#i got a romance prompt in the last chapter but this time he wasn't even an option

[kazu-naito]

[kristinamae093]

Hey There! I saw this, and I couldn't agree more! Nothing says I love you more than "I'm willing to try this for you." And this works for all kinds of relationships: romance, friends, and family, too.

Would you be able to create something showing this for one of your characters or pairings? It could be a drabble, fic, edit, art - anything at all!

NO PRESSURE AT ALL - only if you want to, but I'd love to see what you could come up with!

Hey @jerzwriter! 👋 Thank you so much for sending this my way! This was a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy this silly nonsense I came up with! 🙂

Baking Memories

Everything else can be found here.

Book - TRR

Characters - Constantine, Liam.

Warnings - There's like, one bad word.

Word Count - 2489

A/N 1 - This is a one-shot from my HCTS AU, but this can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. The only thing you really need to know is Constantine didn't die as he did in canon and beat his cancer, but has been diagnosed a second time. Kyla (F!OC) is mentioned but not present, so I guess this takes place sometime between the previous chapter and the next.

A/N 2 - I slipped in the third @choicesflashfics prompt — “Why are you being so weird?” that will be bolded.

A/N 3 - (last one) - thank you SO MUCH @ao719 for reading through this for me and your suggestions! Any errors found are mine and mine alone, and I didn't really edit this a whole lot to be honest, so...... There's your warning lol 🙃.

Most characters belong to Pixelberry.

Constantine Rys was once a hard man; born and bred for royalty, he never got to enjoy and experience the little things in life. It never bothered him before, considering he was the reigning monarch of an entire nation with the world at his fingertips. However, since his retirement he found himself longing to experience all the things he missed out on. Today specifically, he wanted to learn how to bake; not just anything, a very specific recipe. 

His first wife was clueless in the kitchen and Regina knew very little, but Eleanor spoiled him with various baked goods consistently while she was alive. When she found the time for it Constantine never understood, but she always had warm cookies for him and the children to enjoy. He'll never forget the memories of retiring to his quarters after a long day and opening the door to hear the boys and Eleanor’s laughter, accompanied by the sweet, heavenly smell of whatever she prepared for them that day. 

Now, especially since his time left on earth was limited, he wanted to learn all these things he never had the opportunity to experience before. He found an instructor and Bastien vetted the person before scheduling a private lesson right in his quarters. His intention was to set everything up so Kyla could join him, but the teacher was only available on a specific day and Kyla was off. He knew she would still come if he asked, but he didn't want to impose on her personal time. Regina was his backup, but unfortunately, that day was a no from her as well. 

Even so, Constantine was still excited about his lesson. It may only be a class of one, but he was looking forward to putting his new skill to use. 

A knock sounded on his door and he quickly scurried over to answer it. On the other side stood Bastien, a woman who he assumed to be his 'teacher', and Liam, who Constantine hadn't told. It wasn't that he was trying to hide anything or keep secrets; he initially wanted to recruit Liam for this venture to begin with. However, he knew all too well how busy a Friday afternoon was as a solo monarch and figured it would be of no use to ask. However, his unexpected presence made Constantine hopeful that perhaps they would get to share this experience after all.  

"Son! What're you doing here?"

"I just so happened to be taking my lunch when I saw Bastien with Mrs. Finch." Liam motioned to the woman with a polite smile. "Care to explain to me why you're having bakers come to your quarters?"

"She's going to teach me."

"You want to bake?" Liam asked with an arched brow. 

"Precisely." 

"Why?"

"Do you remember those cookies your mother would make? The molasses ones?"

Liam's mouth involuntarily started watering. "I do… That's what you want to make?"

"Eventually I'd like to try other things, but that's where I’ll start. I haven't had them in years and the staff just can't make them the way she did, anyway. I was hoping if I took some lessons, perhaps I could give it a go." Constantine stopped talking as he took in Liam's nostalgic expression. "Care to join us?"

"I don't bake, or – haven't in quite a while."

"Then this is the ideal time to perfect your skills!" Constantine hopefully suggested.

Liam's face instantly fell at seeing him so excited. "I really wish I could, but I have a meeting soon." 

Constantine was trying his hardest to smile, but on a few occurrences he realized Liam was doing what he'd done to him and Leo for years; putting the crown first. He never realized how much it truly hurts to be left alone when the person you're longing to spend time with is occupied. Of course, he understood Cordonia does ultimately have to come first, but perhaps since his time was limited he was beginning to develop a love-hate relationship with the word duty. 

"Ah, I see... No worries, son." Constantine sadly smiled and motioned for the woman to come in. "If everything goes right, perhaps I can bring you some." 

"Thanks…" 

The woman stepped inside and disappeared with Constantine. Liam remained outside the door, suddenly feeling guilty for leaving. His whole life all he wanted was a genuine relationship with his father, and now that he'd been blessed with it he often had to put the crown first. However, now that his father's time left was dwindling, he found it was practically impossible to walk away.  

"Bastien," Liam started, "Clear my schedule for the day – no, the weekend. I'm unavailable unless it's an emergency." 

Bastien smiled and bowed. "Of course, sir." 

Liam made his way inside his father's quarters to the in-suite kitchen and couldn't help but laugh as he saw his father wearing a white, puffy chef's hat. When Constantine looked up and saw Liam enter, the pure excitement radiating off of him was enough to fill Liam’s heart so full he was sure it would burst any moment. 

"Liam! What're you doing here?" 

"As it turns out, I had a cancellation." Liam winked. 

"Get in here, then! You need a toque as well." 

"I don't think–" 

"We are pastry chefs right now; it's absolutely necessary." Constantine held out a hat to him. 

Liam stared at it for a long moment before he took it and reluctantly put it on. "Happy?"

"Elated. Now, Mrs. Finch, what are we doing?" 

"First we'll start by creaming the sugars and butter together." She showed the pair her measurements, as well as how to soften the butter. Using a hand-held mixer, she swirled the bowl until the task was completed before continuing, "Now, the eggs. The biggest thing to remember is don't over mix, or your cookies won't turn out properly."

Constantine nodded and picked up an egg from the supplies laid before him. “I’ve never done this before…” He held it up with furrowed brows as he intently studied it. "How do we get – inside?" 

Mrs. Finch laughed. "We have to break it, sir. See? Like this." She gently cracked an egg on the counter and emptied it into the bowl. Liam silently chuckled at Constantine's flabbergasted expression; something so simple was blowing his mind, and his elation was incredibly contagious. "It's easy, you just need a hard surface. You try."

Constantine nodded and tried to mimic her by using the counter, but that resulted in multiple yolks in his palm after a number of failed attempts. Finally, he looked around the area searching for a different surface to try when he got the perfect idea. He took the egg and although he intended to lightly tap it, he ended up smashing it against Liam's forehead; the egg splattered but thankfully most of his hair was shielded by his new accessory. However, the yolk and slimy membrane started dripping down his face, accompanied by the remaining shells. 

Liam squeezed his eyes closed as the goo slipped over them and his mouth fell open in shock, but he quickly closed it to not ingest anything. He felt something soft on his forearm and blindly reached out to accept a towel someone offered him. 

After cleaning his face, Liam turned to Constantine with narrowed eyes. "Seriously?!" 

"I guess I do still have some strength left." Constantine nervously chuckled before he added, "I apologize, son, I had no intentions of being so… brute."

"Why my head, though?!"

"She said a hard surface…" 

"Ha. Ha." Liam grabbed an egg and without breaking eye contact used one hand and cracked it perfectly against the side of the bowl. "Gently, grasshopper – and it goes inside the bowl." 

Constantine’s mouth fell open. "You may be upset, but you will not refer to me as a bug–" 

"It's – Nevermind… Mrs. Finch, please continue." 

She did as instructed and walked them through the various steps to make the cookies, plus gave them tips and tricks along the way to help make sure the recipe turned out correctly. They sifted their dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and were preparing to combine everything together, but Constantine insisted he wanted to be the one to use the hand mixer this time. Liam was absolutely reluctant, but ultimately caved after a five-minute debacle. 

Liam stood beside him watching Constantine's every move; so far, he was doing incredibly well with this specific job. Mrs. Finch was slowly adding their dry ingredients and Liam started to relax, thinking that things were smooth sailing from here on out. 

His phone rang and he stepped away to answer it but remained in Constantine's line of sight. Liam spoke with furrowed brows, his face red, and Constantine could tell he was speaking sternly; it instantly piqued his interest. 

The conversation was short and Liam reappeared a moment later completely unfazed. "Who was that?" Constantine practically shouted over the mixer still whirring in his hand. Liam answered, but Constantine couldn't hear him. "What?!" Again, Liam said something, but Constantine couldn't make it out. 

There was text beside each button on the machine, but they were so small Constantine couldn't see which one was labeled power. He ended up increasing the speed to the maximum setting, causing the mixer to shake and vibrate in his hand. Liam walked back beside him and spoke again, but Constantine paid him no attention as he was trying to read the tiny prints. Instead of leaning over to try and find the correct one, he decided to bring the mixer to eye level. 

It happened in slow motion; everything was fine one second, and the next their still very thin batter was flying all over the front of Liam’s suit. Constantine naturally turned his direction to Liam instantaneously as he held the mixer at arm's length, away from his own body. The machine continued to forcefully whirl until the beaters were clean, all its contents now covering the front of Liam’s face, body, and a little of the surrounding area. Liam could only stand there in shock; mouth agape, arms raised, completely flabbergasted. 

Constantine finally pushed the correct button and the mixer slowly stopped. He had a sheepish smile as he lowered it back into the bowl before speaking in a soft, timid voice. "The good news is there's still plenty left…" 

Liam only stared at Constantine with narrowed eyes. Constantine nervously chuckled and swiped his finger across Liam’s cheek before licking the contents. "Mmm – delicious indeed." Liam opened his mouth to speak, but Constantine quickly added, "Don't be mad, son… It was simply a mistake…" 

Liam took a deep breath and slowly let it out to keep his composure. "I'm not upset," A vengeful, mischievous idea struck him. He smirked and said, "matter of fact, perhaps we should hug this out." 

"I don't think that's–" Constantine tried to protest, but soon found himself engulfed in Liam’s strong arms. He looked down and saw Liam rubbing his face on his shirt, thoroughly cleaning it, and couldn't help but chuckle. "I suppose I deserved that." 

Mrs. Finch was quick to take over and simply talked them through the rest of the process to avoid any more mishaps, although they did help form the cookies. The sweet, heavenly aroma that filled the air as their delicacies baked brought back memories for both. Their goods came out of the oven and Mrs. Finch was dismissed, paid very well for her services, and Constantine even insisted she take some with her. 

Now, they were simply relaxing on the couch, enjoying the product of their work, and reminiscing with a cup of hot tea. Although they were missing Leo and Regina, it was nice for just the two of them to relive moments they’d shared while creating new memories at the same time. Constantine expected his ‘class’ to be rather boring but informative; never did he think it would turn into a chaotic, beautiful memory for him to relive for the rest of his limited days.

"Liam," Constantine started as he sat forward and grabbed another cookie. "Thank you for joining me today. I know things didn’t go quite as smoothly as they could have, but I'm thankful you were here… I had fun." 

Liam smiled. "I’m glad… There were definitely some mishaps–” He stopped to rub his forehead. “–but I had fun too. And, these cookies turned out amazing." 

"I concur. Mrs. Finch did an excellent job and I have to say, they are quite close in comparison to your mother's." 

"Here, here," Liam agreed whilst holding his cookie up to Constantine, which he returned before they both took a large bite. Liam swallowed and spoke again, "Listen… I know I'm busy, but I'll always try to make time for stuff like this – especially now…" He trailed off with a sad expression. 

Constantine signed and patted Liam on the knee. "I know. But I'm also aware of how demanding the Crown is. I don't want you canceling obligations on my account – again." He gave Liam a knowing look. 

Liam held his free hand up in surrender. "It wasn't that important! Neville comes here and bitches consistently, I'm sure he'll be back in a few days." 

Constantine couldn't help but chuckle. "Perhaps I could give you a warning next time, then… So you can try to pencil your old man in." He playfully grinned. 

Now, it was Liam’s turn to laugh. "You don't need 'penciled in', but a notice would be appreciated." 

"Done," Constantine suddenly stood and extended his hand. Liam shoved his last bite into his mouth and took it, confused, but Constantine was quick to pull him into a tight hug as Liam rose. "I love you, son." 

"I love you too." 

Their moment hung for a few seconds before Constantine stepped away with a bright smile. "Let's plan our next endeavor! It'll need to be during Kyla's work time, which proves beneficial to the both of us…" He stopped talking to wiggle his eyebrows. "Actually... What would you like to do? Perhaps something to woo her? We could go to a massage–" 

"Why are you being so weird?” Liam interjected. "You decide what you want to do and we'll figure everything out from there." 

"Hmmm…" Constantine trailed off, deep in thought. He snapped his finger a moment later. "We enlist Duchess Olivia and–" 

"I'm going to stop you right there; anything pertaining to Olivia means weapons and that's an automatic no." Constantine tried to retort, but Liam held a hand up. "Do I really have to pull the King card again? Think of something else, and we'll talk." 

Constantine opened and closed his mouth a few times before shaking his head and mumbling something as he sat. "What was that?" Liam asked with an amused grin. 

"I said you can be a bit of a hard ass sometimes." 

Liam smirked and confidently replied, "I learned from the best."

HCTS Tags (If you'd like added or removed, please let me know):

@choicesficwriterscreations @ao719 @queenrileyrose @tessa-liam @angelasscribbles @kingliam2019 @differenttyphoonwerewolf  @bascmve01 @busywoman  @belencha77 @mysticalfangirl @nestledonthaveone @lovingchoices14 @lunaseasblog  @malblk21 @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @emersyn-in-cordonia @walkerdrakewalker @tinkie1973 @queenmiarys @choicesflashfics

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for a Fic...

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1. Hi! Me again jsjs, for the next ITMF I need fics where people realize how young WWX still is, like not about how young MXY's body is (but if you have of those even better 'cause I love that idea too) but that he wasn't older than 21/22 when he died and for him he's still barely out of adolescence (considering the last of it he spent fighting instead of properly growing out of it). Bonus points if they realize he's closer in age to the juniors than his brother, his husband or the rest of his generation @jiangclaritybell

Help, My Dad Is Fucking Someone My Age!! by sweetlolixo (T, 3k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Humor, Crack, Fluff, Romance)

The Price of Old Wishes by SoManyJacks (E, 67k, WangXian, Minor canon divergence, Angst, POV LWJ, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, semi-verbal!LWJ, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide) (link in #11) has a scene where lwy thinking about how young wwx died when he's talking to a young girl.

All Technicalities by DummyDipl0d0cus (M, 4k, JC & WWX, WangXian, Rated M Just To Be Safe, Overprotective JC, Post-Canon)

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2. Hello beloved mods. I'm in the mood for fics where Lan Sizhui, as the eligible bachelor and Best Boy he is, starts receiving marriage requests, while Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are very Parental about it.

A Civil Combpaign Series by Ariaste (T/M, 31k, ZhuiLing, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, the difficulty of arranging your own marriage, overly subtle courting or overly oblivious courtee?, awkward teenagers, Teenage Drama, Humor,companion fic, WWX POV, Feelings, Fluff, WangXian's Weird Flirting)

Lan Sizhui's Got a Crush! by Theladyofravenclaw (T, 46k, LSZ/OFC, Junior Quartet, Humor, Fluff and Crack, Case Fic, Gūsū Lán Juniors Dynamics, Junior Quartet Dynamics, Body Horror, Mild Gore, Post-Canon) is more about lsz and his friends but there is a whole chapter of wangxian trying to give relationship advice

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3. I'm itmf some evil jgy fics who gets what he deserves no redemption arc and obv wangxian get their happy ending but way less trauma jc friendly pls :)

i would like to suggest the 'bad person meng yao' and 'meng yao bashing' tags for some (sadly not all) fics that fit the prompt.

The Fire Lapping Up the Creek by notevenyou (E, 66k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Canon-Typical Violence, Injury, Injury Recovery, Blood, Respiratory Illness, Major Illness, Fever, Grief/Mourning, Burial Mounds, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Hunger and food scarcity, Surgery, Fix-It of Sorts)

To Mourn the Young Man by Iamnotawriter (T, 56k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, BAMF WWX, Most people live, but not the bad guys, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Hurt/Comfort, Golden Core Reveal)

Friends, Sabers, and Other Essentials for Solving a Conspiracy by MeridianGrimm for Lisa_Telramor ( T, 50k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mystery, Smart NHS, WWX doesn't stay dead, LWJ gets a new friend, Happy Ending, Fix-It, To be clear the WangXian is mostly background, This fic is about friendship) (link in #4) kinda fits?

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4. Hiii!! I'm itmf nhs centric fics I would like it if they are fix it/time travel fix it/fix it of sorts type of fics thank you!!

💖 The Path by Seastar98 (Not rated, 279k, wangxian, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, fix-it of sorts, CQL verse, golden core reveal, angst w/ happy ending, BAMF NHS)

Friends, Sabers, and Other Essentials for Solving a Conspiracy by MeridianGrimm for Lisa_Telramor ( T, 50k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Mystery, Smart NHS, WWX doesn't stay dead, LWJ gets a new friend, Happy Ending, Fix-It, To be clear the WangXian is mostly background, This fic is about friendship)

This Time Around by KouriArashi (T, 83k, JGY & NHS, NHS & WWX, JGY & WWX, Time Travel Fix-It, Kid Fic, Families of Choice, Angst, Grief/Mourning, Politics, Class Issues, Past Child Abuse, Moral Ambiguity, Everybody Lives, Eventual Happy Ending)

Third Sun by PhantomWriter (T, 57k, NHS & NMJ, Canon Divergence, Time Travel Fix-It, Fake Marriage, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Crack Treated Seriously, BAMF NHS, Protective NHS, Protective NMJ, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, LWJ is a Wēn)

Unexpected Salvation series by clipper782 (M, 162k, NHS/JGY, time travel fix-it of sorts, past incest, murder, psychology, love/hate, friends to enemies to friends to lovers, crack treated seriously, demonic cultivator NHS)

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5. itmf Wei Wuxian being unused to Mo Xuanyu's body: he stumbles, is shorter than he is used to, isn't used to his strength, etc. Bonus points if there is angst where WWX has panic attacks or disgust about being in someone else's skin. Thank you!

the soft animal by cafecliche (T, 5k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, [PODFIC] the soft animal by flamingwell)

your own heart beating by varnes (G, 1k, wangxian, body dysphoria)

mine? by Anonymous (Not rated, <1k, wangxian, body dysphoria, post-canon)

If only we could never think nor feel by Alianita (M, 1k, wangxian, slight angst, body dysphoria, feels)

unsettled by cryptenhope (G, 1k, wangxian, post-canon, established relationship, body dysphoria, hurt/comfort)

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6. hello! do you know of any 'The Wife is First' AUs for wangxian?? that would be lovely!

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7. Hey! Are there any lwj/wwx/mianmian smut fics? I'm looking for one that i came across but i can't remember any details about it.

Time by WithBroomBefore (M, 30k, WangXianMian, Time Travel, Fix-It, Canonical Character Death - WWX, WWX Lives, JYL Lives, Polyamory, Ghost WWX, for a little bit, Grief/Mourning, Eventual Happy Ending, Trans LWJ, bisexual LWJ, Bisexual WWX, POV Multiple, Memory Loss, Minor Character Death)

winged cupid painted blind by isabilightwood (E, 6k, WangXian, XianMian, Modern AU, and they were ROOMMATES, wwx & lqy are strickly friends with benefits, and lwj & lqy don’t do anything with each other, endgame wangxian, background endgame qingmian, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Accidental Voyeurism, Explicit Consent, Threesome, Fingering, Blow Jobs, Rimming, Getting Together, Light Angst, Fluff, Bottom LWJ)

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8. this is pretty specific but i'm itmf fics that in some way have creative variety in wwx's demonic cultivation powers! i see a lot of standard control-fierce-corpses-and-ghosts type of stuff in fics, but i recently reread the books and there's a moment where wwx gets a skeleton to crawl out of the ground and whisper to him that the juniors were kidnapped (without even using chenqing i think?), and (inspired by that) i'd love to read something where the author just goes ham with the interesting alternative techniques lol.

can be a focus of the fic or just a one-off mention, anything goes! preferably no character bashing or hard nsfw. thank you!

Ad Oblivione by Baph, HikariNoHimeWriter (M, 70k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Temporary Character Death, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Identity Reveal, Golden Core Reveal, Cultivation World Critical, Not JC Friendly, Abusive YZY, Angst with a Happy Ending) along with having a ghost companion, there's also a brief scene where WWX is spotted asking directions from a skeleton's hand that came up from the ground.

The envy of the world by vulnerable_bead (E, 48k, WangXian, Case Fic, Fluff and Smut, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Canon Compliant, WangXian as teacher(s), WangXian as musicians, Spell-weaving) remember the Power Stunt WWX used in the Yueyang Chang graveyard, where he dramatically punched the ground to dynamite-fish for corpses? vulnerable_bead does: “The boys felt the earth under their feet vibrate slightly, painfully, as if some telluric current had radiated from him, sending a message all the way to the bedrock that a man stronger than the mountains had arrived and he would brook no resistance.“

Re #8 note that The envy of the world does contain hard NSFW sex scenes, although not graphic violence.

the field meets the wood by astronicht (T, 7k, WangXian, BAMF WWX, slight whump, Ritualistic Self Harm, Canon Era, Tang Dynasty style, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, salt economics, Post-Canon, [Podfic] the field meets the wood by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona), [podfic] the field meets the wood by jellyfishfire) (link in #14) WWX works a *lot* of inventive, sustained, and gruesomely detailed blood magic, including long-distance life support and a chilling application of Painted Eyes—and then there’s the climax, wherein he invokes the terrifying power of Higher Mathematics.

blossoms at the roadside by bleuett (T, 13k, wangxian, alternate universe, different first meeting, getting together, tenderness, gardens & gardening, happy ending, hand feeding) Wei ying uses resentful energy to heal plants 💚

all the bonds of nature by luckymarrow (E, 68k, wangxian, MXY & WWX, LWJ & MXY & WWX, modern w/ magic, romantic comedy, roommates to lovers, pining, necromancy, ethical necromancer WWX, music teacher LWJ, fluff & smut, ghosts, urban fantasy, light angst, kink negotiation, praise kink, BDSM, developing relationship, dom LWJ) Wei ying is an ethical necromancer using resentful energy from dead  animals and also putting them to rest.

