#i’ve gotten a lot of new mutuals recently so i just want to say hi!

[about-faces]

Last night, I was once again struggling to actually write smut for a Harvey/Bruce/Gilda fic, when I noticed a very timely new guest comment on my Gilda fic, Bust. It was the first truly critical response I’ve gotten so far, and while that sort of thing would normally send me into a depressive tizzy, I actually found it really interesting!

So instead of actually writing the ship, as I should have been, I wanted to take this opportunity to think about just why the heck I shipped them in the first place.

Here’s how I responded, with added scans to hopefully better illustrate my point, plus some additions that occurred to me upon drafting this post:

I’m actually glad you raised this point, because I would have felt the exact same as you just a few years ago!

I’m gray-asexual, and I used to be a bit bothered by the rise of Bruce/Harvey shippers, because it was their canonical platonic FRIENDSHIP that mattered so much to me. I gradually warmed up to the shippers, because 1.) I realized I was ace and they probably weren’t, and 2.) they at least understood the importance of Bruce and Harvey’s bond, which is more than I can say for LOTS of official DC media.

Still, something bugged me about the ship, and I realized what it was: the lack of Gilda from the equation. She’s always been deeply important to me, especially her scant older appearances, and erasing her for a Bruce/Harvey ship (even one I’d come to appreciate) didn’t sit right with me.

But like you said, it’s not canon, and I’ve always been deeply invested in canon, even the stuff that’s frustrating and contradictory. So yeah, the throuple would have bugged me too.

Except! It all depends on WHICH canon you’re talking about!

So over the past 15 years, I’ve been obsessed with tracking down the entirety of the obscure, forgotten Batman newspaper comic strip from 1989-1991. I’ve posted the entire thing at @batman-daily, and I strongly encourage you to check it out. A couple years ago, I reread it and noticed something really interesting: the remarkable relationship between Bruce, Harvey, and the latter’s wife, Alice, who is Gilda in every way but name. They are all mutual friends, with Alice even going to visit Bruce alone to help/bully him to take care of himself.

It all reads like a perfect long-game setup for a love triangle, or for Harvey—having become Two-Face—to go after his loved ones in a jealous rage, like he did in Paul Dini’s “Two-Timer,” a story which notably showed that Grace had feelings for Bruce.

With that in mind, consider the final story arc of the newspaper strip, wherein Bruce acknowledges his OWN feelings for Alice and PASSIONATELY KISSES HER, all in a hilariously roundabout way to save her marriage to Harvey! It makes sense in context and is frankly hilarious.

And it works! Because Harvey isn’t jealous! The love triangle conflict you expect NEVER HAPPENS! Because they all love one another! And that love saves Harvey in the very end!

Was it explicitly a throuple? No, but nor have Bruce and Harvey ever canonically touched dicks. And yet the love between Bruce and Harvey in canon is true and real enough that shippers who want to make it sexual are perfectly allowed to do so, because it’s the love that matters. At least, for those of us who aren’t afraid to acknowledge the love between men, platonic or otherwise. And that love is rooted in canon.

So consider this: the mutual three-way-love between Bruce, Harvey, and Alice/Gilda is ALSO canon. That comic strip has been officially accepted as DC multiverse canon in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition,” which designated it as Earth-1289.

Furthermore, there’s something else you need to consider: the fact that Harvey HAS been used in love triangles against Bruce in several stories in recent decades. I already mentioned “Two-Timer,” but there’s also Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” the animated “Gotham By Gaslight” film, and the Telltale game. In various ways, these stories serve to throw a wedge in the friendship between Bruce (the protagonist, whose story serves him) and Harvey (the guy who is going to lose it all, the woman included). I hate that shit. I hate the contrived drama that’s meant to stir up needless added conflict between two men who love each other.

And then, on the other hand, you have Mariko Tamaki’s Gilda story from “Batman: Black and White.” Tamaki depicted Harvey and Gilda being in a distant, loveless marriage, where even on their wedding day, he was constantly ignoring her in favor of work. The only person who could actually get his attention was Bruce.

At the time, this felt an awful lot like that problem I was talking about with the Bruce/Harvey shippers: raising up the gay ship while throwing the woman under the bus. In this case, for the purpose of doing an avenging girlboss take on Gilda. I hated that too, especially when Tamaki didn’t even follow through with the gay subtext in her next, miserable Two-Face comic.

You know that meme of a bride, groom, and best man all kissing one another, while the bride flips off the cameraman in the end? @whipbogard redrew the Tamaki wedding scene as that meme, right around the time I reread the comic strip. And suddenly, everything clicked into place for me.

After a lifetime of never, ever having any serious fandom ships, I fell in love with the idea of Bruce/Harvey/Gilda. Take what the comic strip did and bring it into the mainstream canon I love to spite the canon I hate.

In those great old Gilda stories, she saw through Harvey’s bullshit and knew how to reach him, however temporarily. She could do the same with Bruce. She’d be a valuable third voice for the ongoing toxic relationship between Bruce and Harvey, the one who could love them both while also getting to be frustrated with how fucking stupid and fucked-up both these men are.

Before she was reduced to a ride-or-die killer housewife in "The Long Halloween" (which, I'll grant you, has its own appeal), classic Gilda would actually stand up to Harvey and tell him to cut out his shit or else. I love the idea that she can also see right through Bruce, understanding how very alike he and Harvey are, even if they don't want to admit it.

Writing Gilda this way speaks to me as a longtime fan of both men, while also wanting to try to develop her place, as a woman stuck in the middle of their decades' worth of conflict and angst. She sees these men at their best, worst, and most pathetic/ridiculous, and while she's got the nerve to stand up for herself and call them out as needed, she still loves them nonetheless. For me, Gilda has become the voice for fans just like me, who are helpless to stop Batman and Two-Face from continuing the cycle of violent, toxic friendship, but still loving them nonetheless, and always hoping for the best.

So, at this point, let’s say I’ve at least managed to make you grudgingly accept my reasoning for the relationship. Even if that’s true, I’m gonna guess that the mention of a threesome felt like it came out of left field. I can’t argue with that. I wanted to actually write that as its own smutfic but, being ace, I struggle with that. But I really liked the idea, and as I was writing this, it just really wanted to be mentioned, so I included it.

The response has been positive (until now), which indicated to me that I had been successful in introducing Gilda as a viable third into a slice of fandom which had only shipped Bruce and Harvey. This is fanfic, after all, such things are expected, even encouraged, so I leaned into it.

Now, if I were ever (un?)fortunate enough to write for DC, officially? I doubt I’d have the nerve to go that far. But I’d still want to at least embrace the polycule-coded relationship between those three that we saw in the newspaper comic strip. I think it adds a whole new, refreshing spin on their ongoing dynamics, while being rooted in relationships that were established all the way back in 1942 by Bill Finger.

Finger’s story, at its heart, was all about how love can save a life. How love is the only way to defeat the villain. For Harvey Kent’s part, Gilda’s love was every bit as important as Batman’s unwillingness to give up on his friend. So I’m just taking it one step further within the freedom allowed me by fanfic.

Sorry for the length of the reply, but as you can see, I only came to this shit after several decades of thinking about 80+ years of official material. I hope I have at least been able to lessen your feelings of being jarred out of a story you otherwise seemed to appreciate. For my part, I hope to further develop the potential of this fucked-up polycule in future stories, and maybe—just maybe—I’ll be able to get you on board too. Hope to see you then!

(art by ofossart)

[blueindigo17]

hi writeblr!! it's nice to meet you!!

I’ve had this blog for years but never posted anything bc to be honest I was a little afraid of tumblr when I first joined, but recently I decided that since I like talking about my wips so much to my friends/family irl, why not blog about them? I also want to find some writing mutuals, since I like hearing about people’s stories just as much as I like telling them about mine. Feel free to interact, follow, message, etc. I love making friends :D

About me <3

I go by Blue or BlueIndigo online, so feel free to use either of those :)

My pronouns are she/her

I’m 19, which also happens to be my favorite number :)

I have five (sort of six?) wips and over a hundred characters. I may have a problem.

I am a BIG swiftie (favorite albums are 1989 TV and TTPD), and I listen to a lot of 5SOS, Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, Conan Gray, and The Scarlet Opera. Also the occasional Chappell Roan.

I love reading!! My favorite books are Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (my fav author) and She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen.

I've played ukulele for a few years, and I recently started learning guitar. there's a greater than zero chance I might post any music things in the future. ig we'll see.

I have a thing where my wip titles have to make good acronyms or I don’t use them. idk why either.

I love talking about my wips (and also everything else) to the point of annoyance. (#blueindigo says things for non-wip related stuff <3)

tag games are an ABSOLUTE YES my personal brand of yapping is answering questions lol

I like to write…

Realistic/contemporary fiction

Young adult/new adult

LGBTQ+ characters

Coming of age

Romance

Friend groups/found family

otherwise just people being people :)

More about my wips below !!

My WIPs

Never Have We Ever (NHWE)

Tags: #wip: never have we ever #wip: NHWE

Summary: Liz has the best friends a girl could ask for. Harley, Mikey, and Natasha have been her people since elementary school, and Trevor and Amanda since middle school. Their whole lives, things have been pretty much the same. Same kids in their classes every year. Same streets between the same houses. Same, same, same. At the end of her freshman year of high school, just about when Liz is wondering how much same she could possibly handle, she catches Trevor’s eye as he laughs at someone’s joke, and something deep inside her lights up. Something she doesn’t know what to do with. Something she can't push back down once it comes barreling up to the surface. So much for same. After that, things can’t stop changing. And not just in her own life—her friend group starts pulling apart at the seams. Harley begins withdrawing from everyone with no explanation. Mikey gets in bigger trouble with his dad than ever. Natasha only has a year before she has to move off to college. Amanda is stuck between the person she is and the person the world wants her to be. Trevor seems to have gotten off easy, but Liz can’t be around him for more than a minute without falling head over heels all over again. In this collection of short stories, Liz has to wonder if the change of pace she thought she wanted is worth it. Sometimes it’s hard to be brave, and she’s never been the most open to change, but unfortunately, that does not stop it from happening. The only question is: what is she going to do about it?

Genres: short stories, realistic fiction, young adult, coming of age, contemporary Themes: found family, first crushes, dealing with change, growing up, maintaining friendships Characters: Liz Stanton 🩵, Harley Wilson 💚, Mikey Miller 💛, Natasha Knightley 💜, Trevor Marshall ❤️, Amanda Hamilton 🩷

NHWE is my oldest WIP, started on December 16, 2019. It’s been on ice lately, since the plot has gone through so many changes that I haven’t known what to do with it in a while, but one of my goals with posting about it is to warm myself back up to it. I think writing that summary was a good place to start. Wish me luck :D

The Together List (TTL)

Tags: #wip: the together list #wip: TTL

Summary: Audrey is in her first month of college. Within three weeks, she’s moved out of her childhood bedroom and into a room with a window that seems to open on its own and a door that creaks loud enough to wake up the whole floor, she’s stumbled into a friend group that seemed to pull itself together like drawstrings, and she’s gotten a job at an adorable independent milkshake shop with her roommate and one of her new friends. What more could she possibly ask for? The world, it seems. Audrey has a list ten miles long of all the little things she wants college to be. One night, she starts listing them out loud. Her friends—Logan, Lennon, McKinley, Aspen, and Levi—chime in with their own after a moment, and before anyone knows it it’s been three hours and they haven’t stopped. They aren’t even sure whose idea it is, but they start writing it down. Every box on this ridiculously decorated list will be checked off by the end of the year, they swear. Someone makes an Instagram account as a joke, but by the first post it’s become as serious an endeavor as they’ve ever had. They wouldn’t call themselves local celebrities, but they certainly wouldn’t correct you if you did. The thing about fame at this age, even at small amounts, is that it's bound to go to someone's head...

Genres: realistic fiction, young adult fiction, new adult fiction, coming of age, LGBTQ+ fiction Themes: LGBTQ+, friendships, fame, college, becoming an adult, relationships Characters: Audrey Marshall 💙, Logan Levine 🧡, Lennon Adler 💛, McKinley March 💜, Aspen Brady ❤️, Levi Jackson 💚

TTL was created on August 18, 2021. I saw a post on Pinterest of someone's summer bucket list and that sounded like such a fun thing to do with friends that I had to write about it. Two and a half-ish years later, TTL has also gone through many changes, so I'm sort of trying to refresh it now. I'm very excited to see where it takes me!

(Fun fact: the main character, Audrey, is the older sister of Trevor from NHWE!)

The Violet Sisters Club (TVSC)

Tags: #wip: the violet sisters club #wip: TVSC

Summary: The Violet Sisters Club, a world famous all-female pop rock band, is facing a very public lawsuit from a former hotheaded manager over their most recent album. Following the conclusion of their case, lead singer Naomi Tyler, drummer Inez Wilde, guitarist Chrissy Cameron, and bassist Francesca Sheridan escape to the luxurious Overlook Estate, a privately owned rental property on an island off the southern coast of California. Here, they can spend the summer out of the public eye, writing songs they don’t need to worry about releasing and letting the public wonder what they’re up to as they let the tension out of their muscles. With a property four times the size of Alcatraz Island and a beach over a mile long, the Overlook offers the band a respite from the go, go, go of touring, the privacy invasion of paparazzi, and the exhaustion of being micromanaged every minute of every day. Four pools, seven hot tubs, the aforementioned private beach, a high tech recording studio (just in case), a few golf carts just to get around the property and a Jeep to get to town. It’s unimaginably expensive, it’s incomprehensibly big, and it’s everything they need. But this escape may not be the relaxing California beach paradise they imagined. Soon, it becomes hard to hide how much the stress of fame was eating away at each of them—emotions run high, patiences run thin, days run long, nights run longer, and the strength of the band is questioned as the girls’ insecurities and anxieties bubble to the surface after a lifetime in the spotlight.

Genres: realistic fiction, contemporary fiction, literary fiction Themes: fame, music, romance, found family, secrets, breakups Characters: Naomi Tyler (lead singer, songwriter) 💜, Inez Wilde (drummer, vocalist, songwriter) 🩷, Chrissy Cameron (guitarist, vocalist, songwriter) 💙, Francesca Sheridan (bassist, vocalist, songwriter) 💚

TVSC was created on February 5, 2023, but the characters have been around almost as long as TTL. Initially, I created the Violet Sisters Club as a fictional band that would exist within The Together List, but at some point I couldn't get the idea of a TVSC-focused novel out of my head. I'm glad I never did, because some of my favorite ideas I've ever had have gone into TVSC. If I could have one wish, it would be for all of TVSC's songs to be real so I could listen to them without having to write them first.

Now That We Don’t Talk (NTWDT)

Tags: #wip: now that we don’t talk #wip: NTWDT

Summary: There are two important things to know about Hazel Henry and Saiah Bradford.  One: They kinda-sorta hate each other after they broke up last year at prom. (The same prom that ended with the school almost burning down and Hazel's twin brother's best friend going to the hospital. Bad memories all around.) Two: Someone on the planning committee for their senior class trip must be out to get them, because when they arrive at the hotel, they find out they’ve been assigned to the same room. This should have been impossible; Saiah requested to be paired with her best friend, Tory, who's going to have some explaining to do later, and Hazel would bet her life on the fact that she requested a room alone. Now, for the next two weeks, they’re both stuck in the same narrow room with its little square bathroom and practically-nonexistent privacy. The air conditioner turns on at random times, they seem to be paired together for every single scheduled activity, and perhaps worst of all—their friends all seem to find this situation absolutely hilarious.  But it’s just two weeks, right? It’ll be over before they know it, and soon they can both go back to pretending their relationship—and each other—never existed. Right? Right? Happy senior year to them. 

Genres: realistic fiction, young adult fiction, contemporary fiction, LGBTQ+ fiction, romance Themes: reconciliation, romance, friendship, forgiveness, guilt, regrets, family, growing up Characters: Hazel Henry 🩷, Nick Henry 💙, Saiah Bradford 💚, Tory Whitehouse 💛

NTWDT was created on October 18, 2023. Hilariously, I came up with the plot after making Hazel and Saiah in the Sims, and I literally couldn't stop thinking about them whenever I wasn't playing. As I do with every character I create, I became obsessed with them, and now here we are. And in case you're wondering, yes, I named it after the Taylor Swift song lol.

Trouble In Paradise (TIP)

Tags: #wip: trouble in paradise #wip: TIP

Summary: Sixteen years ago, Joe Alexander and Ben King drove across the US in the pursuit of Joe's true love. Today, Joe is preparing to move out of his and his ex-wife's house and drive across the country once more, joined by his daughter, Bryce, and his best friend/his daughter's biological father, Ben. It's all familiar—the long stretches of empty fields, collapsing onto a cheap hotel bed for the night, never being able to decide where to stop for food—and yet, Joe has no idea what he's in for.  This is a story of two cross-country road trips, and the lives that one woman is able to ruin in between. Joe Alexander and Ben King have both lost their entire worlds to Lilly Alexander. But the ones they’ve gained after her might be—in some weird, unconventional way—a little better.

Genres: realistic fiction, contemporary fiction, adult fiction, literary fiction Themes: reconciliation, moving on, guilt, parenting, cheating, manipulation, mental illness, past sexual assault Characters: Joe Alexander, Ben King, Bryce Alexander, Lilly Alexander

TIP is technically my newest WIP, since I came up with the full plot earlier this year (February 13, 2024). I've had the vague idea of it for just over a year, but I didn't quite know what to do with it until recently. It's definitely more mature with its topics than my other wips, as you might be able to tell by the themes, but I really like the concept and I've had a lot of fun plotting it so far, even if it's a little out of my comfort zone.

(Fun fact: the original title way back when the characters didn't even have last names was High Infidelity, after the Taylor Swift song, since I thought it was so thematically appropriate.)

···

OKAY I'm pretty sure I have officially run out of things to say. If you made it all the way here, thank you so much for reading! Like I said earlier, feel free to interact any way you like :D

This post is sort of a masterpost for all my wips, but I'm also doing posts for each wip separately so I can go into more detail. Those are/will be linked in the title for each wip.

Thanks again for reading, and have a good day/night !!

―BlueIndigo <3

[annisthree]

Chapter VI: Echoes

previous chapter // series masterlist // next chapter

Pairing: Cassian Andor x Original Female Character

Word Count: ~5,5k

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Explicit language, canon typical violence, mentions of violence, angst, mentioned masturbation, mutual pining

A/N: 

Thank you so much for your patience and incredibly kind words. I'm hoping to return to posting every week as of now.

(I've been having ridiculous migraines pretty much every other day for a week, so I sincerely hope this is indeed written in English.)

Cross-posted on AO3 (same username)

Marla couldn't believe she had let herself become so soft.

She always liked Cassian, always spent a lot of time with him - be it by choice or necessity. Before she could realise it, he somehow became an inseparable part of her life, always somewhere around, always in the co-pilot seat or on the opposite side of the cantina table or running next to her with a blaster in his hand and a wolfish grin on his lips.

It took her a lot of time to accept him as a friend. Friendships were no good in war - they distract you, provide dangerous leverage for your opponents, make you soft and less effective. She knew all that and cursed the moment she let her guard down for long enough to befriend him.

And now it's gotten even worse, even more terrifying and exciting and  wrong .

She was so angry at him. It was clear that he was teasing her, playing some sort of a twisted game, testing how long he could lead her on. That's why their arguments became laced with that new kind of awkward tension, that's why he kept throwing her all these stray hungry looks, that's why he took every opportunity to stand uncomfortably close and say things that made her skin crawl with excitement.

Surely he was having a lot of fun playing her like this. It must have been some sort of a challenge, an accomplishment he wanted to cross off of his list. She just didn't understand why he was throwing away years of friendship for this.

She would never admit it for fear of breaking her tough facade, but it  hurt .

And what hurt even more was that she was giving in so easily, so mindlessly, and so foolishly. She really thought she was immune to these kinds of things. She was no stranger to the very same tactics Cassian was using on her; she knew all these steps, she'd used them many times before. And yet, something about this, something about  him , made her absolutely defenceless.

Cassian was doing things to her brain and her body that she had been hoping no one would ever be able to do again, and that made her fucking terrified, terrified but also fascinated, drunk on adrenaline and need. He made her forget about the war and the atrocities she faced daily. He made her disregard all the promises she'd made to herself. He made her lay awake at night and moan his name into a pillow as she once again pretended it was his hand touching her skin.

There was a chance that giving in to the temptation would end all this. They could both finally release the pent-up frustration, the need and curiosity that has been building up between them for months, finally stop anticipating, and fantasising, and yearning. But there was also a chance it wouldn't be enough, and they would spiral down into needing each other, becoming addicted to the intimacy, filling their thoughts with memories of their entangled bodies and shared breaths, where they should be focusing on the mission.

No, this couldn't happen. She would have to suck it up and act responsible, maybe for the first time in her life.

*

Cassian couldn't believe he had let himself become so soft.

As a spy, he was an expert at lying and pretending, not only to others but also to himself. It took him some time to figure out why he's been acting so strange recently, and when he did, he was not happy with the answer.

He tried to convince himself he was too strong for this, too cautious, forearmed with the immunity he'd been building up over the years of fighting and running. And yet, that immunity went down the drain whenever they accidentally ended up too close for too long, whenever she grinned at him with eyes tired from fighting and lack of sleep, whenever she was not there and he was paralysed making up scenarios in his head.

He remembered how surprised he was when she first made him laugh. It caught him off guard, the ease with which she made him forget all the demons and the weight he's been quietly carrying since he could remember. And then she made him laugh again, and then again, and he wondered if that was this mysterious Force that people talked about, because how else could he logically explain the light and warmth that suddenly filled every ounce of his being?

He kept telling himself this strange feeling would subside on its own if he stayed focused on other things for long enough, but as months passed, he became more and more consumed. He'd caught himself thinking about her during missions when he should be focusing on something completely different, and that was  bad , it was dangerous and unprofessional and so damn stupid of him.

He could handle attraction, he could handle lust, but  this , this was new and scary, and it had to stop.

But it was also so  exciting . The way she reacted to his stares and small innuendos, how her usual confidence gave way to the same confusion he knew so well. He was sure she had noticed something had changed, but it seemed that for the first time, it was she who would exercise restraint and act responsibly, while he was utterly lost and disarmed by this new sensation.

No, this couldn't happen. He would have to suck it up and act responsible. He always eventually did.

*

And so they both vowed to focus on the mission, even more fierce and dedicated than before. Not just for the sake of the Rebellion but also for their own sanity.

*

It was well after midnight when they met to attempt to break into the governor's office. They were the only ones still up, nothing but their quiet steps and even quieter breaths intruding on the blissful silence of the night.

Marla loved the familiar feeling of adrenaline building up in her body; she lived for moments like these. The cold metal blaster in her hand was the most reassuring and grounding feeling she could imagine. This is what she came here to do: not sitting by the table and trying not to throw up whenever the governor opened his mouth; not smiling at the pleasantries of all those idiots who closed themselves off in their ivory towers; and definitely not agonising over her new-found weakness for a certain Captain.

Forcing her mind to focus on the present moment, she quietly followed Cassian's barely visible figure, relying more on her hearing than sight. After what seemed like an endless maze of dark corridors, he finally stopped in front of what she could only assume was the door to the governor's office. She heard Cassian ruffle through his pockets, and then there was a quiet beep of an electronic lock and the slightest squeak of the hinges.

