#kiki writes fanfic

[elliethejellie]

Posting again because I’d love you forever if you read my Mer!Sun and Mer!Moon story! 13k words for the first chappie :3

[halfvalid]

pretty in that

ABOUT

rating: general audiences

characters: live action!roronoa zoro | fem!reader | live action!monkey d. luffy | live action!nami

pairing: live action!roronoa zoro x fem!reader

word count: 4.2k

description: you have a hard time picking a dress for dinner whilst in kaya's mansion. zoro (sort of) helps!

tags: strawhat!reader, female reader, fluff, kissing, confessions, no use of "y/n", special straw hat appearances (nami & luffy), soft zoro

author's note: i'm a sucker for dress-up scenes so i KNEW i was gonna write smth like this once that ep3 scene started playing. reader chooses a dress at the end; dress is non-described so you can imagine your ideal dress!

You were on Nami and Zoro’s side when it came to whatever was going on in Syrup Village. Kaya’s mansion made you feel vaguely unsettled, and stepping into the building made your heart pound quicker than you would like to admit. But if there was one thing that piqued your interest, it was the order of changing clothes for dinner. You’d been stuck in the same few outfits for weeks now, and the promise of something new—and formal—was nearly exciting, although you’d never admit it in front of Nami and her disapproving gaze. 

Kaya’s kindness combined with the private guest room and bath you were treated to helped soothe your nerves. Soon you found yourself being led to the giant closet the rest of the Straw Hats were already in—Nami was trying on various different pieces, and Zoro seemed to have something in hand too. 

“Ah, there you are!” Luffy said, swiveling on his heel and giving you a big grin as you entered the room. You stared in disbelief at all of the racks around you. Hell, there were even clothes hanging from the ceiling. 

“Well, we certainly have a lot of options,” you said, skimming a hand over a nearby rack. There were a variety of different fabrics, but they all felt expensive: silk and velvet, damasks and brocades. “I don’t even know where to start.” 

“I’m just trying on anything,” Nami called from where she was, before stepping out from the room divider she’d been changing behind. She wore an emerald dress with a plunging neckline, the patterned silk clinging to her curves, and did a little spin. “What do you think?” 

Luffy shrugged. Zoro wrinkled his nose, barely glancing up from the armchair he was lounging on. “I think it looks nice,” you offered, but Nami still seemed dissuaded. 

“Ugh, these two are impossible. What are you going to wear?” 

“Uh, I’m getting there,” you said with a little laugh. “It’s a bit overwhelming; I’d rather help you guys pick first. Luffy, have you found something yet?” You turned towards the man in the center of the room, who nodded enthusiastically. 

“Yeah, I found this!” He raised up a black waistcoat. You frowned at it. 

“Um, Luffy, waistcoats are supposed to be worn with a suit,” you said, then paused, seeing his blank look. “...Never mind.” 

“And I’m wearing black,” Zoro added, despite the piece of clothing slung along his lap definitely not being black. You exchanged a glance with Nami, who just rolled her eyes. They’re stupid, she mouthed, then returned to the rack she was glancing through. She worked quickly, pulling out various numbers that she scrutinized before either setting on the couch beside her or putting back. 

“Okay,” you said slowly. “Need me to find you some pants with that, Cap?” Nami and Zoro let out identical groans as you spoke the pet name, both turning to give you exasperated looks. You suppressed your laugh. 

“Stop calling him that,” Zoro said with a tired sigh. “You’re encouraging him.” 

“Kind of the point, yeah,” you said cheerfully. While Zoro and Nami were both still largely unconvinced about the whole pirate crew thing, you’d joined the bandwagon rather quickly. Zoro rolled his eyes, and you turned towards the racks to find Luffy some slacks. “Assumedly you need something other than that shirt too?” 

“I’ll look later,” Zoro said passively. You watched him out of your peripheral vision. He was outfitted in a patterned kimono, his three swords slung along his lap. He didn’t seem too interested in his surroundings, though what he was doing, you weren’t sure. You let him be, turning to page through the racks of clothes again. Finally you found a pair of slacks that seemed like they’d fit Luffy. 

“Here,” you said, passing them over to him. “And find some shoes while you’re at it.” 

“Why does she even have clothes that don’t fit her?” Zoro murmured, sounding as baffled as he could get. “What, she just casually has clothes in all four of our sizes hanging around?” 

“Rich people own things just to own them,” Nami called. She’d changed again; this dress had a halter neckline and was blush pink. Zoro motioned with a hand at it, and Nami frowned, glancing down at the dress. “You don’t like it?” 

“Eh,” Zoro said. Nami made a face. 

“At this point I think you’re hating just to hate.” She pulled up a few more options, narrowing her eyes as she surveyed them. Luffy was seemingly satisfied with what you’d given him, because he took the pieces off of their hangers and slung them over his shoulder. 

“I’m off,” he announced. “Gonna go change in my room and do some exploring before dinner. Have fun!” With that, he left, and Nami sighed, turning towards you. She held up her final two options—a red cheongsam with delicate gold embroidery and a pastel blue dress with an a-line skirt. You gnawed on your bottom lip as you studied the two.

“I think the blue one might wash you out a bit,” you said eventually; it’d clash with her hair no doubt, and make her skin look even paler. The shade wasn’t a right match with her eyes, either. “I like the cheongsam; I think you should go with that one. It contrasts nicely with your hair.” 

Nami raised up the dress again, inspecting it. “You’re right,” she said, ducking back behind the room divider to change. You started pursuing the racks again; Nami stepped out a few moments later, successfully outfitted in her new dress. “Okay, I’m going to go do my hair in my guest room. Good luck.” 

“Bye,” you called, watching as she left the room. You clicked your tongue, almost alone now and with absolutely zero options of clothing. As much as you liked the idea of new clothes, the abundance of options was starting to seem a little daunting. “Okay, now that Nami’s done, it’s my turn to play dress-up.” 

Zoro laughed from where he sat, and you startled, almost having forgotten he was there. He was watching you attentively, his attention having diverted from whatever it was he’d been thinking about earlier. “You like this kind of thing?” 

“Well, I mean.” You shrugged, peering at a few of the pieces on the rack in front of you. You pulled out a deep green dress, eyeing the lace by the neckline before setting it back. “It’s kind of fun, isn’t it?” 

“Not really what I’m into.” 

“You wear jewelry, so clearly you have some fashionable instinct,” you pointed out, bending over to glance at the clothes hiding by your knees. These were all skirts or unreasonably short dresses, with so little fabric you were uncertain they would cover anything at all. “Unless the earrings are for another reason…?”

“Three swords, three earrings.” 

“Makes sense. What are you wearing with your shirt?” You glanced back to see Zoro’s answer, but he merely shrugged. “Do you want me to find you some trousers? A suit?” 

“You don’t need to find clothes for me. I can do that myself.” Still, Zoro made absolutely no move to do so. You rolled your eyes, but turned your attention back on what you’d be wearing for the dinner. Vaguely you wondered how Zoro would look wearing a suit. You flushed almost as soon as the thought popped into your head, shoving it into the very back of your skull and banishing it from seeing the light of day. 

“If you say so,” you said instead, mostly to distract yourself from the beyond inappropriate thoughts starting to run through your head. Honestly, you barely knew your crew mates—the four of you were close to tearing each other’s throats out before you ran into Buggy, after all. And the fact that Zoro was, well, conventionally attractive—and you tried to keep your thoughts on that and that alone, anything emotional was strictly out of the question—shouldn’t be something your mind lingered on. 

You picked out the first dress that looked to be your size. It was dark purple, backless with a tight trumpet skirt. Ducking behind the room divider Nami had used, you stripped off your clothes, donning the dress. There was a mirror along the other side of the divider, and you turned, trying to appraise the dress on your figure. The color didn’t look entirely right, and you were uneasy about the lack of mobility the skirt might have—Kaya’s staff were still extremely suspicious, after all, and you’d rather be safe than sorry. 

“Let me see,” Zoro called from outside. You tugged at the dress, suddenly nervous, but stepped out after you couldn’t find a good enough excuse not to. Zoro’s eyes ran up and down your figure, and you did a slow circle, showing off the dress. The bare skin of your back prickled. 

“You’re not going to be able to move in it,” he eventually said. 

You huffed out a breath, the nervous energy that had accumulated in your chest leaving with the action. Something in your belly stirred; disappointment, maybe, that Zoro had only commented on the practicality of the dress, not how you looked in it. But you pushed those thoughts away with an angry shove. Not the time, and definitely not the person to be thinking those sorts of things about. “Yeah, that’s what I was worried about. Let me find something else.” 

Zoro’s gaze didn’t flicker from your body as you started across the room, ducking between more racks to find something. “You dead-set on a dress?” 

“I haven’t worn a dress in a while,” you answered, picking out a red one before remembering Nami’s choice and setting it back. “Might as well take the opportunity.” The next one you pulled was blue, all shiny and soft. The material looked like some kind of tender silk. You set it aside to try on. “Why?” 

“Haven’t seen either you or Nami in a dress before.” 

“Actually, you have. I’m wearing one right now and Nami tried like five on earlier,” you said, glancing over your shoulder to shoot Zoro an unimpressed look. He scoffed, though there was a smile at the edges of his mouth as he turned his head away. Your next choice was soft pink, and made of tulle that vaguely resembled a puff pastry. You pulled it up. “Think I should try it?” 

“I mean, pick whatever,” Zoro said, though he seemed mildly disgusted by the amount of fabric the skirt had, all bunched up with layers like something a ballerina might wear. “What are you trying to achieve with the dress?” 

“What am I—I’m trying to look nice, Zoro,” you said, stifling your laughter. You set the pink dress back, replacing it with a sage green number instead. “Not everything has ulterior motives.” 

“You always look nice.” 

You froze, a soft chill curling around the back of your neck. Carefully, you straightened up from where’d you been bent over yet another rack of clothes, turning to look Zoro in the eye. His eyes hadn’t moved. “Oh,” you managed out, throat all dry and tongue like sandpaper in your mouth. “Well, thank you.” 

Zoro cleared his throat, a dull noise he made in the hollow of his throat without even parting his lips. His gaze flickered away. “Yeah. Go try those on.” 

Wordlessly, you stepped back behind the room divider and slipped on the blue dress. It had a texture like water—it was some kind of high-end silk, flexible enough that it was near liquid in movement. The dress itself fell to your ankles, and had a simple square neckline. You stepped outside, doing another slow twirl. “Better,” Zoro said. 

“Better how?” 

“You can probably run in it.” 

You twisted your lips, trying to suppress the urge to turn them down into a frown. “Okay. It’s not doing it for me.” You ducked back behind the divider to change yet again; the sage green one was satin, with long sleeves and a neckline you hadn’t anticipated would be that deep. 

Still, upon exiting the divider and turning for Zoro again, he didn’t have any worthwhile feedback. “It’s kind of plain,” he said eventually, not meeting your eyes. 

You huffed, crossing your arms over your chest; you had to almost resist stomping over to the racks to find something more, and spent another few minutes gathering dresses and trying them on. 

To your immense disappointment, each one garnered little to no reaction from Zoro. You even shoved on one of the tiny, too-little fabric dresses you’d disapproved of earlier, but all Zoro did was scan you from head to toe and say, rather flatly, “you’d get stabbed pretty easily in that.” 

Frustration bled into your nerves as you hid behind the divider again. You glared at yourself in the mirror—your skin had started flushing with how annoyed you were getting, which might’ve been funny had you not been so ticked off. Men, you thought, irritated. Was it really so hard to tell you that you looked pretty? 

He’s a bounty hunter, you had to remind yourself. He doesn’t care about this kind of thing. Besides, he was the last person you should be setting your sights on anyway. You tugged at the short dress, the hem just barely grazing the tops of your thighs. 

You heard footsteps approaching from outside the divider, suddenly too close as you snapped yourself out of the reverie of thoughts you’d been lost in. Zoro turned the corner, arm propped up against the divider edge as he peered in, brows furrowed. “You stopped coming out,” he said. He was still in his kimono, swords tossed over one shoulder. The shirt he had was, assumedly, left on the couch he’d finally stood up from. 

“I’m frustrated,” you told him blandly. His frown deepened. 

“Because of… clothing?” 

You suppressed the sigh that threatened to escape your lungs. “Never mind. I’m fresh out of ideas.” You pushed past Zoro, opting to stand in the center of the room as if analyzing it from a different view would magically give you more options. Zoro turned to stare, still looking perplexed. “With so many options, it’s hard to make up my mind, that’s all.” 

“Uh huh.” Zoro was still studying you. “Did I do something?” 

“What? No,” you said hastily. Too hastily. The words had ripped out of your throat like a hiccup, and you seriously needed to learn how to lie a bit better because now Zoro’s expression was even more confused. “No. Why would I be mad at you?” 