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9. Hi I love your blog and hope you might help me with finding fic we’re Lan Zhan is the dead one . It can be cannon or non cannon or morden Au just were Wei Ying is the one who has to grieve and care for Lan Yuan . @cfox86

Over the Rotted Bridge by vailkagami (T, 314k, WangXian, Temporary Character Death, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, LWJ dies, Wei Wuxian doesn't die, neither do (most of) the wens, JYL also lives, Original Character(s), outside pov, YLLZ WWX, Canon Divergence, CQL Verse, Illustrated, Grief/Mourning, Non-Consensual Resurrection, mute LWJ, Hurt LWJ, Slow Burn, canonical death of a child (mentioned), Survivor Guilt, PTSD) is very good I highly recommend it

Turnabout and Start Again by runningondreams (T, 34k, WIP, WangXian, Temporary Character Death, Role Reversal, Soulmates, Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, SuicideI, mprisonment, Violence, Minor Character Death, Mild Gore, Pining, Identity Issues, Getting Together, Happy Ending) I recommend "Turnabout and Start Again" by runningondreams on ao3. unfortunately it hasn't updated since 2020 so I understand if you don't actually recc it. but the 11 chapters is does have are really good!

the passing of seasons by tennssi (G, 12k, WangXian, Character Study, Canon Divergence, Family, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Moving On, Eventual Happy Ending)

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10. Hi! It's me again haha -//- Do you have any recs for long xiyao with a happy ending? I've been reading the top kudos ones on ao3 and consulting Google, but so far not much luck (┬┬﹏┬┬) @thepurplewombat

The Halo You're Wearing, It's Not Yours To Keep by poemwithnorhyme (E, 54k, XiYao, JGY/WX, JGY/WRH, Forced Prostitution, Hurt/Comfort)

An Atypical Courtship by KouriArashi (M, 48k, XiYao, WangXian, Romance, Slow Build, Developing Relationship, Prostitution, Class Issues, Light Angst, Political Shenanigans, Asexual Relationship, Asexual LXC, Canon Divergence, Happy Ending, Sharing a Bed)

Last of Our Kind by Shiome (E, 103k, XiYao, Post-Canon Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Temporary Amnesia, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Issues, Case Fic, Angst with a Happy Ending, POV Third Person, Pining, Sexual Content, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Power Bottom MY, Action & Romance)

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11. hello :) thank you for everything you're doing !! for your next im in the mood, i wanted to ask if you know of any canon compliant fic that follows lan wangjis pov throughout all (or even part) of mdzs/cql. thank you so much x

The Price of Old Wishes by SoManyJacks (E, 67k, WangXian, Minor canon divergence, Angst, POV LWJ, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Slow Burn, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, semi-verbal!LWJ, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide)

The Hospitality of the Qishan Wen by treemaidengeek (T, 14k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Compliant, POV LWJ, Traumatized LWJ, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Feels, WWX is a chaos gremlin, LWJ Has Feelings, Hurt LWJ)

well-met by warlight by wukuiyuxin (Not rated, 2k, wangxian, WIP, Old English Style Poetry, Epic Poetry, [Podfic] well-met by warlight by Cathalinareads (Cathalinaheart), Tumblr gifset) Lan Wangji’s account of meeting, loving, losing, and mourning Wei Ying and raising A-Yuan—in mock-Norse epic verse / see also #11 on this post.

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12. I need fics in wich Harry Potter somehow ends up in mdzs and with one Character there. Until now Ive only read one with Harry x Sizhui and that one wasn’t updated in a while. Thanks in advance

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13. I‘m in the mood for canon era fics where WangXian are living out some BDSM/BDSM adjacent kinks. Bonus points if there are no lengthy contract discussions or constant asking for safewords. Aftercare highly appreciated.

mercy, tear it down. by orange_crushed (E, 31k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Dual Cultivation, Light BDSM, In Which Wangxian Fumble Towards An Understanding of D/S Dynamics, Porn with Feelings, Recovery, Angst with a Happy Ending, Wangxian-Typical CNC Play, Aftercare, Slight Feminization (ie Wei Ying Keeps Saying 'Wife'), True Love, Past LWJ/Other)

old wounds by BloodRedCarnation (E, 23k, LWJ/MXY/WWX, wangxian, PWP, kink negotiation, age difference, powerdynamics, threesome, established wangxian, both top & bottom sub&dom LWJ, post-canon, fix-it of sorts)

at your feet by darkredloveknot (enheduane) (E, 2k, wangxian, post-canon, sub LWJ, sexual tension, explicit sexual content, hairpulling)

the mortifying ordeal of being loved by attackofthezee (noxlunate) (T, 1k, wangxian, post-canon, established relationship, birthday fluff, praise kink, dom/sub undertones)

Closer than my hands have been by Spodumene (E, 5k, wangxian, post-canon, established relationship, rough sex, dom/sub undertones, consensual non-con, hairpulling, facefucking, bondage, spanking, cock slapping, jealousy, top drop)

i'll be your warmth here by mistergoblin (E, 1k, wangxian, canon divergence, PWP, dom/sub elements, sub & bottom LWJ, orgasm delay/denial, bondage, spanking, happy ending)

~*~

14. IITMF: Post-canon case fics my beloved 🥺

love lies beyond words by acrosticacrumpet (G, 4k, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Whump, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Yunmeng Shuangjie Reconciliation, not a completed reconciliation but the beginning of one, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Self-Worth Issues, painful conversations with a tasteful smidgeon of, Cuddling & Snuggling)

just as the stories say by TheDameJudiWench (T, 11k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Medical Procedures, some gore, brief mention of a farm animal dying, Yunmeng brothers feelings, Family Dynamics, Attempted Murder, Injury Recovery, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Established Relationship, brief mention of vomiting, Happy Ending, Found Family, POV Outsider, Guilt, Revenge, Mention of Suicide (not main character), Grief/Mourning, Forgiveness, Whump, Near Death Experiences)

the field meets the wood by astronicht (T, 7k, WangXian, BAMF WWX, slight whump, Ritualistic Self Harm, Canon Era, Tang Dynasty style, Blood Loss, Blood and Injury, salt economics, Post-Canon, [Podfic] the field meets the wood by semperfiona_podfic (semperfiona), [podfic] the field meets the wood by jellyfishfire)

in your skin by darkredloveknot (enheduane) (E, 10k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Getting Together, Horror, Body Horror, Blood and Gore, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Non-Consensual Body Modification, kinda?, ?Reflections over death and self-worth, mentions of canon suicide, Near Death Experiences, [Podfic] in your skin by flamingwell)

shadows in the sun rise by Yuu_chi (E, 24k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Night hunts, Curses, Intimacy, Light Angst with a Happy Ending, shadows in the sunrise: podfic by victorianotte)

JC and WWX's Get Along Sweater series by newamsterdam (T, 29k, JC & WWX, bg wangxian, post-canon, trapped in a closet, cultivation as a plot device, JC & WWX reconciliation, miscommunication, hurt/comfort, panic attacks, emotional tension, ghosts, action/adventure, brotherly love, complicated relationships)

🧡 climbing up that coastal shelf by Sour_Idealist (T, 15k, JC & WWX & JL, Post-Canon, Mutually Unrequited Forgiveness, Yunmeng Brothers Reconciliation, Family History, Generational Trauma, Discussion of Canonical Abuse, Awkward Attempts at Communication, [Podfic] climbing up that coastal shelf by RevolutionaryJo)

build me no shrines by occultings (microcomets) (M, 54k, WangXian, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, First Time, Getting Together, Confessions, Sharing a Bed, Hair Washing, Sentient Burial Mounds, Case Fic, Post-Canon, CQL Compliant, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Light Angst, Flashbacks, mild body horror, foot washing, Happy Ending, Non-Sexual Intimacy, ...then sexual intimacy, [Podfic] build me no shrines by flamingwell)

With Absolute Splendor by Lise (T, 43k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Wedding planning, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Complicated Relationships, Angst with a happy ending, [Podfic] With Absolute Splendor by kisahawklin, [PODFIC] With Absolute Splendor by Gwogobo)

some good mistakes by Lise (T, 18k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Road trips, rescue Missions, Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Conversations, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, [Podfic] some good mistakes by kisahawklin)

the soft animal by cafecliche (T, 5k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, [PODFIC] the soft animal by flamingwell) (link in #5)

grow by cafecliche (T, 14k, WangXian, Age Regression/De-Aging, Character Study, Post-Canon, [Podfic] Grow by jellyfishfire)

Wearing Down Every Bone by CSHfic, VSfic (E, 30k, WangXian, Groundhog Day, Time Loop, Temporary Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Case Fic, Curses, Pining, Getting Together, Time Travel, Hurt wwx, Mystery, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, Depression and Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, gratuitous use of empathy, Wearing Down Every Bone [Podfic] by Rionaa)

The envy of the world by vulnerable_bead (E, 48k, WangXian, Case Fic, Fluff and Smut, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Canon Compliant, WangXian as teacher(s), WangXian as musicians, Spell-weaving) (link in #8) LWJ and WWX supervise LSZ, LJY, and OC Lan Juniors on a village investigation; poetic fairytale prose; a casefic of unfurling complexity with an intelligent, subtle, and tragic antagonist; mysterious uncharted musical magic; a climactic confrontation that deserves to be animated. And then there’s the famous Windowsill Papapa Scene.

~*~

15. itmf canon compliant/divergent (not modern) politic heavy fics? Court life, politics and diplomacy, secrets and plot twists as people wait to play their hand, etc.

Between the Candle and the Sun by Legume_Shadow (T, 304k, ZhuiYi, WangXian, LingZhen, XiCheng, XuanLi, Angst, Friendship, Slow Burn, Falling In Love, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, MM is a Badass, WN is a Badass, Protective WQ, Most people live, Ensemble Cast, Action/Adventure) is a Royal AU more focused on plot, including politics, but is primarily a junior-pairings fic (with secondary Wangxian)

~*~

16. In the mood for fics where wangxian adopt another kid(s) post-canon

❤️ Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste for williedustice (T, 36k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Adoption, Family Fluff, Kid fic, Family drama, Fluff, [PODFIC] Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste by lunatique)

~*~

17. Fics where WWX is actually respected; as a scholar/genius/cultivator. @utxqia

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 528k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement)

Story-Shaped by lingering_song (T, 13k, WangXian, NHS & WWX, Post-Canon, Chief Cultivator LWJ, Inventor WWX, Found Family, Mentioned Character Death, Alcohol, Protective NHS, WangXian Endgame, Not JC Friendly, Not particularly gentry sects friendly overall tbh)

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[tooxmanyxships]

141 Prompt

Celebrity Romance

Brocedes

Angst with a happy ending pls.

Nico as a hollywood actor. Lewis can be f1 driver or a singer.

I have a feeling this is gonna be turned into a multi chaptered fic (if people are interested in it) so like, take this as a first chapter/snippet.

"Who is it again that's coming to the track today?" Lewis asks, sounding completely uninterested, to an annoyed looking Toto.

"Nico Rosberg," He repeats himself, rolling his eyes as Lewis blinks at him. "Come on, Lewis. You know who he is."

"I think I've vaguely heard about his scandals."

"Stop it." Toto turns more stern. "You will not ruin this for our team. I won't allow it."

Lewis didn't get all the fuss.

Suddenly this 'big' actor guy wants to show himself off on an f1 race track, and for what?

He kind of got why Toto got so excited though. Normally the celebrities wanted to check out the Redbull facility, but this one had explicitly asked for the Mercedes one.

It was something Toto could rub into Christian's face. So yeah, he got that part.

The thing he didn't get was why he had to play a part in this whole cherade and Valtteri easily got out of this mess.

"Why do you need me for this? You can lead him around the factory perfectly fine." Toto was the team principal after all.

"Because I want you to do it. That's why."

No. That wasn't the answer he wanted. Now it was clear there was something more behind this.

"Toto..."

"This is not negotiable, Lewis." Toto's words were final. "You will not let me down."

Lewis groans.

