#i would genuinely like to study people who are attracted to him in a lab he's like if they made a ken doll of donald trump and it became

[vamprisms]

they should give the actor who plays homelander an emmy just because there has never been a performance that so successfully manages to activate my fight or flight every second he's on screen without fail

[givemefevrr]

Undone (NSFW)

Pairings: bottom!Sunoo x Heeseung

Warnings: loss of virginity (kinda?), handjobs, overstimulation, crying, humiliation, praise, petnames (pretty baby, Sunny, baby, etc.), pwp, no all-the-way sex, making out, dry humping, etc..

wc: 4.6k

════════ ⋆★⋆ ════════

Sunoo burst through the door of the dorm room with a loud thud. He looked flustered and out of breath, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wide open with excitement and nervousness. He leaned heavily against the door, trying to catch his breath. "Hyung," Sunoo gasped, trying to catch his breath.

Heeseung, sitting on his bed browsing his phone, looked up in concern. He could sense that something was wrong with his friend. "Sunoo, what's wrong? You look awful," he said, putting his phone aside.

Sunoo shook his head, still trying to catch his breath. "I... I just got asked out," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Sunoo pushed himself off the door, stumbling slightly as he crossed the room to collapse onto his own bed.

Heeseung arched an eyebrow, a small smile playing on his lips as he processed what Sunoo had just told him. He was genuinely surprised, yet happy for his friend, to hear that Sunoo had been asked out. "Really? By who?" he inquired, wanting to know who the lucky person was.

Sunoo took a deep breath, attempting to calm his racing heart. "My lab partner, you know, the really nice one?" he said, his voice filled with excitement and nervousness.

"The one with the bangs?" Heeseung whistled supportingly. "For sure a good piece of ass. Please tell me you said yes…"

Sunoo nodded rapidly, still processing what had just transpired. "I... I think so. I mean, yes, I did say yes!" he spoke, his voice shaking slightly.

 "Well, that's fantastic! Why are you freaking out?" Heeseung asked, noting the nervousness in Sunoo's demeanor.

Sunoo ran a hand through his hair, his cheeks flushed with a deepening shade of pink. "I don't know, I just... I've never done this before," he admitted,  slightly embarrassed.

"Never done what? Been on a date?" Heeseung scoffed jokingly, but he was taken aback when Sunoo nodded, confirming his statement. "Wait... like never, never?" he inquired, his mouth slightly agape.

Sunoo nodded again sheepishly, avoiding Heeseung's gaze as he felt the embarrassment creeping up on him even further. "Yeah, never, never," he admitted, feeling a little vulnerable.

Heeseung studied Sunoo's expression, seeing the hint of vulnerability in his eyes. "Sunoo, you're one of the most extroverted people I know. Going out on a date is just like hanging out with a friend, except this friend you happen to find really attractive," he comforted, trying to ease his nerves.

"I know, I know," Sunoo murmured, his voice still uncertain. He hesitated momentarily, his gaze flickering away before finally speaking up. "It's not the date part that I'm worried about as much. What if... what if she wants to... you know, hook up afterward?"

"Well, that's the easy part," Heeseung replied casually, trying to reassure Sunoo. "She's not some random person from a bar, so you don't have to worry about catching anything. Trust me, I was nervous too when I committed to a real date for the first time instead of just a one-night stand, but it really was such a relief."

Sunoo's stomach churned as he recalled the fact that Heeseung didn't know that not only was this his first date, but he was also a virgin. He had refrained from telling Heeseung about it, too embarrassed to admit that he had chickened out of hooking up with every girl Heeseung had tried setting him up with at parties. Sunoo had left with the girls, sure, but by the time he was brought back to their place, and she would try to make some sort of advancement, he would get a rush of nerves and get up, stating that he forgot he had an early class the next day and that he needed to go, before booking it back to his dorm room. 

So, Sunoo decided to keep quiet and simply nodded along with Heeseung's words. 

⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄

Later that night, Sunoo lay in bed, tossing and turning restlessly, his mind racing about his upcoming date. He couldn't shake off the anxiety that was building up in his chest, and he was worried that he might mess up the date or disappoint his partner in bed. 

Meanwhile, Heeseung, still awake, noticed Sunoo's restlessness from across the room. Being the attentive person that he is, he decided to try to help. "So, when is the big date?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Sunoo was startled by Heeseung's voice, as he had assumed he was already asleep. However, he was grateful for the interruption. "I'm not sure," he replied. "We haven't really talked about it yet. She mentioned something about being free next week, so maybe then."

Heeseung nodded thoughtfully, propping himself up on his elbows as he looked over at Sunoo. "Well, that gives you some time to relax and not overthink things too much," he said. "Just be yourself, Sunoo. Remember, she asked you out because she likes you."

Sunoo sighed, Heeseung's words yet again providing little ease to his thoughts. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Hyung," he replied, trying to sound grateful.

"No problem," Heeseung replied, grinning before settling back down. "Now try to get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

Sunoo nodded in agreement, but as he closed his eyes, the worries plaguing him all day began to resurface again. His mind was racing, and he couldn't shake the stress of it all.

Sunoo's voice broke through the silence. He trembled as he spoke, his words filled with uncertainty. "H-Hyung?"

Heeseung turned to look at Sunoo, his expression attentive. "Yeah?"

Sunoo took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest, as he meekly admitted, "I... I'm a virgin." He felt a rush of embarrassment and shame wash over him as he uttered those words

The room fell into a deafening silence as Sunoo's words hung in the air. Heeseung was taken aback, processing the information before responding, confused at how that could be possible. "So... all those girls from the parties..." he trailed off, leaving the rest of the thought unsaid.

Sunoo shook his head, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Nothing ever happened," he confessed, feeling like he had somehow let Heeseung down.

Heeseung's expression softened as he realized the weight of Sunoo's confession. "Shit," he muttered under his breath, his mind racing with thoughts on how to comfort his friend.

Sunoo felt humiliated, his insecurities laid bare before Heeseung. "I-I'm sorry..." he mumbled, closing his eyes, trying to block out the overwhelming shame.

Heeseung, being the supportive friend that he is, quickly reassured Sunoo. "Hey, don't apologize. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Never apologize for something like that, especially to me." Heeseung's voice was gentle and comforting, and it helped to ease Sunoo's nerves a little.

Sunoo's eyes glistened with unshed tears, his nerves and embarrassment heavy on his shoulders. "But what if I mess everything up? What if I'm terrible at it?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Heeseung, ever the supportive friend, tried to calm Sunoo down with practical advice. "Hey, don't worry about it. You'll be fine," he reassured, his tone gentle. "Just jerk off like an hour before the date. It'll help you last longer later and calm your nerves."

Sunoo sat on his bed, feeling ashamed and frustrated. "Hyung, I haven't... I haven't touched myself before either..." he said, pressing his palms into his eyes.

Heeseung's eyes widened in shock, his jaw dropping slightly at the unexpected revelation. He sat up straight, so taken aback by the information that he had to process it sitting up. After a moment of stunned silence, he got up from his bed and walked over to Sunoo's.

Sunoo sat up, too, his heart pounding with shame as Heeseung approached. He watched as Heeseung turned on the lamp, casting a warm glow over the room as he sat beside him.

Heeseung looked Sunoo in the eyes, his expression serious. "Are you fucking with me? Because it's fine if you were, but the joke's over now. I'm trying to help you, and it feels like you aren't taking this seriously."

Sunoo felt a knot form in his throat as he realized his inexperience was so unbelievable that Heeseung thought he was joking. His lips quivered as tears welled up in his eyes. He shook his head frantically, trying to convey the seriousness of the situation.

Before he could stop himself, tears began to well up in his eyes, cascading down his cheeks. Heeseung's panic escalated as he witnessed Sunoo's tears flow uncontrollably, his heart-wrenching at the sight of his friend in such distress. He felt utterly powerless, not knowing how to ease Sunoo's pain but desperate to offer some form of comfort.

 "Hey, I'm sorry," Heeseung pleaded, his voice laced with desperation. "I didn't know you were being serious."

But Sunoo couldn't stifle the flood of emotions that overwhelmed him. His shoulders quaked with sobs as he struggled to regain control. Heeseung's heart clenched at the sight, and he felt utterly powerless in Sunoo's anguish. In an attempt to ease the situation, Heeseung kept repeating, "Please don't cry. It's okay. There's nothing wrong with it, I promise." 

Sunoo sniffled, trying to compose himself as he looked up at Heeseung with tear-filled eyes. Feeling helpless, Heeseung's mind raced with the desperate need to make things right. In a moment of impulse, he leaned in suddenly and captured Sunoo's lips in a long, tender kiss. Sunoo's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected gesture, but as Heeseung's lips moved against his own, he found himself instinctively responding.

To Heeseung's relief, the kiss worked its magic, calming Sunoo's trembling form. He deepened the kiss, pouring his apology and reassurance into the gentle caress of their lips. 

"I'm sorry," Heeseung whispered between kisses, his voice filled with remorse. "I never want to see you cry, Sunoo. You mean everything to me, you know that, right?" 

Heeseung leaned in again, his kisses becoming more intimate and loving-like as he sought to ease Sunoo's distress. With each kiss, he whispered words of reassurance and apology, his fingers tracing soothing patterns on Sunoo's cheek.

"I'll help you, okay?" Heeseung murmured softly against Sunoo's lips. "I'll show you what to do, hm? And I'll make you feel real good, Sunoo, I promise. I'll make you feel better."

Heeseung pulled back slightly, his forehead resting against Sunoo's. He looked into his eyes with guilt and tenderness, silently conveying his regret for causing Sunoo's tears and determination to make things right.

Sunoo's breath caught in his throat at the suggestion. He blinked, still a bit dazed from the unexpected kiss, but he nodded slowly, feeling comforted by Heeseung's words and touch. "O-Okay," he replied softly, his voice barely above a whisper, before letting the other's lips press back onto his. 

Heeseung continued to lead the kiss, his lips moving with a newfound intention–to guide. He tried to deepen the kiss. Heeseung's tongue traced the outline of Sunoo's lips, seeking entry into his mouth. Sunoo, caught up in the intensity of the moment, responded eagerly, parting his lips to allow Heeseung's tongue to explore.

Sunoo's breathing quickened, each exhale a soft whimper as he melted into Heeseung's embrace. His hands clung onto Heeseung, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as he tried to get as close to him as possible.

As Sunoo's desperation grew, he tried to mimic Heeseung's movements, tentatively exploring with his own tongue in a clumsy yet earnest attempt to match Heeseung's. It was sloppy and uncoordinated, a stark contrast to Heeseung's own experienced movements, but Heeseung couldn't help but find it endearing. 

"Fuck, come here," Heeseung murmured huskily, unable to resist the urge to pull Sunoo out of the covers and onto his lap. Sunoo whimpered softly as he was settled on Heeseung's lap, already feeling overstimulated. 

Heeseung couldn't help but smirk as he looked at Sunoo's frame, his hands sliding up Sunoo's shirt to feel his tiny waist.  "You're doing great, Sunoo," Heeseung murmured encouragingly. "Just relax and let yourself feel good. There's no rush, okay?"

Sunoo nodded, his breath catching in his throat as he tried to calm the fluttering nerves in his stomach, leaning into Heeseung's touch. Heeseung's hands slid further up Sunoo's chest, the fabric of his shirt bunching up slightly under his touch, feeling the rapid rise and fall of Sunoo's chest. 

Heeseung's lips pressed one last kiss on Sunoo's before trailing feather-light kisses along his jawline and neck. Sunoo's fingers tightened their grip on Heeseung's shoulders, his body responding instinctively. He let out a shaky breath, his mind slightly clouded as he felt Heeseung's hands explore lower, trailing down his back to rest on his hips. 

As Heeseung's hands gripped his hips, pulling him closer to his body, Heeseung felt a subtle hardness pressing against him. Heeseung's lips curved into a gentle smile as he met Sunoo's gaze, his eyes filled with affection and admiration. "You're so adorable," he murmured, his voice warm as he noticed the slight blush that colored Sunoo's cheeks.

Sunoo shifted slightly, a mix of embarrassment and arousal swirling in his eyes as he realized Heeseung had noticed. With a soft chuckle, Heeseung gently guided Sunoo to turn around, his hands resting on Sunoo's hips as he positioned him to sit between his legs. 

Sunoo settled between Heeseung's legs, his back against Heeseung's chest as he leaned back slightly, his breath coming in short gasps of anticipation upon feeling the warmth of Heeseung's body against his own. 

Heeseung wrapped his arms around Sunoo's waist, pulling him closer until there was no space between them. He pressed more soft kisses against Sunoo's neck, the boy tensing up slightly. 

Heeseung sensed Sunoo's tension and paused, his lips hovering just above Sunoo's skin. "Are you okay?" he murmured, his voice filled with concern.

Sunoo nodded, though he couldn't hide the nervous tremor in his movements. "Y-yeah, I'm just... nervous," he admitted quietly.

Heeseung's grip on Sunoo's waist tightened reassuringly. "It's okay to be nervous. We can take it slow, do only what you're comfortable with," he reassured, peppering light kisses along Sunoo's shoulder.

Sunoo relaxed marginally under Heeseung's soothing words and touches. "Okay," he breathed out, trying to steady his racing heartbeat.

Heeseung continued his gentle kisses, gradually moving lower until he reached the curve of Sunoo's neck. His hands slid from Sunoo's waist to his thighs, massaging them in a comforting manner. 

Sunoo nodded again, his eyes closed as he tried to lose himself in the sensation of Heeseung's hands and lips on his skin. As the tension in Sunoo's body eased, Heeseung's touches became more exploratory yet still gentle. His fingers traced patterns on Sunoo's thighs, occasionally brushing against the growing bulge in Sunoo's pants. Sunoo let out a shaky breath, his body reacting to the teasing touches.

Heeseung noticed Sunoo's reaction and smiled against his skin. "Relax, Sunny, okay?"

Sunoo nodded, his fingers curling into fists on Heeseung's thighs. He could feel the heat pooling between his legs, his arousal growing with each touch from Heeseung. Heeseung's hands gradually moved to Sunoo's waistband, fingers hooking under the fabric. He tapped Sunoo's thigh for confirmation, receiving a hesitant yet eager nod.

With a slow and deliberate motion, Heeseung began to lower Sunoo's pants, just a bit past his bottom, to reveal the outline of his hardness straining against his underwear. Sunoo's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, but he didn't protest, his breathing becoming more labored. 

Heeseung was just about to touch when Sunoo suddenly grabbed his wrist. "Wait..." Heeseung stopped in his tracks and patiently waited for Sunoo to continue. Sunoo seemed hesitant and embarrassed to say something but finally said, "I'm sorry, this is embarrassing..."

"What is?" Heeseung questioned. "Is something wrong? Tell me," he worried that he might have done something to make Sunoo feel uncomfortable or repulsed.

Sunoo's hands tightly gripped the fabric of Heeseung's thighs as he tried to calm himself. His eyes were filled with tears, and he looked up at Heeseung, searching for reassurance. "Do you think I'm weird?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

Heeseung was taken aback by the question and realized Sunoo was self-conscious and unsure of himself. He immediately wrapped his arms around Sunoo's torso, bringing him into a tight hug, pecking at his neck again. "No, of course not," Heeseung whispered, his breath warm against Sunoo's skin. He couldn't believe that Sunoo could even think that he was weird.

As Heeseung's hands slid up Sunoo's shirt, he couldn't help but groan slightly, feeling the smoothness of Sunoo's bare skin. Sunoo's grip on Heeseung loosened somewhat, his body relaxing further as he soaked in the warmth of Heeseung's embrace. "Thank you," he murmured softly, his voice barely audible. Heeseung could tell that Sunoo was feeling much better and that he had managed to ease some of his worries.

As Sunoo's nerves gradually subsided, Heeseung sensed the shift in his demeanor. With a gentle touch, he guided Sunoo to lie back against his chest again. 

"Is everything okay now?" Heeseung asked softly, his eyes filled with concern and care as he gazed at Sunoo. Sunoo nodded, offering a small smile in return. Heeseung returned the smile, leaning in to press a chaste kiss to Sunoo's lips. Heeseung's fingers brushed against the fabric of Sunoo's underwear, teasingly tracing the outline of his arousal. Sunoo let out a soft whimper, his body arching slightly into Heeseung's touch. 

