#i would get rejected one (1) time and decide to never leave the house again

[delilahsturniolo]

don’t take it out on me.

written by: @delilahsturniolo

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Summary: in which matt has a bad day and takes it out on his girlfriend.

this story contains: angst, crying, arguing, yelling, comforting/fluff, kinda physical argument? (just one or two shoves) & slight anxiety attack

Let me know if i missed any ^^

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“don’t take it out on me”

“i’m out of sympathy, for you.”

I sat on Matt’s bed, mindlessly scrolling on my phone. The triplets were out filming a car video, I haven’t seen Matt all day. I checked the time, it was 11:36 PM. They should be driving back home by now.

I went into my text messages and clicked on Matt’s contact.

IMESSAGE

Matt ❤️

hi baby! are you guys done filming?

read 11:37 PM

I furrowed my eyes in confusion as I waited for him to respond, but he didn’t. He left me on read? That was so out of the ordinary for Matt, he would normally always respond to my messages. I put my phone down, deciding to brush it off and think nothing of it.

Before I knew it I heard the front door open, footsteps walking into the house, followed by Nick’s loud giggles. I heard someone coming up the stairs and approaching the room.

The door opened, it was Matt. He entered his room and shut the door, not saying a word to me. “Hi baby!” I exclaimed, getting up off his bed and walking towards him, wrapping my arms around him.

Instead of returning the hug, he immediately pushed me off of him. I stumbled back a little, shocked at his sudden action. I watched as he headed over to his closet, getting his pajamas.

“Matt? Are you okay?” I asked hesitantly, not daring to move from where I was. Matt had never in his life pushed me off of him, or rejected a hug from me. I was really confused but decided to stay patient with him.

“I’m fine.” He grumbled, coming out of his closet. I frowned and spoke up again. “You don’t seem fine, you look upset.” I crossed my arms.

“I said I’m fine! I’m not upset, okay? Jeez.” Matt snapped at me, picking up his phone and looking down at it, completely blocking me out.

“Why are you being like this?” I questioned in a frustrated tone, he huffed and glared at me, throwing his phone down on the bed.

“I have no idea what the fuck you want from me, y/n! Just leave me alone! Is that so hard to ask?” Matt yells, I felt my heart sink. I clenched my fists and stepped closer to him. Our faces were inches away from each other, the tension and anger was filling the air. Usually, Matt would never dare to raise his voice at me, but this was different. This never happened before.

“Stop yelling at me and tell me why the fuck you’re so angry!” I yelled back at him. Matt scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I just had a bad day, it’s no big deal.” He said, his voice laced with bitterness and irritation.

I glared at him angrily. “Well, don’t take it out on me! I was so excited to see you and you come home and act like this?” He reached out to touch my shoulder but I pushed him back, a little harder than I should’ve.

Matt immediately grabbed my wrists, yanking me closer to him. His grip was excruciatingly tight. “Don’t fucking do that.”

I winced in pain as me grabbed me. I yanked my hand away from him and walked out of the room, tears filling my eyes.

1 hour later…

I was in the bathroom, I finished brushing my teeth and put away my toothbrush, wiping my face. Matt was in the room, scrolling on his phone. We still hadn’t spoken since our argument,

I went over to the sink and looked in the mirror, I looked a mess. My eyes were so tired, they were red and puffy. My mind kept replaying the argument with me and Matt, all the yelling and screaming was all I could think about. No..all I could think about was Matt. This was so out of character for him.

The bathroom was connected to Matt’s room (i know it’s not actually but just pretend) and the door was open. I looked back at Matt, who sat on his bed and looked down at his phone. I sighed, letting out a shaky breath.

What if he never forgave me? What if he was going to leave me? Were the type of thoughts that were consuming my mind. I felt my eyes water as tears began streaming down my face. My ears were ringing and my vision was blurred by my tears. I let out a pained sob, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

Matt’s head immediately snapped up and toward the bathroom as he heard sobs coming from it. “Baby? Are you okay?” Matt called out, but no response.

He threw his phone down, not caring that it hit the floor as he rushed into the bathroom. Right now, his girlfriend was his top priority.

He entered the bathroom and spotted me crying my eyes out. He didn’t hesitate to come over to me and immediately wrap his arms around me, holding me tightly against his chest.

“Shh…it’s okay love, I’m here, I’ve got you.” He whispered into my ear, gently rubbing my back in a soothing motion. His heart was breaking.

I sobbed into his chest, clinging to him tightly. “Don’t cry baby, please don’t cry. I love you so much. So fucking much.” Matt spoke softly, gently rocking me back and forth, he held onto me like his life depended on it.

“Can you take a nice deep breath for me?” Matt said, taking a deep breath himself so I could copy him. I sucked in a deep breath, copying his breathing pattern.

“Good job sweetheart, a couple more.” He took more deep breaths and I followed him. Eventually, my sobs subsided, and we were just hugging in silence.

He pulled away and gently wiped my remaining tears away. He suddenly spoke up.

“I’m so sorry y/n. I should’ve never yelled at you, or treat you like that at all. I just had the shittiest day ever, but that’s no excuse. You’re the most beautiful and perfect girl ever, inside and out. I promise you, you make me so happy and I love you. No matter how angry I am, that will never change. I’m so sorry.” Matt gently caressed my cheek. I felt myself smile at his genuine apology.

“Theres that gorgeous smile!” Matt exclaimed, I laughed softly.

“It’s okay Matt, I forgive you. But, if you have bad days you know you can talk to me right? I’m always here for you.” I replied, looking up into his bright blue eyes.

“Of course. I’m sorry I didn’t come to you earlier, baby. I should have never taken out my stress on you.” Matt apologized once again.

“Matt, it’s okay. Stop apologizing.” I chuckled, Matt smiled at me. He suddenly slung one arm under my arms and his other arm under my legs, picking me up bridal style. I gasped at the sudden action. “Matt!” I giggled. He playfully threw me onto the bed.

He covered me in a blanket and grabbed his stuffed animal, mr wrinkleton and placed him next to me. “I’ll be right back, pick out a movie and keep mr wrinkleton company for me.”

I nodded, hugging mr wrinkleton against my chest as I picked up the remote, scrolling through movies. I decided to pick The Notebook, one of my favorites.

Soon enough, Matt came back. He held a bunch of drinks and snacks in his hands, I laughed as he struggled to carry all of them. He set them down on his side table.

“Matt..this is so sweet.” I blushed, Matt looked down at me, admiring me. He handed me a bag of chips and a soda.

“Anything for you, gorgeous girl.”

He plopped down on the bed next to me and I started the movie. Matt scooted closer to me and wrapped his arms around me. I laid my head on his chest as we watched the movie, his hand gently running through my hair in a comforting way.

“I love you, my pretty girl.”

“I love you too Matt.”

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AUTHORS NOTE 💌

hii!

this is my first fic, so im really

sorry if it sucks, but i hope you enjoyed it, i had a lot of fun writing this! don’t hesitate to send in requests or give me feedback. 🤍

i love u guys

© delilahsturniolo

[coralseacourt]

Broken Love 🪸by @coralseacourt

Summery: The youngest Acheron Sister gets rejected for Elain

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Azriel X O/C

He broke me.

Left me in Pieces

He took my heart away.

Held it in his hands , before squeezing it slowly.

Until nothing of it was left to be repaired.

2 months prior.

I was fae. My skin flawless with only a hint of color to my cheeks. My long ash blonde hair had turned more gold and shiny than they ever had been.

I was sitting in front of the mirror staring at myself, bright green eyes looking back at me.

So much had happened since Hybern, my life had changed completely.

No more poverty , warm nights instead of the cold rifts that had swept through our House.

A clear view of a starlit city and not the so familiar colorless woods.

I couldn’t identify myself with the person staring back at me and i had no one to share it with.

Feyre was now High lady and a mother with a lot of responsibilities.

But this meant also that she had less time to be present in my life, which I didn’t fault her for.

It also wasn’t her fault that I somehow always seemed to be invisible to everyone. Nesta and Elain had never been interested enough in me to care.

They had each other.

After all of the Events in the last months i had started to feel lonely. I had thought that with the birth of nyx I could be more involved, maybe helping feyre out with the baby.

But I only had seen him once which was weeks ago. They had invited me to Dinner I had been so excited to get out and see my nephew but the evening had ended with everyone interacting with each other and me sitting alone in a corner of the room .

That was the moment I decided I would not go again.

And it seemed I had gotten what I wanted. I wasn’t invited to another Dinner.

I couldn’t understand what I did wrong.

At the beginning I had thought Azriel would be a friend. He had offered me his favorite books to read .

We had talked. Sometimes all night long.

But then it stopped and I had noticed the looks he had given Elain.

Of course he looked at her, not me. She was beautiful. Even more since she was Fae

As much as I didn’t want to admit it to myself I had loved his attention , had loved that he had cared.

Something I never had experienced from anyone else besides Feyre.

I pulled my knees to my chest and laid my chin on them. Maybe I was a ghost , haunting everyone around me with my company.

I shook slightly my head and stood slowly up to leave for Dinner in the big Hall. No one ever joined me .

Cassian had at the beginning, before him and nesta were mated.

Now I was a third wheel and I had changed my dinner time early enough so he still would be at training while I was eating.

I entered the big hall and sat on the long empty table .

My food arrived immediately after.

Potatos ,red cabbage and a meat loaf.

It looked delicious, but it tasted like paper in my mouth.

I leaned my head on my hand while poking around in my meat.

”Is Everything alright, violet?”

I looked up , surprised to see Rhys leaning against one of the pillars that connected the flooring with the Sealing.

His entire Form screamed suspicion and my alarm bells started to ring. “Yes of course, why wouldn’t it be ?”

I tried not to look away from his narrowed eyes so cold and calculating.

”It’s been a while since you joined us for Dinner and I had to wonder why that is.” I shrugged nervously my shoulders, not sure what to say . But decided to tell the truth.

“ I wasn’t invited,” He raised his eyebrow and I continued.

“And even if I would have been invited , I probably wouldn’t have come.”

Surprise lit his face.

Possibly because he didn’t expected me to answer honestly?

I m sure he had read something in my Head.

I hadn’t practiced to build up walls around my mind, hadn’t seen the need for it.

I had no powers.

I was practically invisible to everyone especially Rhysand , who would have only cared if I had any magic.

Which i hadn’t.

“Why wouldn’t you have come? Are you not happy for your sisters? Are we not providing you with everything you need?”

I gulped at his words, sometimes I had the feeling Rhys was waiting for something.

Like a hawk with his prey.

“ Yes , thank you I do appreciate it. And I m very happy for them. “ Whatever Rhys saw in my mind seemed to satisfy him. His arms relaxed and his facial expression calmed down but was replaced with confusion.

“I don’t understand .” It seemed to bother him.

“ It’s just .” I stopped myself not sure how to explain.

So I showed him. The loneliness, the feeling of invisibility.

It took less effort than having to explain.

“Do you want to be seen?”

Was all he said , his hands tugged away in his pants pockets before turning around and just leaving.

Did I?

All night I had to think about his words. Did I want to be seen?

Did I do this to myself?

This isolation?

I planned to change everything starting tomorrow morning.

🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸

The next morning I was up early.

I put some comfortable pants on and a shirt that I could properly move in.

When I walked into the dining hall for breakfast, I had 3 pairs of eyes on me. Azriel, Nesta and Cassian were sitting together at the table.

I took my seat next to Azriel and started shuffling my food down, still feeling their stares.

“What are you doing up so early?”

Looking over to the big Illyrian that my sister was mated to I answered.

“ I was thinking that maybe I could participate in training today, if that’s ok. “

“No.”

My sister seemed to almost smoke from anger .

I couldn’t hide my surprise.

“No? Why? Everyone is allowed to.

The priestesses,you even Elain started recently.”

I was frustrated now .

I had to do something, I didn’t want to sit around and be miserable.

“That’s different, we earned it. You didn’t.”

Both males stared at nesta like she had grown a third eye.

“ Nesta I m sure we could start her on some easy warm ups.” A soft spoken voice next to me stated. Az.

“I m not helping her . If she is doing anything, she will have to do it with one of you.”

And with that she stood up and left.

“I go talk to her violet, she doesn’t mean it.” “She does, and you know it.”

He only gave me an apologetic look before leaving.

“If you like then i could train you.”

I looked at the Shadowsinger beside me and gave him a small smile .

“Alright. Thank you I really appreciate it.”

🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸

We started training immediately.

Spending daily time with each other .

It felt like it had at the beginning.

I knew he only did it because he felt bad for me but I couldn’t help falling for him .

His soft way of talking with me .

All the ways he tried to make me stronger with each training session.

It was what I had always wanted ,being useful.

Having someone that is willing to listen and understand me.

Everything was how it should be until the faithful day where everything changed.

🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸🐚🪸

“Arms up , like this.” Azriel pulled my arms higher making my position slightly straighter.

“Yes and don’t lose tension . Keep it exactly this way and don’t lower your eyes .”

I nodded.

Sweat running down my face, my breathing heavy and my muscles hurting.

“Violet , I said don’t look down.” He was standing in front of me his hair tousled and his eyes glowing with anger.

“ If you don’t listen to what I say, then this is useless. “ He pulled on my arm twisting it and throwing me on the floor with him on top of me his dagger pressed to my throat.

“ See. This is what happens if you lose tension in your arms, anyone could use your weakness against you.”

He was looking down on me.

Eyes so intense that I couldn’t look away. Could only feel his weight on me .

My stomach tightened. My heart raced. “Do better, learn faster, pay atten…”

His voice stopped mid sentence.

Nostrils flared, pupils blackened.

Oh god could he smell my arousal?

My cheeks flamed and Embarrassment grew inside of me.

“I …I “.

I didn’t know what to say he still had the knife pressed against my Throat.

Which he now threw to the side of the ring .

“Are you attracted to me?”

His voice was Shocked, completely stunned.

I bit my lip and tried not to crumble under his gaze.

What a fool I must be.

He was here. Spending his time helping me train and I wasn’t even able to keep my feelings to myself.

His eyes darted to my lip movements and he nervously wetted his own.

“Are you?”

“Yes .” It was senseless to deny it, he clearly could smell it.

My head turned to the side, looking at the training equipment.

Everything was better to look at then seeing his face in that moment .

“ You shouldn’t.”

His hand softly pressed against my cheek turning me back towards him.

But instead of taking it directly away again, he dragged his thumb slowly over my cheek towards my lips.

Touching them. Opening them slightly.

I gasped quietly.

His smell was intoxicating.

It filled my lungs with the heavenly scent of Cedar and Night Rain .

In one sudden move he turned us and i now was on top of him straddling his Hip.

I shivered, when I could feel something hard touching my core.

His hand dragged me down to him.

Our mouths so close I could feel his warm breath on my skin.

“You really shouldn’t .”

His eyes glowed darkly before he pressed his lips against mine .

I couldn’t believe it.

Was this really happening?

I kissed him back and completely surrendered myself to him.

His tongue licked slowly over my lips telling me to open . Which I happily did.

I could feel his hands roaming over me.

Touching, grabbing .

The heat between my thighs getting unbearable.

His mouth started to wander in a wild and impatient way, going down my Throat.

Biting, teasing.

I couldn’t hold the sounds back that emerged from me.

“Azriel “.

I groaned his Name when he started to move my Hips against his in a rhythmic way .