This whole thing was gonna be the death of him.

~~~~~~*********~~~~~~~~~

It was a big mess. Or at least that's what Lewis thought when Nico Rosberg's camera team started setting things up in the factory.

Cords were running over the floor everywhere and cameras were being set up in the most ridiculous places.

This day was gonna be torture.

And of course.... No surprise..... The man of the hour was late.

And not just 5 minutes, not even 10. The man was 2 hours late.

2 freaking hours.

Lewis' whole day plan was destroyed. Even Toto didn't seem too happy, judging by the way he kept looking at his watch.

Susie was doing all the talking to the crew. The damage control.

Lewis was just sitting on the stairs, scrolling through his phone.

At last.... At last Nico came into the factory, not even looking bothered at all by the fact that he was incredibly late to an event he himself had planned.

Or well, the pretty blonde secretary next to him probably had.

They looked so cliché. The hot shot actor with the pretty blonde secretary. They probably fucked too.

Lewis glanced up at them, looking how the blonde female was fussing over the hot shot's clothes and his hair while the actor talked to Toto.

Oh yeah.... They definitely fucked.

Lewis snorted at his own thoughts, looking back down at his phone, not even noticing that a few minutes later, 4 people were standing in front of him.

One of them cleared their throat and Lewis slowly looked up, seeing the team principal, his wife Susie, the secretary and the hot shot standing in front of him.

Toto's raised eyebrow prompted Lewis to get up from his seat.

"This is Lewis. He'll be your guide through the factory."

"Oh," Nico startled a little as he shook Lewis' outstretched hand. "I thought you were going to be my guide."

Lewis' eyes snapped towards Toto. They narrowed when he saw the guilty look on his boss' face.

"I have.... Other things to take care of, unfortunately."

Lewis scowled at Toto before turning back to Nico, realizing that he hadn't let go of his hand yet. He shook it a second time, just for spite.

"Don't worry, mister Rosberg. I'm a better guide than Toto."

It was Toto's turn to scowl this time, but there was also a little bit of surprise in his eyes.

Susie and Nico's secretary, Lewis still didn't know her name, both chuckled. Even Nico looked a tiny bit amused.

Lewis took it as a one-upping Toto.

Toto quickly regained his composure though.

"Good to see you that confident. I'll leave you to it then." He added a wink as he held his arm out for Susan they both walked away.

Lewis was fucked. He had no idea where to even start this 'grand tour'. Meanwhile Nico, and his assistant, were looking at him expectantly.

Oh he was gonna get Toto back for this.

"Okay, so, uh..." He cleared his throat. "Where would you like to start? Or do you just want to see the cars."

Nico and his assistant shared a look. Nico seemed to just look amused, but his assistant looked slightly annoyed already.

So yeah, it was pretty clear he hasn't been paying attention and doesn't have a clue on what Nico Rosberg is actually here for.

Nico turned towards him, "The next movie I'll be in will be a movie with f1 racing cars. I - - - -well, Vivi, actually...." He gestured towards the blonde assistant. "thought it would be a good idea to get some...insight before actually acting in the movie."

Lewis blinked. With all those cameras around it looked like they were doing a movie already. Not to mention that the actor looked like he didn't even want to be there at all.

This was really going great so far.

Not.

"Okay. How about I show you the cars then."

Nico shared another look with his assistant, then looked back at Lewis and shrugged.

"Sure. Whatever you want."

Whatever he wanted was to just disappear.

But he couldn't do that now, could he?

So, not knowing what else to do, Lewis started leading them towards the showroom with all the cars Mercedes ever raced with.

Of course he gave a bit of information to each one, and even though it seemed like he was listening, Nico looked like he wasn't really there. Or at least it looked like his head was somewhere else.

Lewis saw in the corner of his eyes that his assistant nudged him a few times, so that he would say something, because the cameras were rolling, but whatever he said or asked when he was nudged, Lewis could tell something was going on.

Finally the tour in the showroom was done, which meant the most important part was done apparently, and Nico got a break while the blonde assistant went to talk to the camera crew and Lewis got thanked for the tour and the explanations. Maybe he wasn't needed anymore then.

Lewis saw Nico sneak away outside. He didn't know why, but something inside him told him to follow him, so he did.

Outside the doors, Lewis looked left and right, until he saw Nico go round the corner of the factory and followed him.

When he got there, Nico was leaning against the wall, his lips curled around a cigarette that he was just lighting up.

"Did no one ever tell you those things could kill you?"

Nico raised his eyebrow, taking a drag from said cigarette, blowing out the smoke in Lewis' direction on purpose.

"Did no one ever tell you those cars could kill you?"

Lewis raised his eyebrow this time, making a show of waving his hand at the smoke, then leaned against the wall beside the actor.

"Sorry if I'm going too far, but.... It seems like you don't really want to be here."

"That's because I don't."

He called it.

"So.... Why are you here then?"

"Vivi.... Vivian made me. Said it would be good for me."

"Good for you?"

"Get some inspiration. For the movie?"

Right. The movie.

"And are you? Inspired I mean."

Nico grimaced, taking another drag, exhaling slowly.

"I'm gonna quit the movie. Someone else can have my role."

Lewis gawked at him, "Was I really that bad of a guide?"

Nico had the audacity to chuckle.

"I wouldn't know. I barely heard anything you said to be honest."

"Rude, man."

"Not your fault. I'm sure you were great. I just..... Didn't really want to listen."

Lewis was quiet. Worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

Something was slowly dawning on him.

"Who did you lose?" Nico turned surprised eyes towards him. "You said that those cars could kill, so.... Who was it?"

Nico looked kind of impressed by how perceptive Lewis was, then just stared off into the distance.

"A friend. Died way too young."

"What's his name? Maybe I knew him."

"Jules. Jules Bianchi."

Lewis still remembered. That damn truck on the track.....

"I knew him," Lewis' voice was soft. "He was a really nice guy."

"Yeah. He was." Nico took one last drag of his cigarette, then stomped out the stump on the ground. "I should get back inside. Before Vivi starts thinking I've been abducted by aliens. Or just, you know... Did a runner."

Lewis chuckled, "Maybe you should just do whatever you want to do, instead of doing what people expect from you. " He startled both of them with his reply, biting his bottom lip. "Hey. If you need more guidance....."

"Oh if you'd be so kind," Nico snarked, snorting when Lewis made a mock bow.

He just had to suffer through this one more guidance.

Then he'd never have to see this insufferable actor again.

He followed him inside, where the media circus immediately started up again.

Lewis lead the rest of the tour, sometimes glancing over at Nico, who now at least tried to be more attentive this time.

When they came back to the front doors, Nico's outstretched hand was the first thing he saw.

"Thanks, Lewis. It's been....an interesting tour."

Was that a wink from the actor?

"Glad to be of service," Lewis answered, his lips curling up into a little smile when he felt the squeeze in his fingers as they shook hands. "Good luck. With whatever you decide to do."

Something sparkled in Nico's eyes. "Thanks. Maybe I'll see you again sometime."

Lewis seriously doubts that.

"Maybe." He finally felt Nico let go of his hand. He wasn't really aware of it, until he felt his hand being empty and let it drop to his side.

He watched how the crew packed up their things, how Nico and his assistant were arguing about something.

He still didn't get why it all had to be filmed, but he was a bit out of his debt here anyway.

He finally saw the crew leave, Vivian behind them, while Nico seemed to hesitate inside the doorway.

He looked behind him, searching for, and finding; Lewis' eyes.

They're just - - - staring at each other, until....

"How did it go?"

Lewis jumped a little when he heard Toto's voice behind him. He glared over his shoulder.

"Fine, I guess." Toto raised his eyebrow and Lewis shrugged. "Not sure if he gained anything from this, but, we'll see."

Toto just nodded solemnly. Lewis knew Toto would already be glad with any kind of profit they got from this.

Lewis turned his head back to the front door, but the actor was already gone.

[atwooozi]

gojo x original character

Chapter 3: Cheers

summary: Ai, Geto, and Junpei meet up for dinner at a soba noodle shop. Geto teases Ai about being tired from working with Gojo, which prompts her to reflect on her preparation for the project. Later, Ai meets Gojo for the interview, where she learns about his light-sensitive eyes and his casual attitude. The meeting ends abruptly when Gojo is called to set, but Ai feels more at ease afterward.

genre: modern AU, slice of life, comedy, eventual romance, eventual smut, some angst

A/N: Not to be that person but I think I'm kinda funny. I like how I write Geto and Gojo because they remind me of how I interact with my best friend during undergrad. I think every person should experience the sun and moon dynamic type of relationship at some point in their life. They're one of the best.

Also, I don't know which day of the week it would be in the timeline for this story but Friday Night from the Yakuza 0 OST fits the bill. I can vividly imagine Gojo and Geto dancing to this song at a club together in the 80s in the same way that Kiryu and Majima do. For the later scene, I think SuperStar by Lucky Kilimanjaro is a good fit.

READ ON AO3

Geto had taken them to a decently sized soba noodle shop that he insisted was the best. Ai was a bit apprehensive at first given its weathered exterior, but the inside was a rather cozy place that fit maybe fifteen people at a time, behind the counter was an elderly couple working quietly. 

Ai groaned as she sat down at a table, Geto and Junpei seated on either side of her.

“You seem tired, Amada-san,” Geto said, doing his best to hide a chuckle. “Is Satoru already too much for you?”

Ai pouted and sent a glare the photographer's way. Even if she did already feel overwhelmed by Gojo she wasn't ready to just admit that. Especially not to Geto or in front of her kouhai. 

“No…” Ai said as she sat up, holding her head high. “I just didn't rest much before getting here.” 

Junpei nodded. “Senpai is really hard working. She was still researching even on the train here.” 

Ai couldn't help but smile a bit. While she didn't need Junpei to come to her defense it did feel nice to have him to at least back her up. She wouldn't necessarily admit that though. She at least wanted to pretend even for a little while that she was cool and collected

Geto hummed in response as he looked over the menu. “I see…” He said softly, in his gentle voice. “Isn't there such a thing as being over-prepared?” 

Ai faltered a bit at Geto's question. Maybe he was right that all this prep for Gojo was clouding her thoughts. It would be better if she allowed herself to meet the man as he was and not with all the copious amounts of information that she collected on him. 

Geto shrugged and played a bit with his bangs. “It's just a thought.” 

Ai frowned and looked over the menu. She hoped that maybe getting some food would make her feel better. She had hardly eaten before she got her. Her nerves always kept her from that. 

“What made you come in today, Geto-san?” Ai asked as she tried to decide between getting cold or hot soba. 

“I was hoping to see Satoru.” He explained. “It's been some time since we last saw each other.” 

“When was that?” Ai asked curiously.

“December 24th, I think.” 

Geto's answer caused Junpei to snicker, which turned Geto and Ai's attention to him. “O-oh um…” Junpei couldn't help but laugh a bit more from the awkwardness, much to Geto's unamusement. “That's a bit romantic, isn't it?” 

Junpei…

Ai couldn't help but laugh at Junpei's comment. While there was nothing wrong with two grown men seeing each other on Christmas Eve it did seem a little funny to think about Geto and Gojo meeting then. It being their last meeting in a long time just made it a tad bit funnier.

Geto's easy-going smile fell. It was replaced with what Ai imagined her face had looked like for the past few weeks, annoyed. 

“Is there a problem with seeing a friend on Christmas Eve?” Geto asked indignantly. 

Ai had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from bursting out in laughter. When she initially met Geto she couldn't understand how he and Gojo could be friends. However, seeing Geto a bit annoyed made it all make sense. He seemed to put on this lax facade, but underneath it all, he was just as childish as Gojo was. 

“N-nothing!” Junpei held his hands up in defense and gave a strained smile. “It's just that day is usually for couples so…” 

Ai couldn't hold it in any longer. She practically busted out laughing at Geto and Junpei's exchange, causing other customers to look over to their table in confusion. 

“What's so funny, Amada-san?” Geto asked, his gentle voice now seemed a bit more tense, tinged with irritation. Which Ai supposed Geto meant to seem threatening but only made her laugh more. 

Geto sighed and looked away from the two, pouting to himself. “You two are bullies.” 

Ai wiped a stray tear from her eye and smiled, finally able to calm down. “I think you can handle it, Geto-san.” 

Geto glanced over in Ai's direction before turning his head away again. He seemed to be putting on a show to illustrate how upset he was. How truly upset he was wasn’t clear, but Ai wasn't too concerned. What was obvious though was that Geto and Gojo were going to be a handful. 

The three placed their orders and a regular flow of conversation seemed to resume. 

Technically they were off the clock, but it was hard to just turn that off right now. They would be working together on this project for weeks, so it only made sense for them to talk a bit of shop before they all officially started putting together this story. After all, this would not only be Geto's first time doing something more editorial, it would also be Ai’s and Junpei's first time working together. 

Typically, photos were taken before or sometime later after the article was complete. This was a less-than-typical case given that they only got this project partially because of the Gojo team's insistence that the photographer had to be Geto. He would be with them every step of the way. Although each person had their role in making this work a lot was riding on whether or not Geto could help capture that. 

“You went to school with Gojo-san?” Junpei asked.

 Although he wasn't a boy, Junpei always came across as boyish to her. Especially now when he was practically beaming when hearing about Gojo. 

Geto nodded proudly in response. “We did, we're actually best friends.” 

“The Christmas thing makes sense now…” Junpei said thoughtfully. 

Geto's expression changed instantly from calm and happy to unamused. His noodles slid off his chopsticks as he directed his ire at Junpei. “Will you drop that?” 

Ai giggled. “I think it's sweet.” 

Geto smiled once more. This time it was more fox-like not only in looks but in feel. “Well, who did you spend Christmas with, Junpei-kun?” 

“My girlfriend.” 

Geto's smug expression fell, annoyance taking over his features yet again. His eyes glanced over to Ai as if to ask for confirmation that Junpei was telling the truth. She could only shrug in response. Ai didn't know too much about Junpei outside of their work together. While it wasn't surprising that Junpei had a girlfriend, it was news to her too. 

“What about you, Amada-san?” 

Ai debated what she should say. She could lie to make herself look better, but she didn't really see the point right now. Clearly, both she and Geto were in a similar boat. He had no space to look down on her. 

“Alone,” Ai said matter-of-factly, before slurping up some noodles to avoid having to speak more. 

Ai hadn’t been in a relationship since she was twenty-one. It wasn’t like she had sworn off love or anything like that. The girl was just busy trying to get somewhere in her career. In her defense, it was hard to find your place in the world as a writer, so that’s where her focus was. She had reasoned with herself that she could think about a relationship once she felt established as a writer. She couldn’t tell when someone felt like they made it as a writer, but she was sure that she wasn’t there yet. 

“I can't decide if that's more or less depressing.” Geto sighed as he rested his palm against his cheek. 

Junpei wore a thoughtful expression. “...I think you and Gojo-san seem more depressing.” 

“Junpei!” Ai gasped at her coworker's frankness. However, there was a small part of her that was relieved that he didn't pick her as the more pathetic of the two even if he was just lying. 

Geto's expression didn’t waver at Junpei's words. “...No, I think he's right.”

Ai shook her head in response to Geto. At least he had someone to spend Christmas with. Who did she have? 

“No…if anything we're equally depressing.”

Geto nodded and waved his hand at Junpei. “Turn away from me. The fact that you have a girlfriend makes me want to cry.”

Junpei gaped at Geto and looked at Ai unsure if she should actually listen or not. 

Ai giggled and laid a comforting hand on Junpei's shoulder. “Relax, Junpei-kun.” 

In all honesty, though she didn't want to look at Junpei either. She was happy for him that he had someone, but she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit jealous. 

Geto let out a sigh and raised his glass to Ai. “I hate the youth.” 

Ai clinked her glass with Geto's. “Cheers.” 

After getting dinner with Geto and Junpei, Geto drunkenly texted Gojo asking if he could squeeze in a sit-down in between scenes with Ai given how tight the man’s schedule was. When Geto told her that she wanted to murder him. That last thing she wanted to do was come off as pushy, but much to her surprise Gojo agreed without much fuss. She supposed it was a perk of working with the actor’s best friend.

⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺

Ai felt a bit out of her element if she was being honest with herself. She had written profiles on plenty of actors before, but none of them were of the same magnitude that Gojo was, and she had never been on this long of an assignment either. But for whatever reason his team wanted her for the piece. They trusted her to deliver so she was going to do her best to write the best article she could given the circumstances. 

What Ai lacked in experience she’d make up for in being overprepared with copious amounts of research with the help of Junpei and background interviews with whoever she could get to sit down with her for more than five minutes. 

Ai made her way to Mappa studio offices separate from Geto and Junpei who went straight to the set. She was grateful for this opportunity, but she had hoped that Geto and Junpei would join her, at least to calm her nerves. 

As she entered the conference room Gojo was already there, sitting with someone she hadn’t met at the intro meeting. The man was young-looking probably around the same age as Junpei, but with blonde straight hair. 

“Hello?” Ai said as she peeked her head into the room. 

Both men looked her way. “Oh hello.” The young man said as he stood up to face Ai. “I’m Nitta, I’m sorry I missed you at the introduction meeting, I help with PR.” 

Ai bowed her head to him and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you Nitta-san.”     

“I’ll be just out the door then,” Nitta said as he excused himself, shutting the door behind him. And just like he said, Nitta stood right outside the door of the conference room. 

Ai sat herself across from Gojo and gave a tight-lipped smile. “Thanks for making time to sit with me, Gojo-san.” 

“It’s no problem. You can call me Satoru by the way.” Gojo said as he crossed his long legs. He let his sunglasses slip down his nose as he looked at Ai with a grin. 

“I think I’ll stick with Gojo,” Ai said as she pulled out her notebook and pen from her bag. “Do you typically wear those? I thought that was just your character's thing.” 

“What these?” Gojo asked as he took off his sunglasses to look at them before putting them back on again. “I hardly leave the house without them. They’re nice, right?” 

“So you wear them all the time?”

Gojo shrugged as he rested his cheek against his palm, a lazy smile taking over his features. “My eyes are pretty light-sensitive, actually. I didn’t start wearing sunglasses ‘til high school, though,” he explained. “I used to get really bad headaches from the light.” 

Ai nodded and she quickly jotted down some things in her notebook. As she did this Gojo leaned forward, trying his best to read her shorthand. “...I take them off sometimes.” He said with a pout as Ai pulled her notebook closer to her. 

“I suppose that can be cumbersome,” Ai said as she raised an eyebrow at Gojo. Why was he so insistent on looking at her notes? Was he that skeptical of her? 

“Nah, that’s the blindfold or the bandages that they make me wear,” Gojo said as he ran a hand through his silky hair. 

“Do you wear those casually too?” Ai asked as a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Although Ai didn’t know Gojo well it wasn’t hard to picture him walking around with a blindfold off set just because he could. 

A smirk replaced Gojo’s easy smile and he looked at her with a playful glint in his eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” He teased. 

Ai felt slightly taken aback by Gojo’s attitude shift. She did her best to cover for her shyness with a chuckle. “Well, um, I have to admit, I’m a bit curious now.” 

Before Gojo could respond, Nitta opened the door after a quick knock. “Sorry Gojo-san, but you’re needed on set.” 

Gojo shrugged and stood up, flashing a smile Ai’s way. “Well, I guess we’ll have to end it here for now. You coming with?” 

Ai nodded still at a bit of a loss from how quickly the interview ended. She felt like she just sat down with him. She supposed that she couldn’t complain though since this was a last-minute thing anyway. 

“Yeah, give me a minute…” She said as she tucked her notebook into her bag before getting up.

As Ai gathered her belongings to head to the set with Gojo, she couldn’t help but feel a bit more at ease than where she initially started. Being around someone of Gojo’s stature within the industry felt intimidating, but she was determined to make the most of this opportunity.  

As they walked out of the conference room, Nitta fell into step beside them, guiding them through the Mappa offices with ease. Ai stole a few glances at Gojo, observing the way he effortlessly interacted with everyone they passed with ease. She supposed that was just the natural charisma that came with being an actor. 

Upon reaching the lot, Ai found herself in awe of the elaborate production unfolding before her eyes. She had visited briefly when working with Nobara, but you could easily see how much larger the budget had become since the first season of the show given the elaborate set pieces.

As they approached Gojo’s dressing room, he turned to Ai with a dazzling smile. “Here we are!” He said as he opened the door. “Make yourself comfortable, we’re gonna be here a while.” 

Ai nodded and stepped into the dressing room after Gojo, only to find Geto and Junpei waiting there with some of the hair and makeup team. 

“How’d it go?” Geto asked as he pointed his camera at Gojo as he sat for hair and makeup. 

Gojo smiled as he looked Geto’s way with a cheesy grin. “Good!”

[enbyhoshi]

ao3 wrapped 2023

hello again! i only ended up writing (+ posting) two fics this year (total of 16,033 words) compared to the staggering seven of last year - so i went back and forth a lot about whether i should even make this post, but i ended up doing it anyways! here we go!

🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟

from the start

wonhao, 7.4k, G, library co-owners to lovers

minghao fest fic! to be honest, i wasn't really planning on joining the fest as i hadn't written minghao before and was too nervous to, but after seeing this prompt i just couldn't pass it up. and thank god i didn't! one of my favorite types of fics is where the story takes place or focuses on the main pairing's (along with the rest/some of the other characters in whatever media is being written about) workplace, especially when it's super specific lol. and who doesn't love a lil library romance? wonhao were made for this. another favorite thing of mine, this time more on the writing side, is sneaking small references to other loved medias hehe. this time it's a reference to the dimension 20 season the unsleeping city: chapter 2 episode 1 with minghao cleaning up the orange juice in the romance section. very random but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

favorite part:

“Oh,” Wonwoo mumbles. He looks a little out of it, like he’s as shocked about this whole situation as Minghao is. “Cool. I mean– that’s good. I didn’t have a plan if you ended rejecting me.” “Quit your job and move to another country?” Minghao jokes, despite the fast beating of his heart. “And what about our child?” Wonwoo jokes with him, voice a little weak. Minghao tries not to think about how he’s the cause of that. “We can’t have it travelling between countries all the time.” “I can’t believe you just told me you love me while I’m covered in orange juice.” Minghao says, trying to swallow down the huge smile that wants to break out. “This is the worst possible place for a love confession.” “Well,” Wonwoo says and his eyes dart to something above Minghao’s head and when he looks it’s the label of the particular section they’re in. It’s the Romance section. “I’d say it’s pretty fitting.”

2. untouched

soonhao, 8.6k, M, gg!bss & their stylist hao

girlies.... another minghao fest fic lol! this fic was somewhat of a surprise, since i came up with this prompt on a whim and just kinda put it on the ever-growing wip pile. and then the 2nd round for mhf happened and thought you know what! might as well! in my mind, this fic was supposed to be way different than what it ended up being tone-wise. think more angsty, more toxic, more i-just-broke-up-with-my-boyfriend-and-i-know-you-desire-me-carnally-so-i'm-gonna-use-you-as-a-rebound. basically toxic yuri but make it soonhao. unfortunately it got lost in translation and it turned out more like a typical fic but maybe its for the better lol.

favorite part:

“I did,” Minghao says. “It was good. Do you really have the acorn hat in your bag all the time?” A bashful smile breaks out on Soonyoung’s face. “You know I don’t. I just thought it’d be a fun anecdote.” Minghao smiles back at her. Her hand reaches out to move the hair from Soonyoung’s eyes but then she realises what she’s doing and draws her hand back. “The jeans too?” she says like nothing happened. “That was more…” Soonyoung looks away like she’s thinking about it, her smile turning into something softer now. “More of a personal moment that I wanted to share, I guess.”

🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟💗🌟

and that's it! truthfully, i was trying to finished at least one more fic before the year ended - and then i got sick (still am) and could barely look at a screen for more than 20 mins (still can't) lol. hopefully that fic gets published early next year then :) thank you for reading this far! see you in 2024!

[sparklingsin]

(push your heart, and pull away); - II

tom holland x female!reader

summary: you've got yourself in a predicament that involves fake dating the star employee of your company (who you might have feelings for), all to convince your family that you're finally happy, after what happened with your last shot at love. can you, the CEO of a booming business, your family's darling daughter pull off the biggest lie you've ever told? [inspired by and based loosely on The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas.]

tags and warnings (full fic): female reader, lots of romance tropes, fake dating, pining, tooth-rotting fluff, some angst, sexual tension, filthy smut (future chapters) minors dni.

