#like the only two he ever did ended in Traumatic Events so

[sojourner-between-worlds]

So I know the general consensus is that, post-series, Yusei continues to work at MIDS, and I like that idea too -- he's certainly smart enough, after all -- but also. I like the idea of him just wanting A Very Quiet Life after everything and going back to being a mechanic. Like, MIDS is obviously a good use of his skills and all, but also he's just a dude who likes to work with this hands and MIDS wouldn't really be that. (Of course MIDS would call him every time something breaks and he would go fix it, but he's not someone who likes being in the spotlight and he would vastly prefer it if they'd just leave him alone.)

Anyway, this post isn't really going anywhere other than to say that Mechanic!Yusei lives rent-free in my head.

[nexusnyx]

oh, to be alone with you

Joel Miller x OC!Reader [8.9k] SUMMARY: Never in his wildest thoughts did Joel think he'd end up having a life, after all. His mind had sort of stopped at thirty-six, then geared back into reality, twenty years later when he gained a second chance. Now... this seemed like a third. Joel saw the feelings in your eyes, and he took a chance, hoping to be choosing right for everybody this time.

— A/n 📝This was a commission made by the lovely and (very patient) Grace, and I hope they enjoy the most out of everyone ;) Reblogs and comments make all the difference. — Warnings⚠️ mature content—explicit depictions of sex, so minors DNI. | 🏷️ age gap, slow burn, mentions of suicidal thoughts, angst, mutual pining, resolved sexual tension, insecure!Joel, protective!Reader, unprotected sex, dirty talking, soft!Dom!Joel, praising, edging, cum play, uhm. filth? lol. you're welcome.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤmasterlist | read on ao3

In the three years he knew you, Joel never heard you sound like this.

"Don't you ever say that again. Don't you ever talk that kind of bullshit in my presence, Joel."

There was bass to your voice when you threatened him. Fire in your cheeks. A glint so bright and wide washing in the shore of your eyes that it clicked for him. Joel realized what he'd been ignoring for the past three years — a time he spent dancing around the dark hunger he carved in his bones for you — he saw, for the first time as clear as water, that you meant those smiles. The sweetness. The honey stick way your hand touched his skin, sometimes, and the traces it left behind.

As you defended him from his own words, Joel saw he was not only old, but also goddamn stupid.

The first thing was set in stone. The second, on the other hand, he could try to change.

He meets her in Jacksonville, after fucking everything up with Ellie.

They had just arrived, both of them. Drenched in regret, numerous traumatizing events all muddled together, as that thick air of uncertainty surrounded their relationship. Joel thanked his brother and Maria for welcoming them back. Ellie spoke so little the first day that even Maria, someone who barely knew her, tried prying information out of her.

But it'd been quickly forgotten. One moment, Ellie and Joel were in a nameless hospital surrounded by fireflies, and a month later, they were settled into a nice house in the commune.

As if nothing had changed.

Everything had changed.

And there, in Jacksonville, there's you.

One of the only two doctors in town, the other being your very own old man.

All he remembered from the day he met you was your smile. Those beautiful cheeks painted cherry red, the wrinkles in the corner of your eyes, and how round and big they seemed to him as you said, "Hi. It's nice to meet you, Joel. 'm Grace."

You were. Joel had said something back. Ran away from there as soon as he could, but he played that smile every hour for the next three days before he caved in and came back to see you again.

Little did Joel know how much of a grace you'd become.

You were the only person who knew about Ellie.

Being the one who tattooed her on the second week after she arrived, Joel and Ellie decided together that at least one of the only two doctors should know about her condition, and so she told you.

Whatever Joel had expected from you, your reaction was as further from it as it could be. Nonchalance, and a sad grin. A placating nod as you told him, "you can wait here, I'll examine Ellie thoroughly and then we'll get started on the tattoo; I'll call you inside then, 'kay?"

All the compliments you offered towards the design — something Ellie drew herself — made you rise in her list of favorite people, speedily.

There was also openness. Ellie looked at you as you poked the needles in her skin with calculating eyes and Joel saw in them — if eyes could touch, she'd be reaching out for you. Hands spread open and fingers clutching around nothing. Ellie wanted to trust.

It was only a few more weeks before she confided in you and then walked up to her and Joel's place to confront him.

Demanding the truth.

The truth she knew he'd kept from her since she woke up in the car, probably.

"There was no cure."

Ellie stopped trusting him.

Joel died a little bit on the inside, but... she's alive.

He'd do it all over again.

You found him sitting on the edge of the lake with a guitar on his feet and his body frozen with dread, thinking about how hard Ellie had cried.

When you asked him, "Can I sit?", Joel thought it'd be another one of those times when you two sat close to one another in perfect silence. It happened a few times during movie nights or shared dinners in the commune's barn. Joel soaked up your presence, but that time, you had more. "You know... if one day you ever wanna hear my thoughts, professional thoughts on this whole 'cure' matter, I'd be happy to share them."

Joel had looked up at you, even though that hurt. So beautiful. "'m not sure I ever wanna think about it too hard."

You nodded. Scooted a little closer to him. "That's alright too. I just wanted to — put it out there. So you know I have thoughts about it. I told her that, too, but she gave me kinda the same reply."

"Did she?"

"Yeah, Joel. She did." No one did a sad grin quite like you. The way it reached through your eyes and touched him. "You two are so... similar."

"But we ain't." Joel knew they were different. He knew what Ellie would've chosen. "I think... I wished too hard we were."

The laughter was unexpected. "Joel."

"Yeah?"

"You do realize I know what you did, right?"

If a pin dropped a thousand miles away, at that moment, Joel would hear. With a deaf right ear or not, he would. I know what you did. Was that possible? How would you know and still have been this kind to him these weeks? Still have chosen to sit by his side, to make Tommy bug him about getting his check-ups, to be sitting next to him?

You nodded at his gawking eyes and jaw-slacked mouth. "Yeah. I'm quite good at putting two and two together."

"I... Grace — what I did—" he saw flashes of it. The white noise still echoed in him. "There's no way to know that and still be able to look me in the eye. It's why she hates me now. I — I was selfish. I took away her purpose just because I'm an old fucker who didn't wanna—"

"I would've done the same." It stopped him. The words clamped his mouth shut. "I don't have any children, but I love the only parent I have, and I would've done the same for him. He would do the exact same thing for me. Don't think he wouldn't. I know he looks like the sweetest old man ever, but he'd rip apart an entire hospital to get to me too. Go ask him if you don't believe me — but believe this: If I had a child, I wouldn't let them make this 'grand sacrifice', not even if I thought it'd work. Which is not the case here."

Joel had nothing to say to all of that.

He swallowed the knot tying his vocal cords together and looked ahead, trying to process the perspective from which you saw the situation.

Sitting in silence with you brought him peace, and that day, it deterred him from the plan that was coming together — the seed of maybe if you poisoned yourself slowly over the years you could finish the job this time.

Joel asked for your father's location in the commune, then walked with you when the sun set to eat dinner.

Ellie still hated him, and she probably would continue to for a long time, but Joel no longer felt like an anchor sinking to the bottom of the ocean with no end in sight for his fall.

I would've done the same. The words pulled him back. Made him see blue once more.

Validation saved his life. Your approval became a pillar.

He'd continue to seek it for the next years to come.

The Earth finished a whole new cycle around the Sun, and Joel started to build a life again in the meantime.

He worked patrols and went back to carpentry.

He befriended your father, who loved calling him to have dinner or smoke a pipe with him on his porch. Your father was a sweet-looking man who hid very crazy, funny, and dark bits inside of him.

"I see where she gets it from," Joel commented.

It pulled boisterous laughter from him. "Yeah, she's a feisty one."

Joel snorted. It came out in smokes. "Feisty? Ellie's feisty. I was on patrol last month when the raiders tried transpassing. I've seen your daughter use a scalpel in ways I still have fuckin' nightmares about."

More laughter was followed by, "I taught her well."

"You sure fuckin' did." Joel laughed too. Not because it was funny, but because the memory kind of terrified him. Thrilled him. He shook his head and gave the pipe back. "Was she always like that?"

"Was Ellie always like this?"

Joel chuckled. "Fair enough." Even though Ellie was now a teenager, and Joel had only known her for two years, he answered. "I think she has, yeah. A lil' badass. A lil' feisty and weird. And funny."

"God — she is funny."

"I didn't think so at first."

"She needed to work on her delivery," your father laughed like there was no tomorrow. No apocalypse. "I like seeing her and Grace together. I think she's waking up that motherly desire in her, ya know? I always wanted to see her be a mom before I give my big adios."

"If she hears ya she's gonna smack you again."

"Eh! She's always hitting folks. Her violent little heart can't stop anyone from reaching the pearly gates."

"Morice, I've heard enough stories to know you ain't seeing any pearls."

There had been silence, and then unstoppable, loud laughter from both of them.

It was the memory Joel thought about the most after he passed away.

When you came to his house with a whiskey bottle in hand and the angriest look Joel had ever seen on your stunning features, he knew without a word being said.

He sat with you in silence as you had done for him so many other times. You cried, chopped wood until your clothes were soaked in sweat, and drank with Joel until the bottle was empty.

It had been the first time you asked for something more.

When you caved into the tears late at night, Joel saw you pacing from left to right and had no clue what to do, what to offer, but you spared him of choosing. "Can I — can you hug me?"

He complied in the same second.

The request was quieter than the wind, but he could pick out your voice from a crowd.

Joel wrapped his arms around you and held you tight.

That opened up new doors — pearly gates. A year of small touches on the forearm and close proximity at every given opportunity made Joel aware of how much he craved your presence. Those little flames were nothing compared to this—a hug, and Joel's mind and body were a forest on fire.

You clung to him, rubbed your face on his chest, and refused to let go. You accepted every caress in your hair, and almost fell asleep on his shoulder.

After the hug, any excuse was a good one.

You touched him every time you saw him — even if just a little nudge on the shoulder or a finger brushing the back of his hand.

Joel started leaving tobacco and herbs on top of Morice's resting place, and continued their conversations even if he never heard the replies.

"I'll take care of 'er. Be by her side, y'know? I know she doesn't need it, but... You and her were the reason I found some happiness in here, so... It's only fair."

Somewhere along the way, you'd convinced Joel to play on Tommy's barbecues which happened every month for some of his friends.

Music connected weird parts of him together.

The strings of his guitar were one of the only guarantees he had of making Ellie smile, for starters. When she asked for the lessons a while after stopping all communication with Joel, he had simply nodded a meek, "Yeah," too stunned to add anything else; too grateful to even dare think about it.

Your request came the very first time Joel attended one of the famous Millers Sunday, and it was the reason why Joel went from feeling like a stranger in a strange town to himself again.

Tommy clapped him on the back. You, and your smile from across the yard with the fireplace burning in between, and Joel felt almost like a person.

So he sang. Played the strings even if his joints ached around the edges, played until they no longer did and his body grew used to the motions again, played every month to come just to see the smile creep on your face and you mouthing along the lines of the songs you knew.

One day, he asked why didn't you join Ellie's lessons.

"She's gettin' real good at it." He was proud of it. Joel almost preened talking of it, matter-of-factly, missing the way your eyes softened. "You like music. You like it and miss it, which not many people do. I don't even know why I ain't never thought of it — 'm sorry about that, darlin'. Were you ever interested? In learning?"

With his eyes back on you, Joel swallowed a little thickly at how gentle your smile looked. "Joel — have you ever seen me on The Porch's dance floor? Do I look like I have any rhythm?"

"Sure you do."

Your laughter. "No, I don't!" You slapped his arm, hiding your laughter in your arms afterward, and Joel was used to it. Being hit, being poked, being used as a pillow. "Stop lying to me."

"I ain't lyin'." He was. It made him smile to see you laugh that hard.

"You're full of shit, that's what you are."

"Is that your medical diagnosis?"

The giggles that were subduing came back, and Joel knew the second glass of wine had caught up to your head. "You've been spending too much time with Miss Williams."

That made him laugh. Joel did so with his head thrown back because not even three days ago he had a screaming 16-year-old screaming at him about 'manipulation of the goddamn perspective' and if that wasn't your lingo through and through. "That's rich! Oh, that's rich as fuck comin' from you."

"How so?!"

"I reckon Ellie Missy Williams's been doin' just fine with your tutoring. Don't think I've missed you and her gigglin' in the room every now and then."

You roll your eyes, smiling so wide that your tinted cheeks look carved into stone. "Fine. I'm a terrible influence. Her attitude got nothing to do with her grumpy ass 'father-figure' who taught her how to be a goddamn menace to society."

"I can hear the air quotes even when you don't them with your finger, darlin'," Joel accused, trying to suppress his smile and school his face into a threatening, menacing look.

He's hit with the memory of when you first mocked him for it.

"Don't call me her father. I ain't her father."

"Good fucking gods, you two are so difficult! Fine. As her "father figure", you need to say something. Is that better, Joel? Did the semantics change help you?"

Now, you have the same side smirk.

"You didn't say I was wrong." Your voice dropped to a whisper.

It pulled his body closer. Like gravity was in your sound waves. "I didn't."

You rested your chin on your hand. "So... we're both a bad influence."

"Seems that way," he found himself whispering too. Joel kept his eyes on your cheeks. On your lashes and your eyes, even if they pierced through him.

"Considering she's in perfect health, handles herself just fine, and is trying her best to keep the good people of this town safe... I think that's not a bad job. The whole picture, y'know?"

Joel nods and his lips tug in a smile — not because of your sweet spoken words, but because it's funny to see it. Your mind switching to seriousness so fast.

"I do love music, though," you pout, looking up at him. He recalls how the bickering started this time around, and chuckles at your late confession. "I like watching you guys better than any idea of me playing. Or singing." With a full-body shudder, you add. "That is not where my talents lie."

"Could be," he insisted, just for the sake of that—

—your smile. "Not even you have that patience, Miller."

Miller. He had to look away every time you spoke it that way. "You're right. The brat burned away the last savings I had of that."

He heard you chuckling, and then he felt it. The nuzzling of your nose on his shoulder. "Nah. You were trying to sweet talk her just last week."

"She needs a new horse," he argued with thin air over the memory you bring up. He also scoots closer to the couch so you can rest your head on him when you're done with your cat-like behavior and end up with your whole face pressed on his shoulders, your breath tingling his neck. "And you could help me with convincing her, couldn't ya?"

"I'm not gonna meddle in your Miller-Williams business," you scoffed as if the mere thought was ridiculous.

As if these two years and a half hadn't been about you and him and her and everything orbiting around that.

Joel scoffed back. "Darlin', if you think you ain't mingled in our business, I'm gonna have to be the bearer of bad news here..."

"More tangled."

"It's just a horse, Grace."

"She lost her first pet, a horse, in a traumatic even, Joel."

Fuck him, he loved doing this with you. He sipped the last remnants of alcohol from his glass hoping it'd dull the smell of your hair invading his senses. Or maybe he liked when it amplified it. Who knew. Who gave a fuck. "Fine."

"Fine."

"She can keep usin' the stables' horses every time we gotta go out." Joel was never above playing dirty. Certainly not with you. "The ones Rick tames. The ones that sense how volatile, strong, angry she can be..."

The way you tensed was twice more obvious with your whole body pressed on his side. "God, I fucking hate you sometimes."

Joel laughed at the empty curse. "'m just sayin'."

"You know exactly what you're doing."

"Do I?"

"You do and it's annoying and fine." You sighed deeply. "I'll get into yet another awkward, intense conversation with the volatile teenager about the importance of facing traumas. It'll go great."

"Better you who knows what the fuck you're talkin' about than me."

"She just stopped giving me the cold shoulder." It's a whine. You're whining at Joel about his daughter who still lives in a constant fluctuation between loveshatesloveshates with him was giving you the cold shoulder.

"It takes her two weeks to get over her lil' fights with you."

"Hmm." It was nice when you gave in. There were few times Joel could get through your stubbornness — something you and Ellie had engraved in your souls — and it felt like a win every time. "I'll talk to her."

Joel's hand moved on its own accord. From his lap to your hair, resting slowly on your head.

He squeezed a few times, and felt you nudging towards the touch. Leaning into it.

"Thanks, darlin'."

There was a heartbeat before you answered.

"'Course, Joel."

While the looks were easy to ignore, the whispers were not.

Words carried by the wind clung to his skin like the very smell of sweat after some years of running non-stop.

They spoke about him.

About Ellie.

You.

All three, mushed together, sometimes all in one go, sometimes two by two, but always you three.

Joel knew what they thought of him and you — of your time spent together.

They thought of him as inappropriate. You had always been the 'dark sheep' of the commune. The reason why people sometimes still remembered how grim and ugly it was out there. They spoke of you as ruthless, frowned upon your methods, but Joel smell their bullshit and saw beyond their condescension.

It was easy to speak with their bellies full.

With their houses safe. God, it boiled his blood to even think about it — these people sometimes slept with their doors opened because the security around the wooden gates was so great and efficient, but failed to remember or willingly forgot that all triage was created by your now deceased father and you.

It was your 'ruthless methods' that kept the creeps away.

Who screened people who seemed otherwise harmless but sought to do sordid, unspeakable things inside safe havens they'd have no problem burning to the ground.

