#i like grass its very pretty and smells nice

[pinkhairandpronounsboy]

Grass. I like it.

cozy :)

[rowretro]

Yandere!demon! heeseung x human! Reader( Please?)

TOOTHPASTE MOJITO

✧warnings: Yandere/toxic themes, kidnapping, marriage, blood, violence, explicit stuff mentioned, somewhat sexual(?), alcohol consumption

❁synopsis: Heeseung, a demon of many demons that roams earth, bored. His eyes then land on y/n. The girl who was disgusted by her raspberry mojito, and proceeded to order more mojitos. That's when Y/n saw hell....

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Heeseung smirked, his hands stained with blood, as he stared at the limp body before him. Another day another slay, demon edition. He literally slays them. Could you blame him? I mean what did the drunkard expect? trying to steal his wallet. He didn't stand a chance. Heeseung groaned as he went to his mansion, maids slipping off his coat and placing his shoes aside, as he walked in. The man's rich, anything he wants he gets, money, shoes, cars anything.

But he was missing one thing... a wife. Sure he'd sleep with some girls now and then when he's bored, but none of that satisfies his loving for love. True love, the kind of love one'd find in any movie, a shoulder to lie on, a person to turn to and feel comfortable. The man checked himself out in the mirror, a branded leather jacket worn over his black button down shirt, and trousers to match it. He slipped on a Rolex of the many he owned, followed by some jewellery.

The man walked into the party, fitting in as Jay threw an arm over him "Thought you'd never come, I assume you're here for the girls?" Jay asked as Heeseung snickerred "not this time- I got some time off of work so I decided to drop in... where's the bar?" He asked as Jay pointed it out. The man sat down at the stool, beside him, he could see the back of a girl, her dark hair somewhat covering her bare back, she was dressed is a shimmering, short black dress.

So far she seemed like a hottie to him. "Ack- disgusting... It tastes like grass-" she complained turning around to the bartender. Heeseung got a the full view of her face. Fuck was she beautiful. Her eye makeup really did suit her, purple glitter reflecting blue, lips so plump and kissable, her nose slightly big, but really added a stunning touch to her pretty face. "Can I get a mojito with Ice... make it really minty" she said as Heeseung frowned at her.

As the bartender walked off to prepare her drink, Heeseung turned to face her "Minty mojito?... that'd taste like toothpaste in alcohol- its already minty as is why ad more?" He questioned as she giggled "Toothpaste mojito.... not a mint lover huh?" she asked then she froze "Wow... Jay knows so many attractive men but damn." she added quite boldly. "He seems to know very pretty girls... none as pretty as you though, can't believe he gatekept you from me... Heeseung." He introduced himself. "Y/n.... " she said with a smile

If only she knew there and then that he's a goddamn demon. Literally. She thought she was just drunk, one second she was at the party, the next in a luxorious bedroom with a fine man. That morning she realized, the man did the impossible, he literally teleported her. She saw him really murder a man. She looked under the blanket. No sign of pain, hickeys or anything, she smelled nice, dressed in a man's jumper, presumably Heeseungs.

Oh how stupid she felt. Thinking it'd be easy to sneak out of a demon's home without being caught. Acting cool, walking out as the guards assumed she was just some slut he slept with. "Where do you think you're going sweetheart?" he asked, her back against the wall, as his body trapped her. "uh... home? I need to feed my bunny" she excused as he just laughed.

"Oh baby how drunk were you?... you ARE home... and I fed your bunny see? *he said with a smirk pointing at the little white rabbit that rested comfortably in a more spacious cage". It was too much to process. did she move in with him? did something happen? are they in a relationship? "yes, I guess, and Yes.." he answerred without missing a beat, red eyes staring into hers. "Did I say that out loud?..." she asked as he smirked.

"As you can see darling, I'm a demon, I know everything you think about. When I first laid my eyes on you... thought I'd just let you stay in my bed one night.... then you talked to me and fuck." He groaned, holding her heart at his chest "feel that?! Im in fucking love with you baby, I fucking wanted you... no I fucking needed you. so here you are." He said with a smirk "You're crazy. Im not into you Heeseung. You can't just kidnap me, and my bunny and say im you're in love with me. Im leaving." She claimed confidentally

"That's where you're wrong. You're mine, you're not going anywhere and you won't need to, everything you need is in this mansion. If I want something sweetie.. I get it. How about you think twice before your decision, sure you wouldn't want to anger a demon... I KNOW you're smarter than that." He simply said. He's right. Only an idiot would do such a thing, she really had no choice... She was in hell and there's no going back....

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(so sorry to all my readers, Ill try work on the series's too, yes my blog is wet now- its no longer a dry desert)

[emeritus-fuckers]

The papas (plus sister because she needs more love) - A new ghoul gets summoned but they seem more shy and afraid, how would they react?

Papas and Sister Imperator with a shy, freshly summoned ghoul

Primo (he/him)

He knows what to do, he's seen it once before, but a long time ago.

Sometimes Ghouls just are really shy at first, and scared. Of course they are, the Ministry is a whole different world to them.

You ran straight off and hid. It took Primo a few hours searching to find you hiding in a secluded spot in the garden.

Primo left you there to get used to things and went back to his garden shed. He brewed a very special tea, he wasn't too fond of the smell but that's because it wasn't meant to appeal to him.

He went back to the your hiding place and left a cup just in reach. He smiled as you reached a clawed hand out to take it.

The next day Primo left the cup of tea so it was just out of your reach. You slowly came out to take it and caught sight of Primo.

He smiled and gestured to say it was just him, you looked back at the tea and then to Primo before settling down on the soft summer grass.

"Let me show you around?" Primo says with a kind smile. "I promise you, it will all be okay. And if it ever gets too much you can always come back here. I won't tell a soul that this is your spot and I will bring you tea whenever you need it."

You smiled and swished your tail. With Primo's steadying influence you started to slowly come out of your shell and bond with the other Ghouls.

Secondo (he/him)

You blink open your eyes as you lie on the cold stone and see the most terrifying Papa. His stern gaze and piercing stare had you running for the nearest shadow.

Secondo lets out a huffing sound and orders everyone from the room.

He sits down next to you and to your suprise his expression has softened. "I know its a big change."

You just kind of nod, still very confused by the man.

"And there is a lot to get used to. But there are a lot of exciting things here too and more importantly nice people..." Secondo seems to stop himself saying the rest of the sentence, which would have probably been 'as annoying as they all are'.

You wait for him to carry on and then he says "I will introduce you to my most trusted Ghoul and you will not shy away. In return I can promise you that they will take care of you and look after you, you have nothing to fear. Also, no one will expect you to introduce yourself or talk to them until you are ready to do so."

You nod, still scared but Secondo's gaze is so steady you just trust him, he is Papa after all, the one who summoned you.

Thankfully you settle in well and once you are more relaxed Secondo lets you see his party animal side. Which surpirses you all over again. Who knew he could be like that, eh?

Terzo (he/they)

They really count on Omega in situations like these.

While Terzo has a sort of magnetism that pulls people to him, especially when he flirts like a kindergartener (informing someone about a hole in his shoe, for example), but he also recognizes that a big, strong ghoul might help a new, shy one open up.

And Omega is very inviting unless he's pissed off. Which he never is, if Terzo's in the room. If Terzo's around, Omega is happy. It's a simple equation, really.

And Omega is also very welcoming. You end up feeling safe with their presence pretty soon.

You also end up getting adopted. it's not up for discussion.

Enjoy your new dads, I guess.

Copia (he/him)

Copia has summoned plenty of ghouls by now. He's got experience with the shy ones, too.

Although his previous originally shy ghoul (Phantom) had relatives in the Ministry already, so that was a bit easier.

This time, he's on his own with it.

He just chills in the room, leaving snacks nearby as he just sits in the corner of his room, playing something on an ancient-looking gameboy.

He's just there, not invading your space. It's a bit like with a new puppy.

Eventually, you get closer, stealing his snacks and slowly trying to look at the screen of his console.

And after that, it all goes easy. Yolu eventually get more and more comfortable with him.

You get really involved in the game, too. Copia's not allowed to finish it, watching him play is your comfort source.

Not that he minds, he fucking sucks at that game.

Old Nihil (he/him)

He is just confused, really confused why as to why you are hiding all the time. Normally when freshly summoned, Ghouls have far too much energy and want to see everything.

"Seeeestor, why is the Ghoul broken?" He asks her. She tuts and explains you are not broken just shy.

So Nihil decides to try and help.

He sits near where he knows you hide in the shadows and tells you stories of his youth.

Sometimes these stories are long and rambling and you fall asleep.

Other times they are really interesting and excitng and you find yourself coming out of the shadows to listen.

Nihil grins at you and offers to introduce you to some people he thinks you'll like.

Young Nihil (he/him)

He doesn't really think anything of it, all the Ghouls are odd and different in their own way. Which he loves, all so unique.

He'll just sit with you and offer you a drink or something stronger.

At first you think he is just doing this to help you settle in, but then you realise he has started to rely on you as much as you on him.

It's nice to hang out with him, very laid back and you two can just be yourselves. There is never any pressure to talk or anything.

When you feel a little more confident Nihil offers to teach you the saxophone. He's learning too and thought it would be fun to learn together.

He produces some, err, interesting noises from the instrument at first but he quickly gets better. Partly due to your support, you are the only person he feels comfortable enough to make mistakes in front of.

He also invites you along to parties or his shows or anythin really, but never puts pressure on you to come along. If you do agree he gives you the biggest smile and puts an arm around you showing you all the cool things. He'll keep an eye on you to make sure you don't get overwhelmed.

Old Sister Imperator (she/her)

As intimidating as she can be, she's also a very caring, motherly woman.

She will inform you where you are, who she is and why you're there.

All while calling you "little one", as if you're a child.

And while there's always this slightly unnerving feeling of authority she has over you, you actually like her! She's nice!

She leaves you snacks, small plushies and fidget toys so you can have some nice things that will comfort you in this new situation you've gotten yourself into.

She leaves one of her ghoulettes with you for comfort. She doesn't mind waiting. Take your time.

Young Sister Imperator (she/her)

A lot more intimidating and a lot less motherly than she is later in life, Sister Imperator wasn't the most patient in her youth.

She summoned a ghoul because she needed one now, not later.

Still, she's not cruel, she's not gonna just... abandon you. She can summon another ghoul for the matter at hand and then just... find some use for you.

She checks up on you regularly, just sitting in the room for a bit. it's almost like a break for her, honestly.

Over time, as you both become more and more comfortable with each other, she starts viewing you like a little pet.

She likes playing with your hair and tail. She's always incredibly gentle with you, too.

Perhaps she's already found your function. A companion. A little pet.

Doesn't sound so bad, does it?

~

Papas I, II and Papa Nihil written by Nyx.

Papas III, IV and Sister Imperator written by Nosferatu.

[jadiealissia]

Worldbuilding Countries (Part 1)

I've lived in and visited a few countries in my life, which gave me a lot of inspiration for my fantasy novel. I'm not an expert, but I thought I'd share what I learned!

Climate

The climate will most likely come up at some point. Do you mention the cool breeze, or the orange leaves on the trees? All those nice weather descriptions will depend on the climate!

If you have a couple of different countries, it may be a little weird if they all have the same climate (especially if they are far away from each other), so there's a few things you can consider to make them a bit more specific.

Climate is of course a very complicated topic, so I will simplify it a bit.

Temperature

I like to pick a real country/city and look at its temperature graphs on Wikipedia. One important thing to note is that countries aren't simply colder/warmer than one another. I know a lot of people think that a country like Russia is cold all year round, but it is actually quite warm in summer. Some areas have a larger variation between temperature throughout the year than others (normally, the closer to the equator a country is, the less variation there is. They also tend to be warmer).

Look at Singapore:

The temperatures are basically stable all year round (the letters up top are the months). The numbers are the average minimum and maximum daily temperatures. You can see that on average the variation every day is less than 10°C.

Here is Moscow:

The temperature changes quite a lot throughout the year. Note that the maximum temperatures (summer) will occur at the opposite times of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.

You can see this demonstrated in Copiapo (Chile):

This city is in the Southern hemisphere, so their coldest months are June and July :)

One thing you may have noticed is that the bars here are taller, which means that the variation for the daily min and max are higher too. Why is that? I'm simplifying it a bit, but generally, the dryer a place is, the more variation you will get in daily temperature. Which brings us to the next thing to consider:

Humidity/Precipitation

There are a few things to consider:

Rainfall. This can vary month-by-month, and due to some complicated factors, some countries have more rain in their colder months, some have more rain in their warmer months. Some places don't follow a neat pattern or stay consistent throughout the year. Have a look at climate pages on Wikipedia to get some ideas! Even just this page on Chile has a lot of cool examples. Each city is quite different!

Although of course the "wetness" of a country related to rainfall (e.g. you'd expect greener grass somewhere with more rainfall, brownish dry grass or a desert somewhere with less rainfall), it's not that simple. UK is a wet country, right? And if you've heard of Gold Coast (Australia) it seems pretty dry, right? Well, actually the Gold Coast gets twice as much precipitation (rain) as London!

To demonstrate, I took a screenshot (randomly selected street in each city) from Google Streetview.