a/n: i am also entering this fic into @tomhollandfics' fic event (prompt is in bold). hope y'all like this chapter :)

catch up: chapter one

CHAPTER II

"Y/N?"

You snapped back to reality, the fog behind your eyes clearing instantly. You were in the conference room, surrounded by your team and everyone was looking at you.

Shit. How long had they been calling you for?

You only hoped you didn't look like a deer caught in headlights.

Straightening your back, you looked at the presenter, Ken Satō, hoping he'd understand that you really hadn't heard what he'd last said.

"Y/N, we were wondering if there were any changes you'd like to see," he repeated politely, pointing at the presentation behind him.

Right. You were in a meeting with the advertising team who were presenting you their latest pitch.

You quickly regained your composure and gave him a small smile. "Not any that I can think of at the moment, Ken. This looks phenomenal. I will, however, go over the slides again so do leave me a copy. But this is great!"

Ken smiled back at you and you sighed inwardly, closing your eyes for one brief moment. It was so unlike you to get lost in thoughts in a meeting like this and you hoped your employees wouldn't judge you too harshly this time. Nevertheless, you resolved to focus better. You opened your eyes, only to catch Tom— who was sitting across from you, staring at you intently.

You felt your body heat up under his gaze— Tom was better at reading you than most people. He held the contact for a while, only looking away when Ken asked everyone a question.

You realised you had been holding your breath. You exhaled again, looking anywhere but at Tom.

The rest of the meeting went smoothly, without your thoughts drifting too much. Once the team had left, you put your head in your hands and let out a long sigh. The wedding wasn't even yours and it had you stressed to the nines.

"L/N, you alright?"

It was company policy to call any colleagues, even if they were your superiors, by their first name but Tom and you had become an exception to this rule with regards to each other. You only called each other by your last names, and why that had happened or when, you couldn't recall.

It wasn't unusual for Tom to look after people's wellness but now that he'd signed up to be your pretend boyfriend, it made you feel strange.

"I'm okay. Just wedding stuff," you mumbled, not looking up.

You felt the table buckle beside you, the scent of mint soap mixed with something you didn't recognise, filling your nostrils.

"Hey," Tom said gently, and you'd only heard him use that soft tone once before when he'd found you on your office floor surrounded by work and having a mini breakdown. Not your proudest moment.

You looked up. He was leaning against the table beside you, hips just inches away from your hands that rested on the table, looking down at you— eyebrows knitted and lips drawn into a straight line.

Your stomach fluttered briefly, but you chose to focus on the ebony wood of the conference table instead.

"You said we had a lot to discuss. Do you want me to stop by your place tonight? You can fill me in and give that head of yours some rest."

Okay, this was officially too much. Tom? Come by your place tonight? The thought alone sent your head spinning. He seemed genuinely concerned about you, but your chest felt like it was caving in and you weren't sure why. What the hell had you signed up for?

"Or… we could just Zoom," he said and you realised he could probably sense your discomfort. You sighed. He was making extra efforts to be nice but here you were, acting like his very presence bothered you.

"I'm sorry," you confessed, looking back at him. "I'm just really overwhelmed about this whole thing."

Tom watched you for a moment, lips pursed. "L/N, I don't know the reason for you lying about something like this but I agreed to help you, and I will play my part. But I need you to work with me on this. Sort of tough to do this alone, you know?"

You stared at him.

"I mean, I don't even know my girlfriend's brother's name."

Maybe it was how absurd the situation was or it was the fact that you were so exhausted you couldn't bother keeping it in, but you let out a loud laugh. Some of the heaviness in your chest dissipated as you continued to laugh, only helped by Tom's brilliant brown eyes that crinkled in the corners as he laughed with you.

"But seriously, L/N," he said after the moment passed, voice softening again. "You are not alone. I promise. I'll be there."

You felt your throat close up at his words. If you hadn't been hardened by the stuff you had gone through as a businesswoman and in your personal life, you could've wept right there beside him. It was such an incredibly kind thing to say, that you finally understood why he was everybody's favourite.

You drew in a deep breath, throwing him a grateful smile. And you meant it. "You can come by tonight," you said, heart racing against its will, as Tom patted your back gently.

Maybe, you were beginning to think, you could really pull this off.

***

You were slightly on edge by the time the night rolled in. Tom was going to be here soon. You'd never even had friends over, let alone a co-worker.

After making sure your apartment was spotless and perfect, you treated yourself to a hot bubble bath. Your favourite music blared in the background as you tried to calm yourself before Tom arrived.

He was at the door exactly at 9.

You opened it to a Tom you'd never seen before. He was dressed in baggy jeans and a black tee— holding out two plastic bags, arms accentuated by the way his sleeves caught at his large biceps.

He looked downright cuddlable.

Whoa. Where had that come from?

"I bought take-out," he announced as you beckoned him inside, a small smile pulling at your lips despite your nervousness.

"That smells incredible," you said, guiding him towards your living room.

He looked around you, politely so, taking in his surroundings. Your apartment was huge, at least by New York standards. Since you had very recently moved in, it made you conscious when people admired the luxury.

"A little birdie told me that you loved Chinese, so—" he gestured at the boxes he had started piling on the centre table, ".. Bon Appetit."

You curled up on the sofa— you on the right while Tom on the left end and dug into the delicious spread.

You moaned as the warmth of the food spread through you, only realising you had company when Tom cleared his throat. You blushed.

"So, shoot," he said, shifting to face you on the sofa. "Tell me everything."

And so you did. You covered everything— from the destination wedding in Santorini to your vast family tree that would be making an appearance. Tom listened intently, never once taking his eyes off of you.

It made you nervous, the amount of attention he was paying you. You only hoped that he couldn't tell just how much.

Tom chewed on the last piece of egg roll.

“So, basically, your family is filthy rich.”

You choked on the last of your noodles.

“Sorry, that was rude,” he said, eyes wide.

“No, that’s okay,” you said, putting away your box.

“Yes...but also no. All we had was old family wealth. It was enough to sustain my brother and me and get us to go to good schools but we were never rich. But now… things are different. My brother is a doctor and I—”, you trailed off. Money had always been a sensitive subject for you to discuss, and sitting in an apartment that cost you more than twice the amount of your college loan wasn't making it any easier.

“Ned likes to splurge. Well, so does Betty, his wife to be. A big fancy European wedding was her dream and my brother is capable of giving it to her… so he is.”

Tom smiled wistfully. “That is sweet. And what about you?”

“What about me?”

“Do you ever want to have a fancy wedding?”

In all honesty, you had never given that a thought before. After what happened with your last shot at love... you weren’t even sure if you wanted to get married anymore. You shook yourself out of those thoughts. That was a door you couldn't open, not now.

“I don’t know,” you said, tipping up the takeout box in a vain attempt to hide behind it.

Tom didn’t ask again.

You finished, very audibly, slurping the last of the noodles. You didn't realise how hungry you had been.

"You've got a little something there—" Tom said, pointing towards the left of your face and you tried to wipe off whatever chunk was probably hanging off your mouth, embarrassed.

"Hold on," he said, before reaching across the sofa and running his thumb along your jawline.

You hadn't anticipated him doing that, and the contact sent a burst of electricity down your spine. His hands were surprisingly warm, three of his fingers gently cupped your jaw as he rubbed off the stubborn sauce.

You caught his eye just as he pulled away, and there was something in them, something different, something you'd never seen before. Whatever it was, it made heat flash through your body.

"All cleaned up," he said in a throaty whisper. That sent another shiver through you.

"Uh, I'm just going to put this away," you mumbled, standing up quickly and gathering the large pile of boxes in your hand and rushing to the kitchen.

What the fuck was that?

You quickly dumped the boxes in the trash, putting out the dirty silverware in the washer.

You reached for your wine refrigerator but decided against it. You didn't know if you could trust yourself with wine right now.

What was happening to you?

You brought out the bowls then. You'd have to make do with ice cream.

***

“So. A big fancy wedding, with a few hundred guests and your family. For five days. Should be easy,” Tom began, once you finished the tub of chocolate ice cream together.

“Are you having second thoughts, Holland?” you asked, licking the spoon one last time.

“You wish, L/N,” he retorted, a smirk plastered on his face. “As far as I'm concerned, this is just an all-paid-for vacation. All I have to do is remember a bunch of names and smile. That’s a bloody excellent deal.”

You chuckled. “That's one way of looking at it.”

In just two hours, you had become so attuned to Tom’s presence that the thought of doing this insane thing was starting to make you less worried. He seemed so relaxed on your sofa like this wasn't the first time he was at his boss' place, that it put you at ease.

You let yourself look at Tom, actually look at him.

The increasing interactions with him, the way he seemed to be looking out for you was starting to take up a considerable amount of your headspace. It had barely been four days since he'd offered to help out, but you found yourself thinking about him and what you were about to do at the most random times.

And you didn't want to admit it yet, but you were starting to notice the effect his presence had on you.

Even now, as you gazed at him sitting across from you, a teeny-tiny part of you couldn't wait to see where this whole pretend relationship would take you.

Beat it, Y/N.

He's your colleague.

A colleague who was nicer than the world had ever been, and it didn't help that he had the most perfect face you had ever seen.

NEXT CHAPTER ->

taglist: @boomitsallie1 @bruxa0007 @mn-jun @maybankssholland @berryologyyy @rayisthehoe @stiles-stilinski-24-dylan @gina239

feedback is appreciated! if you'd like to be tagged in the future chapters, please leave a comment or send an ask!

[miss-multifandom-mess]

My Shassie Master Fic Rec List

A List of Shassie Fics I Recommend

Clean Slate by TheStigsWriterCousin

Chapters: 8/8

Words: 15,865

Tags: Amnesia, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort

Summary: An on the job accident leaves Lassiter without a memory. Who better to help him get it back than our favourite psychic that remembers everything?

Tell Him by Otava

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 3,159

Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Undercover, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Mutual Pining

Summary: Prompt: "What about the classic fake dating scenario?" Lassiter runs into Shawn while undercover.

Gay Chicken Dare by VickyVicarious

Chapters: 2/2

Words: 1,476

Tags: Mutual Pining

Summary: Sometimes Shawn and Gus play a game. A game called 'Gay Chicken Dare'.

By Whatever Beans Necessary by hawkeyedkoi

Chapters: 7/7

Words: 35,225

Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Alternate Universe, Coffee Shops, Eventual Romance, Mutual Pining, Implied Sexual Content

Summary: The last thing Carlton expected was for the Chief to inform him that he would be taking the person he's been dating for the past four months to a law enforcement retreat. This wasn't how he had anticipated introducing his significant other to his coworkers at the station. Especially because he wasn't dating anyone.

Thankfully, there's Shawn Spencer, barista and psychic(??), to the rescue.

Drink Your Feelings Away by webslingingstark

Chapters: 4/4

Words: 6,661

Tags: Pre-Slash, Fluff, Drunken Confessions

Summary: No way. No way in hell Head Detective Carlton Lassiter would like kissing Psychic Consultant Shawn Spencer. So why did he keep dreaming it? PRE-SLASH

Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark by orphan_account

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 1,468

Tags: Fluff, Idiots in Love, Unspoken words

Summary: What if Shawn had called Lassie instead of Jules? Also Lassiter’s thoughts during the episode.

The Head, The Heart, The Whole Damn... Thing by sebviathan

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 5,226

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Confessions, First Kiss

Summary: "Lassie, we're comrades now. I do this all the time, I can walk you through this! This is just the weird part of the spit-out-a-crazy-theory process. You say it—everyone thinks you're crazy, you're incompetent, you should probably color your sideburns.... Truth: we're one in the same."

A Moment of Weakness is One's Greatest Strength by The_law_scholar

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 3,180

Tags: Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic

Summary: "I'm sorry," Shawn said softly. "I didn't know you were sick."

"I'm not," Carlton said stubbornly. "Maybe it was something I ate. Or maybe I got a stomach virus. I don't know."

Shawn raised an eyebrow as he rubbed circles into the man's back, just as Carlton had done for him while they were in bed. "Yeah, I think both food poisoning and stomach bugs constitute as being sick. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I don't typically display weakness in front of others," Carlton answered simply.

every perfect summer's eating me alive by wywrprenti

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 6,196

Tags: Secret Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together

Summary: They keep quiet about this new development in their relationship. Gus doesn't even know and honestly, he's a little impressed Shawn hasn't slipped up and told him yet.

It doesn't end up mattering either way though, because then he's framed for murder.

One Night at Henry Spencer's by rosey_angel

Chapters: 4/4

Words: 2,889

Tags: Secret Relationship

Summary: Henry overhears something he shouldn't and he makes a startling discovery. Set after the events of 'Shawn takes a shot in the dark'.

Toung Tied and Messy by rose-live (rose_live)

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 1,838

Tags: Valentine's Day, Fluff, Established Relationship, Secret Relationship

Summary: Shawn is being secretive and won't come in for a case the one time Lassiter *actually* wants him there and takes it the wrong way. Broody!Lassiter and romantic!Shawn. Just some cute one-shot Valentine's fluff because I'm a sucker.

Rewind by becgnet

Chapters: 2/2

Words: 2,319

Tags: Feels, Angst

Summary: "Shawn smiled as he was supposed to, and left as he was supposed to, and made it to the reception without crying, as he was supposed to, as despite all their differences, Lassiter had made Shawn his Best Man."

Based off of the song "Satisfied" from Hamilton. I strongly suggest listening to it before or with this, but it's perfectly fine without it.

Talk Too Much by TryingToScribble

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 2,032

Tags: Coming out of the Closet, Some Fluff, First Kiss

Summary: Shawn talks too much. There's a crime scene for God's sake! Lassiter finally shuts him up.

If I Was Your Girlfriend by birdkeeperklink

Chapters: 26/26

Words: 73,512

Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Pining, Minor Character Death, Homophobia, Idiots in Love, Angst, Fluff and Humor, Explicit Consent, Sharing a Bed

Summary: When the SBPD can't trace the source of the death threats against a prominent member of the LGBTQ community, Carlton has to go undercover to suss out the threat.

Problem: Due to a miscommunication, he has to pretend to have a boyfriend.

Problem #2: Nobody's volunteering for the position...except for Spencer.

Meanwhile, Shawn sees an opportunity to show off his amazing boyfriend skills. Gus is sure he's going to get himself shot.

Though It's Easy to Pretend by writesometimes

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 17,089

Tags: Fluff, Getting Together, Fake/Pretend Relationship

Summary: Lassiter goes undercover as a rich tech entrepreneur. Shawn is mistaken for his boyfriend. The two must work together to solve a case and present themselves as a happy, loving couple.

So Easy to Shatter, So Hard to Rebuild by nightwalker8321

Chapters: 18/18

Words: N/A

Tags: Betrayal, Happiness, mpreg, sadness

Summary: The heart is a thing that is so easy to break, and nearly impossible to put back together. For everyone who knows Shawn Spencer they would come to know just how ard especially a certain Head Detective.

[mimi-cee-hq]

A Glimpse of Yellow: Suna x f!reader - Chapter 9

« Chapter 1 | ‹ Chapter 8 | Masterlist

Read on AO3

Relationships: Suna x f!reader, mostly platonic!Inarizaki x f!reader (the relationships in the tags could be platonic or romantic :) )

Summary:

When the twins assumed you were dating Suna, he went along with it and you had no idea why.

***

Despite being Atsumu’s best friend, you barely knew his aloof and nonchalant teammate. Suna only made the occasional comment on the twins’ antics when you were around.

So when you needed a way to escape from the twins’ interrogations –including one about your longtime crush because you were definitely over him– Suna offered to walk with you after school to provide a way out. This raised a few eyebrows including yours.

Things got even stranger when the twins assumed you were dating Suna. And for some reason, he went along with it.

Genre, etc.: fluff, romance, friendship, getting together, fake dating, slow burn, acquaintances to friends to lovers, canon compliant, eventual angst but it’s the shoujo type

Words: 2.0k

*****

You bit your lip as your eyes darted around the classroom. Students shuffled from their desks, milling around the room before streaming into the hallway. You let out a breath when you saw Suna still at his desk, chatting with Osamu.

"I shouldn't be your boyfriend."

Your shoulders sagged as you remembered Suna's words. Why did he say that? Surely he only meant that you should stop pretending to date. You continued to remind yourself of this, but the knot in your stomach was stubborn; it didn't want to go away.

You knew that there wasn't any point to continuing this charade. You had already resolved things with Atsumu, so you didn't need Suna's help any more. But why did he have to say it like that? Otherwise, you would've given the gift to him that very day.

Things had also gotten busier for the both of you. Tests seemed to come all around the same time and both of your teams were getting ready for the preliminaries. Despite that, you had often tried to catch him after classes only to glance to your left and see an empty desk.

You felt as if there was a rift between the two of you, one that made its way unnoticed. Was pretending to date the only thing holding the two of you together? Was that all your relationship amounted to?

You shrugged off those thoughts, telling yourself they weren't true. The two of you had fun together, playing volleyball, grabbing after school snacks, watching videos together on his phone, and listening to his latest playlist. You gripped your yellow gift bag once again and glanced at Suna's desk.

Osamu's eyes perked up when he saw yours longing after Suna. "I think Y/n wants to talk to you," he said with a smirk. "Don't take too long and have Kita mark you as late." He gave Suna a nudge before he left the classroom.

You took a few steps and stood beside his desk, fidgeting with the edge of your uniform.

"Hey," you told him, taking small glances at him.

"Hey," Suna said. He didn't look up at you, busying himself with packing his belonging.

"How have you been?" you asked softly. You bit your tongue once you heard your own words. "Why did you say it like that?" you scolded yourself. "Now it sounds like you haven't seen each other in years."

Suna stopped putting his textbook into his bag but didn't give an answer either. He let out a sigh before saying, "I'm alright."

"Oh." You lowered your eyes and stared at his desk. "That's good to hear." Shifting your weight, you asked, "So you got practice today?"

"Yeah." Suna didn't add anything else.

You frowned as you took a peek at his face. "Why is this so hard? It feels as if I'm starting from scratch again… Back to when he was just another guy on the boys' volleyball team."

Ding.

You had a notification on your phone. It was from Suna. You raised your brow at him and he held up his phone prompting you to check his message.

"Pfft." It was a picture of Atsumu yelling at Osamu while his hair and clothes were drenched in water.

"That happened last year," Suna told you. "Atsumu had kept complaining that it was too hot."

You snorted out a laugh, surprised that Suna had caught this on camera. You wished you had thought to capture moments like these as well.

"You can use this as blackmail if you want," Suna added nonchalantly. "I haven't posted that one yet." He took a quick glance at your smile before putting the textbook in his bag.

His shoulders hung as he stared into his bag. "Did you–" Suna stopped mid-sentence and turned his head away from you. He shrugged his bag onto his shoulder. "I should get going."

Before he could leave, you snatched his hand. You didn't want him to go yet – not when you haven't talked to him in so long.

But at first contact, he yanked his hand out of yours.

You both froze. Suna widened his eyes while your hands were still suspended in front of you. His mouth opened slightly as if he was going to say something but he instead bit his lip and clenched his hand.

He left the room.

The pit in your stomach deepened and strength left your arms. You bit your lip to steel your expression. There were too many people around.

What had just happened?

*****

Bump. Set.

The team started off with a few drills to warm up, peppering being one of them. Suna stood several feet away from Atsumu as they took turns receiving, tossing and spiking the ball to each other. He could hear his teammates calling for the ball as they practiced with their partners.

His eyes lit up after taking a glance at the stands.

Spike.

"Suna!"

Atsumu noticed that he wasn't watching the ball but it was too late because his arm was already in the middle of its swing. The ball hit Suna's head and went towards the wall to the side.

Atsumu froze, not knowing how to react. Kita and Ginjima had also witnessed the hit, being right next to them.

Suna blinked a couple of times as they stared at him. "I'm alright," he said. "It wasn't that hard anyway."

"Pfft.” Ginjima couldn't help but laugh.

Atsumu grimaced at him. "We're just warming up!" he yelled, directing his index finger at Ginjima. "Of course I didn't hit it that hard!" When he didn't stop laughing, Atsumu snapped. "I'll spike your head off the next time I serve at you!"

Suna's lips faked a smile, but even that disappeared as he stared blankly at the gym floor. He thought he had seen you in the stands. You weren't coming; he had stopped himself from asking you.

He had never thought to invite you before because you would often see each other during your walks together. But now that he had decided to stop, his eyes often scanned the stands.

He sighed because he recognized this feeling, recalling his last middle school tournament. She never showed up. But this was different. You never came to watch in the first place, yet this somehow felt worse. Was it possible to miss something that never happened?

Suna went to pick up the stray ball when Aran entered his peripheral as he practiced with Osamu. He shifted his eyes away before taking a slow pace back to Atsumu.

You went over to Aran's house often. You even befriended his brother. That didn't surprise Suna but it had left a sour taste in his mouth the day he saw you chatting with Aran.

He needed to get a hold of his feelings. It pained him to see your stunned face when he had pulled away from you. He had shared that photo of Atsumu with you to cheer you up only for his efforts to be in vain. He didn't want you to suffer from losing a friend because of his own feelings. He only needed some time to compose himself. Just a bit more time.

If he kept running into you, he didn't know what he'd do. He didn't want to find out.

*****

"Thank you very much!" you told the lady at the register as she handed you your chicken skewers. The paper bag holding them was smaller than usual. There were only two pieces today instead of four.

You had been studying in the school library for the upcoming test. You had no idea how you'd pass. Sighing, you knew this wasn't the time to be worrying about Suna either.

The sun had turned the sky orange and a passing train blocked your path. You smirked, remembering the last time you were stuck waiting for the train, but right now, it seemed like Suna was the one avoiding you.

It shocked you when Suna flinched and swiped his hand away. You didn't understand why he reacted that way. Did he want to make it clear that you weren't pretending to date anymore?

You felt knots in your stomach again. You didn't even know why he went along with that fake relationship in the first place. Was he bored and thought it would be fun to play along? Did he think you were a bother now? What if he was just trying to make someone else jealous. What if it was a dare.

You were doubting him. You felt horrible about it. He hadn't shown himself to be the kind of guy who'd treat you this way, but you couldn't think of any other explanation. Maybe you didn't really know him and viewed him through rose-coloured glasses.

You bit your lip as you rubbed your eye with the back of your fingers. What were you supposed to do now?

A familiar row of picnic tables came into your view. You weren't even walking in the right direction. But you noticed a purple bicycle and you raised your brow. You saw Karin wearing a yellow scrunchie in her hair as she swung her legs on the swing.

"And then my art teacher forgot to bring the…," Karin's voice trailed off but stopped when she noticed you weren't listening as you sat in the swing beside her. She dragged her feet in the sand to stop the momentum, and pulled out her phone, swiping her thumb.

"Y/n, look!" she said, holding her phone out to you. "Hana-chan showed me her hamster during Golden week. Isn't she cute?"

Any other day you would have been excited to watch the video with her. Instead, you gave her a weak smile to at least show you appreciated the effort.

"Hey. Maybe you should come over to my house!" she suggested. "Let me teach you something this time!" She nudged you with a smile.

"Is that alright?" you asked, not minding the distraction. "I don't want to impose."

"Of course it is!" she replied. "My mom loved it whenever I brought my friends over. They came over all the time! She'd be excited to meet you!"

After you told your mom about your plans, Karin clung onto your arm and marched you to her house.

"I'm home!" Karin announced as she opened the door. "I brought a friend!"

Her mom step out of the kitchen to greet you.

"I'm in the middle of a call right now," she told you and Karin as she covered the phone. "I'll properly greet you when I finish up here, but make yourself at home."

As you removed your shoes, you noticed a pair of heels with some men's shoes lying on their side. A gym bag flopped next to them. Looking up, a tall house plant hunched over at the bottom of the stairs and a pair of black socks didn't quite make its way up the steps. One hung off the edge of the staircase.

"We can wait upstairs in my room," Karin told you.