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.” 

“It’s nothing,” you insisted, turning away from Zoro to stare at some of the clothes hanging on the wall above his head. These were too high up to properly look at, and as you stepped back, you glanced through the dresses hanging off the arch of the ceiling. You perused them without too much interest, eyes glancing over the various colors and fabrics until— 

Zoro stepped next to you. “Hey,” he said, and you jolted, head snapping down to look at him. You let out a noise of irritation, then turned your focus back on the ceiling. 

Your gaze flickered through the racks until finally falling on one particular dress hanging by the mouth of the room. It was somewhat hidden, tucked in a little corner beside a few other pieces, but from your vantage point it seemed about your size. 

You took a step closer to it, surveying it with your neck craned. The material looked soft and comfortable but it still retained shape, and the color—even in the dim lighting of the closet—was one of your favorites. The undertone would suit your skin perfectly. And, well, you didn’t want to put all your bets on one dress you hadn’t even touched, but it was certainly promising. 

Zoro stepped past you, barely exerting any effort to reach up and bring the dress down from where it hung up high. “This one, right?” he asked, and you swallowed, some of the annoyances you had towards him dissolving as he extended the dress hanger towards you. You nodded wordlessly, taking it. You stood there for a second before Zoro gestured with his head towards the divider. “Go try it on.” 

You did so, retreating safely behind your wall and stepping out of the little dress. You surveyed the one Zoro had grabbed for you again, heart lodged in your throat. It really was beautiful, and exactly your style; now that you saw it up close, you could safely affirm it was your size too, but nervousness still pulsed through your veins at it. 

Carefully, you slipped it on, adjusting the fabric around your hips and fixing up the neckline to rest evenly on your skin.

Zoro spoke out from the rest of the room. “So why are you mad at me?” 

“I’m not—” you sighed, dropping your arms before returning to fiddle with the dress. “I’m not mad at you.” 

“Is it because I wasn’t being helpful with the clothes? Because I already said that’s not exactly my area of expertise—” 

“It’s not because of the clothes, Zoro,” you said sharply, cutting him off. Zoro clicked his tongue, the sound reverberating around the room and thudding in time with your heartbeat. You turned your attention back onto your reflection. “It’s just me being silly. Don’t worry about it.” 

‘I’m worrying about it,” Zoro deadpanned. You sighed, adjusting the dress one final time before arranging your hair and staring at yourself in the mirror. It fit you perfectly, emphasizing all the right places and hiding all the parts of your body you were more insecure about. “Changed yet?” 

“Yeah,” you said, voice limp. 

“Let me see.” 

You bit your lip, suddenly nervous about how he’d react. Knowing him, it’d be something like it’s okay or the color’s fine; perhaps can you even walk in that? or weird shape if he was feeling a little more critical. Still, you stepped out anyway, not meeting Zoro’s eyes as you spun for him, letting him look at the dress from all angles. When you’d finished posing you glanced up, eyes meeting him tentatively. 

“It’s…” Zoro cleared his throat, ripping his gaze away from the dress on your figure to flicker up to your face. His gaze dropped again nearly as fast, like he couldn’t bear to keep eye contact. “Uh.” 

“It’s what?” you prompted, turning to face the nearest mirror. Your lips twisted into a worried frown, turning to glance at the dress again. Was it really not as perfect as you’d thought originally? “Do you like it? It’s my favorite so far, I think, but if you don’t like it—” 

“You look pretty in that,” Zoro blurted, cutting your rambles off with the strident, too-loud sentence. You froze, eyes flickering to meet him in the mirror. Carefully, he glanced up at you, and you could see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. 

“Oh.” 

Zoro coughed, averting his gaze as you slowly turned around to face him. You couldn’t see properly with the less-than-ideal lighting of the room, but his face seemed to have taken on a ruddier complexion. “I like it,” he said, words softer than they’d been before. “It’s the one.” 

There was a little rush of something through your veins, and you felt vaguely lightheaded. “Okay,” you barely managed to squeak out. “Thanks.” You stumbled back behind the divider, sucking in a deep breath and trying to regulate your breathing. God, this was actually shameful at this point. 

You composed yourself quickly, gathering all the dresses you’d tried on and abandoned to return to their proper places. Zoro was still watching you attentively, and you glanced over your shoulder at him. Sparks prickled along your skin as your eyes met. “What?” you asked. 

“You’re acting weird.” 

“Am not.” 

Zoro stood up, rolling back his shoulders and stretching his head from side to side. He glanced through the racks and, without even a minute’s hesitation, plucked a suit jacket and matching pants out from beside him. “Yeah, you are. What’s up?”

“You’re just grabbing those without thinking about it?” you demanded, eager to change the subject. Zoro rolled his eyes.

“I picked them like fifteen minutes ago,” he said. “Just didn’t grab them until you were done your whole… thing. Now spill it. You’re all red again.” 

You swiveled towards the closest mirror, unable to suppress your gape as you saw that your skin had indeed turned a distinctive shade of scarlet, flushed undertones creeping their way up your skin. It was entirely recognizable even in the terrible lighting. Even your skin was treacherous, now. “Nothing,” you muttered, unable to meet Zoro’s eyes as you spit it out. “I was annoyed because you weren’t telling me what you thought of the dresses.” 

“I… did, though?” Zoro said, perplexed. You let out a grating sigh, cheeks flaring even hotter now that he was forcing you to confess the entire extent of your sins. 

“Yeah, like, practically,” you said, wrapping your arms defensively over your chest. “You’ll get stabbed in that so easily. You won’t be able to walk. I just wanted you to tell me that—” you cut yourself off with another groan. “Don’t make me say it.”

Zoro blinked. “I have no idea what you’re edging towards, so you’re going to have to say it.”

“I just wanted you to tell me I looked nice!” you finally burst out, turning so you wouldn’t have to look at Zoro’s face. God, you were going to have to quit the Straw Hats after this. It was so entirely stupid. 

“But—” There was a laugh in Zoro’s voice, and you glared down at the floor, all of your dignity having left you by this point. You had no shame left to feel anymore. “I said ‘you always look nice’. Doesn’t that insinuate—” 

“That’s not the point,” you said hotly, tone almost argumentative now. “I wanted you to think I looked pretty in a dress, Zoro.” 

Zoro didn’t respond for a moment, brows creasing and face taking on a baffled expression. “But why—” Zoro cut himself off, and you turned even redder, holding your breath as he finally connected the dots. A single word fell from his lips, like a soft breath of air as he spoke. “Oh.” 

“Oh,” you muttered under your breath, unable to stop the almost whining tone your voice took on. Zoro stepped closer to you, a hand wrapping around your wrist and forcing you to look up at him. 

“I said you looked pretty in this one.” 

“I know,” you insisted, still all red, “which is why I’m not totally mad at you, but—” 

“You looked pretty in all of them,” Zoro said. He didn’t look bashful, per se—you didn’t think Zoro could get shy—but his voice was low, all hoarse in a more tentative way rather than one of his grating remarks this time. “For the record.” 

Your breath caught. 

“This one’s my favorite, though,” Zoro muttered. And then he was leaning down to kiss you, the ghost of his lips just on the corner of your mouth. You gaped up at him in shock as he averted his gaze, staring at some spot about your head. “Was that—” he started, before clearing his throat and trying again with a little more of his dignity this time. “Was that okay?” 

“Yes,” you blurted fervently, and before you could fix up the moment with something more, well, suitable, your big mouth ruined it for you. “But I think we’re holding up dinner. You should get changed, and I still need to find shoes.” 

You bit your tongue immediately after the words had been said, but it was too late—Zoro coughed, turning away from you. You panicked, and now it was your turn to grab his arm and tug you towards him. “Wait!” 

Zoro glanced down at you, perplexed, and then you leaned up to kiss him square on the mouth. He stumbled back, surprised, but adjusted quickly, hand going to cradle the back of your neck and pressing you right to him before you finally broke apart. 

“You should steal it,” he started. You stared up at him in question. “The dress, I mean. You should steal it.” 

“When am I ever going to need to wear this again?” you asked, perplexed. Zoro shrugged, fingers tugging at the edge of the dress's neckline. 

“Dunno. Just take it. She probably won’t even notice.” 

“You’re adorable,” you teased; Zoro wrinkled his nose but didn’t complain, opting instead to move away and pick up the clothes he still hadn’t changed into. “Go change. See you at dinner.” 

“Yeah,” Zoro said, his eyes not straying from your figure as you ducked out of the room. Before you could fully leave, though, Zoro grabbed your wrist, spinning you around towards him.

You didn’t have enough time to ask what he was doing when he leaned around to kiss you one final time, his hands cradling your face as your lips moved against each other. It was only a moment later that he stepped away, looking rather sheepish but not very apologetic as he finally let you go. 

“You look more than pretty,” he murmured, eyes sinking into yours, and your throat dried, any words you might’ve formed dying away within seconds. “You always look more than pretty. You look gorgeous.” 

“Thank you,” you whispered, and then he ducked back inside the closet to change. 

© halfvalid 2023

[acerunaway]

I NEED YOUR HELP

So I've been away from TTWDFGA for so long bc of full time job/family/zine stuff and now I don't know if I even like the characterization or anything about it?

(I went back to read it so I could remember details and felt mortified and couldn't get far into it)

So idk what to do about it but I thought maybe doodling could help, maybe? Kinda like these ones?

So if you have/had a favorite scene in TTWDFGA/The Things We Do For Gym Access and want to see me doodle it, request it by quoting the scene on this post or in an ask!

[thewitchybookie]

introducing the main characters of my #hogwartsfanfic: ✨the curse of the thunderbird✨ part i

read more on: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55304065/chapters/140299276?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabkXCr2E0XWE6AZqNQRB5BPnEhRKd7FIWOgGyyfAmkKBIS9-2lRQfzzujU_aem_o_ciZ2Pg_h_El-eYQyJV5Q%23workskin

[kikis-writing-world]

Espresso

Or: She needed to come back down to earth

Chrissy Cunningham has tickets to see her favorite pop star perform. It's a concert she'll never, ever forget.

Past Eddie/Chrissy, current female Pop Star!Reader/Rockstar!Eddie

*In the 3rd person, can also be read as an OC

Word Count: 3k

Rating/Warnings: Reader is female presenting and performed Espresso originally by Sabrina Carpenter, and I describe her as moving and posing, but possibly with the aid of dansers? - blank slate otherwise. No Upside Down. Could be read either canon!AU (mid 90s or so as they're adults now) or modern!AU. If I missed anything AU wise or blankslate!reader wise, please let me know kindly <3 I'm only human.

This work is rated PG but this blog is always 18+

A/N: The song got me, what can I say? Somewhere in my head Espresso mixed with Sk8er Boy by Avril Lavigne and here's what you get. A little fic to whet your appetite. Not edited, not betaed, written in about 1.5 hours while also at work- but I hope you enjoy it anyway <3

divider by @saradika-graphics

“Say you can't sleep, baby, I know That's that me, espresso-

Chrissy giggled as she sang along to the track floating from the state of the art boombox on her dresser. Her best friends, Cindy and Linda, danced around the bedroom with her, feeling like teens again as they got ready for the concert that evening.

“I can’t get enough of this song,” Linda gushed as she leaned close to the mirror above Chrissy’s vanity. She stopped singing along with the other girls long enough to apply her shiny lip gloss to perfection.

“She’s the best.” Chrissy agreed, turning the volume up even farther, hitting the threshold as the boombox reached max volume.

“Can I borrow this?” Cindy asked, picking up one of Chrissy’s eyeshadow palettes.

“Of course,” Chrissy agreed without thought, only to pause. “Wait- as long as you use that pink,” Chrissy amended, pointing to the neon hue. “Because it’s perfect with your outfit.”

The girls all laughed as they agreed on it being the perfect shade.

“How did you even get these tickets, it’s been sold out for months?” Linda asked, turning away from the mirror, bopping in place to the music.

“Daddy has a client whose son’s fiance got mono on her bachelorette vacation, so they canceled the wedding. They sold her tickets to afford the cancellation fees.” Chrissy explained as she compared two necklaces against her outfit. The girls cringed in sympathy, but the mood was quickly uplifted as they all tuned back into the music, forgetting the unknown couple’s problems. The tornado of excitement and glitter moved through the room until suddenly the girls all stopped what they were doing to sing along in tandem.

“I'm working late 'cause I'm a singer Oh, he looks so cute wrapped around my finger

The three faced each other as they sang, sharing the moment as they each performed their hearts out as if they were the one performing on stage tonight. The three danced, twirling their hips and waving their arms the way they did as teens, trying to get all the boys’ attention. Not the three grown adults they were, with homes, partners and responsibilities. It was freeing to feel so young again.