They were in.

She followed him inside and quietly closed the door behind her. The room suddenly filled with the dim light of glowsticks, the long shadows of their silhouettes dancing on the walls. She took a look around and once again cursed the excessive lavishness, so painfully contrasting with the poverty of the citizens of Weatu. There was antique wooden furniture, there were paintings and ornate carpets, all of it so rich, so absurd, so grotesque on a planet like this.

A quiet squeak of an opened drawer interrupted her thoughts and reminded her of the reason she was there. She noticed a shadow shifting on the opposite wall and saw Cassian leaning over the large desk, ruffling through different papers and data sticks.

'Any luck?' she whispered, approaching one of the cabinets and starting to look through its contents.

'It would help if we knew exactly what we are looking for,' he murmured in response, closing one of the drawers and opening another one.

Marla moved her glowstick, quickly scanning through the labels on different boxes. Nothing had anything to do with security, no keys, no obvious clues. Frustrated, she started moving the boxes around with no real plan or intention.

'Well, here you are,' she heard a whisper from the other side of the room. 'I think I've got something.'

Cassian was now hunched over a datapad on the desk, his face lit up with the blue light.

'What have we got here?' she approached him and looked over his shoulder.

The datapad was displaying some sort of a list. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a confirmation of a large order made by the governor. It was primarily metal parts, some components whose purpose was very vague to her, and some medical equipment. The most striking thing was the sheer numbers - the shipment was big and expensive.

'What's he doing with all that?' she whispered. 'Where is he storing it? And what is it for? Is he building some sort of hospital? What are these parts?'

'I'm afraid I don't have answers to these questions. But I have a feeling we might have a clearer picture once we send this over to the crew. I'll make a copy. '

'Is there anything more?'

'Yeah, there's several of these shipments, all within the past six months. There are also some messages, but they are encrypted. I would need more time to figure this out.'

'Well, I'm sure Aevie will have a blast decrypting this.'

Cassian huffed quietly and focused on slicing the datapad, 'Okay, sent. Let's get out of here.'

The faint light of Cassian's glowstick disappeared, and so she followed his lead, heading once again towards the door and out to the dark corridor. It was difficult to stay silent with so many questions in her head. When they decided to search through the office, she expected them to find some messages, maybe some weapon orders, but this? What the hell were all these parts and medical equipment for?

*

The following day, she was woken up by a quiet knock on the door. Swearing profusely under her breath, she dragged herself out of bed and stumbled towards the door.

'Do you ever sleep?' Marla whined quietly at the sight of Cassian's face.

'I'll sleep once we're done with the mission. Come on, time to answer some questions,' he said, getting out his comlink and putting it on the bedside table.

As Marla became more awake and more aware of her surroundings, she realised she was still wearing the short nightgown she got from her  sister . Luckily, Cassian was either too busy or  pretended  to be too busy to notice that, so she quickly located a blanket and wrapped herself with it somewhat awkwardly.

'Do you guys ever sleep?' was the first thing they heard once Cassian established the connection. Marla found herself grinning involuntarily.

'Is Aevie around? Did you guys get the files?'

'Yeah, she's around. She's been up all night going through the stuff. Crazy people,' Zafe sighed, his projection shaking for a moment as he moved around.

'Oh, hi,' a small seated figure appeared next to Zafe. She was hunched over a datapad and holding a large cup of something steaming hot in one hand. 'I had a quick look at the files you've sent. I'm fairly sure all these parts are used in cybernetics. I'm not an expert, don't know exactly what kind of implants this is for, but definitely something in this area. That would also explain all the medical equipment - you need tools to actually install these implants.'

'Good morning to you too,' mumbled Marla, still struggling to fully wake up. 'Wait, did you say cybernetics? What the hell does he need cybernetics for? Not like anyone on Scen could afford these.'

'Well, he's definitely shipping them off-world. I see two options: either he's found himself a warm little niche on the black market and is doing this solely for profit... or he's just a middleman for his Imperial friends. Might have something to do with us blowing up their soldiers. Maybe they're getting short on limbs,' Cassian sneered. 'What about the messages? Any luck there?'

'Please. Whoever encrypted these didn't even really try. Unfortunately, there isn't much there. It's mostly the governor exchanging pleasantries and licking some Imperial boots. I did find some info on the Empire Day celebrations they are planning, though. There's a rather long guest list, and it seems like they're planning a hell of a party, with the governor awarding some medals and giving a speech.'

Right, Empire Day. The painful reminder of the day the Republic fell. Of course they would have a fucking party.

'Well, that sounds interesting,' Cassian murmured after a while.

'What are you thinking?'

'I'm thinking we're gonna have everyone in the same place at the same time. Who knows, maybe we should invite our Rebel friends to the celebration,' Cassian smirked, scrolling through the messages on his datapad. 'Worth considering. Great job, Aevie.'

'How's the training?' Marla chimed in, eager to hear any news from the outside world.

'Pretty good, we're making some progress. They're starting to actually hit the targets from time to time,' Aevie smiled. 'We'll make soldiers out of them sooner or later.'

'Well,  sooner  would be preferable, considering Empire Day is next week. Anyway, good job. I'll get back to you tomorrow; I have one more lead to check.'

'Good luck, you two. Don't get yourself killed.'

The projection of Aevie's face gave them a wide grin and then promptly disappeared. It was just the two of them again.

'So. Any other attractions planned for today? Please tell me you don't need me to dine with the governor again. I don't think I can stand any more of this.'

Cassian stood up and began pacing around the room, finally stopping next to the window and looking out in silence.

'Remember yesterday evening when we overhead those two maids?' he finally asked, his head down and his expression unreadable.

Of course she remembered. She remembered frantically looking for cover in an empty corridor, she remembered crawling underneath the wooden bench, and she definitely  remembered their bodies crushed together in the tight and dark space. And how breathless she was, and how fast his chest rose and fell, and how, when she finally found the courage to look up, she saw in his eyes the same hunger that has been keeping her up at night. She remembered the unreal feeling of his hands on her waist, bold, daring and commanding as they travelled upwards along her side. She also remembered him retreating instantly and then pretending as if nothing had ever happened.

Always pretending as if nothing had ever happened. His favourite game.

Maker, but why did he want to talk about it now? She definitely did not. She spent most of the night thinking about it, and the conclusions were definitely not something she would like to share with him, not now, not ever.

'Yeah-' she started hesitantly, drilling a hole in the floor with her gaze.

Please drop the topic, please drop the topic, please drop the topic.

'Well, they were talking about another maid stealing from the governor, so I did some investigating this morning,' Oh. Okay. So it's not about  that . 'Guess what. The thief didn't show up at work today. Which, supposedly, is rather unlike her.'

How the hell did he even register any of what they were saying back there?  She certainly did not, distracted with... well, other things. But she was not about to admit it.

'Okay?' she offered, still not looking at him.

'So they had someone go to her house, and there's no one there but her son, who is just as confused as they are. Now, this might be totally unrelated. But my gut tells me this has something to do with her stealing, and if so, she's probably on her way to the Imperial prison. The son didn't see anything, he wasn't home when she disappeared, but I'm thinking it might be worth having a chat with the neighbours. Maybe they saw something, maybe they noticed something that can help us pinpoint the location of the prison, or at least get us on the right track.'

'Oh. Yeah, that makes sense,' still slightly panicked, Marla began connecting the dots. 'Great. I'll get dressed.'

'Not so fast. You're not going. Here, go through the files again while I'm away. Maybe you can pick something up.'

'Are you kidding me?' Marla puffed, sitting back on the bed. 'I can't believe you're doing this to me again. Do you know how useless I feel just sitting here, waiting on you to do the real work while I  distract  everyone?'

'Hey,' he kneeled down to her level and looked her solemnly in the eyes. 'You're not useless. I'd never be able to gather any intel without the cover you're providing. This is just as important as running around with blasters.'

'But running around with blasters is so much more fun,' she whined, whipping the datapad off Cassian's hands. 'Whatever. I'll read your stupid files. But remind me to never agree to your ideas again.'

He was still there, crouching right next to the bed she was sitting on, and once again completely ignoring her personal space. Great. Not wanting to spend any more time in his immediate proximity, she quickly retreated to the other side of the room and pretended to inspect the contents of her wardrobe, absentmindedly browsing through the different dresses.

There was a longer moment of silence, and then she heard him getting up. At first, she thought he was finally getting ready to leave, but no, the footsteps were getting louder and finally stopped right behind her back, close enough for her to hear his breath, but not actually touching her. She froze.

'I'd go for this one,' he murmured quietly, reaching over her shoulder and pointing at one of the garments: a short blue dress that looked anything but comfortable. He was somehow even closer, but still expertly avoiding any physical contact.

Marla wanted to talk back, reply with some snarky comment, mock him - but all she could do was to stand motionless and listen to his breath dangerously close to her ear.

She knew he was doing it on purpose, and she hated herself for giving in so easily, so predictably. There she was, the Rebellion's finest pilot, a courageous and fierce fighter, suddenly acting like a heroine in one of the cheesiest, most cliche romance novels, losing her breath and her mind at the slightest promise of touch. Pathetic.  He must be having so much fun watching me act like a fucking teenager.

As if to confirm her thoughts, she heard a faint, quiet chuckle almost directly in her ear. That jerked her back to reality and helped her regain some of her own confidence.

'Then I guess I'll pick this one,' she blurted out, mustering all her remaining courage and pulling out a dress from the wardrobe, completely different from the one he suggested. She then quickly turned her left and retreated to the other side of the room, throwing the garment on the bed.

'Go on,' she threw casually. 'You have things to do. Have fun out there.'

Cassian huffed out another subtle chuckle and fixed her with a smug stare. Finally, he turned around and left the room, leaving Marla - again - entirely out of breath and utterly disappointed with herself.

*

It had gotten dark, and Marla had already read all the stolen files ten times, with a very moderate level of success in terms of finding something useful. Cassian was still out in the city, so her options were depressingly limited.

With a heavy sigh, she stood up from her desk and went up to the window. From up here, she could see the gardens - the dome of the greenhouse was attached to the building so that the windows overlooked the beautiful scenery rather than the dull views that Scen otherwise had to offer.

Although it was dark, there were small lanterns scattered around the place, covering the plants in dim warm light and creating eerie shadows on the walls of the greenhouse. There was no one around; the usual battalion of gardener droids already back in the mansion to recharge.

As she was looking out, her attention was suddenly drawn to a quiet sound in the hallway outside her door. As it became louder and clearer, she recognised the sound of footsteps - but they were careful, slow and uncertain. She briefly considered if it could have been Cassian, but no - she would never hear him if he truly didn't want to be heard. This was clearly someone who was desperately trying to sneak out but wasn't particularly good at it.

Intrigued, she quietly approached the door and waited. The footsteps were now fading out, and soon enough, she realised the person was coming down the stairs.

She waited a bit longer to ensure she wouldn't be seen and opened the door slightly. The hallway was dark, but she could see a faint light on the staircase. She carefully got outside and quietly closed her door. Mentally scolding herself for not taking a blaster with her, she got closer to the edge of the stairs and peeked out the corner.

The person responsible for the sound - and the dim light of the lantern - was the governor. He was clearly up to something, hunching and constantly looking around, looking almost comical with his oversized coat and a stack of datapads clutched to his sizeable belly.  Shame Cassian isn't here; maybe he'd finally stop making fun of my questionable espionage skills.

Naturally, she decided to follow him. As they made their way through the corridors, she realised he was heading towards the garden. At this point, she could feel the excitement and adrenaline bubbling up in her chest.

As they entered the garden, the governor seemed to have picked up the pace. Luckily, the lush greenery provided perfect cover, so it was hardly a challenge for Marla to stay hidden. She went from one tree to another, from a bush to an ornate fountain- when suddenly, she felt a strong tug at her arm and realised someone yanked her back and pushed her up to a tree, instantly placing a hand over her mouth.

'You really love giving me a heart attack, don't you?' she whispered upon seeing Cassian's face. 'What are you doing here?'

'I was just coming back from the city when I saw you two sneaking out. I thought you might need help.'

'I don't,' she scoffed quietly.

'Suit yourself, but I'm not missing this. Any idea what he's up to?'

'Not in the slightest, but I intend to find out. You with me?'

Cassian gave her a short nod and looked around before resuming the pursuit.

Together, they followed the governor right to the edge of the garden, where they saw him suddenly stop and look around.

Having ensured he was not being followed, the governor bent over a large rock and began pushing it aside. They couldn't see exactly what was underneath, but soon after, the man started climbing down into what must have been some sort of a tunnel, and soon he disappeared completely.

'Well, that's not at all suspicious,' Marla whispered, feeling a rush of adrenaline flooding her body. 'Okay, what now?'

'We wait. We don't know what's down there, and we definitely don't want to risk being seen. We'll check the place out after he leaves.'

'Oh. Great. Are all of your espionage efforts this exciting?'

Cassian just scoffed, sitting down on the ground and positioning himself in a way that provided enough cover yet allowed him to see the place where the governor had disappeared. Marla followed suit, sitting next to him - but making sure to keep as much distance as reasonably possible without risking being seen.

Cassian's attention was focused entirely on the mysterious hatch, barely even registering her presence. Marla wasn't sure what else she was expecting - whatever stupid games he had been playing lately, he was a soldier first.  And so are you, Marla Reid , she scolded herself before forcing herself to focus back on the mission.

Luckily, the governor wasn't out long. After twenty or so minutes, they saw him re-emerge from underground. He looked around first and then, visibly panting, pushed the rock back to its original placement and wandered off back towards the house.

They waited a brief moment in silence before Cassian shot her an alert glance and walked up to the rock. They had no issues moving it together. Underneath, they saw an opening to a long tunnel with a ladder leading down, at least a couple of metres.

'Whatever we see down there, remember we're only here to have a quick look. We cannot get discovered; otherwise, the entire operation is blown.'

Marla nodded curtly and went down the ladder, with Cassian following shortly afterwards.

They were now in a long, empty corridor, with walls and floor made of durasteel. It soon became completely dark, so Marla stretched out her hand to find the nearest wall and used it as a guide. After some walking, they reached a set of stairs, and then another one. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime of walking in darkness, they saw a small light in the distance. Soon enough, they realised the light was coming from a small glass panel built into a set of solid reinforced doors.

As they got closer, they began hearing some voices - two, as Marla quickly identified.

'I don't understand why they cannot transfer them earlier. It's getting crowded, and we have another two batches scheduled before Empire Day.'

'You heard the boss. Put two in one cell. It's not like they can escape anyway.'

'Yeah, but then the transport is gonna be a nightmare. I hope they get us some additional backup, because I don't really wanna be responsible for transporting fifty people by myself.'

Fifty. Maker.

'Why don't you just shut up, huh? If the orders say we transport them all at once, then that's what we do. Stop being a kriffing baby.'

The tunnel went silent again, only the faint beeping of some unidentified machinery echoing through the walls. Marla held her breath and slowly got closer to the glass panel on the door.

The room was small and harshly lit. Luckily, the guards were facing the other way, sitting at their desks and staring at a wall of screens displaying live footage of different corridors and cells.

A small tug at her elbow grabbed her attention and encouraged her to step away from the door. Cassian was looking at her expectantly, silently signalling towards the exit. She threw one last look through the glass to make sure she didn't miss anything, but apart from the guards and the screens, the room was otherwise pretty much empty. She nodded at Cassian, and together they started backing out through the tunnel and up towards the gardens.

It took her eyes a moment to get used to the light again.

'Well. I guess we found the prison,' Cassian noted quietly as he pushed the rock back to its original placement.

'They said something about transporting the prisoners. Where do you think they are planning to take them?' she asked, staring far away at the other end of the garden, to where the small opening amidst the vines allowed a glance at the starry sky.

'Don't know. But I'm sure they will be happy to share that information once they have a blaster to their head.'

Marla nodded absentmindedly. Fifty people, Maker. She wondered how long they were held there, stuck in a hole in the ground underneath a mansion that cost more than they could possibly comprehend.

'Come on. Better get back inside.'

As they walked through the garden, Marla realised she was pretty badly shaken. She wasn't sure why; they knew from the beginning what the mission was, they had been preparing for this for weeks. And yet, as much as she hated to admit it, those couple of days spent wearing silky dresses and sipping wine that was more expensive than the X-wing she flew back at the base - after a couple of days of this luxury, the reality of what was happening hit her like a freight train.

Good. She needed to feel sick, needed to feel the burning anger and the sting of sadness at the back of her head. If she ever develops immunity to these things, she might as well join the Empire.

She barely registered the walk back. Before she knew it, they were inside again, crossing the dark corridors that looked somehow more grotesque and absurdly excessive than when she saw them last. She followed Cassian through the maze of hallways and stairs before they stopped at the foot of the staircase leading to the part of the building where her bedroom was.

That's when she looked at him for the first time in a while - and that's when she remembered that she had another problem; one that was perhaps much more trivial in the grand scheme of things, but it was also much closer, right  there , standing right in front of her, fixing her with a stare that made her feel like she was about to fly her X-wing straight into the core of a burning sun.

Her only chance was to grit her teeth and make one final desperate attempt to evade.

'Goodnight,' she mumbled, hanging her head low and turning to walk away.

She only managed to take two steps before she felt Cassian's hand on her wrist, and a sharp tug pulled her back towards him.

The rational part of her brain was screaming at her to retreat, but it was too late, she flew too close to the sun's gravitational field, and the crash was now inevitable. All she could focus on was the dazing smell and the heat coming from his body. She couldn't find the courage to look him in the eye, so her gaze was trailing between his shoulders, tracing the top of his collarbones, trying - and failing miserably - to ignore the tiny bit of skin showing beneath the one open button of his shirt.

'Can I come upstairs?'

She had heard him ask this question hundreds of times in her dreams, but she was still completely and utterly unprepared to answer it in real life.

Cassian was still clutching her wrist, gently stroking her skin, sending sparks of electricity across her entire body. And then, his other hand found its way to her chin and slowly tilted her face upwards to meet his gaze.

She had never felt more in sync with the universe than in that short moment. Everything started falling into place; his hands on her skin felt exactly the way they should, his hitched and raspy breath sounded like a melody she'd known her entire life, his smell was that of home and safety and something incredible, something special, something she didn't think she deserved.

And then, she felt a small tug somewhere deep within, reminding her of all the reasons this was a bad idea. She knew the price was too high; in her head, she could see him sneaking out in the morning, the awkward silence for the weeks to come, the regret and the slow but inevitable growth of distance between them. She couldn't let this happen;  they  couldn't let this happen - for the sake of the mission, the Rebellion, and finally, their friendship.

'You cannot possibly think this is a good idea,' she murmured, forcing her head back down. She made an effort to make her voice sound casual and lighthearted. 'I know you've recently developed a habit of having fun at my expense, but this is a step too far.'

'I'm having fun?' he puffed. 'Don't tell me you haven't been enjoying this.'

He was whispering again, the air from between his parted lips tickling her cheeks. His hand travelled from his wrist up onto her arm, practically burning her exposed skin.

'I- That's not the point. Where do you think this is going?'

'I don't know. Where would you like it to go?'

She knew exactly where she would like it to go, but he could never know that.

'I- Nowhere, Cassian. This is going nowhere.'

She mustered all of her courage to look up at his face, and something dropped in her stomach as soon as she registered the subtle change in his expression. He suddenly looked cold, detached. He looked like the Cassian most people knew, not the one whose hungry and caring eyes were inviting her to burn together with him mere seconds ago.

'I see.'

There was a brief pause, during which she wanted to scream, wanted to take everything back and close the gap between their bodies, sink her hands into his hair and kiss him until she wiped away that indifferent expression off his face.

But she didn't.

The room became somehow quieter around them. Finally, Cassian took a step back, giving her one final look before he turned away and disappeared into the dark hallway, leaving her empty and defeated.

[harry-leroy]

20 in 20 Book Tag

I was tagged by the lovely @princess-of-france. Thank you!! ❤️

Rules: List either 20 books you want to read in 2020 or 20 goals, or some mix of both, up to you! Then tag some friends to play along :)

(Those are essentially paraphrased rules, but you get the general idea...)

I broke the rules a bit and did 20 books and 10 goals - as a lit major I always have a list a mile long of books I want/need to read. Some of these are plays as well, because I’ve got like half a leg stuck in theatre but I love it. And goals are always important!

20 Books for 2020

1. The Libertine - Stephen Jeffreys

2. Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe

3. Shakespeare in Love - Tom Stoppard

4. Blandings Castle - P.G. Wodehouse

5. Dunbar: William Shakespeare’s King Lear Retold - Edward St. Aubyn

6. L.E.L.: The Lost Life and Scandalous Death of Letitia Elizabeth Landon, the Celebrated “Female Byron” - Lucasta Miller

7. The Island Princess - John Fletcher

8. Collaborative Playwriting - Paul C Castagno

9. The Moonstone - Wilkie Collins

10. Farinelli and the King - Claire Van Kampen

11. The Vexations - Caitlin Horrocks

12. The Revolutionists: A Comedy, A Quartet, A Revolutionary Dream Fugue - Lauren Gunderson

13. Poldark - Winston Graham

14. This is Shakespeare - Emma Smith

15. The Gilded Stage: A Social History of Opera - Daniel Snowman

16. Schubert’s Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession - Ian Bostridge

17. Emma - Jane Austen

18. The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler

19. Last Bus to Woodstock - Colin Dexter

20. Shakespearean Character: Language in Performance - Jelena Marelj, Jonathan Hope (that’s my cool Shakespeare professor ahh), Lynne Magnusson

10 Goals for 2020

1. Get through 99 operas! - 49 were on a list of most famous operas, 50 were chosen by me. We’re 5 down - 94 to go!

2. Actually use my planner :’) - I bought fun stickers to put in and on it so maybe it’ll persuade me to use it.

3. Make new friends and keep in touch with old ones! (I’m so excited to meet a bunch of theatre people in two weeks guys).

4. Figure out a thesis topic (ahhhh)

5. Do well academically this semester and turn in some good honors projects.

6. Finish a draft of The Selby Roses

7. Perhaps start a new play WIP (we’ll see)

8. Travel!

9. Learn how to sing or play a new instrument

10. Perhaps start a studyblr... or blog/vlog thing? (I’m not sure how interested people would be or how plausible this sounds with my crazy busy schedule, but I feel like a studyblr would be manageable).