Slowly, Heeseung peeled off Sunoo's underwear, revealing his hardened length. Sunoo's cheeks flushed again, looking away–anywhere but where Heeseung's hands are going. Heeseung hasn't thought of Sunoo in this way before, but now that he's seeing Sunoo's cock, all he can think about is how bad he wants him. All of him. It was pretty, probably the prettiest cock he's ever seen–not that he's seen many, but it was adorable, standing average with a pretty glistening pink tip. 

Sunoo's body tensed again as he felt Heeseung's gaze on him. Heeseung could sense Sunoo's anxiety and hesitated to touch him. However, Sunoo's impatience was growing, and he whispered in a barely audible voice, his words filled with an unmistakable sense of desire, "Please."

So Heeseung tilted Sunoo's face up to kiss him again, their lips moving in sync as Heeseung's hand wrapped around Sunoo's cock. Sunoo gasped into the kiss, his hips instinctively bucking forward at the sensation. He grabbed Heeseung's wrist again, panting against his lips, his eyes already gone. He looked so fucked out already. 

His heavy eyes could only focus on Heeseung's lips as if dazed. He sat there a couple moments before his hips bucked into Heeseung's hand again, his eyes fluttering closed as he let go of Heeseungs wrist and slumped back against Heeseung. So Heeseung took that as an invitation to continue. 

As Sunoo grew accustomed to the feeling, Heeseung's movements became more regular, his grip tightening slightly as he found a rhythm that elicited soft moans from Sunoo. Sunoo's head fell back against Heeseung's shoulder. "Oh, wow," Sunoo gasps, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment and arousal. "This is... I-I can't..." His words trailed off into a series of breathy moans. 

"I know, baby," Heeseung whispered, kissing Sunoo's neck gently. Sunoo whimpered at the pet name, fucking up into Heeseung's fist again, desperate. Heeseung's chuckle sent vibrations through Sunoo's body, his skin erupting in goosebumps. "You like that, Sunoo?" Heeseung teased, finding Sunoo adorable. "You want me to call you that again?"

Sunoo could only nod, his mind clouded with lust, his hips instinctively rocking against Heeseung's hand as he laid limp back against Heeseung. "Y-yeah," he managed to gasp out between moans, his fingers digging into Heeseung's thighs as pleasure coursed through his body.

"Watch. You see how I'm touching you, Sunoo?" Sunoo nodded, his eyes wide with shyness. He bit his lip nervously but couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight before him. Heeseung continued to stroke him, his movements deliberate and skilled. "So perfect," Heeseung praised.

As the praise reached Sunoo's ears, he couldn't help but whimper in response. The sensation of his body tingling with delight was almost too overwhelming to handle. He whispered back, almost disbelieving, "It is?"

"Yes, baby," Heeseung affirmed, his voice dripping with admiration. "It's the prettiest little cock I've ever seen." His thumb brushes over the sensitive tip of Sunoo's cock. Sunoo's hips jerked involuntarily, a high-pitched whine escaping his lips. "So sensitive here," Heeseung observed, his touch feather-light yet electrifying.

As he gazed intently, his eyes glued to Sunoo's every move, he couldn't help but feel a sense of fascination at the way Sunoo's reactions grew more intense with each passing moment. He watched Sunoo's hand, now trembling, trying to guide Heeseung's touch away from his overstimulated tip. 

Heeseung couldn't help but chuckle softly at Sunoo's desperate expression. With a teasing glint in his eye, he deliberately brushed his thumb over the tip again, enjoying the way Sunoo's breath caught in his throat. "Is this where you want it?" he teased.

Sunoo's body convulsed as he blubbered with pleading desperation, his voice trembling with each syllable. "Please, d-don't h-hyung, it's too much," he begged, his words punctuated by gasps of air between needy sounds. He squirmed uncontrollably, every inch of his skin tingling. "Oh god, n-no," he whimpered, his breath hitching.

So Heeseung relented, shifting his grip to accommodate Sunoo's request. As he focused his attention on the shaft, Sunoo's whines turned into needy mewls, his fingers clutching at Heeseung's free hand as if seeking reassurance.

"You're doing so well, Sunoo," Heeseung praised, his voice laced with affection. "Just keep watching, okay?"

The wet squelches of Sunoo's cock as Heeseung's hand moved over it filled the room and echoed in both their ears. Heeseung couldn't help but be turned on by the sounds, his own hips starting to buck forward into Sunoo's back.

Heeseung rasped a question into Sunoo's ear, his breath hot against Sunoo's skin. "Is it okay if I do this, baby? You're so pretty."

Sunoo nodded eagerly, his mind clouded. The feeling of Heeseung's hand on his cock was intoxicating, every stroke sending shivers of pleasure down his spine. He couldn't help but wonder why he had been sheltered from this for so long, why he hadn't experienced this incredible sensation sooner.

His neediness grew with each passing moment, fueled by the knowledge that Heeseung was getting off on this, too. "Oh god–Heeseung, it feels so good. Like, really good. Is this... is this what it's supposed to feel like?" His breath came in short gasps. 

Heeseung couldn't help but smile at Sunoo's innocent curiosity, finding his rambling and vulnerability utterly adorable. "Yes, baby," Heeseung whispered, his voice filled with affection. Heeseung leaned in closer, pressing kisses along Sunoo's neck. His own breathing became ragged, his movements more urgent as he chased his own pleasure along with Sunoo's. "Fuck, I need to see you," Heeseung shifted their positions, turning Sunoo around and pulling him into his lap, their bodies now pressed together as Heeseung's hand worked over Sunoo's cock. Sunoo gasped at the sudden movement, feeling Heeseung's hardness against his ass, grinding onto him through their clothes. 

Sunoo's fingers dug into Heeseung's shoulders, his nails leaving faint marks on the skin as pleasure consumed him. "Shit, Heeseung," he babbled, his words a jumble of incoherent desire.  Soon, he felt a strange sensation, like a knot forming in his stomach, and he whimpered, unsure of what was happening. He tensed up. "I-I think I need to pee," he blurted out, his face reddening in embarrassment.

Heeseung chuckled softly, continuing his ministrations. "That's normal, Sunoo," he explained, his voice soothing, as he circled his thumb around Sunoo's tip, collecting the leaking beads of precum. Heeseung could feel his own arousal pulsing under Sunoo's ass. "Shit– so good," he groans in the short space between them. 

As their movements grew more urgent, Sunoo's head began to droop forward onto Heeseung's shoulder, his breaths coming in ragged gasps as he teetered on the edge of release. But Heeseung gently guided Sunoo's head back, his fingers threading softly through Sunoo's hair. 

"No, no," Heeseung murmured urgently, his hands gripping Sunoo's hips tighter. "Let me see you, Sunoo. I need to see your pretty face when you cum, okay? My pretty, pretty baby."

 With a shaky nod, he lifted his head, eyes fluttering open and locking with Heeseung's as he surrendered entirely to the pleasure coursing through him.  He leaned into Heeseung's touch with a soft whimper, his lips parting in a silent plea. 

Heeseung watched in awe as Sunoo's face contorted in pleasure, every expression the most adorable thing he had ever seen, the boy twitching as silky white ropes spurt from the boy's sensitive little cock. 

And as Sunoo collapsed against him, panting heavily and utterly spent. Sunoo had come embarrassingly fast, and Heeseung didn't want to risk overstimulating him, so he gave up his own movement under Sunoo, focusing solely on the boy. 

════════ ⋆★⋆ ════════

Here's a bit longer version on my ao3 if you want the Link🔗

[traff1csstuff]

Nobody asked for this but I'm gonna show yall my OCs and some of their story!! [As well as facts]. Make up any headcanons you want as long as they arent problematic [THIS INCLUDES CECIL x LUCIUS.] -Dr. Cecil uses He/Him but genuinely does not care if you use They/It for him. Doesn't like she/her though. Doesn't know what neo/xenopronouns are. -He's arospec. He is demiromantic and demisexual. It's rare he even gets close enough to feel some sort of interest in them, since he doesn't trust anyone, but it is [in theory] possible. -Has a fascination for mold. When he isnt testing on people with the Lifeless Plague, he examines mold. He has a few different rooms in his lab entirely dedicated to studying it and what happens when you mix two together. -He struggles severely to feel empathy or sympathy. Only ever feels it for people he's close to, and even then only a little bit. He's, by definition, a sociopath. -He has a sister, who he does care for a bit. Always annoyed by her and never visits, but she's the only person he willingly lets inside his house without a reason. -He's achillean. Just doesn't find much attraction towards feminine people. -He is 34 years old. -He always smells like metal and chemicals, no matter how many times he showers. He also sometimes smells like mold, due to how much he's around it. Whenever his sister visits, she brings some sort of air freshener. -Almost never shows affection in a normal way. But does things like, keeps his sister's spare room clean for whenever she visits, gives people old things he doesn't want anymore including leftovers. -He is only close with his sister. She's his younger twin and they grew up very close. He had his mold obsession since he was little, and his sister would give him old food to grow mold when their parents wouldn't. She was the person he could rant about mold to. [Yall can draw fanart if you want, or make theories and stuff. I don't mind!] [Reblogs are appriciated :3]

[rayofsunas]

otherworldly! s/o

A/n: happy monday! I woke up at 7am and since then I've been grinding out assignments/classes and now this, so I actually feel productive even though I've been staring at my computer for a while. but thank you for requesting anon! I enjoyed writing this and I hope you enjoy reading it! <33 also to understand this more, I'd like to point out that this connects to the speculation Genshin and Honkai are alternate universes of one another. so for example, Scaramouche is a harbinger from his time, but he may have been a warlord in a different, with a completely different name (keeping his appearance ofc) hope that makes sense. so if you've paid attention to what I've been saying about Scara and his mini-series, etc. you'll understand what I mean in Scara's lol. his reader insert is fem for the same reason as above btw!

Summary: otherworldly! s/o who arrived as a fallen meteor, that can bring back plants to life/heal deep wounds/scars and resurrect people.

Parings: Albedo/Gn! Reader, Xiao/Gn! Reader, Scaramouche/Fem! Reader

Warnings: swearing, fluff, alternate realities/time traveler au! (reader is not the traveler), death/resurrection

Word count: 1.7k

Albedo

you don't have a vision like some people in Teyvat, because you're not from there; you're from a whole different world itself. instead, you have healing abilities that allow you to any energy you absorb in the form of food/sunlight, and you can use that energy to heal others. though, the healing can only go as far as healing minor injuries such as shallow cuts, scratches, or smoothing out scars. the same can work if you were to heal yourself.

Albedo is so intrigued when he finds you passed out in the pit of a meteor, half of your body hanging out while the other is awkwardly still in it

one, because who is this stranger in a meteor for crying out loud

and two, he notices your wounds on your arms are healing by themselves, slowly though

as someone who studies alchemy, life forms, and such, he's very intrigued that you're able to heal yourself without medicine, and he wonders if you can do the same to others

so he takes you to his lab, and runs a few tests

yes, you're still passed out when this happens, but he's just so curious and couldn't hold back

don't worry though, he's just drawing some blood and testing to see what you can do, because who knows, you may not even speak his language and won't be able to communicate with him (doesn't make a difference Albedo, you need COnSENT-)

so, just for science, he cuts the palm of his hand a little and decides to see if you can heal him

it doesn't take him long to notice the way the tips of your fingers are glowing a light greenish-yellow, so he immediately assumes that's the source of your powers and places a finger on his palm

it takes a second before anything happens, but eventually his cut starts to slowly close

once again he's even more shocked and intrigued

you have the natural ability and he's never come across someone with so much raw strength being able to do that

so you're right up his alley

when you wake up you're confused as hell (obviously) but thankfully, you can speak his language and are able to share your story

Albedo decides to make a deal with you

he'll help you get home if you can educate him more about your ability and your homeland. you agree

it works out perfectly, because you both have something the other needs/can do for the other (you have your power that he's interested in, and he's found a way for you to return home)

it's also easy to work together because of those same common interests, and it helps that he studies alchemy cause he's way more knowledgeable about you and the process can go a tiny bit quicker for you if you wish to return home sooner

at first you're merely friends, co-workers if you wish

but then he starts falling for you and vice versa

you both genuinely enjoy each others company, so you decide to stay in Teyvat a little while longer, even after he finds a way for you to go home

I wouldn't put it past Albedo to want to return to your world if you allow it

he'd be interested in this new or not so new world ;)

Xiao

you're like the traveler in a sense, where as soon as you climbed out of the meteor, you felt this connection to Teyvat and your vision randomly appeared. you have a dendro vision, something you learned was a rarity within liyue and mondstadt. along with that vision, you had the previous ability to grow/heal plants. you can bring back dead plants, though if they've been dead for a very long time, that's beyond your ability. they also can't be brought back if they've been badly burned.

Xiao may not be interested at first about what vision you have or even where you came from + why the hell you climbed out of a meteor

he's more interested in getting you home so you can stop asking questions about his own abilities/vision and odd, unfamiliar, but beautiful world

but boy when he catches you bringing back a wilted Glaze Lily?!? shook

he secretly thinks you're so cool and it piques his interest

he's never seen anyone do this before, and though his eyes were deceiving him when he first saw the lily spring to life again

but then when he catches you healing more plants, on your way to Liyue to hopefully find Zhongli for answers, he's so interested

he doesn't ask a crapload of questions, BUT he's going to ask at least one or two

"how're you doing that?"

"what are you?

the questions are kind of vague and require more in-depth explanations than he'd originally hoped, but he's surprisingly willing to listen to your story on the way to the harbor

after he learns your story and calls for Zhongli, he'll immediately leave and claim he has no further interests in you

but he's obviously lying

he finds as he's sitting on top of one the smaller mountains one night, looking down at the glowing Liyue town, he has more questions

way more questions

surprising Zhongli, Xiao shows appears when he's showing you around and getting you accustomed to the people/culture

he finds himself hoving behind you, shyly almost, never asking questions (at least not in Zhongli's presence

his reason for standing behind you is to protect you from any harm, so that way, when he decides to ask you more questions, you'll be there for him to do so and not dead or lost

when you tell Zhongli you'd wish to stay in Teyvat, specifically Liyue, Xiao is happy ngl

he can ask you questions and now that you're somewhat used to Liyue, having been here for four months already and planning to stay forever, he can catch you alone and ask questions without Zhongli hovering or acting as your tour guide lol

slowly, and I mean sluggishly slow, he's going to ask you more questions and he may, emphasis on may, tell you his own story

Scaramouche

you're from an alternate reality of Teyvat, a former doctor in your world. basically, Teyvat hundreds of years in the future. you've studied the human body to become a doctor obviously and you used to be able to bring back the dead using your bare hands. it didn't matter how far back ago they've died, as long as their full-body was still intact (full skeleton needed). though, the further back they died, the more energy you'd use, and if you run out of energy too soon, you couldn't bring them back. but now in this strange land, you can't. in exchange for your powers being lost, you're given an electro vision.

Scaramouche is tasked with finding out more about these odd meteors that keep appearing in various corners of Teyvat

and one very large one

he doesn't care who you are, what you are, what your excuse for being in Teyvat is, but he's been ordered to explore the fallen meteor and since you happened to be passed out inside it upon further exploration, you're part of the mystery he's been told to check out

and, it doesn't further help your situation that you landed in Snezhnaya, in the weirdest, not-so-warm clothing AND he finds you attractive (yes, you heard it here folks), plus you're going to catch hypothermia out here dressed like that

it would suck for a pretty girl such as yourself to be frozen to death

so Scaramouche decides to take you to the Tsaritsa, who leaves you in Scaramouche's care since he found you

she says he can do whatever he wants you, dispose of you, etc.

when you finally come too in an odd room on a couch in front of a fireplace, you're confused, cold as hell despite the flames, and when you see his face, you're immediately angered, which he finds odd

it's almost as if you recognize him... but he doesn't recognize you so he's confused as well

"what're you doing here?"

bold of you, he thinks. to question him with that tone as if you have authority here, over him

"watch yourself. I was going to ask you the same."

you don't seem too pleased with him though

"we agreed to never speak again, or so I thought..."