Sure, he'd cleaned his way through a hospital to stop the murder of one single child, but at least Joel had a head on his shoulders.

Some people out there lacked even that.

As much as he wished for judgment to come only from the strangers he grew to know as neighbors and comrades — something you, personally, loved teasing him and Tommy of being — but of close people.

Maria, he could handle it. It was when Tommy spoke up that it stung.

"Don't you think it's... weird? Hangin' out with her so much? I mean—I heard from Dieter that he wanted to ask her out, but somehow when he goes to ask she's always talkin' to you." Tommy looked like he meant well with it. Those eyes never lied to him, and Joel saw the concern there. "I just don't want you to feel left out or abandoned in case she does start seein' someone, that's all."

That's all.

As if he hadn't opened a dent in Joel's mind.

A 'in case she does start seein' someone' sized dent.

It was the only time Joel gave a damn about words being spoken of him—or to him, he should say, considering it was meant as advice.

It was the first and last time.

In three years Joel never thought of you or anything he felt as inappropriate. Maybe he even should.

There were certainly dreams.

Desire was there, too. Alive and burning. Tall and solid, with the fires high enough for it to be a volcano.

But he swallowed it down.

He knew you were not for him.

He knew you were too bright. Knew he had nothing to offer but his company, some music every now and then, and everything inside of him, if you asked.

Still—he never did anything.

Even in the times when it felt like the bickering and teasing might be called flirting. In the times when you bit your lip after staring at him a heartbeat or two too long, or when you made his chest, shoulders, his neck your personal comforter, making yourself at home.

He bit his tongue during those times.

Told himself there was such a thing as projecting, and that just because you knew him, knew all of him, it didn't mean your kindness and acceptance equaled all that he felt for you.

All of the fuckin' ocean of things he so painfully, obviously felt for you.

Listening to Tommy worked until it didn't.

Until you showed up at his doorstep late at night, pissed off and fuming.

"Where the fuck were you?" Without even waiting for a reply, you stepped inside the house, pushing past him. "And speaking of being places, where have you been? 'Cause blowing me off only works the first four or five times. I know where you live, and in case it wasn't crystal clear to you, I know when you're lying to me."

So you pretended to believe his shitty lies. Joel closed the door with a sigh and wondered if Ellie was already listening from upstairs.

He imagined telling you to lower your voice was a certain ticket to meeting your father earlier than his due time.

"I'm sorry."

"That doesn't answer where you've been." Your arms crossed over your chest. "Y'know, it's called Miller Sunday and ever since you moved here, that means two for one. Tell me why I endured Maria's friends the whole fucking night, hm?"

"Uh — 'cause they like you?"

"Joel."

"I know, I know." He chuckled under his breath, raising both hands up in surrender. "My bad." He nodded towards the kitchen trying to work out how to knit an excuse on the spot, and then remembered—I know when you're lying to me. "I've been... stuck in my head."

There was a pause. "Oh. Ew." That made him laugh again. "Well, alright. That happens sometimes. Care to share why you're acting as if isolation's gonna help with that?"

"Damn, I don't know, woman. 'Cause I'm old and stupid? 'Cause I listen to Tommy every now and then even though that's a shitty idea sometimes?"

"Don't call yourself stupid in my presence, it's fucking offensive." The damn heat behind your words almost made him work up a sweat. "What does Tommy have to do with this?"

"Nothin'." Joel hid his face while opening the fridge, but he knew your silence well. He picked up the water jug, and placed it on the counter behind him.

"Miller, look at me."

Goddamn it.

He turned around slowly.

You were looking right through him. Searching all over his face for something you found within two seconds.

Then, you stepped closer until you were only a few inches away, looking up at him with enough certainty in your gaze to make him feel smaller despite the inches he had on you.

"I know damn well who I wanna spend my fucking time with." It was like a caress to the face. Joel felt it like your fingertips, which had traced the lines in his eyes and face until he fell asleep a few times by now. "Never insult me again by thinking you, or Tommy, or anyone for that matter can know that better than me."

An adult. Who knows who she is. Who's walked her path.

It went unsaid.

Joel nodded along since there was nothing to do but agree.

"If you don't wanna spend time with me for you own reasons, then... so be it. Tell me about them, or don't, but—never do this again. Your brother's known me for a little longer than you, but he doesn't know me as well as you do. I expected this from Tommy."

But not from him.

"It ain't gonna happen again." Joel said it and you both could hear how he meant it.

Slowly, a smile crept on your face. "Good."

"You're smiling?" he asked, dumbfounded.

The smile widened. "I'm... a little happy right now."

"Because... I ain't gonna be a stu—sorry, a silly little old man any more?"

There was a giggle you tried suppressing and failed at. "No."

"'Cause you're gonna use this against me for the next fortnight to get me to do whatever you want even though I'm nearly a sixty-year-old man?"

A roll of your eyes put a smile on his face as well. "You're more in shape at sixty than a lot of our twenty-year-olds here and that act doesn't work with me, darling. No—I'm happy 'cause I'm surprised. It works on you too."

"What works on me?"

"My mean glance." The answer took him by surprise, and yet, all you seemed was even more gleeful at his wide-eyed expression. "Didn't know I could scare Joel Miller."

"You're gigglin' 'cause you just found out I'm scared of ya?"

"Exactly."

"Darlin' I thought you saw me as a smart one. Who in their right mind ain't scared of you?"

"Damn right." You slapped his shoulder, and it seemed to ease some of the tension he carried these days he tried creating distance between you both. "Now — since we established the rights and wrongs. You wanna hear all the gossip about today?"

Joel had picked up the jug of water, but he could switch to the cans of beer.

"Lay it on me."

The thing is — never in his wildest thoughts did Joel think he'd end up having a life, after all.

Who was he to be one of the few lucky bastards who got one at the end of everything? What had he done to ever dare dream he deserved it?

Peace, a good life, building things again... that was reserved for the good ones.

Joel was not one of the good ones.

His mind had sort of stopped at thirty-six, then geared back into reality, twenty years later when he gained a second chance.

All the things he did in between those instances counted for a whole lot.

It's why he ignored it until he couldn't anymore.

That was why Joel saw only his own feelings screaming and reaching so loud, grasping like grabby fingers towards you, and blinded himself to the way all those gazes you sent back were you giving him a white flag.

Joel saw what he had the heart and mind to handle at the moment, he liked to think.

Now... this seemed like a third.

This seemed like a confession.

And it all had happened so fast.

One minute, Joel was saying goodnight to Ellie. She was leaving to go to her friend Dina's house, and you were there with your glass of wine in hand while your other browsed through the new books he picked up at the library lying on his shelves.

He had been talking about Martha — to him, it was a funny story he wanted to get out of his system since it happened, and the one and only person he wanted to tell it to was you.

He was even laughing as he started it, but his rhythm faltered when he first caught the look on your face. It made him lose his train of thought. It fucking blindsided him.

Was it jealousy?

He stuttered. It was ridiculous to him — talking about the nice woman who worked at the restaurant who flustered herself trying to talk to Joel. Flirt with him.

He'd never seen that look on your face.

Could it be—no. It had to be something else. "...told her that she isn't actually, uhm... biological. What's wrong? Did I say something wrong? Was I shit-talking myself again and didn't notice?"

If there was a thing that put a frown on your face, it was when he did that.

"No." Joel became alert out of nowhere because this tone was absent from his mental register of all your different voice tones.

"Oh. I thought I did." He laughed, albeit awkwardly. "I just—I thought it was funny, that's all. Didn't even think it was possible for someone to blush still 'cause of old me. It was funny, couldn't believe why she was so flustered.

"Why not? That wasn't the reason for my face but now it fucking is." How could Joel ever demand that Ellie cursed less when this was his household? He pinned that one for later. "You're a handsome guy. Intimidating. Don't laugh at her because you give off those... vibes."

Handsome? Intimidating? Joel's mind started reeling, and so he laughed. "Vibes? What fuckin' vibes? I'm old, Grace. What does she got to be intimidated about other than the side of me she doesn't even fuckin' know?"

"I don't know!" your voice rose to match his own, and that's when Joel noticed how his pitch rose as he argued with you. Bickering or fighting, you two could end up at each other's throats within a second, and then be hugging in the next. "Maybe because she sees you from an outsider's lens? Maybe she sees what you can't since you're so busy always thinking about everything you do wrong and lose the ability to look past that?"

"All I do is get shit wrong! You better than anyone knows that." God, was he happy Ellie had left. Joel sighed, rubbed his palms all over his face and tried breathing deep to steady his voice. "I've got nothin' to offer anyone and I don't even know how we got here from a funny lil' story I was—"

That's when it happens.

You interrupt him.

Deadly, direct, and loud, you cut over his words.

"Don't you ever say that again. Don't you ever talk that kind of bullshit in my presence, Joel."

"Why not?! It's the truth."

"No, it fucking isn't! It's the cruel part of you that judges you based only on the wrongdoing and paints it as your whole personality and I'm not gonna fucking have it! It's not the truth. It's not! Not to me." When you stopped, the whole house seemed to follow suit and quiet down with you. Then—"You don't accept me seeing only the worst in me. Why would I let you do the same? I won't."

There was bass to your voice when you threatened him.

Fire in your cheeks. A glint so bright and wide washing in the shore of your eyes that it clicked for him.

Joel realized what he'd been ignoring for the past three years — a time he spent dancing around the dark hunger he carved in his bones for you — he saw, for the first time as clear as water, that you meant those smiles. The sweetness. The honey stick way your hand touched his skin, sometimes, and the traces it left behind.

It silenced him immediately.

As you defended him from his own words, Joel saw he was not only old, but also goddamn stupid.

The silence must have stretched for too long because as it becomes a physical blanket draping over both of your shoulders, your posture changes.

Becomes erratic.

Looking from side to side, you sigh. "Y'know what? I should go. We're both hot-headed idiots and I don't wanna—"

"Sit down."

For the first time ever, you obeyed him.

It took you a second—you froze at the command but stopped your movements to remove your jacket from the chair's back and sat back down in slow movements, your eyes lingering on his all the time.

Was it real?

"Gimme a second here." Joel needed more than that. Goddamn it—Joel would need the rest of his life to accommodate to this feeling. Thing bubble of pure, raw energy swirling inside of him and growing each second, all because— "You were."

You were jealous. Of him.

Your eyes never looked so vulnerable. So earnest, and terrified. "Of course I was." It comes out like you silly old man.

Joel tries to work his vocal cords. They might've been knitted together. "Why?"

Instead of raging over him again, this time, your gaze sees the real question he's asking.

Joel never believed in an air you could touch until he stood in this very room.

He can taste the back of his tongue. He sees your frown softening, disappearing.

"Because you care, Joel." The simpler answer. He waits, because he sees in your steady, careful breathing that there's more you want to say. This tone he recognizes. This is 'I'm collecting myself bit by bit' Grace, and he waits, as always. "Because... you either lost your eyesight or just blinded yourself to... you." It's nighttime and the only light in the kitchen comes from his yellowish bulb, but it's enough to see the tint on your cheeks. "Because you're—this package. Of everything real. Everything resilient, and clever, and... Miller. Fuckin' — southern charm. Stupid fuckin' smile."

It amps. It darkens. Your cheeks, your eyes. And once you seem, it seems a crack is opened in your dam, and the inevitable water comes to fall.

"I dreamt about it before." Joel is stuck in place, listening to you. "Your smile. The way you laugh, too. And — you do this thing, where you're a complete delight to people you care about. That's what Ellie means when she says you make it so hard to stay away from you, just so you know."

"You two talk about me?" it comes out choked.

You nod. "'Course we fuckin' do."

"Goddamn it."

"Yeah." Your laughter sounds as breathless as he feels. "Because of that. And more."

He nods back, thinking — okay.

Okay.

Joel might take a lifetime to feel worthy of your feelings, but if he has them — "I didn't think I stood any chance."

The confession lays on the table for a moment and when you pick it up, Joel can see it — your eyes widen, surprise evident on your face.

"You really didn't know," you whisper.

He blinks away the sudden sting and glint in his eyes, laughing at himself. "I really didn't know." He registers you knew about your own feelings, but you have no idea of his. It registers that you both have been suffering in silence, overshadowed by the brightness of your own feelings to see beyond them. "I don't think I could've handled it if I knew it before," he confesses.

"Wow." You sigh deeply, sucking all the air you can into your lungs. "I can't believe I owe that little shit fifty bucks. I don't even have money."

"You bet on this?"

The look you throw him is enough of an answer.

Then, another question pops up — and yeah. That's why the air is palpable. It's like walking through a spider's nest.

The threads might be thinner than hair, but the feeling sticks out. It sticks with you. If Joel's had a chance all this time, if all your feelings were kept safely tucked i

He only has one question to make. "Is it too late?"

Your eyes snap back to him. "Too late for what?"

"To make a move." Joel might've been an idiot, but he's keen on fixing it. "Because — in case it wasn't clear, my thoughts are all yours." From the look on your face, it was not something you knew. The glint in your eyes tells him it might be something you hoped for or dreamed about, but it's his words that set it into stone. "My time's yours. I ain't as good as you with words, but... all I ever wanna be is alone with you. You said it yourself last month. 'm the happiest when I'm with you and El. Now... you know why."

For someone who knew him so little, you always seemed to know what kept Joel tethered to the moment.

As you listened to his words, your eyes shined, reflecting the light. Joel wanted to say more things, but he decided to keep them for later. A moment when there was less of his soul seeming to pour out through his pores.

You get up from your chair, and in two steps, you're standing in front of him.

Turning sideways, you sit on his lap.

Joel feels his hands shake as they come to rest on your hips, and yours come up to his face.

There's nothing left for you to say, or ask. Joel closes his eyes in surrender. Opening his mouth was a leap — perhaps the height was what created that bubble; that huge thing inside of him that only expanded the closer you got.

Joel never felt this before.

He knew those were your lips pressing against his. Knew it was your hair tickling his face and your fingers threading through his thick hair, but he felt submerged.

Not drowning — just deep, way deep in water.

You pulled back after a second. The kiss was so soft, and yet, Joel felt you like an ocean wave.

He opened his eyes to the sight of you licking your lips, and that snapped him; something in your tongue reached deep within him, going further than he thought possible, and ignited another something in him.

Desire.

Not the need for release, or momentary rushes, but—

the real deal.

One of Joel's hands came up abruptly, taking hold of your neck, and he breathed in a slow breath before closing the gap between your lips again.

This time, he invited himself in.

Joel licked your lips open. He pulled you closer until you were pressed against his chest, and kissed you for all the years he lacked the will to kiss someone.

It was a feast.

The more he gave, the more you took. The sounds that started to come out of you only made Joel hungrier, and the more he heard it, the more he craved it.

He could already see the cycle of addiction forming in his brain.

Your tongue swirled with his slowly, in a lazy, filthy kiss. With his hands making a mess of your hair or grabbing you by the neck and chin, he guided your face to where he wanted.

When a particular breathy whine was pulled out of you, Joel's fingers tightened around you. The kiss became desperate, needy, a pouring of bottled emotions.

A joined deep dive, where no oxygen was needed.

Fuck—Joel needed to breathe. He pulled back because his lungs screamed that at him, and he laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of that. His heart was beating as fast as it could, and his ears were ringing, he thought, and you were resting your forehead on his with your puffs of breath tickling his face.

He could feel you smiling with how close you stayed to his lips.

Joel really was alive, no matter how hard he fought it.

And now, somehow, he was here.

"What?" you whispered. Breathless.

That, he wanted to answer. Joel panted, and noticed you were breathing heavily too.

"'m never been in such a hurry my whole damn life." Joel pulled you back by the nape for one more kiss just to show you he meant it, and you moaned on his lips.

It occurred to him that might die by your hands, metaphorical or not.

You were in him.

"You." His time was yours, and so were his thoughts, and now, Joel thought he was, too. In a way. "Sittin' here on my lap, like it's nothin'."

"It's everything."

"Goddamn it, woman—"are you trying to kill me, he wants to say.

It gets buried in your lips.

Joel wants to devour you right there on the table. It's a place for eating, and he'd butter you up only to eat you piece by piece until half of his face was drenched.

At the same time, Joel's hands were shaking.

He kissed you so deep, and yet so slow because he wants this forever.

He couldn't keep everything inside him. Joel knew all he could do for now was kiss you because anything more might pull him apart by the seams.

When you start kissing his neck, his eyes snap open, and he forces himself to capture your attention. "Darlin'." It comes out raspy and low, pulling another precious sound from you. Joel exhales shakily. "Grace, hey."

That gets you. Your face comes back in his field of vision, and he's distracted by the reality facing him.

Red cheeks and lips, which are also puffy. Swollen.

He did that.

The glazy glint in your eyes and the wildness of your hair.

He did that, too.

"What?" you ask. Breathless voice — all him.

It hits him right there—the new stream making connections in the depths of his mind. Mine. A river of mineminemine.

"I hate to break this short, but — El's comin' back soon, I think."

"Oh!" You nod to yourself. "Right. And — you wanna wait? To tell her, and stuff?"

Joel laughs. He leans his head to kiss those pretty, puffy lips. He murmurs the answer right against them. "Nah. 'm gossiping to her as soon as she's through that door and 'm gettin' my money share of that bet you mentioned." Your gasp makes the smile stay on his face. "Yeahhh. But — I'm takin' you on a date tomorrow. Old school style. I'll plan it and everythin'. I know you well enough to not mess this up, I think."

