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brighttears · 10 months

Text

Safe

Joel Miller x reader

no physical description, no use of y/n

Summary: After a startle at breakfast in Jackson, Joel calms you down from a panic attack.

Word count: 2.5k

Warnings: graphic depictions of panic attack, negative self talk, pet names (baby, honey, sweetheart, darling)

A/n: just a lil somethin :3 also the panic attack is based off of personal experience just in case anyone is sus im not makin this shit up lol

—

Culture shock is the perfect term to use in relation to what it's like coming into Jackson after months on the road. It’s bright, vividly colored, large, loud, and always so fucking busy. You haven’t been around this many people since Boston, but so much has changed since then. It's been a few weeks now, but you still haven’t even figured out how to let your guard down.

The dining hall is the worst part of the day. You will yourself to come and eat because you believe it is good for you, you need to get used to it, and you don’t want to other yourself by taking your plate outside. You feel separated enough already, like a wild animal being introduced into a zoo enclosure. But god, the scrapping utensils on plates, chewing, so much conversation, boisterous laughing, people getting up and down from their seats; so much open space with so much activity, you can barely keep your eyes down enough to be able to look at the food you’re trying to get into your mouth. But Joel is always right there with you, with a comforting hand on your thigh, grounding both you and him, eyes flicking around just as much as yours, and a matching sigh of relief once you make it back outside, with a ‘We did it’ or ‘Good job sweetheart’ to pick your spirits up.

You don’t know what it is about today; nothing you can put your finger on, just some uneasy feeling that you woke up with. Some days are just like this, though, like a scratch you can’t itch somewhere in your brain, irritating your nervous system until whatever it is decides to let you out of its clutches.

“Come on honey, time to go,” Joel says from the door as he pulls his jacket on. You let out a deep breath, staring out of the kitchen window with your arms crossed over your chest, an absentminded hand smoothing over your throat. Squeezing your arm with your other hand, you will yourself to move, leave the house, go down to the dining hall. Its just breakfast, just breakfast, just fucking breakfast. Come on. You can do this. You’ve been through much, much worse than this. Come on.

“Hey,” Joel’s voice sounds suddenly from right behind you and you jump, sucking in a breath with a defensive hand jutting out towards him.

“Fuck.” You breath back out, leaning down and pulling your hand back to you electrified chest, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” You shake your head, guilty and embarrassed for reacting like that to Joel, who you know wouldn’t even dream of hurting you.

“It’s alright darlin’, it’s alright. You’re ok.” He coos.

Blinking hard, you nod, “Yeah, sorry, you just startled me. I’m fine.”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t tryna sneak up on ya,”

“No, I know, it’s just… I don’t know, I just feel… off today.” You say as you straighten up.

Joel meets you slowly, placing his hands on your arms. “You wanna just stay in this mornin’? I can go grab the food or have Tommy or Maria—”

“No, no, I can do it.” You interrupt him and swallow hard.

“You sure? There’s no shame in—”

“No,” you shake your head, “I’m fine. It’s fine. I’ve been through worse.” You smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

Joel returns a light smile. His eyes fall to your lips, and he leans in for a quick kiss before turning back to the door. His touch relaxes your shoulders and you take one more deep breath before following him outside. As you start down the road, his arm slides around your waist. Even just a small gesture like this from your man makes you feel safer. When you feel his breaths, deliberately deep and even, you follow suit, and the two of you prepare for the upcoming onslaught of breakfast. Despite your efforts, though, you can feel your heartbeat quicken as you near the doors.

As you enter, Joel’s arm slips from around you but you grasp each other's hands as you walk to the table that Tommy and Maria are already sat waiting at, both giving you a smile as you come to your seats.

“A bit late this morning.” Maria says.

“Slept in?” Tommy winks.

“No, uh, just, late morning, I guess.” Joel replies, not meeting their eyes, instead instinctively sweeping them over the room. You keep your own eyes locked on the table.

“You ok?” Maria asks. When you look up, there’s concern in her eyes.

“Yeah, fine.” You throw a smile and look back down at the table, still linked to Joel by your hands.

“Well food’s out and ready, we were just about to grab our own plates.” You hear Tommy.

“Alright,” Joel says, letting go of your hand and moving to get up from his seat. Just as you finally let your gaze up from the table, a crash and a scream sounds from nearby, and without even thinking, you’re suddenly on your feet, stanced ready, a hand on your empty hip and an arm swung back towards Joel. A yelp escapes from your throat and your entire body is rigid and burning with panic, chest twisted so tight it won’t let you breathe, teeth clamped so hard it hurts.

Then, silence. All there is is your breath, jumping like snapped rubber bands, and the blood rushing in your ears. Eyes still pinned open, you force your neck to move and look around you. Hundreds of eyes look back at you. Everyone is staring. However, your head is empty of embarrassment, still full of threat, threat, threat, threat, threat.

“It’s alright, honey,” sounds from behind you, then a hand on your arm, and you switch your stance to face the touch, grabbing the hand while your other fumbles for the weapon that is not on your hip.

“It’s me, it’s jus’ me, baby, it’s alright, it’s me.”

Your eyes blink rapidly as Joel’s face comes into focus, the blurry haze of panic slowly starting to clear.

When you try to speak, your breaths stab out from your lungs. “What happened?” You finally get out.

“Nothin’, sweetheart, someone just dropped somethin’. It’s ok. You’re safe. It’s alright.” He tells you, hands coming up to cup your cheeks. “It’s alright.” He whispers, focusing your eyes on his. “It’s alright.”

“Are you ok?” You hear yourself say.

His thumbs stroke your cheeks as he replies, “I’m fine. Nothin’ happened. We’re safe, baby. We’re safe.”

Though your brain is beginning to process and trust his words, you can’t move, only tremble.

“Alright, let’s get you outta here.” Joel’s eyes come away from yours to flick around you, and that’s when you remember where you are. Muscles moving in snapping spurts, your neck jerks left and right, and still, hundreds of eyes look back at you. Now with room enough for it, embarrassment burns your entire face and neck.

“It’s alright, honey,” you hear Joel, thumbs stroking your cheeks, bringing your attention back to him in front of you, “let’s jus’ get you outta here.” He nods, then shifts to beside you, one arm around your waist with his other hand rubbing your shoulder. You keep your head bowed, steps jagged with full body tremors.

As soon as the outside air hits you, you begin to gasp, barely realizing that you’re sobbing. Joel catches you before you collapse. There's the panic, still shooting through you’ve been eletrocuted, but the humiliation is a whole other kind of overwhelming. “Fuck.” You cry into Joel. You bury your face deep into his shirt and jacket to muffle the screams that you can’t hold in. He squeezes his arms around you, rubbing your back, his chin resting on top of your head, whispering, “It’s alright, baby. It’s alright.”

“I’m such a fucking idiot.” You let out into him in between bawls. “I fucking hate this. I hate this.”

“I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. Come on, let’s get you back up to the house.”

Your trembling legs continue to betray you and you can’t get yourself to move.

“I can’t–I can’t move.” You admit.

“Alright, t’s alright, come on, baby,” He reassures, then hoists you up into his arms. Like a child, you wrap your legs around him, keeping your face buried in his collar, squeezing your eyes shut and attempting—with little success—to calm your breaths. The sobs fall out of you unrelenting as a waterfall.

By the time you get to the house, your breathing has calmed some, but the shaking won’t stop. When Joel sets you on the ground you hobble up the short steps to the porch and through the door, and he keeps a comforting arm around you as he guides you to sit on the couch. He kneels down before you, stroking your cheek with his hand, trailing his eyes over your panicked frame before focusing them on yours.

“Deep breaths, baby, t’s alright. Deep breaths.” He starts them and you follow, breathing deeply in through your nose, holding, and blowing out through your mouth.

“Where are we?” He asks.

“At the–the house.”

“Where’s the house, baby?”

“Jackson. In Jackson.”

“Thas’ right,” Joel cups your face, “we’re at the compound. We’re safe here, sweetheart. I promise. We’re safe. Nothin’s gonna hurt you.” He nods, you swallow hard and then let out another shaky breath and nod with him.

Your trembling shoe taps the floor. When you still it, your shoulders start to shake. “Fuck.” You close your eyes, cursing yourself. “I’m so fucking stupid, I’m sorry.”

“No, no, you’re not stupid. How many times you been here with me like this? This stuff happens. You’re not stupid. T’s alright. Look at me baby,” you do, and he repeats, “T’s arlight. You’re not stupid.” Joel shakes his head, eyes still keeping yours. One hand shifts down to your fist, which you hadn’t even noticed bring clenched closed. “Let me get you some water.”

When he moves to get up, your hand shoots out to grip the lapel of his jacket. “Don’t leave.”

“I’m not leavin’, sweetheart. I’m jus’ goin’ to the kitchen. I’ll be right over there. Won’t take two seconds.” Joel gently takes your hand off of his coat, raising his eyebrows with a reassuring look, then gets to his feet. You turn on the couch, watching him go to the sink to fill up a glass for you. “I’m right here, see?” He says on his way back to you. You nod, eyes staying trained on him as he kneels back down in front of you. When the cup shakes in your hand, he keeps his on it, delicately helping it to your lips. The water cools your throat, helping you to ground yourself. You empty it into your throat and then take a couple more deep breaths. “That feel better?” You nod. “Alright.” Joel sighs, setting the glass down on the floor next to him to take your face in his hands again, then bringing his face up to kiss your forehead. “Alright, baby.” He says again. “This stuff happens. I get the same way, I bet plenty a people in there have done the same thing. T’s a lot in there. You’re not used to all that. Neither am I. Todays just a bad day, huh?” You sniffle and nod. “Now, you’re not stupid. Ok?”

“Ok.” you finally speak.

“Alright. You wanna go lay down?” You nod, voicebox still not too confident. “Come on, darlin’.” Joel lets go of your face, reaching one hand around your back and the other to your legs for you to shift into his arms bridal style. You wrap your arms around his neck and bury your face in his collar, inhaling his scent of love and safety as the stairs creak under Joel’s feet taking you upstairs.

When you look up at him as he lets you down on the bed, his brow is furrowed with concern and there's sadness in his deep eyes.

Ashamed, you instantly look away. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to make you worry.”

“Baby I’m gonna worry no matter what you do.” He sits down on the bed next to you and strokes his hand over your cheek again, “You did nothin’ wrong. Don’t go hatin’ yourself for it. It’s not like you did this on purpose. Right?”

You shake your head and lean into his touch. Joel’s eyes land on your lips and remain there until he leans in to kiss you, slipping your bottom lip between his, and you reach your hands up to hang onto him. Knitting your hands into his locks with his stubbly cheek under your hand, you indulge in him.

Pulling away, he says, “Lay down with me, darlin’,” already with his hand on your back to slowly guide your back down on the bed. He keeps his head above you to meet your lips again, gentle yet firm, honeyed and warm. Closing your eyes, the pressure of his body next to yours, hand on your waist, and his lips on yours begins to relieve the pressure in your bones. Slowly, you feel yourself relaxing, though your foot still twitches in your boot, the residual aftermath of a panic attack.

Joel’s hand smooths over your cheek as he deepens the kiss, the sigh from his nose breathed over your face. When he pulls away, he shifts his arms to rest his hands on your face and stroke his thumbs over your cheeks. His eyes wander over you with lazy lids, his brow still lightly furrowed and bottom lip slightly pouted and wet from your mouth. He sighs again, then whispers “I love you so much.”

“I love you.” You whisper back, looking over his face.

Joel leans down to rub his nose back and forth over yours, then sprinkles light kisses over your cheeks, forehead, by your ear, the corner of your mouth, and over your jaw. Then he shifts his body to lie down, tilting your hips towards him with a soft “C’mere,” and you lay your head on his chest, bending your knee to rest your leg over his. Closing your eyes and inhaling again, you let your body weigh into his and grip his lapel. Tears ball up in the corner of your eyes.

You used to lay like this frequently on the road, keeping each other close, hanging on to the only sanity you knew. The lack thereof surrounding you protected you enough from falling asleep despite the relaxation it granted you, and you’d do it to watch the sun rise or set whenever you could catch it. When you did sleep though, you’d stay united, someone’s head on each other’s chest or leg.

On the same train of thought as you, Joel speaks, the bass in your ear on his chest, “Maybe sometime we could actually fall asleep like this.”

“Not now, I can’t sleep now.” You mumble.

“I know, darlin’. Too worked up for it now.” His hand brushes up and down your back, “T’s alright. Jus’ layin’.” Joel smacks a kiss on the top of your head, then sighs again, your head rising and falling with it, and wraps both arms around you. “We got time. N’ we’ll get used to it here. Get used to bein’ safe.”

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stevenssacrab · 6 months

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Before The Party

⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ✧ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ*

Summary: Just before the party, you question your outfit choice; Steve shows you how beautiful you are.

Rating: 18+ (minors, do not interact)

Warnings: lighting grinding, kissing, horny Steve lol, insecure reader, Steve being the best boyfriend anyone could ask for.

Word Count: 1k

a/n: I love Steve so much, the sweetest of man I swear, also I wrote the sexier parts to After Last Night by Bruno Mars, let me tell ya, perfect song for the occasion hahah

⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ✧ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ*

Today was the annual Christmas party at Stark Tower. You usually dreaded going to these, but you have someone to go with this year. This year, you decided to go a little sexier; you're wearing a floor-length burgundy dress, off the shoulders, with an A-line silhouette with a high slit stopping just below the hip bone, accompanied with a silver heel with rhinestone embellished straps. For jewelry, you went with a simple 18K white gold pendant, and of course, the hair, Hollywood waves with a crystal hairpin tucking your hair behind your ear.

"I hope I'm not overdressed," you said to yourself, suddenly insecure in your outfit choice; you shook your head as if shaking the negative thoughts out of your head, "No, I look good, right?" you ask aloud, raking your eyes over the ensemble, questioning every choice you've made up to this point.

"Baby, have you seen my shoes?" Steve called, walking into the room, too concerned with his outfit to notice yours, but only for a moment.

"Hey, do I look okay?" Steve finally lifts his head, laying eyes on you for the first time. He had been with you throughout the whole process of picking out everything, but this was his first time seeing it all together. He was rendered speechless; all the words in the world couldn't describe how elegant and stunning you looked, the dress hugging all your curves perfectly, accentuating every mound and hill that was you, and don't get him started on the slit, highlighting your long legs, making your legs never-ending, Steve, staring like a starved man, eager to kiss up your legs, worshipping and memorizing every beauty mark and scar on your body.

"Steve, do I look okay?" you whimpered, a hint of sadness lingering in your voice; you turned to Steve, with tears welling up in your eyes, having convinced yourself that you looked horrible.

"Okay?" he asked, walking around your shared bed, slowly sweeping his eyes over your entire body.

"I look bad, don't I? Ugh, I knew the dress was a bad idea; maybe I shouldn't go tonight," you admit sadly, moving to sit on the bed; you slip your shoes off; you want to curl up and hide.

"No baby, not at all," Steve says wholeheartedly; he grabs one heel and gently slips your foot back into it; he buckles the strap by your ankle and brings your leg up to his mouth, slowly kissing up your leg.

"You look amazing," one kiss, "beautiful," another kiss, "ethereal," another kiss. You blush deeply and giggle with every kiss Steve lays on your leg.

"Steve," you whine, wiping your eyes away and pull him up for a passionate kiss filled with every ounce of love you felt for this man. Steve climbs on top of you, trapping you under his broad body, sliding his body in between your legs, fitting perfectly like puzzle pieces; you let out a breathy moan, grinding your hips up into Steve, desperate for friction. Steve swallows every moan he earns from you.

"Steve," you whimpered, gripping his arms tightly. "Steve, we're gonna be late," you say, grinding into him despite your protests.

"Let's skip it," he groans, moving his lips to your neck and sucking gently, meeting every buck of your hips perfectly, drawing a whine from you.

"We can't, Tony. Will never let us live it down," you sigh. Steve groans loudly and climbs off you, extending his hand out to help you sit up.

"Whatever you say, Y/N," he laughs, smoothing out the wrinkles in his suit; he kneels in front of you and helps you put on your other heel, kissing up your legs like before.

"How do I look?" Steve asked; he was dressed in a light grey suit that complimented his blue eyes, accentuating his broad shoulders wonderfully; you ran your hands up his arm and past his shoulders, tip-toeing up to kiss him sweetly.

