#it could definitely be platonic and i could be jumping to conclusions

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

Karasuno, Nekoma and Seijoh:

Miss Manager and the Mystery Man

Karasuno x Fem! manager; Nekoma x Fem! manager; Seijoh x Fem! manager

Warnings: jealousy, mostly fluff

AN: this is a request, I kept it kind of generic and mostly platonic

Karasuno

Most chaotic reaction goes to Karasuno 🏆

It happens at nationals

The team is brimming with excitement and nervousness as they prepare to take on Inarizaki

You, on the other hand, are relatively calm

You know your boys and how talented each and every one of them is

There’s no doubt in your mind that they will win

While they stretch, you mindlessly jot down things to remember, stats you want to collect

“YN is that you?” A voice rings from behind you as you turn to see your cousin standing right there

“Omg hi!! It’s so good to see you!” You bellow in excitement as you quickly leap into his arms from a big hug

The team is watching, utterly confused

Why are you hugging this person? Why is this person a man??

They instantly go on guard

Tanaka and Noya are growling low

Suga and Enoshita watch with narrowed eyes

Kageyama isn’t even paying attention let’s be real 😅

Asahi is concerned

Kiyoko is all smiles because she knows who the man is and is happy for you

Hinata looks confused, as does the rest of the team

Daichi narrows his eyes, but decides to approach

“Uhh hey YN, who is this?” He questions, guard up but still giving the stranger the benefit of doubt

Of course, that is before Hinata jumps in and says

“Is this your boyfriend Yn??” He screeches as the entire team stops

Some hold their breath, others just stand there

And some, well some freak out

“Who the heck do you think you are city boy??” Tanaka provinces, getting right into said city boys name

“Some guy who apparently thinks he’s good enough for OUR YN!” Noya shouts, only encouraging Tanaka

Poor Yachi is standing there, no idea how to react

You just stand there, rolling your eyes because of course this is the conclusion they would come too 🙄

You quickly stand in front of your cousin, pushing the two one brained celled teammates back

“This is my cousin! He lives far away and I don’t get to see him often!” You shout

The team instantly relaxes

Daichi quickly grabs Tanaka and Noya, whose mouths gape at the realization and apologizes

“Sorry about this,” he says to you and your cousin

Your poor cousin is probably scared for life 😂

But deep down you don’t mind, you know the team love and care for you

Nekoma

Chillest team? Definitely not 😂

Today was a beautiful day for a run

Of course, your enthusiasm wasn’t shared by all teammates involved

See example 👉🏻 Kenma

But nevertheless the team needed to work on their endurance

Normally you wouldn’t go with them, opting to stay behind and fill water bottles or chat with the coaches

But lev and Yamamoto had been begging you to go so you figured why not

You didn’t exactly hate running (only god knows why) so you thought it would be a great team bonding activity

Per the usual Yamamoto is leading the pack, followed behind Kuroo and Yaku who are silently racing

Kai, Fukunaga, Lev and Inuoka trail behind

And last but certainly not least, is you and Kenma

While you and Kenma run, you talk a little but mostly Kenma tries not to die

Then you see him

As he approaches, you make sure it’s actually him before freaking out

“Omg Hi!” You screech, as Kenma looks from you to the mystery man who is now stopping and smiling back at you

“Hey YN, how are you?” He asks as Kenma continues to stare, taking advantage of the break but still wondering who this man is

Could it be your boyfriend?

By now the rest of the team has stopped and are quietly observing

No one does anything yet, at least not until the mystery man goes in for the hug

“Whoa whoa who the heck do you think you are?” Yamamoto quickly jumps in, halting the man’s movements

“Excuse me?” The man says before stopping and looking at you like you can control these guys 🙄

Then Kuroo and Yaku step up to the plate 🙄 because why not

“This is our manage dude, better back off!” Yaku snarls as Kuroo just smirks

“Yaku don’t be mean to the man, not like he has anything remotely close on us,” Kuroo sneers as the man looks so utterly confused

Kenma is definitely recording this whole thing because he knows something’s up

You just stand there unimpressed

“Guys will you knock it off! This is just my cousin! He lives here but I don’t see him much because he’s in college!” You shout as all the guys freeze

“Cousin??” Some say

“In college?” Others chime

“I’m so sorry about them,” you apologize, “they all share a braincell and it seems it’s not made an appearance yet today!”

Your cousin looks from you to them before speaking, “it was nice to see you Yn, I gotta head out.”

Your cousin quickly jogs away before he has to deal with anymore crap

“Do you guys have one ounce of chill in you?” You grind out

“Sorry YN,” they all say in unison

But you can’t be mad at them for long and soon you are back enjoying your run with your boys

Seijoh

Definitely the most jealous

It’s the interhigh tournament and you are busy filling water bottles for the team

Usually one of the boys would accompany you but coach needed them for a quick meeting

And your an independent woman, you can handle yourself

As you fill, someone comes besides you and taps your shoulder

“Hey Yn, long time no see!” The guy says as your face lights up and you hug him with all your might

You haven’t seen your cousin in ages, despite living in the same prefecture

“Hey how is it going? I see your team made it to interhighs. Congrats!” You say as you carry on a nice a sweet conversation

But that’s not what it looks like from afar

Because you see, a certain second year setter spots you and quickly runs to tattle on you for having any contact with boys outside the team 🙄

“Some guy is hitting on Yn!” Yahaba screams at the team as Makki, Mattsun, Iwaizumi and Oikawa RUN towards you

Mad dog, Watari, Kindaichi and Kunimi are calm about it but still head out to see what’s happening

Before you know it, your engulfed in a squeezing hug by Oikawa who is glaring at your cousin

“My YN back off!” He shouts as Iwaizumi smacks him upside the head

“What are you doing with our YN?” Makki probes as your cousin seems to be completely and utterly confused

“Umm I was just talking with her,” he says as you try and wiggle out of the caged arms of Oikawa

“Just talking?” Mattsun glares as you quickly make your way through the tall players

“He’s my cousin!” You shout as Mattsun, Makki, Iwa and Oikawa all go stiff

In unison they all say, “cousin??” And look back and forth from you to your cousin

“Yes and I was just talking with him about you guys!”

“Awe you were talking about me YN-Chan??” Oikawa squeals as Iwa again smacks him

“I’m so sorry about them,” you say before budding yourself cousin farewell and pushing the team away

“Sorry YN,” they bellow in unison again as you roll your eyes

Try not to be too mad at them Yn 😂

[yurinaa-world]

hello!! platonic dr ratio with a teen!student reader who excels at one particular subject but is bad or average on the others? also lacks social skills

(kinda inspired by me lol 💀)

Characters: Dr. Ratio platonic! x Gender-neutral Reader

Synopsis: with student reader who excels at one subject but is bad at the others + lacks social skills

Warnings: Fluff and spelling mistakes, got lil personal

𝒱𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒶𝓈 𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜

He’s so strict about your grades, looking at you with disappointment as if a parent would when their child an F. What? does the information just go through and out one ear? (it does for me 😀)  Can your brain handle one sentence at a time since it doesn’t look like it to him with these embarrassing grades?

He immediately got you into summer school so you could at least try to get good at other subjects, one subject won’t get you a future. Even worse with fact you can’t even talk without staring endlessly at your paper contemplating just to ask him the most simple question.

The man knows no mercy, making you write out several essays over the whole summer but just like every teacher that wants to suck the souls from students he’ll make you plan every tad bit of detail, even refuse you from starting to write if one detail isn’t explained and well thought out enough for him.

Then oh don’t forget to make the rough draft of the essay (it’s more like writing the real essay itself with the way he’s being strict with every typo & grammar mistake, but oh don’t think you're going to get this using simple and basic words like “in conclusion.” or “well, I believe.” Throw those out the window along with every other basic sentence that people use to put up the word count or just get the whole thing over with. He isn't accepting it. No exceptions.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Blank.

You’ve been staring at the next part of your sentence but unsure how to use the word “Magnanimity”. How were you even supposed to use this in a sentence?! (he made you pick several high-level words to use in an essay), you look up to silently curse your teacher, Mr. Ratio out in your head before immediately looking back down when your eyes connect.

You begin to contemplate, that maybe jumping out the window ain’t bad, it might be your only way to get out of here. you sigh, just giving up on your constant stalling, getting up from your chair (with your paper in hand) and walking over to your teacher, dreading every step you take.

Before stopping at his desk, “Mr. Ratio, could you tell me what the definition is for magnanimity again?” He just sighs, closing up the book he always reads. (You don’t know why he always reads the same thing, it’s so boring.)

“Magnanimity means the loftiness of spirit enabling one to bear trouble calmly, to disdain meanness and pettiness, and to display a noble generosity.”

you stare at him blankly, he wasn’t kidding, he seriously expected you to know what he was saying?! “I’m sorry but what does that even mean?” you whisper your voice cracking with frustration, you just feel a blood vessel getting bigger.

He sighs once again “Showing kindness towards an enemy or you had been defeated in battle. using it in a sentence would be like he showed magnanimity towards his enemy, understand?” 

“Oh, okay. Thank you Mr. Ratio” You nod taking in his words. “Let me see your essay.” He tells you out of the blue, holding his hand out to see your paper, which makes your mouth dry. “you have something written, correct? Let me see it.”

You give him your paper and watch in nervousness before he begins to read out loud “A great man once spoke mighty wor-“ “Mr ratio please read it in your head!”  you cut him off with panic, yet what a fool you are since when was he merciful? “a great man once spoke mighty words…”

Listening to him read your essay made you cringe and close your ears. He’s the worst!

if you liked this, consider tipping me on ko-fi! it'd mean a lot!

[bimboothefool]

Reader was taken kidnapped by Wally and taken to his world. But what Wally didn't expect is that all the other characters would start to remember memories with the reader as a child and discover the truth of their colorful world.

( Now it's up to you to decide what will happen! Will they help the reader get back to the real world or will they become so attached to the reader that it would help Wally keep them there with them FOREVER. )

ℌ𝔬𝔫𝔢𝔶 ℑ’𝔪 ℌ𝔬𝔪𝔢

𝔗𝔞𝔟𝔩𝔢 𝔬𝔣 ℭ𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔢𝔫𝔱𝔰: Kidnapping, Yandere Behavior (You know the drill keep this shit in fiction.), Stockholm Syndrome, Amnesia, Possessive Behavior, Wally manipulating the others, and Gaslighting

𝔄𝔲𝔱𝔥𝔬𝔯’𝔰 𝔏𝔢𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔯: Thank you so much for this request and I apologize for taking so long so much came up, but regardless thanks for the request let’s jump right in!! Keep in mind it could either be read as platonic or romantic regardless spoiler alert they don’t see you grow up.

- Wally was surprised to see you after all these years. Same thing with the rest of the crew, your eyes are definitely different instead of that whimsy you’ve once held. You’re rather cautious, it still wows them how different you are now.

- Wally did believe for the time being that he’s the only one who truly remembers you and for a while that’s true. But once you’re in their world things started to change.

- Eddie and Frank are the first few to notice that you looked oddly familiar. When he asked specific questions about your childhood it started to click for him.

- Sally and Julie are shocked that you remembered the lines of a play or the rules of a game. They start to ask themselves the same questions why do you look so familiar yet different.

- Howdy, Poppy and Barnaby are a bit unnerved when you remember stuff like the residents orders or certain joke punchlines. Even certain recipe ingredients. How come you know those things.

- They all meet together to discuss the possibility of how they felt so familiar with you, but this is seemingly their first time meeting you. They all come to the conclusion that they’ve met you before. [Excluding Wally since he fully remembers you.]

- For a while they’re all happy to have you back, but you’re getting homesick. You constantly ask questions on how to get back to your world. But they’re not even sure if it’s possible.

- But only Wally knows a way in and out of their world and keeps it out of your grasp. He even starts manipulating the others.

- “We have them back, why let them go now? Don’t you all miss having our best friend?” He asked the others as they’re all conflicted. Sure they miss you and love you, but was keeping you here really right?

- This could go one of two ways. The first being they do buy into Wally’s twisted line of thinking, why go back to such a troubled and dangerous world? You can stay here and everyday is nothing, but joy and laughter.

- They’ll start gaslighting you into buying into this logic as well, which really freaks you out and you start lashing out. They see this as you throwing a tantrum.

- Another way this can go down, they aren’t sure and start asking you why you want to go home. And you explain that yeah your world isn’t perfect, but it’s still your home.

- Soon they all start talking about how to get you back home, out of Wally’s watchful eyes. You all start to unraveling and untying the mysteries of their world and Wally’s existence.

- Either way it’s ultimately up to you to really choose your own path on how things will play out.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my stuff please feel free to check out my other stories from other fandoms, along with reblogging and commenting on it! If you like my art and wanna commission me for some art, head over to my kofi!

[swannieluv]

.𖥔 ݁ ˖꩜ (Almost) free – (PLATONIC) Wriothesley x Teen!Reader

✦⸼࣪⸳𝐆𝐍!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

✦⸼࣪⸳ 𝐖𝐜: 1,5k

✦⸼࣪⸳ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆!!: Mentions of torture (?) and food poisoning.