I had never felt something like this.

My heart was pounding and something was building up.

I bit my lip while still feeling his kisses on me .

But in one Moment I was in heaven and the next he threw me off.

I landed on my back a couple feet’s away from him.

Looking up the sealing and trying to catch my breath , I blinked confused.

“I need to go . Elain is waiting for me.” And with that he stood up and practically ran from the training room.

Part 2,

[cafeinthemoon]

It's a Fire - Chapter IV

Chapter 4

Wordcount 4,3k

Title Difficult Task

Fandom Kimetsu no Yaiba / Demon Slayer

Previous chapters

1 . 2 . 3

Symbols ⭕ ➕ 🖤

Warnings: mentions of grief and loss; parent issues; feelings of abandonment and rejection; issues between employees and employer

Tagging @chiyokoemilia (If you want to be tagged in any of my stories, just leave a comment on this chapter or send an ask or a message)

N. A.: This chapter took days to be finished, not only bc of its length, but mainly bc I was finding it a bit confusing. I wasn't sure of how I should portrait this "advance" in reader and Shinjuro's relationship, neither how much of reader and Senjuro's grief after the scene in the living room: sometimes I thought I just wrote enough, and other times I though it wasn't as emotional as it should be, so that what you're going to read is the best I could come up with.

Soon I'm going to return to work, so Idk how things will be, so I ask you a bit of patience and thank you in advance for supporting me :)

It wasn’t shame what you felt when you looked into your stepson’s eyes, neither it was fear or irritation for being caught in a place where you shouldn’t be: it was the concern that he might have observed your face for long enough to read your emotions with too precision for someone his age. And, in fact, you were tempted to show a passionate reaction, whether to confirm or to deny your feelings, just for the sake of getting that weight off your chest, but you tightened the reigns around your tongue and didn’t do any of this.

This is adults’ problem. He doesn’t need to share this load with us.

Senjuro looked around, as if waiting for someone to show up suddenly and, after making sure it wouldn’t happen, stepped into the room.

– So… you found out about the living room? – he questioned with the usual hesitation – It’s been a while since this place was visited. Except for the maid.

You still felt your eyes burning with the things you were seeing there, but you wouldn’t burst out in tears. You sighed and crossed your arms.

– Yes, I can see that – after an embarrassing silence, you forced a smile while observing the photographs – Now I understand why I had no permission to enter this room. I should’ve obeyed the rules.

– But you’d find out about this sooner or later, I guess – was the boy’s reply – And my father isn’t here, anyway. Not even he uses to come here anymore.

You swallowed.

– If that’s the case, we better leave before he returns to the house.

He agreed and you walked out at that moment, taking care not to mess up anything, thus creating proof of your passage there.

***

You were sitting on a wood bench somewhere in the garden, as you used to do during the breaks between one training session and another or when you decide to eat lunch there, which was that day’s case. It was a safe spot to relax, as well as to talk.

And you had too much to talk.

Still embarrassed, you took the responsibility of starting the conversation.

– I should never enter that room. No matter if I escaped without being caught, it was wrong. But it’s too late for regrets now, I guess.

You said those things with a calm that surprised even yourself. When you first spotted Senjuro in the doorway, you swore you wouldn’t be able to look at him again, and even worse it would be to face your husband once he got back, trying your best to hide what you did from him, but that wasn’t how you felt now. You were rather sad for what you discovered, and for the things such discovery implied.

Senjuro noticed this too, and he said that to you.

– You don’t seem so mad about the photographs, y/n. I thought you’d be offended that my father keeps them in an entire room instead of, like, a drawer.

You gave him a sad smile.

– Why would I be mad by this? I mean, I could imagine him keeping photographs and other memories in drawers like you say, and seeing the whole room full of them was… unexpected. Still, I’m no one to judge – you lowered your tone, as if the next thing you’d share with him was more of a delicate conclusion – Instead, seeing them got me thinking about your situation here.

The boy frowned.

– Situation? What do you mean?

You moved on your spot, as to shake off the discomfort of entering that strange territory.

– Well, I’ve been avoiding intrusions, but this time I can’t help it. Senjuro-san, your family... was beautiful with your mother and your elder brother there. I’ve felt that as soon as I’ve put my eyes on those photographs. Your father… – you felt your cheeks getting hot with what you were about to say, but you ignored the sensation – He’s a completely different person by their side, and yours. He looks really happy there. I could never imagine him like that, you know? I guess this is what surprised me most – you bit your lip – Because, when I found out I’d have to live with you, I had no idea of what I’d see here, and after the things I’ve experienced, seeing our life together as something positive was impossible. But, then, I’ve saw your family as it once was… And understood that the issue is deeper than it first looked. The loss you’ve both endured… that’s too much…

A leaf fell from the tree behind your bench. Senjuro held it on his right hand.

– I understand what you’re trying to say. I was too little when my mother passed away, so I barely remember her except through the photographs and the things my father and my brother told me. I only remember what happened to my father when he lost her. My brother would speak more about this if he was here because he felt that too, even more after he became a Hashira – the leaf twirled between his fingers while he spoke – Slowly, that enthusiastic, gentle man who raised us turned into a bitter stranger. He started to drink. He spent most of his time in his room, and when he left it, he barely looked at us. Everything he held dear lost its value to him. It was strange, like watching someone you love dying in front of you, while another person takes their place. It was like losing him soon after losing my mother…

Senjuro’s voice cracked a bit in those last words. When you raised your eyes to him, you noticed him sobbing. You didn’t think twice: approaching the boy, you just passed your arms around him, as to assure his right to cry. You looked around, at the weather, and realized the blur in your sight: you were crying yourself too.

You did your best to put yourself together, and waited until your stepson was able to do the same.

– When my mother died, my father changed too – you adjusted yourself in your spot – He never had a problem with drinking or anything like this, but he wasn’t the same man who raised me. He started to isolate himself and making senseless decisions concerning our house, our business and everything else. Half of our staff left us, and even the people of our village noticed we were having problems. Our situation became worse when the stories about Oni started spreading among the common folk, and my father, not knowing how to deal with the financial problems and too proud to seek for help, was about to go insane – you swallowed – I’ve tried to help him, I’ve tried to reason with him, but he wouldn’t let me. He thought it was easier to send me away and stay there, rotting inside that house while demons devastated our lands at night – you felt your lower lip starting to tremble and continued to speak, to avoid a stronger reaction – He abandoned himself, abandoned our people…

At that point you gave up and fell silent, but Senjuro finished the thought for you.

– ...And abandoned you – he glanced at you – No wonder you burned his letter without opening it.

Your heart ached with the memory, but it wasn’t remorse what you felt.

– This is something I don’t regret. As much as I don’t regret defending you from Rengoku-sama. I mean, now I can see that life showed no mercy on him, but treating you like that was terrible and unfair, and the same can be said about my father. Their suffering makes us comprehend them, but it doesn’t excuse their mistakes.

– And what do you think we must do, y/n?

You opened your mouth, but closed it again to think of a sensible response.

It’s strange to tell someone what to do. Is this what’s expected from parents? What a duty to fulfill...

– In your father’s case, I believe we can stay as we are – you spoke slowly – Since we know he’s been enduring so much, we won’t do anything to increase his load. At the same time, we can’t let him cross boundaries and treat us as he wants.

Senjuro seemed to approve the idea, but he still had concerns.

– It makes sense. I’ve been doing this since I can remember, but I still feel guilty. When I see my father in that state, I think I should be doing something for him – he sighed – Sometimes, I think this is what he expects from me, and that’s why he acts so harshly.

That was your time to be concerned. You’ve already noticed that, due to his easygoing nature, Senjuro had a tendency of taking heavy burdens to himself, but you wouldn’t sit and watch him giving in to this inclination and becoming an adult before his natural time just because the real adult was unable to act like one.

– But you already do what you can for him, Senjuro-san. You’re a good and respectful son. You keep your things organized and clean, and don’t mind doing hard work. It doesn’t matter if your father says that out loud or keeps it to himself, I’m sure he knows that.

– Do you think so? – his doubt was genuine; it was clear that he never tried to see things from such perspective.

– Yes – you replied with all the possible firmness – You can continue to act with kindness, but it’s not your duty to fix him. Honestly, even I don’t know if there’s something I can do for Rengoku-sama besides staying out of his way. Yet being too hard on ourselves because of this won’t help us at all.

Senjuro thought of that for a moment.

– It also means that you don’t know what you have to do to help your father?

You moved your head slowly in agreement.

– Yes. It does.

– But don’t you think you can find a way if you talk to him?

You looked away. You clearly weren’t expecting that. Still, you didn’t avoid the question.

– I don’t know. I really don’t know.

***

You could say you’ve worked hard to act according to your own words in the days that followed that conversation. You created a routine that included waking up early and taking time to organize your surroundings just like you used to do in your father’s house, then leaving to the kitchen to prepare breakfast (that was a task that Senjuro took to himself since the cook decided to quit, so having you there to take care of this spared him time and avoided more of his father’s scolding for minor mistakes and waste of ingredients); after that, you would leave with your stepson to your usual training session, and then you took separate ways in your daily activities: while he stood with tasks outside the house, you took the responsibility of cleaning and organizing the interior, thus giving the servants the chance of going back home while the sun was still high in the sky instead of being forced to spend the night there, away from their families; finally, while Senjuro returned to his room to study, you would go to your own to bathe and relax.

It was simple, and it worked for everyone… or so you told yourself every time you remembered that your husband wasn’t included in this perfect scheme. Thing was that, since the incident with the wood sword, he actively avoided you in the rooms and corridors, which didn’t make much to shake your moods – instead, you were relieved with this distance; however, after the day you found the photographs, you were the one mimicking such behavior, and your almost non existent relationship just turned into a sequence of unexpected, embarrassing encounters where opening your mouth to say “good morning” was harder than passing by each other and running away.

There was one day when, to answer the plead of a maid, you had to swallow this embarrassment and replace it with courage: while you were cleaning a room not so far from yours, she confided to you that her payment has been delayed, as well as the other servants’.

– I have some debts I need to pay, and I’ve been trying to gain some time with my creditors, but they’re getting impatient – she explained – In normal circumstances, I would’ve paid everything already, but now I’m really desperate, y/n-sama.

You frowned.

– I see. But how did everything turn out this way?

The girl approached you, as to reveal some shameful secret.

– I know it’s none of my concern, but I’ve seen things in this house, and the other servants, who have been here for longer than me, told me what they’ve saw – she whispered – Since the previous lady’s decease, problems concerning the house’s workers became common. The previous accountant left his position and no one was hired in his place, so the financial responsibility was on the young Senjuro. Of course, he’s an honest boy and did what he could to help, but he’s not a professional, and sometimes mistakes were made. The people who still work here haven’t left yet in consideration for him, and because they really need the jobs. It’s Takumi-san’s case. Last time he tried to reason with Rengoku-sama, he became furious and gave him two choices: to go back to work or to leave and never return – she shrugged – He decided to stay, but only if a solution appears. He’s one of our best workers. If he leaves, things will become even worse for us.

You had to stop for a moment to process the things you’ve just heard. You immediately remembered that young man who had a bottle of sake thrown at him in the corridor.

So, that was the cause of Shinjuro’s outburst. Unbelievable.

The situation at the Rengoku’s house was even worse than your father’s: the servants just gave up on their work and left, except for the few in desperate circumstances, and the whole responsibility over the finances has been tossed at a kid? That time, you couldn’t just ignore it.

– Listen, I… I’m really surprised with this situation, as much as I may seem – you told her, not hiding the shame even though it wasn’t your fault – Senjuro-san never told me anything about this, otherwise I would’ve already done something. I’m... really sorry for this. But now that I’m informed, what can I do to help you?

The maid hesitated. She knew the difficult of what she was going to ask.

– Please, y/n-sama, talk to Rengoku-sama in our name – she bowed her head – We know he has a… complex temper, but he seems to respect you. Maybe there’s a chance of him to listen to you.

Well, if the financial issues were surprising to you, the reasons behind the maid’s request were shocking. The servants thought Shinjuro respected you? That man who barely looked at your direction? What a situation you’ve gotten into… But you couldn’t make it even worse by bringing the maid’s – and the whole staff’s – expectations down by telling her that you were too insecure to speak to your husband about a domestic problem, so you did what in other circumstances you’d never consider possible.

– Don’t worry – you swallowed – I will speak to him as soon as possible.

After an effusive “Thank you”, she left to tell the others about your resolution.

The glow of relief and gratitude in the girl’s eyes soothed part of your anxiety, but solely because you knew you were doing the right thing – it had nothing to do with your task being easy. Truth was that you didn’t even know where you should start: should you look for Shinjuro in his room or to wait until you’d meet him in another part of the house? Was it better to bring the subject right in the beginning of the conversation, or should you warm up until the appropriate moment? And, of course, how was he going to react? That is, you saw what he did to the young man; there was nothing to assure you that he wouldn’t try anything like that toward you.

You finished your work and went out to deliberate. You walked around the house, in and out of the garden, trying to come up with a reasonable solution, but nothing occurred to you. That time you also weren’t going to talk to your stepson: Senjuro would be informed about the situation only after everything was solved, and the same would be in the case of the servants, to avoid a commotion.

I’m really alone in this.

As it used to happen when you were lost in your thoughts, you didn’t realize where your wanderings were taking you to until you stopped and looked around… and recognized the front of Shinjuro’s porch. You froze in your spot, less because of this than because you almost bumped into him on the way.

You startled and covered your mouth to avoid a scream. You stepped back and stood there, staring at the man, who was also surprised to meet you so suddenly in a part of the building you weren’t often seen. But, just like it happened to you now, he seemed to anxious to inquire you.

Somehow you were the first to speak.

– Rengoku-sama… I…

You moved your lips, but no words were found to continue the sentence. Your eyes lowered to his hands, and it was with a sort of relief that you noticed the absence of a bottle. Did the sake finish and he was going to get more, or did he see you approaching and got rid of it before you saw it? You couldn’t tell, but at that moment you recalled your previous encounters with him and realized that, since the conflict at the garden, in each of them, he wasn’t drinking, yet sake was still being bought judging by the bottles you always saw piling up in the kitchen.

Is he avoiding to drink in my presence?

– You wanted to speak to me, y/n? – his voice brought you back to reality; your relief grew when you noticed the composed tone in it.

– Yes. Yes, I… – you hid your hands behind your back – There’s an issue I need to discuss with you.

Shinjuro showed no signs of being bothered by the word issue, unlike you were expecting. Instead, he seemed intrigued: you’ve been doing your things all by yourself since you were brought to his house, and now you wanted to talk to him about something? That was new.

– And what is it?

You breathed deep.

The time is now. What do I have to do?

You glanced behind him and saw his room’s door was open. That gave you an idea.

– Would you mind talking somewhere else? – you shrugged – A private place, maybe?

He didn’t make objections to this, indicating his room and inviting you to follow him.

***

As he sat with his legs crossed, you knelt in front of him, having the door, left open, at your right. Your hands were over your lap, as you waited to see what he was going to do.

By all means, Shinjuro was a practical man, so that fortunately he didn’t let this waiting to extend.

– So, what is it that you need to discuss with me? – he inquired – I suppose it must be too important, for you to seek for me so suddenly.

– In fact – you confirmed; and, taking a deep breath, – But it’s nothing related to myself, actually. It’s about the people who work in here.