Once there, you didn't expect to see posters and posters of the same group of four boys plastered on her walls.

"I knew you liked them but it's a little different seeing it in person," you commented.

"But you know this guy right?" Karin said, pointing to the one with black hair on the poster. "He's the second lead in that drama right now!"

You squinted your eyes before smirking. He did look a little familiar.

"Where's the bathroom?" you asked Karin.

"It's right across the stairs."

As you made your way there, you passed by a bookshelf with a half-finished knitting project, a mug full of paint brushes, and a few small cardboard boxes. You also couldn't miss the large stuffed Hello Kitty beside the bathroom door.

You placed a hand on the knob when, to your left, you heard a door click open.

Turning to the sound, your heart soared and sank at the same time. You forgot how to breathe.

"Rintarou! Karin! Dinner's ready!"

:D

*****

Chapter 10 ›

Okay, please tell me your reaction. I've been dying to share this part of the story for so long! lol!

Like usual, here’s the Google form for my taglist if you want to be notified when I post the next chapter. You can also send me an ask if you want to be added to the list.

[jimmys-zeppelin]

ghostin'

chapter twenty-nine

(table of contents)

march 29, 1977

Ellie tapped her fingers impatiently as the droning of the phone put her anxiety just over the edge. Two seconds later she was slamming the receiver back down and picking it up again; this time dialing a different number.

It was barely five seconds before the call was answered, "Hello?"

"Hey Andrew, it's Ellie."

"Well it's about damn fucking time you called! I thought you were dead, princess." He replied, the anger imminent in his voice.

"Sorry!" Ellie exclaimed, "it's been so hectic and—I haven't forgotten you, I promise! I really just haven't had any—"

"Yeah sure," Andrew said, exaggerating the 'e' to showcase his displeasure, "You've been gone two weeks and haven't even given so much as a peep!"

"I sent out a post card from Hamburg last week!" Ellie shot back, "Plus I got you some goodies too."

"Good, I deserve them." he huffed, prompting Ellie to laugh.

"How's it been taking care of my house?" she asked.

"I threw several parties. Drugs, cum, and alcohol all over the floor. I'm letting it marinate for when you get back."

"Oh, perfect. Thanks so much Andrew, I was due for a marination."

After a beat, the two broke out into fits of laughter, with Andrew cutting in, "The house is fine, I've been playing housewife every few days: dusting things off, watering your plants, lazing on your couch, eating your food....you know. How's it been with the blondie?"

"Roger? He's good I guess. He had to go back to England for a few days this week to figure out some stuff because he's got a tour right after the end of mine and—oh my god! Jesse tried to fucking make out with me!"

"I fucking knew it! I told you from the beginning he just wanted to drag you into bed. So what happened, did you fire him?"

"No, I scared him off because I don't wanna be stuck finding a guitarist on short notice, but holy fuck I wish I could've done something more."

"Holy shit...did you tell Roger?"

"Yeah. He seemed pretty ticked off, to be honest, but if Jess had pushed any more I would've been banging on Roger's door like a damsel in distress."

Andrew pulled the phone away from his mouth and yelled out in relief, "you two need to fuck as soon as possible."

While it was plausible, the idea of getting to that point with Roger scared her a ton. Of course Ellie had hooked up with a small handful of guys since breaking things off with Jimmy, but it still felt odd to be with other people. Like she didn't deserve it somehow.

"Yeah yeah yeah...I don't even know how he feels about me." she said, rolling her eyes.

"You're so fucking dumb, you know that?"

"Thanks Andrew, that's real sweet of you." Ellie chuckled dryly.

"I'm serious! This man took you home when you were blackout drunk on the Fourth of July, missed his flight to make sure you got home safe, is going on TOUR with you through Europe and PAYING for his own expenses. He's—I'm sure—totally romancing you with his, quote-unquote 'innocent friendly gestures'. Ellie you're dense!"

"Oh, come on, Drew! Those are all things you'd probably do for me."

"Not if I wasn't in love with you!" Andrew insisted. "Hotel rooms are expensive, Ellie!"

A knock on the door made Ellie jump where she sat on her hotel bed, "Listen, there's someone at the door, I have to call you back."

"You better! I'll be at your house until you do."

"That's right, leech off me. Okay, bye." she said, hanging up the phone and rushing towards the door when another set of knocks echoed throughout the hotel room.

Looking in the peep hole, she saw Carolyn outside. Opening the door, she greeted her, "Hey, what's up?"

"There's an interviewer downstairs for you. Just a pop magazine. Also here to take some photos if you don't mind. You look good, the pictures should come out well."

"Thanks." Ellie replied, "come in, I just have to pee first." she said, opening the door for her manager before entering the restroom.

"You were on the phone?"

"Yeah, I was just giving my friend Andrew a call. You know him. He's house-sitting for me while I'm gone."

"Oh, okay." she said. The tone of her voice hinted that the conversation was likely not her top priority and was focused on something else. "You talk to Roger yet?" she asked as Ellie flushed. Rinsing her hands, she quickly dried them on her pants as she entered the main room. Carolyn had been eyeing the corner of the notebook sheet with Roger's phone number scribbled onto it.

"No." Ellie gulped, using her damp hands to push down the flyaways on her hair, "Let's go."

Arriving into the multipurpose room where her interviewer sat patiently with a photographer beside her, Ellie smiled to them as they stood to shake her hand.

"How are you?" The woman asked, her German accent thick in the way she spoke.

"Good, good, thank you." Ellie replied, exchanging pleasantries with the photographer as well before taking a seat. "Do you want to take photos first or do the interview first?"

"Leon will take some photos as I conduct the interview and then he'll take some shots of you for the magazine."

"Sounds good. And your name?"

"Elsa." she introduced. Ellie nodded in response and sat back in her chair.

Elsa scribbled a few things down in her notebook before reaching into her purse and turning on her tape recorder. "Mind if I record?"

She shook her head, pulling her carton of cigarettes from her back pocket, "Mind if I smoke?" she mirrored in question, to which Elsa shook her head. The two chuckled before the interview started.

"How's Germany been for you, Ellie? Do you miss the US a lot?"

"It feels like I've been gone a month when it's only been about two weeks, so yeah, a little. It's been kinda surreal especially since I don't speak an ounce of German and everyone here seems to know the words to all my songs." She chuckled, taking a long and satisfying drag of her cigarette. Beside her, she could hear the shutter of Leon's camera. She wondered how an image of her smoking a cigarette would sell.

"You come from New York, yes?"

"That's right."

"So what's one thing you miss about home?"

"I'm gonna be honest, I thought there'd be more Pop Tarts available for purchase here." Ellie laughed, blowing away the smoke from the side of her lip.

"What are Pop Tarts?"

Ellie stammered, sitting up in her seat and trying to give Elsa a rough size guesstimate with her hands, "They're these, uh, pastries—hyper-processed, obviously—in the States. They have lots of filling and—it's not important," she chuckled, putting a hand over her eyes, "they're just some junk food I miss. But I also miss the California weather."

"Much warmer than over here in Germany, yeah?"

"Definitely," Ellie laughed, sucking on her cigarette.

Elsa scribbled down a bit in her notepad as Leon snapped away with his camera. Finally, she looked up, "What famous person has left you the most, erm, what Americans call star struck?"

"Oh!" Ellie replied excitedly, unsure of how to answer, "I've been fortunate enough to meet many famous people in my—what is it—eight years since moving to California. I think my biggest star struck moment is kind of pathetic, actually. I kind of don't want to say." she chuckled, an embarrassed smile creeping up on her face.

"Who is it?" Elsa pushed.

"I saw Elvis Presley at LAX once in 1974. It was right around when I'd gotten my first Grammy award. I was coming back from London and he obviously saw I had recognized him and kinda saluted me from across baggage claim before saying his daughter heard my single Dreamer on the radio and loved it. I had an ego boost for like, six months after that." she said, her cheeks burning in embarrassment.

"One last question," the woman paused, looking down at her notes, "What is your songwriting process?"

Deciding she had some time to kill in her off-time, Ellie hit the shops. The town center was nearby and she had some marks on her, why not?

Shopping, as her mother had always told her, cleared the mind. She didn't know what needed clearing, though, the thought of picking up some new garments or records always sounded like a good idea to her.

Stopping at a magazine stand to see if she could find the latest Rolling Stone, Creem, or any other music publication, she found what seemed to be a tabloid. The title was in German, but one of the many images on the cover included a small section for a familiar face. It was Jimmy, seemingly caught in the middle of the street by paparazzi with someone on his arm. Of course the image of the woman was blurred out to entice readers.

Lesen Sie auf Seite 67!

Picking up the magazine as nonchalantly as she could, she flipped to the page marked 67 where, plastered over half the page, was a photo of Jimmy and Charlotte. She didn't think too much of it, turning to the stand worker and asking if he could translate the blurb into English for her—no dice.

"Bist du Ellie Saunders?" the man asked curiously, pointing to her name and tiny photo of hers being displayed on the page.

"Nein." she replied, hoping her tone would convince him it was the truth. With a huff, she gave him the five marks for the magazine and carried on with her shopping, though with a muddled mind.

Trying as hard as she could to ignore the paparazzo taking pictures of her from across the street, Ellie walked into the first record shop she stumbled upon. Flicking through the A section for anything she thought she would recognize, the thought in the back of her mind gnawed at her of what exactly was written beside that photo of Jimmy and Charlotte together. And just why it had her name and photograph included in the mix. Her mind could conjure a million different awful things the publication could have said about her in comparison to Charlotte—she was the mother of his child after all.

She was unknowingly halfway through the A’s when she stopped. Looking around the store, she found the clerk behind the cash register, his back turned as he flipped the ABBA record which had been playing through the store’s speakers.

“Excuse me,” she said as she approached him. As the needle hit the vinyl, the man turned to face her, his expression immediately changing. Perhaps she’d been recognized.

“Hallo, miss! How can I help you?” The man asked eagerly.

Ellie smiled in response, placing the magazine up on the counter and flipping directly to page 67 as if her finger wasn’t already marking the page, “Could you translate for me?” She asked, pointing directly at the blurb beside Jimmy and Charlotte.

The man hummed, taking a look at the small paragraph, then squinting at it before looking back up at Ellie. “It is a piece about new couples. It says, ehh, which woman is better for Jimmy Page. Ellie or Charlotte. It says people like Charlotte more.” he said solemnly.

Ellie couldn't find any words, instead nodding and mumbling a quick 'danke' before going back to the bins at the front of the store.

As she continued flicking through the records, a sinking dread creeped into her chest. She wondered if Jimmy had actually moved on—or back?—so quickly. It made her feel helpless. The jealousy sparked inside of her confused her to no end. Charlotte—as Ellie had reminded herself time and time again—was the mother of his child; a role Ellie knew she could never fulfill.

Her mind was spiraling trying to come up with excuses for him. Why he'd move on, or go back to his ex. Was he done mourning their relationship, trying to get her back? The dread in her body began to settle upon her realization: Jimmy was moving on, Ellie was still stuck five months in the past. Time had been merely passing and Ellie was stagnant in her mentality.

Her nose itched.

Going to the clerk again, she placed two records on the counter. "Just these, please." she said.

"Of course, miss Ellie." he said, tapping at his register before he returned her the change. Thanking him, she made her way back out onto the Hanover city streets. It had started raining since she had entered the record store. The sky had turned an ugly blue shade of gray as thick droplets of rain fell from the clouds.

Seemingly, it was fitting for Ellie. “How ironic,” she said quietly to herself, finding the nearest taxi cab and heading back to the hotel.

As she entered the lobby—as inconspicuously as she could—she could hear a few pairs of light footsteps rushing behind her. When one of them called her name, she turned on her heels in an instant.

Two teenage girls stood before her, clutching at a record in each of their hands as they looked to Ellie excitedly. Fans. She hoped.

"Hi!" she said, greeting them happily. "What can I do for you?"

"We are very big fans," One of them piped up. "We will be seeing you at Festhalle this week."

"Shit, that's great, thank you. What are your names?"

"I'm Sabine. This is Brigitte." Sabine said, gesturing to her friend beside her.

"Nice to meet you both." Ellie smiled, noticing them both looking at her expectantly as they continued clutching at their records. "Did you want me to sign those?" she asked, pointing at the jackets.

"Please!" Brigitte said excitedly.

"Of course," she laughed, reaching out for the items, "do you have a pen or something?"

Quickly, Sabine pulled a marker from her bag, handing it to her. After scribbling her signature down as well as a short message to each girl on the jacket sleeves, Ellie handed each one back to the girls.

"So nice to meet you!" said Sabine, "We will see you at Festhalle." she said before the two waved goodbye to Ellie and scurried out of the hotel's lobby.

With a newfound smile on her face, Ellie made her way to the elevator. As she twisted the key to get into her room, she dropped her bags onto the sofa and made a beeline for the phone, grabbing her notebook that sat on her dresser.

Flipping to the page matching that of two days previous, she saw Roger's neat handwriting in the upper left hand corner.

The line rang twice before there was a click, "Hello?" he said, the soft raspiness of his voice bringing yet another smile onto her face.

"Greetings from Hanover."

"Is this one of those tele-order postcards?" He asked, feigning suspicion. She felt dumb at how just the tone of his voice sent butterflies through her stomach.

She cleared her throat with a laugh, "No, but it is your favorite American who's calling."

"My favorite American? Well who can that possibly be?" he pondered as Ellie tried to hold in her laughter in order to keep on with the joke. "I know a lot of Americans, you know?"

"Perhaps this will freshen your mind: the one you've been following around on her tour like a little lost puppy."

"Oh, Elizabeth! So great to hear from you dear."

"Yeah close enough." Ellie chuckled, twirling the phone cord around her finger as they fell into a comfortable silence, "How've you been, Rog?"

"Well it's been two days, but I'm good. You?"

"Good as I can be, I guess," she said, amusement only slightly present in her voice, "some stupid tabloid got me upset just now. Plus it's in German so I have no fucking clue what it really says."

"About you?"

"Sorta. About Jimmy and his ex. Apparently they're back together or something and people think she's better than me or whatever...It's stupid." she dismissed.

"That's harsh El. But it's just a tabloid right? They print bullshit half the time anyway. I wouldn't sweat it. Plus, you deserve better than Jimmy."

"I am making a career of songs about him, aren't I?"

"Exactly, that's the spirit."

"I guess," Ellie conceded, "Listen, I just called to tell you where I'm at for whenever you come back."

"Oh yeah. Lemme just get a pen and paper." Roger said. There was a bit of rustling on the other end before the phone crackled a bit, "Alright go ahead."

"I'm at the Plaza Hotel in Hanover under the name Jennifer North."

Roger paused for a second, audibly writing down the information, "And who is Ms. North, if I may ask?"

"Just a character from a book I like. Tragic ending."

"Hope that isn't foreshadowing."

"Not unless I ditch music and start doing pornos."

"Oh jeez." Roger laughed.

"Anyway, the show's on Thursday so I'm just hanging out here and doing photo shoots and interviews until then. You know, pop star stuff."

"I'll be sure to be back by then. Perhaps leave tonight..." he trailed off.

"Did you sort out your thing with the band?"

"I did. Ah, just the new road crew confused over where to put my cymbals." he said exasperatedly.

"I thought that'd be self-explanatory."

"I've got a lot of cymbals, Ellie. One day I'll give you a tour," he chuckled.

She laughed, "Alright then, I'll take your word for it." she said, pausing again as a silence fell over them and she realized she was probably keeping him from something. What it was, she didn't know, but she didn't want to keep him from it any longer.

They spoke over each other then, stammering for the other to speak first before Roger insisted she go ahead.

"I was just gonna say I'm probably going to get ready for bed. I just need a hot bath to soothe my nerves. Plus I don't want to keep you on the phone. You probably have other, more important things to do."

"Oh. Okay, well, I'll see you soon then."

"Yeah. What did you want to say?"

"It's okay. It's not important."

"Rog—"

"Ellie, don't worry about it. I'll tell you when I see you next."

Ellie hesitated, "Okay," she said, "I'll see you soon, Rog."

"See you, El."

When she hung up the phone, she looked suspiciously into her room, stumped, and wondering what he'd wanted to tell her. Finally, with a shrug, she started running herself a bath, the water as hot as it could go in order to steam up the room as much as possible.

"Borrowing" a tray from the kitchenette, Ellie wiped it down with a cloth, reaching into her purse on the sofa and pulling out her trusty baggie. Pouring a good amount of it onto the tray, she took the first bill and card she could find and organized the powder into semi-neat lines. Three for the bath, one to treat herself.

Her nose burned after the first line, beginning to feel the waves of relaxation coming over her instantly. She undressed herself in the room, leaving her clothes any which way on the floor and took a "new" book from her suitcase. The cracked spine made the text beneath illegible, but the cover made it much clearer.

Ellie grabbed the tray on her way to the bathroom, setting it on the edge of the tub and shutting the water off as she stepped in. The shock from the temperature gave her a sort of euphoria. When she was finally settled in, she cracked open the book again. Sense and Sensibility. Another classic favorite of hers.

As she bathed, the magazine that lay wrinkled on her bed said the following on page 67:

Jimmy Page and Charlotte Martin

— Now that he and Ellie Saunders have split, it is called into question which model-like lady looks better on Page's arm. Lately, the guitarist has been spotted with the mother of his child looking rather cosy, unlike how he usually did with his former flame. A poll conducted at our offices shows that people prefer Pagey with his longtime lover Charlotte rather than with novice singer Ellie. Sounds like blondes don't always have more fun!

---

masterlist | playlist

Taglist: @diaryofafan17 @keepcalmandcarryfire @witchesdust @jonesyjonesyjonesy @paginate54 @hejustsatisfiess @salixfragilis @sweetladymay @reincarnated70sbaby @rebel-without-a-zeppelin @kyunisixx @blackberryblossom @jimmypages if you want to be added to the list let me know!

[nanaminokanojo]

BLOOM | Sukuna X You | Part 1/3

CHARACTERS: Sukuna X You | Gojo Satoru | Geto Suguru | Shoko Ieiri | Maki | Fushiguro Toji | Baby Megumi | Megumi's Mom (OC) CHAPTER COUNT: 1/3 WORD COUNT: 8900+ GENRE: romance | fluff | slight angst | (eventual) smut | ooc sukuna | female reader CHAPTER TRIGGER WARNING: profanity/strong language | alcohol use | cigarette smoking | age gap | unhealthy simping XD SPOILERS: N/A

collection masterlist

one two three | Bloom Masterlist

His hair was the color of cherry blossoms, that's the first thing you noticed. It was the softest shade of pink, easy on the eyes, reminding you of the tendrils of filtered rays of the sun lightly touching the edges of clouds very early in the morning. Or your favorite angora wool sweater.

The man stole your attention from the book you were reading when you chanced a look from your periphery just to check who sat on the stool beside your usual spot on the bar – the seat at the very end by the wall. Your planned glance turned into a furtive stare at the sight of him from his candy-floss-hued hair, the rippling muscles hidden under his white oxford shirt and the array of tattoos that peeked through his neatly folded sleeves. And boy, since when did men smell like vanilla and spring while also exuding such a virile scent?

A smile tugged at the corners of your mouth at the thought, internally shaking your head at your behavior. You should not be staring at people, and though you weren't exactly ogling him, you were still observing him enough to associate him with your favorite article of winter clothing.

"Hey. The usual for you?" you heard Maki, the bar owner, ask, giving you the idea that the man was a regular. How you haven't spotted him before was a mystery.

If it was already hard concentrating on the novel you were reading, you've completely forgotten about it when you heard him say, "Make that single-malt." It's either the gates of hell opened at the sudden heat you felt on your skin at the sound of his voice or the gates of heaven did with how delicious it sounded in your ear, thick like honey and deep with a distinct ring to it. It got you wondering what his mother craved for when she was pregnant with him, and your brain said, "Greek gods," when you lifted your eyes from the current page you were reading and briefly exchanged looks with him as he shifted his line of vision from Maki to you.

You turned your eyes back to your book, making it seem like you were just absently looking about, but in reality, it took herculean effort to wrench your gaze from him. In that brief meeting of your eyes, the features of his face registered in your head like a bar code scanner, etching itself in your mind like a white-hot brand. He wasn't shockingly handsome, but he was beautiful in his own right with those intense eyes that reminded you of drowning pools and the rugged yet refined planes of his face. It was as if an artist painted him in passionate anger, slowly fell in love with the piece and began redefining his features with gentler strokes.

You turned the page of your book despite not getting any reading done. Well, it has been the case for a considerable amount of minutes now, but you tried anyway, furiously staring down at the new page but not comprehending anything. Your eyes kept scanning the same sentence over and over again but it was not sinking in at all.

"Excuse me, miss," that deep voice you've already developed a strange affection for assaulted your senses again, making your head snap up to the direction it was coming from. Hell, you think you'll do its owner's bidding just hearing it at the rate you were going, reacting automatically as if you were programmed with a voice prompt or something.

You were about to look at him but Maki caught your attention as she pushed the smoothie you ordered towards you, placing it precisely in front of you on the hardwood surface with her fingers. She arched a brow at you, causing you to stiffen on your seat.

You've been coming to the quiet little bar since you grew old enough to drink. In fact, you considered it your regular watering hole, going there whenever you can even in the day as it doubled as a gastro-pub. You've already come to know the staff who reserved the spot for you every single time you told them you were coming, particularly the tough but very lovable Maki. She's basically a friend now, and you knew you were acting off if she was giving you odd looks.

"Thanks, Maki," you said just in time, even managing to smile. She just shook her head at you before walking away to tend to another client.

"I have to know what book you are reading," the person beside you said just as you began sipping on your drink, which, you've noted, was a cherry blossom tea smoothie that reminded you of him.

You let go of the straw between your lips, swallowing hard. Turning your attention to him, you found him sitting sideways, chin propped on the heel of his palm as he regarded you. "Huh?" was all you could manage to say to him.

A slow, crooked smile etched itself across his mouth, the action appearing sensuous with the gradual way his expressions changed. "That book," he said for your benefit. "May I know what it is about?"

You just blinked, still questioning yourself if he was addressing you.

"If you're that engrossed about it, it must be great," he said. "Mind telling me the title?"

"Book?" you asked dumbly. He was really frying your brain.

He pointed at the book you were holding with his lips, protruding them slightly before smiling again. Jesus, you loved the way he smiled. The gesture didn't belong there when you've already thought he was the smirking, grinning-devil type. It was too soft a gesture, but then again his hair was shell-pink – a contradiction to his stridently brawny features.

"Oh." Despite yourself, you found yourself chuckling. "I'm sorry, I was distracted."

"Not by the book, I hope."

You looked away, smiling to yourself as you closed the object in question and slid it over to him. When you looked at him, you were surprised to see him actually reading the synopsis at the back, interest flickering in his dark eyes. You were already expecting him to just read the title, probably the author, too, thinking he was just flirting with you judging by his last words. But he was actually reading it.

"It's about an architect," he stated. "He must be mind-blowingly awesome if you're too transfixed on his story."

"No, Howard Roark is mostly a recalcitrant bastard who breaks rules here and there, doesn't cooperate or collaborate and is stone-faced about most anything."

"But it's what you like about him," he supplied.

You nodded. "He’s a breath of fresh air in a world governed by stuffy archaic principles. The spring to a long, stagnant winter of conformity. I'm in love with him." Noticing the look of amusement on his face, you were quick to add, "What?"

"Nothing." His smile didn't waver though. "Are you an architect, too?"

"Too?" you repeated with inflection then tilted your head. "Ah, you're an architect, huh?"

"Guilty."

"Any projects of note?" you asked, tilting your head in wonder when he seemed flustered. "What is it?"

He shook his head slowly. "You're very straightforward."

At that, you grinned. "Should I take you out to dinner before I get that information?" You sipped leisurely at your smoothie, glad that you throw him off as much as he flusters you.

"You don't have to," he found himself answering anyway. "But I work for a firm, so they get most of the credit. We built that new hotel at Shinjuku."

"Eh? Didn't pin you for a baroque kind of guy."

"You know..." He was all ears now judging by how he leaned closer to you. He leveled his expression to yours then. "So, what kind of guy did you think I am?"

There it is, you thought, the smirk you've been waiting for. Without giving it much thought, you said, "The Howard Roark type, of course."

***

"You seriously don't remember, do you?"

It wasn't that you didn't. You simply had no idea how you got home, considering how you ended up all smashed after enjoying too many margaritas after your smoothie. You seriously just didn't know certain things. You didn't know what happened after you reached your limit. And out of all the things you know you should not have missed, you didn't know his name.

