#like they’re all gonna be equal there cause you won’t know who wrote what

[youreyeslookliketheocean]

I have such a cool idea for my grad cap and if I can pull it off I’m gonna be so excited

[redxblueihateloveyou]

I'm surprised people see Tadashi as the victim in his relationship with Ainosuke, when it's Tadashi the one who time and time again takes away Ainosuke's agency, without being able to see that he is throwing him unto unhappiness. I can't help but think that if Tadashi was not working at Shindo's house, Ainosuke would have maybe left or broke with the family. But he can't do that if he wants the relationship with Tadashi going on, seing how Tadashi is set on enforcing the family rules...

Hmm.. I def agree with the fact that Tadashi is not what most fandom makes out of him, my man (I mean, Adam’s man) is a 100% Slytherin. But I disagree with blaming him for this, after all the revealed info. The environment they were both raised in made their situation complicated.

I like Tadashi a lot, he’s probably my fav thing about this anime, bc he’s a dark horse, and I’m once again surprised, that so little ppl see him for who he really is, portraying him as an innocent puppy, which he is definitely not.

Now to why I think both Tadashi and Adam are victims of the dad and aunties in this situation. 

We can of course say “if only they told each other how they really feel...”, but like we can say it about any love story really. Every author knows it’s no fun. The truth is that yes, they both hurt each other, and yes, if they were honest about their feelings things would’ve been different, but as I’ve already wrote under that “toxic” commentary on YT, lets look at the whole situation from both of their point of views:

We know that Adam when he was little always treated Tadashi as an equal, he never ever thought of him as someone lower than him and after their fall out, the only reason for this “harsh” treatment (well, besides their confirmed kink) was that Adam tried to get a reaction out of him, so Tadashi would stand up for himself, bc Ainosuke got mad about Tadashi caving to his dad’s wishes and abandoning him, when he needed him the most. 

But now, knowing the fact that Tadashi was his dad’s secretary and was under his control, let’s see it from his perspective: Tadashi wanted to stay by Adam’s side, Adam’s dad implied that if Tadashi did say smth, he’s gonna be.. well, dismissed and they won’t see each other ever again. That’s what caused Tadashi to stay silent in that moment. Ainosuke instead saw this as a “he’s not on my side” thing, well, because. Tadashi won’t tell him his problem, bc dad and aunties control everything, so even if he does tell him, what a teen would do really? He didn’t have any powers back then to make his dad do anything. 

And that’s when it all gone to shit, since they both were hurt for their own reasons. It’s easy to say leave the family, but 1stly nobody explained to Adam still that he’s physically and psychologically abused by his family, he sees it as them “loving him” and sadly also loves them, bc nobody told him, that love wasn’t supposed to be like that really. He definitely feels that smth is not right and feels emotionally exhausted there bc of this treatment, but did he ever consider leaving? I really don’t think so. He feels obligated to be worthy of a family, who “loves” him.

Do you think, for example, that Akashi Seijuro hates his dad for what he did to him? No. Does he understand that he wasn’t at fault for what happened to him and that his dad instead of comforting his child after his mother’s death, who was his only safe haven, made everything worse? I don’t think he does. Like his mom gave him basketball, an escape from all that family’s obligations and strictness. After her death, it was the only thing left that brought him joy, but his dad ruined even that, saying that if he’s gonna be bad at it/lose, he’d take it away from him too. Does Akashi see this as emotional abuse? No, he sees it like “well, I have to be the best bc I was born in such powerful family, so if my dad says that I must be best at everything, then I must.”

I personally hate such parents a lot. To me it doesn’t matter if Adam’s dad didn’t know about aunties hitting his child. Like if he was too busy to notice this and have no time for his kid and made his childhood miserable, it doesn’t make it any better really. 

Same as with Akashi’s dad. Some are like “he was probably also grieving about his wife”. Emm? He was like this from the beginning, bc he treated Akashi not as his son, but as his heir. And yes, that’s different things. Same with Endeavor and Todoroki. Your child is not your post production thing.

2ndly they were too young, even if they knew about each others feelings and he didn’t feel obligated and told everyone to fuck off, they’d be on the streets now, but also Adam’s dad doesn’t seem like a guy who’d leave them alone really. Also eloping seems very romantic, but I don’t think it is, esp when you’re teens. Did you want him to sell some expensive watch and go live on Hawaii or smth? Bc finding a decent job there would be difficult at this age, esp with everyone knowing who your dad is. Chen Ke from “Antidote” survived bc he was 27 and had connections and some great friends. Adam was in high school, where would he go exactly?

Now let’s go back to now. Obviously all this time it didn’t even cross Tadashi’s mind that for Ainosuke he comes first and that he would throw everyone under the bus to make Tadashi stay with him. As we see at the end, he legit believed that Adam was planning to send him to jail and didn’t get that he said it just to shaken he up and that he knew who he’d set up for this from the beginning. 

To Adam obviously it doesn’t matter whether they’re in a quarrel or not, he would never him go. Yes, he’s mad at him, he’s angry and hurt, but Tadashi’s still the person he needs the most, he’s still the person who brightens his days, even tho he deliberately behaves like he annoys him. He always looks at him and looks at him and looks at him, but then hisses smth to hurt him. Bc he knows that he needs him, but he also hates that he needs him, bc he thinks it’s unrequited.

And that’s how their classic romance goes in hellish circles. No one wants to talk as usual. Adam is mad Tadashi is like that bc his dad turned him into a slave with no opinion, while Tadashi is scared that Adam would be taken away from him bc of his ugly family. 

Now I still think that no one and I mean no one can take Tadashi from Adam now, he is his precious. So my plan is... if Tadashi made aunties do smth against him or to get rid of him, aunties will go for sure. The problem is Tadashi still doesn’t get that he comes first, so we’re stuck in this hell still.

So anyways, my point is Adam’s heart basically sings “you got a hold of me, don’t even know your power” to Tadashi, but he doesn’t hear it, bc of his insecurities, the way he was raised and his status. But yes, he holds all the power. He’s both Adam’s sanity and insanity. No matter how cheesy it sounds he was basically his only ray of sunshine in the darkness, if you take it away, that’s what it leads to, that’s why Ainosuke-sama needs more ppl who care for him. I don’t want anyone to die next time, just cause Tadashi and Adam fought about where to put their new couch lmao. I’m kidding, but you know what I mean. And kill the aunties, pls seriously, we need to be free.

Also ppl need to remember that like lots of animes/characters are parcially inspired by some other animes/characters, also the chosen seiyuus are also very important, there are lots of stuff like jokes and references, that creators use, from characters being fully inspired by smth like “Assassination classroom” characters based on KNB, to little stuff like Levi dressed in Akashi’s uniform in chibi AOT bc Hiroshi Kamiya. Utsumi already said before stuff like she sometimes think of a perfect voice for the character and then fully forms him, we also know her clear love for sports animes. So yes, I doubt Tadashi/Kuroko thing is a coincidence and even tho someone was like “zone? is this knb or smth?” I was like no, zone is actually a common thing in sports, even tho most associate it with KNB including me, it’s not like its their invention, but there were things inspired by this for sure, and from other sports animes too and no, I don’t mean the basic sports anime tropes, I mean, like way too specific things, some character designes, too. And yes, Langa appearence and personality wise is a rinharu child for real, I can literally split his scenes in “that’s Haru”, “that’s Rin”.

That’s why I’ve said that this situation in fandom reminds me of Kuroko/Akashi situation a lot, bc same as here in KNB ppl for some reason automatically thought that Kuroko is this innocent sheep and Akashi is the wolf (but also like it was Akashi who chose to dress as red riding hood, while Kuroko was a wolf lmao), not even seeing who is in reality more dangerous and who can easily control who. It just buffles me bc it’s not some deep analisys really. I mean once again there’s a reason for the saying that the sub holds all the power over the dom. 

And like just bc someone yells or threatens ppl constantly doesn’t necessarily mean he is a psycopatic killer, and just bc someone is quiet and doe-eyed, doesn’t mean he isn’t. I didn’t think we needed to explain this to someone, but aparently we do?

And it honestly kills me just how superficially ppl are watching things these days. It really gives me war flashbacks to stuff like the last mdzs s1 episode, where ppl started to comment things like “how LZ can be so heartless” lmao. Or that anonymous ask “do you think haru misses rin?”. Like you don’t see thing at all? Grey substance no needed, while watching things?

P.S. I also would die to see Adam vs Tadashi race just bc I for some reason can bet all my money, that it’s the same situation as with Akashi refusing to ankle break Kuroko, no matter how mad he is. I just can’t imagine Ainosuke hitting Tadashi in the face with a board. Like 100% sure he wouldn’t even try tbh.

[arhvste]

❝atsumu, kuroo, tsukishima and bokuto playing acnh ❞

miya atsumu

→ first he called the game dumb but he eventually gave in because everyone and their aunts were playing it and he didn’t wanna be left out

→ mf tries so hard for raymond at first

→ he insists it’s just because he can sell him for a lot

→ he really just wants raymond because he lowkey reminds him of osamu

→ anyways this fool doesn’t get raymond but ya know who he does get?

→ pedro

→ atsumu was ✨disgusted✨

→ “a clown?! a fukn clown?! yer jokin me!”

→ “aw don’t cry he fits in so well on your island 😹”

→ “sHUT YER TRAP 😠😠😠”

→ he hated pedro at first and for what?

→ eventually he starts vibing with him though

→ he decides that perhaps... pedro isn’t a bad guy after all

→ so atsumu develops a soft spot for him and begins to favour him over the rest of his mediocre villagers whose names he can’t be bothered to remember

→ ya know whose name he can remeber though?

→ BELLA 😡😠😡😠😡😡😠

→ the name that sparks rage in him

→ atsumu hits his villagers with his net shouting “nice cut g!” as a joke

→ with bella he’s not joking 😐

→ he hits her repeatedly and grins maliciously when she gets angry eventually

→ LOVES shoving her into pitfalls for absolutely no reason

→ cusses her out under his breath

→ writes hate mail to her only to get fustrated when she sends a nice reply about the flowers she saw the other day that reminded her of him

→ honestly bella girl it ain’t worth it, pack your bags and get outta there sis 😔

→ he wants her to get tf off his island because he doesn’t like her but he also kinda wants her to stay because he loves annoying her and making her angry

→ literally goes out of his way to buy the ugliest clothes for her to wear

→ he also has all his villagers address him as “big dick man”

→ pedro is special though 😳

→ pedro is the chosen one who gets to call him “tsumu”

→ JUST PEDRO 😤😾😡

→ literally thinks it’s the funniest thing when his villagers say “hey big dick man! the weather sure is great today isn’t it!”

→ you can hear his cackling from down the hall

→ thinks it’s the peak of comedy

→ oh and you’re not allowed to visit his island on a saturday

→ saturdays are “for the boys”

→ and by that he means he’s just going to buy a ton of matching clothes for him and pedro and talk to him all day until he eventually annoys pedro by accident to which he genuinely gets upset about

→ he doesn’t really bother with the fishing tourneys or bug offs

→ does catch a few though just to make sure he beats bella earns nook miles

→ pretty average island, not too much effort put into it yet

→ atsumu prefers channeling his energy and game time into bullying bella interacting with his villagers

kuroo tetsurō

→ bangs. it. tf. out.

→ literally acts like he doesn’t care about the game but has 395+ hours game time

→ uses the excuse it’s to play with kenma but kuroo actually got into it before kenma had the chance to look at it properly

→ fishing tourney KING

→ has multiple gold trophy’s and built a whole extension just to show them off

→ also treats all his villagers equally

→ he was a bit picky and only wanted cats and dogs on his island though

→ if you’re anything but a cat or a dog, i’m sorry but kuroo will timeskip you tf off of his island

→ has a soft spot for lucky but doesn’t admit it

→ he likes to come across as a “fair dictator of the island”

→ just admit luckys your fav and go oh my god

→ his house is really nice too

→ pretty much paid off all his debt and is financially responsible 😼

→ he will send you money over a few times a week because he claims he’s a good boyfie virtually and realistically

→ LOVES opening the letters from ‘mom’

→ it’s a small detail in the game but it brings kuroo comfort when he opens the letters and sometimes receives gifts from his virtual ‘mom’ 🥺

→ keeps all the letters from her because that’s what he would do if his real mom ever wrote to him

→ he’s a shameless timeskipper

→ “tetsu?? where tf did you get all this the games only been out a week??”

→ “👁👁 idk what you’re talking about baby”

→ the thing that annoys him the most are the fossils

→ HATES the stupid little marks in the ground that appear every day

→ also HATES talking to blathers

→ “spit it out already! i have places to be and villagers to see!”

→ completely ignores blathers’ real name and refers to him as ‘bokuto’

→ because he’s an owl duh

→ and bokuto also talks a lot

→ you thought it was a cute friendship thing at first but took it back when you heard him muttering under his breath

→ “oh my god just analyse the fossils already you himbo bird!”

→ “did you just call blathers a himbo? 😳”

→ “...no? 😳👀”

→ all in all, kuroo’s pretty good at the game

→ you like visiting his island because he has a ton of extra stuff he just gives you

→ “i never want to hear you call me a bad boyfriend again 😐”

→ “okay fine...but oNLY if you give me an ironwood dresser 😏”

tsukishima kei

→ another one who bangs it out

→ doesn’t really care when you point it out though

→ “you’re just jealous your islands a dumping ground compared to mine 🥱”

→ “k-kei 😔”

→ also sprints near where you’re fishing to scare the fish off and be spiteful 💀

→ little shit KNOWS you only need oranges to complete all the fruits on your island

→ he also knows you’re out of nook miles tickets

→ “aw that’s a shame, maybe if you were a bit better at the game you’d find them quicker but good luck! 😀”

→ oranges are his native fruit 😐😑😐

→ eventually he gives you them because you’re relentless and his patience runs thin after a while

→ good at the bug offs

→ pretty good at scorpion/tarantula hunting too

→ convinced spike is in love with him after the amount of scorpions and tarantulas he’s donated to him

→ his fossil exhibition in the museum is completed already

→ when blathers tells him the facts about the dinosaurs he just rolls his eyes

→ “i knew that already you stupid bird 🙄”

→ why’s everyone bullying blathers damn 😿

→ now, he likes henry

→ one of the few villagers he doesn’t bully

→ tsukki doesnt particularly care for majority of his villagers

→ henry has a special place in his heart though

→ maybe it’s because henry isn’t overly perky or he isn’t rude like the cranky villagers which tsukishima doesn’t like

→ henry is just??? so??? nice????

→ he can’t hate him

→ all his villagers have catchphrases that are dumb af

→ tsukki thought he was being clever when he made them but he just looks mean when other people talk to his villagers

→ “good morning i am useless! i love your outfit!”

→ henry gets to call him tsukki though

→ only because he figured out that henry reminds him of yamaguchi

→ that’s the only reason henry’s the exception to his bullying

→ i feel like tsukki has a pretty nice house too

→ he makes a lot of bells from selling scorpions and tarantulas and spare fossils he’s dug up

→ doesn’t really care about the size but has very detailed rooms

→ like all the furniture in his rooms follow a scheme

→ mf never opens his mailbox

→ doesn’t care for what the other “peasants have to say for themselves”

→ terraforming isn’t really his thing tbh

→ doesn’t like how slow the process and be and kinda likes the natural flat land

→ he likes laying down paths though

→ cusses villagers out when they get in the way though

→ full on shoves them and will keep shoving them until they get annoyed just because they’ve annoyed him

→ tsukki doesnt put as much time into the game as kuroo but his island is still pretty good and aesthetically pleasing

→ he just won’t help you make yours look like that 💀

bokuto koutarō

→ weeds. everywhere.

→ get so confused when he’s told he has to pick them all

→ “really? why can’t i just let them grow though i kinda like them 🤩”

→ mf ✨struggles✨ at the first stages

→ “y/n, you know i love you, please give me 30 iron nuggets 🥺💖💞💗”

→ ofc you give them to him because you’re well ahead in the game and don’t need them as much as he does

→ praises you like royalty but then he’s back to begging for materials from you 💀

→ doesn’t pay his debts

→ you’re gonna have to help him out here

→ doesn’t like the idea of having to constantly pay them off

→ like?? he doesn’t want a bigger house so why is this damn raccoon always bothering him to upgrade like leave him and his 2 room house alone 😠

→ has a the same camp bed and lamp from when he first moved out the tent 💀

→ insists he doesn’t need another one because the furniture all functions the same

→ he has a point tbf but his house just isn’t aesthetically pleasing

→ he also hoards stuff

→ common butterfly? yeah bokuto has 37 sitting in his storage

→ doesn’t like letting the bugs go because he “caught them fair and square”

→ you show him how to pay his debts back and then he dedicates a whole room to his stupid bugs 💀

→ loves blathers and celeste just because they’re owls

→ doesn’t care about what they’re wittering on about he loves interacting with them just because they’re the only owls in the game 😐

→ his favourite villager is kid cat

→ literally follows him around and sprints circles around him

→ l o v e s the chaos outside the town hall

→ 2 of his villagers are singing, 3 are running around and 1 is just watching like 🧍🏻‍♀️

→ HYPES his singing villagers tf up

→ “yeah get it bianca! turn it up!!! 🥳🥳”

→ has to match his villagers clothes at least once a week

→ also makes them all refer to him as “the best ace”

→ it boosts his ego a little more each time they say it

→ bokuto actually got raymond out of luck but had no idea who tf he was and just how popular he was

→ lets that mf go without advertising that raymond’s in boxes

→ atsumu screeches when he finds this out eventually

→ bokuto doesn’t care what his villagers look like everyone’s welcome

→ bella should move to bokuto’s island and move from atsumu’s because bokuto will accept her with open arms rather than a net to the head everytime he sees her 😿

→ ALWAYS remembers birthdays for his villagers

→ and always shows up to their birthday parties insisting he’s the life of the party and they’d be bored without him 😹

→ which is true to a certain degree cause the party only really starts when the player arrives

→ bokuto is actually okay at terraforming

→ quickly changes his mind after an hour of building and digging and restarts it all over again

→ he can make his island look pretty good

→ theres just weeds and buried fossils everywhere though 👁👁

→ also forgets his turnips go bad

→ literally the least financially responsible out of them all

→ it’s okay though because you help him and he eventually gets the hang of it

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[meltwonu]

s n a k e     |     e y e s     [chapter 10]     FINAL 

pairing; snakehybrid!woozi x female!reader

this chapter’s notes; some angst, loads of fluff, oral(female receiving), return of jihoon’s impregnation kink!!, multiple orgasms, squirting 🥴💕 y’all... the final chapter. Thank you so much for everyone who gave interest in our cute ‘lil snake hybrid jihoonie~ and to those who patiently waited for each chapter 🥺🥺🥺 I hope to keep writing for him in the future as well cause I love him so much~~💕 

chapters; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

Jihoon working in the studio with Soonyoung and the others confirms your worst fear.

It takes them a couple of days to figure out everyone’s skillset and in the time they’re in the studio, you hardly see Jihoon at home. He leaves before you wake up and comes home right after dinner. It reminds you of when you and Soonyoung were together; or really the lack thereof.

You take the time to go into the office on most of those days instead, having lunch with Minghao who’s equally not seen his own hybrid at home.

“It’s kind of weird, I guess? I’m used to him being home but I’m glad he’s got a group of friends to keep him busy. He seems really happy when he gets home.” “Mm…” Minghao’s words go in one ear and out the other as you pick at your uneaten lunch.

“Something tells me you don’t feel the same?” This time you look at him, seeing the worried expression on his face.

“It’s not that at all! I’m really happy for Jihoon and them. He’s really excited about it all too… It’s just…” A lump forms in your throat and you do your best to keep it down. “It’s just… it’s starting to remind me a lot of what happened with Soonyoung, is all. And I guess I’m just scared.”

Minghao hums, sliding his chair closer to you before he pats your shoulder comfortingly. “Figured as much. That’s why you two broke up, right? Because he was hardly ever around?” You nod, sighing.

“I know I’m probably overthinking but it’s just weird to not see Jihoon everyday, y’know? He leaves for the studio before I wake up and gets home just in time for bed. And coming to the office helps me keep busy but I don’t know… Guess it’s just something to get used to.” You chuckle softly, sending Minghao a reassuring smile.

“I’ll be okay.”

When you get home from the office that day, you notice Jihoon’s shoes are already by the door and the lights are on.

“Jihoon?”

“In the kitchen!”

You make your way towards the kitchen, noticing there’s food on the dining table when you walk in. “Jihoon, did you cook?” The male scratches the back of his head, ears red when he meets your inquisitive eyes.

“I wish, but no, I’d probably still set the kitchen on fire if I tried. But we finished up at the studio earlier and Soonyoung sent me home with some food. Come eat with me while it’s still hot!” He sets the plates down, pulling out your chair for you before he sits across the table.

“How was work at the office?”

“S’okay, having lunch with Minghao everyday is kinda funny. We have the same stories to tell since you and Chan are barely around.” You chuckle, taking a bite of your food before questioning Jihoon about his day.

“We actually finished recording a track! The hyungs said that they might even let me have a studio space ‘cause they said we had a lot of promise and we sent the track to the cafe so they could hear it. I think we’ll hear back in a couple days if we got a performance!” Jihoon’s eyes glitter with hope, happiness evident in his voice. “That’s great Jihoon! I hope you guys get it!” You smile at him, unsure if it reaches your eyes.

“You okay? You seem kinda sad again though. It’s the same kinda sad that time we were in the shower together…” His comment catches you off guard momentarily; eyes flitting to the food in front of you in order to avoid his worried stare. “I... “ All of your thoughts and worries finally come to a head in an instant.

“You can be honest with me, y’know? I won’t be upset.” Jihoon gets up from his seat, pulling the chair out next to you before he sits in it. He grabs your hand, lacing his fingertips with yours reassuringly.

“I just… I--I’m scared.”

“Scared? Why?” Jihoon uses his free hand to push your hair back, tucking it behind your ear. Tears blur your vision, a stray droplet falling into your lap as you use your free hand to rub at your eyes.

“I--I don’t want us to turn out like how Soonyoung and I did. And I guess I just got scared because--because you weren’t home and that’s where my problems started with Soonyoung. And… and I just felt like I never really had a place in his world once he started really getting into his work…” You clench your jaw, tears freely spilling when you meet Jihoon’s loving gaze. “I’m scared of being forgotten or something, I dunno. I’m not making sense. Sorry, I’m just… thinking too much, I guess.”

“You are.” Jihoon sighs, running a free hand through his hair before he reaches over and wipes at your eyes with the back of his finger. “I don’t want you to think of me like Soonyoung because we’re two different people with two completely different lives. I don’t know what you’re thinking I’m going to do but I’d never leave or forget you.” He caresses your cheek, leaning in to kiss your forehead.

“And you gave me a home in your world, so the least I can do is give you one in mine too.”