“My twisted humor, make him laugh so often My honey bee, come and get this pollen-

The three all shrieked with laughter as they reached the end of the verse, laughing at each other’s lewd dance moves in camaraderie.

“Oh shit, is that the time?!” Cindy gasped, cutting off the raucous laughter. The other two girls turned to the clock Cindy was staring at, noticing time did indeed fly when you were having this much fun. If they didn’t finish getting ready soon, they would be late and then have a hard time finding a good spot to watch the show from.

“Shit!” Chrissy cursed, barely audible over the blasting music. She jogged over to the boombox, turning it down a few notches to a more reasonable volume.

All three women snapped back to task, perfecting their make-up and concert looks. It wasn’t long before they were running out the door and into Chrissy’s powder blue Beamer. Chrissy hadn’t even backed out of the driveway before Linda had the car stereo blasting the album, right where they had left off in the house. The three women sped down the highway, singing along to the tracks they would soon be hearing live.

Chrissy was sure her perfectly coiffed hair was falling and frizzing up, her carefully applied make-up turned into colourful smudges across her cheeks, the boots styled to match her outfit splattered with dirt and mud - but she couldn’t care less. She was having the time of her life at the concert. The singing was amazing, even better than the album. The dancing, the choreography - the hunky dancers. She was having the best time, dancing and singing along with Cindy and Linda.

“This is AMAZING!” Linda shrieked as the song ended. Chrissy clapped and cheered while Cindy jumped up and down.

“Alright, alright,” the woman on stage spoke, waving off everyone still cheering after the last number she performed. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath from the singing and dancing, skin glistening with sweat under the stage lights. Her hair hadn’t fallen and her make-up hadn’t budged. Chrissy watched her in awe, quieting her own thrilled cheers to hear what her favorite artist had to say next.

“Oh my god, Indiana, you guys are crazy!” She laughed, waiting for the crowd to die down. Unfortunately, the comment made them cheer in agreement. Chrissy and her friends jumped up and down, cheering along.

The performer on stage dropped the microphone to her side as she laughed again at the crowd’s reaction. She looked off stage and made a little shrugging motion, a smile on her face all the while. Chrissy couldn’t see who she was looking at from her angle - someone on her team, her manager, someone running the equipment; she wasn’t sure. She kept looking between the crowd and the wing of the stage until they quieted enough for her to speak once more.

“See I have a friend,” the singer started, roaming the stage with ease. Her presence filled the large space as the crowd - Chrissy, Linda and Cindy included - took in each word with bated breath. A field full of fans waiting to see what she would say or do next. “A very good friend, you might say.” The singer admitted with a sly smirk.

The crowd exploded - some cheers, some boos of disappointed fans.

“Did you know she was seeing anybody?!” Linda gasped.

“I hadn’t seen anything in The Enquirer!” Cindy shook her head, flailing her hands as if trying to fan herself. “Oh my god, who do you think it is?”

“It could be anyone,” Linda started, only to be interrupted by Chrissy.

“Maybe Leo!” She laughed, joking while all the while loving the idea that her favorite pop star might be dating her favorite hunk of an actor. Linda and Cindy agreed by way of shrieking and jumping with excitement. Chrissy joined in immediately.

“See, my very special friend is from right here in Indiana!” the star continued over the mic, halting the girls’ theorizing. They quieted down, Linda blindly grabbing for Chrissy and Cindy’s hands as she never took her eyes off the stage. No one wanted to miss a hint on who the mystery “friend” was. “He told me that you guys… Well, he doesn’t seem to like his home state very much.” The star fake pouted as the rapt audience booed. She looked off stage, pointing her exaggerated pout that way. 

“Oh my god, is he here? Who is it?” Cindy nearly fell over, trying to lean over far enough to see backstage.

“I can’t see from here!” Chrissy huffed, craning her neck to get a better look. It was no use, they were too far to the same side to see into the wings.

“I know! What a meanie!” The singer laughed joyfully into the microphone. “I tell him he’s a big meanie all the time, but he doesn’t believe me.” She rolled her eyes playfully.

A dull laugh rolled through the crowd and the performer gave it a moment to breathe before continuing with her story. “I think you were all a bit mean to him too once, but maybe one day you’ll forgive each other.” She tutted. The crowd cheered their agreement - anything to make their idol happy. The reaction made the singer beam brightly, glancing over her shoulder yet again.

“This next song… I wrote it for him, and-”

The crowd cheered and awed, interrupting her briefly. She shot a wink offstage before rolling through the crowd’s roar.

“I wrote this for him, and right here in front of everyone he says he hates, I’m dedicating it to him! Let’s show him some love!” She yelled over the mic, the crowd growing louder as it fed off her excitement.

There was a short beat of silence before the opening notes to Espresso started, making the crowd go wild once more as the smash hit song started.

Chrissy, Cindy and Linda all screamed along with the crowd, jumping with excitement despite their sore, aching feet after dancing all night. Chrissy pulled her camera out of her fanny pack, snapping pics as the song started. The singer smiled and danced to the opening notes, waiting for her cue to start singing. The dancers around her grooved along with her, waiting for the choreography to start.

"Now he's thinkin' 'bout me every night, oh Is it that sweet? I guess so Say you can't sleep, baby, I know That's that me, espresso-

The trio of women sang along at the top of their lungs, as loud as their already sore throats would allow. Chrissy couldn’t be bothered to care that she likely wouldn’t have a voice tomorrow, it was worth it to sing along.

"Too bad your ex don't do it for ya Walked in and dream came trued it for ya Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya I know I Mountain Dew it for ya That morning coffee, brewed it for ya One touch and I brand newed it for ya

The singer and her group of dancers made their way towards their side of the stage, the crowd around them cheering for her as she approached. The three girls got their cameras ready as they snapped pictures of their favorite singer performing their favorite song just a dozen feet away from them. The male dancers fawned over her as the female dancers backed her up, dancing with her.

"Now he's thinkin' 'bout me every night, oh Is it that sweet? I guess so Say you can't sleep, baby, I know That's that me, espresso Move it up, down, left, right, oh Switch it up like Nintendo Say you can't sleep, baby, I know That's that me, espresso

The singer moved back across the stage, doing her best to perform to all sides, giving each fan in the crowd a chance to see her and her dancers. She had been doing it the whole show, but the crowd predictably was even more lively for her big, hit single.

All too soon, the song ended with everyone on stage hitting a final pose. The singer was center stage, looking upwards towards the stage lights as the dancers posed around her. Cameras flashed through the people as everyone took their chance to get a decent shot as everyone stood still aside from their heaving chests as they caught their breath.

Chrissy, Linda and Cindy followed suit, cheering and taking pictures between their jumping and flailing. Chrissy was lifting her camera for her fourth or fifth photo of the pose - she lost count - when Linda grabbed her arm and her attention.

“Look!!!” Linda screamed as others in the crowd started reacting too. A tall, lanky figure had emerged from the wing, sauntering proudly towards the singer at center stage. He wore dark coloured jeans and a black t-shirt. His face wasn’t visible past the mop of inky curls when they first caught sight of him, but Chrissy felt a sinking feeling in her stomach at the silhouette. It was too familiar, a memory of her past, but surely it wasn’t-

More people from the crowd started screaming as the man crossed the stage. The singer finally dropped the pose, lowering her eyes to look at the crowd. She was smiling, face flushed from performing, but she soon noticed the crowd looking to the side.

Chrissy heard a man behind her, arguing with his girlfriend, the conversation fading in and out of the ruckus around her. “... -ed Coffin… telling you that’s him… think I know what “Shredder” Ed-…”

The pop star on stage looked surprised to see the man at first, but by the time he pushed through the cluster of back-up dancers around her, she was smiling up at him. The smile was brighter than any she’d given the audience on stage that night, a smile that shone in her eyes in a totally different way than performing on stage made them shine. The pop star started to speak, the microphone still held to her side not picking up any of the words. She didn’t say much before the man interrupted her, cupping the back of her head and dipping down to kiss her.

The crowd cheered through the passionate kiss. The back-up dancers around her reacted with joy and surprise at the public display of affection, some gasping while others applauded or laughed. 

The man pulled the woman to him, holding her like he might be able to absorb her into himself in front of everyone. The singer didn’t fight, but she was obviously caught off guard at first. It barely took a moment for her to drop the microphone, a loud thunking noise booming from the speakers as it clattered to the stage. Her arms wrapped around the man, returning his embrace as she kissed him back. The sound of camera shutters nearly drowned out the voices of the crowd as everyone rushed to take pictures of the pop star and her apparent boyfriend - some to brag to their friends, some to try to sell as the first appearance of the world’s newest celebrity couple.

Chrissy stayed frozen, camera to her side as she watched who she was sure was her high school ex-boyfriend, Eddie Munson, having a heavy makeout session on stage with her favorite pop star.

“Wait, is that…” Cindy asked, starting to also recognize the man who had yet to turn his face their way. Cindy looked at Chrissy, her frozen reaction being all the answer she needed. Cindy prodded Linda, trying to get her to smarten up to what was happening to their friend.

The couple on stage finally parted, catching their breath as they only had eyes for each other. The pop star looked up at her man like he was the only person in the whole state, let alone in a crowd of hundreds. The man’s hand, covered with large silver rings, cupped her cheek gently. From where she stood, Chrissy could see his thumb caress her cheek. Despite the warm summer day, Chrissy shivered as she felt a ghost of a touch, a memory, across her own cheek.

The man leaned in, speaking directly into the singer’s ear for a few seconds. She let go a second later as he released her, bending down to pick up the microphone that was left abandoned on the stage. The man turned towards the crowd, finally showing his face to the entire audience. Some cheered as they recognized the lead singer and guitarist for the heavy metal band, while others who didn’t listen to heavy music waited for a clue to who the man was.

“Is that Eddie?!” Linda gaped, looking up at the man who was once the boy dating her friend.

He was older now than he was then, obviously. His mop of curls were still present, if possible better cared for. He had inky tattoos up and down his visible arms and some high on his neck, coming out of the collar of his Metallica shirt. He’d grown a short goatee, but the dimple in his cheek was still visible as he addressed the crowd. He looked… Great was probably not a strong enough word for how good Eddie Munson looked.

“Your Ex? Like, Eddie Mu-oof” Linda continued until Cindy elbowed her harshly in the side. Linda finally noticed the pale, frozen expression on Chrissy’s face. “Oh.” She mumbled lamely.

“Who's a freak now, Indiana?” Eddie growled into the microphone, his voice raspier than Chrissy remembered it- age, constant performing and steady smoking had settled into his vocal chords in an appealing way. It reminded Chrissy how he used to sound after a show at The Hideout, voice rough from a night of screaming into the mic. 

Eddie tossed the microphone to a nearby dancer, not bothering to check if the unsuspecting man caught it (he did, barely) as he stuck his tongue out, devil horns atop his head. Just like that, Chrissy could see the boy underneath the age, tattoos and facial hair. The 18 year old who couldn’t promise her the world, but promised everything in his world, only for her to break his heart a year and some months later. Out of everyone there, Chrissy looked up and saw no one but Hawkins’ freak with a heart of gold Eddie Munson, but she realized Shredder Eddie Munson of Corroded Coffin didn’t even know she was there. She hadn’t even realized he’d gotten signed, or the band was famous- when had that happened?

Eddie turned, planting another passionate, borderline messy kiss on the pop star's laughing lips. The crowd erupted in another set of cheers, harshly pulling Chrissy back to real life.

Eddie ended the kiss, resting his forehead against the singer’s. The two’s lips were moving through their wide smiles. Chrissy could only imagine the sweet nothings being exchanged. Once upon a time, in a different life, in a quiet trailer park, those sweet nothings had been reserved just for her.

Eddie patted the star on the ass before releasing her from his arms. She laughed as he jogged back to his spot in the wings, hand over her mouth like she couldn’t believe the kiss they’d just shared. Eddie didn’t bother to acknowledge the crowd as he left, no wave goodbye or lude gestures. Before he disappeared from view, he turned to blow a kiss in her direction.

Red faced but smiling gleefully, the starlet pretended to catch it, placing it on her cheek. She stared after him even once he was out of view, only remembering herself when the dancer handed her the microphone.

“Oh, um…” She stumbled her words into the mic, giggling bashfully. She lowered the mic and took a deep breath, physically shaking her limbs. “I was expecting that even less than the rest of you.” She joked once she brought the mic back up to her smudged lips. “Let’s, uh… Let’s move on with the show?” She laughed, unsure how else to move forward with the setlist. The crowd cheered their agreement as she nodded to all her dancers and musicians to get ready to start back up.

“Should we leave?” Cindy asked quietly. Linda stared at Chrissy, waiting for her response.

It was definitely a concert she’d never, ever forget.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Hungry Kisses and No Regrets

Decided to channel my stress into finally writing the Kiki/Namari fic. This is post-series, and has slight references to unofficially translated post series material.