He's messed up enough in his life. Maybe the universe could grant him after trying so damn hard to repair all the things he'd broken; a chance.

"I'll be ready, Miller."

He kisses you again. "Good. I'll pick you up at sundow."

"Is this you kicking me out of your house?"

He rolls his eyes at the sarcastic question and kisses the cocky grin off your face because he now can. He kisses it away real good, until his own toes are squirming in his boots and Joel can categorize the strength you like to have your hair being pulled by, how much you enjoy the nibbles he's unable to keep from stealing of your lips, and he's mapped the outlines of your upper body.

When he needs the stupid oxygen again, Joel pulls back but stays close.

"You're gonna help me make dinner?" he asks, low and sweet.

You hum. "Yeah."

"Thank you." Thank you, he kisses the thought on your lips. Thank you so much. "'m gonna be doin' this a lot now that I know I can."

"Oh, you're gonna kill me."

Joel's smirk comes back. "Y'know what? I was thinkin' the same thing."

Dinner is made with music playing on the radio for the first time in a while. Joel almost pinches himself when Ellie gets home with a, "Woah, what the fuck?! It smells amazing in here."

It hurts, how good it feels.

Joel never thought that feeling would come back.

According to Ellie Williams, Joel becomes "unbearable, really," and he would take offense to it had she not followed it with, "but... it's nice to see this side of you. And — I like her. I love Grace, actually. You know that. She's given me a lot to think about. Plus—she makes you reeeeal talkative, and we had a nice talk last night. Good on you."

Good on you.

Joel smiles for the rest of the day.

Tommy takes a total of one day and one scolding from you — which Joel fucking misses because of a shift of all things, and honestly, he'll never stop asking for your story of that day — and there's that.

Millers Sunday has a couple of tense first tries, but after a couple of months, people get used to the shift.

It's not that different from before.

You two were already seen side by side more often than not. Now, the difference was that Joel's arm could be found around your chair sometimes, or your hand rested on his neck, or you two shared a little wink.

A little flirtatious remark.

Ellie 'hated' it. "It's gross. You two are gross."

She said it laughing, though. Joel smiled every time he heard it.

They grew used to it, and Joel thanked the power of the peace you brought him, because anything they disliked about it became white noise to him.

All his insecurities were abandoned on the first date night he has with you.

Joel gets the house all for himself.

He plans the hours carefully because he meant what he said. He picks you up at sunset and takes you for a walk on the lake to enjoy the night sight and weather while it lasts. After, he takes you home to eat dinner, then pulls out one of your favorite board games to entertain the night and give both the time to work through the wine.

He liked to see your glee winning.

Joel was shitty at most of these, but it was worth the frustration of being a sore loser in your hands.

You soothed his bickering protests by crawling to him.

Not sliding, or scooting over — you crawled like a cat, and stole all his focus in one movement.

Joel did to you what he meant to do on that table.

First, right there on the floor.

Even though he wished you two went to the bedroom, it was impossible to untangle from under you when you kissed him until you two were panting for each other again. All that energy sizzling in your veins, pumping with dreams and wine, and Joel just thought fuck it.

There was a fluffy carpet and the duvet he'd spread so you two could sit with the game and play comfortably, and that's all he needed.

He had you on your back with your legs wrapped around his neck, lying with his stomach on the floor. Kneading the pad of his thumbs on the inside of your legs. Kissing all the parts of you he imagined. Joel stripped you from your clothes, and kept his eyes fixed on you as he searched for the right ways to unwind you.

He opened you up with his tongue, slowly, and deliberately.

Nothing was enough when it came to you.

Joel accepted right there — legs locked on his shoulders and your feet digging heels in his back —, right then — his tongue thrusting in and out of you until his jaw ached —, that he was fine knowing it'd be an endless search.

Seeking his fill of you.

He eats up the way your lips loosen when his hands are on you. "Joel, why d'you have clothes on? Take 'em off, take it off." He appreciated how you lost your eloquence. How eager you were for him.

"It's ok, 'm here, darlin."

"I know, want it closer." He loved how you took it. What you wanted from him, you just took it, and he prayed it would always be that way. "Want you in me," you whisper on his lips.

That's when he finds the strength to get up. He picks you up and resists the urge to throw you over his shoulder, taking you to the bedroom with all of his clothes still on and yours abandoned in various places of the living room.

Time sort of... folds, with you and a bedroom.

Joel finds that out on night one, and it keeps on being true.

The way all your walls are down there drives him towards insanity, and later, you peppering kisses all over the skin closest to you, the skin your mouth can find, it brings him back.

Joel gets undressed slowly. "Get on the bed." He falters a little when you obey him again, and it clicks for him. Joel exhales, throwing his shirt off somewhere. "Touch yourself while I do this."

Your eyes widen for a second, but again...

You smile first. Then, slowly, your knees pull apart and your hand reaches between your legs, where your pussy opens up in a glistening sight, and Joel has only the mind to finish his task.

It's hard not to worship something that makes his mouth water.

He does that until you're shaking, legs trembling on his shoulders and begging for him to come up—"get here, please."

It's the 'please' that gets him.

Joel goes in seek of more of them. Always more of them.

He discovers you like it when he alternates between extremes. Really slow, or a hard, or a fast, or a deep pace. Joel spends as long as he can take testing all the ways you wrapped around him can feel like and all the angles that make your jaw fall slack open.

Something about fucking you face to face, though — Joel gets to see the scrunch of your nose and your eyes rolling back when he praises you for doing so, so well. "Taking me so well. Look at that — look at it, baby, c'mon." The loud and unabashed moan you let out makes him roll his eyes, thrusting deep into you. "Keep on looking."

"Joel."

"Hmhm. What — is it — hm, baby?"

"'m gonna cum again," you whine, getting louder, and he gets more desperate. "Oh, god," you cry out.

"'s fine. That's what — I want. Give it to me"

"It's so good. Please—harder, Joel. Like you want to fuck me."

You enjoy doing it to him, Joel thinks. Breaking him so you can put it back together, or maybe it's just how you make him whine that gets to your head.

It gets louder — everything gets louder. The sounds, the bubble of feelings reading to burst and be reborn again, only bigger, how fucking wet you get for me.

"C'mon, darlin'. Wanna feel you soakin' me with your cum."

Joel sees why you enjoy it, too.

He smiles, and ascends at seeing the sweet feelings of release washing you from head to toe, and the transcendent look in your eyes when you open them and pull him down for a kiss. You came so hard he lost himself in your orgasm, mixing with his own and he cums a little more at the realization, burying himself deeper in the mess you two have made.

Your whining and panting in can only be felt, so he switches your face to his left side. "Deaf, baby."

You giggle at him. "I didn't say anything."

"I know. Just wanna hear your lil' noises." Joel kisses your neck, and pulls out slowly despite your whiny protests. His fingers come down to between your legs and he should feel self-conscious about the filthy mess he makes there, but when he looks up at your face you're watching him with a look he knows.

I'm starving for you.

Joel seals his lips on yours.

He's never leaving this place. This home he's built where he gets you, and a second chance, and the monthly Sundays with music and you by his side whispering indecent jokes in his ears, and the protective circle you create around him and Ellie ate any minor possibility of outsiders.

Joel's not missing this chance for anything.

🏷 @sakuralikestars — @mostardentily — @thegreat-annamaria — @leiticia — @polyglot-noodle — @casssiopeia — @levylovegood — @simply-sams-things — @lavenderhhze — @gracie7209 — @waywardwolfbonklight — @shadytalething — @yesimwriting — @celestialstar111 — @averysblog — @pedrostories — @fleursirvart — @sirtommyholland — @capbrie — @hawsx3 — @superflymaterial — @ashleyforeverareject — @girlofchaos — @queerponcho — @am-3-thyst — @nyotamalfoy — @my-tearsricochet — @ponyboys-sunsets — @peqchsoup hope you all enjoy it!

[skyeslittlecorner]

Little Foras headcanon based on nothing but my silliness

After CH5, I fell in love with Hades. Especially Foras. The Kings' closest nobles act like magnets on me, what can I do. 👀 There may be light spoilers, but I won't post any screenshots in case anyone wants to read it and hasn't finished CH5 yet.

So, for me Foras is one of the youngest nobles, and this thought lives in my mind rent-free. Of course, he's an adult. But he is closer to a twenty-year-old when both Barbatos and Glasyal seem much more mature.

I recently went through the comics again to see them after what we learned about in Hades and this caught my attention.

Poor Foras, to be pulled by the horns. You know what it means to the devil.

This is the moment Leviathan accepted Foras as his nobleman. It's obvious that Barbatos has been here for some time.

Let me remind you what we learned from the event at Avisos. Beel told Amon, when he accepted him as his noble, that some devils find their calling on their own, while others need a trigger. Amon had just come of age. This may suggest that it is younger rather than older devils who feel this calling, since such a young man was considered as somebody who need to get a trigger.

Of course, we don't know what happened earlier, but Foras doesn't look very traumatized in this comic. It's possible he found Leviathan himself.

I don't think anyone will deny the next one. He's such a fanboy.

He resembles a teenager totally in love with his idol.

Levi, you complained that you didn't like the undying loyalty of your nobles, so what is it, you little liar?

No explanation needed.

As I promised, there will be no screenshots here, so as not to reveal anything specific.

In CH5 we saw that Barbatos and Glasyal (especially Glasyal) can oppose Leviathan. They do it in a respectful, clever way, but they are able to suggest to him that he should consider other options, and in such a way that he will not hang them (okay, Glasyal is hanged, but tell me straight in my face that he didn't want it). Foras, on the other hand, had no hesitation. What Levi says is sacred.

And what's more, he boasts a lot that he is Leviathan's closest subject. Not like he was better than anyone. He's just happy, genuinely happy.

Another thing, his behavior towards other nobles. He complains about them all a lot. Nothing particularly bad, but he complains about little things and it reminds me of that teenage attitude "look, I'm younger and I act more mature than you". Especially when he admonished them in CH5. It was just so cute.

Plus, he's curious. Very. Too much. Foras, did you really have to taste- well, we all know what this silly man did in sub story. Yes, I know it was "to check if the white liquid was not poisonous", but come on. This sounds like a cheap excuse. He saw it being made. He is a devil. Can't he put two and two together? Please.

Additionally, his shyness and insecurities. Of course, he's as eager for sex as any devil. But although Leviathan himself envies his horns, he asks us if they are really so nice.

Okay, at the end he was smooth as fu- Yes my princess yes I do I want gimme this beautiful horns

Of course, as a devil from Hades, he can doubt. No one has ever said a bad word about his invisibility, but they still doubt himself.

Shy bby i love you

Generally speaking, apart from Leviathan, we are the only people Foras comes to and he is obviously happy. In his scene when he comes to apologize to us at the very end, he is really polite. I've already compared it here to Sitri. Instead of on the lips, he kissed us on the hand. Cute. I will just add that his entire behavior towards us is charming.

Seeing all this, I feel like his attitude is a little immature, but in a good way. He wants to be serious, he tries, but sometimes enthusiasm comes out of him.

And this whole train of thoughts came to me only because I thought it would be funny if Foras was the last to appear at Levi's court and was immediately promoted to his right-hand man because of what a fanboy he is.

[vividachromatic]

Meant To Stay The Worst - Pt. 3

Desc. : Reader meets Alastor’s mother for the first time!

Alastor x reader

Tags: ongoing, marriage, confessions / proposals, manipulation and toxic relationships, canon typical violence and language

((<- Pt. 2 - Pt. 4 ->))

*

To say you were nervous about meeting his mother would be an understatement. If she didn't like you, that would probably be THE dealbreaker, considering the way Alastor talks about her - like she is the most important person in his life.

Alastor found your uneasiness funny and just told you to relax. He told you his mother wasn't a scary person. And she has been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time; ever since Alastor mentioned he was seeing a girl he really liked she's been beyond excited and repeatedly asked him if he'd invite her over.

"That's not what I'm concerned about - I'm concerned about me! I know how to make a bad impression, not how to make a good one..." Not that you cared about the impression you made on other people most of the time. Most of the people you knew where snobs who just pretended to like you anyway.

"Darling. Don't worry about making a perfect impression, my mother is a kind person. She can even see inside people's souls~" He chuckled, "literally..."

"Yeah, I'm not so sure if that makes me feel so much better..."

Plus, the way Alastor seemed to enjoy your anxiousness didn't help either.

Anyway, there was no postponing this you suppose, so you got ready to walk to his mother's house. She seems to live nearby.

Alastor was satisfied with the whole situation right now. After he first decided he was going to confess his feelings to you he was scared of how everything would play out. He likes to be in control of any situation - and even though he tried his best to do that, he still couldn't predict the actual feelings part.

But your reaction to him killing someone was the most confusing thing for him.

You were clearly shocked and probably even traumatized by the event. But not even once did you seem scared of him.

It's more the opposite. Just like him, you were more of a classy person - never really seeking out other's people's touch too much. But after the incident this changed. Not only did you immideatly lean into him when when he tried to comfort you when you were crying, you also seeked out and accepted his touch warmly every single time after the incident.

This odd reaction to seeing someone murder someone else in cold-blood lead him to a specific conclusion: You didn't regard the situation that way. You actually saw it as him protecting you. And ever since that day, you've seen him as your protector. Which would mean that him trying to manipulate you into thinking exactly that actually worked.

But there is one problem with that: he thinks you are way too smart to just fall for his simple manipulation tactic like that. Which is why he at first considered the possibility that you were only pretending to be okay with it and would try to tell someone else as soon as he let you go. But you never did that. Which must mean that you are being willfully immoral.

So, you knew he was manipulating you and played along?

He thought - maybe you wanted to be protected? Wanted to be guided?

Maybe it was because you had a bad father figure in your life or maybe your mind was just a little more twisted than he originally thought?

In any case, this would work for him. You wanting to be guided - him wanting to guide you.

If he played this well - he could very quickly turn this into making you marry him, which could, if you ever changed your mind about him, trap you into the relationship anyway. Even if you would find out about his more sinister hobbies...

It would disappoint him to have that kind of relationship with you, yes, but it could also end with both of you having the ideal relationship - supporting even your most twisted desires while also having a loving husband and wife - later maybe even family.

The two of you approached the house of Alastor's mother now.

His two favorite people were about to meet, and if the meeting went well he was sure he would ask your father for your hand at his meeting with him.

Alastor quietly knocked on the door, while you were standing more behind him than next to him.

Then the door opened, revealing a petite, middle-aged woman with beautiful curly hair. Her face immideatly turned soft when she spotted her son. "Alastor, my dear..." she pulled him towards her into a warm embrace and he, too, had a genuine smile on his face as he leaned down to hug her.

You smiled watching the two of them. A genuine warm embrace between family members isn't something you got to see very often.

When Alastor pulled away from the hug, he pulled you to his side by your waist, so that you were now facing his mother.

...Wait, how should you greet her? Should you shake hands? Bow? ...

In the end you just awkwardly waved at her. The woman looked confused for a second, before she just pulled you into a hug as well. You were surprised, so you forgot reciprocating before she already stepped away from you.

Great, now you made an awkward fool of yourself.

She still held on to your arms, as she looked you up an down. "I, uh- I'm... Y/N?"

The woman let out a small laugh and petted you on the head. "Oh, I know that sweetie, what I didn't know is that you were such a timid one! Come on in, you two. Dinner is almost ready!"

You carefully stepped into the house looking back at Alastor, who just smiled at you and took off your coat to hang it on the wardrobe.

"I'm going to go to get something for a minute, if that's okay, darling? I'll be right back!" He declared and pushed you into the room his mother was in. Before you could protest, he was already gone.

Great. For someone who claims to like you, he seems to really enjoy putting you in uncomfortable situations.

His mother was currently finishing off some rice with different sorts of vegetables and seasonings... "Oh honey, could you please help and cut the rest of these onions for me? Only if it's okay!" She asked you with a warm smile.

Oh oh. Now your horrendous cooking skills would come to show. You were a downright horrible cook - everytime you touched a stove something or someone, would burn. And you never had to cook before... you were rich. Others just did that for you...

But... you were able to cut some onions at least right? Haha...

"Of course, ma'am..!" You smiled nervously. Hoping she wouldn't notice your concern as you picked up one of the knives...

"Oh no, dear! You can't take that knife to cut an onion!" She chuckled, taking the knife from you and handing you a different one.

Nice. Not embarrassing at all.

Now, while you were trying to complete the extremely challenging task of cutting this onion - his mother turned to the other side of the kitchen to finish preparing the rice again.

"You know, I was pretty excited when Al told me that he finally met a girl he liked. My little boy never brought home any girls in his life, so I thought he must either be lying or you're someone real special!" She explained while preparing the food.

You didn't know how to respond, but you were touched by her words. And she confirmed that Alastor really has never dated anyone before - not that you thought that he was lying. You were glad, since you were the same, though you wouldn't have minded either way.

"Look, girl..." The woman who was only a little shorter than you stepped next to you again and took the cutting board from you with a sigh, cutting the onion properly. "I think you're a really pretty girl and I am glad my Al has found someone he likes for once; but I just wanna make sure that you're the right one for my boy, you know? That you're serious about him."

