. If there was one thing Mammon was great at, it was running away. (Usually from debt collectors or angry brothers, but the logic applied here too.)

“Oh shit! Oh fuck!” Mammon panicked, footsteps pounding heavily on the sidewalk. “I really don’t wanna die!”

Despite herself, Rayfa felt a smile playing on her lips. Even when Mammon actually managed to pull off something pretty damn cool, he was still an endearingly panicky mess. But Rayfa wouldn’t have him any other way.

A few tense minutes of running later, Mammon veered off into another alleyway further down the street, panting heavily. Quick as he was, he obviously didn’t have the stamina to go on running forever. He needed a breather, but Rayfa didn’t think they could afford to take one.

The demon muttered something frustratedly under his breath. Rayfa couldn’t quite catch the words, but she could only imagine he was cursing out their pursuers. Which was totally understandable—they very much deserved it—but what Rayfa couldn’t understand was why he had stopped to do so. Tired or not, they had to get home!

“Mammon?” Rayfa questioned nervously, gently prying his fingers apart to sneak a worried peek up at the demon. He held her level with his heart, hands cupped carefully around her, blue-gold eyes gazing down upon her worriedly. Had they not been dangerously preoccupied, Rayfa would’ve melted at how concerned he looked over her.

“I’m not gonna let ‘em have ya,” Mammon growled protectively. “You’re my human, ya hear?”

Mammon had always been relatively exceedingly protective of her, but Rayfa had never really minded. She thought the whole “keep you all to myself” thing was sweet, even, albeit in a very Mammon sort of way. But something about the way he was staring at her now…

For the first time since they’d met, Rayfa felt inherently nervous under the Avatar of Greed’s gaze.

“Uhhh, are you-” Rayfa started to say, but the demon’s hands suddenly lurched beneath her, causing her to yelp with surprise rather than finish her thought. “Aaa!”

Mammon determinedly brought her to eye-level, an uncharacteristically serious expression etched across handsome features.

“What are you doing?!” Rayfa nervously demanded, the demon’s sudden solemnity eating away at her. Mammon was never sober like this. To make matters worse, Rayfa could hear the angry shouts of the demons they’d run away from. Those fuckers were finally starting to catch up.

It seemed that Mammon had heard them too, their voices being what finally spurred him on to do the unthinkable.

“S-Sorry ‘bout this!”

Mammon rarely ever apologized, which only solidified Rayfa’s right to fear whatever was coming. She had a really really really bad feeling about this.

Mammon, looking just as nervous as Rayfa felt, awkwardly guided the brave little human towards his lips. He gulped nervously, then opened wide with an automatic “ahhh”, and realization came crashing down onto the girl like a tidal wave. Rayfa screamed and tried to scramble backwards, but Mammon quickly threw his head back and fervently crammed her in.

It was almost absurd how quickly the demon’s mouth flooded with drool. Rayfa whined with disgust as warm gooey saliva oozed over her, bubbling up and seeping through her clothes. Mammon cautiously brought his teeth back together, sealing her away inside, then began eagerly slurping down her staple human flavors. Rayfa felt herself blush, angry and embarrassed that Mammon was spending such an exorbitant amount of time tasting her.

“Mammon!” Rayfa seethed, practically shaking with rage. “What the fuck!”

She was exhausted and disgruntled and grossed out, but begrudgingly, she decided to put up with whatever episode Mammon was having right now because she trusted him. For all she knew, demon spit could reverse hexes cast on humans or something! Right, yeah. Mammon probably had a plan. She just needed to play along and-

*Glk!*

Mammon gulped thickly, and Rayfa suddenly felt the clench of tight/squishy muscle around her as she was sucked down into the boy’s throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, being worked deeper and deeper with every purposeful swallow. Mammon had been quick to stuff her into his mouth, but now that she was safely out of sight, Rayfa noticed, he was taking his sweet time getting her down. Slow, languid gulps. Pleasured hums vibrating around her. Fingers gingerly pressed against the throat, presumably to feel her fight back as he swallowed. Rayfa grimaced as she slowly squelched down his greedy gullet, squirming violently as the unyielding flesh easily suctioned her down.

“Stop enjoying this…!” Rayfa growled disgustedly. “Bastard…!”

Within the minute, Mammon finished swallowing her down, letting out a relieved and breathy sigh. Rayfa, meanwhile, gasped out as the tight, hot, unyielding throat finally gave way to a much roomier space. Fleshy and vulnerable, the squishy pink walls shifted easily around her as Rayfa scrambled to reorient herself. A noisy gurgle stretched on, echoing around the darkness. She had finally reached his stomach.

“…hububhhuhuhh…” Mammon babbled through what sounded like a very drooly mouthful.

“Mammon! Are you kidding me right now?!” Rayfa screamed, raging annoyance briefly overtaking her fear.

“…tha’ feelsh…” Mammon moaned out. “…so fuckin’ guhd…”

Rayfa shuddered at how the stomach lurched as Mammon stumbled almost-drunkenly backwards, then slumped against the grimy brick walls, slowly sliding down and lowering himself to the ground.

“Urghhh!” Rayfa groaned, utterly exasperated. “You! Are! The! Absolute! Worst!”

Every word was punctuated with an annoyed punch to the stomach walls. She only really succeeded in getting her fist all sticky/slimy with stomach ooze though; Manmon appeared entirely unaffected.

Rayfa surely would have chewed him out even more had she not been interrupted by a sickeningly familiar voice. Even though she was tucked away out of sight, she still shivered just hearing it. They had finally caught up.

“What did you do with the girl?!” Demon #1 demanded furiously.

“I, uh…” Mammon slurred. He had barely even begun to answer when his digestive system suddenly did the work for him, a deep and contented burp rolling up his throat. “Mrph. ‘Scuse me.”

It didn’t take much for Demon #1 and his lackeys to put two and two together after that.

“Bastard! She was supposed to be my lunch!” Demon #1 roared. “Get him!”

Rayfa hated that her heart leapt at the thought of Mammon getting caught up in trouble. Especially on her behalf. She was supposed to be angry at him—he had fucking eaten her—but much to her annoyance and embarrassment, she couldn’t shake the worry from her heart. She’d grown to care too much.

“Mammon, please! Get it together!” Rayfa urged, cursing herself for encouraging the man who had gulped her down like nothing more than an afternoon snack. But she couldn’t just sit idly by!

Mammon stayed seated, but Rayfa felt the stomach shift as he at least sat up straight. She felt a sudden surge of power flow through and around her, too. And when Mammon next spoke, his voice was unrecognizable.

“BaCK oFF,” Mammon snarled like a rabid dog, sounding like an actual demon for the first time since Rayfa had met him. “Or I’LL eaT yOU foR desSERT!”

Rayfa was pretty sure that Mammon only had a hankering for humans—not for other demons—but the threat worked all the same. Mammon almost never lost control, which made the few times he actually did downright terrifying. Rayfa could only imagine the looks of horror on her attackers’ faces as they trembled at the sight of the second son’s true form.

“Shit! I didn’t realize he was one of the seven Avatars-!”

“Okay, okay! You can keep the human! Just-!” An honest-to-god whimper. “Please don’t hurt us!”

“Quick! Let’s get out of here!”

Noises from the “outside world” (with the exception of voices) had proven too muffled to hear from within the confines of the demon boy’s gut, but Rayfa imagined that if she had been out there with him, she would’ve heard a stampede of receding footsteps. Her suspicions were further supported when she felt the energy needed to maintain his true form slowly fade away. Mammon let out a thoroughly contented puff of breath and relaxed back against the wall again, too. Demon form now totally dispelled. And then, in a move Rayfa never would’ve expected, Mammon began rubbing his belly appreciatively—she could feel the gentle weight on the other side of the “wall”. For a hopeful but fleeting moment, Rayfa almost believed he cared. But no! He had eaten her!

Rayfa tried desperately to work out why Mammon had done this. Had he decided that, if she was going to end up “demon food” anyway, it may as well be his belly she was filling? A memory from long ago suddenly sprung to the forefront of her mind:

“The next time your life’s in danger, I’m gonna be the one to save you, all right? Don’t you forget that.”

“…And if I can’t manage to save ya, then make sure you die, got it?!”

Rayfa felt tears prickling at her eyes. So that was it then. Mammon had decided that if he couldn’t protect her, the least he could do was take her out himself.

Rayfa shuddered as the stomach gurgled loudly. It’d been relentlessly noisy—groaning and churning around her—for the entire duration of her “stay”. She felt drowned out, unsure whether or not Mammon could even hear her, but Rayfa had never been the type to give up.

“Mammon! They- They’re gone now, right? So then let me out!”

“…fiyve mr…minuhhs…” Mammon mumbled out, words slurred and utterly unintelligible.

Rayfa groaned.

Why are you like this?

Praying that Mammon could hear her—she still wasn’t totally sure her words would reach him from down there—Rayfa did the only thing she could think left to do. She called upon the power of the pact.

“MAMMON!!!” Rayfa roared at the top of her lungs, fingers crossed that he could actually hear her so that the pact would work. “SPIT! ME! OUT!”

Rayfa guessed her words must’ve gotten through to him, because just like that, the demon’s body began to obey. The stomach lurched, and Mammon began making throaty/guttural choking noises like he was dry-heaving. Rayfa felt herself being tugged back towards the esophagus—This was her way out!—but the gagging sounds poor Mammon was making were rapidly becoming unbearable. Rayfa was genuinely beginning to worry that she’d accidentally commanded him to choke himself.

“Hrrk, rggh, hrghk-!”

“Okay, okay! Stop! Don’t hurt yourself!”

Rayfa cursed her own lack of resolve. She was going to die here now. As nothing more than “demon food”—like Mammon always teased. All because she couldn’t bring herself to hurt the lovable dumbass who’d eaten her.

Her surroundings shook turbulently for another few seconds as coughs wracked Mammon’s body. He wasn’t choking anymore, thank god, but he was very clearly gasping for breath. Rayfa felt terribly guilty for putting him through that. When Mammon had finally cleared his throat, he muttered out an unabashedly annoyed:

“Ya know, it’d be a lot easier on the botha us if ya lemme cough you up myself.”

“You-!” Rayfa brightened at finally being addressed, tears of relief blurring her vision. “You were really going to let me out?”

“Well, duh.” Mammon shrugged, and Rayfa slid as the walls shifted around her. “If I wanted ya dead, I woulda let those lesser demons have ya.”

“But-! But you-!”

“Didn’t ya hear the protection spell?” Mammon grumbled, clearing his throat again. Apparently, some lingering discomfort remained. Rayfa winced sympathetically. She really hadn’t meant to hurt him. “I cast one on ya right before I swallowed ya down.”

Ah. So that’s what he had been doing when she saw him “cursing out” the demons chasing them. Apparently, that flustered muttering had been a protection spell.

“Okay, fine! But why didn’t you answer me?!” Rayfa demanded shakily. “I was seriously freaking out, Mammon!”