It doesn’t shock you at all that they get a call-back to perform at ‘An Ode’. Jihoon frantically tells you over breakfast one morning; jumping excitedly in the bed as he struggles to call the others to let them know.

You, Seungcheol and Minghao meet up in front of the cafe on the night they’re set to perform; nervous and jittery for the hybrids. 

“I’m excited but so nervous for them! And to think they kept their song a complete secret until now…” Seungcheol ponders, opening the door for you and Minghao. “Huh, I didn’t even think about that but you’re right.” Minghao adds, guiding you to a table closer to the back.

“I’m surprised we’re not gonna sit in the front?” Seungcheol asks. You and Minghao share a look, giggling before you each take a seat. “Chan and Jihoon said they were shy and they were afraid of messing up if we sat in the front so we agreed we would try to blend in with the crowd. I don’t want Jihoon to take it out on me later.”

“Damn, Mingyu asked me to do the opposite so I could film him.” The three of you laugh as Seungcheol settles into his own seat, checking to make sure he can still catch the stage from where he sits.

“Seokmin was saying he was nervous but I think he’s probably on the same level as Jihoon and Chan with being shy. I think it’s just Mingyu that isn’t freakin’ out right now.”

“That’s a good thing though. It’s probably helping them not run out of the cafe right now, ‘Cheol.” You reply, looking over the drinks. There were a few other performers that were going on before Jihoon and the others. “By the way, did they ever decide on a group name for themselves?” You ask.

“Mmm, I think Chan said something about how they couldn’t decide on one so they just… didn’t.” Seungcheol snorts, shaking his head as he laughs. “Sounds about right. They probably thought everything was too cheesy and just decided to go with none.” The three of you order coffee in the meantime, chatting until it’s time for them to perform.

Thirty minutes pass easily before you see Mingyu hopping onto the stage, adjusting a few of the mics before he gestures to the other three to get on stage. His tail wags excitedly as the others join him and he takes his place next to Jihoon who situates himself in the middle with Seokmin.

“Um..” Jihoon’s cheeks are beet red up to his ears, licking his lips as he tries to will the nerves away. “We--um, we don’t really have a group name or a-anything yet. But we’ll be performing a ballad for you, um, tonight. We took a while to prepare this song and we even produced it ourselves! It holds a lot of meaning for us.” He pauses to clear his voice, his eyes locking onto yours immediately through the crowd.

“I… wrote this song with someone in mind. And for all of you who have that special someone, this is for you. It’s called ‘Smile Flower’, please enjoy!” He licks his lips shyly just as Seokmin nudges him jokingly; the lights dimming just as the music starts.

A shiver runs down your spine as you listen, tears springing to your eyes when you focus on the lyrics. Minghao nudges you slightly, sly smile on his face when he sees your blush even in the dim lights.

“He really cherishes you.”

“Mm…”

When the song finishes, you wipe a stray tear, clapping quietly with the crowd as the shy hybrids shuffle off of the stage. Mingyu yells an excited ‘Thank You!’ before he pushes the other three towards the back room.

“Uh oh, I don’t think I was recording anything the entire time.”

Seungcheol takes you all to dinner afterwards; the hybrids excitedly chatting and wondering about when they’d be able to write and produce more songs. Mingyu had been sad for a second that it hadn’t been recorded but Seungcheol promised to let him have whatever food he wanted so it was quickly forgotten.

When you and Jihoon get home that night, the air feels different. He tangles his pinky with yours, guiding you towards the bedroom without a word.

“Ji--”

His lips are on yours not a second later, hand tangling into your hair to keep you close as you wrap your arms around his neck. He licks the seam of your lips, slowly guiding you to the bed as his tongue slides into your mouth. The back of your knees hit the bed; a small squeak escaping you when his lips disconnect from yours.

“I wanna show you how much you mean to me.” He mumbles, shedding off his clothes before he helps you out of yours. “Lay by the headboard for me, baby.” You nod, adjusting yourself until your head rests on the pillows. Jihoon pries your legs apart, settling himself in between them as his hands roam your skin.

“You’re so pretty… and beautiful… and kind…” He whispers, leaning down until his lips are against your sternum. “And you’re all mine, right?” A smile carves itself onto his lips just as he kisses your skin gently.

“Y-yes… I’m all yours, Jihoon.”

He kisses his way across your torso, tongue flicking out as he licks at one of your nipples. You whimper, back arching into his touch as the nub hardens under his ministrations. “Ah, Ji…”

“You sound so pretty too, baby…” You blush at his compliment; already feeling the wetness beginning to pool between your thighs.

Jihoon moves to your other nipple, lapping at it until it hardens as well. He leaves love bites in the mix, marking up your torso and the column of your neck before he slowly inches lower and lower. “You mean so much to me…” His words are muffled against your skin and you watch as he lowers himself until all you can see is his blonde head of hair between your legs.

“...I’d give you anything you ask for.” He smiles up at you before he delves in, using his fingers to spread your folds. “I’d eat you out for hours if you want me to.” His tongue flicks out, lapping at your entrance as he groans. “Fuck, you always taste so good.” He moans against you as his tongue travels from your clit to your entrance, spreading your wetness. The vibrations send a tingle up your spine as your hands lock into his hair.

“Ngh, Ji… Your f-fingers too.. Please…” He obliges, bringing his index and middle finger up to his mouth to properly wet them before he brings them to your pussy. Slowly easing in a digit, he sucks your clit into his mouth, a sharp cry escaping you as your thighs clamp around his head. He slowly fucks his finger into you as he licks at your clit; adding another finger when he can hear how wet you were getting.

He crooks his fingers inside of you, tapping your g-spot repeatedly as you cry out. “Ji! I--mmh!” When he adds a third finger is when you start to feel your first orgasm already building; walls tightening around his delicate fingers. He continues to lap at your clit, drawing circles on it with his tongue as you grind down onto him to get more.

“I want you to cum for me.” Jihoon mumbles, fingers doubling in speed as he sucks your clit back into his mouth. You whine, feeling the tension snap as you cum on his command, walls spasming around his fingers. He works you through it, slowing down his pace until you’re mewling and trying to push his head away from your sensitive pussy.  

Jihoon giggles cutely, hair messy when he positions himself between your legs again. “Still with me?” His lips are covered in your wetness when you pull him down, kissing him square on the lips as you taste yourself.

“Mmhmm…” You moan against his lips, feeling the shaft of his hard cock against your sensitive folds. He grinds against you, letting you feel him before he pulls away. He wraps a hand around his cock, tapping the head of it against your swollen clit as you flinch.

“Jihoon, please.. Wanna feel you…”

He positions himself at your entrance, moaning as he slowly sinks his cock into you. He goes slow, letting you feel every inch of him until the head of his cock taps your cervix. You wince, clenching at how full Jihoon always made you feel. “God, please, please move!”

Jihoon draws his hips back before he slams into you hard; your breath hitching when you feel the drag of his cock between your walls. Your hands tangle into the sheets under you, already on the verge of another orgasm. “Fuh--fuck, you feel so good, Ji!” You cry, lashes wet with tears.

“Mmm, you feel so good around me, baby. So fuckin’ wet and warm.” He smiles at you, squeezing your waist. He keeps at a moderate pace; pulling all the way out before he thrusts back in.

“Feels like you wanna cum again, don’t you? You’re getting so tight.” You nod frantically, hands grasping at his forearms when you feel your thighs shaking. “I--’m cumming!!” Your eyes snap shut, mind going blank and breath pausing when you cum hard in Jihoon’s hold. He halts his thrusts, cock snug between your walls as he groans. “God, you feel so good.” He whispers; hands massaging your skin as you start to come down from your second high.

“Still okay, baby?” You sniffle, thighs still shaking when he resumes his pace from before. “Mmhmm…”

You feel sated and warm when he starts thrusting into you faster, a bead of sweat trickling down his temple as he chases his high.

“A-ah, Ji… want you to cum inside me… let me have it~” You murmur, clenching around his cock as you urge him to cum. He gives you a breathless laugh, pushing his hair out of his face before his eyes lock onto yours.

“You really love it when I cum inside of you, don’t you? You wanna get nice and full of my cum so you’ll get pregnant, hmm? I’ll have to cum inside of you every time we fuck so it’ll stick.” He grins at you, eyes filled with mirth. 

“But our kids would be cute, huh?”

Your heart pangs at his question; body flaring up immediately at the thought of having kids with Jihoon. He giggles at your shy expression, grinding into you as he felt his orgasm start to crest. “Ngh, sh--shit, I’m gonna cum! Think you can cum one more time for me, baby?” You bite your lip, nodding.

“Want you to cum with me this time, okay?” You nod again, moaning loudly when the pad of his thumb meets your swollen clit. He circles the nub harshly as your thighs shake and clamp around him hard, garbled noises spilling from your lips when he throws you over the edge and into your third orgasm.

The ringing in your ears is overwhelming and you can feel your body arch off the bed, pin picks all over your skin as the pleasure washes over you. Jihoon’s cock is forced out of you when you unintentionally squirt all over him. He smirks as he taps the head of his cock against your sensitive clit, working you through your orgasm before he sinks his cock back into your sensitive pussy.

He wastes no time, fucking into you hard and fast as your walls flutter around him; still in the thrums of your orgasm when he grinds into you, filling you up with his cum.

You mewl at the sensation, already feeling his cum dripping down the sides of his cock that’s still deep inside of you. Jihoon hovers over you, breath uneven as he stares down at your tired eyes.

“I… think I love you.”

You clench around his cock on instinct, a sharp groan escaping his lips. “I--you--wuh--what?”

Jihoon smiles shyly, slowly pulling his cock out of you as the cum drips down onto the sheets. “Sorry, was my timing wrong?” You stare up at the ceiling for a second, the ringing in your ears getting even louder as you feel his cum sliding out of you.

“I--no--I mean, your cum is literally… dripping out of me, but… when… you--I?” Your words are jumbled as you sit up, moaning tiredly as you sit in a pool of Jihoon’s cum and your own wetness.

“I… sorry, I didn’t say it at a more romantic time. But I just wanted you to know… I said ‘I think’ because there’s still a lot we still need to learn about each other, right? And there’s still a lot of questions about how we’re going to move forward from here.” He pauses, a flush painting onto his cheeks as he stares at all the love bites he’d left on your skin. “But I know how I feel and I know what I feel is love. And I want to keep exploring more of that feeling… with you.”

Jihoon’s eyes travel to your face, a shy blush on your cheeks as well. “I… think I love you too, Jihoon.” You whisper.

In a split second, he tackles you back down onto the bed, shy laughter filling up the space almost immediately. His eyes twinkle when he settles down next to you, pushing your messy hair out of your face.

“I want you to know that I’ll do anything to make you comfortable with whatever happens in our future together. You gave me a safe place and the freedom to be who I really am and I want you to feel the same. I don’t want you to be scared and insecure because I’ll take care of you just like you do for me. I don’t think I ever loved anyone until I met you. And I’m scared too, but I’m willing to learn with you.”

The tears spring to your eyes faster than you can think, lip quivering when he kisses your forehead. “Can’t believe you’re being a sap and making me cry after you made me cum three times and squirt.” Jihoon lets out a boisterous laugh, tossing his head back at your words.

“Baby, I cannot tell you how many love songs I’ve written about you. I’m always going to be a romantic sap underneath my harsh exterior.” He jokingly glares at you, wiping the tears that wet your lashes.

“But seriously, whatever comes our way, we’ll work through it together, okay? I don’t want either of us to make individual decisions because we’re a real couple now. And… And once I finally get work and start getting paid, I’m gonna spoil you so bad, you won’t even know what to do!” He promises, relaxing onto his stomach next to your tired form.

“Okay, but can you spoil me now and get me cleaned up and change the sheets because we’re laying in… well, a lot. And then I wanna hear all about these love songs you wrote about me, if you’re okay with sharing...” You giggle, watching as he pouts at you.

“I’ll do you even better and get you cleaned up, change the sheets, serenade you to sleep and I’ll make you breakfast in the morning.”

“Jihoon… are you… capable of doing that or…”

“How hard is it to make bacon and eggs in the morning? A cup of coffee? Easy. Toast? Just a button.” He boasts, easing off the bed before he helps you up.

Jihoon carries you to the bathroom, letting you sit on the countertop as he runs the water. “How about we compromise and I’ll sit in the kitchen and supervise while you try to make breakfast.” He grins at you, slotting himself between your legs before he kisses you softly.

“Deal.”

[meher-sumedha]

Gwynriel Headcanon - The Competition

I am so sorry in advance cause I am writing this chapter at 3 am in the morning.

Over the last few days, Gwyn hadn't spoken even a single thing, Azriel couldn't be more worried.

He had stayed outside Gwyn's room. He heard her sobs and cries even though she tried her best to hide them. Gwyn knew Azriel was outside her door, it was the only thing that gave her peace.

But she could not gather enough courage to go out there and talk to him. Not when he had seen her like this. Not when he might think she was useless.

She couldn't be more wrong. Azriel didn't care about that. He only wanted to see her teal eyes again. Every night when he heard her breathing slow down, he would go into her room and stay there until sundown, not sleeping at all. Afraid that if he slept, the number of hours he could see her beautiful face would decrease.

Tarquin had come by a few times and those times she thought she couldn't hide anymore and that she had to be vulnerable. But Azriel didn't let anyone except the servants who brought food through her door.

He didn't let Tarquin in. He didn't. He couldn't. He couldn't handle the fact that she would want Tarquin to hold her instead of him. Couldn't handle the fact that she would confide in Tarquin rather than him. He wasn't ready for that kind of rejection and he knew it.

How many times? How many times could he live like this. How many times would girls pick anyone else over him. Nesta had taken Elain with her to the night court to ensure her safety. He was happy that Elain was safe. But, Elain was the only distraction which kept him sane. Which kept him from thinking of her and how he would never get her.

After 3 days, Gwyn finally came out of the room. She couldn't cry anymore. She had a job to do and she would complete it. She made a plan. She would bottle up her emotions, but not so much that they blow up. Every day, at midnight, she would face those emotions through practice. She knew she wouldn't be facing those emotions, but rather ignoring them.

But sometimes, Prettier lies are better than ugly truths. People think the truth will always come up. They are wrong. Pretend for long enough, and everyone will believe. You know the truth, why to tell everyone about it. Dust the mirror so much, that the real reflection is not visible.

She got in her training leathers, a white shirt and black leather pants and out of her room. As soon as she opened her door, she saw Azriel standing up. His eyes were swollen and his hair was a mess. Before he could ask anything she told him, "I'm fine" And smiled the best she could before leaving and going to the ground.

I'm fine. Azriel saw right through her smile. Most of the people would have believed it, but not Azriel. He didn't need to look at her smile, just her eyes. She had concealed her puffy eyes with powder. But those teal eyes held pain and dark secrets. Pain even Satan would be afraid of and Secrets even the dark couldn't contain. She was thinner, she hadn't eaten any of the meals. But Azriel knew the only thing he could do right now, is be there for her. Just like he had hoped someone would be there for him but was disappointed to see that no one was.

Gwyn went to the garden, eager to train. Only to find no one there. "Where is everyone?" She asked the one of the servants. "They're in the Kala jungle, for the Kalasian."

"What's the Kalasian?", " It's like a competition for all the warriors, it tests their team work mainly and sees if the warriors are ready to fight"

"Ohkay, Can you give me the directions to this jungle?" Gwyn asked and the lady told her. Gwyn was just about to go when Azriel joined her, in his leathers as well. He didn't speak anything, he just let Gwyn lead the way. Their run was peaceful for Gwyn. But that's all it was. It didn't help with anything.

"Gwyn are you-" Gwyn cut Tarquin off by asking cheerfully, "So what are we doing today?". Tarquin was thrown off by her cheerful voice but said, "We're doing the Kalasian. It's basically an obstacle course where you have to find a flag. Whichever team finds it first, wins."

"Well are there any clues?" She asked. "Yes but only one in the beginning, the rest you have to figure out by yourselves". "Okay so how many teams are there? Will I be a part of one?"

"We thought we could do girls v/s boys" He said. "Well that's not fair, the boys are built better than us and they're taller." One of the girls said. "Also, we have her to handle" Another said while pointing towards Molly. What a bitch, thought Gwyn.

"Alright, so the girls can have Azriel in their team, The boys can have Tarquin in theirs, and I can form my own team with Molly." Gwyn said and Molly stepped in the front, behind Gwyn. Azriel took his place with the girls looking fairly amused and Tarquin took his place with the Boys.

The girls started cheering but so did the boys. "But to make it equal, I'm gonna take a member from the boys too" Gwyn said. "Fine by us, you can take Tom, he won't be of any use to us" Jack said jokingly but Gwyn took him seriously. "Fine by me" She said and the guys stopped laughing.

Tom then stepped out of the boys group and stood towards the right of Gwyn. The boys started groaning, knowing that Tom could be of value in the wilderness.

"But I don't think it's a fair team" Azriel said, too Pridefully. "Ehh it's fine for me, let's get started" Gwyn said and Tarquin handed them their clues. They all deserted where they were and split into different directions. Gwyn started discussing with her team and formed a strategy. One she was sure that would work. They would split up.

"We all got that clear, good, let's split up now" She said before running away from them. They all went in three different directions.

Gwyn saw the guys team and started shouting, "I KNOW WHERE THE FLAG IS, YES! " She said and started running, knowing the boys were close enough to hear and would follow her. While Molly was with the girls, she would be with the guys. She started running and came to a dead end. Shit

She then saw a huge tree and started climbing it, knowing the boys were on her tail and would catch her very easily. She climbed and climbed. The splinters of the wood cutting into her hands but she didn't care. She pulled herself from branch to branch. Shit.

She felt a jab of pain in her stomach but she didn't care, because she was Gwyneth Berdara, and she never yielded.

She climbed until she was at the top. There was nowhere else to go. She had no weapons and fighting off soo many guys would be impossible. She saw 2 boys who were almost there at the top. So she did what any sensible person would do, she jumped.

The branches and twigs scratched her skin and the jab of pain in her stomach grew but she didn't stop. She landed directly in the arms of someone. She opened her eyes and saw Tarquin. From a distance she heard Molly shouting "I FOUND THE FLAG, I KNOW WHERE IT IS" And she winked at Tarquin before getting out of his hands and sprinting into a run. She passed Molly on the way and winked at her but there was no time to stop.

She ran and ran until she heard someone near her. His shadows gave him away. She started running towards the pond, knowing that he was following her along with the others. She came across a lake and she jumped into it and swam forward. She looked on her shoulder to see Azriel right behind her.

He was catching up to her. Even though she knew she had to distract him, she couldn't. The pain of the splinters, the jab in her stomach was too much, her body was giving up. She suddenly noticed she wasn't carrying herself, the water was. And the damn water was carrying her to a waterfall. She was too weak to move Shit.

She thought she was about to jump into the waterfall but someone gripped her and took her out of the way and to land. Solid land. Gwyn groaned, her whole body shaking and trembling with pain. Azriel was above her, his hair wet and his caring and worrying eyes. But then they both heard the siren, and Azriel knew he had lost.

Gwyn started laughing. She had a hand over her forehead but she couldn't keep laughing, even though it hurt. Azriel started smiling. Why is he smiling when he just lost? She thought to herself but could care less.

"WE WON!" Shouted Tom from a distance and Gwyn still kept laughing. She propped herself on her elbow saw Azriel with the biggest smile, playing with his hair with his god like shirtless body which was glistening with sweat and water.

This was their plan all along. No one would even think of following Tom so Molly and Gwyn would cover for him, pretend like they know where the flag is so Tom could go and get the flag without any problems.

They were suddenly transported back to the palace grounds and both the guys and the girls were quiet. "Ha! You lost even though you had the better team" Gwyn said in between laughs. Molly was smiling, like a genuine smile and Tom, was well, beaming with happiness.

Azriel was happy to see Gwyn so happy. She stopped laughing and just closed her beautiful eyes, Azriel thought to rest them. But, he suddenly noticed Gwyn's shirt was red. "Gwyn, why is your shirt red?" Azriel asked in a warning tone but Gwyn didn't respond.

Tarquin came and knelt on the opposite side of Gwyn. "She's burning up" He said while touching Gwyn's forehead.

Azriel lifted her shirt and saw blood, and a huge wound.

A/N : Hey, I hope you liked it and this was not scheduled at all so I hope you all can enjoy this EXTRA LONG headcanon as I might not post next week. Also do comment and/or reply. I wrote this at 3 am so FORGIVE ME.

TagList - @trashforazriel @imsointobooks @shisingh @katiebellf @positivewitch @hlizr50

[egcdeath]

a blip in the reader-verse

chapter 6: extra! extra! read all about it

series summary: a minor mistake causes a shift in the multiverse that only you have the capacity to fix.

chapter summary: you kept your friends close, and your enemy even closer.

pairing: politician!andy barber x journalist!reader, steve rogers x reader

word count: 4k

warnings: american politics, fake dating/marriage, angst at the end, heavy codependent behavior at the end

author’s note: i saw @jtargaryen18 post about politician!steve a while ago and must’ve internalized it because this chapter pretty much wrote itself. just a heads up: all of my political knowledge comes from political sitcoms, so sorry in advance if i get some things wrong. another warning is that there are still some very unhealthy relationship dynamics at play here, so promise me you won’t be like reader okay?

previous chapter / series masterlist

Is Andy Barber Really the Best for Our Nation’s Future?

Opinion

by Y/N L/N

Feb 7, 2021, 4:36 PM ET

After tonight’s debate, the question that’s begged is if Andrew Barber is truly fit to run our country. Although he’s clearly a front runner for his party’s nomination, he’s shown time and time again that he may actually be our weakest candidate.

His weaknesses were highlighted during the debate, with his dodged questions and vague answers. At this point in time, it’s hard to tell if Barber has a platform at all.

With Super Tuesday just around the corner, I ask you to reevaluate your support for Barber. Though a charming candidate, it seems that that’s all he has, his charm. His policies are weak, and borderline impossible, and he certainly isn’t the right person to become the most powerful man in the world.

—-

When you became conscious, you were no better than unconscious. Your eyes opened and were immediately met with a harshness from the sun peeking through a window. You shifted away from the brightness, body sinking into a memory foam mattress while your nude form rubbed against similarly soft sheets. You sleepily rubbed your eyes before they flitted throughout the room you were in. Observing an oddly clean, generic looking area, you’d quickly connected the dots that you were in a hotel room. A rather fancy one at that. 

Soft breathing came from next to you, and as you turned your head a bit more, you were met with the back of a fluffy and dark haired man. You weren’t completely sure, but judging by your history of finding your way to Steve, you’d assumed that it was some alternate form of your partner.

The man in bed next to you yawned, and haphazardly threw an arm in your direction, before rolling over to greet you, “morning sunshine,” he slurred sleepily.