Why this difference? I suspect it's because the Gold Coast is much hotter. Living in Australia, puddles are normally gone by the next day (often the rain even evaporates as it hits the ground!), but in UK, the puddles would always stay around for a while.

The UK is always mossy, often the clouds hang in the sky for ages. It can look quite grey. When it rains in the Gold Coast in summer, the raindrops evaporate as soon as they hit the pavement, which makes the air feel very humid and smell strongly of rain. You can use these sorts of sensory details in your stories :)

Also, one thing I noticed, is that in hotter weather, rain can be much more heavy than in colder weather. In Australia we often get heavy rain that causes flooding. In UK the rain usually dribbles all day but doesn't get heavy. In a place like the Gold Coast you can get rain that last 10 minutes but soaks you all the way through and floods the street.

The rainfall may also vary year-by-year. Australia goes through periods of floods and droughts that last a couple of years. The mechanism is a bit complicated so I won't go through it now, but it gives you something to google!

Humidity: Deserts have low humidity, which means that you can cool off more easily in the shade and the nights are colder. The breeze feels more refreshing at low humidity as your sweat evaporates.

High humidity (like Singapore) will feel much hotter at the same temperatures and it is normally still quite hot in the shade. High humidity feels really muggy, the air feels thick. The sweat doesn't evaporate as much, so you are left all wet and sticky. The breeze can feel much less refreshing because of this.

When the temperature is below freezing, the humidity gets very low, so your skin may need more moisturiser or your lips may crack.

Those are just some things to consider while describing your weather!

Generally, closer to the sea will be wetter, further inland is dryer. Have a look at some climate maps on Wikipedia, you will learn a lot! Climate is quite complicated since there are so many factors, so there's a lot you can do with it.

UV: This is one thing that people often forget about when they think about weather. In the UK, even on a very hot and sunny day, you are unlikely to get sunburnt (unless you are very pale). In Australia, you can get sunburnt very easily in even Tasmania, which is our coldest state, even when the temperatures are chilly.

You can't actually feel being sunburnt, which I fully understood when I visited Tasmania. I was freezing, but the whole time I was being sunburnt.

Normally, UV index is higher closer to the equator, which is why people who live closer to the equator tend to have darker skin. The melanin acts as protection against the sun. Still, this protection isn't perfect, so in the real world people in Africa used different methods to protect their skin, such as using clay as a "sunscreen".

Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. This is partially because most people in Australia have pale skin (originally from the UK), but the UV index is high.

This is something to consider in your story, since it can play a bigger role in behaviour than you'd expect if you live in a cold climate. In Australia, they recommend staying indoors between certain hours of the day to avoid sunburn, and if you do go out you should wear clothes that cover your skin, a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen. Someone with very pale skin can get sunburnt in minutes. Wide-brimmed hats are compulsory at schools in Australia - you are not allowed to play if you forget your hat.

In low-UV areas, there is the opposite issue. People with darker skin can have problems getting vitamin D. Same goes for people who cover their skin with clothing (e.g. for religious reasons). However, this is a bit simpler to fix with some vitamin D supplements.

How do I use this for worldbuilding?

If you have a map of your countries, you may want to keep their location in mind when deciding on the climate :)

I like to draw up some graphs with the temperatures throughout the year for each country and some quick notes on the humidity, rainfall and UV.

You can also add some other elements to your story. Is it a fantasy? Maybe magic affects the weather! Sci-fi? You can play with the distance of the planet from the sun, axial tilt, sun size etc. (I won't go into that since it's a whole another topic and really complicated as well)

You probably don't need to know the exact details of the climate for most stories, but having a general idea will allow you to consistently describe what sorts of clothing your characters wear, the weather etc. Those are the sorts of things that comes up in almost every story (if it's long enough).

If you read this and found this useful, please reblog so I know that it was helpful. If it seems like people enjoyed this post, I will make more (I was going to talk about so much more, but this is already too long).

[wndaswife]

following your lead | taylor sloane & fem!reader

Taylor Sloane is the kind of person who gets what she wants, and she wants to be your girlfriend. But during your first date together, she begins to wonder if she's good enough for you at all.

Word count: 5020

Tags: fluff, some angst, jealousy, taylor being a gigantic cutie who's obsessed with you

gif credit to vanessacarlysle

The dim white light of Taylor’s laptop was cast on her face as she scrolled through the website directory of the museum her first date with you was to take place at. She took the nail of her thumb between her teeth as she leaned forward slightly, squinting at the museum layout and its floors.

When you asked her out, she had been so excited that she just had to blurt a bunch of stupid and untrue things in the heat of the moment.

‘I totally love museums!’ she had suddenly said out of nowhere right after quickly agreeing to go out with you. ‘Nicky and I love to visit any sort of museum when we travel together. Like, there’s this one in Paris, I think. The Louvre. Super pretty. Like, really pretty.’

She’d never even been to the Louvre, and actually made about a billion excuses to avoid going on the day the famous museum was set on the travel itinerary. But things just seemed so perfect at the time, she could hardly stop herself from making up lies just to make the night go even better.

Dan Pinto was holding a camping trip to film one of his movies, and on the day of wrapping he held a get-together to celebrate having finished filming his first official short film, written and produced by him and his close friends.

Taylor didn’t know Dan all that well aside from the fact that he was Ingrid’s boyfriend, so she was initially against going out and spending a night with his band of friends when Ingrid invited her to go, not to mention that Taylor hated camping.

To her, there was nothing enjoyable about sitting around a dirty field of grass in the middle of nowhere to get eaten alive by mosquitoes and have your hair filled with all sorts of flies and bugs that you wouldn’t ever be able to get out of there until you showered — and although she made a point to shower right after being outdoors for a period of time, the idea of having bugs in her hair at all was a complete turn-off.

But Ingrid begged for her to go because she’d only been with Dan for about two weeks by then and she too knew very little of his friends, and didn’t want to go to the celebration without a friend with her. She finally gave in, and both Taylor and Ingrid went to the mosquito-infested forest party.

Taylor had met you several times before, enough to have gotten your number; you were a mutual friend of one of Dan’s mutual friends, and Taylor first met you at a Christmas party. She hadn’t any clue you were going to be at the get-together and the moment she saw you, she knew she’d weather as many mosquitoes and hair-bugs as it took if it meant spending the whole night talking with you.

And she pulled it off perfectly. She was able to get you alone for most of the night, talking with you while sitting with each other at one of the camping park benches away from the celebration, around the fire when they started making s’mores, and anywhere it was quiet enough to have a conversation. 

But she did like it especially when it was a bit louder, for that meant you had to step a bit closer to her in order to hear her when she spoke, and Taylor thought you smelled nice.

Because she had work in the morning, Ingrid ended up being the one to pull her away from the party, but not before you asked Taylor if she wanted to go out with you one afternoon when she was free. She was more than enthusiastic to set a date with you, which ended up being that weekend, and you suggested going to a museum you’d been wanting to visit.

She wanted to be completely prepared for her date with you and not come off as a liar so early into things, but most importantly, Taylor wanted to be able to impress you with all her knowledge on the things you loved. She spent about an hour and a half that night researching various things about what the museum was showcasing on different floors and exhibits so she had something interesting to say for just about everything. 

Taylor went to bed feeling assured in her preparation, knowing that she’d come off as an intelligent and worldly person who was not as materialistic and shallow as she seemed from her social media, and someone you’d want to go out with for a second date, and a third, and all your dates from that point onwards. 

In simpler terms, Taylor wanted to secure her chances at being your girlfriend. 

The day of the date, she woke up extra early to make herself a fulfilling breakfast and to take some extra time on her makeup and to carefully plan out her outfit for that afternoon so by the time you picked her up at her place, she was completely ready.

She tried not to think much of it, especially as Taylor wasn’t typically a nervous person, but she also felt compelled to wake up early to prepare for the date because she was rather anxious for her day out with you.

You hadn’t ever spent that much time alone with her before. What if you realised that she wasn’t all that you thought she was? What if you regretted asking her out?

But Taylor was skilled at self-control and self-discipline, and she told herself that continuing to think about the possible negative outcomes of her date left less room for the positives. So she kept herself busy from the moment she awoke until the second she stepped foot outside her house to wait for you.

Her nerves began to fray again and she picked awkwardly at her pale pink nail polish. Her mind was soon filled with heaps of questions that only made her feel a lot more nervous.

Taylor had always been a straightforward type of girl with straightforward answers to straightforward questions; she wasn’t an overthinker, she wasn’t a worrier. But standing in front of her house waiting for you to come around and pick her up for your first date together made her feel uncharacteristically anxious.

She didn’t think you were the type, but Taylor worried that perhaps you might change your mind halfway to her house. She wasn’t very much the kind of person she seemed like online and she never minded how she seemed like on social media until now.

What if you changed your mind about her? 

The soft hum of an approaching car came down the road and Taylor raised her head to see you driving towards her. Her worries were immediately done away with at the sight of you and she quickly raised her arm and waved excitedly.

You greeted her eagerly when she slipped into the passenger's side. 

“Hi, Y/N,” Taylor said in return and reached over and hugged you. You smiled at the warm enthusiasm that was typical for her and Taylor felt reassured. She buckled herself in and smiled at you. “I’m really excited,” she confessed.

“Me too,” you replied honestly. “I’m glad we finally get to spend time together on our own.” You put the museum’s address into Google Maps then went on your way. “I mean, every other time was really nice too but…”

Taylor tucked her hands under her legs and leaned forward a little to get a look at your face. “But it’s nicer to get each other to ourselves,” she said.

You nodded in agreement and Taylor smiled. She felt good about the upcoming date and on the way to the museum, she briefly went over in her mind what she’d researched last night to be able to keep it fresh in her memory.

“This place is so pretty,” Taylor mused after the two of you parked and were now standing on the steps of the museum looking up at the front. 

Beautiful sizable pillars stretched up into the never-ending sky, holding up the angled stone roof. The architecture looked Grecian though in the center of Los Angeles, a beautiful grand stone building that looked nearly like polished marble when it glistened in the summer sun.

“Do you wanna post this on your Instagram?” you asked then paused on the steps to allow Taylor to take a photo. 

Hesitantly as if considering whether to finish her response though she’d already instantly began to reply, Taylor drawled out a nervously prolonged, “No.”

Then she quickly supplemented by asking, “Did you want me to?”

“No,” you answered and looked over at her with a bit of a grin. 

Taylor ventured through your eyes with her own and found your implicit way of saying you wanted the date to be just for the two of you to be extremely endearing — especially your sincerity. 

You were genuine and kind-hearted and Taylor felt so trusting of you, and she was glad to feel that way too.

After watching her cheeks flush slightly, you walked forward up the stairs and looked back at Taylor who quickly caught up with you, her shoulder brushing against yours. 

Her eyes darted around the exterior of the museum as it grew larger and taller with each step towards it, green irises filled with childish fascination and what you assumed to be liberated vulnerability as you’d never seen Taylor look so comfortable. 

The two of you always had good conversations when you’ve spoken with each other and to some extent, being with a stranger you feel comfortable with nearly always warranted one’s guard to be let down, but this felt different. 

It felt like Taylor didn’t feel as if she needed to be alert and on her toes, always ready to have conversations with one person to the next, seemingly always being able to read those in front of her with charming ease. 

But today she looked relaxed with her guard let down, and you wondered if this was how it felt to be someone who was close with Taylor Sloane, the influencer with a beloved and infamous social presence. 

Taylor felt you staring at her and looked over at you when the both of you joined the line to pay for the museum tickets, and she felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of how intrigued you seemed just looking at her. 

She felt a little nervous having your undivided attention, which was uncharacteristic for her as someone who normally always had eyes on her. 

But it was different when it was you. 

For a good while, things went perfectly; Taylor could recall all the things she’d researched from last night and felt proud of how she could contribute even a little to how excited you were talking about the museum as you walked through it together. 

She felt that you thought she was intelligent and worldly, and that you were seeing how different she could be outside of social media. 

You seemed to be in awe of the museum entirely, and she couldn’t help but feel weak at the knees every time you went on terribly dorky spiels about things like the Roman Empire and the Italian Renaissance.

She was never into the kinds of things you were impassioned by, and in fact, Taylor was sure that if you’d met during any point of time before when she first met you at the Christmas party last year, the two of you wouldn’t have ever interacted — you were just so different in interests and friends and hobbies.

Even so, Taylor knew that she’d listen to lectures upon lectures on things she’d never even think twice about like the agriculture in the era of Ancient Rome or painting techniques used during the Renaissance so long as you were the one speaking.

She wondered if her cheeks flushed as much as she felt they did every time you looked over at her with the sweetest grin while you were talking about things you liked, and how it widened each time she expressed interest in them. 

Last night’s research took a few hours away from her sleep but she was repaid tenfold at the sight of your excitement when she mentioned things you loved.

Taylor didn’t often care about her impressions on people away from her life as an influencer as most times socialising was just business — promoting herself, making connections to better her interactions and reach, and encouraging brands to sponsor her. 

But she felt herself caring a lot about things with you that she couldn’t recall even considering with others, like proving to you that she wasn’t as shallow as she might’ve initially seemed online and ensuring you’d enjoy spending time with her. 

It felt like things would go just as Taylor had meticulously planned the night before, and if she was as charming as she hoped, she’d even get a kiss or at the very least the opportunity to hold your hand.