You noticed a slight twist on his lips when he heard that, but you gave no time for him to react.

– I was told that the servants are facing struggles with the decreasing in the personnel, and that my stepson was left to take care of the matters despite this – you moved on your spot; your feet, folded under your legs, started causing you discomfort, but you ignored it – I won’t discuss this arrangement, but there are problems that need attention right now and, because I am your wife, I was asked to seek for a solution alongside you.

Unlike you imagined, Shinjuro listened to all of this in silence, and after you finished he kept quiet. No physical or verbal outbursts followed, but if he was measuring what he just heard or trying to control his irritation, you couldn’t tell, and that was worse: with the usual anger and bad moods you could deal with, whether by running away or facing him, but with the absence of them you didn’t know what to expect. You clenched your hands against each other.

Come on, say something. Even if it’s just to call me an intruder. Just odn’t let me without a response.

And, then, Shinjuro gave you a response… and though you didn’t know what you were waiting for, it was different from anything you could’ve expected.

– The servants’ payments are delayed. I know that – he started; no impatience was sensed in his tone, just a sort of boredom – Our accountant left, and no one was able to properly replace him. Senjuro found out about this and asked to do something, and I had no choice. He’s better with paper and ink than with a sword. Besides, having responsibilities would be good for him to grow up.

You made an inhuman effort not to gasp at his justifications. Did he really think leaving that work for a kid was a good idea? But you reminded yourself that you weren’t there to argue, but to fix the problem, so you let him continue.

– Of course, I knew it wouldn’t work forever, and if you came to talk about this, it’s because it needs to change – he sighed – But let me tell you that the payments aren’t delayed for no reason. Things have been difficult for us, and hiring someone to manage finances won’t be cheap. It’s something we can’t deal with it right now. So, what do you suggest? Should I hire a new accountant anyway?

You opened your mouth, then closed it again. You understood that, if Shinjuro wasn’t even trying to hide those problems, they must have become really serious. You also knew that the services of accountants and administrators weren’t cheap, but that wasn’t a good reason to let everything to Senjuro.

I can’t believe I’m going to propose this…

Your husband asked a suggestion, and you ended up offering the only one you could think of.

– Let this task with me, Rengoku-sama – you bowed, leaning your hands on the floor but not touching it with your forehead – I used to do this sort of work while in my father’s house in the times we were on a budget and unable to hire someone for it. I didn’t continue to work on this when the crisis with the Oni started because I was sent here.

He thought of this for a moment… And the response he gave you brought out some unpleasantness, both in his words and the subject.

– Leaving the money in your hands to manage? Y/n, I do believe your father let you work on this, but I can’t help finding it strange that, exactly when your lands were facing the worst crisis in a long time, he decided to send you away instead of keeping you there to take care of everything.

Still with your head bowed, you bit your lip.

Are you calling me an incompetent or what?

Shinjuro was aware of the delicate state in which your relationship with father was, so bringing it to the table right now had no intention but to test you: would you have the necessary stability to take such responsibility? As if he had any right to speak of stability… Well, in spite of that, he was the head of that house, thus having the final word in this matter, so if he decided to decline your offer, he would do it without thinking twice, and then your attempt to help the workers – as well as their trust in you – would drift away.

Alright, start whining and all this conversation will end up useless. I’ll swallow my inflamed ego, then.

You raised your head, ignored the provocation and sent it back to your husband.

– I agree. It’s really strange when you put it that way, Rengoku-sama… – your hands relaxed on your lap – As much as it’s strange that, despite the similar issues in you house which you’ve just addressed, you accepted me as an extra mouth to feed under your roof.

Not so strange when we remember the existence of my dowry, I mean.

If Shinjuro guessed this very thought or if he was not in the mood to continue that discussion, you’d never know, but that was precisely what he did: gave up on arguing and just left it up to you.

He stood up and walked to the porch, indicating that the conversation was over.

– Do as you wish, then. The old accountant’s office is on the other side of the house. It’s easier to access it if you walk around the porch. Senjuro knows exactly where it is. Ask him for help if you need it.

You stared at him for a moment. So everything was solved so easily? Or was it just you who were exaggerating the difficult of your task? It was impossible to know, and you wouldn’t stay there to find out: you just accepted the results and stood up, heading to the exit.

You passed by your husband and bowed again.

– Thank you for accepting my proposal, Rengoku-sama. I’ll do my best.

The only response you had from him was a nod, and you left to find the said office thinking of how strange was that man you married, how tricky it has been for you to understand him and what sort of things were waiting for you in that corner of the house.

[fakescenariosbeforesleepblog]

By fire and heart.

PT.2

Daemma Targaryen. Second daughter of King Viserys and queen Aemma, you're the living portrait of your mother with the character of a true dragon, as a second daughter you don't have right to the throne but certainly, you will protect your sister's succession by heart.

You can read Pt.1 here and Pt. 3 here

Warning ⚠️: Credits of this images goes to whoever they belong to, I found them on Pinterest. Grammatical and spelling errors, maybe this won't be good enough but In my head the story was a good one.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters nor do I claim to own them. I do not own any of the images used nor do I claim to own them.

After the ceremony your routine changed, your training became harder, you study until midnight, now you and your sister attend the council meeting.

«Both have to learn and listen to what those meetings are»

So here you are, listening about a lord who died, at least he died in his sleep, he didn't suffer, that's what they were commenting when Corlys Velaryon appeared.

- 4 ships burned, destroyed! The last one had the flag of my house! You sit here and talk but there's no solution about nothing!

- We already heard, and the council will consider...

- I want to know what will be your solution about my men and my ships.

- The crown will compensate you and will make an offer to compensate the families...

- I don't want compensation, I want you to do something about the crab feeder and I want to take the step stones by force!

- I will not start a war with the free cities.

(...)

Finally your father talks, but doesn't say nothing that could be interesting. You are waiting for him to say yes and have some action on the battlefield.

«You have Dragon riders, Father. Send us.»

Suddenly you feel Rhaenyra's hand squeezing softly on your forearm, you take that as a plea to support her idea.

- That would show our force, Rhaenyra is right Father...

- At least the princesses had an idea.

Corlys says clearly exasperated, but your father still looks uninterested.

- It's not that simple, girls.

- Perhaps the princesses can help us to pick a new guard, Lord commander would you take them with you?

- Good idea my Lord...

You roll your eyes, that asshole thinks he can control everything. But it's not time to complain, you and your sister simply walk away. Once you're there you decide to leave that to your sister, you have better things to do.

You were walking to your dorms when you stopped, Alicent was waiting outside your father's chambers, of course it was suspicious for you, once she was inside you approached to the door and tried to hear what was going on.

«Sometimes I would prefer to confront something else than my daughters»

Since for you it's suspicious but still those words weren't precisely something that could make you think there was something dark in the situation you decide to save it for you, your sister doesn't need more worries over her shoulders.

The king requested your presence for dinner, the most silent dinner you ever had.

- We barely talk since...

Rhaenyra breaks the silence and your father quickly talks.

- I Know... You are free to talk whenever you want, after all, you're the king.

They exchange some words and just when it seems like everything is going well, your sister talks about the council meeting, which your father quickly rejects, he never wants to talk about war or about what happens around the kingdom, he pretends everything is peaceful. So once more, everything goes back to silence.

None of you know that your father, is now, considering the possibility of a marriage, none of you expected it.

It's until the next morning you and your sister observe with surprise and annoyance the walk your father is taking with the very young Lady Laena.

- Does it make you feel angry?

Rhaenys your aunt and Laena's mother asks, apparently it's not only you who feels uncomfortable with this situation.

- Our father's the king, it's his duty to eventually get married again.

- I didn't ask that, I Asked if this annoys you.

- Laena is your daughter, doesn't it bother you?

- Of course, but I understand the order of the things. I doubt you do.

Your sister looks annoyed by all the conversation, but somehow, you understand what your aunt is trying to say, your father's marriage will bring more children, one will be a boy and the council will prefer to put him on the throne, they will not want to support your sister's right to the throne.

But your sister insists, she will break the wheel, she will change the order, but once more, your aunt's words are not more than true.

«The kingdom demands me to give them a new queen.»

«The Velaryon's offer me their daughter's hand»

Your father's words are like knives in your chest, but your uncle's words echo in your mind, someone needs to be strong to support your family. You're hidden in your father's chambers, you still believe there's something strange in those Alicent's visits. Suddenly Otto Hightower appears informing about an emergency council meeting, your father demands for you and your sister's presence.

Once there, the news of your uncle's future second wife, the stolen egg that belonged to your baby brother and him calling himself future and legitimate heir, send shivers to your spine and a strange rage grew inside your heart, you couldn't hear the rest, or the actions the council would take but you're sure of one thing, your loyalty now rest at Rhaenyra's side, whatever she decides to do you will follow.

Otto Hightower offered himself to travel to dragon stone to recover the stolen egg and bring your uncle back to the capital.

But your sister had different plans. You saw her getting ready to ride on Syrax, you're maybe not so close but you know she's planning something.

- Where do you think you're going?

- I'll go by my own to bring and confront Daemon.

- Rhaenyra, let that idiot of Hightower do his job, you can't put yourself in danger!

Rhaenyra sighs, frustrated and angry she looks at you with a determined look and simply takes your hand.

- Daemma, Otto Hightower will start a war, I can prevent it... come with me, You say I'm putting myself in danger, then come with me, you promised you would be at my side...

She's right, the hand and his hate against your uncle would start a war, there's no need for it, you made a promise, now you have to attend her call.

- Seven hells... Fine, let's go.

You nod and go to your dragon, whitefyre, a dragon as large and majestic as Syrax, white scales that shine in the sun as a diamond, a magnificent and loyal beast.

Both dragons flew side to side all the way to dragon stone, for the first time you felt close and connected to your sister, you could say you felt happy and excited until you saw the sea of soldiers and Caraxes roared, you and your sister's dragon roared too, all the people on the ground now looks at your dragons flying over their heads.

As soon as both land, Otto Hightower questions your sister, what is she doing there? Does the king know about this? He sends Ser Criston to take her to a safe place but before Criston could walk to her you give a step first, in front of her.

- If I were you I wouldn't put a finger over the princess head, Syrax is very protector with her.

Your defiant attitude pisses Otto, clearly he doesn't have the control of the situation. Your sister continues her walk to Daemon, you can see them talking, Daemon doesn't seem happy or pleased but there's something in the way he looks at Rhaenyra, it's not an evil look, maybe he's angry but not with her, he has a soft spot for her.

Both stay quiet, you're only observing, prepared to jump and protect your sister when suddenly, Daemon leaves the dragon egg and walks back to the castle. Rhaenyra looks at you and nods, both walk to your dragons and leave the place.

The trip was full of laughs and races between sisters and dragons, jokes about the faces of Otto Hightower, you clearly know how to piss the poor man.

The king was notified about you and your sister's little visit to dragon stone, as soon as he knew about your arrival, he requested your presence. Both rolled your eyes, you know what is coming, another discussion about how dangerous it was.

- Father, Did you want to see us?

- You disobeyed me, you escaped without saying anything... And you, Daemma, followed her, did you think about the consequences? Both acted against the crown's lead!

- Can we sit?

- Father, Rhaenyra made something good, something that Otto Hightower couldn't do without spilling blood!

He leaves a small laugh escape, you were right, your sister prevented the violence and blood, and then with a loving look he smiles at your sister and talks about how similar she is to your mother, a small talk about how much all of you miss the Queen. Suddenly the news you and your sister were expecting, whether you like it or not, this is something that needs to be done and the only thing you can do is support the family.

The next day, at the council meeting, all of you are expecting your father's decision.

- I've considered and decided to take a new wife.

He looks at you and Rhaenyra who kindly smiles at him, but her smile vanishes as soon as she listens to your father's next words.

- I decided to marry Lady Alicent Hightower.

You don't remember much, the anger inside you doesn't allow you to remember what happened after that, Corlys Velaryon opposed to the king's decision, meanwhile the rest was quiet, Corlys disappears and right behind him were you and your sister.

Later, weeks later you heard the news of your dear uncle joining and supporting Corlys Velaryon In the battle at the step stones against the crab feeder.

It was in the middle of a warm night before spring ended when you made the decision, you left your home, maybe the king wouldn't support and wouldn't care about this war but you certainly wanted to help, and your adventurous spirit pushed you to fly away from your father and sister.

[watchingblsnowandforever]

Hello!!! =D

This follows from Part 1

Warning: long post 😊😅

Oh you're still here 😶

Honestly, I was really liking his character right up till he said this. He was nice, friendly, and yes, a little invasive, but as long as Peem didn't mind, I was okay. But we all know how a love rival saying these words go in BLs, so when he said this, alarms went off in my head. And he continued flirting. Which is not okay. I know Peem doesn't really mind, but still. Kluen, you are a mostly decent human, but please take a rejection as it's supposed to be taken.

Also, when he says he's handsome and rich, and Peem jokes about how much he's willing to "invest", Peem says "Phum is handsome, too." No mention of his money. If Phum heard this, he'd be jumping and squealing, but it also tells us that Peem cares fuck all about how rich Phum is. Which will probably help Phum gain more confidence in this love.

Who the fuck cares. 🙂

Listen, as I said in my previous post, I'd decided to ignore the parents because they didn't deserve any attention, but when he stopped Fang from going after Phum, I was furious. That is nothing compared to what I felt in this scene. You ruined his childhood, gave him trauma that he'll never be able to fully leave behind, gave Fang trauma too, and then you dare to ask him why he doesn't talk to you? You have the audacity to keep pestering him even after he says he has something to do? And now you're ruining his adult life too. With all due respect, which is absolutely none: fuck. off.

@almayver I'm really thinking of writing that fic. 🙂

I love this friend group so much.

The moment Q says Peem is sad they all barge into his house to cheer him up, no hesitation. They don't demand to know the whys and hows (Q does, but he already knows), just settle in comfortable and loudly, and be their chaotic selves. This reminds us that despite all the flirting and cheesy lines and hugging and kissies, friendship will always be a priority for these group of friends.

And let's be honest, Peem expected Aunt Pui, and we all expected Phum. This was a very nice surprise.

All this time, Peem wasn't upset Phum was late. He was worried about Phum.

This was the scene that made me cry. We Are was supposed to be a simple romcom. WHAT IS THIS THEN.

I just- I really have nothing to say here, they said it all.

They both did what they did and are feeling what they are because they're important to each other.

Phum did it because he didn't want to ruin Peem's big day again. And Peem is upset and worried because he thinks he might not be Phum's safe space anymore.

Peem's reaction tells me that maybe he was over the moon last episode when he could provide comfort to Phum. And he's very very glad that at least with him, Phum can be himself. This incident makes him question that, which leads him to questioning their entire relationship. Phum himself said (many times in various ways) that Peem makes him feel good and warm and comfortable, and he's not lonely anymore. But... if Peem isn't that to Phum anymore, then what is he?

This is one of the best love confessions Thai BL has ever given me.

I have nothing else to say. This has already given us all enough emotional damage.

This reminds me of that textpost: "Caught giving a fuck. Embarrassing."

Love that Q has already accepted Phum hehe. You know your man is good when he's bestie-approved.

Love even more how he's giving the cold shoulder to Phum and then defending him to Peem 😭

Well he did, but apparently your ears were "muffled".

Also- love this scene.

HE SAYS IT.