The beard was a bit of a surprise to you. Though you’d begged and begged your Steve to keep it, he often refused for one reason or another. Seeing the man next to you who (what was now much clearer to you) a version of your boyfriend, was a rather pleasant surprise. 

“Morning,” you responded in an equally sleepy manner, ignoring the rhythmic vibration coming from your night stand.

“Mm, you should get that,” he mumbled, pressing a disoriented peck to the side of your head while you reached over to grab your phone, which you could now see was the perpetrator of the vibrations.

“Hello?” you asked into the phone.

“Are you dumb? Or are you fucking stupid?” Aaliyah’s voice scolded through the phone. “Do you know what kind of position you’ve put me in? This is a fucking mess, Y/N. All for some dick? How could you be so careless?! Jesus!”

“What are you talking about?” You glanced over at Andy, and sat up a bit, pulling the crisp blankets over your body in an attempt to retain some form of modesty.

“Don’t play dumb with me. You’re fucking Andy Barber, but you’re writing articles about him like you just watched him kill your dog. You realize that this puts all of us at risk, right? You’re gonna lose your job, I’m gonna lose my job since I decided to edit and publish your shit, and you and I will lose any sort of journalistic integrity we’ve ever had, or will have, for the rest of goddamn time! Seriously, you could’ve had anyone, but Andy Barber? Andrew fucking Barber?” she groaned over the line.

“Uh, I’ll uh, call you back,” you whispered.

“You’re joking right? Are you with him right now?”

“Aaliyah!”

“Oh my god, you’re with him right now. You’re a fucking mess,” she huffed before hanging up.

Why did the universe have to send you off to such a shitshow?

You rolled out of bed, and sulked into the bathroom, desperate to find out what was going on. While sitting on the toilet, you scrolled through the wall of notifications; tweets directed at you, messages from confused friends begging you to call them when you had a chance, and even the occasional concerned email. 

You grimaced as you read through each one of them, eventually clicking on the article that many seemed to be referencing, which included a paparazzi photo of you and this Andy Barber character entering a hotel together sometime in the late night to early morning, partnered with an article or two of your own criticizing him. At first, you wondered if he was some sort of celebrity, but what you ultimately found out was much worse. 

He was a politician. A senator who was running to be president.

You screamed into your hands, before tossing your phone aside, and starting a warm shower for yourself. Perhaps the shower could help jog your memory a bit. 

Stepping into the steamy chamber, and letting the water pelt down onto you did do wonders for you, and it gave you a moment of focus. With both your memories from this universe, along with the information you’d been given through your phone, you were able to piece a few aspects of the universe together.

You were a journalist, a popular one at that, Andy was Steve, but not Steve, and also a presidential candidate. Aaliyah was your editor, and a higher-up at the Times, and you were about to have your ass handed to you over an affair. At least Andy wasn’t married.

Your shower must’ve taken longer than you’d expected, as there was a soft knock on the door after some time. 

“Everything okay in there?” a slightly muffled voice asked.

“Yeah. Just peachy. Why aren’t you more worried about this?” you called back.

“I have a good publicist. And campaign manager. I just have a good team,” Andy paused briefly. “When you’re ready, room service is ready.”

----

Over aggressive mouthfuls of fresh fruit and bitter coffee, you conversed with Andy.

“How are we gonna fix this?” You questioned while setting down your fork.

“Well, it’s simple. We just have to find some kind of spin to this whole story. Maybe you were just interviewing me, or getting a soundbite from me.” “Why would you agree to get a soundbite from someone who clearly has it out for you?” You set your fork down, and crossed your arms over your white robe clad chest. 

“That’s a good question,” Andy nodded a bit, “a good question for someone else to answer.”

“Why don’t we let your publicist figure out how to play this?”

“I’d say I’m a bit of an expert at this at this point, but I’ll call my team.”

“You do that, I need to assess the damage to my career,” you huffed, moving to sit on the bed so that you could aggressively scroll on your phone in peace.

Andy called someone, and you patiently waited while he chatted with them. 

“Okay, Y/N. We can’t leave through the front, so my guy’s gonna pick us up in the garage. We have like, half an hour,” he tossed his phone aside, then maneuvered himself to get in bed with you, setting both hands down on either side of you, and placing a soft kiss on your lips. He slowly began to inch down your body, untying the belt of your robe as he did so, when you interrupted him.

“What do you think you’re doing, Andrew?”

“We have time.” He looked up at you.

“We are not doing this. What do you think got us into this mess in the first place?” you frowned, moving one of his hands so you could slide away from him. 

“Are you serious?”

“Yes! Why aren’t you taking this seriously! Do you realize that both of our careers are at stake here? I don’t want to lose my job because I’m having an affair with you. You shouldn’t want to lose a shot at office for a woman you’re not even with.”

“Come on, we’ve been doing this for almost a year, and you only have a problem with it now?”

“Yes! The public had no idea before! They’re going batshit now! And the worst part is that I’m the one taking the most heat,” you sighed, and Andy gave you a frown. 

“I’m sorry, Y/N. You know I didn’t want this to happen.”

“It’s kinda too late for sorries now.” 

——

You stepped out of your suite about five minutes after Andy left, suitcase in tow, blocky sunglasses on your face, and a heathered grey peacoat draped over your shoulders. Although you were stressed from the controversy you’d found yourself in, you couldn’t help but feel the buzz of excitement from having to hide from the paparazzi. At the same time, you felt quite bad for this version of yourself.

When you finally got out to the designated Cadillac, you asked for his driver to roll up the partition, like you’d done a million times before, then looked out of the tinted windows. The ride was pretty awkward, considering you were in no mood to talk to Andy, and Andy felt bad about the issues he’d imposed on you from his own carelessness. He set a cautious hand on top of yours, and though you were agitated, it did brighten your mood the slightest bit. 

After what felt like forever, you arrived at his campaign building, and you were ushered into a small, soundproof space, with a large and round pine table in the center of it. Surrounding the table was a very tired looking Aaliyah, and… Tony Stark? 

“How’s everyone’s weekend been?” Tony asked, breaking the ice as you and Andy settled into your seats.

“Are we really doing small talk right now?” Aaliyah deadpanned, “sorry, that was uncalled for.”

“Alright, straight to the elephant in the room then. You two were out spotted, big deal, happens all the time to politicians and their mistresses-“

“I’m not his mistress! You know this, Tony,” you huffed.

“Tony knew and not me?” Aaliyah gasped.

“Well-“ you began. 

“Save it.”

“It was on a very need-to-know basis,” you muttered.

“Back to what I was saying. I suggest that we don’t address it, unless addressed.”

“I don’t know if you’re dense, or what, but that’s the exact opposite of what we need to do. We have to get on top of this story before the story is that you,” Aaliyah gestured at you, “are packing your shit at the Times.”

The door shot open, and quickly closed. A slightly flustered blonde man stumbled through. “Sorry to interrupt,” he began.

Aaliyah rolled her eyes at this notion, muttering a ‘sure you are’ to herself. 

“We just finished polling numbers, and Andy, you’re up?” He projected the screen of his iPad onto a TV in the room, then passed the device over to Andy on his way to sit down.

“Thanks, Vis,” he gave him a curt nod.

“Why would our candidate allegedly hooking up with someone who hates him boost him in the polls?” Tony asked.

“Middle America loves a family man, you know that,” Vision said in a matter of faculty manner. “Andy has had a hard time connecting with that demographic because when they see him, they see an Elitist East-coaster.”

“Hooking up with a hot reporter does not make you a family man,” Aaliyah retorted.

“That brings me to my next point. If you don’t mind, I’d like to add a proposal of my own,” Vision stated, and received a shrug from the rest of the room. “Well, if we need to put a spin on this, the obvious choice is to explain that they’ve been seeing each other the whole time. Under wraps, of course. The photos the paparazzi received are not damning by any means, and look more romantic than sexual, to be quite frank. Y/N wrote those articles to throw the public off her scent, and she didn’t really believe anything she said, and Andy? He’s just a good, all American man who was tired of keeping his relationship under wraps. Everything’s to gain from this plan.”

“Well, I lose my journalistic integrity. That’s a pretty big loss to me. I may never work again,” you rubbed your forehead in a distraught manner.

“You won’t have to worry about working when you’re the First Lady. Think about it, if we can get votes from the swing states, we’ve secured enough electoral votes to have a Barber win. All over a little character rebrand.”

“Excuse me, the First Lady?” You nervously glanced between Vision and Aaliyah while you attempted to pick your jaw up from the floor.

“Well, yes. We can’t exactly get the full ‘family man’ look without Mr. Barber being a real husband.“

“Are we talking, real wedding?” Aaliyah questioned.

“Yes. You just have to be legally bound together for around four years, eight years tops. About twelve would be preferable, but I understand that not everything works out.”

“I don’t object to that,” Andy winked and nudged you a bit.

What a mess.

“Back to what I was saying, we’ll probably need about a two week PR period before we do a press briefing announcing the engagement. Give or take. During that time, we could have your publicist arrange all sorts of good photo ops for you two.”

“Either way, my career is ruined,” you sighed, and Andy set his hand on your back.

“Sorry, sweetheart.”

“You don’t have to do that. We’re not currently standing in front of 30 cameras.”

“Well, we should prepare for when we are in front of 30 cameras.”

“Is it though?” Vision interjected, bringing you and Andy back from your aside. “We can just deflect, maybe have a few of your friends make articles about how what you did wasn’t all that bad.”

“Is it not a valid criticism of me that I was sleeping around with the person who I was also slandering?”

“Is it not possible to criticize someone you care about? In fact, helping someone learn how to improve can be very romantic,” Vision shrugged. 

There was a brief silence throughout the bunch while everyone pondered a counter argument. 

“That right there, that kind of insight is why we call you the Vision,” Tony shook his head and proudly clapped the man on his back.

“So it’s settled then? We’re really doing this?” You glanced around at your peers while Aaliyah spoke. “Any objections, love birds?”

Andy shrugged, “I’d be happy to spend the rest of my life with her.”

You, on the other hand, weren’t so sure. 

——

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This was your reality for the next two weeks. The news cycle was filled with a plethora of articles about you, some criticizing you, some criticizing Andy, but most, supporting the two of you in your romantic endeavors. Unsurprisingly, the world loved a good story about two attractive people getting together. 

During this period, you didn’t particularly feel like leaving, though the thought had certainly crossed your mind. You just weren’t sure that you wanted to be dealing with those terrible symptoms again in the midst of an already stressful stage of your life. At the same time, it seemed like the universe was not going to be fair with your time in this reality. You were convinced that you were here for the long haul, or at least, until Andy proposed to you. 

Although it was a bit annoying, cameras around every corner, a watchful eye on everything that you or Andy even considered doing, you found yourself growing on Andy. In some ways, he was a bit more intense than Steve, whose personality had mellowed out a bit since the Snap.

This had been the first time in all of your travels where you felt like ‘Steve’ was the one pursuing you, and in all honesty, it made you feel good. Even if everything the two of you did had an aftertaste of artificiality.

You spent more and more time with him every day, staying together with him in hotels across the country, visiting local businesses with him to get the perfect photo op, and attending galas with donors. It seemed like in every candid photo of Andy, you weren’t too far behind. By the time the day of your proposal arrived, you weren’t even all that opposed to the marriage. 

When the proposal finally arrived, the two of you were sat inside a rather fancy restaurant, finishing up your meal when Andy settled on one knee in front of you, “Y/N,” he began, and you felt the all too familiar tremble of your watch on your wrist. 

You almost had to restrain yourself from exclaiming out loud. It’s not that you didn’t like Andy or anything, he’d genuinely grown on you. In the least cheesy way, it wasn’t him, but you. Being somewhere so unfamiliar for so long had begun to create a cumulative exhaustion that wore a bit more on you every day. Feeling homesick was an understatement.

You brought your hands up to your face, and gasped dramatically, squeezing your eyes shut to see if you could possibly produce a few tears, while mobile cameras and a few professional flashes were directed towards you. A few warm droplets slipped down your face, and for a moment you weren’t even sure how fake they were. It seemed like once they started, they couldn’t stop.

You missed Steve, your Steve, the man you’d fallen in love with. You missed your friends, teammates, and family. You missed the stability of knowing what the world held for you next. 

In the midst of Andy’s proposal, in what should’ve been the happiest moment of your life, all you could focus on was your overwhelming desire to have a sense of normalcy in your life once again. 

——

You woke up in a cold sweat, heart racing in your chest, and shaking your ribcage. You looked up to the ceiling of what you had grown to know was your room in the Compound, your real room, and felt your eyes well up in tears that stung you. 

You sat up, and took as deep of a breath as you could manage, when you noticed Wanda sitting by your bedside.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” she said softly, coming closer to you, offering you a glass of water before sitting at the foot of your bed. 

“Where’s Steve?” you asked, trying to gauge where you were. 

“Honey,” she sighed softly. “I’m so sorry. He’s still missing.”

Your lip trembled as you took a sip. You really were back home. 

“I know you’re hurting, but when you feel a little better, we’re going to Medbay. Banner decided that we should probably keep an eye on your vitals, but you were gone before we even had the chance to get you there.”

You gulped down the water, then set it on your bedside table, “so was that all just a dream or something? Why isn’t Steve back?” you huffed frustratedly.

“I don’t know why he isn’t back, but I don’t think you were dreaming. I was trying to watch your dreams, but I couldn’t read you, or your thoughts at all.”

“Hmm,” you mumbled, throwing your legs over the side of the bed, “let’s go.”

As you settled into the cold, and sterile medical facility you were hooked up to a plethora of monitors, and a cacophony of devices beeped as they read your physical state. 

You tuned out the words being spoken around you, zoning out and looking forward to your vital signs monitor. Your mind wandered to your last few thoughts in your previous reality, the desperation to come back, to see your estranged lover again. You couldn’t help but to feel disappointed, lamenting the fact that you’d found your way home, yet felt the ever present void in your heart where your Steve used to be.

“Y/N?” a voice asked you, and you glanced in its general direction. “What happened while you were out? What did you see? Did it work?” Bruce pelted you with questions.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about it yet,” you sighed softly, bringing a hand up to your neck and rubbing it. “The watch worked though, I was definitely in other universes. I just couldn’t reach him. Bring him home. I failed.”

“Do you think he’s really out there?” Bruce whispered to Wanda hoping that you might not pick up on it.

“I’m… I don’t know. I just don’t know how likely it is that we’ll manage to find him,” she responded in a hushed tone. You bit back tears as she spoke, resuming your empty gaze on the pixelated green text of your heart rate on the monitor.

“I’m sorry, guys. I have to go back,” you interrupted. “I can’t give up on Steve yet. I know he wouldn’t give up on me.”

“Y/N, you could be gone for centuries before you find him, then return back here with no time passed at all, and possibly no Steve. You don’t deserve to take on all of that pain,” Wanda set a hand on your shoulder. “Steve would’ve wanted you to move on from him. To find happiness without him.”

“I can’t do that, Wanda. Without him I don’t even know who I am,” your voice trembled as you spoke. “He’s literally been my only tether through all of this.”

“I just don’t know that this is the best thing we could be doing. Sure, you’re physically fine, but it almost seems like you’re doing worse emotionally than you were before you left,” Bruce added.

“I’m not!” you sniffled before continuing. “I’m just tired from going to all those new places.”

Bruce and Wanda didn’t seem too convinced. “Don’t you guys believe in me? When have I let you down on a mission before? I’m gonna find him, okay? I’ll find him if it’s the last fucking thing I do,” you blubbered.

Wanda’s hand slid down your shoulder, and to the watch that was currently on your wrist.

“Don’t,” you uttered, swinging your opposite hand to grab onto your own wrist. You were aware that there was absolutely no way you could overpower her in taking the watch from you, but even in your minor hysterics, you were able to think fast enough to press the round button before the watch was able to be taken off of you.

You, and your wrist shook. Wrist shaking from the watch, and promise of sending you elsewhere, and you from a mixture of sobs and adrenaline. Though not the most ideal exit, it was an exit nonetheless.

You weren’t even sure if you cared that you were on good terms with your teammates anymore. 

You just needed to be with Steve again.

[rpf-bat]

Rocking Out Just For The Dead

Pairing: Frank Iero x Male!Reader

Genre: Romance, Drama

Summary: Requested by @kpopchangedmylifesstuff. You’re playing Download Festival 2007 with your band, Paramore. My Chemical Romance are headlining the festival. After your set, Frank invites you onto his tour bus, for a friendly battle of Guitar Hero 2. But, when the hanging out turns into something more, your bandmate, Josh Farro, threatens to destroy whatever you and Frank have. 

You found yourself in Donington, England, playing your band’s brand new single, “Misery Business.” Okay - technically, Paramore wasn’t your band. You’d had no part in composing their new album, which would be dropping at the end of the week. But, their rhythm guitarist, Hunter, had recently quit, to go get married. Your longtime friend, Hayley, had called you up, and asked you to fill in for him, and you had jumped at the chance. 

You had done this once before. Paramore’s bassist, Jeremy, had randomly quit in 2005 - right before the start of Warped Tour. You weren’t sure what had caused him to leave, but you played bass and guitar equally well, so Hayley had asked you to join her and the Farro brothers on tour. You had the time of your life that summer. You had been eighteen then, and had felt more than a little star-struck, when you met people in “bigger” bands. 

Now twenty, you thought yourself older and wiser.  You were determined to be a professional this time around. No petty fights with your bandmates. No acting like a fanboy around the guys playing the Main Stage. Download Festival - the final stop on their Europe tour - was going to go off without a hitch, dammit!

Jeremy, now back in the band, stood to the left of you on the stage. Josh, the guitarist, was on your right. You tried your best to keep your guitar playing in sync with them, as Hayley belted out the final chorus:

Whoa, I never meant to brag

But I got him where I want him now.

Whoa, it was never my intention to brag

To steal it all away from you now.

But God does it feel so good,

'Cause I got him where I want him now.

And if you could then you know you would.

'Cause God it just feels so...

It just feels so good…

Zach played the final drum beat, bringing the song to a close. The crowd cheered. You took Hayley’s hand, and took a bow. She grinned at you, before addressing the crowd.

“THANK YOU, DONINGTON!” she bellowed into the mic. “YOU’VE BEEN AN AMAZING CROWD! GOOD NIGHT!” 

“It’s not really ‘night’ yet, you know,” you laughed, as you and the rest of the band walked off the stage. The sun hadn’t even set yet. 

“Yeah, I know,” Hayley sighed. “They put us on this super early time slot.” 

“Because nobody knows who we are,” Josh pointed out. 

“Yeah, the headliners get the later time slots, because they’re more famous,” Jeremy nodded. 

“Well, I think the crowd loved us,” Zach smiled optimistically. 

“He’s right,” you agreed. “Hal, I think you really killed it out there!”

“Thanks,” your friend smiled, brushing her sweat-soaked orange hair out of her eyes. “I really appreciate you coming on this tour with us, Y/N. I know it was really short notice.” 

“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” you smiled back. 

“I thought your guitar playing was great tonight, man,” Jeremy complimented you. “A perfect grand finale.” 

“Thanks, dude,” you beamed, as you grabbed a water bottle. These summer shows were way too humid. 

“I don’t know about that,” Josh mumbled, as he wiped his face with a towel. 

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” you frowned, setting your water bottle down. 

“I thought your timing was off during ‘Emergency’,” Josh said critically. 

“Oh….I’m sorry,” you frowned. “I tried to keep up with you…..”

“You should’ve tried harder,” Josh snapped, walking away from you, back towards the bus. 

Wow, you blinked. What’s his deal? 

The elder Farro brother had been needlessly rude to you, since the tour began. You honestly had no idea what you had done to get under his skin. But, you knew better, than to pick a fight with him. Zach was his brother, and Hayley was his girlfriend. You were just an outsider - a temporary, touring member of the band. 

“Are you coming back to the bus with us, dude?” Zach asked, snapping you out of the thoughts you had gotten lost in. 

“.....Nah,” you shook your head. “I think I’m gonna, um, walk around for a bit.” 

“Oh,” Hayley frowned. “Okay. See you later, Y/N.” 

You were pretty sure that she hadn’t heard what Josh had said. You saw no reason to tell her. It would just be starting drama. 

She seemed oblivious to a lot of the tension between you and Josh. He was always on his best behavior, when he knew she was paying attention. But, if it came down to it, you doubted she would side with her guy friend, over her boyfriend. 

It doesn’t even matter, you told yourself. This is the last show of the tour. On Monday, I’ll be heading home to Nashville. He won’t be my problem anymore.

You began wandering aimlessly around the festival grounds, with no real destination in mind. 

‘Hey!” a voice called out to you. 

You looked up, and saw a face you recognized - Frank Iero. 

You had met him on Warped Tour, two years ago. His band, My Chemical Romance, had been headliners, playing the main stage. Tonight, they were headlining this festival, too. His band had gotten even more famous after the release of The Black Parade.

“Hey!” you greeted. 

“Remember me?” Frank grinned. “I know it’s been a while.” 

“How could I forget?” you chuckled. Your heart had been racing the first time you met him backstage, but he had just shook hands with you, like the difference between your bands, was no big deal. You’d had to remind yourself that you were there to play a gig, not ask for an autograph. 

 “How have you been, Frank?”, you asked, trying to play it cool. 

“I’ve been good, Y/N,” Frank smiled. “How about you?”

Oh my god, you gulped. He remembers my name. 

“I-I’ve been great,” you stammered, hoping he couldn’t tell you were blushing. 

“I watched your set earlier,” Frank said cheerfully. “You were really good, dude.” 

“I-I was?!” you gasped. “You don’t think I was playing too slow, or….?”

“Huh?” Frank blinked, confused. “No, you were amazing, bro.  Your whole band was.” 

Ha, you thought. Suck it, Josh. 

“Thank you,” you said politely. “I’m probably going to go check out your band’s set, later, too.” 

“We’ve still got a couple hours before we go onstage,” Frank shrugged. “Since your band already played, you’re free for the rest of the day, right?” 

“Um, yeah,” you nodded, willing yourself to stop thinking gay thoughts about his new haircut. How did he get even better-looking after Revenge era? This is not even fair. 

“We have a PlayStation on our bus,” Frank revealed. “I was wondering if you’d like to play some video games with Mikey and I, for a little while?”

“Oh, sure!” you accepted his offer, trying not to sound too eager. You remembered playing a Donkey Kong bongos game with Mikey a couple years back. You’d lost pretty quickly, and he’d gone to find Zach, hoping that the drummer of the group would give him more of a challenge. You were determined to look less lame this time.  

You followed Frank to My Chemical Romance’s tour bus. He opened the door for you, and you followed him in. Mikey sat on the couch, holding a game controller. 

“Hey, Mikey,” Frank greeted. “You remember Y/N, right? From Paramore?” 

“Oh, hi, Y/N,” Mikey smiled. “Long time, no see, man!” 