“I, uh…” And the regret was practically tangible. He sounded immeasurably guilty. “’M sorry.” He finally settled on. “I didn’t mean to get buzzed like that.”

Yeah, Rayfa had figured that much out. She didn’t say so, though. Instead, she stayed patiently quiet, giving him room to elaborate.

“Humans really are a delicacy for us, ya know? And havin’ one alive and kickin’ in my belly…” Mammon mumbled embarrassedly. “…kinda fried my brain.”

Yeah, that checked out. Rayfa hummed in acknowledgement.

“Didn’t mean to give ya a heart attack though…” Mammon continued after a beat. “I really am sorry ‘bout that, Rayfa.”

He sounded so beyond apologetic that Rayfa couldn’t help but want to reach out to him. In moments like these—rare as they were—Rayfa would usually give him a hug. But obviously, that couldn’t quite be done…

Almost reflexively, Rayfa reached out with both hands, palms splayed against the squishy stomach walls. She gave a reassuring little shove—like a playful nudge to the shoulder—then slowly began rubbing soothing little circles into the flesh. Mammon shivered with delight at her touch; Rayfa could feel the stomach tremble with pleasure. Despite herself, she let out a little laugh.

“That good, huh?” Rayfa teased. The playful banter almost made her feel like they were chilling out on the couch together. Almost made her forget where she really was.

“Sh-Shaddup!”

Rayfa just knew he was blushing like crazy.

“I guess I should probably thank you for saving me,” Rayfa sighed wistfully. “Albeit through very unconventional means.”

Mammon huffed proudly. “You’re welcome! You should know by now never to doubt the Great Mammon!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Rayfa waved away the egotistical comment. “Can the ‘Great Mammon’ cough me up already? It’s super gross down here.”

“Uh.” Mammon froze, and Rayfa could feel the stomach tense up nervously around her. “Just lemme getcha back to the dorms first. You’ve got a penchant for trouble and I don’t wantcha runnin’ into any more of it.”

Excuse me?! You think I’m the one with the penchant for trouble?!

It took Rayfa a moment to realize that Mammon didn’t actually think her a trouble-magnet. He just wanted an excuse to hold onto her for a little longer. Because he was enjoying it.

Rayfa sighed heavily. She knew she was going to regret this: “Yeah, okay. But you’d better let me out the second we get home.”

“Yeah, ‘course! Sure thing.”

Rayfa laughed and shook her head. Now that Mammon had gotten a taste, Rayfa had the distinct feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time she found herself playing the role of “dinner”.

But curiously enough, Rayfa also found that maybe she didn’t totally mind. ❤️

[cocklessboy]

I’m 37 years old. Two years ago I realized I was transgender and started transitioning. I now fully look and sound like a man, take testosterone HRT, and have had top surgery.

Transitioning has changed my life in loads of ways. Severe depression and anxiety turned out to be dysphoria-induced and mostly went away with the transition. The testosterone makes it easier to build muscle and I’m in much better physical condition. I used to get PMDD (like PMS but so bad it can cause suicidal thoughts, lasting for weeks out of every month) and now my emotions are pretty stable. I’m more confident. In a stressful situation, I have the ability to stand up for myself whereas before I always defaulted to submitting or running away.

But recently, my transition helped me in a very unexpected way. I started noticing that I was really hyperactive. I never used to be. I have a sleep disorder (not diagnosed yet but I have all the symptoms of narcolepsy and will hopefully be tested for it soon) and I’ve always been groggy and tired all the time. But now I don’t just have energy; I’ve become straight-up hyperactive. Cannot sit still. Constantly fidgeting - not just stimming (I’m autistic) but feeling like I have to be constantly moving around or I’ll explode.

At the same time, I was editing a video I’d been working on for ages, one where I’d recorded myself playing a game for a long period of time then was compiling all the footage into a single video with narration. I watched this footage, watched myself, and started realizing I wasn’t just hyperactive. I was constantly distracted. I’d forget what I was doing the moment something shiny caught my eye. I’d start a sentence and never finish it and forget I’d ever been talking.

I started thinking a little more carefully about my life. About how often I make a cup of tea and leave it in the kitchen to brew only to forget about it until I go into the kitchen hours later to make a cup of tea. About how I have to hold my keys in my hand as I walk out the door otherwise I know I might forget them. About how I always have to have important things in my line of sight or they’ll fall out of my brain. About how I have to set three reminders for every important event and still live in constant anxiety that I will forget, because I often do. About how I have two monitors on my computer and I always have to have several things going on at once. I can’t just watch a video, I have to play a game, too. I can’t just scroll tumblr, I have to be listening to music. I always have a ton of tabs open on my browser (which is Firefox! get Firefox if you don’t have it! it’ll change your life!) with YouTube videos which are paused partway through. I have a mountain of unfinished projects because the moment the inspiration wears off I get a new idea and start a new project instead.

Add in the hyperactivity, and... Well, I managed to get a referral from my GP for ADHD evaluation. I managed to find an English-speaking psychiatrist (I’m an American living in central Europe) who takes insurance and specializes in ADHD. After three sessions where he asked me many questions about my life and my childhood, he said he was quite sure I have “some level of” ADHD, and I could start trying medication, and then we’d start working on lifestyle changes (schedules, exercise) to make the medication as effective as possible.

When I first met him I explained that I’m transgender. My name has not been legally changed yet but I asked him to call me by my real name and he had no issue with it. Totally unfazed by the whole thing (although the receptionist was always annoyed by me and insisted on listing everything under my deadname to match my insurance - not out of transphobia, but out of bureaucratic nitpickiness). Now and then during our conversations when I was talking about my childhood he would say OH! RIGHT! I keep picturing you as a little boy. You were a little girl. I have to keep reminding myself (because the symptoms are different - I wasn’t hyperactive as a child, I was quiet, and I did well in school, which is not how most boys present). It was extremely validating that this guy not only accepted me as male, but straight-up kept forgetting that I was even trans.

So the first medication we tried was atomoxetine. This is an SNRI which was developed as an antidepressant, but only turned out to help people with ADHD. I’d had manic/psychotic reactions to antidepressants of all classes before, so we started me at a low dose, and unfortunately I started getting paranoid and hallucinating, so I stopped it immediately.

The only other ADHD medication available in this country is Ritalin (no, we don’t even have Adderall here!). It is not covered by insurance for adults because of a deeply-rooted belief in the wildly-outdated mental health care system here that ADHD is something only children have and that they should grow out of it as adults, but it’s not prohibitively expensive (a month’s supply at my current dose is about $12/£10; I’ll probably need to bump up the dose at least a little bit but it shouldn’t become unaffordable).

This medication? Is fucking magic. I’m convinced it was made by a wizard, or perhaps some kind of divine entity.

I do get some side effects. It makes me desperately thirsty and if I don’t drink a shitton of water, I get dehydrated. It kills my appetite (but it only lasts 4-6 hours and my second dose of the day wears off by evening, at which point I get very hungry and eat loads, so I’m not worried about that). It makes me slightly shaky sometimes, but that seems to be going away as my body gets used to it. It also makes me really sleepy for about an hour after I take it, which is not an officially-listed or studied side effect, but there are enough other people online trying to figure out why Ritalin makes them sleepy that I know it’s not just me. (One theory is that if you’re really sleep-deprived, as I am, but have ADHD, the sleepiness signals might not be getting through because your brain is all out of whack, and the Ritalin fixes the receptors so you finally become aware of how exhausted you are and get sleepy for a while; I’ve seen suggestions that a higher dose might fix this.)

On the other hand, I have now experienced actual happiness for the first time in my life.

I always knew I was struggling. I knew things were hard. Over time I became aware that they were not this hard for other people. But I had nothing to compare to. I didn’t know how other people felt. The world would tell me: that thing you’re struggling with is easy. Just do it. The only possible reason you haven’t done it is that you are lazy, or you don’t want to, or you’re not trying at all. Normal people did not seem to be able to comprehend how basic life tasks like making food or showering or vacuuming or writing an email could be so difficult they felt impossible.

And now I understand why. With the Ritalin, those things are easy. So easy I don’t even have to think about them. If I’d spent my whole life like this, I might not be able to understand how it could be difficult either.

With the Ritalin, when I see something I need or want to do, I can just do it. Immediately. I make the decision to do it, and then I do it. (If that sounds like a simple and obvious thing to you, congrats! You probably don’t have ADHD or any other form of executive dysfunction. If it sounds like a miracle, you might want to get yourself evaluated if you haven’t.)

With the Ritalin, a task that once involved hours or days of frustrated struggle trying and failing to get my body to move, to get myself to start Doing The Thing, wanting to do it, straining to do it, feeling guilty for not doing it, hating myself for being such a failure, might take... five minutes. Oh, right, I need to take out the rubbish. I stand up. I grab the bag. I carry it down to the building’s containers. I come back up and put a new bag in the bin. Done.

Yesterday, I placed a grocery order in the morning, then I did all of my work due for the next two days (something which on its own would normally take me 4-6 hours). Then the grocery order arrived. I put everything away, tidied up the kitchen, and chopped some vegetables to roast in the oven with some chicken (I never used to buy meat because it was too complicated to cook, or I wouldn’t be able to cook that day, and the meat would spoil before I could eat it). While it cooked, I chopped up a whole cabbage and made sauerkraut, then made three more batches of lacto-fermenting vegetables and set them all to ferment on a shelf. Then I cleaned up the kitchen. Then I ate my chicken dinner, washed up afterwards, got some exercise, showered, and had several hours left to relax and play video games before heading to bed.

In the past, getting all that done might take a week, or longer. The vegetables would have spoiled before I could start them pickling. The chicken would have been wasted. The kitchen would remain a mess. My work would get done only at the last second. I was always running out of time while also never getting anything done.

But another thing the Ritalin has made apparent is just how much I’ve been trying to do. Even with this magical medication, there is always more to do than I have time to get done. There’s so much more cleaning that needs doing. I have so many projects to work on. I have so many errands to run, so much paperwork to do, so many appointments. And until recently, I always managed to get done the most necessary things, the ones without which I wouldn’t be able to survive. I always managed to get my work done, eventually, at the last second. I managed to keep my appointments. I managed to submit my taxes (on the last possible day). But I poured so much effort and energy into it, wasted so much time struggling with it, suffered so much from the anxiety of “what if I don’t manage”, that I was miserable and exhausted all the time. It felt like the stress was slowly killing me, and it may well have been.

Now I know that I can get it all done. Eventually I’ll catch up on the housework and be able to just maintain my flat instead of constantly battling the ever-increasing mess and clutter. It’s easier to get exercise now, which makes it easier to sleep, and it’s easier to get up in the morning. I don’t waste hours lying in bed anymore. Slowly, gradually, I’m chipping away at things I’ve been putting off for years, and making progress on projects I might otherwise have abandoned.