I mean, I get him though, who the hell would be able to say no to Phum's "please? 🥺"

Just putting this here 'cause I happened to pause at the right moment and this scene is beautiful and very pretty. <3

I missed Matt (JJ) and his impeccable sense of humour so bad

Every group is incomplete without a Matt hehe

If I had a rupee for every time a couple kissed at this booth, I'd have two rupees, which is nothing, but it's strange it happened twice.

Another very beautiful scene. <33

He says that as if he isn't squealing and giggling inside. But. FINALLY. OUR PATIENCE HAS BEEN REWARDED, THEY'RE FINALLY DATING!!!!

OOH flower bouquet kiss hehe

Reminds me of QToey tote bag kiss

Next ep:

Portrait drawing?!!

"KHUN FAEN"??

SOFT TANFANG KISS???

HOW DO THEY EXPECT ME TO SURVIVE THIS?!!

*sigh*

Anyways, that's all for this week, see you next ep!

If you got this far, thank you so much for reading! 😊

Here, have some ice cream 🍨

My We Are posts.

[fruvittea]

hi can u write an angsty love triangle with jake and jay from enhypen pls <3

whispers in the rain ✧˚ · . part one

— ✺ pairing: jay x reader x jake

— ✺ genre: slice of life, angst, suggestive, fluff, childhood best friend, love triangle, college au, slow burn

— ✺ synopsis: jay is your childhood best friend. that’s all he will ever be. a summer with jay and his friends changes how you feel for him when jake comes into your life. and jay begins to think that was a mistake.

— ✺ warnings: for this part none so far

— ✺ word count: 1.6k

— ✺ authors note! hi thank you so much for reading, this is my first fic with multiple parts that i will be writing hope you guys like it :)

part 1 | …

Ever since you bumped heads with Jay in the 3rd grade you two have been inseparable since. Both your mothers had thought you two would end up getting married. That is not the case. Friends are what you are and what you will remain to be. Jay has never shown any romantic feelings for you. As cold as he may seem to be, you never felt the possibility of him feeling more for you. After all, he dated girls left and right. And none of them were the one in his eyes.. So what made you think that you were? Having a long time crush on a friend can be exhausting and at some point it becomes embarrassing. So by the time you and Jay graduated that was when the feelings were stored deep away. Never to be seen again.

“You know you really should get out there…get to know some people.” Is what your friends would say. Telling you to not mope about Jay if you weren’t going to do anything about it.

They were right. But you were stubborn. Of course you weren’t going to do anything about your crush. But you didn’t want to let go of your feelings for him. There was just a sliver of hope left in you.

“Okay fine I’ll explore other options.” You lied.

That was two years ago. Now, you're in your 2nd year of college going into your 3rd. No significant other. Just pointless dates that never went anywhere. Jay on the other hand was thriving hundreds of miles away from you. You hated the fact that he occupied your mind every now and then. Every so often the two of you would talk on the phone, just to catch up. Nothing further. You two hadn’t seen each other since summer. And you did miss your best friend.

It was towards the end of finals. You were studying for the last one. Last one and then you were free. Eyes glued to the computer you focused on the endless number of lessons you missed.

ring ring ring

Turning towards your phone charging on the bed side table you noticed that Jay’s name was on the screen. Studying can wait. You picked up the phone bringing it to your ear.

“Hello?”

“Y/n, what are you doing for summer?”

“Nothing yet…why?”

“Come with me to the East Coast. You remember the beach house my parents own? I’m inviting a few friends to stay. I think you’ll like them. It’ll be for half the summer, maybe longer if we feel like it.”

Your eyes widened. “This is so sudden. I don’t know if I can. I mea-”

“My mom talked to yours’, she said you were free.”

You blinked. Of course she did. “Okay, well, then consider me there.”

“Perfect, see you then.” He hung up

You stretched your hands before continuing to type away. But the sudden invite did cause you to stray away from focusing on your studies. Who were the few other friends? When were you leaving? Where were you staying? This took over your mind. What a great way to distract you from studying.

next day

“So he just asked you to stay with him in the East Coast during the summer?”

“Yeah.”

“Just you two?”

“No.”

“Oh. Bummer.” You were telling your one (and only really) friend Amara. You two decided to go to the same college after graduation and have been close since.

“You’re still so hung up on him. Like why don’t you just confess. It’ll be good to get the rejection out of the way.” She said doing her school work.

You lifted your head from the desk. “Well it’s not that easy. And also rejection is the whole point. I don’t want to be even though I know I will be.”

“You needa figure this out. It’s been years. And when I say years I mean YEARS.”

You roll your eyes at your friend burning holes into your body as she stares you down. “Yeah.” You sigh. She’s right.

“Well, I’m leaving next week once I get back home.” You say continuing your work.

“Really? That sudden?”

“Yup, he texted me last night letting me know the extra details. He’s mentioned before that his family has a beach house and I’ve never been invited until today. It’s in Delaware, of all places.”

“Ohhh his daddy’s got money I see.”

You chuckle at her statement. “I am excited though.”

“Who knows things may change between you two. And for the better.”

“Mmm I highly doubt it, but a girl can only hope.”

“You gotta stop being so hard on yourself y/n, really.”

time skip

You wiped the hair out of your face as you got the last of your things together. Two carry ons and one large backpack. It didn’t seem like enough. But it was going to have to do. Besides, some shopping out there wouldn’t hurt. The screen of your phone lit up.

I’m here. The text was from Jay. He wanted to pick you up for your guy's flight.

As you were getting ready to haul everything to the car you heard the footsteps of your mom getting closer and closer. “Honey, you ready?”

“Yes, I am just about to load everything into the car.”

“You know I won’t be mad if something happens between you and Jay.”

“Mom, enough. It’s not like that.”

“You might say so, but I see how that boy looks at you.”

“Well you’re wrong. Can you please help me?” A second pair of footsteps came closer.

knock knock

“Hi Mrs. L/n. Hi y/n.” It was Jay. Did he hear the whole conversation between you and your mom? You cursed yourself silently as he came up to you engulfing you in a hug. His scent reaching your nose, intoxicating you.

“Wow, you smell good.” He said pulling away. His tone was almost nervous.

You try not to blush. “Thank you, I guess. I didn’t even put anything on yet. I was actually about to say the same for you.”

“There’s no need to for you.” The two of you stood there for a second, his eyes to the ground yours on him, before your mom cleared her throat. Indicating for you two to get moving.

“Oh right, I’ll take these, we’re going to be late.” He picked up the two carry ons, one in each hand, in a rushed manner.

“Have fun you two!” Your mom shouted from the driveway before Jay sped off in his car.

It was quiet. Eerily quiet. Something was on his mind you could tell. Glancing over to the man you noticed his knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tight.

“So,” he broke the silence, “how have you been?”

“Oh, uh, I’ve been good, just tired from studying for finals.” You sigh.

“Tell me about it. But don’t worry our trip will take the weight off your shoulders. There are some people I’d like you to meet. I think you guys will click pretty well.”

You kept silent. Hopefully. You noticed from the corner of your eye him turning his head toward you a couple times.

“Hey, are you good, you’re pretty quiet.”

“Yeah, I’m good just tired, I woke up early to pack.”

He smiled. “Of course you did. Always been the same since high school.”

You lightly laughed before closing your eyes while he drove to the airport. Jay noticed your body slump. He gave you one last look before continuing to focus on the road.

“Y/n…Y/N. It’s time to wake up, I’ve already parked.” His voice so delicate as if he was trying to put you back to sleep. You opened your eyes, Jay’s face was inches from your trying to make sure you were going to wake up.

“Come on sleeping beauty, we gotta go.” You finally process where you are while getting out of the car. You both grab your stuff and head to the terminal. All of your belongings stacked up nicely into the cart, both tickets in your hand while Jay pushed the cart. The two of you made your way to the terminal after security.

“The gate is this way.” Jay walks ahead of you towards a group of young guys. You cautiously walk behind your friend. Meeting people has always been difficult, now meeting a group of guys? This was going to be a long trip. Jay turns around motioning for you to walk faster. Finally reaching the group of guys you made eye contact with the lot of them. They were all cute for lack of better words.

“These are my friends from college. Jungwon, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Niki, Heesung, and Jake.”

They all gave you a wave or smile, kindly introducing themselves to you. You took in the presence of the group fixating on- what was his name? Jake? He was pretty.

“So you’re y/n? Jay always talks about you, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Jake.” The tall man makes his way to you reaching out his hand for you to shake it. His eyes meeting yours, there was a sort of sparkle to them. He seemed interesting.

“It’s nice to meet you too --all of you.” You smile trying to hide your nervousness. Suddenly the announcement for the flight surrounded the terminal.

“Okay shall we get on the plane?” Jay gave a smile before having everyone walk over.

“Jay switch with me, I wanna get to know Y/n more.” You heard Jake whisper to Jay. You could see Jay’s smirk from the corner of your eye.

“Okay, here ya go,” he exchanges the ticket with Jake.

You walk up past them a bit, acting oblivious to the conversation.

“Hey, y/n. Looks like we’re sitting next to each other.” He flashed his ticket to you with a smile on his face.

“Oh nice, we can get to know each other.” You smile back. You were hoping to sit with Jay but his pretty friend will do.

[mackeydoodledoo]

Chapter 3: I Will Find You

Pairing: Lamina x (Fem!Mentor)Reader

Summary: You got her home. But, you never got to give her a proper goodbye. Now everything for you seemed dull. You decide to leave your life in the capitol behind to find Lamina, and possibly build yourself a new life.

Warnings: New surroundings, Capitol/Districts feud, Injuries, Social Anxiety, Swearing, Lamina's PTSD

Key: Italics = Thoughts, +*+ = Time Skip, Bold/Italics = Flashback

Theme: Find You - Zedd

A/n: None

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

------------------------------------------------------------------

You let the crutch drop to the floor, students begin to murmur as you slowly hobble your way over to Gaul. Some students attempt to help you, however, push them away.

"Dr. Gaul, I humbly request that you bring my tribute out from that arena, or I will walk in there myself and bring her out," You stare up at her

Dr. Gaul does nothing but stare down at you for a long while.

"I admire your determination to keep your tribute alive," She says, showing a maniacal smile, "Even if you are injured because of those rebel districts."

"Lamina." You correct her, eyes still narrowed, "Her name. Is. Lamina. She has nothing to do with the rebels..."

The pain in your ankle was unbearable... However you continued to apply weight into your good ankle. Her smile widens further.

"You're going to need a longer healing time for that ankle of yours," Dr. Gaul gestures to your wrapped ankle

Then she leans towards a personnel worker.

"Bring... Lamina out of the arena."

You saw how she paused before finally acknowledging Lamina by her name rather than 'tribute'. Cheers abrupt throughout the room as you are lifted onto the shoulders of your classmates, chanting your name.

"Ladies and Gentleman, your winner of the 10th Annual Hunger Games, from District 7, Lamina!" Lucky announces

+*+

You rushed to the train station, hoping to catch Lamina off before she would get on the train home.

"I believe your tribute had left already," Dean Highbottom appears

"What?" You turn to him, "Why?"

"You grew attached," He says

"N-no I didn't," You lie, "I just wanted to see her off, send her a goodbye before she left."

"I'm afraid that wasn't up to you, she had wished to return home as soon as possible," He says

"I see," You sigh

You begin hobbling out of the station, tears building and streaming down your face.

When will I see you again Lamina?...

+*+

You enter your house, your mother finishing setting the table.

"Splendid job sweetie. I- hey what's the matter?" She says, then asking after seeing the look on your face, "I thought you were going to see Lamina off?"

"I was... But, Dean Highbottom told me she had already left by the time I got to the station," You sigh, falling into a nearby chair

"That's too bad," She sighs, "I definitely would have wanted to give her some snacks for the road..."

"Yeah," You sigh, "A real bummer..."

"Well darling, you must be hungry after an entire day of anxiety," You mother sits next to you at the table

"Yeah..." You sit up, "I actually am..."

Your mother rings you up a plate.

"I heard that you went against the Dr. Volumnia Gaul," Your mother says, "No student, or anyone for that matter has ever done so before I believe."

"Well, she was going to have no victors," You say, "Lamina was the last one standing. I didn't care about winning and getting that Plinth Scholarship or whatever... I cared about getting Lamina home. I may or may not have told her that she either bring her out or I waltz in there, snake mutts and all, and bring her out myself."

"That's my girl," Your mother praises your act of defiance

-1 Year Later- The next Hunger Games was around the corner... You were offered to become a mentor once again, however, rejected it. Growing an attachment to a person who could possibly die in the arena was enough for you to opt out the next year. You were not about to watch kids kill each other again...

You sit in your little nook; having graduated from the Academy, you decided to not attend University, as they had nothing that you could have gotten out of them, you told the Plinth Family that you didn't want their money, and to give it to the next eligible person they saw fit...

You look down upon your wrist...

Lamina's headscarf...

You remember her wrapping it around your wrist the night you visited her the last time before the 10th games started. Every single day since you had kept it on you in some way; mostly as a wrist 'bracelet'.

I wonder how she's doing now... I hope she's okay...

You used the graduation savings your mother put aside for you to do anything you wanted: you got a place of your own. It's not as spacious as your childhood home was, but it fit enough for you.

+*+

You visited your mother for a monthly dinner meeting.

"Has it been the same?" She asks

"Yeah," You sigh, "There's nothing."

"There is something that I need to talk to you about," She says

Your heart sinks....

"What about?..." You ask

"Do you know why I never told stories of my past before I met your father?" She asks

"You... Were from the districts?" You immediately guess

She nods, "District 9 to be exact. I taught your father how to cook and that was how he and I became one of the most renowned culinary artists in the capitol. Your father's capitol status was able to rub off on me and no one suspected that I was from the districts."

"That makes sense why I feel differently towards the games than others," You say

"You're... Not upset?" She asks

"No," You say, "I honestly wished I was actually born in the districts rather than being born here."

"Don't let anyone who is very capitol hear you say that," She chuckles

"Luckily I graduated," You chuckle back, "Tell me mother, can someone from the capitol move to the districts? Specifically to look for someone?"

"You could move to the districts as a capitol member, but moving back here... I wouldn't guarantee it," Your mother explains

"That's fine by me," You say, "I'm going to search for Lamina."

"Y/n..." Your mother stops you

As you stand from the table, you turn to look at your mother.

"Be really careful," She says

"I always will mother," You smile

"I'm so proud of you," She says, giving you a hug

+*+

You packed light, your mother gave you her baked goods to bring to Lamina. You dressed down form what you used to wear and basically dressed similar to the boy from 7 from the 10th games.

"Don't lose touch Y/n," Your mother says

"I won't," You say

You step onto the train heading for District 7.

+*+

You step out of the train, already greeted with the

As you cautiously make your way through the district, you already felt eyes piercing your skin... You enter the exchange district, looking for Lamina's trademark red hair.

"Hey you," A voice calls out from behind

You slowly turn to face them...

"May I help you?" You ask

*Lamina's POV* As you pay for the final item to bring home, you hear a faint grunt...

Was that?...

You make your way out to the field and see some familiar faces beating...

"Oh my god Y/n!!" You yell

You drop all of your items and rush over to them.

"Let her go!! I know who she is!" You yell

They stop and let her go.

*Y/n's POV* You groan in pain but look up. Your eyes widen at the figure running towards you. But you knew that figure anywhere.