“No kidding,” you laughed. “How have you been, dude?” 

“Pretty good,” Mikey replied. “The new record’s doing pretty well.” 

This was perhaps the understatement of the year. The Black Parade had sold more copies in its first week, than Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, had sold in two years. You weren’t sure if your own band would ever have that level of success. 

“I bought a copy,” you confessed. “The day it came out.”

“Aw, thanks, bro, we appreciate the support,” Mikey smiled, sounding shockingly humble. 

“When’s the new Paramore record coming out?’ Frank asked. 

“June 12th,” you replied. 

“Oh, wow, so in four days,” Frank realized. 

“Yeah,” you nodded. “But, um, I didn’t help compose it.” You were just a touring member - not a full part of the band, as he was in his. 

“I’m still gonna buy it,” Frank shrugged. 

“Thanks,” you said awkwardly.

“So,” Mikey cleared his throat, “you’re gonna play Guitar Hero 2 with us, right, Y/N?” 

“He just finished playing half an hour of guitar onstage,” Frank laughed. “You think he wants to play more?”

“I don’t mind sharpening my skills some more,” you shrugged. 

“Whoa, you’re dedicated,” Mikey said, impressed. 

Nah, you thought. I just wanna prove that Josh is wrong about my playing being shitty. 

“Here,” Frank said, handing you the guitar-shaped controller. He pulled up the game menu, with the full list of songs. “We can do any track you want.” 

“You’re going to play against me, in two-player mode?” you realized. 

“Yeah,” Frank smirked. “What’s the matter? You scared of a little challenge?” 

“No way,” you smiled slyly. “I bet I can take you.” 

“Oh, wanna bet?” Frank raised an eyebrow. “Name the song. I’ll show you what I’ve got.” 

“How about this one?” you decided, making a selection on the screen. 

“Um, Y/N…..” Mikey’s eyes widened. “That’s ‘Dead’.” 

“So what?” you smirked. 

“So, that’s our song,” Mikey pointed out.

“I know what it is,” you said certainly. 

“Wait, Y/N, are you serious?” Frank stared, mouth open in shock. “Of all the songs in the game, you want to challenge me with that one? The one I fucking wrote?” 

“What’s the matter?” you asked, staring boldly into his hazel eyes. “You scared I’ll beat you at your own game?” 

“As if,” Frank snorted. “I’ll tell you what, Y/N. If you can actually play ‘Dead’, better than the guy who plays it for a living, I’ll give you one of my fuckin’ guitars.” 

“Seriously?” Mikey gaped. “You’d give one of those away?” 

“He’s not gonna win, dude,” Frank said, with an air of certainty. 

“You wanna bet?” you challenged. 

“Okay, it’s a bet,” Frank decided. 

“If I lose, you can have my guitar,” you wagered. Unlike him, you only had one. But, the tour was over, you considered. It wasn’t like you were going to need it again in the immediate future. 

“It’s a deal,” Frank nodded, extending his hand to you. You shook on it. 

“Well, this is going to be interesting,” Mikey said warily, as he handed Frank the second controller. 

“What level do you want to play on?” Frank asked. 

“Expert, of course,” you grinned. “We’re professionals.” 

“Alright,” Frank grinned. “Just don’t come crying to me when you lose.” 

“You’ll be the one crying when you have to give up your guitar, Iero,” you bantered, feeling cocky. You played Guitar Hero with Jeremy and Josh all the time, and you never lost. It always seemed to drive Josh fucking crazy. 

He hit START, and an animated guitarist in a top hat waddled onto the screen. You heard Gerard’s vocals begin the song with a scream. 

And if your heart stops beating

I'll be here wondering

Did you get what you deserve?

The ending of your life

And if you get to heaven

I'll be here waiting, babe

Did you get what you deserve?

You focused on the fret buttons on your controller. Your Rock Meter started at yellow, but the dial quickly went up to green. You didn’t miss any notes, but, of course, neither did Frank. 

And if your life won’t wait, then your heart can’t take this….

You glanced at Frank. He waggled his eyes at you suggestively. You reddened. If he was trying to throw you off your game, he was succeeding. You told yourself sternly to focus. Then, the chorus kicked in. 

Have you heard the news that you're dead?

No one ever had much nice to say

I think they never liked you anyway

Oh, take me from the hospital bed

Wouldn't it be grand? It ain't exactly what you planned

And wouldn't it be great if we were dead?

“Fuck!” you swore. You’d forgotten how fast this part was. Frank’s fingers were, of course, dancing over the “strings” with no problem. You knew you had to catch up to him. 

You noticed your Star Power meter was almost full, so you waited for just the right moment. 

Tongue-tied and, oh, so squeamish

You never fell in love

Did you get what you deserve?

The ending of your life

And if you get to heaven

I'll be here waiting, babe

Did you get what you deserve?

Just before the second chorus kicked in, you titled the neck of your guitar upwards, activating your Star Power. This meant you would get a quadruple bonus for whatever points you earned. You gave it your all on the chorus, and watched your score go up and up. 

“Whoa!” Frank gasped, seemingly thrown off. To your surprise, he missed a note. 

“Oh, man,” Mikey groaned, from his spectator spot on the couch. 

It was still a pretty close match, when you got to the bridge. But, by the time you got to the outro, Frank seemed to be sweating. As Gerard’s prerecorded voice sang his final “la-la-la”s, the outcome became certain to you. 

If life ain’t just a joke, then, why am I dead?

Oh, dead!

PLAYER ONE WINS!, read the screen, in bright, flashing letters. You realized, panting, that you were player one. 

“I….I did it?” you gasped. 

“Holy shit,” Frank gasped, dropping his controller in shock. “He actually won.” 

He sank down onto the couch, like he couldn’t believe it. 

“Are you….mad?” you frowned, wondering if you should have talked less trash. 

“No, that was amazing!” Frank praised you. “I wasn’t expecting that at all.” 

Despite your bravado, you hadn’t really been expecting to win, either. Whatever confidence you’d lost when Josh critiqued you, had been regained tenfold. Mikey gave you a slow clap. 

“Well, a bet’s a bet,” Frank said finally, standing up, and walking to the other end of the bus. 

“Where are you going?” you blinked. 

“Getting this for you,” Frank smiled, handing you a gorgeous, white Epiphone guitar.

“Frank, you don’t have to….” you gasped. 

“No, I’m a man of my word,” Frank insisted. “I’ll even help you carry it back to your bus.” 

“You serious?” you asked, incredulous. 

“Hey, man, you earned it,” Frank shrugged. He put the guitar in its case, and then put the case on his back. “Let’s go.” 

“Thanks for hanging out with us, Y/N,” Mikey waved. “That showdown was pretty fun to watch.” 

“See ya, Mikey,” you waved back. “Thanks for having me.” 

You still couldn’t believe this had happened. They seemed so much cooler than you.

Frank was quiet at first, as you walked back to the Paramore bus. You felt awkward, unsure what to say to him. 

“So,” he asked, “do you think that your bandmates are gonna be impressed, when they see the guitar you won?” 

“I’m sure Hayley will,” you replied. “Josh….maybe not.”

“Why not?” Frank asked. “He’s the lead guitarist of your band. Wouldn’t that make him more impressed?”

“I don’t know,” you sighed. “I feel like he’s never impressed with anything I do.” 

“What’s his beef with you?” Frank asked, looking annoyed on your behalf. 

“I’m not sure,” you confessed. “Maybe it’s because he’s super Christian.”

“And you’re…..not Christian?” Frank guessed. 

“And I’m gay,” you confessed. 

“.....Oh.” Frank stopped in his tracks for a minute, seemingly taken aback by this. 

Your face went red. Fuck. Maybe you shouldn’t have said that out loud. 

“Do you, umm…..do you mind that?” you asked nervously. 

“Pfft,” Frank scoffed. “Dude. You think I ‘mind’ gay guys? Have you missed the part, where I’ve spent half this tour, making out with Gerard, in front of thousands of people?” 

“Are you and Gerard…..together?” you asked uncertainly. 

“Oh, no,” Frank shook his head quickly. “I’m totally single.” 

Your heart began to beat more quickly, as you noticed he said I’m single - not I’m straight. Were you reading him wrong? You wondered if you had the balls to make a move. 

This is the last night of the tour, you told yourself. If I don’t say something right now, I won’t get another chance. 

“Frank….”, you said, taking a deep breath, and telling yourself to man up. “I, um, I think you’re really cute.” 

“Really?” Frank said, stepping closer to you. You felt the hot metal door of the bus against your back. “Y/N, I think you’re pretty cute, too.” 

“Y-you do?” you breathed, your cheeks going hot as he leaned in. Was this real life? Or had the June heat made you start hallucinating?

“I do,” Frank smirked. “How about you give me my guitar back, and I give you a kiss instead?”

“Sounds like we have a deal,” you purred, and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him into a kiss hotter than the summer sun. He responded, eagerly, pressing you harder up against the door as his tongue found its way into your mouth. You moaned….

But, just then, you were launched violently forward, as the door swung open behind you. You and Frank hit the ground, as Josh came storming out of the bus. 

“You guys are disgusting!” he growled. 

“Dude, what’s your problem?!” Frank demanded, getting up, and brushing the dirt off his pants. He gave you his hand, and helped you up out of the grass. 

“My problem is the display of perversion, that you two are putting on, in front of God and everybody!” Josh cried. “Do you have to do that in front of my bus?!” 

“You think we’re perverts?” you gasped, shocked and hurt by his words. 

“All gay men are perverts,” Josh sneered. “What kind of image are you setting for the band? A lot of our fans are Christian. They won’t buy our new record, if they see you behaving like this, Y/N!” 

“Not every Christian is a homophobic piece of shit like you,” Frank snapped, putting himself between you and the irate guitarist. 

“What did you just call me, you nancy boy?!” Josh hissed, and threw a punch in Frank’s direction. 

Frank caught the punch in his hand. “I called you a piece of shit!” he repeated, before throwing a punch of his own. Unlike Josh’s, it connected, sending your homophobic bandmate down into the dirt. 

“You’re gonna pay for that, Iero!” Josh yelled, wiping the blood from his nose. He tried to get up, but never made it off the ground, as Frank kicked him in the ribs. 

“Frank, stop!” you cried. “That’s enough!” 

“No, it’s not!” Frank said angrily. “You said it yourself, right, Y/N? This guy has been being a dick to you all summer, just because of your sexuality! That’s bullshit!” 

He aimed another kick in Josh’s direction. You were surprised, how defensive Frank had become of you, despite knowing you for such a short time. 

“What the hell is going on here?!” cried a familiar voice. You turned, and saw Zach approaching the bus, with Hayley close behind him. 

“Hal and I leave for two seconds to go get snacks, and some asshole starts beating up my brother?!” Zach gasped. 

“Josh, oh my god, are you okay?” Hayley gasped, running over to check out her boyfriend’s nosebleed. 

“He’s not an asshole,” you explained. “Guys, this is Frank, from My Chemical Romance.” 

“I don’t care what band he’s from,” Zach said angrily. “Why is he kicking Josh?”  

“Because Josh called me a pervert,” you explained. 

“A pervert?” Hayley repeated. “Why would he say something like that?” 

“I said it, because this freak had his tongue down Y/N’s throat!” Josh explained. 

“Wait, what?” Hayley blinked. 

“We, um, yeah, we were kissing,” you admitted, embarrassed. 

“You, um…..you like to kiss guys?” Zach asked awkwardly. 

“Um, yeah,” you said, feeling uncomfortable. You had never come out to him. You knew he was a devout Christian, too, and had assumed he would hold the same views as his brother.

“That doesn’t make you a pervert,” Zach said, surprising you. 

“But, what will the fans think?!” Josh demanded. 

“Some of our fans are gay, too,” Hayley pointed out. “And there’s nothing wrong with it. I can’t believe you would call Y/N names, just for something like that.”

“Yeah, Josh, I’m really disappointed in you,” Zach frowned. You were stunned. You never expected him to take your side. 

“You don’t think that what he and Frank are doing is a sin?” Josh asked. 

“I think God loves everyone,” Zach said plainly. “And only He can judge Y/N. I’m not going to.” 

“You guys can’t be serious!” Josh gaped. 

“I’m seriously reconsidering your position in this band,” Hayley said, narrowing her eyes. “And in this relationship.” 

“What? Babe….come on,” Josh pleaded. “Y-you wouldn’t dump me, and fire me, just because of this stupid fruit…..”

“Call him a fruit one more time,” Frank snarled. “See what happens, pal.” 

“Frank, it’s okay,” you said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I have my band on my side now, and that makes….all the difference.” 

You were touched by their support. You had stayed silent this whole time, because you didn’t think you would have it. 

“Y/N, I’m sorry that my brother treated you like this,” Zach said quietly. “I want you to know, I support you, and your boyfriend.” 

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you shook your head. “We just kissed for the first time today, and….” 

“I could be your boyfriend,” Frank said softly. “If you want me to.”

“Wait, what?” 

“Do you want me to?” Frank asked, smirking at you. 

“I….I’m supposed to be going home to Tennessee soon,” you hesitated. “And you live in New Jersey, so….”

“I’m in the most famous band in the world,” Frank said smugly. “I have a private jet that can take me wherever you are.” 

“......Oh,” you blushed. 

“So,” Frank repeated, leaning in closer again, “do you want me to be your boyfriend, Y/N?”

“....Yes,” you breathed. “Yes, I do.”

You pulled him into another kiss, not caring that the rest of your band was watching. Or how much it pissed Josh off. The tour was ending, but your once-in-a-lifetime romance was just beginning. 

[tigerkirby215]

5e Rakan, the Charmer build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Riot Games)

Happy day after Valentine's Day friends. I wrote this build in August, and a lot has happened to my little bird twink during that time. Along with a damn good new skin (and you know: new season) he’s become one of the more sought out supports in pro play. Also I got him to Mastery 5 at time of writing (December 13th, 2020.) Who knows: I might update this little blurb to say I got him to a higher mastery.

Sadly I don’t have a Xayah to duo queue with. But I’m always ready to be the support that you need~ 💓

GOALS

Am I not magnificent? - Rakan’s title is literally “the charmer.” Of course we’re gonna need some charms.

War is in the dance - With an ability called “Battle Dance” we’ll need to be quick on our feat, dashing around our foes and popping them up with a Grand Entrance.

Nothing's fun without risk - While he may not be the best enchanter Rakan has a ton of heals and shields for both himself and his allies.

RACE

Rakan is half bird, but he doesn’t do a lot of flying which leaves Aarakocra out of the picture. He’s also incredibly chatty (holy shit have you seen how many voice lines Xayah and Rakan have?) so Kenku is definitely not an option. So when in Rome as a furry look no further than a Shifter.

All Shifters have Darkvision and their Shifting ability to gain temporary hitpoints, but everything else is determined by their subrace: to be ever quick and ever charming go for a Swiftstride. As a Swiftstride Shifter your Dexterity increases by 2 and your Charisma increases by 1. You are Graceful and have proficiency with the Acrobatics skill, and your Shifting feature lets you get down with The Quickness, moving 10 feet faster and being able to move 10 feet as a reaction if an enemy ends their turn within 5 feet of you, all while not provoking oppertunity attacks!

ABILITY SCORES

15; WISDOM - Rakan is all about the spirit of the wild and the subtle magic of nature. Wait Nature and Arcana are Intelligence skills? Uhhhhh... 

14; INTELLIGENCE - Rakan certainly doesn’t show that he’s smart but Nature and Arcana are Intelligence skills. That, and this is a requirement for a very particular class.

13; CHARISMA - A charmer of course needs to be charming. (Feel free to swap this with CON if you want more health but worse RP.)

12; DEXTERITY - Even if Rakan is normally shirtless this is enough for good ol’ Medium Armor thanks to our Racial stat increases.

10; CONSTITUTION - Even though Rakan plays up close and personal he’s certainly not a tank.

8; STRENGTH - You wouldn’t risk ruffling your feathers by doing heavy lifting.

BACKGROUND

While Rakan didn’t start out a rebel like Xayah he gladly joined her cause, and while a background like Entertainer might make more sense for him he’s without a doubt a Freedom Fighter now... unfortunately there’s no Freedom Fighter background so Faction Agent is the next best thing.

You get proficiency with any Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma ability and naturally we’ll be going for Performance. You also get proficiency in Insight but we’re actually going to be replacing it with Arcana for knowledge of the magic of the wild. Additionally you can learn two languages of your choice: unfortunately Aarakocra isn’t an option but Auran (or rather Primordial) is. And to learn the ancient language of Ionia I’d recommend Sylvan.

As a vastayan rebel you can gain access to a Safe Haven for you and your allies. By using secret signs and passwords you can identify other rebels who can bring you to a safe house, give you a free place to stay, or assist you in finding information. They won’t risk their lives for you but as long as you remember the password they’ll be willing to help. You... did remember the password, right?

(Artwork by Riot Games)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - CLERIC 1

Starting off as a Cleric, the king of supports. As a Cleric you get proficiency in two skills from the Cleric list: this is actually where we’ll be grabbing Insight proficiency from along with Medicine to keep Xayah safe.

Clerics get to choose their subclass at level 1 and there are obviously a lot of options to go for: Peace to bond with Xayah, War to better your battle dance, Nature or Arcana to further your connection to natural magic... Bet you wouldn’t expect the choice to be the Order Domain from Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica! (Also reprinted in Tasha’s Cauldron.) (I’ll go over why Order whenever we get abilities important to the build.)

For a start Order Clerics get proficiency in Heavy Armor as well as either Intimidation or Persuasion; Xayah’s got the scary part down so go for Persuasion, since someone’s gotta be the smooth talker! You also get Voice of Authority, letting you set up for an ally with a Grand Entrance. If you cast a spell with a spell slot and target an ally they can use their reaction to make one weapon attack against a creature of your choice. You have to be able to see the enemy you want them to target, and if you target multiple allies with a spell only one of them can use their reaction to attack. But setting up for friends to cut through foes is what you do best!

Speaking of spells and set-up Clerics get access to Spellcasting! You can learn three cantrips at level 1: for a Gleaming Quill grab Sacred Flame which does Radiant damage (not Fire damage!) to a foe. If you’re getting surrounded however Word of Radiance will let you shine on your foes for more Radiant damage! And to be a good support and help your allies out of combat Guidance lets you add a d4 to ability checks.

You can also prepare a number of spells equal to your Wisdom modifier plus your Cleric level. As an Order Domain Cleric you have Heroism and Command as part of your Domain Spells, meaning that you don’t have to prepare to be the hero and force your enemies in line. For a close range heal look no further than Cure Wounds. For a shield grab Shield of Faith to make it harder for enemies to kill your allies. And to set up for your friends grab Bless, making it easier for them to hit and survive.

LEVEL 2 - CLERIC 2

Second level Clerics can Channel Divinity once per short or long rest, invoking the power of the gods to help them. All Clerics can Turn Undead, forcing undead within 30 feet to make a Wisdom save or run away from you. However Order Clerics can charm their foes with Order’s Demand. You can charm (yes charm!) anyone of your choice within 30 feet until the end of your next turn, or until they take damage. Additionally you can force them to drop whatever they’re holding so they don’t shoot Xayah!

This is one of the many abilities I wanted out of Order Domain. A big AoE charm that also stops enemies from hitting you and your friends is right up Rakan’s alley.

You can also prepare another spell and while Rakan doesn’t have a ranged heal in-game Healing Word is just too good to pass up on as an Order Cleric. Bonus action let your friend whack an enemy!

LEVEL 3 - WIZARD 1

Didn’t take Rakan as the bookish type, did you? Well, he isn’t, but we need some abilities from Wizard that we can’t get elsewhere except Clockwork Sorcerer which makes even less sense for Rakan. Regardless Wizards also get Spellcasting. You learn 3 cantrips from the Wizard list: for a more direct autoattack grab Firebolt because I like having a variety of damaging cantrips, to add some pizzazz to your dance Prestidigitation will let you add a bunch of funky visual effects as you please, and for some coordination in Team Chat grab Message! "Did you notice the sky?" "It's lovely." "Not as beautiful as you."

You can prepare a number of spells equal to your Wizard level plus your Intelligence modifier, but when you multiclass into Wizard you can learn 4 spells to put in your spellbook. You can only prepare spells in your spellbook is the long-and-short of the class. Anyways: to bedazzle your foes grab Color Spray and blind them with your beauty. For a little owl companion take Find Familiar. To run when you need to Expeditious Retreat will help. And finally to detect the magic of the world take... Detect Magic...

Wizards also have Arcane Recovery, letting them recover a spell slots of a combined level equal to half their Wizard level rounded down. In short every spell slot counts the same number of “points” as the spell’s level, and you can recover a number of spell points equal to half your Wizard level. So a third level Wizard can either recover a 2nd level spell or two 1st level spells. Oh and you can’t recover spell slots past 5th level.

LEVEL 4 - WIZARD 2

Second level Wizards can choose their Arcane Tradition, and to protect yourself with Fey Feathers the School of Abjuration is here for you. Along with being an Abjuration Savant (letting you learn Abjuration spells in half the time for half the cost) you have an Arcane Ward to shield you: when you cast a leveled Abjuration spell you can also create a magical ward on yourself that lasts until you finish a long rest. The ward has a hit point maximum equal to twice your Wizard level plus your Intelligence modifier. (So currently 6 HP.)

Whenever you take damage, the ward takes the damage instead. If the damage reduces the ward to 0 hit points, you take any remaining damage. Whenever you cast an abjuration spell of 1st level or higher, the ward regains a number of hit points equal to twice the level of the spell.

You also learn 2 more spells so how about some Abjuration spells? Shield is a reaction Abjuration spell to protect you from melee attacks, while Absorb Elements is a reaction Abjuration spell to protect you from magic. AR and MR!

(Artist unknown. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 5 - WIZARD 3

3rd level Wizards can learn second level spells but I’d actually suggest learning Alarm back at 1st level. Why Alarm? It’s an Abjuration spell you can cast as a Ritual, so you can just cast it continuously to refresh your Arcane Ward even without preparing the spell. For your other spell Mirror Image is a quick and easy way to keep the baddies from whacking you.

LEVEL 6 - WIZARD 4

4th level Wizards get an Ability Score Improvement but I’m actually going to suggest the Observant feat to increase your uneven Wisdom score. Every Support’s gotta pay attention to their wards!

You can also learn another two spells along with a cantrip: take Dancing Lights to set up a stage! As for spells you’re the loud and proud sort so to make a Grand Entrance grab Knock to make way for your party! Meanwhile if you want to keep yourself and your allies safe from ranged harm Warding Wind will do just that and more, but it will also make it harder for Xayah to hit. "What the hell were you thinking?" "Back there?" "Yes." "I wasn't. I never think. Ugh... thinking."