She didn’t anticipate in any of her preparations, however, to have her date with you interrupted.

Taylor had only ever talked with Elliot a handful of times and only within a group of people — and she wanted it that way. She considered him to be pompous and self-obsessed. 

He was the kind of vegan to blurt out much louder than necessary that he couldn’t eat a type of food offered to him because he was vegan, to have negative opinions on every infamous classical philosopher and writer to show that he was the intelligent black sheep, who abhorred every form of self-promotion and platform of social media because they were ‘part of a intricate labyrinth that supplied vanity to those who lacked true confidence in themselves.’

In every way, he and Taylor were complete opposites, and to put it frankly, she couldn’t stand him.

He approached you and asked what you were doing at the museum, to which you said you were on a date with Taylor for the afternoon. 

She swooned at your willingness to call it a ‘date’ to other people. 

Elliot looked over at Taylor at the mention of her. His height made it seem to her that he was regarding her from a position of superiority and Taylor bristled defensively at the sight. He seemed perplexed at the idea of her and you being out on a date and his eyebrows furrowed together then arched up as if he was humoured at something.

But a moment of silence passed wherein no laughter was exchanged and Elliot then knew that no joke had been told.

“Oh,” he said.

To be cordial or perhaps to mock, he asked, “Are you enjoying yourselves?”

“We are,” Taylor quipped.

Elliot’s eyes narrowed the tiniest bit and he looked as if he was picking apart her response. It was a subtle tell, but Taylor could see the way he scrutinised her. 

“What are you doing here?” you asked in a friendly tone. 

Taylor refused to look at him lest it give him the hint that she did want him around and saw him as anything more than an irritating intruder.

As the two of you spoke, she looked around at the museum floor and at all the things she had yet to say about a particular porcelain vase that was in a glass case a few metres away, a history in which she’d researched in detail last night because of how pretty it looked. 

She thought you’d be pleased with how much she knew about it. 

From what Taylor was forced to hear, Elliot was waiting for his family to arrive at the museum for he was planning on giving them a tour; they were visiting him and they’d only just landed from Paris this week.

“Would you mind if I followed the both of you around until they arrive?” Elliot then asked, and Taylor could swear that she wouldn’t have felt worse if suddenly the museum ceiling crumbled down and crushed her under its debris and broke her ankle.

In spite of having just been told that you were on a date together, he had the gall to suggest that he intrude on your time together. He very evidently did not take the date seriously, nor did he respect Taylor as a serious prospective partner of yours.

She knew you’d say yes for although she was assured that you were certainly not as close with him as she was with you, you were friendly and warm — Taylor liked this about you a lot, so she couldn’t entirely complain about your resolve — and because she’d never told you how she felt about him.

But you turned to her anyways, much to her surprise, searching her expression for an answer. 

Taylor felt so warmed by your gesture, seeking her approval for a decision you easily could’ve made on your own and in doing so only further defining the time you were spending together as a date. 

It wouldn’t be for long, could it, if he was just waiting for his family? And what could possibly happen if you already seemed so interested in spending time with her?

So Taylor finally said, “That’s totally fine with me.”

Aside from the discomfort of having Elliot walking alongside you while she followed along the other side, things seemed to be going alright; there weren’t any disputes between Taylor and Elliot, and you still kept trying to make sure that she was comfortable with him tagging along.

It was only because of how you pulled her to the side at one point when Elliot was on the phone and quietly asked her if she was really okay with him tagging along that Taylor was able to subdue the bitterness she felt towards him.

Hearing you apologise for his intrusion and seeing how much you had in common with him — talking to him about old college friends and some interests you shared with him that Taylor didn’t share with you — encouraged her to bear his presence. 

As the long minutes passed, Taylor began to feel increasingly different from you. 

Initially, she’d believed that she and you were closer than you were with Elliot by a long shot, and yet there were references to jokes and memories that Taylor didn’t know about and discussions of shared interests that she couldn’t even begin to pretend she knew anything about.

For a few moments she felt as if she was only someone passing the two of you, no different from all the other people walking by who’d happen to brush your shoulder and who’d come with their own families and friends, people you’d never even met nor spared even a passing glance to — strangers.

You always made sure to include her in your conversations, always brushing the back of your hand against hers to get her attention so you could meet her eyes and silently check in on her to make sure she felt alright, so it wasn’t that you treated her like a stranger in any respect.

In fact, you were attentive to her and so considerate, and that only made Taylor want to try harder in earning your favour. So she decided she’d try her hand at befriending Elliot, to bridge that distance she felt laid between the two of you and win a better chance at becoming your girlfriend.

You excused yourself to quickly dash out of the museum and pay for an extra hour of parking that you initially didn’t think you needed but ended up having to go out and get lest you leave the date with Taylor with a parking ticket under your windshield wiper. 

So Taylor thought it was the perfect time to try and get closer with Elliot, who she was left with beside the museum’s food court.

Feigning a sudden realisation to ease into a natural conversation, Taylor said, “I think Ingrid told me that you met Y/N in college. How long were you in Miami for?”

“Miami?” he asked with a slightly humoured expression then looked over at her.

Taylor uncrossed her arms and replied, “Y/N went there for college, didn’t she?”

“Oh,” Elliot said and chuckled a little. “I wouldn’t be caught dead in Miami, chérie. We met in Paris; she studied there for a year.”

Taylor didn’t know you’d ever been to Paris. It wasn’t a major detail of your life, but a bout of uncertainty settled within her anyway. 

In the midst of the blanket of self-doubt that started to come over her, heavy and downcast, Elliot spoke. “I hope you don’t take offence to this, but I never expected Y/N to take up company with someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” Taylor repeated, evidently feeling a bit insulted as she looked up at him with a puzzled expression. 

“I only mean that I would’ve never predicted for Y/N to take a social media influencer such as yourself on a date,” he replied. His words were condescending and belittling of Taylor’s occupation, but she found herself wanting to know more about what he was saying. “The type of partner I always imagined she was interested in was… understated, in a way. And you have a lot of presence. That is all that I mean.”

Perhaps she should’ve brushed him off and made peace with not befriending him, but all Taylor could run through her mind was how much she’d been enjoying her date with you, and how all she wanted to do was have you like her.

So she asked, “What do you mean by understated?”

“The partners she had in college were the kinds of people you wouldn’t realise were attending a party until someone brought their name up by chance,” Elliot tried to explain. His accent made his recollection sound allegorical. “And yet, you are someone who everyone knows of, or if not you’d be easy to spot in a very crowded room, easy to get to know through word of mouth.”

Taylor bristled. How could he possibly know anything about her, having only had a handful of conversations with her and hearing more about her through others rather than from herself?

“I am only saying that I am surprised you get along so well,” he concluded.

It was clear that he thought little of her, and that he was being outwardly friendly with her as one would treat someone they pitied. He regarded Taylor from a position of superiority, seeing her as nothing but something to brush off with his twisted version of kindness whose bitter arrogance was guised as goodwill.

But in spite of all that, Taylor couldn’t help but think that perhaps he was right, in a way. She started thinking about all the things she had yet to know about you, and here she was envisioning being your girlfriend. 

She’d spent all day trying to convince you that she wasn’t what she seemed like at first glance, but Taylor considered that she was exactly what she seemed — vain, uneducated, and shallow.

And… you didn’t deserve someone like that.

“I’m back, sorry!” you huffed when you jogged back over to Taylor and Elliot. “Okay, I paid for another hour so there’s no rush.”

Taylor avoided meeting your eyes and she looked over to the side while Elliot told you that his family would be about half an hour, so he’d leave before your parking spot expired.

The three of you walked forward, picking up from where you’d left off when you had to quickly run out to the car.

You stepped back and let Elliot carry on before you circled your fingers around Taylor’s wrist carefully and kept her back with you. 

“Are you feeling okay?” you asked in a hushed tone, and it felt like it was just the two of you again. 

“I’m feeling okay,” Taylor reassured with a smile that didn’t look convincing. She looked up from the floor when you didn’t respond right away.

She saw the way you regarded her with suspicion and she insisted, “I’m okay. I’m just a bit tired from all the walking.”

Your hand raised and the back of your index finger ran down against the slope of Taylor’s jaw. It was so gentle and, oh, you looked at her with so much kindness in your soft eyes. 

For a moment Taylor considered letting the overwhelming feelings from the day catch up to her so she could cry and have you comfort her. 

“I’m gonna get rid of Elliot, okay?” you told her. “And we can just be on our own like we planned. Is that alright?”

Taylor let the warmth in her chest settle before she nodded happily. Then you wrapped your hand around hers and squeezed it before leaving her and catching back up to Elliot ahead. 

She watched as you exchanged a few words with him. He seemed shocked and even perplexed at being left, and that almost brought a sense of joy in Taylor. 

The bastard. 

You came back and took her hand, interlacing your fingers and leading her away. She stepped close to you so your arms brushed against each other every time either of you swung them in the slightest. 

“I’m glad we left,” you breathed out when you got down to the floor below together. “I’m sorry that he stuck around for that long. I had no idea how to get rid of him.”

“I thought you liked him,” said Taylor, surprised. 

You shrugged and looked over your shoulder a little to make sure he wasn’t still around. “I’ve known him for a while,” you told her. “We’re friendly, but not friends.”

You stopped walking and looked at Taylor, running your thumb against the back of her fingers. “Besides, I wanted to be alone with you today. It was supposed to be a day for just us.”

Taylor all but melted at your words, then felt a heavy pang of guilt spread through her stomach. She looked away. 

“What’s the matter?” you asked, following her eyes as she looked over at a group of people coming off the elevator. 

The concern you’d shown for her countless times today made Taylor feel like the worst person ever. She didn’t deserve your consideration. 

She took a breath before finally saying, “We’re so different.”

“So? I like that. You’re so outgoing and open and nice. I’m not as out there as you are, but there’s also a reason why everyone knows you. You’re… sort of magnetic,” you confessed, feeling a little bashful and awkwardly scratching at your cheek. 

“Plus, we’re not that different,” you told her with a smile. “I like you exactly as you are. I like you even more because of how you pretended to love museums and miraculously came to the date with all this knowledge about the most niche things ever.”

Taylor’s lips parted and she looked surprised. “You knew that I just… searched it up?” she asked. 

When you looked at her with a lighthearted smile, she felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment and she redirected her gaze away from you. But you cupped her cheek and made her meet your eyes. 

“But I like that about you, you know? I don’t know if you know, but you’re really just as nerdy as I am. What kind of person does all that for a first date?” you said with a laugh, and Taylor looked into your eyes to find you staring at her with so much admiration and warmth. 

“So… You actually like me?” Taylor asked, perking up. 

You giggled a little — you couldn’t help it looking at her perk up like an excited puppy — and she hit your arm before looking away. “S-Stop… I’m being serious.”

With your warm hand still on her cheek, you made her look at you again before saying, “Taylor, I really like you. I think you’re so smart and really cute. I love how creative and outgoing you are, and I’ve really been liking spending time with you. But we’re always with other people, and I think it’d be better if we had time to ourselves. Don’t you agree?”

Taylor felt so much more hopeful now and she nodded excitedly. She couldn’t believe how lucky she’d gotten going on a date with you. 

“Have you ever been to the zoo here?” you suddenly asked. 

She smiled. “No.”

“Me neither,” you replied. “Do you wanna go?”

She nodded and stepped towards you. She raised her hand to yours that was cupping your cheek and wrapped her fingers around your wrist gently. “Yes, please,” she answered.

The two of you left the museum together after taking her hand with yours again.

When you stepped down from the museum steps, you stopped for a moment and Taylor felt the tug of your hand. She turned around and you pulled her against you. 

You rounded your fingers to the back of her head, pulling her close and kissing her. You really did feel like doing it; maybe it was feeling how soft her hand was or watching how pretty her hair looked when she walked ahead of you or seeing the smile on her face. 

Her lips were so soft. She tasted like mint and grapefruit.

You pulled away and Taylor was blushing, eyes locked on yours and taking in how you looked at her. She eventually looked away from you when the wind blew a bit of her hair in her eyes and tore her away from her enamoured stupor. 

“Is that how you kiss all your friends…?” she asked with the intention of teasing though you knew her words had more meaning.

After a moment of admiring how adorable she looked, slightly pouty and jealous, you softly ran the pad of your thumb against her cheek and whispered, “No. Just you.”

Taylor looked back over at you and smiled. She got to hold your hand and got a kiss; she was the luckiest girl in the whole world. She couldn’t help the way she started laughing. She was just so happy. 

[hyacinthdoll1315]

3 Months of Moth HRT

Soooo. well, I definitely have setae. It's absolutely setae. It's grown out a lot now, both the setae in my hair and on the rest of my body. It's like, fluffy, but also stiff, sort of like fur? You know, when you pet a dog and its fur is nice and soft, but if you try to brush it the wrong way it gives a lot of resistance? It feels like that. So I guess, well, I've grown setae across my body.

It's not everywhere mind you. It's grown unevenly in some places, and I think my clothes hindered it some. My hips for example have a lot less than places like my shoulders, which are very fluffy. guess I'll just hope it grows more on its own and sleep with fewer clothes maybe? I mean, it should give some more breathing room for it all to grow out,. plus, it's very warm too!