"Ravishing, my love," you utter in between kisses. Steve smiles into the kiss and rests his hand on the small of your back, pulling you into a deeper kiss; you break the kiss slowly, fluttering your eyes open.

"Ready to go?" you asked, scanning him over, laughing at his feet; he still doesn't have his shoes on.

"On the bed," you say confidently, Steve laughs.

"Yes, ma'am," he jokes playfully, watching you as you slowly kneel in front of him. "Now that's what I'm talking about," he says, smiling coyly; you smack his leg light-heartedly, grinning from ear to ear.

"The shoes," you say plainly, holding out your hand. Steve places the shoes in your hand, and you slowly slide his foot into each shoe; you gently pat his feet when you're finished.

"Let's go," you say happily, hooking your arm with Steve. The car ride to the tower was smooth and uneventful; Steve rested his hand on your thigh, drawing random patterns the whole way.

"We're here," Steve says and quickly hops out of the car, lightly jogging over to your side, opening the door for you, and offering his hand to assist you; you smile shyly and the gentlemanly gesture; Steve was always so chivalrous, never missing an opportunity to make you feel like a princess. Steve hands the keys over to the chauffeur and holds his arm out for you to rest your arm; you smile at Steve and stride forward, heels satisfyingly clapping against the tile. You smile up at Steve for the umpteenth time tonight while waiting for your elevator. The elevator arrives with a ding, and you step in, checking yourself one last time in the reflection; the doors open, and you meet with an array of fellow Avengers dressed to the nines, everyone smiling and drinking carelessly, soft Christmas music played by the live band filled your ears, you gently squeeze Steve's arm nervously, Steve returns a reassuring squeeze of your hand.

"We got this," Steve says with a nod; when you step through the threshold, your eyes meet with Wanda and Natasha; smiling brightly at them, they look at you with their mouths hanging open. "You look hot," Wanda mouths from across the room; you laugh, throwing your head back. Steve laughs and lets go of your arm to let you go to the girls; you give Steve one last look before excitedly walking over to them, and you're met with excited squeals and hugs.

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miguelsfangservice · 8 months

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BEYOND THE SPOTLIGHT

Pairing: Miguel O'hara x F!Famous Idol Reader

Warnings: Negative and positive stereotypes about the industry (idk, probably later in the story), and not the best english lol (sorry in advance). Summary: It doesn't matter he's at HQ trying to keep the multiverse afloat, your face, your voice, your smile and laugh follows him everywhere. No, he is not loosing it (yet); it's just that its kind of inevitable when most spiders under his command are... how did Gwen called it? Ah-staning you? Well, he can't really complain, it's his girlfriend,after all.

“The first time you hear it it may seem shallow, but I’m telling you,bro,when you pay close attention it’s one of the best pieces of art depicting the oppression of individuals for expressing their sexuality, y’know what i mean.”

An awkward silence settled in the room before Pavitr and Miles let out some nervous chuckles.

“I thought it was a love story” Miguel's ears hurt just by hearing Pavitr retort with his mouth full of god knows what..

“...I’ve listened to it a couple of times and I have to agree with Pav.”

Before Hobie could open his mouth to reaffirm his earlier claim, Miguel slammed his fists on his desk.

“Do I need to remind all of you we are trying to have a serious discussion here?”

Silence. For at least a few seconds before Pavitr can’t resist anymore and turns to Hobie once more.

“What part of the song are you referring to, because I think-”

“It’s specially obvious at 1:30 when she sings-”

“Get out- If you’re not taking this problem seriously,OUT”

“ But I'm…” Miles tries to argue back, but at this point and with how exhausted Miguel is, he just doesn’t care about whatever they have to say.

“THE THREE OF YOU, GET OUT OF MY SIGHT”

While leaving his office, Hobie and Pavitr still have the absolute audacity to continue their discussion in hushed voices (mostly Pavitr, Hobie does not care if Miguel hears him”; Miles doesn’t speak again but Miguel can see him trying to hide his amusement.

If Miguel had eaten anything, if he had gotten enough sleep or, most importantly, if he had seen you at least once today, he miiiiiiiight’ve been in a better mood to confirm that yes, Hobie was right, it was kind of your intention to convey those themes in your last single.

He would know, he was there giving you feedback and taking care of you when you put your heart and soul into writing that song.

Also, even if he had the mood to discuss it with those kids, he wouldn’t try his luck and let them get suspicious enough for them to put everything together and figure out he’s been dating you for over a year now.

Miguel wouldn’t hear the end of it if any of the spiders knew about their huge and scary boss dating the “pop divinity”, the “fan´s delight”. Besides, it would get a lot harder for you to sneak into the HQ to spend some time together after your rehearsals or just when about every spider went home.

Although, he couldn't deny he was getting tired of keeping the relationship a secret; he hated hiding to every person he deemed close to him the fact that he wanted to spend the rest of his miserable (and probably very short) life with you.

But he knew you were not quite ready yet. Not until you were able to live with the fact that yes, your boyfriend is Spiderman, and he’s not only putting his life and sanity at risk in your universe, but also putting an unimaginable burden on his shoulders by trying to keep several other universes safe.

You already had a lot on your plate with the sudden burst of fame and all the work you were putting into creating your first solo album.

Sometimes, Miguel kinda wished you were still doing activities with your girl group, it put a lot less pressure on you and your health. But he felt guilty just for thinking about it.

This was your dream, having your own solo activities, showing the world your songs and what you were capable of. And he was so proud of you, so happy to see your face light up after you finished writing a song or when you learned a difficult choreography.

Miguel O’hara had the heart of steel to do a lot of harsh things, to take the decisions no one else wanted to take for the sake of hundreds of universes and yet, he couldn’t bring himself to see your sad face if he ever questioned what you were doing to achieve your dreams.

“Lyla, I'll be calling it a night. Got to get home.”

Just when he was about to exit, she appeared right in front of him with a huge magnifying glass in which he could see her eye getting bigger, examining him; Miguel grunted and tried to brush her off as if she was a bug

“This early? Who are you and what did you do with my boss? I’m gonna put the emergency lockdown if you don’t answer me right now-”

“I’m trying to recall at what point of your creation I made you this damn noisy.” he hissed, walking faster and then swinging away from her. “Besides, no te hagas tonta (don't act dumb), you know damn well where I’m going and with who.”

“And I appreciate the trust you put in me by telling me your secret–” she started saying, solemnly.

“We both know I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“But, as your best friend and the one who knows you best–”

“Firstly, I don’t have a best friend and secondly, the one who knows me best is Y/N, not you!” Miguel interrupted and pointed a finger at her, trying to poke her, but his complaints were ignored as Lyla continued with her ramblings.

“I think I have enough authority in your life to give you some well needed love advice” Miguel couldn’t help but snort at the ‘authority’ affirmation.

At this point he decided to completely ignore her voice and focus on getting to your shared home; it had been a long day and all he wanted to do was bury his face in your shoulder and try to sleep with his girl by his side.

❃❃❃❃

A/N: Well, this is my first fanfic for the fandom. If you liked this, please, consider following, leaving a comment, like or reblog, I would really really appreciate it, specially cuz I'm not sure if anyone would like to read more about this.

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara fanfiction #atsv miguel #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara x y/n #spiderman atsv #spiderverse #spiderman 2099

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buckysred · 2 years

Text

Proud

Azriel x Reader

Summary: Azriel wakes up a little down in the dumps so you attempt to cheer him up.

Warnings: SO MUCH FLUFF, sad azzy, bad editing, that's literally it

Word Count: 653

A/N: I’ve been on a writing drabble kick lately so have any acotar requests send them in ;). (I also wrote this in under an hour so excuse anything that's not cannon accurate like the non-magic fridge lol)

Azriel had a habit of letting negative emotions consume him. You knew he took pride in being the Spymaster of the Night Court. But he still had to live with the violence he committed, even if it was in the name of protecting his court.

So, when you were sitting down sipping your morning tea, and Az dragged himself into the kitchen, you knew what was up. Usually, his walk was quiet but confident, precise. But today, his feet visibly dragged. It had your heart pulling for him knowing that his demons were being particularly hellish today.

Azriel had moved over to the fridge, ruffling through it mindlessly, when you got up and wrapped your arms around his torso. You let your nose rest into the curve of his back, being careful of his wings. “G’morning, sweetheart.”

Your voice seemed to snap him out of whatever haze his mind had gone into. Az turned in your arms, lifting his scarred hand to cup the back of your head. You watched his tired eyes fall into focus with your mouth. “Morning. How’re you?”

His eyes were still focused on your mouth, but he didn’t make any move towards closing the gap between you. Instead, he just hushed his hand down your head until he reached your neck. You scowled a little at that. “Was doing pretty good until this moment. Don’t I get a good morning kiss?”

A small smirk flitted across his face. Your eyes softened at it, progress. “Y/n, if you want a kiss, all you’ve gotta do is ask nicely, and I’d happily grant you relief.”

You scoffed at his choice of words, bringing your hands from his torso to wrap them around his neck. “Relief? In that case, I can go without. Thank you.”

You moved to turn away, but Az was quicker, plopping a short but dizzying kiss on your lips. The triumphant smile that pulled across your mouth had Az’s heart lightening even further. The guilt and shame that harassed him in his sleep becoming a thing of the past with just one smile from you.

Azriel dropped his head into the crook of your neck. His voice was muffled against your soft skin, “Difficult. Always have to be so difficult.”

“I wasn’t the one that came in here looking all sleepy and grumpy. Now, was I? I just couldn’t help teasing you a little.” Your fingers massaged the nape of his neck lightly.

“Yeah. Yeah. Whatever.”

You both just stood there for a while, wrapped up in each other. Az’s warm body leaning into yours, while you massaged anywhere your hands could reach on him. His body slowly melted, the tension releasing in his muscles.

When a few moments passed, you spoke up again, your voice gentle, “You know I’m proud of you, right?”

Azriel lifted his head so he could look into your eyes, his eyebrows bunching together. “Proud of me for what?”

You brought your hands up to his cheeks, your thumbs swiping over his cheekbones. “For being strong and courageous. For being the shoulder I, or anyone, needs to lean on. For just being completely you.”

Azriel’s reply came in the form of a heart-stopping kiss. His mouth molded against yours just like it always did. So sugary, sweet, and full of love that it had your head swimming.

Before either one of you had the chance to pull away, Cassian’s voice broke your shared bubble.

“Um- are you guys seriously just gonna stand there and make out while the fridge door is open? Cause when that thing stops working, I’m not taking the fall for you with Rhys.”

While still kissing you, Az raised a middle finger at Cassian. Earning a muffled laugh out of you and an annoyed grunt from Cassian.

Az pulled away from your giggling mouth and pressed his forehead against yours. He didn’t have to say it, you saw the immense gratitude in his eyes.

You pecked his lips once more. “Anytime, baby.”

#Azriel #azriel x reader #acotar #azriel fluff #acotar fic #acotar fluff #azriel x you #azriel x reader fluff #buckysred

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kithtaehyung · 2 years

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SOLmates (teaser) (m) | OT7

title: SOLmates (teaser) pairing: ot7 x reader(f) rating/genre: m (18+) ; angst , smut ; soulmates au (negative), arranged marriage au, futuristic dystopian summary: “What awaits after Inferno? Ashes.” teaser warnings: lots of intro!, all intro!, jin is a bit of a menace, manhandling, cursing, fingering, scratching, yoongi is rude af, choking, jin wears a chain bc i can’t help myself, warnings to be added as series starts note: so.. this is a project i’ve been working on for awhile now. i don’t normally plan things, but something that started on a whim grew into this entire universe that i ended up having to plan like never before lol. i just wanted to show y’all a small piece of it, and i hope you enjoy! note 2: thank you to @wwilloww, @kookskingdom, and @sugaurora for encouraging me to keep going on this! y’all gave me much more hype than i could ask for and i’m really excited for what’s to come. this is also a rough draft so it will be polished later :D teaser word count: 5.4k 5.5k release date: july 27th, 2022, 7pm est updated: august 3rd, 2022

PROLOGUE

The first time, you feel a spark.

The second, a fire.

But what happens after the third?

What awaits after Inferno?

Ashes.

// LOGDATE: 3021.01.32, 0700

// LOCATION: PLANET EARTH, HOME POD

// SUBJECT: HARDLOCK

No matter how hard or long you sleep, the soft clicks and whirrs of your bedroom’s bootup routine never fail to make you stir.

Face scrunched, your gaze sweeps across the mostly empty space beyond your sheets. Pale blue light spreads over everything like a blanket, and you are quickly reminded of when you ported off-planet for the first time, watching the rush of a million blue streaks encompass your peripherals.

Why that memory flits about your mind, you haven’t the faintest clue. That was ages ago.

“AE-AI, what’s today,” you grumble, knowing your Homepanion will register your drowsy, garbled speech.

And, like always, her calm voice drifts over your head.

[Today is Saturday, January 32nd, 3021.]

[Reminder: you have one meeting today.]

[Atmosphere Aura Temperature: Suboptimal.]

A meeting? You may be exhausted as all hell, but you know it’s definitely your day off. Reaching to swipe your phone off your nightstand, you check the screen to see if something slipped into your schedule last second, dropping it with a thud when nothing appears.

The ghost of a kiss accompanies the soft touch of rough fingers between your shoulder blades. “Isn’t it Saturday,” a sleep-leadened voice asks, and you hum in response, settling into your bedfellow’s embrace when they tug you backwards. “We never have meetings on Saturdays.”

“I know.”

The lithe forearm around your torso starts to slide downward, and a small knot in your belly tightens when fingers wander across your bare pelvis. “Jin,” you whisper, hushed and breathy, “Let me figure this out first.”

“Just cancel,” the man’s coarse suggestion matches the tone of his voice before he lazily bites your ear. “There, I solved it.”

You don’t hide your groan, but you do close a hand over Jin’s wrist just as he slips a lone finger between your folds. “Thirty seconds,” you sigh in compromise. Because you absolutely want the same thing he does.

The random notification is just throwing you off.

If this meeting has nothing to do with work, it better be a good one; it’s stealing hours of your rare, precious rest time. Lately, none of your squad had been gifted with any, which is exactly why you and Jin made the most of last night.

“Fine. Not like AE-AI’s gonna care,” he relents, albeit petulantly.

[I do not.]

As Jin fires off an insult to your intelligent and apparently saucy assistant, you laugh and wrap his arm back around your stomach. “What’s the meeting for, AE-AI?”

[The meeting has no title or subject, but the location is as follows: Phode Industries, Floor 112, Room 34-B.]

“Damn him,” you mutter, the absence of anything important in a meeting drop being the mark of your Guardian. “AE-AI, call the meeting organizer, please.”

[Calling: Kim Namjoon.]

You turn, observing shut, tired eyes under wavy black locks. “Looks like it’s gonna be more than thirty seconds.”

Without moving a muscle, he teases, “I’m heartbroken.”

“You’ll get over it.”

“Say hi to Joon for me.”

“I’m going to be saying a lot more than that.”

As the rings echo throughout your spacious bedroom, frustration is the sole energy source that thrusts your legs out of heated blankets and your feet onto cold floors. To combat the chill, you swipe a large shirt from the foot of your bed.

“Hey, that’s mine!”

Jin’s scent hugs you like a second layer as you shrug. When you walk away, your arms stretch high above your head, knowing his stare will drift straight down to your ass.

And as planned, the next thing you hear is a groan.

“Damn. Fucking keep it.”

You’re almost to your bathroom when your annoyance finally answers the call.

“Oh, good. You’re up.”

“Namjoon, what the hell is this?” Warm lights bloom when you enter the spacious area and, with one eye squinted, you scratch your head while reaching for your toothbrush. “You better have a brilliant reason for this meeting or else I’m not stepping foot out of this pod.”

“It’s not that I have a brilliant reason. It’s that we have no choice.”

You pause, the toothpaste glob missing the bristles of your brush. “And that means what, exactly?”

There is a bout of silence in the speakers. In your buildup of anger, you rest your hands on the counter, both tools still resting in your curled fingers. “Namjoon,” you repeat, drawing out his name.

“What else do you think we wouldn’t have a choice in, kid?”

Ugh. You should’ve just stayed in your bed with Jin. It’s too damn early for your Guardian’s mind games. “Is it Ngoya wanting to reup his implants again? I know we have to keep that relationship pretty solid but it’s one more day. Just don’t walk outside for twenty four more hours! It shouldn’t be that hard.”