LEVEL 7 - WIZARD 5

5th level Wizards can learn third level spells so it’s time to grab our first mass charm: Hypnotic Pattern, which isn’t an Enchantment spell but in fact an Illusion spell (which will be important later.) If you want to get down with The Quickness however there’s nothing better than some good old-fashioned Haste.

LEVEL 8 - WIZARD 6

6th level Abjuration Wizards can finally protect their party and their girlfriend thanks to Projected Ward, letting you use your reaction to reduce the damage an ally takes with your Arcane Ward. “Thank you honey!”

You can also learn two more spells from the Wizard spell list. Xayah need to call someone? Help her with Sending. Want to go full AP for the traditional D&D Grand Entrance? Fireball.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

LEVEL 9 - CLERIC 3

We’ve spent enough time down in Nerdsville so how about some more Cleric levels? Third level Clerics can prepare second level spells like Aid to boost up your teammates with a Knight’s Vow. Speaking of Knight’s Vow Warding Bond will let you bond with Xayah so you take some damage for her.

Additionally as an Order Domain Cleric you have Hold Person and Zone of Truth innately prepared. Keep enemies at bay and let them know the truth!

LEVEL 10 - CLERIC 4

4th level Clerics get an Ability Score Improvement and I’m going to suggest further increasing your Wisdom, as it’ll help us more with our Cleric abilities which will be important later.

You also learn another cantrip such as Mending to keep your outfit in check. Additionally you can prepare two new spells with your increased Wisdom: Lesser Restoration can give you or Xayah some Tenacity when needed, but I’d suggest holding off on the other slot.

LEVEL 11 - CLERIC 5

5th level Clerics who use Turn Undead now Destroy Undead of CR 1/2 or lower. It’s unlikely that you’ll be fighting CR 1/2 enemies at level 11 but hey: it’s still useful!

What’s more useful however is that you can now prepare third level spells! As an Order Cleric you have Mass Healing Word for Redemption, or Slow to... slow the enemy. Maybe you grabbed Righteous Glory? Who knows.

Regardless the important thing is your charms so grab Fast Friends to charm single targets and Incite Greed to get a whole crowd to follow your Fey Feathers!

You may be asking why we’re grabbing Enchantment Spells of all the spells that Clerics get a third level. Well for one it’s because you’re The Charmer, but more importantly...

LEVEL 12 - CLERIC 6

At 6th level you become an Embodiment of the Law as an Order Domain Cleric. The law of dance that is! If you cast an Enchantment spell of first level or higher you can choose to make that spell a bonus action instead, and can do it a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier. You regain these fast charms after a long rest.

This was the main reason I went into Order Domain. Being able to quickly charm foes is textbook for Rakan, which made this subclass ideal for this build.

You can also prepare another spell at this level: Dispel Magic with Mikael's Crucible in case of any strong debuffs. Also more Abjuration spells for your shield!

(Artwork by Yusuh on DeviantArt. You have no idea how hard it is to find solo artwork for these two.)

LEVEL 13 - WIZARD 7

7th level Wizards can learn 4th level spells like Confusion; something that fills my allies whenever I take Rakan into the jungle. For your other spell I’d actually suggest hopping back to third level for Counterspell to keep your allies safe with more Abjuration. Trust me it’ll be important later.

LEVEL 14 - WIZARD 8

At 8th level you get an Ability Score Improvement and despite being a Wizard we’ve kinda been ignoring Intelligence: let’s fix that with a +2 so our Ward can be stronger as can our Wizard spells.

You can also learn two new spells: more Charms? Charm Monster, so even the mighty Volibear can’t resist you. Other than that there are tons of great Wizard spells but I’m never going to say no to Dimension Door.

LEVEL 15 - WIZARD 9

9th level Wizards can cast 5th level spells like Dominate Person for charms on-par with mind control! (Because it is Mind Control.) For more combative 5th level spells Synaptic Status will let you bedazzle everyone in a 20 foot radius sphere, making it harder to hit as they’re stunned by your beauty. Rakan can have some AP; as a treat.

LEVEL 16 - WIZARD 10

10th level Abjuration Wizards get Improved Abjuration, letting them add their proficiency bonus to any ability check to Dispel Magic (such as with Dispel Magic or Counterspell.) If you wish you can also have Bless active on yourself for a d4 + 5 to any counterspell check. When you consider that the DC is equal to 10 plus the spell’s level and you have up to a +9 to the check it’s more than likely that you can be a Guardian against any dangerous spells!

You also get another cantrip at this level: do you already have too many cantrips? Yeah probably, but to get more props for your dance take Minor Illusion.

As for your two new Wizard spells Hold Monster is like Hold Person, but it works on Baron! And how about something to keep Zoe in her dimension? Banishment is a 4th level spell that works like a super CC that knocks an enemy out of the fight completely. You can’t attack them while they’re on another plane, but if they’re not native to the plane and spend a full minute Banished they go back to their original plane.

(Artwork by Riot Games)

LEVEL 17 - WIZARD 11

11th Wizards can prepare 6th level spells. Want to keep Xayah safe from a falling temple and shadow ninjas? Globe of Invulnerability blocks all spells of one level lower than you used to cast the spell. In general. The globe surrounds you but you can dive in to protect Xayah. But what if you just want to dance? Look no further than Otto's Irresistible Dance! It’s a spell that forces everyone to dance; that’s all you need to know! But seriously read the description of your spells.

LEVEL 18 - WIZARD 12

12th level Wizards get another Ability Score Improvement: seeing as we are going deep down the Wizard path it only makes sense to get a bit more Intelligence.

You can also learn 2 more spells: Contingency will let you cast a spell in case of emergency. Choose a spell of 5th level or lower that can target yourself and a trigger for the spell: when the trigger happens the spell activates. Backup plans are more of Xayah’s thing, but something like “Banish myself if I’m about to die because Xayah would kill herself if I died” is a good plan.

There are tons of other good Wizard spells; so many that I can’t choose any that would particularly fit Rakan or the build as a whole. You have a limited number of prepared spells anyways so take something you think will be useful.

LEVEL 19 - WIZARD 13

13th level Wizards can prepare 7th level spells: want to do a conjoined recall? Teleport will let you and up to 8 willing creates teleport to a location, such as your fountain. There’s a table of places you can end up which I suggest looking at for the full details of the spell, because it’s a rather overwhelming spell to explain without copy-pasting the description. But because I further suffer with what spells to give you in a high leveled Wizard build how about a fancy light show? Crown of Stars lets seven stars orbit your head which you can shoot out at enemies or light up the night!

LEVEL 20 - WIZARD 14

Our capstone is the 14th level of Abjuration Wizard for some much needed MR. Spell Resistance lets you resist all damage coming from spells and have advantage on all saving throws against spells!

Speaking of spells you can learn your final two but... pick for yourself this time! Xayah will love you despite all your faults, and I’m sure that you can make a choice for yourself. This is my way of saying I’m sick of picking Wizard spells.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

You will see my dance - You are the master of keeping your friends safe with charms to keep fights from happening and both shields and heals to keep your allies from being hurt.

Look at me now! - You are incredibly elusive: 18 AC (Scale Mail + Shield) you can bump up with the Shield spell, a 32 HP ward to protect you and your allies, and even Shifting for Temp HP and more dodging.

You put us in a cage? I put you in the ground - And of course as a caster with full caster levels you are more than capable of putting down the hurt, especially due to the added efficiency of being able to cast two spells in a turn (well a leveled spell and a cantrip) thanks to Embodiment of the Law.

CONS

I don't have to remember the plan if you do - You are essentially mixing two spellcasters who want you to use extremely dedicated spell lists. Abjuration spells to make Abjuration Wizard work and Enchantment Spells to make Order Cleric work. Sure you don’t only need to cast Enchantment and Abjuration spells but there also aren’t that many Abjuration spells to power up your ward.

I can't die looking this good! - The vast majority of your levels being in Wizard combined with a 0 Constitution score results in a health bar that’s easily under 100. You may have advantage on all saving throws but Power Word Kill has no save.

Woo! You animals are dumb! - The other problem with mixing two full casters together is that you can’t get the best of both worlds. You aren’t getting 9th level spells in general (even if you get the slots for ‘em) and both your Wisdom and your Intelligence aren’t maxed out. Sure if you aren’t using Standard Array that isn’t an issue but you’re bound to drop something.

But if you were perfect why would you need Xayah? She completes you, and you complete her. Fight along side her and together you’ll be unstoppable. There’s nothing you can’t defeat with the power of love... But a plan would also probably be good. "I think Xayah told me to improvise. At least, that's the only part of the plan I remember."

(Artwork by Riot Games)

[retrievablememories]

a sudden desire | johnny (m)

title: a sudden desire pairing: johnny x black reader genre: fluff, smut, fantasy/sci-fi summary: when you make an emergency landing on an ice planet, you have no choice but to seek refuge for the night. word count: 5.4k warnings: detailed description of an injury, mentions of violence, tending to wounds, mentions of insecurities, heavy petting, fingering, some dirty talk, unprotected sex—do not try at home!! 🔞 a/n: this exists in the same universe as my other fic, empathy. i’m developing this universe literally as i go, so plz excuse any plot holes, illogical shit, etc. i feel like this might be a bit too similar to another fic i wrote on here, but whatever chile it’s an excuse for some johnny smut so...bone app the teeth

The cold bites into your nose, fingertips, lips—the very bone marrow of your body. All you can do is shudder against the strong, icy wind beating across your skin and cling tighter to the backpack on your shoulders. You flex your fingers on the backpack straps to keep the blood circulating in them, though that doesn’t do much good when they hurt too much to move properly.

“Fuck, it’s freezing,” Ten curses beside you, and you’d agree if your lips didn’t feel frozen shut. Out of all places for your ship to give out, it’s just your luck that it happened on Kankara. Ice planet or not, though, you all made it out only by the skin of your teeth. The raiders who were on your tail would’ve surely taken advantage of the ship’s ruined state—one that they caused—if Laila and Lucas hadn’t taken them out with their gunning skills.

You, Ten, Lucas, and Laila huddle together near the entrance of the repair garage as you watch Johnny transfer the team’s credits to the repairman. Surprisingly, he’s one of the few other humans you’ve encountered in your travels across the galaxy, and it makes you wonder how he ended up here.

You already know there aren’t going to be many credits left after paying to fix the extensive damages the ship sustained, which is even more reason to get it in working order again. Because once it’s running, you can seek more missions—and more bounties.

“What’s the cheapest place around here that we can crash at for a while?” Johnny asks the man once he takes his Unit Pad back. The man scoffs, throwing him a look that’s equal parts sympathetic and amused.

“Not many hovercabs run around here, especially this time of night. The closest and cheapest place you’ll reach on foot is Drakar’s Motel...but it ain’t shit to write home about.” The man gives Johnny the directions. Most of what he says goes in one of your ears and out the other. You’ll be amazed if half of your brain isn’t frozen by the time you get indoors.

Laila sighs at the prospect of shacking up in a strange place. “I wish we could take the smaller craft,” she says, stomping her feet like a child.

“Too bad it got damaged too,” Lucas says, rubbing her shoulders in a futile attempt to warm her up. “These raiders are fuckin’ ruthless, man.”

“I guess it’ll have to do,” Johnny sighs, pocketing his pad and making his way back to the group. He reaches for one of your hands and you uncurl it from your backpack strap to take his. It’s an effort, but you feel better the instant his skin is on yours, so you think it’s worth it.

The snow never stops falling on this planet. It’s a perpetual winter, only much less jolly and welcoming than your typical winter wonderland. There doesn’t seem to be much of anything here. Just scattered buildings, empty streets, snow, and more snow—like a frozen desert. You don’t mind a bit of cold weather every now and then, but this is an extreme you don’t think you could ever get used to.

Kankara’s neighboring moons hang large in the sky, providing ample light to travel by. At least you don’t have to worry too much about whatever’s lurking in the dark.

Thankfully, you don’t have to walk the streets for too long before a bright glow begins manifesting through the ice and snow, as if some holy mirage. The slanted edges of a building come into focus, and it becomes clear that this is the motel’s silhouette.

“Finally!” Ten kicks a mound of snow in front of him and it sprays up around Laila, who promptly blesses him out for dousing her in more cold. As usual, Lucas has to squeeze his way in between them to stop the ensuing mess.

The first thing you notice about the motel is its neon sign. Not all of the letters work, so it looks more like “a a’s ote” than “Drakar’s Motel.” You simply chuckle and roll your eyes at that. If you were the one who had to come out in this cold to fix the letters, you’d leave the shit alone too.

There’s not much to see on the outside of the motel, with white powder covering nearly every inch of its exterior. You have to admit that it looks quite small, though, even from farther away.

When you all get inside, you realize it’s not much better. The temperature in the lobby is only a few degrees higher than the outside, at most. Not brutally cold anymore, but certainly not enough to warm anybody up. The lobby itself is barely bigger than one floor of your ship, and the burning fluorescent lights make you feel like a bug pinned underneath a glass pane, strangely lit up and displayed for all to see.

An extraterrestrial you recognize as a Vykyll sits behind the check-in counter reading a magazine. They’re balancing their chin on one of their tentacles, looking half-asleep and extremely bored with their job...or with life itself. Their nametag reads “Srynei.”

Srynei looks up from their magazine and gives you all a weary expression. “Before you even ask, there are only two one-beds available. The other rooms are either occupied or defunct.”

“One bed?” Lucas echoes, his eyes widening. He looks stuck between incredulity and annoyance.

You and Johnny glance at each other. He shrugs. “Well…it’s not like we have the money to pay for anything better, anyway.” He takes out his Unit Pad to hand to the alien. “Book it for five nights.”

Srynei places their magazine down and takes out a Unit Pad with the motel’s logo on it. “2 rooms for 50 credits a night...you got it.”

“Defunct? What does that mean?” Laila asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

“It means we can’t stay in those rooms, dumbass,” Ten replies, flicking her forehead. She catches his wrist before he can pull away fast enough and twists it, making him yelp in pain.

“I know what it means, watermelon head. I’m asking, why are they defunct?”

“Burst pipes, leaks, shattered windows from the sheer amount of cold...not my problem, though, I just check in the guests.” Srynei rolls their eyes as if they’re exhausted with the absurdity of the entire situation. You can’t imagine how many off-world visitors Kankara gets for the motel to still be in business, but stranger things have happened.

After the transaction is finished, Srynei holds out two room keys and you take them. 102 and 105, which means at least you won’t have to venture back out to use the stairs.

“So who’s sleeping with who?” Laila asks.

“I thought that was obvious,” Lucas snickers, wrapping his arms around her and Ten’s shoulders. He squishes them against his body in a too-tight hug and they both complain for air. “We should all leave these two,” he nods his head in your and Johnny’s direction, “to themselves, shouldn’t we?” It makes sense. The statement is innocent enough, but the sly faces of your three friends reveal their true thoughts.

“Can you not?” You laugh nervously, tossing Lucas the key for room 105. “I’m about ready to hit the sheets, so…” You don’t wait for his response before making your way down the hall, which is a tad narrower than you’re comfortable with. Everyone else will probably end up walking single-file to fit through. “God, this place is a claustrophobic nightmare.”

You fit the key in the lock and try to keep your mind off what Lucas just said. With some success. Okay, not a lot.

You and Johnny have been together for a little over 5 moon cycles now, but it’s safe to say you haven’t done much other than kiss and cuddle—which is mostly fine with you. But sometimes, you wonder how he feels about it and if he’s...content with it? Or maybe even growing tired of it? You feel bad for even thinking like that, because you know he doesn’t care and you shouldn’t either, but…

This isn’t the first time you’ve slept in the same bed together, but now that’s it been brought up, you can’t keep your mind off the subject of doing more. And as if on-cue, it makes your oh-so-familiar self-doubts rise to the surface.

“Are you okay?” Johnny’s voice interrupts your thoughts. His hand clasps over yours, and that’s when you realize you’ve been fumbling with the key in the lock for a good few moments now. He steadies your hand and helps you finally turn the key and unlock the door. “You must be really cold, let’s get you inside.”

“It’s not gonna be much warmer in there...” you say. The other three are already raising hell as they try to squeeze past each other in the small corridor, and you know it’s going to be a long few days.

The room is just as small as you expect it to be—and just as cold. There’s a heating and air conditioning unit by the window, though you doubt even it works judging by the room’s temperature. “Sometimes I feel like we never left Earth. Some of this stuff is so similar…” You wonder if the motel was purposely modeled after its Earth-based counterparts, or if there simply weren’t enough funds to spring for more advanced alien tech.

You don’t know a lot about Kankara, but you’ve heard it mostly described as a vast and cold-hearted place. The latter characteristic is undeniable of the weather, but you don’t know if you can make that kind of snap judgment for the planet’s inhabitants. Living somewhere like this will make anyone’s ambitions and hopes shrink to near nothingness, centering more on survival than basic pleasures.

“Takes getting used to,” Johnny sighs, closing the door and stripping off his two outer jackets as carefully as possible. “It’s like déjà vu.”

“You should get cleaned up,” you say, fiddling with the switches on the HVAC. As you thought, nothing works. That’s lovely.

“You should go first.” Johnny comes over to you and rubs his hands on your arms to try and warm you up.

“No way, I’m not the injured one here. I’d think you need it more than me.”

“Isn’t the first and probably won’t be the last. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

Johnny moves your braids to the side and kisses your cheek in what is usually an innocent gesture. Him saying, “Don’t make me beg,” immediately after, though, makes it decidedly less so.

“O-okay,” you squeak, rushing to grab your clothes and head to the bathroom.

The bathroom is plain as hell, but clean, at least. You scrub off as much of the day’s dirt and grime as you can. Thankfully, the water isn’t as cold as the rest of the place, but it still isn’t as warm as you’d prefer.

Johnny takes his turn after you dress and come out. You climb onto the bed and notice that a portion of the window is in view—he must’ve pushed the drapes back. You stare out of the glass, watching the snow fall endlessly and wondering how it never piles higher. It’s as if the planet is in stasis, perpetually frozen on both a physical and time-based level.

Johnny comes out of the shower shirtless and looking not much happier than he was when he got in. His mouth is tucked into that straight line that always makes you laugh. “The hot water only lasted about 2 more minutes before it cut out on me, so that was fun.”

You try not to snort. “That’s tragic, Johnny.”

“Truly a modern tragedy,” he says sarcastically, brushing his wet bangs out of his eyes. He glances at you over his shoulder as he puts his worn clothes away. “Maybe we could take a shower together next time.”

“I’m sure,” you murmur, embarrassed, tucking your knees up close to your chest.

You glance at the wound just below the left side of his ribcage. It’s mostly scar tissue, no thanks to the cauterizing heat of the blaster shot that struck him, but it still looks horrible. And it must feel similarly, with the way he moves around the room being extra careful of it.

“You need to redress it,” you tell him.

“I know,” he sighs, his shoulders slumping at the thought of doing that. Johnny turns back to look at you, a pout on his bow-shaped lips. “Will you help me?”

A small smile crosses your lips. “Okay.” Johnny roots around in his pack for the medical supplies he remembered to pack before you all ditched the ship. He takes out the roll of bandages, AntiBac Gel, and bandage clips and hands them to you before gingerly climbing on the bed, propping a pillow against the headboard to lean on.

“We’re lucky we got away when we did,” you say, spreading the AntiBac over the wound. “Those bastards wouldn’t let up…”

“We definitely would’ve been way worse off without the others,” Johnny agrees. He glances at your hand moving across his skin. “Seeing you fight always reminds me of when we first met, though…all those training sessions we had, I mean.”

“Why?” You grimace slightly at the scarred edges of the wound. Not because you’re disgusted, but because you feel bad at how painful it looks.

“Back then, you were ruthless…and it fascinated me. Even though I’m not a huge fan of violence.” His lips twitch as if he doesn’t mean to smile about it, but he does anyway. “And you’re still the same but it’s...like, different, you know?”

“I’m afraid I don’t.” You laugh, unraveling the bandage and beginning to wrap it around his chest.

“I can’t explain it,” he says, looking at you from behind his still-soggy bangs. You glance at him, drinking in the curve of his cheekbones and his chin in the light of the bedside lamp. “It’s just...everything seems a little different when you’re in love with someone.”

Your fingers falter with the bandage for a second, and you hope he doesn’t notice. If he does, he doesn’t acknowledge it. “I suppose I can’t argue with that,” you say. “But...I’m just doing what has to be done. To keep ourselves alive. It gets scary out there, and…” You falter, unsure what to say. Or if you should say what you’re thinking.

“And you can’t live without me?” Johnny says, putting his hand over his heart.

“You literally never get tired, do you?” You grin, finishing the bandage and securing it with the clips.

“I dunno, sometimes. I am just a human, after all.” Johnny brings a hand up to tuck a stray braid back into your scarf. He lies back on the small bed when you’re done, taking your hand in his and kissing it. “Thank you, my queen. How can I ever repay you from saving me from a certain demise?”

“You’re such a clown.” You shake your head, laughing and pulling away from him long enough to put away the makeshift first-aid kit.

After you store the supplies, you climb back onto the bed. It’s barely enough for the both of you, let alone Johnny’s big body, and you find yourself nearly on top of him. You mentally will your palms not to sweat as you sit in such close proximity to him while he’s half-naked. You do enjoy it, though. A lot. You find yourself tracing one of his many old scars—one long line extending across his bicep—with your gaze.

“Didn’t you get that one from the day we escaped the EECA?” you ask quietly.

Johnny glances at it and nods, his lips curling into a slight smile. “Mm...yeah. Remember when Lucas kissed you that day?”

“I don’t want to remember.” Your skin grows hot with the memory, though more out of embarrassment than anything else.

“Did you enjoy it?” His eyes crinkle with laughter.

You give him a skeptical look. “No, not really!? We didn’t know each other that well then, and I don’t like having my personal space invaded.”

Johnny considers that, tucking his bottom lip between his teeth before looking at you. “What about me?” His tone lowers and he inches closer, glancing at your lips.

You raise your eyebrows and place a hand on his chest. “I know you aren’t trying it with a serious wound right now.”

“I’m already halfway hard.” He smirks, adjusting his sleep pants.

Your chest warms straight through, enough to make you forget all about the frigidness of the motel room. You feel both anxious and enthralled. The two emotions create a conflicting dichotomy inside of you, and it makes you uncertain of how to respond. You shove his shoulder, making sure to be careful of his side. “What kind of freak gets off on having their wounds tended to?”

You both laugh, but Johnny grins nervously after a moment, suddenly becoming much more shy than he was a few minutes ago. “You know it’s all just me being silly, right? You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I just want you to be comfortable.”

You just hum and look at him, regarding his features, before kissing him very tenderly on the lips. “I know, John.” After you pull away, you continue observing each other, though it doesn’t feel awkward, just—tense. Without a word, you both lean in and kiss again, a little deeper than before. His hand cradles the side of your face and neck, drifting between the two as if he isn’t sure where to settle.