And I’m happy. I feel happy. The pressure has lifted. The anxiety has calmed. I can do it now. The brain gremlins have gorged themselves on stimulants and passed out, and they won’t bother me again for 4-6 hours.

And all of this, all of this, is only possible because I finally realized I was transgender and transitioned. Because after 35 years of being miserable and not knowing why, I finally saw a little bit of representation that I identified with that led me to finally understanding who I am. Because I live in a country where it’s not difficult to physically transition (changing your legal gender is another question but since I’m not a citizen here that, fortunately, does not apply to me). From the day I realized I was trans and wanted to change my body, to the day I got a referral from my GP, to the day I was officially diagnosed and given permission to start HRT, was only a matter of about three months (and it would have been less if one of the doctors hadn’t been away for a few weeks).

Transitioning was the best thing that ever happened to me in so many ways. So many more ways than I ever imagined. I knew I’d be happier with my body and voice. I didn’t know my depression and anxiety would mostly disappear. I didn’t know my sex drive would change and sexual activity would become tremendously more pleasurable. I didn’t know I’d be more confident and assertive when I needed to be. And I certainly didn’t know it would help me realize I had ADHD and get proper treatment, leading to an incredibly dramatic increase in my quality of life and ability to look after myself.

I have more to say about all this, but I’ll save it for other posts. For now: trans rights, fuck terfs, fuck transphobes, trans rights, queer rights, trans rights, and praise the sun for Ritalin.

[prettyiwa]

I do not authorize the translation or reposting of my work anywhere. Do not mention me or my work on Tik-Tok.

Relationship: Iwaizumi Hajime x GN!Reader Content Warnings: Fluff, Slice of Life, Neighbor!Iwaizumi, Little Bits of Clueless!Reader, Post-Graduation, Mentions of Minor Character Death, Manga Spoilers Summary: You and Iwaizumi always seemed to drift in and out of each other's lives like two parallel lines never quite destined to touch, until one day, you do. Word Count: 2,175

A/N: I'm a fucking liar (my excuse is this is short). Anyway, I broke @tyga-lily's heart this morning and promised some fluff, so here? I hope this helps make up for it~ (don't judge me for switching to a different project momentarily)

It starts slow, the dissolution of your friendship with Iwaizumi.

He moves away to California and you no longer get to see him on a daily basis. Your walks to your favorite cafe are now solitary and when you get home late, you know you can’t expect to see him stargazing, almost like he was waiting just to chat even though he wasn’t (doesn’t stop you from looking over every single time, disappointed that he’s not here). You two were nothing special, not best friends and definitely not anything resembling dating, but you quickly realize how accustomed you had grown to his quiet presence in your life.

He must feel it, too, because not two weeks go by before he calls you out of the blue, just to chat. It surprises you if only because he’s had your number for years but never once did he use it. But you listen to him tell you of life in California, how everything is so big and busy and lonely. He tells you how different it is, moving to another country, one almost wholly unfamiliar with his native tongue, how he’s a little anxious to start classes next week. And when he asks about you, how your past two weeks have been, you find yourself telling him a little bit more than you thought you would. Like, how you never before noticed the beauty of the trees on the walks you used to take with him, how your studies are getting more difficult but how you like it, how your shift manager is getting on your nerves.

And you start to notice things that you never paid attention to before. He doesn’t listen to respond, like many of your other friends do, but actually listens to what you have to say. Though he may be abrasive about it, he cares about the well-being of his friends, fussing over whether you’ve eaten and whether you’re sleeping. And he’s much more nervous than he lets on (and he’s letting on). It’s a cumulation of little things that you start to appreciate and you find it a little funny it took him being 8,619 kilometers away for you to see them.

The calls become a regular thing, happening at least once a week. Sometimes the two of you catch up, tell each other about your weeks, and sometimes it’s just you two studying together, having virtual parallel play sessions. And it lasts, for a time, but the end of his school year has him stressed out and he’s starting to make friends in California and the calls become less frequent, turning to weekly texts. You feel bad, knowing you could be the one to reach out, but school’s getting busier and your mother’s gotten sick.

He calls after she passes, about two months later, months of hardly any conversation, and it warms your heart. The two of you video chat for hours, talking about everything and nothing, and it ends with a promise from him to come see you when he visits in two months. It’s a small spark, a tiny thing to look forward to, but life happens and he comes but you’re busy so it never happens. You apologize over text and he tells you not to worry, but the two of you hardly chat after that.

And… that’s it. It’s the quiet fizzle of a candle having run out of wick, turning into a fond memory of the boy who grew up next door. You think of him infrequently, seeing a Godzilla charm and thinking, “Oh, Iwaizumi would like this,” or catching a volleyball game on television with your friends, but you don’t reach out.

It starts slow, the reintroduction of Iwaizumi into your life.

When you accepted the position with the women’s volleyball team, you never, ever expected to see him. It’s not often that you cross paths with him, especially as he works as an athletic trainer for the men’s team and you’re the performance analyst for the women’s team, but each time you do, it almost feels like coming home. With health and safety restrictions being what they are, there’s not a whole lot of room for casual conversation, but that doesn’t stop him from shooting you a text.

Work keeps you both busy—his a little more, given the exuberant personalities of the male athletes—but the texts come pretty frequently. The conversation’s always light, asking after the other’s day, talking about work, sending pictures of team shenanigans, but he’s opened that door again. More often than not, it’s him texting you, and more often than not, he does it without expecting much of a response in return.

After the completion of the games, you’re sure that things will trickle back to normal, that he’ll find somewhere to stay in Tokyo and life will sweep you both away once more, but that’s not what happens.

When you return to your home in Sendai, tired after another long day, you find Iwaizumi, stargazing as he used to. The shock you feel is shared, evident in his wide eyes and confused smile, though it quickly melts into something a little more genuine. Your exhaustion vanishes and you both laugh at the strong sensation of déjà vu before you two start talking like you used to in university.

He tells you how he’s staying in Japan for a bit, trying to figure out what his next step is, to sort through offers and figure out where he’s going. You, in turn, tell him that you’re looking for work internationally, wanting to see more of the world than just Sendai. It’s light and familiar and you aren’t sure what it is, but you sleep a little easier that night.

Sometimes you’ll go to that cafe together and other times you’ll both end up working alongside each other in relative silence. He’ll leave for an interview or for a personal job and you won’t see him for a week or two and it’s fine. You don’t think anything of the way you two seem to slip in and out of each other’s lives, how comfortable you two are with what little you have.

Things change when your athletic trainer quits and his name is brought up as a possible replacement. You mention knowing him, respecting his work and the next thing you know, they’re bringing him in for an interview, almost hiring him on the spot. Talking a couple times a week turns into professionally coordinating with one another turns into commuting together turns into him bringing you the soup his mother used to make when you’re sick because he got used to having lunch with you.

It starts slow, the recognition of your feelings for Iwa.

You think you feel a flutter in your stomach when he catches you after you trip, ready to faceplant into the street after misstepping on the curb. He smiles and teases you, calling you a clumsy idiot, but you don’t think much of it. It’s just the adrenaline from embarrassment, nothing more.

But as time passes, you start to notice little things about him, things you didn’t quite appreciate before. Like how the sound of his laugh changes depending on what he’s laughing at and how he’s feeling, or how he never fakes a laugh. How his smiles are always genuine, all or nothing kinda things that are dangerously contagious. How he can quell almost any argument or bickering with a single, disapproving look. How he pushes everyone to be their best, working within their limits and appreciating their strengths to encourage them to keep going.

And when he complains about the people who ask him out clearly only wanting one thing, you can’t help yourself from blurting out in agreement, “Well, they aren’t wrong in thinking you’re attractive. Have you seen yourself? You’re so pretty it’s stupid. But it’s a shame they don’t know how wonderful everything else about you is.” Your eyes widen and heat spreads across your cheeks but it’s not like he’s any different. His face is red and he’s looking at you in absolute shock but… you kind of like it. And it’s not like you regret saying what you said, not like you didn’t mean it.

He bows his head and you notice the tips of his ears are red, too, and you think you see his cheeks lift from a smile. When he looks back up, his blush is contained (though his ears are still red) and his smile has turned into a haughty smirk and there’s something in his eyes that prevent you from looking away. “You think so? Cause I think I don’t even hold a candle to you.”

It’s your turn to fluster, to feel heat spread across your cheeks, to try to hide your face. He laughs, different from before, and he brushes his hand against yours on the table. You look up at him, find him staring at you with singular intensity, eyes flickering to your lips for but a moment. “Honestly, I wouldn’t say no to a date if you were the one asking,” he tells you and it’s like you’re finally getting it.

The way your heart flutters around him, the way you look forward to morning coffee and the commute home, the way your eyes search for him throughout the day. You realize how he’s embedded himself into your life and you aren’t upset by it (if anything you’re upset it took you so long to realize). In all honesty, you wouldn’t mind asking, wouldn’t mind bringing him closer, being aware of the constant presence he’s had in your life.

“Yeah. So do you want to?”

“Is this you asking?”

“I could change my mind.”

“Please don’t,” he laughs, bowing his head again. “I didn’t know how to ask you all this time.”

“Well, now you don’t need to,” you laugh, covering his hand with yours.

It’s fast, how quickly you fall for Hajime.

You didn’t expect much to change, not when you see him express his love to everyone else in a million little ways, but it does. Eating breakfast with him turns into him making breakfast for you, trying to learn what you like and don’t like with your food. Trips to your favorite cafe turn into mini-dates with the owners gushing over you two each and every time while you two laugh and learn as much as you can about the other. Instead of coming home late to him stargazing, he makes sure you get off on time so you two can stargaze together.

His affection is given freely, whenever you seek it, whenever you ask. You never have to wonder, never have to question how he feels or what he’s thinking because he tells you everything, more than happy to share. And you start to wonder how long you’ve felt like this, how long he’s felt like home, how long he’s been something irreplaceable in your life.

When you get the job offer from that school in the U.S., he’s excited for you, telling you how proud he is of you, celebrating your hard work instead of worrying over what will become of you two (and part of you is glad he isn’t worrying and part of you is upset because you’re worrying). You bring it up, ask him what he wants and what he wants to do, and he smiles, no sign of stress to be seen.

“I’m happy to support you in whatever you want to do. I’d like to be with you every step of the way, but only if it’s what you want, too. What do you want?”

So you tell him that you’re afraid. You’re afraid because it’s a new land and you won’t know anyone and you’re worried about the language barrier (because you know English but you’ve never had to communicate in nothing but English before). You’re excited because it’s the opportunity to experience something new, different from the comfortable and safe life you’ve built for yourself in Sendai. And you’re worried, really worried because—

“What if I said that I don’t want to lose what we have? What if I said that I wanted to take you with me?”

“Then say it. I still have connections from Irvine and I’ll make it work.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. If you still want me, I’m not going anywhere.”