Namari stared into her tankard, watching the beer’s foam drop down the sides. The tavern was full of lively chatter, loud toasts, whooping and yelling…normally she would be right in the thick of it. But right now it was all distant, muffled, nothing but a meaningless buzzing.

  Then a smooth voice cut through that noise. “You’ve had that booze for a whole minute and the glass is still full. Something must be wrong”.

   Kiki was towering over her. Namari turned slowly, her eyes traveling up those long, shapely legs, from the perfect curve of her calves all the way up to her well toned thighs. Namari’s breath hitched and the back of her neck heated up. She focused instead on Kiki’s face, like she should have done from the beginning, but that only made her heart race more. Kiki had her hair down, a rarity, and it fell in beautiful black coils, slightly wavy at the ends. Kiki looked down at her with bright warm eyes and a mischievous smirk (she’d probably noticed Namari checking out her legs). As always, it melted all of Namari’s defenses.

“I’m just…lost in thought.”

Kiki sat across from her, resting her chin on steepled hands. “Want to talk about it?”

Weirdly, she did. When it was with Kiki, she could talk about anything.

“It’s…Falin.”

Kiki raised her eyebrows. “Did she get turned into a monster again?”

“No! It’s…well,I told you now that my father’s debt is almost paid off, I want to strike out and set up a blacksmithing business right?”

Kiki nodded.

Namari took a small sip of beer and sighed.

“Well, Falin’s recovery is taking…longer than expected. She’s having a little bit of trouble adjusting to her new body. She doesn’t have a lot of stamina and gets exhausted easily, Marcille says she’s been restless at night, growling and snarling and having weird dreams. Even Marcille has a hard time shaking her out of them. I know Falin was planning to travel, to get to know her new self and see new places, and it must be so frustrating…so I don’t think I can leave until she gets better.”

Kiki wrinkled her brow. “Why? It doesn’t sound life threatening. She has her brother and Marcille taking care of her, right? And Chilchuck and Senshi are sticking around a bit longer too. I’m sure she’ll get well soon."

“I know, but… it’s hard to see Falin like this. She’s usually so warm and full of life, you know? She could make anyone feel better just by being there. It’s easy to see why Marcille and Shuro fell for her…”

Kiki’s eyes narrowed. Was that…jealousy?

“Not that I ever had any feelings for her, I’m just saying she’s always been so strong and kind,” Namari amended hastily. “So it’s hard to see her so listless. …And I feel like I should…well, if she can’t travel right now, I shouldn’t get to go gallivanting off somewhere.”

“You’re acting like you’re responsible for her. Are you feeling guilty about leaving?”

Kiki sure cut to the quick. "I don’t regret my choice," Namari said forcefully. "I did what I had to do. But.. I wonder sometimes. If I had been there, would they have been able to get to the dragon before it digested her? Would it have saved her from going through all that hell? Seeing what happened to her, how she’s struggling now, it rattled me. I wonder if she resents me."

Namari lowered her eyes, drawing a circle in the condensation on the table with her index finger. She couldn't look st Kiki. The last thing she wanted to see was her pity.

            “From the brief time I met her—and from how you all describe her—it doesn’t seem like she’d resent you.” Kiki’s voice was the same as ever, a ripple in a calm lake. Namari looked at her and saw her expression wasn’t pitying or annoyed. She just looked like she was mulling it all over.

            “No…none of them seen to resent me, even Marcille. But still…Falin knows I abandoned her. She might understand and accept it, but I wonder if it hurts her, deep down…” She trailed off. She new she was being pathetic she was being pathetic,

            Kiki studied Namari's face, her eyes searching

“Remember when Kaka and I told you about how our clan abandoned us at an inn when we were children?”

Namari blinked at the sudden topic change, but said, “Yes, of course”

            “Kaka resents them for that. But I don’t. I’m honestly grateful.”   

            “Huh?”  As always, Namari couldn’t figure out if Kiki was joking or not.

            Kiki’s mouth quirked and she tilted her head. A bit of hair fell over her eye in a way that made Namari's heart flutter.

            “I remembered how they looked, their cheeks hollowed, their eyes sunken. They were starving, yet they always tried to give Kaka and me a good meal. So I was grateful that they left us. If they hadn’t, I would have had to watch them suffer, watch them die. I hated being a burden.” Kiki’s smiled disappeared, and Namari saw her hands shake ever so slightly against the table. She wanted so badly to reach out and hold that hand, to tell her it was all okay. But she knew Kiki wouldn’t appreciate being interrupted.

            Kiki breathed in deeply. “But by leaving us at the inn, they gave us a chance. A chance for something better. Because they did that, I had a chance to meet Grandma and Grandpa. And that’s what I’m the most grateful for.” Her expression softened, the warmth returning to her face.

            Namari smiled. She loved how Kiki looked at even the darkest moments with love and empathy. It made her want to let go of her cynicism.

`           ”So,” Kika said, tossing her hair. “If Falin’s really the person you say she is, I’m sure she feels the same way. She’s grateful that you didn’t drown in debt for her sake, she’s grateful she didn’t didn't have to see you suffer and lose everything for her. She doesn’t want to be your burden.”

Namari’s eyes burned. Falin had said something like that—“I’m so glad you were able to find such a great party to work for, Namari. You seem so happy! And you helped my brother and the rest a lot, from what I hear! Thank you!"But Namari had been sure she was just forcing her real feelings down. But hearing it from Kiki…for some reason, that made her believe it.

“And also…” Kiki leaned forward, her face so close to Namari’s that her hot breath tickled Namari’s nose. “I’m personally very grateful you left the party. Because that’s how I got to meet you. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

Namari swallowed. She was sure her face was as red as a tomato. But she wasn’t going to let that stop her. It was time to say it.

“There’s actually another reason I’ve been procrastinating on leaving. It’s…because I don’t want to leave you behind.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Kiki said casually. “I’ve decided to leave the family business and strike out on my own. And I’d love to travel with you.”

“You…what?’

“I’ve been thinking of it for a while and talking about it with the family. I told them all yesterday. I want to try new things, see what I can do on my own. Kaka’s going to stay with them, he’s never been interested leaving out grandparents. It’s going to be…really hard being separated from him. We’ve been together our whole lives. But I think that’s why I need to do this.I want to find out who I am without him. Take my own path. Grandpa and Grandma were very supportive. I’ll miss all of them, but it’s not like I can’t visit…”

All of this tumbled out of Kiki’s mouth in a rush, so it took a second for Namari to process it. But when she finally did, her heart burst with joy. Her face lit up with what she was sure was the dopiest smile, but she did her best to keep her voice even.

“Do you know what you want to do?”

“I did a short apprenticeship of a trading company when I was younger, and I loved meeting different people from all over, so maybe that. But one thing I really want to do is…be by your side at least a little bit longer.” She looked down nervously, eyelashes fluttering.

Namari reached out and took Kiki’s hand at last. It was soft and smooth, so much smaller than hers, but still strong. “I want that too,” Namari murmured. “And I also want to kiss you until you’re as dizzy as I am.”

At that invitation, Kiki threw herself across the table. She barely avoided knocking Namari’s beer over as she swung her legs around to sit on her lap. Namari put her arms around her, she bent down, and they kissed hungrily, ceaselessly, with bottomless desire. Kiki tugged at Namari's wrist and Namari gladly accepted the invitation, running her hand greedily up Kiki's thigh, feeling the strong muscle underneath, gripping it harder as their kiss deepened.

Whoops and cheers explored around them. When they finally separated, they saw several tavern patrons were watching them. And the table was a little wobbly. Oops.

“Let’s get out of here before we break something. We can do that in my bedroom instead.” Namari murmured.

“Sounds good. And if we stop by my house first, I can bring some leg pouches to put on in front of you,” Kiki teased.

“You really are the perfect woman,” Namari breathed, trembling with anticipation.

So they walked off arm and arm into the night, Namari leaving behind her worries and fears. There was no point in looking back anymore. She and Kiki had just started a new journey together.

[sleep-drunk-kitten]

pairings: platonic childhood best friends! Sunoo, Wooyoung, and Felix x reader, nephew!Niki, oc!niece

genre: sitcom esque au, fluff, sliiiigghhhtt hurt/comfort, comfort fic

warnings: none really

summary: y/n's whole life got derailed when her sister’s passing leaves her as her niece and nephew's legal guardian, if it weren't for her three childhood friends: Felix, Wooyoung, and Sunoo, she's not sure her little family would've held together. Now, five years down the road, she's found herself in another mess when she loses her sister’s house. Thankfully, her best friends are there to help her.

notes: the summary sucks, I've always been bad at them, but this is a little comfort au that I've been meaning to write for a while now. There will be no plot. No clear direction of where the story's headed. And no romantic relationships for the time being. Just little scenarios and drabbles set in this world, written more for myself really.... this is pure self indulgent escapism (your girl's going throughit again). Still, I hope some of you enjoy it at least a little 🩷

I'm making a taglist for this series, please leave a comment or send an ask if you'd like to be added ♡

Everything below the cut is NOT proofread

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

Drained.

That was the only way you could describe the feeling slowly chipping away at you, replacing the marrow of your bones so you felt hollow, detached and weightless in a way that had you clinging to any type of feeling that would remind you that your body was real.

Presently, that meant tucking yourself into the cushions of your best friend's couch. Pressing as close to the plush fabric as you could. Praying the pressure would hold you in place, keep your soul from slipping through your skin.

It was hard.

It was hard to stay focused on that task when your heart was beating much faster than it should be.

Difficult to hold the thoughts plaguing you at bay when they seemed to be spreading through your skull like a sickness.

Tired.

You're so so very tired.

You're not sure how it happened. When it all started slipping away from you. Time having blurred and smudged around the edges of the present over the last few months so you could barely remember what day of the week it was without regularly checking your phone. All you knew for sure was that you'd been in over your head when you'd signed the papers that sealed your fate as your niece and nephew's legal guardian.

In hindsight, you suppose you'd had no choice. As long as you were living, they were your family, and you theirs.

'But still,' you think, nails digging into the flesh of your arms, 'you weren't prepared, (y/n)... you jumped headfirst and now you've got nowhere to go...'

...

what now?...

...

"what now...."

....

"Babe?"

"Baby?"

"(y/n)-ah, are you there?"

You look up, meeting the concerned gaze of Lee Felix; the person whose home you were currently invading.

Your best friend smiles down at your upside-down features, setting the two mugs in his hands onto the small table by the arm of the couch so he could rest his elbows on the cushions behind you and cup your cheeks in his hands, the warmth from the mugs sinking into your cold, tearstained skin.

"Is our Momma Goose worrying again?" he asks, still smushing your cheeks together, moving his fingers in small circles that you knew were meant to ease the way you'd been clenching your jaw.

You scrunch your nose at the nickname, chosen because of your role in your niece and nephew's lives and the way they claimed your laugh reminded them of the bird. "Of course I'm worrying, Lix, I just lost my sister's house."

"Technically you didn't lose it, it was that useless deadbeat motherfu-"

"Lix!" you exclaim, head snapping to the door to Felix’s room. "Careful, Niki's a very light sleeper when he's away from... from home..."

Felix nods, a frown tugging at his lips as he climbs over to sit next to you. "Well then that useless old muffinhead's fault. The... half baked brioche doesn't even pay child support, all he had to do was handle the mortgage and he couldn't even do that much..."

You sigh, pulling your knees up to your chest, world tipping sideways as Felix pulls you and your blanket cocoon into his side. Wrapping his arms around your shoulders, he held you to tightly to his chest. His heartbeat, and the steady rise and fall of his breathing proving more effective than the couch cushions could ever be.

You melt in his hold, a few stray tears slipping down your cheeks the moment your body relaxes. It was so much easier to let go when you knew you had someone else to hold you together. "I know... but it was stupid of me to count on that in the first place, I should've planned better... figured out another place for us or something... what am I supposed to do now, Lixie... we're basically homeless..."

"Excuse me?" the voice comes from your right this time, a figure climbing in through the open kitchen window, the fire escape rattling slightly under his chunky black footwear. "The fuuu-dge muffin do you mean 'homeless'?" Wooyoung says, narrowly escaping a scolding.

"I told you earlier?? I lost the house???"

"Hyung, could you please use the door like a human being instead of coming in here like a mangy alley cat all the time?" a fourth person joins you, emerging through one of the four doors down the hall leading off the open living space, messy blond hair still damp from a shower.

"That takes too long," Wooyoung says happily, slipping off his military grade crocs and setting them under the bench set by the window for this express purpose, pulling out a pair of fluffy black house slippers. "Besides, this is our home. We can all come and go as and how we please."

"Still..." Sunoo gripes, settling himself on the floor in front of you.