Tagging: @nuingiliath, @dustyp-rose, @bonebreakfast, @sneez, @forcebros, @shredsandpatches, @necromancy-savant, @devilsss-dyke, @twostarsinonesphere, @meharmonycarmen, @ghost-minuet, @chaotic-archaeologist, @lovesjustachemical, @henriadical, @witty-fool, @fantasmaglory, @maryiofengland, @exercise-of-trust, and @themalhambird, @maplelantern

(I think all of y’all are mutuals! I don’t know all of you extraordinarily well, but consider this to be a wave hello! Of course, anyone who sees this and wants to do it is tagged - I love seeing people’s TBR lists. And if life is moving at 9000 mph, don’t feel obligated to do this! ❤️)

[ofstoriesandstardust]

prologue - lost time (bradley “rooster” bradshaw)

a/n: this is my new baby. i hope y’all like it thus far. i’m looking forward to where we’re going with it. there’s a little more me in this story than i care to admit and i’ve put one hell of a lot of research into doing this, so please, let me know what you think. 

summary: Mav’s hanging out with Rooster while on leave and he can’t help but ask the nagging question at the back of his head.

main masterlist | top gun: maverick masterlist | flight risk masterlist | story description | chapter 1 - how did we get here?

folks who wanted to be tagged: @justanothermagicalsara​ @jake-h-ngm-n-seresin​ @fangirl-316​ @herladyshipxx​

warnings: swearing

word count: 1,375

Mav sighed, clapping Rooster on the shoulder as he moved around the man. They’d been granted a month’s leave after returning home from the suicide mission, and Rooster had come out to the hangar for a few days. The two had mended their relationship, and things would take some time, but he had his kid back and that’s all he could ask for. Still, he couldn’t help but think about this thing he’d seen on Bradley’s papers and he just- he wanted to ask but Rooster wore no ring. What if they were separated or she’d passed or-

"You okay Mav?” Rooster asks, a ghost of a laugh on his face. 

“What- oh, oh yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking.” 

“Well that’s a dangerous thing for you.” Maverick chuckled, shaking his head. Rooster moved back to the plane they’d been working on, but he stayed frozen to his spot, knowing that it was now or never. Don’t think, just do. 

“Hey kid?” He finally brought himself to ask, bracing for Rooster’s reaction. 

“Yeah?” Rooster called back. He was stock-still, trying to choke out the words. He didn’t know why bringing this up was so hard, but the thought that Bradley had gone and gotten married in all those years he’d been apart from him- it tore him apart. 

“You’re married?” He finally gets out, words barely more than a whisper. 

“Hm?” Rooster looks over at him, clearly lost in thought. 

“You got married?” His heart clenches, thinking about the fact that his kid got married and he wasn’t there to see it. 

“Oh, that? I guess... yeah, I guess I am.” 

“You guess?” 

-

Rooster takes in the heartbroken look on his Maverick’s face and makes a split-second decision—one he’s not certain he should be making—to lie. He shouldn’t be lying to Maverick, not about this, not when their newly mended relationship is still so fragile but he just... can’t bring himself to tell his godfather the truth. To look him in the eye and say, yeah we got married for the military benefits years ago and I don’t really speak to her. 

“I mean, yeah, I am. Sorry, you just caught me off guard.” Maverick looks a bit relieved and he shakes his head. 

“No worries kid. Will- will you tell me about her?” He nods, fumbling for his phone as the two take a seat. Please, for the love of God, have recent pictures on Instagram. Maybe he’s got a few from college. Facebook? 

“Yeah, her name’s (Y/N). We met at UVA. She was a year younger than me and we- it all sort of happened so quickly when we were kids. We got married a little less than a year after I enlisted after graduating.” He’s got Instagram pulled up now, shows Mav a few of the photos from your life now. Out with friends, dinners downtown, a picnic in the park. A cursory glance tells him there’s no man in the picture- at least one that’s social media worthy. 

“She’s pretty.” Maverick comments and Rooster finds himself looking back at the phone, really taking in your bright smile for the first time. 

“Yeah.” He whispers, cheeks blushing a light pink and he can feel his godfather smiling at him. 

“God, so how- how’d the two of you meet?” Maverick’s voice sounds thick with tears and Rooster glances up at his godfather. 

“Uh, mutual friends. We sort of just hit it off, started out as friends and then just kind of fell in love with each other overnight.” It’s not a lie. Well, partially. 

“What’s she like?” Rooster recalls the night the two of you had gotten married, the way you’d drunkenly argued over the Star Wars franchise with one of his buddies. 

“God, she’s so funny and just so intelligent. Very opinionated too.” He recalls, thinking about the memories he had with you in college. 

“You don’t wear a ring.” Maverick comments. It’s not an accusation, just an observation. Rooster shrugs, trying to play it off. 

“It’s hard with flying and you know, it’s just- never been something either of us have really cared about much.” Maverick nods. “She’s always been afraid she’ll lost the ring or break it, it just- wasn’t important to us.” Rooster does remember her saying that at one point while in college, maybe the night the two of you had gotten married. He can’t really remember. “And we were broke when we got married so, you know, there’s that too. ”

“She live around here?” Rooster shakes his head. 

“No, she’s in Massachusetts now. Boston, actually. She works out there, went to grad school out there. Got a job offer from her grad program and it just- she wanted to go after it and I wasn’t gonna stand in her way. I’m gone on deployment so often too, that yeah, it can be kind of hard but she’s worth it.” The lies are flowing out of him with startling ease. Maverick smiles at him.

“Your parents would be proud, kid.” He whispers and Rooster looks over at Maverick. “I’m sure they’d love her. I’d love to meet her.” Rooster visibly hesitates and he kicks himself for doing so, because now Maverick is shaking his head and looking a little disappointed. “Sorry, you don’t have to- I just thought- well, I know this is still new and all-”

He finds himself shaking his head. “No, no Mav, that’s not- it’s just with her job and all, I...” Mav’s giving him a look Rooster can’t possibly say no too. 

“Well, you don’t have to, I’d just- just want meet the girl who’s made my kid so happy all these years.” It’s the way Maverick so casually calls him his kid, and with such ease, that he finds his heart clenching. 

“Yeah, okay. I’ll- I’ll see what I can do.” Maverick’s smile brightens and he finds himself being pulled into a hug. He’s cursing himself, begging every higher power that this would work out. “I’ll go call her right now, see if I can’t figure something out.” Maverick nods, wiping at his eyes. Bradley walks out of the hangar, far enough away that Maverick can’t hear him. He prays that you’ll answer as the dial tone begins. He calls you every once in a while, because even if the two of you aren’t in love, he still cares for you as his friend, and he’s kept tabs on you through the years. He hasn’t seen you since your undergrad graduation, which was years ago, but social media and FaceTime calls kept him well informed. Still, this was a big ask-

“Hello?”

“Hey, hey (Y/N), it’s me.”

“Bradley, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Your voice is bright and he feels the warmth that settles over him when he talks to you. 

“Hey, I need a favor.” 

“...Okay.”

“So, uh, to make a long story short, my estranged godfather is back in my life and he uh, wants to meet you.”

“...Why?”

“Well, because technically, the Navy thinks we’re married.” 

“Oh, right. They do send me mail.” 

“Yeah, and I- I didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth so, uh-”

“You want me to meet him?” 

“Yeah. Look, I don’t know if you’d be able to swing a trip out to San Diego for a few weeks, but I’m currently stationed out here and- you’d be doing me a massive solid. I’d owe you my firstborn or something.” Your laughter rings out clear, and he find himself smiling despite the circumstances. 

“You know, this is actually kind of funny. My boss was just hounding me to take a vacation this morning. I’ve worked here 6 years and never gone on vacation. Go to the Bahamas for three months, she suggested. You have enough PTO to do it, she said.” You teased. 

“So...”

“Yeah, I think I can make it work Bradshaw. Text me good dates to fly in and we can work out the rest later. I might already be looking at one-way tickets to San Diego.”

“You don’t have to come out here for an undetermined amount of time. It can be like a week or something.” 

“With you? Nah, your schemes are never simple.” 

[queenshelby]

My Friend’s Father (Part Nine)

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: Age Gap, Smut, Domestic Violence, Angst

Words: 3,064

Please comment and interact...it's what keeps this blog going

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

Almost a week had passed since you stayed with Cillian at his unit in Galway and, despite the fact that he was away, things had further developed between you as emotions grew with every day.

He was different to any man you had ever been involved with and, whilst your involvement with each other stemmed from purely sexual lust and hunger, you had evolved from this to something different entirely within a matter of days.

Of course, you knew each other for years and, whilst you had a crush on Cillian for as long as you could remember, you never thought that it would be like this and, for Cillian, this feeling had never been mutual.

Whilst he always considered you to be attractive and very intelligent and kind, he never felt any emotional connection or sexual attraction towards you, at least not until that weekend when you visited Denise, which was also the first time he saw you again after six months had passed.

On that night during which you slept with each other, he let his sexual hunger take over his reasonable thinking mind after he saw you, in his kitchen, making pancakes and you had since, quite openly, talked about it. He saw sleeping with you as a mistake but, ever since that night, he couldn’t get you out of his head.

For you, things weren’t just sexual anymore and you began to feel strongly for Cillian which worried you especially since he was open about the fact that he didn’t know where things were heading with you. The fact that you are his daughter’s friend and much younger than him clearly bothered him and he sometimes admitted to you that he felt strange about building such a strong connection with you. A relationship was not what he wanted but he liked you, a lot.

As such, during the past week, Cillian called you every day after he finished filming and you were talking to him more frequently than you were talking to Denise.

During his breaks, he would also text you and check in on you as you were in the middle of exams. He always remembered when you had a test and asked you how it went and, when you told him that you didn’t feel confident with your results, he reassured you that you probably did well and, even if you didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. According to him, a pass is a pass and you needed to lower your expectations of yourself just a little.

To your surprise, he also remembered appointments you had scheduled and things that bothered you which meant that, unlike other men you had been with, he was actually listening and was interested in what you had to say.

Some nights, you had spent hours on the phone or Skype, joking about things you had encountered that day or talking about books, literature and music, which is something you both enjoyed.

Politics and social issues were other matters you could discuss endlessly and, even when you were of different opinions, you would be able to argue in the most satisfying way. Cillian always treated you as an equal and even opened up to you about his divorce from Denise’s mother recently.

Another thing you learned from Cillian was that Denise was brining along her friend Amalie to Manchester to stay at his apartment and, when you gave him a warning about her and her intentions, he reminded you that he only had eyes for you. In fact, he always showered you with compliments and all of his compliments were genuine and came natural to him, helping you immensely with your self-consciousness.

Unfortunately, whilst you enjoyed how engaging Cillian was with you every day, like a teenager in love, with the constant text messages and calls, your father soon got suspicious and confronted you about.

****

“Dad, I am almost 22, you don’t need to be spying on me” you said somewhat frustrated as he asked you who you were talking to every day.

“You live under my roof and you answer me young lady” he said harshly and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes just as your mother stepped in, trying to calm him down. Your father was much older, approaching sixty and fairly old school in the way he expected you and your sister to behave.

“A friend…I am talking to a friend” you explained and your father asked again, telling you not to lie to him because he would know.

“And this friend of yours, you can’t meet him…you just text and talk? You can’t bring him to our house and introduce him?” your father asked along with a million other questions.

“No, I can’t. he lives in Dublin and I, most certainly, wouldn’t bring him into this…” you said somewhat irritated by the interrogation.

“Dublin, huh? So, you met him when you visited Denise?” he asked and you nodded.

“It’s not her brother, is it? Because I really don’t want you to get involved with him. I don’t like this family and their views” your father said harshly, causing you to chuckle.

“Their views?” you asked somewhat surprised and your father nodded.

“Yes, their views on what’s right and wrong. If I recall correctly, this girl you call your friend was going out with someone of the same gender for a while. God didn’t tell us to do this but her parents obviously didn’t have an issue with it which, apparently is called new age parenting. Everything is pro choice and lets their children decide what is best for them even if they lack experience” your father went on to say and you couldn’t help but shake your head at his absurd commentary but, he continued and you soon learned what had happened between your parents and Denise’s parents many years ago, before which your mother had called Denise’s mother her friend as well.

According to your father, Cillian had voiced his opinion to your father when it was found out that your sister was pregnant following a short affair with a man she had met through university.

Cillian’s ex wife had told your sister that she had options, causing your father to get rather angry with her, which is when Cillian stepped in, supporting what Denise’s mother had said.

She had offered your sister help but your father considered this to be a betrayal and, whilst your mother maintained contact with Denise’s mother for a while, your father refused to get involved with Denise’s family thereafter.

Cillian’s often all so public views angered him and he made this very clear. He didn’t want you to be involved with his children and you couldn’t help but laugh about the irony of it all when you found out about this incident.

“Jesus Dad, that was years ago and not everyone has to have the same views as you” you said before confirming that you weren’t seeing Denise’s brother.

“No, they don’t, but I am just looking out for you and, instead of acting the way you do, throwing yourself at guys with new age ideas, I would much prefer if you met a nice young catholic man” your father explained, causing your mother to fume in anger with him.

“Throwing myself at guys? Listen, I am not sure what slut you think I am but it’s nice to know that you think so little of me” you said before storming upstairs and into your room.

Having to deal with this crap bothered you and you knew that, when this semester came to an end, you could be moving out now that you saved enough money for a bond and rent.

*****

As the evening went on, you spent all of your time in your room, reading a book until, finally, at around 9 o’clock you saw a notification on Skype.

‘Hey Beautiful’ Cillian said as you picked up and popped in your headphones.

Cillian apologised for calling through so late and informed you that he was finally able to speak to Laura, the woman he was seeing before you.

He knew that you wanted to know about it and he had no problem telling you what you needed to hear while telling you that you had absolutely nothing to worry about.

It was Laura’s first day back on set after a week-long break and Cillian told you that she wasn’t exactly impressed when he stood her down.

‘She probably likes you…I can understand that’ you said calmly but Cillian told you that he was pretty clear with her about what this was between them.

‘Well, in retrospect, I shouldn’t have gotten involved with her’ he went on and you were quite happy to change the topic by this point and told him that you were aching for him.

‘Well, I am not sure that I can help you with that’ Cillian chuckled.

‘We could have Skype sex I suppose’ you giggled.

‘Skype Sex?’ Cillian laughed before telling you that he didn’t think that this would be a good idea since you were at home with your parents and you had previously complained about the thin walls of the house.

‘Oh Jesus Cillian, my father already thinks I am a slut, so I personally don’t care if anyone hears me getting myself off. I’ve got my earphones in and am the only one who can hear you and my door is locked’ you chuckled.

‘Your father thinks that you are a slut? Do you want to talk about that?’ Cillian asked concerned but you shook your head.

‘I rather not. You met him and know what he is like’ you explained.

‘I do. He takes God very seriously’ Cillian said before continuing on. ‘But, if you have problems at home you need to tell me please. You can stay at my apartment. I can get my house keeper to meet you there with the key’ he offered.

‘You said you were going to stay out of stuff between me and my parents just as I would stay out of matters between you and Denise’ you then said, reminding him on the conversation about your respective roles which you had three days ago.

‘Yes I did, but I can’t if I have to worry about you’ Cillian said firmly.

‘There is no need to worry Cillian. I promise’ you reassured him. ‘Well, actually, I need you to worry about my sexual needs right now’ you then went on to say with sly grin.

‘Through Skype?’ Cillian asked again somewhat concerned.

‘Yes’ you said with a cheeky smile as you settled more into your bed with your laptop.

‘Alright then, show me what you are wearing” Cillian said as he cut straight to the point.

‘Can you see?’ you asked as you adjusted the cam and showed Cillian your dark blue lingerie.

‘Very nice…but…I think you would look even better if you were naked, don’t you think?’ Cillian said somewhat nervously and you nodded in agreement.

‘Well, I suppose I should strip for you and you should strip for me’ you giggled as you seductively took off your bra slowly, showing Cillian your perky breasts through the camera.

You heard him inhale sharply as he watched you and took his t-shirt off at the same time, leaving him in nothing but his CK briefs.

Without words you then scooted back on the bed and removed your undies, allowing him to watch before you sat down on the bed, spread eagle and naked, giving him a good view of your mound.

‘Jesus Y/N, you are so fucking beautiful and sexy…touch yourself for me, nice and slow’ Cillian breathed out and you let his soothing voice wash over you, knowing what he was trying to do and happily helping him succeed.

‘Like this?’ you moaned as you began to run circles over your clit with your fingers.

‘Yes, just like that babe’ Cillian groaned as he shuffled down his briefs and you were finally getting a good look of his hard cock.

‘Oh god, I want to stroke your cock so badly’ you moaned as you seductively opened your pussy lips with your fingers, opening yourself up before reaching for the black vibrator you kept in your bedside table.

‘Well, someone's particularly horny tonight’ Cillian chuckled as he watched you play with your pussy, and you could hear the smirk in his voice.

You mumbled a small "mhm," and he laughed.

‘Good, that's exactly how I like you, so naughty and needy’ Cillian said as he slowly began to stroke his hard member.

You barely registered his words enough to answer with another "mhm," but your subconscious managed it. Your weak answer elicited another delicious chuckle from the other end of the line.

"Why don't you show me how this little toy of yours works?” Cillian then asked as he watched you eagerly.

“I was just waiting for you to ask” you giggled as you began to run your fingers along your stomach and back up to your chest, leaving a trail of goosebumps their wake before reaching for the vibrator and turning it on.

“Put into your sweet pussy babe, let me see it” Cillian groaned and you moan in response, barely processing his words but still understanding enough to answer and do what he asked.

"I bet your pussy is already dripping” he said as you slid the vibrator into you slowly. He was right, you could feel your wetness pooling.

“I am so fucking wet and I wish it would be your cock inside me” you moaned as you began to stroke the toy in and out of you.

Cillian was groaning on the other side, his eyes full of lust and desire for you and you let out a quiet moan as you watched him with the same desire and hunger while you were pleasuring yourself.

“Good girl, keep going…” Cillian tells you and you moan again hearing it.

“Tell me how much you are aching for my cock” he then said you moaned again.

“I want your cock so badly, fuck…I want your cum inside me, dripping out of my wet little pussy” you moaned, eliciting a groan from Cillian as he began to stroke his cock harder and faster.

“Such a naughty needy girl, aren’t you? I can’t wait to be inside you again and make you cum over and over again” Cillian said with a laboured breath and you are barely listening at this point.

“I want you to cum for me and show me this dripping pussy when you do…I fucking love hearing your moans, so fucking sexy…common babe….let go” Cillian said, knowing that you were close and your orgasm rolled over you as soon as the word 'cum' left his lips, and although your sensitive clit was screaming at your hand to stop, you couldn't.

‘Oh god fuck, yes…’ you moaned as you came hard and fast.

“That’s it babe, don’t stop” he instructed as your moans continuously spilled from your mouth, and you were not even sure what you were saying or if you were forming words at all. The only thing in your head is a deliciously heavy fog and Cillian’s voice guiding you to do what he wanted.

“Don’t stop, keep fucking your sweet little pussy babe” Cillian ordered as he knew you weren’t done and, just as he did, you let out a high-pitched moan, bordering on a scream, as an even stronger orgasm washed over your body.

‘Cum for me babe…I want to see all this cum’ you moaned in return, focusing on the delicious image in front of you as Cillian was stroking his cock and, just when you finally come back down you heard Cillian groan loudly.

“Fuck” he groaned as he stroked his cock hard and fast you watched rope after rope of cum spurt onto his stomach.

‘Oh god, what a waste, I want to lick your cum off your skin so badly” you breathed out as Cillian came down from his high slowly and used a tissue to clean himself up.

‘Stop saying those things or you have to stay on the line for another twenty minutes at least’ Cillian chuckled as he could feel his manhood stir again.

‘Well, I think you shouldn’t cum again until you come to visit me in Galway the weekend after next…I want you to save it all for me’ you said, causing Cillian to cock an eyebrow as he pulled his briefs back up.

‘Fat chance babe’ he chuckled, knowing that going without an orgasm for nine days would be rather difficult for him.

Eventually, after a lot of begging, he agreed to try but he wouldn’t be able to make you any promises to this effect.

***

The following day, you went to work and then university thereafter but, when you eventually returned home, your father was in a worse mood than ever before.

‘Can you explain this to me?’ he asked angrily as soon as you walked through the door and you couldn’t help but gulp when he pointed to a white box which he had placed on the living room table.

‘You went through my personal belongings’ you huffed out as the box contained some lingerie and intimate items, including toys, that you were hiding in the bottom of your dresser.

‘Again Y/N, this is my house, my rules and I don’t want my daughter to own filth like this’ he said, after having heard small pieces of your conversation with Cillian on Skype the evening before.

It was obvious to you that your father was appalled and you were outraged that he had been snooping through your room and, as you would later learn, had even tried to access your computer.

‘I can’t fucking believe you dad. These are my personal belongings and you have no right to go through them’ you huffed out and, just as you did, you could feel a sharp strike across your face.

‘Get this shit out of my house and talk to me with some respect’ he said harshly, leaving you speechless and in tears as he walked away, leaving your cheek burning red.

   Tag List:

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@peaky-cillian​

@severewobblerlightdragon​  @ysmmsy​

[thequackcity]

Quackity and Schlatt’s Relationship - More Complicated Then You Think

(this is all /rp and about the characters from the dream smp! pls assume i have the dignity not to write analysis of youtubers)

recently there was a bit of discourse surrounding the relationship between Quackity and Schlatt floating around on tumblr. tho i never saw the original post that sparked the conversation, i did see a few posts that were inspired by it mentioning how they disliked that the original post implied that Quackity and Schlatt were mutually abusive and/or equally bad for each other 

since i never saw the original post, i can't be sure if that's what the op meant to imply. it's not really my place to speak about a post that i never got the chance to read. BUT the conversation that was caused by the post in question did get me thinking about how this fandom treats the relationship between Quackity and Schlatt and how little nuance there is in discussions about it

now before i say anything else, i want to make a few things clear:

i don't think Quackity and Schlatt’s relationship is mutually abusive. no need to worry about hearing that from this post

i don't look down on ppl who have different interpretations of their relationship

there will be potentially triggering content in this analysis. i will place a quick warning whenever i think one is needed!

their relationship is romantic in canon and therefore i’ll be treating it as romantic

alright now that we’ve gotten all of that out of the way, we can finally get on with the analysis! i apologize for how long this is gonna be

part 1: let's talk relationship!

i think we can all agree that Quackity and Schlatt’s relationship was not exactly a healthy one. tho it didn't start out that way, it certainly turned into what could be read as abusive or toxic (i personally read their relationship as being abusive in its later half due to evidence provided by the text, but i understand if others prefer to view it as just toxic instead)

but what happened that led to their partnership ending so badly? what caused all of this mess?

well, it was a lot of things. but we will get to that later. let's talk relationship first!

from the very beginning, Quackity and Schlatt’s relationship was pretty one-sided. tho they both clearly liked each other as friends/partners in crime both before and after the election (yes they did interact before the election!) Quackity was also interested in Schlatt romantically- something that Schlatt wasn't fully committed to

as we all know from the infamous date stream and from a few other moments, Quackity and Schlatt enjoyed playfully flirting with each other- tho it was pretty obvious that Quackity was more serious about it then Schlatt was even tho Schlatt considered Quackity to be very attractive

in my opinion, Quackity is someone who wants a long term relationship, while Schlatt is more interested in flings. this can be seen in Schlatt refusing to marry Quackity and rejecting most of his advances while Quackity tried his best to convince him to feel otherwise. Tommy put it best: Quackity is just one of Schlatt’s many bitches U_U

to Quackity, the romantic aspect of their relationship was very important. because Schlatt never actually shot him down or told him that he didn't feel the same way, Quackity took that to mean that they were truly in love. Schlatt on the other hand wasn't very invested in the romantic side of things but clearly valued Quackity’s looks and his support as an ally against Pogtopia so he never fully rejected Quackity’s advances

this might not seem like too big of a deal considering the other things that happened between them, but i think it shows part of the nature of their relationship. there is a lot of miscommunication and, on Schlatt’s end, manipulation of emotions. love is a strong motivator for loyalty and Schlatt is a smart guy who would know how to use that to his advantage

but that isn't to say that Schlatt didn't ever care about Quackity!