You let out a shaky breath. You were embarrassed at your need of help for such a simple task. Now she probably hates you and-

...

But you were serious about Alastor at least. But how could you properly convey this to her?

"I- I'm sorry, I am really not good at this. But, I really like Alastor. I like him... more than I've liked anyone before-"

You weren't sure how else to put it and stopped yourself - trying to word it differently, but the woman interrupted you with a sudden and short hug.

"That's all I wanted to hear, honey." She smiled warmly at you as she pulled away again.

She took the cutting board with her to put the freshly cut onions inside the rice. "This is Al's favorite meal by the way! If you want to, I can teach you the recipe some day?"

Your eyes lit up in relief. Her wanting to teach you, probably meant she didn't want to never let you see her or her son again. You nodded enthusiastically and she laughed.

Later during the meal the three of you had a nice talk. The house was... warm. It looked smaller than you were used to and the furniture looked very different. But this home was warm, while yours seemed cold. You only had a single dinner with the two of them together, but it felt better than any you had with your own family, no matter how expensive the food may have been.

After leaving his mother's home for that day Alastor asked you if you wanted to stay at his house for the night. You agreed.

When you arrived at his house again you let out a quiet yawn and started taking off your coat. Again, Alastor took it from you to hang it on the wardrobe. Then he gestured for you to sit on a nearby chair.

Confused you wordlessly obliged at which he grinned. He then kneeled in front of you to take off your shoes for you.

You rolled your eyes at him with a chuckle, "Really? You don't have to do that now."

He gave you a wryly amused smile, "I know. I just want to spoil the woman I adore so much."

You let out an embarrassed huff as your face started reddening.

Alastor, perceptive as he is, noticed this of course and made it worse by taking your hand and planting a small kiss on its back.

When he got up again he extended his hand towards you to take and led you to sit on the couch with him.

"See? I told you my mother would like you. She has a knack for seeing who people really are..." Alastor grinned.

"Really?" You asked him.

You liked both of them. But if that was true wouldn't she see that her son is a killer? And that you liked it?

"My mother always said 'what you do for the people you love is more important than what the world wants you to do'." He quoted with a smirk like he read your mind.

Well, if you twisted these words a little the way he saw things could make sense.

You wondered; was the man he killed for you the first person he's killed? You weren't so sure. His movements seemed way too natural. Too calculated.

His behavior afterwards way too uncaring.

...The evil serial killer of Louisiana. His profile fitted Alastor's way too perfectly.

So far he has had four victims. You researched them for a bit. All of them were filthy, power-hungry and abusive men and one woman. The police suspected a vigilante.

Of course you weren't completely sure it was him. But Alastor's certainty that the killer would not go after you was still ringing in your head.

So what would someone who can actually see inside your soul actually think of you?

You didn't think of yourself as a normal person before this, but not as a bad one either. But now...

It wasn't the fact that you didn't care if he was a serial-killer or not that made you bad, it was more than that. It was that some fucked-up part inside of you liked it.

You wanted the man who was sitting next to you right now in every way possible.

You definitely were at least just as bad. It was probably just more in a passive and masochistic way, than his direct and sadistic one.

So, did you really want to settle for this?

...yes definitely.

You didn't care about that man dying that night.

And now you weren't even sure anymore if that's what you've always thought in the first place, or if this is just what you forced yourself to think, so you could get over it.

Regardless, you just felt cold towards that man. He was better of dead, just like all the other people Alastor probably killed.

Distancing yourself from other people's humanity was wrong and narcissistic. You knew that but still decided to go that path.

Decided to be with Alastor. And enjoy it.

"So? You're going to meet with my father tomorrow, right? Are you at least a little nervous?" You asked him after a small comfortable silence between the two of you.

"Hmm... I think nervous is the wrong word. But it would be bothersome, if your father dislikes me." Alastor answered.

"Even if my father doesn't approve of you, I'll still stick with you. You know that, right?" You asked him.

He raised his brow, giving you a half-grin, surprised by your earnesty. "You're such a sweetheart, you know that?" He asked, locking your head between his hands and lowering his face to yours until you were separated only by a few inches.

Your confidence immediately falters and you became putty in his hands again.

He chuckled against your face, seemingly enjoying the effect he had on you. "Y/N, can I ask you something?"

"...Of course."

"How much do you like me?" He whispered against your lips. Not only because he was sure he wanted to take this a step further with you now, but also because he wanted to be able to predict how exactly you'd answer if he'd ask you to be his forever.

Your breath hitched. You weren't sure how to answer.

If you were honest you would have to admit, that you were completely and utterly obsessed with him.

...You already met his mother today; he said he adores you...

It's okay to admit, that you like him, right?

God, how was he the one in control always? And why did you love it?

"I like you, Alastor. A lot." You whispered back. He smiled at that and finally kissed you.

You leaned back into the couch, just letting him kiss you. The kiss was nice. Every kiss with him was. And for the first time he deepened the kiss as it became more sensual.

You gasped into the kiss and he grinned, his tongue sliding over your own and you shuddered as he pulled you towards him to sit on his lap.

Just to catch air the two of you parted for a second, looking into each other's eyes. Both of you could see the desire for the other in them.

Alastor tenderly stroked your hair with one of his hands and cupped your cheek with the other.

You calmly closed your eyes, eventhough your heart was beating like crazy.

"I love you."

Your eyes opened and widened in surprise at his words. He, too, looked a little surprised by his own words when he looked up at you.

He wasn't surprised because he said it. He was surprised because he meant it.

Your gaze softened and you gave him a smile. The most loving smile you ever gave someone in your life probably.

"I love you too, Alastor."

He let out a small sigh in relief. Something he didn't do often.

So you really loved him? Did you mean that?

"I will kill for you, you know?"

He wasn't sure if he would make things bad between you two, if he outright said that, but he had the feeling he wouldn't. You were too perfect for him.

You paused for a second. Then you gave him a weird smile. "I know. And I would do the same."

-----------

Thank youuu for reading!

@cryptidghostgirl @adeadreader

[future-island-egghead]

Man I have so many thoughts on the Seraphim and since it's been over a year since their introduction I've had a lot more of them but overall I kinda.. feel bad for them, more than anything else?

No matter how powerful or scary or cool they are, one thing always remains the most important and unforgettable aspect of them.

They're sentient. They're sapient. They're aware and alive. They're people.

Not just people. But children.

They're just children.

And they have to grapple with being the crossover of two terrible things to be.

A clone of someone else, who's life has already been lived and decided by their own terms, and forced to follow it to the letter, and having no fundamental identity independent of them. only footprints of memories that aren't even their own, purely for the purpose of making them better fighters. How can they be anything more than simple variations or derivatives of "real" people? Can they even consider themselves "real"?

A pacifista. A human weapon. No agency. No humanity. Stripped of everything from will to dreams to freedom to even self-expression and forced to follow commands and never ask questions. Like a soldier. Like less than a soldier. Like a tool.

Like a gun.

Vegapunk said that Kuma's lack of free will would force him to obey, even if they asked him to murder a child. But he originally had free will to begin with. Kuma's life as PX-0, a sentient being with no will of his own, nothing more than a passenger in his own body is a nightmare. S-Bear has known nothing but that nightmare since birth.

People said that Doflamingo was born evil, but in reality, his life was shaped by the events he lived through more than anyone in-universe wants to admit. I wonder how S-Flamingo must feel, forced to carry on Doflamingo's legacy as a monster to the core, regardless of how monstrous he himself might or might not be. i wonder if the pressure of being the clone of a demon will cause a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Hancock's worldwide status was one even she did not want. It was a curse she herself learned to turn into a weapon. S-Snake does not even get the privilege of encountering OR weaponizing the curse herself. Already forced into the limelight without warning, and the eyes won't leave. Everyone already treating her like a celebrity, without a chance to even know what it was like to be a person first.

All she can do now is follow the same government that traumatized her origin and forced her to destroy her home.

Similarly, what of S-Hawk? Moreso than any seraph, any creation of the World Government, surely all eyes are on him to succeed. to be the strongest of the Seraphim and a symbol of total global safety. The world's strongest swordsman, new and improved, right? And what if he isn't? What if he's not as strong as Mihawk? What if he never is? What if he can't do it?

And what if he does? What if he ends up even worse than his origin: a bored god sitting on an empty throne with an empty title, with no one left to challenge him?

Jinbei wanted nothing in the world more than discrimination towards Fish-Men and Merfolk to end, to the degree he'd stake his life on it without hesitation. I wonder how S-Shark, a tool of the World Government, partly born from a race nearly extinguished by them, and forced to uphold their fascist, discriminatory rule against his will feels.

If Crocodile's secret is indeed his transgender identity, then what does that mean for S-Croc? At least Crocodile got the opportunity to keep it under wraps, even if some people do know. S-Croc will never get that opportunity, ever. the whole world on him from birth. Will they even let him be.. him? or will they force him to live in a body and identity that not only isn't even his own, but isn't anybody's at all?

and if it isn't, sure! I suppose he won't have to worry about that. but what of his intelligence? his own ambitions? It's said that Crocodile's greatest attribute was his mind, but the seraphim aren't allowed to break from the orders of others or formulate strategies, so S-Croc would be forced to take orders from people less experienced or intuitive. The footprints of a forgotten dream of wealth, fame, power, and freedom still sputter in his chest. A natural-born leader, forced into the role of lowly weapon, emptily paraded as a hero. How pitiful.

And S-Gecko? Always the runt. The last one. The weakest of the bunch. The world government never cared enough to hide their disdain and contempt for Moria. I can't imagine this won't bleed into how they treat S-Gecko. No matter how hard he works, being treated as nothing more than the worst of the best. Being equated to nothing but failure because his origin was one and constantly put down as "obligatory" and only existing at all because they couldn't get a better warlord to clone instead. Sure, he's not traumatized by the loss of his crew like Moria was.

But at least Moria had a crew.

The Seraphim are scary, and they're powerful. They're not naturally-born organisms, and they're programmed to follow the words of the World Government, even if told to kill in cold blood.

But they're still people.

They're still alive.

They're just children.

For the love of Nika, they're only children.

[zeroducks-2]

Do you really think reverse flash is in love with Barry? I don't mean for this to sound snarky I'm just confused. Thawne killed Barry's mom how can you say he's in love with him? I like all the things you post and rb about them I really enjoy the ship. I just don't get it can you explain?

The question "how can Eobard be in love with Barry if he hurt him" has both a short answer and a long answer. The short answer is that people are very much capable of hurting the ones they love, on purpose or by accident.

The long answer is that Eobard is a deeply disturbed individual who has never been the recipient of love, and because of that and of many extremely traumatic events (including but not limited to being brainwashed in prison, being trapped in a timeless limbo alone for years, being tortured and treated like cattle and put in sensory deprivation for ludicrous amounts of time, dying at the hands of the only person who had ever shown compassion towards him), he has a skewed perception of a lot of things and is extremely bad at emotional regulation.

Moreover, and this is something which is easy to overlook but it's actually very important, Eobard is not human. His actions are informed by his traumas, but the way he approaches pretty much everything (including his "problems" with Barry) isn't done the way a human would.

Eobard is a timeless, deathless creature which embodies one of the driving forces of reality itself (the Negative Speed Force). He lived probably more than a few hundred years considering how he keeps running around through time doing stuff, and how he keeps going back to watch past events and adjust the way he will interact with the timeline next.

He knows the huge impact that killing Nora will have on Barry, but from a moral and ethical standpoint it's not a big deal for him. Nora is less than a speck in time, an NPC who served her role for that briefest moment in which she existed. She is a big deal because she is a big deal for Barry, not because she's meaningful in any other way.

"But then he did want to hurt Barry when he killed her" Yes, absolutely he wanted to. Eobard didn't "just" kill Nora Allen - he went back in time and changed everything about Barry's life, made it so he had no friends, made him grow isolated and insecure and shy, lacking confident in his abilities. And he did it because he is very, VERY angry with Barry for one, and also because isolating Barry makes it easier for them to grow closer.

And it worked! Back in the Silver Age, when Nora and Henry were alive and not in prison, Barry couldn't be bothered with Eobard. For him Eo was just a random criminal with superspeed, and sure he was threatening because speedsters always are, but not that much of a big deal.

Now? Now Eobard is a primary element in Barry's life, a constant he's had to deal with basically since birth, someone who rewritten his entire life to make himself part of it in an indelible manner.

It worked because now Barry is more likely to fall for Eobard's manipulation, to listen to him, to just accept that he's THERE because he's always been. Near the end of Running Scared, Eobard tells him "run away with me", and Barry says yes.

Back in the Silver Age there would have been no way.

It's worth mentioning that to understand Eobard, you need to understand that everything he does, every single thing, has the end goal of being with Barry. Whether he's trying to protect him or trying to hurt him or trying to manipulate him, whether they manage to work together against a common enemy or they're on opposite sides of the fight, every single one of Eobard's actions is motivated by love (his personal, inhuman version of love).

"But if that is the case, then why doesn't he just tell Barry 'I love you'?"

Two reasons, and one is meta.

The in-story reason is that every time Eobard tried to do something good without masking it as horrible, it went sideways and backfired spectacularly - mix that with poor emotional regulation, and you have someone who's not going to be able to handle rejection and is outright scared of doing good things openly. I think if he told Barry "I love you" and Barry reacted badly it would hurt too much. Also he wants Barry to understand, and thanks to a couple of competent writers who sadly don't work on Flash anymore, we were getting there.

The meta reason is because DC is homophobic, plain and simple. Eobard DID SAY I love you many times except with words, because DC editorials won't let him. That's it. It's the same reason why Joker can't tell Batman "I love you" and has to do weird ass word plays and even more weird ass attention seeking maneuvers. They're stunted by reasons which no one but DC itself can control.

So in short. How can Eobard be in love with Barry and hurt him so much at the same time? Because he doesn't have many ways of express love, he has a hard time being caring, and every time he allows himself to be soft it backfires. Because he wants Barry to belong to him and will isolate him and make him suffer to get there. Because he's angry with Barry -- Barry hurt him too, rejected him and left him alone and refused to accept that Eobard is his lightning rod for a long time.

Eobard easily lashes out when he's hurt, and the less grounded he is the more vicious and violent he turns.

"But Zero, how can Eobard think that Barry will ever forgive him for having killed his mom?"

I don't believe Eobard was ever looking for forgiveness, but fun fact. Barry did forgive him already. Barry is not human either, and at this point I think he'd forgive Eobard just about anything, and despite how difficult everything is between them, he really wants to get to a place where they don't need to hurt each other.

The problem with this, and it's one of the reasons why they have so many issues communicating, is that Barry is in denial about many things - about being the Speed Force, about Eobard being in love with him, about how they're two constants through time and two sides of the same coin and basically can't exist without each other, about how they're each other's lightning rod.

Their relationship is very complex, absolutely not what it looks like at first glance, and it's colored by all the hurt there is between them. But again, ultimately understanding Eobard is understanding that love is what motivates him, even when he does the most horrible unhinged things.

In conclusion, have this panel from The Flash Age which is one of my favorite Flash comics, in which you can see the way these two manage to trust each other and fall into the right rhythm, despite the oceans of misunderstandings and suffering between them.

Pages from The Flash Age, by Joshua Williamson. In which Barry tells Eobard to "do the right thing", and Eobard just does it.

[rusmii]

Hey I love your works! Could I request Chuuya and Dazai head cannons with a s/o who struggles with seizures/epilepsy after suffering an injury? I’m craving some hurt/comfort fluff so bad 😩

☁️🫧🦢 luv, let me take care of you

dazai, chuuya x fem!reader

╰ back to navi

syp: after a traumatic brain injury, you have developed permanent epilepsy and seizures. how will they take care of you?

tw//: seizures + epilepsy, medication and other medical stuff mentioned, violence

♡: i'm glad you enjoy my works😚! here's some dessert for you

"don't move." he says

this was the first time you've actually seen dazai so serious over your well-being

well, that was worded wrong. he cares about you, he does deeply, but was it ever as serious as when he almost thought he lost you?

how it started was when the two of you were assigned a mission. it was a simple one, but for some reason, there was some misinformation that caused the mission to go south

dazai watched as the ability user used its brute strength to pick you up by the head and start throwing you to the ground like a hammer

dazai screamed, begged and pleaded for them to stop

yk it's serious when the dazai osamu begs with his face in the ground

but the sound of your bones breaking didn't stop and he was out of options

his voice was horase from screaming so loud, and he knew that negotiating wasn't an option, so he lay there helplessly as he heard his beloved die

he swore that as soon as this was over, they'd pay.

the saying that dazai's enemies' misfortune was being his enemies wasn't just some silly mafia rumor after all

just remembering the events of that day shook him to his core. usually, he didn't care as much as the others would, but the situation was different

the situation was you

he waited anxiously outside yosano's door, the other agency members always bringing him meals and water to drink, always asking him to use the bathroom because he just wouldn't do it

they all showed the same anxious expression as well. you were an agency member, part of the family

so when yosano came out and announced that she has stabilized you; everyone was prancing in relief

dazai shoved her out of the way to see you, and his heart broke at the bandages wrapped around your head

it reminded him of his mafia days so when he approached you, he was quickly slapped away by yosano who warned him that you have suffered the most injury on your head

so he couldn't be too loud or noisy around you for the first week or two

and came the present day, where you were completely fine; save for the fact that you did have some permanent damage, but it didn't stop you from doing your daily activities

yosano had prescribed you pain meds and medication for your seizures

"dazai, i'm fine," you sigh as he attempts to pick you up bridal style to carry you to the bathroom, "no, really! stop.." you get out of his grip before he could really lift you into the air, and you could hear the worry in his voice, "belladonna, you're hurting," he tried to reason with you. "i was hurting, osamu. i'm fine, really! it's just a minor inconvenience that happened because i wasn't careful." you reassure him, but he wasn't having any of it. "gah! what's wrong with you!? stop treating me like i'm glass osamu." you push his arms away and he stares at you, "but-" — "but what?!" you snap, you didn't mean to. you knew he was only trying to care for you or at least learning how to. "samu, speak to me." you lean forward, and he bit his lip, "im just.." he pauses hesitantly before resuming, "scared ill lose you.." he finishes, and your eyes soften as you gently take his hands into yours, "osamu, i'll never leave you. till the ends of the universe will i stay by your side. that's a promise."

he looks at you with glistened eyes, "you promise?"