"are you stupid or are you just playing the stupid card to be released?" he'd say

though as soon as you burst and yell at him about a situation he's not familiar with, he's starting to understand a bit more

you're not from here, not anywhere in Teyvat at least, and by the way you're talking to him as if you know him, he assumed correctly that you're from an alternate reality, where he's also present

though despite his correct assumption, he demands answers and you cannot be allowed any kind of freedom until he gets them

you tell him your story and how in your world, a version of himself exists and that you were briefly married, though split because he was too much of a control/power freak for you and your daughter

he disagrees with the last part about him being a control/power freak ofc but

he decides he'll keep you around, against your wishes

one, because you can become useful if your resurrection abilities are awoken; you'd be able to save many fallen Fatui soldiers, with more training so you don't run out of energy ofc

and two, he doesn't think his other self would miss you very much if you're both on bad terms, he sure would miss such a pretty face if you were to leave though, that's for sure...

so, he's going to keep you around, so he can help train/get used to your electro vision. it works best that way since he has the same vision and can train you more efficiently (I think Scara has electro powers, just an assumption!)

he will also hopefully be able to awaken your resurrection abilities and if you can't, well then sorry you're disposable

overtime, all the Harbingers tease him about his little crush and he either denies it or strongly provokes it cause his ego is through his fucking hat

exhibit a. literally doesn't care that he's caught by childe staring at you train and will say something like, "and? you're just jealous she's not interested in you like she is me."

exhibit b. will throw a fit if someone accuses him and says he has, "no room for crushes or love." even if he was somewhat capable of it in your world...

3.22.21, rayofsunas

[merry-thieves]

Christopher and Grace scenes in Chain of Gold and Chain of Iron

“In the end it had been Christopher, looking more frightened than he had during the demon battle, who had offered to take Grace back to Chiswick in his carriage-”

““Christopher - was everything all right, dropping off Miss Blackthorn?” He tried not to sound as if he were too invested in the answer. Matthew raised his eyebrow but said nothing. “Oh, perfectly,” said Christopher. “I told her all about culturing bacteria, and she was so fascinated that she never spoke a word!””

Christopher is simply an icon and no one can change my mind about it

““Miss Blackthorn! Miss Blackthorn, what happened?” It was Christopher Lightwood, of all people. Grace knew him mainly as Jame’s friend; he seemed the least alarming of the three.”

“Christopher laid a hand on Grace’s arm and began to steer her from the room. Normally Grace heartily disliked being stressed, but Christopher did it in a kindly, not a domineering, sort of way. “Are you all right?! he said as they reached the staircase. “I was startled,” Grace said, which she supposed was truthful enough.”

“The chapel doors opened a crack - everyone looked up, but it was not Cordelia; it was Grace, escorted by Christopher.”

Well, at least Christopher isn’t afraid of her anymore ;) 

and she thinks he’s kind (which he obviously is!) <3

“She stepped inside - and jumped. There was Christopher Lightwood, perked in the corner on a wooden stool, turning a peculiar object over in his hand. What is he doing hiding in a corner? she thought furiously. Couldn’t he sit at the table like a normal person, where she could have spied on him properly?”

“- when Christopher turned and blinked at her. “Oh! It’s you,” Christopher said with his usual sunny smile. “I thought it might be rats again. Hullo, Grace.””

““But - aren’t you going to ask me what I’m doing here?” Grace asked, approaching the worktable. “Why would I do that?” Christopher seemed genuinely puzzled. “You’re affianced to Charles - surely you have a right to be here.””

““Would you like a quick tour of the laboratory? I dares it’s the best-equipped scientific workshop in London.” Grace was nonplussed. She hadn’t compelled him to offer her the tour; he’d come up with that on his own.” 

“She didn’t like using her power, really, she thought, as he led her a series of shelves containing tiny jars full of colorful substances and started telling her about a table of chemical elements...”

“She didn’t quite follow, but she surprised herself by wanting to know more as he talked about the purpose of various objects and instruments, the experiments he and Henry conducted, the things they discovered. Grace was reminded of the time he had given her a ride homeroom a picnic last summer during the demon attacks. He’d told her then about his love of science without being the least bit condescending, as her male admirers often were, or self-important in the way Charles always was. Christopher treated her as an equal whose enthusiasm for science was not only similar to his own but unsurprising.”

“Christopher blinked his unusual violet eyes. “Just because it looks like a stele doesn’t mean anything - especially if its purpose was meant to be disguised for some reason.” “Hold out your arm,” Grace said impulsively.”

“She touched the tip of the pithos to his skin and hesitated, suddenly unsure of herself. She momentarily wished she had used her powers on him; she was sorely in need of the confidence they would bring her. Slowly and awkwardly, she drew the enkeli rune, the rune most Shadowhunters learned to draw fist. Angelic Power.”

““This Creation rune here on your arm,” she said. “Are you terrible fond of it?” “No, not really -” Grace took the pithos and, with the tip, traced the Creation rune on Christopher’s arm. He watched her with interest, and then some surprise as the Creation rune shimmered - and vanished. Christopher’s eyebrows shot up into his hair. “What ho,” he said, sounding pleased-”

““No, I mean-” Grace wished she hadn’t said anything. “I only meant that you didn’t seem surprised to see me out a rune on myself.” “Why would I be?” Christopher asked, obviously confused- “You’re a Shadowhunter. It’s what we do.” Grace’s heart sank- Now Christopher probably thought she was completely peculiar - and for some reason, that bothered her.”

“Christopher gave her a sheepish grin. “I’m still in the early hypothesizing phase of my investigation.” He gestured excitedly as he talked, his hands - covered in stains and burns and scars - slicing the air.”

“Suddenly he stopped, looking stricken. “I’m sorry, Grace, this must be tremendously boring for you.” Grace gathered that boredom was the reaction Christopher was accustomed to from most people. But Grace wasn’t bored, not in the least. She wished he would keep talking”

“Very well,” Christopher said. “I am in your debt for helping me discover this device’s purpose, and happy to oblige.”

I have so many thoughts on this scene I’m probably going to do a separate post about it, just imagine me squealing and jumping up and down while reading this

Also, next to him being a huge science nerd, Grace seems physically attracted to Christopher, too : D

I think this is the only time we actually see Grace self-conscious 

But Grace, confoundingly, seemed to see Christopher clearly. Talking to her had been so easy that he’d forgotten to filter everything he said, going over it to make sure it would come out right before speaking. He would tell anyone about her sneaking into the lab, not until he’d had more time to think about it.”

“- not the way Grace seemed to be. She’d been so eager to look through the microscope at the gunpowder compounds he’d been studying; so curious to see the contents of his journals. But it was silly to dwell on it. Grace would likely never visit the lab again. It was too bad - many great discoveries had been made by teams working in tandem. Look at the Curies, who had just won the Nobel Prize for their experiments with radiation. Perhaps if he told her about the Curies...”

Aaaaand Christopher likes her too <3

I’m so ready for a Shadowhunter science duo 

So, any ideas what kind of scenes I should filter out next? Also, please tell me your opinions, theories, etc, about this lovely pair! I’d love to read them<3

@axoloteca @my-lady-of-roses @kit-12 @originalwinnercheesecake @woodworkjosie

[shadowhuntertrash]

tlh gang as funny first modern day impressions for @serene-victory-77

alastair - the first time alastair meets christopher he’s confused as to if he likes this kid or if he is annoyed. he meets him in their chemistry class. he goes through school with his head down because honestly he was really only there for good grades. when he was partnered with the infamous christopher herondale (yes his names was well known around school) he was slightly scared. christopher comes up to his table with a smile on his face and his goggles slight askew on his face. alastair is already leaning toward quirkily adorable. from the stories he’d heard christopher had a bit of a mad scientist rep, so he was happily surprised when christopher was less of a mad scientist and more of an evil genius. he did the experiment perfectly and then much to alastair’s horror, continued without any directions, going purely off his knowledge of the chemicals. when christopher was done he’d made a much more complicated version of the solution they were making and alastair was very thoroughly impressed. the teacher on the other hand, was not. they both got in trouble but alastair found he didn’t mind much. from then on out they were lab partners no matter what and it was quickly becoming alastair’s favorite class.

cordelia - the first time cordelia meets eugenia she thinks she is so badass. here’s this girl who could literally not give less of a fuck what anyone things about her. she has long curly hair that is either always down or put up into a messy bun. cordelia is slightly star struck by this girl who has just plopped herself down next to her in her ap calculus class. eugenia seems to bring a storm with her wherever she goes and immediately draws all eyes toward her. when cordelia looks at her eugenia just winks and crosses her ankles before leaning in slightly to ask if she has a spare pencil she could borrow. they became fast friends which surprised cordelia but literally no one else. they are very different but similar at the same time. cordelia is a badass but she is less obvious about it. she’s kind when she can be whereas eugenia doesn’t really stop to give anyone a chance to catch up with her unless she gets a good energy from them.

lucie - the first time lucie meets matthew is when he comes over to their house to hang out with james for the first time. at first he seems incredibly polite. he greets tessa and will with utmost grace and respect but lucie can tell it’s unusual from the way james’s face scrunches up in his tell tale expression of shock. she finds it amusing and decides to follow them for a while, matthew catches on quickly but instead of telling james they had a tag along he simply winks at lucie and pretends to lock his mouth and throw the key. she decides immediately that she likes this one. when they get to the indoor pool the first thing matthew does is push james into the pool. lucie couldn’t help but laugh which gave her away but when james went to tell her off and to get lost matthew pouts at james and said in an obnoxiously whiny voice, “jamie, let her hang out for a bit.” james turned to him and lucie was amazed to find them in a seemingly silent conversation before matthew smiled triumphantly and james groaned throwing himself back into the water as matthew gestured for lucie to come swim with them. lucie decides then and there that matthew by far her favorite of james’s friends he’s had over so far.

matthew - the first time matthew meets james is at detention. it would have been at debate but he had missed the first meeting for the club because his teacher had held him back to redo an activity he’d done completely wrong. he’d gotten detention that same period for disrupting the class (which was completely unnfair, he had just forgotten to take his adhd medicine so he was more restless than normal. when he walked into detention that afternoon there was only two other people there, neither of which he recognized. the teacher that was trapped into watching them was actually one of matthew’s favorite teachers, mr. lightwood (gideon lightwood, not to be confused with his brother gabriel who also taught there). about ten minutes into detention the door opened and one of the most attractive people matthew had ever seen in his entire life strolled through the door with a lopsided smile. mr. lightwood looked up and upon realizing who was there sighed heftily and shook his head. “again, james?” james just smirked wider and shook out his curly black hair, matthew’s stomach was doing a weird flip thing. ‘uncle gid, it really wasn’t my fault. the debate teacher just wasn’t seeing my side of the debate. he said my ideas were ‘crude and unnecessary’ but he was the one who asked what my opinion on dorian gray was. it really wasn’t my fault if she didn’t want a ‘mature’ opinion she shouldn’t have asked about a ‘mature’ topic.” mr. gideon simply shook his head but he was hiding a rather obvious smile. “go sit down, james.” with a confident smile he strolled over to where matthew was seated and turned to him with an outreached hand. up close matthew realized with another jolt to his stomach that james’s eyes were golden. “james, james herondale.” he said when matthew gripped his hand. matthew smiled widely. “matthew, matthew fairchild. i think we’re going to be good friends.”

thomas - the first time thomas meets alastair is his freshman year of high school. thomas will forever remember it vividly because alastair was the first person to really help him around school. he was so lost and he didn’t have anyone he knew so when this junior stepped up to show him around it was pretty cool. he was thoroughly embarrassed though because not only was this guy very very attractive but his friends were laughing at him. well not him, but thomas. alastair had waved them off and told him not to worry about them. he showed thomas to his classes and the main areas such as the library and the cafeteria. it was the first interaction of many but there were a few years until the next one. thomas never forgot his kindness and how he went out of the way to help the new kid, alastair never forgot either but for him it was more of a distant memory, the second time they met was the first meeting that left him with a lasting feeling.

james - the first time james meets jesse is when he comes to pick lucie up for a date. his immediate reaction is to evaluate if he is a good person and if he was good enough for his little sister. he held himself with an odd mixture of confidence and uncertainty. james had stood in the study with jesse for a while waiting for lucie to come down. jesse was fidgeting a lot which james recognized as anxiety which he himself had. he was slightly reassured by the fact that jesse was nervous. they were never really close nor did they ever become very close, seeing as james was practically always waiting for jesse to mess up or hurt his sister in some way. it lessened as time passed and jesse proved himself worthy in james’s eyes.

jesse - the first time jesse meets lucie it’s right in the middle of an epiphany in a story she’s writing. she’s been in a slump with really bad writers block for about a week so she can’t help her excitement when she finally has a breakthrough. jesse was sent by a professor (well professor herondale aka tessa the english professor aka lucie’s mom) to find her in the library to pass on a message and when he stumbles across a girl furiously tapping away on a laptop with a mad smile on her face and two pencils holding her hair up he is immediately enraptured. he goes to let her know her mom is looking for her but she simply tsks him and informs him that she simply cannot be disturbed and when he asks why she launches into a complicated plotline and jesse is so mesmerized that he can’t help but sit down and listen to an hour long rant about her novel and the characters. he misses his next to classes but if you ask him it was so so worth it. he soon becomes her person to rant to about intricately woven story lines and he can’t argue one bit. he was smitten from the first tsk.

christopher - the first time christopher meets cordelia he blows her up. well, nearly. he was experimenting and she happened to walk in right as his solution went awry. she had screamed loudly, more so from being startled than from injury but christopher had still rushed over to her and made sure she was unharmed. when he made sure that she was truly okay he apologized profusely and explained what he was doing and what he did wrong. she seemed genuinely interested which christopher immediately appreciated and he found he quite liked this girl. she was kind and smiled and asked questions when she was curious. there was no better way to get to his heart than by asking about his experiments (well, besides lemon tarts). every time they ended up staying for science after school he never failed to update her on his latest invention or experiment and she never failed to be attentive and curious. they worked surprisingly well together.

kamala - the first time kamala meets thomas is when she meets eugenia (her girlfriends) family. thomas was kind and the longer they talked the more he smiled and looked at her with an approving look. she had taken a liking to him almost immediately and had spent most of their time talking until eugenia interrupted claiming thomas was stealing her girlfriend to which thomas scoffed and rolled his eyes saying that there was no chance of that happening. kamala hadn’t understood the actual meaning of that until later to which she laughed until tears sprang to her eyes. eugenia’s entire family was kind and accepting but she knew she’d always have a soft spot for thomas and she did. she was always there for him and he, her. he became a brother she had always wanted and never gotten to truly have. eugenia complained but she couldn’t be happier with the outcome. 

eugenia - the first time eugenia meets grace she thinks she’s cold. she always has a careless and intimidating resting face and very rarely speaks to anyone as if they’re worth her time. eugenia’s blind reaction to having her on the cheerleading squad was not a good one and she worked her pretty hard until they finally talked and eugenia learned why she had so many walls up and why she was so cold. it took a while to unravel the mystery of grace blackthorn but they ended up being surprisingly good friends, especially considering they were both close to kamala. kamala being one of grace’s closest friends and eugenia's girlfriend.

grace - the first time grace met kamala she was in the locker room the cheerleaders shared with the dance team. grace had just gotten off a particularly cruel phone call with her mother and was trying her best to keep her composure but it was quickly slipping through her fingers. her throat was hurting from the strain of not crying and her eyes were burning suspiciously. she cleared her throat a few times in the empty locker room and almost jumped out of her skin when a girl poked her head around the corner with a concerned tilt to her lips. she had a kind face and it barely took a quiet, “are you okay?” for grace to break down completely. the girl had walked over quietly and bent down to grace’s level. grace wasn’t sure why but she felt like she had known this girl for a long time, it was a feeling of pure trust she had never felt before. there was something so calming about kamala, as she had introduced herself, that she found herself spilling things she’d never told anyone else. there was a lot left unsaid but enough was said for kamala to comfort her enough to get her to calm down. there was something so trust worthy about her that she found herself in the same situation a few more times in the weeks to come until they started to talk with no tears. it was definitely an odd friendship but they both valued it a lot.