I might need to swap out my big blanket once summer hits.

Oh, also, my sense of smell has gotten really strong now! Almost a bit too much actually. Like, I can smell so much when I'm going for a walk now, from the sugar from all the local cafes, the smell of coffee being grounded, the dew of grass from a park even when I'm really far away, the gas from cars, the perfumes and deodorants of people going about their day.

It's, it's a lot. And I can smell it all from really far away.

So I've been spending more time wearing a mask lately to help! Sure, we may not have to wear them as often anymore, but it has helped suppress it all a lot! Plus I can get others with really cute designs, like one covered in poppies! I just make sure to clean them every once in a while, rub a flower I like on it, and huzzah! instant nose damper without smelling like cleaning detergent.

As for other changes, my eyesight has been getting more sensitive, maybe I'll get cool color vision? my hearing has gotten better too I think? I remember reading moths and bats have similar hearing abilities. I wonder what else we have in common!

I've also been feeling more, scatterbrained. I was already pretty flighty before, but now it's like, my head got lots of cotton. My friends have been getting annoyed with me for it. My closest friend has been trying to help, and she seems to understand, but I can't help but notice she seems worried.

I've found myself jumping between different things in my kitchen (I really like my teas! they taste so different! it's so much more floral, but also really chocolatey! like, who doesn't like chocolate? well, I Might have to no, concentrate) but, I saw her by the window one time while I was making lunch for us, her eyes were downcast. I'm worried how she'll feel at the end of this. I don't want to stop, but, I also don't want her to hurt.

but yeah! things have been changing a lot! it's been really fun! I'm very excited for what changes happen next! though things feel like they've been slow, maybe I should talk to the doc about it? Hopefully, it's nothing in particular.

Previous | Next

[eddies-ashtray]

the simplicity and loveliness of laying with eddie <333

*could be read as an alternative ending to this blurb

***

the moon hangs full and bright in the sky, you have a perfect view of it’s sparkling face through the half open curtain in eddie’s room. it’s quiet except for the hum of crickets just outside—singing their nighttime song in the overgrown grass—and the gentle, wonderful thump of eddie’s heart beating in his chest. everything in his room glows a delightful, warm orange from the christmas lights you’d helped him—ogled at him while he hung them himself, really—string up in his room earlier in the day.

there’s also the slight flickering light of the scented candle he lit on his bedside table; the room smells of warm cookies. he’d insisted on lighting it to rid the room of the scent of cigarettes and weed and also because it’s kinda romantic, too, isn’t it? because despite appearances, eddie is a softie and the biggest romantic you’ve ever met. 

you play with his hand that lays on his naked chest while your head rests right above his heart. the sound of his beating heart is still such a relief to you, such a comfort, even after so long. you don’t want to think about why that is though, so you focus on his hands. eddie has such nice hands and they look so pretty when he paints his nails. well, actually, you painted them today—a dark blue colour, and you’re rather proud of how clean they look; no smudging around his skin or cuticles.

it’s late november and wayne hasn’t gotten around to fixing the heater yet, but eddie acts as your own personal furnace as you curl closer to him, and he pulls you closer still by the arm he has around your shoulders. 

this is the most perfect moment, you think. the second you do, you feel a little silly because there’s nothing inherently special about this specific moment. but for some reason it’s just special in its own right; maybe because you’re with your favourite person in the whole world, and you’re laying with him, and things feel so simple and so easy. 

neither of you have spoken for several minutes, in a post-coital state of sleepiness; not so much that you’re exhausted enough to fall asleep, but enough that you feel relaxed and maybe a tad giddy. but suddenly, you feel the desire to express some sort of gratitude or love for him because being here with eddie right now feels ridiculously lovely. 

“would it-would it be corny of me to say that i wish we could stay in this moment forever?” you say, tracing soft patterns over his stomach.

eddie huffs a quiet laugh through his nose and thumbs at your chin so you meet his eyes. 

“it would be very corny,” eddie decides, smiling like you’ve said what he was thinking. “but you haven’t really said it yet, so it doesn’t count.”

“oh, those are the rules now?” you tease, probably with the most lovesick look on your face.

“those are the rules now,” eddie repeats definitively, a certain cadence to the sentence present that indicates that he’s saying silly things just to say silly things.

“okay.”

a beat of silence marked by a loud whoosh of wind outside that rustles the trees, and then:

“i wish we could stay in this moment forever,” he says, his tone genuine.

you nuzzle further into his chest, smiling to yourself. a joyful, completely happy feeling rises in your chest because it’s always such a wonderful thing to be reminded that your love for him is reciprocated in near exact amounts—though eddie claims he loves you more quite adamantly when you tell him you love him.

“you’re right,” you agree. “that was corny.”

eddie laughs shortly again, then gently pulls you into the sweetest kiss; not too chaste that you can’t enjoy it for a moment—in fact, you hear yourself involuntarily sigh into his mouth—and just enough passion that it makes you a little dizzy in the best way.

that kiss snuffed out any teasing left on your tongue, as you blink blearily up at him and confess, “i love you, eddie”

the smallest smile plays on his lips before he says, “i love you more.”

[gabessquishytum]

Hob has a new neighbor named Unity. She's an utterly lovely woman, so sweet and kind. Her catperson, on the other hand, is a Menace. Either constantly trying to seduce Hob, or clawing him, Desire is making Hob's life quite the hell outside of his home.

Despite how Hob will eagerly bend over for his precious catboys, Dream and Cori, and despite the fact that Hob is a certified slut, he refuses to even get on his knees for Desire, let alone bend over for them.

That doesn't stop Desire from trying to seduce him, or 'mark' him as their territory. Clawing, biting, they've even outright pissed on him! Though, only when Unity isn't around.

Dream and Cori, naturally, are furious about this. For once, Hob is not the one in trouble as he's actually behaving. Dream and Cori, however, are convinced they need to prove Hob is theirs, and that Desire canNOT have him.

- 🐺

I live for this whole catboy au!!!! And Desire as the post troublesome catperson ever is such a good edition. You can bet that they act soooo lovely and sweet for Unity, but once they get on their own? It's a different story.

Like. Hob has literally had to walk half way down the street with Desire clinging to the leg of his jeans. His actual skin is also scratched to ribbons too. And because Dream and Cori are house catboys, they can only sit by the window and screech in rage. The time Hob comes back smelling of very specific Desire-piss, is the final straw. The boys know that their human is doing his best to remain faithful, but obviously its time for drastic measures.

They corner Hob in the back garden. It's a nice square of grass with flower borders. Cori likes to go out there and watch the birds (he's not allowed to eat them, though, because Dream gets upset). Unity’s garden is of course right next door, and there's a certain spot on the steps up to her back door where Desire likes to sun themself. They can pretty much survey the whole of Hob’s garden from that spot.

So they get a good view of Hob being tackled onto the grass, efficiently stripped and held down by Dream and Cori, and thoroughly marked with their scent. Mostly they rub themselves on him, rutting their spiney cocks all over his skin. Being face down on the grass he can't really see much, but he's pretty sure that they both pee on him too. Probably the worst part of all this is how horny he feels. He's arching his back, presenting himself, trying to get his boys to fuck him properly. And they do, eventually. Both of them at once, because apparently they can share quite nicely when there's someone else threatening to steal their man.

Desire does seem to get the message, because they no long jump on Hob whenever he leaves the house... but Dream and Cori think that they should probably make claiming their human a regular thing. Just in case. And mostly because Hob seemed to enjoy it so much - he gave them so many treats afterwards, and didn't tell them off even when they were naughty. Obviously it was exactly what Hob needed, and Dream and Cori should be good pets and make it a routine!

[mellowseulogy]

SAUDADE

IN WHICH: You get isekaied into the world of Attack On Titan and although you're scared, they remind of all of the reasons why you loved them in the first place.

tags: black reader, fluff and angst, canon typical violence, isekai, found family, 'kinda' reverse harem, swearing,

AN: I originally posted this on Wattpad but I figured crossposting wouldn't be too bad! This is also inspired by the wonderful curlycho's 'Sucked In' on Wattpad and AO3!

1.

Your eyes blinked open and a heavy whiplash overcame you. Instinctively, you groped around your bed to try to stabilise yourself. But when you pulled the covers up to your nose, the sheet was thin, caked with dust, and smelled terrible. Through a brief coughing fit, you rubbed your gunk-crusted eyes clean and leaned forward.

This was not your bedroom.

"She's awake!" A voice cried out. You couldn't see where the person was so you assumed it was from a bit away from you.

On the back of your forearms, you pushed yourself onto your butt and like a tidal wave, the expanse of greenery swarmed you.

In front of you was a large oak tree scratched with a chunk that seemed to be... bitten off. Its bark stretched high into the sky - pretty leaves fanned out over you and through the small gaps in them, an auburn sky waning navy from the coming night. Underneath you was a bed of blue flowers hidden in thick grass. It almost reminded you of something you saw on the... Your mind went blank.

That didn't explain how you were here though...

"Helloo~." There were hands on your shoulders and you jerked back in sudden shock. Grabbing your sheets, you crawled away from your current resting point and backed yourself uselessly against the tree.

"Woah, you're fast...uh sorry to scare you, sorry! Just was happy to see you weren't ya know... dead is all." The girl who had scared you half to death had an extremely apologetic look on her face and she had her head bowed. By the looks of it, she seemed to be the same age as you but she was wearing a uniform of some kind. An emblem of swords on her blazer's chest.

In her remorseful spiral, a boy began to walk up behind her - there was a bowl in his hands. "Sasha, what did we say about sneaking up behind people? You don't just jump on someone when they've just come out of unconsciousness, she could've died of a heart attack."

He crouched beside her and stared at her, she stared back, then he switched the bowl into his left hand and flicked her square on the forehead. The girl (Sasha) recoiled backward in pain and rolled in the grass, clutching at her head. This whole moment could've been very funny to you emitting one little thing... you still had no clue where the hell you were.

Shoveling down your nerves, you pulled the sheet down from your knees and coughed to get the pair's attention. "W-where am I?" You tried to look assertive but you're sure that your voice gave you away.

There was a ninety-nine percent chance these thoroughly unserious people weren't kidnappers. So you weren't terrified but it still bothered you. However, there was still that one percent...you think you read a book about it once.

The boy with the bowl in his hands shuffled a little closer to you, you shuffled back wary of the steam that bellowed out of it. It smelled really nice though. "Hey, sorry about Sasha she's a bit there." Sasha mouthed another sorry. "My name is Jean and my squad found you on the edge of a cliff."

"Well actually, me and Eren did." Another boy had started to walk over with a towel and bundle of something in his hands - his hair was shaven. "Jeanboy was too much of a wuss to grab you."

"Shut up, Connie and let me finish." He ended with a frustrated grunt. Then, he looked up at you and smiled. "So, we brought you back to our camp so we can fix you up before we start our expedition back to the barracks."

He brought the bowl to your hands. "It's soup, regain your strength and then we can talk. Who knows how long you were out there for." He rummaged in his pockets and gave you a spoon. You just stared.

"Or, do you want me to...feed you?" Jean said.

"No, thanks." You took the spoon from his hands.

He nodded, understandingly but with the way the bald boy smirked maybe he wasn't as pleased.

Inside the bowl was a clutter of all kinds of vegetables, swirling around in a dark brown soup. It looked alright, but poisoning was still very much a possibility. These people didn't seem too hostile in any capacity, with the way they were goofing around a meagre fire. Swirling the contents of the meal in contemplation, you tried to hone in on what happened before all of this - when you tried...your mind drew blank.

Like an incomplete storyboard with no beginning or end, you were plastered in the middle of it all. Thinking hurt because there was nothing to think back to - you didn't like it.

But right now you were in the middle of nowhere and a horrific grumble started to settle in your stomach. Gingerly shoveling a spoonful of soup into your mouth, you were honestly surprised. It didn't taste half as bad as you thought it would. Wonder why. After finishing the remaining potatoes and carrots, you licked your lips with relish. You hadn't truly realised the full extent of your hunger.

"You tore that up." The boy with a shaved head said next to you - you hadn't even noticed he was there. He was the one holding all those herbs and towels. Staring for a moment he broke out into a snicker. "You can talk, you know. I'm not gonna eat you." That's when you noticed that you were staring again like an idiot.

He sat down on the grass next to you and placed his tools on a box. "Just here to fix you up, laying on a cliffside doesn't sound healthy." He dipped the towel into the bowl a damp towel and wrung it into the dirt. In the midst of all of this, you finally realise how quiet you've been, they probably think you're some poor abandoned teen.

"What's your name?" You asked.

He looked up from crushing down purplish liquid into some blue flowers. "Connie Springer. Yours?"

You thought hard, for something that should've been as easy as breathing, your mind wrapped into coils in trying to think.

"You look like you're about to take a shit." He smiled, "S'alright you're probably still a bit hazy, don't worry about it."

He finishes up with a small bowl of something orange and says, "Alright, gonna dab this on your face while it's still warm, let me know if it's okay."

First, he tried to push your hair behind your ears but a curl kept sticking out. It was kind of cute seeing his tenacity.