“No, it’s not that—”

While you’re successfully coating your toothbrush with paste, you fire off another guess, “Oh, never mind, I know. It’s that damn Spark Suppressor asking for business again. Why did I have to be chatty and tell him my—”

“Not that, either. Listen to me? Please?”

Nonchalant is too stiff of a word to describe the way you’re brushing your teeth, slightly slouched and observing your eyes in the expansive mirror.

Eyes that hadn’t been out of a shield in days.

A gruff exhale crackles the sound system in your ceiling before Namjoon speaks again, and you stand there speechless, toothbrush hanging limp in between your lips.

“You’ve been summoned. It’s damn Hardlock, kid. I’m sorry.”

Fuck.

You’ve shaped your life how you wanted it to be, despite all of the adaptations that society has gone through and thrown at you.

Every single one except Hardlock, apparently.

The Arranged Marriage Pact that cannot be refused.

// LOGDATE: 3021.01.32, 0800

// LOCATION: GLISA STATION, EALIONA DISTRICT

// SUBJECT: WHEN YOU STARTED BELIEVING

Adjusting your eyeshield, you sigh as you step into a hovertrain with a group of other passengers.

Suppressor gloves forgotten at home, you were quick to shove bare hands in jacket pockets, rushing to the back of the compartment to isolate yourself. On the way, you accidentally brush someone’s arm, apologizing but not stopping in your haste.

Even if you’re fully clothed, you still have a moment of panic when you make contact with someone. It’s the norm to have that instilled in your nature.

Will it happen?

Or not?

Well, you don’t know what it feels like, but according to your relatives’ experiences, it’s a situation you don’t want to encounter. Ever.

An automated announcement blares right before the doors close, and you don’t hear a word spoken on the train as you sit, backpack taking up most of the seat.

With your stop five long minutes away, you have some time to think.

How did it get to be this way? Who the hell is choosing you of all people? People in your line of work never get chosen for Hardlock because of the risk factor.

Maybe they know how lucrative your job really is and they just want the money. You can’t blame them in that case.

Rolling other careers around in your mind, you can’t think of another one with higher pay than a Salvager. The only one that comes close is someone in Namjoon’s position: a Guardian that protects a Salvager’s livelihood. You don’t know what you would do without him.

It’s a miracle that a Spark didn’t happen when you accidentally saw his eyes in that one wanderhouse, when you entered a room you didn’t know he was occupying.

He was simply reading a book—one of the old ones that required hands to read—which he promptly dropped at your entrance.

You remember both staring at each other for a good while, shocked to death and then relieved. Relieved to see another pair of true irises in organic colors and hues.

If he ended up being a SOLmate, that would’ve been the end of a relationship. It was even company policy: you would’ve had to make arrangements to part before acquiring a new Guardian within hours.

You heard the stories. Broken friendships, crumbled company deals, crushed empires.

Because nothing could overcome the initial Spark—much less an Inferno.

Which is why you are going to keep your hands hidden in your jacket at all times. You can’t risk touching another human and possibly igniting.

Don’t connect your bare eyes.

Don’t connect your bare skin.

The two ways a Spark can be initiated.

You don’t know what the hell birthed the curse of SOLmates, but you’ve learned how society has adapted. The rise of quarantining and social avoidance became the norm, with entire civilizations working remotely and citizens avoiding the Outside altogether.

At first, you didn’t believe in SOLmates. You thought it was just a ploy carried out by the Heado Council to keep commoners in their pods while they went about their shady ways.

It wasn’t until your cousin suddenly appeared in your Tele-Port with a barren look in their eyes, hunched over and refusing to speak to you until three days later. You remember having to force food and water down their slimming throat, along with sleep medicine to fight their insomnia.

When they finally spoke, voice gravelly and dusty, you understood.

“If you ever ignite,” they started, unblinking and haunted, “Never meet them again.”

“What are you saying?”

“Promise me.”

“Hey, snap out of it. What are you talking about?”

They finally lifted their eyes, and you fought the urge to lurch forward seeing the specks of sharp grey swirling around obsidian—volcanic ash in their depths. “You will want to. But fight it. Don’t let there be a third time. Lock yourself away if you have to.” With each pointed plea, their body thrummed, their words as jittery as their shoulders until you rushed over to hold them.

“You have to relax,” you whispered, but your cousin fought against your arms, their voice suddenly shrill and desperate in your ear,

“Never see them again! You can’t! Anything is better than this!”

“Hey, wait—”

An elbow connected with your stomach, forcing your grip loose. Frantic, your visitor wrenched themselves from your form and tore their way through your living room, hair whizzing and flailing.

You called out for them, but your plea fell on deaf ears. Right as they scampered onto the transportation disk, they slammed trembling fingers onto the console as if they didn’t care where the hell they were sent.

“Wait!”

The yell dispersed throughout your empty room, rebounding off the furniture and dark grey walls. Feeling the weight of the loud silence that followed, your arms slowly fell back to your sides, and you wondered if you would ever see your cousin again.

You still haven’t seen them since.

[Now arriving at: Phode District]

The hovertrain warbles to a stop. Cracking your neck, you make your way out of the compartment, almost going to adjust your backpack straps until you realize you can’t unpocket your fingers.

Shit. You’re going to have to swallow your pride and admit to Namjoon that you don’t have gloves.

He’s going to notice anyways; you won’t be able to take out the docu-discs you have stashed without showing your bare skin. With a thought, you blink three times to bring up the HUD on your eyeshield and ring him.

His answer is instant.

“Hey, where are you?”

Peering up at the obnoxiously tall glass building, you watch heavy raindrops splash your helmet before you groan,

“I’m here.”

// LOGDATE: 3021.01.32, 0810

// LOCATION: PHODE INDUSTRIES

// SUBJECT: THE MEETING

Thank whatever deities people come up with nowadays that Namjoon has a spare pair.

After you rushed out an excuse on top of your mistake, your Guardian only sighed and told you to just get your ass to the room. He claimed that he brought extra gear because he had business two districts over, but you didn’t put it past him to be paranoid.

Gliding across the almost barren floor of the lobby, you hear faint announcements about keeping suppressor gear on at all times while on the premises.

Shit. You have to make it to the elevators before you’re questioned by a roboguard.

But your worries are for naught, for the short trip to the glass tubes goes smoothly. It’s possible that you escape suspicion while in regular civilian garb instead of your Salvager suit.

You understand completely; the suits are pretty damn noticeable with their reactive energy displays.

After a low humming ascent, you’re now on the 112th floor, wandering around and sneaking glances into every room not shielded by Darkglass. Peering through the clear walls, you watch as helmeted business people go about their days. Some are negotiating trade deals by the looks of the tablets they are cradling, and some are simply staring out of the building windows and watching the rain.

People do that a lot. Ever since it’s been next to taboo to show bare skin in the Outside.

What you would give to feel rain again.

There aren’t many rooms that have the glass activated, but you do pass one that apparently has a commotion going on inside.

You faintly remember learning about Darkglass. How it shrouds both sight and sound when flipped from clear to black. If something is pressed against the material, there’s a subtle vibration that can be seen.

Just like now, as you walk by a room in the middle of the hall. When you turn to regard the slight waves, you make out the faint outline of a handprint.

Weird. Maybe someone resting against the wall out of sheer boredom.

It would make sense. You would absolutely hate being chained down to a place of business like this.

Being a Salvager means you aren’t attached to a building, or a cubicle, or even a central hub. Your job resides wherever the missions take you—wherever some rich asshole ends up needing you to go—whether that be into a local penthouse or the next planet over.

And you love it. The experiences you get to have, the places you get to see—all of it has been remarkable despite the gritty truth.

It’s not an honorable occupation. Not that honorable is a common word thrown around nowadays. But it’s one that many a wealthy person will shovel out liquid cash and ONIcoin for, so you’re able to live a lavish lifestyle.

Your hands are practically drowning in your pockets.

Are you going to have to give up that life because of Hardlock?

Surely, the family that chose you knows what you are. Your file omits a staggering amount of detail, but your base information is clearly defined next to your known SOLmate count, age, and ancestry.

You finally see a floating LED rectangle that reads 34-B, and the room’s Darkglass is deactivated. Glancing inside, you see Namjoon’s tall, cloaked form standing a safe distance away from what you assume are the mother and father of your chosen partner. While the woman occupies the lone chair at the end of a conference table, her husband simply rests gloves on her sagging shoulders.

They seem… Lost.

There wasn’t much time for you to run through their files, but Jin skimmed through while you got ready earlier.

“Yah, why are there so many redacted sections?”

“Nothing new,” you threw over your shoulder while slipping on pants. “Happens with a lot of older generations. Elders and their privacy.”

You could picture Jin’s eyes scanning his HUD back and forth within his sleek eyeshield, legs spread on your traditional sofa. “Jung Family… Blastia District… Shit.”

“What?”

“Heado Council puppets.”

“Fuck.”

After removing his shield, Jin ruffles his hair and smoothes it back down. “You sure you can’t pull out?”

“It’s Hardlock, Jin. Non-negotiable.”

“Isn’t that incredibly unethical?”

“Severely, but what do they care?”

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

You shrugged, faking confidence and hiding the tremble in your bones. “Relax. I don’t have to like the person. Just gotta marry them on paper and tell them I won’t be around.”

Run. You can just run, right? Run away, portcast to the farthest, most decent planet you can think of and live off your dirty pension? It sounds so much better than walking into that room.

But Namjoon turns and notices you through the wall, and he’s only one long stride away from opening the door.

“Come in!” You can hear the forced smile behind his shiniest blue helmet—one he saves for special occasions—but he whispers his next words, “We may have gotten a little lucky.”

“What? What do you mean?” As you stand in the thin doorway, you drink in his response.

“The dude isn’t even here.”

“Fantastic,” you drawl, sparing a quick side eye at the parents under the cover of your shield. Maybe he portcasted to the farthest, most decent pla—

“It doesn’t mean the contract is void, but it does give us some time to adjust. Here,” Namjoon steps to the side to allow you entrance, and you clench your fists in humid pockets when you enter the room.

You have no clue what your Guardian means by that, but you decide to dismiss it when you finally notice something about the reticent couple at the table.

They’re wearing Navim Shields.

Even you choked seeing the price of those.

This family doesn’t need a drop of your money.

So why the fuck are you here?

// LOGDATE: 3021.01.32, 0900

// LOCATION: HOMEPOD

// SUBJECT: STRESS RELIEF

“Did I hear you right? The guy didn’t even show?”

“Why are you still here, Jin?”

The slide and click of your door shutting behind you means that you’re finally cut off from the Outside, temporarily severed from responsibilities and new expectations and anxieties. No matter how often you left your home for missions, entering the Outside always caused your shoulders to tense until you set foot back in your entryway.

And even though you will never admit it, seeing Jin’s sweatpants-clad form greeting you is already enough to ease your mind this time.

You shuck your backpack off in an unceremonious dump, sighing as you proceed to remove your eyeshield.

Fuck.

The moment after removing protection is always a bit disorienting. Your corneas have to adjust to true colors after being suppressed by the shield technology, and it doesn’t help that depth perception changes dramatically. Jin is a lot closer than you think as you lower your eyeshield, and you flinch when he backs you up into your door.

With one large, capable hand next to your head, he flashes a tiny smirk at your rain-soaked form. “You act like you don’t like it,” he whispers before leaning forward to mesh his lips with yours.

You melt into his lazy kiss before grunting, meekly pushing his bare chest away and feeling the metal of his chain. “Jin,” you sigh, feeling a twinge of want when he swoops in again and pushes you flush against the door.

This effectively shuts you up, throwing your need into overdrive as you give in and start tearing your clothes from your limbs.

The gravelly chuckle that slides between your mouths sends heat between your legs. “Looks like I get you to myself for a bit longer.”

You scoff as your damp jacket hits the ground with a plop. “We aren’t exclusive,” you hiss before grabbing his hair and tugging him into another sloppy kiss, chilled skin welcoming the warmth of his.

His wonderful, enticing, tender skin.

You don’t know what or who decided that Jin isn’t one of your SOLmates, but you still feel like you owe them everything.

Because if he was, you would have only crossed paths with him three times max in your life.

And you don’t think you could have lived with that circumstance.

Your hands fly to your pants next, but your focus is cut off by the hot mouth latching onto your throat. “We aren’t,” he agrees after a suck, “But I don’t see anyone else here. Do you?”

Jin uses one hand to unhook your bra while the other slots between your thighs, grinding into your clothed cunt before giving it a firm swat.

Fuck, he knows what you need. After the absolute waste of a morning, you’re ready to do whatever the hell he wants.

But your drenched pants are your worst enemy at the moment. “Help me,” you bite out as you shove him away, frustrated that something so small is the thing that sets you off.

It wasn’t the fact that you were a Hardlock match, nor the fact that your partner ghosted the meeting and you had to awkwardly stand there with his parents only to slink back home through the rain.

No. Just your pants keeping you away from your fuck buddy’s leaking dick.

Jin stumbles back with a laugh before coming back to your aid, his fingers looping into your nemesis and pulling them and your underwear down your legs with ease. “Sweetheart is extra bossy today, isn’t she?”

“Just hurry up,” you grunt, going for another shove and stilling when a hand flashes up to block your arm.

His eyes are lust-blown and determined as he stares you down, grip on your skin and tone just as hard, “Push me again and see what happens, sweetheart.”

“Call me that one more time and see what happens, bitch,” you counter, eyes squeezing shut and stomach fluttering when Jin attacks with his mouth.

Your hands are all over each other as he practically throws you back into the front door. While his are roughly palming your breasts and gripping the back of your wet neck, yours are scratching stress lines into his hair and raking through his shoulders. Desire seeps from your cunt, the entrance hot between your cold thighs.

Everything is almost a replica of last night. Except this time, Jin still has his pants on.

“Take those off,” you breathe out, water droplets falling from your head, “Just fuck me.”

“Let me prep you.”

You moan when he rolls his pelvis into yours, ready to be just as split apart as you were a mere twelve hours ago. Desperate, you shake your head. “Don’t need it,” you lie, “I can take it.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Shit. Okay.”

After Jin loses his sweatpants, he doesn’t even stand back up fully before you’re clutching his cock, sliding your cold fingers along his shaft once before reaching to cup his balls. Hearing his breathy groans causes more slick to build in your center, and you lean forward to swirl a tongue over one of his nipples.

“Fuck, baby.” You feel a hand grip the back of your head before it’s tugged back. “Come here.”

Saliva rims your mouth from your sloppy work, but Jin doesn’t care as he smashes his lips back into yours, tongue on a mission to close your airway. A commanding hand grabs one of your legs to widen your stance, which is the reason for your shock when you’re suddenly spun around.

Years of reflex and combat training save your face from butting the doorframe, but you still grunt, smirking when you feel hands roughly tug your hips.

As Jin’s deep voice slides onto your bare back, your cunt flutters while your mouth widens.

“You can take it, right? Prove it. Sweetheart.”

For the rest of the night, he makes you forget.

Your shit job.

The shit Hardlock.

And whatever other bullshit you have to be prepared for come morning.

CHAPTER I

Just because it happens once, doesn’t mean it can’t happen again.

There have been countless records of people with more than one SOLmate, which spurned humanity to escape and flee into the stars. Voyagers are synonymous with cowards, hermits comparable to corpses in coffins—the inevitable has been proven and yet everyone still runs from the truth.

However, there are people that run towards it. People that forego any armor or suppressor clothes or eyeshields. Those are the ones that suffer the quickest, all because they yearn for that feeling of ignition. The Great Flare. The Eruption. The Inferno.

It’s a high.

But everything ends just the same.

Ashes.

Ashes walk with no purpose, no soul, no life. What were once vibrant, intentional humans are now husks of a being, nothing but dust with wisps of memory.

And when left alone too long?

Their veins protrude and shine like lava; their eyes burn like dying stars. Light shoots from their mouths in a bright beam, angry and orange and devastating, as if a furious sun is fighting for escape. Skin hardens. Splinters. Breaks.

And the only instinct that remains is to ravage everything around them until they are effectively stopped.

// LOGDATE: 3021.02.01, 0600

// LOCATION: HEADQUARTERS, BRIEFING ROOM

// SUBJECT: NEW GUY

“Took you long enough.”

