#it's about the gradually more desperate IT'S OVER ISN'T IT WHY DO I STILL FEEL THIS WAY??????s

[eerna]

Speaking of songs from shows I'm not into, It's Over Isn't It is still one of the Best Musical Moments I've ever heard. The yearning the inability to move on the confusion. Delicious

[dannyphantom-zero]

Doctor Danny Chapter 5 Stay-cation

Jason glanced at the couch as he made breakfast. Huddled inside a blanking was Danny with nothing but his pouting face exposed.

Jason shook his head. The doctor would run himself ragged at this point. Getting all upset because he couldn't go to work.

Danny was gradually getting hungrier by the second. Jason walked over with two plates with eggs and bacon on them.

"Made some breakfast" Jason said circling the plate near Danny's face. The smell was making Danny pissed off. He wanted to eat it but he didn't like the way Jason was so smug about it.

Eventually Danny broke down and had to open up his blanket to receive the plate.

"How is it?"

Danny scowled at Jason, "it's good" he muttered before shoving more food in his mouth and chewing angrily.

Jason couldn't believe how cute this doctor could be.

"Try some of this" Jason said handing Danny a glass.

Danny looked at Jason hesitantly. Danny brought the cup up to his lips and took a big sip.

A sweet liquid filled Danny's mouth, it left a tart aftertaste.

"What is this?" He asked looking at Jason with stars on his eyes.

"It's wine that I made when I visited a brewery a while ago" Jason picked up a napkin and gently wiped Danny's mouth.

Danny was too embarrassed to think.

"D-do you want some ectoplasm?!" He blurted out before thinking.

"If you want to, yes"

Jason was acting strange, why was he being shy and complacent all odt he sudden??

Danny crawled across the couch to Jason. He put his hands on Jason's shoulder to steady himself and bit Jason's neck.

A calm feeling washed over Jason as he closed his eyes. He felt disconnected and tingly. Danny was the opposite. Whenever he did this he felt like he was drinking pure energy.

"Mm" Jason's eyebrows furrowed. Danny let go.

"Better?"

Jason opened his eyes.

"Yeah, thanks"

Jason and Danny watched a few movies. Danny was talking about a character when his phone interrupted him.

Danny glanced at it casually. His eyes grew big.

"SAM!" Danny squeaked as he answered.

"Hey Danny, my band is performing tonight at the mike bar, you know the one right?"

"The usual one right?"

"Yeah, anyway we lost the lead singer so to a sore throat and we desperately need a replacement. I know how good you can sing and you play guitar so, please help me!"

Danny peered at Jason.

"Sure, I'll be right there" Danny hung up.

"Where are you going?"

"A bar nearby, I have to help out a friend"

Jason stood up and grabbed an extra jacket for Danny.

"Jason? Your coming too"

"Your still on the run remember"

Danny smacked Jason's shoulder.

"Don't say it like that! You make it sound like I'm running from the law!" Danny chastised.

Jason shrugged, "Batman isn't easy to shake off"

Danny crossed his arms.

"I already knew that, but I don't think he'll randomly bother me. He's gotta have a life too right?"

Danny got a bad feeling about the face Jason was making.

"You'd be surprised" Jason groaned.

They made it to the bar without running into to any issues. Danny stepped in and started looking around. This bar has a rustic vibe to it before but now it looked like a goth den.

Maybe it was because Sam's band was performing today but there seems to be a lot more goths than usual.

"Danny!" Sam exclaimed hugging him.

"Hey Sam, how have you been, it's been so long"

Sam grinned confidently and pointed her thumb towards her band mates who were setting up.

"My bands been doing pretty well"

Sam punched Danny's arm, "but hey can't believe my little delinquent is a famous doctor now"

Danny waved his hands.

"Sam! Don't talk about that on public!"

Jason put a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Oh, who are you?" Sam asked.

"He's a friend of mine" Jason growled.

"R-right, Jason and I became friends recently."

Sam grabbed Danny's arm, "well sorry Jared but I'm going have to steal Danny for a bit"

Sam gave Jason a cold look, "not that it's really stealing since he isn't yours"

Danny send an apologetic look at Jason before being dragged off. Sam took Danny to the male bathroom.

"Here, change" she ordered thrusting clothes at him.

Danny didn't have time to object.

His eyes bugged out when he put on the clothes.

"What kind of clothes are these?!" He exclaimed.

He was wearing a black button shirt that was open in the back with an x strap, it also had three spikes jutting out on each shoulder. His pants were black jeans with rips and chains hanging along the side.

His shoes had been swapped for boots and on his hands he wore fingerless, fake leather gloves.

"You look almost perfect!" Sam said once Danny stepped out feeling dazed.

"Sit and stay still"

Danny sat on the stool and let Sam apply mascara to his eyes. It deepened his eyes, making him look like a real goth. A hot one at that.

"Your stage name should be...."

"How about Runner?" Danny suggested.

"Huh,Runner? Sure I guess it works"

Danny helped set up his mike. Sam let him use the spare electric guitar they had.

"Alright, you guys ready?" Sam asked, the band mates shouted in unison.

Jason waited impatiently for the Danny to make an appearance.

The band started up and Danny stood up to the mike.

"3,2,1-"

The band started playing, Jason watched Danny sing and play. He seemed so different from the doctor Jason knew.

The crowd was cheering as the band played. It had a pop rock vibe to it, the songs were catchy and Jason had to admit he liked the band.

Danny smiled and waved after the band finished their last song.

"Let me help you pack up" Danny said as he stuffed the equipment in Sam's bus.

"Thank you so much Danny! Who knew you still had in you!" Sam said laughing.

"Danny"

He turned to see Jason standing a few paces away.

"Hey Jason"

"You were really good up there"

Danny grinned.

"Really?"

"When you sang o felt my heart racing"

Danny laughed, "your funny Jason, but really it was all Sam. Her band is really great"

Sam playfully ruffled Danny hair.

"Yeah that's right, I'm awesome I know" Sam boasted.

"We should probably head back" Jason said.

"Head back, did you come from the same place?"

Danny seemed flustered.

"Yeah, Danny spent the night with me"

Danny was quick to clarify that he apartment had been broken into and Jason let him spend the night.

Though he could tell by Sam's face that she was thinking they were romantically involved.

When Danny got back he plopped onto the couch.

"You hungry?" Jason asked.

"A little" Danny said yawning.

'cute' Jason thought.

They ate and Danny passed out soon after.

The next morning Jason woke up to a note from Danny saying he had gone to work.

Jason had troed texting Danny alter that night but had gotten no response.

This went on for a couple days and later when Dick met up with Jason he could tell something was wrong.

"Hey, you look way too depressed, even for you"

Jason just drank.

"Come on, let it out"

Jason clenched his fist.

"I think I made someone mad"

Dick raised an eyebrow. Jason made people mad every day, there had to be more to this.

"This person started avoiding me, isn't answering my calls or texts and hasn't come back to my apartment-" Jason said too much.

"Ooh, romance problems huh?"

Jason groaned, "I wish, we aren't even dating. I've never been more frustrated"

"Maybe this person is just really busy, did you seem to be on good terms?"

"Yeah, I mean, he's a doctor so I guess he could just be busy but..."

Dick eyes lit up, a doctor? And a male one at that. Could it be-

"Do you have a crush on the famous doctor Fenton?"

Jason blushed furiously.

"It's not a crush!"

So he did.

"Why don't you visit him in person if your so worried?"

Jason sighed, "I don't want to bother him, besides I don't think he likes me back"

"There's only one way to find out you know"

And that's why Jason was currently waiting outside of Gotham General. He wasn't sure how long he had waited but a tap on his shoulder jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Jason, why are you here?"

He shrugged and turned his head away so Danny couldn't see him blushing.

"You weren't answering my calls or texts so I came to see you myself"

"Ah" that's right, Jason was a stalker. How could Danny forget.

"Right well I should probably get going" Danny said as he opened his car door.

Jason shut it and didn't take his hand off the door.

"Jason?"

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not avoiding you, I'm just tired and I want to go home" Danny said turing away.

"I'll take you" Jason said.

In one deft movement Jason had picked up the lanky doctor and put him in the passenger side.

"What?" Danny said confused.

"You said your tired, so I'll drive"

Danny looked at Jason's face, he seemed anxious.

"H-hey, this isn't the way to my apartment." Danny said.

"Your apartment isn't safe, I'll take you to mine"

"What? Why? It's not your business if my apartments not safe"

"Your my friend Danny, I don't want you to get hurt"

"This isn't the way a friend acts!" Danny said. Jason had stopped at a red light giving Danny the perfect window to escape.

He unbuckled and slipped from the car. He started running. Jason had been acting weird, too weird. If I kept up Danny wasn't sure what he might do and he was afraid to push Jason away.

They were just friends! He really didn't want to make Jason uncomfortable but now everything was ruined.

Jason clenched his teeth. He found a secure place and parked Danny's car.

He made Danny run away! He was stupid!

Jason did his best tracking down Danny. Finally he spotted someone walking alone.

"Danny!" The person turned their head and it almost looked like they were crying.

Suddenly he started running again.

Jason caught up to him and grabbed him from behind holding him in a tight hug.

"Why are you running from me?" Jason asked in hurt pleading tone.

"Because-" Danny suddenly cut off, "batman" he said weakly.

"Batman?" Then Jason saw him.

"Crap, come on" Jason said tugging Danny with him as they ran, wearing in between stores.

They ended up on the roof of a quick-mart.

"Did we lose him?" Danny asked panting.

"Yeah I think-"

"No"

Jason fired his grappling hook, at the same time Danny almost tripped. Before they knew it, they were trapped, tangled up together and hanging off the side of the building.

"Shit" Jason said softly.

Bruce pulled them up and Jason untangled himself from Danny.

"Can't you just let the poor man go?" Jason asked.

Danny sighed and stepped up.

"It's alright Jason, I'll take responsibility for my actions."

Danny held out his hands to be cuffed.

"I'm not taking you to jail" Batman said.

Danny dropped his arms, "huh? Your not?"

"Your not?" Jason asked.

"No. However Jason and I seem to need have a talk."

"Then why were tracking Danny down"

"Your always together"

Jason was taken aback at Bruce's abruptness.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Come to the manor, well discuss there"

Jason cursed after the bat had left.

"What a dick seriously, how dare he do that to you!"

"It's really fine Jason, come on. Let's go, he's probably waiting for you"

Jason shrugged.

"Just don't jump out the car this time"

Danny promised not too and they drove up to the manor. When they got there, Danny noticed a butler waiting at the entrance.

"Welcome master Jason and his friend"

[anantaru]

✦ ۫ 𑄼ల۫  ۪ DEC 8TH — FAVORITE WINTER ACTIVITIES

featuring: heizou, childe, xiao, albedo, diluc, itto, scaramouche, al-haitham x gn! reader

genre: fluff, crack ૮⍝◠ ·̫ ◠⍝ა | event.

✦ 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐙𝐎𝐔

decorating the house

for heizou and you it was important to decorate and celebrate a warm and warm-hearted christmas vibe, the atmosphere being filled with both kindness and compassion, symbolizing your love to each other and the new season.

"how does this look?"

heizou held a dainty figurine in his hand, symbolizing an angel, wrapped in a white little garment as he held it on to the drawer next to the big christmas tree, being unsure if it would fit.

"I love it! it fits the white ornaments on our tree."

your glowing face was definitely better than the wintery season itself, the sides of your lips were split in an enticing smile as you walked towards him.

"i love the sound of 'our' tree."

flabbergasted with joy and delight he put the small figurine on the desk so he could place his hands on your waist, drawing you closer.

a kiss, only one, saying more than one thousand words, that threw you off reality, feeling like your feet barely touched the ground anymore.

upon pulling away, you held his cheeks in your palms, continuing, "we should continue to decorate." grabbing the silver ribbons and glitter off the table you tried to pull away from his grasp as he hooked his hand into you.

watching him with a confused expression, you continued, "there‘s still things to do on the tree."

"OUR tree, don't mess it up now."

✦ 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐄

ice fishing

with ajax having an immense advantage surrounding this particular hobby— due to his father and him spending lots of time ice fishing together when he was little, he made it his duty to show you all the little tricks he had up his sleeve.