"i promise-" your body started twitching, and you could hear the calm but panicked voice of dazai, "breathe with me, you're alright, i'm here." he whispers in your ear as he cradles you. you gripped onto him aa your mouth parts, unable to speak. "look at me [name], it's alright, don't panic, it'll pass." a few minutes went by and soon you managed to compose yourself. you and dazai stared at each other for a moment before you sighed and lifted your arms, "you're right, carry me to the bathroom!"

he carefully scoops you up into his arms and walks to the bathroom, "as my princess wishes!"

tbh chuuya is pretty similar to dazai when it comes to worrying over you

the only difference is that he worries constantly over you, with both of your lines of work being in the port mafia

"is the damage serious?"

"more than serious.." mori says as he hands chuuya some prescibe pills, "make sure she takes these for the first for weeks."

and ever since that, chuuya has been on your ass, making sure that you took your medication every day

despite your being becoming well, he still couldn't shake the memory out. it struck him in the core

the two of you were overseas as per request of the boss

he trusted that chuuya and his men would get the work done in no time, you worked under him as well so you got to go along too

not a lot of people knew of your relationship with chuuya, only assuming what it is since the two of you are always seen together

since it was an overseas trip to the americas, you packed your made space in your luggage for anything you might buy over there

soon you all arrived to new york to settle some minor conflict between the port mafia and the growing organization there

it was a simple run on the mill plan, get in; beat their ass, take anything they'd consider valuable, and get out

so then the plan was put into action, it started out great like every other plan but one of the grunts slipped up and died, causing a massive uproar

the port mafia and the organization began to fight, chuuya, being the strongest out of everyone had been surrounded by their most strongest

you on the other hand had engaged in an shooting fight with another girl

you were shot in the leg before you shot her in the stomach. as a last attempt to take you down with her she shot up to one of the hanging crates and before you knew it, you were crushed under the heavy weight

chuuya at first didn't notice your injury but when he began to realize your absence on the field he looked around

he screamed your name as he had a rush of adrenaline, kicking down his enemies as he ran over to you

he called for backup and quickly took you outside to where the port mafias medics were at

after a while, you woke up to a very pissed off chuuya who told you that you should've let him handle all the fighting if you couldn't handle it

since you had just woken up you were feeling a little snappy

and for the next two weeks, the two of you weren't really on talking terms

just him making sure you take your medication, until you were finally struck with a seizure

what a scary first experience that was

"what's wrong?" chuuya asks, he was holding out a glass of water and two pills in his other hand. "nothings wrong." you replied dryly, still staring down at your phone. you could hear the annoyed sigh that came out of chuuyas mouth, "well, clearly something is." you didn't answer and that was starting to get on his nerves. chuuya hasn't been feeling like himself lately, he felt like absolute shit. you two had an argument that should've ended weeks ago but here you both were, still finding things to snap at. and worse of all, he couldn't protect you like how he promised he would. "look," he says, he just wanted your fight to be over with and he'd be damn if you pass away without him apologizing, "im sorry for what i said the other day. i know you're capable, i'm just..." he didn't know how to put it into words, so he stood there for a minute, "just, wish i could've done more for you."

this time it was your turn to sigh, "chuuya," you called out to him, you turned off your phone to pay attention to him, "you already do more than enough for me." you took the water and pills from him, digesting the two. "...don't be angry at yourself." it was if you read his mind, "im not." — "you are." — "..." he remained quiet as he slowly sat on the edge of the bed. "i am..." he says quitely.

when you didn't answer him, he kept going, "i know that i struggle with being vulnerable with myself around others, but if it's with you.." he stops to look at you, but his eyes widen in shock. he stood up as he watched your figure tremble under the sheets, "hey! what the hell! what the fuck?! [name]?!" he nearly shouts, he dialed mori's number as he cradled your body against his. when mori picked up he was speaking a mantra, mori had to tell him to shut up and stop panicking as it would worsen your seizure. "seizure?" he mumbles, "yes seizure, chuuya-kun. make sure she has water near her when she comes to." he told chuuya to keep him on speaker, instructing him on what to do.

"hey, it's alright, [name] i'm here..." he whispers, "is she alright?" — "i think." and when you came to, you felt warmth, "roll her on her side." you heard someone that wasn't chuuya say, and you were rolled on your side as drool came out of your mouth. "[name], you with me?" chuuya asks you softly, and you hum. "thank god- okay, um, boss is coming over tomorrow morning to give you different medicine, okay?" he kisses your temple.

"feeling okay?" he asks, "mhm, yeah.." you mutter, you felt a little out of it but he was there to ground you.

°° ©churuai ; don't repost my works to other sites, copy/plagiarize my works, or translate my works into a different language without my permission. if you intend to use most of my ideas from a post of mine, please don't forget to credit ♡

rbs and comments appreciated <3<3

[adoriadreams]

Tysha and Mirri Maz Duur are two characters I feel like the fandom tends to erase the pain of in favor of the POV character (Tyrion and Dany).

Their not really viewed as people but an arc/character development for Dany and Tyrion and the more I think about it the more I hate it.

Tysha was raped and abuse by Tywin, she got no justice, but that's all glossed over in favor of highlighting how unfairly Tywin treats Tyrion and his hatred for his son, and Tyrion's trauma. No doubt the event was traumatic for Tyrion but the way people choose to only focus on Tyrion's trauma while ignoring Tysha is disturbing and disappointing. I have also seen people shipping them and wanting a reunion and for them to marry again but let's not forget Tyrion abused her. He raped her. Yes, Tywin forced him but it still happened and Tysha doesn't deserve to relive that trauma so Tyrion can find peace and redemption.

Mirri was raped, abused and witness the murder and rape of her people but that's all glossed over as well in favor of highlighting Dany coming into power. Beating her first 'Villian' and dealing with her first 'Betrayal'. Mirri did not owe Dany any loyalty because Dany saved her by making Mirri her slave. At the end of the day a slave is still a slave, even if their master is kind. The fact that people villianize Mirri for something they would praise Dany for is telling enough. And the fact that they think Mirri should be ever grateful Dany 'saved' her is disturbing. Also Mirri was still abused even after Dany 'saved' her. The idea that Mirri did something villainous by rebelling( killing Drogo. Still have no proof she actually did it) against her master is the idea that slaves have no right to rebell/desire freedom. The fandom perception around Mirri Maz Duur is disappointing . (Maybe it's the way GRRM wrote it or maybe it's because the fandom is mostly white.)

Justice for Tysha and Mirri Maz Duur.

I rambled alot in this one.

[drabblesbyjubs]

Headcannons about Astarion and his PTSD

Tws// PTSD nightmares and attacks, disassociation, sexual trauma, Astarion’s backstory stuff, minor spoilers for unascended Astarion’s ending. Minors begon

A quick note before we start; PTSD manifests itself differently on a case to case basis. Thats why its so hard to understand, even amongst people who have it; two people who experienced the same traumatic event may react completely differently from one another to certain things. That being said, these are just my headcannons for Astarion based off of my experiences with PTSD.

Astarion’s nightmares have always been rough on him. They didn’t come every night, not like they used to, but when they did, there was no telling how he’d react when he woke up.

He may blink awake, that oh so familiar feeling of dread but also of pure numbness creeping over him. He would sit staring at the ceiling for hours, or at least until you woke up, nearly thoughtless the entire time.

When you noticed, he sometimes wanted to scoot closer and cuddle you, other times just humming an acknowledgement of your awakening before zoning out again. He would eventually get up and moving, but for a few hours, he felt like a complete detachment of himself.

Other times, he would jolt awake, not recognizing you as the one safe thing in his entire life. He lashed out at you once, demanding you leave, scrambling for his knife. He was shaking so hard he couldn’t even pick it up. When those red eyes softened in familiarity, the guilt that swamped him was the worst thing he’d ever felt.

Occasionally, he would awaken in a similar trance of not recognizing you. He would usher you out of bed and insist you had to go, leave, run for the woods and never look back. If you don’t, you’ll never see the light of day again. He will get you.

You knew these times were draining for him, and some days, he just needed some time to sit and reflect for a while; reflect on everything for the past two hundred years, from having his freedom cruelly ripped away, then regaining it, then losing it all over again. It was a lot for you just hearing about it, so you could only imagine how overwhelming it could be to him.

He still tried not to let it rule his life, though, and thats where you came in. You made an easy distraction, something to focus on and give to, something normal.

At times he would lose his focus, but you were always there to keep him on track. While you weren’t the cure for his trauma, you helped to guide him through it as he built comfort in himself and his new life.

You were there through the anxiety, the panic, the angry outbursts. Gods, he always felt terrible for those. But you stayed, because you knew about him, and you knew why, and you knew he was trying. You by no means made excuses for him, but you never shamed him for the things he couldn’t help.

Your patience was the thing he didn’t know he needed. Your understanding, your empathy. Things he would have found weaknesses a mere month ago were the reasons he loves you now. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

..

Super quick hcs, ive got some actually good ones rotting away just need to remember where I put them

[cozage]

The Daughter's Return: Month 2

Under the Falling Water

Part One | Next Chapter | Table of Contents | Read on AO3

An amazing suggestion from @fireinyoureye that I put a slightly angsty spin on :) CW: blood, death, PTSD, reader goes through a pretty traumatic event Characters: female reader x Portgas D. Ace Word Count: 2k

You couldn’t bring yourself to get in the shower. 

You had peeled off layer after layer of clothing that was soaked in blood, the mess growing on the tiled floor beneath you. And now you sat on the bench, still covered in blood, unable to move into the stream of water that was falling in front of you. 

You knew once you got in the shower and saw the stream of red, the screams and visions would come back to you. And you weren’t ready to face them yet. You weren’t sure if you’d ever be ready. 

It hadn’t been your fault. You knew that. It was a dangerous mission. One with a low success rate. A hostage situation, about 20 people or so. You had gotten in successfully and were just about to free them when someone tried to run out prematurely, springing the trap and fatally wounding everyone in the room. 

Your devil fruit has saved you, as it always did. But nobody else in the room had been that lucky, and blood splattered everywhere. You had done your best to try and save as many as you could, but in the end, only two other people survived with you. 

But you weren’t ready to face those other eighteen people. Or maybe you weren’t ready to wash away the last moments of their lives. Either way, you couldn’t get in the shower.

A soft knock came at the door, startling you. You opened your mouth to speak, but no words came out. You just stared at the door, waiting. 

“Y/N?” Ace’s voice came from the other side of the door, soft and full of concern. “Are you okay?”

You wanted to call to him. To let him know you were here. But the words were stuck in your throat. 

After a few moments, you heard the soft click of the lock, and the door creaked open just enough for Ace to peek in. 

You stared at him, your eyes meeting his gaze. He looked startled to find you in such a state, but you couldn’t blame him. You knew you were caked in blood that was slowly starting to dry to you; you had to look like you belonged at the scene of a crime. In a way, you did belong at one. 

“Can I come in?” he asked, trying his hardest not to sound alarmed. 

“I want to be alone,” you whispered, your eyes cutting back to the bloody floor in front of you. Ace quickly slipped into the room and shut the door behind him, turning the lock back into place. 

He walked over to you and kneeled in front of you, blocking your view of your clothes and looking up at you with those big, loving eyes. You could see the pain in them; he knew what had happened. He knew how you had failed.

Slowly, he reached up and gently tucked a piece of blood-soaked hair behind your ear. “How can I help?” 

You couldn’t help it, the tears began. You had felt so numb to it all until he spoke to you, and now the tears flowed as freely as the water fell in the shower.

“I tried,” you sobbed, falling into his chest. Strong arms wrapped around you, holding you despite the blood that coated your skin. 

“I know,” he whispered, his arms flexing around you, holding you as tight as he could. 

You felt safe in his arms, but that didn’t stop the pain of your failure. The weight of death was so heavy upon your shoulders, and you were the only one who could carry it this time. 

“Let’s get cleaned up,” he offered. 

“I want to be alone,” you repeated. It was the last thing you wanted, but you hated having him see you like this. 

“I’m not leaving you,” Ace assured you. “Let’s get in the shower.”

But you shook your head. “I can’t. I can’t do it.”

“I’m here,” Ace said, his voice calm and even. “You don’t have to do it alone.”

You sobbed even harder into his chest, clutching him tightly, but you gave the nod of approval to continue. The two of you moved carefully to the running water, Ace guiding you as you buried your head into him. You listened to his heartbeat, letting it drown out all of the screams and cries that you could still so vividly remember. 

You felt the water cascade over you, and you struggled to breathe as you thought about those people’s last moments. You were supposed to be saving them. They were supposed to have a happy reunion. But instead you cursed them, leaving them to die alone and far from their family. 

Ace hummed a soft tune, rubbing your back and swaying you gently under the spray of the showerhead. The tune he was humming sounded familiar, though you weren’t sure why. You could feel yourself coming back to the present, focused on trying to place that song. 

“It’s from the Navy Ball,” Ace said, feeling you begin to loosen your grip on him. “The first song we danced to. Before I ruined everything.”

“You didn’t ruin it,” you croaked out. 

“You don’t think so?” Ace gave a light chuckle. “It went downhill pretty fast.”

“I wouldn’t change it, though.” 

Ace hummed in delight at your answer. “Me neither. It was a pretty good night.”

“It was,” you whispered. You still couldn’t bring yourself to open your eyes, but you relaxed a little bit in Ace’s arms. 

“Just keep holding onto me, okay?” Ace’s voice was calm as he spoke, and his hands released from their grip around you. 

You immediately tensed, your security gone. You kept your arms coiled around him, afraid that if you gave him any slack, he would slip away. Just like those people had. 

But Ace didn’t leave. He only reached up to grab some shampoo and lathered it onto his hands. 

“I’m going to wash your hair now, okay?”

You gave a nod of approval, and his hands began running through your hair again. He massaged your scalp, working through the layers of matted tangles and dried blood. He didn’t complain today, even though he always teased you about your hair texture and volume. Today he simply worked through it piece by piece, making sure every piece was scrubbed to perfection. 

When he was done, he moved you slightly so the water would run over your head and washed the soap out of your hair. He repeated the shampoo routine one more time, and you tried not to think of his reasoning to do that. You imagined the soap running down the drain with a stained red color, and you felt woozy at the thought. 

“Keep humming that tune,” you said. You were trying your best to keep your mind away from those people. All those innocent people. 

Ace began humming again as he worked, carefully maneuvering his fingers so he wasn’t pulling or tearing your hair. It felt quite therapeutic. Under different circumstances, you probably would’ve relished in the decision to shower with him and let him take care of you like this.

Once he was finished with your hair, he moved on to your body. He grabbed your sponge and soap and began rubbing your back. 

“Hey,” Ace whispered, pulling at your arms gently. “I’m gonna need you to let go of me for a minute so I can-”

“No.” You squeezed him tighter, afraid of what would happen if you let go. 

“Okay, we can stand here until you’re ready.” He put your sponge down and wrapped his arms around you again, holding you and humming softly as he waited for you to release him. 

It took a long time for you to let go. You were scared of who you might see behind your eyelids if you weren’t physically tethered to Ace. 

He was too patient with you. It was the side of him that had made you slowly fall for him over the past two months. On the deck surrounded by everyone, he was sociable and the star of the show. But when he was with you, he was kind and loving and only ever did things at your pace. Even when you slowed him down, he never complained in the moment. He may tease you from time to time, but he always knew where your line was, and he never even came close to crossing it. 

You took a deep breath in and unclasped your arms from around him, letting them fall to your side. You had held him up long enough. 

He was careful in his movements and he rubbed the sponge across your body. He started at your shoulders and worked his way down, alternating between scrubbing and rinsing. 

You couldn’t bring yourself to open your eyes, scared of what you might see, but you tracked his progress as he moved down your body. He continued humming the entire time, switching between ballroom dance tunes and sea shanties you almost sang along to. Almost. 

When he finally finished, you felt his arms wrap around you again, pulling you back into his chest. 

“You can open your eyes now, if you’d like.”