When he finally moved your hair out of the way, he patted the towel gently around your face. You didn't know if this had any sort of special remedy but it unwinded your very rigged mind. You let out a long deep breath and you let yourself relax into the touch, eyes flitting closed.

"Open your mouth for me." And you did it with minimal resistance. He tipped the contents of a metal cup into your mouth - you promptly wrinkled your eyebrows.

"Gross." You muttered, it was nasty. Ucky. Vile.

Connie chuckled, "I know, it's terrible, isn't it? But it's just a drinkable antiseptic. Not a permanent solution but will fight anything nasty."

"Hah! See I remember, Jean. Practical medicine's pretty easy when you're besties with Armin."

"Armin."

"Oh, you'll see him in a minute - he's like super smart."

Armin. You played with the name on your tongue whilst trying to shake off the nasty aftertaste of that medicine. It sounded familiar, you focused intently on your memories to try and piece something together...

...all you could remember was the pressure of drowning.

"Hey! When do the others get back? I don't think we have enough firewood to cook all of our dinners!" Sasha yelled.

Connie smirked, focused on patching up a deep cut on your forearm. "You sure you didn't eat all of it?"

"Nuh-uh, I've been focusing on my hunger on this expedition," Sasha said. "Besides, I think you'd all kill me if I did."

The sky was losing its evening haze and turning a deep blue.

"Well, they better hurry up." Jean said, lounging on a log.

A rustle in the bushes set you on edge, you figured it was the rest of their squad but you could never be too sure.

Pushing the leaves aside, a brown bear thudded on the forest floor. Before you could comprehend, you screamed, scrambling up onto your feet.

"Get behind the tree!" Connie whisper-yelled to you.

Jean, Sasha and Connie had quickly pulled out long swords from behind a severed tree. Coordinated at each other's sides, ready to attack.

Another rustle in the bushes and out came a pair of legs, stepping over the bear.

"Sorry for scaring you, guys." An extremely tall boy raised his hands in mock defeat.

Sasha gasped, "Bertolt?!" Her eyes flitted down to the bear. To which now she realised was very much dead.

Jean placed both his, Sasha and Connie's swords behind the stump and ushered you from behind the tree.

Bertolt and another person had carried the bear to the middle of the camp. She had long dark hair in a ponytail and looked strangely absent from the whole situation.

Two others followed from behind carrying firewood. But a headache had blossomed shortly after your adrenaline had simmered, so you sat down.

These other people seemed to be the rest of the squad Jean was talking about. It seemed like they had killed the bear for food.

Its dead, glassy eyes peering holes into your own. You ceased eye contact and settled on finding out who these new people were.

"Oh yeah, Eren, she woke up," Connie said nonchalantly whilst placing new firewood to rekindle its might. But to Eren, this seemed to be the most astonishing news ever.

Like you hadn't had enough, he rushed over to your resting place and took your hands in his own.

Almost immediately, pain bloomed in the back of your head. Your ears rang loudly and you tried to blink away a steady stream of tears wetting your cheeks. Your stomach turned.

"H-how are you feeling?" Eren asked, concerned. But it only came through muffled ears.

Oh.

"A-alright, just a bit of a headache."

There was an awkward pause when Eren was simply focused on scanning your face.

When the pain subsided, the world felt slightly clearer. Only slightly.

Armin came up from behind Eren. "Uh, Eren. I'm pretty sure she should rest." He nodded, moved back on his heels and stood up.

"Y-yeah, sorry. I'm just glad, that's all." He walked over to the campfire to help Connie fry some leftover meat.

Armin. Looked over to you and smiled, but you were too disgruntled to smile back.

The dark-haired girl was busy gutting the bear with Jean. But her gaze had flicked over to you with a note of blankness behind her eyes. You only looked back, stupefied

Mikasa.

.

Attack on Titan?

.

Oh god...

.

.

.

[potatonugget7]

You Are My Sunshine

Chapter 1 of my new QSMP borrower AU. Also posted on AO3.

TWs: Fear of death, blood and injuries, a scary owl. 3.6k words.

Tubbo never seemed to learn his lesson when it came to trusting humans. Yet there he was, fleeing yet another home. This time though, he had a child with him. Yeah, he adopted a child. Considering he was still *kind of* a kid himself, maybe it wasn't the greatest idea, but it was too late for that now, they were inseparable like glue. Now it was Tubbo and Sunny against the world! Plus she shared his love for coffee! When he was her age, he wasn't allowed coffee, so Tubbo was *pretty sure* he was doing a fine job.

Hopefully this new house wouldn't have such weird and nosy humans.

Thunder rumbled in the dusk coloured sky overhead, followed by smaller cracks and flashes of bright light as it stormed. It was spring, the season of heavy rain and occasionally snow; also known as the perfect formula for hypo-fucking-thermia. Tubbo grimaced as the rain continued to beat down on them mercilessly, another heavy drop of freezing cold water crashing down on his head as he and Sunny trudged through a muddy forest of unkempt grass blades. It would be night soon. The sun was setting already, which meant the temperature would be dropping further and dangerous predators would be out hunting.

“Sunny, remember what I said? Stick close to me so we can share the umbrella,” he chattered out and Sunny nodded, squeezing his hand tighter.

All things considered, the leaf they were using as an umbrella wasn’t very effective. They were both drenched, covered in mud and dirt. Tubbo had tried to keep her out of the mud when it first started raining, but he couldn’t carry her and the bags. He cursed under his breath, squinting up at the darkening sky. It was just not their lucky day. Correction; not their lucky week.

They had to move on short notice; in the middle of the night, which then led to walking all day. Humans travelled much faster than borrowers could and Tubbo wanted to put as much distance between them and their previous ‘house mate’. For hours they trekked through forests of overgrown grass, across plateaus of dirt and brick. Along shores of large ponds and watering holes. He was certain that by now, they must’ve travelled at least a ‘city block’ as the humans called them. 

It should be far enough. He hoped it was far enough. His legs ached and his feet were numb with cold. Tubbo wasn’t sure if it was his own exhaustion, or the rain weighing them down, but the bags felt so much heavier.

He paused as he felt a tug on his hand. Sunny had stopped and dropped the leaf-umbrella, a strained wheeze escaping her as she clutched her chest. 

“Sunny?” Tubbo dropped the bags and crouched down in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay?”

Sunny tried to nod as she coughed dryly, a pained look on her face. The poor girl had lung problems. Tubbo was pretty sure it was called asthma. It couldn’t be cured as far as he knew. He did everything he could; taught her calming breathing exercises and upon hearing that coffee supposedly could help, he started making it more often. However he wasn’t exactly sure how accurate that information was, considering its source was Pierre. Though he did quickly learn that Sunny shouldn’t have more than one cup a day or else she would be bouncing off the walls for hours. Sometimes it got really bad though, especially in the spring and all he could really do was hold her hand.

“Just stay calm princess, you’ve got this. If it hurts you can squeeze my hand, okay?” he whispered calmly, taking her hand gently.

Sunny nodded again and squeezed his hand tight. She had described the feeling to him before. 

‘I feel all tight and like the air is being squeezed out of me.’ she had explained.

“Try and pretend you’re smelling some tulips, or maybe some coffee? Take a nice deep breath,” Tubbo said quietly, giving her the most reassuring smile he could muster.

A few minutes later, Sunny was able to reign it in again, but it felt like hours. Sitting there in the chilly air, getting battered by raindrops as he held his daughter’s hands. Unfortunately the rain didn’t set with the sun and as a bolt of lightning shattered the velvety sky, both borrowers jumped in fright.

“Pa…” Sunny tugged on his hand, frowning up at the sky as thunder rumbled loudly overhead. “Can we please stop here? I’m tired… and it’s really muddy and dirty.” 

The smaller borrower kicked at the dirt with her muddy boots, a foul look on her face. Sunny wasn’t a typical child. While most borrowers her age would love to be playing in the dirt and enjoying the outdoors, Sunny would rather stay inside and count her collection of bits and bobs. Tubbo didn’t mind though. It brought him peace of mind to know Sunny was safe at home, waiting for him to bring her back whatever shiny new trinket he’d come across on his latest borrowing trip.

“I know Suns, I know,” he looked around, squinting past the tall grass blades around them.

They were about halfway across a particularly overgrown backyard. The house it belonged to stood tall in the distance. From what Tubbo could see it did have a back porch, standing on sleek, dark wooden beams, with a grate of sorts that wrapped all the way around. It would be the perfect place to make camp for the night.

“This umbrella sucks,” the small girl huffed, motioning to the leaf they were using. “I miss my parasol.” 

Tubbo sighed. Regrettably, they had left it behind and he didn’t have the heart to tell her that it would’ve been useless anyway. Being made of paper, it would’ve been ruined in a few minutes of being out in the rain.

“Well maybe I can find you another one once it’s warmer out. I think the humans like to put them in their fancy… erm, barbeque drinks,” he gave her the most cheerful smile he could muster in the moment.

“Can you make it shiny pa?” Sunny asked with a hopeful smile.

Clearly she was in a much better mood already when it came to being promised new things. Tubbo felt a small weight lift off his shoulders at the sight of Sunny's smile. The weather was gloomy enough as it was, they didn't need either of them bringing the mood down any further.

“I guess I could reinforce it with some aluminium?” Tubbo smiled back at her, but it was a mask to hide his own gloom.

He had left behind… well, just about everything. His workshop, his machines and inventions, his materials. It would take years to rebuild both the workshop and his collection, assuming their new home would even have what he needed. Tubbo didn’t think human engineers were very common, and certainly not living on the same street. Disclaimer; he had no evidence to back that up, it was just a hunch . Honestly they'd be lucky to even find an abandoned borrowers’ hovel, let alone an available home with a proper forge setup.

“Oh…” Sunny visibly deflated, pouting at the ground as they trudged through the squelchy mud.

It felt like a punch to the gut.

“Poppetttttttttttttt… please don't make that face. It can't be helped for now, I'm sorry,’” Tubbo drawled out.

Squinting through the downpour, Tubbo could see they were almost to the human house which this yard belonged to. The structure was impossibly large, its rooftop easily grazing the skies as it towered over the small borrowers. The grass was getting thinner as they got closer to the building. Instead, large, flat stones were embedded into the dirt. Weeds were fighting to break through the cracks, between the tiles and several puddles of water turned the path into some kind of stoney bog.

They were so close to the porch now; all they had to do was cross the stone terrace. The whole thing made Tubbo nervous. Something in the back of his mind told him that if something bad was going to happen on this trip, it should happen sometime around now. There was almost no cover on the stone plateau, save for a few overgrown dandelions and upturned stone bricks, but he would hardly call that cover. If any birds spotted them, it would be so joever. 

“Welp, up we go Suns,” Tubbo hauled himself up onto the stone, his muscles aching and sore from exhaustion.

 “Pa, can we have avocado soup for dinner?” she asked as Tubbo reached down and pulled her up too.

“Sure…” he replied quietly, taking her hand as they began crossing the stone terrace.

In all honesty, he really just wanted to get to sleep. Unfortunately that's just what parenting was, it seemed. Tubbo was a little worried about a fire. Even a small one could draw unwanted attention. The brunet glanced up at the house ahead of them.

He didn’t see any lights on, but what if they somehow smelled the smoke and woke up? He couldn’t just feed Sunny cold soup though. For one, she wouldn’t eat it cold to begin with. Two, she needed to warm up or she might catch a cold! A sick child was the last thing he needed right now. Tubbo really hoped these humans ate avocados at least.

“Hey Princess… um, I just want to warn you. I might not be able to get you avocados anymore…” he said slowly, trying his damndest to avoid eye contact.

Sunny paused midstep, letting go of his hand. She looked up at him with a blank face, but Tubbo could see fire in her eyes.

“Huh.”

“Well it’s just…” Tubbo crouched down in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Avocados aren’t super common I don’t think. When I was your age I’d never even heard of them before.”

“Really..?” Sunny asked with a look of awe and horror on her face, like she couldn’t begin to comprehend life without avocados.

“Yeah,” he stood back up, a sorrowful expression on his face.

“Well- what about- what about coffee?” the younger borrower asked in a desperate voice.

“No, I think coffee is universal–” Tubbo paused, feeling goosebumps prickling down his spine.

Lightning cracked through the air and the flash of light revealed a shadow on the ground. His eyes widened in panic and he let out a gasp. Quickly, he grabbed Sunny and threw himself to the side, hugging her tight. 

A pair of talons crashed down where they had been just seconds ago. A piercing ache jolted down his arm as his shoulder slammed into the stone, taking the brunt of the fall. Tubbo bit his tongue, swallowing back a pained cry. Now that the adrenaline was pumping, he barely noticed the dull throbbing in his shoulder.

“Pa?!” Sunny cried, her eyes wide with terror. 

An owl towered over them, its grey and brown serrated feathers having made it virtually silent. It looked like a demon, with its massive glowing yellow orbs and feathery horns. Tubbo had seen one in action once. It swooped down on a field mouse with terrifying accuracy and snatched it up into the air. The poor mouse never had a chance.

He didn’t answer her as he scrambled to his feet. The owl recovered quickly too, flapping its wings wildly as it swiped at them with its talons again. Tubbo darted to the side, dragging Sunny with him, dropping some of the bags.

“What is that?!” the younger brunette practically squeaked.