"wait, hold it like this."

your fingers were desperately cramping around the fishing rod, your hands struggling as he took them in his palm, wiggling you into the right direction.

"see, isn't that better?" his warm breath on your cheeks surely made you experience another familiar feeling, your smile being wide as you drew your eyes to him, thankful. "you're right."

"father and i always came here on the exact same spot, he showed me everything I'm showing you right now."

of course, you knew ajax was a big family person, his family was everything he had with you counting as a member of it as well.

the first time you met his parents you could still remember how excited he was, contentment warmed him from within when you were gradually opening up to them, laughing at each others jokes. He was so proud.

proceeding to let out some line from the fishing rod— so you could set the hook much further, you eagerly listened to the stories ajax would tell you about his childhood.

between the physical cold of the wintry day in snezhnaya, you shared each others company. An icy beauty was roaming, gently, a white sparkle as fine as any crystal would be when it began to snow, making the day very much more beautiful.

✦ 𝐗𝐈𝐀𝐎

sledding

with a puffy winter coat, xiao and you decided to go out sledding, well, not quite.

you actually had that brilliant idea and xiao followed suit, he wanted to make sure nothing was happening and that you weren't going to catch a cold, as if he could prevent that in the first place.

"are you sure you aren't too cold? we can still go back."

there it was again, your laugh echoed through the icy area as you turned around to watch xiao place the sled on the ground, his brows being slightly scrunched together in thought.

"i'm fine, are you ready though?" obviously, teasing him was one of your favorite things to practice, xiao never went sledding before and he was quite fond of the idea to share a new experience with his s/o.

"why shouldn't i be?" embarrassingly shifting his weight from side to side, he crossed his arms over his body, the cold air continuing to color his cheeks in a red hue.

"nothing nothing, we should start the fun!"

sledding every cold season comes and goes, but doing it with your s/o sure leaves its own impression, one that will always be remembered within high esteem.

with the sled down, you could feel the spine chilling wind run across your bodies when you sank onto the ground with xiao following suit.

you were sitting right in between his legs, he wanted it that way even though you had suggested to change positions, xiao still wanted you to sit particularly like that so he could drape his body over yours.

upon sliding down your faces changed with yours glistering in joy and excitement, you were pretty high up the hill, meaning that the sled was far faster than you had expected.

screaming and laughing you snuggled into xiao who held his breath because he didn't know what to do or what to say, nuzzling himself into your body and watching you well up with happiness.

it brought him a ray of happiness as well, seeing you like this.

✦ 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐄𝐃𝐎

ice skating

you were moving in tandem with the crystal cold on you, albedo holding your hand as the both of you skated over the frozen lake in mondstadt.

if there was beauty in teyvat, it was here, in this moment, together with every weight lifted off your soul, it felt as if you were floating with him by your side.

"how are you so good at this albedo? you said it's your first time."

it was somehow hilarious how your boyfriend seemed to literally know everything by heart, even hobbies he had never tried nor thought about before.

"it is actually quite simple, the mass of the ice is nearly perfectly constructed to hold the people of mondstadt." yeah, that wasn't what you meant but you decided not to press the conversation any further, more so would he end up telling you all about the mass and construction of ice.

either way, those little quirks surely made you fall in love in the first place, albedo's fluffy hair was engulfed by the icy air, hiding significant features of his handsome face.

with your hand tightly shut around his, you continued to dance around the ice and albedo was barely able to conceal his delight. Of course, he was always itching to learn and experience new things and now, doing that, together with you?

truly the best way to greet the cold season.

✦ 𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐔𝐂

wrapping presents

every year, gifts were an exchange being made by friends and family, naturally diluc and you were quite entranced by the idea of sending various little goodies to your close ones, or at least, you were.

truth is, he could be a bit overwhelmed with it, when it came to gifting someone something he wasn't the most creative one either, really, he was struggling his butt off so he was happy to at least have you by his side.

"jean will love this homemade bread and hand written letter, I'm sure of it."

with that you looped a golden and red string over the packaged gift, placing it to the other already done goodies you had been working on earlier.

your eyes next, fell to diluc who was surprisingly struggling, his fingers were clumsily squeezing the wrapping paper over a dusty notebook.

"who is this gift for?"

curiosity caught the best off you as you rested your head against your palm, watching diluc add an ungodly amount of wrapping paper to the small book.

"kaeya."

how emotionless he let that name out, maybe he was too focused or he didn't want to talk about it. "you're gifting kaeya an old notebook?"

"it was my fathers, he should have it."

the next sight was adorable in your eyes, whenever diluc would get embarrassed his cheeks would flush red, sometimes the color would fade incredibly strong that it rivaled his hair.

"aw, that's so nice of you master diluc."

laughing and smiling, you rose up to wiggle yourself into his lap at last. Your boyfriend of course, let you, adoring nothing more than being close to you as you continued to watch him finish up kaeya's gift:

the gift he told you he wanted to wrap up himself.

✦ 𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐂𝐇𝐄

building a snowman

"this is stupid."

lets be honest here, you knew scaramouche wasn't fond of the idea of quote on quote playing in the snow, yet you still desperately wanted to build a snowman right in front of your home to uplift everyone's mood on the new developing season.

"come on, don't be a dealbreaker, you promised."

his eyes rolled in the back of his head as you spoke, but he didn't say anything, an annoyed groan was the last word you could perceive as he nearly finished the bottom of the snowman.

you could swore you saw a tiny sprinkle of a smile on him, maybe you were delusional but there was something that made it difficult for scaramouche to simply walk away or complain to you more.

"I'm only doing this for you so you better be thankful."

his focus was completely on you now, crystalized eyes watching you and waiting for some sort of reaction, or answer.

"i know and i‘m grateful for you."

knowing full on well it will make him flustered, you added a small giggle to your words as you brought your attention back to the headless snowman, attempting to grab onto the finished head.

"wait, let me do this." every person needed a harbor, a secure attachment and for scaramouche there was never a person like this, before you.

so even though he still despised the idea of building something as time consuming and stupid as a snowman— which will melt anyways, he wanted to at least try and show you that he was serious about another thing.

with a tiny bit of your help he settled the snowball on top of the body, you came prepared and added a tiny red scarf and a hat with scaramouche holding onto the carrot and two buttons.

in an attempt to give them to you, you turned away, beckoning him to do it himself as he followed with a deep sigh.

he was a bit rough at first so you had to make sure he wouldn't destroy the head of the snowman with his brute strength, but after careful guidance the both of you backed away to watch your craft it its full glory.

"our own creation."

with that, you wiggled your fingers into his. This sentence meant a lot to him, reminding him of a string of pain, with his eyes holding something akin to freedom.

✦ 𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐎

baking cookies

"DON'T TOUCH THIS ITTO IT‘S HOT!"

your screaming fell on deaf ears as itto grabbed onto the hot plate on the kitchen counter, squealing out upon making contact with it and almost throwing all of the cookies on the ground.

"ow, what the fuck?!"

with the way he was smacking the plate away, some of the cookies broke into tiny pieces as you sighed out at what your clumsy boyfriend had just did.

"noooo, we need to do it again now."

you weren't getting frustrated that often with itto's little schemes, in all honesty, you were used to it and quite accustomed to whatever measures you had to take to bath out whatever he would do or let happen.

"i didn't mean to, i swear"! worry was written all across his face with his brows being tightly scrunched together, anxiety wrinkles tickling on his forehead.

"i know, i know, lets do it again."

rubbing your eyes you walked over to your boyfriend who had an expression akin to someone who just saw a ghost as you placed your hands onto his cheeks, playfully squeezing the flesh.

"you need to concentrate."

his lips trembled as happiness threw itself at him like a comet, nodding frantically at your words as a newfound dedication swelled within him.

"okay, lets do this!"

breathing out a long sigh while shaking your head, you grabbed onto the big bowl from beforehand to start over, itto following your every step like a lost puppy who didn't know any better.

with being already familiar with the recipe, it didn't take you long to finish the dough, just a few ingredients being missing before you could go on to prepare them for the oven again.

"you know." he suddenly spoke, taking the sugar off the counter to hand it over to you with a overly confident smirk on his lips.

"what if i *did* do it on purpose to spend more time with you?"

✦ 𝐀𝐋-𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐌

stargazing + winter camping

under the darkened sky, between the clouds, in their usual mesmerizing appearence, the glow of the stars were prancing through the transparent clouds and illuminated the world within.

al-haitham and you were nuzzled together in both heavy winter coats and a couple of blankets, sipping on a cup of tea he had prepared as you gazed away.

it was intimate, but not in a sexual way, simply in a pure, soul blooming way you sadly weren‘t able to experience all the time with the both of you being busy on a daily basis.

"did you hear about the story of teyvat and their three moons?"

his warm hand was seeking you as he looped his arm over your shoulders, drawing you close.

"no, what is it about?" even though he would deny it, al-haitham had a way with words and on how to explain certain things, quite contradicting as the akademiya‘s scribe, yet it made him the perfect story teller in your eyes.

"once there were three moon sisters, named aria, sonnet and canon living in a lunar palace."

"sounds like a fairy tale." raising your brow with a giggle you nudged yourself closer to him with al-haitham‘s eyes glued to the sky.

"it might be, but who knows? the sky is endless."

you could see the stars twinkling in his unique colored eyes. No words have been spoken for a while, the proximity filled with pure calmness as the cold air was signifying the start of a new season.

©2022 anantaru do not copy, share, translate

[ystrike1]

Hotaru no Yomeiri - By Tachibana Oreco (9/10)

Life is short. Live. That's the vibe I get when I read about a contract killer, and a woman with a weak heart. The beginning of this isn't romantic, but there's such a sweet implication on the first page. It draws you in.

First, we see an old woman crying over her first love.

She's very aware of her position in life. Women aren't really supposed to love. They're supposed to marry. She fell for someone she shouldn't have, and she was unable to forget him for the rest of her days.

What happened?

Satoko is a beauty. She's sixteen and some say she's the most beautiful woman in the world. Her skin is like snow. The gardeners literally stop working to stare at her when she walks outside. She is also the eldest daughter of a noble house, and she has a loving father. Her life couldn't be more perfect.

Sadly, it only looks perfect. Satoko's half sister, Miwako, is a jealous idiot who hates her for being popular. Her stepmother fully supports the bullying, and her loving father is old. He cared for her when she was ill as a child, but now there's no one left to support her. Everyone supports the lady of the house, and Miwako.

Why?

Satoko has a heart condition. The local doctors don't think she'll make it to adulthood. Satoko wants to get married and experience the life she trained for, but she can't. The doctors told her that even walking is potentially deadly for her.

Satoko gets kidnapped. It is highly likely that her stepmother is behind it. The criminals don't want anything but her violent and brutal death. The gang also wants to rape her before that. A lone murderer guards her, in her execution cell. His name is Shinpei. He's only eighteen, but he's already a legendary assassin.

Satoko begs for her life, but it doesn't work. Shinpei only cares about money...and being loved. Shinpei has always wanted a loving relationship, just like her. He doesn't trust anything she says, because she is a rich and spoiled heiress. It's...brutal? He basically psychologically tortures her to figure out what she's willing to do to live. He's definitely not a prince.

She proposes to him. Her family has money. Most likely more money than whoever ordered the hit. Her father will pay dearly for her life, and her husband will be wealthy. That's why men still propose to her, despite her condition. Satoko makes this offer out of desperation, but Shinpei decides to test her for real. If she passes she'll be the only object of his love.

Violence explodes. Shinpei kills at least ten men. He accepts the proposal after Satoko proves she can love him. Satoko says she is not spoiled. She's been prepared for death for years. Marrying Shinpei doesn't scare her. She just wants to live as long as she can. That's...perfect for him. Women have tried to seduce him, because he is powerful, but he had to kill them all when they started to fear him. Basically, he needs a tough woman.

Satoko is his chance to have love. He immediately gets attached. He wants everything. Couple baths. Tender hair brushing. Devotion beyond death. He's lonely, just like Satoko. She also very much needs protection. Deep down she knows her stepmother ordered the hit. Having a killer husband is kind of ideal right now.