You had been in the dark for so long, the light was almost painful as you slowly opened your eyes again. Ace looked down at you, his signature smile spread across his face. 

He kissed the tip of your nose. “Should we get dried off?”

“Okay,” you whispered, giving him a nod. The day, that tragedy, your failure, it had all been washed away now. It was just a memory.

The two of you stepped out of the shower and Ace wrapped you in a towel. He grabbed another one and began drying your hair when you saw it, your breath catching in your throat. 

Your pile of clothes. They were in a wet mound where you had left them, a deep red liquid saturating the floor around it. 

You stared at the heap, unable to look away. It almost looked like a body with the amount of blood around it. You had seen plenty of them today, you would know. 

“Hey, it’s okay. What is it?” Ace looked at you, concerned by your sudden shallow and rapid breathing. 

But you couldn’t peel your eyes from the pile. You couldn’t even answer him. All you could do was stare. 

He followed your gaze and realized his mistake. 

“Fuck,” he muttered, gently turning you away from your blood-soaked clothes. “Okay, let’s get down to my room and get you a change of clothes.”

He gently led you away, throwing another towel over your shoulders and quickly slipping into his own shorts. He hated that he didn’t have anything to give you to cover up, but plenty of people walked around the ship in their towels after showers. 

The two of you walked back to his room silently, only stopping briefly for him to mumble a few words to Thatch as you passed by him in the hallway. You couldn’t hear what he said, but Thatch nodded and took off towards the way you all had come without another word. 

When you got to his room, you sat on his bed while he rummaged through your dresser, trying to find your favorite set of pajamas. It took him a few seconds, but he located them and brought them over to you. 

He helped you slip into them, and then pulled off his own shorts and climbed into bed with you. As soon as he was under the covers, you wedged yourself into his hold, your head resting against his chest. 

“Can we lay here for a little bit?” you asked.

“As long as you want.”

Ace’s fingers gently traced up and down your arm, continuing to ground you in the moment with him. He refused to let you slip back into those moments. You focused on his breathing, his heartbeat, his movement. You were with Ace. You were safe. 

“How can I thank you?” you whispered, nuzzling into his chest. 

His hand froze for a moment, trying to decipher your words. “Thank me for what?”

“For helping me. I couldn’t have done that without you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that,” Ace said. “I’m here for you. I’ll always be here for you.”

“Even when I want to be alone?”

“Especially when you want to be alone.”

--

Tag list! @taeyoge @teiza @tojislawyer @trafalgardnami @bloopbopsblog @dancingnewcat @dxestyi @flooofity @nyxthedragon01 @deadsnothere @h-rhodes1598  @morgyyyyyyy @trafalgardvivi  @fiestynatureweeb @frogpogjoghurt @beepboopcowboy @ms-portgas @luvyallbabes @aikochan4859 @zuchkaa @saybeyonce @stray-npc

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[josephquinnswhore]

All It Takes

Pairing: Joel Miller x female reader.

Summary: A close count with the infected has Joel forced to confront how he really feels about you.

Word Count: 1.2k

Content Warning: Joel’s kinda mean I guess lol, reader has a breakdown.

Note: heheh. Hi, it’s been a while. For my bae @cool-iguana. Just a tiny fic to hurt my feelings lol. Angst, comfort, Joel realising he loves reader. Infected attack.

A split second was all it took for you to realise your mistake, one that was too late to rectify. Fuelled by a growing hunger, the type that created an ache so deep it felt as it the emptiness of your stomach had grown claws, digging it’s claws into the surrounding organs.

They suppose they could blame the weather for the mishap; the snowstorm they’d unexpectedly been caught in was unrelenting. It was harsh, bitter. The feeling of their fingertips and toes was non existent, the shivering and teeth chattering causing a complete sense of irritation that she couldn’t contain.

Their cold hands were barely holding onto the gun, the end of the freshly warmed barrel from firing a shot had a small bout of a cloud exit the end of the barrel. Realisation had set in barely seconds after their actions; one infected.

One loan runner the two of them could’ve easily taken down without any need for the use of a gun, they knew it was both a waste of ammunition and putting them in danger of alerting their location of raiders or nearby infected.

Dissociation is strange—it’s harrowing and exhausting. It drags you back into your mind to force you to relive your mistake, while the physical body completely unaware of the clicker that had been lurking in a nearby building, seemingly dormant until the fire had been shot.

It was close, too close. The smell of rotting flesh, the terrifying shrill and speed of the infected as it ran straight toward her as she froze. Never once had they frozen before, always composed, articulated and calm. They could almost feel the teeth of the ravenous monsters desperation, dying for something to sink into, the closest part of you being the exposed skin of their neck.

The way their mind had encapsulated that moment and forced the torment on them had almost cost them their life. Unable to process the traumatic events of how close it had been that your life had been taken; so viciously, so quickly and undeniably their own fault. They ignore the ache in their limbs, blood running as cold as their skin in the worsening snowstorm.

Joel had barely managed to save their life, had barely managed to pull out his large hunting knife and find the strength and mobility in his frozen, stiffened and arthritic fingers to push the blade into the creatures head to save your life.

He had yelled, but it had gone unanswered; the same emotionless expression on their face unnerved him, how distant their eyes seemed to be from him. So he took it in his own hands to physically drag you to a small cabin, trudging through the thick snow, struggling to pull your dead weight behind him before shoving you into the small house.

Joel doesn’t say a word to them, just runs his aching fingers through his greying and now, freezing hair, his ears an uncomfortable shade of beet red from being exposed to the cruel winter storm. He watches them; how disconnected they are from it all, from him.

But he still can’t find it in him to shake off the rage, to bury it so deeply inside of him he could act like it never happened, but it did which means it could happen again.

That made you a liability, to yourself.. and him. The thought stung him. It made his heart swell with an ache he hadn’t felt before, in fact it only fuelled his rage, his fear.

“The hell was that back there? You ain’t ever done nothin’ so damn stupid in your life!” His voice is tight and wound up, he can’t stop the words from escaping his chapped and purple lips.

“You know the rules, shit, woman. The hell’s wrong with you? You lookin’ for a damn death wish or somethin’, for the both of us.”

The growl of his voice was so raw, so truly agitated she couldn’t help but feel herself pulling away, evermore present in his lecture than before.

It starts with one tear that slips without you noticing, then two.. you doesn’t bother to count them as they fall, your waterline mimicking a leaking tap, their cheeks are the basin sink as they catch the water that drips down them. The only thing they can think of is the saltiness of the tears and Joel.. better yet his anger, rage.. disappointment.

“Are you goin’ to speak? What the hell do you have to say for ya’self?”

Another beat of silence, she can’t bring herself to reply, to accept what just happened.

“You’re a liability, can’t have ya comin’ out on patrols with me anymore. I’m talkin’ to Tommy first thing when we get back.” His voice is firm, but much softer and defeated.

A.. liability? Is that what Joel saw her as?

It starts as a small fracture in the facade you’re putting up, then it cracks more deeply, pieces crumbling around her by the second until it shatters to their own feet that stand on the cool, slightly rotten and moss grown hardwood floors.

He was right, that’s all they were. A liability, a failure, a disappointment.

Liability.

Failure.

Disappointment.

Repeat. Liability, failure, disappointment.

You want to scream, to beg, to apologise, all that comes out is the choked up breathless and completely broken sob from your wet mouth. It catches his attention, how far you’d broken down, he hadn’t ever seen you like this before, so vulnerable, so weak. Perhaps he had been to harsh.

No. He knows he had, but he was scared—god he was scared shitless of losing you.

His long legs take large strides to get to you, two or three until he’s knelt down beside you, his large arms pulling you into his lap, rocking your trembling body back and forth, trying to offer some comfort after the grief he’d caused you.

He should’ve been gentler, kinder. As he was now, his large fingertips finding solace in her scalp, massaging small shapes as he plays with their hair, brushing it out of their face. As he looks down without obstruction from their hair, the sight breaks him, his small sweetheart curled up in his lap, lip wobbling and face red and swollen from crying.

You needed comfort, not reprimand.

“I-I’m.. s-so sor-ry Joel..” the crack in your voice is like a splintering dagger filled in acid straight into his heart, cracking his ribs and puncturing his lungs, leaving him breathless for a moment, guilty.

“Shh sweetheart, just let me hold you. I’ve got you, you’re safe with me.. I’ll always keep you safe, as long as you’re by my side.”

There was a tenderness in his voice, a sincerity that he had never shown before, he had a second chance and he wasn’t about to let that go to waste.

“I’ve got you sweetheart. You’re everything to me.” The mumble was half faded in the sound of blood rushing to your ears, but relaxed a bit in his arms as she understood what he was telling you.

I love you. I won’t let you go. I’ve got you.

You weren’t okay, not right now. But you would be.

[kenny-the-ken]

Planet Love

ALL AGED UP CHARACTERS!!! Warnings!!: NSFW, drugs, alcohol, night club setting, fingering, head f!receiving, intercourse, cum eating, no protection.

Hey guys!! Sorry there hasn't been much smut on my blog for a few days, a few years ago I went through a really traumatic S.A. and I never really ever dealt with it properly, I didn't tell a single person till 2 years after the event, so I'm only starting therapy now, so sorry if this ever happens again, sometimes sex abd thinking about sexual things can freak me out!!

You were good looking, and you knew it, and Kenny could feel the pure sex appeal dripping from your body, his eyes had been focused on you from you hit the dance floor with your friends.

"Dude, go fuckin' talk to her!" Kyle shouted to his friend, the music loud enough to deafen you if you stood close enough to the thumping speakers.

"Dude, she's with her friends! She's not gonna ditch 'em for some guy she doesn't know!" Kenny shouted back, and Stan pushed his shoulder, gaining his attention.

"And who said we weren't eyeing up her friends?" He shouted, him and Kyle smirking at each other.

"We'll keep the friends distracted, we'll be your wingmen!" Kyle shouted, the three men fist bumping each other in a circle as they made their way through the crowded dance floor from the edge.

"That's them!" Kenny said to his friends, pointing at you, and god you looked even better close up, you'd noticed him watching you a few times now, and you'd also noticed that he was standing closer to you than before and you knew to dance a bit more provocatively now than before, cause he was hot!

You moved your hands along your body, moving your hips with the beat of the song, and Kenny approached, beginning to dance near you, and you were glad your little tactic had worked.

"Hey, I'm Kenny." He spoke, giving you a quick up and down glance, biting on his lower lip.

"I'm y/n." You replied, and Kenny held his hand out to you, before speaking once more.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Kenny asked, and you nodded, taking his hands, and Kyle and Stan were already chatting up your two friends, so he knew his plan had worked.

As you approached the bar, the music not as loud, Kenny ordered you a cocktail and himself a vodka and coke, and upon seeing him better and more up close, the more you were wanting to see where this led to.

"Sorry, I normally don't do this but, you were gorgeous and I knew if I didn't talk to you I'd have regretted it." Kenny spoke, and you felt your cheeks flush slightly, a smirk on your face.

"I normally don't accept drinks from guys, but you're cute. So, things are going well already." You flirted, and Kenny leaned his elbow on the edge of the bar, quirking his bro, taking a swig of his drink before replying.

"Hm, so what are the chances of me at least getting your number by the end of the night?" He asked, pressing to see if you'd meant what you'd just said.

"I'll give it to you now." You said, pulling your phone from your pocket, and Kenny did the same, punching his number into your phone, and you put yours into his, before returning your phones.

"Do you smoke?" Kenny asked, and you nodded in response, as you took his hand, beginning to drag him to the smoking area, and Kenny shot a quick thumbs up from his friends, Kyle returned the gesture, Stan didn't see or care that he'd missed it, he had his tongue down your friend Wendy's throat.

You pulled a cigarette from your purse, and you gave one to Kenny, him pulling his lighter from his back pocket, and lighting the cigarette that hung from your lips, before lighting his own.

"What attracted you to me then?" You asked, taking a few puffs from your cigarette as Kenny did the same, blowing his smoke out before he spoke.

"I seen you dancing, you looked stunning, like just everything about you, I couldn't pick just one!" Kenny replied, testing the waters by snaking his arm loosely around your waist, and you accepted his bold move, inching your body a bit closer to his.

"So, what are the chances that I can get you to ditch your friends and come back to my place for a more... private drink?" Kenny asked, his index finger tracing circles along your hip bone, your faces closer now than they were before.

His eyes were oceanic, a beautiful, shimmering blue, and his fluffy blonde hair complemented them perfectly. You were lost in his gaze, as he began to close the gap between you both.

And he'd done it, he pressed his lips to yours, and you swore it was like no kiss you'd ever experienced before, you could feel the butterflies spiralling in your stomach, your arms coming to reach around the taller man's neck, pulling you both closer together.

And Kenny had never been so thankful he'd went on a night out with his friends, because this was different, it was as if fate had brought you both together, knowing that powers above had crafted you both perfectly for each other. And as you both pulled away from the passionate kiss you'd both shared, your breaths heavy already.

"Did that kiss answer your question?" You flirted back, and Kenny's bottom lip caught in his teeth, having to control his urges.

"I don't know, baby. Maybe you should kiss me again so I understand better." Kenny spoke, one of his hands that were round your waist, making its way down to grip your ass, earning a gasp from yourself, and his lips were back on yours, not that you were complaining.

It was just as electric as the first time your lips had connected, maybe love at first sight did exist after all. Kenny felt his jeans start to become uncomfortably tight around his groin.

As you both pulled away again, gasping for breath, you downed the rest of your drink quickly, and Kenny followed your actions, doing the same himself, both of you puffing your cigarettes and stubbing them out in the ashtray in front of you.

"How about we get outta here?" You asked, and Kenny's smirk was firmly planted on his lips, taking your hand within his own.

"I thought you'd never ask, baby." Kenny answered, shooting you a playful wink, as he began to lead you back inside the nightclub, and on your way you spotted Kyle, still chatting with your friend Bebe, meanwhile Stan and Wendy were nowhere to be seen.

The cool night air hit you both as you walked outside, still hand in hand, both of you swaying from the alcohol you had been drinking, and you laughed and flirted the whole way to Kenny's apartment. He, Stan and Kyle had rented an apartment together, it had three bedrooms, so they could all have their own privacy, but they could split the rent.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Kenny said, holding the door open for you as you made your way inside, giggling the whole way up the staircase. You waited for Kenny on the landing, and he showed you to the living room.

"This is a really nice place, Kenny." You spoke, taking a seat on the couch, and Kenny made his way back from the kitchen, holding two glasses of red wine, handing one to you, and you took it gratefully.

"Thanks, Stan and Kyle are my roommates, so it isn't exclusively mine, y'know?" He laughed, taking a swig from the wine glass he held, sitting himself next to you, and you took a swig of your own drink before putting the glass on the table next to you.

"So, Kenny." You started, your hand reaching Kenny's upper thigh, dangerously close to his groin, and his bottom lip caught in his teeth.

"What's the real reason you brought me back to your apartment?" Your voice was sultry, and Kenny's eyes were focused solely on you, and when you delivered a soft squeeze to his thigh, he smirked at you.

"That's dangerous, baby. Do that again and I swear I'll have you stripped with my head buried between your legs faster than you can say my name." Kenny smirked, his arm finding it's way around your waist, as you shifted closer to him on the couch.

"And who said that wasn't what I wanted?" You replied, Kenny's resolve had worn out, and he crashed his lips roughly against yours, his calloused hands running through your thick locks of long h/c hair.

And he broke the kiss momentarily, just to trail his lips down your jaw once more, pressing wet kisses along your neck, a smirk on his face, the grip he had on your waist tightening.

"You better get your ass into that bedroom and strip for me, I've wanted to get you outta these clothes from I first looked at you." Kenny whispered, your cheeks heating up, a dark blush spreading along your face.

"And what if I don't?" You pushed, causing Kenny's brow to quirk, he knew you were testing him, and his hand moved up your thigh, under your dress as he ran his index finger along your clothed cunt, making you gasp in shock.

"Based on how wet your panties are, baby. I'm gonna say you can't wait to get in there and for me to take you, hm?" Kenny hummed, his voice low as he scammed your body with his piercing blue eyes, and you were completely under his spell.

You rose to your feet, and Kenny copied you, taking your hand within his as he led you through to his bedroom.

The room was dark grey, a few tapestries hung on the walls, and a large kingside bed in the centre. He had built in wardrobes, and a beside table on either side of the bed, and you let out a light gasp as Kenny pushed you backwards, landing with a plop on the soft mattress, a smirk on his face, his eyes dripping with lust.

"You should strip for me, baby." Kenny said with a smirk, standing in front of you, taking his shirt off, throwing it aimlessly on the soft, carpeted floor.

And you did exactly as you were told. Pulling your lace bralette from your body, leaving your upper half completely exposed, and you swore Kenny was drooling, a low groan escaping his mouth.

"Fuck, your tits look even better than I imagined." And he couldn't hold back any longer, he moved onto the bed, pushing you backwards with him, his lips on yours and his free hand moving up to cup your breast, teasing your erect nipple with his thumb and forefinger, earning a moan from you, and that only spurred him on further, wanting to hear more of you, see more of you, touch more of you.