“Fuck off, Min.” You dump your boots on the nearest surface, which so happens to be a glowing console with multiple buttons and levers.

The man situated behind it jolts his arms up at the bang, stuttering out as his helmet reflects the lights in front of him, “Hey, you might—”

“It’s fine,” you snap, getting a snort out of the drowsy man at your back.

“Damn. Did you two not fuck at all or something? Why’re you so pissy?”

Jin is the one that answers for you, voice taut and raspy from the little amount of sleep you both got last night. “Watch it.”

“Cute.”

Both of you groan a less-than-hearty “Shut up” before parting ways, taking your seats around the circular planning station occupying most of the room.

Well, Jin takes residence next to a chuckling cohort and you settle on the other side of the table, holograms of mission details and discovered Ashes that need to be salvaged hovering over its dark surface.

One of them looks like your cousin, but you blink and the illusion is dashed.

The person only looks like her.

It pains you all the same.

Once you realize how many are filing through, you click your tongue. “Fuck, again? I thought this many Ashes was a rare thing…”

Yoongi—the one that unceremoniously greeted you and someone you cannot stand—pipes up immediately, “Apparently not. But at least they’re all around the same area this time.”

“I can see that,” you drawl. “But didn’t this just happen? I’ve never seen this many after we just salvaged a big group.”

Something feels odd about the reports flying in. Normally, a day would consist of checking into Headquarters to pinpoint Ashes, and flying out on hovercrafts or portcasting to whatever planet you needed to for a quick salvage. Once you were done with the jobs, you would either rendezvous with another unit that needed backup or simply go home and hate your life because of how fucked up your job really is.

But right now, observing how many Ashes are pinging off a small planet in the same solar system, you’re wondering if this is going to be another Longnight.

You just came back from one. That’s exactly why you and Jin…

Shifting your helmet to face him, you can already see that he’s looking your way. Fuck, how you want him to whisk you back to your Homepod and make you forget your name and occupation a fourth time. It looks like he wants to do the same.

A voice rumbles across the table as the most quiet salvager decides to offer input, “It’s strange, isn’t it? How we haven’t gotten new recruits for months until now?”

“I dunno, Taehyung.” You tilt your head back to the displays smoothly cycling in front of your shielded eyes. “Could be the reason why we’re getting more recruits. We’re gonna start needing backup if this keeps continuing.”

A helmet lowers as the man folds clothed arms. Seemingly to himself, he mutters, “I feel like they started recruiting before all of this, though.”

“There’s another thing you should know about,” Jimin—the one with the least amount of salvage experience—chimes in, voice strained as if you might not like what he’s about to say.

“Don’t be shy,” you bite. “Out with it.”

“Well… Speaking of recruits, we have a new—”

The obsidian doors of the circular space hum low as they slide open, and every helmet in the room snaps toward the newcomer’s easy strides.

On instinct, you size them up under their salvager suit: masculine body type, strong shoulders but lean lower frame, slight tilt of their head indicating low level of interest or attitude, minor slump in posture. Seems a bit too laid-back for your tastes, but you keep the bulk of your opinions until you’ve seen someone in action anyways.

“New guy,” Jimin finally finishes his statement, his tone changing from timidness to piqued curiosity. “Hello.”

The stranger simply shifts their helmet Jimin’s way without a word.

Mm. You might end up liking them.

Standing from your seat, you approach and stop some distance away. “First day?”

A nod.

“Last name?”

“Jeon.”

Stunned at how soft their voice is, you pause before asking, “How was training, Jeon?”

A shrug.

You huff through your nose in amusement, knowing that the training regimen is a bitch and a half. “Well, the real shit is nothing like it, so take a seat.” You start to stride back to your desk as a few laughs punctuate your statement. Because it’s true. “Especially since this mission might be a bit different.”

You go over the briefing while circling through the holo displays, assigning everyone their pseudonyms and roles and targets. After a quick meeting, you check for understanding. “Group One first. Jin, Tae, Park: review.”

Jin’s the first to speak as he slides fingers across the table, the motion transferring files into his eyeshield. “Callisto. Armory. A-142 and A-211.”

A light voice cuts in right after as Jimin follows suit. “Elara. Retriever. C-002.”

“Europa. Surveyor. B-299,” Taehyung sounds with disinterest, arms still crossed and back still slumped into his chair.

“Good. Group Two.” Since you’re part of this one, you start. “Metis. Armory. A-327 and A-410.”

The newcomer waits for Yoongi to review. When the guy is silent, they fill the gap. “Ganymede. Surveyor. C—”

“Shouldn’t we check this dude’s stats before assigning him?”

All of you shift focus to the lean frame at the back of the room. Miffed about everything that’s happening, you snip, “There’s no time for that, Min. We’re running low on our window as is, and training prepares recruits for all roles.”

“New kid,” Yoongi asks, his words launching straight over your boiling head. “What are you good at?”

Jeon doesn’t respond for a beat, instead swerving his helmet to you for some kind of approval. When you tilt your head as a sign to answer, he stutters out, “I, um. Armory.”

“Huh. Took me two seconds.”

Slamming the planning station, your frustration almost fogs the inside of your head gear, “I don’t have time for your insubordination, Min. Either get this out during planning or save it and shove it up your shitty asshole.”

“Jin, seriously, tap that a little harder next time, yeah?”

A ruckus starts on that side of the table before you get two steps out, with Yoongi’s dark material in Jin’s fiery grip. Jimin tries to separate them while reminding them about the mission, and Taehyung stays burning his gaze into the black glass in front of him.

You already know that the new guy is a bit spooked from the commotion, judging by the stiffness of his shoulders that you caught before joining in the fray. He doesn’t know how common this really is—the snippy attitudes, the pre-mission tension, the pent-up anger. Eventually, he’ll get used to it if he stays.

But fucking hell, it always has to be Yoongi getting you so riled up every time. If the two of you didn’t work so well together, you would have requested his transfer to the Venus or Pluto Units expeditiously.

Frankly, you would send him straight to Mercury if you had that power. They always have problems happening there.

But you’ll settle for a firm grip of his collar for now, shoving Jin aside as you take your place in front of your verbal sparring partner. “Don’t fuck with me today, Min.”

“I’ll settle for fucking you never, thanks.”

“What’s with you? Nervous? Is our little kitty boy scared of the rain?”

You can’t see his face, but you know that statement received an eyeroll, which you’re happy about. Releasing him with a shove, you make your way to the doors, not looking at any of the hovercraft pilots at their consoles or the new kid still glued to his seat. “Jeon, take Armory. We’ll switch roles but keep our same targets. I’ll figure something out before we portcast and fly out.”

“Okay.”

“And Yoongi?”

The figure across the planning station straightens, as do Jin and Jimin beside him.

Childishly, you gloat,

“Never is right. You couldn’t get this pussy even if you begged.”

// LOGDATE: 3021.02.01, 0800

// LOCATION: PLANET VALGA, HOVERCRAFT STATION

// SUBJECT: ANOTHER LONGNIGHT

end of teaser.

A/N: if you managed to make it here, hello! i know this is vastly different than what i usually write, but i am having so much fun with this universe already and it’s super refreshing. let me know what you think/what you liked, if anything! ++ feedback box: ⇥ of course, any reblogs/comments/messages are appreciated! ⇥ for the ones that are too shy to reblog with a review, comment on this, or send a message, i went ahead and made another anonymous form where you can send in what you think! ⇥ no emails collected, no need to put in a username. it’s literally just a comment dropbox :D feedback can be as short/sweet or as long as you’d like! ⇥ here! ++ ⇥ masterlist

#omg i hope y'all enjoy!#bts #bts fanfic #bts imagines #bts reactions #bts angst #bts smut #seokjin smut #ot7 x reader #ot7 smut #ot7 angst #bangtanbathhouse #btshoneyhive #bangtanarmynet #*latest #ryenwrites #*scheduled #since i'll be exploring rn!#updated with section i had on another draft on 220803 omg

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accio-victuuri · 1 year

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CPN : Esquire Magazine parallels 📚

and no one is surprised that i’m here to clown about the interview and other things related to the drop of this cover. it’s such a great way to start the month of April! i won’t be talking about the supposed drama behind this back in 2020, because we should leave the negative vibes in the past. what matters is now, we should all move forward and support them.

everything is speculation/interpretation with bxg-tinted-glasses on. if that’s not your thing, then skip this post. ⛔️ the parallels between them isn’t even cpn, xz & wyb have things in common, especially their view on fame and being actors.

Let’s start with some low-level thirsty entry. Our boys wearing this is just 🥵🥵🥵🥵 Oh to be an employee at the gym they visit together.

Same studio ( TRUNK ) for some of their shoots, and in particular, for the Esquire cover. You can say that it’s the company that chooses who they will hire, but we’ve had this running cpn about them working with the same people.. soooo….

I’ve also noticed the intervals of posting in between Esquire/XZS - Yibo Official - XZ. I love that YBO posts in that window where none of the two are sharing anything. LOL. It could be nothing and YBO just chose an arbitrary time to post, but usually, a good time to post in the morning slot is 10-12 nn. Usually 10-10:30 and if you miss that, better do 12 nn so people who are on their lunch breaks will see your post and react immediately. It’s interesting and this is not the first time i’ve seen this pattern with them. They really try to not post on same slots. ( yes i’m aware that dilraba, gj and yyxq also released magazine covers today but they were releasing stuff at the 11:00 interval )

Years apart, posting about their April Covers. 🥹 plus it’s black & white!!!

NOW MOVING ONTO THE PARALLELS/ clues.

I will be basing it from GG’s cover story interview versus things Yibo said in the past. It’s a favorite among turtles, how similar they are in their values and how they handle things. There are other “famous” celebrities in the circle, and some are even their friends, but I don’t think there is anyone in that circle that can understand them better than each other. what they went through and continue to go through is far different from your usual c-ent celebrity. I picked up things that stood out to me personally so I’m sure i will miss some.

1. This notion that they are not just “themselves” anymore because of who they are as celebrities. XZ talking about his face not being his anymore because other people’s opinion on it must be taken into consideration. Then you have WYB who doesn’t have his own time cause alot of people are working around it too.

The outside voice said to him, you don't want to exercise - this face is his, but countless people look at it, and countless people ask for it——A face, the face in the mirror, Xiao Zhan looked at it, sometimes thinking, It's your own, but it's also someone else's.

2. Same with Yibo who doesn’t really care much, as long as you like his work, then he is thankful for you ( a sentiment that he said a couple of times during HB roadshows ) They have this awareness that they cannot please everyone and that “fans” will not always stay.

If the plot is worthwhile and requires him to change this face, then he also has enough enthusiasm and willingness to change for the role. This face can help him, but he also knows that sometimes he has to pay more. Now, he thought, perhaps it was more important to find balance. Some of the people who like him will stay forever, and some will leave.

3. This one caught my eye cause I feel like they are in the same boat when it comes to working with senior actors. Like how WYB worked with Tony Leung, and all he wanted was to be better.

Plus the costume drama? I’m thinking this is CQL since this interview was 2020. Awwww. Baby XZ & WYB trying their best that summer and we all loved the outcome!

In an emotionally charged costume drama, those days, he was always figuring out how to speak in order to make the audience worry about him. The best class, of course, is playing with those better actors. He is not afraid of the audience saying that he is not as good as those senior actors. What he cares more about is whether he has made progress in the play and whether he has learned new things

4. The habit of running they started during that summer of 2018 and then it carried on years later — especially for XZ. 🥹🥹🥹

Sometimes he runs alone, sometimes with other actors. After running for a while, the body will be soaked, but it is very comfortable, hot and cool.

5. It reminds me of when DLS said yibo’s house is hard to find. and in that show you can sense that he doesn’t like to talk about personal things related to Bobo. For privacy, of course, they can’t just tell anyone where they live. Thinking about all the cpn about the “same house” and all the “evidence” to now where we have nothing. It’s for the best. Some things are only for them and they deserve to have a little place of their own 🤎

Xiao Zhan stays alone most of the time. On the set, like a bat burrowing back into a cave, he burrows into a hotel room, and won’t come out until he can; usually, he stays at home, of course, except for the driver who picks him up at work, few people know where he lives—

6. That episode in TTXS where Bobo talks about him being tired and wanting to post about it on his social media — but decided against cause no one cares. It’s the same energy as this. They don’t really vent or complain out loud. In my cpn brain, when they do, if it gets too much, they have each other to talk to or listen.

A friend told him that if you are under pressure, you should tell others, talk to others, and vent. He disagrees. You can figure out the problems that can be solved by yourself, and talking about the problems that cannot be solved will only increase your troubles.

-END.

#yizhan #bjyx #there is no science here folks im just clowning like i always do #all of this is cpn #i love them so much 😢

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brunnerasposts · 2 years

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"Pancakes for Dinner"

S.H. x Female Reader

Summary: You prepare a confession to Steve in your bathroom mirror to which he ends up overhearing

Word Count: 2.4k

Warnings: st2-4 spoilers, friends to lovers, fluff

Additional Notes: this was inspired by the song Pancakes for Dinner by Lizzy McAlpine. It's a really cute song and I recommend giving it a listen! I also hope you enjoy this fanfic! It was a struggle to write and idk if I like how it turned out. It's just kinda there lol. Likes, comments, and reshares are always appreciated :)

Tags: @robschneiderfan bc she picked for me to write this one first lol

"Okay," You spoke to yourself, inhaling deeply as your grip on the bathroom sink tightened. Slowly, you closed your eyes and exhaled that breath in hopes of calming the sudden nerves that had developed in your body.

While decent in size, your bathroom suddenly felt as though it was suffocating you. From the bright fluorescents to the squeaky clean tiles, you felt out of place. Sure, you had panicked earlier today and scrubbed your bathroom clean top to bottom, but that was because you only wanted to invite him over to hang out. Impulsively, you had decided to invite over your best friend not to just hang out. You were planning to confess your feelings.

You had a massive crush on Steve Harrington.

Although you hadn't known Steve until these past two years, you both had gone through a lot together. From fighting demodogs to running from Russian commies, you both had experienced a lot of traumatic events. You both didn't truly recover after everything so you supported each other for comfort.

Sometimes Robin would hang out with you both, but it was usually just the two of you. She claimed that there was too much tension between you guys whenever she visited and it made her want to barf. You weren't even sure what she was talking about half the time.

Steve didn't like you, you knew that. With the charisma that boy had and his flirtatious manner, he would have begun flirting ages ago if he really did like you. No matter what reason you had, Robin didn't seem to care.

Before your mind could begin to think anymore negatively, you opened your eyes and stared at your reflection.

You had about fifteen or so minutes to quickly plan what you were going to say. It was now or never, right?

Taking another deep breath, you relaxed your once tense shoulders and acted as though Steve was in front of you.

"Steve," You began, your voice cracking so you cleared it and started again. "Steve, can we talk?" You asked the mirror, the silence filling your head. Pretending that he said yes, you sighed softly.

"I don't wanna be forward," You gulped softly, your grip on the sink loosening, "and I don't wanna cross a line." You chose your words cautiously, not wanting to risk messing up and causing that to happen for the real confession. "I don't want to say too much, so..." You groaned out in frustration as you were at a loss for words.

You brought your hands to your face, hiding behind them. "God, why is this so scary to tell you?" You asked no one in particular. It wasn't like you had never confessed to a guy before. The only difference was, Steve was too good to lose. If he didn't feel the same way, would things become awkward?

"I'll just say something else." You told yourself, waving your hand as if to smack away the imaginary thought bubbles over your head. Deciding your mirror tactic wasn't working, you reached into a cabinet and began to search for some sort of perfume or deodorant. Was it hot in there?

God, this was so stupid!

You shouldn't have to be standing in your bathroom, prepping a speech just to tell some guy you like him. Even if it was Steve, what difference did he make from everyone else?

"What the hell do I have to lose if I just tell you?" You asked, knowing the answer to that question.

Him.

You could lose Steve. All the memories you guys once shared would be just that. Memories. Not a single one would be made after this, you were sure.

"I—" You cut yourself off, hesitant to even speak. What could you say? You didn't want to come right out and just tell him the way you felt. You wanted to ease into it and not scare him off. Maybe describe what you wanted to do with him if he felt the same way?

Daydreamed scenarios began to replay in your mind, making you smile. "I wanna have pancakes for dinner." You began, chuckling to yourself over how silly that sounded. What other slightly silly stuff could you say?