Shinpei is twisted. He keeps manipulating Satoko. He wants her to confirm their love over and over. She decides to show him she's ACTUALLY tough. She can't let him keep pushing her around. So, she asks for his heart. Literally, she says her heart is no good and she wants his inside her.

This changes everything. Shinpei realizes that Satoko is not a coward who will kiss his ass to survive. She's not willing to constantly reassure him. He has to participate in the relationship and actually get to know her. This gradual buildup is a good bedrock for love. The best thing about this one is how realistic it is. The kidnapping is brutal. The killing is brutal. The family drama is brutal. It really feels like Satoko is a young woman in need of power. She's not some idealistic girl that can fix everything with her smile.

She has to think.

[faerunsbest]

"Do you regret marrying me?"

-Rolan

imagine rolan getting married and being who he is he's still very work focused. He gradually increases his own workload without meaning to, falls asleep in his study. His partner always going to try and call him to bed, but just one more thing... just one more minute.

He has an idea so wakes up skips breakfast and hurries to work and when he gets back to his desk, there's a cold cup of tea and breakfast.

When he does make it to bed, he just passes out and when he wakes he hurries out if bed without a thought. And the store is flourishing.

The tower is brilliant but

Something isnt right...

This time, he lays down in bed and realizes his partner is sleeping close the edge with their back to him. He makes a face but assumes it must have been a long day.

When he wakes the bed is empty, he looks across the blankets not sure why it bothers him. Are they always up so early? He gets up and looks around the room, smiling when he sees them brushing their hard in the bathroom. What are they getting ready for?

When he asks, he's surprised to them look him suspiciously before just leaving the room. No good morning, no teasing, nothing. The silence is heavy as they just pass by, leaving for the day.

In his office that day, he sits down and finds himself staring at an empty teacup that had just become part of the decor. The longer he stared at the cup, the more he wondered how long it had sat there untouched.

Guilt formed in his stomach as he picked it up and turned over, looking the dry tea stained rings inside it. They used to come in here every day and take the cup away and bring him something warm.

When was the last time they came in here? He stood, taking the teacup and it's saucer. His reflection glinting in a mirror.

He stared and for a moment, didn't recognize himself. Longer hair, down to his shoulder blades with streaks of grey. Crows feet and dark under his eyes, his chest tightened as he suddenly thought about his spouses bizarre expression this morning.

Later on, when dinner is set at the table for his spouse and siblings, he finds Cal leaving a plate for him at his desk.

When was the last time he was down there? He isn't sure what to do. Suddenly, his world feels like water and desperately trying to hold on. It's just pouring through his fingers.

That night, he made a point of going to bed at a decent hour. His partner had been laying tossed across the bed comfortably. At the sound of the door opening, he watches them roll to the edge and curl up.

They were staying away from him on purpose.

The first urge is to leave them alone and let them have that space. But he misses them and wonders if he can fix whatever he's done, or not done. So he lay in bed, looking at their back.

He's cautious as he reaches out to touch their shoulder.

"Hey"

"...?"

"Where were you today?"

They looked over their shoulder at him, confused. For a moment they just stare at him and he can't read that look. He doesn't know what's going in their like he did before...he doesn't know them.

They lay back down without answering and his heart sank. Rolan couldn't remember falling asleep, though he woke up in a cold sweat damn near screaming when the first night terror in years reared its head.

They shook him til he woke and pressed him to their chest, gripping him tight. Rolan thrashed for a moment before his ear was pressed over their heart. The sound felt like home and it had been so long since he heard it. His strung his arms around their middle and held on as if they might just disappear if he let go.

When he woke up again the bed was empty, he placed his hands over his face and tried not to feel the way it ached. Had they left already?

Beside him, something was set against the nightstand with a soft 'thup'. They set down a glass of water and didn't look at him. The words fell out before he could think about it.

"Are you leaving?"

They looked at him, again unreadable.

"I gotta to work, you'll be fine without me. You always are."

When the door shut behind them, panic set in again and was lost. He didn't go to his office, instead he pulled on a robe and went downstairs. His siblings were chatting, Lia froze when she saw him standing there looking haggard and exhausted.

"What happened?"

"I don't know what to do..."

The day passed again, his love nowhere in the tower until late at night he found them trudging in from the docks and going to sit on a balcony with a lump of cheese bread and wine bottle from somewhere else. They didn't eat here?

Rolan stepped out, finding them looking at him from the corner of their eye.

"You were at the docks?"

"Yea, I work there."

"Why? Is there something you want? I'm sure I can-"

"I don't want your damn money Rolan."

His name was said with bite, when has it sat on them like that? Since when they stop smiling when they looked at him.

"I just..."

"What's this about? You're acting weird as hell the last few days. What's going on?"

They turned in place to look at him with a pointed glare, wiping wipe from the corner of their.

"I just...was worried I..."

That hard stare was cold and heavy and... something he couldn't place.

"Do you regret me?"

They looked at him, frozen. Eyes searching him though they stayed quiet so he asked again.

"Do you regret, marrying me?"

"Why would you ask that?"

His partner suddenly stood, brow set in a deep frown. They huffed and shifted their weight back and forth from one leg to the other. He couldn't tell if it was anger or anxiety or both.

"You seem so angry... I was"

"What the fuck do care!? YOU DONT EVEN LIKE ME ANYMORE ROLAN!"

His eyes went wide and he realized it was hurt that he didn't see before. They moved to push past him, terrified he grabbed their sleeve to stop them before they could run away.

" I love you. Please, please do you still love me?"

They stood there, paused in midstep...letting him hang on to their arm.

"I'm still here aren't I? I'm so stupid that I stay. I don't want to anymore, I don't wanna love you anymore. I could die you wouldn't notice for a week."

Such hateful words cut deep, rolan feels his eyes sting and tries to pull them close but they won't budge.

"Why would you say that?"

"Rolan... what happened? Why are you doing this now?"

" I just, I miss you."

They turned around to look at him furious, angry tears welling up.

"You didn't care when I missed you. I told you all the time and you didn't even hear me, you didn't listen to a man thing and now, and NOW YOU MISS ME!?"

"I'm sorry i-"

This time, they yanked their arm from his grip to face him. He didn't know what part her hurt more, knowing all this bottled up outrage was his fault or that he may not get a chance to fix it.

"You what, Rolan, WHAT."

"You didn't answer...do you still love me?"

He watched them take a deep breath, a refreshed wave of tears spilling down their face.

"YES! YOU ASSHOLE! I STILL FUCKING LOVE YOU! IM SUCH A FUCKING IDIOT EVERY DAMN DAY."

Their hands curled up into fists shaking at their sides as they glared at him,

"I'm so stupid, that I stay. I stay and I used to try every day, try to just ...be near you and you kept pushing me out. Telling me you're busy. And when I tried to kiss you I couldn't becautheres people around and when were alone you're too tired for me because you just work and work until THERES NONE OF YOU LEFT FOR ME!"

Rolan felt a lump forming in his throat while they screamed at him, sobbing and wiping at their face.

" I'm so stupid I stay, I stay hoping for crumbs of you like a fucking rat."

He reached out slowly, putting his hand in theirs, just listening.

"Now, when you look at me, I don't know what to do. I don't know what you want cause I know it's not me."

"I love you."

He was sure what to do or say but all he knows is that he hasn't said it enough, he hasn't shown it. Or felt it or anything. He closes the space between them, pressing a kiss to their forhead.

"I'm sorry I've let this happen... but I love you. And...you still love me? So can I try again?"

[pumpkinbxtch]

･⁠｡ﾟ “Lovelorn” .⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ

— leo valdez x daughter of apollo!reader

Summary: You and Leo have been friends for a long time. You fight too hard to let him know what you feel and you receive help... divine

Warnings: swear words, mentions of minor burns (really minor)

A/N: English is not my first language, so sorry if it's bad.

Word Count: 2,094

°

The two of you were friends, so close, that you couldn't help but feel bad about yourself as you sighed as you watched him pass by.

«Just a few more days and we will be at camp», you found yourself counting the hours to always have him by your side. Damn, you were obsessed.

Gradually, you stopped making your pen write, and it was now making a constant noise against the library table, your eyes still following his figure along the shelves of books. Why he was it taking so long?

—You've already gone over that shelf five times.— You mumbled and temporarily stopped tapping with the pencil.

The brunette turned to you and smiled with a raised eyebrow. — Shall I distract you, señorita? — Your heart stopped, and you turned your gaze to the notes, trying to hide the red tint that spread across your face, meanwhile, your friend continued passing the shelves and sporadically glancing at you discreetly. He thought you had been acting very strange for a while now, and constantly wondered if it was because of something he had said or done. If so, Leo blamed his loose tongue and the natural insolence of his being, but he could swear by Styx lagoon that had not done something.

When he finally found what he wanted, he returned to the table with you, you, as expected, had almost finished your homework while he hadn't even started.

—Are you almost done, nerd?

You frowned.

— Nerd? Or are you an idiot?

Leo let out a laugh that if it weren't for the silence of the library you would never have had the pleasure of hearing. He settled down and began to write while carefully studying a mechanics book.

—Isn't your father the best mechanic in the universe?

A smile appeared on Leo's lips without looking away from the book and from the book to the notebook. He looked stupid good, his shoulders, his fingers running across the page and his curls falling down his face due to gravity. Blessed gravity.

— I would like him to teach me what I need to know instead of doing godly things and getting me involved in suicide missions, but I don't think that's going to happen, right?

You leaned back to lean your back on the old wooden chair, this allowed you to have a better view of Leo. However, as soon as you realized how stupid that reason was, you felt the heat on your cheeks making you regret it.

— I guess — You cleared your throat and rubbed your cheek hoping it wasn't apparent but the movement caught Leo's attention.

— You feel bad? — He said quickly.

You gasped and shook your head left and right, praying you didn't look as pathetic as you felt.

Leo left the pen next to his notebook. — Come — he said with his hand suspended in the air. You hesitated to lean towards him, you knew that would make it worse, however, like the desperate Leo he was, he didn't wait to rise slightly from his seat and reach out to you. Not even two seconds had passed when he had already gently placed the back of his hand on your cheek. You wanted to die or be swallowed by the earth, but not exactly in that order, or if the gods wanted, all at once. But, as usual, your wishes were not listened to or at least those were not heard.

When Leo's eyes met yours, you couldn't help but pull back, which gave Leo an ache in the chest.

— Everything is alright? — He said when he was finally sitting again, his expression went from calm to serious. Leo was always joking and teasing you, but yes, if he wanted to talk about something serious, he didn't waver in the attempt. You knew it well, and that made you press the edges of the table with enormous anxieties.

So easy that it would be to lie to him with a simple “yes” but your feelings twisted in your stomach and your heart felt a pain that danced between fear and desperation. You were so sick of feeling that fear and not telling him, but you were also terrified of what he would think. Would you be on the same page? Or was it just Leo's stupid attitude with everyone?

— Hey — Leo passed his hand in front of your eyes, bringing you back to earth, you looked at him, still speechless. — Are you ok? Shall we go to the infirmary, or can you handle it? — His index finger pointed to your golden necklace with a sun engraved on it, you immediately pressed it against you.

How did you go from being joking to being terrified of your emotions? You wished it were easy.

And then, your mouth opened without permission:

— No. I need you.

You two stood silent, even everyone in the library seemed to hold their breath.

Leo raised his eyebrow and leaned forward.

— Excuse me?

— Don't you notice, idiot?

For a moment, it was like hearing yourself in the third person, you couldn't believe those words were coming out of you. The fear seemed to vanish out of nowhere.

Your best friend looked down as he took the pen and tapped it on his notebook. — Notice what?— he muttered, looking back at you.

— That I like you.

Leo opened his eyes, and you felt your stomach twisting again, but definitely one less burden on your back. Now you were wondering, would it be very stupid of you to say it was a joke?

Yeah, he would forgive you.

You Laugh — N-no, I don't…

— And you to me.

Both fell silent and Leo snorted.

— Were you going to say it was a joke? — Leo frowned and squeezed the pen, the small device began to melt in his hand.

Seeing this, you muffled a scream and covered his hand without stopping to think twice. The fact was that you were no less sensitive to heat than the plastic pen, which caused a cry of pain to echo throughout the library, earning you several looks and scoldings.