Johnny licks into your mouth and you respond in kind, sliding your arm across his shoulders to pull him a little closer. Your touch is often still tentative with him, especially when you’re more intimate like this, still not quite sure if you’re allowed to have this, if it’s okay to indulge.

Johnny pulls away slightly to rest his forehead on yours, his lips still moving against your mouth when he speaks. “We...really don’t have to if you’re not ready,” he says, sounding slightly winded from the kiss alone.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” you respond. You touch the hem of the bandages where they meet his skin, a little above his abs, and your hand keeps hovering there, unsure if you can touch him that way.

“It doesn’t matter,” he responds, moving closer to kiss you again.

You don’t know how long you sit there simply kissing each other, tasting each other’s lips as if there will never be enough of this—this sweetness shared between you.

After a beat of hesitation, you allow yourself to touch his abdomen, feeling the firm indentations of muscle underneath your hand. He’s impossibly warm even though you’re on an ice planet—it’s like he’s his own personal space heater. His skin is soft under yours, and he smells good enough to drown in forever.

In response to your touches, Johnny’s hand leaves your face and travels to your side, sliding down your waist and lower to your hip. His fingers are close to the inside of your thigh, moving over the fabric of your pajama pants.

Your hand drifts to the waistband of his pants, too, though you hesitate to go further. You realize with a bit of surprise, though, that you very much want this, more than you possibly let yourself believe. There are still many things you’re apprehensive about doing or saying with Johnny, but in this present point in time, you feel positive that you want to feel him in, around, under, over top of you—it doesn’t matter how.

Johnny’s lips separate from yours, and he moves his mouth to the soft skin of your cheek, ear, jaw, neck. Wherever he can reach is fair game at this point. “You can touch me. If you want.” He says this while kissing your neck, letting his voice vibrate across your nerves and seep into the very fibers of your being.

You take up his offer.

You tentatively slide your hand past the waistband. You don’t go underneath his underwear, but that’s fine for you. For the both of you. Instead, you feel him over the fabric, caressing the curve of his hardening cock and teasing the sensitive head with trembling fingers. Johnny moans softly against your neck, sighing and pressing his hips a little closer into your hand.

“Should I let you have all the fun?” he asks, kissing your throat.

“No,” you reply, breathless but still amused, “that wouldn’t be very fair, would it.”

Johnny vocalizes his pleasure and agreement when his fingers slip lower, pressing between your legs and gliding over your clit through the layers of your clothing. Your breath hitches, but you don’t stop stroking his dick, and he grows bolder with his own actions, sliding his hand up and away—only for a second—and then down into your pants, burdened with one less layer and giving you more calculating touches.

He strokes your clit as if he’s never touched anything so gently, and it makes you grip the back of his damp head and pull him closer to you, if at all possible. He answers that need for proximity by coming back up to claim your lips again, your tongues gliding against each other’s in the room’s quiet.

Your fingers are sticky from Johnny’s precum leaking into his underwear and onto your hand, and likewise, you are growing increasingly wetter in his hold.

Johnny moves as if he means to climb on top of you, but he winces and grunts halfway through the motion and you stop, looking at him with wide eyes.

“Are you hurt? I told you this wasn’t a good idea…”

“Stop worrying about me,” he says, though he doesn’t try to move again. “It’s just a little pain...but, um...maybe on the side is better.”

You nod, and you both spend a few awkward seconds shuffling around on the bed so Johnny is spooning you instead, your back to his front. You feel a little disappointed about not being able to see him, but that dissipates when he resumes touching you and kissing your nape. You mean to reach behind you to take care of him, too, but he seems content with gently rocking his hips against your ass, grinding his dick between your cheeks.

“Is this enough for you?” he asks, his voice soft and deep.

“W-what?” You can guess what he means, but being asked takes you off guard.

“Do you like how I’m touching you?” Johnny applies a little more pressure on your clit when he asks this, and you try unsuccessfully to not shudder like a leaf in a windstorm at the sensation. Combined with the sound of his voice, it’s an electrifying kind of feeling. “Or do you want more?”

It seems like every part of your body is throbbing with yes. “I...want more.”

Johnny lays a kiss against your shoulder. You feel him pull your underwear to the side and drag his middle finger against your clit and down to your hole, teasing you as if he doesn’t think he’ll insert it. Your body tenses and you moan. You don’t know if you should press back against his dick or into his hand, and it’s the sweetest, yet hardest, decision you’ve ever had to make.

Johnny finally eases his finger inside of you and makes a sound you can’t quite distinguish. “Is this all for me?”

“W-who else would it be for?” Your words are almost lost to the pillow as you use it to muffle your increasing sounds.

“I’m flattered, really. You shouldn’t have,” he snickers, pumping his finger into you. He makes sure to drag his palm across your clit as he does, carefully but firmly enough to make you pant. He caresses your inner walls until he finds your G spot and then focuses his energies on pleasuring that part of you.

“Shit...Johnny…” You curl your fingers into the fabric of the sheets beneath you.

Johnny slips another finger into you, and the stretch sets your nerves on fire with a more intense bliss. His mouth returns to your skin, kissing and licking and biting you everywhere.

“Johnny, please…” You reach back to grasp his hair, needing something to hold onto. He slips his right hand to your front, grasping one of your breasts through your shirt and running his thumb over the hardened nipple. You two are a tangle of limbs at this point, blurring into each other in the best possible way.

Your abdomen grows tense and your stomach warms as you come closer to your orgasm. You find yourself gripping Johnny’s arm, wanting him deeper inside of you, yet nearly wishing he’d stop for fear of being overwhelmed.

“Are you gonna come? Good. I wanna feel you gush around me,” Johnny whispers into your ear. He slips his right hand past the collar of your shirt, palming your bare breasts and pinching your nipples between his fingers.

You moan brokenly as the cord tethering you to your composure snaps, making you come and clench around Johnny’s fingers. The sound of him fucking you with his hand grows wetter, and you hear Johnny cursing in response.

Just when you think you can’t take anymore of his fingers curling into your spot, he pulls them out and puts them in his mouth, sucking them clean.

“You taste so good.” Johnny sounds drunk with lust—as if him rutting against your ass wasn’t enough of an indicator. You crane your head towards him, grip his chin, and bring his lips down to yours, tasting yourself on his mouth. He kisses you hungrily as soon as your lips meet. You almost have to pry him away to say your next words.

“I want more...” you say quietly against his lips.

Johnny smirks. “How much more?”

“You know what I want.”

“Hm...do I?”

“John…”

“Yes, queen?”

You blow air through your nose in lieu of cackling outright. “Inside me, please.”

Johnny gives you a soft peck before gripping the waistband of your underwear and pushing it down your legs. You help him slide them off the rest of the way, and he does the same for himself. His dick springs up between you, flushed and wet with precum. He grips it and guides it between your thighs, though he doesn’t enter you just yet.

The tip is sticky as it pokes against your thigh and then slides through your lower lips. You shudder at feeling him so close to you, hard and warm and yearning. He rubs against you like that for a few moments, his shaft stimulating your clit and making you leak onto him even more, his dick glistening with it. Johnny grasps your hip and moves your body in tune with his own movements, and you swear you see a tiny explosion of stars every time the vein on his cock rubs your clit.

“You’re killing me,” you sigh, rolling your head against the pillow before quickly stopping. You don’t need the hassle of retying your scarf if it comes off—and God knows it will if you continue.

“I think I’ve tortured us both enough.” Johnny places the tip at your entrance and slowly inches inside. Even that much makes you gasp, and you continue whimpering as he spreads you open with his thick shaft. Johnny’s breaths grow more labored, and he groans long and low when he finally bottoms out.

There’s little room left for words when he starts thrusting, taking it slower than you expected—but you don’t mind. Even though you’re already soaking and pliable from his earlier actions, he takes his time with fucking into you, guiding you along his length and pushing his hips to meet yours in an intimate rhythm. When he brushes against that same sensitive spot with his dick, you feel like your body’s been gripped with an almost painful kind of pleasure. One that holds onto you and refuses to ever let go.

It’s all so overwhelming.

“I love you,” he moans, pushing his cock in and dragging it back out with all the leisure in the world, “so much.” Your mouth falls open, and you want to say something back, anything, but you can’t make the words come out. Instead, you’re taken aback as tears spring to your eyes, choking you and closing your throat off to any sentiment you might want to express.

This isn’t the first time he’s told you that. You both know this well. But within this context, it makes your head spin with a new kind of dizziness. It all feels so good, too good, too much to bear.

You bite his arm to keep yourself silent, though it’s too late, and he feels your tears dripping onto his skin. Johnny handles you as if you’re made of glass, drawing your face towards his as he looks at you and wipes your wet cheeks. You still aren’t comfortable crying in front of him, but he never minds.

“Look at me,” he says. Johnny’s still moving inside you, sliding into you all slick and deep, and it makes you feel nearly too vulnerable to tolerate, as if you’ve been flayed open. But you do it anyway, latching onto his warm eyes. His skin shines from a thin layer of sweat, and it makes his hair stick to his forehead. The lamp light hitting his face makes his eyes look like two never-ending pools of warm honey, and he cups your face and kisses you tenderly when you lock eyes, and it’s all just too much.

“John, holy fuck.” You don’t really mean to say that, of all things, but it can’t be stopped once your orgasm floods through you, only it isn’t the violent and quick kind—it’s more of a slow buildup that finally bursts apart, spreading ecstasy through your whole body. You moan and tremble uncontrollably as Johnny slowly strokes you through your climax, still rubbing your clit and fucking into you deep.

Everything becomes a tiny bit blurrier for you, but you don’t fail to notice his own reactions as he grows closer, his thighs trembling from the effort of keeping his pace even. Finally, Johnny crushes your body against his as if you could melt together, pulling out to cum over your thighs and stomach. He buries his face into your shoulder and groans against you, and it’s a sound you think you’ll want to hear for the rest of your life. He keeps stroking his dick in between your thighs until he’s spent, his chest heaving from the effort of it all.

You both lie there for a few long minutes, simply trying to catch your breath. You still feel the dried tears on your face, though you try your best to ignore them, not wanting to ruin the moment with unwelcome feelings.

Johnny pulls his hand out of your shirt and sits up, though it takes an extra bit of strength on his part. You feel strangely guilty about how much you dislike suddenly being parted from his touch. As if he can sense your unease, Johnny grasps your hand in both of his and gives it a long kiss before going to the bathroom.

You hear the water running. Then, Johnny comes back quickly with a small towel. He climbs onto the bed and helps you into a sitting position.

“I’m sorry it’s not warm.” He smiles sheepishly, dabbing the washcloth against your cheeks as he erases the remnants of the tears.

You give him a small smile in return. “Nothing on this planet is.”

He cleans the mess he left on your lower body before tending to himself. After he’s done, you both pull your clothes back on—because it’s far too cold to sleep without anything on—and Johnny finally finds a shirt.

In the dark of the room, you curl up against each other to keep out the chill. When you wake up in the morning, you know you’ll be greeted to more cold and snow. It’ll still be days before you can return to your ship. Depending on how many credits are left, you might have to swap a few meals for Reserve Paks instead of eating decent food. You can already taste the lukewarm, oatmeal-like consistency of it in your mouth.

Despite that...you still have your friends and teammates. You still have Johnny. Maybe this could be a peculiar form of happiness. Maybe this could be contentment. Something that belongs wholly to you.

You trace a circle on the back of Johnny’s hand, studying his features illuminated by the moonlight spilling through the blinds. You shuffle closer to be level with his ear, and he blinks at you sleepily.

“I love you too.”

[yandere-ac]

I love your blog so much!! 💞💞💞💞 If you want to, maybe a yandere K.K. Slider 🥺👉👈

Yandere K.K. Slider X Reader

Star

(There were two requests for this but I accidentally deleted one because I’m a dumb fuck)

C / O/C = Coffee of choice

K.K. Slider was not your average dog. You see, he was a world famous celebrity who was popular for his music. He was a dog who had it all yet...had nothing. He had money, fame, friends, fans, people throwing themselves at him! But he’d never really felt happy with any of it. Because of his fame, people put him up on a pedestal. And become of THAT he couldn’t interact with anyone like a normal person. He was always THE world famous K.K. Slider to these people, not ever just K.K.

But he had to accept it, if he didn’t he’d have gone depressed by now. At least he wasn’t famous for doing something proper, then people would call him stuff like “Mr. Slider” good lord, then he would DEFINITELY be depressed. But still, he did have some close friends who treated him like an equal instead of some star.

In a studio not far off, a cat with fluffy white fur was storming around, checking so that everything was in place. He was wearing a white checkered muffler, topping it off with a brown paperboy hat. “Mic? Check! Guitar? Check! Amplifiers? Check! K.K.?...god damnit- where the hell is he at?” The felines tail whisked in annoyance as he pinched the bridge of his tiny, pink nose. “Umm...we don’t know sir-“ “stay here I’ll get him. Make sure everything’s in check, CRACK ON EVERYONE! ...this dog is going to be the death of me” He mumbles the last part under his breath as everyone around him continued to unload all of the equipment, walking at a brisk pace he was wondering how he got into this situation. The cat looked all over, in his lounge, all over the studio, he made multiple calls to him only to get no response. He knew that there was only one place left where he hadn’t looked. The roof. “God damnit Tota...” and so he climbed up the studio latter up to the roof, and sure enough. There he sat. Totakeke Slider.

“The latter again? When are you actually gonna climb like a normal Cat?” The white dog said, staring off into the distance, not turning around to look at the cat behind him. “Really Totakeke? The roof? What is this, the third time? Ye can’t just bunk off work when there’s a rehearsal about to begin” K.K. felt himself chuckle as he turned around to look at his frustrated friend. “Wow, three times now and you’ve yet to look up here first” he smiled, making the cat tense up. “Uh!- don’t change the subject! You’re the one who’s not at his own bloody rehearsal!” He approached his friend only to be pulled down to the ground next to him. “Chill out daddio. It’s in two hours” K.K looked out over the sky, letting out a wonderful sigh. “Yeah? And ye are supposed to be practicing! What happens if ye forget the lyrics? If ye forget what to play?” “Seamus” “if ye mess up the song?” “Seamus!” What if-“ K.K. grabbed ahold of his friends face, mushing his cheeks in between his paws. “Dude, chill out. I’m not gonna forget the lyrics to the songs. I wrote them!” K.K. said, letting out a little laugh at his agents spastic behaviour. Seamus face got light pink as he realized that he was rambling. “Ah yes of course...I’m sorry” K.K.s muffled laugh was now more amplified, he patted Seamus on the back as he did so. “No worries, I just wished you didn’t stress so much. I’m tellin ya, everyday I swear I can see grey hair on that scalp of yours” “dONT YER EVEN JOKE ABOUT THAT TOTA!”

“Alright people lets wrap it up! Ye did good today!” K.K. was walking off stage when he heard the gentle pats against the floor, he knew who was approaching him. “What’s happening Shimo!” He turned around to greet the little penguin as she ran towards him. “O-Oh! Did you hear me? K.K.?” She asked, very much startled about the musicians ability to know she was coming. “The whole studio hear ye lass” Seamus was quick to reply as he helped the others with carrying all the equipments. “Ah! I see...eheheh” Shimo gave a sheepish smile as she scratched her neck. “Heh, well did ya need something butternut?” K.K. asked her. “Well...I was gonna ask...after the next show, would you maybe give two cans of yours private autographs?” She asked, twiddling her fins together. “Of course I can! I love giving fans autographs! Who are they?” He asked excitedly. He always loved giving back to his fans, back when he wasn’t as popular and more of a freelance artist he didn’t even make people pay for his music. But that was then. Now his agents where always pushing him to capitalise on his fame. So nowadays he always took any chance possible to give back to the ones who took him as to where he is now. “Well, they’re two kids, one of the is a boy. His name is joji, he’s a five year human and the other one is a girl, kim, also five and a human” “A human?! Hah! Haven’t seen me one o’ those for quite some time!” Seamus was, once again, quick to quip in. Was that true? He was gonna meet not one but two humans? He’d seen many humans before at his concerts and he’d met a few of them but it was always so interesting to see them. Because for every human there was at least 4 animals to accompany them. It was just much rarer to be a human than to be an animal. “Well I would love to, and I’m sure we can made time after the show right Seamus?” K.K. and Shimo turned to his agent whom only responded by looking at the pair with a displeased look. “Well...I guess if they’re willin ta stay for a while after the show than sure, I don’t see a problem” this made the penguins eyes light up. “Oh thank you guys! They’ll be so happy to hear this!”

“Ahh it’s nothin lass. But uh these kids, they’re gonna have a parent accompanying them right? We don’t want two little children runnin’ around our studio without supervision” Seamus said walking towards the two. Shimo gave him a smile. “Yes! They’ll be accompanied by a family member! Don’t worry they won’t cause any trouble, Joji is an angel” Shimo assures the cat infront of her. “Right, right. Well, again, then there won’t be any trou-“ before Seamus could could finish his sentence, Shimo tackled him into a hug. And soon after that K.K. let out a small chuckle as he took the annoyed cat into a side hug. “Oh thank you Seamus! Thank you thank you thank you!”

“Agh! Get off me! Quit laughin’ Tota before I smack yer face off!”

“WE LOVE YOU K.K.!”

“DO BUBBLEGUM K.K.!”

“K.K.! K.K.!”

“Thank you! Everyone! I love you all! You’re all amazing!” The sound of his adoring fans was almost ear deafening, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He loved each and everyone of them just as much as way back when he had about 30 fans. He still remember the day when he blew out and gained a large following, he remembered how happy he felt knowing that people enjoyed his music. And still today he loved his fans. Even if they were a little...intense. As he went backstage a white arm clung around him by the shoulder and he was walked away from all the noice. “Alright so you go change, tidy up, drink some water, just freshen up. We’ll get the wee lad and lass in `ere shortly alright?”

“Okey, thanks Seamus” The star said, walking to his lounge. This had been a good show, or at least he felt so. After washing off and chilling for a while he went out of his lounge to find Shimo. He opened his door and-

“Agh!”

Oh no. He hit someone in the face with the door. He ran out to help whoever he hit. “Oh my god are you oke-“ he stoppped himself before he could even start. Looking at the person before him, It was a human. They were rubbing one spot on their forehead bending over. “...uh...oh! Are you alright? I didn’t mean to hit you? Do you like...need ice?” The human groaned as they rose up again to meet his gaze. “No no, it’s- it’s alright I just- I got scared by the door suddenly just swinging open. It’s okey really” they looked at him and...my god. This human was very cute. Suddenly, a second smaller human popped out behind them. He was grabbing the fabric that surrounded the older ones legs with one arm while the other one was surrounded by a red cast. And then a thing small human ran out from behind the first ones legs and looked at him with big eyes...oh!

“You’re Kim and joji right?” He asked looking at the small girl and boy. At that they let out a little gasp and nodded. They boy seeming less shy. “Well, do you want an autograph little dudes?” He said as he crouched down to be on the same level as the kid. The boy, joji nodded as he ran up to him. K.K. snickered at the kids sudden enthusiasm as he took out a pen and paper. He looked first at the girl. “What do you want it to say?”

“To Kim, from your grooviest pop star ever! K.K. Slider! And then a buncha hearts and starts!” She said very enthusiastically. “Righto” he signed the paper and gave it to her. “Well little guy, what do you want it to say?”

“...to...to my biggest fan, Joji. Rock on, From K.K. Slider” joji said. This kid was just adorable. As he reached out for more paper the boy declined and pointed to his cats. Oh right! K.K. felt a little stupid for not realising that he wanted his cast signed, but he of course signed it. “Now what do we say kids?” The older one said. “Thank you K.K. Slider” the two of them said, as they said this they ran over to him and gave him a big hug. It took K.K. Of guard but he happily returned the hug. After a few seconds he got a bright idea. “Hey, wanna check out the stage?” The kids let out yet another gasp as he said this. “Yes! Please! Y/N can we please go see the stage?” They turned around to look at the older one, seemingly named Y/N. “Well, if it’s okey for K.K. Slider. Then sure. I do have to talk to Shimo about something”

And so the four went towards the stage. Joji was riding on K.K. Sliders back and Kim was happily skipping besides them, holding K.Ks hand. Y/N was trailing behind them. As K.K. opened the door to a bunch of animals running around, none of them really paying any mind to the dog. “Alright where do you wanna go to first? The production team? The stage?” Before they could answer Y/N walked up to one of the agents and tried to get their attention. “Exude me ms. Do you know where Shimo is? I have to ask her something” when the agent shook her head Y/N simply let out a sigh. “I think I know where she is. Hey frans could you show the kids around? I’ll help Y/N out” K.K. said as he helped Joji off his back. The two children followed after the agent as K.K. motioned for Y/N to follow him. “Shall we?”

“Sure”

As the two of them walked, they stroke up a conversation. “So are you a fan? Or just here for your kids?” “Oh well, i wouldn’t say I’m a fan. I do listen to some of your music now and again but this is the first time I’ve been to one of your concerts. Also, Kim and Joji aren’t my kids, they’re my sisters kids. I’m just their sitter for the evening” “Ah yes of course. Well did you enjoy the concert?” He asked as he walked closer to them. “I did. You’re a very talented musician K.K. Slider” “you can just call me Totakeke, it’s alright” K.K. Said with a grin. “okey, totakeke” they relied smiling back at him. They were so beautiful/handsome/stylish. Their lushes hair, their shining eyes, their soft skin. Everything about them, it drove him nuts. He’s never felt this about anyone even if he’s been in countless relationships. This wasn’t your average crush or even love. He wanted to have them. He wanted to cherish them. He wanted to-

“Oh! Shimo! There you are! I wanted to ask you if” the rest of the conversation became blurred for K.K.. He couldn’t focus on anything but them. What was this feeling! It was like a drug! And like every addict, he wanted more. He waited until the conversation was over to approach Y/N once more. “Hey Y/N...I just wanted to ask you if...umm...if you’d like to...maybe like...go out sometime?” God damn it. Why was he acting so awkwardly, he’s usually such a smooth talker but- “like a date? Sure I’d be happy to” at that moment K.K. Could feel his heart explode! “O-Oh! Yeah! Groovy! Well do you wanna meet up at the park at 3?” The two of them made plans to meet and the whole time, K.K. could feel his tail wag more and more violently. He couldn’t wait until 3 tomorrow.