It makes you smile, his constant reassurance, knowing he doesn’t say these words lightly, that he’s never been the type to say something he doesn’t mean. So you two plan, work towards making your dream a reality. He finds an opening at a university not too far from yours and they aren’t stupid enough to turn down the athletic trainer of Japan’s national volleyball team.

Not even six months into living in America, you propose, simple and sweet, late at night while you’re both stargazing. He doesn’t hesitate to say yes.

It started slow, your romance, but there’s not any point in your story that you would trade.

Haikyuu!! Masterlist

[stupidlovergirl]

Video Games are my Love Language

Levi x Reader

Dev Notes: Ya girl has 20 million Wisps but I decided to write a Levi fic because he is my special guy and I am sinking my teeth into him like a stress ball. My laptop has been kicking my ass and not allowing me to open both Tumblr or even Word or Docs. So fuck it we ball. Also had no clue what to name this fic, wrote it in like, an hour or two. It's kinda bad. Once again, fuck it we ball Not edited

Recently, you have been playing so much Chess.com. It's kinda become a problem. When you have to open up your RAD-issued laptop, you briefly write down the lesson and just open it up and start playing. Sometimes when you're further back in the class you text Levi and you two will engage in a battle of wits and absolute trash talk. Malding has happened, and the absolute will power it takes to not shoot up and go a fist fight with him for his comments is great, but you want to continue being able to just play chess in class is greater. Sometimes it becomes such a hindrance you have to beg one of the others in the class for the work, and beg even harder where they won't tell Lucifer. Maybe it's an addiction, but if playing chess and beating Levi's ass in it sometimes is wrong, you don't want to be right.

So, that's what you were doing. You're supposed to be writing a paper on the history of something or other, but you're just playing Levi in another game. The last two went by pretty fast, as Levi is a good strategist, given he is literally an admiral, but you've been getting better. You usually sass and tease him to get him off his game to take the W, and it works. Call it cheap, but it's still a win.

L3vi: lololol bad move normie L3vi: L move, ur abt to get wrekt

You push a frustrated breath through your nose. You were so going to make him regret that latter. Typing quickly, you make your next comment before you even think about it

'Shut up. You're just complaining about the W I'm gonna take because you want to kiss me!!!!!!!!'

And you don't think you'd ever see it. Levi has withdrawn from the game, leaving you the victor. It's strange, because he doesn't accept any other game for the rest of the day, and it turns into not playing for the rest of the week. Slowly, he starts playing with you again, but you don't question his reasons for stopping, as you don't want him to quit again.

Levi has gotten some new first person shooter. He's been talking about it all week, and wanting to show you in person. To hype it up for you, he's been sending pics and videos of his kills and his streaks during class. You ask him nicely and sometimes he puts his screen up on Discord for you to watch on your phone while you're in class or on break and hiding from the demands of the brothers you love so much. So when the weekend rolled around, you said no to all the invitations extended to go somewhere else from the other brothers and end up in Levi's room, which you refer to as 'The Fishbowl', despite Levi's (obviously fake) annoyance.

You knock on the door, and Levi doesn't even bother with a password as he opens the door and yanks you inside. You feel off balance as you walk (or more appropriately: dragged) to Levi's desk, where the title screen is displayed, and around it two chairs, one Levi's and the other the one Levi bought for you. You sit down, resting in it as Levi sits down in front of you. He starts rambling again, about the game and how it's 'so cool' and totally 'the best one ever'. You just smile, sleepy from the hard and infuriating school work (and the even harder and more infuriating chess games). So you snatch a blanket, snuggle in, and watch Levi do his thing. Sometimes you get hyped, when Levi pulls off a sick clutch or penta kill, but for the most part are pretty relaxed. The conversation has died down for the most part, as Levi's hyper focus has set in, and you are way too sleepy to care. So much so, you've stopped watching the game, and turned to Levi himself.

Then your thoughts consume you. Levi is so pretty, and it makes you sad sometimes he's so hard of himself. You pick on him for little things since you have gotten closer, but only in fun witty banter, which Levi recognizes as he typically replies with some of his own. Yet you wish that he would realize just how attractive he is on his own. His pretty hair, which despite the lack of routine is so freaking soft and pretty and it makes you want to run you hands through it. His eyes, which remind you of the sunset when it's so close to saying goodnight that the purple starts bleeding in. His cute nose, his nice jawline……his lips, which are so soft and kissable and moving anD OH GOD HE'S TALKING AND LOOKING AT YOU.

"What?" you ask simply, voice quiet and giving away your obvious sleepiness

Levi rolls his eyes, but the smile on his lips easily shows he's not annoyed. "I was asking if you had seen that kill, but obviously not as you were spaced out. What's more interesting than my game? The whole reason I invited you over?" He grabs the water bottle off to the side and takes a drink, and you feel a little embarrassed

"It's nothing, just sleepy from school. Not all of us can take online classes nerd" You say, reaching a foot out and kicking his chair away from you, sending him rolling a little ways away.

"Skill Issue" is all you get in response as he places the bottle back down and moves back to play. Your eyes drooping low, and you feel sleep about to lure you away.

"Do you really want to know?" You whisper quietly.

"Mhm. Shoot." Levi says, barely focusing on what you said and at the new round that has started

"I was thinking about how pretty you are" You mumble out, sleep finally clamping your eyes shut and leading your mind off. Not realizing the short circuiting boy you left behind as you slipped into dreamland.

It's been a few weeks after you confessed you found Levi pretty. Where both of you have been absolutely avoiding any type of real life interaction. Staying just between the game offered texting and Discord. Sometimes even calling if both of you were feeling brave. The brothers have noticed that Levi hasn't left his room, and since none of them have gotten a text about how he's staying because of a new game or the like, they ask you. You who sorta places and feels a little sickly and scurries off and hides after the question. So obviously something happened between you two, and they have no clue how to help, so they just leave it up to you to figure it out. (Not that they wanted too, but Lucifer has been VERY adamant that this is a problem that resides just between you and Levi)

Yet the dance of avoidance has ended due to one thing. An otome game that both you and Levi have been wanting to play drops today from the pre-orders. Which, since you both were so excited, decided to pitch money towards so you could play it together. Yet, would he still want to play it with you after what happened? I mean, you really haven't seen each other. You sound him a text to ask. So, after much nervousness, you sent the text asking if Levi wanted to meet up to start playing together. You watch as the typing bubble flicks up and then stops, and comes up again for a hour it feels like, before the text comes through

'Sure, we planned to so I don't know why we wouldn't lololol'

So that sets the train in motion. The name of the game is pretend. You never told Levi you found him pretty, you guys haven't been avoiding each other, and everyone else hasn't noticed your strange behavior when asked anything about how you have been avoiding him. Perfect. Thank whatever granted you this mercy. So you make yourself a little more presentable, showing that you are not a swamp creature but instead a version of yourself that screams 'I didn't try but still look cute' when YOU DEFINITELY TRIED VERY HARD. So, looking your casual best for him, you set off to the Fishbowl, which feels a lot more like a fighting arena now. In your head you start reviewing things

1 - That you totally didn't call him pretty, in fact you don't find him attractive in the romantic sense at all! Only platonic. Platonically he is good looking. It's an objective fact. Yup. 2 - You DO NOT want to kiss him. You do not want to kiss him at all because he probably has chapped lips and they aren't kissable at all. 3 - Just keep repeating the lies you tell yourself so you can make it out of this colossal interaction unscathed and maybe even start repairing your relationship

So you walk up to his door with a boldness that you know will easily break. You knock on the door, and wait for the password to start. You were surprised when the door just opened and you were yanked in. "Are you excited? I can't wait to romance all the datables! I think it's gonna be great!" Levi excitedly And with that sentence, all the anxiety and tension melts away, and you two ease back into the regular dynamic. "I know, all the characters are so dynamic while being such "typical" stereotypes" you reply back, just as excited You feel him grab your wrist and drag you to the bean bags

And that is where you spend the rest of the day and night, the two of you playing the game, discussing the characters, and feeling secure in your friendship with him

Yet, the comfort dissipates when you get into it about the characters "I'm sorry, but he is best boy! He is a cute little nerdy gamer otaku with anxiety! What isn't to love about him!" "I'm just saying, that my darling is superior! They are so kind to others and they love helping! I'm sorry you cannot appreciate their beauty" Levi scoffs rolling his eyes "Honestly, why do you even like him?" "Because he reminds me of you! Both adorable and anxious!" And you both stop

"Uhm, haha, juust kidding!" you say with a giggle, anxiously looking around "You've done that twice now…are…are you not lying?" Levi says, and he drops his head and fiddles with his fingers "I'm not…I really do like you Levi. You're really important to me." Levi squeaks, and backs away "I hope that doesn't upset you.."

Levi shakes his head furiously "NO!" and he recoils at his outburst. "I like you too… and I thought you were messing me with that night when you said I was…uhm…" he trails off, rubbing his neck "That you were pretty?" "Yes" he squeaks out "Well, I think that you are very pretty. That is just one of the things I like about you though. I like how excited you get, how you are so open to me. You mean so much to me" "DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT UNPROMPTED!" Levi screeches, covering his face You can't help but laugh, "But it's true!" Levi peeks through a gap in his fingers

"I wanted to tell you that…that I like you too" You gape at him "Seriously?" "Mhm" he murmurs You smile at him, feeling giddy, like you're floating, or if electricity was shooting through your veins. "Well, if you like me and I like you…" you smile "Maybe we should go out?"

You have never seen Levi so red before, but his smile is so wide "Okay!" he manages to squeak out

[dokidokitsuna]

I wanted to make a video about this, but seeing as my first Splatoon vid is already taking ages to make, and I don’t really have a whole lot to say, I’ll just write it out:

If you’re not playing X Battles, it may interest you to know that you’re really not missing much. ^^;

When I first tried grinding up to S+ rank to unlock them, I did it in the hopes of finally getting access to serious, exciting matches that always come down to the wire because all the players are super skilled and intent on winning. I mean, Turf War and Anarchy are fine, but sometimes you want a real challenge, y’know? I think every MMO game needs some form of “no noobs allowed” mode in order to provide a consistently engaging experience for mature players, and that’s what I expected X Battles to be.

Unfortunately, that’s not what I got…my first foray into X Battles was surprisingly average; and at the time it was kind of funny. ^^ I mean, every once in a while I did run into a few crazy people who definitely belonged there, but most of the players were virtually indistinguishable from everyone else in terms of observable skill. Like, the battles just felt…normal.

And now, a few seasons later, they feel a lot worse than normal. :[ If it came out that Nintendo was secretly allowing players to buy access to X Battles without having to earn it, I would 100% believe it at this point. Because I’ve seen some really stupid stuff going on in recent matches…and when I say stupid, I mean STUPID.