Schlatt is a complicated guy and figuring out when he's actually being genuine can be pretty difficult. but i think there are some moments that point to Schlatt genuinely caring about Quackity

when he was alive, Schlatt was pretty paranoid. not as paranoid as Wilbur, but certainly up there. but there were never any times where he truly questioned Quackity’s loyalties after his first day as president. Schlatt also seemed truly upset that Quackity betrayed him, bringing up their status as partners in crime while ranting about how much it hurt him and singling Quackity out while talking about how he had been abandoned during his time of need

Schlatt also spent a lot of time sulking after Quackity betrayed him and whining to Ponk about needing a new bitch. this is in contrast to how angry he was after Tubbo betrayed him- both during and after the execution

there is also the situation with the Big Man Gym 

after being dead for a while, Schlatt contacted Quackity despite them leaving off on bad terms and asked for him to visit him in his cave gym. when Quackity showed up, Schlatt talked about how he valued their relationship and the good times they had together. tho this can easily be seen as emotional manipulation, Schlatt’s a lot smarter than he seems and- if he doesnt have memory issues due to being a ghost- would know that Quackity’s opinion of him was in the dump at the time of his death and most likely wouldn't have improved since then. Fundy has a higher opinion of Schlatt than Quackity does and is someone who obviously craves validation. but Schlatt went to Quackity first anyway and trusted him to help revive him

i think that this is all good evidence that points towards Schlatt truly caring about Quackity as much as someone like Schlatt can care about anyone- or at least valuing him as a companion

i also think that it is pretty common knowledge that Quackity cared about Schlatt- and possibly still does- but i will go over a bit of evidence that i haven’t already mentioned before we move on to the next part

Quackity tried multiple times to impress Schlatt (like when he lied about knowing how to play chess), would attempt to help Schlatt when he was drowning in water, sadly said that they could have had something together while Schlatt was dying in the caravan, and implied that he wouldn’t have left if Schlatt hadn’t taken down the white house. Quackity also willingly went to the Big Man Gym after being summoned there by Schlatt and wanted to revive him long before the revive book became part of the story

part 2: what made it fall apart?

everything i've said so far has been pretty interesting (hopefully) but it doesn't really answer the original question: what went wrong to turn Schlatt and Quackity’s mainly positive partnership sour?

well it comes down to two things in my opinion: their incompatible desires for political power and Schlatt’s deteriorating mental state

Quackity wanted political power from the beginning and wasn't afraid to be open about his desires. he pooled his votes with Schlatt because Schlatt offered him the position of vice president, something Wilbur and Tommy weren’t willing to give to him. tho Quackity obviously cared about L’Manburg and wanted to see good things for it, he also desired power and was willing to team up with someone he didn't fully agree with to get said power

at 32:40 in this video, Quackity talks about how in politics everyone uses everyone so it's alright if Schlatt is using him. he then talks about how he doesn't want to be a man with no power and how he understands that Schlatt’s main goal is also gaining/keeping power. Quackity also shows a bit of his naughty evil side by saying if he overthrows Schlatt then the fun ends too early! 

(side note: these two are pretty evenly matched in intelligence and manipulativeness, i love it!) 

it's a bit of a fandom misconception that Quackity was a love sick yes man during the Manburg era. tho Quackity did want to please Schlatt and was in love with him, he didn't shy away from standing up to or disagreeing with Schlatt when he believed it was needed

at around 26:12 of this video, Quackity and Schlatt meet together in private and Quackity tells Schlatt off for playing down his role in the power structure of Manburg. since this was very early in Schlatt’s reign, Quackity shows no fear towards him and confidently tells him not to treat him like that

Quackity also broke Niki out of jail after regretting letting her be put there in the first place, tried to convince Schlatt to not execute Tubbo, jumped in front of Fundy when Schlatt tried to attack him, tried to stop Schlatt from tearing down buildings, and attempted to protect the white house he built from being destroyed by Schlatt. these are not behaviors of a pure yes man but of someone who, despite fear, has the confidence to speak up for himself even when disrespected by someone in authority

Quackity has always been someone who wanted power and someone who was never a yes man to authority. this contradicts with how Schlatt believed Quackity should act as vice president. in Schlatt’s opinion, Quackity’s one job is to sit around looking pretty while Schlatt does all of the important things and holds all of the power. Schlatt was a big fan of promoting people to worthless positions of authority and its pretty obvious that he considered vice president to be similar to the fake positions he gave Fundy and Tubbo 

in the end, this was a big part of what destroyed their relationship. like it or not, Quackity’s a power hungry guy and always has been. he didn't like that Schlatt constantly shoved him aside and refused to listen to him

now onto the nasty bit...Schlatt’s mental state

cw for mentions of alcoholism, mental deterioration, and abusive behavior  

before i say anything more, i just want to say that i don't think having issues with alcoholism makes someone a bad person. i personally have some issues with such things so it would be pretty stupid of me to say being an alcoholic makes you a bad person. alcoholism does negatively affect your cognitive functions tho and, combined with other health issues, can cause some of the very serious mental problems that Schlatt clearly struggles with

throughout the Manburg era, Schlatt’s mental state rapidly deteriorated. he went from a pretty normal- if eccentric- guy who had a drinking problem, to someone who was delirious most of the time. it's a sharp and noticeable decline that caused a lot of pain for Quackity due to Schlatt often taking his excess aggression out on him by yelling at him and/or belittling him. tho Schlatt often belittled Quackity before he went fully off of the deep end, it was never as aggressive as it was when he was in this delirious state of mind

it was during one of Schlatt’s most aggressive and delirious moments that he tore down the white house despite Quackity’s protests. as we all know, this caused Quackity to snap and kill Schlatt (it's more complicated than that but we will get back to that). as mentioned previously, Quackity implied that he would have stayed with Schlatt if the white house hadn’t been destroyed

in my opinion, these two things combined are the biggest reasons why Quackity and Schlatt’s relationship fell apart. their differing desires for power were not compatible and Schlatt’s awful behavior while his mental state declined caused a rift between them that couldn't be fixed

part 3: how toxic was it really?

cw for emotional and physical abuse 

as i said all the way back in part one, Quackity and Schlatt’s relationship was not healthy. i have provided many examples in the other two parts that shine a light onto why it wasn't healthy, but i didn't show the entire picture

there are many moments that show exactly how Schlatt treated Quackity when he was acting at his worst and none of them are pretty. tho Schlatt was never truly aggressive with his insults until he started to go off of the deep end, that doesn't mean that what he said wasn't negatively affecting Quackity

Schlatt would belittle, insult, and mock Quackity for his appearance not being up to his standards, for his opinions, and for being emotional in ways that Schlatt disapproved of like crying. tho Schlatt would often brush off Quackity’s reactions towards this cruel behavior, it's very clear that Schlatt’s treatment of him has stuck with Quackity in many ways

Quackity is very sensitive about his appearance and it seems to be because of how badly Schlatt hurt his self esteem during their time together. Schlatt tied Quackity’s worth to his appearance and then would claim he wasn't meeting his standards of attractiveness. we can tell that this has stuck with Quackity because of his sensitivity towards people bringing up the scar on his face (something that greatly alters his physical appearance) and he still reacts very badly when Schlatt calls him the mocking nickname flatty patty

speaking of flatty patty- that stupid insult shockingly has a lot of weight in Quackity’s relationship with Schlatt. tho its something the audience is meant to laugh at, the nickname also shows just how little Schlatt respects Quackity because he's constantly throwing it around just to make Quackity upset. Schlatt’s last words are flatty patty all because he wanted to get in one last dig at his ex and ruin Quackity’s day even further 

Schlatt tends to do a lot of things that are intended to make Quackity upset. tearing down the room Quackity made for him in the white house is the biggest example of this- especially since Schlatt mentions how it will upset Quackity while he does it. you can see this moment at around 19:10 of this video

and now let's get into the elephant in the room when it comes to these two: Quackity was scared of Schlatt. tho we never really see Schlatt hit or attack Quackity physically outside of their confrontation at the white house or their confrontation in the caravan, these clips imply that Quackity was at the very least scared of Schlatt physically harming him in some way 

as for actually physically harming him, Schlatt hits Quackity multiple times with a pickaxe and with his fists during their white house fight. Quackity hits Schlatt a couple times too, tho these are all primarily defensive blows since he is trying to protect himself and his property. he also chases after Quackity with a bow after Quackity’s plan to trick him into signing Manburg over to the Pogtopians fails and hits him multiple times during the caravan confrontation

all of this evidence shows that Schlatt was an abusive (or at least toxic) partner towards Quackity and someone who greatly affected him in many ways

tho Quackity did a few questionable things throughout his relationship with Schlatt (such as trying to get Schlatt to have sex with him despite Schlatt not being interested as shown in the later half of this video) and did some downright morally wrong things during his time as vice president of Manburg, no one deserves the pain of an abusive relationship- even a person who has done bad things

as a brief side note before we move on because i know people will bring it up if i skip over it, Quackity did- and most likely still does- want to literally possess Glatt. he brought up reviving Schlatt and using him as a political pawn after Schlatt’s funeral and during their conversation at the Big Man Gym Quackity talked about owning Glatt and having him work at Las Nevadas with no pay

this is unsettling behavior to say the least but this essay isnt about the aftermath of their relationship so much as it is about their relationship when it was actually happening. maybe i will make another post talking more about how Quackity’s relationship with Schlatt affected him even after Schlatt’s death and/or about Quackity’s relationship with Glatt

part 4: final thoughts

i’m not exactly sure why the nuances in Schlatt and Quackity’s relationship get lost when it comes to the fandom, but it’s pretty disappointing to see. hopefully this essay can help people take a closer look at canon and maybe even help them find something interesting that they’d want to explore!

tho the point of this essay is to clear up any misconceptions and hopefully add some nuance to the conversations surrounding Schlatt and Quackity’s relationship, i also wrote it in hopes of showing people how fascinating these two partners in crime were back in the Manburg days. i didn’t cover everything but i think i did a pretty good job for my first analysis post in the dsmp fandom

also since you read to the end, i must say thank you! it really does means a lot to me that you did. i hope you enjoyed and maybe even learned something. this post can be used as a resource if anyone wants to use it as such

here’s a tiny devil Quackity for your troubles <3

[aetheternity]

Hello! I’ve read your work and fallen in love! I don’t know if your requests are open, but I really like the Armin x you x Levi post you wrote🥰 may I please request a smut of this? Thank you!

First of all thank you! I'm so glad you're in love with my work. 😊 Second of all I'm sorry this took a while I got sick and writing smut while being sick is honestly disgusting. Plus I recently fell in love with Saiki K and have been binge watching it . 🤭 N e ways! Hope you enjoy this.

Warnings: Polyamory, threesome, Nsfw content.

Ok you'll be honest with yourself four years ago you didn't expect to be as happy as you are now. 

After you'd grown sick of your living arrangement with your parents. You'd left that life behind. Moving into the small empty bedroom your best friend since your last year of middle school had open in his surprisingly tiny apartment. 

And when you said tiny. You meant tiny. 

Some rooms in the apartment weren't even big enough for someone to stand in with their arms outstretched. Not to mention a couple of your nights were spent huddled next to Armin on the couch with a huge blanket around your bodies because the heat randomly shut off. 

You'd think a situation like that would be worse. But weirdly enough it had been the best for both of you as your relationship had always had a sort of looming sexual tension that went unexplored. 

Long lingering touches to your waist got just a little bit longer while trying to squeeze past you in the bathroom. "Sorry I just need my brush." Armin would whisper. Warm palm against your hip. The ghost of his pelvic bone so close yet so far away. Just the realization making you arch in his grasp. You'd hold his gaze and in the back of your mind you could watch the soft slither of his tongue as it wet his gorgeous pink lips so many times over. 

Of course it escalated with neither of you ever saying a word about your feelings. You spraying water from the sink on a shirtless Armin during a heat wave that just wouldn't let up as he walked into the kitchen wearing only grey sweatpants. (Yup.. only sweatpants.) The way they hung so low on his hips practically begging for your tongue to stretch across the expanse of his pelvis. 

Him hugging you tight around the waist for literally any reason he could think of. (And he found a new reason everyday.)

And then it escalated a little further.. you pulling back the shower curtain to "complain" about him eating your leftovers. Him pulling you into his lap while the two of you watched tv. 

And one day it just ended. And by ended it meant you two opened a bottle of wine on New Years and the ball wasn't the only thing that dropped. He had you laying ass up, legs spread and pussy sobbing as he rocked your hips for eight fucking hours with no stop. Did that table break? During hour five but Armin managed. 

And then you guys moved. After a mutual agreement that the two of you were aware of each other's feelings and wanted to be together. You'd both managed to pool enough money together to afford a bigger place with two bedrooms. One unused and one that was immediately broken in with Armin over stimulating you the second the boxes were halfway unpacked. 

Fast forward to a man named Levi moving in across the hall, him developing feelings for you over a long period of seeing you daily thanks to his best friend absolutely adoring you and constantly inviting herself into you and Armin's home.

After a while you'd started picking up on the signs of his affection too. His long glances that sometimes didn't even break when you looked back at him. The little gifts that began to show up at your door. The way he'd bring over food when he knew Armin wasn't home. 

Once you'd started to develop feelings too Armin allowed you a night. One night to see if those feelings were actually real and what they might mean. Cue a night of carriage rides, roses (lots and lots of roses), stargazing and a kiss that damn near floored you and it was more than one night. 

Two nights and Levi had had you on his couch with him snuggled in what would soon become your favorite blanket. Three nights and Levi had you eating his mom's homemade spaghetti. And by a week you were begging for Levi to fuck you harder, fingers shaking on his white tiled kitchen floor. His relentless thrusts still causing your thighs to tremble hours after. 

He looked so lost in bliss in a way you'd never seen him before and you hugged onto him so tight you didn't even go back to Armin that night. Just curled up under your favorite blanket on his couch with his cock nestled deep inside you. His kisses littering your face till the moment you fell asleep. 

It was definitely a cause for fear. An unrelenting kind and you sat down on the couch with Armin the next day explaining how deeply you loved them both. Only to be shocked when he brought up the topic of polyamory. It definitely shocked you a ton when Armin agreed to it after some explanation of his own feelings but the real surprise was Levi explaining how he'd also thought about it and would be up for it. 

And thus began the beautiful bloom of a poly relationship after him and Armin had gotten better acquainted. You know after you guys all moved because Levi hated living in the apartment. 