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Zeke Tyler

(Not my gif)(Requested by anonymous)

(I have a lot of thoughts about this greasy little man and the way he acts with girls)

- Zeke Tyler had been driving you nuts for as long as you could remember. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration. He’d been driving you nuts for as long as you’d known him; that was more accurate.

- Freshman year, that was when it had all started. You were a year younger than him and had been the target of his harassment since the day you met him. You couldn't go a day without him blatantly making fun of you, trying to embarrass you or making suggestive comments towards you just; what you could only assume was, to make a fool out of you.

- You tried your best to either avoid or ignore him, mainly staying quiet since you were on the shy side; something that probably contributed to his eagerness to mess with you. Anytime you tried to respond, he found it amusing. Any curses or insults you’d give him back, or your telling of him to leave you alone, we’re all delivered in vain.

“Come on y/n/n, when are you gonna let me take you out?” He’d tease with a smirk and you’d just know that he was only messing with you.

- The thing is, you couldn’t have been more wrong. All his propositions and invitations were genuine, Zeke just didn’t know how to deal with his feelings for you.

- It was easier for him to be a jerk and sarcastic with you, that way he could have an excuse to be around you whenever he wanted and pretend like he wasn’t hurt when you’d inevitably reject.

- Because of course you’d reject him. He was a burnout before he even had the chance, a drug dealing senior who’d been held back a year. Hell, his parents didn’t even like him. Why would you?

- Funny thing is, as much as he tried to be a dick to you, even you could notice the occasional cracks in his façade, though you’d tend to try to write them off.

- An increasingly obvious crack was the fact that no one else was allowed to treat you the way he did. The minute someone else tried, he’d jump to your defense and turn on them, giving them shit or just telling them to leave you alone. He was possessive over his victims, yay!

- Okay, to be fair and honest and all that: You didn’t hate Zeke. You didn’t necessarily like him or the way he treated you, but you didn’t hate him. There was even a part of you that felt a strange attraction towards him; as much as you didn’t like admitting it.

- Which is something you ended up making known to him one day after school when you happened to be the only people left in the building. You were at your locker, he’d approached you and after he teased and once again “asked you out”, you finally spoke up.

“Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?” He’d grinned in response, waiting eagerly for your reply.

“Act like a jerk and then try to take me out. Why would I go out with you after you mess with me all day?”

“So you’re saying that you’d go out with me if I was nicer to you?” He’d asked lowly, taking a step closer as the two of you locked eyes.

- You stuttered out an objection before saying a flustered goodbye and making your exit. He should probably thank you for that advice one of these days.

- Taking your advice, Zeke “acts nice”; in his own special way. Instead of being a total jackass, he acts teasingly kind to you: always greeting you and asking how you’re doing, exaggeratedly opening doors for you, all but pleading to help you with things. He’s obviously still sarcastic but it’s …less obnoxious. It’s after a week or so of that, that things finally come to a head. 

- You were sitting outside in the hot sun, trying to do your chemistry homework while having no idea what the fuck it was talking about. Finally, you'd just about given up, putting your face in your hands while trying to get a grip before you completely lost it. That was when a quiet voice rang out from in front of you. 

- Obviously, it was Zeke and before you knew it, he’d taken your pencil and done the problem for you, telling you how to do it in a few easy steps. 

- A bit shocked but more than grateful, you thanked him quietly. He gave you a small smile and began to straighten up again, but just before he did, he met your eyes once more and asked if you wanted to hear something funny.

“I could have graduated last year, you know? …I mean if I wanted to, I could have, …but I didn’t. And I mean, I guess it was for a bunch of reasons but one of them ...one of them was you,” He’d started, looking away from you and to his hands which were resting against the table. “And I’m sure that sounds really stupid, but it’s a fact. …I guess what I’m trying to say is that I like you ..a lot, and I want to know, in all seriousness, if you would go out with me.”

You froze for a moment but just as he was about to leave; figuring you were going to turn him down like always, you’d responded with a “I’m free on Friday.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’ll pick you up at eight.”

- The two of you go and watch movies at his house for your first date. His parents are rarely ever home and that day was no exception so the two of you had the whole house to yourselves. 

- It was just after the first movie ended that the two of you shared your first kiss. He was settling back on the couch after popping in the second film when the two of you locked eyes. He slowly leaned in, his hand moving to gently brush against your cheek before his lips met yours, soft at first before becoming more passionate. 

- The movie was quickly forgotten about as he lowered you back against the couch. It was only until a loud scream erupted from the television that you were snapped out of your daze. You finally pulled away, gently holding his face in place and shyly mentioning that you should “probably leave it at that”, causing a grin to spread across his face. 

- It’s safe to say that after that, the two of you were officially addicted to each other. 

- Zeke really doesn’t whether people are watching or not, if he wants to hug or kiss you in public then they “can look away like normal fucking people”. 

- Handholding. Well, you’re sorta just holding his sleeve most of the time but that’s just how Zeke is. 

- Hugs from behind. He usually ends up nuzzling his face into your neck whenever he does. 

- Hairline kisses. He’ll pull you closer and give you one whenever you're leaving for class. 

- Soft kisses. As cocky as he acted, when you first started your relationship, he was always really nervous when going in for a kiss. 

- Cheek strokes. They’re the barest, featherlight touches you’ll ever feel but they’ll still make your heart race.

- Getting swept up in makeout sessions.

- Hickeys. He doesn’t really care about placement but if you protest, he’ll leave them in more hidden areas.

- Zeke takes it personally when you don’t want him being affectionate with you. He’s the boyfriend that asks what your problem is when you keep letting go of his hand or shrugging off his hugs/arm.

- Please cuddle him. He likes to occasionally pretend like he doesn’t like it or is annoyed by it but he sure as hell doesn’t let you go when you go to pull away.

- Him falling asleep on you. He’ll lay his head on your lap with his arms wrapped around your waist while you run your fingers through his hair or down his back.

- You get a few nicknames and pet names from him, usually things like sweetheart, Princess, and babe.

- He genuinely likes when you call him pet names. He’ll usually roll his eyes at you but then he’ll look away and try to hide his shy little smile afterward.

- Honestly, Zeke is really cute with you most of the times; especially when you’re alone together. Nose boops or rubs, forehead presses, sweet teasing comments. On the inside, he’s just a softie who really wants to be loved.

- One day, he just took off his ring and slipped it onto your finger while he was playing with your hands. He told you to keep it when you asked about it ...so consider that a promise ring because that’s what he secretly considers it.

- Massages. He’ll use any excuse to touch you honey; especially if it can lead to something more.

- Wearing his jersey. That is ...a kink, and that’s all I’m saying about that.

- Sitting on the bleachers and watching him practice after he joins the football team.

- Sharing food.

- He likes hearing you talk; it doesn’t even matter what about. You could be talking about completely meaningless bullshit and he’d be perfectly content with listening to it. He’s sort of just happy that you want to tell him things, and he just likes your voice.

- Book talk. He may or may not have found a secret love for literature purely because you were interested in it and in his English class.

- Zeke’s a smart guy, he just doesn’t try, so you tend to make sure he studies and actually does his assignments.

- Jokingly teasing him about his glasses.

- Hanging out in his lab with him.

- The two of you frequent school storage rooms and closets. You occasionally help him steal things but more often than not, the two of you just makeout in there.

- Going to junkyards and smashing stuff.

- Lighting off fireworks with each other.

- Bonfires.

- Watching somewhat amused as he plays pranks on and makes fun of people. You keep a bit of a leash on him and make sure he isn’t too much of an asshole.

- Sitting on his car in the parking lot together.

- Keeping him company as he smokes.

- Free drugs and free *all his other inventory*. That being said, he’ll occasionally refuse to give you something because he cares too much about you and doesn’t want to fuck up your life. He’ll usually say something like “you don’t want this” or laugh and tell you he “isn’t giving you any” when he does.

- I’m convinced that Zeke would actually be really good at calming people down from panic attack purely because of his history with drug users. If he can handle a doped up tweaker, he can handle you.

- Getting little surprises left in your locker, he may or may not pick your lock to put them there. But hey, if you ever need to get into someplace, he’s got it covered.

- He sort of thinks it’s funny to scare you, usually with his driving.

- Going on death rides in the middle of the night.

- Sneaking out to see him. Given the way Zeke is and; likely, his general reputation, your parents probably aren’t fans of him, and even if they were, they probably wouldn’t let you go out with him at midnight.

- Honestly, he sort of likes when you insult him; as long as it doesn’t hit too close to home. If you call him an asshole, he’ll probably just pull you into a kiss as he smiles.

- He makes sure that no one walks all over you; especially if you have a habit of apologizing for no good reason, he won’t let his girl be anyone’s doormat.

“You don’t have to explain yourself to no one. Just get in the fucking car.”

- I’m sorry but your boyfriend is a really jealous guy; mainly because he’s insecure and oftentimes feels like he isn’t good enough for you. He’ll ask what you were doing whenever he sees you with other guys and won’t forget about it unless it’s obvious that you aren’t interested in them and they aren’t interested in you.

- Zeke would wholeheartedly fucking ice an entire room full of people for you and that is the honest to god truth. The minute someone acts even the slightest bit antagonistic towards you, he’s on there ass like he’s your guard dog.

- Surprisingly enough, you and Zeke rarely ever have serious fights. More often than not, you just bicker with each other before settling things fairly quickly.

- When things are more serious, he’ll argue and curse but he hardly ever yells, unless he’s raising his voice for emphasis. The only problem that really arises when you’re fighting is the fact that he thinks it’s amusing or hot when you’re angry so he just can’t take you seriously a lot of the time.

- Zeke’s a bit of a jackass so he’ll corner you/pull you into secluded places and not let you leave until he speaks his peace when the two of you have had a fight. That being said, he does offer you a genuine apology after doing so, and usually pulls you in for a kiss once you’ve forgiven him.

- He tells you he loves you quite a bit, albeit really casually, like when you’re saying goodbye and he just says “love you” without thinking. He does get a bit embarrassed when it’s in front of other people though.

- He likes to imagine that the two of you will stay together no matter what happens but when he thinks about the future and all that comes with it, he gets a bit nervous. He thinks he’d make a shitty father; because of his own parents, even though he’s sort of really cute and good with kids.

[moonlayl]

Some people have asked me before why i don’t ship FitzSimmons, and while I’ve explained before that I did not in the least like the way they got together, or who their characters became once they became canon, that never really explains why i didn’t ship them at the very beginning in season 1.

So here’s my explanation:

I honestly thought they were twins. 

I’m sorry, but they literally fit like 5 different tropes related to twins. At first glance they seemed like twins. I actually had to search this shit up:

Finishing Each other’s sentences

Being referred to as one 

Speaking to each other while no one else understands

Not needing to speak to communicate

Their teasing/arguing was so sibling-like??????

the ‘ugh fitz’ frustration when it comes to his monkeys

‘technically only one is the oldest’ (that is fucking twin/sibling banter don’t @ me)

‘you guys are so tight it’s like you’re psychically linked’ That’s usually said about twins, just sayin

in general  a lot of the stuff they said and their scenes felt like things actual siblings would say. 

“Simmons loves studying more than life” (paraphrasing) that is definitely twin/younger brother trying to make fun of his ‘try-hard’ sister because she focuses more on studies (LITERALLY ME AND MY TWIN BROTHER)

Jemma acting a bit like an older sister/mom to fitz at times because she feels protective of him. 

the sandwich thing, the “there’s no time for childhood nonsense like this” “pranking was your idea” !!!!! SIBLINGS

The which one is sherlock and which one is watson argument

“do you think all scientists wear a lab coat all the time” “are we wearing them now” they literally sass others while in tune like two people who grew up with each other. 

they dressed so similarly in season 1 COME ON

idk, I genuinely believed they were supposed to be really good friends (obviously I quickly realized they weren’t actual twins or siblings)

And it didn’t help that Fitz clearly had a crush on Skye for at LEAST up to episode 13, and Simmons was clearly attracted to W*rd, Mike, and Trip throughout the first season, so that ‘confession’ seemed out of place. 

If you ship it cool ofc, but their dynamic resembled siblings to me so I could never bring myself to ship them 

(they also have zero sexual chemistry. They had a whole kiss/removing each other’s clothing scene and it felt like watching two siblings......YIKES)

[woozisnoots]

modest jeon wonwoo

° pairing: wonwoo x reader ° genre: university!au, host club!au, fluff ° word count: ~1.7k ° warnings: none! ° a/n: this had no business being this long and idek if i like it lol but I want to specifically dedicate this piece to @wonwoosimp​​ bc she’s literally the sweetest, best bean in the world [insert uwu meme here] thank you for gifting me my very first photocard, I literally cried opening it! I love you so much, I hope you enjoy!

welcome to the svt host club!

masterlist!

you entered university with a certain goal, a purpose. eventually, you were going to be the pediatric surgeon that the 13 year old you ushered you to be.

…let's just hope the knowledge of your brain was enough to get you through the first four years of pre-med. with your 3.7 high school GPA, you were lucky to get into your first choice college, let alone your current major

from the start of the semester, you dedicated yourself to studying the anatomy and physiology of the body until you knew every nook and cranny there was to know. and the library was the perfect sanctuary to get your shit together

as much as you loved your roommates, their constant fights over closet space and boy toys gave you no peace of mind what-so-ever

bless the library for being opened 24/7. If your roommates found you sleeping on their only working desk, you would find yourself waking up to the sound of tripping freshmen trying to get to their first 8am class right in the middle of the hallway

but the lone table in the corner of the library just on the third floor did you good at staying focused. even provided some good naps in between every now and then

the day before your first anatomy test, you LOCKED yourself in the library. no one was going in OR OUT of the premise just to sit across from you on YOUR table until you fully memorized the different layers of epithelial tissue >:(

gosh, you even scattered all your notes across the table just so people got the memo that this seat was: [OFF LIMITS]

yes, off limits to everyone except a certain jeon wonwoo.

the way you met was abrupt to say the least

besides your table, you had a pretty good view of the entire campus — from the main health science building all the way to the student parking lot

and just below you, an astonishing sight of a mob of screaming girls chasing after a mouse guy in glasses. not to be inconsiderate and heartless, but unless you heard someone scream bloody murder, diving back into your flashcard you go

tissue after tissue, you start to get delusional because at this point, everything is starting to look the same

slumping down into your chair, you take a second to mentally recharge, drinking the water you’ve neglected for the past three hours

you time yourself for a five minute break, going through the notifications on your phone

before you could read your roommate’s ongoing ramble on the latest update of the “crazy good looking, god-like, elite host club that the university has to offer”

a ‘club’ that you didn’t even know anything about nor cared for

you hear a loud ‘thud’ coming from the bookcase in front of you

from the side the tall, lean guy with glasses that you saw earlier emerged with his hands gripping his tricep

you try not to draw too much attention to him. half the reason being you didn’t want to embarrass him by laughing at the fact he ran into a 10 feet tall bookcase

and you did not need this man distracting you. it’s your eight week streak being this productive, a new record for anything you’ve done in your entire life and your pride wouldn’t let you have it if you lost it just because you saw an attractive man on sight

you scribble down a decent guess to the tissue identification question that you’ve been stuck on for the past few minutes, not bothering to look up

“that’s actually dense connective tissue, not smooth”

jolting up from your seat, you look up realizing the guy 5 feet away is now right in front of your face looking down at all your papers

“you can tell because they’re striated”

you stare at him in disbelief wondering how he could have gotten so fast with just looking at it for a few seconds. eyeing him up and down, he definitely looked around the same age as you but he wasn’t someone you’ve seen around the science buildings. and you would know since you took the liberty of familiarizing almost everyone within the department

“do you mind if i sit here?” his hands already on the edge of the chair ready to pull it out from underneath him

“...yeah sure”

“oh i’m wonwoo by the way,” he says as you both exchange awkward stares and knowledgeable nods

okay well since he’s proven that he might be of help to you, you might as let him stay. from what you’ve gathered, he didn’t have any stuff on him aside from his phone that you watch him get out of his front pocket, getting ready to play pacman

forget how attractive he is, this guy has some brains.

for the rest of the day, as you guys sat across from each other, wonwoo would occasionally bounce back and forth between giving you study tips and playing whatever game he decides to play at that moment in time

he was surprisingly really good at this? he knew more things about the subject than your professors did, and that’s saying a lot. like you’ve been looking at cells for WEEKS and you were lucky to get at least half of them. which begs the question:

“how do you magically know all this?”

the blank expression on his face tells you he wasn’t expecting that question but he quickly shrugs it off. “i just know a few things from my parents that’s all”

you would have questioned him further but the time on your phone read “22:57” and you already broke your number rule about sleeping early before a big test

as you pack up all your stuff, wonwoo pushes his chair in, bidding you farewell

“good luck on your test tomorrow!”

you appreciate the gesture, mentally thanking him for his help and proceed to go back to your dorms, preparing yourself to tell your roommate all about the exciting? day you had

“YOU MORON. JEON WONWOO?”

laying flat on your back on your bed, you cover the bottom half of your face, quivering under your sheets as you stare at your roommate’s outrageous outburst

you explain what happened and who you met today at the library. when your roommate asked to describe him in more detail, all you said was that he was pretty smart for someone who wasn’t particularly in your major

your roommate lets out a loud scream into their pillow, gripping the bed sheets before giving you the earful of the century

“he’s just being modest. he’s a korean lit major but he’s one of the uni’s top students since both his parents are the head of the science department.