✦⸼࣪⸳ A/N: HII! This was my first time writing a request and writing for Wriothesley, so I hope you can enjoy it!! Tumblr ate my last (three) draft before I posted, so I had to put an screenshot </3.

✦⸼࣪⸳ @wenutted

╰┈─➤Wriothesley was certainly a man with a lot of work to do. As the Duke of Meropide Fortress, his duty also extended to the most "troublesome" prisoners in the place. Among them was none other than [Name], a juvenile offender bold enough to steal from authority figures in the city of Fontaine.

It was during a summer afternoon that he met them. Wriothesley was on the wait for the arrival of a criminal on reports of serial thefts of jewelry and priceless possessions. There were no witnesses or traces that could lead to the identity of this thief, so even the Marechaussee Phantom was unable to follow their tracks, coming to the conclusion that they were someone ingenious and extremely experienced at what they did.

Well, what he didn't expect was that the notorious bandit he had been waiting for was a teenager with a bad sense of humor and terrible acting.

The "menace on the loose" who was giving the Fontaine authorities such a headache was right there in front of him, caught after falling asleep in a very comfortable seat inside the Court of Fontaine. It could be said that their carelessness had handed them over to their own hunters.

When asked abouth how they had managed to flee so fast from the crime scenes and hide themselves. The only answer they gave, with a straight face, was:

“I was literally just going in and out through the front doors.”

Quite the unexpected answer.

"Your Grace?" Wriothesley was cut short from his thoughts by two fingers snapping in front of his eyes. The only person brave enough to do that, without a doubt, was them. "What are you thinking? I thought we were going to have tea together."

"Me? Well, I was remembering the first time you set foot in this place." He crossed his arms and let out a little sigh. Their sentence was running out with each passing second, and he didn't want to admit that he would miss them if they left.

"Oh, when I gave you the middle…" He quickly shushed them with a hand right in front of their face.

"Yeah, I know. You were terrible to deal with back then." He ran his fingers through their hair playfully, messing it up.

"But I'm better today," they retorted with a simple sentence that carried a deep weight behind it.

A few months had passed since the incident with the Beret Society. [Name]'s behavior had changed drastically since they had been invited to join the group. In the end, it had all been a tremendous lack of humanity on Dougie's part; recruiting the youngest prisoner in the place and putting them through the same punishment he used with adults while handling the Aqua Doloris.

Before, they were sharp in their comments and too relaxed for their own good, one of the reasons that led them to this place after all. It quite amazed Wriothesley at how they ended up avoiding being caught by the Marechaussee, when they definitely didn't even know how to hide or lie.

They played a big part in their little game against Dougie, making Wriothesley start to pay more attention and spend some extra time supervisioning them.

"If I leave, Your Grace will miss me so much that you'll want to lock me up in that cell again. But guess what? You won't,” they sarcastically declared while jumping down the stairs.

“If you fall down those stairs, you won't be able to leave here before recovering; You know that, right child?” Wriothesley could imagine them falling. It wouldn't be their first time hitting the ground hard.

But contrary to expectations, it was Wriothesley who tripped and almost fell down the stairs, holding on tightly to the banister; trying his best to act as if nothing had happened. An embarrassing silence between them.

“Pfft…”

It was all that could be heard, them laughing at him, who remained motionless in place. Maybe he really was going to miss that little pest who, until now, had given him nothing but trouble. There was only one day until they're officially a free citizen again, but even though they joked about the possibility of leaving, their final decision had not yet been made.

"You really are fearless, aren't you?" He chuckled and looked straight into their eyes. "Not everyone has the nerves to joke like that, maybe I should ask for your sentence to be increased or something..."

Click, click.

Soft footsteps approached them, a sound they were both used to hearing through Meropide.

"I brought tea."

From the top of the stairs, Sigewinne had a smile on her face, carrying a small tray with her. At the sight of it, their faces instantly paled. As Sigewinne didn't have the same senses as humans, her cooking was peculiar, to say the least.

"Did you ask her to do it?" Wriothesley whispered to the teen as he watched Sigewinne walk down to them.

"Definitely not. She must have heard we were supposed to do it today."

The two exchanged glances, as if in telepathic communication. The current plan was to escape from the tea without hurting the feelings of the melusine in front of them. So as soon as she got close enough, the lame excuses began.

"Well, Sigewinne, I'd love to enjoy this wonderful drink with you but," she said in a pained tone, a terribly fake performance, "my tummy hurts, so I'll pass this time. You can give my cup to His Grace, he loves tea after all."

They held their belly, pretending to be in pain. But as always, Sigewinne knew how to get around the situation.

"Hm? There's nothing to worry about, this tea is good for the intestinal flora."

"Wonderful news, right, [Name]?" Wriothesley nudged Sigewinne lightly. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you two. Duty calls, child.”

Their jaw dropped. That's it, there was no way out of this. Wriothesley could only grin at them and walk away while [Name] was being forced towards their usual tea-time spot. His grin had the exact following translation: "You're doomed."

And so, [Name] had to drink the cursed beverage.

Knock, knock.

Wriothesley's head rose to look at the door. He was just finishing his paperwork, something he could do another day, but which he needed to pretend he was doing so as not to make it so obvious why he wasn't drinking the tea Sigewinne had made.

"Who's there?"

"Someone who’s going to be outside the Fortress as soon as they can," the familiar voice on the other side of the door mocked, sounding like [Name] had finally made his choice, "I don't really like the part about being a juvenile offender or something like that."

Wriothesley let out a low laugh and let them in. He was genuinely not surprised by such a decision. [Name] was a thief on the loose around Fontaine and never stayed in one place for long. Name's preference to not remain contained within the walls of Meropide Fortress was certainly not surprising.

"What made you not want to stay here?" He crossed his arms and leaned further back in his chair; it was a rather comical situation for him.

"Here is nice. I've got food, a roof over my head, people to talk to," they mimicked his action and crossed their arms, "and you're here. But I do miss my true freedom outside those thick walls."

He stared at them with a fond smile on his face. He was quite sad that he would need to say goodbye to that child. Even if selfishly, Wriothesley secretly wished they wouldn't leave Meropide yet. Maybe he did have a favorite prisoner, after all.

“Now, can I get my ‘ultra mega hyper master favorite prisoner’ title before I go?”

They looked at him with stars in their eyes. To be honest, it was quite laughable.

“We’ll see how it goes.” He placed down the papers in his hand, waiting for them to speak more. Wriothesley definitely couldn't do that, even though it would be hilarious to see the other's reaction.

He got up and walked over to them. Unlike expected, Wriothesley hugged them and patted their head. And with a big smile on his face, he could proudly say:

"Enjoy your life out of here, little prick.” He gave them a playful, painless smack on the head.

“Thank you, Your Grace; but…”

They smiled mischievously at him and pointed to the door. Through it, came Sigewinne with her snack tray.

“To show my appreciation towards Your Grace and the great time I had here, I kindly requested my little friend Sigewinne to prepare the best pastries ever.”

The snacks presented to him had a suspicious smell. Maybe Sigewinne was also voluntarily partaking in this small prank. It was hard to say because of her usual smile.

“Just for you.”

In the end, even he couldn't escape getting a taste from his own medicine.

✦⸼࣪⸳♡ BONUS:

“I thought you would be free. What happened, [Name]?”

Sigewinne put a finger over her mouth, trying to understand the reason why they would stay inside such a place when they wanted to be free.

“I got sentenced to more time for ‘murder attempt through food poisoning’.”

“Towards who?” She tilted her head in confusion, an interested look in her face.

“...”

They silently pointed towards the Duke.

“Oh.”

[acehoons]

zb1 overhearing you on the phone . . !

☆! ot9 x gn!reader. semi-angst. roughly 4.4k words. requested. ‎‎‎‎‎‎ㅤ[ 🎧 ] now playing . . dangerously by charlie puth

a/n: yujin is involved here! i wrote his part in a platonic matter. but it’s up to you if you’ll look at it romantically. also m/n = member’s name.

?! context

you were lounging at home by yourself, on the phone with a friend

the both of you were just chatting about random stuff

complaining about stuff from school, home, what have you

when you didn’t hear the front door open, and (m/n) stepping inside

practice ended early so he came home to surprise you

but it was him who was surprised with what he overheard

more utc.

% . . kim jiwoong

he was sooo excited to come home early and surprise you

he’d been spending extra hours at the company practicing lately

so the extra time with you was definitely a long time coming

but when he was about to burst the door to your room open, he overheard you and your friend’s conversation

“yeah it’s getting tiring, honestly.” you’d say on the phone “he never has the time anymore, it’s frustrating.”

his heart sinks at your words. you weren’t talking about him.. were you?

maybe he was just feeling guilty for not having enough time for you

but when he heard you say, “yeah maybe i should just drop him. i dunno.” he couldn’t help but to burst the door open

“oh, babe, you’re home!” you’d exclaim and end the call immediately

you’d throw yourself into jiwoong’s arms, excited and pleasantly surprised to see him home so early

but when he wasn’t reciprocating your affection, you got suspicious.

“what’s wrong?”

“were you talking about me?” he’d ask, voice a little shaky because he was so scared :( poor darling

“huh???” you’d be so confused, too, not really sure what jiwoong was talking about

“on the phone. were you talking about me?” he asks

and your heart would literally break in half when you realize. he must’ve thought that you were complaining about him.

“oh god, love no!” you’d try to reassure him. “i was talking about my professor, i swear! he’s been MIA recently because he's been coaching some of the younger students. so my friend and i were talking about dropping his class. i promise it wasn’t about you.”

then, jiwoong would feel sooo embarrassed once your words sinked in

“oh,,,”

the tip of his ears would turn pink and he’d be so bashful

“sorry???” he’d try to apologize

“nono, it’s okay, i’m sorry too~”

the two of you would then spend the rest of the day in bed together, cuddling and making up for what happened

you swear jiwoong was holding you a little tighter than usual though

not that you were complaining

% . . zhang hao

zhanghao’s usually not the one to jump into conclusions

but god the way you were sounding so angry on the phone made him anxious

he could hear you fuming while you were ranting to your friend

“god he’s so stupid!!” he wasn’t sure who you were talking about, so he decided to eavesdrop for a little bit

“i can’t believe that i’ve been pretending that i like him. i mean, he genuinely thinks i do! he’s so dumb.”

you haven’t told him anything recently so his mind immediately went to the worst case scenario

were you talking about him?

“i’ve never liked him, not once! he’s always so—“

you weren’t even finished talking when zhanghao opened the door, alerting you of his presence

“oh, hao.” you mumbled, still a little overwhelmed with emotions so you tried to regulate them for a moment

“sorry, i was on the phone, i didn’t hear you come in.” you’d say, ending the call with your friend

“is everything okay?” he asks, wanting to check on you first

he also didn’t want to assume things, but he couldn’t help but to panic deep inside

“yeah, i was just ranting to my friend, sorry.” you say

“about who?” he’d ask, trying to check if you'd lie or say anything that would give away his suspicions

“huh?” you’d be confused for a second, til’ it sank into your head that he must’ve heard your conversation with your friend.

“oh! did you hear that? i was just ranting about my orgmate. he got promoted to a higher position and it made me upset because i don’t like him.” you explain, calmly

and zhanghao, having a lot of trust in you, believes your words. he also remembers you telling a story related to this orgmate of yours

“ah, is this the freeloader?” he asks

“yes! ugh.” you’d grumble, continuing on another rant

zhanghao’s worries would alleviate once you finished explaining.

thank god he didn’t overreact.

% . . sung hanbin

hanbin felt so giddy making his way up the stairs to surprise you in your room

he had planned to make a big entrance to greet you, too, wanting to burst the door open to alert you of his presence

but he stopped in his tracks just by the entrance of your bedroom, overhearing the conversation you were sharing with your friend on the phone

"hm? yeah he's not here with me." he heard you say. "yeah, yeah i'm alone at home."

he wasn't sure what you were talking about, so he tried to eavesdrop a little to hear what you were saying

"honestly yeah. he's gotten quite annoying." he heard you say

hanbin could feel his heart sink down to his feet. he immediately assumed you were talking about him, because who else would you be talking about?

"i'm so glad he isn't home, too. imagine how much i'd have to put up with if he was."

by this point, hanbin was already fighting tears. he retreated to the living room in order to calm himself down, and to wait for you to finish your call

once you were done, he sent you a text message, letting you know that you were home earlier than expected

you rush out of the room, excited to see your boyfriend

but before you could greet him, you were immediately shocked by hanbin's tear-stricken face

"baby what happened?????" you were completely oblivious to what he just heard

"do you not like me anymore." he'd sob, completely riddled with grief

"what?? of course i do!!!" you tried to comfort him by wrapping your arms around him. "what brought this on?"