“An owl–” Tubbo breathed out, shuddering as the owl's head turned a hundred and thirty degrees, staring directly at them.

Terrifyingly silent, the owl sprung at them again and Tubbo scooped Sunny up with his good arm, the adrenaline pumping through his veins giving him abnormal strength. The brunet vaulted over a slanted stone tile, feeling the wind rush passed them as the owl jabbed its beak into the stone. He ignored both the pain in his injured arm, and Sunny’s snot soaking into his shirt. The poor girl had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she shook, her face buried in his shirt.

He sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him, jolts of pain travelling up his ankles every time his shoes slammed into the hard stone. They were almost there. Tubbo wouldn’t let either of them get eaten by an overgrown finch right before reaching their new camp.

“Suns we have to be- very quiet,” he heaved out, the cold air making his lungs ache. “O-okay?”

“Mhm,” Sunny whimpered.

Daring a glance over his shoulder, Tubbo realised he didn’t see the owl anymore. A wave of anxiety washed over him and a pit formed in his stomach. It must’ve flown back to wherever it had been perching before it jumped them. They were lucky the first time when the lightning struck and Tubbo managed to catch a glimpse of the shadow. He didn’t think it would happen twice.

He stopped to catch his breath, and squinted up at the dark sky; it wasn’t circling above them. Tubbo turned his gaze to the shrubs and trees around the backyard, scanning the tall towering fences and the nearby houses. He didn’t see the owl anywhere though. 

“Okay Sunny… I- I don’t want to scare you–” he started, setting the younger borrower back down on the stone. 

“Pa… that was already really scary,” Sunny interrupted.

Tubbo took a deep breath, his legs shaking from the adrenaline. The pain was starting to really set in, and the cold and the damp really didn’t help either. Looking over at the porch, he could see how the skirt was made of wooden plants. The planks created a criss-cross pattern, with holes too small for any creature bigger than a small rabbit. The owl wouldn’t be able to get them there. 

He gently took her hand again and began walking across the stone plateau once more.

‘At least the rain had stopped…’

“I know, but that owl might still come back. So we need to get under the porch, quickly and quietly. We’re gonna set up camp there,” he explained, helping her jump over a crack where a dandelion had challenged the tiles and won.

“Finally…” Sunny yawned.

“Sunny. Kid. You are way too nonchalant for someone who just nearly got snatched by an owl,” Tubbo deadpanned.

“I thought you didn't want to scare me,” she stated, a blank expression on her face.

“...” they stared at each other in silence for a moment. 

“Look– you know how fragile my ego is.” deep down though, Tubbo was happy she was so quick to recover.

Sunny rolled her eyes, letting out a scoff. Tubbo went to clutch his chest dramatically in betrayal– but let out a pained yelp, quickly remembering that he had an injured shoulder. The cheeky look on the younger borrower’s face turned to sympathy when she noticed.

“Does your arm hurt Pa?” she asked, gently tugging on it.

“Uh, yeah. So please don’t pull on it,” Tubbo grimaced.

“Sorry,” Sunny mumbled.

Relief washed over him as they finally crossed over to the last stone tile. Tubbo breathed a sigh of reprieve as he shoved aside an overgrown dandelion stem. He didn’t notice the owl was back until he was slammed into the stone. 

His brain buffered, taking a second to catch up before he realised what had happened. Sharp talons pinned him to the ground, digging into his arms and Tubbo let out an agonizing wail. He squirmed, pushing up against the owl’s superior strength. However even with the adrenaline pumping through his veins he was no match for a massive, hungry bird of prey.

“Go! Sunny hide- under the porch–!” he yelled, his voice cracking.

“But–”

“Go!” he struggled, reaching for his sword.

The smaller borrower nodded, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. Tubbo managed to unsheathe his sword, using it to block the owl's beak as it tried to chomp his head off . At the same time, Sunny climbed up and between one of the criss-crosses in the porch skirt. 

Tubbo pointed the tip of the sword at its face the second time the owl lunged for his head. The pin was embedded in the feathery bastard's eye. The owl let out a deafening shriek and started flapping its wings frantically, scratching at Tubbo as it shrieked. The borrower let out yelp and curled up in a ball, covering his head with his hands.

‘Maybe that wasn't a great idea–’

Tubbo froze as he heard a click. Suddenly squares of light flooded the yard. Next, a loud shuttering noise, which was then followed by a resounding slam rang through the air.

“Yeah hang on Phil, it's that stupid owl again,” a deep voice groaned.

Thunk, thunk, thunk, clack, clack, clack–

His eyes widened in horror as he listened to the footsteps of the much scarier predator that was fast approaching. The owl noticed too, turning its stupid creepy head to the giant that now towered over the both of them.

“How many times have I told you to stay out of this yard?! Fucking bird,” the bald human yelled, stomping it's feet so loudly that it shook the ground.

The owl let out a shrill shriek, squawking angrily at the human before it took off again.

Tubbo slowly picked himself up, biting his tongue to quiet his own pained whimpers. His body felt like it was on fire. His shirt was ripped, and the sleeves were covered in messy, dark red stripes; gifts left behind by the owl's talons. 

“Jeez…” the human pulled a light box (Pierre said they were called phones) out of its pocket and held it up to its ear. 

“Sorry I'm back. Yeah the little one that won't leave the crows alone.”

The human didn't see him yet, and Tubbo didn't want to change that. Quietly, slowly, he pulled himself up onto the trim of the porch and crawled through one of the many gaps in the wood. He managed to drag himself behind one of the wooden posts that framed the porch before he collapsed in the dirt, panting.

“I mean, maybe? I didn't see one. It might've just been a rat.”

Tubbo heard some shuffling behind him and awkwardly sat up, leaning against the post for support. He pulled his heavy bag and laid it down in the dirt, still working on catching his breath. He just needed a minute to recover.

“Hello?” 

The brunet slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle the startled noise that tried to claw its way up his throat. 

“Is anyone or anything down here?”

Tubbo knew there was absolutely no way the bald human could see him. Even laying down, it couldn’t see him from that angle, in the dark no less. Well- unless it could see through walls, which he severely doubted. However, the urge to get up and take off running again was strong. 

“Yeah, I think it was just a squirrel or something,” the human got back up, dusted itself off and went back inside.

“K, I have to put the kids back to bed now. I think the owl woke them up again”

Tubbo still felt his heart hammering against his chest. The ridiculous amount of close encounters he and Sunny had experienced today gave him enough heart attacks to last a month thank you very much. He waited until it stopped raining sawdust and the footsteps above him faded away to move again. 

Once he was absolutely sure the human wasn’t listening, Tubbo grabbed his hiker’s bag and got back up again, (much to his body’s dismay).

“Sunny?” he called out, stumbling over the uneven terrain. “Poultry Princess? Where are you?” 

“Pa?!” his eyes darted to the source of the sound.

Relief washed over him like a tidal wave. Sunny was fine, she was alive in one piece. The little borrower had peeked her head out of her hiding spot; behind another wooden support. Tubbo rushed over to her, nearly tripping in the process, and lifted her up into a tight hug.

“I’m so glad you’re okay…” he whispered, setting Sunny back down on the ground when she started squirming.

The younger borrower grumbled, crossing her arms. She was giving him the look.

“...What?” he asked, dumbfounded. “Am I not allowed to hug you or–?”

“Don’t do that again Pa!” she cried, pounding her little fists on his chest lightly. “I thought- I thought you were gonna–...” her exclamations died down into sobs.

一

Once Sunny had calmed down, Tubbo had gotten a small fire set up. Though their clothes hadn’t dried yet, the warmth from the fire was welcome, and leftover avocado soup had never tasted so good. Luckily, the most essential items had been packed in their backpacks, and not in the bags they’d left behind while fleeing the owl attack. Tubbo didn’t think going back out there to rescue them was in his best interest at the moment. He’d just finished bandaging his new wounds after all, he wasn’t exactly keen on opening them back up already.

“Pa, can you sing me a lullaby?” Sunny asked as she helped her dad unravel their sleeping mat.

“I- well, I can try. Are you ready for bed then?” he pulled a blanket out of his bag and laid it down on the sleeping mats.

“I was ready for bed hours ago,” the younger borrower sassed as she flopped down on the mat.

“Fair enough,” Tubbo put the fire out before laying down next to her, pulling the other end of the blanket over them, like a blanket taco.

“Argh,” he cleared his throat. “My voice is a bit scratchy right now, so bear with me.”

“That's okay.”

“Ahem. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are grey… You’ll never know dear… how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

“Pa…”

“Yeah?”

Sunny turned to face him.

“Is that about me?” 

“Um, I guess you could interpret it that way, yeah,” he gave her an awkward smile.

“Okay…” she turned her back to him. “I’m glad the owl didn’t eat you.”

“Yeah, I am too, no more talking though. Sleep time,” he yawned out, pulling her into a warm hug.

“Night Pa.”

“Night Suns…”

[layla4567]

KIND OF DRABBLE WITH ADAM WARLOCK (WANDAVISION AU)

part 2

Adam walked absentmindedly reading a newspaper while you used your powers to tidy up the dishes. Suddenly a plate collided with Adam's head and broke.

*laughter from the audience*

"What was that?" he asked with a frown

"Oh my husband and his indestructible head"

"My wife and her charming powers"

You took off your apron by hanging it on a hook on the wall while Adam removed his hat and folded the newspaper in two. They were separated by a beautiful pastel light blue countertop, so they both leaned in to give each other a tender and quick kiss on the lips.

*aww from the audience*

"How was today dear?"you asked

"Pretty good, you know, the same old stuff. But I couldn't wait to come home to see you"

You walked strutting near Adam

"Well, it's good that you say it because I have a special surprise for you!"

"Really? and what is?"

You pointed to an almanac behind him

"There, look at the date. Today something special is celebrated"

Adam remained doubtful for a few seconds without knowing what to answer. If only he could remember the date.

"Oh yeah right! The date.."

"Adam, you remember the date, don't you?" you became serious with your hands on your hips and a reproachful look

Adam got nervous and pretended to answer an imaginary phone with his hand extending the thumb and little finger and then put it to his ear. "Oh, do you hear that? Someone is calling me. I have to go. Bye!"

*laughs*

★・・・・・・★

Adam went out to visit some neighbors to see if they needed help with anything, he was very helpful and did simple tasks like cutting the grass or babysitting, and he couldn't help but wonder what was the special celebration of that day. Meanwhile you were preparing dinner and decorating the house.

"Come on Warlock thinks, what is celebrated today? Her birthday? no no that was last month"

He was walking with the lawn mower through a neighbor's garden while he was frowning trying to discover that doubt that tormented him

"Now I put the chocolate in the casserole in a bain-marie.. What's that smell? Oh no the cake is burning!!"

Meanwhile you had your own problems to solve, you weren't a very good cook but you did your best. You opened the oven door and saw how a little smoke came out, you carefully removed the cake and noticed that it was a little burned on the bottom. You sighed in sorrow.

"Independence Day? Valentine's Day? Ugh, what is it??"

Suddenly Adam remembered, that day in the office his colleagues had talked about the boss going on vacation and they were planning to have a nice gesture with him. Then Adam proposed inviting him to his own home for dinner. Feeling happy he jumped for joy as a dog stared at him, tilting its head

"What?"he told the dog

*laughs*

You were trying to cover the burnt part of the cake while with your powers you had put the spoon in the saucepan to stir the chocolate without stopping when the phone rang, you ran to answer

"Yes? Who is it?"

"My dear it's me, Adam. I just wanted to tell you that I can't wait to see you at the house tonight for this special occasion".

You smiled from ear to ear blushing slightly, so after all he did remember. "I'll be here waiting for you my love, I love you bye"

You went back to the kitchen and after a few minutes you managed to prepare something decent and the chocolate dipped strawberries were ready. You changed your apron for something more comfortable. Snapping your fingers you made a nice pale pink silk nightgown appear, it was floor length and on the sleeves as well as on the bottom it had feathers like a soft feather boa. It had a plunging neckline too. Suddenly you felt that someone opened the door, you couldn't see who it was because you had turned off the light and there were few candles on, yet you knew it was Adam.

"Guess who". You stood behind the man and put your hands in front of his face covering his eyes.

But appearances are deceiving because out of nowhere someone turned on the light and appeared behind you, he had entered through the kitchen

"(Y/N)!"

"Adam?!"

You turned scared looking at him with a face of confusion and surprise. If he was Adam who was the…? The man in front of you turned around with an even more confused and slightly sullen face.

"(Y/N) This is Mr. Brook. I invited him to dinner today, remember?" Adam said nervously trying to lighten the situation.

Mr. Brook looked you up and down and you just realized that you were in a revealing outfit in front of a stranger

"Oh..". You covered your chest in embarrassment as Adam came up behind you making a face that was meant to be a smile.

*the audience bursts out laughing*

"May I know what kind of way to greet guests is that?" growled Mr. Brooks

"It's a-an European greeting, my wife is from there. It's kind of a tradition"

Immediately afterwards, Adam stood behind you and did the same thing that you had done before. He placed his chin on top of your head and gently covered your eyes saying "Guess who" while you turned and shook his hand awkwardly.

"Excuse me but I have to talk to my husband for a second, honey will you follow me into the kitchen?"