…AND he’s one of the most requested host club members. so you caught yourself one big fish today bud.”

top student? science department? HOST CLUB? none of that was processing in your brain. the one club that you wanted nothing to do with and you just happened to meet their top money maker

grand.

the thought didn’t keep you up at night only because you thought that today’s encounter was just coincidence and you probably would never have to see him again.

(sad though, your roommate was right. he is rather good looking.)

the time that it took for you to take your test the next day flew by so fast that you questioned if it even happened. the first step you took out the classroom, you start to second guess all your answers, regretting that you didn’t check a third or even fourth time before submitting

your train of thought halts when you see jeon wonwoo standing in the empty hallway

“i’m sure you aced it”

and just like in a netflix original romance movie, he reveals a bouquet of pink begonias from behind his back while shyly adjusting his glasses

“these are for you. to congratulate you”

weird way to phrase it but you were still gonna take the flowers. “host club tendencies?”

“so you found out?”

from a distance, you can hear the rushing footsteps from downstairs followed by a sense of purpose. “i think i was bound to” :/

you didn’t know how you felt about the current situation. you had no idea what host club was until you got here and you still don’t know what they even do. for all you knew, this could just be a gesture to get them more clients

but if his actions were genuine… you wouldn’t mind seeing him again

“i have to start learning muscles for our next exam. heard it was one of the hardest ones. i’m not sure if you have more studying tricks up your sleeve?”

“i might.” a cocking little grin now appearing on his face

“good. same place at the library tomorrow then. and this time? try not to bring your dedicated fans wherever you go”

so these study sessions continued. you guys occasionally had to change spots - from cafe to an empty bio lab - if the mob ever saw a single hair follicle that might be his

but each time, wonwoo brought something more just himself. one day it would be coffee, others days it would be food. things to keep you motivated.

for a korean lit major, he was taking a lot of time out of his day to help you, being attentive to all the strategies that help you study and such

possibly making your assumption from months back, true.

by the time finals rolled around, aside from the spursts of review here and there, study sessions became more casual. you didn’t feel the need to overwork our brain since you already knew all the information (something you actually learned from wonwoo himself)

possibly the last meeting you’d have with him was similar to your first: just you two together but him playing on his phone. and yet before the night ended

“i have a proposal.”

“i’m not giving you money for your dumb club.” bold of him to assume you would-

“no but i really appreciate the thought :)

why don’t we turn these study sessions into… study dates instead?”

:0

your assumption after 6 months later: finally confirmed

“but that’s only IF you ace your finals.”

well let’s just say at the very end, you had a successful first semester and are now one step closer towards being the surgeon of your dreams.

plus, you even landed yourself a pretty cool boyfriend in the process

let’s hope his parents put in a good word for you when you apply to med school!

[cavanaghcharactersxreaderfics]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Earth-19 Harrison "HR" Wells/You, Earth-19 Harrison "HR" Wells & You Characters: Earth-19 Harrison "HR" Wells Additional Tags: More Fluff, valentines day, Romantic Fluff Summary:

As requested by Tumblr user Countlesswells: It’s been a good amount of time since he joined Team Flash but you’ve never really came around to speak to him. You’re much more reserved than the rest and that is what ironically draws him closer to you. His curiosity causes him to grow a crush on you. Over the course of a few weeks HR throws subtle hints and gestures expressing that you entice him. As the days begin to close in on Valentine’s Day he finally gets the courage to ask you out on a date.

HR Wells always managed to make a presence at STAR Labs. His arrival had taken everyone aback, and the discovery that his mind was far from a new Einstein caused tension. Eventually however, everyone settled into HR’s quirky and eccentric mannerisms. HR felt like he was finally home here at STAR Labs; he had friends and people who cared about him, they made him feel like he was important and had a purpose.

He managed to grow close to just about everyone except the one member of the team who usually hung back. They weren’t necessarily rude or unfriendly, but preferred to keep a distance. HR did his best to respect the distance, but found them to be alluring. They were a strikingly gorgeous individual, with distinct features and a kind smile that flashed every now and again when HR made a joke. HR knew very little about the distant figure, but something about them drew him in. Maybe it was the general mysterious aura, or maybe it was just his own curiosity. Whatever it was, his desire to break through to them was incredible, and HR was prepared to do whatever it took to get there.

You, meanwhile, were indeed quiet and reserved. You preferred a quiet moment of study in order to save up your energy for the outbursts of metas that were always just around the corner. HR’s undeniable energy in the building was occasionally distracting and you often found yourself looking up to him gazing at you with a curious expression splashed on his face. He looked upon you like a piece of art, which confused you greatly at first.

There would be times in passing when he would just give a simple compliment. Nothing forward or excessive, just something along the lines of “your hair looks great today,” or “your outfit is stellar, miss y/l/n.”

You always gave him a look, occasionally giving him a slight smile to reward his compliments. He always gave you the biggest grin in response to the smallest of smiles. You were perplexed by the short interactions you had with him. They were not unpleasant in the least, but his for a man so filled with caffeine and exuberant light, he was much quieter around you. It was almost a nice change to have someone respect your boundaries and not tell you that you need to get out more or need to be more social. He was respectful of your distance and quiet countenance.

You weren’t unfriendly in the least, despite what your exterior may have said to the world. You were guarded and cautious, which Team Flash admired, and they were grateful for what you contributed to the team. They were some of the few people in the world who seemed to genuinely understand you, and you were always willing to give back 100% to the people who gave you so much. Harry and you were always close, being similar in nature and personality. This was why you had been so cautious of HR when he first arrived. He seemed, at first, to be a very “in your face” kind of person and you had been pleasantly surprised to find otherwise through your moments together.

It was another cold winter in Central City. The late February wind practically blew you into the doors of STAR Labs. The sky was grey and cloudy with a threat of a snowstorm approaching. Shaking off the cold and stepping into the warm lab, you hung your coat and made your way through the circular hallways towards the Cortex.

A warm pink glow greeted you upon arrival causing you to smile. H.R., still hanging decorations, turned as he saw you walk in. He gave you his usual smile, spreading ear to ear and lighting up his pale blue eyes. “Y/n!” He said excitedly, jumping off of a step ladder where he was hanging paper hearts, “I take it you like the decor?”

“It’s definitely unexpected, but it’s really pretty. It’s also really early, how long have you been at this?” You questioned, looking around at the glowing pink lights, paper hearts, and pink tinsel that was strung about the cortex.

“Hmm,” he glanced at his naked wrist, “well considering I haven’t slept, I have been here for… a while.”

“You haven’t slept? Why not? It’s just Valentine’s Day, it doesn’t have to be as extravagant as Christmas, does it?” You giggled as HR passed you a cup of coffee.

“Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be horribly extravagant every year, but this year…” He paused, staring down into his own coffee cup, “This year deserves to be special.”

“Tell me now, HR, why is that?” You sat down spinning the chair round to face HR. This was the most conversation you had ever had with HR, you thought to yourself.

“Mon dieu! I thought you’d never ask! Well, this is my first time celebrating Valentine’s Day on Earth-1. My first time spending it with people I actually like and that, you know, seem to actually like me too. I know it’s usually a romantic thing and all that but, why not celebrate love for everyone? Friends, family, lovers, and, well, why not your dog or your hamster? I feel like so long as I’m here with all you guys, I might as well make the most of it, you know?” HR sighed, his long-winded expression of love completed.

You gifted HR your usual tiny smile, the corners of your lips barely turning up, “I think that’s a great sentiment, HR. It’s really sweet of you to do all this for all of us.”

“Funny enough, there is a bit more to this than just celebrating with BA or Francisco, I uh-” he paused again, “well, I have been meaning to, for some time now, well I mean I guess, I, hmm.” He stopped again, taking a moment to look around at the glowing pink decorations around him, “Ah, I guess there’s no need to beat around the bush here, I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight? I know you aren’t usually super social and I respect that, I mean there are days when I don’t even want to look at myself in the mirror, but that’s besides the point. I just mean, you know, I don’t want to pressure you into anything but you’re very attractive and more than that you seem like a genuinely wonderful person and it would be my honor to spend my first Earth 1 Valentine’s Day with you, if that’s okay?”

You sat in your chair, a full fledged smile on your face as you laughed.

HR’s face fell as tears came down your face as you laughed, “I’m sorry I just, I shouldn’t have said anything I guess, I, forget it.”

His hand rubbed the back of his neck as he started to walk off. You jumped from your chair and caught his arm, “No! HR I’m sorry, it’s just, no one’s ever asked me out in such a lengthy and genuine mannerism. It was a surprise to me. I know I’m usually not the most talkative person but, I’m more than willing to go out with you. In fact, I’m the one who should feel honored to have someone as sweet and genuine as you ask me out.” You took his hand, “HR, I will absolutely spend your first Earth-1 Valentine’s Day with you. I wouldn’t want to spend it with anyone else.”

HR absolutely beamed, “really? I mean, I’m honored that you’re honored that I’m honored. We can go wherever you want, we don’t have to go out either, we could stay in! I could make coffee and I could bake some biscuit-” you cut him off this time.

“HR, you’ve had too much caffeine already. Why not just go somewhere quiet for dinner, okay? Just the two of us, nothing big or loud, just quiet. Somewhere we can… talk.” You smiled.

“I would love, to talk to you, y/n. It’s all I’ve wanted.” HR put an arm around your shoulder, looking down at you with a smile. “Now, want to help me finish these decorations?”

“You have more?!” The room already looked as if cupid had puked on every surface.

“So SO many more.” HR said, deadpan.

“Well, hand me the string, let’s see how much we can cover Cisco’s desk in hearts.”

“You really are the woman of my dreams.” He dumped a bundle of paper hearts into your arms with a cheeky grin “let’s make some love.”

[retirementhomecollab]

☾ the witching hour

☾ decision: living room

☾ warnings: f!reader, supernatural themes (kind of), slight mockery of said supernatural themes.

☾ word count: 1.7k

You decide to head to the living room.

You think there’s no better place to get into the swing of the party. Making your way to the centre of the room, you think you see a few people you know, including a certain spiky-haired boy, leaning over a board game.

“This is bullshit,” you hear him grumble as you spot a small group of guys from last semester’s general biology lab (affectionately referred to as the biology for idiots course).

“It’s not bullshit,” Hanamaki argues as he leans forward and places his hands on something in the middle of the board. “Now put your fingers on the planchette, Hajime, I’m trying to get myself a ghost girlfriend tonight.”

Beside him, Matsukawa snickers. “Dude, I don’t even think you’d be able to land the chick from The Ring. Maybe we should just ask the spirits about when you’ll get a job.”

Kneeling across the board, Oikawa lets out a whistle. “Low blow, Mattsun.”

You skirt around the couch to get a closer view when the brunet spots you from the corner of his eye.

“Oh!” he calls out, waving you over with a sudden grin across his face. “Look who’s here!” he calls out to seemingly everyone but you. You watch the same smile form on Hanamaki and Matsukawa’s faces as they spot you too and you suddenly feel very reluctant about joining them.

“Perfect timing,” Oikawa purrs as he motions for you to sit between him and Iwaizumi. “We’d love for you to join.”

You draw closer, finally able to spot the game at your feet. An array of letters and numbers are printed on the board with ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ printed on the top corners. On the very bottom, beneath Matsukawa’s wrists is the word ‘Goodbye’.

“Oh no,” you breathes, the realization hitting you all at once.

“Oh yes,” Oikawa says.

-

You’re slotted right next to Iwaizumi now, shoulders touching as you listen to Oikawa’s lighthearted explanation of how to “properly” use the board. To your relief, it doesn’t look like as genuine as you would imagine it to be; the board itself is shiny and cardboard and the planchette is heavy plastic.

You’re not sure if the spirits care about this though, you never thought you’d be in the position to wonder.

“You don’t have to go along with this,” Iwaizumi speaks up from beside you. You glance at him. He’s wearing a pair of cargos with a loosely-buttoned dress shirt and an unzipped vest. His sleeves are pushed up to his elbows and from the way he’s leaning over, you can see the broad expanse of his chest from beneath his collar. Oh god. You look away.

“Aren’t you wondering what he is?” Hanamaki pipes up, cognizant of your not-so subtle once-over of his best friend. He opens his mouth to speak again but Iwaizumi interrupts.

“I’m an archaeologist,” he says quickly.

“A slutty archaeologist,” Matsukawa amends and you almost choke on your own spit.

“How am I a slutty—?”

“Your clothes are half off,” Hanamaki argues, cutting him off as Oikawa continues on with something about saying goodbye to the spirits.

“It’s hot in here! The place is packed,” he reasons but you can see the growing flush in his face. Knowing them, it’s certainly not the first time they’ve had this discussion tonight but you can’t help but feel a little flustered as well.

“Okay!” Oikawa claps his hands together. “Everyone in?”

You watch as Hanamaki and Matsukawa place two fingers on the planchette with Oikawa following suit. You hesitate and Iwaizumi does as well.

“Does this even work with all this noise?” you wonder uneasily. In every shitty horror movie you’d seen with an ouija board, the rooms had been candlelit and silent, with the board being the centre of attention. Your situation couldn’t have been more of the opposite.

“Dunno,” Matsukawa admits.

“Figured we’d try for the shits anyway,” Hanamaki adds.

“I’ll just watch,” you say, placing your hands in your lap as you watch them circle around the board.

“Me too,” Iwaizumi nods and you turn to give him a small smile.

Oikawa sticks out his bottom lip for a second before shrugging. “Fine by me.”

Despite the bustle around you, you watch with rapt interest as they take turns asking innocuous questions. It begins with simple yes or no inquiries; whether or not Hanamaki would fail economics this semester (yes) or whether Oikawa would get a girlfriend by Valentine’s Day (no).

“Hmm,” he pouts, clearly disappointed with the answer. “Will Iwa-chan get a girlfriend by Valentine’s Day?” he asks the board in a saccharine tone.

You watch as the planchette migrates across the board to land on the ‘yes’.

“Oh?” Matsukawa smirks.

“Oho,” Hanamaki muses.

“What?” Iwaizumi frowns. “Leave me out of this, Shittykawa.”

Ignoring him, Oikawa continues on. “Is the lucky girl someone we all know?”

The planchette doesn’t move off of the ‘yes’.

“Is she here? At this party right now?”

A second passes and you hold your breath. It still doesn’t move.

You glance at Iwaizumi but he’s glaring at Oikawa with murderous intent. The brunet conveniently looks away.

“Can you spell out the name of his dear future girlfriend?” he asks the board in a faux-hushed tone. Your eyes shift from the planchette to Iwaizumi’s hands, his knuckles white as he curls them into fists.

The triangle moves down the board to land on a letter.

And then another.

It takes you all of five seconds to realize what’s happening now; it’s spelling out your name.

Heat rises up your neck and you train your eyes on the wooden flooring in front of you, unable to look at the board anymore.

Supernatural or not, you can’t help but feel the warm bloom of embarrassment in your cheeks. Sure, Iwaizumi is attractive, and maybe it was incredibly difficult to work with him as your lab partner last term because you’d get caught up with appreciating the view, but you’d forced yourself to not think too deeply about it. Especially after you’d awkwardly parted ways at the end of the semester.