You held your hand with your good one and hunched over in your pain, holding back any more sobs that might bother others. Leo quickly jumped out of his chair to walk past you and kneel, asking to see your hand. With your thoughts fuzzy, you shook your head repeatedly.

— Let me see

You denied.

— Give me your hand!

You denied again.

— Que la chingada, give me your hand!

— YOUNG PEOPLE, KEEP SILENCE — Miss, are you okay? — The librarian looked at your hand and put her hands on her chest, totally scandalized — What are you waiting for, sir? — The old woman pointed at Leo, causing him to fall onto the carpeted floor — Take your girlfriend to the infirmary immediately!

Leo looked at her dumbfounded, still on the floor.

The librarian looked quickly at you, still pressing your hand against your chest, she looked back at Leo and snorted exaggeratedly.

— NOW!— She shouted, breaking her own rules.

— Yes ma'am!

Leo stood up and analyzed you, still struggling with the pain.

— Al carajo, pues. — And he carried you.

It certainly would have been one of your fantasies, if it weren't for the fact that you felt like your hand was melting. Leo's arms carried you by the back of your thighs, while his right hand kept your head resting on his chest. When had he become so strong?

— I had some Ambrosia in my backpack — You whispered in Leo's ear, he stopped at the door of the infirmary, panting. He gave you a look of disbelief.

— And you tell me right now?

You raised your blistered hand, that broke Leo's heart.

—I'll let them take a look at you anyway. —And he entered, still with you in his arms.

To your surprise, the room was empty, but Leo decided that it would be best to wait.

After a few minutes, Leo scratched the back of his neck and gave you a nervous look from the doorway, waiting for someone to enter. Of course, you had completely forgotten.

You settled on the stretcher, making space for Leo, and patted the space with your good hand. He didn't argue and walked over to sit down, probably just as impatient with the situation that had caused your burns.

—Leo…

— It was a joke?

Both looked forward, contemplating a diagram of the human nervous system seemed more comforting than facing each other face to face.

You sighed and looked at your hand, red and blistered, it looked slightly better, it was your nature as a demigoddess after all, but it still hurt. The words stuck in your throat, but you fought it.

—Would it be bad if I told you I wasn't joking?

Leo turned to you with unfocused eyes, his fingers twitching around one another, probably missing not having gears and parts in his hands to calm his nerves.

— Are you serious? — Leo approached impulsively, making your heart skip a beat.

— Sorry, I didn't mean—

His hands cupped your cheek, and he pressed his lips to yours, then he turned away from him to look into your eyes with a smile. He kept his hand on your chin and caressed it gently, his fingers traveled to your forehead to brush away strands of hair, Leo looked at you tenderly and leaned down to kiss several places on your cheek.

—Is that a “I like you too?” — you asked between giggles while Leo continued attacking your face affectionately.

He pulled back and admired you.

— I told you, but I don't mind repeating it.— I, — he pointed to himself dramatically — am a sucker for you.—

You pouted and leaned towards him. — Aren't you always?

— Hey! — He laughed and poked your rib, causing you to join him.

Suddenly, the figure of a man appeared at the entrance to the nursery, both looked in his direction, and Leo stood up.

—Are you sure any of you feel bad? I notice they are in too good a mood.— Said the medical assistant with what seemed like a play on his words. You couldn't see his full face, as it was hidden behind a mask, but the golden curls looked familiar.

Leo cleared his throat. — I'll go get our things, let him check you out. I'll be back in a few minutes.— And he walked toward the doorway.

You nodded and watched the doctor approach with a tray full of instruments for healing. Strangely, just the one your injury required.

— Your hand — He said, the tone also became familiar to you. Curiosity hovered, and you tried to recognize him with the mask on, when the doctor realized he looked up and you were left speechless.

Those blue eyes.

— Father! — You screamed and he removed his mask.

— Trapped — He said sweetly, still paying attention to your hand.

The words didn't come, but the realization hit you like a bucket of cold water.

— You were — Apollo looked at his daughter with a bright smile. — I would never have said that in my life, you forced me!

The god rolled his chair back.

— No, darling. I just sent you a wave of self-confidence — Apollo took your hand in his and lightened up, making any discomfort and any apparent burn disappear.

Your eyes locked onto your father, and you stuttered, the god raising his shoulders.

— What? I made you waste less time with that son of Hephaestus, who is practically my brother, which makes Leo my nephew, but also my son-in-law.

— Dad! — Apollo smiled and winked at you.

—But we don't have DNA, so it doesn't matter.

— Dad!

— Oh, what? I just helped, you asked me to, so did I make my daughter happy or not?

You couldn't deny such a question.

— Good! Ready! I love you, bye

And he disappeared in a burst of light, leaving you with your mouth open.

You raised your fist in the air, and before you said anything, Leo appeared.

— All good?

He looked for the doctor and asked you silently. You sighed and turned to him.

— What happened with? —You gave him a kiss. Leo let go of his backpack and pulled you close to him.

When you broke away from his lips, you smiled at him and grabbed his backpack from the floor, offering your now healthy hand for Leo to take. That made him squint.

— Come on, we have to find something to burn as an offering. I'll tell you on the way.

— Yes my Lady

And you make your way to the main dining rooms.

----

N/A Bless the gods if you made it this far. Thanks, kisses. If you have any request, go to my profile.

[hiraya-rawr]

so i betrayed you, my love– (3/5)

Xiao Version || Childe Version || Thoma Version || Gorou Version || Ayato Version

synopsis !! Part 2 of “You Were The Enemy All Along” featuring the aftermath of betrayal and confrontation, with more depth to their stories! (Part 1 of each character was also included to make reading convenient.)

contains !! some character lore spoilers / a little violence / dialogue heavy in some scenes / reconciliation but also complicated relationships mending together / cameos of other characters! / might be easier to understand if you knew the lore of the characters 

notes !! This was commissioned by the wonderful @mh8 who allowed this to be posted in public for everyone to enjoy! thoma's part was written on a plane and during my exams, so i hope the mood isn't too chaotic.

THOMA

wc !! 1.6k

Stares at you in disbelief before trying to make sense of the situation; were you forced? Why were you doing this? are you in need of help? Even with how obvious your betrayal is, he begs you for an answer, desperately looking for any excuse.

"You know I'll take your side if you could just– tell me why," It's a plea from his lips. Even when you bring out your own weapon, he hesitates to fight you. He'll only do so in self-defense, blocking every fatal blow you throw at him but he's too distracted with the way his heart aches that you actually hurt him for real.

Even with an injury, he can't bring himself to use his vision against you. Ayato has to intervene, quickly coming to his aide and once you're gone and away, Thoma sits there feeling lost. The healers tend to him and he doesn't even flinch at their ministrations, eyes staring distantly at where you last were.

He thinks of you often.

No matter how much he tells Ayato and Ayaka that he's fine, that it's over with, and that he's gradually forgetting you ever left a mark in his life— he still thinks of you often. It's in passing moments and every close of his eyes, he sees you and remembers— not just your betrayal, but everything. You and him laughing, you and him doing chores, you and him carrying out classified missions at the dead of the night (missions you would eventually relay to an informant, who would then relay it to Watatsumi’s army. You traitor, you traitor, you traitor—).

“How is your injury, Thoma?” Ayato breaks him from his trance. This isn't good, he's thinking about you again. Sometimes he wonders if he could deal with this better had he been more sound of mind; less sensitive, less attached, more tough. If you were here, you’d scold him and say that he's amazing just the way he i— again! You on his mind!

“Thoma?” Ayato repeats.

“It's getting better, Waka. It doesn't even bother me when I do my chores!” He plays off and -as if to prove himself- he rolls his left shoulder in little circles, ignoring the tinge of pain it sends.

“Hmm. . . alright. I’d still rather you stop doing chores altogether and wait for a full recovery but I’ll trust your judgment.” Ayato sighs. No, it isn't that he trusts Thoma’s judgment— heck! Thoma would do chores even if the injuries made it impossible. The only reason Ayato and Ayaka agreed for him to continue working would be because he –with all the shame in the world– acted like a lost man. Recovering from his injuries meant sitting still, sitting still meant looking up at his bedroom ceiling, watching out the window, thinking.

~

“What if we decorate your ceiling?” You once asked, leaning on his chest as he gently strokes your head. It was an exhausting day which led to a calm night of cuddling. Simply basking in each other’s presence.

“Why would we do that? What would you even add to it?” He asks nonchalantly, almost humming.

“It’ll make nights like these more interesting. More things to see when we lie down together.”

~

Thoughts. It's you again. This happens every time he stops working, every time he gives himself a minute to think, you slip inside his mental barriers and try to break him down all over again.

He wonders when did he lose you. Was it the day he found out? The day you first met? Or perhaps, he never had you to lose you in the first place.

It was the beginning of the cracks; Watatsumi and Narukami, head to head with growing tensions. Nothing was clear about the situation, just that news of Watatsumi rebelling against the newly placed decrees turned the relationship between the two islands to turn sour. Kokomi, who always planned ahead for every “what if” scenario, placed you exactly for the likelihood of unexpected tension. You took the job believing you could foster peace. It was every hero's idealized dream— with you disseminating information to the army, perhaps this little rebellion could end without worries. 

But like cracks on the walls, you underestimated how much it would spread— and how terribly violent it turned out to be. Soon enough, people were dying, committing war crimes, civil feuds. The information you sent became a matter of life or death.

Death to Thoma’s side, Life to yours. Until—

“We're working with the Watatsumi army?!” Thoma exclaims, hand on the table as he looks at Ayato, baffled. “But– the Shogun! The Sakoku decree! The guards!” And you. Your name is on the tip of his tongue and it almost slips out. There's you and how you turned your back on them (on him). How could he just bury that? No way could Ayato have forgotten!

“I understand where you're coming from, Thoma, but this was a decision made after much consideration. Ayaka is already aware of it and even contributed to forming an alliance. Besides,” Ayato pauses to look at Thoma, almost deliberating whether he should say it or not, “We should not forget. . . Kazuha. Our families have been allies for generations.”

Thoma knows the name that Ayato was supposed to say to convince him, but he's a time bomb and even the young commissioner is unsure whether your name could bring good weather or cause a storm in Thoma.

So he relented, “. . . Yes, Waka.”

It's odd to transition from thinking about your betrayal in every waking moment to thinking about this. . . alliance. Regardless of the Yashiro Commission’s silent support, it doesn't change the fact that they stood on a fence, waiting for the best benefits. You betrayed them and that was that.

Breaking your loyalty was one thing. Never having any sort of loyalty to them was another.

It was unforgivable.

~

It's been a while since the fall of the vision hunt decree and the opening of borders; A month since the start of peace talks and trade relations. You've grown used to attending the long meetings, mostly fueled by tension and backhanded insults, each side wishing to reap as much benefits from the other as possible. However, this was the first meeting you get to attend in Narukami Island. Kokomi and Gorou insisted on needing your knowledge of the area and it proved useful for navigating and discussion.

While you were proud to be included, the role you played was insignificant enough to escape to the courtyard without notice. It was exhausting to even breathe the same air as those politicians in that room.

~

He sees you first before you see him. Dressed in his retainer uniform, it seemed like he dropped Ayato off at the front before taking a stroll through the intricate courtyard.

He sees you first and his heart clenches. Ayato once told him disloyalty was unforgivable and he repeated it like a mantra in hopes of learning to hate you.

He sees you first and you see him second but the world stops all the same– fluttering butterflies and falling petals don't exist in the space you've both made as your eyes met, the world froze over.

You looked terrified, if not drowning in your own guilt. Yes, you worked for a good cause, but that didn't change how you used them. What would he say? How will he say it? Your mind runs on anxiety as you replay all the times you broke his trust (his trust, Thoma’s trust! How could you do that to someone so kind? So loving?). Will he call you a traitor? Ask you brokenly why you did what you did? Coldly look away from you? (You don't think you could take it if he turns the other way. Please don't turn the other way).

His steps rush towards you, hurried and face void and indescribable. 

Do you hate me now, Thoma? You think as anxiety spikes up, your feet frozen in place. ‘Will you scream? Demand why I’m here? Ask why I did it?’