"I want to get stuck inside your head," It only seemed fair as he was always stuck inside your head.

"I want to have a song that we love together and we listen to it whenever we need cheering up or a reminder of the other." You hummed a bit, not even sure what song that would be for you both. Were you sounding slightly insane? Would he freak out if told all of this? It made you nervous.

"I don't think I should tell you this," You sighed, dragging a hand down your face in frustration. This wasn't usually this hard. It used to be a simple matter of 'Hey, I think you're really cute' but now it was so much harder because you actually knew him.

"God, I don't wanna say something weird or wrong." You looked at yourself in the mirror again, seeing the sudden fear in your own eyes. Irrational thoughts came in and out of your mind. What if he freaked and ran out? What if he laughed at you?What if he didn't feel the same way because he was still in love with Nancy?

That was way too real. You saw the way he looked at her. He may try and go out with different girls, but whenever he looked at Nancy, it was a longing gaze.

How could you possibly compete against her?

"But if you're still in love with her then—" Your voice hitched, "I think that I'll leave it there." You couldn't hate him if he did. They went over for almost two years. How could he not love her?

"If that is the case then, then I'll try to hide the way I feel." Your voice was soft, trembling slightly. It hurt to think of helping him find his next girl to go flirt with. It hurt to tell him that he should have fun on his dates. It hurt to give him advice on girls so he'd actually stay with them longer.

Maybe it was better that you remained friends. That's all he saw you as anyway.

"Well, maybe I won't have to say any of this." You hoped, giving yourself a small laugh as you imagined he would say it instead. The only reason it was funny was because you knew that couldn't happen.

As you finished your confessional speech in the mirror, you felt a lot better about the situation, more prepared in a sense. Turning, you opened the bathroom door to go wait for Steve only to find him standing right there in front of you with wide eyes.

You froze, knowing very well just how thin your bathroom door was. "H-How long were you standing there?" You stammered, itching your arm in sudden nervousness.

When he didn't say anything, your heart practically leaped in fear. "It's actually a funny story!" You quickly spoke, laughing nervously as you tried to come up with some sort of explanation for the things you said. It was clear that he heard enough to know it was him who you were talking about.

"There was this uh...this project! Yeah, a project in English where she wanted us to...feel like we were having a conversation." You began, laughing nervously, "And I was like 'That's way too crazy, teach!'. And she was all like, 'Y/N I'm very serious about my assignments', so I wanted to be sure my grade came out okay you know?"

As you continued to babble on with this random excuse you had created, Steve stepped forward and silenced you by pressing his lips onto yours. It shocked you to your very core. What was he doing? Why was he suddenly kissing you? His hands cupped your face gently, moving slowly and kissing softly as to not freak you out entirely.

It was a little late for that though.

Realizing that you weren't kissing back, he slowly pulled away and looked at you with worried eyes. "I really hope that story isn't true otherwise I just kissed you like an idiot." He whispered, searching your eyes for some kind of confirmation.

It took a long few seconds for you to even comprehend the fact that Steve Harrington had just kissed you. Slowly, you shook your head, confusion overcoming you. "I don't understand. Aren't you in love with Nancy?" You questioned, making him shake his head. "Maybe I once was, but not anymore. I sort of started falling for someone else." He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Then no, I was lying before." You admitted with a small breath of relief. It felt so nice to admit out loud. What had you even been stressed about? "I invited you over because I wanted to confess the way I felt. I guess since you overheard all of that, I don't have to." You shrugged your shoulders, squealing in surprise as Steve hugged you and lifted you off the ground.

"Steve, what are you doing?" You let out an airy laugh, not even sure what he was so happy about. "I can't believe I spent half of the year figuring out how I was going to tell you how I felt." He spoke, making you laugh again before leaning down, pressing your lips against his.

The male was quick to react, holding you tight as to make sure you didn't fall. Not only that, but Steve didn't really want to let you go anyway. Your hands snaked up into his hair, finding their way through before tugging slightly. Steve groaned in response, kisses becoming slightly sloppy as you smiled.

"Mm, let me make this up to you." He mumbled, making you part from his lips. "What?" You questioned with a raised eyebrow and the faintest of a smile now. "Yeah, come on! A proper date, what do you say?" He asked, making you hum in thought.

"Why not?" You finally decided, making him set you down. "Alright, let's go." He grinned, making you giggle. "Right now? Can't I go change or at least get my shoes on?" You asked, making Steve chuckle. "Yes, of course. I'll be waiting right here, okay?" He told you, you nodding your head before placing a quick peck to his lips.

Once you turned away, you held your face and felt the heat that was radiating from it. God, Steve knew just how to fluster you. Making your way upstairs, you were sure to move quickly as you didn't want him to wait for too long.

"You can take your time" Steve shouted up the stairs, practically reading your mind. Once you reached your bedroom, you were quick to change from your shorts and shirt, putting on a pair of acid washed jeans with a plain white t shirt. Simple, yet cute and that was what you were hoping for. Going to your vanity, you began to fix your hair when all of a sudden you almost had to turn your lamp on as it was darker outside.

"That's strange." You muttered before jumping at the sound a clock chime. Confused, you stood straight and looked around your room. Something felt off. It didn't feel like your bedroom anymore. "Steve?" You shouted, listening for a response to which you didn't receive.

Could he not hear you? "Steve!" You shouted again, louder this time and yet there was still no response. Thinking he stepped outside, you walked to your window and shifted the blinds. You were met with a sight that shook you to your very core.

The upside down.

How were you back? You didn't cross through anything! As your breathing picked up, you quickly whipped back around to charge downstairs when you found your door was open.

In that doorway was a creature completely new to you. Unlike the demodogs or a demogorgon, it stood as tall as a human. It seemed as though it was covered in these dark vines, hands elongated at the fingers. The skin looked burned to a crisp.

Never had you been more scared than in that moment. You were frozen by the window, slowly pressing yourself into it. "It's almost time, Y/N." A deep masculine voice boomed from the creature, almost having a small growl behind his words. How did it know your name? Why could it speak? What the hell was this thing?

"Y-You're not real." You stammered out, feeling the glass window against your arms as you continued to press yourself into it. "Oh, I am very real, Y/N." He stepped towards you and you suddenly felt as though you couldn't move. As much as you wanted to run, to hide and avoid him, you couldn't. Some sort of force was keeping you still.

"I can hurt you in more ways than one." His elongated fingers raised and he gently grazed your trembling face with them. It was in that moment that you searched for your alarm clock. Your eyes shifted around, even searching for some sort of scripture on your wall. Maybe this was just a nightmare.

Maybe you were experiencing sleep paralysis. This couldn't be real. He couldn't be real.

"Y/N!" A voice made your attention shift forward again, and suddenly it was Steve in front of you, looking worried as he held your arms. "Are you okay?" He asked nervously, brushing your hair out of your face as you shook in his hold.

"What..?" You quickly looked behind you, noticing the bright blue sky outside. What just happened?

"You were up here for a while so I came up to check on you and you were just...standing here, twitching. Your eyes were.." He trailed off, shaking his head before drawing you in for a hug.

You were quick to wrap your arms around him, breath shaky as tears brimmed your eyes. "You're okay, you're okay," He promised, trying to soothe you by rubbing your back.

While it was considerate of him, it wasn't helping. All that was echoing in your head was the distant chiming of a clock. The feeling of that creature's fingers as it grazed your face made you shiver.

What the hell was that thing?

As you tried to calm your breathing, you tried to listen to the sound of his voice. You needed something, anything to calm you down. As much as you tried to focus on his reassuring words, they were beginning to be drowned out by the sound of a clock.

This time it wasn't a chime.

Tick.

Maybe it really was a dream.

THE END...?

#Spotify #steve harrington fluff #stranger things x reader #stranger things imagine #stranger things #steve harrington #steve harrington fanfic #steve harrington fic #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you #x reader #vecna/henry/one #vecna

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igglemouse · 1 year

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Life By You Thoughts...

Ok, I just finished watching their presentation a few things super impressed me. Here are the positives!

The overall theme of the game that everything is moddable basically in game. That’s great! I’m sure players will do a lot with that! Also the ability to create worlds it looks like is a big sell and open world will be nice to have. Hopefully it performs better than Sims 3 open world did when it launched.

No rabbit holes. I mean, this is a pretty big claim when you think about it. They even showed your sim (I will call them sims until they have a name...) shopping and at their job. I hope they realize the kind of expectations they are setting with this. It’s one thing to say ‘No rabbitholes’ and another thing to actually pull that off. I am always skeptical I guess!

The open world and how moddable it is, GIANT selling point.

Conversations? That’s a bold choice! So no gibberish language like Animal Crossing or Sims but they actually have convos...text convos. The trailer did not show any voice acting (I wonder though...with AI....) and people can edit and add their own! Not really sure how this will work out in the long run but I like bold choices!

The game looks so moddable I honestly wonder what would be the purpose of buying packs (which it looks like they will sell.) maybe they underestimate the determination and skills of modders lol but this is clearly a positive! As a customer/consumer it’s not on me to wonder how they will make money.

Negatives...

on the other hand...the character models look really meh right now IMHO. The portraits on the UI look good, really its the hair textures that just...it kind of looks like someone putting alpha hair on a MM sim...let me show you...

Ok, this is a screen from the steam page, i didn’t edit it in any way. So the character doesn’t look bad really but the hair texture (and that blurry scalp part what is that?) just looks very meh to me. Hopefully they can clean this up but with how moddable this game is probably won’t matter in the long run and the game but just fix whatever they are doing with the hair and I’ll be fine with it personally. I know people might disagree.

Also, EA would get buried for this but they announced that pre-ordering would give you like 3 packs...and the game is launching in Early Access. That’s always a concern when a major publisher like Paradox is doing that. Feels like they have been at this for a long time and are now just pushing it out. I look at the trailer today and think it needs a bit more time.

The whole presentation of the game is also meh. The UI just looks so bland and has little personality. Makes the game look more like a tool and not a game. Honestly the whole way they presented things made me feel like they were selling me some tool to MAKE a game and not a game itself.

Another random negative that has nothing to do with this game but there’s so many things coming out this year! I mean I’ve been hyped for Diablo 4 (and even more hyped after the beta) and Starfield for years now!

I root for this game though and while Early Access always raises a concerned brow from me it’s good to see that a Sims competitor is coming out and coming out this year (at least for now) and Paradox makes some amazing games. Obviously Cities but I’m always suggesting Crusader Kings and Stellaris!

Ok, that was long but those are my thoughts on this game as of now!

youtube

#life by you

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dreambunnynotes · 6 months

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daily reflection: nov. 17th ❤︎

whoops, i didn't post my to-do lists or check-ins this week, but that is okay! my usual instinct is to give up and restart when i don't do something perfectly, but the whole point of documenting my self-improvement journey is to break the habits that don't serve me. i'm in the early stages of trying out this blog and it's okay to make mistakes, and i'm going to avoid the perfectionist loop by posting what i wrote up for the 17th of november! 🥰 it was a really successful day for my mental health and so i want to document it. here is what i wrote a few days ago:

accomplishments:

today i primarily focused on my social health, and i absolutely killed it!! it's actually making me tear up writing this reflection. i am currently dipping my toes into meeting new people, rekindling old friendships, and loving myself enough to show up as myself, which is my absolute biggest hurdle in my self-love journey due to my own trauma and life experiences. wonderfully, the successes i have had so far in trying to be myself and pushing through my fear and shame have been SO rewarding, which only encourages me to keep going and reminds me that it is safe to try! one of my most wonderful manifestations right now is manifesting my dream friend group where i feel loved and also have FUN, since i have had very low standards for friendships in the past. i kept receiving the message of "being true to myself" this week, and i set the intention that i was going to try to be my bestest, silliest, most authentically neurodivergent self no matter how hard it was. so many beautiful things have happened since setting that intention, and here are the results from just yesterday:

i hung out with my sister for an hour or two (which doesn't take energy for me, she is my best friend and the person i wish to base all of my future friendships off of!! c':) and even though i was nervous and apprehensive, we went to hang out with her theatre friends before their show that evening. i decided to try being authentically me despite the fear of being judged, and not only were they super lovely and fun, they also laughed at my jokes and made me feel very valued for being there! i felt really grateful to have that experience, and grateful to myself for giving it a try.

i hung out with my friend "ac" at their house for a bit while we got ready for a show, and it was really nice to see them again! i had been feeling a bit bummed about our friendship lately because they had been treating me in a way that felt pretty triggering, but i reconnected with the law of assumption and realized that it was because i expected them to show up that way, which helped me heal my relationship with them a little.

we went to pre-game at their partners house, though i wasn't drinking. i met several new people, and they were all so sweet and nice! instead of feeling lonely that i was a new person being introduced to a very longstanding friend group, i chose to ask those at the house party questions about their friend lore (lol) and was my sweet and silly self. i found myself laughing along to things i didn't find funny and not really enjoying myself, which ended up being helpful; instead of listening to the internal voice that often says "you'll never find your friends," i was able to witness the voice and reply with, "you're trying new things, and you're learning about your preferences; how beautiful is that!" i was really proud of myself for this witnessing and not-shaming, and i did end up having quite a few wonderful conversations after that. i was able to see that the situation was not black and white, and that there can be multiple perspectives per experience!

i had a negative interaction with someone i knew there that made me feel embarrassed because of the way they responded to me. instead of internalizing it, i remembered that real friends wouldn't make me feel that way, which was another win for connecting with my authentic self despite the fear!

i made a new friend who i had never met before which was so, so beautiful! we talked about vocal stims and musical theatre karaoke lmao it was so great, i felt really accepted by them and it was just such a treat to hang out and laugh with them! it's so nice to meet new people you instantly feel connected to, and, again, was proof that by being my purest self, i will meet the people i connect with.

at the venue, i put on my massive ear-protectors because i am very overstimulated by sound, and it was just so comforting to know that none of my friends there in the big friend group were judging me. it was safe to do what i had to do; in fact, it was celebrated!

anyway, i'm feeling really positively about my social experiences today. it was the biggest part of my day and i feel proud of myself for overcoming my biggest fears. it's so funny to me that my body reacts to seeing a friend the same way it would react if i was being attacked by a lion; the nervous system is a funny thing, but i'm glad it wants to keep me safe!

other accomplishments:

i didn't cancel work even though i really, really wanted to. i showed up and did my job, which shows that i can trust myself to get things done when i need to!

improvements to make:

i need to set clear goals so that my days are easier to navigate, because without clarity i wander pretty aimlessly with the time i have. i will improve this by getting specific about my dreams and desires, and planning my days accordingly!

woo! kind of a long and rambly post today, but it's alright, it's important for me to document. hope everyone is doing wonderfully and taking care of themselves the best they can!

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pentechnics · 2 years

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Here Comes the Rain

Chapter 17 of Of Love and Time

Summary: As the rain falls on the world around you both to wash away the last of your woes, after having to keep your feelings closed away for so long, your love has come back to you.

Pairing: Din Djarin x f!teacher!Reader

Series Content: teacher/parent AU, fluff, slow burn, lots of mutual pining, mild sexual tension, mentions of past trauma (tagged in detail for specific chapters), depictions of violence (nothing explicit, no gore), angst, a dash of hurt/comfort, angst with a happy ending, Grogu is at the equivalent age of a human 4-year-old and can speak

Notes: Here we are, my loves. The final chapter of the main story. And yes, I did cry while I wrote it. Words can't describe how I'm feeling right now. This fic is my entire heart and soul, it's the one that started this whole shebang, and so many of you have been avidly supporting it since the very beginning. And so so many of you have just found it and continue to give it so much love!! No matter when you joined the fam, I can't tell you all how much I appreciate you with words alone!

Now, I've said this before but I'm gonna say it again: I'm not done with these two! While their main story is now wrapped up, I still plan to write more snippets from Din's POV, and I am always welcome to asks about these two. Don't be shy sending those my way, okay?

Also, it never occurred to me that I haven't shared this fic's theme song with you all. It's right here. I can't find this version anywhere else but it's this one specifically lol. From beginning to end, this song has been one of the main driving forces of the narrative. So listen, think about them, and enjoy!