Wooyoung sets the bag of snacks he'd gone up to retrieve in the first place onto the coffee table in front of you, plopping down beside Sunoo and biting his shoulder, ignoring the younger man's yelp of pain and turning to you and Felix as if he wasn't on the receiving end of one of Sunoo's most disgusted looks.

"Now what's this about you guys having nowhere to go (y/n)-ah? What kind of nonsense is that?" he whines, resting his arms on the couch and staring up at you with a small pout on his face.

"Woo I told you," you sigh, blocked nose muffling the exasperation in your voice, "my sister’s ex-"

"I know the bank got its hands on your sister’s place, that's not what I mean, I mean what do you mean by nowhere to go? You're right here aren't you?"

You blink down at him, brows creased now with confusion rather than anxiety. "Yeah but this is Felix’s place, Woo, I'm just crashing here for the night since I couldn't find a decent motel on such short notice."

"You were gonna go to a motel?!" Felix pulls away from you in alarm, something between worry and pure betrayal on his face.

"Yes?..."

"No." Felix says, bundling you closer and tucking the blankets around you like you were about to get up and wake your sleeping wards to leave at such a late hour. "That's absolutely out of the question, why would you do that when you have us?"

"It wouldn't be right for me to just spring that on you all..." you say wiggling a little so you could rest more comfortably in Felix’s hold.

"Why not?" Sunoo asks, opening a bag of mini chocolate chip cookies. "We have the space you know, nobody ever uses the guest room... we could fit the Ducklings' bunk bed in there... and I wouldn't mind sharing a room with Lix since the master bedroom's pretty spacious...."

"Or I could move into the guest room so (y/n) can share the master bedroom with the Duckies?" Felix suggested.

"That could work," Wooyoung nodded, "or you know they could always room upstairs with me, it's smaller than down here but it's just me so there's room, I get it if you wanna be closer to them though since- (y/n)-ahhh, why're you crying again?"

Wooyoung climbs up onto the couch, somehow wrestling his way into the space on your other side and sandwiching you between himself and Felix.

"I don't know," you sniffle, "I feel silly for worrying? You guys are saying all this so easily..."

"We've been best friends since we were three, I held Niki when he wasn't even a day old, I'd be out of my mind to let you all go anywhere else."

"And I practically co-parented Hima," Wooyoung says pointedly, "what kind of father would I be if I let my babygirl stay in some shady ass motel??"

You can't help the laugh that bubbles up at that, nodding into Felix’s shoulder as memories of Wooyoung pacing round your sister’s living room with a wailing Himawari in his arms float through your mind theater. The clock above him ticking uncomfortably close to the ungodly hour of 4 in the morning, Sunoo leaning tiredly against a doorframe with a cold cup of coffee in his hands, the two of them taking a shift while you tried to get some sleep. You really shouldn't be surprised by the fact that they wouldn't think twice about the three of you moving in.

"Besides!" Sunoo says brightly, noticing the way tears are beginning to well up in the corners of your eyes again, "you all practically live here already, Niki's always in the cafe after school, Hima's DVD collection's here, the three of you have your own house slippers, you even have a mug!!"

He hands you the Jemima Puddle-Duck mug Felix had set down earlier. It was still steaming faintly, full of warm vanilla tea.

Wooyoung nods, leaning off you just enough so you can sit up, one of Felix’s arms still draped behind your shoulders. "The mug is honestly the most important thing, why would Sun bother getting all of you your own weird set of plates and cups if this wasn't your home too?"

"You do have a point there," you laugh, glancing at the fruit themed sets sitting happily in a glass cabinet by the dining table.

"They're not wonky..." Sunoo pouts, "they're cute..."

"They are," you assure him, reaching down to ruffle his hair, a frown line creasing your forehead a moment later, "I should still pay rent tho, Lix, even if it's gonna be temporary. I would feel too guilty about it otherwise."

"Who said anything about temporary?"

"Of course love, I won't press you on it or anything though, I don't need the money so please do whatever's best for Niki and Hima."

"And yo-" Wooyoung starts, but is cut off by a cookie being stuffed in his mouth.

"We're trying to gaslight her into thinking it's for the ducklings, Hyung, keep up please!"

You laugh. A full, proper laugh, clasping a hand over your mouth to stop yourself from waking the kids, wide smile peaking out from behind your hand.

"There she isss," Felix coos, giving you a gentle shake.

"Glad m' sffrng brngs you joy," Wooyoung grumbles around the cookie, glaring down at Sunoo who simply rolls his eyes.

"We can talk about getting your furniture and stuff tomorrow, 'kay?" Sunoo says, handing you the cookie bag.

"Okay..." you say quietly, relief slowly sinking through your skin, "thank you... you know... for always being here..."

"Of course," Wooyoung smiles.

"Always," Sunoo adds.

[thewitchoftheweed]

The farmhands converge on the path, all sweating and miserable. If the boss is having a bad day, so is the entire team. Their newest recruit — a fox, recently converted — looks around nervously before falling in after the others, as though the boss might materialize out of thin air to stop him from leaving. Kiki smirks and falls into step beside him. He’s a desert fox with large ears, not like the red foxes of Darkwood. Mottled brown eyes flicker toward her nervously.

“...Am I doing something wrong? You’re looking at me,” he says.

Kiki grins. “No, I can just tell you’re nervous. Relax.” She bumps her shoulder lightly against his. “It’s Ronove, right? You’re doing fine.”

Ronove gives her an incredulous look. He’s young, no more than nineteen. They’ve been getting a lot of new converts around his age these days, youths searching for answers at the altar of the Lamb. “It’s my first day and I’ve been yelled at three times already.” He glances over his shoulder at the barn. His voice drops to a fearful whisper. “I don’t think he likes me.”

[theobsidianempress]

The Nanny

WARNING: This story contains strong language and sexual themes. If you are UNDER the age of 18 - GO AWAY!

Summary:

Everything was going well for you. A good paying job, just graduated with your masters in child psychology and development along with your teaching certificate. Things seemed to be on the up and up until your boyfriend’s ego go in the way. Before you knew it you were living with your mom again in your childhood bedroom. You decided that rather than wallow in self pity, you’d put your degree to some use only that seemed to be harder than you thought. At the end of your rope you decided to look at the private ads and answered one for a single working father with two daughters. That turned out to be one of the best decisions you ever made.

Chapter 1: Perceived Slight

You had graduated from university with your masters in Early Childhood Development and Psychology about a year ago. You had always wanted to work with children. The only problem was finding a job that worked with you. Working in a school sounded like a good idea until you realized that you weren’t a morning person and dealing with a classroom full of toddlers first thing in the morning sounded like hell on earth. You had to do that as an internship and while you loved the kids you helped teach, you knew you could not do that again. You thought about opening your own private practice to be a child therapist… only there was a lot of fees and red tape to get through. So, to make ends meet while you figured your life out, your boyfriend graciously offered you a job at his store in Ginza.

Working in Ginza in a high-end suit shop definitely had its perks. The amount of cute guys that would stop in to look for a suit to purchase was mind boggling. Only, your boyfriend was the manager and it would have been wildly inappropriate to flirt with the clientele even if they openly flirted with you. You did your best to shut down their advances and, most of the time, they listened to you. This seemed to placate your overly jealous boyfriend. He would watch you like a hawk when you welcomed in someone that was mildly more attractive than him. He knew he was nothing to sneeze at but he should’ve had more faith in you. You loved him. You would never leave him for someone else just because they were more handsome. That was vain. You were anything but. You could definitely appreciate a pretty face, any woman would but that wasn’t the only thing that mattered to you.

You tried time and time again to explain this to him but he was so far up his own ass that nothing you said mattered. Usually you two would fight and not talk for a few days before you would cave in and beg him to talk to you. That song and dance had worn you down so much that you threatened to leave him. Multiple times, actually. But every time he would throw a fit and threaten you back, whoever you managed to get with after him, your mom, anyone he could think of. One time he even threatened to end himself. Each time he got you to cancel the break up and stay with him and put up all over again with his toxic bullshit. His constant flirting with other women, his backhanded and degrading comments and so on. You figured he would have changed back into the sweet man you’d fallen in love with. The one who would bring you flowers, bring you coffee and buy you lunch unprompted. You hoped that he would go back to the way he was but after every fight, every comment, every time he talked you down, that hope seemed to fade away.

The door to the shop swung open bringing you back to reality. You looked around and every single one of your coworkers were occupied, so this client was yours to attend to.

“Welcome! How can I help you today?” You put on your best customer service smile and approached them. You couldn’t help but notice, aside from how tall he was, that his hair was snow white. He tipped his round dark shades down his nose to look at you. His eyes were the bluest you had ever seen. It became all too clear who was standing in front of you — Gojo Satoru, the owner of G-Tech Industries. It was like seeing a unicorn. You saw his face plastered on ads all over the city but you never once thought you’d be graced with his presence. You played it cool and acted like he was just another client. You had to. If you began fawning over him like he was the second coming of Jesus, you’d get your ass chewed for a lifetime from your boyfriend, who was of course staring you down from the till.

“Well aren’t you just the prettiest little thing? You’re gonna be helping me today, huh?” He said. Aw shit… Not only was he an ungodly amount of attractive, he was also a flirt.

“I’m not all that pretty, sir.” You down played his compliment, “What can I help you with today?” You repeated.

He put away his shades in his blazer pocket as a smirk tugged on his lips, “Pretty and humble. Cute.” He strolled right past you into the show room as he spoke, “I’m looking for a new suit for an event I have coming up. I want something a little different from the usual boring suit but nothing ostentatious. Think you can help me with that, gorgeous?” He asked as he glanced over his shoulder.

You knew the inventory inside out and luckily, you had gotten some pieces that would work with what he was looking for. “Absolutely, sir. It just so happens we got some new pieces in that I believe would suit you quite well.” You said confidently, “Please follow me so I can get your measurements.”

It didn’t take a genius to know that Gojo was checking you out. You really were pretty. Nice figure, nice size chest, sweet face and a melodious voice. You made anything you wore look good and even the worst of news sounded pleasant. As you lead him to the fitting area you could feel his diamond gaze graze over you. It wasn’t something you were used to. Yes, you were used to being ogled but this was on a whole new different level. You couldn’t deny that being looked at did something to you, but it wasn’t like you could do anything about it. You were at work and you could see your boyfriend out of the corner of your eye pretending to do inventory while he watched you. That’s right… you had a boyfriend whom you were committed to and no amount of sensual eyeing would change that.

Gojo glanced over his shoulder at your tailing boyfriend. He quickly pretended to be doing something else but now it was obvious he was watching you.

“Pathetic…” You heard Gojo mutter under his breath.

Normally, you would have defended your boyfriend’s actions, but now you had to agree. His behavior was pathetic, but there was nothing you could do. You pulled a set of measuring tape from your pocket and began taking his measurements. That was a task and a half. You were on the shorter side, hitting no more than five foot four. So taking measurements for someone that was six foot three and seemingly all legs was hard. It took you several attempts to make sure you had the right numbers. The last thing you wanted was to come back with something that was too short. He had to deal with that enough. It wasn’t until you realized you had to take his waist measurements that your heart decided that your throat was its new home for the time being. No matter how hard you tried to swallow it back down and hide the flush of your face, it became increasingly obvious that Gojo did get to you. Anyone else you’d take their measurements and keep it moving. Since the illustrious Gojo Satoru was your client, the idea of being so close to him — even for just a moment — had your stomach doing flips and your heart threatening to stop. It didn’t matter what side or what angle you approached him, it still made you blush. You could see your boyfriend’s face redden with anger. That seemed to put your heart back into a normal rhythm.

“I am a professional and I have a job to do.” You thought as you went in.

You ignored the amused smirk on Gojo’s face as he watched you wrap your arms around him. Even though it was something you’d done a million times before with a million other clients, somehow he managed to fluster you. Or maybe it was the fact that your jealous boyfriend was watching you fiercely.

You scribbled the last of his measurements in your little note pad, “Alright! I’ll be right back with your options, Mr. Gojo.” You turn on your heels before he can say something flirty. You feared that if he did your boyfriend would kill the both of you right there.

As you’re picking items and scan the racks for anything that will work with what your client is looking for you, you feel a hand on your shoulder spin you around. Your heart sank into the depths of the ocean when you saw your boyfriend.

“What the hell was going on out there?” He seethed.

“Nothing. I’m just doing my job.” You say as you attempt to finish.

He let off a cold chuckle that would make the winter wind jealous, “Nothing? You really expect me to believe that that was nothing?” He gestured behind him.

“Yes. Now we are at work and I have a job to do.” You put up your own cold front and try to move past him.

He didn’t move. In fact, he dug his heels into the carpet, “Oh, no. You’re not getting away that easily.”