Sure, you see him around campus frequently, but it just isn’t the same as when you’d stay up together, slaving over ten page lab reports and commiserating over lost marks.

“This is stupid,” he mumbles before pushing himself off the floor. You watch as he heads towards the entrance of the apartment without even looking back. Oddly, you feel the urge to follow him out.

“We’ll say goodbye to the spirits for you!” Oikawa calls out cheerfully before turning to you.

“Could you do me a favour?” he asks, tilting his head. “Could you just make sure he doesn’t get lost?”

You could argue that this apartment was right next to campus and that the likelihood of Iwaizumi getting lost on the grounds of a place he frequented everyday was close to nil. But you already have half a mind to go, so you nod and stand up to follow him, brushing off your skirt as you approach the door.

The crowds of people grow thinner and thinner as you make your way back down the hallway and down the stairs, leaving the pounding bass of the music behind as you step into the chill of the night.

You shiver as you glance around the building’s exterior, looking for any sign of your former lab partner. The wind nips at your bare skin and you think you see a retreating figure on your right but before you can chase after it, you hear a familiar voice at your back.

“What are you doing here?” Iwaizumi questions and you turn to face him. The streetlamp casts harsh shadows across as his face as he looks down at you apprehensively.

“I was looking for you,” you reply simply. “Oikawa, he—”

“Man,” he groans, squeezing his eyes shut. “I can’t believe he fucking told you to—”

“I was also worried,” you interject, biting the inside of your cheek. “I, uh. I don’t know if the board works like that but it didn’t really seem like— it didn’t really seem like it was anything supernatural that was— y’know.” You gesture noncommittally with your hands.

“Yeah,” he says in agreement. “Yeah, I think they were just fucking with me. Sorry you got caught up in that. They can get out of line sometimes.”

You shake your head. “It’s fine,” you insist, eyes flashing to his. “I just don’t know why they’d use my name,” you laugh, cringing when it sounds a bit hollow.

Iwaizumi sighs.

“To be honest,” he begins. “Last semester, I…I kind of had a thing for you. Y’know, probably because we went on all those study dates and spent all those nights staying up together.”

You blink.

“Oh?”

Was he really…? Did he really…?

He runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I… I don’t know. It’s stupid. You probably don’t want to hear about this, anyway.”

“No,” you shake your head, a sort of giddiness settling in your chest. The wind bites at your cheeks but you can barely feel its chill anymore.

“I—I was so nervous I couldn’t even look at you sometimes!” you blurt out with a giggle as you come to terms with the absurdity of the situation. “You were just so…”

““So…”?“ he questions.

“So…attractive,” you admit abashedly. “It was so ridiculous, I couldn’t even make eye contact with you,” you gripe, recalling the dozens of awkward moments in which you felt like you were just going to keel over from being in his presence.

“You think I’m attractive?” he asks, dumbfounded, and you nod while staring at the space three inches above his shoulder.

“Why didn’t you—? Why didn’t we—?”

“I didn’t know,” you exclaim.

“I didn’t know, either,” he breathes, a small laugh bubbling from his throat.

“But now we do,” you offer, daring to meet his eye. The cold of the night does nothing to quell the spark you feel when his gaze lands on yours.

“Yeah,” he says softly. “Now we do.”

The flame inside you burns even brighter.

“Let’s go back inside,” he suggests, beckoning towards the entrance of the building.

“I think we have a lot to talk about.”

Pick a different room: > Go to the closed bedroom. > Go to the open bedroom. > Go to the balcony. > Go to the kitchen. > Go to the hallway. > Go to the bathroom.

[thenexusofsouls]

Muse: Ethan Cavender

[Bio and other information below the cut!]

Type of Character & Fandom/Source Material: An OC/canon mashup (an OC that is very heavily inspired by a canon character and therefore not wholly original) inspired by the character Ben in the movie The Apparition (2012)

FC: Sebastian Stan (but not from The Apparition, haha... Ethan is about a decade older than Ben)

Race: Human

Age: 32

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Heteroromantic/heterosexual, but hard to ship as his last two girlfriends were killed, so he’s not looking to endanger anyone else by starting a relationship

Occupation: Survivalist; online electrical/computer/robotics engineering consultant

Family: Parents he hasn’t seen in a decade; girlfriend, Lydia (deceased); girlfriend, Kelly (deceased)

Potentially Triggering Material in Threads: body horror (partially severed limbs, stretched faces, body parts stuck onto bodies in the wrong places or orientations, and/or bodies stuck in walls or other solid objects); demons; ghosts; insomnia; paranoia; PTSD; depression

Negative Personality Traits: He can be reckless, defensive, and standoffish. He sometimes gets nasty with people to purposely push them away so he doesn’t endanger them.

Positive Personality Traits: He’s a genuinely good person who just doesn’t want to be the reason why anyone else gets hurt at this point. He’s a lot braver than he realizes.

Background: Ethan was a typical midwestern kid growing up, and he always loved building things. despite his string of mind-numbingly boring jobs at places like Home Depot, Ethan was on his way to becoming a electrical and robotics engineer. He made it all the way to his senior year of college at age 22, but then dropped out without completing his senior research project or graduating. This was because of an incident that resulted in the death of a friend and his girlfriend at the time. Ethan and two friends, Patrick and Greg, and his girlfriend, Lydia, all of whom were students at the same university, decided to all work on one research project together, using space in the basement of one of the university buildings to set up their laboratory. Their disciplines spanned engineering, psychology, religious studies, and history.

Their hypothesis was simple: all paranormal events that cannot be explained by science are manifestations of the human mind. In other words, things like ghosts and demons exist because people believe they’re real. Once you believe, you can be affected by them. By using a trigger object (an object used in paranormal investigations to invite the energy of a spirit or entity, usually something from their life or visually representative of something the energy would be attracted to) and an electrical field designed to help focus all their brain waves on the trigger object, the four of them focused on a statue used in a similar experiment previously years ago and attempted to create an entity with their minds. At the time, they believed they were successful, because something did show up. It killed Greg and pulled Lydia into a nearby wall, never to be seen again. Ethan freaked out, quit school, and moved back home.

Two years later found Ethan moving into a new house with his then girlfriend Kelly. Everything was fine at first, but then strange things began to happen. The neighbor’s dog walked into their house and died. Things were moved around in the house. And odd occurrences like clothing being tied up in knots and objects being fused together began to happen. Around this time, Patrick reached out to Ethan, telling him that for the past two years, he’s been living in a Faraday Cage of sorts, a metal electrified cage that emits certain frequencies. This was apparently the only way he could stave off and survive the entity they “created” with their experience two years prior. The entity was captured during the experiment, and Patrick tried to get rid of it, to send it back where it came. Unfortunately, the opposite was done and the creature was set free. Not only were they completely misunderstood as to what the entity was, but it was far more intelligent than was previously thought. It also is angry that it was held captive and is systematically going after everyone involved with the experiment as well as their loved ones. Patrick contacted Ethan to warn him but also to ask for help in trying to destroy the creature again.

Long story short, it was a disaster. Patrick and Ethan set up another lab with Kelly’s help, and thy successfully purged the house of the creature... except for the garage. It hid in the largely metal-encased garage and was unaffected by the frequency-emitters employed during the purge attempt. Not realizing the entity still lived, the three let their guard down, and soon Patrick was killed, dragged into a dark room and never seen again, and Kelly was also killed, pulled partially into a wall and left there by the entity to die. Ethan assumed the entity would come after him next, however, with him being the last one left alive that had any part in the experiment that pulled it out of its own dimension and imprisoned it, the entity has decided instead to slowly torture Ethan. It hounds his sleep and doesn’t allow him much REM sleep, it manifests in frightening ways that give him nightmares, and it attacks and kills anyone who tries to help him or get close to him. Ethan travels with a cage similar to that which Patrick survived in for two years that he can put together in a short amount of time to protect him while he sleeps. Otherwise, he just stays on the road, working online because he’s not able to hold a normal job.

About the Entity or “Apparition”: This creature is not something that was produced by the minds of the college students in that original experiment. It is actually an inter-dimensional creature, basically an as-of-yet undescribed species/lifeform that exists in a dimension parallel to ours. The combination of mental energy and EMF (electro-magnetic frequencies) utilized during the experiment created a rift that let the creature come through. The attempt to send it back, left this rift open, and now the creature can enter our world and pull others into its world. It’s highly intelligent and methodical in its study of humans and the human world. It is curious about tangible life, for it is mostly an incorporeal being. I say mostly because it can manifest as a solid being for a time, and it does so partially to try and understand our anatomy but partially also to scare us and test our willpower, fears, and emotional endurance.

Because it does not fully understand humans and our world, its manifestations are often frighteningly grotesque (if you’ve seen any of the movies of The Thing, it’s kindof like that). It will try to look like a human, but the limbs are bent in weird ways, the head is on backward, the eyes are missing, things like that. So it’s trying to mimic and doing a poor job. Also, it likes to “play” with the human world, so an indication of its presence is the manipulation of solid objects such that they are changed on a molecular level. So... finding your flat screen TV suddenly embedded halfway into the wall as if it had always been a part of that wall. Having the wooden spokes of a staircase be curled in all different directions as if the wood had always been curved. Seeing chairs all melded together as if they’d always been that way. Those are all exampled of the entity playing with our environment in an attempt to better understand it.

In addition to not being able to cross certain EMF fields, the creature is also averse to bright light. It will avoid stepping into it directly and will become agitated if light is shined on it, such as with a flashlight or spotlight. It also does not like being filmed and will attack anyone with a camera or a phone pointed at it. It kills in two different ways. Either it grabs you and pulls you into its dimension, which either kills you once you get there or you get stuck halfway along the way and are killed by whatever solid object your body merges with, or it kills you simply with its residue. The creature leaves behind a black, bubbling, nodular substance or stain that is poisonous to living beings of our plane.

Here are some concept artworks of the creature in its natural form, which is incorporeal (trigger warning for demons/ghosts/skeletal creatures X,X,X), and when it tries to manifest solidly and mimic humans (trigger warning for body horror! X)

Potential Starter Ideas:

Your muse could meet Ethan and think he’s completely batshit crazy, heh. The entity has a habit of backing off for long enough periods of time to make it seem like he’s crazy. It seems to take some pleasure in this.

Your muse could offer to help him try and get rid of the entity, whether your muse is skilled with parapsychology or engineering, or even has magical abilities. Maybe your muse has connections to high-ranking/high-powered/cutting edge technology agencies that might be able to help sever the attachment between him and the entity or maybe even capture, kill, or send it back to its own dimension.

Since I write in the Marvel fandom, I welcome any and all magic user muses or SHIELD agents or anyone else who thinks they can help my rather hopeless and sleepy boi, heh.

Fun facts: 

Despite the very much not-funny reasons why Ethan is incredibly sleep deprived, the fact that he is often makes him turn to humor to lighten situations. He makes the worst jokes when he meets someone, trying to make the best of a crappy situation.

Ethan finished his degrees online, and now has a duel Masters in Electrical Engineering and Materials Science.

He’s gotten to the point where he can have short conversations with the entity in which it appears to understand him or at least be paying attention to what he’s saying. However, such encounters usually end in the entity becoming enraged and frightening him in some way with an upsetting manifestation, sometimes involving faces that look like either Lydia and Kelly.

[laverrie]

(Translation) (Rook Lab Uniform SR) My Hunter's Blood is Ablaze 2

Translated for a friend and decided to share! You can read part 1 here.

Please do not repost or reuse this translation anywhere.

[ Location - Alchemy Lab ] Rook: Oh? He should be taking this elective as well, and yet... I don't see him anywhere. Vil: Rook, what do you keep looking around for? That's very much unlike you. Rook: Oh, it's just that I can't find Roi du Leon anywhere. I thought I'd at least see him when he showed up to class, but... Vil: Well, it's Leona, so I'm certain he's skipping. I've never once seen him actually do his alchemy experiments the way he should. Rook: I see... What a shame. I truly wanted to compare how he holds a flask and beaker versus how he holds a fork and knife. Vil: I have no clue what you're going on about, but... I see you're sticking your nose into the business of people from other dorms, as usual. Rook: It sounds terrible when you phrase it that way. I'd prefer if you called it me doing fieldwork. Vil: It doesn't matter what you call it; it doesn't change the fact that your have terrible taste. Rook: Oh, my! Could you perhaps be jealous, Roi du Poison? You are the fairest of anyone here in the academy; you have nothing to worry about. Vil: Quit joking; it's not funny in the least. Rook: You're as harsh as ever. I simply don't tire of gazing at Roi du Leon all day, no matter what he's doing— especially when he's outside while the weather is wonderful. It makes me think of my homeland, the vast Savannah. ... Hm? Vil: What's wrong? Is there something out the window? Rook: Speak of the devil— it's Roi du Leon. He's dozing off at the edge of the sports field, beneath the shade of a tree. Vil: My, you're right. He's too far away for me to see, but distance isn't a problem for you, is it? Rook: Oui. My eyesight has been excellent since I was young, so I'm quite proud of it. [CG] Rook: Fufu. Ahh, he truly is the very image of a lion sprawled out on the Savannah. Vil: Just what is there to enjoy looking at? That man has no positive qualities besides his face. Please knock it off and return to our experiment at once. Rook: The king who rules the Savannah, Roi du Leon. Though he appears defenseless, his ears stand upright; proof he doesn't fail to remain cautious of his surroundings. However, his current position puts him at a disadvantage. Should he need to escape from a hunter on his tail, it'll only delay his initial reaction. Ahh, how I regret that I don't have my bow and arrow on hand. [/CG] Leona: ... Rook: Oh? It seems as if he noticed me. The senses of a feral animal are, as expected, quite sharp. Rook: ... Ah, it's made him leave. Fufu, I'll leave it be, then. Vil: You say that, and yet your hands still aren't moving. We are in the middle of an experiment, Rook. Rook: Yes, I'll focus on the lesson. Even a lion sleeping away the afternoon was able to notice me, after all. Vil: (Sighs)... You're our vice dorm leader, so I'll give you some advice; Leona is smart, but that man is nothing but a deadbeat... He's simply a burden and headache. Please take care not to get too deeply involved with him. Rook: Is that an order as dorm leader to your vice dorm leader? Vil: I don't mind if you take it that way; I'd prefer to avoid any disputes with other dorms. I don't remember appointing a fool who harasses herds of wild animals just to satisfy his trite curiosity as my vice dorm leader. Rook: Why, of course— I would never do anything to disappoint you. But no matter what I do, he sets my hunter's blood ablaze the instant I see him. It cries, "He's always so calm and collected... I want so badly to drive into a corner as my prey— I want to see him bear his fangs at me. I wonder when that day will come?"... like so. Vil: (Sighs)... So what you're telling me is that even people like you, who always look so calm, are actually brutal and ferocious in nature? If that's how you feel, then why don't you join the Magift club? He's the club leader, so I'm sure you'd get to hunt him as much as you want. Rook: That's an extraordinarily attractive idea, however... If I were to join the Magift club, I wouldn't be able to assist you with the film studies club you run, so my hands are tied. Vil: Oh, my. That's quite a decent thing to say all of a sudden. Rook: They're my genuine feelings. I've told you why I joined the science club, haven't I? Whether you desire smoke or fabric dyes, I'm here so I can fulfill your every wish in your pursuit of creating beauty perfect to the eye. For me, there's nothing more important than showering love and support unto all beautiful things. Vil: It's true that there's no one more fair than I in this academy. Being the vice dorm leader means you have the front row seat to your raison d'être, hm? So do take care not to do anything that would cause you to lose that position. If you cause pointless problems, I won't waste any time replacing you. Rook: I'll take care with my conduct so that you won't dismiss me. I'm much fonder of this vice dorm leader position than I am anything else. Because it is from here that I can view you, the fairest in all the school, from the best vantage point! Vil: Oh, is that so. Then cease running your mouth and actually work on this experiment. I absolutely will not tolerate the vice dorm head of Pomefiore's grades dropping. Rook: Oui!

[vs-redemption]

Crime is Common. Logic is Rare. (Ch 6)

Chapter Six: Friends (HawksxGN!Reader)

Plot summary: You thought your hands were full as a regular quirk geneticist, but then you meet Hawks and things get even more exciting!