I love you all so so SO much and I really hope you enjoy this chapter! Thank you all again for coming with me on this ride, it has truly been one to remember! ❤️

~~~~

‘Of course! So happy he’s okay. Excited to see you.’

Din had spent much of the night in Grogu’s room, ensuring he slept through at least the first half of it.

The rest of it was spent staring at that message, imagining the way your eyes shined when you told him the good news. He couldn’t wait to see you.

When the light of a new day finally began to seep through the window, Din looked up to find an overcast morning outside: several gray clouds, some darker than others, coated the sky in every which hue they had to offer, many threatening to spill their moisture. He suited up in a flurry, running to gather himself before making his way downstairs.

As usual, Fennec was already up.

“You look like you’re in a rush,” she chortled. “I thought you didn’t have work today.”

“I don’t,” Din said. When he told her he was going to see you, Fennec grinned.

“Good. We’ll look after Grogu.”

“Swear you’ll call if he needs me,” he said, voice dropping an octave while he pointed a gloved finger at her. Fennec waved it off.

“Yeah, yeah, for sure, just go.”

With one last glance down at himself, Din made his way out of the house and ignited his jetpack.

~~~~

You hardly slept the night before. Receiving that message from Din sent a wave of anxiety through you. But not a negative one – no, this was the type of anxiety that came before something exciting. Some sort of thing or event that was taking much too long to start happening. It reminded you of how you felt before Grogu’s birthday party: impatient, happy, and hopeful.

When the grayed-out daybreak hit your room, you decided you were done waiting. You got out of bed and washed up in a flash, throwing on the first clothes you could find and making your way downstairs. Sure, Din’s house was twenty minutes away, but if you walked fast enough you could be there in ten.

You flew down the stairs, your heart already flying out of your chest at the notion of seeing Din. Nothing was going to stop you this time, and the freedom of that knowledge was overwhelming.

You threw on your shoes just as the sound of rain hitting the roof reached your ears. You flung your door open, only to stop dead in your tracks.

As the cool morning air bit painfully at the skin of your exposed cheeks and hands, your breath coming out in visible puffs, the smell of moist terrain penetrating your nose, a sudden heat surged through your veins.

Din was standing at the tip of your walkway just beneath your porch steps, a hand behind his back while the other hung limp at his side. Rain cascaded down every curve of his helmet, pools of it dampening his cape and flight suit, but he didn’t bother to move from his position.

“H-” you let out a laugh. “How long have you been here?”

“Just got here,” he said, “Did you really think I was going to waste any more ti- wait-!”

You cut him off by flinging yourself off the steps towards him. He caught you with a grunt, arms coming around to hold you against his chest. He spun you around, securing his grip on you. You hardly registered the fact that his armor was poking at your chest, or that its collected moisture was soaking through your clothes on impact; you squeezed your arms tighter around his neck.

One of his hands came to rest on the back of your head, the other keeping its firm hold on your middle. His modulated sigh vibrated against your eardrum. It was pleasing, like a gentle caress.

Time was lost on you; all you could focus on was the fact that Din was here, and you were finally in his arms. You buried your face into his damp shoulder, relishing in how his body heat rose above it and thawed your frozen nose.

“Shit, you must be freezing,” he said, “I can feel your face through the suit!”

You laughed out loud, letting him set you down. You didn’t hesitate to grab him by the hand before leading him inside; he removed his drenched cape before dropping it onto the porch and following you. You laughed at the squelching sound it made.

The two of you walked into the living room and settled on the couch. Din nodded at your outfit: a pair of leggings and the first sweater you could reach in your closet.

“Were you seriously going to walk all the way in just that? In this weather?”

“You didn’t think I was going to waste any more time either, did you?” you asked through another laugh.

He chuckled and shook his head before letting out a sigh.

“I, um-” He cut himself off and cleared his throat, moving his gaze to his hand and bringing it around to reveal an ornate brown box.

“I have something for you.”

You furrowed your brow as confusion, elation, and wonder mixing together in your head. You glanced between him and the box before he placed it in your lap.

“Go on.”

You gulped and looked down at the box, stomach alive with tangling vines as you slowly lifted the lid. You gasped and pressed your hand to your mouth when the object was revealed:

A single, glowing purple amulet.

You turned to Din, who was already holding the other one up from where it was strung around his neck.

“Wha- y-” you scrambled to find words, your brain recalling the small shop and the story you’d heard all too rapidly. “The Ugnaught sold them to you?”

“He did,” Din tucked his amulet back underneath his cowl. “When I went back he actually already had them behind the counter, said he knew I’d be back for them eventually.”

“That’s kind of cryptic,” you said with a grin.

Din shrugged and held out his hand.

“May I?”

You nodded and gave him the box, turning around so he could put it on for you. Your breath hitched as he eventually reached around your head, arms now devoid of gauntlets and gloves. The small caress of his skin on the back of your clammy neck set you aflame.

“There.”

You touched the amulet that now sat just below your collar bone, turning back around as you admired it.

“Thank you, Din,” you whispered, “It’s beautiful.”

You looked up and stared into his visor, warmth rippling from your system.

“Listen, I need to tell you something-”

“Wait,” Din held up a hand to stop you. “I think you’ll want to… see me, before you say that.”

Your jaw dropped. Was he… he couldn’t be serious.

“Din, you don’t have to do that-”

“We’re way past that point, Missy.” he gave an exasperated tilt of his helmet. “I’ve… I’ve been wanting to do this.”

You couldn’t help the way your heart squeezed at his words. You bit your lip and took one of his hands into yours.

“I’m touched,” you said, “I really don’t know what to say.”

It was true. You’d been wondering to yourself what those eyes might look like, but no clear picture ever made its way into your head. And now you were about to see them.

He was about to show them to you.

Your throat began to dry out, your hands suddenly damp with sweat instead of rainwater.

“Do-um…” Din paused and scratched his neck before putting his palms out.

“Give me your hands.”

His words were wobbly. If you were falling apart inside, you couldn’t even imagine what it was like for him. You nodded and placed your hands into his waiting ones, letting him guide them up to the sides of his helmet. You swallowed thickly and tried to take a deep breath, steadying your hands as much as your nerves would let you.

With Din’s hands on top of yours, you began to pull upward.

A small hiss sounded through the living room just before the beskar began to give way. The helmet was heavy, even with Din supporting part of its weight. More and more of his true essence came into view the higher it rose.

A rounded chin, pink lips – one plumper than the other – pulled into a tight line, scattered brown stubble. Vaguely familiar from the small glimpse you got of them after Grogu’s party.

The helmet rose higher. Your breaths grew shorter.

Defined cheeks, with bones that jutted out just a bit at the apple. A strong hooked nose, and-

Kriff.

Nothing could’ve prepared you for those eyes.

All the air left your lungs as the rest of the helmet fell away, Din’s gorgeous brown eyes staring into yours, his wavy hair sticking up in a few places, brows pinched together.

Your throat fell apart like scattered sand. All you could do was smile as you stared between each eye, memorizing every little crevice you could find within them.

“Din,” you managed, “You’re…”

You set the helmet down and gently placed your hands on either of his cheeks.

“You’re so beautiful.”

He let out a huff, as if he’d been holding his breath, and a small smile sprouted on his face.

His stunning, stunning face.

You were frozen, your heart ready to burst out of your chest the deeper you stared into his eyes. He stared right back, a dazed sort of excitement aligning his features.

When his gaze trickled lower, something in you snapped.

Time seemed to slow as you leaned up and pressed your lips against his. He sharply inhaled through his nose before a hand came up to the back of your head, gently pressing you closer. His lips were soft against yours, warm and welcoming. You ran your thumbs across his cheeks before situating your hands on his shoulders. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss, his other arm coming to rest on your waist.

Your entire body and soul were exploding with affection, wanting desperately to pour it all into him from your lips. The heat he emitted wasn’t helping, instead serving to make you dizzy. The sensation made you smile against him.

When you broke the kiss to come up for air, you stared at his now flushed face. He was all the more beautiful like this: disheveled features and heaving breaths, dilated eyes, a beautiful pink sheen on his nose and cheeks.

“I love you, Din,” you said, the words tumbling out of you without a second thought. “I love you so much. I am terrified, I have no idea what I’m doing, but I swear I’m going to love you with everything I am.”

Din’s adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes widening at your words. He blinked his now glossy eyes and took a sharp breath, hands coming up to cup your cheeks in his hands. He brought your face closer until his forehead could rest against yours. It blazed onto your skin, but you couldn’t help leaning in.

“I love you, my dear.” he said, voice cracking. “And I’m so fucking proud of you.”

He pulled you in for another kiss. This one deeper, more urgent, filled with the almost unbearable weight of his love. You fell into his embrace and wrapped your arms around his neck, desperately trying to give that same weight in return.

His arms closed you in, holding you impossibly close. He engulfed your senses; all you could feel, think, or smell was Din. And you never wanted that to change. You pressed yourself even further into him, refusing to let even the slightest bit of distance find its way between you.

You could’ve stayed right there forever. And now, nothing could stop you from doing just that.

~~~~

Grogu plopped down one stair at a time, rubbing away the sleep from his eyes. He stretched his arms up just as a yawn protruded from his mouth. When he reached the kitchen, Fennec picked him up and plopped him onto the counter.

“You ready for breakfast, little man?” Boba asked from his position at the stove. Grogu gave him a nod and looked around.

“Where’s Papa?”

“He went to go tell Miss he loves her,” Fennec said with a casual sip of her caf.

“Wait… Really?” Grogu’s eyes went wide, his jaw dropping and ears perking up. Fennec nodded.

“FInally,” he cried, “it took him so long!”

Fennec and Boba laughed.

As breakfast was served, the three of them moved to the dining area to eat. In the middle of his meal, Grogu looked up with a contemplative expression.

“Uncle Boba, does this mean Miss is gonna come live with us?”

He choked back a laugh while Fennec gave Grogu a smile.

“Well,” Boba started, “I’m sure we can talk to them about that at some point.”

Grogu nodded in satisfaction and went back to his meal.

“It’d be so much fun for Miss to live here. Then Papa can tell her he loves her whenever he wants!”

Boba bit his lip and looked at Fennec, giving her a pouty face.

“He’s so cute,” he whispered, “I can’t take it!”

~~~~

‘Let’s get married. Here. Tonight.’

Din pulled you in closer to his chest as the credits began to roll, giving you a wide-eyed glance.

“Wait, are they seriously going to?” he asked. You giggled and squeezed his hand.

“You’ll have to watch and find out!”

Din’s armor was now fully removed, giving you access to poke at his side. The two of you had been settled on the couch watching Parks and Rec for at least two hours, the rain still providing your ears with its backdrop. Conversations were had in between, along with many additional shows of affection. Your lips were swollen from how much he’d been kissing you all morning. But you wouldn’t trade that feeling for anything.

The next episode rolled on and the two of you watched Leslie and Ben frantically pull a wedding together.

“I feel like our wedding would be like that,” Din said, “We’d just decide it’s going to happen one day.”

Your brow jumped up as a small wave of shock flew through your system. You looked at him.

“Wow, you’re already thinking about that?”

“Of course,” he said as if it were obvious, turning to look at you. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I wasn’t wasting any more time.”

Warmth engulfed your chest as you looked into his eyes. No more guessing what was hiding there – now you could see the honest, devoted, loving gaze that accompanied his words. You leaned in and gave him a soft kiss.

“I like that.”

The two of you returned your attention to the wedding just in time for Jamm to throw his second stink bomb.

“Except we won’t have anyone like that guy remotely near it,” Din scoffed. You laughed.

“It’s weird,” he went on, “their universe seems so simple. Their problems seem… small. But ever since I came to this planet, I feel like the problems here are just like theirs.”

“It does take some getting-used-to,” you said with a nod. “I felt so strange for the longest time when I first came here. Being on constant alert and always on the run, it becomes a habit.”

He nodded and ran his finger up and down your arm.

“How long did it take for you to adjust?”

“A while,” you shifted to get a better view of him. “For the first few years I was still pretty alert wherever I went. Sometimes it just felt too good to be true, you know? Like all of this newfound safety could just disappear in the blink of an eye.”

His brow scrunched as he gulped. He must still be thinking that himself. You gave his hand another squeeze.

“But the more I worked, and the more I guaranteed safety to the kids and their families, the realer it felt. And at work I feel like I have a part in that, like if something bad were to happen that I’d have the power to do something about it. I don’t know if that makes sense,” you shrugged.

“Perfect sense,” Din said, slouching a bit more into the couch. “That… that really helps.”

You smiled and snuggled into his side. When your eyes returned to the holofeed, Ron and Leslie were about to walk into the Parks office. You glanced at Din’s face as Donna began to sing and Leslie walked down the aisle. You felt his chest rise as he let out a small gasp, a sweet smile making his cheeks pop out.

How lucky, you thought, how lucky am I that I get to see this.

The scene went on with Ben and Leslie saying their vows, followed by music and gifts. The surrounding flowers caught your eye and made you gasp as a memory resurfaced in your mind. You rose into a full sitting position and stared at Din.

“That plant in the garden,” you started, “it bloomed!”

“Oh-” his eyes went wide with recognition. “Yeah, I saw it!”

“Saw it?” you asked, “when?”

“Last time I was here, I stopped at the garden on the way home. That’s actually when I decided to go buy the necklaces, too,” he let out a little chuckle.

“How funny,” You shook your head.

The two of you settled back down and finished the episode. This one had always been a favorite of yours; the ending satisfied the suspense, and left behind a honey-sweet feeling of warmth. You let out a breath through your nose and sank into it.

As the credits rolled, Din sat up straight.

“Wait, you said you’d tell me when it bloomed!”

“I just did,” you said, putting on an innocent face.

“You know what I mean, Missy,” he gave you a playful glare.

“It’s not like I didn’t want to,” you said with a shrug. “Plus, you didn’t say anything, either!”

The two of you continued your back and forth, eventually falling into laughter. It was surreal to see Din laugh – you’d heard it a few times, but it was always masked, filtered, hindered by his helmet or by other sounds around you. And now not only did you get to hear his pure, uninterrupted joy, but you also got to see its evidence in his features: little crinkles beside his eyes, a small dimple on one of his cheeks, and a big, beautiful smile that made your heart flip flop in your chest.

Having access to all of Din would be an adjustment – one for which you were more than ready.

~~~~

Epilogue: One year later…

After the last student gave you a handshake, you rose from your spot at the gate and looked out to the courtyard, smiling as a familiar helmet came into view. Din walked forward and took your hands in his, giving them a squeeze.

“How was your day?” he asked, voice low and soft.

“Good!” you said as you led him inside the gate by the hand. “And yours?”

“Fine,” he shrugged. “Fixed up another droid.”

“Look at you, droid expert in the making!” you said with a smirk, buffing him with your shoulder. He chuckled.

“I’ll go get Grogu – meet you after?”

“Yeah, come to the classroom. I still need to finish up a few things.”

He nodded and gave your hand a squeeze before walking towards Grogu’s classroom, where Din now waited just outside the door for him.

You were sitting at your desk when the two of them walked in just minutes later, Grogu throwing his backpack on the ground and making an immediate beeline for you.

“What did you do today, bud?” you asked after wrapping him up in your arms.

“We did lots of math today,” he said, “It was hard but I liked it!”

“That’s awesome!”

You booped his nose before letting him go and returning to your tasks. Din had taken a seat on the other side of your desk. You grinned at the sight as check-in memories flashed through your mind.

“Do you have any meetings today?” he asked.

“Nope,” you said as your fingers glid over the datapad, “Just need to send out a few things, and then I’m all yours for the weekend.”

“I like the sound of that,” he said, his voice laced with a sultry hum that had heat rushing into your face. You stopped typing mid-word to gawk at him.

He gave a small shrug. You scoffed and shook your head.

“You’ll just take any chance to talk like that, won’t you?” you leaned in to whisper, “Even in front of Grogu.”

“Hey, we both know you wouldn’t have it any other way, Missy.”

You tried to bite down your grin as you stared him down, searching your mind for a suitable retort. You leaned forward and rested your elbows on the desk.

“And what makes you think it’ll be easy to get me?” you asked, a teasing glint in your tone. He matched your movement and rested a gauntlet on the wooden surface, his helmet now invading your space.

“Oh, I have my ways,” he rasped, “and you know they’ll work.”

You tried to ignore the shiver sent down your spine as you leaned back and returned your attention to your datapad.

“We’ll see.”

There it was. A crack in your voice. All Din needed to ease back with a cocky sigh that made your hands ball into fists of playful annoyance.

A knock at your door preceded Gila’s entrance. She greeted Din and Grogu as she approached your desk. “Just picking up your reports,” she said. You smiled and handed her a folder from one of your drawers.

“Can you believe the year’s almost over already?” you asked, “It seems like yesterday I only just met this bunch, and now here you are picking up my last report bundle.”

“Time is whacky like that,” Gila said with a nod. With a few more parting words, she made her way out of the classroom.

“I’m just glad this time around has been better than the last,” Din said. “I still want to punch that guy.”

“I know,” you said, reaching out to place a hand over his gloved one. “But we don’t need to worry about that anymore. Everything this year has been as safe and normal as any other.”

Din’s fingers wrapped around yours and squeezed. His chest rose and fell in slow motion as he released a breath.

You smiled as you recalled the beginning of his ritual of asking about your day. It was laced with a tinge of concern, an alertness that you weren’t expecting. After it went on for those first couple weeks of the new school year, you’d asked him about it.

“I just want to make sure nothing like that happens again,” he’d said. “And… there’s not much else I can do other than ask if it did.”

The sentiment was a warm blanket around your healing soul. Having someone look out for you, who encouraged sharing your burdens – it refreshed you. By then it wasn’t brand new, but after having Din in your life for more than a year it was still something you acknowledged every day.

“Yes, it’s all done!”

Both of your heads turned towards Grogu, who had taken the liberty of decorating your whiteboard with various drawings of all kinds of creatures. Your smile grew as you took it in while he stood before the board with the brightest grin, his little arms pointing out towards it. Banthas, Blurrg, lizard-monkeys, and more of all shapes and colors adorned every free space Grogu could reach. And in the center of it all was a purple Mudhorn.

“Oh that’s wonderful, Grogu, the kids are going to love it!”

Grogu beamed and ran over to Din’s side of the desk, who bent down to give him more praising words.

“Okay, boys, I’m all done,” you said, pressing one final key on the datapad and shutting it down.

Grogu cheered while you collected your things. Din stood and scooped him up before taking your hand with his free one, leading the way out of your classroom.