You grabbed Adam's wrist and pulled him into the kitchen, accidentally your nightgown had opened again at the chest, revealing your cleavage.

"Can you explain to me what your boss is doing here?"

"What are you wearing??"

"Why didn't you tell me that you had invited him to dinner?"

"What are you wearing..". Now Adam had mumbled it, sliding his eyes down a bit.

You crossed your arms, pursing your lips. "I thought you remembered the special date!"

"And I did it! I was supposed to invite the boss who is going on vacation today"

"No, today was supposed to be our wedding anniversary silly!!". You blurted out pronouncing each syllable slowly

"Oh no.."

"This is a disaster!". Pouting you walked away from Adam about to cry

"How sorry my love I feel like a fool for forgetting our anniversary, but we can work it out. I promise you that after Mr. brooks is gone we will be able to celebrate our anniversary together properly".

"You promise?"

"Of course"

You smiled and kissed your husband tenderly

"Do you think he would like chocolate strawberries?"

★・・・・・・★

What happened next was quite chaotic, you had changed your clothes while preparing another dinner, this time something simpler just for the three of you. While Adam entertained Mr. Brooks so he wouldn't suspect that they didn't have anything ready to eat. I don't know who fared worse, if you were stressed following recipes you knew you couldn't cook or your husband who did the impossible so that his boss wouldn't get bored and leave, he even started to improvise a song.

However, in the end everything went well and when the boss left you two could finally rest.

"We're quite an peculiar couple don't you think darling?"

You walked over to sit next to him on the sofa. "That was never in doubt, honey"

"(Y/N) I'm sorry for forgetting something as important as this. It won't happen again"

You looked at him sweetly and placed your hand caressing his cheek to which Adam closed his eyes enjoying the warmth of your hand

"Oh Adam, don't worry. The love you give me every day is more than enough"

he leaned in to kiss you and you returned the gesture

*the audience applauds*

★・・・・・・★

Although I wrote the same wandavision scene because I'm not very original, I must say that in my head Adam would not forget special dates. He just pays so much attention to you that he won't forget it, that's my headcanon

anyway enjoy this weird thing i wrote while bored

[genopaint]

Recently Bromojumbo (x) posted a FANTASTIC prompt on twitter where people send you suggestions for fakemon for you to try and make 1 fakemon from each type! I love making fakemon and my own random monsters so I of course HAD to give this a shot! Up to now I've only been pulling requests from Twitter but starting with the next type (Electric) I'll be asking for suggestions from here as well! So get ready!

Pokedex entries + some thoughts on some of them are in the readmore!

GRASS TYPE - Boonion & Garlich "These pokemon show up wherever there's rampant food waste, haunting locations where rotten food lies and making it smell even worse than it already does."

FIRE TYPE - Civetorch "An odd mammal that can spew out slick oil and scalding hot flames, using this combo as a very deadly offense. Their oil is farmed to help power all sorts of vehicles!"

I was particularly drawn to the Civet suggestion because it's an animal Id NEVER heard of! And I thought it being used for perfume was very odd lol.

WATER TYPE - Mawrine "This strange fish Pokemon is hard as a rock with a soft, see through underbelly. Their bioluminescence is so bright that they're often kept by sailors to help guide the way on the sea when lighthouses aren't near!"

I'm not SUPER thrilled with how this one came out but I got to mix a lot of suggestions together for it and it is the nicest of all the attempts I came up with for an angler fish Pokemon.

NORMAL TYPE - Kablock "These mischievous Pokemon LOVE blending in with buildings and can adapt to all types of walls. If youre ever trapped in an area you swear had an exit, it's probably Kablock playing a trick on you! Giving it some food will usually make it drop its disguise."

THIS ONE I'm VERY happy with the end result! I based it off the Nurikabe wall yokai and, of course, whomps from Mario! At first it was just gonna be the brick wall design then I realized it should be Dry Wall like the suggestions. Then I realized, why not all types of walls!? In case it's not obvious, the building or enviornment you encounter Kablock in would change its appearance, giving it lots of variety!

FLYING TYPE - Infarod "For years, people wondered what the weird snake like creatures flying in photos were. Until a photographer discovered it was an undiscovered Pokemon! Using their unique abilities, Infarods can make their entire bodies invisible to the naked eye!"

Also my idea is that their little fins flow nicely in the wind and also the color cycles across all the fins while they flow. Hopefully you see my vision it's very pretty. Also they glow in the dark (when not invisible)

BUG TYPE - Envimoth "These Pokemon may seem completely standard. But they are actually exceptionally jealous. If they suspect anyone is getting smitten with a Pokemon they have eyes for, they will absolutely flip out and begin doing a bizarre mating ritual for attention!"

I had a gameplay concept for this that feels very much so Pokemon where if your Envimoth fights a Pokemon of the same gender, it goes into a berserker mode where it deals more damage but can't give it commands anymore. And that's what Jealous mode is! Oh also it can use the nasty tentacles for attacks of course

[glazeflower]

Because I see people do this I'll just fo it to

Characters and what they smell like

From different fandoms because why not i have actually ideas for them and otherwise it will be short if i did them separately and me no like Ft. Simeon,Kaeya Alberich,Amber,Kamisato Ayato, Arashi Narukami, Tatsumi Kazehaya, Tsukasa Suou and Riddle Roseheart

Simeon

It's a mixture of a faint smell of Ink and tea

It depends what he just did either writing or having tea with Luke

But most of the time its mixed

But you would smell tea more

Sometimes mint and sometimes herbel

Its always a good surprise when you smell his scent

Helps calm you down

Kaeya

A strong ass scented cologne

That you can smell after he walked past 5 min ago in the streets of Mondstad

But when your alone

You can smell the scent of wine that's been scented deep into his clothes

Mostly red or dandelion wine

And maybe the strong ass cologne too but less

Idk how to explain 😭😭

If it were an AU he would smell like Axe body spray

I'm sorry

This is no Kaeya slander or something i legit love him pls don't attack 😭😭

Amber

Depends on situation

If she just came back from a mission that requires her to use her vision

Then she smells like something burned

She smells like burned grass

But if she did her patrol with a glider then she smells like air, fresh air

But normaal days with no such situation then i think

A light smell of sweet flower parfum

Very nice to smell

Ayato Kamisato

Fancy cologne that's expensive

Also the smell of ink but stronger

When he has days off which are VERY rare

He smells flowery fresh idk how to properly describe it

When Thoma or other servants get's him milk tea

He will smell like it faintly

A bit like brown sugar

Very pleasant

Arashi Narukami

Depends on her mood a minty cologne that smells very faint or flowery parfum during Knights concerts

Goes often for the second option

When on normaal days off

She will smell very sweet and flowery

Has may scents in her collection but loves the sweet smelling once the most

When hugging her and sniffing her scent she smells like she just went to a flower field or flower shop

Very comfy

Tatsumi Kazehaya

A bit earthy little bit minty cologne when on stage

When in days off old books

Idk why he just give that vibe

You can't deny old books smell the best! Argue with the wall

Tsukasa Suou

On stage he has a fresh smelling cologne

Kinda like a cucumber and green tea combo

On off days he smells like tea and sweets

Cakes, tarts, parfait and etc

And like sweet tea

He smells like he just came out of a bakery/cafe

Maybe he did...

Riddle Roseheart

Old books

A bit of ink

Roses. 100%

And lastly pastries and tea

I think it's pretty clear on this one

I think this is all for now I hope you like it tbh i didn't know most pf the terms for scents. I also didn't know the word for mans parfum was called cologne. You learn something new everyday Uhm anyway i hope its accuraat hihi...

[the-kingofdoritos]

Llwch ar yr aelwyd - mechanisms fanfiction

There were only the two of them left. Only two Mechanisms left. Just Brian and The Toy Soldier.

The others had all left, died or had gone missing without a trace. It had been horrible, but after a milenia Brian had gotten used to it. He had almost gotten used to the overwhelming loneliness that penetrated through his whole brass body. Even with the toy soldier as company, it just made him miss the others even more. He knew it was almost his time.

And so he had decided to land the Aurora on a small planet in the middle of nowhere. It was warm, there were flowers, and it was very pretty. And a nice place to spend his last day alive. The toy soldier had the good idea to go and watch the sunrise, as it seemed to realise what Brian was about to do.

And so they find an old battered blanket, it's covered in blood (Jonnys) and what seem to be a few other substances, and it smells familiar. They end up sitting down on that to watch the sunrise one last time.

“It's very beautiful isn't it, old chap?” the toy soldier pipes up. It's sitting cross legged, its wooden arms perched on either of its knees. The permanently painted smile seems much more downcast than usual.

“It is,” Brain agrees, though he doesn't look away from the sky to answer it’s question.

The sky is bathed in a bright orange, yellow, dark blue and a plethora of colours that seem too vibrant to be real. The sun peaks up from behind a dull mountain rage. He can't help but think that jonny and tim would complain about how boring it would be to watch a sunrise, but how they wouldn't move and would lay there in the grass next to him, small smiles on their faces.

How ashes would compare it to a raging fire.

How Marius would be playing his violin, one he would have pulled out of thin air.

How Raphaella would be trying to explain the scientific reason for a sunrise, and how the sky’s colours changed and other scientist things.

How ivy would be reading a book, not even listening or watching the others. But she would remark that the sky is incredibly pretty, and how she wished he had done something like this before.

Brian wished he could cry, but Carmilla hadn't given him tear ducts. At one time he was incredibly grateful for this, but now it just seems like a cruel joke. He can't even cry about his friend's family’s death.

He wishes they had more time. But he knows that would be cruel. None of them were ever truly happy, and they hadn't been since Nastya left. She almost seems like a fever dream now, and Brian can't say he even remembers much about her. And that hurts, stings and breaks his human heart.

“Toy soldier,” he speaks with a wavering voice, one of the only ways he can show emotion.

“Yes Brian?” it asks.

“Can… Can I have a hug?” he whispers it, because if he speaks any louder he will break down into ugly sobs. And then jonny would make fun of him because it would be a waste of a perfectly good morning.

“Of course you can,” its wooden arms wrap around his brass body, and he leans into it. Carmilla did put in nerves, and for that he is grateful. He cant feel temperature though, but if he could he knows the toy soldier is wooden and would be quite cold.

And there the two last Mechanisms stay, wrapped up in each other's arms.

The sun is gracing the sky with its brightness by the time either of them move.

Going back onto the cold and silent starship, back onto the Aurora who had stopped responding to them when Nastya had left. It almost feels like a deathwish, but Brian nor the Toy Soldier hesitate when entering the ship one last time. It feels like one last goodbye. And Brian knows it's the end.

That night, the airlock is open and waiting for him. A cup of tea on a table by it. His heart swells with joy for one last time as he drinks the warm beverage. He doesn't see the toy soldier, but he knows the tea is its way of saying goodbye. He can't think of what will happen to it when he’s gone, because that would be cruel.

The airlock is familiar, it's cold, and it's his death. And for one final time, he feels warm. And then it's gone as the coldness of space digs into his brass skin freezing him from the outside in as he completes the cycle. One last time.

The first mechanism died in space, and so did the last one. He became a mechanism in the vast coldness of space and ended his time as a mechanism in the vast coldness of space. The cycle is complete, one last time.

~He's not for heaven, nor yet for hell~

~Lost in the cosmos, Lonely~

[welldonebeca]

the devil in the marble (4)

WC: 1.4k words Warnings: Flirting, fluff, first kisses, canon compliance.

If you like my work, consider buying me a coffee or subscribing to my Patreon. It’s just $2 a month and I promise you won’t regret it.

masterlist

Chapter 3

You looked down as Enobaria passed by you with a look of recognition on her way out of the gymnasium, waiting for Cato out of the shower area.

Would he get in trouble because of you? You didn't want to risk his chances of getting into the Games.

"Elettra," someone greeted you by your last name, and you turned, ready to be properly greeted, but it was just a girl walking away.

Two of the guys walked out of the bathroom, looking at you and nodding stiffly.

"Elettra," they greeted, walking off.

You watched them go as felt a touch on your hand, pulling away and then searching back for it when you realised it was Cato.

"Sorry," you mumbled, taking his hand. "I didn't see you."

"It's fine," he assured you, tangling his fingers into yours.

Before he could pull you, though, you couldn't help yourself as you leaned in a bit to him.

He smelled good. Very fresh.

It made Cato chuckle.

"Do I pass the smell test?" he quipped, a playful tone colouring his words.

Your cheeks flushed with embarrassment at realising you had been caught in the act of sniffing him, and you moved away quickly.

"Sorry," you mumbled, barely able to be audible, looking away.

You began to walk away, ready to rush out of the gymnasium, but he gently clasped your hand and pressed a quiet kiss on its back. Your footsteps halted and he pulled you closer again.

"Do I, though?" he persisted, his voice gentle yet insistent. "Because I scrubbed myself very intensely to get the stink out."

You smiled. Yes, you could scent that.

Cato smelled like wood and mint, a refreshing blend reminiscent of earthy outdoors. It was like fresh rain on the grass in front of your house, which was horrible to the touch but carried a delightful scent after being cut, mingled with metallic and leathery undertones - maybe from the objects he had been handling throughout the day, clinging to his skin and clothes.

It felt so personal to him, like you'd never smelled something so specific before.