"L-Lamina!" You yelp

You rush onto your feet and run to her, meeting her halfway. You grunt in pain as she wraps you in the most gripping way possible.

"Lamina, how do you know her? She's capitol," One says

"She was my mentor," She explains, "She was the one who got me home."

"This twig right here?" Another asks

You give him a death glare.

A twig?... Ouch...

"Well, with the right training, she'd... be a great addition to our ranks," She says

"If... You say so Lamina," He says

All three men walked away. Lamina turns to you, eyes narrowed at you.

"You shouldn't have come," She says, grabbing your wrist

"You... You were happy to see me just now," You point out

"I only did that so they wouldn't continue beating your ass," She says, "Now we have to get you back to the train station so we can get you back to the capitol."

"I... Can't," You say, stopping

"Why not?" She asks, turning to you

"Once a capitol person moves out to the districts, they're considered as such," You explain, "And you'll always be seen as district if you move to the capitol."

"But, they'll beat you everyday for making our lives a living hell," Lamina says

"Then maybe I shouldn't think like a capitol," You say, "Teach me how to be apart of the districts... Mentor me... This time."

Lamina gasps a little...

"Me... Mentor you?" She asks

You nod.

"Y/n... You're dumb, for coming all the way out to the districts.." She mumbles

"Well, people of the capitol would call me dumb for leaving the capitol," You sigh

Lamina drags you to her family home. Her father was gathering wood.

"Lamina, did you get the stuff we need?" he asks

"Yes I did pop," She replies

Once he looks up, he places his hands on his waist.

"Who is this?" He asks, gesturing to you

"This is... A friend," Lamina says

"She doesn't look like she's from around here," He says

"I'm not," You say

"Which District do you come from?" He asks

The both of of pause...

How do I say I'm from the capitol?...

"She's from the Capitol," Lamina says before you could

Lamina's heart beats out of her chest... Your stomach feels nauseous. Both from the lack of an answer from her father.

"Big guts to get the courage to move out from that shit hole," He says, "What brings you here?"

"I.. Didn't feel that my life was in the capitol anymore..." You say, "My mother encouraged me to go here... She's from the districts herself... 9 to be exact."

"Why don't we discuss more inside?" He gestures

You watch him as he walks up the steps to his home. You were surprised at how well this was... Going for you. You look at Lamina. but, she rolls her eyes and follows her dad inside. You follow suit.

"Why did your mother leave 9?" He asks

"Better work opportunity I guess," You explain, "My father died when I was young. Just been me and my mother ever since."

"And. What does she do?" He asks

"She's a cook at the capitol academy," You say

"Oh so you were a mentor in the 10th hunger games?" He asks

You nod...

"Y/n was my mentor," Lamina adds

"Really?" He asks

You nod again.

"I'm forever grateful for keeping my daughter alive," He says

"Please, sir," You chuckle, "I only sent her supplies. She managed to get herself out."

"She also shielded me from the bombings in the arena," Lamina says, "No other capitol mentor had done that before."

You look over to Lamina as she attempts to place you on a high pedestal.

"Please, I don't need to be treated as a hero," You say, "Lamina showed me that you are all human too, and that whatever the hell the capitol taught people like me, were wrong about the districts."

"Are you sure that this girl isn't from any of the districts?" He turns to his daughter

"She was born and raised in the capitol pops," Lamina sighs, "Are we done?"

She gets up and goes up to her room...

"Don't take it personal," He says, "She... Hasn't been the same since she came home."

"What do you mean?" You ask

"She isn't normally the cheerful daughter I once had, she wakes up almost every night, screaming," He explains, "She's been trying to forget everything that happened in that arena."

"And... Me?" You curiously ask

"Hmmm... She never mentioned you once," He says

"Mmm," You say, "So... Enough about me, what does someone do in the district?"

"I was going to chop wood to sell at the market later, care to help?" He asks

"Sure," You say

*Lamina's POV* You look out from your bedroom window and watch as your pops and Y/n begin to grab axes and chop wood.

You scoff and walk away from the window, walking across the hall to your pop's bedroom; walking up to a little crib.

"Hey you," You sigh into a smile, picking up your now 1-year old brother

He coughs and begins to stifle into a cry.

"Hey, shhhhh," You coo, sitting on the bedside, "It's okay... That happens to me too... Almost every night... I know you won't understand right now but... Do you want to know what I do that helps me calm down?... I think of the good things that this specific capitol-born person had done in the few days I had gotten to know and had come to love... She showed me that not all capitol-born are preppy and stuck-up."

You stand from the bed and walk back into your room; checking on Y/n. A small smile appears as you watch her learn how to use an axe with your pops.

I love her...

But, you weren't sure how she felt about you... As well as that you know only so much about her. Thinking back to your short days in the capitol, you never forgot how much ease you felt being around her, how she kept you fed as much as possible, and how many extra visits you got... How her words had gotten you out of the arena...

Chapter 4

[1leeknower]

...Sorry I didnt kiss you, but its obvious i wanted to, [...], I do anything for you, but would you do that for me too?...

⏤͟͟͞͞ Lee Know x Male reader

angst!

Part 1 here

(this is short, but i wanted to post this one as soon as possible so i could start working on the next chapter, this somehow turned into a series lol)

Minho was asleep on his bed, his soft snores could be heard from where you sat, looking through the window, analysing each car that passed by. You found yourself thinking about Lino again. Random stuff hidden deep down in your head, stuck in your throat, rambles no one will ever hear.

How you wish you could make him laugh, like he did when he was around jisung, but you knew you could never, because you were aware of how many problems you had brought to lino, it was never planned to be like this, actually, you started to hang with minho, when you got transferred to his school around 9th grade.

You were immediately hypnotized by how stunning he looked, your plan was to just make out with him at some point, and then never talk about it again, but as time went by you found yourself falling for him, actually liking his company, it didnt seem different for him. That made you step back, deciding to not ruin your friendship, instead you just slept around, not even noticing how lino actually felt.

He felt somewhat betrayed, but why should he? he wasnt your boyfriend after all, yet Lino thought that his company was all you needed, i mean, after all, hes still the one who you open to, hes your shoulder to cry on, but why youre never there when he wakes up? why are you never lovely smilling at him? why do you tell you love him, yet never made him yours? he's tired of seeing the empty space on "your" side of his bed, tired of never being able to stay in a relationship cause all he could think about was you, Not once did he made this mistake, he never got slightly romantically close to a women, cause he knew it would be nothing like you, so he went after men, even then it could never be like you, he could never get a boyfriend cause he always moaned your name, or said your name while talking to his exes it was clear who he wanted. Yet you still didnt know.

Dont blame him, you weren't always like this, it seems like you got lost at some point, maybe Minho could help you fix it, but only help, this was between you and yourself, you had to fix it. Minho knew you could do it, but you didnt.

Or did you? Were you just pretending, so you wouldn't have to deal with the awkwardness that it would be to reject your best friend? Not having answers killed Minho, he wanted to ask you about everything he needed to know, but he was scared he might lose you.

You licked two of your fingers and put out the cigarette with them, putting the cigarette on your pocket, you didnt want to make lino's house dirty, even if it was the smallest piece of dust, You were already being a burden, you didnt want to make it worse.

You got up as soon as you saw the sun beginning to rise, walking to the living room, careful not to wake minho up, you didnt even get to close your eyes the whole night. After heading out of his room, you took one last look a Minho's sleeping form, taking in how peaceful he looked, Lino was an angel on earth.

You took your coat from where it sat on the couch, you had left it there last night. It didnt feel right to take it with you, cause it seemed like it was part of linos house, like a piece of you was with him, it was your scent on a house full of minho's, you loved his perfume, but mixed with yours?? it was pure perfection.

This thought made you hesitate, should you leave? or should you rest beside minho, fill the empty space on his bed, make breakfast with him, laugh with him, be happy with him. The thought of minho's eyes being the first thing you saw by the morning felt so good, it made you warm, it's been so long since you felt that way.

You and Lino always got along so well, like milk and cookies, they are good by themselves, but much better together. Of course you and lino had other friends, but nothing was like the two of you, the world seemed to stop when you were with minho, as if you two had your own little world, it was cute.

Then you remembered, all of that was left behind, you didnt have sleepovers anymore, you didnt have to worry about his parents walking in while the two of you were laughing and playing games when you were supposed to go to sleep, to get up for school early, you werent like milk and cookies anymore, the world you two built was starting to fall down, tearing apart slowly, and you two were only watching, as if you couldn't do anything about it, did you not care anymore? was it all worthless? did it ever mean something to any of you two?

Even though the two of you have never been together romantically, it felt like a divorced couple that cant help, but get pulled to each other, the thought of being alone being unbearable, but getting hurt every second together. You missed the days where anyone could swear he was your loving boyfriend.

Minho opened his eyes, looking around the room, searching for your eyes. He was eager to go to the living room when he saw you werent anywhere on his bedroom, hoping that you were still there, maybe you slept on the couch? but as soon as he got there he could hear the front door closing, you were gone. again.

Lino took a deep breath, and leaned against the wall, he wanted you back, but not as a friend, maybe he should be grateful you were still talking to him, and stop being so ambitious, you werent even close friends anymore, how could you ever be his lover?

[morganski-19]

Steddie Week Day 7: Free Space

@steddie-week

read part 1 here

Finding himself sitting in his van parked in front of the Harrington house, Eddie taps his fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the song blaring through his radio. He came here pretty late for Steve's terms and without much of a plan. Only to explain himself and hope Steve would forgive him. Forgive him for running away after their kiss and avoiding him for a week after it. 

Eddie hopes after everything, Steve will understand. If things had played out differently, he would have stayed. Would have asked Steve to come home with him. Finish the path of wandering hands and soft moans that started in the locked bedroom. But then Eddie had to get in his head and force himself to think that Steve and Nancy were back together, that he was putting himself between something he should just leave alone. 

He blames it on the alcohol. Messing with his brain to tell him things that weren’t true. Make him think that Steve would actually do that to him. Brought his old form of thinking back to his head. Eddie wouldn’t have thought twice about Steve doing this to him if he’d never got to know him. Revert the Steve he had fallen for back to the old, fake version he was in high school. Not the real, kind-hearted, thoughtful Steve he knew now. 

It’s funny really. If Eddie had really thought about it, he would have noticed that the looks in Steve and Nancy’s eyes were not of love, but of worry and thankfulness. Steve isn’t the type of person to kiss someone else while he’s in a relationship. Or even kiss someone and do a complete one-eighty and get with someone else. That might have been the old Steve Harrington but it’s not the new one. And even then, Eddie had a feeling that old Steve Harrington wouldn’t leave someone completely hung out to dry without at least telling it to their face. 

Finally deciding he’s had enough, Eddie shuts off his car and exits, slamming the door. He marches up to the Harrington’s front door, praying that Steve won’t just shut it in his face. Doing a few quick shakes and deep breaths to get himself ready, he finally knocks 

It opens a few moments later with a disheveled Steve behind it, hair not falling into its perfect place, and comfortable sweats adorning his body. “Oh, so now you want to see me.”

Eddie tries to put on one of his smiles, make light of the whole situation, and hope that it will make the bitterness leave Steve’s voice. He can’t force it, only hoping that the sincerity will come through anyway. “I need to talk to you.”

Steve scoffs, rolling his eyes. “And the other times I tried weren’t good enough for you?”

His gaze meets Steve’s, filled with a mix of anger and sadness. “Those times were different. I misunderstood-”

“You misunderstood,” Steve interrupts. “No, I think I was the one who misunderstood. See, I thought there might be something between us. Something I’ve been wanting for a while and I had the stupid thought in my head that you wanted it to. But you were so ashamed that it happened that you just hide from me for a week and now you’ve come here to say that you want to talk. I don’t think we have anything to talk about.” 

Every part of Eddie is telling him to run, let it go, and just move on from it. But Steve’s too important for that, and he deserves to know what really happened. Steve starts to shut the door, but Eddie stops it, slamming his hand against the wood. “I saw you with Nancy that night,” he blurts out.

“What does Nancy have to do with any of this?”

“When I came down from the bedroom, I saw you pull her into a hug and kiss her forehead. Blame the alcohol or whatever, but I thought you two had gotten back together. That you kissing me was just a fluke because you couldn’t have her, and then you could so I ran. Ran away from the party, away from you. I … I knew I couldn’t handle the rejection so I just decided that I was never going to let it happen. 

The door opens fully again. “Come in. 

Eddie lets out a relieved breath, walking inside the house. He turns to face Steve, the anger from before morphing into hurt. Steve crosses his arms and stares at Eddie, searching his eyes for some sort of understanding. 

“Do you know what happened that night?”

“Yeah,” Eddie nods. “Robin told me about it when she came over earlier today.”

“Why would you think that I would just kiss you and go back to her like nothing happened?”

Eddie rubs his eyes. “I don’t know. It’s happened before. Guys kiss me just to mess with me before going back to their girlfriends. Looking back, I know you wouldn’t do that to me. But in the moment and after the way I saw you look at her a few months ago-”

“You thought that I would do what all those other guys did,” Steve finishes the sentence, taking a step toward Eddie. “I’m sorry for making you feel that way.”

“And I’m sorry for not letting you explain why you did it.”

Steve reaches out and pulls Eddie into a hug. Eddie returns it, sinking into the other’s touch. “I forgive you,” Steve whispers as they pull apart, pressing his forehead against Eddie’s. 

“I forgive you too.” Eddie leans forward, closing the gap between them, pressing his lips against Steve’s.

You can totally stop here, or you could read the full version here on my ao3. (warning: it gets spicy)

[voraciousvore]

Boarding School for Giants (1/25)

Author's Note: I decided to share one of my stories on here. Admittedly, it's not my best work, and I've improved a lot since I wrote it, but it remains one of my most popular (and is a shorter and tamer story). Hope you guys enjoy! :)

------Chapter 1------

I was angry at the world. And I had good reason to be. My dad had left a long time ago, when I was a small child—just walked out one day for cigarettes and never came back. He left behind a gaping hole in my soul that would never be filled. My mother, too, suffered from that same void: She filled it with alcohol, or at least tried to, as much as a bottomless pit can be filled. Occasionally she could pull herself together enough, for my sake, to get a low-paying job to support us and keep us fed. Inevitably, though, she would slip back into old habits, and be consumed by the bottle again. 

I was the poster child for teenage angst. I wore black nail polish and black lipstick and heavy eyeshadow with mascara. I dyed my dark hair with streaks of color and cut it in crazy, edgy styles. I had ear piercings and a nose piercing and even a badass tattoo of the grim reaper with a skull on my upper thigh that I got with a fake ID (don’t tell my mom). As for my clothing, I usually went for a goth or punk aesthetic: lacy black corsets with short skirts and tights, ripped-up skinny jeans, big black boots, messy crop tops with spaghetti straps. Anything black with buckles or spikes was my jam. I liked black because my heart was black. 

My behavior mirrored my outer appearance. I played the role of the bad kid pretty well. I always talked back to my teachers and acted up in class. I smoked weed in the girl’s bathroom during lunch and cigarettes behind the school. My grades weren’t terrible, because I wasn’t a complete moron, but I certainly didn’t try very hard. I snuck out of the house on weekends late at night to attend wild parties, although I refused to drink alcohol because I didn’t want to be like my mother. I made out with bad boys, whom I knew all too well would use me and break my heart and leave me just like my daddy did. 