Where were you!? Where you not coming!? Oh god he scared you off didn’t he? He really didn’t want to do something drastic but if you’re not gonna show up he might have to go against his rules. But just as he was considering doing something crazy he heard the sound of footsteps coming close. “Hi! I’m so sorry I’m late! Traffic was holding me up” It was you! You had arrived after all! “Oh! No worries daddio. Traffic can be a little extreme around these parts. But don’t worry, where we’re going is not very crowded and it won’t be overflowing with people” k.k. Said, flashing a toothy grin. “Oh where are we going?” y/N asked tilting their head slightly. “Oh you’ll see, c'mon!” With that K.K. Grabbed ahold of Y/N’s hand as they started running somewhere. All while Y/N had no clue of where they were going. After awhile, the pare arrived at a cozy little establishment called “brewsters coffie”. As the two walked in, K.K. grabbed Y/Ns hand. As they opened the door, the bell on top of it made a little sound. “Yo brews!” K.K. Greeted the bird behind the counter. “Hello K.K. who’s the lady friend?” The bird, Brewster, asked. “This is Y/N, they’re my date” K.K. responded. “Well you know our couples discount right? Also, it’s karaoke night so feel free to put on any old song” Brewster said going back to cleaning a cup.

“Alright so what do you want? I’m gonna take a (C/ O/C)” Y/N said as they sat down in a booth. “I think I’m just gonna have a latte” K.K. replied. And so, the two ordered and waited. As the date progressed both of them engaged more and more in their conversation, telling each other about them self’s and asking about each other. “So yeah, I started singing way back when I was just a lil pupper. It’s been my passion ever since” K.K. Said resting his chin in his one paw. As he looked at Y/N, the only thing he could think of was how amazing they were. Not only were their looks stunning but they were so interesting. Anytime they told him about something of themself he could feel his heart skip a beat. He wanted this human all for himself. If only there was a way for him to keep them. “Yeah, it must be cool to be a super star, practically everyone knows you. It’s silly really but...well I’ve always wanted to be a singer. I’ve written some songs but none have really ever gained any attention. I figured that I didn’t have time to try and get recognition right now. I got a job and such” Y/N said sheepishly, as if their dream was dumb. “Wait, stop the press. Say what? Can you sing or do you play instruments?” K.K. asked, even more excited now. If Y/N sang, they were a package deal. “Well, I do know how to play a few instruments but I mainly sing.” OH. MY. GOD. “Well come on! Show me what you got! Let’s do some karaoke!” Without giving his date a chance to respond he quickly grabbed ahold of their hand and booked it to the karaoke machine. “What do you wanna play? Good ol Brewster has a lotta songs and artists” Y/N thought for a moment before they lit up. “Oh! Does it have the ink spots? It’s a little old but I like the vibe of their songs” Y/N said as they typed in the song of their choosing. And luckily enough, it came up. ”Nice! Do you wanna do it on duet mode?” They asked him. In which he happily agreed. They started up the song and let the first line of text appear with the song.

“I don’t wanna set the world on fire...I just want to start a flame in your heart...” K.K. started, soon the timer ticked down for Y/N to sing their part. “In my heart I have but one desire, and that one is you. No other will do” as Y/N sung their first part. K.K. Could feel himself almost explode. Their voice, it was smooth as butter, yet soft and clean. He loved it, it was amazing! He wanted to only hear that voice! The two of them sang through the whole song. And then another one. And then another one. They say there for 40 minutes, just singing. Getting lost in each other’s eyes. After some songs they sat back down at their booth, having a breather as they were both exhausted. “Wow, Y/N your voice...it’s...it’s angelic! You should absolutely do this for a living!” K.K. said eccentric. “Oh stop it you” Y/N said bashfully as a light pink blush appeared on their face. “No I’m serious! You’re voice is so good! I wish you would get more attention....wait! I got it!” K.K. Exclaimed as he grabbed a hold of Y/Ns shoulders. “I’m about to go on a tour soon, why don’t you follow with! That way you can gain attention to your singing and we could maybe continue this relationship!” K.K. said happily. “Oh...I don’t know Tota...isn’t it a bit soon?” They asked in return. “Maybe but what’s life if you don’t take any chances, imagine it! You could become rich and famous! If you ever feel like backing out you can totally do so as well!” He wanted them to join him so desperately. If they didn’t say yes, he might have to trap them in his tour buss...

“Okey! Let’s do it! I’d love to tour with you Totakeke!” They’re eyes lit up when they answered.

Yes! Finally! He had a way of keeping them with him for a couple of months. And by then they were absolutely gonna fall for him! It was a perfect plan! His fans would love the two of them and if they ever tried to break up, his fans would peer pressure them into getting back together with them! It was the perfect plan! Oh Y/N! The tour was in a couple of weeks but he couldn’t wait until then! The idea of you being trapped with him. With nowhere to run to, it made his tail wag.

[thevoidwell]

Character song analysis:  Lizl and “Ignorance” by Paramore (all of these imminent analysis posts are from the same album because I get Witchlands vibes from a lot of the songs).  Note:  This was supposed to just be about Lizl but it’s honestly about Aeduan just as much as her.

If I’m a bad person, you don’t like me / Well, I guess I’ll make my own way / It’s a circle, a mean cycle.  I should note that for almost the entirety of this song, I’m taking “you” to mean Aeduan.  Whatever amount of respect they might have for each other’s abilities, I firmly believe that they will never like each other and that’s that.  In both instances, they’re very judgmental of each other, which leads to more misunderstandings and mutual dislike.  Where’s your gavel, your jury? / What’s my offense this time? / You’re not a judge, but if you’re gonna judge me / Well, sentence me to another life.  This reminds me a lot of the conversation where Lizl says something along the lines of “You say you have honor, but you work for the Raider King.”  She makes it very clear that the two statements can’t coexist, and that Aeduan has no right to judge any of her decisions when he is hypocritical towards his own.  As for the last line, she focuses mostly on her own assignments and missions because she wants to prove herself and earn (instead of being sentenced to) another life.

Don’t wanna hear your sad songs, I don’t wanna feel your pain / When you say it’s all my fault, ‘cause you know we’re not the same.  This makes me think of the scene where Lizl tells Aeduan that she doesn’t want his cowardice on her side, stopping him in the middle of his explanations before having them both go their own ways.  They’re shockingly similar in their capabilities to deal with problems but wildly different in their methods of solving them, and it really shows.  Yeah, the friends who stuck together, we wrote our names in blood / But I guess you can’t accept that the change is good.  Lizl and Aeduan used to be friend(ly)(s) as kids, like when they were playing together in That flashback from Bloodwitch, but then he almost killed her and they started competing a lot more in training.  Blood was a major factor in them growing apart, because of his witchery and how that made him be treated differently from the rest.  Now, though, Lizl seems to be grateful that they’ve grown apart and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

This is the best thing that could’ve happened / Any longer and I wouldn’t have made it / It’s not a war, no, it’s not a rapture / I’m just a person, but you can’t take it.  The first two lines are like what I just mentioned above, how no matter what things used to be like, she now believes it was for the best because she wouldn’t want to be his friend anymore.  As for the rest, she consistently talks about Aeduan’s Bloodwitchery throughout the book, calling attention to it and how it made him think he was better than everyone else.  Her being not a Bloodwitch (and, to my knowledge, elementally powerless) makes her “just a person” but no less deserving of respect and honor.  The same tricks that, that once fooled me / They won’t get you anywhere / I’m not the same kid from your memory / Well, now I can fend for myself.  This is a bit of a stretch because I mean, she’s Lizl, she could probably always fend for herself.  But here I’m focusing on how Lizl, someone who is not a Bloodwitch and who I do not think has magic at all, is Aeduan’s equal in terms of capabilities in the monastery.  Which honestly means, all things considered, that she’s better.

You treat me just like another stranger / Well, it’s nice to meet you, sir / I guess I’ll go, I’d best be on my way out.  This is probably the only part of the song where I wouldn’t connect “you” to Aeduan, and am instead connecting it to Natan and the other monks like him.  Lizl says in canon that she could’ve tried to be the abbot instead, and honestly she probably would’ve succeeded, but she didn’t because she wanted to do things and see the world.  She would be thinking this part very sarcastically, how her desire to fulfill her oath makes her just like a stranger to the people in charge now and how she might as well leave (i.e., rebel and join the insurgents to protect the Cahr Awen in earnest).  

Ignorance is your new best friend.  Back to Aeduan again, and I’m referring to the amazing exchange of “You’re not hurting the Cahr Awen, so it’s acceptable?”  “I am not hurting anyone.”  “You’ve spent your whole life hurting others!”  Absolutely love this line, by the way.  It’s the kind of wake-up call that I don’t think anyone else could properly give Aeduan, but that’s not the point.  The point is that Aeduan’s Bloodwitchery, his ignorance, has blinded him to the people around him that he kept hurting, which Lizl points out to him in this scene and a few others.  This is getting to be more about Aeduan than Lizl, but to end this I just wanted to connect the “new best friend” part to the line at the end of the Bloodwitch prologue where he notes to himself that he doesn’t get to have friends.  He used to have them, of course, but then everything changed and Lizl is proof of that.

[well-shit-im-a-morosexual-now]

I'm here, queer, and I want a summary for the new lesson (whenever you get around to playing it of course)!

-35 Anon

NEW FIC + LESSON 44 SUMMARY 

Hii! I'm sorry this took like a week BUT as an apology/compensation I wrote a lil' something based off this lesson :D   ;

Familiar Strangers

Mammon gets a little more time with the strange angel his little brothers picked up and picks up a few things of his own.

ok ok so this lesson holy shit??? This is probably one of my favourite lessons!? It just gives so much and ahhh it was so good! It gives more angel backstory and lore, shows what got Levi into anime in the first place and answers the question I asked in the previous lesson summary; about why Mammon made a pact with MC in the first place when he said in lesson 43 that he wouldn't make a pact with a random human. And look i'm too excited to wait to reveal this in the end (plus with the way om lessons are structured there won't be a big reveal, just a gradual realisation) so im gonna reveal it here immediately.

LESSON 44 SPOILERS

MC once again fucked up the timeline :')

MC's the one who got Levi into anime in the first place. (but the only reason they got him into anime was cause they already knew he liked anime but he liked anime only because they got him into it and so on and so on, one whole horrid circle)

A time paradox was already in play at the very beginning of S1, meaning MC's first meeting with the brothers was never in S1 but instead thousand of years before the main storyline even began. Meaning MC was never a random human and holy shit???????

I'll talk more about MC and Mammon's pact after I summarise everything, as well as about their sins and their lives in the Celestial Realm Vs the Devildom cause everything is blowing my mind . Additionally, even though Mammon shares more or less equal screentime with his brothers in this lesson it adds a ton of character depth to him and i adore it.

Ok so the lesson starts with;

Mammon, Beel, Satan & MC bursting into Asmo's room. Mammon yelling about how he's gonna kill Asmo cause of the leak, only to find his room empty. They check his bathroom (which in my humble opinion is the first place they should have checked, but then again this is asmo so maybe they wanted to keep that as the worst case scenario option), MC says they should turn the water off immediately and mammon confirms that yeah if lucifer is actually still alive and finds out about this all of them will be murdered on the spot. They find Asmo passed out in the bathroom. MC uses the healing spell they learn back in s2 to take away some of his pain. All 3 brothers seem very worried and when Beel asks Asmo if he's okay, he says that he's not but that MC kissing him may make him better (my man's on his death bed and still tryna smash, an absolute icon). Mammon immediately tells Asmo to go die, and Beel says he shouldn't have worried about Asmo cause it was a waste of energy. and look that instant turnabout is peak comedy :'). Asmo calls them out on being assholes and that he does still feel dizzy and Satan says that if he's able to joke about he's fine. Asmo says that he still wants to sleep it off and that he wants MC with him. Satan once again proving that he's the best brother says that him and Mammon will go make soup, Beel will clean the bathroom and that MC can take Asmo to bed. Asmo gushes about how good Satan is and Satan blushes (a year ago this sentence would have been so messed up wtf happened). in bed MC ends up telling Asmo all about their day and Asmo gets sad about not being able to go to the cafe, MC complains about Simeon being a sadist who put them to work (or they can invite Asmo to come the next time) and Asmo says he's jealous that he wasn't there to see them all suffer. Asmo says that while he was asleep he had a dream that he was still an angel and that it's been so long since he's seen Michael who was stunningly beautiful and who was gushing about lucifer, and that he was glad he didn't run into raphael cause he scared him. MC falls asleep while Asmo talks.

MC is woken up in a bright forest by angel Asmo, who asks them what they were doing sleeping in a place like that and says he has never seen MC before. MC can ask him what he's doing dressed like an angel or can ask him if he's actually asmo. He basically says either i've always looked like this unless you're talking about my nails which i painted a different colour or duh obviously you know who i am, who doesn't. He then asks MC who they are. They can ask him if he has forgotten them or if he's kidding. He says either that if they'd met before he wouldn't have forgotten them or that he always means what he says even if people think he's kidding and then asks for their name. MC can ask if they are dreaming - Asmo takes it as them flirting with him/using a cheesy pickup line which he thinks is adorable - or they can ask where they are - the celestial realm. Asmo asks them if they work for Raphael cause Asmo had snuck into the human world to go to 'something called a party' which he had never been to before and that he'd had a lot of fun. But that raphael says 'it's a wicked and immoral thing'. He then asks MC what they think. MC gets to either say that it's up to him to decide or to agree with raphael. If you choose the first option Asmo is suprised, and then says that since it was so much fun it'd be a tragedy never to experience it again and that he thinks he should be allowed to have fun. Asmo had found MC while he was hiding from Raphael who was pissed about the party. Asmo goes to propose something to MC but gets cockblocked by Beel. Asmo asks beel if he could open the celestial realm gates, beel says no and then asks who the fuck MC is. Asmo introduces Beel as a cherubim and a guardian of the gates of the Celestial Realm. And says that Beel is a very famous angel, and that there's a rumour that lucifer recommended Beel to be promoted to seraphim. Beel says that lucifer hasn't mentioned it to him and that it's just a rumour. Beel asks MC if they are okay and if Asmo has tried anything on them cause Asmo hits on anything that moves. Asmo gets pissed and says that it's not that he'd happily sleep with anyone but that he cares about who they are and that he feels love towards everyone he meets. And that the reason everyone loves him so much is cause he loves everyone due to his ability to see the good in people. Beel changes the subject by telling MC they look hungry and offers them a few sweets he got from Michael. MC basically goes wtf why aren't you eating them. He says he's not hungry and that he has eaten too much recently and gained weight and is now on a diet. MC probably looks like they had a stroke cause Beel asks if they are okay. MC tells him that they like the fact that he eats a lot. Beel blushes before asking Asmo if that's a compliment and if he's supposed to thank MC. Asmo who's pissed off snaps at beel about MC and Beel flirting while ignoring him. Beel says he came here looking for belphie.

Beel proceeds to shake a tree until Belphie falls out... Belphie takes one look at MC and asks what the fuck a human is doing in the celestial realm (i forgot that this was back when he still liked humans and thought we were back to square one and he was about to start throwing hands). MC can say 'You think I lool like a human?' vs "Excuse me? What are YOU doing here?'. for the second option Belphie just says screw you I asked first. For the first he's confused that they are not, Asmo saves MC's ass either by telling Belphie to go get his eyes checked while Beel says MC's an angel. Belphie says he does detect angelic vibes from MC (Lilith's bloodline???) but also something humanlike. Asmo says Belphie probably senses that cause all he ever thinks about are humans and Belphie says it's cause humans are interesting and wishes he was born as a human. Asmo yells at Belphie not to say things like that cause if Raphael finds out they'd be in trouble. Beel asks what they are gonna do about their new lost angel and Asmo asks if they can keep MC. Belphie says no cause they're supposed to bring lost angels to Lucifer (how often do angels get lost????). MC gets to choose whether they want to go with Beel, Belphie or Asmo to find lucifer. I chose Beel cause he was anyway going back to Lucifer with Belphie (⚡⚡Efficiency🌟🌟) which is when belphie finds out lucifer's looking for him cause he skipped a meeting. '???' cuts in with a "Mmhm, I THOUGHT I heard some awfully familiar voices..." it turns out to be Mammon who's been looking for all of them (minus MC for a change and isn't that the weirdest thing to happen in all this).

Asmo scolds Mammon for scaring him and tells him not to appear outta thin air like that (that's such a 'Lucifer Trait' tho that i don't think we've seen from Mammon before?) - Mammon says he'll do what he wants. He then asks if MC is Asmo's 'newest plaything'. Asmo says no but can you imagine tho😍 After Belphie and Beel introduce MC as a lost angel, Mammon sounds oddly skeptical and says he's never heard of an "MC" before. Beel introduces Mammon as a throne who acts as Lucifer's assistant. He says that Mammon can be trusted cause outta all the thrones he's Lucifer's most trusted. Asmo says that Mammon used to be a troublemaker and that Michael hadn't known what to do with him but that he's grown into someone who, more than anyone else in the Celestial Realm, can do anything he puts his mind in to. Mammon says he doesn't like the way Asmo introduced him and Belphie says it's true though cause they all thought Mammon was just a step away from being cast out (fdshgfwdygds explains why Lucifer worries so much over Mammon in the present cause he's gone back to being a troublemaker). MC can ask about 1.) the being cast out thing - Mammon says the others are exaggerating even though things have changed. 2.) being a throne - blushing Mammon says that he was an archangel and that Lucifer recommended him as a throne. 3.)question him about being able to do anything - he snaps at them for looking disbelieving and says he's talented.  Belphie says mammon used to be awful and ngl these made me laugh - mammon brought back pigeon feathers from the human world and tried to sell them to the lower rank angels by telling them they were Raphael's feathers, he also ordered around the army of angels for fun and said he was playing angel chess. Mammon says they were just innocent pranks and were no big deal and MC ever the enabler agrees with him. Mammon says it seems like MC's actually got some sense and says he likes them and that they're cool. Mammon then stutters and asks MC why they're staring at him 'like that' and imagine the amount of shit going through MC's head at seeing Mammon like this? From all the brothers he's arguably the one they're closest with (even if it's not in a romantic sense) so seeing him in a world where he's respected by his brothers and has this kinda calm confidence that he doesn't have as a demon, imagining what must have happened between then and the present for things to change the way they have, finding out he's still a troublemaker, still wholly Mammon, and just has to squash down those urges here, remembering all the times the more responsible side of him came out as a demon and getting to see a version of himself where that side is more prominent. Seeing him so easily say that he likes them without any of the protests he had as a demon. Realising that Mammon's more 'tsundere' characteristics are all a defense mechanism to protect himself from opening up and being hurt and that in the present after realising they genuinely care about him he starts dropping them. realising that as both an angel and a demon he took a look at them and thought 'this one, i like.' Just!??? Ah. :). Anyway back to the chapter- He starts blushing and tells them to stop staring. Belphie asks Mammon if he wants to be like Lucifer, blushing Mammon asks so what if he does. Belphie says that's never gonna happen so he should give up while he's ahead (made me wanna punch him) and that Mammon is not Lucifer and is instead Mammon and that he can't become something he's not (made me wanna hug him). Mammon tells Belphie to shut up and asks why he cares anyway and that with enough time one day he might do it and that he doesn't care what belphie says and that they should just watch him. and isn't it sad that Mammon will never get that time, and yeah it's a good thing that now as a demon he's just being Mammon without trying to be lucifer but he was never given the time to figure that out for himself and it explains all the issues/complexes Mammon has regarding Lucifer and shit imagine losing MC to the man he respects and loves but who he will always see himself as second best to and who he was always trying to reach, the man he believed he could have become until the fall and until he gave up and let his sin and his more real self takeover?? Since Mammon never had the time to realise that it's better to be yourself than someone else if MC ends up choosing Lucifer he'll always have that 'what if' in the back of his head and that shit hurts dude. MC can then say something about them all really loving Lucifer, Mammon blushes and stutters and said that nobody said anything about loving lucifer. Beel, Belphie and Asmo all say they love Luicfer (but not his lectures). Mammon growls and says he hates them and Asmo calls him out on being really obvious about loving lucifer as well, Mammon blushing says he doesn't. Or they can tell Mammon they're rooting for him. He's suprised and then stutters and blushes and asks if they really will. Then still blushing and stuttering he tells MC to stop staring at him like that again. MC's such a pining idiot i can't handle it.  Beel changes the subject and asks why Mammon was looking for them. Lucifer had sent Mammon to find the twins cause Beel never returned with Belphie. He also tells Asmo that Raphael was walking around with his spear looking for him. He then calls them to head to the Celestial Palace. Asmo says that if the Seraphim find out about MC it'll make things worse and who knows what they'll do to all of them. They decide they should hide MC someplace.

Inside the palace Mammon yells at MC to stop looking at everything with wide eyes (did this happen before? when he was showing them around the devildom during the first lesson? I can't remember but my love for parallels is praying it did) cause they're already sticking out by being a bunch of high ranking angels gathered together. Asmo tells Mammon he needs to be nicer. He says that there's no reason to worry cause Lucifer and the others are on the higher floors. Belphie says that this makes it the perfect spot to hide when they wanna skip work. MC says that even angels need a break sometimes. Asmo says the seraphim are bossy and never cut them any slack. Beel asks MC if they are close to any other angels. If MC says Luke no one knows who that is cause the baby hasn't been born yet🥺. If MC says Simeon, Belphie's surprised and Beel says that outta all the Seraphim Simeon's the most easygoing. AND holy shit??? During the last lesson Simeon said he was an archangel which means that he was demoted at some point?????? And considering how close he was with Lucifer and possibly the others as well,,,,,,,,,,could it be possible that he was demoted after the fall? That though he didn't come with them he helped them escape in someway? or looked aside while they escaped? or knew about Lilith and her human? Or knew Lucifer was becoming more disillusioned? Belphie says it's not that Simeon's easygoing but rather that the others are too intense. Mammon asks if they should hand MC over to Simeon and Asmo says another Seraphim would spot them before they reached him. They stop outside their secret room aka the slacking off room. When the door is opened MC and possibly Beel get drenched in water while Belphie, Asmo and possibly Mammon manage to jump away. "???" says that to get entry they need to say the secret phrase.

belphie asks if they really need a secret phrase and levi says they never know when the seraphim will show up, mammon says that if they do show up a secret phrase wouldn't stop them from coming inside. Levi says whatever and asks who MC is. Asmo scolds him for the way he worded the question but still introduces MC. Levi suspects that MC is one of Michael's agents who was sent to verify that levi is 'as much of an useless waste of space as I seem to be'. MC snaps 'That's not true!' and Levi is startled and blushes. And Mammon, holy shit Mammon says what in my humble opinion is one of the funniest lines in the series,: "That's right, Levi. It's not true. I mean, just look at MC's face... See that absentminded stare... like there's nothin' going on upstairs? Does that look like the face of one of Michael's agents? I don't think so." WHY did he have to come for MC so hard!???? this came literally outta nowhere and it made me laugh so hard??? Worst of all? it made me realise a horrid horrid truth; Mammon considers himself a morosexual I'm in tears???? Levi says it's better to be absentminded than to be a waste of space. Belphie says that Levi commanded Lotan and the army of angels in the war against the demons and was basically their general. Beel says that now that the Celestial Realm is at peace Levi feels like he has no purpose. Asmo says that someone from the younger generation took over the Devildom which is why the war ended, though Mammon says the transition isn't official yet. Levi tells them to shut up and Mammon tells him that sitting around being grumpy wouldn't do anything and that he should at least enjoy them being at peace. Levi says that he doesn't wanna hear that crap from Mammon cause Mammon being Lucifer's favourite means he can be an airhead and still have his future secured, while levi would be a dead weight, a leach and a burden to the entire realm without a war to fight (and i mean a lot of what levi said is pretty messed up but Mammon did get promoted from a warrior to Lucifer's right hand possibly after the war was over? while Levi's still a general in a realm at peace). When mammon gets pissed off at Levi's comment the others say that considering this isn't the first time that levi got into one of these moods mammon should just ignore him. Levi immediately latches onto that and says that they shouldn't interact with an useless bore of an angel like him cause it's just a waste of time. MC suggests that Levi find something else he can be passionate about and he says that there's nothing else for him. MC can recommend either anime or manga.  since he doesn't know what these are MC then explains it to him in detail. he's interested but doesn't think a boring angel like him could actually get interested in anything like that (oh baby...). Belphie and Asmo are surprised that MC seems to know so much about the human culture when even Belphie doesn't know this much. '???' voice finds them and says it's interesting how much free time they seem to have. Kinda sad to find out that Levi got into anime cause he needed something to make him feel less useless in the aftermath of a war...