You looked up at him through your brows, “I don’t care how you feel right now. We are at work and have jobs to do. If you’re incapable of doing that then go home.” Like you had any power to send him home. You watched as his fist and jaw clenched and unclenched. Steam was practically pouring out of his ears and it looked like it was taking every ounce of control he had not to throttle you right then and there. Without a word he moved aside and let you finish your picking before you scampered back out to your awaiting client.

He was sitting there, leaning back with one leg propped up on the other in one of the plush seats scrolling on his phone. He hopped up when he saw you with arms full of options for him. You led him over to the changing room and hung up everything nicely for him.

“Sure you can’t join me?” He quipped.

“I’m afraid not, Mr Gojo. That would be highly inappropriate.” You said as you left him to change.

As you waited for him to emerge, you felt cold. You knew that today, after work, you were absolutely fucked. You hadn’t done anything wrong but in your jealous boyfriend's mind you might as well been sucking Gojo’s dick right then and there.

“No matter what I do… It’s like he’s always looking for some reason to be mad at me…” You muttered to yourself. You shook your head trying to reset like an etch-a-sketch. You needed to be present for your client. That’s what mattered right now. It didn’t matter if your boyfriend was the manager or not. He could take his fragile ego and shove it up.

As if on cue, Gojo emerged in a navy blue suit with subtle detailing throughout. It wasn’t noticeable from afar. It was once you got up close and personal, you could see the detail in the fabric. You could tell by the smile he wore that you’ve done your job. It fit him well and the darker blue made his eyes pop more so than they already did.

“What do you think?” He asked.

You smiled, “I think It looks great.” You were just doing your job and affirming what Gojo already knew.

He went back in and changed back into the suit he came in with. He handed you the options he didn’t want and you put them on the ‘go-back rack’. In his arms were the midnight one he had modeled for you along with a black one that was similar.

“Is this all for you, Mr. Gojo?” You asked as you gestured to his haul.

“Not quite.” He said as he wandered over to the display for ties and tie clips.

You helped him pick out a few ties and tie clips for the suits as well as a few sets of jewel studded cufflinks. When he was ready you lead him up to the till where your manager of a boyfriend was waiting. You paid no mind to the rage burning behind his eyes. You typed in your code and began checking out the items for your client. Commission came standard with working for a luxury store, but that was the last thing on your mind as you cared more about the experience you provided. As you rang up his purchases, your mind began to swim with the amount of zeros you saw. Okay, you cared a little about the commission. You were gonna eat good with that commission check. You held it together as you gestured to the card reader. Unlike most places in Japan, your store was card only. It made sense with the type of clientele you dealt with.

You watched as Gojo swiped his black card through the reader. It sang its song of approval and you began to bag his purchases. You walked him over to the door and handed him the bag with both hands and a respectful bow.

“Thank you for shopping with us, Mr. Gojo. I hope your experience was a good one.” Your customer service smile was on full display.

He took his bag with a sly smile, “It was better than “good”, it was phenomenal, thanks to you, beautiful.” He gave a wink before putting on his round shades and leaving.

The second the door closed the other girls came swarming around you saying how lucky you were and fangirling over the fact that you got to help THE Gojo Satoru. They shot off questions faster than a Tommy gun. You only answered questions you heard and downplayed the entire experience. It wouldn’t be long before another customer walked in causing all of you to scatter and look busy.

The rest of the day went by as normally as it could. You would help customers that would come in, your pathetic boyfriend would tail you under the guise of doing work around the store and you would carry on as if he was nothing more than a lingering fart in the air. Rinse and repeat until you got to clock out. Since you were staff, you got to leave earlier than your boyfriend and you couldn’t thank the Gods above enough for that. Your two cats greeted you at the door with happy meows as if asking you how your day was.

“Hello mommy babies!” You chirped. You dropped to your knees as you beckoned them both to you.

“Hi, Yuki. My little snowman.” You pet his soft white fur as he gently headbutt your left hand.

A larger tabby cat came trotting up to you with a happy twitching tail, “Hi Mochi! My chunky boy!”

You had an hour or maybe two before he would come storming into your shared apartment and cause a ruckus. The anxiety that racked you couldn’t be quelled no matter what you did. Take a shower, soak in the tub, have a glass of wine, read a book - none of that helped. All you could do was listen to the door noises. Listen for his footsteps thunder down the hall and his keys jingle as he unlocked the door. Only this time… He didn’t come thundering down the hall like an angry bull. He didn’t fling the door open hard enough to bounce off the wall. He didn’t shout at you and look around the apartment until he found you. He came home like nothing happened and that worried you more than the latter would have. Your boyfriend was not the ‘calm’ kind of angry. When he was pissed the whole building knew. So, what the fuck was his deal?

You poked your head out from your shared room, “Babe?” You called cautiously, “Welcome home.” You practically tiptoed out to the kitchen where you could hear him rummaging around in the fridge.

“You hungry? I’ll make you a sandwich” He said as he closed the fridge with his foot.

You stared at him like he had two heads, “He’s being nice? What happened? Why is he not throwing things and screaming at me?” You wondered.

“You good, babe?” He asked as he grabbed some plates from the cupboard.

You shook your head, “Y-yeah. I’ll take a sandwich.” You smile.

The rest of the night went by without a hitch. No screaming, no yelling and no breaking and throwing things. You cuddled up to him with your cats resting on your feet. You fell asleep as if nothing happened.

Even the next morning played out like nothing happened. You two ate breakfast together and even headed to the store together.

“Something isn’t right…” You thought as you walked alongside your boyfriend. Sure he was playing as if everything was fine but you knew in your core that something was amiss. You knew that he was planning something. You just had no idea what or when it was coming.

The two of you clock in and began working as normal. You were with a client when you noticed the District and General manager walk in. That also struck you as strange because you knew for a fact they weren’t due for a visit until the end of the summer. It had just turned spring.

“What the fuck are they doing here?” You barely had time to explore the thought before your client called for your attention. Today had turned out to be a busy day. Client after client coming in running you and your colleagues ragged. Only later in the afternoon did the rush die down. You were sitting on a plush chair chatting with another one of your coworkers when the district manager approached you.

“Y/N, would you mind coming back to the office with me?” He asked.

You looked at your coworker then back to the district manager, “Sure.” You hopped up on sore feet to follow him. Call it intuition or pure anxiety but you knew something was wrong. Why on earth would he want to talk to you? Somehow you knew this wasn’t a sort of “You’ve been doing so well we’re going to celebrate you” type deal. Yeah you were good at your job, but you weren't an employee of the month/year good.

The second the door opened to the office it became clear why he wanted to see you. The district manager took his seat next to the general manager and, next to her, was your boyfriend and another one of your coworkers.

“What’s this about?” You asked cautiously as you sat down.

The general manager shifted uncomfortably in her seat, “We’ve gotten reports of inappropriate behavior from you.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, “Inappropriate behavior? You’re not serious. In my time here, I’ve not done anything that could be considered inappropriate.”

“This is no laughing matter, young lady.” The district manager said, his tone akin to a father scolding his child, “We cut you a break when you began dating your manager, but now you have the gall to flirt with clients.”

It was at that moment it clicked… You were getting fired all from a perceived slight of your pathetic excuse of a boyfriend.

“Sir, I can assure you that I was not flirting with clients. Nor have I ever done so.” You were done for and you knew it. There was no saving you but you weren’t going to go down like a bitch.

“That’s not what we heard. We also have witnesses to back up this claim.” The district manager said.

You glanced over to see your boyfriend and your other coworker smiling smugly. There were no cameras in the store to protect the high end clients that came through the store. The more you thought about it… there really weren’t any other witnesses that could attest on your behalf. Everyone else was occupied with either a client or some other work that needed to be done, or they had gone to lunch. All except her… All except that smug bitch that was sitting in the corner with your boyfriend’s hand on her thigh.

Oh… Oh… it all made sense now. Why he wasn’t mad with you. He had someone else and this was his way out.

You took a glance around the room. Taking in the disappointed looks of the general and district manager and the smug grins from two trashy humans. Normally you’d be shaking and crying, but something in you didn’t seem to care anymore. You couldn’t find a single fuck to give and that was alright with you.

“Frankly, I don’t care what your false report or witness has to say about my behavior. I did nothing wrong and I will stand by that.” You turned your attention to your well ex, now and his new girl, “You have got to be the most pathetic and jealous man I have ever had the displeasure of dating. You were a waste of my time and energy and I hate that I fell for your garbage for so long. You are disgusting for using your power to get me fired over nothing. But since we’re here for ‘inappropriate behavior,’” You used air quotes, “How about we talk about the fact that you’ve been stealing merchandise from the store and reporting it as sold? Or the fact you’ve been shorting people on their commission for MONTHS? Yeah you didn’t think they’d notice did you, babe? When you have me run reports for you because you’re too lazy to do your damn job, I noticed a thing or two.” His smug look was immediately replaced with one of shock and anger. You turned your attention to his new girl, “You can have him, honey. Trash deserves trash. Just be prepared to cut all of your other male friends and family out of your life. And may the heavens help you, if so much as look in the direction of another man. His jealousy is absolutely atrocious, but he can flirt with all the other women in the world and you just have to be okay with it.”

There was nothing that they could say. He knew you were right about him using his power and more than likely using your other co-worker to back up a false claim but he wasn’t expecting you to come in with shots of your own.

You turned your attention back to the general manager and district manager who were looking at you with shocked looks on their faces, “I’ll save you the trouble of paperwork and quit. I refuse to sit here and be lectured about something I didn’t do and have my name dragged through the mud. I’ll expect my last hourly check and commission check to be in the mail, all of it better be there.” You got up with your head held high and walked out of the office. You cleaned out your locker only taking what was yours and changed into normal clothing, leaving your uniform on the counter. You said bye to the coworkers you liked then left. However, the second you rounded that corner the facade you wore crumbled like a crappily built sand castle. You didn’t ugly cry but you were crying as you headed back home. You furiously wiped away tears not wanting anyone to notice. You did your best by putting on your sunglasses and wiping stray tears that fell past their reflective guard. As you made your way into the apartment your phone rang.

“Hello?” You sniffled.

“You have two hours to get your shit together and leave.” It was your ex. Figures he’d kick you out, too. Bastard.

“Two hours? You can’t be serious!” Your voice cracked.

He was oh so nonchalant about this whole thing, “I am. If you’re not out in two hours when I get home, I’m calling the cops. You’re not on the lease anyway.”

Your sanity was hanging on by a thread, “Fine. I’ll be out in two hours.” You hung up the phone and resisted the urge to break down even further. You scrolled through your contacts until you found what you were looking for. You hit the call button and held your phone up to your ear. Each ring was agony, “Please pick up… please….” You begged through gritted teeth.

“Hi sweetheart! How are you?” You let out a sigh of relief at your mother’s voice.

“Hey, mom… Can I come stay with you for a while?” You asked timidly.

Your mom paused, “Did you two finally break up?” She finally asked.

You nodded as if she could see you, “Yeah… It wasn’t pretty.”

“I’ll be there in an hour.” You could hear her grab her keys.

“Thanks mom.” You hung up and knew it was time to get to work.

Fuck being nice and leaving this apartment tidy. You were mad and you were gonna take it out on him. You needed to dump your cats’ litter boxes so why not all over his bed? You decided out of the kindness of your heart to polish his expensive cufflinks… with sand paper. You also bent them out of shape and took the backings that held them in place, replaced his shampoo and conditioner with your hair removal cream, placed shrimp shells in the curtain rods and lemons on top of the cupboards where his 5’6” ass couldn’t reach.. You took a red cream lipstick and wrote in big bold letters “FUCK YOU!” on the bathroom mirror, took all the chords to his game systems and cut all wires to the TV and his PC, unplugged the refrigerator and left it open. You even took all the good food and threw it into the cat litter mess and, for good measure, sprayed all the condiments on it as well. When all was said and done, his place was wrecked. It wasn’t like he could tell building management either. You weren’t on the lease anyway.

You took only the clothes and shoes that you bought and liked. Anything else that was gifted to you by him was ripped and torn to shreds so he couldn’t regift or sell it. You packed your jewelry and sentimental items (that didn’t include that rat bastard of an ex), managed to wrestle your cats into their carriers and we’re ready to go. You locked the door and slid the key under it. All you had was a suitcase, a backpack, your cats and what belonged to them. You sat outside in the chilly evening on the steps as you waited for your mom to come and get you. You tried to shush your cats who were meowing up a storm because they were very stressed and confused by all of this as were you. This day was the second worst day of your life. The worst being when your dad died. You wished he was still alive so you could tell him about what just happened, sure he’d handle it by beating that asshole into the next century.

A dark blue Toyota rav4 pulled up in front of you. Out came your mom with wide open arms. She knew you needed a hug and by god she was going to give you one. The second her plush arms wrapped around you, you broke down into ugly violent sobs.