"Yeah," you told him. "You do."

Cato looked pretty satisfied as you two walked off, and even took your bag from you as you left the school.

"I think I'm Brutus' favourite," he told you. "He watches me a lot."

Brutus was one of the trainers of your school, with Enobaria, one of the many victors of your district.

"That's good, right?" you squeezed his hand a bit. "It means you have good chances."

"It's great," he confirmed. "I'm doing everything right."

You watched him from the corner of your eyes, the question in your mind echoing through it again.

It was sudden, wasn't it? Cato volunteered as your model while he was so close to getting to the Games, and now wanted to spend time with you when he was so close to his dream!

But you didn't ask him, not yet. You liked holding hands with him, it was really nice.

Cato waited for you to open the door and let you walk inside before following after you, and set your bags on the couch when you left him to go to the kitchen, dinner already smelling good.

"Mum?" you called.

She turned to look at you from the kitchen, looking all amused.

"Cato is here," you told her.

Your mother washed her hands and took off her apron, letting her hair down, and walked after you into the living room.

"Mrs Elettra," he greeted, standing by the couch. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

She stepped up to him to shake his hand, and you watched them.

"I'm Cato Hadley," he introduced him. "I'm from Y/N's year. I posed for her statue."

"I’m Loba. And so I heard," she smiled. "Y/N said you got first place in the whole school. Congratulations."

He grinned happily.

"Yes," he confirmed. "And thank you."

She stepped back and rubbed your shoulder affectionately.

"Sit down, watch something," she told you two. "Dinner will be ready soon."

You tugged Cato along to the couch, and when you two sat down, he put an arm over your shoulder without mouth over a worry.

"So, what do you like watching?" he asked, taking the remote from his side and putting it on your lap.

"Documentaries," you told him. You loved documentaries. "About the world before, about... art and the countries... they have documentaries about medicine too. You'd be surprised by how brutal things were."

He seemed amused as he watched you.

"Brutal?" he asked. "Like what?"

"They had no technology!" you told him. "They stitched injuries together like clothes, with thread! And their antibiotics were really bad."

Cato seemed impressed.

"Wow," he exclaimed. "Ancient!"

"Yeah, I know!" you confirmed, turning on the TV.

Before you could change the channel, though, you recognised the face on TV. Wade Rankine, the last victor. You remembered seeing him in the regional fight that always took place in your town before the games, and he was really strong.

"The Victor's Tour started already?" he seemed surprised. "When's he coming here?"

You shrugged. You had no idea. It didn't seem like it had even started yet, it was just... some show with him. 

"It's gonna be me next year," he watched the screen. "I'll see all of the districts... maybe they'll let me buy things there."

"Like what?" you asked.

What would he want to buy from another district that you didn’t have here already?

Cato shrugged.

"Anything. Everything," he told you. "Pearls from District Four. Fish... have you ever eaten fish?"

You shook your head. Fish wasn't even sold in your district.

"Me neither," he told you. "I heard it's good. I could bring fish and you could try it. We could eat together while you wear the pearls I bought."

You chuckled. It did sound nice.

He looked at you again, expectant.

"Will you wear them?" he asked you. "The pearls?"

Your gaze fixated on his face, your proximity letting you see all the faint freckles dotting his nose, like tiny little stars and constellations. You wanted to reach out and touch it when your eyes lingered over the slight wonky spot on his bone, a very discreet mark on his face.

Cato had broken it when he was twelve during his first real fight.

It had taken you countless hours of studying his bone structure to uncover the hidden detail, but you liked it very much for some reason.

"Pearls are special," you whispered. "You give them to someone special."

Cato's thin lips spread in a smile.

"I don't know," he rubbed his nose on yours. "I think you're special plenty."

You closed your eyes, feeling your face hot and his breath just above your lips.

Oh, you really, really wanted to kiss him right now.

"Y/N," you heard suddenly and gasped as Cato pulled back.

The two of you turned back to look behind the couch, finding Juno staring at you two with murder in her eyes.

"Mum is calling you to the kitchen," she declared, arms crossed in disapproval. "It's your turn to prepare the table."

You exchanged a quick glance with Cato, then stepped back, gently tucking strands of hair behind your ears as you slipped out of the couch, leaving him behind.

You passed by Juno, who was still frowning very much at you two, but she didn't follow you into the kitchen, remaining in her spot.

Mum was already in the dining room when you got there, and you joined her quickly.

Tonight, you'd be using the dining room - the kitchen table could only accommodate four seats, which was the usual number of people in your house on most days - but the dining room table boasted eight. Mum, though, usually only put six chairs in, so it wouldn't look so empty.

It wasn't like you really knew enough people to fill a table with eight seats.

"You know," your mother hummed, setting the knife and fork down. "I think your dad might like him."

You perked up with the suggestion.

"Really?"

"Yeah," she put the napkins down. "Don't tell him, though. I will ease the idea into him in my next letter before he comes back, he'll have time to work his feelings out there in the district before coming home, and then your boy over there can come and ask him for permission to date you."

You frowned. Permission? Just earlier this afternoon, she had been talking about you being an adult who needed to learn how to be independent!

"Sure," you leaned onto the table anyway.

It was best to not fight them.

"Tell everyone dinner is going to be served," she told you. "Oh, and don't tell him to wash his hands. I want to see if he will do it without being prompted."

"Yes, ma'am," you walked out.

Chapter 5

. . .

"the devil in the marble" was posted on my Patreon in June 2023! To read the available chapters and read the last arc of the story as it gets published, subscribe to my page! It's just $2 a month and I promise you won't regret it.

. . .

Forever Tags: @emoryhemsworth @amythyststorm33​​ @shaelyn102 @yknott81​​ ​​@maximofftrash​​ @kgbrenner​​ @thefridgeismybestie @magpiegirl80​ @mogaruke​ @shadowhunter7​​ @musicalcoffeebean​​ @megasimpleplan4ever​​ @deemoriarty​​ @05spn18 @malindacath @kdcollinsauthor​​ @random-fandom-fangirl2112​​ @widowsfics @frozenhuntress67​​ @averyrogers83​​ @notyourtypicalrose​ @nerdypinupcrystal @giruvega the devil in the marble: @randomgurl2326

[hannahssimblr]

Chapter Eighteen

“You’re right.” He says. “It’s really nice.”

“I’m glad it actually is. I could only kind of imagine how it might look when it was daytime.” 

It’s like little stars have fallen from the sky and become tangled in the branches of the oak trees over our heads. It’s a blanket of light encompassing us as we sit together on the ground looking up at it. It’s a rare, quiet place in the middle of the commotion, but it’s so late now that most people are either back in their tents or at one of the late DJ sets dotted around the festival. There’s still music somewhere in the distance, but apart from that it’s pretty serene. The small stage nearby has closed up for the night and the only other human I can see is a man in a high-vis jacket putting rubbish into a bin bag, clearly getting an early start on tomorrow’s cleanup. 

Normally I feel nervous when I’m alone with Jude, but tonight I’m calm. Maybe it’s because I’ve already used up all of my adrenaline after a hectic day, or if it’s because of the magic that happens after midnight, when you begin to hear grasshoppers chirping and feel the dew forming on the grass. There’s this smell that only exists on rare summer nights, a sweet, grassy scent that I have a hard time explaining, but when it invades my nostrils I feel the thrill of being out at night, on my own in a secret garden after everyone else has gone. Everyone but us. 

“I like it when it’s quiet like this.” I tell him. “I feel like I’ve forgotten what quiet is.”

“Right.” He agrees. “It can be hard going, a festival. It takes a lot out of you.” He turns to me and says earnestly: “I hope that you’re having a good time, like I hope it isn’t overwhelming, in spite of the thing at the rave.”

“I’m having a good time.” I say. “Today was honestly a little weird, but it had its moments.”

“Today was a bit weird for me too.” He admits, and I wait for what feels like forever for him to elaborate. “I’ve had a lot on my mind, I think.” He eventually manages, and I push him for more information: “Do you get like that a lot?”

“What, like have stuff on my mind?” He smirks. “Do you?”

“Well, Yeah.”

“Same.” 

“Jen said you’re a scorpio, and that’s why you’re moody.” I tease, and this makes him laugh. “Oh yeah? What else does she say whenever you two are gossiping about me?”

“Rich of you to assume that we spend time talking about you at all.”

“Do you?”

“Well, do you talk to her about me?”

“Yes, obviously.”

His frankness takes me by surprise. “Oh.” is all I say for a minute, then I venture: “What do you talk about?”

He says “None of your business.” Which is what I expected. 

“Well then I’m not telling you either.”

“Bet I already know.”

“You think?”

“I bet she tells you that I’m secretly a boring, moody dickhead under all the facade or something, doesn’t she?”

“She didn’t say ‘boring’. You’re not boring.”

“But she did say ‘moody’.”

“Sour, I think, is the word she used. Which, like, I never thought of you like that. You always seem happy to me. Well, mostly.”

“Maybe because when I’m having a particularly sour day I just stay in my room.”

“And you couldn’t stay in your room today.” I sort of regret saying it as soon as it comes out of me, but I really feel like we’re being very honest with one another so it seems right. He shakes his head and laughs dryly. “No, no I couldn’t stay in my room today. Sorry, I didn’t think it was that obvious.”

“I thought it was.”

“Sometimes things pile up.” He says with some difficulty. “I overthink. And… maybe I’ve been overthinking too much this summer.”

“Are you overthinking what happened last night?

He starts anxiously picking at bits of grass. “Yeah. Yeah maybe.” His brows are knitted together, and he’s just watching his fingers poking at the ground like they’re not a part of him, but just a separate entity that he can’t control, performing some hypnotic, repetitive task. I’ve never felt less vulnerable than him before, it strikes me. Always in our interactions he seems to be the one who has the upper hand on me; more confident, more stable, stronger, better at handling himself, but now it feels like the tables have turned. When I look at him now it’s like I’m seeing a different person to the one I’ve been seeing all summer, and it’s clear that he really isn’t as different to me as I believed. Before now the year and a half between our ages had seemed enormous, like there’d never be a way to bridge the differences between our experiences, but I see now that he’s really not the mature, self-assured adult that I thought he was. He’s an eighteen year old teenage boy, and he doesn’t know what he’s doing either. He doesn’t know how to be more than anybody else, perhaps he’s just better at hiding it. 

“Hey.” I say. “I know I’m a bit younger than you, and I’m sorry if that freaks you out, but I know that we’re really not all that different when you think about it. Like, yeah I have less experience than you and I’m sure that’s-”

“It’s not that.” He insists, cutting me off mid monologue. “That’s not what I’m overthinking about. It isn’t you, or your age or your experience.”

“Well, what is it then?”

He makes a frustrated sound and then waits ages before answering me. I’m starting to think that he won’t say anything at all, before he shrugs and takes a breath to say: “I don’t think it’s a good thing. For you to like me, I mean. I don’t really want you to.”

I feel myself begin to deflate. “But it’s hard not to.”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen.”

“How could I not? It’s you.”

“Hm.”

“Can you look at me for a second?” And he does, his eyes snap to mine and they’re so intense and so startling, and they do things to the insides of my body that empties my head of any thoughts but how badly I want to kiss him, and once I’ve had that thought I can’t think about anything else. The thought just hangs there, and I forget what I wanted to say to him. I skate my eyes over his cheeks, his freckled nose, his pretty mouth that is usually smirking like he knows a secret that I don’t, but now is downturned at the edges, and I’m obsessed with the idea of kissing the sadness away. I’ve never kissed a boy before, I’ve only ever let them kiss me. It’s been something that’s felt like it was happening to me, but right now I can’t help but try. I reach for him and brush my lips delicately against his. I give him a flurry of tiny butterfly kisses all across his mouth, not really knowing what I’m doing, if it’s the right way to do it, or if he likes it, and just when starts to feel as though he isn’t going to kiss me back, he softens and pulls me into him so he can show me how it’s done. He kisses me so slowly with an open mouth, hands moving up my sides until they’re gently cradling my face, his breath hot on my cheek. It’s soft and sweet, and he’s so careful with me, and as he grazes my bottom lip with his teeth I can’t help but whimper gently, and wonder why I ever thought my mouth was for anything but kissing him. All this time I’ve been using it to speak and to eat, and I never knew it could be like this. It’s never been like this with anybody else.

He traces a line with his lips along my cheeks and kisses my nose and my forehead before burying his face into my neck and kissing me there too, gently sighing my name like it’s a prayer. I didn’t think my own name could sound beautiful, but it does, the way it comes out of him, it does. 

I have a new thought then, that maybe I could do it. Maybe I really am the kind of girl who sneaks back to empty tents with boys. Maybe when we go, and he helps me out of my clothes and touches and kisses the skin beneath them then everything will be alright. Maybe then I’ll be able to take his despair away, and when he looks into my eyes he’ll realise that we’re meant for each other, and I’m enough for him, and he won’t need anything else. I reach out and stroke his hair, then I bring my lips to the top of his head and kiss him there. His hair is soft, clean, and smells like his shampoo. “If you want to go back to my tent, we can.” I whisper, running my hand down his neck and taking his face in my hands so I can lift his face to me. 

He looks confused. “Hm?”

“I can get Claire to sleep in with Shane, we can have it to ourselves.”

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