"heard you" sob "on the phone." he'd say in between sobs.

it'd take a few moments for you to understood what he meant, until his words finally sink in

"oh my god," you'd exclaim. "baby, i wasn't talking about you!! i was talking about my cat!"

he'd look up at you, confused

"remember my old, grumpy cat that i didn't like?? the one i left at home with mom??? i was talking to my childhood friend about him on the phone!! i wasn't talking about you."

then, after a while, he'd hide his face in his hands, whining in embarrassment

"i'm so dumb-!" he'd exclaim

feeling guilty, you try to console him, "no you're not!"

the two of you spend the rest of the day cuddled on the couch, comforting and reassuring hanbin all the while.

% . . seok matthew

matthew had an entire day's plan in his head for when he got home to you that day

he was very thankful for the early dismissal from practice, and he was not about to waste this day

he wanted to surprise you and take you out for the day, he even got dressed and was ready to pick you up from your apartment

he went in expecting to see you excited, but the only thing he heard was you talking on the phone in your room

not wanting to disrupt your conversation, he waited for you to finish

so he couldn't help but to catch some of the things you were telling your friend

"do i miss him? yeah of course i do." you say "been a while since we spent some time together."

he smiled secretly, assuming you were talking about him. the situation was perfect, he really couldn't wait to surprise you

but his smile would fade once he'd hear the rest of your conversation

"but.. i don't know. i think we're better off apart. he can be a bit much sometimes." you say

his heart would break at what he had heard

he was already feeling insecure with where he stood in your relationship, hearing this didn't help at all

you must've noticed him standing by the door, because you suddenly call out his name

"oh, matthew!" you'd exclaim, surprised to see your boyfriend

seeing his sullen expression, you end the call with your friend and move towards him. "is everything okay?"

"are you gonna break up with me?" his mouth moved faster than he could think, so many things were running in his head, and he was panicking at the thought that the two of you would break up

"what?? no i'm not! are you?" you'd ask

"no." he said. "but you said.. we're better off apart.."

you could see the tears forming in his eyes, and that pushed you to wrap your arms around him

"nonono darling, i wasn't talking about you." you said. "i was talking about my uncle. he's coming to town in a week and my mom wants me to hang out with him. you know i don't like him that much."

"oh." he snapped out of his trance, your words taking their time to sink in his head

"i'm not breaking up with you now, nor am i ever going to, okay?" you reassure him

he'd feel embarrassed, wiping the tears off of his face. "sorry.."

"it's okay, do you wanna come lay down with me?"

whatever he had planned for the day got thrown out of the window

and you spent hours in bed, just talking and cuddling, trying to forget about what just happened

but as long as the two of you were okay, matthew doesn't mind anything

% . . kim taerae

taerae was ready to surprise you that day

when he was allowed to leave early for the day, he immediately rushed to buy food and snacks at a nearby store

he wanted to have a lazy day in with you, just watching movies and hanging out together

although he knows that you prefer going out on dates, taerae was far too tired from practice to do anything else, so he thought that this was a good compromise

he was about to burst through your door, prepared to relax and take a break with his favorite person

when he overheard you on the phone with a friend

"yeah i probably can't go to the party." you'd say "nah, it's just, i don't wanna go on my own."

feeling curious, he decided to keep listening.

"hm? nah, you know he's busy. he'll never come with me."

although taerae didn't want to seem vain, he couldn't help but to assume that you were talking about him

"yeah i know. he's never has time, it's frustrating. i mean, can't he spare a day and hang out with us?"

taerae wanted to be optimistic, but things weren't looking good. he was sure that you were talking about him, and it made him feel guilty.

a few minutes later, you end the call with your friend, and that signaled taerae to let his presence be known

he walked through the door, eliciting a surprised gasp from you

"taetae! you're home early." you say, excited, however, you can't help but to notice how gloomy he looked

"yeah." he said with no ounce of emotion. "i-i wanted to surprise you. do.. do you wanna go out?"

your eyebrows furrowed "aren't you tired from practice?"

"yeah but-" by now, you could definitely tell that something wrong was going on

"taerae, tell me what's wrong."

"i just.. i heard you on the phone.." he said "i feel really guilty and i know you wanna go out so, do you wanna--"

"wait, wait," you cut him off, "you thought i was talking about you?"

"well, yeah." he replied. "weren't you?"

you couldn't help but laugh, your heart swelling a little at taerae being so concerned

"i was talking about my old friend, bub. you know, the one who got a girlfriend and suddenly disappeared from our radar?"

"oh." he stood there awkwardly, suddenly feeling red-faced

"we keep inviting him to parties and get-togethers but he never comes. he's always saying that he's busy with his girlfriend."

he nodded dumbly. you couldn't help but wrap your arms around him, cooing at how adorable he was

"sorry, i just assumed.." he tried to explain

"no need to explain, i get it. but don't ever think you'd have to prioritize me over your health and career, mkay? i can always wait."

you notice the bag of snacks he carried when he came through the door

"oh, let's have a movie night!" you suggest, unaware that that was taerae's plan all along

he smiled, realizing how lucky he was to have such an understanding s/o like you

% . . shen quanrui

to say that ricky was excited to see you after practice was an understatement

you hadn't had the chance to hang out for a few weeks now, and he was getting pretty restless

ricky's not exactly the type that wears his emotions on his sleeves, so he would never admit it out loud, but he missed you so much, it was getting frustrating

he wanted to spend the entire day with you at home, just lounging and catching up on everything that's been going on with the both of you lately

but as he made his way inside your apartment, he could hear you talking and laughing with a friend on your phone

although he didn't want to eavesdrop, he could practically hear your voice reverberating through the entire apartment

"it's so embarrassing!" he heard you laugh.

he didn't want to bother you and your friend either, so he waited for you to finish the call

but when he heard your continuous laughter, he couldn't help but listen in

"i swear, i have no idea who told him he was good." you said. "he can't even dance!"

he wasn't sure who you were talking about, but something in his gut was telling him that you might be talking about him

"someone really needs to tell him that he's not as good as he thinks he is." you laughed. "no i won't, why me?!"

your words, plus the insecurity he’s been feeling with their debut nearing caused ricky’s mind to go up in flames

half of his brain, the ones that trusted you, wanted to believe that you were just talking about someone else

but the other half, the one who controls his insecurities, was jumping into conclusions and assuming the worst

what if you were talking about him?

unable to control his anxiety, he decided to confront you about it

entering your room, he takes you by surprise. “babe!” you call out

quickly saying goodbye to your friend, you run up to ricky, expecting him to embrace you

but when he didn’t move a muscle, you got confuses

“ricky?”

“what were you guys talking about?” he asked, voice shaking

“oh.” you were still oblivious, but continued to explain “my friend and i were talking about this from our dance class..”

although he really wanted to believe you, he was starting to feel unconfident. “are you telling the truth?”

“what? of course i am.” then, you realize at that moment. “did you think we were talking about you?”

ricky didn’t respond, feeling embarrassed and upset

“oh babe, i swear it wasn’t you.” you pouted. “this guy in our class was just bragging about how he should be the center for our performance, when he couldn’t even follow the steps to our choreography.”

you kept explaining, and even gave ricky evidence of you and your friend’s text messages “see?”

he sighed, finally wrapping his arms around you. “sorry.” he said, burying his face in your hair in embarrassment

“it’s okay, i’m sorry too. i didn’t know you were home already.”

after apologies have been in order, ricky decides to invite you for dinner outside, to forget about what just happened

it wasn’t in his plan but what can he say

he definitely deserves a fun night out with you after that fiasco

% . . kim gyuvin

gyuvin couldn't be more excited to come home after an early end from their company that day

he was thinking of all of the things the two of you could do, since he's been incredibly busy with school and practice

although, he was a little worried about you because he's been unintentionally neglecting you recently

not being able to visit you at your apartment, leaving you on read, he even declined an invitation to come with you to your friend's birthday party

so he swears that he'll make up for all of it today

he saved up a lot of his allowance to buy you a huge bouquet of roses

and a pretty necklace he saw you eyeing online a couple weeks ago

he even went out of his way to buy the two of you dinner for later so you wouldn't have to cook or leave the house to buy food

he entered your apartment, preparing to surprise you

but when he heard you talking on the phone, he hesitated

he didn't want to be rude because you might be having an important conversation

"who? oh yeah he's cute!" he heard you explain.

not one to assume, gyuvin didn't think much of what you were talking about

he busied himself with getting his gifts ready, making sure the flowers weren't crooked or that the necklace was still on its box

however, he couldn't help but to overhear your conversation

"i know, i saw him last night." you said, and that raised a few alarms inside gyuvin's head. "i can't see him again tonight, no."

worried about what it was, he decided to keep listening by your door. "you know why! my boyfriend will be furious!"

deciding not to let this carry on further, gyuvin pushed the door open. "[y/n]?"

"oh, gyuvin!" to your surprise, gyuvin stood by the entrance of your room. "you're home early!"

you ended the phone call and tried to give him a hug, but to your shock, gyuvin merely pushed you away

"what were you talking about?" it was the first time you heard gyuvin talk so seriously. it was so unlike him to be so somber

"hm? oh me and my friend were just chatting.." you said, and it was pretty obvious that you were hiding something

"about what?" he pried, feeling incredibly nervous about the situation

"nothing! it was nothing, gyu."

"tell me the truth, [y/n]."

not wanting to push it, you finally tell him the truth

you sigh, "fine. my friend and i were talking about this cute puppy i've been visiting in the shelter near our campus. i've been wanting to adopt him but i didn't wanna say anything because i wanted to surprise you."

preparing for the worst, gyuvin was half-expecting that you were going to admit that you've been seeing someone else

but this was totally out of his expectations

he looked at you, dumbfounded and feeling a little shameful

"gyu?" you, meanwhile, were utterly confused "you good?"

he cleared his throat, "yeah. yeah i'm fine."

deciding not to tell you the truth (half because he was embarrassed, and half because he was scared he'd offend you if he found out that he suspected you of cheating) he leaves the topic alone

"what're you doing home so early?" before he could respond, you were leaving the room, "wait! lemme go get changed first, these clothes are pretty dirty."

without you in the room, gyuvin was left to laugh at himself for what had happened. he truly felt stupid, but he let it go, realizing that he could trust you, and that you were never gonna break his heart like that

"what are--? gyuvin, these are beautiful!" he heard you yell from the living room

oh, shoot! his surprise!

% . . park gunwook

thankful for finishing practice early that day, gunwook was exhausted

he just wanted to come home and rest since he hasn't had a day-off in a while

he was also looking forward to spending some time with you, even if it was only to nap or to chill in bed for the entire evening

entering your apartment, gunwook planned to go straight to your bedroom and nap for a while

but he realized you were in there, and that you were on the phone with someone

judging by your voice, he figured you were having an important discussion with someone, so he decided not to bother you

"no, we haven't talked yet." he heard you say on the phone

he tried his best not to eavesdrop, but with the apartment being small as it is, he was unable to avoid hearing your voice

"yeah, yeah i'll talk to him soon. i'll tell him that it's over."

gunwook couldn't help but to have a bad feeling about what you were saying

his exhaustion was causing him to overthink, add the fact that the two of you haven't talked in a good while

"no, he'll be fine. yeah i don't care."

hearing you say those words hurt him, and he knew he was probably being stupid in assuming things, but he couldn't help it

he was tired and just wanted to spend some time with you

so realizing that you might be breaking up with him was his last straw

"you're breaking up with me?" he burst through the door, entering your bedroom while you were still on the phone

"wha-- gunwook?" you quickly dropped the call. "what are you doing home so early?"

"you're breaking up with me." he repeated, but this time his voice was softer, his hands shaking as his fought his tears

"i'm not, what are you talking ab--" you realize it then

"wook, you weren't, i wasn't talking about you!" you couldn't help but to let out a soft laugh

you tried your best to stay serious, seeing as gunwook was having a conundrum inside his head right now, but you couldn't help but to find the situation a little funny

"i was talking about my dad!" you exclaim

he stood there, staring at you with a confused expression. what were you talking about?

"i found out that i failed one of my classes, so i was talking with my friend about it. she asked me if i told my dad yet, and i said i'll tell him the news."

when your words sunk in, he grimaced in embarrassment. "oh."

you laughed, moving to give him a tight hug. "aw wookie, did you think i was gonna break up with you?"

feeling kinda sheepish, he rubbed his nape. "yeah.."

"i would never!"

it was safe to say that you two ended up cuddled in bed all night, with gunwook refusing to let you leave his arms

you'd rather stay in them, anyway

% . . han yujin

having finished practice early, yujin made a beeline straight to your house right after

the two of you haven't hung out recently, and he made a promise to you a while back that you'll spend a day together once he had free time. perfect timing!

yujin planned to play video games and to just chat with you the entire day, but he couldn't call or message you because his phone battery died that morning

regardless, he made his way to your house, entering on his own since yujin was pretty much a regular at your place now

however, that particular day, you were on a call with another friend

and yujin didn't want to be rude, so he stayed put outside your door, waiting for the right time to enter

his proximity to your room made him susceptible to hearing your phone call

so even though he didn't mean to, he could hear everything you were saying

"yeah, no. he's alright, i guess." it seemed like you were talking about someone "no he's okay! but.. i dunno."

now curious about the conversation, yujin listened in

"he's nice! but i don't like him that much." you said "he's kinda immature, y'know? definitely not a good trait for a guy his age."

now yujin didn't want to assume things, but his hopes were getting pretty low. were you guys talking about him?

unfortunately, before yujin could leave, your eyes meet and he freezes on his spot

"oh, yujin!" you exclaim, surprised to see him after such a long time

bidding goodbye to your friend on your phone, you gesture for yujin to come in

"when did you get here? i thought you were busy!"