~~~~

You and Boba were on dinner duty that night, spending at least two hours cooking one of Boba’s signature stews. You tasted a small sample from his offered spoon, humming as its warmth spread through your body, your tongue bursting with its savory and spicy flavors.

“I swear, this stew gets better every time you make it.”

“Like many things, it matures with time.”

You grinned and helped him scoop out each serving before carrying them to the backyard patio.

“Dinner’s ready!” you heard Boba call, followed by three sets of eager footsteps.

When everyone was situated outside with their meals, each of you shared a memory or story from the week. Fennec spoke of a funny incident at work, Boba of helping and befriending a neighbor. Din recalled the droid he fixed coming to life earlier that day and endlessly shaking and beeping with joy.

“It kept following me around,” he said as he took a bite, “I had to babysit it until the owner came back since it wouldn’t stay in the lobby.”

“Oh, come on, it liked you!” you said, “I bet you enjoyed its company.”

Din glared at you through his lashes, but didn’t refute your claim. Boba let out a chuckle before pointing his spoon at Grogu.

“What about you, kiddo,” he said, “What did you do this week?”

Grogu swallowed his mouthful before beginning.

“In class today, we did a lot of math,” he spread his arms out for emphasis. “It was hard, but it was cool! Finn and Rey were really good at it, and Ben got mad because he didn’t get it.”

You chuckled, recalling other instances in which those three had been brought up in Grogu’s stories. Grogu got along great with Finn and Rey, though Ben was a different story. It said a lot that Grogu didn’t even want to invite Ben to his birthday party a couple months prior.

You took a look around as Grogu continued, relishing in the moment. Din was hanging on Grogu’s every word, as were Boba and Fennec.

This was your new normal. It had been for quite some time now, yet it still caught you by surprise. You had dependable, near-constant companionship, and you’d grown so closely with the rest of Din’s little family that somewhere along the way they began to feel like yours as well.

You never thought such connections were still an option for you just a year ago. Yet here you were.

You smiled and continued to listen to Grogu’s tale, taking in more mouthfuls of stew as you did while the slight breeze caressed your face.

“And then- hey, look! A grasshopper!”

Grogu popped out of his seat and ran after the sizeable insect.

“Grogu, no!”

Din’s spoon clattered into his bowl as he rose to follow. You pressed a hand to your mouth to keep your amusement in while Fennec and Boba cheered Grogu on through their laughter.

~~~~

The four of you relaxed with a few board games in the living room after dinner, fits of laughter filling the room. Once Fennec had won yet another round of Heads Up, she and Boba rose from the sofa.

“Okay then, we’re heading out,” Fennec said as she made her way to give Grogu – who was situated in your lap – a hug.

“You two sure you don’t want to join us?” Boba asked. You and Din shook your heads.

“We’re staying in tonight,” Din said, squeezing you closer with the arm he had wrapped around you. You grinned and squeezed Grogu in turn.

Boba nodded before the two took off. You looked down to see Grogu grinning at you, his cheeks popping out like two sweet little cherries.

“Is it time now?” he asked.

“It sure is!”

You set him down and he ran off without a moment to spare. You rose from your spot beside Din, causing him to look at you with confusion.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“You’re gonna love this,” you said with a grin. “Grogu and I planned a little surprise activity for the three of us tonight.”

He glanced around before returning his skeptical, slightly concerned gaze back to you.

Grogu’s giggling announced his return as he scampered back to you with a large box in his arms. Din squinted his eyes to read it before his brows furrowed even further.

“What the hell is Twister?”

“It’s a game!” you said through a laugh. “We’ve been wanting to show it to you for a while, haven’t we, bud?”

“Yeah!”

Grogu put down the box and ran to his father’s side.

“It’ll be so much fun, Papa!”

Din looked at you with an unconvinced gaze. You shrugged and waved him towards you.

“At least give it a try.”

He looked between you and Grogu before releasing a defeated sigh and standing.

“As long as I don’t have to do any actual twisting.”

~~~~

“Right hand, red!”

You and Din scrambled to reach the red dot without moving your other limbs.

This was the third round of Twister, and you and Din were currently sprawled in all directions on the mat while Grogu took on his favorite position: spinning the wheel. Your fingers hardly reached the red circle, while Din’s hand came towering over and covering it with no issue.

“How are you so good at this?” you laughed, trying to keep your twisted torso from collapsing.

“I honestly have no idea,” he breathed with a smile.

“Left foot, yellow!”

You and Din glanced at a giggling Grogu before attempting to follow the direction. You wound up propped into a table position facing upward while Din now had to twist around above you to get to the circle. Just as he nudged your foot with his, you felt the mat slip before crashing down onto your back.

Din’s arm had given out and sent him careening into you, the two of you now a pile of limbs and laughter on the floor.

“What do you think, kid, who won?”

“Miss did, of course!” Grogu threw his hands into the air. “You’re the one that fell, Papa!”

You let out a triumphant ‘ha!’ before giving Din a knowing look. He shook his head with a chuckle and helped you off the floor.

“Okay, pal,” Din turned to face Grogu. “That was the last round. Bedtime.”

Grogu’s ears fell as he looked between you both.

“But this is so fun,” he pouted.

“And we can do more later, but I have to stretch, and you have to sleep.”

His pout only grew as he looked at you for confirmation. You gave him a nod.

“Your eyes are getting heavy, bud, I can see it.”

As if on command, he let out a yawn. Din nodded and scooped him into his arms.

The three of you made your way to Grogu’s room and Din tucked him into the covers. As per your new bedtime routine, you joined Din at the bedside and gave Grogu your hand to hold while Din wrapped his arm around his little frame. The hammock slightly rocked from the movement, making Grogu’s eyes droop.

You couldn’t help smiling. He was too cute when he was sleepy.

Din spoke softly to him and ran a thumb over his arm until he drifted off, a sweet smile forming on his little face. When Din stepped away you came forward and planted a kiss on Grogu’s forehead.