Your arms wrapped round his neck, a gasp leaning your swollen lips as Kenny bit down on your lower lip, snaking his tongue into your mouth, and exploring every inch he could reach, before pulling away to allow you both to catch your breaths. He licked a long stripe up your throat, moving his lips to focus on your other breast, his tongue circling your nipple, before sucking it into his mouth, causing your back to arch slightly, and Kenny groaned at the sight of you.

"Fuck, Kenny." You gasped, and he needed more, pulling your skirt from your body and down your legs, the only thing between him and your pussy bring your now extremely damp panties, your face flushed at the thoughts of Kenny touching you.

And you didn't have to imagine for long, because Kenny soon had your panties flung over his shoulder and his head buried between your thighs.

He traced his tongue between your folds, your back arching and a gasp leaving you as a result. That's when he spread your lips open, allowing him perfect access to lick circles on your clit, a string of moans leaving your mouth, your hands tangled in his messy blonde hair, tugging at the ends, making Kenny groan into your pussy, his tongue travelling down to your hole, pushing his tongue inside and you swore you'd died and went to heaven, because this was the best head you'd ever received, and it had only started.

It wasn't long before Kenny had you a mumbling, moaning mess and you were coming round his two digits, his tongue lapping up your taste before pulling his jeans and boxers down, his large cock springing free.

Kenny was now on top of you, kissing you passionately as he lined himself up with your tight entrance, pushing his cock in right to the hilt, earning a long moan from you and a deep guttural moan from Kenny too.

"Oh shit, you're tight, baby. Feel so good." Kenny panted, snapping his hips back and forth, earning a mantra of moans to escape your bruised lips, your back arched against his mattress.

"Kenny, fuck you're big!" You just about managed as the head of Kenny's cock hit off your g-spot, a long string of moans coming from you, causing Kenny to smirk in response.

"Yeah? You take my cock so well, Princess. Fuck yes!" Kenny groaned, his pace quickening as he threw both your legs over his shoulder, driving his cock deeper into you.

"K-Kenny!" Your moans were loud, and high pitched, and perfectly complimented Kenny's low, deep moans and grunts, god he hadn't had pussy this good in his entire life, and he swore this was better than heaven.

"Can feel you gettin' close, you gonna cum for me, slut?" He grunted, his pace quickening again, your breath caught in the back of your throat, nodding your head yes, unable to get any words out.

"Do it then, cum round my cock, baby." Kenny whispered, his thumb moving down to rub your clit in time with his thrusts, and that was it for you, the knot in your stomach came undone for the second time of the evening, your back arching, eyes wide, and hands desperately gripping the bed sheets beneath you.

"K-Kenny!" Your pussy was pulsing around Kenny's cock, your orgasm even stronger than the last one, his last few thrusts becoming sloppier and deeper, and he pushed his cock in to the hilt for the final time.

"Fuck, Y/N, yes!" Kenny moaned, coming deep within you, both of you moaning at the feeling and the over sensitivity of both of you.

And after a few minutes trying to catch your breaths, Kenny pulled out of you, watching his cum drip from your pussy, and he bit his lower lip at the sight.

"I'll go get a towel and help you clean up." Kenny said, leaving the room and quickly returning with a towel, two bottles of water and your phone which was left on the couch.

He handed you a bottle of water and threw his own on the bed, and gave you your phone as he helped you to clean yourself up, and then he crawled into bed beside you, a content smile on his face, resting his head on your breast, and gazing up at you.

"That was the best sex I think I've ever had, Kenny." You spoke, and Kenny grinned at your comment, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as he spoke.

"There's plenty more where that came from for you, Princess." Kenny said, as you leaned into the feeling of you running your hands through his blonde locks, a sigh of relaxation escaping his still red lips.

"You think maybe I can um... take you on a date some time?" Kenny asked, and you laughed at his slightly embarrassment in asking you, before placing a soft kiss on his lips once more.

"Of course, Kenny. And I'll stay the night too." And just like that, the two of you sat up for hours, chatting till the birds sang, smoking joints together, giggling and making out.

Whoever thought a night out could bring two soul mates together, huh?

[stargirlie25]

so many people say that Elucien and Gwynriel would be boring but Vassien and Elriel would be so much fun!

NAURRNAURNAUR

There is nothing forbidden abt elriel lets be honest. The only reason rhysand forbid them is not because he hates them its because he saw that it is just lust. Not some emotional bridge between them. Do we remember when Feyre went into luciens mind and she sensed what he was feeling towards elain? Its safe to say Rhysand did just that with azriel and then forbid it because his feelings are not even serious!! Do you seriously think Rhysand would forbid elriel if Azriel was falling in love with Elain? No. If he saw that they were in love, he would accept it and protect them because in ACOWAR he said that Elain would be supported if she decided against the bond. If later in the series Azriel said, ''i love Elain and she loves me'' Rhysand would 100% be supportive. The only thing in the way of elriel is Elain herself.

Now that we got rid of the fake forbidden aspect, what about Elain and Azriel. No forbidden love. Just Elain and Azriel. They are both accepting each other with wide arms. There is nothing interesting about that. In real life sure. Although now you have to think. In a book that only has words and leaves everything up to your imagination how would Elriel be interesting besides plots? No in real life your partner does not have to challenge you. Although in a high fantasy novel with these specific characters, they do nothing for each other. Elain would not help Azriel grow and Azriel would not help Elain grow. Lets be honest they both need growth. Azriel would just try to protect her and push down the idea of Elain doing big things. Not that its her fault but his shadows would continue to hide from her. They are apart of him! Elain and Azriel do have an understanding between each other but so does cassian/feyre and nesta/rhysand. I never thought they were romantic until ACOFAS. Also reading about another sister finding herself in the night court and a bat boy will bore me to death. Elriels have no other reason to say they are interesting other than forbidden love and plots. Its gone so far to say Elain will be a spy like azriel. ''The hewn city troubled her'' and so will every place Azriel tends to spy in.

Why do i think Gwynriel will be more interesting?

Well first off the fact that we figured out facts about Azriel when he was with Gwyn. Eg, He sings and sleeps with a dagger. Obviously yes his shadows! Although his shadows have been intimate with others but they do something they have never done with anybody, they dance and sing. They lighten around Elain AND Mor. SJM made these two women take away the darkness of Azriel. Then she inserts another, who embraces this darkness and smiles at them. There is multiple times where his shadows are out and he is not happy or he is stressed. I see some people say this is a bad thing. No not really. Azriel is aloud to be upset without there having to be a deeper reason. Also his shadows hid from koschei but who cares about that! Its important to note that he is happy/calm with Gwyn PLUS his shadows are out. That is growth. Not only for Azriel but for Gwyn also. Cassian AND Azriel made Gwyn feel stronger. In the start of ACOSF Gwyn says shadowsinger but towards the end she says Azriel. After the traumatic event, she feels comfortable around him. A man. That is growth. Not to mention after Azriel showed her how, she was able to cut the ribbon and become the first Valkyrie. She had been trying for weeks but after that one little lesson with Az, she cut the damn thing. Lets also note the fact that Azriel likes his space (got that from gwyn) and he isnt ever really taken by suprise. Although can you just imagine all of Azriels walls are up yet Gwyn makes her way in? It makes sense! Azriel said he is never really taken by suprise but Gwyn does that. IMO Azriel showed no personality for a lot of the books till he is with Gwyn. Now i can make a little bit of sense of who he is. Gwyn can simply answer a question and he can simply answer. It's easier on him.

Now Elucien my babies!!!!!!!!!!

We know that there is canon proof that Elain does not belong in the night court and that it sucks the general life out of her. Lucien has been struggling to find a home for so long and yes he has found friends eg,jurian and vassa although i highly doubt the human lands are his home. Elain has also made friends (nuala and cerridwen) although the night court still sucks the life from her. It makes sense though, darkness does suck away lightness. Now ive said before that the day court makes sense for both lucien and elain. For lucien, He can live in a place full of light (which is what he needs) and he can have a proper father figure and find a place where he is fully excepted. For Elain it also makes lots of sense. The day court helps people grow and Elain helps flowers grow. Not to mention it is still connected to the night court because feyre says that rhysands full beats form is helions beast forms are parallel and perpendicular at the same time! So she would still be connected to her sisters and friends. Besides all of this, Elain and Lucien have not yet found themselves. They have tried to find a physical home but there is still something missing. IMO i think Elucien will have the bond in which ''Home is not a place, it's a person'' They have always been the light in dark families so them together? Perfect! I also think Lucien would help Elain blossom. The buds in her mind are closed but light can help them grow! I think it's important to remember that Elain likes to help. She would help the servants at her home back in the human lands and she would help nuala and cerridwen. Although as if right now, every single member of the ic (except maybe amren) coddles her. It always, Elain doesnt go near- or Elain shouldn't- as if she does not have a voice and choice. HAHAHAHA IT RHYMES anyways given how Lucien acts, i feel as though he would help her be stronger in a gentle way. He himself does not like to be coddled or underestimated and says safe is boring. He would for sure understand elain!

Anyways there is much more deeper reasoning but this was all i had energy to write!

[pippin-katz]

Hey!

Why does Henry rebuff Alex during their first meeting? Like when Alex greets him, he walks away ignoring him.. What's the theory there?

I'm kinda new here and if this was already discussed or known, my apologies 😊

No prob! I like explaining things, even if it's obvious or everyone is like "we know already". My little neurodivergent brain gets happy when I make neat essays with GIFs and sections and whatnot lol

Post Writing Note: once again, this very simple question with a fairly simple answer turned into a fucking essay and I am so sorry lmfao, I know I said I like making them but I did not intend this to be a long one!! You have been warned!!

Foreword Regarding The Canon

I, and I assume most viewers who have also read the book, interpret the film's canon to be a combination of the film's events, and parts of the book that we didn't see, but could've happened anyway. Things like what was said in the emails, Bea's history with drug abuse, Pez' foundation, and whatnot are sort of meshed together with the film in my mind; just because the film didn't have the time to show it to us does not mean it did not happen in that version of their world. I say this cause I'm going to be discussing both the book and the film.

Also a key: Pink - internal dialogue from the book Red - Alex's dialogue in both versions Blue - Henry's dialogue in both versions

Establishing The Basics

I assume you’re referring to this moment during the greeting line:

Side note: Alex’s face at the end never fails to make me laugh 😂

While this is their first interaction in the film, it’s not their first meeting, as they explain that they met at the Melbourne Climate Conference a few years ago. In the book, they met in Rio at the Olympics when they were teenagers. The only difference this makes is that they're more mature in the film than the book, but it doesn't change much.

The beats for how their first meeting went are practically identical.

Alex approached Henry to introduce himself. Henry, who was dealing with his grief and depression after his father’s passing, was an ass.

He looks at him unkindly; in the film, Alex describes it as: “like he had head lice”, and in the book, Alex describes it as: “like I was the most offensive thing you had ever seen”. Either way, he looked at him in a way that visibly communicated a dislike or lack of respect for him.

Then he turns to Shaan and says he needs to leave, though the wording is different between book and film. In the film, he says, “I need to get out of here” -which Alex mishears as "get me out of here"- while in the book, he says, “Can you get rid of him?”.

Henry Meeting Alex

Admittedly, the line from the book is far more rude, but Henry does explain far later -after Alex storms Kensington Palace and they agree that they’re committed to being together- through an email what he was thinking during their first meeting. I see no reason for these thoughts to be any different in the film's context, as the reason for Henry's behavior is still rooted in his depression and trauma surrounding his father's death. They're also relevant to understanding Henry's behavior.

You might have seen edits or mentions of this email because it’s one of the most memorable.

Henry explains he had been dealing with his trauma by basically compartmentalizing the most impactful -mostly negative- events of his life into “rooms”. He puts those moments into “rooms” in his head, based on the layout of Buckingham Palace. He chooses which room based on how traumatic or impactful it was; two examples he mentions are losing his virginity in college, which he shoves it into “the smallest, most cramped little broom cupboard” he could find, and the night his father died, which he puts in “the biggest room, a ballroom, wide open and dark, windows drawn and covered”.

But when he saw Alex for the first time, he felt such a strong reaction that he took it “down to the gardens” and “pressed it into the leaves of a silver maple and recited it to the Waterloo Vase”. He quite memorably says, “It didn’t fit in any rooms.”

Then he describes what Alex looked like, and how he was talking to Nora and June, and how he was so animated, happy, and beautiful, and Henry was in a dark place, and felt like he couldn't experience life the same way.

Here's the most popular/remembered bit: "I thought, this is the most incredible thing I have ever seen, and I had better keep it a safe distance away from me. I thought, if someone like that ever loved me, it would set me on fire."

Henry basically pushed Alex away on purpose because on top of all the trauma he was experiencing, he was convinced he would ruin him, if you will, and that he didn't deserve someone like Alex.

Alex Meeting Henry

It's easy looking back with the knowledge we have now to wonder why Henry didn't just approach Alex, provide an explanation for his behavior (doesn't have to be his father, any justifiable reason would've worked), and apologize the very next time they saw each other.

But it's important to remember that this was their first ever interaction with each other. Henry was feeling a ton of different emotions, but so was Alex.

Alex is a smart, but stubborn, person. He develops very strong opinions fast, that may make sense, but sometimes fails to consider the alternatives. It's sort of like the two sides of his brain work at different speeds. He's very smart, but sometimes his emotional bias can blind him to fairly obvious things that would change his opinion.

For example, Alex sees Henry as rude, smug, entitled, and a snob, which are all inherently false notions. However, based on his one meeting with him, those aren't unfounded assumptions for him to make.

If you look at it purely from Alex's perspective, not knowing anything about Henry's depression and the depths of his struggle with grief, Henry does act and sound incredibly rude to Alex. Giving someone a nasty look when they introduce themselves to you and then immediately requesting to get out of the conversation, screams: "I don't care about your existence".

Couple that with the fact that Henry is a white, blue-eyed (in the book), blond who was born into royalty, and Alex is a working class person of color who has had to run himself into the ground to get to where he is.

That is the perfect set up for Henry's behavior to be interpreted worse than just rude. All of that information can logically add up to the assumption: Henry is an elitist, racist, asshole.

Before They Met

Alex also secretly admired Henry when he was younger. This wasn't translated to the screen, but like I mentioned, it's something I think of as happening in that universe anyway, just slightly differently.

June gets a teen magazine for her fifteenth birthday; since June isn't part of the film's canon, I can headcanon that this was Nora instead, since she's sort of a combination of the two characters for the movie. All the details don't really matter, but I know someone would be like "but that didn't happen in the movie-" and I just don't feel like explaining that to each comment I end up getting.

There's a teen magazine with a picture of Henry in it. It's a candid picture that captured his actual essence rather than the stuffy pictures Alex had seen on the news. He describes it, saying, "there was a happy, sun-bright confidence to him that couldn't be posed".

Alex definitely developed an unconscious crush on him, not realizing it until later. He would keep going back to the magazine and to the page with him on it. He would touch his hair in the picture, trying to imagine how it felt. He considered prying the stables apart and taking just that page to hide in his room.

As his parents started getting higher in the government, Henry also became his role model. He wanted to match the easy confidence he seemed to have.

But then he met him, and the fantasy he had of him was shattered by how rude Henry was.

The tabloids and news are always comparing Alex to him, which he mentions in the film to Nora in the car. He resents the fact that he's compared to Henry when he has every advantage, if you will, but he also resents that he ever wanted to be like Henry in the first place, having convinced himself now that he was a fake, boring, obnoxious prick.

Because Alex doesn't not know about Henry's dad, but its something he thought about more as a bullet point on his fact sheet rather than considering it any further.

Henry's depression is more explicitly explored in the book, since they have the time to go into all those details. He isolates himself, and has insomnia like he mentioned in the movie, but he also takes medication, and Alex makes a mention of a "tense little grimace Henry does in public" that he thought was him being aloof.

Once Henry mentions his father's passing during their conversation in the hospital closet, Alex's brain puts everything together very fast. He's not stupid, and in the book even says, "He's been aware for too long that most people don't navigate thoughts of whether they'll ever be good enough or if they're disappointing the entire world. He's never considered Henry might feel any of the same things."

Antagonizing Each Other

However, that is all information Alex doesn't have at the wedding. They don't say exactly how many times they've spoken in either version, just that they have met a few times since their first introduction.

Alex, on top of dealing with the comparisons, is convinced that Henry doesn't like him either. The quote from the books is: "The most annoying thing of all is Alex knows Henry hates him too-he must, they're naturally mutual antagonists-but he refuses to outright act like it."

He actively antagonizes him whenever they are at the same event. It's implied in the film when Henry describes him as "the world's most irritating person", but the book makes it clear that Alex is always the one to attack first, if you will.

As soon as Alex goes over to him at the wedding, we can see Henry visibly react in a way that implies he's bothered but has to pretend so they don't cause a scene. His expressions say, "oh here we go 🙄". Henry knows that Alex is going to pick a fight with him. It happens every time they run into each other.

This interaction in the book is pretty iconic and it does a great job of showing what I'm describing. Alex gets drunk and approaches Henry and while they're talking, Henry notices. He suggests Alex switch to water after he makes a lot of rude comments about him pretending to be more important than everyone and pretending to hate the attention the media gives him.