"yeah, haha. practice ended early so i came here.." he explained. you could tell that something was wrong, but you didn't wanna pry, so instead you asked him about something else

"how's training by the way? can't believe i'm best friends with a future idol!" you proudly say

hearing this, he can't help but to scoff, thinking that you were being sarcastic

your eyebrows furrow in confusion. "what?"

"nothing." he says

"there's gotta be something if you're acting like that. c'mon, tell me."

he sighs, deciding to be truthful to you. "fine. i heard you on the phone. do you really think i'm that immature?"

you don't respond for a while, trying to put the pieces together. yujin must've took it the wrong way

"y'know what, i'll just go home."

"no, wait!" you grab his wrist, stopping him. finally, you put two and two together. "did you think we were talking about you?"

"who else would you talk about?" he grumbled

you huffed, "we were talking about spiderman! my friend and i were arguing which spiderman we liked best and i said i didn't like tom holland's spiderman because he's kinda immature."

he blinked, stunned for a few seconds. "oh?"

you laughed, playfully hitting him in the arm. "you think i was talking trash about you behind your back?"

he rolled his eyes, but laughed with you anyway. he agreed that it was pretty stupid for him to think that way

but he was glad that you weren't badmouthing him anyway.

"whatever, i'm sorry."

"it's fine." you gave him a small hug

"but how can you not like tom holland's spiderman???? he's like the best one!"

"here we go again."

a/n: this took FOREVER to write. some parts seemed a little repetitive and i apologize for that >< (plus this post was deleted twice and i had to rewrite it halfway through)

acehoons © 2023

[ladyclwriter]

State of Grace - Paul Atreides!AU

I'm not a Dune reader, I only watched the movies. Everything here is fanfiction!

Summary: Paul succeeded at bending most of the noble houses at his upcoming command. You are the leader of a Minor House, Polaria. Spending some time with Paul before battles, you find yourself resonating with Muad'Dib, and your advice to the older boy is: don't let them take Atreides from you.

Longshot, time jumps, platonic, gender neutral reader, lots of high fantasy stuff

*In purple: creation of mine, fanfiction.

The curved walls weren't welcoming, it's dead gray like a panicking hug, differently from the colorful shapes of your planet. You could still remember the suffer of waking up inside concrete boxes, which they called chambers — at your little palace, the place where you'd settle your head to sleep was adorned on silk, feathers, and rainbow furniture. Walking through corridors busting with laughing children, maidens carrying baskets, warriors with swords, elders with it's incenses perfuming the air. Greeting many faces, and trying to remember all of them, was a daily task. You had to smile even when you didn't want to, for there was no time or room for melancholy and paranoia.

And now, you would find yourself praying to find anyone at all willing to even look at you. Irrelevance, how much of a pain it could be. And loneliness was a death sentence to a Polaritia.

After your platoon playing a definitive role at a conquering battle against one of the Major Houses, Duke Paul started to pay more attention to you. He'd discuss attack plans with you, trust your guidance and build teams at your observations.

“They have no reasons, nor power, to come against me” he said nonchalantly to Halleck. “Sometimes the weakest, the smallest ones, are the ones to trust”

You were teached to be trustworthy, but not the one who trust. The Atreides house could hold the power of the Voice now, but forgotten people like Polaritia mastered the ability of listening. You'd spend minutes hearing the Duke's casual thoughts, his worries, his plans and his craziness. From time to time, the boy would talk to himself, lost in visions and ghosts that only he could deal with. You were there, standing like a tree, pretending to not be paying attention until he remembered of your existence again.

The catch is; there was no catch. You were as important as a stone, a tool, your value based on for what the Duke would need you for. And it had to change.

“Your Highness, Muad'Dib” you get on a knee until he pats your shoulder, walking to his own bed.

“Polaris” he says in a casual tone. The title of the leader of your little nation became your name. Actually, he probably doesn't know your name. “It's late. And you don't come to me without a reason. Something bothering you?”

Not that he cared if the answer was yes. You stand straight, hands behind your back, eyes following the skinny man as he sits on his duvets. “I'd like to ask what awaits my nation, Your Highness”

He raises a dark eyebrow. His hair follows his head as it tilts slowly, blue eyes looking at some specific point inside your being. That eerie aura only he could carry.

“You should be clearer, Polaris. That sentence could have different meanings. And I can give you as many answers” yes, he could. Your eyes wander from his, as you inhale and humbly declare:

“I have no interest on your holy visions, Muad'Dib”

His eyebrow is still up as he smile, and nod. For a moment, he's silent, looking at nowhere, caressing his own hands. He nods once more, not talking or daydreaming, but coming to a conclusion. Your heart was beating at your ears, a pressure on your chest as the worst answers come to your mind.

“Your people is amazing at arts, we could make use of some cultural schools. And no one compares to your acrobatics” he's not looking at you while he speaks, making sure his thoughts are being well articulated. “I don't need more worshippers. But I don't need more nobles too”

When his eyes meet yours again, there's a silent question in the air. You were following his logic, and you knew the right answer to give even before he could ask. He knew that too.

He leans back at the bedpost, hands crossed on top of his spread legs. “Can Polaria promise neutrality and loyalty?”

The answer was a definite yes. There was no room for a no. Yet, you keep seconds of silence. Your lips part, and your eyebrows lift slightly. But your face gets back to a plain, obedient expression.

“My people has a deep passion for the colors, for the life” it wasn't an explanation. “With your protection and affection, we would be guardians. Your art, your culture, our enemie's. Not vowed to the House of Atreides, but servants of joy and knowledge. A safe place for the ones interested on nurturing something more than power”

He stay quiet. His eyes go to nothing again. His thumb clashes against the back of the white hand it holds, feet swaying carelessly. It lasts a minute or two, until he looks at you with the most serious face he could do in his sleepwear.

“Isn't passion the biggest of the fuels, Polaris? Wouldn't your House behold a power too high for it's hands to reach?”

You couldn't contain the sparkle in your eyes. That specific feeling at the roof of your mouth, something warm inside your stomach. The smile wasn't at your face, and your voice was cold, but he could see through the etiquette. His own pupils dilated with interest, challenge.

“We are inside a flying machine, Muad'Dib” your hands tighten at your back, and you don't know if you're breathing when he smiles right after you say: “The sky was never a limit”

Ever since that day, for the first time, the people of Polaria had a purpose. The citizen captured the message, and in no time the planet was well organized to be some sort of academic safe haven. The well trained warriors were with you, battling for the Imperium. Your acrobats, illusionists, and alchemists something to be reckon when joined with the Fremen. Your mind was always aligned with Paul's, and even if no one would dare to consider you such, you became an arm of his operation. But, as nothing can be perfect, the Duke of Arrakis would also keep you at an arm's length. You couldn't read the reason, not when he looked so distant and nonchalant every time you two were alone.

Being alone with him was as entertaining as terrifying. He was easy to memorize, easy to decode, if you pay enough attention to the details. The way he would smile at things without importance, or the way he couldn't hide the turmoil inside his mind when destiny obligate him to go against him instincts. Changing weight from a feet to another when about to snap at someone, or his jawline straightening when in the smallest amount of fear.

“You seemed so sure about this. The marriage, I mean” the commentary comes out in a quiet tone, as you don't look at him in respect. “What changed?”

Can I help you in any way? was the question. He kept staring at himself on a mirror, the royal silver outfit contrasting to his disheveled hair. He asked the maidens to leave before they could finish his look. The boy needed silence, and it was understandable.

When he doesn't answer, you look at the floor. “Is it the Fremen woman?” his fingers twitch beside his body. That was enough.

There was nothing you could do about his lost love. Nothing you could do about any of his feelings, at all. So, you stay there, quietly waiting for him to speak up. When he does, the distress wouldn't be detectable. Except for the fact you knew him enough to do so.

“Do you think these clothes look good on me, Polaris?” you don't answer, but your eyes go back to his reflection. He's quiet, and you only know you were supposed to say something when his eyes meet yours.

You swallow words. Compliments and critiques. He reads it. An eyebrow is lift, a silent inquisition.

“I do, Muad'Dib” you say with an uncommon hesitation. You knew he needed more than that. “Personally, I dislike it. The attire, I mean. It... It is the Imperium style, their colors. And... That doesn't feel like you, Your Highness”

He ponders. That was clearly an unexpected answer, but he didn't seem to disagree. “I bet you don't know the colors I used to wear”, his tone was cold. “Black. Dark like tar. In simple attires, thought to represent both royalty and strength.”

Considering the armory, and how he could pull it off, you could picture he looked equally good at those. But you stay quiet, letting him think. “This feels wrong. It's too light, makes me vulnerable to any threat. It's shiny, attracts attention. It's trouble” he was mostly talking to himself. “I'd be dead in minutes wearing this at Arrakis.”

His voice drifts away. He tense up, jaw clenching. Fear. Fear of losing his past. Himself. The woman he truly loves and the people who put him where he is. And his eyes water. Sorrow, grief for what was no longer on his life.

“Duke?” you call out. He hears, but doesn't react. Your chest inflated when you inhale deeply, closing your eyes while doing your best to maintain education. But you decide to flip the coin.

Your steps are purposely noisy when your boots reach the floor. You stop at his front, but not directly, not blocking the mirror. Your gloved hands find his collar, fixing an asymmetric button.

Your skin burns when his eyes are on it, and the air inside your lungs suddenly feels too warm. But you play nonchalant, hands slow, delicate, careful not to break into his walls. “If the worms of Arrakis could see, they'd call you dramatic. That's how I would describe the high houses's style.”

He raises an eyebrow, like he always do when curious or barely listening to you. “In my planet, we dress however we wish to. I, a leader, could wear either a white dress for battle, or a pink armor for a dance. Our streets are almost blinding with colors. It's insane, really.”

Your fingers trace other details of his clothes, fixing slight errors, straightening the shiny cloth. “I can't really see the use of a silver attire. It's brilliant, it's smooth, but... What is it implying? Why is it relevant to an Emperor?”

“I don't see the dramatic part” he comments lowly, emotionless.

“The drama is a whole House have a color to dress. Unnecessary, vain, indeed” after having nothing left to pretend to fix, you join your hands at your back, meeting his eyes with a polite smile. “I know my House is loyal to me and our ideals, even if we are many, and not only a family. We don't need a color or a shield. We're Polaritia.”

He only looks at you, taking what you said with a cherish he couldn't express. A nod, and he turns on his heels, summoning maidens to fix his hair.

Mission accomplished. You eased the tension on him once more, giving him something random to think about.

The days would go on like this. When not on field, fighting, you were wandering around spaceships, fortresses, either busy with the newfound Cultural Center of Polaria, with your own platoon, or, well, making sure Paul Atreides wouldn't go insane. The more battles won and planets conquered, the more his eyes would go hollow blue. Distant, shallow, lost inside his disturbed mind. His marriage with Princess Irulan, the already settled weight of him becoming the Emperor of the Known Universe, while being the Messiah of many people, was draining every single bit of humanity the young man had. And you were there, watching, trying the best you could to keep him sane, alive. To keep him as, well, himself. And it was an agonizing way to live.

That eyebrow wouldn't lift. His jaw wouldn't clench. No half smile, no silent curiosity. At a certain way, it was killing you too. And, hours before the ceremony of his marriage, you decided to step in.

“Excuse us” the maidens didn't question; not after your months of work and lone moments with the Duke. “Your Highness. I'd like to talk”

No answer, as always. He was sat at his bed, hair combed back, wearing a shirt that was being taken care by the maids. You stop right in front of him, determined. “Don't you give me that dead fish face, my lord. I know you hear me. Talk to me, please”

His eyes find yours slowly, emotionless. That makes your whole being shake with anger and frustration. “Sir. Talk to me” you demand. When he keeps staring at you with those glass eyes, blood burns in your veins, and you snap. “I will not stand here and watch you falling by the strings of a fate you didn't choose”

No reaction.

“For fuck's sake, Moad- Paul!” you yell his name. For the first time, it comes out your lips in a shout. “You are the fucking future Emperor of the New Universe, former Duke of Arrakis, of Polaria, Caladan, and countless other planets we raided days ago!” he wasn't reacting, but listening. His eyes weren't on yours, but down. At your moving angry lips. That could make butterflies on your stomach if you weren't so pissed. “You are the first man to behold the Voice. You are the Lisan al-Gaib, the Harkonning bastard who gave us freedom. You are a living legend, a god, a savior!”