The relationship I had with my mom, admittedly, wasn’t the best. She worked odd hours, so she wasn’t around much anyways. Sometimes she would bring home men that might stay for a little while, but none of them could replace my dad. She couldn’t handle my unruliness and didn’t know how to discipline me or give me boundaries. We would get into shouting matches with each other a lot, where we yelled past each other more than listening to each other. I knew all her weaknesses, and would intentionally say hurtful things to make her cry. I told her she was a terrible mother and she was the reason Dad left and nobody would ever love her again. I would regret my words later, but the rage and sadness I felt inside me was hard to control. 

Today was the day where the tension finally snapped, and everything came crashing down. I had been having an unusually crummy day, and I was in a bad mood. I flunked my chemistry test—not that I really cared, but it still made me feel stupid. The other girls in my class were teasing me and telling me I was an idiot, and I didn’t like that. I was walking through the hallway to my next class when Billy the Bully, as I called him, spotted me and zeroed in on his prey like a bloodhound. I had spurned his advances once, finding him to be a contemptible wretch, and ever since he had made it his mission to belittle and humiliate me as much as possible. Since I had rejected him, he insisted I was an ugly lesbian. I was not in the mood for his bullshit today. He pushed me hard into a locker, laughed, and strolled off. 

The coals burning inside me ignited. Billy the Bully was going down. I chased after him and punched him hard in the back of the head, knocking him to the ground, and kicked him in the ribs a couple of times for good measure. That’d teach him to mess with me. Unfortunately for me, I hadn’t noticed the principal walking down the hall, who was now gaping at me, appalled. It didn’t matter that Billy always harassed me, and that he had initiated the confrontation. The principal had only seen my violence. Despite fights breaking out all the time in the schoolyard, our school had a “zero tolerance” policy on the books for violent actions. Not to mention, I was sure they were more than happy to find an excuse to get rid of a troublesome rebel like me. I was swiftly expelled. 

Needless to say, when my mom came home from work and learned what happened from the school, she blew up at me. As usual, we yelled past each other until we were both out of breath and red in the face. I stormed out of the house and took a walk to cool down, smoking a cigarette as I went. To be honest, even though I felt justified in what I had done, I regretted putting my mom through more stress.  She was always failing me, but I figured she still loved me and cared about me. I was disappointing her with my bad behavior. I felt like such a failure. 

Reflecting on my actions didn’t change the consequences, however. I had been kicked out of school, and now we would need to transfer me to a new school. I wasn’t sure how to feel, whether I should be nervous or optimistic. Maybe I needed a fresh start. My old school sucked anyways, and was lousy with bullies and haters. I hated school. Why did I have to go in the first place? I couldn’t think of any other high schools that were close by in our area. 

When I returned home, my mom was making phone calls, trying to place me in a new school. Her eyes were red and puffy as she massaged her temple with her fingers. I tiptoed past her, slunk over to my room, and threw myself on my bed. I slapped on a pair of old headphones and blasted some death metal into my ears to drown out my thoughts. Somehow, the sound of wild demonic screaming and electric guitars always helped to calm down the boiling hatred inside me. I started to drift off to sleep. 

“EREN!” my mom screamed my name, startling me awake over the sound of my music. I took off my headphones, irritated. 

“WHAT?!” I shouted back with a disgruntled scowl. 

“Pack your things,” my mother demanded. “None of the schools nearby are willing to take you in, and I can’t deal with you anymore. You’re going to boarding school to learn some discipline.” 

“Boarding school? Are you freaking kidding me right now?” I balked. I was incredulous. Mom was trying to get rid of me. I flipped the script on her and acidly retorted, “Well, fine then! I didn’t want to be around you anymore either!” I rolled over in my bed and refused to look at her, facing the wall instead in defiance. She paused for a moment, as if wanting to say something, then sighed and exited the room, closing the door gently behind her.  

I huffed and sulked for a while. Boarding school. Unbelievable. Scoffing to myself, I began to gather up my things, tossing clothes, school supplies, and some other miscellaneous articles carelessly into my backpack and a duffel bag. I didn’t have a whole lot to bring. We were poor, so it’s not like I had a ton of luxury items in my possession to pack. I prepared for bed and flopped down on my mattress, deep in thought. I wondered what boarding school was like. Maybe it would be better to get away from it all, to be far away from everything that was tormenting me. My mom wouldn’t be around to hassle me at least. How bad could it be? 

The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed and threw on some clean clothes. I hadn’t slept well, since I had been haunted by my nagging thoughts most of the night. I ate a bowl of cereal and drank some orange juice for breakfast, then decided I ought to at least make myself look nice if it was going to be my first day at a new school. I hauled myself to the bathroom and washed, did my make-up, brushed my teeth, and styled my hair with some hair gel. Much better. 

I grabbed my bags and placed them in the trunk of our beater of a car. Rather than sit in the front seat alongside my mother, I opted to sit in the back instead, sprawling my legs out along the back seat. My mom pursed her lips in disapproval but didn’t say anything. She hopped into the front seat, and after a couple of tries the starter kicked in and the old car coughed to life. The car crawled out of the driveway and stumbled off, leaving a nasty brown puff of smog in its wake. 

We drove for a while in silence. I played on my phone and occasionally looked out the window at the bland scenery passing by. We lived in a rural area, surrounded by farmland, so there wasn’t much to see other than fields of corn and wheat, grain silos and barns, and fenced-off land for cows or horses. It was a serene and pastoral paradise, but I had lived with these things my whole life so I wasn’t very impressed. The density of the buildings gradually increased as we entered more populated areas. 

After a couple of hours, I started to get restless. “Where are we going? How far away is this place?” I questioned, finally breaking the silence. 

“About that...” my mother said. She trailed off and failed to finish her sentence, as if she were afraid to tell me. 

“Well?” I asked, a note of irritation in my voice. 

She sighed. “I guess it’s better if I tell you now, so you don’t freak out when we get there. We’re almost at the drop-off point anyways.” 

“Freak out?” I was becoming increasingly baffled. “Why would I freak out? What’s going on here?” I raised my voice as I spoke. 

“This isn’t an ordinary boarding school.” She paused dramatically, letting the words sink in. “I needed to find a place we could afford, and a place that could handle your misbehaving and keep you in check. This school is planning to become an integration school, and they’re looking for students like you to join, so they offered me a substantial subsidy to sign you up.” 

“Students... like me?” I was lost. “Why would they want a troublemaker like me? What do you mean by an ‘integration school?’ What is that?” 

Before she could answer, our car was engulfed in shadow. I peered out the window and my jaw dropped to the floor. We were driving toward a massive wall, constructed of great stone bricks of an impossible size. The wall must have been hundreds of feet tall, and blocked out the sun as we approached. The surrounding buildings and trees looked like little models and toys by comparison. We pulled up to the wall and parked in a vacant lot. My mom, rather than explaining what was going on, got out of the car and removed my bags from the trunk. I stayed in my seat, refusing to budge. I was very confused, and even a little intimidated. 

My mother opened the passenger door and looked at me expectantly. “Come on. Get out.” I just stared back at her. Nothing had been explained. I didn’t want to go. I was getting an uneasy, sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. 

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. Realizing I wasn’t going to win this fight, I begrudgingly got out of the car and followed her to a normal-sized door that was embedded in the enormous wall. She opened the door and we walked into a short, gloomy passageway that tunneled through the thick wall to the other side. As we walked through the darkness, I cleared my throat and tried one last time to finesse some information out of her. 

“Mom... please. Tell me what this is,” I pleaded. I couldn’t stop my voice from cracking slightly. Genuine fear was starting to trickle into my chest. The whole situation was very strange and surreal. 

We reached the door at the end of the tunnel. Sunlight bled through the cracks around the door, framing it with bright light in the musty darkness. My mom placed her hand on the door handle and exhaled slowly. She gazed over at me sadly. Her face was pinched up, as if she were trying to hold back strong emotions. 

“On the other side of this huge wall... is the giant side of town. You’re going to a boarding school for giants.” 

2nd Chapter: https://www.tumblr.com/voraciousvore/731600807530823680/boarding-school-for-giants-225?source=share

Table of Contents:

Ch. 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25

Writing Masterpost

[sickdokidoki]

Maimed

| part 1 |

Part 2

Male bff x gn reader

| Slight mind break | Kidnapping | breaking and entering | manipulation | threatening with suicide | dead dove

It wasn't fair, you said it, he knew it... but he didn't care... No, he did care, that's why he was doing this, he did care. That's why this was so painful, so unbelievably painful you felt as if your chest was on fire or being torn open... He couldn't be doing this... could he? Was this real...??

"I can't live without you!!!" he screamed again, razor blade pressed against his fore arm. "I refuse to, I can't, I won't!!! You can't make me!!!"

"I'll come back every weekend to spend it with you, I promised didn't I?! Please, put that thing down and let's talk..." you plead, tears rolling down your cheeks.

Ever since you could remember he had done stuff like this. You used to think he just got very sad and clingy because he was an only child and he was very attached to you, he had tantrums and refused to listen if it meant that you were separated... but you never saw anything weird in it. You were kids after all and you didn't want to leave half the time either...

But as time went by his "tantrums" escalated... till today. This was unprecedented, he had never reacted in this way before! He was scaring you too much and you couldn't think.

"Please stop doing this... Why are you doing this??" you sobbed softly, but then took a deep breath and smiled softly at him. "Okay, alright... I don't have to decide everything right now. Scholarships come and go, and I'm still training for the nationals, remember? Maybe after those we can sit down and talk again about this..."

Slowly he started to calm down and you were able to grab the razor, tossing it away discreetly. He slowly sat him down on the back steps of his house's porch and sat beside him, pulling him close into a gentle embrace.

You knew that tone, it was a "please reassure me it's okay" tone. You hated that tone... but you couldn't stop yourself from pouring out loving and reassuring words for him...

"Nationals...?" he asked after a moment to regain his breath, looking up at you with glistening eyes. "We will go to the nationals then...?"

"I-er- yes! I do have a companion ticket, I was going to ask you. I'm sorry, with the scholarship thing I forgot..." you said, but then held them closer. "I-I didn't forget about you, I just-"

"It's okay, I know what you mean," he interrupted hoarsely, his eyes cast down. "Are you sure it's okay if I go, I know you wanted your little sister to go with you..."

You knew this wasn't okay, this was weird, and controlling, but the way his eyes lit up when you went along with his plans was way too precious for you to not try and make him happy. Sighing you smiled at him and hugged him close.

"It will be okay, I promise. We're best friends, right?? Everything always works out for us..." you reassured him, smiling brighter and he nodded and finally broke into a smile himself. "Let's go get an ice-cream, my treat!"

It was so ironic how you always seemed to be the one protecting him. He was almost two heads taller than you, and broad chest, solid like a brick wall. One would think it was the other way around, but truth was different.

It was also weird he had rejected the football scholarships he had been offered. He didn't seem to have any aspirations for his future, his mother had commented about that with yours on how weird it was. You agreed but he had always been like this, going through life as if ticking off things from a list... it was only around you that he actually lit up and seemed alive and able to enjoy the moment.

That's why you didn't feel good when you went against his wishes, and he had always asked for very little from you: only your undivided attention. Why not humour him?? This was different though, it felt different this time... and he must've felt the change as well, but nothing would prepare you for what was to come.

That night you got into your bed, mulling over the events of the evening and trying to see what you could do about it, how you could fix it... suddenly you heard something in the house. It was right out of your bedroom. Shaking with fear, you grabbed one of your heavier gymnastics trophies and inched your way to the door, opening it a sliver-

-everything had went dark, you didn't even have time to scream for your parents, your sister, anyone... Nothingness filled your eyes and head, and then you fell into a void of unconsciousness...

[airi-p4]

Pretend boyfriend - Chapter 2

Chapter 1 | Ch2 | Ch3 ____________________

Summary:

Chat Noir tells Ladybug in a spaz that he has a boyfriend and asks Luka to pretend and fill in for the role for a double date with her and her boyfriend. The problem is he's trying to make Ladybug jealous… and Luka is caught in the middle of it when he's also the spotted hero's date.

AO3

________________________

Chapter 2: Later, that night...

That night, when things had finally calmed down, Ladybug visited Luka's house. She had heard his music by the back of the ship, so she landed there quietly, sneakily. 

"G-goodnight Luka…"

"Ladybug?"

She nodded. "I wanted to apologize for today… I admit nothing went as I planned. Nothing ever goes as I plan when it involves confessing to boys I like…" She shrugged, laughing awkwardly. "I don't want you to think that I lied to you. I really wanted to talk about strategy before. But then Chat was- well, being Chat- and everything got messed up."

Luka hummed, but said nothing.

"In truth, I wanted to ask you to be a permanent miraculous holder." He gasped at her offer. "Well, only if you want to, of course."

She took the Snake Miraculous out of her yoyo and offered it to him. Eyes open wide, he stared at it, and then at Ladybug, who spoke again.

"I won't insist or pressure you with my feelings, so that won't be a problem. I know too well what it is like to be forced or pressured after my experience with Chat, so I can guarantee that... But I'm afraid I can't speak for him. I'm sorry if he becomes a nuisance for you. I'll understand if you don't want to take this burden." She pointed at the Snake Miraculous with her eyes.

"I'll take it."

"You will?" She beamed.

"Yes, but with one condition."

"Hm? What is it?"

"I want a chance to correct myself," he stated.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

He stood up, approached closer to her and clasped her hand and the Snake Miraculous between his hands, while staring firmly at her eyes. She blushed.

"I want to take back my rejection to your feelings." He smiled softly. 

"Eh!? What?" She jolted. "B-but- didn't you say you were in love with M-Marinette!?"

He chuckled. "Do you really want to play this game, now?" 

He didn't need to say more; his softened expression spoke for him. That's how Ladybug realized it.

"You know…" She gasped.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" He smiled tenderly. "The beautiful hair and eyes, the sweet voice, the lovely freckles that peek under the mask… and the unforgettable melody I could never get tired of…" He rubbed the back of her hand as he talked. Her blush deepened. "What I want to ask you is: did you mean it? Do you feel the same about me? The same I feel about you?" 

"I truly meant it," she said, her heart drumming fast, but convinced. "I love you. I have for a while now…"

He beamed. "Would you ask me again, then? Or shall I do it instead?" He approached, foreheads almost touching.

"I'll do it." She decided. 

Luka separated, leaving her enough space to take a deep breath. Her free hand set on his hand over hers, clasping it with care. She noticed Luka's eyes on hers, but she wasn't nervous. No, Luka always managed to bring calm to her, and she loved that about him. She took a second deep breath before she spoke, looking directly at his expectant, dazzling eyes.

"I love you, Luka. Would you be my boyfriend?" 

"Absolutely. I would love to be your boyfriend." His smile was brighter than ever. "I love you, Marinette."

She beamed at him, relief and shared happiness engulfing her. She removed her hand from Luka's to wipe a happy tear that escaped her. He leaned in and kissed it, on her cheekbone, making her warmer. 

She giggled happily, to his delight. 

"I guess I'm taking this, then," Luka said, finally taking the Snake Miraculous and placing it into his pocket. "I'll be honored to help you keep Paris safe. And my girlfriend, too, of course." He winked and she blushed.

"Girlfriend!" She squeaked. "I think I still need some more time to process it!"

He laughed. 

"Well, at least you can't say you aren't able to confess your feelings to boys anymore. The curse is broken, isn't it?" 