The three of you left to live in a gorgeous house. (For once you were living in a place with more than one floor and an island in the kitchen.) A place you'd been calling home for over a year now. 

~~~~ 

Your breath hitched soft moans stuttering off your lips. You don't even remember who started it but here you and Armin were, his breath tickling every bit of your face with sweet languid kisses. One hand brushing over every curve you possessed while the other was softly brushing in between your pussy lips. 

Your body perched in his lap as he sat against the headboard. Pillows scattered around the two of you as you writhe and begged for more of his touch. 

You were probably drawing blood where you were grasping his shoulders but you couldn't even begin to think about it. Armin's warm breath tickling your lips in a soft chuckle. The tips of his fingers softly caressing your clit as you let out little whimpers of pleasure. 

"You promise you'll moan nice and loud for daddy's fingers?" He asked, closing the distance between your lips with a much slower kiss. 

"Yes." You could feel his nail brush inside and you almost buried his fingers but his harsh grip on your ass paused your movements. Your thighs shook and you rubbed your forehead against his. Leaned into his broad chest with both hands. "Please daddy.." 

"Good girl." 

With one more small kiss he laid you out flat on the bed free hand coming up to squeeze your areola. With a tap of your outer thigh you spread for him watching the way his spit dribbled off his lips and directly onto your already wet hole. The mixture making a much wetter sound as he pumped two fingers fully inside. 

With a gasp you yanked the sheets hard, almost squeezing your thighs together. His fingers curling, snatching your breath away. The bed creaked a little as he repositioned himself, stomach flat against the sheets with his mouth on your thighs. Spreading a soft array of little open mouthed kisses. 

"A-Armin.." 

"Keep your ankles in the air, love. I don't wanna punish you tonight." He breathed 

You sucked in a breath, reaching out to hold your ankles. Almost immediately you felt embarrassed by the high pitched moan that fell off your lips at the first long slide of his flat tongue over your pussy lips.

And then right in between them in a beckoning motion over your clit that had you biting into your lip. The smile on his lips so evident over your core. 

You lifted your head in time to watch the slow drip of more of his saliva stretch between your clit and his bottom lip. Tongue immediately outstretched with eyes drawn to your features as he lapped it back up again. 

With his free hand he spread apart your pussy lips a little further giving your clit an almost harsh knead with his thumb. The friction making you cry out and almost drop your legs onto his back. 

His fingers carefully slipped out of you to your own dismay. The slow drag against your walls almost painful, that is until his tongue was sliding in to replace them. Giving your inner walls a massage that made your gaze fall white. 

You felt him hum. Sweet vibrations flowing through your cunt as he slurped down every bit of your juices. His arms snaking around your legs to yank you so much closer as he pushed his tongue impossibly deeper. 

"Daddy.." You begged 

"Shh, keep moaning for me baby.." He hummed, flicking your clit with his thumb. 

You obeyed with an arch that probably could've launched you off the bed if not for Armin's tight hold. Your eyes squeezed shut, brain going completely empty. 

"Such a good girl." He breathed "So good for daddy." 

The pad of his tongue stretched over both sides of your lips with little nibbles. Sucking the skin into his mouth roughly. You could feel his eyes on you, practically see those bright blues pop with lust as he pressed his tongue back inside with languid thrusts. 

Your heartbeat pounded in your ear and you felt the hold he had on your legs loosen. His two fingers delving and sliding back into your warm fluttering cunt. The overwhelming pleasure forcing your hands back on the bed holding out for dear life. 

"Daddy.. daddy please.." You cried 

"Getting close baby?" When you nodded vigorously he smirked. "Come on baby almost there." He hummed 

He sped up his tongue, fingers stretching you open quickly adding another. Your breath caught with a high pitched cry that left tears  flowing over your cheeks. An endless chorus of his name flooding off your lips. His own moans sending vibrations through your core. 

Your stomach tightened, toes curling in the air as you tried and failed to steady your breathing. One of your hands unfurled itself from the sheets now sticking to your sweat soaked body. Carding it in the beautiful blond locks between your legs. 

"Baby.. baby I'm about to-" He sucked your clit into his mouth and your eyes went hazy, head falling back. 

"Finish baby, come on.." He whispered 

Your lips spewed curse words between every breath lost. When his fingers tapped smoothly against your g-spot you knew that was it for you. And with one last shudder you came around his fingers, screaming his name as your orgasm racked over you in a loud burst. 

And he licked up every drop, nose buried to collect it all like it was the best thing he'd ever tasted. 

"A-Armin.." You shuddered body flush and hazy. 

His fingers feel wet, a combination of your pussy juices and the sweat between both your bodies. You slowly blinked in the darkness combing strands of his hair back as your lips made contact. The mixture of your taste and his on your tongue, in an almost overwhelming way. 

You tensed under him. Hands stretching over every part of him you could reach only for him to back away a bit. With your nails still gently grazing over your back he pressed his damp forehead into yours, fingers sweeping over every bit of bare skin. 

With barely any warning he hoisted you to your feet next to the edge of the bed. And you reached out for his shoulders as he slipped his boxers down his legs. Inching himself back up to the headboard. 

"Take a seat." He gestures, laying back. 

He's got a hand around your waist in seconds. His cock soon just below you, so so close to where you wanted it. Where you needed it so badly. 

Your knees came down on both sides of him, carefully administering your weight evenly until every inch of his hot cock was stretching you open. His tip soon resting firmly against your cervix like it always did and you both relinquished a sweet gasp. 

"F-fuck.. so full.." You huffed 

It felt like it had been so long when in reality it'd probably only been a week. And yet you were moaning like you'd been starved of him. Rocking your hips like he'd punished you with no cock for months. 

Suddenly his arm wrapped itself around your waist again. He hoisted you up with a strong hold moaning directly in your ear as he thrusted up into you like it was the first time. His knees pressing your thighs open.

A hiss falling off your lips as he kissed over your shoulder and collar. Hands squeezing both your breasts like they were his personal stress balls. 

You hadn't been aware of how hard Armin was going until the rough knocks of the bed hitting the walls finally began to settle in your ear. But you could barely care Armin's cock was hitting every spot inside of you and your leg was starting to twitch where it was forced outward. 

His breath grew more ragged with every thrust. Sweat dripping off your forehead onto his. His sweet murmurs of praise turning you on even harder.

"Love, you take me so well.. You're doing so amazing…." He moaned 

You leaned your head into him, feeling that sweet familiarity deep in the pit of your stomach. You reached around to the back of his head, yanking a little rougher than intended on his scalp. 

The uneven slaps of your skin meeting managed to keep the two of you distracted  until the sound of the door practically slamming into the wall shook you both to a halt. 

Levi's dry sigh filled the once noisy bedroom. "Do you two have to make so much noise? I'm busy with a work project." 

Despite Levi's gripes Armin angled his cock back towards your g-spot barely grazing it but it was enough to force a little mewl from your lips. 

He laughed, pulling you a little closer. "Mm sorry Levi. Didn't know we were being so loud." 

There was a small glint in Levi's eyes. The quick dart of his pupils to where you and Armin were joined and then back up to your face putting a devious grin on your face. 

"You should take a break, daddy." You said 

"Tch." Levi huffed, "This thing needs to be done by tomorrow. I don't have time for this." 

You reached out for him with one arm. An arm that unsurprisingly didn't even reach close to him from his stance near the bedroom door. By this point Armin's thrusts were going at almost the same pace as before. Not as rough but enough to resume the gentle rock of the bed. 

You let out a soft moan as Levi took the bait, slowly walking over to the bed. His finger carding affectionately through your tousled hair. He leaned in, pecking your kiss swollen lips. 

If there was anything you knew for a fact about Levi it was that he always had a hard time saying no to you. 

To be completely honest it didn't surprise you that Levi was already more than a little hard. Though it did surprise you how easily he gave in today. Watching with unchanged expression as you pulled his belt from the loops and buckle, undoing it with a light clatter which quickly followed the almost inaudible sound of his zipper being pulled down.. 

You let out a relaxed hum, lip pressed between your teeth at the sight before you. His thick cock poking out over the hem of his underwear. You grasped at the sheets with one hand a little shaky as you slipped his boxers down over his ass until they pooled at his ankles. 

Armin slipped his hand under you right up against your stomach. Levi immediately followed suit already knowing what he was doing. He stepped over to the edge of the bed as Armin laid you down on your stomach. Levi's wet tip dangling in front of your lips. Before you could even register it Armin had your hips in the air slipping all the way back inside with a loud gasp. 

Meanwhile you were wetting your lips. Hand curving up and down the length of his dick. You inched forward on your elbows to slowly surround Levi's dick in the warm confines of your mouth. The hiss he let out sending shivers over your spine.

"How's it feel? I know how much you love taking two dicks." Levi grunted 

Armin reached forward, tugging your hips in close with one hand. The other hand on your ass as leverage. Allowing him to ease out to his tip before slamming back inside. Your eyes rolling back with pleasure. 

As if it wasn't already difficult enough to take Levi he wasn't even fully hard yet. Just expanding in your mouth as you coaxed your throat into relaxing enough to slide every thick inch down. 

"I know that pretty mouth can do so much better than this." He reaches out with zero warning to grab a fist full of your hair. Yanking you forward with barely any restraint. 

Though you must admit the sound that leaves his throat when he does is almost worth the tears pricking over your hollowed cheeks. 

"Baby I'm so fucking close.. I'm gonna fill your pussy." Armin sighs, his hand comes down to wrap around the base of your throat angling your mouth into Levi's rough thrusts. 

Your heart is hammering but you close your mouth as best as possible without biting to take Levi's cock. Already feeling the effects on your jaw as he presses in a little harder with a deep moan. 

By now his cock is fully hard rocking you back into Armin with deep rough thrusts that almost make you gag. 

"That's my g-irl.." Levi grunts, even though they're small his nails dig into your scalp so roughly you could swear you felt something trickling down to the back of your neck. 

You grip the bed sheets with both your toes and fingers, the creaking around you unmistakable. 

"I'm cumming.. I'm cumming!" Armin cries out and you'd honestly give anything to see his gorgeous blue eyes roll back and the little smile that curves against his lips as he climaxes. 

You finish just a couple seconds ahead of him. Eyes unfocused where they roll into shut. Little sounds muffled by the thick dick stretching open your throat. The feeling of Armin's cum flooding your walls makes you whimper and he lets out the softest moan as his orgasm slowly whittles away. 

Your gaze soon fixes on Levi only to be met with the prettiest tint of pink brushed right up against his cheeks. His eyes pressed tightly closed, lips parted over every harsh breath. 

It didn't take long for the sweet drag of Armin's cock to begin again. His light touches to your spine making you arch a little higher. 

"You look so fucking pretty, you know that?" Armin mummered, cock slamming into your g-spot. "Doesn't she look gorgeous, Levi?" He asked with a little whimper. 

Levi's eyes fluttered open a hint of a smirk cresting on his lips. "Like she's gonna.. pass out.." He combed your hair back again gripping it a little tighter forcing your head up. He paused at the back of your throat. "Can't take it baby? Want me to pull out?" 

You grunted at every slam of Levi's dick until that all too familiar sound flooded your ears, followed by almost every curse in the english language. 

"You're doing so well.. f-uck.." He moaned "Swallow my cum.. swallow it. I'm almost there.." 

Levi hoisted his leg up against the already shaky foot of the bed using as much leverage as possible. His fingers tugging your head forward on every pump of his thick cock. Mixing with the loud gasps of Armin behind you as he also neared his end. 

And with one more deep thrust Levi was spilling down your throat with a choked groan. Cock head nestled deep in your tired throat holding you still as his orgasm flooded from his body. 

You were a little relieved when he stepped back allowing your jaw to relax. The still wet tip pressing sweetly against your lips. 

"Such a pretty girl.." He said, so low you thought you imagined it. 

"Switch with me." You heard Armin say 

You sighed as his cock left you, feeling yourself immediately being flipped onto your back. His large hands coming down from where he now stood over you to perfectly envelop your breasts. Meanwhile Levi was pulling your hips close and sliding in as effortlessly as he always did. 

"Levi!" You threw your head back 

Armin smirked over you, his hands kneading a little rougher. You arched into his touch pressing the balls of your heels into Levi's back, pushing him just a little deeper- 

God it was perfect. The feeling of his dick so much different from Armin's but honestly just as perfect. The moan you let out was downright pornographic and you pressed your head back into Armin's thigh. 

One of Armin's hands came up to your face brushing aside your hair soaked in tears. "You look perfect. But I wanna make you more perfect." 

He pulled himself off the bed, sliding a hand over your cheek. "I wanna paint your face baby. It's so perfect.." He mumbled already pumping his long dick over your face. "You'll let me right.." He whimpered 

When he leaned in again it was to press a little kiss to your lips. "P-please.." 

The curve of his lips made your heart flutter in your chest. "Mm.. let Levi see when I'm finished." 

One of Armin's hands sat rather aggressively on the edge of the bed. And you could see the way every vein in his hand moved. Grip tightening a little with every pump of his cock, back and forth his knuckles practically ripping through his skin. 

You gasped as Levi leaned over you, fat cock pressing into your G-spot. "Stop ignoring me." He grunted 

He slid his teeth beneath your earlobe administering a barrage of sweet nibbles mixed with more aggravated bites. 

"Levi.. Levi!!" 

Armin gasped above you, "Almost there.." He moaned 

A bright white was starting to take over your vision as you shut your eyes, mouth hung open for Armin's cock with absolutely no sound coming out as Levi continued to use your tired pussy. 

Small huffs of fuck littering the air. You bore your nails into Levi's back and chest. His leg shaking against you as he pushed through his last thrusts. 

"I-I'm.. I- shit!" Armin came first, missing Levi's head by a hair (literally) as ropes of hot cum plopped onto your face, you barely registering it as your own orgasm hit you like a two ton truck. Levi's thumb coaxing small spasms from you through your clit. 

Levi huffed, face scrunched, lip bitten and eyes shut as he came for the second time with a hard gasp. 

The room went quiet for what couldn't have been any longer than 2 minutes before Armin was pulling himself up from where he'd slumped over the bed. 

"Levi, look how sexy she looks with my cum all over her face." He cooed 

It stuck to your eyelids as you blinked though ultimately chose to keep your eyes shut. You felt Levi's small chuckle and the brief feeling of him slipping out of you to your own disappointment.

"Open baby." Armin said 

As soon as you did his fingers slipped into your mouth. The salty/sweet residue of his cum littering your tongue. Quickly joined by Levi who swiped his thumb across your eyelids before pressing it into your mouth. 

"How're you feeling?" Armin asked as you opened your eyes slowly. 

You blinked in their faces standing above you with a small smile. "Tired." 

"You can't sleep until you've washed off. It'll be better for you anyway." Levi replied, heading into the bathroom. 

Armin quickly followed after carefully lifting your fatigued body off the bed. It took a couple minutes for Levi to get the temperature to perfect but once he did you slowly felt yourself sinking into perfectly warm water. 

The soreness in every part of your body already beginning to dissipate as you leaned back against the edge of the tub. 

"We did a number on you hmm?" Armin asked, carding your hair back. 

"I'll make you some tea once you're cleaned up. Then we can cuddle under your favorite blanket." Levi said 

"Thank you guys but I feel like I could fall asleep here." You say lifting your thighs for Levi to clean under. 

"I promise I'll pay you back big time tomorrow." Armin replied, rubbing your arm with soap. 

Your lips curled up deviously, "Now that I look forward to." You grab his chin pulling him into you, pecking his lips. 

[balillee]

my unpopular dsmp opinions, some of which genuinely should be popular

c!dream has crossed the moral event horizon and is irredeemable. once you cross that threshold, you're no longer a 'morally grey' character.

pre-recorded, heavily produced lore killed the lore. it was cool, sure, but you completely misunderstand the magic that the smp had when people watched it initially. the story is improv and that's how we like it. we can tell the cc's have lost interest in it, you can admit that to us, we'll understand, just stop lying to me.

c!dream's pov isn't necessary to understand his character or his motivations. if you've watched literally any c!primeboys stream he's basically spelled it out for you.

i don't understand how fans can dislike l'manberg or have claimed to be against it since the beginning. i honestly don't get it. what's so bad about wanting your own spot where you make your own rules and skirt accountability that has been used to technically oppress you before - and, before someone who never saw the earlier streams tries to disagree with this, the og l'manberg crew were imprisoned for shit that everyone else on the server was practically encouraged to do. also, what do you have against fun and happiness?

i think some of you forget that 'hybrids' aren't a thing, discounting c!ranboo. there's no piglin hybrids, c!techno is just a pig. there's no avian hybrids, c!phil is just a man with wings. there's no creeper hybrids, c!sam is just a creeper who's indecently exposed from the hips down. canonically there's no hybrids, and therefore no hybrid discrimination. people ran with that concept too much.

the loss and the fanon rewriting of the early lore up until pogtopia has ruined fandom perception of c!dream and the og l'manberg boys. c!tommy is more morally white than you think he is, and c!dream has always been a villain - he massacres and he kills and he destroys and he schemes and he always has broken his own rules. no wonder the boys wanted their own space after how they were treated.

i think ranboo oftentimes forgets his own lore. he brings stuff up that c!ranboo may have done, such as exploding the community house to frame c!tommy, holding onto Cat, and it goes absolutely nowhere. we've gotten all of these developments in his story but they have never been expanded on, and we're nowhere closer to figuring out his relationship to c!dream and what his other side is and honestly i see no hope that we'll be any closer to knowing even by the end of the year.

your characters don't all have to be morally grey for the story itself to be morally grey. this is fiction - some people can be nothing but evil and others can be nothing but good. being purely good or evil doesn't mean that you're one dimensional, either.

c!dream apologists have ruined c!dream for me. he's not a good person. how about you let me enjoy a villain for who he actually is, rather for than your percieved woobified ragdoll you pass off as c!dream.

the story was better when there was a central writer. it was brilliant back when wilbur wrote it to be that the environment drives the characters and the story, and it was really good in early s2 up until techno's execution day when it was more character driven. since then, the amount of autonomy people have over their characters without any central 'director', as it were, has been a detriment to the story overall. there needs to still be one overarching figure or director or writer.

not everyone is a main character. just because they have a pov, doesn't mean they're a main character. some characters have such little impact on the overall plot and describing everyone as a main character oversaturates the story and makes some characters seem more important than they are.

the egg lore had so much potential up until it didn't. all that built up threat that we were expecting and we still don't even know what the egg wants really other than just controlling people. does it hatch?

genuinely, if there's no major plot developments by the end of the year (and let's be honest, it's a very big possibility at this point), a few of the more prominent members of the server should do a podcast style stream talking about where the story would have gone, because at least then we would have gotten somewhat closer to a conclusion.

c!techno is a villain and an asshole and a bad person. he stops caring for people once their interests don't align with his or if they look at him funny. he makes meta-jokes about his own tyrannical and oppressive nature. stop taking that away from him. he's a bad person. cc!techno does a fabulous job portraying that in a comedic manner and the balancing of him being a deeply flawed person with deeply flawed morals and ideas with his comedically-portrayed stubbornness and lack of willingness to hear out opposing viewpoints is incredible. i want to like characters who are arseholes for the sake of being arseholes, and who refuse to take into account the hurt they've caused either out of self-righteousness or because they don't care, so let me. he's the anti-peacemaker, LET ME HIM ENJOY HIM FOR THAT!!!!

i think tommy and wilbur's way of doing lore is my favourite. relies heavily on improv, voice acting, sprite acting and facial expressions. really shows off the acting props and they pull off the emotional moments well for the insanity of the creative medium.

i'm not a fan of fan-music. i find songs about media i'm into difficult to listen to. coincidentally i'm also not a fan of shit like slam poetry or live music/musicals/pantomimes.

the death of l'manberg killed people's motivation to go on the server casually. i've talked about it more in depth before, but destroying what was a central, driving environment for the story killed momentum and motivation. imagine in an episode of she-ra, the princess alliance just nuke the freight zone and all of the members of the horde just have to deal with it. that would be shit.

until season 3 has some momentum, i'm counting the end of the smp as january 20th. that had a conclusion. season 3 has... whores, technoblade and tommyinnit. that's about it.

i wasn't a fan of the development of c!tubbo joining las nevadas. i preferred snowchester and the walled city conflict. give c!tubbo some backbone and some badassery. also tubbo where's the fucking nuke bro if you're shelving that plotline just tell us on like an alt stream what the plan was i beg

add like 2 or 3 new people to the server so that michael mcchill has someone to talk to and so that there's something always happening on the server. it gives the og's more motivation to return if things are happening in and out of canon and it'll help with momentum, and who knows? maybe they can write their own story/stories.

i really think that c!sam is an underrated character. he's multilayered, extremely interesting, and the dichotomy of his loyalty to his job and how far down the rabbithole that's taken him versus the genuine love he has for his friends that drives him to do what he does out of wanting to do right by them is brilliant. i don't talk about c!sam enough.

STOP HAVING FUCKING VILLAIN ARCS!!! I'M FUCKIN SICK OF IT!!!! i want to see more characters who see everyone else being absolute selfish, abhorrent cunts and go 'if nobody else is going to be a good person, i fucking will'. GIVE ME SOME MORAL WHITENESS!!! IT'S INTERESTING AND MORALLY GOOD CHARACTERS ARE FUN!!!

let tommyinnit build cobblestone towers. everyone bullied him too much for how ugly they were and the one he built outside of the prison looked genuinely really nice. it gives the boy something to do.

i'm a fan of the revive book and the canon lives system. don't ask me why, but i think it might just be the morbidity of it. it adds to c!dream's god complex persona, and i think the fragility of death itself is a really fun concept. not enough fan cc's have made connections with that and c!mumza, and it could make for cool fanfic.

ranboo your house is fucking ugly. it's an eyesore

c!niki, and to some extent now c!jack and c!fundy, are boring me and ruining my mood. i think c!jack is the closest to being an actually interesting sympathetic villain, mainly because nobody else seems to realise that c!niki is a villain. not a good one imo, but she's a villain. c!jack just has the problem of starting a new project over and over and over and over again and because of the slow in momentum for the primary cast, there hasn't been a lot of recent development for him.

not really a dream smp opinion, but if philza went full geordie accent, i would love it. i want him to, in canon, say shit like 'me n ye' instead of 'me and you' and use geordie dialect. i want him to be physically unintelligible because it's funny.

i don't really know what's up with c!foolish but i think he's a dumbass. he had a while to think about c!q's proposal and then changed his mind about joining the guy to admitted to letting him die just because. moron

i wish there was more c!eret lore. i wish he was an actual king with an actual kingdom and actual subjects and royal advisors. c!eret is far too fucking cool to be the king of nothing and nobody. fatten up the kingdom and the castle with people who work with c!eret, and don't just make it tyrannical and dictator-y to prove the point of the server's 'anarchists'. make it a healthy working environment, please - if you want moral greyness, have 'anarchists' who claim to care about the welfare of the server oppose a kingdom of happy people under a fair and just ruler because their ideologies clash.

the server needs more characters who oppose anarchy in more peaceful ways, or passively wish for systems to be a part of. i think a chaos vs order conflict ending only in mutual understanding where everyone understands that they should just leave each other alone would slot nicely into the story that's been created so far.

you need to have watched all of the previous arcs to understand the story. i've seen people argue that they don't need to know about earlier lore to understand the prison, but that's the equivalent of only watching the final season of pretty little liars and expecting to understand the context of what's going on.

some characters aren't that morally grey. some characters, take c!tommy for example, are definitely on the whiter side for the morality scale, he's just an asshole. he's abrasive and rude and a dickhead but he also doesn't agree with terrorism, he's patriotic, he strives for a better world, he's apologetic, but he's also a fucking BITCH.

you can add onto this if you want, but not if you're a c!dream apologist. nobody likes your opinions

[pluviophile-imagines]

LOWI CONGRATS ON THE FOLLOWER MILESTONE!! 🥺💞💞💞 u deserve it and so much more!! for the kiss prompt could i get 18 with shinsou ?? 🥺👉👈

TYSM SOFFFF so uh. I’ve been fuckin stupid dkfnskfb my dumbass rlly wrote Shinsou correctly on my master post like a week ago and then still managed to write for Shigaraki instead when it came to the actual piece 😳 so thanks to my handyman brainrot you get two—that’s right, two!—characters for the price of one ur welcome ♥️ I cheated a lil bit so shinsou;s not sitting in the reader’s lap it’s just his head but i think its cute 🥺 also Shiggy’s is like twice as long as ive been trying to write them oops i rlly like the jealous reader premise 👉👈 it’s under the read more bc of that and bc of kiiiinda spoilers? if yall arent caught up to the manga you won’t get it but if u are it’s canonical. Whew that was a lot! Enjoy!

Kisses where one person is sitting in the other’s lap

Shinsou