At the last moment, right when you readied yourself for the inevitable, his arms reach out to you instead.  An embrace that encompasses warmth, as genuine as his pyro vision. You can't help the violent flinch at his touch but he doesn't let go, reassuring. It was simply an embrace. 

“I missed you,” He whispers when you didn't think he'd say anything, his grip tightening, “So much.”

And the floodgates begin. It's nonstop, the way your tears stream down your cheeks as if you've been holding back all this time. You grieved when you lost him. It's guilt that builds in you; climbing from your stomach to your throat to the tip of your tongue. Guilt desperately tries to escape you in words, and it does—

“I’m sorry, Thoma,” You cry, gripping onto him with equal desperation, “I'm sorry, I’m sorry, I'm sorry,” You repeat like a mantra, “Archons, I’m so sorry, Thoma, I’m sorry I had to-”

He shushes you softly, cupping the back of your head to his neck. Comfort. “It's okay, I know, I know, I understand why you had to–”

“No, no,” You sob, shaking in refusal. Don't give me kindness now, you think, how dare you be so understanding? So sweet? “No, I hurt you. I hurt all of you and I’m really so, so sorry, Thoma–”

He falls silent, only resorting to gently rubbing your back with his hand, the other hand unable to release its grip on you. You're here now, you're back to him.

How could you ever deserve someone like him? Curse his empathy, his quiet forgiveness, how could he be so kind when you've beaten yourself up over and over for what you've done and how you've hurt him?

“I. . . know there's a lot we have to talk about. And a lot of things happened,” He starts clumsily, holding the back of your head to the crook of his neck in comfort. “But it's okay,” There's a lump in his throat which he tries to hide, “We’ll figure it all out. We have time.”

~

“And here I thought you despised disloyalty.” Yae Miko raises an eyebrow at the blue haired male as she looks away from the courtyard. They sat in the upper tearoom, the warm light contrasting the cool moonlight outside.

Ayato merely hums as he sips his tea, “I’m not as shallow as to disconsider the context. At the end of the day, Thoma is quite dear to me. I wouldn’t have planned this meeting otherwise.”

+ + +

thoma // honestly hard to write for because i was so stuck on imagining him mad, i completely forgot that thoma is capable of forgiving everything bc he’s selfless that way. He might run from his problems tho, which is why ayato makes such a good partner, helping him put everything together hnfjegni

[hanafubukki]

Persona x Twst AU

or that one time Ell (@memoryoflife) and I accidentally predicted Book 7 chapter 5 Events

Let me start off with some background info on the Persona Series for those who don't know:

The Persona series has a similar premise to Twst. In the sense that a person can be corrupted, but the reasons vary. This corruption eventually takes over them and affects their personality. In the Persona franchise, a team can stop these corrupted individuals by accessing their "mind palace." Think, inner access to their mind/soul.

These palaces tend to be just that, a palace. It will consist of a maze like structure you have to solve to get to the final boss. Along the way, you battle enemies and you get glimpses of the person. The true person, and what eventually led them to become corrupted.

Once you reach the Final Boss, the enemy usually has multiple forms. Not only that, but the entire room reflects this form and can be used against the player.

The characters trying to stop the Final Boss try to reason with them and set them free.

As you can tell, this has similarities to twst. The characters in Twst OB, and majority of the time before they do, you can see them gradually change and become corrupted.

Now you're probably wondering how does this exactly fit into Book 7 Chapter 5?

Well it fits specifically for one character alone: Silver.

Chapter 5 focused majorly on Silver and his character development. As Ell and I talked about this AU, we had unintentionally, predicted some of chapter 5 events. (You can imagine our shock and how this affected our feels even more with the chapter release)

Silver's OB

Silver's OB idea was basically him OB while he's asleep. His dream realm was now a nightmare realm of blot and waste.

He couldn't die nor awaken.

Primarily, the idea was Silver OBing right after Malleus. So they would try to rescue him, all the while juggling with emotions and the aftermath of the previous OB.

As Lilia, Malleus, and Sebek try to rescue Silver; they feel even more guilt the further they go into his palace.

But they make way, because they will rescue Silver, no matter what.

Silver's Palace

For Silver's Palace, we focused on who would be in it and how his past would appear.

One floor would focus on Lilia, and how Lilia leaving him affected him. Another would be Sebek, repeating words about Silver not being good enough and how he has to make up for Lilia and Malleus raising him. Malleus’ floor would focus on Silver's ancestors being the reason why Malleus is alone, his parents dead. All of these inner insecurities Silver faces even without the blot, but now so much worse because of it.

The dream realm isn't a dream realm anymore. What was once a world full of pastel colors is now darkness and full of blot.

Dreams full of colors means happiness, but it's not happy anymore is it? It's just a nightmare, of his own making.

The only colors are those of the three Diasomnia members, desperately trying to save Silver.

There are several ideas for his palace, wether it could be a shapeless void or something with structure.

The shapeless void castle is interesting because of the potential for change in scenery.

The Diasomnia members walking into the Final Boss chamber, and at first they see a forrest, not just any forrest but the one Silver grew up in.

The area constantly flashes to a decaying scenery, a burned and black forrest.

Other scenery includes: the cottage Silver grew up in, the death of meleanor, Lilia leaving, etc.

If we went a more concrete castle, the idea was a amalgamation of various castles: Meleanor's, Diasomnia's, and Princess Leah's.

It would make it hard for the others to travel because the Castle’s maze is always changing.

Funny scenario: The three Diasomnia Members are taking a break (basically the save room in the Persona series). Malleus is restricted and can't op through the castle since he is still recovering from his OB

Lilia - "I didn't know he payed this close attention when I played games!'

Other Two - "Of course he did!"

Silver's Companion/Phantom

Silver's Phantom is a Horse or something similar to represent his emotions.

His phantom is always trailing after them.

It tends to keep to the shadows to 'protect' them.

With a horse phantom, you can hear it trotting in the shadows.

This phantom personifies Silver and all that he is. He will always love his family, so when one of the Diasomnia members were going to get attacked in the palace, the phantom stepped in.

Horses are the trusty stead of a knight after all. The horse can just bite the head off those that try to hurt the Diasomnia trio.

Afterwards, it runs away after the battles. But it is always there, they can see and hear it at the corner of their eyes.

Silver's case would be interesting because we can go a route where his phantom represents him, but unlike other OB phantom, his desires are disconnected from his blot.

In one of the stages of the final battle, Silver's phantom horse would even attack him. Because Silver keeps trying to hurt and drive away his family. Where once the phantom attacked the Diasomnia trio, it now protects them when the boss battle changes.

Silver's family has always been a priority to Silver and his horse reflects that. The horse wouldn't let Silver hurt them even though he's trying to get them to leave him alone. His phantom knows Silver better than he knows himself, because it is him in soul after all. (The horse could be that part of Silver that is left. The part of him that knows this whole situation is wrong. The glimmer of hope he has in himself that is constantly fighting against this blot and for his family).

Silver's Final Form/Boss Fight

There are multiple forms we talked about, all of which are very interesting.

One form included Silver being black and gray, but what shakes the Diasomnia members the most is his eyes. They are colorless and black. These eyes are nothing like what they know, no warmth or the fondness they are always blessed with. His hair looses that sheen. He looks like death.

Another idea we had was a blindfolded Silver, they can't see the eyes they have known for so long. He has been blind this entire time, to the pain that he has caused not only his father, but in extension the pain his family caused Malleus. What was the worth of these eyes? When they are blind? To the pain of others. While he dreamed of a fantasy.

Another darker idea was having Silver with gouged out eyes. His OB/Persona form could have remnants of blood on the floor and on his hands. Implying he had gouged them out himself. It would hurt more wouldn't it? To realize he had eyes before his OB, but after learning the truth about his past, everything Silver thought he knew changed.

And here's a favorite part of mine, a transformation of the boss forms. The possibility of Silver transforming in front of them. They see him change from what they knew to this new form. The horror of seeing him gouge his own eyes out and crying tears of blood,

His costume changes and he becomes that of what he hates. A twisted form of the Knight of Dawn costume because that's an ancestry he can't escape. One that he can't forgive himself for either and one that brings pain to him and others. So, essentially, he goes from this dark and gray form to this twisted form of light as we saw with the Knight of Dawn.

There would be Mini bosses as well, consisting of phantoms of the three that hurt Silver the most. One of them is General Lilia.

And because Silver's world has been recontexualized from knowing the truth, these phantoms spout cruel words that Silver believes is true and what he deserves.

A funny comedic part would be his animal friends being his helpers during the boss battle, but a twisted version of the birds and bears.

Funny instance: Sebek is fighting a bear and the birds are dropping bombs and stat drops. Lilia would mention how this stuff is more fun in games and not in irl and his son really did pay attention during their gaming sessions; only for Sebek and Malleus to shout "Not now!"

Some funny instances include shocking and freezing Lilia. Additionally, Malleus and Sebek would have sleep and confusion casted on them.

Another aspect of the second stage of battle would be how Silver notices how tired his family is. Even in this form, he loves them. "No, I would never hurt my family. This is wrong." Now, every time they get hit so does Silver. The battle changes, they have to be extra careful and dodge attacks now.

Saving Silver

So, how do they save Silver you ask?

The same way he has always saved them, with unconditional love.

Lilia - expressing how much he loves him, the same way Silver has always unconditionally expressed his love. How he knew he would always have someone home to return too.

Malleus - talking and bringing up memories and how he has always loved Silver as the little brother. How Silver brought him freedom from the loneliness of his own castle and a home to him.

Sebek - talks about how Silver always looked after him and never let him down even when they were kids and alone at the island. How Silver is his fellow Knight and no one can have that honor and he can always depend on him.

In the battle, Malleus can take down the giant form behind Silver in his dragon form. Saying how he will save Silver the same way Silver has done for him.

Sebek ends up restraining Silver while he's on his knees as he tries hard to get free, all the while, screaming, wailing that he doesn't deserve love and he needs to repent.

Lilia would walk towards his son. He would kiss him on the forehead and where Silver's eyes used to be, stating he deserves all the love in the world.

This is what breaks him.

He ends up crying, just like he did when he first went to Malleus. He falls into his father's arms as if he was a child again, seeking the warmth he has to offer.

The three diasomnia members can finally, finally return the love they had always received.

The Palace shatters.

And that's the gist of our Persona AU 💕💚, as you can tell, there was some uncanny and surprising parallels with our AU and what happened in canon. 😂💞🌺 But I think that’s what made the chapter so much more impactful. 💞🌻

[lunar-years]

As for the RoyKeeley reunion part of my KJPR/Keeley arc discussion (here)...I've processed more and landed on the reason I didn't love it, and it's not because I don't believe Roy has done the work or fixed his side of many of the problems that contributed to the end of their relationship. Not because I don't think he's finally at a place to accept joy and happiness into his life. We've seen that growth in him throughout the season, in his relationship with Jamie especially, but also with him processing the end to his time at Chelsea, with Trent, the Rebecca scene last week, Isaac, the final epiphany moment this episode with the teacher...It's all been there, it's been gradual, and I believe in it without hesitation.

I didn't like that they threw RoyKeeley back together** because it doesn't make sense for Keeley. It doesn't help or allow her character to grow at all. I think a lot of the fandom is happy to believe the breakup was all Roy, and his self-confidence issues, and his unwillingness to allow himself to have good things' fault. For me, it's always been more than that. Keeley has a lot of self confidence issues herself that the show constantly sweeps under the rug; and having Roy tell her she's still Keeley fucking Jones is not the magical fix all to it, either. I know this absolutely isn't the show's intention, but it kind of does read to me like they're stamping a relationship with Roy back on her like a bandaid and calling her a healed case, and I hate that.

Let's not forget that just LAST EPISODE, Keeley was sending Jack a wall of desperate blue texts all but begging Jack to take her back! Not even that, just to talk to her! To acknowledge her at all!! She was begging this woman who treated her like crap, from a relationship that was detrimental to her mental health and wellbeing, to please accept her!!

The reality is, we have:

Keeley breaking up with Jamie in season one, regretting it the very next morning because as she herself proclaims, she always second-guesses her relationships ending, and then getting together with Roy not long after.