You point towards him, you spit your words. None of them resonating within him, neither within you. No, these weren't the titles he needed. These titles weren't him. “Your Highness. Paul. I...”

How painful it would be to watch such a man fall for the manipulation of forces he himself could dominate. You get on your knees. Taking his cold hands in yours, you lay your forehead at his palms. “You are good. I see goodness in you. I see faith, of a million souls. And I see hope”

As you lift your head, the vibrant blue orbs are fixated on yours. His irises shake, switching from each one of yours. A reaction.

“And I see me”

It was true. You've been thinking about that for days, working it in your mind. “I was born to shine a light on my planet. To bring us recognition, greatness. To be Polaris”

He blinks. Just once. Listening.

“I lived under the shadows of a hundred people's expectations. Literally a hundred. That's our population” you chuckle bittersweetly, tears in your eyes. “And it was heavy. It was twisted, torturing. But I had to do be. If it wasn't me, no one would. And it was hard to not lose myself on it. On who they wanted me to be”

You squeeze his skinny fingers on yours, hoping it would convey your empathy, your deep need to bring that man back to life. You did it for yourself, once. And he deserved a chance.

“Paul,” it cascades down your tongue, your lips. Caressing your teeth with a sour taste. “before all of this, you were someone. You were the son of Leto Atreides and Gesserit Jessica. The boy of Caladan”

The stories were clear. And you had to study them, as Jessica required you and anyone near Paul to. “You were a loved son. The light of your parents, and your family, even if too monotone sometimes”

You get up on your feet slowly, pulling him by his delicate hands, and he follows. You lift your chin to the tall pale Duke, and whisper:

“Become a myth alive, Paul. Conquer the New Universe” your voice shakes, and by the warmth in your eyes, you know you had tears. “But, please, don't let them take Atreides from you”

His eyebrows twitch. You gasp, finally having a reaction. Tears fall freely down your cheeks, and you laugh alone at the way your emotions were overflowing. A hand is lift to the back of your neck, and you don't think straight when your face is against his bony shoulder blade. But you close your eyes, hands at his back, clenching the fabric in it.

He wasn't a friend. Or a companion. But you hug him tight, crying for the lost man whose chin was on top of your head. Whose nose was, now, sunk in your hair.

“The universe will be damned if you get lost” you whisper, voice shivering.

The feeling of his hand running softly in your hair gave you goosebumps. He was certainly not normal, certainly not the Paul Atreides. But he was, at least, conscious.

“The ones unseen are the ones to befriend” his voice is warm, low at the side of your head, reverberating inside your chest. “For in the cold darkness lies the truth of men”

His hand cups the crook of your skull, as he lowers his head to perfectly whisper at your ear:

“Stay with me, unseen one. Help me thread through the shadows surrounding us” it wasn't a command, but it wasn't a suggestion. A whisper to your soul, your beings speaking to each other.

“I will. I will stay with you, Paul Atraides” you whisper against the cloth of his blouse. Well, that was the feeling his believers had. Reverence, hope, submission. You understood it all.

“Thank you” he sighs, sending electricity down your whole body. One of his hands travels up to your cheek, and he looks inside your eyes like a lost, madman. But completely sane, as he whispers:

“I don't think Paul Atreides will exist for long” he admits, melancholy I his tone. “But with your help... Maybe I can have faith in me.”

I watched the movie and I had this sentence in my mind. "Don't let them take Atreides from you". And I had to find a way to put it out.

Please, tell me your thoughts! Every commentary is appreciated.

And to the ones who follow me, sorry for the hiatus. I'm working on some stuff and I promise I will try to finish them this year (lol).

Thank you so much for reading!! Love you all

[cymk8]

I can't stop looking at your Shadowlach art. Any of it. All of it.

- One cos of your artistry: beautiful and soft and the negative space?? Hello??

- Two cos HELLO?? you draw them so soft and sweet and it is just so peaceful to look at your art. (The kitties in the hair brushing one are *so* cute, and non-ship friends are also enamoured with them :3)

Tell us more about your headcanons, please!

Some prompts if needed: How did things progress from platonic? Was it romantic from early on or primarily physical attraction? Were they on similar pages throughout their relationship or did one fall harder?

General invitation to word dump: what thoughts have you most crazed? Why don't you let them out ;)

(thank u so much...for your compliment and also the fact you sent this ask in the first place has made my day)

God I have so fucking many thoughts I'm going little insane about it and I'm literally so happy you asked because. I have been w a i t i n g HAHA

Your prompts:

We have all heard That Line™; I'd imagine that having both been so pent up, they would immediately jump each other's bones given the opportunity — Shadowheart is absolutely unsubtle and Karlach is Karlach

I actually think it would be one sided for a while!! But not in the piney way. I think Shadowheart attempts to rizz the shit out of Karlach only to fail because Karlach's situation with her engine essentially made her exceptionally good at Resisting Temptation (I find it absolutely hilarious that most of Karlach's in-game responses are so purposefully obtuse when it comes to her)

That in particular pisses Shadowheart off since she would be so used to being able to finesse her way through things like this (because of her background as a professional 'spy' — because otherwise...she's an absolute dork); it makes her try extra hard and eventually come to the conclusion that her attraction is greater when in fact Karlach has had more experience living like a Nun™ than she does

(cont.)

As for the development...I think they would be on similar levels of attraction, but tackle it differently — Karlach would immediately embrace the feeling and Shadowheart will try her fucking hardest to rationalize it away/deny it (queen of repression)

They would probably be fast friends (Shadowheart rizzing Karlach), then actual friends (because Karlach is so earnest Shadowheart feels like she can be earnest too), physically involved, then romantically involved — it only outwardly seems fast, but they definitely have things to work through before they can actually really be honest and feel that they can rely on each other completely

Random headcanon/general thoughts that have going FERAL IN THE CLUB:

I think they work really well together — they balance each other out in the sense that they have very different ways of handling their own stresses and trauma; they have a lot of opportunities to grow even just by being around one another (for example, Shadowheart is so Repressed™ even other characters feel the same way — and Karlach is the opposite); restraint and freedom go hand in hand 😌

They both have a love for adorable things...once the all of the shit with Karlach's heart gets sorted and they FINALLY get to live that cottagecore life, I think their farm would have so many more animals. Like. So many...Karlach would honestly just be so excited to be able to care for things again — and Shadowheart would be excited because she's finally allowed to be just as loud about showing that she DOES care

The idea that Shadowheart's hair could be a signifier for how closed off she is — so throughout the acts, she slowly lets it down/get messier figuratively and literally in front of everyone...AND KARLACH gets permission to touch and braid it as a sign of true trust and vulnerability; it becomes something of a ritual (Karlach is obsessed simply for the fact that she isn't seen as dangerous and is trusted to be able to be gentle about things) (thanks @kanobies for giving me that sweet, sweet psychic damage)

To add to that: they like physically pampering each other — Karlach finally internalizing that she can be 'pretty' and deserving of gentle care and Shadowheart internalizing that she is allowed to want/ask for things that aren't strictly necessary or used towards a greater cause (I don't think she's ever had a strong sense of bodily autonomy in the sense that she was gaslit into thinking every aspect of her life was for Lady Shar)

I'M OBSESSED WITH THE FACT THAT THEY RADIATE DOG ENERGY IN VASTLY DIFFERENT WAYS: thank you Isobel for immediately clocking Shadowheart on sight by calling her a feisty little terrier and for Karlach being literally Clifford the Big Red Dog and

The difference in lifespans...FUCK. KARLACH WOULD TRY SO HARD TO MAKE THEIR TIME TOGETHER WORTH IT/MEMORABLE since she knows her life is comparatively short; Shadowheart would never take it for granted; they make each other keepsakes...🫠🥹🥹

And I still have so much more but I gotta seem like I'm at least somewhat classy (pls...if anyone wants to talk about any of them or both of them I am so mcfucking ready)

[kingsleywrites]

How They Would React To Seeing Your Top-Surgery Scars

Characters: Tommyinit (Platonic), Tubbo (Platonic), Wilbur (geared towards romantic), Dream (geared towards romantic), Technoblade (Platonic or Romantic)

Fluff

A/N: For whatever reason my mind has only been giving me angst ideas like I like angst but I need some fluff 💀🤚

Y/N will be used (Meaning your name)

CW: swearing

This can be for anyone who has gotten top surgery and needs comfort about their scars (your beautiful no matter what <;3)

Tommy:

When he first sees your scars it doesn't really register in his mind that they are your top surgery scars

He just thinks that they are just scars that you've gotten in one of the countless battles

He definitely thinks they're super cool and asks you a bunch of questions about them.

"Hey Y/N- Woah! Where did you get those scars! These are cool as fuck!"

He would try and start guessing where you got them.

"Did you get them while in the nether? Was there a Piglin that tried to fight you and then they cut you with their tusks? Oh! Did you duel with Dream? or Techno? Did you kick their asses?"

You'd probably have to calm him down and explain to him that you didn't get into a fight and you just got them from top surgery

He would be very understanding of your situation, though he would apologize for jumping to conclusions.

He immediately wants to know if you have other scars and what the stories behind them are.

If you have more and decide to show them to him, he would listen very intently to the stories, and he finds the battles that you've been through (even if they aren't that big) very interesting.

If you have no other scars or you don't want to show him your other scars he is perfectly okay with that, even offering to show you his scars to make you feel better, telling you how he got each of them in a way that makes it interesting to listen too.

"And this one I got from when me and Tubbo were sparring, he felt so bad that he was apologizing for what felt like hours!"

If he ever felt that you were uncomfortable about the topic he would ask if you wanted to change it to make you feel more comfortable.

Overall he just wants to make you feel happy by saying "Hey, it's normal to have scars, and yours are just as valid as any others."

Tubbo:

When he first saw your scars he was really concerned and started panicking asking you a whole bunch of questions

"Y/N, do you wanna- Oh my god! Are you okay? Where did you get these from? Did someone hurt you? You can tell me but I swear if it was Sapnap or something me and Tommy will literally kick his ass!"

After calming him down and explaining to him that no one hurt you and these scars are from your top surgery

He would apologize for jumping to conclusions but he would be a little confused at first, I don't think that he would know a ton about the LGBT community so he would need a little clarification.

"Uh, I'm sorry if i'm overstepping your boundaries and you don't have to answer this if you're uncomfortable but, could you explain to me what top surgery is?"

After knowing exactly what top surgery is he would immediately ask if there's any way that he can help.

Want to try and fade the scars? Words of affirmation about how having these scars make you human or how your struggles are just as valid as anyone else's? Or even if you just want a hug, he'll find some kind of way that he can help you feel comfortable.

Tubbo really just wants you to feel comfortable in your own skin even if he is a little new to the whole LGBT community and how to help.

Wilbur:

Wilbur doesn't bring up your scars unless you come and talk to him about it first.

He starts to check up on you more and more.

"Hey Y/N, how are you doing? Everything is alright right?"

Just little check ups until you're ready to tell him about it.

If he ends up seeing your scars more than once he might bring it up at that point.

"Hey, um, what are those scars on your chest, if you don't mind me asking?"

Once you tell him that they're your top surgery scars he pulls you into a hug and assures you that he will always love and care about you no matter what.

Basically he will just praise the hell out of you, tell you how amazing you are, how brave you are for going through the surgery, how pretty and handsome and beautiful and cute you are.

Every time he walks by you he will just give you a kiss on the head as reassurance

He never wants you to feel like you are a burden

He will go to Fundy for advice on how to help and if there is anything that he should do to comfort you further.

Just a sweet guy who wants you to feel loved and appreciated.

Dream:

First thought is that someone hurt you and he wants to know who so he can kill the fucker

"Hey Y/N- what happened? No, No it isn't nothing, what happened. It matters because who every hurt you will have about five seconds to count their fucking blessings before I kill them."

You being you might respond with something snarky like "hey the doctor who gave me top surgery shouldn't die, I'm living my best life because of them!"

To which he responds with a mental facepalm and he gives you a hug

He just wants to protect you and sometimes takes it too far

Your chest becomes his new favorite part about you

Every time he gets the chance he will give you a kiss to remind you how much he cares

Cuddling where his head is buried in your chest? Expect him to be kissing your chest till one of y'all falls asleep.

"What? Can I not kiss my beautiful lover and give them all of the love they deserve?"

Technoblade:

Like Wilbur, Techno won't bring your scars up unless you make conversation about it

The difference is, He won't bring it up no matter how many times he sees your scars

I feel like with how many battles Techno had been in he has his own collection of scars some of which he would like to fade away and to never be talked about or brought into existence again.

So he won't talk till you want to talk

Once you do tell him he would say something like:

"Oh that's what those are? Yeah I've seen them before."

When questioning why he didn't say anything he would say something along the lines of:

"We all have our own scars, some you can see, some you can't, some you're fine with the world seeing and some you wish that they would disappear because they remind you of something that you want to block out and forget entirely. I've had my fair share of scars that should fade away just like those painful memories. I would hate to bring you back to a place that you wanted to forget."