The vast majority of the time, the experience is something I call “steamroll or be steamrolled”: either you get a disappointingly easy match where the enemy team doesn’t stand a chance against you, or a useless-to-even-try match where your team doesn’t stand a chance against the enemy. Either way, the outcome is pretty much set in stone about 30 seconds in. :/

And then there’s the absolute worst kind of match, a new phenomenon I’m calling “babysitting”: basically, the enemy team isn’t even that good, to the point where I can hat-trick or wipe them all by myself multiple times…but it amounts to nothing, because my allies are even worse, and can’t hold the line without me. So every time I die, we lose all our progress…and unless I can kick it into max-overdrive and 1v4 my way to victory, we just slowly and painfully lose the match.

Obviously, these aren’t things that should be happening in matches pulling randomly from what should be the most skilled players in the population. 6_6; Like, I refuse to believe that I’ve unknowingly become such a god-tier fighter that the whole playerbase seems like kindergarteners to me (I’m good, but I’m really not that good…).

It HAS to be a matchmaking issue…but even then, it’s concerning that people who’ll spend a whole match hiding from the enemy and “charging specials” (a strategy that only makes sense when you’re woefully inexperienced) are (a) somehow allowed into X Battles, and (b) matched with players like me. In a specialized mode like this, I should not have to worry about playing with people who clearly don't understand the game very well. They don't deserve it, and I don't deserve it. :/ Like, if not here, then where??? What's the use of all these ranks and points and statistics if they don't affect the gameplay experience? Am I expected to grind all the way to S+10 before I'm consistently matched with players of a similar skill level...?

And on that note: something interesting I’ve noticed recently is that, as X Battles have steadily gotten worse, Anarchy Battles have actually gotten better: all of the truly fun, challenging down-to-the-wire matches I’ve had in the last few weeks have been in Anarchy. And to me, this suggests that grinding to X Battle eligibility has become so unrewarding that skilled players who would be going there are instead opting to just stick with Anarchy Battles, making the population of skilled Anarchy players larger than before. I mean, if they’re all having experiences similar to mine, I wouldn’t blame them...

In conclusion: X-Battle players are not to be envied, and also I’m kind of concerned about the future of Splatoon 3’s multiplayer viability. ⚆_⚆; There’s a reason that we have a growing population of exclusive ‘Salmon Runners’ and I think this is part of it…hell, if Salmon Run just had more than 1 mode available on the daily, I might make the switch myself (maybe sthg where you don’t have to worry about losing your pay grade and can just kill fishies for fun with your weapon of choice…I’d love an ‘arcade mode’ or ‘infinite run’~). I’m among the people who no longer enjoy Splatfests (I never thought it would happen to me, BUT IT DID ;_;), and yet I always have fun during Big Runs and Eggstra Work. Apparently, the game immediately becomes 50% more enjoyable when 50% of its inscrutable, unreasonable matchmaking system is no longer an issue. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[dazzle-writes]

Hello :) would it be okay if I could have a demon slayer matchup for both a hashira and a demon in headcanon format :)

I am a straight 24 year old female, pronouns are she/her who stands at 5’3 and my star sign is Capricorn. I have long black hair and hazel eyes, fashion wise I normally dress in black and other dark colours as black and purple are my favourite colours, I normally wear skinny jeans and combat boots so generally punk style or goth style. On special occasions I dress more girly, and my love language includes small touches and acts of service and in terms of relationships mutual respect for one another’s interests and hobbies is always a plus.

I’m normally shy when talking to people for the first and scared to approach people. When I get to know people, I am more open and hyper around them. I really enjoy testing myself and improving myself as a whole, I also like to take care of other people and make sure they’re doing okay. I normally spend my time watching horror movies, playing video games, reading, listening to music and I love watching anime’s such as JJBA, Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan etc. My favourite music genre is rock or metal and my favourite group at the minute is Rammstein. My ideal dates are normally visiting museums, anything historical, or going to the cinema and having dinner as long as we bond and spend time together.

Thank you for you time, I hope you have a fantastic day :)

Hello hello hello!! I'd be happy to give you a matchup!!!!

For demon I am definitely thinking Kokushibo!!! He appreciates your love for history and will often sit down with you and let you talk about what interests you and then goes "Actually, thats wrong." Because he was there or alive during that time!!!

~Definitely loves when you sit with him while he meditates, after a while he lets you comb and play with his hair because he claims he can focus more ;)

~Likes that you are a fan of one-on-one time, that's definitely his love language as well!!

~Loves that you get bouts of the zoomies when you get closer. He's not very energetic in terms of excitement for things, so he loves to listen to you and watch you

~doesn't understand your music taste. He's a bit more....traditional to put it lightly so when you have more masculine/harsher interests his brain kinda shuts down to process.

~Big soft cuddly man when sad, hunts you down and just picks you up to cuddle

~He doesn't eat human food obviously, but really likes to surprise you with meals once or twice a month! Bonus if you let him feed from you in return.

~Does not let you around the other uppermoons. No exceptions. Does his best to keep you from Muzan too. The reason he does this? He doesn't want you spilling the beans that he's a cuddler and a history nerd like you.

For a Hashira I was torn between either Giyuu or Gyomei! I ultimately chose Gyomei simply because he also gives off that big softie vibe.

~Believe it or not, he makes a lot of "hey good lookin" blind jokes. None of the other Hashiras believe you.

~Also will just hoist you onto his shoulders sometimes

~LOVES LOVES LOVES your tenacity and willingness to improve. Its something he admires so much about you it brings him to tears

~speaking of tears!!!

~a comprehensive list of everything Gyomei cries about involving you:

any time you say "I love you"

any time you cuddle

any time you make him dinner

any time you listen to him talk about his past

any time you are away for more than five minutes

any time.

~Loves if you cry with him.

~He loves teaching you about Buddhism and loves it if you know about the history behind it. If you ever go to a museum you will have to describe everything you see, which he loves because he loves hearing your voice.

~You two do an in-home date night every week if you can, where you make dinner together and talk about your week

~If you are a demon slayer, then you two def train together. You probably end up becoming Hashira-level due to your time spent with him. You def help with the battle against Kokushibo, and for some reason he can't help but go a little soft on you. Wonder why?

~You definitely make sure he is alive at the end of that fight

~You take over an orphanage together and every time he hears you with children he cries FOUNTAINS of tears.

You want both? You get both

~Dating the top Uppermoon and top Hashira is.....well, good for you!

~Lets just say this is a redemption au where all the Kizuki join with the demon slayers to end Muzan

~Originally you had just been with Gyomei, but the uppermoons had to live with a Hashira to be basically babysat. So, Kokushibo was picked to go with Gyomei!!!

~Kokushibo didn't realize another person lived there until you came home, and then promptly held your sword to his neck

~Lord he just about fell for you then

~Gyomei explains the situation, and you immediately apologize. No sooner have you said the words "I'm sorry", then you are asking him a bazillion questions about things he witnessed in history.

~Gyomei just sighs and lets you run yourself out of energy.

~Eventually you get to a point where they both like to cuddle you, so you're wrapped up in a Gyomei-Kokushibo sandwich. They both just alternate between stroking your hair or your cheek. Once Gyomei trusts Kokushibo enough he falls asleep with you, and Kokushibo watches over you both.

~Occasionally you and your two mans will walk into a Kizuki/Hashira meeting and Sanemi and Akaza side eye each other because they do NOT understand how you pulled them.

I hope you enjoyed!!!!

[myfckingnameisnuwanda]

Sugar Neighbour (Joongdok)

Kim Dokja walks down a hill on his way home, casually talking with his classmate Han Myungoh.

"What is so interesting about this neighbour of yours anyways?" Asks Myungoh, rather bored "You have never talked to the guy and yet he is all you ever talk about this days."

"I have talked to him!" Myungoh raises an eyebrow, doubtful. Kim Dokja squints "Shun the non believer! Shuuun!"

"You have to touch grass every once in a while, Dokja. Too many web novels will vaporize your brain juice."

"Brain juice? Now look who needs to touch grass."

Coughing a little, Myungoh ignores Dokja’s jab and changes the subject.

"So, why is the guy special, then?"

"Well, for starters; he is the most handsome guy I have ever seen. He would give you a thousand slaps across the face, Myungoh."

"Dude, what the fuck."

"And he is so skilful. He probably knows how to make everything. I wouldn't be surprised. Also, nobody can compare to him when it comes to video games. He'd be world champion if he had the time."

"I don't believe you. There are millions of people good at video games. You are exaggerating."

"I'm not. And you'd see him at the tournaments if he could get in them, I tell you." Insisted Dokja, firm.

"Why can't he get in them?" Myungoh suddenly gets a dark look in his eyes "You are not in love with a twelve year old, are you?"

"What the-? No, I'm not! Yoo Jonghyuk's only, like, two years younger than me!"

"Oh, so he is younger."

"Myungoh, I'm nineteen, I'm not a creepy old man."

"Well, you just told me Yoo Joonghyuk is seventeen years old. I don't know, man, sounds like you're on your way to becoming a creepy old man."

"Dude, I'll hit you so hard you will forget your gender."

"Don't threaten me with a good time."

—————

Tap tap tap.

"Hey."

Taptaptaptap.

"Dokja."

"Gmrf."

"You never told me why the guy whom you are assaulting cradles for can't get in the tournaments." Asked Myungoh.

The look Dokja through Myungoh said many things that would have sent him home for the rest of the week.

He sighed, giving up.

"Basically, because he has a cradle of his own."

"... What?"

"So, I only know this because the walls in our apartment complex are paper thin, but his parents died at the beginning of the year, and he has a little sister, a literally newly born baby sister."

Incredulity filled Myungoh's eyes.

Every time Kim Dokja said something new about the mysterious neighbour, Myungoh was more and more sure this was a boyfriend-in-Canada kinda situation.

"And his grandparents have been taking care of them since the deaths of his parents, but they told Joonghyuk since the beginning that they would only do so till he was old enough to take custody of his sister." Kim Dokja continued "Because of that, he dropped out of school, left his hobbies, like the video games, and went on a job hunt immediately."

"That sounds..." Fake "Tough."

"I know, right?"

"Hmm..."

"But, anyways, if he doesn't find a decent job by a week before his birthday, I'll hire him as my cook or something and give him a ridiculously high pay. Don't look at me like that. You know I can and will. I will even give him social security, health, dental. Whatever he wants"

"You are crazy."

"Ah, but Yoo Joonghyuk doesn't know that yet."

"Dokja, are you planning on seducing the guy?"

"Nah, I just want to be able to see that face every day."

"What the-? Why do you say that like it isn't the craziest shit I've ever heard anyone say?"

Kim Dokja sighed again.

"I'm not crazy, you just have never seen him."

"Nah, man, I tell you, you sound like a stalker when it comes to this Yoo Joonghyuk." But even if he was, it wasn't like Myungoh would do much about it.

Kim Dokja was very physically weak, to the point of sickness a lot of times. The neighbour, if he was real, had a very high chance of being able to defend himself against Dokja.