“I know, baby… I know… Momma’s here.” She soothed. She might have been old, but her hugs were just as warm and as tight as ever. She soothed you and rubbed your back as you wailed all the while telling you, “It’s gonna be okay.”

When you had decided that you had cried enough, did she finally let you go. Through hiccups and sobs, the two of you loaded your things and cats into her car.

“Thank you…” you said as you ran your sleeve across your face. Your mom reached over and squeezed your thigh, “You don’t have to thank me, baby. You know I’ll always be there for you.”

[kindlythevoid]

Don't you hate it when you read an old WIP (that you made, mind you) and you're reading it and it's good and fun and interesting (even if it could use an edit or two here and there) and then it just--

ENDS!?

Like who decided it could end t h a t early when it CLEARLY had a lot--!?

Oh.

[mokadevs]

"Hmph." Ho'olheyak pulls her jacket over her shoulders, turns around. "One might've thought that upon being notified that you'd be participating in an operation with me, you'd take the time to learn a little more."

"I'm trying," Muelsyse chirps, and Ho'olheyak has to suppress a gag because Muelsyse sounds as if she actually enjoys it.

-

During a mission to Sargon, Ho'olheyak studies the thing that calls itself Muelsyse.

[elliethejellie]

Hello my lovelies~ <3

So, as you’ve probably noticed, posting has been pretty scarce the past two months. I’ve been dealing with a lot of stuff happening to me irl and trying to make it all work. But! I want to spark my love for writing again. So with that being said, I would like to make a few announcements, and ask a few questions here to gauge popularity of my stories. ^^

1. My ask box is open for all of my long form fanfics right now!!! I’ve been thinking this one through for a while and I would really like to involve everyone with my characters. I enjoy interacting with you all so please, don’t be afraid to send a question to any of my characters. To clarify, my ask box is open for Tainted Magic, Tainted Blood; The LoveBug Virus; and A Summer to Remember <3

2. I’m also taking requests!! (DCA fandom only of course.) If you’ve got a particular fic idea that you’d like to see me write for you, by all means, send it in!! Just keep in mind that I’m not super woman, so if you send in a request and I don’t respond to it, that means that either A) I literally just haven’t gotten to it yet, B) I’m not taking requests anymore, C) you didn’t include enough information and I’m not sure how to go about writing it, or D) I just didn’t want to or couldn’t write that particular prompt for some reason. Also, keep in mind that I am 22 and I am NOT a completely SFW blog, including that I do occasionally write smut/explicit content (even if you haven’t seen it here). So do not be afraid to ask for things of that nature!

3. I am doing writing commissions! I know that I haven’t made a complete post for it yet, but I promise they’re open hahah. If you would like to commission me for a piece, feel free to send me a message and we can discuss my rate, what I’m willing to write, and what you’re looking for!

4. And last but not least-

[halfvalid]

nobody but you

ABOUT

alternate title: the jealous character trope is actually kinda fun to write

rating: teen+

characters: live action!roronoa zoro | fem!reader | live action!vinsmoke sanji | live action!straw hats ensemble

pairing: live action!roronoa zoro x fem!reader

word count: 3.5k

description: sanji flirts endlessly with you while dining at the baratie. zoro is displeased.

tags: strawhat!reader, female reader, fluff, kissing, no use of 'y/n', establishment of relationship, flirting, alcohol consumption, pda

author’s note: i got like ~5 requests to write this so here you guys go! this was a popular one lmao. the story is a vague spinoff to my other fic pretty in that, but it doesn't have to be read to understand this one.

You’d volunteered to deal with the docking fees for the Going Merry, locking up the pirate ship as the rest of the crew entered Baratie. You were just five or so minutes late entering after the restaurant the rest of the Straw Hats had gone into. You’d never seen anything like it before—an eatery right in the middle of the ocean, in the shape of a giant fish. 

You stepped into the building cautiously, glancing around the wide expanse of the main room to try and catch a glimpse of your friends. The restaurant was big, with a mezzanine that you’d entered in and stairs leading down to the first floor. The host, a fishman who was standing at the reservation desk, glanced up to take a look at you. 

“Ah, you must be with the pirates,” he said pleasantly. “Right this way, miss.” 

You nodded, wondering how Luffy was intending on paying for the bill of such a place as you scoped out the area. It was far nicer than anything you would’ve expected—but then again, he’d somehow managed to score the Going Merry from Kaya back in Syrup Village, so you figured he’d work something out. 

Finally, you caught a glimpse of the rest of your crew, tucked away in a circular side booth that the fishman led you to. Luffy brightened upon seeing you, waving you over with a hand so excitedly you feared it was about to flop around like rubber. Considering his powers, that was a more than likely situation, actually. 

“Thank you,” you told the host, then turned towards your friends. “No food yet?” 

“You didn’t miss much,” Usopp said, a little snicker in his voice. “Just the waiter getting our drink orders. He was flirting the heck outta Nami.”

“Oh?” you asked, a smile flickering up your lips. The only open space in the table was between Zoro and Nami—you gave Zoro a confused look, and he gestured down to his swords, which were caught in the ledge between the chair and the wall. You snickered. “Ro. You’re such a loser.” 

“Shut up,” Zoro muttered, hand on your waist as you climbed over him to get to the empty seat. It stayed there for a moment longer, even after you’d arranged yourself in the seat, before he finally dropped his hand. Usopp made a face that you pointedly ignored. 

“What’d you guys order?” you asked instead. If there’d been a menu available, the waiter had probably taken it away; still, there wasn’t much variety in the East Blue, so you could expect there’d be a lot of seafood and not much else. 

“One of everything,” Luffy responded brightly. “So we’ll be able to try the whole menu!” 

“You sure that’s a good idea, Cap?” you asked, brows raised. Luffy shrugged. 

“I don’t see why not.”

“Quit it with the nickname,” Zoro muttered. Neither him or Nami had gotten any more receptive to it since you’d first started calling Luffy it. Usopp didn’t seem so keen on it either—if only because he fancied himself Captain Usopp. Luffy liked it, though, and that pleased you enough to keep using it.

“I’ll get you to start saying it eventually,” you teased, nudging Zoro in the arm. He shook his head, but there was a suggestion of a smile on his lips as he glanced away. “Just you wait.” You turned to Nami, eyes sparkling. “What about the waiter, though? Was he cute?” 

Usopp laughed at that, and Nami gave you a disparaging look. “Come on,” she started. “Not you too. Zoro was all—” 

The sound of footsteps cut off her speech, and you glanced up to find a lean, blond man pausing by the lip of your table. He held a silver plate, upon which perched a variety of different drinks—beers, milk, water. “Here are your drinks,” he said, voice lifting with an accent you couldn’t quite place. “And appetizers.” 

He had just finished placing the last of the drinks balancing on his forearm on the table when the waiter glanced up and registered you sitting there. His expression instantly changed, the crease of his mouth softening into a pleasant smile, his previously-dull blue eyes bright and sparkling. “Well, hello there. An addition?” 

“Yeah, sorry I’m late,” you said. The waiter flashed a grin, white ivories shining under the fluorescents.  

“Oh, absolutely no problem. They say those who are late are fashionable, and you, madam, certainly fit the bill,” the waiter said. Your eyes widened, glancing over to Nami to find her shaking her head, but the waiter didn’t stop there. “I’m Sanji. What can I get for you to drink? We’ve got a wide selection of fine wines that might suit your taste.” 

“Oh, um—” you started, glancing at the rest of your crew again. Usopp was hiding his snicker, and Nami was giving you a tired look. Assumedly this had been the man who’d tried it on her, too—to unfortunate ends, probably, considering how Nami was. Not that this would be any more effective on you. Your eye was already captured by a particular green-haired swordsman, after all. “I don’t really have anything in mind.”

Sanji looked pleased about that, clasping his hands together around his platter. “Ah, let me guess, then. A bayberry or red currant wine, perhaps? Fruity, tart, full of flavor.” he winked. “A feisty drink for a feisty girl.” 

“Can’t say I’ve tried it, but sure,” you said, the faintest smile on your lips. “I’ll let you know how I like it.” 

Sanji grinned, looking rather satisfied with that, a delighted little smile on his lips. “One red currant wine, then. I’ll have it right out. And would you also like to order a meal, or…” He glanced over at Luffy, presumably referencing your captain’s more-than-outrageous order. “Are you all set?” 

“I think we’re set, thanks,” you assured, and Sanji nodded. He flashed you another bright smile before turning on his heel back off to the kitchen. 

Usopp finally let out the laughter he’d been keeping in, choked sounds emitting from his throat as he thudded his chest with a fist. You rolled your eyes, but it was good-natured, letting Usopp laugh. 

“Well, at least I’m not being singled out,” Nami said with a sigh, and you exchanged a sympathetic glance with her. She patted your hand comfortingly, then scrutinized the water Sanji had gotten her. “At least he didn’t put it in a flute.” 

“Zoro, you’ve got competition!” Usopp called, still laughing from the entire ordeal. You glanced to your side, to where the swordsman sat. Zoro had stiffened sometime during the conversation, jaw clenched and arms wound tightly across his chest. He hadn’t even touched the beer that Sanji had set in front of him, eyes fixed carefully to a spot beside Luffy’s head and refusing to look over at you. 

“He’s a waiter,” Zoro said crisply. “He buses tables for a living.” With that, he grabbed his bottle, popping the tab and taking a swig. 

“I don’t know, man, did you see the way he took down those pirates?” Usopp turned to you, all excited again. “Oh, you missed this whole thing! Two pirates were fighting over a seat or something, and Sanji just demolished both of them! You would’ve loved it.” 

“He is a really good fighter,” Luffy agreed. Their words did nothing but seem to annoy Zoro further. 

“Can we not talk about the restaurant personnel? Surely you can think of more interesting topics of conversation.” His tone was sharp, and all icy, and you inched your hand closer to his leg to tap his thigh in question. He glanced down at your touch, but didn’t deign to say anything else. He just picked up his beer again, nursing it while the rest of the crew continued on with their conversation. 

Despite Luffy changing the subject, Zoro didn’t speak, and you kept peeking glances over at him in concern. Your feelings for him had just continued developing ever since Syrup Village, although neither of you had reasonably talked about the closet incident since it’d happened. What with the reveal of Kuro and the escape from the marines and all, there hadn’t exactly been time to. But you’d been on good terms, and the actions he made around you—pressing a hand to your waist as you moved past him, turning towards you first mid-conversation, shoving you down when the marines had fired their first cannon at the Going Merry. 

Before you could whisper to him and question what his silence was about, though, Sanji reappeared, carrying two platters filled to the brim with plates. They were laden with different types of meat and vegetables, sauces glinting under the light and hot steam still billowing. 

He set the dishes on the table, somehow managing to arrange them so they all fit on the countertop. Sanji set down the last plate then turned to you, placing a glass and a bottle of dark crimson wine on the table in front of you. He had to lean over Zoro to reach, and Zoro flinched, but still didn’t say anything as Sanji uncorked the bottle and poured you a glass. 

“Tell me what you think,” he said, all smiles again. “I’ll be embarrassed if it isn’t to your liking.”

You picked the glass up, swirling it carefully inside the glass before leaning down into the cup to take in a full sniff. You tilted your head back to take a small sip, moving the liquid around your mouth to fully savor the flavor before finally swallowing. The wine was sweet, light rather than rich with a delicate tartness that burst on your tongue. You glanced up just to see a giant grin had stretched up Sanji’s mouth, brightening his face up considerably. 

“What?” you asked. 

“Not often do I see a patron who knows how to taste wine properly,” Sanji answered with a little duck of his head. “A lady of class, I see. How do you like it?” 

“Not too strong. I like the tartness,” you answered. “A good recommendation. Thank you.” 

Sanji gave you a little bow, hand flourishing to the side as he dipped his head. “I live to serve.” 

“Yeah, well, why don’t you serve me another beer?” Zoro said abruptly. Usopp coughed, and you could see Nami elbow him out of your peripheral vision. Luffy just looked confused. 

Sanji’s face fell almost immediately after Zoro had spoken, his eyes flickering away from yours. “Of course. I’ll be right back,” he said, a tight smile at his lips. He ducked out of the booth, and Zoro let out an irritated noise, tongue flicking against from the roof of his mouth. 

Usopp snorted, fully this time, and you turned to glance over at him—he and Nami were both hiding their gazes, though you could see smiles cracked along their lips. 

Zoro glared at them. “Shut it.” 

“Not saying anything!” Usopp said, though he half-hid behind Luffy like Zoro was going to lunge over the table to get to him. That didn’t seem… entirely unlikely, actually; Zoro’s right hand rested firmly on the handle of one of his swords, fingers ready to pull the blade at any second. You watched him out of the corner of your eye, wanting to say something. But not in front of everyone else. It wouldn’t be appropriate, you decided. 