You were sitting on the kitchen counter, nursing a headache, trying to fill in every bit of information your friends were trying to leech out of you in your addled state. You've been expecting it - the great inquisition - especially after you returned in a state lesser than they've been expecting, unconscious, according to the collective stories of your roommates, when you told them you were just stepping out to get some reading done. And on a school night, no less. Very atypical of you indeed.

"What should I be remembering?" you responded to Ieiri. You weren't exactly fond of her worrisome nature although you knew she was just watching your back especially since she has been rather disapproving of your escapades with these guys you somewhat dated back then. You appreciated it, but it didn't mean you liked it.

"Oh, I don't know, Y/N. Strawberry blond? Tats? Drives a Jeep? Ring any bells?" she said, jogging your memory. "He came knocking at two in the morning, carrying you in his arms. I mean he was hot according to Satoru, but do you even know the guy?"

“Cherry blossom,” you absently corrected the color Ieiri mentioned.

“Huh?”

“Him, I remember.” You smiled at the thought, not hiding your delight from them. You were sure they were just annoyed that they weren't in on the action since Satoru, your other friend and roommate, who seem nonexistent recently, was the one who interacted with the man you met and supposedly brought you back to the house you rented with all of them. And Satoru doesn't know basic decorum to actually ask what the man’s name was. "Howard."

"Howard?" Suguru, another one of your friends who was in the literature department as you were, asked. "Howard Roark?" He knew the reference, obviously. You forced him to read the book before it even became one of your study materials.

You nodded enthusiastically. "He's an architect."

"He didn't look like a 'Howard,' apparently," Ieiri said.

"That name is from her favorite book," Suguru supplied, his dark eyes shifting to you as he tucked some stray strands of his long, raven locks which were currently tied in a half-up. "So your guy's an architect, too."

"That, but he isn't 'my guy' and I don't know what his name is."

He grinned then. "If you're openly calling him by the name of the character you claim to be in love with, I'm assuming..."

"No!" Ieiri gasped.

You laughed despite the action making your head hurt. You were still hungover after all, but you didn't mind, not when you knew you had a good night. Probably a great night to allow yourself to be hammered like you have been. You only ever drank to your fill when the company is great and when you were in a jovial mood.

"It's nothing like that. He just feels like spring time. Looks like it, too." You waved your hands in front of you for emphasis. Still, your expressions said otherwise.

You weren't in love with the man because you didn't believe in mushy things like love at first sight, but you knew you liked him, just that you weren't getting your hopes up cause there's a chance you might not see him ever again, assuming your meeting was something transient like the blossoms his hair made you think of. Even if he was a regular at Maki's, if your schedules didn't coincide with one another, it would not be easy to meet. You've been coming to the same bar for years and yet, you've only ever seen him that time. You never really know.

But then, you got your answer pretty quickly.

From: Satoru

See you at 7 tomorrow night. Same place.

That’s how Satoru's message read, sent late the previous night. You almost forgot about the agreement you’ve had with him to get unlimited barbecue after sleeping the rest of the day but you made it out just in time. It was something you did with all three of your friends as a way to bond with them individually.

You glanced at the clock on your phone, feeling the stares of the restaurant staff on you. Well, you’ve been there for more than an hour waiting for him. One hour and thirteen minutes to be precise. All you’ve ordered so far was a glass of lemonade and you were able to finish that in the first half hour, sitting on a table for two when evidently, you were alone. All your texts were ignored and your calls were always being redirected to voicemail.

“Where the fuck are you, Gojo Satoru?” you asked him in one of your messages, hissing low into your phone just so the other diners would not be offended by your words. You got a message another twenty minutes later, the sound of your phone almost making you jump from your seat. However, when you looked at it, it was from an unknown number.

You were about to check the message when one of the waitresses came to your table, pad and pen on the ready. She’s always the one who served you whenever you and your friends would go there for a dose of beef and pork fat, and she has always been nice to you.

“Not to be nosy but I think your friend isn’t coming.”

You nodded, grimacing. “Tell me about it.”

“The boss has been giving you the stink eye, too.”

Looking over the counter, you saw the elderly man really looking at you. He looked away when you met his eyes, muttering to himself. You knew how the owner could get, but you simply loved going there since their food is good and the service is just the same. You smiled ruefully at the woman before you. “I’ll have a sukiyaki set and warm sake, please. Thank you.”

“Would that be all?”

“Yeah.”

“Coming right up.” She flashed you a bright smile before disappearing into the back rooms.

You almost forgot the message you saw earlier, but then, your phone lit up again with that familiar tone. The new message was from the same number.

From: Unknown

How are you?

From: Unknown

I hope you’re okay.

You frowned, not having the slightest clue as to who could be texting you.

From: You

Who is this?

Your order came but there was no response from the mystery texter or Satoru. You felt pathetic looking at your phone every once in a while as you ate and drank. Normally, you wouldn’t even have given anybody, including your best friends, the time of the day, making you wait for longer than an hour without as much as a message. You don’t ever wait for people over the agreed meeting time. You hated it with passion. And you were already thinking of ways to make Satoru pay.

You were about to eat a mouthful of beef when you heard the chair across you being dragged back. Your eyes flicked to the direction, and to your utter shock, you almost dropped your chopsticks if it weren’t for the hand that reached out and held onto your hand, securing the utensils.

Once again, you were sitting on your usual spot at the bar, eyes clashing with those intense ones owned by the pink-haired guy who apparently drove a charcoal grey Jeep and reminded you of spring, the same one who drove you home the other night.

“Careful,” he said, his scent assaulting your senses.

A lump formed in your throat, making you unable to form proper words, so you settled for putting down the chopsticks. You folded your hands together on your lap, recovering from your consternation before you finally looked at him, unable to help it but grin. He looked different that day, more laid back in a white baseball cap mussing his candy-floss hair down, a loose-fitting shirt in the same hue and jeans. He looked so fresh, you felt the air around you cool down considerably.

“How did you…” you hesitated and shook you head. “Hello.”

He broke into that crooked smile. “Crazy how the moment you sent the message, I saw you through the glass walls while I drove past.”

You opened your mouth to say something, but closed it again, not quite knowing how to react to it when suddenly, the first part of his statement registered in your mind. “Wait, message?” You picked up your phone, showing him the messages. “This is you?”

He nodded slowly. “Looks like you’re doing great.” He regarded the bottle of sake on the table. “I had to get your number to check up on you. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Y-yeah, I mean, no, not at all. Thank you by the way.” You chuckled, saving his number and naming him Spring God in your contacts. “I wasn’t really expecting you to bring me home.”

“I got your address from your driving license.” He grinned then. “I thought of taking you back to my place, but I didn’t know how that would sit with you.”

Who says chivalry was dead? “I’m sorry for acting crazy, if I did anyway." You chuckled. "I don't remember…and for having to bring me all the way to the house.”

“It’s fine. It was lovely meeting Satoru.”

At that, your face flushed red. You winced. “I’m sorry for whatever he did while I was out of it.” He could be crazy at times, and you wouldn't be surprised if he did something untoward.

He shook his head, letting out a slight chuckle. “He was very nice to me, don’t worry.” He furrowed his brows then. “I also got your name. Y/N. I don’t know if you forgot to tell me or you just didn’t trust me enough, but I’d like to think it’s the former since you didn’t seem to think twice about getting wasted with me like you did.”

You deliberately didn’t tell him your name, but he was making it sound a little nicer. It wasn’t really something you planned on doing again, meeting him, but somehow, he found you. You shook you head, coming clean. “If you put it that way, okay, but really, I thought it was better if you didn’t know.”

“Hmm. Why is that?”

You found it endearing that he tilted his head a bit to the side when he asked the question. Your lips curled upwards at the corner. “I just never thought I’d meet you again.”

“That would be unfortunate.”

You laughed awkwardly at his remark. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way.”

“I’m not offended.”

“Okay.”

You requested for another order of barbecue for him. He declined but you insisted. “Come on. My treat for your act of kindness.” You snickered. “Besides, my supposed date bailed.”

“Date?”

Sighing, you said, “Well, not really. Satoru. We agreed to meet here over an hour ago but he hasn’t been answering my messages or calls. Something probably came up.”

He eyed you thoughtfully. “If you don't mind me asking, is he your...?"

"My what?"

"Your boyfriend…maybe."

You chuckled at the thought, but then you realized you didn't even know his name. "I don't really tell strangers about things like that," you teased.

“Okay, but I thought we’re past being strangers.” He smirked then and you swore you felt your stomach flip.

“We’re in the getting-to-know-each-other phase,” you told him with a laugh, acceding. "Since I didn't tell you my name, I didn't expect you to tell me yours. Plus I didn't ask, so may I have yours?"

"Sukuna," he said. "Ryomen Sukuna."

"Su-ku-na," you repeated, liking the feel of the syllables as they rolled out of your tongue. Finally, the person you've gotten so fond of in just a short time had a name. You didn't know what his name meant but it seemed to match him well regardless of how arbitrary it was to his person. You couldn't think of any better name though. "I like your name. It's pretty." You smiled brightly at him then. "And no, Satoru is not my boyfriend."

Ryomen Sukuna was an absolute puzzle to you. How he could look so badass and pretty much intimidating with his strapping physique and inked skin – throw in the multiple piercings on his left ear which you were noticing or the first time – while also pulling off all these adorable little actuations was a quandary to you. Tall, solidly built men like him should not be reminding you of soft, cute things, but the moment he blinked in confusion, you knew you couldn't get enough of it.

"Nobody ever said that about my name, but thanks," he returned in that deep voice after a moment's pause. And was that a dusting of roses over his cheeks? The surprises you were getting from this man was endless. He really was such a breath of fresh air, so far from the usual stereotypes.

Your face seemed to be perpetually pulled into a smile whenever you were around him, and you didn't think you were doing a good job suppressing the urge to be beaming like an idiot around him. "So, anyway, what made you think that blue-eyed idiot is my boyfriend?" you asked, changing the topic.

"Well, he was a bit hostile at first when he took you from me, making me explain things but then started apologizing after. He told me you could be a handful when inebriated..." He let his voice trail off as if letting you chew on his words.

"You agree with him." It wasn't a question.

"Yes." Sukuna pretended to frown. "He also calls you 'his princess'."

You threw your head back, covering your eyes momentarily in embarrassment. "Now I wish you met Ieiri and Suguru instead," proceeding to explain that the nickname was something akin to what a father would call his precious daughter.

"He was rather intimidating, but I guess he's just looking out for you."

"He's still not off the hook for standing me up," you quipped, "But you finding him intimidating is funny."

"Why?"

You scoffed, gesturing over to him. "I think you can snap him in two if you wished, too."

"He was scary," Sukuna insisted.

"He's harmless...most of the time, but yeah, he’s rather protective. That’s one of my dads for you."

He laughed then. "There's nothing scarier than a fiercely protective friend…or a doting father. I can't muscle my way out of that for sure."

"Ah, then you'll find Ieiri scarier."

The night pretty much went well and ended on a good note. Sukuna did most of the talking for the rest of the night. You learned he was six years older than you at twenty nine, one of the head architects at the firm he worked for, has a love-hate relationship with his job cause he wants to draw portraits instead, was a delinquent when he was younger but got away with things cause he was a straight-A student, loved dogs so much that he cries when they die in movies, was closer to his mom, got his tattoos on a sudden whim, and was pretty much a sweet, charming genuine person which contrasted his appearance. What you see isn't what you get. That just isn't how it worked with him.

You loved it when he talked. It was rather entertaining as he had a way of telling stories which made you feel like you were actually there when it happened. Eventually, you forgot the reason why you were at the restaurant in the first place. It was as if you went there for the purpose of meeting Sukuna himself. Satoru was all but forgotten as you dissolved into carefree laughter and playful banters, and you felt at ease and more like yourself around him, pretty much like when you were with your three favorite people in the world.

“It’s not really that funny,” Sukuna told you, watching you laugh heartily at that one episode in his freshmen year when he made a mistake of going on a date with the wrong girl who happened to have the same name as his supposed date. You continued to laugh as if he didn’t say anything.

“It’s just crazy that both of them were there at the same time. I mean, what were the odds?”

He parked by the sidewalk in front of your house, killing the engine. “That’s the reason why I have never agreed to a single blind date ever again.” He pulled the key out of the ignition, glancing at the direction of your house. “We’re here.”

Your laughter died down when you followed the direction of his gaze. The lights were off except for the one lighting up the porch of the house you shared with your friends. You returned your gaze to him then. “Thanks for driving me home. Again.”

“I enjoyed your company. It’s the least I can do.”

You smiled warmly at him, reaching over to give him a chaste kiss on the cheek when he suddenly turned his head a fraction towards you. That minute change made your lips end up against his instead. He was surprised at first and remained immobile against you, but when you pulled away, he chased you back, connecting your mouths, his lips feeling soft and warm yet emitting that air of dominance as it coaxed yours to move in sync with his. You were kissing him back in no time, but you immediately caught yourself and withdrew, utterly flustered.

Your heart thudded heavily as he held you in his intense gaze, his tongue slowly running over his lower lip, making you even more mentally incapacitated. It made you want to just pull him back to you and covet those lips with yours again. You snapped out of it though. You already knew he was capable of hot-wiring and hijacking your brain.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” you told him when you were able to form words again.

Sukuna looked at you from under his lashes, smiling slightly. “I’m not.”

Taken aback, you chuckled nervously. “No?”

He shook his head, reached over and ruffled your hair a bit. “Go inside. It’s late.” You nodded and disembarked from the car while he leaned on the steering wheel, watching you. You were already on the pavement, about to close the door, when he spoke again. “Can I come see you again?”

“Sure,” you said without thinking. “Good night, Sukuna.” Man, you just loved saying his name.

“Bye, Y/N. Good night.”

He drove away while you made your way towards your doorstep. Your fingers flew to your lips once you were standing on your porch, smiling to yourself at the realization of having kissed him. Shaking your head, you fished for the keys from your pocket and entered the house, not quite remembering how you got to your room, but you slept that night with pleasant dreams of running your fingers through pink locks of hair.

***

"I'm really sorry. Something came up and my phone died."

You acceded. It wasn’t as if Satoru did something so big. You went to the outdoor kiosks near the parking lot by the football grounds to catch up on some reading while Satoru ate and told you bits of his past few days, since he got held up at their family estate. Having such a traditional, high-ranking family in the country sure had its downsides, and you weren't about to make him even more agitated than he already was. He had it difficult, you knew that, and you weren’t about to be petty over him not coming to your supposed bonding time. He may be happy-go-lucky but you felt tension simmering just under the surface when you squeezed his hand in assurance.

Suguru and Ieiri followed shortly after Satoru fetched you from class, also surprised to see him there. "So, you finally decided to show up," the former said.

"Don't ask," Satoru said.

"Wasn't planning to," Suguru scoffed, his attention shifting to you. “What are you working on anyway?” he asked, flipping the file you were reading haphazardly to peer through the contents.

“I’m making an analysis report on ‘The Romantic Manifesto’.” you answered, looking up from the notes you were writing when your eyes suddenly strayed over his shoulder. You almost did a double-take, glancing at Suguru before returning your line of vision at the spot beyond where he sat.

“It’s due…” your voice trailed off when you realized just what, or rather who, you were looking at. You weren’t so sure whether what you were seeing was real or a mirage, a very familiar, specific and detailed one, but then, you figured it was the former when the person smirked and cocked his head to the side, beckoning you over to where he leaned against his grey Jeep as he raised a cup of what looked like cherry blossom tea.

Suguru arched a brow at you, looking behind him but not really noticing the object of your distraction. “Hey, you okay?”

Ieiri followed the direction of your gaze and nudged you when she saw who you were looking at. "Is that your Howard? Damn, girl. He’s sizzling."

You nodded, but at that same moment, you rose from the table without any explanation, your feet immediately leading you towards the outdoor carpark. When you were within earshot, you said, “What are you doing here?”

You stopped a few feet from him, glancing behind you to where the others had already turned their heads to follow the path you took, flashing you shit-eating grins. It wouldn’t surprise you anymore if they had pieced together who the person was before you. They claimed to be your ‘parents’ but acted like children at times.

“I brought you tea.” Sukuna walked towards you, standing so close that you forgot how to breathe for a few seconds as you inhaled his scent and took in his appearance, looking immaculate in a plain white shirt and faded jeans, but your brain only seemed to register those lips and the memory of how they felt against yours.

You shook your head, snapping out of your trance, mentally cursing at yourself. “Hi.” You exhaled loudly, trying hard not to smile like an idiot while you absently twirled your hair on your finger, suddenly seeing the world through a pinkish filter. "How do you keep finding me?"

Sukuna's smile dropped. “Did I come at an inconvenient time?” he asked gently, trying hard not to sound miffed, but he obviously was taken aback by your words.

“No.” You shook your head, placing a hand over your forehead. You finally smiled at him, letting out a choked snicker. “No, Sukuna. It’s good to see you. It’s just that I wasn’t expecting to see you here. And you didn't really tell me you were coming.”

He grinned at you then but he still appeared unsure, placing a hand behind his neck. “Right.”

You flashed him a helpless look. “Please don’t look at me like that. I’m just really surprised.”

“Hmm." He moved closer to you, wrapping your hand around the transparent disposable cup. His proximity was affecting you in ways you couldn't admit out loud. "Are you happy to see me, too?"

"Too? So, you're happy to see me?"

"Always."

That's it. You're done for. Trying to avoid his intense gaze and escaping his scrutiny, you glanced over your shoulder to find everyone on your table observing you blatantly. Satoru raised a thumb at you while Ieiri was giggling with Suguru.

"Are those your friends?" Sukuna commented, his minty breath fanning against the side of your face which made you turn a little too quickly to face him again only to be confronted by his face leaning towards yours, mere centimeters away.

“Y-yeah.” You leaned a bit backwards but he moved forward. “That they are.” You stepped backwards again, nearly faltering on your feet, but you immediately gained your balance when he grabbed you by the arm, steadying you.

"Are you alright?" Sukuna asked, looking at you with concern written all over his face which morphed into wonder when you said, "Yeah, you're just overwhelming."

"Huh?"

"I can't think properly when I'm around you," you stated casually, your expressions not giving anything away as per usual. You arched a brow at him when he did the same. "You hot-wire my brain."

"I know what you mean." He smirked despite his confusion. "Is that good or bad?"

You eyed him thoughtfully, biting on your lower lip. "Good for you, bad for me. You can probably tell me to eat dirt and I'd do it in a heartbeat."

He chuckled, looking at you tenderly. "You're too honest."

"To a fault," you agreed, "Suguru tells me all the time. Wanna meet them?"

He ruffled your hair. "Sure."

***

While you weren't exactly expecting to see Sukuna again after the night you met, he became of constant presence around you. You have gone out with him several times over the course of two months. He was a busy person and you also had your priorities, but he always makes you feel special whenever you two would be out and about, behaving like such a gentleman opening and closing doors for you, naturally shifting closer to traffic while you walked, bringing an extra jacket in case you felt cold or a larger umbrella so you don't get wet, bringing you your favorite tea whenever he could.

He picked you up from school for lunch twice, making the most of the hour, and one time, you brought him lunch at work when he suddenly canceled on you, saying he was swamped with work. He sounded really upset so you decided to go to him instead. You brought Suguru with you as a buffer, but Sukuna's colleagues still teased him. He was different in the office – gruff and strict which fitted him more – but he still beamed at you happily when you brought him food, not caring who saw.

Apart from the brief phone calls, you two never really texted. It wasn't really your thing and he didn't like it either, so it could go days on end without you saying anything to each other, but when you do get a chance to speak, it would always be like picking up on where you've left off. He has only ever sent you two messages. One to remind you to take good care of yourself because he was going to be away for a while and another one a week later asking if you wanted to go out with him that coming Friday night.

"Your timing's off," you told him over the phone. You really wanted to say yes, but, "Ieiri, the boys and I are going out that night. Gang tradition."

"Some other time then?"

"Sure."

You hung up after a few more exchanges of words, getting started on reading some notes when Ieiri entered the kitchen. "Was that Howard?"

"Yeah. He's inviting me to go out on Friday, but I already said yes to clubbing with you guys."

She grinned cheekily, wrapping an arm around you as she poked you on the cheek. At times, it feels like Satoru was rubbing off on her. "Are you sure you don't want to ditch us for the hot architect?"

"Hot architect –" You snickered. "Did you just say that?"

"I was supposed to say 'sugar daddy,' literally and figuratively. Sugar and his cotton candy hair. Get it?"

You narrowed your eyes at her, shaking your head. It was supposed to be amusing, but when Ieiri says it, it just sounds weird. "Can I read in peace now?"

She left you alone, but laughed at your expense.

Friday couldn't have rolled around fast enough and you headed out with your friends at the club owned by a friend of yours, prepared to party in a pair of tight-fitting jeans, a crop top and your hair hanging about in wavy layers. You were already expecting the place to be cramped as hell given the day of the week so much so that Suguru had to hold onto you tightly so as not to lose you when you entered until you found the area you had reserved for the night. It was for good measure too since the place was drenched in purple, blue and green laser lights which were disorienting at first. And so, your night began as such.

You were in the middle of dancing, only pausing when you had to down your nth shot for the night when your eyes suddenly strayed to the bar area at the elevated part of the club adjacent to the the leather seats. You looked away but returned your gaze towards said direction when you realized this very familiar guy was looking at you. He was watching you as you danced and let loose, a ghost of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

You craned your neck, looking back and thinking the guy looked a lot like Sukuna, but then he couldn’t be. He was engaged elsewhere, still you continued to ogle him until you were pretty sure it wasn’t the same person. But the longer you looked, the more it was being proven to you that it was him.

That lopsided smile drew itself across his lips, seeing as how you were doubting yourself about his identity. There was no mistaking that look on his face, the way his dark eyes seemed to sparkle whenever he smiled even if the action didn't belong there.

“Sukuna?” you mouthed his name and he nodded, motioning for you to come over with his head. It had been a solid ten days since you last saw him, and for some reason, your heart raced at the thought of seeing him there.

Without saying a word to the people you were with, you squeezed yourself through the crowd, your feet carrying to the upstairs bar, to Sukuna. It took you a while to traverse the space between you, and when you finally stood before him, all you could do was smile up at him, taking in the soft look about him as he regarded you which were at odds to those fiery eyes that had the capability to turn into bright orbs of light when he beamed down at you.

“Hello, Y/N. Once again, fate has brought you to me,” he said rather dramatically, a smirk drawing itself across his pretty mouth.

Laughter escaped your throat, unable to say anything when you realized that you actually missed him, missed looking at him. Unable to help it, you stood on your toes and reached out to touch his hair, the action surprising the both of you. He eyed you, his expressions that of a half-smile and a look of confusion while you retracted your hands as quickly as you felt his soft locks with your fingertips, wincing at the realization of what you were doing.

At that, he laughed heartily, stealing your hand and pressing it over the side of his head. “Go ahead. I don’t mind you touching me,” he told you, staring into your eyes that you felt like all the air in the room was gone.