Roy breaking up with her, and her getting together with Jack not long after, notably right after proclaiming she isn't over Roy and is also reevaluating her prior breakup with her other ex, Jamie

Jack breaking up with her, Keeley trying to still fix it between them, then....getting back together with Roy not long after that

Like, no wonder the RoyKeeley reunion fell flat. Look, I haven't been in the "why won't the writers ever just let Keeley be single!" camp all season, but it's partly because I assumed they were trying to tell us a clear narrative about her. There is an undeniable pattern of behavior they've set up here that points to certain aspects of her character: Keeley struggles with abandonment issues, Keeley struggles with being alone, Keeley struggles with feeling good enough for people and leans on external validation, she has been known to act rashly when it comes to her relationships, etc. If the goal was just to get RoyKeeley back together as quickly as possible, well, they succeeded at the cost of throwing Keeley's character development out the window, because none of these problems have actually been addressed. And if they weren't going to address them, why were they not only introduced but also reiterated across multiple seasons?

**And yes, I say "throwing Roy and Keeley back together" without taking into account what they might do with the last two episodes. Was this a "getting back together" moment in the sense of now RoyKeeley is endgame, back in a committed relationship, their problems won't be addressed again or addressed only minimally, and they will now ride off into the sunset happily ever after? Or was it more like, there's still a ton of love there, Roy made a deeply important breakthrough with his apology, they had their long awaited and much needed post-breakup sex, and now Keeley is going to realize she's slipping back into familiar patterns and roll things back? And to be fair, we don't know yet!

What I want is something like Roy acting like things are now great and Keeley's obviously his girlfriend again, only for Keeley to stop him and be like "Wait, Roy, but this hasn't magically fixed everything." I do want Keeley to be single for a while and deal with her own stuff. I want them to work at it, together, perhaps with the expectation that yes they will probably get back together in future but not right now, not when they still have a ways to go with themselves as individuals. If the show goes in the second direction, it scraps this whole post for me, but with two episodes left of the series, this is coming from the part of me that is very concerned they're heading towards the former.

[pricescigar]

A distant memory

Summary: Elvira finally comes to terms that what she had endured wasn't her fault, and finally got the closure she desperately needed.

Cw: angst, mentions of abuse & fluff at the end

This feeling ... It still felt like a distant memory to her, though it happened such a long time ago. The memories and the pain Elvira endured was still visible and raw, leaving the familair feeling of emptiness, sadness within her. After being in the Kyro for over 38 years, it's no easy thing to get over or forget. Her mind, her sanity diminished.

It was almost like she had forgotten her childhood as a whole; flashes here and there were slowly coming back to her gradually, what she remembered most was her time at the CIA. The friends she made...

Sometimes she saw her father, she knew he was dead. No doubt about that, Elvira remembered well what she did; She got rid of the evil that plagued her life... But why did she still see him? Maybe her mind was messing with her.

But the choices she made back in 1981, Perseus, hunting down those who did her wrong. And those who were putting the world in danger. She still always saw himself within her, no matter what she did...

"You're just like your father."

Elvira always knew she was somewhat "perfect" In her own way, but never good enough for her father, a man so demanding, so out of touch with reality. His mind diminished after the second word war, he never knew from right or wrong. Or what was best for his daughter, or his wife... It was what he always wanted.

The scars, the bruises, the punches. The mental and physical things she had endured... All to be "perfect."

Elvira was more of a soldier than a daughter, she wasn't treated fairly or as a daughter should be treated. She wasn't like the other pretty girls she many saw. Never played with dolls, never played dress up, or have tea parties with her bears.

Why couldn't she be normal?

"It's not your fault..." Price spoke to her which made Elvira snap back into reality, a look of disbelief was on her face.

"What?"

"It's not your fault." Price's tone was soft, reassuring, the kind Elvira always wanted to hear. His hands were on her cheeks, his left thumb caressing her face.

"Don't do this to me, nein..." Elvira felt her emotions building up inside of her, she knew deep down she wanted to hear those words. She just didn't know when.

Elvira felt tears falling down her eyes. "Why is this so hard..." She finally broke down in tears, feeling Price's arms wrapping around her body in order to comfort her.

"I know it isn't easy to get over or to forget what had happened to you, know that every step of the way I will be with you." Price whispered to her. "You was only a child, it was never your fault..." He rubbed her back.

Elvira continued to cry on his arms, she couldn't remember the last time she cried this hard. The tears never ending as she tried to keep her breathing in control.

"It wasn't my fault..." Elvira soon whispered to herself and Price nodded in agreement to her words.

"You don't need to prove to anyone that you're enough. What you do today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life is enough... Even the littlest of things you do is enough." Price explained to her. "You're enough, for me." He used his thumbs to gently wipe away the tears from her eyes.

Elvira nodded in agreement and leant her forehead against Price's, the two stayed there momentarily. The more she thought about it, she knew Price was right. She was enough.

This is what she needed her whole life...

Closure.

"I love you." Elvira whispered.

"I love you too doll." Price whispered back and kissed her lips gently, pulling her into a hug once more.

[grumpylia]

lotus casino ep pjo tv show thoughts

Okay, I know this is old news by now but I think I've developed my thoughts more on why in particular I didn't like the Lotus Hotel episode, and what I thought they could've done with it instead.

I think one of the main issues I have is that we're speedrunning all of this development! If, in s1, they're already on top of all the mythological traps etc, then I feel we see less tangible development as they (particularly Percy) get older and more experienced within the mythological world. I was fine with the way they handled the Medusa situation, because I felt like there was enough payoff that justified the change of the scene, but I really disliked the changes with the Lotus Hotel! To have them just walk in and be like 'Oh this must be the Lotus-Eaters' just takes away all the tension from the scene, and makes them too wary too quickly. I loved in the original scene how it did demonstrate the Twelve Year Old of it all: Annabeth is playing her architecture game, they're all excited over video games and free food and endless money and it's so much fun!

In the TV show, too, it also would've worked really well as a mechanism to raise the stakes. The show has an issue with tension: there are moments where it feels like we SHOULD be tense, but we're just casually strolling. I feel like the Lotus Casino would've been a great way to help that issue: just this gradual, burgeoning sense that something isn't quite right. We could've gone really eerie: fun melting into this really off-putting feel. It would've helped instrumentally to raise the stakes, too! Instead of Hermes just telling them 'oh, time works differently in the Lotus Hotel', we could've had this really awesome scene where—once they'd had their realisation—they burst out of the hotel, quickly moving down the street, desperate to find some sort of date, some sort of idea of how much time they've lost. The camera suddenly draws to a stop, and we see the horrified faces of the trio, and then, the date. The deadline has passed. It would've been such an easy way to build tension! But no!

I definitely see a lot of people saying that the Hermes scene was good because it built the dynamics between Annabeth, Luke, and Hermes and I don't COMPLETELY disagree with that. I thought it was a decent scene and I liked the character work that it did: I just felt that it was misplaced, and too long and too tell-y. I'm the last person to preach about show-not-tell (I am an extremely tell-y writer it's a genuine problem) but it really is an issue that's becoming more and more obvious in the show! The Hermes scene really slowed down the pacing of the entire episode and—in my opinion—dragged it down. I don't HATE the idea of having Hermes in this episode (it makes sense that he frequents a place of both gamblers and travellers), but I feel like it could've been done in a quicker, more interesting way. Maybe the Trio could've run into him after they've realised? I'm not sure the idea is still cooking but I did really like the taxi scene so I wouldn't be mad if they'd worked out a way to keep that in (although rip that one driver in the books who called Annabeth "your highness" that was funny asf).

I think what I really wanted from this episode was some more, less tell-y, character work. I would've really liked some ATLA kind of filler for the middle of the ep where they're just fucking around in the Lotus Hotel: the plot isn't necessary advanced, but we're using the time to develop different aspects of our characters in a really fun way. Sort of a chance to see behind the curtain, and to see how the trio behave in their downtime.

That being said, I did really like some aspects of this episode! I think the Grover storyline was doing a lot of heavy lifting (Aryan and his big sad eyes were breaking my heart) and I liked the exploration into the Pan stuff. I also liked Percy and Annabeth being silly little billies together I just thought it was nice. Of course, the taxi scene slayed too.

I had a lot more to say than I thought I did about this! I'd love to hear what everyone else thinks :)

[kate-les-bridge-stewart]

Ok I need to rant about breaking bad again

First of all, this fucking song...

This has to be one of the best songs I've heard all year. It's so fucking eerie and heart stopping and droning and terrifying

AND THE SCENE IT PLAYS IN IS JUST-

I firmly believe this is one of the greatest scenes in cinema history

It's this scene, at the precise moment where the music suddenly... stops

Something changes in walter....

(Spoilers ahead)

I'm not saying that annoying thing like "THIS IS WHERE WALT BECOMES HEISENBERG" cus i believe he always was Heisenberg. He was there from the start. I don't think Heisenberg is some "EVIL ALTER EGO 0000000 SPOOKY" type shit, although I will admit it makes for a hilarious meme. I think Heisenberg is simply a manifestation of walts inner insecurity, emmasculation, and self loathing. this moment isn't where "heisenberg takes over" or whatever, rather it's where Walt is so overwhelmed, so trapped, so helpless... he genuinely believes his family is going to be killed because of him, and there is nothing he can do to stop it. At this moment, all the stress and trauma and agony reaches its climax and he just... breaks

From this point there's a noticeable change in Walt's behavior. He's far more risk taking, more ballsy, more confident, more calculating. Taking this into account its understandable why people would immediately jump to saying he's been taken over by some alter ego because it certainly looks and feels like that at first glance. But I don't think it works that way. Psychology doesn't work that way and not even in the world of breaking bad does it work that way. Even after a major traumatic and mind altering event like this scene sure he'd definitely be different in a ton of ways but he's still the same guy.

I think from a psychological point of view this shift is a subconscious defense mechanism crafted by his brain in response to the overwhelming traumatic stimuli. Sure it may not be as cool as "HIS EVIL ALTER EGO IS TAKING OVER" but I feel like it is the most realistic and fitting for the story.

Now whenever anyone talks about this scene they understandably go straight to praising and dissecting the acting, cinematography and framework. This is all completely valid since there's so many incredible layers in this clip. But one piece I notice few have really delved into is the music.

The first minute or so is chaotic and rapid, a backdrop of deep scrambling beats with a subtle repetitive ringing over top which almost sounds like an alarm. The whole thing feels like a crowd of people scrambling in a panic.

And then as the background fades out and gives room to the main beat, another rough, fuzzy sound starts to drown the main beat out. Soon all of that fades to just a constant hazy drone accented with deep vworping sounds. Suddenly there's an upsweep and then-...

Silence...

A very quiet, deep vworping starts playing, it's rhythm even like the beating of walts sinking heart. For a while that's all you hear, just that lone beat. In comparison to the absolute chaos you were hearing just moments ago, this near silence is jarring and eerie.

And then it changes...

I don't know about you but when I heard those louder deep droning beats for the very first time, I can only describe it as nothing short of haunting...

It sounds completely unnatural, unlike any instrument that exists. It sounds... metallic, as if you were hearing a giant sheet of metal being hit by strong gusts of wind. Or like the poor quality audio recording from a submarine of a glacier scraping against the sea floor. This droning gets louder and is soon accompanied by additional unnatural tones and screeches, all gradually getting louder and louder until some warbling, shrill whitenoise soon overpowers all of it.

The music gives you a glimpse into walts mind and body, what he's feeling and the tone of his thoughts. He starts panicked, desperately searching for the money. But as he learns what happened to it, he freezes... his racing mind and heart all come to an abrupt halt. He realizes he's helpless, and he finally snaps.

[xvi-the-tower]

The Sirens Are Calling for Me

In which Jasmine tries to jump overboard with her son. Featuring @dreams-of-the-arcana's Tikos. Part 2 of Deep Silent Complete

Jason is crying. Squirming. But she holds him tightly.  He doesn't want to live in the ocean, he sobs.  He wants to stay on the ship with his πατήρ* and the crew, their friends. A part of Jasmine's heart aches, echoing his cries, but that part is muffled and distant. Everything is, except for the knowledge that they have to go.

"It's okay, my Little Prince," she coos.  "Everything will be okay.  But I need you to be brave now."