Warnings:  

⚠️This story contains spoilers from the manga.

⚠️Some events and plot points have been altered from the original manga

Next Chapter : Chapter Guide

Doing research took time. That was the plain and simple truth. Rules and regulations had to be followed and any attempt to take a shortcut could result in a mistake that cost not only valuable data, but also supplies, money, and time. These were the facts Hawks’ research team complained about mostly on the first couple days of your little business trip, but you soon realized what the true problems were. They were all trying to do too much at the same time. The four armed department manager had multiple people working on multiple projects, plus they were trying to juggle the urgent jobs given to them by Hawks in addition to the long term studies funded mostly by the government, Hero Public Safety Commission, and other private organizations. You explained these issues to the head of the lab and helped brainstorm ways to prioritize jobs and make better use of the team’s personnel.

“This is why I’ve never even considered joining a Hero Agency until now,” you explain to Hawks over lunch near the end of the week. He always insisted on meeting with you each day to hear about the progress being made. It still sat strangely with you that he did this since it would be just as easy for you to write and submit a daily report so that he didn’t need to take unnecessary time out of his already busy schedule. He was fun to talk to though since he never talked business the whole time. “Scientists always go after jobs with heroes knowing they’ll have access to great funding and state of the art research technology. What they never stop to consider is that they’ll also have to work at the Hero’s discretion. That’s not a bad thing as long as you know that’s what you’re getting into and don’t mind working on research outside your area of interest. Anyway, we’ve set up a priority system to keep jobs relevant to you and the agency in the lab while moving long term, low priority projects out to local universities or private research facilities. I told your team to put together a list of places they want to partner up with for you to look over.”

“Hmm,” Hawks leans his head in his hand and grins. “You gave them homework, huh?” You let out a dry laugh.

“Yeah, I guess I did.” You admit.

“Well, it all sounds fine to me,” He leans back and nods his head. “Interesting though, that you’ve changed your mind about working for a hero. I take it you’ve enjoyed your time here?” He raises his eyebrows and tilts his head with a smile. You give him a pointed look and cross your arms.

“You don’t have to use your magic face on me,” You tell him in amusement. “Working at your agency has been interesting. I could certainly see myself fitting in, but you know I’m not the only one who could’ve solved your team’s efficiency problem.”

“Magic face?” He gives a big cheesy grin that makes his eyes squint adorably. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” you laugh and shake your head. “There are plenty of people in the science community around here that could’ve easily figured out a way to boost the speed of your research department. And, if you really need a geneticist on your team, you could’ve found one through the Hero Public Safety Commission. They’re the ones who do all of your recruiting anyway.” Hawks just stares at you for a moment before pointing a gloved finger in your direction.

“Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to look a gift horse in the mouth?” He asks.

“Well, I’m dealing with a gift bird so I figure the standard rules don’t apply,” you quip, earning a more genuine looking smile from the pro hero sitting across from you.

“I suppose you’re right,” he shrugs. “And if I’m being honest, the fact that you weren’t handpicked by the hero commission is one of the things I like about you. I already have enough of their noses in my business. Plus, I was hoping we could be friends if nothing else.”

“Friend, huh?” You weren’t sure how you felt about that comment. Obviously he was a great hero. He wasn’t the number two for nothing. He had the second highest approval rating in Japan and it was obvious why. He was young, attractive, and had an awesome quirk. He was also very charming. Too charming, actually. How much of it was an act? Who was the real Hawks? You had a feeling he was way more complicated than his laid back, fun-loving attitude suggested.

“Uh oh,” Hawks lets out a chuckle, “am I about to be rejected?”

“No,” you laugh. “I’ll be your friend.”

“Phew,” he sighs dramatically. “I don’t usually have to work that hard to win people over.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” you say flatly while gesturing both hands at him. “Magic face.”

“I still don’t know what that means,” He gives you another cheesy grin. “But it sounds like a compliment.” You roll your eyes and ask the waiter for the check.

“Oh, by the way,” Hawks tells you as you make your way back to his agency. “I won’t be able to have our daily lunch date tomorrow. I have a meeting with Endeavor.”

“Endeavor?” you choose to ignore that he’d called your little get-togethers ‘dates.’ “Like… the number one hero, Endeavor?”

“Oh, you know who HE is…” Hawks says dejectedly. You just laugh. “Yeah, I asked him to come out to talk about some things. I figured we should start working together a bit now that we’re the top two.”

“He doesn’t come across as a team player kind of guy,” You admit.

“Nope,” Hawks agrees. “But I managed to convince him.” You roll your eyes again. That pretty boy stuff even worked on a guy like Endeavor? What a world you lived in.

Hawks started talking about how much he loved sweet canned coffee after that, so you figured the stuff he was going to discuss with the number one hero must be more confidential information. You pushed the meeting from your mind until the next day when one of Hawks’ sidekicks burst into the lab you were in, shouting frantically to put on the news. You were horrified to see live news feed of Hawks and Endeavor fighting a terrifying looking Nomu in the middle of the city.

[pikapeppa]

Professor Solas/Lavellan: Oceanic

Chap 4 of Inadvisable (professor Solas modern AU) is posted!

In which Nare Lavellan throws caution to the wind when she officially meets Professor Solas for the first time. 😏 Featuring both Nare and Solas POV!

~4300 words; read on AO3 instead. 

*********************

- NARE -

Nare tapped her fingernails on her empty glass as she scanned the bar. I don’t see him, she thought in disappointment, then turned back to face her new labmates with a somewhat perfunctory smile. 

Merrill was in the middle of telling a story. She covered her mouth with one hand as she giggled. “After that, Professor Abelas has never eaten any of the baked goods I bring in. It was only the one time, though. I don’t usually put a tablespoon of salt in my cakes, I swear.”

“Don’t take it personally,” Tamlen said. “Professor Abelas doesn’t even eat storebought baked goods that are brought into the lab.”

“I think that’s how he got so tall,” Dagna said. “Not eating baked goods.”

Tamlen smirked. “Dagna, you think everyone is tall.”

She tutted and poked his hip. “Silly. I’ll let you get away with that comment since you always get the files down from the top shelves for me.”

Athera tilted her head quizzically. “Is Professor Abelas going to come to this mixer?”

“He already came and went,” Merrill said. “He always comes right when it starts and leaves within the hour.”

Athera’s eyebrows jumped up. “He came right at eight o’clock? I bet no one was even here yet!”

“That’s why he comes on time,” Tamlen said dryly.

Athera snorted. “That makes so much sense, actually.”

Nare briefly stopped scanning the room to grin at her. “Are you going to gossip about him now since you know he’s not going to show up?”

Athera scoffed. “I’m not going to gossip about a faculty member at the campus bar. I’m not stupid.” Then she smirked and elbowed Nare. “I’ll keep the gossip for when we get home.”

“Oh good,” Nare said brightly. “I still can’t believe you told Tamaris about your day while I was in the shower.”

Merrill clapped her hands. “Athera was so impressive today. You didn’t cry once!”

Nare looked at Merrill and Athera in genuine alarm. “Cry?” she exclaimed. “Why would you cry?”

Athera rolled her eyes, and Tamlen helpfully replied. “Professor Abelas is, uh, stern.”

“I think his face will crack if he smiles too much,” Merrill said. 

Tamlen cocked his head thoughtfully. “His frown does kind of look like a golem, doesn’t it?”

“Yep, it really does,” Dagna chirped, “and I would know. Golems were the focus of my undergrad thesis.”

“Were they really?” Athera said keenly. “I only had one single lecture during my undergrad that even talked about golems. What can you tell me about them?”

Dagna launched into an excited explanation of the role of golems in ancient Orzammar, and Nare took the opportunity to scan the room once more, even though she knew she shouldn’t be. Really, if she saw Professor Solas at this mixer, it would be better if she stayed away from him. 

But at the same time, if she stayed away from him and he saw her, that would be worse, wouldn’t it? She was his new Master’s student and they’d run into each other earlier today, even though he didn’t know who she was. If he saw her here tonight and she didn’t talk to him, it would be weird when she formally met him tomorrow in his office, as if she’d been avoiding him. And she had no real reason or excuse to avoid him.

Aside from the juvenile but persistent fantasies she kept having about his height looming over her and his gorgeous voice curling out of those plush full lips. 

She nibbled the inside of her cheek and tapped her empty glass. Then Athera nudged her. “You’re starting to make me nervous now,” she murmured. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Nare smiled at her. “I’m fine, I promise,” she said. Then she looked at her new labmates. “Does Solas — er, Professor Solas usually come to these mixers?”

Merrill nodded. “He does, yes. He’s probably here somewhere talking to someone.”

“Being told off by someone, you mean,” Tamlen drawled. 

Merrill tsked. “They only tell him off because they’re jealous.”

Dagna giggled. “Or because he embarrassed some Orlesian professor in one of their lectures by pointing out something wrong.”

Nare looked at him with wide eyes. “He does that in the middle of other people’s lectures while everyone is watching?”

“Yep,” Tamlen said smugly. “It’s kind of awesome, actually.”

Nare laughed, and Athera sighed happily. “I’d like to see that sometime.”

“You can, if you want,” Tamlen said, to Nare’s surprise. “Solas is insistent that all his lectures be open for anyone to audit. The administration almost had a fit at first because his classrooms were so packed that it violated fire regulations, but it’s calmed down a little bit in the past couple years.”

Nare stared at him. “Open for auditing? Wow.” That basically meant that Solas was doing his world-class lectures for free for anyone who wanted to listen. 

She sighed to herself. As if she needed more of a reason to have a crush on him. 

Merrill seemed to agree. “I think it’s brilliant. He’s trying to share the knowledge of Arlathan so openly! After so many years of their borders being almost completely closed to outsiders!” She sighed wistfully. “I hope I can go on an exchange to Arlathan someday.”

Dagna nodded enthusiastically. “That would be pretty amazing. Can you imagine how much we could learn?”

Nare smiled in agreement and glanced around, and her heart stopped.

There he was. Professor Solas was standing near the bar in a fitted blazer and a collared shirt, smiling politely as a dark-haired man spoke animatedly to him. 

Her frozen heart bolted into a galloping pulse. Oh gods, she thought. Oh gods oh gods. He was here. She was hoping he would be here, and now that he actually was, she thought she might pass out from excitement. Or from anxiety. One of the two. 

She tore her eyes away from him and smiled idly at Athera and the others, but she could barely pretend to be paying attention anymore. Professor Solas was there, standing right there not twenty feet away and drawing her attention more readily than a lighthouse beam.

All of a sudden, she couldn’t resist the beacon anymore.

She held out her glass to Athera. “Can you take this? I’m going to the washroom. I’ll be right back.” 

“Sure,” Athera said, but Nare was already walking away.

She twined her way through the crowd and slipped into the washroom, then stepped in front of the sink and stared at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were a bit flushed, but that could be chalked up to the crowded bar. Her hair looked good, half pinned-up and the rest spilling down her back in loose waves, and her makeup was surprisingly unsmudged. 

She took a deep breath to try and calm herself, but it barely helped; her anxiety was burning away and being taken over by excitement alone — a kind of reckless excitement that Nare was not accustomed to feeling. But then again, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this kind of spine-tingling excitement about anyone. 

Honestly, she couldn’t remember ever being this desperately attracted to anyone. Too bad he had to be her fucking supervisor. 

It’s fine, she thought. I’ll just introduce myself and talk to him a little bit. It’s fine. It’s perfectly innocent. 

She smiled at herself, then pressed her lips together to quell a stupid little giggle. Then, before she could lose her courage, she swept out of the bathroom and back into the bar. 

- SOLAS -

Dorian raised his eyebrows winningly. “Come now, Solas, you have to admit that a collaboration would be a huge opportunity. An exhibit developed and created by both of us focusing on the interplay between Tevinter and Arlathani culture over the centuries? People across Thedas will be discussing it.” 

“I will consider it,” Solas said. 

“You should,” Dorian said. “At most, a collaborative project could garner patrons and sponsors for several years’ worth of funding for both of our departments. At the very least, it will get people talking.”

“That’s not something I have had particular difficulty with over the past few years,” Solas said wryly.

Dorian chuckled. “True, true. You and Abelas and your controversial theories. Come, my friend, your glass is dry.” He leaned over the bar and signalled the bartender. 

Solas hastily held up a hand to stop the bartender’s approach. “Thank you, but no,” he said to Dorian. “And I’m afraid I will have to cut our conversation short. This mixer is intended for mingling with the students, after all.”

Dorian sighed playfully. “I hear your message loud and clear. You’re sick and tired of me nattering your ear off.” He stepped away from the bar. “I will let you be. But promise me at least that you’ll consider a collaboration.”

“I will,” Solas said. And he meant it. But just because he considered a collaboration with Dorian didn’t mean he would agree to one, even if it did mean more sponsorship and funding. The Ancient Elvhen Studies program wouldn’t need funding beyond the next couple of years, after all. 

Dorian clapped him on the shoulder, then wandered into the boisterous crowd. Once he was gone, Solas let out a sigh of relief. He was far more adept at these sorts of gatherings than Abelas was, and truthfully, Solas didn’t mind coming to these events; he was always willing to engage in a rousing academic debate or an in-depth discussion of art over drinks. But just because he enjoyed the debates and the discussions didn’t mean he wasn’t exhausted by the time the night was done. 

And tonight was only half-done. He’d only arrived about a half-hour ago, and he really ought to stay for at least another hour. It was simply unfortunate that tonight’s mixer happened to fall on the sort of lazy weeknight that Solas would have preferred to spend on his couch at home with a book in hand and Fenor purring happily in his lap. 

He sighed and glanced around the room. Then his heart flipped in his chest.

A beautiful young elven woman in the crowd was smiling at him. A young woman he recognized, actually. Long russet hair, big blue eyes, long bare legs in a dark red dress…

It was the woman he had bumped into this morning on his way to the library. 

Collided with, more like, he thought ruefully. He really should have known better than to read while he was walking, especially when he’d forgotten his reading glasses at home and had to squint hard at the page. 

He nodded politely to her. Her smile widened, revealing a dimple in her right cheek, and she slipped deftly through the crowd until she was standing in front of him. 

“Hi,” she said. “We meet again.”

“So it seems,” he said. He was a bit taken aback by her confidence; it was a contrast with how shy she’d seemed earlier today.

“I didn’t realize that you were a student here,” he said. As soon as the words left his lips, he felt foolish. How could he have realized she was a student? They hadn’t even encountered each other on campus.

Thankfully, she didn’t point out his inane comment. “That’s okay,” she said. “I wasn’t heading toward campus, anyway.”

He blinked. “That’s right, you weren’t. Where were you headed?”

“I went to the modern art museum to see the neo-Avvar exhibit.”

Solas raised his eyebrows. “Ah. It’s a fascinating display, isn’t it?”

“It is,” she said enthusiastically. “I love the range of mediums they use in their work. The textiles were especially beautiful. I don’t know anything about textile art, but I feel like it would have been so hard to dye the tapestries in that kind of colour blending without any modern tech.”

“The textiles are truly impressive, aren’t they?” Solas agreed. “Incredible that such meticulous weavework could be done with bare hands. The Avvar are known for not using machines for their weaving.”

Her eyes widened. “Really? I just assumed that they used a loom of some kind.”

“No looms,” he confirmed. “Those tapestries were made entirely by hand.” He chuckled. “I believe my fingers would seize if I ever attempted such a feat.”

Her smile curled mischievously. “I can’t imagine that. I think you have the right kind of hands for weaving.”

He looked at her sharply, amused and surprised by her boldness. “Do you, now?”

He was further amused when she blushed. “I just… I can tell you’re an artist by your hands,” she said.

He raised his eyebrows, and her cheeks flushed even further. “I just mean that your… you have beautiful hands.” She laughed and patted her pinkened cheeks.

Solas smiled helplessly at her. There was something utterly charming about her confidence combined with her embarrassment, and… fenedhis, he knew he shouldn’t be encouraging this. He had no idea what department she even belonged to. But regardless of department, she was a student, and he shouldn’t be encouraging any kind of flirtation.

His wayward mouth opened of its own accord. “Do all artists have beautiful hands then, in your estimation?”

She waved her hand haphazardly. “No, no. I’m just being silly. Mine are nothing special, for example.”