It didn't occur to Myungoh that Dokja may use monetary or mental manipulation against the guy.

"I am not Yoo Joonghyuk's stalker."

"Then how do you know his birthday?"

"..."

Silence.

"... Casualty?"

Myungoh rolled his eyes.

"At least you're a terrible liar. Yoo Joonghyuk will be able to use that in his favour."

[cursedchildofchaos]

15 Question & 15 Mutuals not doing that part right now cuz i’m lazy

how dare you, @thelegendofsqam /j I was the one who tagged you last time, tho, smh. 

1. Are you named after anyone?

Middle name , but also, not. It’s more I was named in association with someone.

2. When was the last time you cried?  

This week’s been a blur, but I definitely cried on Tuesday cuz i have an angsty poem to prove it.

3. Do you have kids?

no but I have probably called a fictional character babygirl or my baby at one point

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?  

What’s that? 

5. What's the first thing you notice about people?  

Not this question again. I guess I notice hair or clothes.

6. What's your eye color?  

Well, I guess I've never looked at my eyes before. I just don't think I've ever seen eyes this color before. Matter of fact I don't think I've ever seen this color before. Yes, I have, yes I have. I was on a ski weekend, up at Stowe. I was coming in late one day – last person off the slope – the sun had just gone down. And the sky became this incredible color. I usually don’t, notice things like that, and I found myself kind of walking around in the cold, hoping that it wouldn’t change; wishing that I had someone there to share it with me. Afterwards I tried to convince myself I had imagined that color; that I hadn’t really seen it. Nothing on this earth could be this beautiful. Now I see I was wrong.

(what are you talking about, I didn’t steal this! how dare you accuse me...okay, yeah, it’s from Cheers)

7. Scary movies or happy endings?  

Nothing too scary pls, but if it’s moderately scary and has an ending that doesn’t make me feel sick, okay, yeah sure why not.

8. Any special talents?  

chaos

9. Where were you born?  

I grew from a plant seed in a witch’s garden. I am a curse to this earth

10. What are your hobbies?  

I don’t have hobbies. All my hobbies become my life goals. Okay, maybe photography, arts and crafts, going to the ren faire, mbti, or video games

11. Have you any pets?

I had a dream about a kitten with back issues the other night that I grew attached to and I have a few stuffed animals (like toys not taxidermy just to be clear). My real pets live in another state

12. What sports do you play/have you played?  

I went horseback riding a few times. Other sports I gave up to do theatre...but theatre can be a sport at least during the dance numbers...tho, I was very uncoordinated and moved behind people on stage once

13. How tall are you?  

Not 6 ft, Not 5′5 ft. Somewhere in between.

14. Favorite subject in school?  

I liked art and drama. I like taking writing classes now.

15. Dream job?  

Assassin assigned to kill @thelegendofsqam​ /j

I would like to own a book store and costume shop that I live above while write books and draw during my spare time.

YOU ARE ALL TAGGED IF YOU WANNA DO IT

[kindofsortofmaybe]

Gustholomule with 002 for the ask game!!

hi anon i'm so sorry i meant to answer this ages ago but i was swamped with finals all week! finally free though :)

when i started shipping it: pretty early in my watch through! i remember watching something ventured, someone framed and thinking hmmm... these bitches gay ?? and then once i got into the fandom and saw there was a following for it i really started shipping it! actually my first toh fanart was gustho haha

my thoughts: i don't think dana & co ever meant for us to ship them tbh, so even though i was disappointed that they didn't interact in the finale, i wasn't super surprised. but i think they have such an interesting dynamic!! gus is so cool and matt is not but also theyre both SO lame in the best way and they both have trust issues and also theyre like 12 and like... they are just so special to me

what makes me happy about them: how goofy they are. while i do think there's so much potential for their dynamic, i also think they're just two silly guys who hang out and i like the simplicity of that

what makes me sad about them: their lack of screen time :( (together and separately)

things done in fanfic that annoy me: hmmm tbh i've only read gustho fanfics that i've really enjoyed... i've never really had a negative experience with a gustho fic! all our writers are so talented! but i guess something that sometimes bothers me in fanon is when the hexsquad is rude to matt/don't give him a chance. i see why they might be wary, but Luz is the king of Befriending Everyone, willow is naturally very compassionate, and hunter/amity have both had their fair share of second chances! so even if they wouldn't get along right off the bat, i'm not a fan of scenarios where they just never warm up to him/consistently dislike him

things i look for in fanfic: i love when gustho fics have them just hanging out being teenagers. thats the vibe i think fits them best!

who i'd be comfortable them ending up with if not each other: hmmm i don't really have other ships for either of them! there's no one that comes to mind but i think if either of them were implied in the finale to be in a relationship with a hexside student we've met, i'd be like 🤷‍♀️ sure ig

my happily ever after for them: they continue to get close and become besties throughout high school, move in together after grad, and are so close that eventually they realize they've basically been dating for years and just kinda shrug like kay guess we're a couple and then theyre in love forever <33

who is the big spoon/little spoon: i think it depends! the both fill both roles at different times. though i do think that depending on when they get together, matty would totally be like "I'M the big spoon cause i'm MANLY" and gus is like "okay manly man" and makes him the little spoon anyway and he actually loves it

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: i'll bfr they're sex-neutral aces to me anyway so <3 (i don't really think about their feelings about sex since they're like 12 for most of the show, i just love to project my identity onto blorbos) so ANYWAY to actually answer the question, i headcanon that they LOVE to game together. video games and board games both - they just both get so competitive and have a lot of fun with it. their game nights are VERY loud and high-energy

thank you sm for the ask! i love thinking about these losers :)

[punk-pandame]

for the kank hc's anon

first i love you, second i love you, and third here's some hc's"

Canonverse

used to put on little puppet shows for baby gaara <3 started with just sock puppets and a cardboard box, but as kank got better at building and started practicing to be a puppet master shinobi, he graduated to marionettes and a little wooden performance stand.

temari claimed to hate said puppet shows but every once in a while she'd give him some spare doll clothes for the puppets that she "didn't want" for her own dolls, and he caught her watching with a smile a few too many times to keep believeing her heehee <3

middle child syndrome to the max. he has a super strong older sister and an even stronger younger brother, both of whom im assuming rasa favored. his father may not have put hits out on him "more times than he can count" (6) but he sure as fuck felt neglected!

i think he never had a canon love interest not because they didn't care enough about him to give him one, but because he doesn't need or want a partner. kankurou is cool taking his time and enjoying life on his own and if he meets someone, cool! but if not its no skin off his back, he's just out here doin what he do anyway

while i love world building and think it would be so cool if they had some sort of significance, i honestly think it'd be hilarious if his face paint designs didn't mean a damn thing. he just thinks they're cool and when he finds a pattern he likes he'll stick with it for as long as he likes it

that being said, he sometimes forgets he can just? switch it up? whenever? like he'll be painting the same shit on his face for three years, thinking to himself how much he hates this design now and wishes he could do another one, and mid-paint job realizes he can just. do that. so he scrubs it off and starts over. usually becomes an all-day affair of testing different styles until he finds one he likes enough to wear for the next few years lmfao

temari and gaara are his official face paint reviewers but he doesn't actually listen to a damn thing they say. he does not want criticism he wants emotional support pls and thnx. and it is 100% mandatory. cancel your appointments, kank is having a Crisis.

when he was younger he changed looks more frequently, and would sorta treat it as a a new-year-new-me type thing. inevitably would go too hard on trying to change his whole personality along with the new look and go back to normal in a week or two, but GOD that week or two was so trying for literally everyone around him asllahdjkgha

Modern AU

obviously he's a furry. loves the "yknow like nya?" meme and still does it, without a single care in the world for who may or may not be embarrassed of it

honestly subscribes to the "i am crazy/cringe but i am free" lifestyle he'll just do and say whatever tf XD

that being said, he really doesn't do anything that crazy. like the craziest thing about him is probably being a theatre kid. he likes performing just fine, but his real passion is in the set-building.

autism be damned, my boy sure can work a nail gun

goes SO HARD for halloween you have NO fucking idea. he's building himself a gundam suit as we speak

gamer boy! loves video games and has a sleek PC set-up. started his twitch channel for gaming but his viewers were actually way more interested in all his supplies in the back and now most of his streams are just him building stuff and talking to chat, but he'll bring back the games when he gets hyperfixated on one or a new game comes out.

special interest in animatronics. he loves them so much and will ramble for HOURS if you let him (please let him please god please let him he wants to talk about them SO bad)

[softpine]

is this the closest we’ve gotten to seeing brandi’s ideas for a post-apocalyptic story/au? my ass will happily wait for this treat and take these crumbs yes, please, and thank you 🍞🐜 (only if ur comfortable with sharing more!!)

aww no i'm sorry it's not the apocalypse au 😭 however that's always in the back of my mind and i have a document i keep adding ideas to whenever i think of things. i still plan on doing a mini story for that someday!! the thing i'm working on right now is just a silly one-off. but since you were so excited and nice i'll give you some spoilers hehe

edit: the fact i said "some" spoilers and then proceeded to basically share my whole outline for the first two chapters is such a brandi move. sorry i'm like this

i'm going the last of us route by not having typical back-from-the-dead zombies and instead they're infected humans, but in this case it's going to be something similar to mad cow disease in that it originates in livestock and can be transmitted to humans (i'm using allllllll of these words colloquially for brevity, just know this is a massive oversimplification), where it stays dormant until it's far too late to be treated because the brain has already been compromised. the first symptoms are confusion, then problems with emotional regulation, dementia, and finally violence & insatiable hunger. however, these people don't possess inhuman strength or speed, though it may seem that way because they're working with unlimited adrenaline, so they're not slowed down by pain or fear. but you have a fighting chance! and any way that you can kill a normal human, you can also kill an infected person. it just might take longer. essentially i want it to be grounded in reality, mimicking the way a real disease spreads and mutates rather than going fully into video game-y horror (i love that stuff too, but it's not the story i feel like telling in a post-covid world lol. i'm much more interested in seeing how humans can survive and rebuild in the face of unimaginable chaos and tragedy!). the other important thing to note is that the disease doesn't have a 100% transmission rate. it's the same as if you had the flu and coughed in 100 people's faces, only a fraction of them would actually get sick. so if you get bitten by someone with the disease, it's not 100% certain you will be infected. so there is no singular special immune person, it's just a matter of chance & your immune system.

in the early days, this mysterious illness is only happening in remote areas with low human populations. meat that's been properly cooked & pasteurized dairy can't transmit the disease, so people in cities are generally safe, but improper handling of food, poor working conditions, factory farm employees, traveling, etc. all contribute to the spread of disease. though the illness can't be treated, it's easy to contain in the beginning. patients are restrained/sedated when they become violent and eventually they die (once the brain is completely taken by infection, the body dies too). however as the number of infected people grows, it becomes harder to hold everyone in basic hospitals. sanatoriums start popping up to study the disease and keep it quarantined. this is around the time where the story actually starts.