He's too young to understand, young enough to still have webbing up to the second knuckles of his fingers and visible gills on his neck.  If nothing else, these signs of his youth are proof that the two of them belong in the ocean.  Their kind may have settled on land, but after years on a ship, she knows better.

This knowledge crept up on her slowly over the past few months, gradually consuming her thoughts until she knew she could wait no longer.  Nothing will keep her and her son from going to their true home beneath the waves. 

Evan, a member of the crew steps in front of her.  His body language is cautious. His hands are in front of him, elbows and knees relaxed in case he needs to move.  He looks like he's dealing with a tiger loose from her cage, not a friend.  Right now, he is not a friend but an obstacle. "Where do you think you're going, Jas?" he asks.  His tone sounds like he's trying to be friendly and casual, but there's a wary edge to it.

"Get out of my way, Evan." Her voice is hard but sounds distant to her own ears, like it isn't hers. 

The wind starts to pick up, and dark clouds roll in.  A natural storm wouldn't form that quickly. Tikos is awake.

With a renewed sense of urgency, Jasmine tries to step around Evan, but he moves to match her.  Jason buries his face in her shoulder, continuing to sob.  "Evan, I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you don't get the fuck out of my way," she growls. If her arms weren't full, she could get past him easily. Not with a scared four-year-old clinging to her.

"Aye, and if the Captain found out I let you jump overboard without trying to stop you, he'd do worse, and no one would blame him."

Jasmine tries again to go around him with the same result.  A flash of lightning. The hurried slap of bare feet on the wood of the deck.  "πατήρ!" Jason calls out.  He starts to squirm more insistently.  She's out of time.

She turns in time to see Tikos slow to a stop, Penelope just behind him.  He's pulled on pants but otherwise hasn't wasted time with clothing.   His body language is calm to help Jason feel better, but a flash of lightning shows Jasmine the fear in his eye.

Jason calls out for his father again. He's trying hard to wiggle free, and it's getting harder to hold him.

"I'm right here, μικρό ψάρι**," Tikos assures him.  "Everything's gonna be alright. Can you hear the monsters? Can you tell me what they're saying?"

Jason shakes his head. "They're not there!  πατήρ, I don't wanna go!"

"I know, μικρό ψάρι. You don't have to go anywhere, aye?"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Jasmine shouts. Her voice is desperate, foreign to her own ears.

Tikos extends his hand toward her, palm up, and slowly moves closer.  "Jas, why don't we go inside and talk about this?"

She looks at him, at his outstretched hand. She doesn't want to leave him. Her heart cries out. There are raindrops rolling down her cheeks. In her eyes. She's not sure it's raining.  Her hand moves on its own, reaches for him.

She's so focused on her husband she doesn't notice Penelope moving to flank her. Jason lurches for Penelope, drawing Jasmine's attention back to her task. She spins away from Penelope. Her son is ripped from her arms. Tikos has him.

There's no time.

She has to go.

Dodging Evan and Penelope, she runs for the side of the boat.

Her son cries out for her

Her husband cries out for her.

She plummets into the cold water. The cries have stopped. All sound has stopped but the faint rumble of thunder. As she sinks into the water, she looks up at the ship, heart heavy with longing.

Then a great presence finds her, engulfs her, and the longing fades away.

*Papa

**Little Fish

[deepseavibez]

Why So Serious? || MYG

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

-> Picture Source - Pinterest

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Why So Serious? [Yoongi x Reader]

Prompt - @casnextdoor

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Genre - Fluff; Comfort; Dad!Yoongi; Mom!Y/n; Drabble;

Summary - Why is your babygirl crying? And what can Daddy Yoongi do to make it better.

🎶- People - Agust D

Warning - Crying; Bad feelings(implied); Confused parents (at first)

Word Count - 1.7k

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

'No.' You looked up at the short answer. Four year old tempers were a thing, you understood that but your baby girl hadn't said no to picking up her toys before.

After playtime Mina usually cleaned up after herself, the task relatively easy for her, something like a game to put everything in its place in the shortest time she could.

You believed she got it from her father, because there was no way the trait came from you. You relished in your organized chaos, if it felt like it should be there it would stay there. You would go as far as capping your pens but they were never in their holders, just strewn about your desk, the closest color to your mood for the day.

Stretching your arms out along the island where you were chopping up pieces of apple for a midday snack you gave your toddler your full attention.

'But your LEGOs are all over Minnie, and you finished playing with them this morning,' you tried to sound as gentle as possible - an invitation for an explanation.

'I don't want to.' She shook her head back and forth, no playfulness present, mouth a stubborn line, as if that answer was good enough.

'Mina, those are your toys, you played with them, would it be fair for Mommy to clean up after you?'

Shaking her head in response she looked down and away from you, twiddling with the ears of the giraffe teddy in her hand.

You gave her a minute to move, to respond, each second of it hiking up your level of annoyance.

'I won't ask again, Mina.' Your voice was stern now, patience worn thin.

'No, Mommy, No!' She cried out, and ran out of the room toward Yoongi's study.

'Mina,' you dragged out, following swiftly after her.

You found Yoongi at his desk, phone at his ear, he looked at you and motioned with his eyes toward the tuft of hair peeking out from between his legs.

Leaning on the door you watched her cry, something in you tugging at your chest in frustration, because all you wanted was for her to listen, but you also didn’t want her to cry. She was never like this.

'-- I'll email them by tomorrow, yeah sure, just text me. We can set up a meeting to discuss the list.' Ending his call, Yoongi discarded his phone immediately and reached between his legs to settle his babygirl on his lap.

The transition would amuse you on any other day, the serious, intimidating Min Yoongi, softening his lips, his eyes, using gentle fingers against Mina's cheeks to wipe away her tears.

'What is my pretty girl crying about huh,' he asked, as he tried to make her face him.

Shaking her head in refusal to answer, he looked up at you, a camouflaged seriousness in his eyes, meant only for you.

'She refuses to pick up her LEGOs, told me no, and when I asked her again she ran out of the room crying.' Your voice sounded even but just by looking at you Yoongi could see, you were unnerved. The tantrum uncharted territory, especially for a task carried out so many times before.

'Daddy!' You had barely explained before she burst into tears again, falling into his chest, hiding her face from view.

Holding her close and patting her head tenderly he looked up at you in alarm, 'Why is she-, ' he mouthed at you.

'I don't know,' you mouthed back, shrugging your shoulders in emphasis, your expression bewildered.

Staring ahead for a few seconds, he contemplated before his eyebrows smoothed out, a realization crossed his face, as he decided to do something.

Interest piqued, you straightened up, and watched him, ready to jump in and follow his lead.

Your crying four year old still bawled her eyes out, hiccups coming from her chest, her throat would be ouchy later, you thought in concern.

‘Shh, baby, shh, you aren't in trouble, but you need to tell Daddy why you won’t clean up your toys.’ His voice was soft and coaxing as he gradually pulled her back to look at him. Grabbing tissues from the box he had near his desk for situations like sticky fingers and leaky noses, he wiped her tears and her small nose.

Yoongi, even now, in a situation like this had you in a pile of mush. He was not outwardly one for softness, especially with his blunt nature and his solid hands, but here he was gingerly running his fingers through Mina’s hair and setting it as he cooed at her to stop crying, to listen to Daddy.

Her voice hoarse from crying so hard she answered him, ‘I don't feel okay daddy.’

‘Are you hungry?’ Yoongi prompted, discarding the tissues in the wastebin, his hand now at her back and waist, holding her up, and lowering his head with a sulky expression to match hers.

With a shake of her head, she rubbed at her eye, he tilted his head to the side, and prompted again. ‘Are you tired? We could nap, you and I together, Mommy too.’

Another shake of her head, this time her frown prominent and lip quivering, as if ready to burst into another set of tears.

‘Did mommy do or say something bad to you,’ he asked in a whisper, talking her into telling him a secret.

Your eyes widened at the question, panicking internally in resistance. What was that supposed to mean? As if there were eyes at the back of his head, he held up his hand, a clear sign to wait.

Mina shook her head hard, now in a state, more confusion than ever clouding her features as she battled not to cry. ‘It feels bad, Daddy, I don’t like it and it won’t go away.’

‘Is it telling you to be mean to Mommy?’ Yoongi asked as she grabbed onto his shirt again, ready to hide away.

‘It just feels icky,’ she answered wetly, looking over at you her eyes widened momentarily ‘Mommy don't cry. Daddy I made Mommy cry,’ she cried out in desperation.

Your eyes blurred with unshed tears at your baby’s voice, holding a hand to your mouth you kept as quiet as possible. Yoongi had this.

Yoongi swallowed hard at his daughter's face, his protective instincts flaring, but this was one boogeyman he needed her to fight with him.

‘Baby,’ he used another tissue to wipe up the fresh tears. Moving the keyboard aside, he sat her up on his desk in front of him so she could lay her head on his shoulder and he could rub her back. ‘Sometimes Mina, we feel bad inside, and we don't know what to do about it.’ His voice was smooth as he explained, no indication that he had been affected. ‘It tells us to be mean, because we don't know what we’re really feeling and it's okay baby, because Mommy and Daddy feel it too, and we’re here for you. We love you.’’

‘Do you think it's okay to be mean to mommy.’ He was so patient about it as he asked her and it left you in awe as he made her understand.

‘No,’ the word muffled as half her face was squished on her father’s shoulder.

‘No it isn't, baby, and we can't help you if you don't tell us what's wrong.’ Pulling back he smiled softly, her cheeks puffed up and blotchy, eyes shiny but without tears. ‘If you told mummy you were feeling icky, she would have tried to help, right?’

She nodded enthusiastically at that. ‘Mommy always helps me.’

Your heart soared at the statement as you watched the energy come back to your Mina.

‘There's my girl,’ Yoongi smirked as he pinched her nose and she scrunched up her face, at the action. ‘So from now on, when you feel like this again, you can tell Mommy or Daddy and we can help you and take care of you.’ Holding out his pinky finger, she smiled as she curled her small pinky finger around his - she knew we took pinky promises very seriously.

‘Come on, let's go give mummy a hug and tell her you're sorry.’ She reached up her hands to be picked up as he stood from his office chair.

Mina reached out for you as Yoongi carried her towards you and you plucked her easily from him. Her hands immediately wrapped around your neck and she placed a wet kiss on your cheek.

‘I'm sorry for being meany mommy.’

‘It's okay baby,’ rocking her back and forth, you closed your eyes at the feel of your small human in your arms, a certain escape, as if everything in the world mattered a little less as long as she was okay. ‘Mommy feels bad too sometimes, and you know what daddy does?’ You prompted excitedly.

She leaned back to look at you, her cheeks puffy, lips pouting, as she listened to you.

‘Daddy gives me lots of cuddles and kisses me here and here and here and here,’ you placed kisses on her cheeks and forehead and nose, ‘and he gives me food, and chocolate and anything else I want.’

Giggling now, your chest ached at her happiness, a sweet ache, her importance beyond anything she could imagine.

‘Did you know Daddy got me Gloss when I felt really really bad.’

‘Big white gloss,’ she motioned with her hands, her eyes full of wonderment.

‘Yep,’ you popped the ‘p’. ‘Big white gloss,’ your own excitement palpable at the mention of the white teddy bear on your bed, his size slightly bigger than her form.

‘Mommy,’ she motioned you forward with her hand and you leaned closer to her, ‘Can daddy get me a gloss too?’ She told you in your ear.

Her very loud whisper had you turning your attention to the man who now leaned against the wall and watched the interaction.

He smiled his gummy smile as wrapped his arms around both of you and answered her softly, ‘Anything for you Minnie.’

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[creweemmaeec11]

Hi! I really love your writing ❤ If it isn't bothersome, could you please continue the sleep paralysis one? It was very cute!

Yes I can!!! Hope I did you justice!

Sleep Paralysis Pt 4

First part Second part Third part

It was about an hour later, and they were still reading through files when the villain suddenly felt the hero next to them tense up. They glanced down to see a pair of eyes peering back up at them.

It wasn't a normal look though. They could see the fear and desperation in the hero's eyes clear as day.

That was all it took for the villain to connected the dots.