As for comfort, he isn't too big on it, not because he doesn't want to give it to you but because he doesn't know how, maybe the occasional word or words of affirmation or hugs when you need them, but anything else and he would need Phil's help on what to do.

He is a great listener though, so if you ever need to vent he'll be the guy to go to.

Techno is just a piglin with a soft heart for you and he would hate to make you uncomfortable.

*****

Another one done! My apologies if this isn't the best I have never done headcanons before so this was new to me. I also tried to keep it gender neutral as I know not only trans males get top surgery so I wanted to make it as inclusive as possible so I'm sorry if things are too geared towards trans males.

Word Count: 1255

[rocketturtle4]

Be My Favorite - When is the present actually the future?

I’m pretty sure writing this is about to consume my entire Saturday but by the time I wake up tomorrow La Pluie will have been out for 6 hours and my Sunday brain will have other things to think about! (it actually only took about half of it so I'm considering that a win)

I have read through my Tumblr feed for people’s thoughts on the latest Be My Favorite episode and I absolutely have to share because I found that while ideas and themes explored mirrored my own thoughts, the conclusions people were putting forth about where the show might be going were completely different.

(Posts I don't specifically reference in this but that which I definitely read and you should too include @syrena-del-mar and @shouldiusemyname here and @chickenstrangers here )

Also shoutout to @bengiyo because I used your sarge watches to reduce how much I had to go back and watch things.

LETS CLOWN

(am I, am I using it right? I have so many questions about the LINGO and I don’t know who to ask)

My Hypothesis: Kawi is going to be faced with the ultimate choice of remaining in the past or the present when the crystal ball runs out of charge and he will choose to remain in the past where he must face his uncertain future.

Okay, stay with me please

Question 1: When is Kawi actually in the present?

Last week I made a throw away post about the time travel being a metaphor for being unable to skip ahead in life without consequences. In particular this scene (a flashback at the very end of episode 4):

Got my brain thinking about how Kawi and the people around him freeze in their character development whenever he jumps forward, so maybe his present is actually in the past.

EVIDENCE

Timeline 1: OG Future

In this timeline Kawi essentially froze the moment the crystal ball was broken. In the OG Future he is distantly acquainted with classmates, sad for the death of his father (from whom he was distant), distant from Max and has never drunk any alcohol. This is all directly reflective of where he was at the time he broke the crystal ball.

Timeline 2: Future 2 – He’s Pisaengs best man

In this timeline he’s been back in the past, and acted very unlike himself because he assumes he's dreaming. At the end of this timeline he ends up in the very early stages of becoming Piseang’s bestie. We have not yet had serious (feelings) tension between Piseang and Kawi, only a single night of bonding and I would argue that in this particular future timeline, Piseang is not in love with Kawi. He has become a platonic bestie (something that could never happen without the time skip) because these were the emotions Kawi and Piseang had for each other in the past even if these were pretty fledgling emotions when Kawi left. (Also, Kawi now drinks heavily, something he did for the first time in this immediate past when he thought it was a dream).

Timeline 3: Future 3: Piseang is in love with him and abandons his own wedding.

In the past Kawi is more intentional with his actions to change things. We also see his confusion around how he became Piseangs best man because as Kawi continues to grow and learn this option doesn’t make sense (But as a frozen version of the previous past's future…) (I'm losing track of the tense I can feel it)

In this timeline we have only progressed slightly further through the past but all the development was around Kawi and Piseang and Piseang’s growing feelings  (Piseang getting Kawi the plushie happens in this Future’s linked Past). And we come forward to Piseang finally giving into his feelings and kissing Kawi. This scene is very similar to Piseang almost kissing Kawi in the past in the following episode (episode 3) when they fall over because in Piseang’s arc these things happened at a pretty similar point in time, its just that in this future he was frozen at his point of realization until Kawi’s consciousness returned to his body on the morning of Piseang’s wedding. He could only act after Kawi was back to being old!Kawi, because of things being frozen.

Timeline 4: He’s Famous and it’s a mess

In the linked past here, Kawi has JUST debuted as a lead singer, has turned down Piseang kindly but Piseang has made his devotion clear, has decided to date Pear ‘because he’s in love with her’ BUT Pear is feeling uncertain about her place in Kawi’s life (evidence: both the bar scene with Not, and the hospital scene) and is friends with Max again. (Also I'm not sure if I already linked @lurkingshans post with Kawi 'interupting his own growth arc midstream.' it definitely kicked my brain into gear)

In the future he is a famous singer, distant but close to Piseang, and friends with Max (why has Max stuck with him huh?) also Not and Pear and Kwan provide, in my opinion, strong evidence for their frozenness because we’ve just seen in the past that Not has feelings for Pear and Kwan has feelings for Not, and this is the exact feelings scenario we get in the future. There has been no change. They're frozen in their feelings from 12 years ago.

We also have had posts about the idea that Kawi has gotten drunk and kissed Piseang multiple times through this jump. (Which makes perfect sense if you freeze his character at this exact point of uncertain feelings that are being ignored) (@piningintrovert here) (also this post where for some reason my @ won't let me tag dropthedemiurge IM SORRY) (also here) @becomingabeing

Also his alcoholism is spiralling because he has not learnt anything about drinking responsibly in the (mere days/weeks) it’s been since episode 1 started (and alcoholism is definitely more complicated, but in this specific context you have an individual that’s just started drinking heavily because they’ve discovered alcohol and their life is super confusing and these habits aren't checked or changed because his growth is frozen, there are simply the consequences) (not saying this is the case just the case in the context of this theory)

Counterpoint

Kawi’s dad has survived surgery in the past but is still dead in the future.

I don’t necessarily think this is strong evidence against my point but it’s worth mentioning.

Question 2:

How does Kawi’s Memory Work in these Futures?

This is a separate thread but it’s related to my theory because in Timeline’s 2 & 3, Kawi appeared to have no memory of the intervening years. (Inference: He hasn't really lived them)

Timeline 4 was a little different but the memories seemed to need specific triggers (speaking aloud, seeing a person) to come back. We saw in his arguments with Pear and Piseang that he DID seem to gain and settle into his memories more as he thought about the intervening past (intervening past = the time between when he left the past and arrived in Future 4).

We see 2 different flashbacks of the ‘Pear leave’s Kawi’ moments. 1 seemed to be Kawi remembering (trigger is when he sees Pear for the first time). 2 seems to be Piseangs own memories (flashbacks are always so frustrating because who is remembering? Is Kawi remembering this too?.

Kawi also just slips into being less jaded and work focused than his (frozen) future self apparently is. (Sudden carfree metaphorical ocean romp definitely relevant here)

ALSO Kawi freaks out about his own memory in episode 7 3/4 10.30 (re Piseang’s new number) (this almost felt like young!Kawi was overlayed with old!Kawi and so we were getting conflicting reasons for the memory lapse (is he sick? did he call Piseangs old number as young!Kawi without thinking?)

Counterpoint

The scene at the very end of episode 7 threw a small but solid spanner in the works of my brain because when does this scene take place? Piseang says eight years, original jump forward was 12 (I think) so therefor this is in the intervening years. Which I kind of thought of as frozen/fairly nonexistent (Except specifically when a character thinks about them) so I am not sure how this scene fits in.

This could be something Kawi will specifically think about before going back in time

(see this post for more clowning @sparklyeyedhimbo)

(side note, his jacket looks super similar to the flashback jacket in this counterpoint scene - it's not the same one though)

How old is Kawi’s brain?

I also made a throw away post about this last week, I have no clearer thoughts on this except that it’s intriguing to ask how old the Kawi traversing between the past and the future actually is? This post is so long I’m just going to link it. It’s not very fleshed out.

Side Point

One thing that floated into my brain while thinking about all this was the recent Step By Step episode and the dissatisfaction everyone felt about the time skips. So often used as a means of progressing a characters life while rarely showing meaningful character growth.

Could this whole show be a commentary on time skips and their conceptual flaws as a means of fast-tracking character growth?

I think it’s a bit of a reach, but I also don’t tend to read into directors/creators intentions as much so I thought I’d put it out there for people to chew over.

Additional hypotheses/questions I’m chewing on:

Q: Will his dad survive if he chooses to stay in the past to take care of him?

Q: How many sets of memories does he have, does he remember any of the intervening past between main past timeline and future 2 and main past timeline and future 3? Are the memories getting overlayed?

Conclusion

 As @lurkingshan pointed out, Kawi interrupts his character growth when he jumps forward in time. We have to go back in time to keep growing. Yet we’ve gone back and forward and back and forward 4 times now and the future is always messy because the characters can’t live on without change for 12 years and still grow together. I could absolutely see the show choosing to go in the direction put forth by @wen-kexing-apologist and @stuffnonsenseandotherthings here also @lurkingshan and @ginnymoonbeam have interesting thoughts about Kawi having to stop trying to change the future and live with his choices to move forward.

It's just that I think he is going to do that in the past giving up his chance to jump forward without growth. Because he has to choose not to know where he is going, to truly live in the present.

Savy?

(please point out all the holes in my theory, I am so invested I need some PERSPECTIVE)

[hylanth]

rules

ft. fives x jedi! reader

description | you’re coming around to your feelings, but you’re still fearful due to the nature of both of your occupations. you soon learn fives isn’t one to care too much about the rules, and maybe you find that you don’t either. wc 732. divider by bunnysrph.

According to those who had witnessed your interactions, it was quite clear that Fives held more than just platonic feelings for you. In your opinion, Fives was just being friendly, no different than how he treated any of his other friends. However, he had no shame in proudly declaring to others that out of all of the Jedi Order, you were his favorite General—much to your embarrassment.

It wasn’t that you were necessarily embarrassed of his affections, but more so your own reactions to his behavior. Though you pride yourself on remaining cool headed no matter the situation at hand, that demeanor never seemed to last long with Fives around: your current situation was a testament to that fact.

Having a moment to yourself after returning planetside, you took a seat on a nearby bench and rested your eyes. The hum of the various insects and creatures milling about helped distract you from the colossal amount of paperwork that was sure to be on your desk when you returned to Coruscant. Hearing the sound of quickly approaching footsteps, you stood to your feet and stretched. Surely it was only someone coming to let you know what time you would be moving out to return to headquarters. “General! Ahsoka told me I could find you out here.”

“Fives, I didn’t even know you were here.” You responded sheepishly, making a poor attempt at hiding not only the surprise but also the nervousness in your voice. His mere presence sent a wave of goosebumps over your flesh. He waved a gloved hand before walking over to where you were currently standing, enveloping you in a hug.

This certainly wasn’t the first hug you received from him, but it still managed to take your breath away every single time it happened. Releasing you and resting his hands on your waist, you fumbled for a moment before settling your own on his biceps—thankful that he wouldn’t be able to feel how warm they had grown through the armor he wore.

“I missed you.” You didn’t need to remind Fives that Clones and their Jedi Generals weren’t allowed to be in relationships, he definitely knew that already. A part of you knew if you were to remind him of that, he likely wouldn’t care anyway. “Did you miss me?” His voice held teasing lilt to it, but you could still sense the genuine curiosity behind his question.

”I did.” You answered honestly, shifting your gaze to the blue paint on his armor which you suddenly found more interesting than looking him in the eye. This wasn’t at all easy for you to admit, nevertheless out loud. Jedi were forbidden from forming attachments, and the Republic wasn’t exactly open to allowing the Clones to have their own lives outside of being forced to fight in the war—which you obviously disagreed with. Fives deserved someone who actually had time to dedicate towards having a relationship and give him all of the love he truly deserved—not someone who was going to be both emotionally and physically unavailable the majority of the time.

Even though you were sure that your brain was jumping to conclusions, being that Fives hadn’t even admitted that he was interested (despite your peers saying otherwise). If you were caught right at this moment, it could mean disastrous implications for the both of you. Someone could report you both, and Fives could even be-.

Your thoughts were immediately cut short when you felt Fives swiftly press his lips against yours and then pull away, resting his forehead against your own. It was over before you even had a chance to register what happened.

“I missed you too, you’re overthinking again.” He was right, but you weren’t willing to let him take the risk without acknowledging the obvious.

“Maybe I am Fives, but what if we get caught? You know we aren’t allowed to-“

“I know what the rules say we aren’t allowed to do, but what do you want?” He asked again, placing a gentle hand on your chin, forcing you to look at him. The slight smirk on his lips made it difficult to keep your own smile at bay.

“I guess, I want you Fives.” His smile only widened before he kissed your lips again. At this point, you realized that you weren’t one to care too much what the rules had to say either.

[c-t-r-l14]

No ciase we gotta talk about how he was probably using it as an excuse to number 1 move and number 2 get with coworker , I feel like her name was Nancy? Or something whatever

Because if you spend so much time with someone like that a relationship is bound to form , platonic or not

The whole breakup audio is so weird and suspicious to me in general, because he’s constantly going back and forth between, “I’m happy and you are the love of my life, I want to be with you,” to, “I don’t think you’re the right person for a long distance relationship.” He keeps making and excuses, and gaslights listener into thinking that they’re “JuMPinG tO ConCLuSIONS”, whenever he insinuates something—and they respond with saying it outright. The audio is so suspicious to me because his behavior makes absolutely no sense!