mikaela was a pediatric nurse at the hospital, but she was moved to one of these sanatoriums a few months ago. however, she's 20 weeks pregnant (with sadie) and she's nervous about continuing to work in a high risk environment. she asks to be moved back, but the hospital denies her request. that's how she knows shit is really hitting the fan. she warns everyone she cares about that something big is happening, but that's not how the disease is being reported on by the media, so no one really takes her seriously. and then the big outbreak happens.

there's a whole backstory to that but i'll skip it for now fjskjds the relevant part is that mikaela escapes unharmed and returns home to gather her family up. danny, casper (home from college for thanksgiving break), and asa (spent the weekend with his dad) are already there. mikaela is scared to stay there because it's a farm; they have cows, chickens, pigs, etc. and they still don't know exactly how the disease is transmitted. so she loads everyone into casper's truck (there's less space, but it's better for off-roading). on the way out, asa opens all the gates so the animals can have a chance at living even though he knows it's probably not a good idea. they desperately try to get a hold of caroline and beth, but the phone lines are dead, so they leave a note saying they've gone to their shared vacation cabin up north.

ummm and this is extremely long already but we haven't even gotten to the interesting part yet so.... they make it half way to the cabin before night falls. they don't want to run out of gas at night (and it's late fall, so pretty cold). so they stop in an area that's completely free of people. asa says he knows how to make a fire so they won't waste gas running the car for heat. casper goes with him for protection (he's buff college casper, not scrawny teenage casper fjksjd) to find wood. danny doesn't think they have anything to worry about because asa spends his days in the wilderness already, and he assumes mikaela is just being overly cautious because she's pregnant. so he lets them go.

okay so casper and asa stumble upon a small, seemingly unoccupied hunting cabin. they think this will be perfect to stay in for the night. but when they open the door, they see a horrifying sight: a man sitting in complete darkness, chewing on a freshly dead deer. the man lunges at them, managing to grab asa and bite his thumb clean off along with a chunk of his palm, before casper tackles him to the ground. he manages to immobilize him, but he's badly bitten on the neck in the process. it takes all his strength to just hold the man down, let alone fight back, so asa knows he has to do something. he finds a rifle in a bag that the man must've been carrying earlier, before the sickness set in, and he tries to shoot him in the head with it, but since he's never even held a gun before, he misses and it grazes casper's arm. he has to shoot two more times before he hits his target and the man stops moving. buuuut the sound of all the gunshots has attracted many others; they can hear them approaching in the distance. casper is in no state to move, already starting to bleed out from the wound on his neck (the accidental gunshot certainly didn't help), so asa does the only thing he can do; he leaves the gun with casper and starts yelling to attract the hoard's attention while he runs away from the cabin. he hopes danny and mikaela have heard the gunshots too and will find casper. he leads the infected further into the woods. on instinct, he tries to climb a tree to escape, but his right hand is effectively useless and he's in way too much pain to attempt it. he thinks he'll most likely die here, until he hears a distinctly human, non-infected voice shouting at him to follow his voice .... and that's where i'll leave it :D

[proceduralpassion]

Get To You

Day 18 of Narcoctober- Create a fanwork about characters experiencing, participating in, or witnessing a real life historical event (could have been depicted in canon or not) e.g. moon landing.

Character(s): Javier Pena x Sandra Castellano (OC); kinda platonic kinda not

CW: language, terrorism/bombing, mentions of OKC bombing

WC: ~1.2K

A/N: Hiii enjoy this cameo of Sandra from IWBSS. The setting in history is the OKC bombing, but the fic mostly focuses on the dynamic between these two.

They kept in touch once they moved onto separate assignments. Javi was transferred back to El Paso, working several cases including crime bosses who specialized in designer drugs and laced fentanyl. Sandra was working on a paper that linked cities where drug cartels had gotten a foothold in. It had taken her to Jaurez, Calexico, and even Miami, where she had spent her formative years. Now, she was in Oklahoma City, exploring the rival gangs that were purported to be enemies of the Sinaloa cartel. 

Her and Javi still talked on the phone, often under the guise of seeking professional opinions from one another but often delving into other topics such as Javi beating the latest level of his Zombies Ate My Neighbors video game or the latest addition to Sandra’s growing records collection. 

Over the past few months, their calls had upped to once a week on average, and sometimes more, depending on their schedules. It had been so seamless that neither had really noticed that the other had become part of their regular routine. It wasn’t long before they found no excuses to call, just simply opting to dial the other over anything they wanted to talk about in the moment.

This morning, Sandra was calling him, coffee thermos in the other hand, to thank him for getting her in touch with a fellow DEA agent that’d be able to help her with her current assignment. The federal building wasn’t far from the hotel she was living out of and they spoke on the phone as she walked the way there.

“Just know that if this guy gives me the runaround or some bogus info, you’ll have me to answer to.”

She can hear the smirk in Javi’s voice as he replies, “I think we both know I’ve been on your bad side enough times to know better by now.”

“And don’t you forget it,” she shoots back.

“How much longer you gonna be in OKC anyway? I’m tired of you complaining about the mosquitos over there.”

“Yeah, well, they’re the size of fucking birds. Don’t even get me started on the amount of armadillo roadkill I’ve passed by on the freeway.”

Javi cuts in, “There’s armadillos in Texas, too.”

“Anyway, I’m gonna be here until I feel like I’ve got enough for my assignment.” 

Javi hums, “Hmmm.”

“Hmmm? What does “hmmm” mean?”

There’s a pause on the phone before he speaks, “It’s just been a minute since we’ve seen each other. Was wondering if you’d be able to make the drive down my way.”

Javi’s been attempting to find a way to casually make the suggestion since about three phone calls ago, but wasn’t sure the best way to go about it. His own investigation, right now, prevented him from leaving his post, but Sandra seemed to have a more flexible, albeit spontaneous, schedule. It’d been about a year since they last saw each other in person and with the recent ramp up of their communication, he figured he’d throw the bone out there.

“Awww, somebody misses me?” Sandra teases. “Or are you just looking for your next booty call?”

Javi chuckles, “C’mon, I’m a classy guy! I’d at least fly you down instead of making you drive if that was the case.”

He revels in her loud giggles that crosses over his phone line. 

“You’re not gonna be too happy when the first thing I do when I see you is punch the shit out of you,” she declares.

“Ouch, yeah, I think Carrillo still feels it in his nose from that time you decked hi-”

Javi’s words are cut off by a loud explosion that echoes from the speaker. He’s up out of the rolling desk chair in his office instantaneously.

“Sandra!” he shouts, “Sandra!”

There’s screaming, car alarms, and sounds of large objects falling and colliding against one another. It’s utter chaos and for a few moments, Javi’s worried that he’s heard Sandra’s last words. It takes several more seconds before he hears heavy breathing directly into the line.

“Shit,” she mutters. He can hear movement as if she’s changing positions.

“Sandra,” Javi calls for her again.

“I- I think there was a fucking bomb.” He can hear her heels clack against the sidewalk and the way in which they speed up as if she’s running.

“What?”

“A bomb, Javi. I was about to cross the street to the federal building and half of it’s just fucking gone.” 

He exclaims, “Fuck! Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“I’ve been worse for wear before,” she says, which isn’t a straight answer in his head and he surmises that she’s got either not a scratch on her or one of her bones sticking out about now. He also knows she’s batshit crazy enough to run towards danger instead of away from it.

“Sandra, turn the fuck back around and get to safety. You can’t be the one to break the story if you’re in the ground.”

She scoffs, “There are people that could be hurt-”

“You hear those sirens in the background? They’re first responders who know what they’re fucking doing,” Javi cuts in, “Besides, you’re gonna act like you won’t be sniffing for questions while you’re ‘helping’?”

He knows she can hear the air quotes even when they’re not face to face. The same way he could just see the eye roll she gives him just now at his words. 

“Well, yeah, but everything is history, and firsthand accounts could even help with identifying the monsters that did this.”

“Also not your job, Sandra!” It’s a Wednesday morning and he’s supposed to be focusing on his current case, but the inner voice in his head tells him “fuck it.” He’s grabbing his jacket and keys, solely intent on walking past his bosses’ office, getting into his car, and driving to Oklahoma. “At the very least, stick with an actual first responder, they’re probably gonna set up a triage and command post for all the agencies.”

She’s too stubborn to answer but he knows her resolute sigh well enough to know that she’ll heed his advice. 

The line gets fuzzy for a moment, and Javi considers that they probably might lose connection with all of the 911 calls probably pouring in at her location. 

“Look, just-” he pauses again, unsure of what to say without it being too small or too big. There was a right time for everything after all. “Just be careful. I’ll see you soon.”

He hangs up his cell without waiting for a response and starts up his car. 

It’s night time when he finally gets there and he knows well enough that she’s still at the scene even after all this time. 

It takes several minutes to find her, but a petite woman with a gray tarp covering her, dried blood stains on the side of her head, who’s also currently badgering a police officer for information, comes into his view. The officer must give some morsel of solid information because she’s furiously writing in her little notepad and then giving him a genuine thank you with a curt nod.

She’s not searching for him when their eyes meet but she immediately smirks when he comes into her view.

They both take rushed steps towards each other, lightly pushing between other responders and families reuniting with their loved ones.

They finally meet in the middle and she chuckles, “You are so fucking dramatic.”

Click here if you wanna be added to the taglist! Taglist: @drabbles-mc @asirensrage @ashlingnarcos @narcosfandomdiscord

[zensations35]

Together (Part 3)

More cute sneeze tease scenes with a side of wholesomeness. Thanks to this post for the ending idea of this scene. ;) See part 1 here and part 2 here! We’re wrapping things up!

Skye

I’m dressed as well as I can be. I have a few flowy dresses that make me feel sexy. Ren seems to like this one: a cherry colored bell dress with short flared sleeves.

When I see Ren outside the restaurant, my breath catches. He’s wearing a green suit. Shamrock green. A solid black tie, with a white undershirt. Wow. He rarely wears color. But damn he looks good in it. 

We’re supposed to be having a ‘first date’. We’re pretending we don’t know each other. My idea. I found it on google when searching for ‘fresh start’ romance ideas. 

Ren gives our names to the hostess and we are led to a booth, quite a distance away from any other patrons. Lucky us. I slide in and listen to the specials. I also order wine.

“Glass or bottle?”

“Bottle,” Ren answers for me. “I will be indulging as well.”

I try not to stare at him as he browses the menus. Gods, he looks good. My heart skips when he meets my eyes.

Act like you’re just on a date. 

“I have heard good things about the…” he sniffles softly, “the mashed potatoes.”

Oh yeah, I heard that sniffle. In fact, my brain shut off after it happened, instead filling my head with what if scenarios. 

Ugh, Skye, don’t be a horny bitch. Not on your ‘first date’. 