"Should I?" Alex says. He pushes aside the thought that maybe the wine is what gave him the nerve to stomp over to Henry in the first place and makes his eyes as coy and angelic as he knows how. "Am I offending you? Sorry I'm not obsessed with you like everyone else. I know that must be confusing for you."

"Do you know what?" Henry says. "I think you are."

Alex's mouth drops open, while the corner of Henry's turns smug and almost a little mean.

"Only a thought," Henry says, tone polite. "Have you ever noticed I have never once approached you and have been exhaustingly civil every time we've spoken? Yet here you are, seeking me out again." He takes a sip of his champagne. "Simply an observation."

"What? I'm not-" Alex stammers. "You're the-"

"Have a lovely evening, Alex," Henry says tersely, and turns to walk off.

It drives Alex nuts that Henry thinks he gets to have the last word, and without thinking, he reaches out and pulls Henry's shoulder back.

You know what happens from there.

Their conversation in the film is slightly different, but it carries the same beats as the book: Alex approaching Henry, he pretends to be nice while saying something rude, Henry starts retaliating against the comments, Henry tries to walk away, and Alex tries to stop him. In the book, Alex just stumbles when Henry turns back around really fast. He gets tripped up and starts falling, and just like in the movie, he grabs Henry to trying and keep himself upright. The icing on the jacket bit was added into the movie, which I have to say was a brilliant addition.

Back to their conversation, remember that Henry doesn't dislike Alex, rather he's had a crush on him since they met. But Alex has made his opinions very clear, and Henry is not a pushover. He doesn't engage him, but returns the energy he's given. When Alex is rude, he's rude back, but he doesn't start the fight.

I imagine that any attempt Henry could've made to explain or apologize for the Climate Conference/Olympics would have been squashed before he even had the chance by Alex's need to insult him. They also only ever see each other at very public events, so he can't ask why Alex doesn't like him; that's partly why he does it when they're stuck in the broom closet at the hospital.

They're completely alone and have nowhere to go, and it's probably been eating him alive every time he's thought about Alex for the last few years. Even if he doesn't like the answer, he knows that he will get an answer, so he asks.

Why Does Henry Walk Away?

This all being said, back to the moment in question:

The most common interpretation of this interaction is that Henry walks away because 1) he doesn't want to start anything, & 2) he has a raging crush on Alex, and he can't deal with it.

Now, Alex does start off playing nice here, being friendly and polite, but it's a reoccurring issue between them that even if things start off civil, Alex will end up antagonizing him.

They also both "know" that "the other hates them", so they both probably want to avoid each other.

Henry knows that Alex doesn't like him. He doesn't know why Alex doesn't like him, but he's well aware of the animosity. Therefore, he knows that Alex's politeness is a front.

He has a crush on him. He likes Alex, but he's gotten basically nothing but disdain from him since they met. That has to hurt, to have the person you like actively hate you. It also has to hurt knowing that they're pretending to be friendly.

Because Alex is pretending here. He's representing his mother, the President of the United States, at a massive foreign event. He knows better than to act up, so even if he doesn't like him, he is polite with his greeting.

After Henry brushes him off again, he's visibly pissed off, but he doesn't do anything. He avoids him. He stands off to the side, and sort wanders around alone, just drinking and feeling anxious. He has no intention of starting a conflict.

The only reason Alex approaches Henry is because he gets wasted drunk. This is the same in the book. While he was able to control himself before, once he's drunk, he just goes with his first impulses. One of those is to piss Henry the fuck off the second he sees him.

The book says, "[Henry] looks politely half-interested in that obnoxious way of his, like he has somewhere else to be. And Alex can't resist the urge to call his bluff."

This is to say that if Alex hadn't gotten as drunk as he did, he probably would've avoided Henry for the evening. Alex always seeks him out to provoke him, but like I said, he's aware of how important this event is. He does not want to start anything because it could reflect poorly on his mother. But Henry has no reason to think Alex will behave any differently than he has in the past, which he ends up being right about.

So to finally answer your question: Henry walking away was his attempt to avoid the conflict, as well as spare himself the emotional torture that would be watching the person you like be friendly with you, when you know it's fake and that they actually hate you.

Holy fuck, I could've told you that in two sentences but instead it turned into a whole fucking essay for NO REASON! Geez, just why? Why am I like this? lmfao 😭

[au-starss]

REWRITE THE STARS !

༄ synopsis… a series of scenarios in which all odds were against you both, but you decided to rewrite the stars in your favour instead

༄ characters… albedo, artem, ayato, childe, diluc, dottore, kaeya, kazuha, luke, marius, pantalone, vyn x gn!reader

༄ tags… different aus, luke personal story spoilers, angst with a happy end

༄ words… n/a

༄ author’s thoughts… back on my grind baby (i say this then not post)

albedo !

forbidden tv romance

Albedo was casted for a new hit tv show that would help him maintain his current popularity. His costar? You! You both were set to play a high school couple; one working as a superhero and the other is his assistant and detective. The manager of the show only requested that you two stay civil and don’t become romantic. Well, too many romantic scenes later, you two fell for each other. The manager fired you for it, killing you off in the show. So Albedo followed and quit. He would give up his fame for you, knowing that a day in love with you would always beat a life in stardom.

artem !

work keeps him consumed

As the top attorney in Stellis, his life is filled with work, work, and more work. It’s not like he wanted to be alone in his office most nights. And he doesn’t want to leave you alone like he normally does. You were so frustrated with him not being there for you, especially as your boyfriend. So one argument and slammed office door later, he realizes the fault in his ways, and feels terrible for neglecting you without intent. He makes it his goal to never hurt you like that again, finding you to reconcile and rewrite the view on your relationship from that point on.

ayato !

to be wed to another

The Yashiro Commissioner was to be wed to another from a different commission, a tactic to strengthen the bonds of Inazuma. It wasn’t a personal choice. If it was, he’d be wedding you rather than some random person he’s paired with. He doesn’t want to let you go, not ever. So, he proposes a compromise to his future bride. A deal that they will be “wed” for looks and the two may pursue relationships separately. So that way, you both can keep what you have going. Because he chooses his love over his relations any day of the week.

childe !

bad boy delinquent 

Known around for his chaotic nature, Childe had a reputation at school for getting into some trouble. The staff knew him by name, so did everyone else. You were no exception. So when he approached you one day asking to go on a date, you couldn’t resist. Your relationship progressed well and you were together for nearly a year. Then, you learn it was all one big bet with his friend. Even after you broke things off, he insisted he explain it all. Ajax fell in love during the bet, and knew telling you would hurt you. So he wanted to make things right. To love you. To cherish you. And boy did he from that day on.

diluc !

arranged marriage

Neither of you wanted to marry. Especially not for the sake of your royal family. But one meeting later, you were to marry Prince Diluc in the coming year. This meant a meeting a couple of days later, and you two were soon in a room together completely silent. However, upon actually speaking and chatting, the two of you seemed to have more in common than originally thought. You fell for him and his touch and kisses. You and him both wanted to take your relationship slow and have no societal pressures. So you asked for that, not taking no for an answer, deciding to take your love at your own pace.

dottore !

too dangerous

The doctor is very self aware of how dangerous he is. Anyone even bold enough to get close to him is put in immediate danger. This causes him to be really lonely. Enter you, someone passionate about caring about such a crazy man, and he foolishly gets close. Allows himself to open up to you. Break down walls. But you got kidnapped and hurt by his enemies before he could save you. The event in itself was traumatizing, and Dottore blamed himself. He finally admits how he has to leave you for you to stay safe, but you refuse. You promise to stick by him through it all. He finally understood how love worked.

kaeya !

family rivalry

Falling in love at a masquerade ball wasn’t exactly your plan, but it happened regardless. He had such a charming demeanor that pulled you in from the first word spoken. Unfortunately for the both of you, he was the son of your family’s rivals. You and Kaeya continued a secret romance, meeting each other at night and sending letters. But you were soon caught, and your family forbade you to ever see him again. But that didn’t stop him from convincing you to run away with him. So that’s what you did. Living a life away from a rivalry and instead sticking to what you both know best; love.

luke !

doesn’t want you getting hurt

Luke knows his time is limited. Anyone possibly getting close to him again is out of the question. Of course, you were too adamant and persistent for your own good. He allowed himself to foolishly fall in love with you all over again, just like years ago. Once he finally realized his time was coming in the following months, he pushed you away again. He was gonna flee town after settling everything necessary. But the night of his leave, you begged him to stay, promising to love him through it all. Your assurance was all he needed to break down and stay, deciding to give your love a chance to help heal him.

marius !

societal expectations

His reputation as executive president keeps the world’s eyes on him. Watching and waiting for his next move. You can only imagine the shock when he announced your relationship after your engagement. The amount of harassment both of you received was not something you anticipated. At the point when Marius found you alone in your shared room, crying, he felt an immense guilt within him. He shared his worries, and you both shared tears. You wouldn’t allow him to ruin his reputation, but he told you he would never let you go like this. You deserved the world, and he was gonna give it to you.

pantalone !

popstar vs. fan

You were a part of a famous musical show unit that traveled the nation. And Pantalone was your dedicated fan. You had met him on various occasions, engaging in conversation and enjoying his hospitality. He offered to show you around his town, and you accepted. And before you knew it, he asked you to be his. You were determined to keep him away from the spotlight, scared of the repercussions. But he wanted to be your everything. It didn’t matter who watched him, he merely wanted to be with you. Sure, you both faced backlash from some fans, but it wasn’t anything you couldn’t fight together.

vyn !

his parents don’t approve of your status

As a prince, he must marry someone suitable for him and his status as a royal. That’s what’s expected. But, he fell for you, a commoner working in the gardens at his palace. Vyn loves you more than anything and anyone. And when he proposed, he conveyed to you that he will be there no matter what. So when his parents shamed him for being with you, he fought against them. Argued that he will be marrying you, and if they weren’t okay with that then he will step down from his title. The two of you are normally shamed upon, but with each other in arms, the stars are in your favour.

[nataliepruitts]

Our Precious Gem | Possessive!Bully! Tomura, Touya, & Kai x Reader

I've been obsessed with My Hero Academia lately and I just love these guys, especially Shigaraki and Dabi. I recently read a story about four guys who suddenly became very possessive over the girl they were bullying and I got the idea for this story. I couldn't finish it because it was one of those things where you could only read the first few chapters and had to pay for the rest or something, but I decided to come up with my own story and used these three.

Also, before we get started I should note that there will be mentions of domestic abuse in this story because you live with your father who is a violent drunk. I will give warnings in the chapters that talk about it. There is a slight mention of it in this chapter. But anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 1

~~~~~~~~~~

The town you live in is split up into two sections, the section you live in is the bad section that Shigaraki, the Hassaikai, and the Todoroki clan rule. The three work together to rule over the terrain and keep order. They are top dogs and nobody would dare to go against them in any way, what they say is law.

Unfortunately, that also applies to the three boys that came from each clan. Tomura Shigaraki, Touya Todoroki, and Kai Chisaki. The three have been given freedom to do whatever they please, in any school they go to they are the rulers, all of the school staff and students are scared to say anything against them, they have free reign over anything they want. If they want to beat up or kill someone? Everyone turns a blind eye. If they want to steal your lunch? Nobody saw anything.

These three are also the same boys who have been bullying you since grade school, you never understood why. Ever since they first met you all they did was tease and bully you, but despite that, you still showed them kindness when they each had a traumatic event happen in their lives. The three of them always hung out and had each other's backs, and that stayed true when they each went through something horrible, but you were also there for them.

When Tomura, whose name was Tenko at the time, lost his whole family in a break-in, you hugged him. When he got adopted by Shigaraki and his name changed to Tomura Shigaraki, you tried to be there for him, even though he always pushed you away and kept bullying you.

When Touya got caught in a housefire and his whole body got burned, he started becoming very self-conscious and you tried to cheer him up. His mom was the one who started the fire in one of her severe mental breakdowns, she was sent to the hospital to get help. Touya knew his father was to blame for his mom's mental breakdown because he kept abusing her both mentally and physically, and he came to despise his father for it. You tried to comfort him but, like Tomura, he kept pushing you away. When he got older, the hatred he felt for his father made him run away from home and go live with Shigaraki, and he's never gone back.

When Kai's parents were killed in a turf war the leader of the Hassaikai took him in and raised him. When you found out about his parents you gave him a comforting hug, but again, you were pushed away. For some reason, the three boys hated your guts from the moment they met you, they grew to hate all of society and everyone they came into contact with -except for each other and their families- but they seem to hate you even more.

They continue to bully you throughout grade school, into middle school, and high school. But starting in middle school you started seeing a different side to them every so often, a side that made it look like they cared about you. There was one time in your third year of middle school when you guys were outside playing a sport as part of the extracurricular activity you had to do at school, and one of the other students ended up hurting you.

The three of them came running over to you with actual looks of concern on their faces before they brushed it off and started laughing and making fun of you. The next day you find out that the kid who accidentally hurt you was in the hospital after being beaten to an inch of his life, it surprised you, and you couldn't think of who would hurt him that badly or the reason why.

When it came time to choose what high school you were going to, you discovered which high school your bullies were going to so you could choose a different high school. You wanted to make sure your high school years were free from them, you wanted to be able to make friends and have a good high school life, despite your horrible home life.

You live with your father who is a violent drunk, he's always drinking, always getting drunk, and always being violent. Those are the reasons why your mom left, she couldn't put up with him anymore. But unfortunately for you, that was what triggered him to become even more violent. You tried to look at school as a way to escape from that but those three always made it difficult. You never had any friends thanks to them, none of the other students even wanted to associate with you because they made sure nobody would talk to you. They made your life even more hell than it already was.

But when you started high school you felt like you finally had an escape, you were finally free from them and free to make friends, and you did. Everything was going smoothly…

Until the third day of school…

When you walk into your first classroom your heart drops. In front of you are Tomura Shigaraki, Touya Todoroki, and Kai Chisaki, talking to your teacher. You're frozen in place, this can't be happening. They can't be here. You must be having a nightmare right now. There is no way they just transferred themselves to this high school.

"Y/n, you arrived at just the right time," your teacher speaks up after seeing you standing at the door. "These three young men here say that they know you and have requested that they sit beside you during class. But of course, you three can sit anywhere you like."

You stared at the three boys in disbelief as your mind was still trying to grasp the fact that they were here at this school. When they looked at you, you noticed how their eyes lit up as a devilish smirk formed on their faces, you can't fully see Kai's face because of the face mask he likes to wear, but you get the feeling he has the same smirk Tomura and Touya has. The look in their eyes makes you uneasy as they stare you down, completely ignoring the teacher.

You try to ignore them as you finally move your body and walk over to your seat, but before you can sit down Tomura grabs your arm and drags you to the back of the classroom. Touya and Kai make four students move from their desks before pushing the four desks together in the back of the classroom.

"You chose a different high school?" Tomura hissed in your ear, "Did you seriously think that you could get away from us by going to a different school? That was so dumb…"

XXXXXXXXXX

When Tomura, Touya, and Kai started their first day of high school they expected to see you there, you were supposed to be there. They looked all over the school for you and couldn't find you anywhere, they were beyond pissed.

They bust into the principal's office, scaring the poor guy in the process. First, he was startled by them busting through the door almost tearing it off its hinges, then he was terrified by how mad they looked. "WHERE IS SHE!?" Kai shouted as the desperation to find you grew stronger and stronger in all three of them. The way they see it, you're not allowed to be at a different school than the one they’re at, you have to be at the same school as them. You cannot get away from them, they won't allow it.

"Where is who?" The principal asked confused.

"Y/n L/n, where is she!?" Tomura responded.

"There's no Y/n L/n at this school."

Their hearts raced, hearing that you weren't at that school was sending them over the edge. They got so caught up in their own stuff as they got ready to leave middle school and transition to high school, the three of them were also dealing with family business, especially during the mini-break they had before starting high school. They got so wrapped up in everything that they forgot to see which high school you were going to, it didn't once cross their minds to make sure you went to the same high school they chose.

You always ended up going to the same school they were going to so they just assumed you would choose the same high school they did. They didn't think that you would actually use your head and figure out which high school they were going to so you would choose a different one. They thought they had a tight hold on you but you actually managed to slip through their fingers.

The principal cowered underneath his desk as the three boys tore up his office in a fit of rage, they can't believe they gave you a chance to slip through their fingers and escape them. "SHE CHOSE ANOTHER FUCKING SCHOOL!!" Touya shouted as he threw a chair at one of the windows, the other staff in the office had to take cover so they wouldn't get hit with anything.

"Let's get out of here," Kai says before storming out of the office. Tomura and Touya were hot on his heels as they made their way to the exit.

"The bitch really thought she could escape us by going to another school," Tomura says as he flexes his hands. When they find you they're gonna make sure you never slip through their fingers again.

They waited impatiently for the report on which high school you chose to go to, it took a couple of hours but they finally got it. They looked at the name of the high school, it's a school they would have never considered going to themselves which made it a clever choice for you. But knowing that you're at this school there was no hesitation in getting themselves transferred to it. They found out which classes you were taking and made sure they were put in the same ones.

The moment they heard the teacher say your name and they looked over to see you standing at the doorway, they felt a sense of relief wash over them. Their hearts pounded in their chests as they looked at your beautiful face, you're finally back in their grasp and they won't ever give you a chance to slip away again.