Like—at least with listener, we have some sort of explanation as to why they acted the way they did in the first place, but even now I still can’t rack my brain as to why Alex was acting like that AT ALL. I never thought he cheated on listener, because I never got that vibe, but we also can’t take cheating off the table either. If he really was seeing Natalie behind listener’s back, then his behavior would make so much sense. He used listener’s mistake in order to induce the breakup, and his refusal to make it work could possibly be because he’s fallen for Natile. BUT, it could also be that he just doesn’t care about the relationship anymore, and simply wants to get rid of listener because he’s tired of them and doesn’t want to be tied down anymore—which could also be another reason for his behavior as well.

I do agree with you when you said that he used listener’s mistake as an excuse to move away and live this glamorous life in NYC, which was extremely shitty, and gives off such loser energy. The second point you made is definitely not off the table either—but if it somehow becomes cannon that he got with Natalie not even a month after him and listener broke up, that makes him even more of a shitty person, to be so for real with you. ‘Cause how tf you gonna tell your partner that they’re the love of your life, proceed to blame the failure of the relationship ALL ON THEM, gaslight them into thinking they’re the crazy one, AND THEN GET WITH THE SAME PERSON THEY ACCUSED YOU OF CHEATING ON THEM WITH NOT LONG AFTER YOU GUYS SPLIT???

That shit is actually evil, oh my god????😭

I do not trust Alex’s ass at all, bro. At this point, NOTHING IS OFF THE TABLE.

Thank you for the ask! ❤️

[k-s-morgan]

hey, love your thoughts on hannibal and wills relationship and feelings for each other! i was wondering if you could link me interviews/direct quotes from mads or hugh about that topic as well? i’ve seen many quotes from mads about hannibals thoughts/feelings for will floating around tumblr, but rarely with any receipts or sources. thank you! :)

Hello! Thank you so much! And sure, I'll try.

Mads Mikkelsen on ‘Which scene has been the defining moment?'

"Probably one of the moments early on, maybe mid first season, where I spend some quality time in therapy session with Hugh and he’s flying away thinking about something and I have the chance, Hannibal has the chance, to watch him. And he becomes very warm watching him. He sees not only this brilliant person but he sees something he loves. I think that is the definition of Hannibal."

2. Hugh and Mads during PaleyFest 2014.

Hugh: They are in love or they love each other, that's unquestionable. I think it's a platonic love... but it's rich in... (audience and cast laughs) Ok, we've done two seasons so far... so platonic love and they recognize each other as unique in the world, they reflect each other in a way, it's like profound recognition and relief that comes with it. And they are good looking guys.

Mads: Exactly. Losing him or what Hannibal did with him in the two seasons is probably the closest he has ever been to loving anyone. And what love means in his universe we have to see later on. But it's heartbreaking everything that happens to poor Will is also heartbreaking for Hannibal.

3. Hugh and Mads about the second half of S3 for Fangoria.

Hugh: You could say that during the second half [of season three]-I mean, obviously we’re jumping ahead here, but Will comes back to Hannibal. He’s now got this family, and Will, independently and pretty quickly, starts coming to the conclusion that it’s not sustainable for him to have that family. Like, he’s not the guy. He’s not the right person to be able to look after them, to live with them. It’s not compatible with who he really is. And you could argue that Hannibal is just driving him more quickly to come to that realization. So in that sense, it is kind of brutal, tough love. His love is saying, “Know thyself.

Mads: As Hugh is saying, it’s unavoidable. It’s going to happen sooner or later. Might as well happen sooner, before he’s stuck.

4. Prior to S3. Mads.

"I recently watched the whole second season back to back, and I was really impressed by how what is basically a horror show becomes a romance."

5. Mads: "He fell in love."

 "It's always been part of the show. It's been a bromance since the very beginning and in my eyes, there is no doubt that the second that Hannibal lays his eyes on Will’s for the first time, he fell in love. Not necessarily in a physical way, but in a bonding way.

6. Mads on S2 finale.

"Hannibal doesn't have a masterplan. He's living from day to day and he's seeing possibilities and opportunities, and one of them is Will Graham, who he is obviously in love with, in a certain way - that way. But I think at that time, Hannibal has been blinded by Will Graham. He believes truly that he will walk down the path with the light, hand in hand, with Will - and Abigail. That's his dream, that's what he wants, and I think it does surprise him and it does break his heart. It is a turning point for Hannibal when he becomes the cleaning man instead of the man who loves. Until then, he'd been a man full of love, and after that, I think he is... slightly angry. It was a surprise for him. He was tricked.He got blinded by love."

7. Mads during S1.

"When he sees Will, he recognizes himself to a degree. [Hannibal] has empathy, but [he] uses it as a tool; Will has empathy, but he doesn’t know what to do with it. Lecter sees an opportunity to open this man’s eyes and see his full potential realized. And he also sees the opportunity for a friend, which is probably not what he’s had too many of. Even though Hannibal is the puppeteer, he really loves Will."

8. Mads Mikkelsen on whether Hannibal was really crying in S2 finale:

"Will Graham is the dearest thing I have. Will Graham to Hannibal is the thing in life that he has loved the most. And unfortunately he didn’t go down the path I want him to go down. So I have to finish the story right there and it breaks his heart. So Hannibal is actually really sad."

9. Hugh about Will and Hannibal:

"The show is about romance and it is about love between the two of them. I mean profound and inescapable love."

10. Commentary to S3 from Bryan and Hugh.

Bryan: I remember the day you shot the closeups, you both came running to me and I remember Mads was particularly giddy, giddy as a schoolgirl, he said we really went for it, we really went for the love story, we almost kissed and it's all there and you can use it.

Hugh: We had to push in that direction so that there is no point pretending otherwise.

11. Hugh about the start of Will and Hannibal's relationship:

"It’s an instant love between them, it is as if Will met not the best chess player in the world, but the only absolute, the only person he can play with, that enters in the room - or rather, in his life - with a chessboard in hand, and this provokes in him a pleasure and an incredible relief. When we find Will at the beginning of the second season, he was betrayed and thrown in jail, so he is not in a really enviable situation, but the connection he had with Hannibal has remained unchanged, it is something which he can not get rid of. This time, however, he manipulates their connection because Hannibal still needs him and their friendship, but beyond the practical utility must be said that the bond with Hannibal is, even for Will, a source of uncontrolled, involuntary pleasure.”

12. Hugh answering if he’s surprised at the reaction Hannigram has gotten and how it’s romanticized by the fans:

"No, because I think Bryan is fully engaged in romanticizing it. I think it comes from #1, in that respect. I don’t think that Bryan set out to write that. I don’t think that he necessarily envisioned it. Whether it came from his subconscious, or whether it’s there, sitting in the novels, or whether it’s something we created when we came together to make the first episode, but he ran with it, and we all ran with it. It is now about these two men who are completely alone in a big, bleak world, and then see, coming across the horizon, the other person who reminds them of themselves, somehow. That, to me, is endlessly fascinating."

13. Hugh when asked if the romance between Will and Hannibal is dead after Hannibal trying to saw his head open:

"Oh, it’s just starting. It’s just getting started. I mean, if a bit of a kind of awful violence was gonna end it between us, we would’ve tapered it off a long time ago. It’s just bringing us closer."

14. Some stuff with no links since it was said at the con:

Mads: "Will is the light of Hannibal's life and Hannibal killed Abigail to break Will's heart the way he broke his."

Mads: "Will forgetting him was the last thing Hannibal wanted to hear, so that’s why he surrendered. The only way Will would see him again is if he’s in jail, and he would eventually visit. He was afraid he’d never see Will again otherwise."

Mads: "Hannibal and Will are now married, have dogs which he calls “the ugly carpets” of the relationship, and live in seclusion for 4 years before hunting together."

Mads in May 2018: "I think that Hannibal and Will… they’re not really alive without each other. They are a piece of the puzzle for the other one’s soul.”

Mads: Hannibal sees an opportunity in this young man. And so he can hopefully, one day, walk hand in hand down the road of life.

Hugh: For both of them, it’s a relief from loneliness. And I guess that’s love, right? …Suddenly the world makes more sense.’

Hugh on why it took Will a conversation with Bedelia to realize he's in love: "Oh crap, maybe this thing I’m feeling is love."

[skyfall8600]

hi!! i was looking through your prompts and was wondering if you could write “the built up feeling of being excited to see them for no particular reason at all and the character feeling that being like what’s wrong with me? we aren’t even dating” for eddie?? maybe they’re confused because while they aren’t dating, they definitely act coupley and they tell themselves it’s just in a platonic way. it could also be obvious to everyone else?? feel free to take whatever you want and leave the rest!

Happy Together

Eddie Masterlist

A/n: Thanks for the request love! Really needed something different to write about to get the creative sparks flowing. Sorry, this is a bit short though (and a potential opening ending...)

Warnings: Fluff

[650 words]

Theres no doubt that is an affectionate person, always finding some excuse to hug and touch the people closest to him. It was a good match you and him, you were similar in that way. Reciprocating his affection and enthusiasm wherever possible. As such, it was only natural for people to assume that the two of you were… an item. 

After all, you were always the first person he had his arms wrapped around. He would drink from your cup without needing permission. You would sit on his lap at gatherings, legs intertwined with his, just as his chin would rest on your shoulder. To a perfect stranger, it was clear that the two of you were close. 

Neither of you thought anything of it, both oblivious to the obvious signs of attraction and care you felt for each other. That is until you were away for a weekend, visiting distant relatives. This meant that it was the first time you had been away from each other for more than 48 hours. And boy was it driving Eddie mad. 

He had to see you; he had never felt this way before. For the full four days you were gone, thoughts of you plagued his mind. He missed you and was practically jumping at the ceiling once he was able to count down the hours you’d be back. Everyone around him thought that he had just won the lottery by how he was acting; like a child on christmas morning. 

“Jesus kid, your little girlfriend back yet?” Wayne teased him, secretly happy that his nephew had someone who meant so much to him. 

But Wayne’s little comment sparked something in Eddie’s mind. Had he become too affectionate with you? After all, you were friends… just friends. Self-doubt started to cloud his mind, suddenly becoming worried if he was more excited to see you than you were to see him. 

Pushing down his feelings, he decided to ignore it. It was normal for friends to miss each other. 

Meanwhile, you were nervous about seeing Eddie after so long. You missed him dearly, but spending this time apart made you realize something. Something that confused you. Seeing how your cousins acted with their boyfriends, instantly reminded you of Eddie. But the only difference was, you and Eddie weren’t dating. You were friends. 

It made you question how you were around him, self-doubt flooding in. Subconsciously, you felt that there was something wrong with you for even jumping to such drastic conclusions. You were friends who liked physical touches, nothing wrong with that. 

Oh and how you wished you could continue to believe that is was platonic….. It all jumped out the window the second you heard him yelling your name, rushing over instantly to trap you in a hug. 

You laughed into his embrace, “Missed you too, Eds.” 

Unknown to you both, you were both suppressing the little bit of hope you felt. That perhaps things between you could in fact escalate to something beyond friendship. But it was all unclear territory that neither of you wanted to cross. 

And so, the two of you remained as friends for a little while longer. Now taking in the time to notice precisely how long and where your hands touched each other; testing out the waters if you would. 

Days turned into weeks and Eddie was starting to become desperate. The sheer idea of holding you close was no longer enough; he had to tell you how much you meant to him, to show you beyond what hugs and holding could give. 

To him, it was finally time to remove the word ‘platonic’ from your relationship. And he just hoped that you returned his feelings.

[jacksgreysays]

"Hail to the Queen: She Who Has Divine Right" is interesting, because there are, again, a couple ways this could happen.

The one that first comes to mind is actually her marrying Gaara, and them co-ruling Suna together. After all, her actions with Gelel were what saved their economy. I could definitely see them worshipping Gelel or Shikabane-hime for that. She falls in love with and marries Gaara, only realizing what was going on religiously afterwards. (Though if I'm reading you right, you're more of a Sasuke/Shikako fan and might not be interested just bc of the ship, which is valid)

Another idea that could work would be if the Land of Hot Springs/Ash incident went differently. Maybe Gelel reaches for a dragon vein (right underneath the temple bc that could be part of what made the ritual work) and uses that, along with Shikako, to drive Jashin out and slam the door. That has some sort of side effect that makes it clear that some sort of godly activity took place there. The villagers see Shikako stumble out from the temple, jump to some (correct) conclusions, and start worshipping Shikabane-hime. It spreads from there. Now that it's happened twice, Shikako has access to more of Gelel's power. So this stuff starts to keep happening. Eventually people catch on.