Eventually your meal wound down to an end. Zoro got less and less tense throughout it, though you were fairly certain that was due to the drinks he was having rather than any actual reassurance. Sanji, thankfully, came back with the bill in the middle of a conversation you really didn’t want to think about—Luffy and his marine grandfather was not something your mind wanted to dwell on—only for him to disappear again. 

Just moments later, a man with a braided mustache came storming out of the kitchen. Luffy did some more of his Luffy nonsense, and, honestly—you were getting too tired about all of this to pay any close attention. You spared a glance over at Zoro again. His face was as blank as ever.  

“Okay,” Usopp said slowly, a few delayed seconds after who’d undoubtedly been the head chef yanked Luffy out of his seat. “I’m ready to check out whatever’s outside. Let’s go.” 

“What about Luffy?” you asked, perplexed. 

“He’ll find his way out of that,” Nami said with a sigh. She stood up, knocking back the rest of her drink. Since she wasn’t exactly wrong, you got up, glancing over your shoulder at the last of the group that remained seated. “Zoro?” 

Zoro was staring into his now-empty bottle of beer. He still seemed off, the line of his mouth creased downwards, jaw set tight. “Yeah,” he said finally, standing to his full height and slipping out of the booth. He offered you a hand, helping you down from your seat, but said nothing more. 

The four of you headed out to the mouth of the Baratie fish, which boasted a bar decorated with neon lights. You found a place to sit by the fish’s bottom lip, and you turned in your seat, staring out at the sea. The water was dark with the night, peaceful ripples moving across the water that sent shimmering waves across the blue. 

“I’m gonna get a drink,” Usopp said. “Come, Nami?” 

“Huh?” Nami glanced up, and you turned to watch the exchange. “Oh, I’m okay, Usopp. Thanks, though.” 

“No,” Usopp insisted, a smile still pasted on his face as he jerked his head, not very discreetly, in your and Zoro’s direction. Nami seemed to realize, then, eyes going wide before she got up from her seat. 

“Actually, on second thought, I’ll join you,” she said, far smoother than Usopp had been. “God knows you don’t have any money to pay for a drink.”

She breezed past him, ignoring the offended gape Usopp left in her wake before he was scrambling to follow her. You turned your attention towards Zoro—he was lounging in the seat across from you, one hand on his swords with his legs crossed. “Hi,” you said carefully. 

He stiffened. “Hey.” 

You pursed your lips, mulling over the ways to go about the conversation before ultimately deciding to spit it out. “What’s wrong?” At his raised brow, you were prompted to continue— “During dinner. You were acting weird.”

Zoro shook his head, dropping his gaze from yours. You could see the faintest trace of freckles spattered along his cheeks, the yellow glow from the lanterns reflecting off his skin. “Nothing’s wrong. Just… the waiter.”

“The waiter,” you repeated. Zoro shifted, legs uncrossing and hand tightening around his swords again. His voice was low the next time he spoke, and you could barely hear him, having to lean forward to catch all of his words.

“He was flirting with you.” 

Your breath hitched, but you tried to keep your tone casual. “He was flirting with Nami too,” you said, glancing up to meet his eyes. Zoro still wouldn’t meet your gaze, staring out into the East Blue behind you. 

“That’s different.” Zoro’s eyes finally lifted, long eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks as you met eyes. You shivered, gooseflesh suddenly prickling up everywhere on your skin—the back of your neck, up your spine, down your arms and legs. “I don’t like Nami.” 

You tilted your head to the side, meeting his gaze. The words sent a little rush through you; a rush you got practically every time Zoro looked in your direction, actually, which was only a little bit annoying. The amount of influence a man you’d known for, comparatively, not that long had over you had you rolling your eyes all the time, but… you trusted Zoro at this point, as uncooperative as he and Nami had been throughout your entire journey. 

“You’re jealous of a waiter.” 

“Don’t—” Zoro sighed. “Don’t put it like that.” 

“But it’s true. You’re jealous of a waiter,” you said, unblinking. Zoro rolled his eyes, teeth resting along his lower lip in an almost-bite. You snickered, tone sloping upwards to become more teasing, almost sarcastic. “How the mighty have fallen. From me practically begging you to say I looked nice in a dress to this.” 

“Okay, that’s enough,” Zoro said, uncrossing his legs to lean over and press his hand over your mouth. You laughed, surprised, as he leaned over you, eyes sparkling at the reaction. “Not another word.” 

He removed his hand, giving you a look. You betrayed his trust almost immediately. “Of a waiter.” 

“Do you want me to put the hand back?” Zoro threatened, but you were full-on laughing by now, and he couldn’t do anything but watch. The sounds escaped from your mouth, ringing out in soft, lively hiccups. He shook his head, hand falling to his side as he watched you, a ghost of a smile tugging up the side of his mouth. 

“Sorry, Ro,” you said, unable to suppress your grin even as your laughter died off. “It’s a little funny, you have to admit.” 

“I’d like to hear you talk if someone was flirting with me,” Zoro muttered, so quiet you could barely hear. You had to stifle another laugh. 

“Okay, well, unlike you, I don’t get territorial over people I haven’t even talked about my relationship with, but I appreciate it.” You nudged him. “It’s kinda cute.”

Zoro seemed lost in the first half of your sentence, and you could practically see the cogs whirring in his head. For a moment, you were worried that the closet had been a one-time thing—but no, he’d mentioned just earlier that he liked you, so clearly something else was the matter. 

Your worries were answered in just another moment. “...We’re supposed to talk about our relationship?”

“Zoro.” You gave him a look of disbelief, forced to suppress another laugh, though this time it was out of incredulity. “Yes. Have you ever dated anyone before?” 

Zoro made a face at that. “Keeping that to myself, thanks.” He dropped his chin, glancing down at where you were, still leaning over you so you were forced to crane your neck to stare up at him. He tilted his head to the side. “So what kind of talking are we supposed to be doing?” 

“You know, the establishment of being exclusive; a cementation of our feelings; what the relationship entails; where we want it to go…” You paused, watching as his eyes flickered down your face. Your words were going in one ear and out the other. “You’re not listening at all, huh.” 

“Not really,” Zoro said, not sounding very apologetic about it. His free hand came to cup the underside of your jaw, tilting your head up just so. “Is the talking really that necessary?” 

You shrugged, trying to keep your cool. “Eventually.” 

“Eventually,” he repeated, stretching out the syllables of the word as he quoted you. “So we can do it another day.”

You bit the inside of your cheek to hide your smile. “What were you thinking?”

Zoro was slotting his lips over yours before you could say another word, his fingers digging into the hinge of your jaw to allow him better access. You smiled into the kiss, lips curling upwards and open to let him lick into your mouth. 

It wasn’t too risqué, but Zoro took your breath away all the same, an appreciative murmur low in his throat as he kissed you. One of your hands wrapped around his wrist, tugging him insistently downwards so you could get a better angle at his mouth, sucking gently at his lower lip. He nearly stumbled, losing his center of gravity before steadying himself, one hand coming to rest on your ribcage as the kiss deepened. 

“Guys!” Usopp’s voice came somewhere from the right, high-pitched and excessively scandalized. You felt Zoro scoff into your mouth.

“You realize you’re in public, right?” Nami deadpanned, plopping down in the seat next to you. You nudged Zoro’s head away, his hand still on your jaw, half-craned over your figure. Nami looked unimpressed, eyes flickering from Zoro to you and back again. “Get a room. Go back to the Going Merry for all I care.” She extended a hand, placing a mug of beer on the table before you before handing you a matching one. “I got you drinks. You’re welcome.” 

“Thanks,” you said, leaning up to press one final kiss on Zoro’s lips before turning to take the glass Nami had outstretched. Usopp groaned, covering his eyes with one hand and lifting a giant cup of something with the other. It was so big you wondered how he’d even been able to carry it. You eyed him. “You’re going to pass out drinking that.” 

Usopp made a face at you. You just laughed. 

“Sorted out your issues with the waiter, then?” Nami asked, turning to fix a knowing look on Zoro. He rolled his eyes, effortless as ever as he settled back down into his seat. 

“Still don’t like the waiter.” 

“You’re ridiculous,” you said, and Zoro scoffed, picking up the mug Nami had gotten him. You could see the smile behind the glass rim, though, even as he clearly tried to hide it, and matched it with one of your own. 

Zoro ducked his head to smile into his beer. Usopp made a gagging sound. “God,” Nami muttered, but their criticisms might as well have been deaf to your ears by then. 

All you could see was Zoro. 

© halfvalid 2023

[kaiser1ns]

Me before I start writing something:

Me after I've written one sentence,

that's the max i can do:

[kafus]

how does anyone write fic under 2k words long. it feels physically impossible for me at this point. i guess i'm pretty detail heavy and i tend to have ideas that require a couple shifts in scene instead of tiny bite sized scene ideas, but still

it's honestly my downfall because i do not have the sort of patience and stamina built for writing that i do with art - i have a really hard time pacing myself through the level of detail i want to write and often burn out or lose steam on the idea before i can finish it. which is annoying

[blorbologist]

Hi!!! I love your One For Sorrow stories - your writing is incredible!! If you're still doing the Valentine's Day shorts, could I request one for either Perc'ahlia in the M9 (early-ish campaign as I'm still watching it) or anything Gilmore/Vax/Keyleth? Thanks!! <3

Hey anon! Thank you so much, you made my day! <33

This is some Gilmore/Vax/Keyleth, though focused more on Kiki and Gil because I had an Idea and this could be part of a bigger fic! Sorry it's... a lil angsty, because Whoops!

Scanlan has been breathing again for maybe fifteen, twenty minutes when Keyleth finds Gilmore.

“He’s alive again,” she says before he can ask. And then she tosses a tooth on the coffee table. 

Gilmore is unusually quiet as he picks it up and turns it over. The root is puckered with craters from Melora’s devouring curse, but the enamel otherwise did a good job of resisting long enough for Keyleth to collect a few handfuls. 

“... The groove near the point is intriguing,” Gilmore murmurs. He runs a thumb lightly over the serrated inner edge. Hissing when it cleaves a neat red line in the meat. “Am I to assume the owner was venomous?”

“This was Raishan’s.” 

His eyes widen. Which, fair: as stunted as she was from her disease, Raishan was still an ancient green. Was - it feels so good to put her in past tense. She had massive fangs that could fit neatly to Keyleth’s forearm. Those were too big to pry out in a rush. A blessing, then, that the monster had a second set of teeth along the palate. 

Mostly used them for talking, until she couldn’t - it was those claws that did the dirty work. It’s those that killed Percy. And Scanlan. 

It’s… that’s another thing she can leave behind in the past. Her friends, dead, again. 

Which is why she’s here.

“I have seven more,” says Keyleth. “Dragonbone is inherently magical, right? And Raishan could cast, too.”

Gilmore nods. “What are you looking to do with them?”

Keyleth’s chest rattles with her sigh. “I don’t - I don’t know, Gil! Something! She killed them, and everyone keeps dying, and I - I just don’t want it to happen again.” She crumples onto the couch beside him. 

Carefully, he loops an arm over her shoulder. Not like she might break, but like she might buck him off. They haven’t had much of a chance to talk, since she and Vax and he and Vax and whatever that made she and he. It was a lot. Everything was a lot. Lots of a lot. 

“I’m not quite the person to stay death,” Gilmore hums, a touch wry. “But - hm. I’m pretty sure I can make something of this that can help.” 

There’s quiet as, one-handed, he spins the fang. His bloody thumb draws two runes, drafts or ideas maybe, before it tires of bleeding. With his other he rubs soothing circles into Keyleth’s shoulder. It’s nice. 

She can’t let it stay nice. Scanlan was dead. Percy was dead. A couple of days ago Scanlan and Vex were dead. And before that Percy was dead. And before that -

“You know - you know -” Keyleth stops herself. It takes a few more passes of Gilmore’s fingers before she finds breath to continue. “Vax and I. I mean - we’re the only ones who haven’t died yet. And I don’t - I don’t know when that luck will run out, Gil.”

“Darling, I doubt the gods themselves could strike you down,” he declares. “As for Vax’ildan…” Now his strokes stutter. 

“I’ll get these done.” Promised instead, because they both know what Vax is like. Death dances with him, moth to a flame, forever unclear which is which until something stops moving. Maybe here it’s the light-lustful bug that will snuff out its damnation. Maybe.

Keyleth struggles to swallow. “Thanks, Gil. Do you mind if I just -”

“Not at all,” Gilmore chuckles, and they hug and stare at the tooth. Turning, so slowly, it’s hard not to see the blood far older than the sorcerer’s embedded in its serrations. 

(Scanlan, or Percy, or maybe her own?)