"Well… I don't care. I don't plan to confess my feelings to any other boy ever again so…" She would panic later. "All I want to do from now on is to tell you 'I love you' many many times, so I hope you don't ever get tired of it because I don't plan to stop and-"

It was his turn to blush.

"That makes me very happy…" He cupped her face with his hands and jolted a bit when his face approached, only to rest his forehead on hers. She was happy, but maybe she expected a bit more. She wanted to-

"May I kiss you?" he asked.

"Yes, please!" That's what she secretly wanted. 

He let one of his hands slide down to her shoulder, while the other one remained in place, to steady her for the upcoming contact. She tilted her face up, and he angled his to kiss her properly. Her heart was beating fast as the awaited contact arrived. And it wasn't how she expected it, no- it was better. Because the love she felt in that kiss would never be able to be conveyed with words or even music. Her arms surrounded his neck, pushing closer and deepening the kiss. She didn't want it to end, and he didn't seem to disagree with her. Sweet, loving, passionate- but the need of air, sadly, broke them apart. 

Foreheads touching, wide grins never left their faces as they giggled while panting. She squeaked when Luka bent to hold her closer in a tight hug. She immediately reciprocated it happily. 

"I'm so happy," he whispered in her ear. 

She noticed her face felt flushed. "I'm very happy, too. The happiest." She nuzzled her face between his shoulder and his neck, hugging him even tighter. 

But then, a long minute later, after pulling apart, he reminded her, with a question, that they still had something left to deal with. "What should we do about Chat?"

Right. The damn cat. The cat who couldn't take a NO for an answer and who would keep trying until he succeeded… that cat. 

She sighed.

From previous experience, telling him they were dating wouldn't change a thing. Besides, it could compromise her secret identity. And he knew about Luka's superhero identity, too... 

"I think we should keep it a secret. At least until Hawkmoth is defeated," she said. "Besides, telling him would-"

"-compromise your secret identity, I get it." Gosh- she loved the way he could follow her way of thinking. "I think that's the wisest option, too."

"I'm glad you agree, even if it pains me…" She smiled, bittersweet. "At least we can hang out or even secretly date you as myself, while I can see you whenever you help us with superhero stuff. I can live with that."

"Having more excuses to hang out with my cute girlfriend? I can totally live with that, too." He winked with a teasing smile.

"Lukaaa!!" She blushed. "I'm still not used to it!" 

He chuckled at her cute reaction. "Let's get more and more used to it then?" He caressed her cheek again, his eyes begging her for a permission she happily granted. Their second kiss was as long and as perfect as their first. And their third. And their fourth. And their- they eventually had to stop due to their tardiness, the full moon over the Notre Dame served as a reminder for them of how it was past midnight and they had school tomorrow. 

After a few- "last one," "one more?" "Last one, I promise!" "One more…? Please..?" "I could kiss you forever…" "good night…" they shared a final short goodnight kiss before she eventually, and very reluctantly (the feeling was mutual), left.

Next morning, she was going to find a "good morning" message on her phone from her boyfriend (boyfriend!!), proof and relief enough for her that, to her delight, it hadn't been a dream. Somehow, though, she convinced herself and her boyfriend that she still needed more time (and kisses) to process it properly. He would gladly help with that.

[deafknell]

LiM Julius Route Summary

This route starts in Arc 1, where Subaru chooses to go to the guards to look for the insignia first and meets Julius.

After explaining the situation, Julius is the one to take down Elsa instead of Reinhard, and Subaru ends up becoming good friends with him.

Full explanation under the cut.

Part 1:

The guard on duty doesn't seem to know much about what Subaru means by a "lost item," but Julius steps in and takes over questioning. Subaru tries to tell him he needs to look at confiscated items/lost and found, but without any description of the stolen item, Julius has no good reason to co-operate or show the box to him.

Subaru hasn't got a good description of the insignia, only knowing it as a "shiny thing," so he gives up on asking about it and apologises to Julius and the guard for wasting their time. After this, he goes back to Emilia, and arc 1 proceeds as normal.

Part 2:

After dying in the loothouse, he rushes back to the alleyway so he can meet Emilia again. Instead, he runs into Julius, who mentions the alleyway being quite narrow and to be careful if he's in a hurry. Subaru recognises him instantly, but Julius has no clue who Subaru is.

He explains to Julius about there being a dangerous guy in the slums, and needing somebody strong to come check it out. Julius asks him why Subaru's heading there if he knows something is dangerous. After telling him that people's lives are at stake and Subaru needs him, Julius agrees to be his strength.

Subaru thanks him, and Julius asks again how he knew his name when they'd never met before. Depending on the choice you make as a player, Subaru will either say they'd met before and Julius just forgot, or Subaru says he heard it from another guard.

As they walk along, Subaru explains the whole situation, and Julius replies:

Julius: I understand the situation. I can't believe you'd risk so much for a woman you've never met.

Julius: Even so, the risk to a citizen is too great. I understand your feelings. I'll accompany you.

TonChinKan were hoping Subaru would pass by, but seeing Julius accompany him, decide to leave him be.

At this point, Julius mentions about him appearing in the slums with a knight's uniform may cause some trouble. Subaru gives him his jacket to disguise him, and Julius asks him to call him Juli.

When they reach the Loot house, Subaru warns Juli of the danger, but Juli doesn't quite see anything dangerous. Seeing Subaru all worried about entering, he decides to take the lead first.

Rom's fine, and things go pretty much the same as canon. Subaru asks Rom if he died recently, Juli doesn't quite know what to do here, and Rom ends up eating some of his potato chips.

(Side note: Juli says he really likes this outfit, but it doesn't quite look right on him.)

Subaru explains he's looking for the insignia, and that a girl with silver hair had it taken from her, which gets Juli's attention. As Rom confirms Felt won't be back 'til late, both Subaru and Juli are asked to leave for now. Subaru asks if Juli will stick around, and Juli agrees, intrigued about the stolen insignia.

Part 3:

Felt returns, and is immediately wary of Juli's presence. She tells him people like him don't go here, and tries to bascially get him to back off, but he's able to tell Felt deals in stolen goods. Depending on your choice, Subaru either asks Juli to back down, or begs Felt to listen to him.

Things go similar to canon, he asks to buy the insignia off her, using his phone as a bargaining chip. Rom's interested, but Felt is very very wary of why both Subaru and Juli are around. Juli having such an expensive sword and being in this area spells trouble for her.

Juli tells her that he is a knight, but there's no reason for her to reject the negotiations over the insignia. To which Felt responds:

Felt: There is a reason. I don't like you.

She tells them she's going to sell it to somebody else, and Juli mentions once more "I can't abide by this." Subaru has to stop both of them from being rash, and players can either choose to reason with Juli, or reason with Felt.

...Which doesn't work, and Felt says the client's going to show up soon. Elsa appears, and Juli immediately tells Subaru to stand behind him. They start fighting, and Subaru doesn't want to just run away and leave Juli alone.

Juli compliments her skills, but asks why she does this sort of thing. Elsa asks him "Are you doing this because you want to do it?" and they continue talking while exchanging blows.

Eventually, Juli strikes her down enough to incapacitate her for a moment, and Felt and Rom leave. Subaru attempts to leave as well, but Elsa aims for him, only to be stopped by Juli using Al Clauzeria on her.

Thinking it's over, Juli talks to Subaru for a moment, when Elsa finally takes down Subaru. Her coat, being able to block magic, meant she was unaffected by Juli's spell.

Juli tries to save him, instructing one of his spirits to use healing magic on him. Elsa refuses to get out of the way, watching Subaru slowly die as Juli gets more desparate.

Julius : Elsa, get out of the way, or else ------ !

Elsa: What if I don't? Slowly, slowly, the fire of life is fading away ----

Julius: Subaru! Don't lose your mind! You can't die here! You need to return the insignia to the original owner---

Subaru : (dying, insignia, original owner ------ )

Elsa: Fading away, end of story.

Julius: Subaru—!!

Subaru: ( ─ Ah, dead)

Subaru respawns at the Appa stand, and gets given some water and an appa after freaking out in front of Kadomon. Just like in canon, he spots Emilia and calls out to her--calling her Satella, and being glad she's okay.

Part 3 end.

Will continue part 4 and 5 in another post - this one's long enough already.

[thefisherqueen]

So I'm just back from a hiking trip during which I was entirely out of phone reception reach, so I've fallen behind on Sherlock Holmes' The hound of the Baskervilles! Funnily enough, this novel was quite a lot on my mind during hiking, because I also was in a place deemed by many to be Moody and Dreary (though it was tundra, not the moor), and I crossed so many bogs - and yet, managed to not get slowly sucked in to death once! Instead, my enemy nr 1 was quite a lot of rain and, especially, a never relenting harsh wind. Very exhausting. I also was made concious once again to all the strange noises created by wind and water. There's 6 chapters now for me to catch up, let's see how far I can get today between unpacking and laundry and other chores!

IX - Second report of dr. Watson There is an opening between two trees which enables one from this point of view to look right down upon it, while from all the other windows it is only a distant glimpse which can be obtained. It follows, therefore, that Barrymore, since only this window would serve the purpose, must have been looking out for something or somebody upon the moor. The night was very dark, so that I can hardly imagine how he could have hoped to see anyone. It had struck me that it was possible that some love intrigue was on foot. That would have accounted for his stealthy movements and also for the uneasiness of his wife. The man is a striking-looking fellow, very well equipped to steal the heart of a country girl, so that this theory seemed to have something to support it. Nice bit of logical reasoning from Watson. I have to laugh a little at Watson here, though, for always thinking that romance must be involved. Also - what is this tendecy of men to compliment other men of their looks by going 'the girls must love him!' No sir, YOU love him, just admit it

So I reasoned with myself in the morning, and I tell you the direction of my suspicions, however much the result may have shown that they were unfounded. Spoilers, Watson, spoilers!

“Perhaps then he pays a visit every night to that particular window,” I suggested. “Perhaps he does. If so, we should be able to shadow him, and see what it is that he is after. I wonder what your friend Holmes would do, if he were here.” “I believe that he would do exactly what you now suggest,” said I. “He would follow Barrymore and see what he did.” It's very adorable to me that these two grown men are deciding their actions based on their idea of what their hero Holmes would do

When the house is renovated and refurnished, all that he will need will be a wife to make it complete. I can so easily imagine Holmes' eye-roll at Watson's romanticism upon reading this part, and this time I'm 100% with him. Watson, this is Too Much. There's no reason at all to put this line into your report - it tells Holmes nothing except your own projection

I am sorry to intrude, but you heard how earnestly Holmes insisted that I should not leave you, and especially that you should not go alone upon the moor.” Sir Henry put his hand upon my shoulder with a pleasant smile. “My dear fellow,” said he, “Holmes, with all his wisdom, did not foresee some things which have happened since I have been on the moor. You understand me? I am sure that you are the last man in the world who would wish to be a spoil-sport. I must go out alone.” For heaven's sake, sir Henry, being killed will be more of a spoil-sport than Watson's presence on your little romantic moor adventure. Also, Watson would be more than happy to join in the fun with you two

At this instant Sir Henry suddenly drew Miss Stapleton to his side. His arm was round her, but it seemed to me that she was straining away from him with her face averted. He stooped his head to hers, and she raised one hand as if in protest.  Oh, red flag. Seems she's not into this, sir Henry, leave her alone. Even if her rejection is just for her brother's sake - still wrong to push

Stapleton was the cause of the interruption. He was running wildly towards them, his absurd net dangling behind him. He gesticulated and almost danced with excitement in front of the lovers. What the scene meant I could not imagine, but it seemed to me that Stapleton was abusing Sir Henry, who offered explanations, which became more angry as the other refused to accept them. Becoming more and more curious as to the reasons for Stapleton's objection to his sister and sir Henry's courting. Am suspecting something fucked up - though at the moment, considering how pushy Henry is being, my sympathy is more with Stapleton

I explained everything to him: how I had found it impossible to remain behind, how I had followed him, and how I had witnessed all that had occurred. For an instant his eyes blazed at me, but my frankness disarmed his anger, and he broke at last into a rather rueful laugh. “You would have thought the middle of that prairie a fairly safe place for a man to be private,” said he, “but, by thunder, the whole country-side seems to have been out to see me do my wooing—and a mighty poor wooing at that! Many can learn something from Watson's honesty and communication! And Henry's affront at having been observed is making me laugh. Miles of wide open land might not be the best place to carry out something private, lord. Go into a forest or something like that next time

What's the matter with me, anyhow? You've lived near me for some weeks, Watson. Tell me straight, now! Is there anything that would prevent me from making a good husband to a woman that I loved?” Oh, I don't know, might have something to do with the last lord having possibly just been murdered and a family curse to your name and active threats being carried out towards your person??? Did sir Henry just forget all that?

I tell you, Watson, I've only known her these few weeks, but from the first I just felt that she was made for me, and she, too—she was happy when she was with me, and that I'll swear. There's a light in a woman's eyes that speaks louder than words.  ... Is sir Henry here admitting that miss Stapleton never actually said with words that she was interested in him, that he was going on vibes alone? Yikes

He was very sorry for all that had passed, and he recognized how foolish and how selfish it was that he should imagine that he could hold a beautiful woman like his sister to himself for her whole life. If she had to leave him he had rather it was to a neighbour like myself than to anyone else. But in any case it was a blow to him, and it would take him some time before he could prepare himself to meet it. He would withdraw all opposition upon his part if I would promise for three months to let the matter rest and to be content with cultivating the lady's friendship during that time without claiming her love. This I promised, and so the matter rests. Three months... until the plot, whatever it is, has had the chance to be carried out? I still don't think that Stapleton is the main guilty party. But evidence is mounting that he knows more about this plot than he's letting on. Also am increasingly annoyed that we still don't know miss Stapleton's actual level of interest in sir Henry. So far, even in private with the lord, all she has done is warning him. Am also irritated that her beauty is her only trait that's refered to. If her beauty is her main virtue even to her brother... that has implications I don't like at all

And now I pass on to another thread which I have extricated out of the tangled skein, the mystery of the sobs in the night, of the tear-stained face of Mrs. Barrymore, of the secret journey of the butler to the western lattice window. Congratulate me, my dear Holmes, and tell me that I have not disappointed you as an agent—that you do not regret the confidence which you showed in me when you sent me down. All these things have by one night's work been thoroughly cleared. We were really bereft so far for never knowing what Watson sounds like when he isn't being a narrator but writes to Holmes directly. Watson: "compliment me, my dearest? Tell me I've been a good boy and done well? Not sure I can live without your approval" We've joked before about Holmes having a praise kink, but Watson is clearly in even deeper

 I sat up with Sir Henry in his rooms until nearly three o'clock in the morning, but no sound of any sort did we hear except the chiming clock upon the stairs. It was a most melancholy vigil, and ended by each of us falling asleep in our chairs. *is having issues holding myself back from joking about what these two handsome horny hotheads might have been up to to pass the time in the privacy of sir Henry's rooms* On second thoughts, actually, why should I hold myself back. "I know something which to amuse ourselves with while we are waiting, my lord, but you must promise me you will remain very quiet. Can you do that, or should I gag you?" "Do go on, doctor, I'm... intrigued" Ok, I'll leave the rest for AO3