He studied her with fresh interest. “Are you an artist yourself, then?”

“I… yes, actually,” she said. “I’m, um… I’m a painter. Digital and traditional.”

A painter as well? That was a happy coincidence. “As am I,” he said. “If you are a painter, you should know that you ought not discount your hands as being nothing special. A person’s hands speak of their character, whether the hands themselves are considered classically beautiful or not.”

She tilted her head. “Can you tell me more about that, professor?”

A warm feeling bloomed in his belly, and he eyed her carefully. Her tone and her expression were innocent, but there was something about the way she said his title that felt… not entirely innocent, somehow. 

Against his better judgment, he held out his hand. “Certainly. May I?”

Her eyes widened. But before Solas could retract his unwise words, she lifted her left hand and placed it in his. 

He studied her palm and her fingers for a moment, then turned her hand over. “You are left-handed.”

She let out a breathless little laugh. “I… yes, I am. How did you know?”

“A writing bump, right here.” He brushed his thumb over the small callused bump of skin on the knuckle of her fourth finger. “Incidentally, you may want to reconsider the way you hold your stylus or your brushes in order to avoid fatigue.”

She gave him a teasing little smile. “Oh please. You should know better than to mess with how a painter holds her brush.”

He chuckled. “You make a fair point.” He studied her the back of her hand. “No nail polish, tidy short nails: also indicative of a painter.”

“Nice try,” she said. “You knew that already.”

He looked up in surprise at her drawling tone, then grinned and released her hand. “You have caught me. I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything of note about your hands.”

She laughed. “Don’t say that. You figured out that I’m left-handed.”

He bowed his head politely. “You are overly generous with your praise.”

“Maybe you can make it up to me,” she said.

“What do you suggest?”

She cocked her head. “You could draw my hands sometime.”

His belly flipped. Her eyebrow was quirked, and there was no mistaking the coquettish angle of her head.

He cleared his throat and folded his hands behind his back. “I… don’t think so.”

“Why not?” she asked.

“I… anatomy is not…” He faltered before he could tell the lie that anatomy was not a specialty of his. “It has been a long time since I did any anatomy studies,” he said instead. 

“Really?” she said. “I got the feeling that you’d be an expert at handling anatomy.”

The warm feeling in his belly flared hotly — and perversely. He gave her a chiding look, but he could feel his traitorous lips curling into a smile. “This is… hardly appropriate,” he said in a low voice.

Her cheeks flushed once more. She smiled at him, then dropped his gaze and tucked a stray strand of hair over her ear. “I know. I’m terrible, I’m sorry. Do you want me to leave you alone?”

No, he thought. Truthfully, there was nothing he wanted more than to continue this conversation with this alluring young woman. But he couldn’t keep this up. It was against university regulations. 

“It would be inadvisable for this conversation to continue,” he said carefully.

Her answering smile was sheepish this time. “You’re probably right.”

“The faculty handbook confirms that I am,” he said dryly. 

She laughed. “I guess so. Well, will you have a drink with me? Just a drink,” she said quickly. “A collegial drink, I promise.”

Her sky-blue eyes were wide and innocent – deceptively innocent. Solas eyed her shrewdly for a moment, then gave in. “I suppose one drink can’t hurt.”

She beamed at him and leaned over the bar to signal the bartender, and Solas idly studied the shape of her spine. Then his disobedient mind conjured an image of her bending over the desk in his office with her spine curved in a similar shape. 

Mortified by his own thoughts, he hastily tore his eyes away from her, but her voice instantly called back his attention. “Professor, what would you like?” 

Professor. She couldn’t keep saying his title. It was doing things to his imagination that it shouldn’t be doing. 

He looked at the bartender. “Half a pint of Arlathan pale ale, please.” He looked down at his overly-tempting companion. “And for you?”

“Vodka tonic for me,” she said, and she pulled her wallet out of her purse. 

Solas held up a hand to stop her. “Allow me.” 

A slow smile began to curl her lips. By the time she was grinning, Solas’s heart was pounding in his throat. 

She laughed softly. “Buying me a drink? That’s very collegial of you.”

Her tone was suggestive, and he liked it far too much. “It is collegial, in fact,” he said. “I can charge it to my department since this is a university-hosted gathering.” He gestured for the bartender to add the drinks to his tab.

 “Ooh,” she said teasingly. “That’s a clever loophole.”

Vixen, he thought incredulously. He couldn’t believe he’d ever thought she was shy. She was bold and beautiful and tempting, and she made him want to be bold as well.

And that thought – that wish to meet and match her boldness – was one that he absolutely could not entertain.

He forced himself to hold back the flirtatious comment at the tip of his tongue. “It is not a loophole. It’s the truth,” he said instead. 

She nodded and sipped her drink. Her expression was pleasantly neutral, but her eyes on his face were sly and warm, and Solas knew he ought to look away. He ought to break from her gaze and look at something else – anything else, really, aside from this beautiful woman that he absolutely should not be thinking about in increasingly carnal ways.

But he couldn’t look away. Her eyes were so clear and bright, and even in the dim light of the campus bar, he could see that they were an unusually lush shade of blue: not quite sky-blue like he’d originally thought, but a deeper, richer shade closer to cerulean. 

Solas gazed into her cerulean eyes and sipped his ale, and she stared back at him as she sipped her vodka-tonic. By the time Solas had finished half of his drink, he still hadn’t broken from her steady gaze. Neither of them had said a word, and as he stared into her eyes and mindlessly sipped his drink, he slowly realized that not only were they not talking, but that they shouldn’t talk.  

No, he shouldn’t talk to her anymore. If he said another word to her, he would only be digging himself deeper into the hole she’d started. 

He finally broke from her heated gaze to drain the last drops of his ale, then placed his glass on the bar and leaned toward her slightly. “This is an impossible situation.”

She blinked at him – such an innocent gesture, but her pinkening cheeks betrayed her. “What do you mean?”

He lowered his voice. “You know precisely what I mean.”

She didn’t reply. Instead, she grinned at him again: a bold, beautiful grin full of mischief and heat that made him want to sink into her right here on the spot. 

He licked his lips, and her cheeks flushed even more. Then her purse chimed loudly. 

He hastily stepped away from her, and she exhaled loudly. “Damn,” she muttered. She pulled her phone out of her purse and checked the screen. 

She wrinkled her nose, then looked up at him once more. “I have to go. My friends are leaving and I said I’d leave with them.” 

He sighed – with relief, of course, certainly not with disappointment. Truly, he should be thanking whoever had sent her such a timely text. “I see,” he said. He nodded politely. “It was nice talking with you.”

“You too,” she said. But she didn’t step away. She was studying him thoughtfully, and as Solas met her gaze, he realized what her eyes reminded him of. 

They reminded him of the ocean: the perfectly clear ocean off the coast of Arlathan. And if he wasn’t careful, he was going to drown himself in her oceanic eyes. 

He stared at her, his heart pounding and the blood thrumming through his body in a way that was really not appropriate for such an event. Then she stepped close to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. 

He froze. She was lifting herself on her tiptoes and leaning in close to him. Her heated eyes were coming closer, and his lungs were frozen and his brain was completely paralyzed with excitement as she raised herself higher and nearer to his face…

He parted his lips – to tell her to stop, to back away, certainly not to invite a kiss – but before he could say a word, she brushed her lips over his cheekbone in a demure Orlesian greeting.

She lowered herself slowly back to her heels, and her hand left his shoulder. “Goodnight, professor,” she murmured. 

He didn’t reply. He couldn’t reply. The sound of his title in her voice and the brush of her lips on his cheek had left him utterly stunned. 

She smiled at him one last time, then turned away. His hand moved involuntarily to reach for her, but he stopped himself in the nick of time. 

A second later, she had disappeared into the crowd. 

Solas stood stock-still at the bar for a long moment. His pounding heart was a drumbeat in his ears, drowning out the cacophony of conversation and music and laughter in the bar. Heat and disbelief and desire were thrumming through his limbs and into his cheeks and — fenedhis, he couldn’t ignore it any longer: he was hard. Shamefully hard and throbbing, his mind totally preoccupied with the feeling of her lips on his cheek, brushing over his cheekbone so close to his mouth — such pretty smiling lips. Ah, to imagine those smiling lips wrapping around his shaft and taking him deep into her throat…

He rubbed his hand over his face. He couldn’t think like this. He didn’t understand why he was so deeply affected by this particular woman. It wasn’t like this was the first time a student had come onto him, and it had never been a problem before to tactfully rebuff them while making it seem as though he was unaware of their intentions. 

So what was it about this particular young woman — this particular student — that had so captivated him that he was suffering from all sorts of tawdry thoughts that he really shouldn’t be having?

I should avoid her, he thought. If he avoided contact with her, he could avoid having any further carnal thoughts about her. Perhaps if he asked the administration to look up her name, he could…

Suddenly he realized something: he didn’t know her name. 

She hadn’t introduced herself before launching straight into a conversation with him. 

He laughed softly at his own sheer idiocy. Had he even introduced himself to her? Had his wits entirely left him the second she’d graced him with that mischievous smile?

He drew a deep breath, then exhaled heavily and stepped away from the bar. Enough of this, he thought. You must stop thinking about this. He ought to spend more time speaking with the students; he hadn’t even spoken with any of the students from his own lab yet tonight. What he really should be doing was looking for his new Master’s student, Nare. Surely she was here tonight. Perhaps she had found Merrill and Dagna. 

I should have stayed home with Fenor after all, he thought morosely. With one last sigh, Solas stepped back into the crowd. 

[kurowrites]

Prompt Nr. 1 for @onemuseleft: You had an assigned seat next to them at a wedding for a mutual friend. I altered it a tiny bit. Also one day I will write a Guardian fic, but today is not that day (sorry!).

---

Truth to be told, Wei Ying didn’t exactly know what he was doing here. He would have been invested in the proceedings if this was his sister’s wedding, or his brother’s (if it was ever going to happen). But this was the wedding of the daughter of one of Jiang Fengmian’s business partners, and Wei Ying had no idea why her family had thought it necessary to invite so many people. Including Wei Ying, who had absolutely nothing to do with his stepfather’s company.

To make matters worse, his entire family had been divided when they were seated. Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan sat with other important business partners, while Jiang Yanli was sitting with her peacock husband (UGH). At a third table, Jiang Cheng was seated together with what Wei Wuxian assumed were eligible young daughters of the aforementioned business partners. How either A-Cheng or the daughters escaped, Wei Ying couldn’t tell, but he was internally preparing for a whole lot of complaints once this was over.

And then, there was Wei Ying. He had been seated at a table of mostly men around his age, which he was grateful for. No eligible young misses for him. What he was less grateful for was the fact that most of his seatmates barely opened their lips, and obediently listened to all the speeches and the entertainment without even cringing at the terrible allusions to the newly wed couple’s sex life. Wei Ying had to tune out after a while and studied the faces at his table, instead. There was a group of four to his right that was very average, and mostly stuck out by the fact that they only conversed among each other, giving Wei Ying no opportunity to strike up a conversation. On his left were three men, all dressed in light blue and accents of white, which Wei Ying thought was a rather odd choice, but Jiang Cheng just had had enough time to whisper to him that these were from the extremely wealthy Lan family, and apparently, the colour scheme was a whole thing.

It wasn’t just the clothing that set them apart from the rest of the crowd, however. All three of them were exceedingly handsome, and two of them looked so alike they might have been twins. There was one major difference between the two maybe-twins, however; while one of them had smiled at Wei Ying in a friendly way and introduced himself as Lan Huan as he sat down; the other one looked grave and severe, and had only just said his name (Lan Zhan) before he sat down and kept his silence. And, with Wei Ying’s luck, it had been Lan Zhan whose seat had been directly next to Wei Ying’s. Which meant that he would be without a conversational partner for the entire duration of this banquet.

Finally, finally, they were spared another round of speeches and were served the appetizers. At least he had something to do now, so Wei Ying enthusiastically went for the food. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the little group of Lan family members to his left. They all ate with elegance and restraint. Every movement looked carefully studied. Was this a model shoot or what? Wei Ying couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t ever seen anyone eat so prettily.

And they just had to put Wei Ying next to these people, he thought uncharitably, so that it would be perfectly evident that he was a boor.

Once the food was finished, Lan Huan carefully wiped his lips with his napkin (there was nothing to wipe off) and smiled at Wei Ying, leaning slightly forward to get a good look around Lan Zhan’s tall figure.

“I understand,” he said in a friendly, conversational tone to Wei Ying, “that you are the adopted son of Jiang Fengmian?”

“Yes,” Wei Ying replied, a little embarrassed that this was still the way in which he was known in these circles: Wei Ying, the unfortunate orphan who was lucky enough to get adopted by an affluent business magnate. “But I have nothing to do with the company.”

“Ah,” Lan Huan said, making an agreeing sound. “What are you doing then?”

“I’m still at university, working on my PhD in Bioinformatics.”

Lan Huan looked slightly impressed at that, and started asking him questions about his research. Wei Ying was relieved. He could talk about his research endlessly, and if there was anyone who was willing to actually listen (no thanks to A-Cheng), he was even happier.

“Oh, you study at Gusu University?” Lan Huan asked when Wei Ying mentioned his lab. “You should have lunch with Lan Zhan sometimes, then. He’s also at Gusu, though he’s in humanities. He’s also doing a PhD.”

“Wow,” Wei Ying said, turning to Lan Zhan and trying not to get discouraged by the forbidding expression on Lan Zhan’s face. “Humanities, huh? I was too stupid for humanities. Too many possibilities. Give me some numbers, I can handle that much better.”

“I am sure Wei Ying is very smart.”

It was the first time since his taciturn introduction that Lan Zhan had spoken at all. Wei Ying blushed at the compliment. He had been called smart before, but all too often, it felt like empty flattery or even a dismissal of who he was as a person, but this… this felt entirely genuine. To say such a thing after holding his silence for almost an hour, Wei Ying couldn’t help but react.

“Thank you. I’m sure Lan Zhan is smarter than me.”

Lan Huan laughed quietly in the background. He turned towards the other member of the Lan family, apparently the cousin of Lan Huan and Lan Zhan, and started speaking to him.

Wei Ying stared at Lan Zhan, trying to figure out what to say next, but now that Lan Zhan had turned to him, he couldn’t help but notice what beautiful eyes Lan Zhan had; strangely expressive eyes that were complimented by a handsome (though invariably serious) face. To have the attention of such an attractive man all focused on himself made him feel slightly embarrassed.

Then he remembered that he was shameless, and he leaned forward with a smile.

“But Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan, if you’re really at the same university as me, we should definitely have lunch! My lab mates are such bores, I tell you. They always eat lunch in the lab! They never go out! So antisocial! I’m lonely!”

At first, he was almost sure that Lan Zhan was going to retreat, going to reject him out of hand, but then, to Wei Ying’s surprise, Lan Zhan hummed in what must be agreement.

“There is a vegetarian takeaway just next to my office,” Lan Zhan said quietly. “It is very good.”

Wei Ying felt his smile get bigger. “Oh, really? You have to introduce me, and tell me all the best orders!”

“Hn,” Lan Zhan agreed.

“Hehe, it will be fun,” Wei Ying enthused, pulling out his phone. “You should give me your number, so I can ask when you’re free!”

Lan Zhan carefully took his phone and entered his number and even his email. When he gave it back to Wei Ying, their fingers brushed. It was an innocent enough touch, but somehow, it felt like Wei Ying had just stuck his fingers into an electrical outlet.

Nervously wriggling in his seat, he looked down at the information Lan Huan had entered.

“蓝湛, huh,” he said once his brain had gone online again. “A very fitting name.”

“Thank you,” Lan Zhan said. Then he kept staring at Wei Ying silently.

“Oh!” Wei Ying suddenly realised. “You want my name? It’s–”

 The wedding banquet was over far, far too soon. Suddenly, the last dishes were cleared, the last entertainments were had, and the night was coming to an end. Everyone was getting ready to leave.

But, Wei Ying thought as he took his leave from the Lan family and returned to his own, waiting for him, it had been time entirely well spent.

He kept clutching his phone in the car on his way home, staring at the last message he had received despite Jiang Cheng’s strange looks.

I’ll see you soon, Wei Ying.