"Shhh," they soothed, combing their fingers through the other's hair, before tucking a loose strand behind their ear, "you're alright,"

Surprisingly, that seemed to help, as the hero relaxed a fair bit, exhaling slowly.

Still, the eyes continued looking up at them.

The villain looked back at the papers in their lap that detailed the hero's notes on the supervillain.

Quietly, the villain started talking, simply going over some of the ideas they'd had or interesting info they'd come across. Just patter; white noise to drown out the silence.

All the while their fingers continued rhythmically brushing through the hero's hair gently.

Slowly, the remaining tension eased out of the hero, gradually relaxing as they listened to the villain's voice. They were barely paying attention to the words, instead just using the soft sound and constant touch to keep them grounded; remind them they were safe.

It was strange, to feel safe in such a moment. The hero was so vulnerable, helpless like this, unable to move or speak, with someone who was supposed to be their enemy right beside them to top it off.

And yet, they couldn't remember the last time they'd felt so safe in their own bed.

"I was thinking if-"

"Thank you,"

The villain was cut off with the quiet murmur, so quiet they almost didn't hear it at first. They blinked, looking down at the hero in confusion, who was still peering up at them.

"I don't know why you're doing this, or why you even did it the first time but, thank you... really,"

The villain blinked again, caught off guard and unsure how to respond. Why were they doing this? They didn't really have an answer.

"Close your eyes and try to get some more sleep," the villain offered instead, drawing perfect circles on the hero's scalp gently, smiling as they watched the other's eyes immediately flutter closed. They felt the hero subconsciously snuggle into them even more.

Inwardly, they had the sudden suspicious feeling this wasn't going to be a once-off event.

Support me: Ko-fi | BMAC

MASTER TAGLIST: <- click to join

@llamaly @why-am-i-on-this-website-anyway @larinzz @sharraus @asrasmysoulmate @kaiwewi @akawrites000 @sunflower1000 @aroacewitchyacademic @aquarellesirene @lbelle0527 @trappedgoose-in-a-writblr-room @freefallingup13 @enemies-to-idiots-to-lovers @homosexual-having-tea @friiday-thirteenth @chocomarsgalaxy @ravenshadow17 @daydreamed-snippets @stankyt0es @jinx1365 @rainy-knights-of-villany @fromtheo-withlove @maybe-a-cat42 @the-sky-writes @watercolorfreckles @noirewaves @digitalart-dwa @itsleighlove @chibicelloking @distractedlydistracted @kitsunesakii @daedae127 @wish1bone1 @ilikebooksbuttheresnousernames @defectivehero @vpow @dog-in-a-bog

[raggaraddy]

Sauna

Summary: Taehyung always makes you wait on him, but he is going to make sure you learn that he should never have to wait on you.

Trigger Warnings: Smut, Smut, Smut, abuse, Dom/sub-themes, examples of a bad D/s dynamic, ambiguous torture.

Taehyung

Yandere!Taehyung

Dom!Taehyung

You've been waiting for Taehyung for hours now. Once again work claims his time and focus. Luckily his luxurious house has plenty to keep you entertained. Knowing Tae, it could be anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours that he's locked away. So while you patiently wait for him to be available you decide to make use of the sauna. You know you'll be able to quickly shower and be ready for him within a few minutes when he calls. And he won't mind wet hair or a lack of makeup. He isn't interested in anything like that. He just wants you in position ready for him.

Spending lots of 20 minutes, you cycle through small sessions in the heat and steam with rests in between. It gets to near 90 minutes and on your fourth time heading into the sauna you can feel you are just about at your limit, your head starting to become a bit light.

After only 5 minutes more you decide to cut it short. You remember you haven't really drunk enough water throughout the day and you don't want to risk overdoing it and becoming dazed with Taehyung.

Standing up, you bundle your towel wiping at the sweat dripping from your forehead. You jump as you bring it down, startled by Taehyung standing in the doorway suddenly, looking displeased.

"Ignoring my calls are you?" He opens the sauna door questioning sternly. Your smile changes into a frown of confusion. He called? He never called. Or at least your phone never rang.

"No," you shake your head feeling flustered at suddenly being put on the spot. Passing him diffidently he backs out of the doorway and allows you to exit into the cooldown room.

"Then why did I have to come searching for you?" he berates.

You know you checked the volume. You purposefully made it as loud as you could because you wanted to make sure you would hear it over the music in the sauna. You pick up your phone only to find it dead. You checked the volume but not the battery, and you didn't think to look at it in the past hour, not wanting to touch it while you were sweaty.

Putting the phone face down, sheepishly you turn around. Taehyung hates to be kept waiting. It's something he never tolerates. And you know what he'll say. That being careless is not a sufficient excuse.

"I'm sorry, Sir. It won't happen again." You apologize contritely, nervously fiddling with your fingers.

"That's not what I asked girl." He demands an answer to his question. The laid back manner with which he stands does not match the harshness of his tone or wording. Usually, he calls you with some variation of little girl or baby girl or good girl. But when it's just girl, you know you've upset him.

"I- my phone died." You pick it up to prove it to him. "I'm sorry" you mumble.

“So what your saying is your lack of attention has caused me to wait on you.”  He scolds, his stare hardening.

While you feel bad, you’re starting to get frustrated. He's being hypocritical. It’s not like you did it on purpose. It was an accident and he’s being too harsh. “Well, I had to wait for you too. Like, nearly 3 hours.” You argue back, instantly regretting your stupid lack of impulse control.

"Excuse me," He challenges with a tight jaw. You know it's rhetorical and not meant to be answered. The best thing is to stay silent and continue to look down at your fingers.

For a moment too long he is quiet and motionless. Your eyes flick up to see what kind of response he is having, only to see him standing stiffly, his features tight as he assesses you unblinkingly. You're feeling dumb, knowing you've just put yourself in a bad position at the start of your weekend session with Tae.

You audibly whimper from nerves, wanting to undo some of the damage. "I'm sor-"

“Come here Y/n”. He interrupts, holding his hand out for you. From his demeanour, you know you're in trouble, but your not sure how yet. However, slightly apprehensively, you accept his outreached hand.

He opens the sauna door, holding it wide and gesturing for you to enter. You pause hesitantly unsure of where he is going with this.

"After making you wait so long for me, I would hate to interrupt you. Go back in. I'll even join you." Now it's his eerily pleasant tone that doesn't match his observable frustration and the slowly tightening grip on your wrist.

Lightly you shake your head, not wanting to say any variation of the word no. "I-it's okay, Sir. I was done."

"Go in." And now to your dismay, the chill of his voice and his body language match. He orders you into the sauna pointedly, his expression daring you to debate it further.

Swallowing heavily, you can't help the way his domineering tone is filling your stomach with butterflies. Even when he gets scary- especially when he gets scary- you find him so attractive. But you know you need to take this moment seriously, or risk getting yourself further into strife.

You nod, going back into the sauna, the warm wet heat swarming around you again quickly making your breath feel smothered. Sitting on one of the wooden benches, you get lower trying to get out of the rising heat. Sweat right away returning to your brow and neck.

After a few minutes, Taehyung comes in, having removed his clothes. He puts down a towel and sits alongside you, resting back with his arms up on either side, his eyes closed as he enjoys the warmth. You try to do the same. But even after a little while more, you're becoming more and more uncomfortable. You try to bear it as long as you can, but as another 10 minutes pass your head begins to thump, your eyes becoming unfocused.

"Okay." You say standing up with a wobble. "This was really nice. But I'm getting a little dizzy. I think I should go out."

"Sit down." He says without opening his eyes. You're looking through the glass door to the cool of the outside longingly. It's starting to hurt being in here, but you're sure Tae knows that.

"Please, Sir. I don't feel well." You try again to plead your point. Despite your discomfort, you still don't want to act on your own. Outrightly disobeying him would disregard everything that your relationship is built on.

"Do you really want to test me right now, little girl?" He says, his head rested back with a smirk.

"You're being unfair." You pout, lightly stomping your foot.

He chuckles, rolling his head forward. "The answer's yes apparently." He stands and your gaze drops to eye height looking at his collar bone. He steps towards you and you step back. And again. Pushing you to the other side of the room. Your legs come into contact with the bench and as he steps at you again, with nowhere left to go, you fall down onto the seat, coming face height with his lower stomach and crotch.

An embarrassed glow fans over your cheeks as you realize what your first impulse is. You stifle a giggle, biting your lip.

"Little Y/n, who's in charge here?"

Those words said in that deep tone have you momentarily forgetting how dehydrated and sick you feel. His voice sending a wave of shivers down your spine and up your neck.

"You are." You purr back, having to push your thighs together with a new kind of heat rushing through your stomach.

"And when I tell you to do something, you do it. Isn't that right?" His salacious words are accompanied by his hand curling around your jaw, his thumb resting on your lips pressing for entrance into your mouth. Instinctually, you open for him and suck his thumb, looking up at him with wide eyes. There's a small lustful smile on his face and in his eyes. But it's the way he licks and bites his lip that has another bolt of heat shooting through your core.

You nod to his question, sucking firmer, taking it deeper and rubbing your tongue along it. Emboldened by the ravenous look in his eye.

Taehyung removes his hand, it shoving your shoulder, making you crash back into the wall. He grabs your legs and roughly throws them onto the double-tiered bench, having you lay along it. Climbing on top of it, he pushes himself between your legs making you spread them wider to accommodate him. Right away you nearly melt feeling his hardening member.

"When I tell you to sit, you don't argue. Do you?" He leans over the top of you, his hand rested next to your head.

"No, Sir." You whisper back breathlessly, shaking your head.

He presses his hips down, rubbing himself between your legs, slipping effortlessly with how wet you already are. You buck upwards trying to encourage him to go further, trying to meet him that last little bit to get what your craving.

"And when I tell you to wait for my call, you make sure to wait patiently and be a good girl for me, don't you?"

"Yes," you pant.

He smirks, approving of your answers. His lips come to yours, licking over your bottom lip before his tongue enters your mouth. Slowly he sinks deep inside you, making you moan and whine.

"You don't need to ask Y/n. Cum as much as you want. But you don't move till I'm done."

A small excited smile fills your face, and you nod back. As far as punishments go, this one seems great. He's not denying you, and he said you can cum as much as you want, so he's not going to overstimulate you. At the moment, you can't see the downside.

Gradually he starts to move, and you bring your hips up to his to match his rhythm, groaning and moaning the whole time. It isn't long until Taehyungs skilled strokes have you exploding around him, giving you the ecstasy you sought after.

But as your high starts to fade, you again gain clarity and realization of your surroundings. You're no longer desperately working towards release and you can again feel the hot air going down your throat. The excess heat of Taehyungs skin on yours. The way your bodies slip along one another due to sweat, or the sweat dripping from Tae's body all over you. You're wet and sore and the longer he continues, even as he brings you to another orgasm, it feels tainted with the suffocation of the sweltering heat.

Taehyung can see it. The look of excitement you had, turning swiftly into one of worry and distress as your distraction faded. And he is revelling once again in how transparent your emotions are to him. Enjoying being able to see how you're suffering but still obeying him.

As he makes you cum for a third time, your body throbs in pleasure but your head thumps in pain. Your chest hurting and your breath short. Your eyes getting glassy. A sick feeling nudging at the back of your throat.

He keeps going, unrelenting for far too long. Keeping himself slow and steady, breaking to kiss and paw at you every now and then to draw it out even longer.

With a stolen glance at the clock on the wall, you can only estimate that he has been fucking you for at least 30 minutes. It's too much. You're so past your limit you can barely keep your eyes open or move. You want to ask him to stop, but you know his order not to move including asking if you could. And you are aware it wasn't a suggestion.

By the time Taehyung finally cums, you're completely spent, nearly unconscious. So much so that after taking a second to catch his own breath, he has to carry you out of the sauna.

As he lays you on the bench in the cool-down room, your body is shivering with dehydration. Any second now, you fear you're going to throw up. Or completely pass out.

But Taehyung doesn't care. He hates to wait on you and he knows he certainly made his point. His only care is that he makes sure you're not confused as to why your suffering right now. "The next time I tell you to wait for me, Y/n," He clarifies with a stern tone, tapping your face lightly to make sure your eyes are open, "I expect you to be actively waiting, and to come running the second I call. Am I understood?"