Maybe she goes to the past/different dimension and her 'divinity' starts showing again. People start considering her the patron deity of the Nara. Then they join Konoha and she starts to reveal more of her skills. This is usually because they just weren't needed before, but because they happen to be skills that tend to show up more in other clans (ex: sealing & the Uzumaki), they start thinking that maybe she's growing to be the patron deity of Konoha instead. The fact that she showed up out of nowhere and stopped aging when she turned 21 only supports this theory, to her great frustration. She eventually gives in to the idea when the Mangekyo Sharingan recognizes her as Shikabane-hime. Hashirama is just happy to have a clear successor that everyone is in favor of.

Just some thoughts :)

Hello again aryaokayfriend!

I’m going to say, first of all, I am very surprised that’s the vibe I give off considering my first ever DoS recursive was a Shikaara fic of serene, uncomplicated affection while every time I have to consider Shikako and Sasuke dynamic for a fic I have to go through a checklist of

1) how platonic can the relationship be in order for this to work/be entertaining 2) obviously if there’s any romance it is from Sasuke’s side but does Shikako even reciprocate or is she 2a) going with the flow, or 2b) entirely unable to view Sasuke as romantic due to 2bi) knowing who Sasuke as a character could have turned out to be in canon (an asshole), 2bii) knowing Sasuke as a person since they were little kids 2biii) knowing that she has way more information about the machinations that ruined his life than he does and that she 2biii-) didn’t do anything to stop (even by telling an adult who probably wouldn’t have believed her, but still, no attempt was made) 2biii=) continues to keep it a secret from him even though the literal mastermind behind the murder of his family is walking around the village without any consequences

In all fairness it is probably because of that drama that I write more Shikasuke fic and the ANBU Red Team dynamic is fantastic, so I can see why I might give off that vibe. Whereas because my Shikaara feelings are so uncomplicated and serene I feel like I’ve written all of my Shikaara fic many moons ago (and, admittedly, before I figured out a good tagging/ao3 uploading system so they’re kinda sprinkled around and hard to find T_T)

I am, of course, a multishipper. :D

All that being said, I don’t know if your first idea really meets the brief of She Who Has Divine Right since it seems like her ascension to become “queen” (aka the Kazekage’s consort in this case? Because I can’t imagine Suna’s council would be okay with a Leaf nin co-ruling their village) is more about her marrying Gaara than the Divine powers given to her by Gelel.

Like, if anything, a more “She Who Has Divine Right” adherent take would be if, because she has melded with Gelel, she automatically becomes the leader of Haido’s… country? nation? castle?… or I guess what was actually Temujin’s before Haido killed his parents and etc. ESPECIALLY since according to the wiki “only the royal blood of his clan could forge stones from the ore” and we definitely know that Shikako has her own Gelel stone.

Oh, and it could double for a She Who Leads The Armies since I think they were an invading force that was going to mess with the Elemental Nations (starting with Land of Wind) before Shikako and co. stopped them.

So it would appear that not only did Haido’s invasion fail to, like, six teenagers and a ferret, BUT also the god/divine presence that fuels their literal heart stones also REJECTED Temujin—who is 1) Haido’s heir and 2) the actual original royalty—in favor of one of said six teenagers by fusing with her.

So, you know, now Shikako is the leader of a country/nation outside of the known continent that tried to invade lol. This is just her upping the ante of turning attempted invaders (Sand Siblings) into allies. ;)

~

People earnestly worshiping Shikabane-hime in such a way that it becomes a feedback loop of power -> miracles -> worship -> more power is very entertaining to me because Shikako would also find it entertaining or at least fascinating if it were happening to LITERALLY ANYONE ELSE. As is, the idea of a reluctant burgeoning god is pretty fun. Although part of me is wondering if this would necessarily count as a Hail to the Queen since BEING divine and HAVING divine right are separate things? And of course a lot of my Hail to the Queen series doesn’t necessarily have her become Hokage explicitly—sometimes they are more about being the power behind the throne or the circumstances that push her towards becoming Hokage even though she wouldn’t want to take that from Naruto nor would she want that at all for herself—so it’s not like a governmental leadership role is necessary for the series. But I feel like just becoming a god kind of takes out the intricate… maneuvering? legalese? puzzle?… of becoming queen/queen equivalent.

ALTHOUGH, ALTHOUGH, nothing says that she can’t become QUEEN OF THE GODS.

(I mean, she did pretty handily smack down Jashin as a little god with almost no worshipers to her name and still in a mortal form. That’s pretty embarrassing for him, honestly.)

Or, for a slightly less megalomaniacal take, there was that Changeling ficlet in which I imply that changelings are sent across to the shinobi world to learn and grow and prove themselves and then come back (with or without mortal Knights) to fight in the Courtly Wars and maybe become the new Fae Monarchs

So, you know, she doesn’t need to be human to be a queen.

~

As for the last part of your ask, I don’t know if it matches exactly what you wrote, but I did have She Who Makes The Crown in which Shikako time travels/is summoned by a young Tobirama and is, like, an un-aging advisor to the Nidaime all throughout his reign and helps him build Konoha

It kind of hits on some of the things you mentioned (not exactly, of course) but close enough that I think it might be repetitive if I went that route.

[empty-pizza]

thoughts on harrow the ninth chapter thirty-seven

this conversation about what happens when G man dies is pretty relevant in the context of the text that appears underneath some of the chapter numbers

you know, one of the things i really want more detail on is how and why people hate this empire. i mean, it's definitely an empire of some form. lots of reasons to hate that kind of thing from the outside (or inside), i just want to know more about that perspective. blood of eden's issue seems more personal though.

okay i gotta say. if you have a problem with the memes in the narration and all like... you're a clown sorry. it's so infrequent and when it does happen i really can't say it's tone breaking. and like. it's god. the guy who loves saying goofy things because he can say whatever the hell he wants, and who's really old. it is entirely in character for him to say none house with left grief. if you wanted this series to have more normal narration and humor you're asking for this man to be unrealistically chill with his overly long life. let this man cope.

i love his response to being asked about A.L. "neither are we romantic—neither are we, frankly, platonic—" lmaooo. can't believe god assumed that they'd be fucking just because they're the same age, when harrow is like, twenty years younger than ianthe.

love when the red herring is just the author lying to our faces lmao. so it's not really annabel lee, or it doesn't have to be. meaning it can still very well be alecto, which i know is the titular name for book four.

or that could be completely wrong. like, i don't want to jump to conclusions. a mysterious girl who is gone, that god once had at his side. and a girl trapped in a locked tomb since long ago. it would be jumping to conclusions to assume they could be the same. that's exactly what the author wants you to do, maybe. but god could very well be lying about a lot of this story. like i said early on, he's the kind of person who, if he's a liar, would be a very dangerous one.

NO

HARROW DON'T ADMIT TO HIM WHAT YOU DID

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

FUCK FATHER FIGURES AND PARENTAL ACCEPTANCE AND ALL THAT YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT UP

welp let's see how this goes. either she's fucked, or it seems okay until she's fucked later.

and he's gaslighting

this is all fuckery and like OBVIOUSLY multiple things are possible, but i am 100% going to say that no, harrow made it in. that he doesn't understand everything, or can't let her know what she really did. i'm all in on this one. this, its place in the structure, the tone. it's not a twist, it's a red herring.

and he figures out her brain has been fucked with. is he interpreting that as connected to how he thinks she only thinks she made it into the tomb? or does he know it's unrelated? because we should know that she's the one who did it but we have to be careful.

it reads like harrow programmed her body to make like a tree and get out of there when questioned on this

he seems mad at himself. maybe he won't pursue this line of questioning further

i have no idea where this book goes next

[bluiex]

AAA HERE IT IS!! This turned out to be more Pearl-centric than I intended but I still like it :D There's a bit of Scarian if you squint but it can be read as platonic or romantic; whatever you like!

I've never written a sickfic before so I hope this is ok!! Enjoy!

- sickfic anon)

-----

Something was wrong with Scar, there's no doubt about that.

As pearl circled the city of boatem she counted on her hand how many people she could see, like she was taking attendance. She told herself it was for business purposes; to ensure everyone was out and about and working on something productive. In reality, she was just curious about what her fellow boatem members were doing.

As she counted, she took note of what her friends were doing. One - Grian was by his train, Two - Mumbo was tending to his farm, Three - impulse was busy tweaking his build, and… four? Where was Scar? Well, he was nowhere to be found, which spiked Pearl’s concern. It had been like that all day! Where was he?

Her feet hit the ground at Grian’s train, deciding that she should ask around first before jumping to conclusions.

“Griba!” she shouted, causing Grian to yelp embarrassingly. He turned to look at her with an annoyed expression on his face, which made her smile. It wasn't a good day if she hadn't annoyed her brother at least once.

“Yes, pearl? To what do I owe this pleasure?” He asked, annoyance and sarcasm coating his voice. To anyone else, it might have come off as rude. But Pearl knew Grian well and didn't overlook how his words were stitched together with fondness.

“Well as much as I’d love to bicker I'm actually here to ask if you’ve seen Scar at all today?” 

Upon her asking, she saw realization dawn on her brother's face, suddenly looking worried. Grian had been so busy all day with the G-Train that he hadn't really talked to anyone much. He completely missed the fact that he hasn't gotten his daily dose of Scar-time. That was incredibly odd.

“Come to think of it, I haven't. Have you seen him? Is he okay?” he asked, suddenly very worried. Pearl shook her head. 

The two of them ran through boatem on the way to the Swaggon. Surely Scar would be there, right? On their way, they met up with Impulse and Mumbo, who also hadn't seen their Top-hat-clad friend. Not a single person getting chatted up by their dear Scar even ONCE today? Something was definitely wrong. With their worries reciprocated and anxiety bubbling, they bolted for the Swaggon. What was wrong? Was he hurt? Was he sad? Why didn't he say anything? Did they do something to upset him?

Their minds came to a stop as they reached the Sawggon, burst into the entrance and found Scar fast asleep on his bed with Jellie nuzzled on top of him. Or.. he WAS fast asleep. Now he was sat straight up, sweating, and blushing from the embarrassing shout he just made. 

“W-well hello friends!” Scar spoke in a raspy voice, high-pitched and cracking. Man, they must have really spooked him. Deserved, Pearl thought. Scar scared them too!

“Scar! What's going on with you? Where’ve you been all day?” Pearl asked, still hopped up on concern. Impulse stepped in front of her with a warm smile on his face. 

“I think she's trying to ask if you're okay?” 

Scar blinked at them, still a little shocked from the loud surprise visit, before trying to explain himself. Unfortunately, before he could, he broke out into a coughing fit. That's when it hit them. 

Scar’s face was red, his voice was rough, and he was sweating. Jellie was meowing at him, clearly concerned and bumping her head against his chest. 

Scar was sick.

He cleared his throat, his friends now at his sides, asking if he was okay or needed water. They were sweet, and Scar appreciated it.

“I meant to tell you, but I must've fallen asleep! I think I'm sick.” he smiled sheepishly, thinking this would calm the nerves of his lovely friends, but they only seemed to look more concerned! Was it something he said?

“Oh Scar, is there anything we can do? Do you need medication?” Grian asked, uncharacteristically soft. Impulse and Pearl let themselves into Scar’s kitchen and started.. Well, it sounded like they were slamming pots and pans together, but Scar had to assume they were hungry. Though the noises made his head pound even harder than it was before, making him wince and hold his hands over his ears. Jellie meowed and looked at Grian like she was silently asking him to do something!!!

Grian looked at Mumbo, who didn't even need instructions. “I'm on it!” he said and clumsily ran to the kitchen to try and keep the noise to a minimum. Meanwhile, Grian sat on the side of Scar’s bed and fished out some pain meds from the bedside table, grabbing water from his inventory and helping Scar take it. Scar was perfectly capable of taking medicine on his own, but Grian seemed to really want to mother-hen him, so he didn't complain. The weight on the bed shifted as Grian crawled in next to Scar, guiding him to rest his head on Grian’s chest so he could run his fingers through his hair. 

“You’ll get sick” Scar protested, yawning. He already felt much better having his friends here with him. He was so grateful he had them. 

“Avians have good immune systems.” Grian lied. They weren't much different from humans like Scar, but he didn't want to leave. Scar smiled, draping an arm around Grian and feeling Jellie purring against his back. As Grian’s wings shifted to cover Scar, he felt the weight of the man increase ever so slightly on his chest, signifying that he had probably fallen asleep. 

It was peaceful until Pearl ran back in, asking about where she could find chicken broth, before getting shushed by Grian. Upon seeing the sleeping form in Grian’s arms, she smiled fondly, and waved her hand, saying she’d figure out where to find it.

Scar woke up an hour later to find all his friends hanging out and softly chatting around him, Grian’s hand still stroking his hair, and was brought “Impulse’s magic soup” after they noticed his consciousness. He felt so much better already, and Pearl made a mental note to make the "attendance check" a daily activity

AWWWEH YES CUTE SO CUTE

I love it qoq pearl and Grian rushing over to help then getting everyone else <333 gah this is so good