To say that your relationship with Shinsou is new would be an understatement. You’ve been friends for years—ever since the third year of high school when you’d been assigned to him as his support—but you’ve never been particularly close until recently when you’d once again found yourself working on his hero costume and support items.

He’d only asked you out yesterday after nearly two months of tension-filled glances and fleeting touches. Now, the two of you are watching a movie at your mutual friend Kirishima’s apartment, sitting quite awkwardly on a loveseat and pretending like you don’t want to get closer to each other. You haven’t told your friends yet about your new relationship status, but that’s not entirely what’s holding you two back. If anything, it’s run-of-the-mill first date awkwardness (if watching a movie with six of your closest friends around can be considered a date), too afraid to initiate anything.

The movie’s dull; the two of you have pulled out your phones to snark at each other through text, a strategy you’d begun weeks ago after being hushed one too many times by Kaminari because you were talking too loudly. The bright screens probably aren’t all that much better, but you two are in the back anyway; nobody can see it unless they turn away from the TV.

You risk a glance up and end up locking eyes with Shinsou. Your face heats up, heartbeat quickening, as he gives you a charming smile. You watch him glance around the room, unsure at first why he’s doing it until he turns his attention back to you and slowly, silently, moves over across the loveseat into your personal space.

Your legs are touching now, faces so close your nose is nearly brushing his. One of his hands has come to brace against the armrest you’re leaning on, allowing him to stay leaning in.

“Hey,” he says, little more than a whisper and clearly hushed so the others don’t hear.

“Hey yourself,” you respond, earning yourself a low snort.

Instead of vocally responding, he pushes himself back up to a sitting position and then moves his hands to maneuver your legs until you’re no longer curled up against the couch’s backing but sitting like a normal person.

Then he lays down, head resting on your thighs, and turns to face the movie.

You’re grinning uncontrollably. All possible self-conscious thoughts of the others seeing you are dashed from your mind; you like the weight of him in your lap too much.

You spend much of the rest of the movie like that, easily over half an hour. A few minutes in he reaches down to find your hand and bring it to his hair, encouraging you to stroke it. It’s even softer than you’ve imagined in the past, fluffy and thick and genuinely nice to run your hands though. There’s a surge of contentment that rushes through you, and maybe a little bit of pride at the knowledge that you can do this pretty much any time you want now.

By the end of the film, you’re pretty sure Shinsou’s fallen asleep. He gives you the scare of your life, however, when he grabs your arm as you’re trying to pull away. His eyes open, purple irises trained on you.

What happens next you blame on grogginess, him still not quite being awake. He blames it on you; whenever you mention it, he says he saw you and had become consumed with an overwhelming desire to just lean up and kiss you. Whatever the reason, it’s nice for you.

His hand comes up to the back of your neck, tugging you down just as much as he lifts up. It begins soft, kind of sweet, just lips as the two of you melt into each other—but it doesn’t stay that way for long. Within moments the two of you morph the kiss from a quick peck after a movie to a very passionate makeout, and frankly you’d be more concerned if they hadn’t interrupted the two of you.

You pull away when you hear Kaminari’s wolf whistle, left sitting on the loveseat with a burning face and your boyfriend in your lap, still half asleep.

Shigaraki

You’re not jealous.

No, you’ve been dating Tomura for months. You can’t be jealous when he’s, well, yours, and has been for quite some time. You’re his first relationship, his first everything, and it’s frankly foolish of you to feel this insecure just because some floozy is simpering at him from across the enormous room where you and the rest of the League are scattered about. It’s not like she really wants him, or even knows him; he’s just the hew big-shot leader and she’s decided being his lover sounds good. Too bad that role’s already taken.

Still, there’s a sinking feeling in your chest—an ache in your heart, a burning lump in your throat—that says now that Tomura is Grand Commander he’ll drop you for someone better.

You don’t realize you’re glaring daggers at the woman until she catches your eye. She has no business looking that smug; the only reason she’s allowed in the room is to give Tomura reports. You’re the one lounging next to him as she approaches; he has your legs over his lap, his thumb absent-mindedly rubbing circles on your thigh.

And when she bends down to drop the report on his lap (as if your damn legs aren’t there, you want to scoff) she draws the eyes of every League member except the one she wants, because you’re the one who has Tomura’s attention.

He’s wearing Father, but you’ve long passed being afraid when he looks at you from between those lifeless digits and you can see the expression beneath; those lips tugging down slightly in a pout, brow furrowed, eyes far softer than they have any damn business being while hiding behind the severed hand of his old man. He’s concerned, and a little confused.

Tomura plucks the report from your legs and sets it aside, reaching to pull you fully into his lap. To your surprise he takes Father off, too; he buries his face into your neck to prevent the outsider from seeing, lips just brushing your ear so that you can hear him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Hm?”

“You’ve been pouting ever since the secretary came in, brat.”

Like hell you’re saying anything in front of her. You remain stubbornly silent.

He doesn’t like that, you can tell, but while the secretary’s interest is lost on him he knows you well enough to tell that you’re uncomfortable with her. Presumably that’s why he doesn’t press the issue and kisses you instead.

You don’t expect it. Tomura’s not exactly one to shy away from PDA (you’re sitting in his lap in front of the whole League, for fuck’s sake), but intimacy is something he’s never wanted to take beyond closed doors. When he’s in a sour mood you’ll kiss him sometimes, even in public (he’s invigorated by your affection in many way, but never anything you’d call heated.

This kiss, though, is. It’s anything but chaste, perhaps even downright lewd. He’s all but initiating a makeout with you while Miss Secretary is standing right there. Maybe his affection-motivated ways are rubbing off on you, but it helps more than it probably ought to.

You’re dazed by the time he pulls away. The sound of the door slamming closed snaps you from your trance. The secretary, ploy foiled simply by your annoyed expression, had left. It doesn’t matter. None of this was ever really about her in the first place.

“There,” Tomura says, audibly quite pleased with himself. “She’s gone. Now tell me what’s wrong.”

You sigh, leaning in to tuck your own head into his shoulder. Your voice is muffled when you speak, quiet so that only he can hear.

“It’s dumb.”

“It’s bothering you,” he says simply. There’s an underlying statement there: tell me so I can destroy it for you. In many ways, Tomura is a predictable man.

You know he’s not going to drop it, so you accept your fate. “She was making a pass at you.”

He tenses beneath you, holding you closer. You risk lifting your head from where it’s buried to see the way his nose is scrunched up. “She wasn’t.”

“Yeah, she was.”

There’s a pause, like he’s processing everything you’re saying. Then, seemingly finally registering what exactly is bothering you, his hands move to grip your hips and maneuver you to straddle him, sitting fully on his lap facing him. “Fine. Why’re you pissed about it, then?”

You lean in again, arms coming to wrap around his neck as you bury your face into his chest and try to ignore the tears that are coming. You’d never be able to live it down if any of the others saw you crying over the fucking secretary.

But you know more than anyone thanks to many late nights assuring your boyfriend he’s the only one for you that Tomura can empathize with this insecurity. It’s a little strange how the script has flipped.

“She’s a high ranking MLA member, she probably has some crazy strong quirk. I’m quirkless. I dunno. I guess I’m scared you’ll drop me for someone like her. Like I said, it’s dumb.”

He doesn’t speak for a moment. You sit there, listening to his heartbeat and matching your breathing to his. Then he speaks.

“Your emotions aren’t dumb. It’s okay that you’re feeling this way. Thank you for telling me.” He’s parroting you, you realize; this is what you tell him every time he comes to you for comfort when he’s gotten in a mood. You feel a little fuzzy, warmth flooding your chest. “But I think we both know they’re irrational.”

“Tomura… I—”

“I’m not interested in some lame-ass NPC,” he interrupts, no hesitation and entirely sincere. He doesn’t even need to think about it. “You’re my player two, my endgame. The only thing in this world worth protecting. You really think that secretary can hold a candle to you? I didn’t even notice her. Why would I when you’re here?”

You can’t help it, you surge upward and kiss him, just as passionately as he had you mere moments before. His right hand traces up your spine to find the back of your neck and pull you closer, sending a thrill through your body as your own arms tighten around him.

“Oi! Horndogs! Get a damn room, don’t make us see that!”

You break away at Dabi’s words, panting slightly, and if the sincerity of Tomura’s little rant hadn’t convinced you that his words were true, the look of utter adoration he’s regarding you with would have.

[lululawrence]

Polyamory Fic Rec

I thought I’d made one already, but apparently I hadn’t. So, since @twopoppies had an anon looking for more, I figured I’d go ahead and make a rec list now. This is not exhaustive, but it’s a start! 

Please remember to leave the authors kudos and nice comments to show appreciation for their work.

I Should've Known by @nikogda (Liam/Louis/Harry, 11k)

It started out with little things here and there. A light that needed replacing. The belt in the vacuum. Small things, and eventually they took advantage of it.

Louis decided they needed another, larger repair whilst talking with his alpha neighbour, Liam. Liam had said he would do it for Louis and his partner, Harry.

And, well, it sort of went a little off track from there. What was an innocent thing at first, was now the two omegas’ way of catching the sweet deep scent of their alpha neighbour one whom they both mutually crushed.

Or: the one where alpha Liam moves in next door to bonded omegas Louis and Harry. All three go on their own journeys but in the end find that maybe, in the end, it really was always each other.

And That Was That by @lightwoodsmagic​ (Zayn/Liam/Harry/Louis, 23k)

“Okay. When Zayn and I were working on the set yesterday, Liam dropped by and mentioned he had a date. I asked Zayn about it, and he said that they’re ah - poly?”

Harry blinked.

“Oh yeah, I knew that. Li mentioned it when we were playing tennis once.” He ran his hand through Louis’ hair, smiling softly when he nuzzled into the touch.

“Is that what’s making you act strange? Because it seems like something that works for them, and I —.”

“Zayn has feelings for me.” A deep breath, and then blue eyes locked on green. “He said he needs distance because he has to get over them.”

Harry hadn’t realised his hand had fallen from Louis’ face until his fingers were being tangled and gripped tightly.

Or, Zayn and Liam have been polyamorous for years, but Harry and Louis are monogamous. When Zayn meets Louis and starts to fall for him, it opens them all up for something they've never experienced before.

That Don't Define Who You Are by lululawrence (Nick/Harry/Louis, 7k)

“Shit,” Harry muttered, rushing towards the man. “Are you alright?”

The man clearly tried to muffle his scream. “No, I’m really not. I’m afraid you’ll need to call 999.”

When Harry reached the man, he saw the man’s leg had gotten caught by pieces of the bike that had come apart beneath him. Without thinking, Harry leaned down and lapped where the blood was flowing quickly until it slowed.

“I’m so sorry, I just didn’t want you to pass out whilst I was on the phone.”

“God, no, don’t apologise,” the man said. “My mum’s a licking omega, see. Quite soothing.”

Harry blushed. “Yeah. Let me see about an ambulance for you.”

Or the one where Harry is a licking omega with a broken bond who helps heal a fairly hapless beta with a folding bicycle. When Harry also meets the beta's alpha, things start to get... interesting.

Its Mutual We (All) Discussed It by @nikogda (Zayn/Harry/Louis, 29k)

“Well you go to the agency, Alpha Donor Services and fill some forms out, whoever is doing the deed gets tested and such. And then they match you based on the papers with a few Alphas. You read the information on them and pick a few, they make sure they’re still willing and tell them about you. Eventually you guys will meet in public, do that a few times until you’re comfortable.” Niall scratched his arm lightly, and glances over at Harry, “The point of the service is to help a family, mostly an omega one, who can’t have children of their own. An Alpha will help an Omega get pregnant.”

“I feel like this is a lot.” Harry mumbles, setting his mug down.

“It is. Or well it was but it was worth it, H. I mean, I would do this again. We already talked about it.”

“Really?”

Or: Two omegas in a committed relationship are ready to start a family. In the process, their alpha donor becomes part of the family too. Every part of their relationship may be unconventional but all of them have never been happier

old haunts are for forgotten ghosts by fortymaliks (Nick/Harry/Louis, 8k)

“It’s the three of us, now,” Harry says, finally.

Louis blinks.

“Like,” Harry rushes to clarify, “you, and me, and Nick.”

Louis wakes up with amnesia, and learns that he's missing two whole years of his life. Two whole years, and some interesting developments...

Orion's Belt by @londonfoginacup (Nick/Harry/Louis, 24k)

Louis and Nick have been in a happy committed relationship for two years, their matching soulmarks on display for the world to see. It’s been them against the world, the alpha/beta singer and radio DJ power duo.

All that changes on February 1st, when they wake up to a third matching soulmark.

As they say, the course of true love never did run smooth.

You're a Rabbit, Louis Series by @magicalrocketships (Nick/Harry/Louis, 16k)

"Maybe Louis turned into a rabbit," Nick suggests. They both laugh. Louis doesn't. Harry is an idiot and Nick is an even bigger one.

Louis stomps past both of them on four tiny, furry, baby rabbit paws, and into Nick's flat. "I hate you both," he says. He sits on the rug by the TV. "And you can stop following me around too," he says to Pig, who sits down next to him on the rug.

"But seriously," Harry says, from the door. "Where's Louis?"

Louis thumps his back leg on the floor. "I'm here, you idiot."

"I'm not really suggesting this could be true," Nick says carefully, "but are we sure he isn't a tiny baby rabbit?"

The "A" in "Normal" by Yesitstyles (Nick/Harry/Louis, 28k)

Louis eats chips, argues with his best friend Nick about the validity of various sexualities, and falls for a second crush. Harry tries to spell the word "normal".

Loving You's the Antidote by lululawrence (Nick/Harry/Louis, 11k)

Nick and Harry had never been an obvious match. When eighteen-year-old Harry, newly presented as an omega, came home freshly bonded to Nick, a man nine years his elder and a beta no less, Anne had been more than skeptical and Eileen had shared some harsh words of her own. That didn’t deter them, though, and their families soon realised there really was something special about the bondmates that allowed them to work together almost seamlessly.

It was only a few months later that Harry started getting sick.

Or the one where Harry and Nick have been able to keep Harry's disorder at bay over the course of their relationship, but when they move to London and away from their support system, they find themselves in desperate need of help.

Come Out and Play by @dinosaursmate (Combination of OT5 pairings, 30k)

“I have this… fantasy.” Louis smiled self-consciously. “Well, I- I’ve been thinking about it recently, you know?”

Harry smiled softly. “Say it, Lou.”

“I have this fantasy,” he repeated. “Of… all five of us.”

“All five of us,” Harry exclaimed. “Gosh.”

Louis buried his face into Harry’s armpit, and Harry giggled softly. --- Harry and Louis discover a new kink in their relationship, and it brings all the boys closer than they could have ever imagined.

Trinity's Fate by Anonymous (Nick/Harry/Louis, 43k)

When a person is sixteen years old, he or she finds out if they are a dom or a sub. Later when they turn eighteen, the name of their soulmate(s) appear somewhere on their body.

Louis Tomlinson, a sub, fears getting a dom more than anything.

When his eighteenth birthday approaches and the names Nicholas Grimshaw and Harry Styles, a well known dom couple who are DJs for BBC Radio 1, appear on his arms, Louis panics.

Let me be your good night by Conscious_ramblings (Nick/Greg/Harry/Louis, 8k)

The one where Harry and Louis are in love, they end up at a party with some friends, and end up discovering things about themselves, and their friends that could change everything.

The thing was, Harry and Louis weren’t poly. They’d never even played with others together, despite having talked about it quite a lot in the heat of arousal. When they had been at torture garden and antichrist they had flirted with the idea. Harry had even kissed a friend of theirs once to rile Louis up, which had lead to a great session on the Saint Andrew’s cross. Louis loved to watch Harry flirt, loved the way jealousy turned him on and riled him up, loved how pliant and submissive Harry could be when Louis claimed him after. But they definitely weren’t poly, and Louis wasn’t quite sure what that meant for this evening. Everyone else attending the party was, and Louis’ green-eyed-monster had been feeding off that fact for most of the bus ride here. Now he was confronted by a really hot man playing with his boyfriend’s hair like it was no big deal, and he didn’t know quite what to do.

Perfect Sky by @polkadotlou (Nick/Harry/Louis, 40k)

Sub pairs are a rare thing, not only because of the jealousy that can brew between submissives if a Dom isn't attentive to each.

A sub pair has to be balanced.

Harry and Louis have always fit each other without trying. With them, it's easy.

But sub pairs can't just go out in the world and live on their own.

Alternatively, Louis always knew that a Dom was going to come into his and Harry’s lives – he only wishes Nick picked him too.

The Only Thing That Keeps Me Grounded by lululawrence (Nick/Harry/Louis, 28k)

“Shit, I definitely missed the last train.”

“Oh no,” Louis lamented. “I’d offer a ride, but I’m part of a carpool and we’re full already. I’m so sorry.”

“Really, it’s fine.” Then, what Louis said sank in. “Wait, I thought you were here alone?”

“Oh, I am. I’m the only one dancing here tonight. The others were working. In fact, here’s Nick now.”

It felt like slow motion as a tall, lanky man with incredible hair came walking over towards Louis. He smiled before pulling Louis into him and giving him a quick kiss.

“Nick, this is my new friend Harry. He just moved to the area and he’s amazing at swing. Harry, this is my husband, Nick.”

Fuck.

Or the one where Harry moves to Washington DC to be a nanny and never expects that his past struggles with love will be brought to a head. He definitely never expects the solution to it all will be the man of his dreams that just so happens to be married to the other man of his dreams.

Tell Me It’s The Strongest Shape by @louandhazaf (Nick/Elgar/Louis, 73k)

Nick and Elgar have it all. They’re famous, successful, and engaged to be married—and sometimes they play with others.

When uni student Louis gets street cast by Elgar for a GQ photoshoot, he's drawn into Nick and Elgar’s complicated relationship.

They've always invited mates into their bed. It doesn’t ever mean anything. Until… it does.

it hurts, but it's worth it by words_unravel (Liam/Harry/Louis, 14k)

Liam finds the shots of the three of them, rolling around and laughing, a week or so later during a late night. After a moment's pause, she saves one of the photos, giving it some inane, boring name. She shuts down her computer after that and goes to bed.

It takes a long time before she falls asleep.

[iamverysmall-andihavenomoney]

Hi I just found your account and I enjoy your writing a lot the flow of it is refreshing that’s besides the point though 😤✋I was wondering if you would write a street racing AU where Kenma and Kouroo are interested in someone from a rival group

Street Racer Rivalries

Haikyū!! Masterlist

Pairings: Street Racer! Mechanic! Kozume Kenma x Mechanic! Street Racer! Gender Neutral! Reader, Street Racer! Kuroo Tetsurō x Street Racer! Mechanic! Gender Neutral! Reader

Warnings: Street Racing AUs, Saffron shows off their lack of car knowledge, illegal street racing, rivalries, strong language, talk of racing injuries.

A/N: Hi there! Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy it! ☺️ But umm -- yes? I live for this idea (i might even make a series out of it, if anyone wants 🤷) but thank you for the request!

Kenma Kozume

He really doesn't like racing, let's be honest.

If he could, Kenma would stay in his shop all day long.

Hell, it's not like he needs the money.

He's such a well-known mechanic in the underground racing scene, he easily makes all of the money he could ever need.

His only real competition is Akaashi Keiji and someone named L/N Y/N?

Akaashi he could deal with, as Fukurōdani's group was rather well acquainted with Nekoma, hell, the held practice races all of the time.

But whoever this other up-and-coming mechanic was, was seriously pissing him off.

It wasn't that they were stealing all of his customers, he still had a lot of business.

It was that they just had to be with Karasuno.

The one group Kuroo was obsessed with besting - in everything.

Plus, who could have such a reputation for someone who'd only just joined the scene?

They, along with Karasuno's newest racers had put the group on a fast-track to the top.

They hadn't surpassed Karasuno.

Yet.

He wasn't sure why hearing your name pissed him off as much as it did.

But here he was, ranting to Kuroo as he worked on one of the group's main racing vehicles.

"Why won't Shōyō tell me anything about them either? They're so secretive about this new mechanic - all of them. Are they waiting for a fucking debut, here?"

"It took years for Nekoma to get the reputation it has, same for everyone else. Why does someone with no prior affiliation with any group, so easily surpass so many people?"

Then Kuroo worsens it by teasing Kenma.

"Are you sure this isn't just because Hinata is keeping a secret from you, for once?"

Now, it's a month later - the first big race in a while.

Lately, the cops had been far too aware of where the groups would be for anyone's comfort, so they collectively decided to lay low for a while.

And he's finally getting to see Karasuno in a big race.

He wasn't sure of everyone's official racers - but you usually weren't, until they lined themselves up.

Kenma wasn't particularly invested in the race, more here to finally see if you were all everyone talked you up to be.

"Are you really trying to 'wow' them in a tank top and coveralls?" Bokuto turns his nose up as he looks over Kenma's choice in clothing.

A black tank covered Kenma's chest, while his navy coveralls covered him from the waist-down, sleeves knotted together, around his waist to hold them up. His hands and arms are still stained dark from his work this morning and he's not quite sure on the status of his face, with the lack of looking in a mirror today. With a shrug, Kenma brings another chip to his mouth.

After a moment of silence, a scoff leaves his lips, "I'm not trying to 'wow' anyone. I'm scoping out the new competition, at most."

"I thought you said, just yesterday, they weren't worth your time?" Kuroo smirks at his smaller friend. Despite Kenma acting so peeved with your presence, he knew that it was all a front. He knew his best friend better than anyone end he could tell that his interest in you was just being covered up by feigned annoyance.

Kenma rolls his eyes, "I mean, you aren't either, but here we are."

Akaashi lets a breath escape him, before glancing over as he sees a flash of several headlights, looking over at the orange and black themed cars rolling in. "Looks like you have your chance to... Scope out your competition. Won't be long until Itachiyama and Shiratorizawa start arriving, as well."

Bokuto claps a large hand on Kenma's tattooed shoulder, making the faux-blonde cringe at the contact. "Go on, Ken! We'll catch up with you, soon!"

Kenma doesn't hesitate to step away from the other three, taking easy strides on his way over to where the vehicles were now parked, scattered around one another. The first to take notice of him, Shōyō, lights up, straightening from his position, previously leaning against the hood of his car. Though, seeing that he wasn't moving to greet Kenma, they cat-eyed male look at who he was talking to.

Finally laying eyes on the person he'd found himself 'hating' for the past few nights, any insults he had for you left him. Seeing you reclined against the hood of one of Karasuno's best cars, looking like you'd just come from the shop, much like him.

When your eyes found his, he notices that whatever you had been saying slowly faded out while you focused on him. And oversized orange and black jacket adorned your figure, keeping you away from the crisp breeze. He wondered if it was yours by the way or enveloped you, though on the arm, your last name shown clear, orange lettering bold against the black.

You slide from the good of the vehicle, your jacket falling from your body so you can tuck it in through the open window of what he guessed to be your car. You were dressed in nearly the same thing as him, black coveralls tied up around your waist and a large black shirt that seemed too big for you, as well, tucked into it. Not hesitating to step forward, Hinata finds himself falling back, wanting to bare witness from afar.

The smug grin tugging at the edges of your lips makes Kenma narrow his eyes further, "This is the great Kozume Kenma? Wow, no one really did you any justice, now did they?"

Of course you would be the smug type. Though, he supposed you had every right to be. You were an impressive individual. "And you're L/N Y/N... For someone who wanted to be so mysterious, you sure weren't hiding."

"I can't take credit for that idea. It was all Suga. Said we needed an ace up our sleeve." Shrugging nonchalantly, you flash Kenma a lazy grin. Mainly because it was oh-so obvious it was getting under his skin. "Though I have heard someone has been a bit obsessed with me, recently."

Kenma finally lets out something near a laugh, "You would be so lucky. Are you racing tonight?"

Hearing the rumble of other engines, the both of you realize that it wouldn't be long before you would both have to walk away to be with your separate groups. "Wouldn't you like to know," Kenma turns his head back towards you, raising an eyebrow. "I guess you'll just have to keep an eye out for me, won't you, Kozume?"

You take an easy step back, before turning to walk away, "I look forward to racing you, one day, Kozume."

"Likewise..." Kenma finds himself staring at you as you walk away from him, impressed by how bold you are, despite himself. Belying his previous 'hate' towards you, a slight smile pulls at the corners of his lips.

Much as Kenma found himself excited whenever he raced or encountered Shōyō, even his three friends could tell that he was intrigued, from their distance.

Kuroo Tetsurō

He, unlike Kenma, loves the thrill of racing.

Even if he doesn't do it as often now, he still manages to love when he does race.

Now, Nekoma doesn't have much real competition.

They've been among the top racing groups for year now and not even up-and-comers like Karasuno were going to change that.

Despite Kuroo's reassurance in the stability of his position as best racer and 'leader' of Nekoma's group, there were certain other groups that managed to get under his skin.

Groups like Daishō Suguru's group, Nohebi.

The group who'd been giving him more trouble than anyone else, since they'd gotten started.

He hated Daishō.

He hated Nohebi.

Nohebi played dirty and had injured multiple of his racers.

Most recently injured had been Yaku.

He wasn't sure who had been driving, but he remembered the person who had stepped up to reprimand the driver for the blatant foul play.

Acting like you were going to veer into another car and doing it were two different things.

He wasn't sure if it was because you were the one who had to fix your own vehicle or because you were worried about the opposing driver.

But he was intrigued.

Especially when you slapped Daishō for trying to "calm you down" by grabbing your wrist.

You had such an attitude and were so independent.

You caught his attention awfully quick.

After that, he kept an eye out for you.

He was whipped from day one.

Now normally, it takes forever for him to develop feelings for someone, but you were such a strong individual, he was whipped.

Though what sealed the deal for him was when you would tease him back and flirt with him.