You blinked at him, processing what he said and joined in his mirth. “You're here!” You shook your head when it dawned to you that you were stating the obvious. “I’m sorry. How are you, Sukuna?”

“Pink?” he offered and chuckled at his own joke which made your face heat up. “Kidding. I’m great. I missed you these past days. How are you?”

“You did?” You felt your insides melting at his statement, made worse when he nodded to confirm it. “I’m fine. Great. Where have you disappeared to anyway?”

He snickered a your question. “Madrid.”

Your jaw dropped. “As in Spain?”

He nodded. “Had to do something there.”

“Uh-huh.” His words were rather obscure, but you didn’t want to encroach on his private life.

“What are the odds that we’re at the same club?”

“The owner is a friend,” you answered, smiling awkwardly as you glanced at the direction of your friends on the dance floor. You saw all of them looking at you. Suguru winked at you, giving you the thumbs up, making you laugh at his silliness.

“The gang’s all here, I see.”

“What?” You faced Sukuna, finding him leaning close beside you against the metal balustrade. Just then, a waiter passed by holding a whole tray of shots, and before you could duck, he grabbed you by the waist so that you were leaning against him with no quantifiable space between your bodies. Your eyes widened in shock and you froze, your thoughts clouded by the familiar smell of rain in a bamboo forest during Maytime. “T-thanks…”

He hummed in response to your gratitude, but he didn’t let you go. “I didn’t know you enjoyed places like this, too.”

“Why is that?” you asked, feigning ignorance to how close you two were.

"I never pinned you for the party animal type. I kinda developed a fondness for that quiet, nerdy girl sitting at the corner of the pub."

"Not exactly. I prefer Maki's place to be honest but coming here once in a while doesn't hurt. Especially with those three." You frowned slightly at him then as you thought of something. “So, why didn’t you approach me?” You motioned towards the dancefloor. “I'm sure the three-headed monster won't mind if you joined us. You alone?”

“Yes, sweetheart, but aren't you supposed to be hanging out with them?" You grabbed his arm before he could refuse you and started leading him towards where the others were.

However, he had other plans in mind. Again, he hooked an arm around your waist until your back was leaning against him. You eyed him sideways, startled by his actions, but unable to counteract it anyway as you’re just stunned speechless all the while. “You can go back to them, Y/N, but I don’t think I should go with you.”

You turned around, gently easing away from his hold. “Why not? They already know you, and they like you.”

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a party pooper.” He leaned towards you, tilting his head to the side while his lower lip slightly jutted out.

"What are you talking about?” You rolled your eyes at him then snickered.

He eyed you seriously then. “Just in case this is a friends-only affair?”

“Satoru already ruined that by bringing his girls into the mix.” You laughed at him when you saw him hesitate. “Come on, Sukuna. Join us. For me?” You showed him your best impression of puppy-dog eyes. “Pretty please?”

When you saw that he wasn’t budging, you changed your argument. “Fine. Dance with me then.” You didn’t give him any time to contradict you as you took him by the hand and dragged him to the dancefloor.

He was just standing still, looking uncomfortable as you started to groove to the beat, so you took his arms and started moving them until he was moving on his own, finally breaking into that smile. He looked too awkward that you wanted to laugh but decided against it, simply raising your hands and feeling the music.

“Aren’t you having fun?” you asked him as you were bobbing your head to the bass.

“I am!” he answered above the music.

“You don’t look like you’re having fun. Are you shy?” You chuckled openly at that.

“No.”

“You don’t dance?”

“I can dance.”

You giggled. “Then show me what you’ve got!”

Without a warning, he started moving in sync with you, taking your hands in his and finally letting loose in such a graceful manner as you both got into the beat and started waving and swaying against one another, his hands slowly running at your sides in sensual rhythms that got you reeling in excitement. You almost forgot that you were with other people as you danced with him. It was fun and it felt good to be that carefree, not minding your friends, drinks flowing in nonstop.

Soon, the group you’ve left joined you and Sukuna. They all greeted him excitedly while the boys exchanged high-fives with him as they were dancing. Satoru and the two girls who were with him also joined in and somewhere along that, Suguru offered everyone cigarettes, and you gladly took one when you saw Sukuna taking one as well. You didn’t really smoke on a regular basis but you didn’t exactly shy away from the so-called cancer sticks.

After taking another shot, you pulled Sukuna out of the dancefloor, hollering at the others as you raised your cigarette, signaling where you were going in case they wanted to come with. You made your way to the smoking area at the veranda situated at the back of the building with the older male in tow. You were pretty much buzzed, calming down from the high you had while dancing, grinning wide as the cool night air met you, making your lungs expand as you breathed in.

Sukuna watched you as he took his place against the banister, following him shortly as you produced a lighter from your pocket, something that you always carried just in case.

“You smoke?” he asked, toying with his own battered stick, twirling it around his long fingers.

“Sometimes,” you admitted, watching his reaction. “And you?”

“Not really.”

“You took one anyway.” You wedged the item in question between your lips and raised the lighter, but before you could light it, it was pulled out from your mouth and the next thing you knew, Sukuna was kissing you, his lips pressed against yours as he pulled you closer by the hips which he seemed to have a fixation for since you came up to him. It was a soft yet urgent kiss that cajoled you to respond, and not long after, your lips were submissive clouds moving to the will of the wind that was his luscious mouth.

Like the first time you felt his lips against yours, electricity ran through your body as if he was touching you elsewhere apart from your mouth. It was driving you off the edge of sanity, and you knew you’d probably jump off a cliff for the male. He grinned at your dazed state when your eyes met after he finally pulled away, showing you the cigarette that was supposed to be between your lips before he unceremoniously laid claim to them.

“You’re going to ruin your lips by smoking. I’m keeping this,” he told you.

You were too mesmerized with the tingling feeling in your mouth while your eyes stayed glued to his as you blinked slowly, your mind and heart racing at a thousand miles per second. “W-why would you do that?” you stammered, feeling your throat go so dry that you had to drag the words out.

“Apart from the fact that it’s terribly unhealthy, it ruins your sense of smell and taste.” He waved the cigarette in front of you before shoving it into the pocket of his jeans. “Scientific fact.”

You couldn’t quite process what he was saying. You were asking why he kissed you, but he misunderstood. “Are you going to taser me with your lips every single time I’m about to smoke?”

“Taser…” He chuckled and narrowed his eyes at you. “I might just if it means these dangerous things don’t touch your pretty mouth.”

“What the –” You didn’t know if you would be scandalized by what he said or if you were going to laugh. The latter won and you tittered. “That’s a good one.”

“I mean it, Y/N.”

Boldness engulfed your whole thought process as you stepped closer to him, looking straight into his eyes. “And if I insist on it? Placing dangerous things in my pretty mouth? What are you going to do then?”

He, too, leaned forward, eyes flicking to your lips. “Then I guess I just have to keep your mouth too busy to even think about smoking again,” he whispered to you, his breath hitting your lips.

You smirked at him then. “I guess I just have to make sure you aren’t around if I do feel like smoking.”

He pouted. You burst out laughing.

You reached over and pinched both of his cheeks. “You’re so adorable.”

Sukuna swatted your hands away, but smiled nonetheless. "You're the only one who says I'm adorable."

"You are. You just don't know it."

“Okay then. If you say so.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind your ear then, your skin tingling where he touched you. “Are you busy tomorrow?”

“Not really.”

“Good. I wanna do something for you.”

You eyed him questioningly. “Hmm. What?”

“That’s a surprise.”

It was already around two in the morning when everyone had the unanimous decision to leave the club which was still packed. You, too, were getting tired especially after Ieiri ended up hammered and Satoru was emptying his guts through his mouth. Suguru was a bit drunk, too, but he was trying his best to help you take care of them. Sukuna had been very nice all night, even helping you load Satoru and Ieiri into the backseat of Suguru’s car.

“Would you like me to drive you home?” he asked you after shutting the door to the backseat.

“No, I’m gonna be fine. Besides, I can’t just leave Suguru to deal with them both.” You motioned to his Jeep. “You should go ahead, too.”

Sukuna grimaced as he nodded. “I guess that would be for the best. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay. You take good care now.”

“You, too, sweetheart.” He stepped forward and pulled you against him, hugging you, enveloping you in his warmth and that scent you loved profusely. “It’s really great seeing you tonight.”

You returned the gesture, smiling up at him as you tried to compose yourself. “It’s great seeing you, too.” You stood on your toes and pecked him on the cheek before giving him a gentle shove towards the car. “See you, Sukuna.”

He waved at you then boarded the car. You watched as it disappeared down the street before turning away to enter the club to get Suguru who was left to settle the bills. You found him seated on one of the couches, finding your way easily since the crowd thinned a bit.

“You okay, dude?” you asked when you reached him. He was pale and he looked like he was going to throw up anytime. “Do you need to go to the restroom?”

He shook his head. “Just get me out of here.”

You chuckled, leading him faster out of the club. You sat him down on passenger side and soothed his back, asking after him again as you started the engine. He said he was fine, laughing when he caught a glimpse of the two who were already passed out on the backseat with Satoru lying on Ieiri’s lap while her head was lolling limply to the side.

The drive was rather short without much cars on the road, but Suguru was still able to squeeze in a conversation, and of all the topics he could broach, it had to be about Sukuna.

“I thought Sukuna will be driving you home,” he began, glancing at you.

“He offered, but I can’t just leave you.”

“That would have been okay.” He glanced at the rearview mirror then, checking on the two, you could only guess. He could be such a mother hen at times. “I think he’s cool.”

“Mhmm.”

“And he’s really good-looking,” Suguru threw in with a chuckle. “Just date already.”

You chuckled. “Why don’t you date him instead?”

“Don’t you want to try it out with him?”

“He hasn’t even asked me to date him.”

“Yeah, but he already kissed you –”

“How did you know about that?” you demanded, mortified. Your cheeks were heating up again at the memory of it.

“Well, you’re in a public place.” He laughed. “So, it’s bound to end in dating anyway.”

“Not necessarily.” You turned sideways to look at him. “He’s older after all, not that I see the age gap as a problem. But you know, he might just be passing time.”

“He obviously likes you. If you date him, it’s a win-win situation. You like him, too, you just don’t know it.”

You scoffed. “How can you say that?”

He blew a raspberry. Typical Suguru behavior. “You can be yourself around him. You’re all smiley face around him, too. I saw you. You can’t lie to me.”

“Really now?”

“Yeah. You look your best that way. And don’t ever think you are just a pastime. I’ll kill him if he treats you as such.” He smiled knowingly at you. “Besides, you should date properly. Enough with your flings with stupid boys in campus.”

“Okay, dad.” You sighed, trying to contain your excitement. “I do like him though. He’s so nice to me.”

Suguru reached over patting you on the shoulder. “Ah! My daughter is a grown-woman.”

You swatted at his hand, laughing at his antics.

-end of part 1-

If you're curious who Howard Roark is, he's one of my fave literary characters from Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead." He's excellently made. That's it.

Can architect!sukuna please call me "sweetheart," too?

If you want to be included in the tag list, please DM me :) I'll be posting every week (or I'll try to anyway). Someone remind me to post the next chapters please?

Additional notes are available in the masterlist, particularly on the reasons why I wrote some things the way I did. I don't know what I'm trying to prove there, but haha!

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI'S JUJUTSU KAISEN. [20210618]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART SOURCES FULLY CREDITED TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[cafeacademia]

Love Between The Pages | Chapter 3

Blaise Zabini x Reader

Chapter Summary: You and Blaise enjoy an afternoon in the warmth of spring with your book club, the two of you becoming closer and your mind terribly aware that it might all end with the end of his detention.

Warnings: Nothing, just fluff, very soft chapter, a tiny bit of romance.

Word count: Approx 2000

A/N: Hi loves, here's the third chapter!! I had initially intended to include a mildly angsty scene in this chapter, but I just couldn't fit it in and maintain the soft vibes I've been going for with this series. I hope you enjoy none the less! The next part will be the last full part and then it'll be followed up by a little epilogue!

The warm afternoon sun and a light, cool breeze made the grounds the perfect spot to enjoy the hour. It was warm, but not too hot and neither was it cold. “If we go a bit further down, we can hear the lake.” Neville said over his shoulder to the rest of the group as Theo walked along beside him, everyone happily following Neville closer to the lake shore.

“It’s pretty out here, isn’t it?” Cho asked, looking over at Draco who just sort of shrugged at her. “It’s alright I suppose.” He replied. “Oh shut up, we all know you like it, you can admit it.” Ginny teased, the girls giggling at the way Draco playfully rolled his eyes at them, too amused to really be mad.

“It really is nice out here.” You said, glancing up at Blaise as you walked next to each other, a little behind the others. “I can’t believe you never thought of it.” He chuckled. And Blaise had been right, it would be lovely to read out in the afternoon sun on a warm spring day, with a gentle breeze and the lapping of the lake against the shore. The birds flitting about added to the ambience, along with the distant cheer and laughter coming from the quidditch practice that was taking place in the distance, the odd giggle and shriek of laughter bringing the grounds to life as a group of first years bounded down to see Hagrid.

Following the others down, you felt the soft brush of Blaise’s hand against yours, the back of his fingers trailing over yours. It made butterflies blossom in your chest, your heart flipping as you glanced down at his gentle touch. Looking up at him, flustered and shy, you could barely look him in the eyes and you hoped, at least for a moment that he didn’t notice what he did to you, that he didn’t realise what kind of feelings you felt when his hand touched yours like that.

Was this more than just a little crush, you wondered. Was it more than just attraction when you thought of someone nearly all the time? Their voice on your mind, their mannerisms and things they would say playing in your mind over and over. Perhaps it was more.

“Here’s a good spot.” Neville sighed contentedly as he pulled his bag off his shoulders and placed it down on the grass below a tree before lowering himself onto the grass, his actions pulling you out of your little daze and your hand parted from Blaise’s.

Theo sat next to Neville, the pair having slowly become more friendly with each other over their interest in Herbology and books. And who would have known that Theodore Nott had an interest in Herbology, had it not been for Neville who saw it in him? Theo seemed to admire Neville’s attentiveness to character, seemed to admire his kind, nurturing nature. Perhaps that was what drew him towards the Gryffindor, and gave him the patience to give the friendship a chance.

Settling down next to Blaise beneath a tree, you pulled your copy of The Hobbit into your lap as he got himself comfortable, leaning back against the old oak tree. “The Hobbit, have you read it before?” Blaise asked as he looked over your shoulder, your eyes going wide with excitement. “Once, yes.” You nodded. “Have you read Little Women too?” He asked as he lifted the copy of Little Women he had borrowed from the library. “I’ve read that too.” You smiled shyly, looking down at your book. “I think it’s nice, it’s sweet actually.” Blaise replied. “What do you mean?” It came out quieter than expected, but not so quiet he hadn’t heard you. “That you read so much, that you know the muggle fiction in the library so well.” He chuckled softly.

Blaise often forgot that your upbringing had not been like his. While he was brought up with the reality of his abilities and those around him, you were unbeknown to the world of witchcraft and wizardry. For you, it was only being alive in the books you read, it was nothing but a fantasy to you. Sometimes he wished he had lived like you, in innocence growing up with nothing more thrilling than a muggle book to delve into, with fantasies he could not fathom. He wondered what it was like when you found out you were a witch and to have the fantasies of magic suddenly become a reality for you too.

Looking over at you, Blaise found himself unable to look away. It was the way you lazily propped yourself up against the tree beside him, one hand on the page of your book while the other gently slid between the soft blades of grass, your fingers idly trailing gently over daisy heads that bloomed beneath the tree. It was the late afternoon light that cast a golden glow over you, highlighting your beauty in every way.

Perhaps it was the way his heart fluttered or the light airy feeling he got when you smiled at him. Or perhaps it was the way you shone so brightly for someone who was so shy and quiet. Whatever it was, a thought crossed his mind in that moment, one he knew only as fact. She has stolen my heart.

It was then that you looked up from your book, having felt his gaze on you. He met your eyes with a flash of embarrassment before he gave you his lopsided charming smile that never seemed to fail in melting you.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" You asked softly.

"Like what?" Blaise countered.

"Like you're-." In love. You stopped yourself, the words unable to roll off your tongue. What if it wasn't love? What if it was just curiosity?

"Like I'm what?" Blaise prompted, his fingers reaching across the grass and gently brushing against yours, rising the warmth through you again. It was confusing, yet exhilarating and so sweet all at the same time.

The words played on your lips, tangible yet out of reach. They clung to you. What if it wasn't love?

"Nothing, I just meant..." You trailed off.

But as you questioned it, you wondered more now; what if it was love?

Between the longing gazes, the need to be near each other, the soft barely there touches and the way you both naturally seemed to look for each other in a room. Maybe it was love.

But as the comfortable silence took over and Blaise gazed at you with a soft smirk, he realised he didn’t need the answer. He knew what you were going to say, what was sitting on the tip of your tongue, too shy to be put into words.

Instead of trying to pry words from you or formulate the ones he was not sure he could just yet, Blaise gently slid his fingers through the soft blades of grass, his fingertips lightly brushing over the back of your hand. You looked up at him, a sweet expression about you, somewhere between curiosity and something flustered, wanting. It was soft, the way he took your hand in his, gentle and sweet as if he thought he might hurt you with the slightest movement, his fingers gently grasping your hand in his, resting in the cool grass.

You gazed up at him, eyes full of something, but they told him everything. The gentle lap of the water on the lake shore, the soft chatter of the birds in the trees and the way the breeze rustled through the leaves. The fresh spring scent, it smelled of green, of flowers, of fresh water. It was the light salt smell of the silt that collected on the bank, the woody scent of the tree that you both leaned against. And then there was the feeling, the feeling Blaise brought you, the butterflies that fluttered through you at the way he smiled, the way he gazed at you as if you were the only one there.

You read like that for a while, with your book in your lap, one hand turning the pages while your other was resting in Blaise’s gentle grasp, his thumb lightly tracing over the back of your hand, your fingers adjusting around his hand now and again, relaxing and becoming more comfortable with the soft touch.

And even when the low toll of the clock tower bell rang to signal the turn of the hour, accompanied by the soft shuffling of pages and clothes against grass, the quiet chatter of your friends as they gathered their things together, you stayed together for a moment longer.

“Come on, I’ll walk you back to your common room.” Blaise suggested as he pulled away from you, putting his book away. And even though you could have spent the whole night out in the grounds by his side, you knew you could not. It would soon be time for dinner and after that you knew you had other things you needed to do before tomorrow for class. “I’d like that.” You nodded, reaching for your bag and tucking your book away.

Blaise got to his feet first, throwing his bag over his shoulder before he held out both of his hands to help you up. And you gently placed your hands in his, letting him help you to your feet, his gentle touch not leaving yours for a moment, even after you were standing.

Taking your bag and adjusting it on your shoulders, you began to walk side by side, your friends having already started walking back up the grounds towards the stone circle. “Last week is your last meeting with us.” You sighed, intending it not to sound as if you were as disappointed as you felt, but Blaise heard the way it hurt to say it out loud, the longing hope that it might not end, especially not so soon. “And we’ll make it the best, won’t we?” Blaise gently nudged your arm. “I suppose we will.” You nodded as you both continued up the hill, your mind thinking up all manner of ideas of what you could do for the last meeting the boys were there for.

You didn’t want them to leave. Of course at first you had been thinking the same as Ginny had said, it felt as if you were the ones being punished for the boys attacking your group. But it quickly became apparent that perhaps the book club was just as much of a safe space for the boys as it was for you and your friends. And you hoped at least, that they liked it enough to stay after their last meeting, but there was no way you could know for sure and part of you was afraid to ask.

You heard a joyful shriek of laughter as you passed through the stone circle, looking up ahead to see Draco and Ginny laughing with their heads thrown back about something that Theo had said, Cho unable to stop herself from giggling. It made you smile. Perhaps it wouldn’t be the same without the boys if they left, at least you felt like something would be missing.

And as you walked up the steps towards your common room, your hands brushing together, fingers linking gently and soft glances cast between you, you became lost in your thoughts.

“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” Blaise asked as you both stopped outside of the common room door, his breath catching in his throat at the accidental use of the name. It was true though, you were a sweetheart in every sense of the word, darling, kind, gentle, quiet. There was no other word to describe you the way Blaise wanted to. Meeting his gaze, your smile reaching your eyes with a loving warmth, you shook your head. “Nothing at all.” You lied. He didn’t believe you, but he didn’t mind, they weren’t his to be shared. “Alright, I’ll see you around then.” Blaise smiled, gently squeezing your hand. “Yes,” You paused, the thought again on your mind. What if it wasn’t love? “See you later.” Were your last words before your hands parted and you took one last look at Blaise before you turned away to walk towards the Ravenclaw common room door. And you wondered again; what if it was love?

Blaise Zabini Taglist (OPEN):

@paintballkid711 @megantje123 @chaotic-fae-queen @slytherinwh0re @frecklesandfirecrackers @starofthedawn @mingyuahjumma @dracosaccount @90smalfoy @fuckingdraco @loving-life-my-way @cpetrova @miraclesoflove @struggling-bee @weasleywhore @little-me204 @dreaming-about-fanfictions @eli-malfoy-asf @ur-local-reality-shifter @voidmalfoy @wh0re4blaise @cherie-draco @lazypeachsoul @sistheselenophile @sw33tgirl

[biromantic-nerd]

I posted 2,558 times in 2021

101 posts created (4%)

2457 posts reblogged (96%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 24.3 posts.

I added 1,647 tags in 2021

#art - 277 posts

#dcu things - 269 posts

#the untamed - 217 posts

#tw cursing - 217 posts

#tw long post - 140 posts

#tw eye contact - 136 posts

#love this - 124 posts

#fashion - 116 posts

#star wars - 90 posts

#batfam - 61 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#like that post about spending money online (being like yeah! i ordered it • oh this has been a mistake! • i'm good again bc package arrived)

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

tagged by: @dustorange 🧡

favorite color: pink

last movie: I am blanking on this? I feel like it was maybe half of some movie about the ocean or something? Last movie I finished: Howl's Moving Castle

watching: Cherry Magic (rewatching really bc I love the main character Adachi. Get past the first episode I promise) + Wandavision (but I'm not caught up yet! I wasn't a fan at first but I gotta say that it def got better)

reading: I was reading Heaven's Official Blessing but currently my brain does not want to read, so for now all reading is on pause.

Fanfic-wise I'm also a few chapters behind on Salvage and an entire story behind on the maybe man and Wei Wuxian, God of Fertility okay I did not realize that was its name ahsjska no it's Not an mpreg fic it's a rumor fic

sweet, spicy, or savory: sweet!!! spicy ranked 2nd, savory ranked 3rd

tea or coffee: okay I do love tea but I am bi and the thing about iced coffee being bi culture is way too real. I've have iced coffee today and no tea so far. So I'm picking coffee

I'll tag: @sapphicmarinette 💜 and @mythcas 💛 if they want to do it

11 notes • Posted 2021-02-13 20:48:45 GMT

#4

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Batman - All Media Types, Teen Titans: Year One Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Dick Grayson & Teen Titans, Garth & Dick Grayson & Roy Harper & Donna Troy & Wally West Characters: Dick Grayson Additional Tags: That's Not Normal, Trust Issues, Dick Grayson is Robin, Mentioned Teen Titans (DCU), It's a mix n' match of Titans universes, this takes place in like 2006, specifically bc I wanted to make a HSM reference, BI DICK GRAYSON, none of the angst or Bad Things are bc he's bi though don't worry, Friendship, Don't Post To Another Site, Don't copy to another site, Slightly unreliable narrator bc Dick thinks things are normal that are not so they get glossed over, Young Dick Grayson, No Romance, One Shot, Just a group of friends hanging out between missions while one suffers from casual paranoia, Fluff and Angst Series: Part 11 of Biro's Bad Things Happen Bingo Summary:

He needs to create this disconnect. Dick Grayson is an orphan, but Robin can be anything so as long as no one can prove otherwise. All he has to do is keep people from finding out what is and isn't the truth and then anything about him can be the true. Anything he wants. Who's to say if Robin creates fictitious stories that those stories aren't real? Who's to know? In any case, they'd have to prove it false; and no one, besides Bruce, knows how to best him at that.

Robin can be anything he wants to be. Anything he creates himself as. All it takes is a lie or two.

(Bad Things Happen Bingo Prompt 11: "That's Not Normal" + "Dick Grayson w/Titans" OR Robin lies to his friends, even when he doesn't have to, and believes it protects his secret identity)

11 notes • Posted 2021-10-26 09:22:19 GMT

#3

16 notes • Posted 2021-07-13 22:34:33 GMT

#2

See the full post

40 notes • Posted 2021-10-19 01:35:25 GMT

#1

okay but I would love to see a version of Talia al Ghul where basically she is that one Untamed post about how Lan Zhan looks like he left the stove on when he realizes he forgot to tell Wei Ying about a-Yuan

Talia forgets to tell Bruce about Damian. Genuinely forgets. When she realizes this, Talia blue screens for a moment like 'ohhhh... whoops' but (like Lan Zhan) just cannot find the right time to tell Bruce because there will never be a right time to say 'lol I forgot to tell you but you have a kid'

268 notes • Posted 2021-08-24 20:19:39 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[palimpsessed]

So @captain-aralias​ did one of these and invited other writers to do the same. And I wasn't really going to because it feels a bit late now and also I've done quite a few other year in review posts for 2020. But then I got to thinking that it would be really nice to have one of these for each year to look back on and compare, which convinced me. So, here we go!

If you’re a writer, I’d also encourage you to steal this. Tag me on your post so I can see your thoughts! 🥰

List of Complete Fics for 2020 1. At the Top of a Tower, With You- General, 900 words 2. Use Your Words- Teen, 16k 3. A Man of Letters, or Five Times Baz Retreats and the One Time He Doesn’t- Teen, 54k 4. To the Manor Borne- Teen, 43k

Total: 4 fics, 113k words

Every one of these fics was written for an event, which, realistically, is the only reason they got finished. I have so many ideas I'm working on all at once, and I came into fandom with a focus on making art, so to actually find the motivation to sit down and write/finish/post a fic was entirely deadline based. And it's a technique I'm sure I will also employ in 2021.

Best/Worst Title?

Well, I've mentioned a few times before that I usually have a title before I have much in the way of a fic concept. I don't really dislike any of the my titles, because they all did exactly what I needed them to do, which was help me focus on what I wanted to accomplish in the fic. Comparatively speaking, though, I can answer this.

Best: Use Your Words - succinct, idiomatic, a book quote/motif that also has the potential to be a spell, does what it says on the tin, is probably what all of us are constantly yelling at Baz and Simon to do throughout the books and the fic itself

(Honorable mention to A Man of Letters because that title forms a perfect heart shape when viewed on mobile on AO3. ❤️)

Worst: At the Top of a Tower, With You - this is also a quote and it fits the fic perfectly, but it is a bit of a mouthful and it has a comma in the middle of it, which, while I love commas, feels a bit off-putting in terms of a title - also, it's always kind of bothered me that it's a Baz WS quote used for a CO-era Lucy POV

Best/worst summary?

Again, I don't really dislike any of my summaries.

Best:

To the Manor Borne: The gang decides to spend Christmas together at Pitch Manor. Romance, hijinks, and holiday cheer ensue.

Anything that lets me use the word hijinks is always good! - it's short and sweet - it does a fair job of setting up the premise for the fic and giving highlights, without giving anything away

Worst: A Man of Letters

I'm not going to include this one because it's so long, I had to cut down the version I posted on tumblr to fit in the AO3 field, which is really why I rank it below my others - it effectively sets up the world of Simon and Baz in Regency England prior to where the story starts, but it is prohibitively long - and it's set up, not summary, so it also loses points for not doing what it purports to do - I could have said exactly what this fic was in one sentence: "Simon and Baz meet at several Regency-appropriate venues over the course of a London season and reflect on their acquaintance in letters", but instead I did the full book jacket version because it was more interesting to me.

Best/Worst First Line?

Oh, this is interesting. I can honestly say that I have no idea where this will go. Going to pull up my docs and find out! Okay, since I only have four fics to consider, and I'm feeling split, I'm going to do two for each. I feel good about my words, but I will say that half of my first lines actually provide information, and the other half are incomplete thoughts. Those were stylistic decisions I made, but when taken alone, it does somewhat limit the effectivness of a sentence when it can't stand without the rest of the paragraph. Perhaps that decision will lure readers in for more?

Best:

In the end, we wind up at Pitch Manor. (To the Manor Borne)

I know that you won't be surprised when I tell you that I do not like writing letters. (A Man of Letters)

Kind of interesting that these both contain key words from the titles 🤔

Worst:

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do this. (Use Your Words)

I love how the title seems to be answering Baz's question when the two are put together like this 😂

Strange that it should end here, where it all started. (At the Top of a Tower, With You)

The title also seems to complete the first line in this one, too. I'm learning about my writing as this goes on, so that's cool!

Best/Worst Last Line?

Hmm. Okay, again, no idea. Also, a little leery of including last lines for anyone who hasn't read the fics they're from yet. (Tho I guess it's unlikely those people would be reading this😆) But let's see what we've got.

Use Your Words and A Man of Letters have very similar final lines, and both are somewhat spoilery.

Best: The ending of A Man of Letters felt risky to me, in the way that it is formatted and changes tone from the rest of the story. It was something that happened as I wrote it and I loved it. I had no idea if readers would like it, if they would feel like it worked as an ending, but I felt strongly enough about it to let the entire fic hinge on that and I think it really paid off. So, without giving you the actual last line, which is only one word, I'm going to say that one is my best ending.

Worst:

To the Manor Borne: "Carry on, Simon."

It's not bad, it's just not mine.

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, fewer than you thought, or about what you predicted?

I did not set out to write any fics in 2020. I was supposed to be taking a break from writing. I've been an aspiring novelist for half my life now, and have been going through major ups and downs with my writing. I decided I needed to re-evaluate and figure out if writing was something that was even going to be able to make me happy anymore. The answer is: YES! Just…not original fiction. At the moment. I'm happiest when I can write for the sake of writing and not have to DO something with that writing. Which is why discovering fan fiction was AMAZING!!!! 🥰🥰🥰

To actually answer the question, yes, I wrote more than I thought I would. I also wrote exactly as much as I thought I would, simply because these were all things I signed up for (with the exception of my Countdown fic, but I committed to it as if it were something that required a sign up).

I have a lot more ideas for 2021, but I don't know how many of them will come to fruition. I'm not putting pressure on myself to have to do anything beyond what I sign up for again, because it did work out so well for me starting off.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?

I mean, the pairing and the fandom were in no way a surprise. 😆 They're my only ones, so those were both a given. The genre is also not surprising.

What's your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest?

A Man of Letters, without any hesitation. I adore it so much. It's the kind of fic I know I will unabashedly sit down to read over and over, even if I'm the one who wrote it. I had one reader to please and it was ME. By far, my most self-indulgent fic.

Okay, NOW your most popular story?

That depends on the metric.

To the Manor Borne leads in Comments (107), Kudos (153), and Hits (1992), and Use Your Words leads in Bookmarks (26).

But since To the Manor Borne is top in 3 out of 4 metrics, I'll say that one.

Story most upderappreciated by the universe?

I mean, the least popular by a wide margin is At the Top of a Tower, With You, but I don't know if I'd call it underappreciated. It's short, it's angsty, it's got a very unusual style, it's Lucy POV, it's the first fic I wrote and posted. I didn't really go into it with high performance expectations. I'm proud of it, I just didn't expect it to be popular. It would be nice if more people read it, but I'm not broken up over it.

Story that could have been better?

I'm not even going to touch this one. Everything can always be improved upon, but if I go down that route, nothing will ever be done. This is one of the things I have come to appreciate about traditional art versus digital. With traditional, there is only so much you can do before something is permanent and you have to live with it. It's an exercise in letting go and acceptance. Digital is flashier and more flexible, but I could (and have) spend months on a single piece and never feel satisfied, never stop tweaking. I think that's also the reason I started to hate my novels.

Sexiest story?

Based purely on overall vibes, I find the understated tension of the Regency the most appealing, so I'm going to say A Man of Letters. I didn't actually stray into sex territory in any of my fics (though Simon and Baz have had sex by the time To the Manor Borne starts, and refer to it, and probably do it "offscreen"), but A Man of Letters is the one that feels sexiest to me. Lots of thirsting!Baz and feral!Simon and sensual hand touching (how risqué!) - and YEARNING. That, to me, is the sexiest vibe of all. So. Much. Yearning.

Saddest story?

At the Top of a Tower, With You - for this one, I tagged "angst without plot" and I stand by that. It's Lucy losing her connection to Simon at the end of CO and trying to find a way to reconcile herself to leaving him alone again. I gave it as much of a hopeful bent as I could, with the refrain of Baz's spoken "love" to cling to, but it's very sad.

Most fun?

To the Manor Borne - All of my fics have their fair share of angst, but this one also has some good, silly, holiday fluff thrown in. Since I wrote it for the Countdown, each chapter was based on a different prompt, which led to this one going in all sorts of directions no single fic probably ever should. Plus, it has the most Shepard, and Shepard always makes things more fun.

Story with the single sweetest moment?

Oh my god. I don't know. No, never mind. I do. It's To the Manor Borne, but it's split between the two gift giving scenes, the Constellations and Secret Santa/Gift Giving prompts. These were private moments between Simon and Baz, sharing themselves with each other, being vulnerable, and communicating. It's the gifts they give each other, yes, but it's more so the reasons they chose those gifts, and how they show part of themselves and share their love for each other, through those gifts, that had me in tears writing those two scenes. I'm super proud of them.

Hardest story to write?

Use Your Words - it was written for an exchange and that made it really hard to write it knowing there was this pressure of making my gift-ee happy with the fic. I'm proud of it, and they really liked it, but the anxiety was too much for me.

Easiest/most fun story to write?

A Man of Letters - if there is a fic better suited to me as a writer, I haven't met it. I started writing after reading Pride and Prejudice in high school, so I started out writing Regency and I spent years and years and years of my life obsessed. When I transferred into college, an administrator I had never met before heard my name during orientation and said, "Oh, you're the Austen scholar." (It is a small, private college, and I was a transfer, so the pool of students was even smaller. But still. Many years later, I'm clearly not over it.) I also did my senior thesis on an epistolary novel (Frances Burney’s Evelina), and my English Lit emphasis was for that time period. So, I felt like I had been preparing for this fic my entire adult life. 😂

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?

I don't think so. I tend to let my writing be dictated by the characters, so I'm always following their lead. Sometimes they'll do or say something that surprises me and takes me down a route I didn't necessarily foresee, but I don't think there was ever a point where one of them did something that made me rethink who they are as a character.

Most overdue story?

I will say A Man of Letters, since that one felt like a culmination of my seventeen-year-old self's wildest writing dreams. But I should probably say the Scooby Doo AU I still haven't managed to finish, because that one has been a WIP since I joined the fandom. Oops. (I'm hoping when I look over this in a year, I can feel smug that it's finally done.)

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

Writing at all was a risk for me! And writing fan fic for the very first time! Writing an entire fic told only through letters. And then ending it in a completely different style from the rest of the fic. Doing a multi-chaptered fic for the Countdown, using a different prompt for each chapter, and publishing a chapter every single day for thirty days (with the exception of two days that had art). Signing up for fandom events in the first place!

What I learned from taking risks in my writing is the same thing I learned when I took risks in my art this year. I have a much better appreciation for what I've done when I push myself, I feel better about the end product, and I like it longer. I think it's really good for me to challenge myself creatively.

This year's theme and the story that demonstrates it most?

Oh boy. Um. Therapy! Both Use Your Words and To the Manor Borne had their big HEA moments built around sending Simon and Baz to therapy. I don't think that's likely to change for future fics, either. I feel like therapy as the theme for 2020 seems very fitting. (Also, I think I keep sending the boys to therapy because I'm trying to get myself there…)

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

Just to write what I want to write, have fun, not put any pressure on myself, and to take risks in my writing and my art because it will help me to grow.

[onewomancitadel]

Weeks of waiting was more than worth it. Chapter 10 of The Distance Which Fools The Skimming Eye had me on the edge of my metaphorical seat from the first paragraph till the last.

Loved how the reactions came right off the bat. Really felt bad for everyone. Really curious as to what or whom Ruby saw at the beach? She got really... weird, which really uped my curiosity.

The entire chapter I was just waiting for Jaune to see Cinder again even though I knew it probably wasn't going to happen, only for it to happen at the very end for just a moment which was really well done.

Immensely enjoyed the Tyrian and Carmine segment with Jaune as a hostage. Honestly surprised that for a moment that Jaune wondered if there was any good in Tyrian but that's partly why I love Jaune. Kind of curious about how Jaune got away?

I'm not sure if anyone has given you praise for this before but you know how to write characters. You know how to make them feel real and not a lot of people can actually do that. Everything feels so genuine and the dialogue from everyone feels so natural.

I'm going to say this again. This chapter was worth the wait. It was a real treat and I am enjoying your story so much! Take your time so you don't burn yourself out!

Sorry about your ankle. Also, I think that would make a great prompt with Jaune having to carry Cinder.

T_T T_T me crying tears of joy, thank you anon!!!!! It's so lovely to hear from you! I'm glad it was worth it! I think in some ways the wait makes it worse for me because I'm like XD XD is it worth it, is it.

I love everything you said here and it's so interesting to hear your reflections upon it. I really appreciate you enjoying my characterisation... I try really hard to get it right. The show has an easier time with a big cast in some ways because screen depiction is different to textual, so I try to introduce characters where they're thematically relevant to the romance. It is pretty tough, admittedly. It's the part I struggle with the most in this story, so it's really nice to hear it seems to pay off in some way. That's half of why I pay attention to so much foiling in the show - I'm interested in patterns - but it helps ME, lol. Like, Cinder's obviously more of a Blake than she is an Adam, for instance, and Jaune and Yang are more reflective of each other as well. I like those two as friends, lol.

I'm really glad you enjoy my characterisation too. Thank you <3 <3

The entire chapter I was just waiting for Jaune to see Cinder again

You and me both, lol. If you feel pain, imagine how the poor sorry ficwriter feels!!!! XD XD XD But ugh I love the pining and longing and angst and enemies-as-lovers stuff. *It's All Gone Tomorrow by Susanne Sundfør plays* (so if you steal then I will borrow / and if you flee then I will follow!!!!!! ... this song makes me cry lol).

I'm glad the ending was cathartic, though, it sounds like. >:)

Immensely enjoyed the Tyrian and Carmine segment with Jaune as a hostage. Honestly surprised that for a moment that Jaune wondered if there was any good in Tyrian but that's partly why I love Jaune.

Yay!!! Woohoo!!! Glad it worked!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D *wipes sweat off brow* this chapter hurt me. It HURT me.

Such interesting feedback and I agree about Jaune's character! I think he's sort of in a very odd position now, where his ostensible nemesis is also his souuuuuulmaaaaate *dreamy sigh* so I think that leads to him naturally wondering if questioning everything is actually necessary. Ha. That's actually a Cinder line from V3. 'This will make you question everything you know'.

I think it's sort of thematically unavoidable in a story where you redeem villains, the natural question is to what end must there be a villain or conflict in the story, and in R/WBY it's clear it's exploring this idea. I like the idea that opposing someone is just as much about protecting something as opposed to acting in direct opposition to them out of hatred/anger, and then, well, what does Tyrian even believe in lol, either of those? Anyway, the idea with Tyrian here is to sort of ask what makes Cinder and Tyrian different, so I hope it's interesting. I hope that dialogue worked.

Onto your question: I think I was far too subtle and I realised I didn't put it directly in that sequence so I actually went back and edited it just so it's totally clear straight up in that part. *headdesk* Cinder used the Relic lol. Even cutting him off she's still saving him lol.

Thank you so much for your ask/feedback, this is so sweet. :( :( :( :( <3 <3 <3 It's so lovely to hear from you, I hope you have a fab day and thank you again. I was very nerve-wracked about posting this chapter. Thank you for enjoying my fic!! <3

Hopefully getting Chapter 11 up soon! I got some of the harder stuff out of the way now. Oh and came back to edit, forgot to say: thank you about the ankle! I agree! I did immediately think of a Knightfall fic premise because I’m like that! Thank you for validating me lol.

[ariddletobesolved]

Days We Spend Under the Sun (Chapter One)

Written for @helsa-summer-event 💛

Fandom: Frozen

Genre: Romance, Family, Fluff, Whump

Rating: T

Summary: Summer is not her favourite season, but a certain Admiral from the neighbouring kingdom is going to change that.

I was rushing with the edit, so forgive me if it's not decent. Also, external links are in the notes. I hope this one is not cheesy, though. Enjoy!

Prompt 1: "Don't you dare!"

—

Chapter One

"Are you sure you don't want me to arrange a carriage for you two?"

After breakfast, Elsa found herself in her sister's embrace, as they stood at the front door. Dressed in her blue travel outfit, the blonde looked regal as ever, and a certain Admiral standing nearby couldn't take his eyes off her.

"It is alright, Anna." Elsa pulled away from the embrace and flashed her sister a smile. "Besides, we will make a stop by the fjord so I can summon the Nokk."

Anna nodded, "okay." She let out a sigh.

Having to say goodbye to her sister had always been one of the hardest things to do. After thirteen years of separation, then three years of reunion, before being separated from each other again, Anna felt like it wasn't fair. Sure, they had duties to fulfill, but sometimes Anna reminisced about all those good times they had spent together, and couldn't help but miss Elsa's laughter that used to echo in the castle halls. And little did she know that Elsa, too, was feeling the same way.

When the queen took a step back, it was a cue for Hans to approach the sisters. Nodding at a stable boy, who was holding his stallion, Sitron's reins, he signalled him to come closer. The horse was ready, with two small bags attached on each side. But before he helped Elsa climb up, Hans turned to Anna.

He bowed politely. "Queen Anna."

"Take care of my sister, will you, Hans?" She said. Her tone was stern with a hint of friendliness.

"Always." He smiled. Bowing one last time, Hans then helped Elsa, before mounting on Sitron's back after her.

"I'll see you in a week or so, Anna." Elsa smiled, resting her hand on an arm that wrapped around her waist, while the other was clutching the rein tight.

Anna smiled, "See you, Elsa."

Just when Elsa was about to move her lower legs as a signal for Sitron to walk, she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

"Elsa, wait!"

The blonde turned to the direction where the voice came and saw Olaf running—or attempting to run, followed by Sven and Kristoff. She smiled, finding the sight rather chaotic yet amusing.

"Olaf!"

The snowman stumbled and stopped before the stallion. He tried to catch his breath with one twig hand rested on Sven's side.

"What is it?" Hans gently asked.

Kristoff, who was now standing beside his wife, sheepishly replied, "Sorry, but Olaf has something to say."

"I thought I should say goodbye once more before you go." Olaf murmured, looking up to the smiling couple with puppy eyes. "When will you be back?"

Elsa reached a hand towards the snowman. "Come here, Olaf." Taking his hand in hers, she gave it a little squeeze. "I will only be gone for a week. It's not that long, is it? We've talked about this before."

The past few months, with the war going on, Olaf had grown a closer attachment to Elsa, especially after she was badly injured during one of the battles. He became so mature and caring, protective even, and he surely didn't like the idea of being apart with her now that everything was going back to normal. One time he asked Elsa and Anna why the sisters would go back to living miles apart after the war, and even though he found it reasonable that the sister had their own duties, he still wasn't down with the idea.

"I know." Olaf sighed, before nodding. "Alright then, I'll see you soon, Elsa." He let go of her hand.

"Bye, Olaf! Take care of Anna, Kristoff, and Jensen for us, will you?" Elsa beamed.

At the mention of the little prince, Olaf, too, was beaming. Elsa knew what would keep the snowman interested: her nephew. Ever since Prince Jensen Bjorgman of Arendelle was born, the snowman loved to entertain him with interest. Often Hans said things like perhaps Olaf just happens to like the idea of having a cousin, and Elsa would smack him playfully.

"Okay."

"Take care, Olaf." Hans added.

Olaf nodded, once again. Things might be a little tense between the two, mostly because of what happened in the past, but eventually the snowman had grown to be more accepting, and it got better.

"You too, Hans."

After sending a last glance at the queen and her consort, the couple began to trot away. They were heading out, past the front gates and the bridge. They would need to get through Arendelle Plaza and the harbour to get to the less crowded area in the fjord, their next stop.

"Olaf is something." Hans murmured to her ear. He held her close from behind with one hand while his other hand was holding the rein with her. "You know, last night he went to my room."

Elsa raised a brow. "Really?" She fought the urge to lean back as she found comfort in his presence, but it would make her lose her balance. "What did he do? Did he bother you?"

"He didn't. He waited for me, actually." He chuckled, sending shivers down Elsa's spine. "Olaf told me to look out for you, as I quote, because Elsa tends to be reckless."

The blonde chuckled. "He is just being sweet."

"Hmm, he is probably right." Hans hummed, as if he was thinking of something. "Also, he is probably still not over what happened last autumn."

Her hand unconsciously flew to her right side. There, underneath the light clothing, was a long scar from when she was stabbed during a naval battle. Elsa was too busy controlling the wind; she didn't hear an enemy approaching her. Perhaps that, and the fact that she froze to death in the depth of Ahtohallan once that would count as her recklessness. She shook the image from her head for it was too gruesome to think about, even though those were also counted as an act of sacrifice.

"Probably." She sighed. "But let's not think about it."

A few moments later, they finally left the capital and began to enter the forest. Elsa took a hold of the rein, but when she was about to pull to make the horse turn, Hans quickly took over.

"We can stop over there, Hans." She pointed at a lower ground which directly led them to an open sea. "And then I can summon the Nokk."

Sitron began to slow down at his master's tug, but instead of turning towards the open sea, he turned towards the opposite direction. Elsa's eyes widened, as they rode away from the sea.

"Where are we going?"

Hans gave her a reassuring squeeze. "There's a change of plan, but don't worry, Kaere." He pecked her cheek softy. "I promised Anna and Olaf that I'm going to look after you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She murmured. Turning to steal a glance at him, she caught a hint of mischief in his emerald eyes. Oh no. "Oh, don't you dare!"

Instead of replying, Hans chuckled, as they broke into a full gallop. She tightened her grip, not wanting to fall over. So much for trying to look after her. By the look of it, he was putting the both of them in danger. What makes him think that not letting her ride the Nokk is a good idea?

"Hans!"

"Relax, Elsa. Your water horse needs a rest too." He said. "Besides, Sitron is strong enough to carry the both of us. We will be fine. Trust me."

A wild idea of trying to escape from his hold and conjured a pile of snow for her to land flashed on her mind. But where would that take you, Elsa? Her conscience asked her. Right, the ground, and gods know if she would land safely. Knowing that she couldn't really do anything that wasn't risky or more dangerous and reckless, she decided to let it slide. Besides, she knew that Hans would keep her safe.

It was strange, when she thought about it. She trusted her own safety in the hand of a man who once tried to kill her. But this man is a changed man, and he has proven that he is capable of character growth more than once. Elsa smiled. They had been through a lot to get there, and she wouldn't change a thing. Giving him a second chance was one of the best decisions she had ever made.

"Fine, I trust you." She let out. "And for the love of God, stop calling the Nokk 'water horse'! We don't want that to happen again, do we?"

For a while, Hans grimaced. A certain memory involving salt water flashed on his mind. Gulping slightly, he let out, "Right."

Smiling to herself, Elsa sighed in contentment. Something told her it would be a memorable trip. Perhaps, in the end, she would end up liking summer more than she wanted to admit, and all thanks to the Admiral currently holding her close.