“Sweet dreams, Grogu,” you whispered.

~~~~

When the time came for you and Din to retire as well, he flopped onto the bed beside you with a huff.

“All Twister-ed out?” you giggled.

He responded with a muffled grunt before straightening himself out. You mindlessly twirled your amulet between your fingers while you watched.

Once he settled into a lying position, you took him in: thin white shirt, shorts, his matching amulet resting in the middle of his chest, and his helmetless face that looked calmer with each breath he took. Eyes closed while he stretched his arms into the air before letting them fall to his sides.

All this time, yet he was still a vision. Your heart grew warm and you reached for his hand to hold in yours. He turned to you.

“Everything okay, love?”

Your head still swooned every time he called you that. You smiled.

“Everything’s perfect,” you said as you switched off your lamp and laid down beside him.

Under the darkness, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you in close until your head was resting on his chest. You sighed as his body warmth engulfed you, the firmness of his embrace melting away your worries.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” he whispered.

“Yeah?”

“What if you… moved in full time?”

Your brows rose as you looked up at him.

“Really?”

“I-I mean, if you want to,” he continued, “The weekends you’re here are always the best, and…”

He brought a hand up to cradle your face, his thumb sweeping over the apple of your cheek. “I hate watching you go. I hate waking up without you. This place feels… emptier without you.”

You smiled and leaned into his hand, pure joy drowning your heart with each word he spoke.

“But if it’s too soon or you don’t want to, or if you’d rather we get a different place-”

“Din,” you gently cut him off. “I would love to.”

He blinked a few times as he stared at you, a tiny smile pulling up the corners of his lips.

“... You would?”

“I hate leaving you,” you whispered, running your fingers over where you could feel a small patch of chest hair through his shirt. “All of you have been so wonderful to me, you make me feel like I belong here. I miss you all so much during the time I’m away.”

He let out a cross between a sigh and a huff, his chest deflating. Even through the dark his eyes betrayed relief and joy; you couldn’t look away from them.

“Guess it’s settled, then,” he breathed.

You nodded with a grin before he leaned in for a kiss, which you immediately melted into.

When the two of you settled down to sleep once more, you glanced up.

Above you both, pinned to the wall, was an updated family portrait Grogu had drawn. A scribbled version of you now stood beside him, holding his hand while Din held the other, Boba and Fennec flanking either side.

You gazed at it with a smile before closing your eyes and tucking yourself into Din’s chest, letting your mind wander and comb over how the two of you got to this point.

From the moment you met him, there was a series of walls surrounding you both. Walls that had been built from years of turmoil, mistrust, and pain. And you were surprised to be weaving your way through his as you got to know him.

But the moment you noticed him tearing yours down… it seemed too good to be true. Yet it went on until he was a breath’s distance from you. And now here you both stood, in the rubble of your previous fortresses, adding each other to the foundation of a new structure that would house the future: the good, bad, and every moment in between.

Now, you’d face the galaxy together, and protect each other.

Now, you had love and time on your side.

****

as always, if you enjoyed this, please support your content creators with reblogs! ✨

#the mandalorian #the mandalorian fanfiction #din djarin #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian x reader #grogu #fluff #of love and time

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suugrbunz · 4 months

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hi anna!! i heard mota ships and came running 🏃🏃 so could i get a ship for that?

uhhh lets see i'm a pretty stereotypical enfj, so the mom friend in most of my friend groups haha i'm pretty quiet around people i don't know very well but boy if we're good friends i will absolutely talk your ear off!! i'm pretty empathetic and have a tendency to take on other people's negative emotions as my own which definitely leads to some long nights for me 😐 besides that i have a lot of hobbies, so i read a lot, do a buttload of writing (or at least i like to think i actually write) and i love listening to music! i'm in two bands as a guitar player/vocalist which is a lot of fun :) oh and when it comes to my looks, i have dark blue hair, pretty much dress like a depressed grandma, and am way too tall lol oh and then i'm currently getting a international relations degree! so if anyone talks to me about international politics i will go insane 😂

okay hopefully that's enough! this is so fun that you're doing the mota ships i'm super excited to see what you come up with ✨✨

ok based on what we know of the characters as of episode two!! I am going to ship you with (drumroll please)

︵‿୨Gale "Buck" Cleven୧‿︵

dude hows it feel to be shipped with the main character like if this were some canon ship, you'd be that blonde dame at the start. hows it feel to be her? but also on a funny note I hope you find his character attractive otherwise this is so awkward

yk what? you two met because our man fell in love with that voice of yours, perhaps you were singing an ella fitzgerald song and it just had him smitten because who doesn't love ella fitzgerald??

i feel like I managed to make that about Ella (yeah sure I'm on a first name basis with her, idk, I'm writing this at 2am, I might be a bit sleep deprived since I'm recovering from a flu) and not you... man may not dance with women, but he's enjoying some good music

he'll sit in a crowd whilst you sing, lazing around, but so smitten with you + happy to say he's yours (vice versa)

like his eyes just linger on you

like mmm yes love that's the emotion in his eyes

first date?

uh, well, how about just hanging out at a pub or something casual...like you two can chill, eat, and talk.

sounds like a plus to me

marriage?

we'll get there one day, just not today

first kiss?

I bet he's so fucking smooth about it

he just seems smooth about that

or maybe he's not

he doesn't dance...with women

Or drink alcohol

has anyone checked if he's mennonite or like puritan?

no but let's say he is really smooth about kissing, your first kiss will occur after some date, his hand just gently cups your face and he pulls you into a tender kiss

i feel like hes really touchy

just loves to hold hands

hug

whatever else people do

you can read your writing to him and he'd be so calmed by it

probably is a bit interested in your degree? not sure how often he'd bring it up, probably doesn't want to get you heated by the topic

but like he definitely knows the quickest route to annoy you

Being the mom friend, you might feel the need to take care of other airmen who serve with your... lover (if...this is a more canon era type of ship)

Feel free to do so!! :D

They're gonna end up scarred so like

go for it boo

oh song yeah so what's your song uh

Till there was you - Etta Jones 𖹭

(Feel free to ask for another ship when the series ends to see if I change my mind based on further character development)

#masters of the air #masters of the air ships #hbo war

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cielospeaks · 2 months

Text

game stuff (compiled. and no its not positive lol)

-go:

bruh a real one step forward five million steps back moment fr. we had samurai remnant (fun and enjoyable crossover event. only downside is only now i find out robot mozart and yui have the same voice actor and i aquiesced to not rolling her bc she wouldnt come home and now i am full of regret. tho to be fair robot mozart happened long after the event lol), valentines (awesome new servant! andromeda is cute and i feel completely neutral but not negative on the take on her character! charon was cool too), and white day (usually i am so irritated at the cut ins but charly is so good natured and honest i cant be mad at him. he just feels like the good energetic boy coming in to check on you every morning. and cyrano is just so peak -pacha meme- the rest of the cast was wonderful too). but then. oh then. you had to just fucking do main story stuff. like yea sure some cringily fanservice power level edge thing with d antes and j alter is inevitable and whatever. but bring sal into it??????? only to not give him fucking anything????? and then permanently delete him, lobo, and any other half tolerable avenger (angra ig. or kuroe?) bc the edgey op fanservice characters need their wangst. ugh. the plot isnt even out but i imagine its something like- sal is typecast into himself and hates every second of it, moz bullies him bc its moz and the feeling is mutual, but evil marie takes advantage of it and him and the fandom reads it as cute. same w d antes or j alter and him. im so done w their reaction to the trio it makes me just disgusted. if the two of them treated him better id be more on board but they dont. just bc sal believes theyre on the same wavelength doesnt mean its some cute fluffy nonsense you can just slice of life. i think it cuts personal bc ive believed to be on the same wavelength of others and thats why im so fucked up today is bc of what happened there. and above all i dont want sal to have to go through that sort of suffering, esp on top of all his other suffering.

also if i had a nickel for every time a fictional somewhat m arie a ntoinette has ruined the life of my favorite dead composer character i would have two nickles which is weird that it happened twice.

speaking of which

-dv:

this is the positives girls. antonio traumerei!!!!!! love love love. oh my gosh. it looks beautiful and antonio is beautiful. traumerei is such a good fit for him, it reminds me of the schumann song which reminds me of jack and rikudou. good vibes infinite immaculate vibes.

ricky seems to not be dead. i am so hoping hes secretly a ghost. like imagine if hes in the like reconstructed research vessel and then at the end is like "lol im not exactly alive lol" like that poke mon episode. i would lose it. tho if hes like cursed or something it makes me think of that kingdom hearts scene which i also find really funny.

mystery maid: aztec treasure eh

ghost sail ricky: aye

but all memes aside i hope he exclusively talks to inference or violetta bc they are easily the characters i can stand the most of the confirmed cast. i will get so disappointed if its just rehashed main story plot, esp bc i really dont like their interactions there. and violeta is so cute in this pls let them interact.

#i just gotta get the negativity out bc honestly its been a very good time everything else wise #also just psa if you are a person looking at this blog. please dont like posts do not interact with anything. this is personal for a reason #even if its literally just shitposts do not.#gameblogging

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prince-rowan-of-the-forest · 10 months

Text

To Make a Heaven of Hell (5/?)

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Virgil gets coffee and helps a few souls. He's really settled nicely into the Hellp desk setting.

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Chapter warnings: talk of religious indoctrination, homophobia and racism for the second soul Virgil is talking to, a tiny bit of negative perception about therapy for the third.

Notes:

Honestly this chapter went in like four different directions than where I thought it would, and ended up around 3k words. Aside from the very end, this is almost entirely filler. I don't know where this came from.

Picani just pushed his way into this plot and I'll tell you guys now I have absolutely no idea how to write him so y'all are in for an OOC t r e a t. (I'm probably not going to actually write him talking that much LOL)

I know what I'm doing with the plot I swear~

----

About a week passed before Virgil was able to finally get his bearings. At least enough to feel comfortable exploring and less terrified of talking to anyone who wasn’t Judy or Lily. Up until that point he’d been terrified of getting lost, the space was so massive and unfamiliar that he had no idea how to find his way. Up until now he’d made a point of asking to walk with Lily or one of the others when going over to Hell or back to Lily’s Paradise. He’d also finally been tasked to visit the coffee shop in the main hallway along with Angel - whom he’d hidden behind when someone who he was fairly certain was a greek goddess came over to start a conversation.

Luckily, he’d made it out of that encounter alive, with only a little light teasing from Angel and a sweet monstrosity of an iced coffee that had gotten him a side-eye from both Angel and the barista and a nod of approval from the person stood beside them waiting - a person with leaf green skin and bird wings who Virgil was pretty sure was some flavour of fae.

“You know,” Angel said as they walked back towards Hell, holders full of coffee cups and bags of pastries in hand, “I didn’t peg you for a - how much cream is in that again?”

“A lot,” Virgil answered, vaguely.

“A guy who has enough fucking cream and caramel in their iced coffee to kill a faerie,” Angel finished. rolling His eyes, Virgil took a long sip of his coffee through the straw, just to make a point.

“Well normal coffee tastes too bitter.” He said with a shrug, “Besides I could never get this stuff in the mortal world, and the Common Grounds coffee is amazing.”

She shrugged, laughing “Well if that’s what you like, I think you’d get on really well with my brother - you have very similar coffee tastes.”

“Your brother?” Virgil asked as they turned into the entrance to Hell and began down the stairs. It was odd how much this had stopped bothering him in such a short time.

“Oh! Right! You haven’t met Roman yet, have you? The other twin.” Angel said, glancing at him before looking back at the coffees to make sure they didn’t spill.

Virgil frowned, thinking for a second, he’d met… a lot of people, in the last week, “i don’t think so, no.”

Angel groaned, “Me and Remus have been trying to persuade him to get up here to come meet you, but he doesn’t like coming to the lobby. I’m sure you’ll meet him eventually.”

“It’s fine,” Virgil nods his head to wave her off though his hands are full, “He’s welcome to hide away if he wants, less faces for me to remember.”

Laughing, Angel placed down her holders and bags on the desk, already handing out the coffees to their recipients. Virgil followed her lead and did the same before taking his croissant and flopping into his new chair behind the desk.

“How’s my favourite Emo today?” Said an annoying voice Virgil had become used to especially in the last few days. Remus came around the back of his chair and plucked his coffee cup from his hand, hopping up - though ae didn’t have to hop far, ze was almost seven feet tall. Virgil just watched with a slightly irritated look on his face as Remus removed the lid of his coffee and took a sip, before making a face.

“Ew,” Remus huffed, passing the cup back, Virgil rolled their eyes, “Your coffee order stinks, dude.”

“Thanks,” Virgil said, putting the lid back ond drinking enough that he almost choked all while maintaining eye contact, “What are you doing here, anyway?”

Remus grinned brightly, showing all his jaggedly sharp teeth, “I’m going up to the Front Death-k! The cute nerd said he had sugar cookies for me, just thought I’d stop by and see my favouite Emo on the way, heh?”

“Remus,” Lily sighed, having just finished dealing with a soul, “You know they don’t like you going up there.”

“What? Because I scare a few souls?” Remus groaned dramatically, “I think they should get over themselves, I’m going to see Logan whether they like me or not.”

“Logan?” Virgil asked, perking up at the name he recognised.

“That’s what I said, aint it?” Remus turned back to him, “You know ‘im?”

Virgil hesitated for a second, frowning, “Yeah uh- he was- the one I talked to when I got here?”

“Neat,” Remus said, “Want me to tell him you said hi?”

For a moment, Virgil actually considered asking if he could go up with Remus and say hi himself. Eventually he chickened out and just nodded. He didn’t want to get in the way of Remus’ flirting.

“Coolio,” Remus huffed, hopping back off the desk with a grin and starting to walk away with a wave “See you round Emo!”

Virgil waited until Remus was out of earshot, before turning to the Hellp Desk’s intern - Dante - who he’d met two days ago, “Do you think he even actually knows my name?”

“I think you’ve actually been renamed ‘emo’,” Dante shrugged, “Whether he knows your name or not doesn’t matter.”

—-

“Hey!” Yelled someone from the other side of the desk. Virgil sipped his coffee, not looking up from his phone and trying not to smile as he ignored her. She snapped her fingers next to his ear, but other than flinching slightly at the noise, he remained resolute. Tumblr wasn’t exactly a thing in the afterlife, but they did have pretty cool social media - nothing like the mortal bullshit, too. And right now he was texting Sharkie, so Karen could wait.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” She yelled, clapping her hands, Virgil just hummed, putting on a confused face.

‘Hey can you hear that?’ He texted to Sharkie - who sat a few desks away, they started cackling, ‘sounds like theres a bug in here or something, can’t quite tell’. He took special effort to angle their phone so that Karen could see the text. She scoffed, and went to say something else before being interrupted.

“Hey Vee!” Sharkie called, “You need me to call pest control? You’ve got a big one there!”

The woman made a noise of great offence, slamming her hand down on the desk, “I have never felt more disrespected in my life! How dare you-”

Sharkie walked over and sprayed her in the face with a spritz bottle of what Virgil was pretty sure was just water, but she screamed and started jumping around as though she’d just been sprayed with acid.

“Begone, pest!” Sharkie yelled, Virgil laughed, waving her off as she ran towards the stairs. Both of them burst into fits of giggles once she was gone.

“Good one,” Sharkie told him, offering a high five which Virgil returned quickly.

—-

“I’m not supposed to be here,” Said the perky middle aged woman in front of him. He could practically picture on the PTA stirring up shit.

“Sure,” Virgil said, “Except, you are.”

“I’n not, though.”

“You are,” Virgil nodded, glancing at her bright pink file. It almost hurt his eyes to look at for too long, “Your file’s here.”

“Well then clearly something’s wrong with the system,” She rolled her eyes, “Because I’m not supposed to be here! I was a religious studies teacher! I helped those poor misguided children back down the path of God-”

“Dude you taught at a diverse school,” Virgil rolled his eyes as he slipped his fingers between the pages of the file - the information download was a little overwhelming, but useful, “And you didn’t actually teach shit, you just tried to force a bunch of kids to pray to a god they didn’t believe in, and even the ones who did believe in your god didn’t want to join in your racist and homophobic prayers most of the time, fucking hell.”

“I was just trying to lead these lost children down the right path! What’s so wrong with that?” She practically whined. Virgil must have made a face, because Danta poked his arm.

“Hey Vee, pull the lever, trust me,” Dante whispered to him as the woman fumed - now about being ignored.

Virgil raised an eyebrow at him, but reached over to pull the lever anyway. He gasped in delight when the floor opened beneath her and she fell with a squeal of terror.

“Ooh,” Lily said from across the desk, “A squealer, nice trapdoor!”

“Was that your first trapdoor?” Penny asked, looking excited as Virgil nodded, “It’s cool, right? Dante made the lever for us.”

“It’s great,” Virgil said, glancing back as the floor closed back up, “I think every customer service desk should have a trapdoor to dunk those who displease you.”

“Oh aboolutely,” Lily nodded, picking up her book again. Virgil took a deep breath, preparing to deal with the man approaching his desk. This should be so much easier now that he had the trapdoor at his disposal.

—-

“Hi welcome to hell this is the hellp… desk… oh-” Virgil said staring wide eyed at the sould in front of him. She looked barely older than fifteen, and seemed to be nearly vibrating out of her skin with sheer panic. Virgil immediately felt like his lungs and heart were being crushed, because God knows he’d been there, many, many times.

Her file appeared on the desk, but when Virgil glanced at it - not taking a look inside, it felt weirdly like intruding, in this particular situation - he saw that she was only going to level one. Virgil glanced quickly around - because surely one of the others would be better equipped for this - but there were only three of them there today, including Virgil, and everyone else was busy.

Alright, he could handle this. Just fine.

Quickly he darted around the desk to the girl, who seemed to be trying very hard to stutter her way through… something, though Virgil could tell she could barely breathe.

“Hey,” Virgil said, trying to get her attention, “Okay, I’m definitely not qualified for this, but I need you to breathe for me while I count, okay?”

She nodded, a little frantic, and Virgil started counting out a rhythm, instructing her to breath in and then out every few counts until she was breathing more evenly, and then for a little longer to make sure she was good.

“Okay,” He said, trying to keep his voice gentle, “How’re you doing?”

“Fi-fine” She mumbled, taking another, deeper breath and quickly brushing away tears, “I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Virgil asked, “I can get you a cup of water, or give you a hug, if you want it.”

He had no idea why he offered that, he usually tried to avoid most physical contact, but it just… felt right, in this situation.

She took a long time to respond, but eventually she said - almost quietly enough that Virgil didn’t hear - “Is… both okay?”

“Yeah,” Virgil said, “Both is good.”

The hug was mostly short lived, but even though she pulled away quickly, it seemed quite reluctant.

“Sorry,” She mumbled, “Your jacket just feels really nice.”

Virgil chuckled, making a split second decision and shrugging it off his shoulders, glad he’d worn a turtleneck today, “Here, borrow it while I grab you some water from the break room.”

“Really?” She asked, hesitantly, though she was already reaching out. No, not really! His mind yelled, that was his jacket, the jacket! He stomped down his rising anxiety quickly and smiled, putting the jacket in her hand. He could part with it for ten minutes, he’d get it back, and besides, it was just Hell, he’d been here almost every day for two weeks, no big deal.

“I’ll be right back,” He said, as she put on his jacket like a blanket - without putting her arms in the sleeves. It went down to her mid thigh. She visibly relaxed and Virgil smiled, she definitely needed it more than him right now.

—-

“Level one isn’t bad, you know,” Virgil said quietly as she sipped the water he’d given her, “It’s just therapy.”

She tensed up again, “But… doesn’t it mean I’m… bad? Only bad girls go to Hell-”

Virgil shook his head so violently that she stopped talking, a shocked look on her face, “No, definitely not - I’ve… been here two weeks, so I’m not - definitely not the most knowledgable about the system, but the lower levels - especially one and two - aren’t for bad people, they’re for… healing, for people who’ve done bad things and regret it, and people who just need a bit of help, it doesn’t mean you’re… bad.”

She took a deep breath, “But… it’s therapy.”

“Yeah?” Virgil said, slightly confused by that, “They’re going to help you, that’s what it’s… for.”

“I’ve been to therapy before,” She said quietly, “And it wasn’t like that.”

“Oh…” Virgil said, he’d never been to therapy - though he admittedly probably needed to - but he’d certainly heard horror stories from friends who had bad therapists, “This - won’t be anything like what you’ve experienced before, I promise, the people here are really here to help you, and that’s it.”

“You’re sure?” She asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Virgil nodded, before frowning as a thought crossed his mind, “One second.”

He quickly ducked away, hurrying over to where Lily was dealing with some soul who didn’t seem important enough to bother with, “Hey Lily?”

“Yeah?” She asked, looking up with a raised eyebrow.

“I’ve um, got a soul, are we… allowed to walk with them to their level?” Virgil asked quietly, “She’s just level one - I was also wondering…. If they did walk-ins?”

Lily smiled, a smile that was knowing, and kind, “Yes, to both your questions, good luck,”

Virgil nodded, returning to his desk and picking up the girl’s file, before turning and offering it to her, she simply stared him down. “Wha-?”

“It’s yours to share, I didn’t look at it,” Virgil told her, before she carefully took it, he took a deep breath, “Would you like me to walk you to level one?”

Once again she took a long time to respond, but eventually she nodded, “Yeah uh - I think I’d like that.”

“Neat,” Virgil said, taking a deep breath, he was totally prepared to walk down to level one of Hell, and get this girl to therapy, and maybe ask for therapy himself, without his jacket, “Lets go, then.”

She nodded firmly, clutching her file tight and almost burying herself in Virgil’s jacket, and followed his lead towards the tunnel that would take them down to level one and two. He hoped he didn’t look as nervous as he felt. In the two weeks he’d been here so far - he’d been keeping track, dutifully, in a notebook - he’d never once gone further than the Lobby.

Lily and Judy had explained the levels of Hell to him, and told him how to get to each one. They’d also told him about the demonic levels - training levels, admin levels, residential levels - but it had mostly just flown over his head, he’d been a little overwhelmed by all the information at the time. Besides, he was still just slightly terrified that he’d get stuck if he came down here. Right now, though, he was resolutely not worrying about that.

When they arrived after what seemed like an eternity, though, they were approached by an extremely friendly looking demon. He had pastel pink skin and horns that resembled a buffalo, though they were decorated with twines of flowers that also decorated his rose-gold hair - tied back in a thick braid. He wore wire-frame glasses that seemed to be struggling to hold onto his pointed ears, and his eyes behind them were an inviting shade of blue. Not to mention the way his tail ended in a plume of darker pink fur, rather than the pointed tails he’d mostly seen on demons so far.

“Hi! Welcome to level one!” He said with a grin, doing jazz hands as though he were announcing a show, "New arrivals?”

Virgil clammed up, in that moment, a lump formed in his throat that was so familiar, yet he hadn’t felt it in the last few days - not once while dealing with the souls at the desk, but as soon as it really mattered.

“Just me,” The girl said after a long pause, hesitantly offering her file to the demon, “Um, he just walked me down from the… the Hellp Desk?”

“Oh neato!” He smiled, offering her a hand to shake, “Well I’m Emile Picani, and I’m in charge down here on level one! it’s absolutely freakin’ fantastic to meet you! Give me a tick and I’ll see who can take you from here, kay?”

She nodded and took a relieved breath with a smile as Emile hurried off, glancing back at Virgil and slowly slipping off the jacket before offering it back.

“Thank you for your help…” She said, trailing off at the end of her sentence, Virgil realised after a second of staring that she was waiting for his name.

“Oh- Virgil,” He said, taking his jacket with a sigh of relief of his own, “I’m happy to help…?”

“Linda,” She said with a smile, as Emile hurried back over with another equally friendly - though calmer looking - demon in tow, “See you round?”

“Seeya,” He nodded with a chuckle and a solute as the second demon waved her over and they began to walk off. She turned and soluted back at him.

Virgil smiled, taking a deep breath. He’d ask about therapy another time, probably, this was definitely enough stress for one day.

Where he’d expected to turn and go, however, he found that Emile was still hanging around, watching him almost as though he expected something. Virgil frowned and tilted his head, one eyebrow raised in question. The demon laughed.

“So,” He said, taking a few steps closer, “You’re the new kid at the Hellp Desk? I’ve been hoping to meet you since I heard there was someone new! Virgil, was it?”

----

General tags: @full-of-roman-angst-trash @reptilianrapscallion420 @your-local-random-dino @cutebisexualmess @glacierruler @roseianxiety @bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti (if anyone wants to be added, let me know!)

Hell's Belles AU tags: @awitchbravestheverge @twoalpacas @goldnskyart @anxious-mess19 @doteddestroyer :)

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#sanders sides #virgil sanders #hells belles au #sanders sides fanfiction #fanfic #rowan writes

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