At first he thought it was just because you wanted to piss off Daishō, but when he noticed that you seemed to enjoy it just as much as he did, he really was whipped.

You spotted him before he spotted you. As per usual when it came to you. You were good and sneaking up on him. It should have been more concerning to him than it was when a hand came to cover his eyes, your voice crooning in his ear playfully, "Guess who."

He knew you, quite easily, by your voice. You'd become well acquainted with sneaking up on him.

After all, it had been what? Two years since this mutual bantering and rivalry had started. By this point, both of your respective groups were getting a little tired of constantly having to be a witness to all of the flirting that was done.

"L/N, I think I'd recognize the strong smell of motor oil anywhere." Kuroo turns around to face you, hands tucked in the pockets of the red and black jacket he wore. The same one that matched the jackets of the rest of his group.

"Well, unlike someone, I've been working pretty hard, y'know?" Your own hands drift to your pockets, "Not all of us have minions doing all of our work, for us."

One of Kuroo's eyebrows shoot up, "Oh? Last I heard was that someone in particular had a whole shop of people working for them."

A light laugh escapes you, the air fogging up a bit in front of your face as your warm breath met the crisp air surrounding you both. "Yeah? Who told you that? The same asshole that's trying to drag other unfortunate souls into working with him?"

Heaving out a deep, faux sigh, Kuroo tilts his head. "The position with me is still open." His cooing voice almost makes you forget how he'd opted to phrase it. Almost.

"As much as I hate the snaky bastard, the money is too good to pass up." You lean yourself back, making contact with the hood of Kuroo's car. His favorite and ace vehicle, in fact.

"You know I could easily pay you twice what he does," he leans in and places a hand on either side of the hood, next to you. "So what's it going to take to convince you I'm a better choice than him?"

You cross your arms, a smug look crossing your face. "Why do I think this has less and less to do with your need for a mechanic?.. I think you might be a little obsessed with me, there, Kuroo."

A smirk matching your own crosses his lips. "Maybe I am, L/N. What are you going to do about it?"

"Well, there are a few things-" You find yourself cut off as you note Daishō's shouts from across the way. A sigh escapes you and you bring a hand to Kuroo's chest, pushing a finger into his shoulder and making him lean back. "Looks like I've got to go. Until next time, Kuroo."

"Keep my offer in mind," The tall man lets out a sigh as he watches you walk away from him. He glances over his shoulder as he feels a hand there, seeing his faux-blonde friend. "They'll be working for me one day. Just you wait."

Bokuto lets out a hearty laugh, causing people to look in the direction of the two tall men. "You've been saying that for how long, now?"

A scoff comes from behind them, causing them to turn around, "About two years, now. He's a little desperate, don't you think?"

Kuroo rolls his eyes at his friends' teasing, head turning in your direction just in time to catch you quickly farting your own gaze away.

You'd be a lot more to him than just another person in his racing group, one day.

General Taglist:

@thathoneybee3 @bratkugo

[undyingskies]

Snow Day Firsts

Hi everyone, I hope you enjoy this one! I had a lot of fun writing this one! I am such an Owen Joyner stan that all my ideas for imagines are for him! I would happily take requests or ideas from anyone and for any of the JATP characters or cast members! Also I would love some mutuals, anyways enjoy! xoxo

Warnings: None, just fluff!

________________________________________

“You know, it does scare me that you just have your phone right above my face and you haven’t stopped staring at if for the last 20 minutes. What if your hand falls asleep and you drop it on my face?” You laugh as you hear the words escape from the boy who’s head is in your lap. 

You quickly lock your phone and set it beside you on the couch, making eye contact with the cute blue eyed boy who’s already looking up at you. Your free hand still running through his blonde locks. 

“Well Joyner, do you have a better idea of what to do? It’s about 20 degrees outside!” 

“I like when you call me Joyner.” That’s all you get back from Owen before he turns back and stares at the tv. He’s always making random comments and then quickly moving on to whatever else he pleases.

You’ve gotten used to days like this recently.  You met Owen a few months back, your family is from Canada and you were visiting them in their small Canadian town. One day they decided they wanted to show you Toronto, you’d never been and you thought it would be fun. You quickly feel in love with the city and never wanted to leave. 

You were actually visiting family because a month before you decided to switch to college online, feeling really lost and without a purpose so you thought some time with family in a place you always loved would do you good. Little did you know that you’d fall in love with Toronto and decide to stay until the New Year. And that’s when you met Mr. Owen Patrick Joyner. 

You were out one day, just a few days after you had finally settled into your apartment and decided it was a good idea to go for a walk to find some coffee. Well, you were wrong. It got dark way quicker than you expected and you had no clue where you were. 

You were wondering the streets until you saw a group of some guys and girls. They looked like they knew what they were doing or so you thought. You approached them asking for some help. 

When you got to them, you quickly realized they were all actually arguing over where to go. Before you could turn around to leave, they had already noticed you and all eyes were on you. 

Before you knew it, you were introduced to the whole group, Charlie, Jeremy, Carolynn, Madi, Savannah, Tori, and Owen, and they had you wrapped up in their argument and along for the ride before you could even blink twice. While trying to find where they were going and you lived, you came to find out you lived across the street from Owen and Charlie, the opposite apartment building. You were able to end the night making some new friends and safely in your new home.

You had hit it off with all of them, but something about Owen was special. You started spending their days off with them when they weren’t filming, had movie nights with them, and went to nights out with them as well. The whole time sparks flying between you and Owen. No one was shy to point it out either. 

It took about a month of hanging out every week and texting almost every day before Owen finally asked you out on a date. Now here you are almost 3 weeks later. 

He still hasn’t made a move yet either, it’s something you and Savannah constantly talk about. You don’t want to be too pushy about it but you were feeling frustrated. Every time it felt like it was the moment, that he would finally kiss you, something interrupted the moment or he was quick to turn and change subjects. 

The closest you guys got was this, his head in your lap with your fingers combing through his hair or your head on his chest while you guys cuddled up watching movies or hanging out. You did enjoy this of course but you couldn’t stop yourself from questioning why he hasn’t kissed you yet or made you guys official. 

“You look pretty cute when you got your face all scrunched up like that in thought, Y/N.” Yet again Owen pulls you from your thoughts, this time sitting up and facing you.

“What’s on that pretty little mind of yours?” 

“Oh, nothing really. Just kinda thinking about random things, ya know.” You say trying to brush the topic away. 

“Oooo what kind of random things?” He asks inquisitively, leaning forward to rest his head on his arm. 

“I was just thinking about when I first met the group, it’s been pretty great getting to know everyone. I feel pretty lucky.”

“Getting to know everyone? Or getting to know me?” He says with a wiggle of his eyebrows. 

“Ya know I was thinking more getting to know Savannah and Charlie. No one has ever met me on my level of pranks until them.” You say hoping to get a reaction out of him, especially because he was the last one you guys pranked. 

“Oh really? Just Charlie and Savannah?? Alright then.” He says going to turn away from you, but you grab his arm to keep him from doing it. 

“What can I say Joyner? They just get me!” You say laughing watching his face, you know he thought you would take it back or say something nice. 

Before you know it, he’s on top of you tickling every inch of you that he could get too. Shrieks start leaving your mouth, you couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard.

“O...O....OWENNN!! Stooooppp, I can’t breath.” You say laughing hard trying to shove his hands way. You get a quick swipe of his hands and he drops chest to chest losing his balance. 

You guys both breathing hard but not saying a word. Just straight up eye contact, a small smile graces both your lips. You feel him bring his hand up to brush your hair out of your face, he drops it slowly letting his fingers brush against your lips. You suck in a breath, looking back into his eyes. You can see him leaning in, his warm breath against your cheeks. 

Is this the moment? It’s finally going to happen? He’s finally going to make his move and kiss you. And then-

“Guys!!! It’s snowing look! It’s finally snowing!” Charlie comes yelling into the living room running full speed.  Startling both you and Owen, causing Owen to fall off the couch. 

You didn’t think twice, you ran right to the window next to Charlie jumping with giddy. You’d never seen snow before, you were born and raised in California. Instead of snow season, you got fire season.

You always wanted to see snow, you dreamed of it. It always looked so peaceful and magical, something about snow just always made you feel warm inside and you didn’t know why. 

“I appreciate the help and concern you guys.” Owen says sarcastically before joining the two of you at the window. He can’t help but smile when he sees the glimmer in your eyes looking at the snow. You had talked to him about snow before and how you always dreamed of seeing it. 

“You know Y/N, we could go outside and see it.” A giant smile graces your face and you look up at him. If his smile could get bigger in that moment it would because of the look on your face.

“Really? I know you’ve said you think it’s too cold…”

“I think your first time in the snow is a good enough reason to brave the cold! Let’s go get our sweaters on. Charlie you joining us?” Owen asks while grabbing your hand to take you to get your warm clothes on. 

“Nah dude, as much as I love the snow, I’ve seen it my whole life and I’m not really in the mood to get all bundled up.” Charlie says while waving to you guys going back to his room. 

You quickly get everything warm on you can, hoping the faster you moved, the faster Owen would so you could get outside. You’re almost running out there once you’re both ready.

As the doors open a giant gust of cold wind hits you, making you stop in your tracks. You look around at the snow. It’s falling from the sky, leaving little flakes in your hair and on your clothes. The ground is already covered in a layer of it. You can’t believe it’s real! Before you could take in the peacefulness of it any longer you’re hit upside the head with something cold. 

You turn to your side, seeing Owen facing you with a wide smile, laughing at the look on your face. He just threw a snowball at you and before you could get over it, he threw another one at you, laughing! He’s quick to start grabbing more snow.

“Oh it’s on Joyner.” You laugh while collecting up snow. You launch what one would call a pathetic snowball in his direction. He laughs at your attempt before hitting you head on with another one. 

You laugh some more while trying to get a better snowball together. This time with the launch of your arm, it hits Owen right in the face. The look he makes could make you pee from laughing so hard. 

“You’re gonna be sorry for that one Y/N!” He says laughing whole running in your direction. 

You let out a shriek and start running away from him. You can hear his laughing and his feet behind you. You may be fast but he just so happens to be faster. You can feel his hands grab onto the back of your jacket. 

You’re quick to turn, trying to loosen his grip on you. Instead of freeing yourself, you lose your balance knocking into Owen. You close your eyes waiting for the impact of the fall but instead you make impact with a puffy chest. 

You open your eyes to see that you not only lost your balance but made Owen lose his as well. You landed right on his chest, face to face for the second time today. Belly laughs leaving from the both of you.

He looks so beautiful. His cheeks and nose just slightly pinker then usual because of the cold, he has snowflakes that got tangled up in his eyelashes, and the blue of his eyes just look that much bluer due to the bright lighting of the snow. You can’t help but stare into them, as your laugh dies off. Not knowing that he’s thinking the exact same thing as you, he thought you never looked prettier than you did in this moment right now. 

“Hi.” He says looking up at you, breaking the silence.

“Oh hello Joyner.” You say with a small laugh, going to lift yourself up from his body.

Before you could lift yourself up, you feel his arms tighten around your waist, keeping you in place and his lips on yours. Yours eyes widen at the contact, but slowly drop as your lips start to move in sync together. He has your bottom lip between his two, and nothing has ever felt as perfect as his lips on yours. 

You slowly pull apart, but leave two small pecks on each other’s lips before you do. The kiss leaves you breathless and with butterflies in your stomach. 

“Be my girlfriend.” You hear him say.

“I’m sorry what?” 

“You heard me, be my girlfriend! I’ve been waiting so long to do that and now I want you to be my girlfriend not that I didn’t want you to be my girlfriend before but I was just nervous because I suck at making moves and I-“ 

You cut off his nervous rambling with your lips on his. This time you feel his lips melt into yours. You can’t help but let a big smile take over your face, you’ve been waiting what feels like forever for this and you can’t believe it’s here. Owen looks up at you mimicking your smile. 

“I’ll take that as a yes?” He asks you while laughing. 

You nod your head yes enthusiastically, almost too enthusiastic. At the motion Owen is quick to pull you in for another kiss. 

He pulls away and you almost feel bare from not having his lips on yours. You’re also suddenly colder than you remember being, a shiver taking over your whole body. Owen noticing, he’s quick to push you off and help you get up. 

He grabs your hand and starts to lead you back into the apartment to escape the cold. 

“Wait...” You say and he turns to look at you to give you a questioning look. 

You pull him a little closer and stand on your toes to reach up to him. You press your lips against his, taking in the feeling of his lips and the snow falling around you. Nothing has ever felt more perfect. 

“I just wanted to do that one last time.” You say with a smile. Owen smiles down at you, squeezing your hips before leading you inside. 

You make your way inside thinking today’s firsts could have not been more perfect. Maybe snow was just as magical as you always thought it was. 

[ambrosiaaddiction]

Not Meant To Be

Word Count: 3,750

Summary: Anthony became the center of your attention, and it seemed as though his feelings were mutual for you. But in light of recent events, he’d only be able to comfort you in more ways than one. With the help of a loyal friend, you have no doubts that Simon will regret leaving you.

Pairing(s): Anthony Bridgerton x reader, Simon Basset x reader

Part 3/6

a/n: Sorry for the incredibly long wait! I knew that editing takes time, but I didn’t think that I would have writer’s block for, well, however long I’ve had it. So much has happened, and I lost motivation after motivation. Although, it’s not entirely fair for those of you who want to read Bridgerton fanfic. Without further delays, here’s part 3!!

                   ⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

One might think that when he stood outside my home with roses, Viscount Bridgerton had finally set himself on the route to having a family of his own. The Viscount was welcomed by Charles and invited inside, which caused Mama to almost fall over her feet. “Lord Bridgerton! Heavens! What a pleasant surprise this beautiful afternoon to see you!”

It took a lot of willpower not to roll my eyes at mama's change of mood from just minutes earlier. Lady Bridgerton wrote to me her apologies, that were not even pertinent at all, and mama blamed me of humiliating the Bridgertons yesterday. Papa didn't make his typical remarks, but I knew what he had been pondering regarding my misdeeds.

Other than that, Lord Bridgerton told them his hellos, and when he saw me in the family room, his smiling face grew greater. “Miss Denbow, good afternoon. As it always is, you never cease to look so exquisite.” If I wasn't mistaken, I assumed he was intending to flirt with me, and undoubtedly fooled mama with whatever act he was putting on.

“Lord Bridgerton, how kind of you to give my daughter compliments after seeing what she did yesterday at the picnic. In this town, you and your family are truly the most genuine.” Mama was eager to speak in my place, and when she tried to bring up the incident for the second or third time, I swallowed thickly.

Anthony’s mouth twitched at the corners, and he stepped over to me in order to gift his bouquet of roses. “Lady Denbow, I do not blame Miss Denbow for anything. She was suffering and knew no other way to communicate.” Before he slipped back, his fingers lightly stroked both of my hands, then he sat in an empty chair.

Cheeky bastard. He was making light of my missteps, which Mama considered especially inexcusable. And for his compassion, I could not have been more forever thankful. “Oh, Lord Bridgerton, thank you. To hear you say that alleviates my anxiety. And thank you for these roses.” I ran over the smooth petals with my thumb, then bent closer to take in the fragrance of them.

But once again, with more berating remarks on my ‘unladylike’ and ‘outrageous’ nature, Mama ruined the temporary pleasant environment. “I can't understand why, my lord, you want to court her. She may be my only child, but I'm sure she would be a far better choice for another lord of her equals.” My own mother had a toxic tongue which might ostracize her if she didn't take caution of others.

In order to defend against the offensive expressions she was thinking about me, as if I weren't really there, I opened my mouth, but Anthony decided to stand up from his seat and settled next to me. “I'm going to say this as politely as I can, Lady Denbow. What Miss Denbow did at the picnic was not wrong, and she's a wonderfully capable young lady. You are her mother, and I must admit that what you have said makes me very mortified.”

With discomposure, Mama's face grew red and, at last, she remained at a loss for words. “Lord Bridgerton, my apologies. Forgive your mama, y/n. My intention was not to negatively impact you such a way. I'm worried you can't even defend yourself.” Excuse after excuse were all I heard coming from her, but I needed to leave this conversation in the past.

“Mama, I'm forgiving you. But please don't think of me like that. When you do not see that I am well aware of what I'm doing and what I believe is important, I am in despair. I'm no longer a little girl.” Mama nodded, but in sensitivity, she refused to speak as she left Anthony and I in the room alone. "Well, either that may well have gotten out of hand, or the way I hoped it would.”

A chuckle escapes from the Viscount, and I recline against the back of the sofa with a tired sigh. I loved my mama and papa, but sometimes they treated me like I would never age from my childhood years. Despite having no brothers or sisters, I had friends who supported me and shared the same interests as I grew older.

Having Lord Bridgerton here was an enigma that I couldn’t fathom, but I appreciated how he stood up for me when mama complained without cease. Now that she was gone, I took the opportunity to ask him as to why he came to my home. “Anthony, can you tell me the reason for your visit? We both know that you don’t have intentions to court me contrary to what outsiders might believe.” I crossed my arms and waited for a reply, which was his hand resting on the top of my thigh. Perplexed, I looked over at him to see his eyes full of sympathy.

“Y/n, what Hastings said could have been less severe than they actually were, and Daphne chastised him for doing so.” Anthony began, his grip squeezing in reassurance, and he gently pulled it away once I’ve had enough time to comprehend what he told me. It warmed my heart to hear that Daphne was upset in my stead, although I’m sure anyone in their right mind would have done the same for me.

My thoughts wandered to how both the eldest child and the Duke of Hastings were famous rakes with great influence. One had brothers who would take his title and estate if he were to pass, whereas the other had no known relatives and only Lady Danbury to defend his name after his death. I found it funny that I’ve fallen in love with the latter, and he was treating me like I didn’t have a place in his place.

I must’ve been worrying Anthony with my lack of response because he waved a hand in front of my face to bring me back into reality. I shook my head of the unrelated topic and smiled sheepishly at him. “I’m sorry. I became lost before I realized that I’d drifted off.” “Oh, it’s quite alright. Trust me, I do the exact same thing when I’m alone.”

“I’ll be impartial with you, Anthony. I hadn’t given it consideration that your sister would do such a thing, and for me, no less. Perhaps I’ve had the wrong impression of her from the beginning. Everything is going terribly, and I haven’t been able to think properly.” I wore my heart on my sleeve for him to see, and I didn’t care about exposing my weaknesses to him. But Anthony seemed be torn between hugging me and giving a simple pat on my shoulder lest an unwanted third party were to walk in.

If anyone noticed the unusual display of affection, then news would spread that rather than waiting to fulfill the courtship rituals, I was advancing on a lord. He wouldn't be much of a gentleman, in Anthony's opinion, if he were to neglect a woman in distress. “When you weep, I don't like it. It so pains me when I'm labelled useless, but when you're laughing, you look the most spectacular, y/n. Simon's blind and ludicrous, but I know you really love him, don't you?”

“You're right, my lord. Again. I need to let go of my struggles and to live my life to its fullest. The Duke encouraged what I would like to go do, become, and pursue, but under false premises, he is intimately involved to your younger sister.” I forced my body to stand, and in confusion, but without doubt, Anthony quickly followed. In my own house, it felt too stifling, so I concluded that a stroll outside would hopefully help take my mind off what occupied it at the moment.

“Is there anything other than whining and moaning that I could do instead? Wait, Queen Charlotte is holding a ball for her nephew, is she not? I do believe his name is Prince Friedrich.” Anthony gave a short nod, and I could tell that he was already dreading a night of being surrounded by desperate mamas along with their unabashed daughters. Who would blame the Viscount for trying to discourage total strangers from making unwelcome advantages?

I was unexpectedly given the best idea by his affirmation, and I couldn't wait to put it into motion. I wanted to prove my worth to Simon, which would make Anthony and the Prince the ideal partners to irk him. “What say you to opening Simon's eyes in the notion that I attract His Highness tonight? I will have to be in the most magnificent ballgown, and I know that you can help me with this.”

“In the heat of the moment, it won't take a lot of effort to raise feelings of inadequacy in Hastings. He will be fixated on Daphne and attempting to keep conversations with literally everyone who comes across him, but I don't find it unlikely that he will be observing you with the Prince. I know I wouldn't have the means to take my eyes off you, my dear.” That was just what I expected to hear from him, and furthermore. I felt that I had done well enough to seek a Viscount who had awareness of everyone else around him.

Then that settled it. I was going to win the Prince's favor, and Simon would spectate from the sidelines with no likelihood of attempting to snatch me away. It felt invigorating even to think about how it would play out tonight, but it would be seamless with Anthony's help. “For your time and soothing words, I am beyond delighted, Anthony. Until the ball, there is more than enough time, so I want to use it to aim for perfection. Tonight, I hope to see you, my lord.”

“Miss Denbow, I am forever happy to console a lady when she is enduring pain. And indeed, tonight, to my great reluctance, you will see me. For now, I will leave you and I look forward to enjoying your progress.” Anthony bowed as he started to walk out of the family room, and with a curtsey and a goodbye, I accompanied him to our front door.

Since then, hours have passed, and I finally found a dress from Lady Delacroix that was incredible. She wasn't even from France, and her accent didn't fool me.  Not important.  My makeup was done by Marianne, my hair was styled by Lucinda, and mama lent me her diamond necklace to wear. It matched the diamond earrings I got from papa on my eighteenth birthday, and tonight, nothing could go wrong. I was positive of that.

The time had come, and I was one of the few to arrive at the castle fashionably late. The eyes of all were on me, making my chest swell with pride. I got a glimpse of Simon and Daphne who were standing by the refreshments, and they couldn't stop watching as I elegantly walked down the stairwell.

To my amusement, Prince Friedrich was the first one to approach me, and he held my hand and placed a feather-light kiss on the back of it. “Good evening, my lady. You are by far the most beautiful and hypnotizing center of attraction in this ballroom. May I inquire for your name?”

I concealed the lower half of my face with a fan and smiled with my eyes, captivated by his mannerisms. “I have the luxury of being graced by your presence, your highness. My name is y/n Denbow.” After I've presented myself, Prince Friedrich's face lit up, and he guided me off the the last two steps. “To my ears, your name is like music, and it's perfect for a maiden like you, Miss Denbow.”

His flattery would make any young lady practically beg the Prince for a dance at the ball. Well, if he could ever tear himself away from me, that was. “Thank you, Your Majesty. You make me feel like I've got my head in the clouds. If you keep complimenting her, you will certainly find yourself a maiden to court this evening.” From my comment, I swore he blushed a bright red.

“Ah, hello, Prince Friedrich! Miss Denbow! I see that you have made friends with each other. Y/n, I'm so happy you've arrived safe and sound back in London.” Lady Danbury tapped her cane on the ground twice to emphasize her excitement, and I couldn't have been more relieved to see a familiar face among those whose names I couldn't match.

“I have so much to tell you, Lady Danbury. But not here, especially when I came so late.” I apologized to the Prince and wrapped my arm around Lady Danbury as we walked into a more private area. She furrowed her eyebrows together, but she didn't inquire until we got to the place where we could be alone. “Well, speak to me, y/n. What are you so worried about? And why did you come by yourself?”

I bit my lower lip and exhaled deeply, which all the more displeased Lady Danbury. If I tried to explain my desperate condition to her, she was going to have countless questions, and I knew she would never let Simon live in the humiliation he brought upon himself. “I'm sure you've recently read Lady Whistledown's column, and my relationship with Simon, Lady Danbury, is complicated.”

“Unbeknownst to me, when I was in France, he and Miss Bridgerton declared their engagement. He did not give me a letter or even a note when I returned to London that he had gone ahead with a marriage proposal to a young woman he had never met before. I invited him and the Bridgertons to have a picnic just yesterday. I have never been able to remain quiet forever; you know this, Lady Danbury. He lashed out at me, claiming that if he had known that I would be so self-centered and petty, he would never have gotten to know me.”

She went on a tangent as I predicted about how she raised and trained "the shameless rake" to do better than what he did. During the length of her grievances, I remained silent, then patted her arm softly when she started to run out of words to illustrate the Duke. “Compared to his late father, he's not terrible, but he might just be so after he treated you, y/n, and I apologize on his behalf.”

In disagreement, I shook my head, not acknowledging her apologies because she had nothing to do with that. In the sense of flirting with Prince Friedrich, all I wanted from her was to be an addition to humiliate Simon. “If we succeed, then he'll see the good thing that he lost because he agreed to marry another needy girl.”