But I can’t stop thinking about it. And as if summoned from my desires, I hear him inhale. 

“Hhh…htt….” His fingers have crept up to his face, one hand patting his pocket for his handkerchief.

He doesn’t get to it in time. “HRRZZZ’ieu!” His teeth chit together, head tilting mid-sneeze as if he were tearing off a bite of food.

I blush deeply and hide my face with my menu. I try to focus on the words printed across a picture of a steak.

Porterhouse. Port…er…house.

Ren puts his menu down. “I think I shall order the filet.”

I shake it off and smile. “That’s my usual. I’ll probably have the same.”

Our wine arrives and we fill our glasses with a dark cabernet. Then we place our orders. Ren does get the mashed potatoes.

Once the waiter leaves, Ren peers at me. “So, Skye Hawthorne, what are your interests?”

“Board and video games. I’m actually running a small gaming channel at the moment.”

Ren blinks and I see a flitter of surprise in his gaze. Something he didn’t know.

“Is that so?”

I nod. I started playing games on YouTube and Twitch recently. It’s not really taking off as fast as I’d hoped but Leo has mentioned a desire to join in.

“Yep. I can send you a link to the channel if you like.”

He tilts his head, a quarter smile playing across his lips. “I would enjoy that quite a lot.”

I tap on my phone a few times. “Sent.” 

“My thanks.”

“So what about you?” I ask, propping my cheeks on my fists.

“I also enjoy games, both video and board. But as of late my free time is few and far between. I am watching my niece half of each week. Not forever, just long enough to work through some legal hiccups.”

My eyebrows lift. He’s got custody of Maka? I want to push but it would ruin the vibe. I can ask him later, when we’re not roleplaying.

The thought flies from my head when I see him rub his nose. Now, he doesn’t just casually rub it. He massages it with a thumb, enough to make it crinkle. 

“E-excuse me,” he turns to the side and draws out the handkerchief from his breast pocket. “Hnk-CHZZieu!” 

I swallow and jerk my gaze away. 

This is a first date! He wouldn’t know about my fetish!

Ren sniffles and faces me again. “Apologies. My allergies have been acting up all day.”

Uhhh…what??

“Uhh…what?”

“Yes, they become quite unruly in the fall.”

“Hmm-mhm,” I’m pretending to peruse the drink menu. I sip my wine. I’m vanilla. Hello, fellow vanilla!

He takes a drink himself and then looks at me. “What games do you like to play, Skye?”

I accidentally slap my menu on the table. “Wha-oh, uhm,” I suck my teeth, “World of Warcraft, Cuphead, Fallout. Lots of kinds.”

“Do you play with a partner?”

Is he asking because he knows Leo is going to join me?

“Not yet,” I say as casually as I can.

“You would like to branch out then? Perhaps have a team?”

I think about that for a moment. We all four love games. Sasha wants to stream her artwork, too. This might be a really good idea.

I twist my pinkie ring. “Maybe.”

“I would like to see that.”

I try to interpret what that means. Does he want to be part of the channel? Me and Ren…playing games together. Like we used to. 

“I wish I could be a streamer.”

Ren looked at me. “You could be.”

I laughed. “Nah. I’m too much of a depressed mess.”

“You have the personality for it. You can post what you want, when you want. It would be good for you--a less structured environment.”

I brushed my hair out of my face. “But what if I spiral and don’t post for like, months?”

“Your fans will understand.”

I tucked my head over my knees. “Maybe…”

He still supports me after all this time.

I gulp some more wine. Ren has barely touched his.

Our salads arrive and I use that as an excuse to not speak. I’m nervous. I don’t know why. I feel like I need to make a good impression, even if this isn’t a real ‘first date’.

Ren makes a few comments about the salad and I nod along, lost in thought.

I’m fighting a losing battle with a stubborn crouton that will not get on my fork. 

Finally! 

“Hh--RSSZHEIU!” 

I jerk with a start, the crouton doing a victory flip back into my bowl. 

“Uhhh,” I fix my gaze on his pinking nose. “Are you…okay?”

He holds up a finger and my thighs flex. 

Fuck. He knows how hot that is. 

The finger bobs a few times as he drags in breaths. “HNk’RZST! HET-ZZHH!” Another ragged inhale as he dips into his handkerchief, “HMPSHZZZ-UUU!” 

I glug my wine, eyes downcast as if I’m so interested in the rich color. 

“My apologies,” he says with a sniff. “I do believe I will be doing that quite a bit.”

My hand tightens around the glass. Asshole! He’s doing this on purpose!

Anger flickers in my gut. Why is he doing this? Is he not taking this first date thing seriously? 

“I need to use the restroom,” I say. I get up and hurry away but I can still feel his gaze on me as I flee.

There are three restrooms: men, women, and family. I consider using the family restroom but all I need is the sink. I walk into the women’s restroom. There are two stalls and two sinks. I splash my face with water. Refreshing as fuck. It cools me down after the heat of the previous moment.

I stand, bracing myself on the sink and exhale. 

Can I do this? Can he do this? What if things don’t go well? What if we just keep pissing each other off and it ruins the whole polycule. 

Fuck. I need to get ahold of myself. I need to just roll with it.

When I return, our steaks have arrived. I settle in and cut into mine. The knife they gave me is particularly sharp.

Ren ordered his steak rare. It’s red and juicy. He tucks the red meat between his lips, eyes on me, a half smile making his blue eyes dance.

“Is it to your liking?” he asks.

“Perfect.” I eat my piece and it is a symphony in my mouth. Gods, I love this place. 

We eat in silence for a few minutes. I’m not sure how to fill it. Which is weird. I’ve never had a problem talking to Ren.

My baked potato hasn’t been cut open. Weird. I take my knife and use my free hand to smush the sides. 

“KH-ERRRSZZZHHH!” 

My eyes fly up to Ren as he folds his napkin over his face. “HSSShhhRRR! EK’TssZZRRuuuuu!” 

He wipes his nose, eyes glassy and wet. He drinks in a sniff and looks at me. His eyes go wide. “Skye--” He reaches over to grasp my hand. My hand that’s covered in blood.

Fuck. I wasn’t watching where I was cutting and sliced it open.

Ren is standing now, grabbing all of the napkins to stem the flow.

“Bathroom,” he says as he helps me stand and guides me along. I'm still stunned as we wind around the bar where a few patrons give us strange looks. Ren pauses to speak with a server. She nods and hurries off. 

Ren takes me into the family restroom. There’s a changing table with supplies, a large chair, a bowl sink, and a stall.

Ren sits me on the chair and grabs some brown paper towels.

“Ren, I’m fine,” I say as he presses them to my wound. It’s still bleeding. 

Ren sniffles and absentmindedly rubs his nose with his wrist. 

“Fuck,” he rasps, drawing back from me. He keeps his hands around my bleeding wound and jerks to the side. “H’REzhu! Hn’ketZZZH!! AK’Tszzzhhh-ieu!!” 

My heart swells. I feel something stirring in my chest. Sure, it was hot, but it was more than that. I’m just not sure what.

“Ren, are you okay? Really?”

“Mmm…yes. I, ahm, sprayed cologne on my wrists. Cologne I am allergic to.”

I gasp and smack him. “You cheating ass!”

“I was not cheating. I used resources available to me.”

I roll my eyes. There’s a knock on the door. Ren moves to open it with clean paper towels. He mutters a thanks to whoever it is and closes the door again, now holding a small first aid kit. He sets it on the changing table and starts picking through it.

“Ren, this is really unnecessary.”

“Have you stopped bleeding?”

“No.”

He lets that answer speak for itself. When he comes back to me, he has a packet of bleedstop. 

“How does that stuff work?” I ask.

Ren shrugs. “I am certain Leo could tell us the intricacies of it. It seems a simple application.”

The stuff does manage to stop the bleeding but now there’s a powdery mess all over us. Ren is wrapping my hand now, his fingers drifting up to rub his nose every so often. Okay, pretty damn often. 

He’s also getting the powder all over his face. 

I grab a tissue from nearby and use my free hand to wipe the powder off his cheek. His eyes flick to mine and we stare at each other, still and silent. There’s something unspoken in our eyes. Something broiling on the edge, ready to spill over. Crash down.

His lips move. “Thank you, Skye.”

“No problem.”

The tension is thick enough to make a rope out of. Gods…what am I doing? I love him. I know I do. Why is this so hard? I’m supposed to be pretending I don’t know him. Don’t feel like I could spend every waking moment with him. And I can’t remember why that was a good idea.

His nostrils twitch. And the memory comes back. This is what’s making the date so hard. 

He draws in a small sniff, then a short exhale. It’s his softest buildup. The one he does when he’s trying not to make a fuss--trying to fight off the sneeze.

Sniff. Exhale.

Sniff…longer exhale.

Ugh, I can only stand it so long.

I fold up two more tissues and press them to his nose. 

Ren looks alarmed but not for long. Tears leak out of his eyes. I feel his nostrils widen under my fingers. The rush of air from his lips in my palm. He tries to pull away, but I jerk him back by the nose and he dissolves into a fit in my palm.

“Hxngsh! H’SHH! Hgnk-EK’tzzzieu!!” 

In the back of my mind, my fet brain is freaking out. This is the shit, it says. But feeling him like this, doing something so intimate--that I wouldn’t think twice about doing a year ago…

Pressure hardens in my stomach, and I feel the sting of tears. 

I let him grab the tissues to clean up and turn away from him. He finishes wrapping my hand and cleaning us both up. 

“Does it hurt?” he asks.

I shake my head. I don’t know why I feel so melancholy. Like this date was our last chance. And it’s ruined. We can’t be a normal couple. 

Ren finishes cleaning and tossing the trash.

“Ren,” I circle a lock of hair with my finger. “Why did you use the cologne?”

He pauses. Considers. “I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable. I…” he stares down at the medical kit. “I wanted you to want me.”

“We were supposed to be strangers. Have a normal date.”

“I don’t want a normal date.”

I slip off the chair and wobble to my feet, “W-what?” He’s getting emotional. Very emotional. I can see his pained expression in the mirror.

“Skye,” he says, composing himself, “I wish to be with you. I agreed to this date because it is what you wanted. But I would rather be with Skye.” He licks his lips and turns to face me, his eyes a piercing blue. “I cannot pretend I am not in love with her.”

My tears fall and fuck…Ren! Fuck! All I want is to be with him. And he says this? I want to scream. I want to rage. I want to throw the damn medical kit at him and shout Why aren’t we just making out, then??

But instead, I find myself in his arms, kissing him. Kissing him hard--Oh gods his lips taste so good! His hands move up my back and I don’t know how we are suddenly entwined but his lips crush mine, I nip at his lip, I am drinking him in and gods…YES! I love him I love him I love him.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” my voice is barely a whisper but each time I say it, he drives his kisses harder against my neck, my jaw, my lips.

Then, he lifts me up against the wall and shows me how much he loves me too.