The next night we lowered the lamp, and sat smoking cigarettes without making the least sound.  Ah, the stealthy act of... smoking cigarettes. Surely no one will be able to smile that from a mile away

When at last we reached the door and peeped through we found him crouching at the window, candle in hand, his white, intent face pressed against the pane, exactly as I had seen him two nights before. We had arranged no plan of campaign, but the baronet is a man to whom the most direct way is always the most natural. All that time spent waiting, all that stealth... to just barge into there without plan? Absolute disasters, the two of them

The man's face became openly defiant. “It is my business, and not yours. I will not tell.” “Then you leave my employment right away.” “Very good, sir. If I must I must.” ���And you go in disgrace. By thunder, you may well be ashamed of yourself. Your family has lived with mine for over a hundred years under this roof, and here I find you deep in some dark plot against me.” Sir Henry is reacting with such a typical rich man's abuse of power already here, feeling entitled to everything going on in his house, assuming without evidence that it is done against him, and threatening this man's whole income and reputation if he doesn't comply with him. I hate it

 It is my doing, Sir Henry—all mine. He has done nothing except for my sake and because I asked him.” “Speak out, then! What does it mean?” “My unhappy brother is starving on the moor. We cannot let him perish at our very gates. The light is a signal to him that food is ready for him, and his light out yonder is to show the spot to which to bring it.” “Then your brother is—” “The escaped convict, sir—Selden, the criminal.” Well that IS a plot twist I did not see coming. Lady, I admire sibling loyality and care a lot for my younger brother myself, but exceptionally cruel murder is maybe where you should draw the line? I'm very much wondering what the story will do with this. I guess this resolves the escaped convict subplot and that he has nothing to with the plotting against the Baskervilles

“Well, it cannot be far if Barrymore had to carry out the food to it. And he is waiting, this villain, beside that candle. By thunder, Watson, I am going out to take that man!” Oh my. This man will run straight into danger, and I'm sure Watson, who's supposed to keep him save, will only encourage him. They have so much 'we make each other worse' energy

We rushed over the brow of the hill, and there was our man running with great speed down the other side, springing over the stones in his way with the activity of a mountain goat. A lucky long shot of my revolver might have crippled him, but I had brought it only to defend myself if attacked, and not to shoot an unarmed man who was running away. Well, Watson at least has Morals about using his revolver

And it was at this moment that there occurred a most strange and unexpected thing. We had risen from our rocks and were turning to go home, having abandoned the hopeless chase. The moon was low upon the right, and the jagged pinnacle of a granite tor stood up against the lower curve of its silver disc. There, outlined as black as an ebony statue on that shining back-ground, I saw the figure of a man upon the tor. Do not think that it was a delusion, Holmes. I assure you that I have never in my life seen anything more clearly. As far as I could judge, the figure was that of a tall, thin man. He stood with his legs a little separated, his arms folded, his head bowed, as if he were brooding over that enormous wilderness of peat and granite which lay before him.  Evidence, finally, of another human figure involved in this plot! And he looks nothing like Stapleton either. Tall, thin, commanding presence - Sherlock Holmes, is that you?

X - Extract from the Diary of Dr. Watson I am conscious myself of a weight at my heart and a feeling of impending danger—ever present danger, which is the more terrible because I am unable to define it. The essence of gothic horror, right here :) A stranger then is still dogging us, just as a stranger dogged us in London. We have never shaken him off. If I could lay my hands upon that man, then at last we might find ourselves at the end of all our difficulties. To this one purpose I must now devote all my energies. Seems like Watson has a new plan of action! At least, if you can call it a plan

“He'll break into no house, sir. I give you my solemn word upon that. But he will never trouble anyone in this country again. I assure you, Sir Henry, that in a very few days the necessary arrangements will have been made and he will be on his way to South America.  Barrymore: don't worry! If he'll murder people again, it won't be in our country, so really everything is fine! (wow. So much wow)

I know something, Sir Henry, and perhaps I should have said it before, but it was long after the inquest that I found it out. I've never breathed a word about it yet to mortal man. It's about poor Sir Charles's death.” The baronet and I were both upon our feet. “Do you know how he died?” “No, sir, I don't know that.” “What then?” “I know why he was at the gate at that hour. It was to meet a woman.” Ok, maybe Watson does like romance in his stories, but romance does seems also have a tendecy to keep finding him whether he wants it or not. Now what was this appointment about?

But if we can only trace L. L. it should clear up the whole business. We have gained that much. We know that there is someone who has the facts if we can only find her. What do you think we should do?” “Let Holmes know all about it at once. It will give him the clue for which he has been seeking. I am much mistaken if it does not bring him down.” Gods, I hope Holmes does come! I've been missing having my dear silly man around almost as much as Watson has

And then I thought of that other one—the face in the cab, the figure against the moon. Was he also out in that deluged—the unseen watcher, the man of darkness? In the evening I put on my waterproof and I walked far upon the sodden moor, full of dark imaginings, the rain beating upon my face and the wind whistling about my ears. God help those who wander into the great mire now, for even the firm uplands are becoming a morass. I found the black tor upon which I had seen the solitary watcher, and from its craggy summit I looked out myself across the melancholy downs. Rain squalls drifted across their russet face, and the heavy, slate-coloured clouds hung low over the landscape, trailing in gray wreaths down the sides of the fantastic hills. Some nice vivid writing here! The unseen watcher, the man of darkness: that are some badass names Watson has come up with. It would be so funny if it really does turn out to be Holmes himself - I bet he'd be most pleased to be called names like that

There is Laura Lyons—her initials are L. L.—but she lives in Coombe Tracey.” “Who is she?” I asked. “She is Frankland's daughter.” Found her, it seems! That is impressively fast, Watson. I had to read back to remember who Frankland was - the man who was so happy to start all those lawsuits and who has the huge telescope. Seems he's not as kind and good-natured as Watson described him to be if he disowned his own daughter for marrying against his will. Could this man the main villain, then? Did his daugher know something which she wanted the eldery Baskervilles to warn about? I am certainly developing the wisdom of the serpent, for when Mortimer pressed his questions to an inconvenient extent I asked him casually to what type Frankland's skull belonged, and so heard nothing but craniology for the rest of our drive. I have not lived for years with Sherlock Holmes for nothing. Laughing so hard at this. Watson has learned to weaponise people's autism against them. Well done, my boy. Just how often did you use this trick against Holmes?

I sat with my coffee-cup halfway to my lips and stared at Barrymore. “You know that there is another man then?” “Yes, sir; there is another man upon the moor.” So Barrymore also knows about the Unseen Watcher! Who is he? When the butler had gone I walked over to the black window, and I looked through a blurred pane at the driving clouds and at the tossing outline of the wind-swept trees. It is a wild night indoors, and what must it be in a stone hut upon the moor. What passion of hatred can it be which leads a man to lurk in such a place at such a time! And what deep and earnest purpose can he have which calls for such a trial! There, in that hut upon the moor, seems to lie the very centre of that problem which has vexed me so sorely. I swear that another day shall not have passed before I have done all that man can do to reach the heart of the mystery. Watson's really is going all into his investigation!

Had such a great time reading these two chapters but that was quite enough for today, time for a shower and dinner now. Starting another chapter tomorrow after work!

[tearsoftime0086]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Stealing a neat post from @sweepseven and we'll see how far we get haha. I haven't posted all of my stuff to AO3 so I'll kinda be pulling from a few places

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Only 6! And half of them are from July till now lmao (aka the moment I learned about Steve Burnside)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

49,691

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Gosh if I kept consistent fandoms it would make my fandom experience so much more easier :') Started out with Gundam, though haven't really kept up post my move away from FFNet (really want to come back at some point tho). Code Geass and TKoE is my long-running baby. Currently swept up in a Resident Evil fever too (see previous question). I've also written some stuff for League of Legends, Persona 2, and Fire Emblem!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Ravaged Blessings (Fire Emblem: Three Houses, T. Wrote this during the rising peak of FE3H's release. Started out with Blue Lions and whoa nelly I was not prepared for Dimitri's post-timeskip scene.)

Two Kinds of Eternity (Code Geass, M. The behemoth. I had this idea in my head for ages and once I joined AO3 in 2018, decided to finally give it a shot. It's been five years and we're only halfway there, but I'm glad folks have hopped on and off for the ride)

An Eternal Warpath For You And Me (Resident Evil, M. Most recent fic of mine that I'm thankful has gotten a lot of kind reception! Aka Chreon + me fitting Steve into the Resident Evil-verse as best I can haha)

Shuriman Nights (League of Legends, T. Bit of a kudos drop from this point forward, but I love all my works the same, so :) I will never be over Nasus and Renekton's lore.)

Once (That Was Enough) (Resident Evil, M. EVERYTIME I WATCH THE DARKSIDE CHRONICLES CUTSCENES I HAVE TO COME BACK AND RE-READ THIS ONE. The genesis of my sprawling RE AU)

With 6 fics, that leaves We'll Always Have Casablanca out of the standings! Turns out that fic was the first anyone used the Leon & Steve tag. Pure self-indulgence so I understand why it's the lowest haha

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to answer all of them! I have moments in life when I feel way too anxious about what to write back (like am I clogging up my own comments section? will they think it's weird if I write more than their initial comment?), but I work really hard to recognize the people who leave nice notes on my fics.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I'm a sucker for happy endings (everything else in the story is fair game tho) so I hardly ever end something too angsty... I guess Shuriman Nights for its implications?

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Once (That Was Enough). Capcom, I reject your reality and substitute my own.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I had a few small cases, but it's not frequent at all. I try to mind my own business and let folks be ^^

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

As someone who's like 90% sure they're ace/sex-repulsed, I don't. It narrows my scope of reading fanfic too unfortunately - some of the best written works I've seen are rated E, but I have to kinda "hold my breath" while reading them :(

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I never posted it anywhere, but I had a sprawling DCMK/Gundam crossover I shared with a close friend of mine. Still re-read parts of it from time to time. (Silver Bullet Shinichi, anyone?)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge! I write so slowly that they probably wouldn't be able to steal it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope but it would be a blessing if anyone ever asked!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Again not posted, but I used to do a ton of co-writing with that same close friend mentioned above. Good times.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Ooh this one's a tough one. If I have to choose, it's Kamille Bidan/Fa Yuiry from Zeta Gundam. It's what really started my fanfic journey, and I'll never forget the pure elation I felt watching their beach ending in Gundam ZZ. Wonder how I'd write something for them in the present? It's been so long...

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

If I thought about my deepest fears it would be TKoE, but I refuse. I will finish that fic. For a more realistic answer, I have a lot of mini-scenes for my Claire/Steve RE AU that I want to string into a full fic at some point, but I already have so many things on my plate.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hmm. I like to think that in my writing peaks, I have a good sense of capturing character voices and dialogue. I'm also good at coming up with like, "angsty" one-liners, if that makes sense?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Gosh this one's much easier than the last one. My posting rate is abysmal for starters (sorry to all the TKoE readers). I feel like every other sentence I write is clunky and long. Like on re-reads I can usually shave a few adjectives and words off of every sentence. I get impatient about pacing when I'm actually writing, but my actual writing sessions are few and far between. Tough times man :(

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Different strokes for different folks, but I'm always afraid that a reader will get whiplash if I write in a language that I'm not comfortable with. Like sometimes I'll read fics where they reference Korean and it ruins my focus a bit when I read something that's not grammatically correct/realistic. Nothing to drop a fic over, but I'm not confident enough to write in another language myself.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I don't remember off the top of my head. The first one I posted online was for Zeta Gundam, but also I think I have a small A Separate Peace story from around that time? Lol if I go back to my childhood original works, those stories were essentially Guardians of Ga'Hoole and Bionicle fanfics too.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Once (That Was Enough) takes the cake right now. I remember looking on TVTropes for... Tragic Monster examples I believe?... and found a quick summary of Steve Burnside. Oh dear, that lad has me in his clutches and won't let me go. I had to write a story where he survives, and well... the rest is history. I even have a tag dedicated to the AU the fic spawned! Well, that was a ton of fun! If anyone reads this and wants to do it themselves, feel free to! Hoping to get more stuff out soon :)

[backjustforberena]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you to @joycieillustrations for tagging me. And whomever reads this, if you want to consider this me tagging you then go for it! But here we go, here are my answers. Dear Lordy, I'd forgotten about some of these fics until I had to tot up the word count.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

I have 25. Some completed, some... not so much.

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

Total word count is: 174,231 words.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I'm only actively writing "House of the Dragon". And actively is a strong word. Sometimes I look fondly on my "Holby City" (specifically the ship 'Berena') unfinished fics and the notes I still have and half-finished chapters, but I leave them be for now. Unless someone decides to bug me (by which I mean, offer a hand and lend an ear).

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

- Me Before You AU - a Berena retelling of the book/film. - Run And Hit - a Berena AU. - Home Now - a Berena AU. - Losing Her Would Be Infinitely More Terrifying Than Loving Her - a Berena AU. - A Fresh Page - a Berena AU.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Generally, I don't, unless it's been a mean comment or they've asked me something specifically. Otherwise, I know I won't reply to all and so I get anxious about responding to any! And I'm British - you try giving a British person a compliment, you see how they find it!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

From my completed works? Shoot. I'm not sure if I'm the best judge of that. Most of them do include angst. But if they're angsty multi-chapters, then they're going to end on a happier note. And if they're an angsty one-shot, then the angst isn't just contained to the ending, it starts from the first word!

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Looking at finished works... I have written some fluff.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have done on one of my fics. That was "Deep Waters". That was not fun at all, but equally, I had some really lovely comments on that fic as well. Moral of the story - don't write Daemon Targaryen in anything but a good light and certainly don't have Rhaenys act independently and with emotion. Woe betide you if you do! ;)

9. Do you write smut?

Nope.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I haven't yet.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. I bounce ideas off of people and get input but I've never strictly "co-written" a fic. I'd welcome it though. It might get something finished!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I enjoy many a ship but it's Corlys and Rhaenys that occupy my brain presently. I'm pretty sure though, if you pricked my interest again, that Berena would not be far away. They were a very, very good ship.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

How long do you have? In more seriousness, any and all of my Holby ones. But the most recent of those was "My Tears Richocet", which I did plan out quite a bit, but got derailed by the end of Holby City and the resolution of the plotline that I was re-writing. But I still love the idea; Bernie Wolfe was rescued three months after being declared dead, and returning to Holby, confronting everything she left behind and trying to not love the woman who rejected her and yet mourned for her. But the one most easily finished is probably another Holby fic; "Someone You Love" as it was a remix between two episodes, so it has a set ending, I know where the plot is going, it's outlined somewhere on my laptop and would only be a chapter more. Two at the most.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I have writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing things! Describing things! Overthinking things!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I have used some High Valyrian. Very, very minimal High Valryian. I also have a very clever, wonderful friend, to whom I can go to for advice on High Valyrian. But that's it. No other languages. It's not something I seek out.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Doctor Who. Wayy back when, on fanfiction.net.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Oh, gosh! I really love some of the "House of the Dragon" stuff I've written, simply because I've adored looking at the political aspect of it all and just generally trying to think out the consequences of various changes. Others, from "Holby", I love but they are rarely finished so I will have to say "losing her would be infinitely more terrifying than loving her" - only because it's complete (woo hoo) but also because it was quite a turning point for me. I'd never written something so action-packed, that needed to have a specific tone and pace. I was rather chuffed I could pull it off and it was well received.