This caused Lady Danbury to chuckle at my remark, and I had an inkling that her mood improved just a little bit. “I’ll take part in your schemes, girl. Now, let us return to the ball before we’re asked of our whereabouts.” She winked playfully, then gently pushed me back the way we came from.

Men and women danced to their heart’s content, their veins pumping with champagne and even the possibility that they will be courting after tonight. I see Anthony and Simon quietly bickering where no one could eavesdrop on the conversation, but their secrets weren’t going to be hidden from me. “Lord Bridgerton, I thought you promised me a dance?”

I chimed into the midst of their argument, and Simon’s mouth hung open in shock. He quickly closed it, though, and I bowed to him as acknowledgment for his presence. Anthony gathered the remnants of his dignity before offering a hand for me to take. “My apologies, Miss Denbow. I promise you that never slipped my mind from the moment that I asked.”

After the brief yet nerve wracking encounter with the Duke of Hastings, I’m led to have a dance with the Viscount and my new partner of schemes. I felt everyone’s eyes glued to us, which makes me uncomfortable because of the unwanted attention, but it dissolves when Anthony nudges me to look up at him. That’s when I knew how much I admired the man, and perhaps, there wasn’t any obstacle that we wouldn’t be able to overcome.

I may have lost my first love to Daphne, but I also had the power to pull the necessary strings to get what I wanted. Anthony tightened his grip on my waist then closed the gap between us, and out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Simon glare at our swaying figures amongst the others. The spectacle made me laugh softly against the Viscount’s shoulder, and his chest rumbled with a quiet laugh of his own.

“I believe that taught him a harsh lesson, don’t you think, Miss Denbow?” Anthony whispered into my ear, and an involuntary shiver ran down my spine. After clearing my throat, I nodded in agreement. The man wasn’t exactly reputable in every way, but he damn well had my respect. “Yes, it most certainly did, Lord Bridgerton.” I replied, head tilted downwards to avoid eye contact with him.

Once our dance came to an end, I was approached by Prince Friedrich a second time this evening. Young and older women alike flocked around his highness, and I took a small step closer to Anthony in fear that I would be ridiculed by them. Wait, what am I thinking? I shouldn’t be afraid of the people that make their bosoms unnaturally larger than they actually are nor should I be backing away!

“Miss Denbow, may I have this next dance? It’d make me extremely delighted.” Prince Friedrich asked, unknowingly breaking the tension growing between myself and the disappointed women behind him. All I gave him was a smile along with an enthusiastic nod, and Anthony released his arms from around my waist. “I’d love to, your highness. And I could say the same about myself.”

The prince took my hand just when the next song began to play, and we danced as if we were one. If I were being completely honest, he needed a little more practice with his feet, but I was enjoying myself nonetheless. We shared a few words and I kept glancing over our shoulders to see if Simon was keeping an eye on us. In fact, he had been watching the entire time, and Anthony gave me a signal that our plan had succeeded.

I bowed deeply to the prince when our dance came to its regrettable end, and bid him farewell for the rest of the night. Simon appeared out of nowhere then pulled me to an empty area despite my cries of protest. “What do you think you’re doing?! Just because you’re jealous does not give you the right to drag me as you so please, Hastings!”

“Will you keep it down, Y/N?! We both know that I’m not the only jealous one here.” He huffs angrily, and for the first time in a long time, he’s rendered me utterly speechless. No, I won’t play by his rules. Not when there was so much more for me to accomplish. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m simply fulfilling my role as a maiden who hopes to have a courtship.”

Simon rolled his eyes in disbelief, turning away from me so that I’m only staring at his broad shoulders. I’m beginning to lose my calm composure, and the more I stay alone with him, the less I’ll want to leave. He can’t learn of the nights when I suffered alone in France, and he certainly couldn’t force me to risk my reputation for his sake.

“You’ve changed, Simon.” My voice broke at the end of my sentence, but I continued to speak. “I’m not doing anything for you, so don’t get your hopes up.” He scoffed, not convinced by my words, and turned back to face me. His arms find their way around my body like they used to in the past. The next thing I knew, we’re kissing passionately against the cold marble walls.

He had me mewling his name over and over again, begging for a release that was on his fingertips. Simon muffled my sighs of pleasure with his mouth, and we fixed the bridge that was crumbling between the two of us. When we were satisfied, he muttered apology after apology as he kissed my skin. But we both knew that we run away with the position that he was in.

“I’ll figure it out, so wait for me. Please, Y/N.” “Don’t make me promise you, Simon. I want you to prove to me that I’m the only woman you love.” I kissed his neck and cheek, my heartbeat slowing to its normal pace before I fixed my dress. We’ve both been gone for too long, and I didn’t doubt that I would be questioned of my whereabouts.

Simon understood the weight of my words as well as what we would both face when we left separately. He kissed me one last time, and made his return to the ballroom until I did the same. Thankfully, neither Anthony or Mama asked where I had been, and I could breathe easy again. But now I was even more conflicted than before. I made Simon jealous, which ignited sex and doubt that we would be together after all this time.

Although... if I were to adjust my original plans in order for us to have a wedding and deal with the consequences afterwards, then it shouldn’t be very difficult, would it? Well, we would just need to face the challenges when the time comes, and I was determined to have Simon all to myself again.

[writingindulgence]

Painting Nails with Gojo Satoru (x reader)

Pairings: Gojo Satoru x (unspecified-gender) reader

Genre: Good friends with some mutual pining, a bit of fluff and a bit of uncertainty, reader has their mind in the gutter for a split second 

Lmao, how long can someone write about painting nails T.T 2800+ words

When you recently mentioned that you had no free time to refresh your nails due to the influx of odd jobs here and there, you didn’t think that it would lead to your long time friend, Gojo Satoru, sneaking into your room at the Tech with a bag full of nail polish.

He was in the middle of laying them out haphazardly onto the coffee table. Colours ranging from neon bright to the darkest of shades stood before your very own eyes on full display. Their shapes were as varied as the palette. Standard round, rectangle shapes, funky stars and fragile butterflies just to name a few. 

The shock of what was transpiring had yet to register in your mind, a dumbfounded look creeping onto your face.

It wasn’t even the first time that this has occurred. Once in a while you would come back from a mission in another city, ready to fall down onto your bed in the one place that you could call home, only to have this excuse for a friend barge in on your time of relaxation. Sometimes, you didn’t inform anyone when you would be back in the hopes of being left alone but he always seemed to find out the best time to annoy you. When you were tired. 

“What the actual fuck are you doing in my room Gojo-san?”, you drop your tattered bag onto the ground before closing the door. 

The feeling of his incoming whines and guaranteed pout had become something of a sixth sense to you now. You thought that maybe he would grow out of it after his teenage years but the gods weren’t as merciful as you once believed them to be. 

“(Y/n)-channnn, why are you so mean to me? I haven’t done anything for you to call me that”, he dramatically groaned out before flopping onto your bed. 

Glancing at the table, you notice that his sudden movement knocked over some of the bottles.  

You also know what he meant by that. You only ever call him ‘Gojo-san’ when he screws up or when you are both in the presence of his students. 

As much as he likes to tease you in front of important people, you aren’t that unprofessional as to disrespect him as an educator in front of the students that he teaches. The kids already make fun of him and if you were to join in at the same time then you would begin pitying the man. 

You walk over to the sprawled lamp post of a human and indicate with your hand to scoot over before proceeding to throw yourself down beside him. 

“What is this about, Toru-kun?”, your eyes lazily scan over the nail polish. Of course you know what is going on but Gojo Satoru is a man that enjoys being humoured. 

Poor Ijichi-kun ends up as the victim of a lot of his whims when you’re away. Scratch that, even when you are around the unfortunate fellow gets bullied like a kindergartner at a playground.

“So~ I’ve noticed that your nails-,”

“I mentioned it.”

“.. have been looking rather-,”

“I mentioned it.”

“..duller than usual so-”,

“I-”, 

His body flew up from the lying position and a hand suddenly came into your view. Before you could do anything, Gojo clamped it over your mouth, an unseen eye-roll definitely going off under his blindfold. 

He wasn’t really irritated but you took it as a win for all the times he irked you in the past month.

“I NOTICED YOUR NAILS LOOKING DULLER THAN USUAL SO I WENT OUT OF MY HUMBLE WAY TO BUY THESE,” he finally lets you go after finishing what he wanted to say.

The sheets under you have become disheveled, your thrashing around to get away and shut his loud mouth in case Principal Yaga hears brought about no results. There was no rule against being in the same room, you weren’t some silly teenagers and even if you were, the Tech wasn’t that strict anyway, but the thought of his disappointing gaze burning into your soul…

Your thoughts are disrupted when Gojo throws two pillows onto the floor. Knowing that there is no escaping this, you dust down your clothes and gracefully sit down. 

Who knows? This may actually turn out to be relaxing. Even if you’re wrong then spending time with friends is precious, no matter the activity. Especially in this line of work. There is no telling when one might hear the news of their comrades’ death. 

Gojo sits on the other free pillow and smiles. “Any colour pulling you in? If not then I would love to recommend, you know, I’m sort of an expert at this.”

You laugh slightly at his confidence before agreeing to his proposal. As long as it’s not too ugly then you really don’t mind what he ends up picking. 

In fact, you trust his judgement when it comes to fashion. His casual outfits always end up taking your breath away. You’re forever glad when he forces you to go along with him to the shopping district. You know your style and what you’re comfortable with but Gojo presents you with something unique every time.

“Hmmmm...then, what about this one?”, the hand that was under his chin as he was contemplating leaves its position and he quickly picks up a (f/c) nail polish. 

The container is cute too, a glass cat face. Though how did he figure out what colour this was with that blindfold? Only Gojo knows. 

You reach out for the item but he leans back and pulls it to his chest. Your eyebrows scrunch in confusion. 

“(Y/n), (Y/n), (Y/n)...,” he creates an X with his arms before continuing, “Bzzzt! Did you really think I would be so rude as to leave you alone with that tedious job? Who do you take me for?”. 

He grasps the fabric where his heart is located and fakely sniffles. Oh, so he wants to paint them for you. Figuring out that you may as well indulge in a little care, you extend your hand for him to hold. 

Gojo twists the nail brush open and dips it into the bottle a few times. His tongue is poking out as he tests how much of the liquid is on the brush. You don’t even question how he will paint your nails without seeing properly. Understanding his infinite capabilities has become second nature to you. 

Instead, you focus on the feeling of his hand when it grasps yours. 

It’s bigger and somewhat rougher, though not uncomfortable. Really, it feels secure to have around your own.

Jerking back at your line of thinking, you can feel the heat growing on your face by the second. Calm down there, no need to get ahead of yourself. You’ve held hands many times in the city before so that you don’t get ‘lost’, how is this any different?

“Hey now!,” Gojo grips your hand more firmly than before. 

“Sorry, sorry. I had an itch,” you come up with an excuse and double down when you scratch your shoulder with a free hand. 

He doesn’t say anything in return, there are none of his usual comebacks. That’s suspicious, he always needs to have the last word in no matter what. 

Instead he applies the first stroke of nail polish on one of your nails. 

His movements are steady, no shaking, and he doesn’t miss any spots. The process is...pleasant, being attended to by another. 

He moves on to your second finger, repeating the action from the previous one, applying just as much attention. 

Now that you are sitting still, barely breathing as you look on, his hold has become almost airy. Unless you focused purely on the skin to skin contact, it was as if your hand was levitating. 

Ah, technically he could be using ‘Infinity’ and keeping your hand away but...it made you feel weirdly unhappy. Your mouth tugged down in dissatisfaction unconsciously.

At the same moment, Gojo grasped the next finger on the list, the sudden feeling coming as a surprise. You barely held in the shocked gasp, tingles travelling up your arm. 

He didn’t say anything and continued the procedure. 

You peeked at his face to see if you could read him but there was nothing at all to go off on. No smile, smirk, pout or frown. 

Sheer concentration. 

It wasn’t unwelcome, in fact it was peaceful without the usual banter. And it wasn’t unbearably serious either. If you had to put a word on it then it felt...intimate.‘Wow, what the hell? Chill, he’s only a friend and this is simple nail painting’.

The clock in your room ticked continuously until eventually your fingernails were all finished. It took extra long because Gojo insisted that the proper way to do it was to paint two layers. So in the end you had to sit through another few minutes that honestly felt like an eternity. 

You hoped that you hadn't sweated with how warm it had gotten on your end.

“Alright! It’s your turn (Y/n)-chan,” he made finger guns and pointed them at your bewildered expression. 

“It isn’t fair if only you get this spa worthy treatment, no?”.

“Satoru, I think you overestimate my ability to paint nails. Of course, I do a fantastic job on myself but I am hopeless when it comes to others,” you explain. 

You may have over exaggerated a bit but if this goes on then your thoughts will enter dangerous territory, not that they haven’t already.

Distractions aren’t helpful when you are a jujutsu sorcerer, particularly in the romantic scene. 

Have you daydreamed about such scenarios? Yes. 

Would you like to experience them? Definitely. 

However, what you want and what you can have are at odds with each other.

“Don’t be a bore, come on, come on,” he sticks out his own hand before thinking up something and reaching towards his blindfold. “Let’s make it a challenge. I had such a difficult time so you have to suffer too”. 

He frees his eyesight and stands up. You’re about to follow but he shakes his head and kneels behind you. 

The smooth fabric covers your eyes and the pressure as he tightens the blindfold rubs against the back of your head. This feels like the beginning of a dirty situation-

A resounding smack travels in the enclosed room as you slap your cheeks simultaneously. This isn’t the time nor place.

“I’m accepting my resolve,” you throw out before Gojo can ask you why you hit yourself in the face. 

You hear him shuffle back to the pillow as well as glass tapping against glass. A nail polish bottle is shoved into your unprepared self. “I’m in your hands now,” he laughs stupidly to himself at his own pun. You can’t help cracking a small smile too.

Blindly, you fiddle around in front of you, wanting to start this. Clicking your tongue, you’re about to give out but Gojo finally decides to stop being a prick and gives you his hand. His shakes from laughter make themselves known but you ignore him. 

Unscrewing the bottle cap, you get to work. 

Only, you have to feel around for his fingernail. It’s impossible to hit the target without searching around first. 

You become overwhelmingly aware of the close proximity yet again and your heart skips a beat. The fact that you can’t see anything makes it far worse as your sense of touch becomes more sensitive. Your shaking hand dabs the point where you think the nail polish goes and you begin painting. 

Gojo’s amusement must have stopped too since you don’t hear him chuckling anymore. Is he looking at you? Or is he looking at his poor skin whenever you miss the fingernail? He doesn’t have his blindfold on so his eyes have to be focused on something. 

But what?

The silence becomes unmanageable and the constant skin against skin friction twists your insides. Is it just you? Or does he also think the same way?

“You know, you have pretty eyes. If you start an Instagram page with photos of them then you’ll get a following in no time,” you offhandedly mention to start a conversation. Knowing Gojo he’ll take the compliment, tease you a bit and move on. You shift around in the pillow before progressing onto the other hand, having speedrun the first, before he starts talking.

“That’s not a bad idea. You can do the eyeshadow and we can make some money,” he hums in agreement. The sound of extra cash nearly makes you drool but then a realisation hits you, like a truck an isekai protagonist. If you were to do the eyeshadow then you will no doubt have to be very close to his face. No way.

“On second thought, I don’t think we have the time,” you laugh it off. 

His disagreement comes soon after. 

“Haaaaaaah?! Then why did you mention it?”. His muscles tense, about to pull back to cross his arms but he remembers that you’re in the middle of painting his nails. 

After that, you both fall silent again. 

In the end, you get through the last finger and close the nail polish bottle. You tried your best, having taken your time despite it making you feel a certain way whenever you had to touch him longer than is necessary. 

You get up and reach out to unhook the blindfold but larger hands stop you in your tracks from behind. They pull yours away and drop them at your sides. 

“Allow the amazing gentleman, Gojo Satoru,” he gently takes it off as you stand unmoving. 

When light from the window hits your face, you scrunch your eyelids shut, waiting to adjust to the bright atmosphere. A hand patting down your hair makes them shoot open and you turn around to complain. 

Whatever you were going to say gets caught in your throat as you look up into his light blue eyes. His expression is serene, free of any worries but his eyes seem to be trying to speak a thousand words. 

They too look composed but you get the feeling that he’s trying to communicate something to you.

Swallowing, you clench your hand (conscious of the recently dry nail polish), and place it over your chest. “Satoru..um,” you pause, not fully comprehending what you want to say, or rather, how you want to say it.

Your eyes widen when you notice his hand traveling towards yours. 

Clumsily spinning around, you head for the pillows and shake off the dust that accumulated on them. 

“Thanks for today. I’ll have a nap, since I’m still tired from the flight.” 

You show your gratitude but hide the words your heart wanted to really express. 

You don’t turn around to see his expression. The sound of his blindfold going over his eyes is what you hear first. Then, 

“Don’t worry your sleepy head over it! Sweet dreams, (Y/n)”.

The door opens and closes gently behind you. 

Once you’re sure that he is far down the hallway, you throw yourself onto your bed, put the pillow over your face and scream. Feeling a little foolish, you stop and look over your nails. 

He really did a great job.

-Next Day-

The sun is shining brightly therefore there is no better time to take a walk. Which is why you aren’t surprised when you stumble upon Sukuna’s vessel, Itadori Yuuji. 

The teenager has a tub of ice cream with him. Maybe you should get some too? Gojo is bound to have some in his mini freezer.

“Ah! Hello, (L/n)-san,” the boy waves his hand in greeting and jogs over. 

“Itadori-kun, is it alright for you to be outside like this?,” you ask with concern. 

There are only a few people that know about his current state of being alive. When you heard that he died, you came as fast as possible to comfort Gojo. 

“It’s fine! Everyone is gone and Ijichi-san is on the lookout at the front gate. He’s meant to give me a ring you see”. He looks down.

“Oh! You’ve got some nice nails there,” he points out as he takes a bite out of the dessert. “You match with Gojo-sensei,” he adds after a second.

You pause your appreciative smile at his compliment. Excuse me? 

“Excuse me? Match?,” you prod him to elaborate.

The teenager scratches his cheek. 

“Ehh, but he said the plan was to match all along. Though they don't exactly look the same”.

Your eyes tear up in embarrassment at the turn of events. You’re matching nails? You thought for definite that he would wash them off when he gets back to his room. Not only that but putting the blindfold over your eyes must have been his sly way of making sure that you don't notice they're the same colour. 

Itadori shakes his hands in front of him before bowing. “I-I’m sorry (L/n)-san! I did not mean to insult the way you painted Gojo-sensei’s nails. They are a bit tactless compared to yours but that’s okay,” he apologises profusely, mistaking the root of your shame.

‘That dumbass Gojo Satoru’

[wisdomofme]

Julie and the Phantoms Fic Recs

The JatP Fandom has gone above and beyond when it comes to good fics! I wanted to share with you guys a handful of my favourite ones that I think you might all enjoy (I won’t lie, most of them are Juke)

Don’t forget to comment and let the authors know exactly how much you love their amazing work!!

(all of these fics are on Ao3) ** most recently added

OneShots

a holy thing (to love what death has touched) by heartofwinterfell ** (Juke) (Soulmate AU) - Julie Molina’s words have been grey since the day she was born // I know we all love a good soulmate AU so here’s one that made me smile all the way through it!!

and i know i’ve kissed you before, but i didn’t do it right (can i try again?) by Ephemeral_Joy (Juke) (Modern AU)  - Luke and Julie break up, but if feels more like growing up // Look, LOOK. I know it’s hard to get past the angst of the break up but you gotta. Do it for me, do it for this 19k longshot, do it for YOURSELF. This is a masterpiece and you all better read it.

close my eyes and jump by HomebodyNobody  (Juke) (Post Season 1) - Julie and Luke talk and bask in the fact that handholding is now a possibility // Ultra fluffy cute! Immediately post season 1 Juke just loving the fact they can touch each other now.

favorite t-shirt by jellie_bean ** (Juke) (Post Season 1) - Luke drives Julie to distraction after their first real date // Luke writes Julie a song but it’s cute instead of sad for once and I loVE IT!!

Hallucinations by jatpfan ** (Family) (Post Season 1) - Ray starts seeing hallucinations of Julie’s band around the house. It’s weird // I loved this fic so much! I have a real soft spot for Ray so it was nice to see a fic in his perspective.

Here in Front of Me (Shining So Much Brighter than I Have Ever Seen) by 8ucky8arnes  (Juke) (Post Season 1) - Luke flirts with Julie while in class. It’s… distracting // I giggled my way through this entire fic! I could totally see this happening in the show if they really decided to pursue the Juke relationship. I mean, I can hope!!

i once believed love would be burnin’ red (but it’s golden, babe) by Ephemeral_Joy (Juke) (Post Season 1) - The boys try to figure out what their unfinished business is. It has consequences // A very soft fic that made me feel all the butterflies, if you like this one definitely check out the rest of Ephemeral_Joy’s fics!

I’m Scared of My Piano by emullz  (Juke) (Missing Scene) - Luke and Julie writing music together (between episodes 3 & 4) // Very adorable and made me WISH we had gotten this in the show! Absolutely adorable

Is it cool that I said all that? by smol_fangirl (Juke) (Post Season 1) - Julie can’t sleep but Luke helps // A super sweet fic that feels like being wrapped in the orbit of these two characters. Just a lot of small soft moments that kept making me smile.

i’ve had the time of my life by dearhappy (Friendship) (AU) - The ‘New Girl’ AU you didn’t know you needed but definitely DO! // If you know anything about New Girl then you know that the boys work perfectly as well… the boys. So funny and got me thinking of all my fave New Girl moments with the JatP crew.

Struck a Chord by Anonymous (Friendship) (Missing Scene/ Post Season 1) - Luke and Alex get into a fight. Reggie freaks out (Julie makes everything better) // A really bittersweet Reggie centric fic. Reading this made me hope for some amazing season 2 development for him.

try to change the ending (peter losing wendy). by lukesjulie (Juke) (Future Fic) - Julie falls in love with Luke but life moves on // OW! Like, real sad hours here guys. So, SO, worth the read but be ready for the rain before the rainbow.

unsaid julie by unsaidjulie (juggyjones)  (Juke) (Post Season 1) - Luke writes Julie a song about his feelings. It’s a process // Look, I won’t lie, this fic hurt me a little in ways I didn’t expect. But it was SO worth it. Pining Luke? Yes PLEASE!

we all got a second act inside of us by keep_swinging, rainstorm97 (Juke) (Post Season 1) - Luke’s curse doesn’t break // Seeing Luke in pain hurts but not as much as watching him try to cover it up. An amazing fic that I highly recommend.

MultiChap

A Lesson in Chemistry by Slytherin_Princess_Nysa ** (Juke) (Soulmate AU, Alive in 2020 AU) (Incomplete) - The first words Luke’s soulmate says to him are etched along his ribcage. He’s not too worried about finding out who they belong to // In this house WE STAN SOULMATE AU’s!! Get ready for some mutual pining here kids.

A Familiar Picture by captainkippen (Juke) (Alive in 2020 AU) (Complete) - a 5 + 1 of Julie realizing she loves Luke (and the 1 time she realized he loved her back) // I am such a SUCKER for these fics but REGGIE IS ALSO JULIE’S STEPBROTHER IN THIS?!?! Perfection. Literal Perfection.

Family Matters by morganoconner  (Family) (Post Season 1) (Complete) - Ray accidently adopts a few ghost kids // Okay, to start off with, Ray NEEDS more love and this fic GIVES IT. The best Ray focused fic I’ve seen (also technically has Willex and Juke but they aren’t the focus. Family is <3)

Feels like I’ve opened my eyes again by ICanSpellConfusionWithAK  (Juke) (Season 2 Speculation Fic) (Incomplete) - After everything that’s happened with Julie and her band, she’s tired. She doesn’t stop being tired // This fic is crazy good and has an INSANE update schedule (I have theories on where this may go and I hope they’re right!)

Give me something that’ll haunt me when you’re not around by smol_fangirl (Juke) (Missing Scene) (Complete) - Luke writes Julie an Unsaid Emily // This is one of the sweetest, saddest fics you will find. It takes place before the Orpheum and the FEELINGS that Luke has. This made me wish I could hug fictional characters. Now with a SECOND CHAPTER that RUINED ME even more!!!

Linger by apocalyvse, keep_swinging & rainstorm97 (Juke, Willex) (Season 2 Speculation Fic) (Incomplete) - Caleb vs Julie in (not) Ghost wars // The plot is so amazingly intriguing, every update gets me so excited!! (Julie with powers? JULIE WITH POWERS!)

Love Drunk by captainkippen ** (Juke) (Alive in 2020 AU) (Incomplete) - After a show (and a big night) in Las Vegas Luke and Julie accidently get hitched // Accidental marriage AU- ACCIDENTAL MARRIAGE AU! It’s here guys and it’s FILLED with funny/ sweet moments!

sweet dreams are made of this (who am i to disagree?) by juliemolina (nnegan13) (Juke) (Season 2 Speculation Fic) (Incomplete) - Julie and Luke share a dream after the events of season 1. It doesn’t bode well for Julie // The pure EMOTION in this fic gets me every time. Also, protective Luke is not something I knew I needed till I had it.

The Cheerleader Effect by Bluefire510 (Juke) (Post Season 1) (Incomplete) - Julie wears Luke’s clothes and it breaks his brain // This is like the quintessential Juke fic. Do you want fluff? Second hand embarrassment as Luke blue screens? Read it. 

Unfinished Business by captainkippen (Juke, Willex) (Alive in 2020 AU) (Incomplete) - Julie moves to a new school and meets ‘the boys’ // This fic has so much promise already and I can just FEEL how good it’s gonna get. I am DYING to watch the pining in real time.

Series

Julie the Vampire Slayer by pearlcaddy ** (Juke, Willex) (Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU) (Ongoing) - The adventure of Julie the Vampire Slayer, her ghost Watcher Luke and their Scooby Gang // This may be one of the best AU’s I have ever read. I didn’t think it could work but pearlcaddy does SO MUCH to bring it to life! You won’t regret reading this!

I have definitely missed a ton of amazing fics but I’ll do my best to update this list as I find more!