The brothers all freak out about being found by lucifer, who yells at Mammon for not bringing the twins to him and at Beel for not bringing Belphie and then at Belphie for oversleeping and missing the meeting and at Asmo, who he says should take care of the situation before he finds himself at 'the pointy end of Raphael's spear. do you think the Seraphim have divisions that they each head? Lucifer doesn't seem inclined to punish Asmo for breaking the rules like he would have in the Devildom and rather lets Raphael take care of it. Mammon trained under Michael before he met Lucifer - so when he was an archangel. And now as an archangel Simeon works for Michael. It's implied previously in this lesson that Lucifer had other thrones working for him. So? Lucifer then asks who MC is. MC says 'I know you' which makes Lucifer's affection meter go up but he says duh obviously you know me, everyone does (and I mean this in the most affectionate way possible but like what a fucking asshole). Asmo introduces MC as a lost angel and says they were planning to find Lucifer. Lucifer asks if they decided to hide MC cause they were scared the other seraphim would find out and this brings up so many questions - How mean exactly are the other seraphim? We know that the brothers are scared of Lucifer but comparatively Asmo's terrified of Raphael and Mammon of Michael. What exactly would the others do to a lost angel? Ik they said simeon was the most easygoing but is it possible Lucifer's the nicest? I mean he did adopt 6 oddball angels, he seems to be trying to help them rise through the ranks, he seems to deal with lost angels regularly, he knows about their slacking off room and hasn't told the others (to be fair tho if anyone needs a slacking off room it's lucifer), they trusted him not to get mad about their room and about the weird 'angel' they found... Mammon changes the subject by asking Lucifer if he was supposed to be heading down to the devildom, when Levi asks why he'd go there, Lucifer says the price is asking to meet with him. Lucifer's says he doesn't like going but that it's his job and that he doesn't have a choice. with the free 50 pulls I got the devilgram about this first meeting and holy shit?? Lucifer was such a bitch and Diavolo STILL took one look at him decided 'damn I'm gonna love this man'?????????? Also the prejudice the angels have against the demons is just??? Lucifer was surprised that education was a thing in the devildom????? The fact that diavolo wanted not just peace but to build a bridge between the three realms and lucifer didn't believe him cause 1.) ew demons are evil but more importantly 2.) 'if that was possible why hasn't my father tried to achieve that?' - just them showing lucifer slowly starting to question everything he was brought up with and his father who looked up to and practically hero-worshipped?? The symbolism of Lucifer finding the devildom clothes he was provided with more comfortable than his angel's armour? Lucifer warming up to diavolo in the end and i dunno guys it was such a good devilgram. i also got the devilgram where lucifer gets jealous of Barbatos, sulks about it, then whines to MC and finally tries to bake cookies for Diavolo... it's not significant to anything i just needed to say that out loud. Back to the main storyline; MC can ask him whether he doesn't like demons or whether he doesn't want to go the devildom. his answer to both is basically 'ew of course not'. He then tells MC he'll ask Michael to help them. MC tells him to have fun with Diavolo and to be friendly. Lucifer is shocked cause it almost sounds like MC knows Diavolo, and he says they're odd cause he feels like even though he just met them it doesn't really feel like that. Asmo agrees and says when he talks to MC it feels like he's talking to someone very dear to him. Mammon's surprised it's not just him who feels that. Belphie says it's a mysterious feeling and Beel says maybe they've all met somewhere before. Levi says maybe MC reminds them of someone they know. Belphie says: "Hey, wait a second. Does MC remind you of Li-" He's cut off by the whole screen going white and '???' saying 'oh dear, what a mess...'

The voice laments about how often Solomon messes shit up, and asks how he could possibly create food that has odd effects on both humans and demons, and that it can't even be classified as food anymore and should be considered a magic potion. They say that Solomon doing these kinda shit without even realising is the worst part. The voice says that MC's consciousness was sent to the past through their dreams cause of Solomon's cooking and that solomon had created an immortality elixir by accident too once. the voice says that despite being a decent human with a good head on his shoulders Solomon can sometimes be more troublesome than the demons cause despite the way he acts he doesn't actually understand his own power. The voice says they'll send MC back home and that they'll forget everything that happened but the effect they had on the brothers as angels will carry on to the future and that in order to ensure the effect doesn't have negative consequences someday the voice will keep an eye on MC from now on. And that the voice will have to think about Simeon as well. They say goodbye until they meet MC again. MC wakes up next to a sleeping Asmo in his bed. When Beel tells them they're finally done cleaning up the bathroom MC tells him they had a wack dream but that they can't remember what it was, Beel says maybe it's something they're better off forgetting. There's a locked chapter that i can't open :')

The lessons over but I've got notes so hear me out!

1. ) The paradox of Mammon and MC's pact- in the previous lesson Mammon said he doesn't make pacts with random humans except as far as we knew then MC was a random human when he made the pact with them. Mammon being the fastest of the brothers also means he could have easily gotten Goldie back without making the pact. This lesson reveals that MC was never a random human and that they'd met thousands of years prior to their 'first meeting' and though neither Mammon nor MC would have remembered that meeting the effect of it would have still carried on. The effect of MC supporting Mammon's schemes and his dreams, the effect of him being flustered by them, of them staring at him in a way that made him blush, of him deciding he liked them, of him feeling like he already knew them and being able to comfortably tease them. And it's probably all of this that led Mammon to make a pact with them. Except MC was stared at him and supported him as an angel cause they already knew him and cared about him as an angel cause they had a pact together and were friends. tldr; the only reason Mammon made a pact with MC was cause they were familiar to him, the only reason they were familiar to him was cause they were nice to him when he was angel, and the only reason they were nice to him as an angel was cause they already had a pact with him and were friends and so on and so on.

2. ) They have so much freedom in the Devildom holy shit??? They went from having a council of scary vaguely sadistic control freaks to just one. They can do whatever they want without any real consequences while in the Celestial Realm a party was seen as something evil? None of them have any real duties in the devildom while they were so busy in the celestial realm they needed a secret room to slack off

3. ) the seraphim seem so much more controlling than diavolo? I mean the man takes any excuse to throw a party and is currently whining about not being allowed to go the human world. While in the celestial realm just talking about wanting to be human is a punishable offence. And yeah sure you could say that I'm comparing the past celestial realm vs the current devildom and that the current celestial realm has probably eased up a lot EXCEPT 01.) in the devilgram with Lucifer's and Diavolo's first meeting Diavolo seems exactly the same as he currently is. 02.) Luke - who is a fairly new angel- 's attitude when he first arrives in the devildom is scarily similar to Lucifer's attitude in the devilgram where he first meets Diavolo 03.) the angel event proves that the Celestial Realm still has a set view on what angels should be like and that the brothers never fit this view

4.) Forming of their sins - the brothers were definitely the odd ones out in the celestial realm even if they were pretty famous and they all had less intense versions of their sins even back then. MC who knows them for only their sins, reinforced them when they were angels which probably led to them embracing these sins more, which would have helped with their fall and with fully developing their sins

5. ) I feel like we might actually get to see michael???? They've been dragging and teasing about finally meeting him for so long.

Pls come talk to me about this lesson! I'm desperate rn i need to hear more thoughts and theories!

[thenotsolittlelady]

❤️ for sezahjen (doesnt have 2 be romantic!), 💗 for naye'fi, 💘 for xah'jo, 💖 for syllian, and 🎁 for veez?

(if that is too much feel free 2 skip some haha)

Oh not at all! One emoji for each seems fair :D Just took a while to answer all of these hahah

Alright now, let's see if I can answer all of the questions..!

❤️— How do they most often express their love? Verbally or through actions?

Well, Sezahjen doesn’t really express his feelings a lot in general. He isn’t very verbal and the signs that he loves someone are mostly super subtle. The person he loves might not even notice that he does for a long time if they don't pay close attention. If you asked Naye’fi whether she thinks Sezahjen loves her, she’ll say “Of course!” but she probably can’t explain why she’s so sure. The main thing that one will notice after a while is that Sezahjen keeps things he received from the person he loves. Naye’fi gave him a pebble once as a child that she liked and Sezahjen is still holding it dear to this day. He will also pay close attention to the person and their needs. Like... Closer than usual. You ate enough? Are you cold? Do you need a hug? He can carry you if you can’t walk anymore! He won’t ask all the time if his loved one is alright or needs anything, but... they’ll notice they’re being cared for.

💗— Do they noticeably change once they’re in love? Is it easy to notice or just something their partner would pick up on?

It would be absolutely 100% clear. Without a doubt. Naye’fi has no filter whatsoever and even if she might not be able to understand that she is in love, it's super easy to notice what's going on in her head. In contrast to Sezahjen she talks a lot and expresses her thoughts with pretty much no restrictions so if there’s someone she really (really!) likes she’ll talk about that person a lot. And even if she's too shy to talk to her crush directly (it happens, yes) they will definitely notice cause she’s not subtle at all. She tends to stare and blush and if she feels more comfortable she’ll talk, bring little gifts, ask them to join them for dinner or something like that. Honestly, she might be considered a weirdo or a creep if she wasn’t so cute and innocent. Thank the loa for that!

💘— What was one of the first things that attracted them to their partner?

That is an interesting question. Xah’jo only really fell for Syllian after Syllian had already decided that he was gonna date him! So in a way, Xah’jo was manipulated into falling in love by a spoiled brat who grew up getting everything they wanted...??? OKAY it’s not as bad as it sounds! Xah’jo actually felt something for Syllian pretty early. He pretended he didn’t of course, like this annoying dude who suddenly showed up one day and wouldn’t leave him alone was just that: Annoying. But there was already something there that interested Xah’jo about Syllian. The way this obnoxious bloodelf just asserted himself and challenged Xah’jo, was something... Xah’jo wasn’t used to anymore. He wasn’t being disrespected, but there was someone who didn’t play by his rules, but by different, yet somehow equal rules. I don’t know if that makes sense. It’s hard to explain, but basically... Xah’jo respected Syllian for his skill and his confidence. And loa be damned if this bratty bard wasn’t a damn good lover too!

💖— Are they a showy partner? Do they make grand gestures of love or try to be subtle?

Yes. Showy. Definitely. Syllian is a performer and that affects his relationship with Xah'jo. He will literally wake him up in the middle of the night to serenade him with a new ballad he wrote for him! And he will declare his undying love for Xah'jo in the middle of a busy market place! However, they're in this open relationship sorta since they both like to have new lovers every now and then, so Syllian sometimes pretends to be nothing more than a close friend. Or some guys who merely works for Xah’jo. Or a stranger. He definitely prefers to be loud about his relationship with Xah’jo, but if the situation calls for it, he’s absolutely able to be subtle about it or hide it altogether. Xah’jo is always aware tho that Syllian is still in love with him.

🎁— What kind of gifts do they like to give? What do they like receiving?

Well... While Veez doesn't really care much for gifts, if he wanted to give a gift to someone else he would most likely pick something expensive/valuable, like jewelry, clothes or bags I guess. He’s not creative at all tho. He might just toss you a coin and call it a gift. He’s also not very used to receiving gifts, but he would probably appreciate something like quality booze or a new polishing set for his gun.

[saras-almanac]

ooo for the director's commentary thing, i'd LOVE to know some of your thoughts behind your "letting go" fic. it's one of my favourites of yours, and honestly kind of what i wish would've happened in canon, so it'd be great to know more about it. plus (if it's not too cheeky to ask) if you had any ideas about what would've happened after the story ended??

First of all, I love you and thank you for loving this fic. It has a really special place in my heart as the first set of fics I actually wrote for Emmerdale/Robron and also because… I really love canon divergences. (Can you tell as almost everything I write is one of those lately…) Also thank you for giving me an excuse to read it through again to make sure I could actually have a (hopefully) satisfying answer for you! Quick summary for anyone reading this ask who has no idea what this fic is about: Aaron and Robert break up in 2016 after Robert finds out Liv was behind his arrest.

Basically my thought in writing this fic is that I hated that era for them. I’ve talked a bit on how I don’t like how Liv was used in their storyline, but it also made Robert and Aaron stay in this stasis for months of on/off and like, I get it’s a soap and all that, but there wasn’t really a story there. It was just Aaron gets mad at Robert—either rightfully or not—tells him to leave and then Robert comes back groveling a day later. They get back together and then the cycle repeats the next time they’re on screen.

And I get it, that Robert wasn’t always the Best—trust me, I’ve had enough Aaron stans comes after me for my stance that maybe Robert wasn’t always in the wrong—and Aaron had a right to feel however he was feeling. But my issue was how unequal their relationship was at a time they were supposed to be on equal footing. Everything that happened was on Aaron’s terms in regard to Aaron constantly breaking things off with Robert instead of talking to him. (Again, I get it’s a soap.) But like… Aaron chose to enter a relationship with Robert. He went in to this with his eyes wide open and knowing exactly what he was getting into. And yeah, Robert’s going to make mistakes, but it sort of always felt like Aaron (and his family) was always throwing Robert’s past at him. And my whole philosophy in relationships is either you trust the person or you don’t, either you’re in this or you’re not. Lording past mistakes over someone you’re in a relationship in is incredibly unhealthy—Reason # 23 why I love their Healthy Husbands era.

Apart from all that, I also hated that Aaron never seemed to really stand up for Robert in front of his family. Like how shitty is that to be in love with someone who can’t even support you in front of his family? (But the Chas/Liv/Paddy of it all is a whole other post because… oof they’re really not great at times, huh?) So I basically wanted to write a fic where Robert was allowed to actually be angry or upset or hurt (all three in this fic) because the show never really let him because they had to have him constantly begging forgiveness—even for things that are not his fault. (I will never forgive Chas for basically forcing Robert to set up the Ryan payoff deal and then throwing him under the bus when it was her idea in the first place. Yeah, Aaron can be mad at Robert for doing it, but it never felt like Aaron was equally as upset at Chas or even slightly upset at Chas over it all.)

I also just wanted Robert to be able to stand up for himself and realize that he doesn’t have to keep feeling the way he is or allowing himself to be in those types of situations. It’s a really unhealthy dynamic at this point (obviously we see that throughout the few months) and they needed to either break up or make a serious commitment to working on their issues, both together and separately. Which the soap didn’t allow them to do cause you know, it’s a soap. But those are the general thoughts behind this fic anyways!

As for where the story goes… would you believe that I still have plans to write it one day? It’s only been two years, folks, it’s still gonna happen! 😊 (Also this year has been absolutely shit for all things writing-related for me.)

But I sort of have a few different ideas of what happens next:

Aaron doesn’t think they’re really over and stalks Robert the next few days cause “this is just what they do” and “they just have to talk and things will be fine” but obviously it’s not fine?

Chas and Liv trying to be like “Aaron move on cause Rob’s the worst” and Aaron’s just like… “He’s actually #TheBest and you lot drove him away” cause Aaron still needs to learn to sort of accept his role in what happened as well

Robert may or may not move out of Emmerdale permanently or temporarily

Aaron may or may not be absolutely devastated by this turn of events and tries to figure out how to fix it

Liv learns a bit more about Aaron and Robert and overhears Aaron talking to Adam and Vic about it all and realizes just how important Robert was/is to Aaron and tries to make it right by actually apologizing to Robert (Though this might happen earlier and Rob’s just like “I mean, it’s cool, you’re just a kid” cause at the end of the day it’s more about how Aaron lied to him when Aaron demands honesty from Rob in every aspect and doesn’t give Rob the same respect)

Basically I would see a situation where Robert and Aaron sort of work through their communication issues and Aaron actually fights for Robert (a la the Reunion 2.0 speech) because he does feel guilty for making Robert feel like he didn’t support him or love him in the same way. And then they get back together, move out of the pub ASAP because now Aaron can see how shitty it is to have Robert move in to a place where half the people living there hate him and he wants to be an Adult which won’t happen with his mother constantly around. And they become the stable, happy, husbands we’ve seen. No prison or anything cause they’re working on their communication skills and not surrounded by people who are always trying to whisper poison in Aaron’s ear. But that’s what I see happening in the future… when I write it! (Please let me know if you think anything differently or want to see something specific!)

[shadowhuntertrash]

High Notes

Chapter Five

Characters belong to Cassandra Clare

Thomas thought he might die if he had to sing the same songs one more time today. Cordelia and Lucie had gone to practice in a studio a floor above them and Alastair had gone to rehearse for about an hour before he was whisked away for his first pop-up concert at a bar about ten minutes away. 

   The boys were currently taking a break. Christopher was drinking from his half-empty water bottle and Matthew was sitting on a wooden stool talking animatedly about the tour to James who was listening with a wide smile.

   Thomas looked down at his guitar and opened his songbook. He flipped to the page where he had written the song about Alastair. He hadn’t given it a name yet but he started messing with some chords until he had a short song. He started strumming softly and singing under his breath. 

 

And baby when you sleep, do you dream of me?

And when you're awake, do you think of me?

I need to know, how do you feel?

 

Cause baby when I sleep, I dream of you

And when I'm awake, that's all I do

Think about every detail you have

 

Do you notice when I get mad, I clench my jaw?

Do you notice when I get sad, I tend to fall?

Look at my words I say to you

 

Cause I notice when you get mad

You close your eyes

And I notice when you are sad

You let out sighs

 

I need to know are those sighs ever over me?

 

Do you know how in love with you

I am

Do you see how in love with you

I am

 

Everything that you do, it makes my heart stop

Oh, it stops

And baby when you sleep, do you dream of me?

 

   Thomas stops strumming and leans over to write some notes in his notebook. He always teaked chords about twenty times before he was happy with it. He had managed to capture his feelings about Alastair through the lyrics. How he noticed all the small things that Alastair did and how he hoped Alastair did the same things.

   How Alastair had the innate ability to make his heart stop when he came near him, or how ninety percent of his dreams revolved around him. Thomas didn’t realize he was smiling brightly until James spoke up. “Thomas, did you write that about Alastair?” 

   Thomas looked up and blushed. “Um, yeah. It’s not very good and it’s kinda short so we don’t have to play it or anything obviously I was just messing around.” Matthew rolled his eyes before saying, more exasperated than anything Thomas had heard him say before, “Tommy, we love all of your songs you know this. Stop being self-conscious about them, they're amazing.” Tomas blushed again and laughed nervously.

   “Thomas,” Christopher said and everyone looked over at him. He was looking at Thomas with a calculating expression. “What if you sang that at one of our concerts? It doesn’t have to be the first one or anything, but one it would change things up, and two, our fans have never heard you sing. They would lose their minds.” James and Matthew’s faces light up. “Oh my god yes! That’s perfect Thomas you have to!” James said excitedly.

   “I could play the piano for it! Thomas, it would be perfect!” Thomas was a blushing stuttering mess at this point. “Are you guys kidding? No! I would freeze in front of everyone! Not to mention Alastair would be there and I wrote it for him and I do not by any means want him to hear it!” The other boys groan and Christopher gives him a pointed look.

   “Just think about it.” Thomas sighed. “Kit-” Christopher shook his head. “No, I’m serious. Promise us you’ll think about it.” Thomas looked at all of them. Each of them wearing a desperate expression. Thomas threw his head back and groaned loudly. “Fine. I’ll think about it, but no promises guys.” They all smile at him. 

   “Yes!” Kit said excitedly. Matthew and James high five and Thomas rolls his eyes. Matthew turns to him expectantly. “Do you have any other new songs, Thomas?” Thomas nods his head and picks up his notebook again, this time tossing it to Matthew. He was protective of his songwriting journal but he didn’t mind it those three looked at it.

   “What if we learned some songs and performed a new one every concert?” James asked and Matthew tapped the side of his nose. Thomas laughed, those two and their same thought process could be damned. 

   Thomas shrugged. “I don’t care, we can do that if you want.” The boys all nod and Matthew smiles. “I’m gonna go make some copies of this so James and Christopher can read it.” Matthew says standing up. Thomas nods. “Knock yourself out.” He said plucking the song again.

   Matthew came back five minutes later. “Ya know Thomas, I have a really good feeling about these songs. The lyrics are all so good.” Thomas laughed. “Thanks, let’s get started.” And with that, they go back to rehearsing.

 

   They met up with the girls for lunch after about around two more hours of practicing. Lucie was beaming speaking quickly, the way she always did when she was excited. Matthew and Cordelia were listening with rapt attention. James, Christopher, and Thomas were talking about songs. Christopher and James were pestering Thomas about singing again.

   “What are you talking about?” Lucie said, abruptly turning her, Matthew, and Cordelia’s attention to the other three. “Thomas has a few songs that are really good that we want him to sing on tour with us but he’s ‘considering’ it.” Christopher said, using air quotations to emphasize that Thomas was not, in fact, considering it.

   “Oh, I think you should.” A deep voice said from behind him. Thomas turned to look at Alastair as he slumped into the chair next to him. He had a huge smile on and was practically radiating energy. Thomas bumped his shoulder with his own, “How was the show?” 

   Alastair’s smile was blinding. “It was so amazing. I’d almost forgotten how it felt. Everyone was screaming, singing, jumping. Surprisingly a lot of people knew about me and the word spread fast.” Alastair laughed and Thomas smiled at him. He loved when Alastair was excited. He so rarely saw it.

   “But really Thomas, you should sing at the concerts. The fans would go nuts.” Thomas groaned at the return of the conversation he didn’t want to have. “Maybe they would but they all love Matthew and I don’t want them to be disappointed that he isn’t singing.” Matthew rolled his eyes and reached over the table to flick Thomas’s forehead from the spot across from him. Thomas huffed and rubbed his forehead.

   “They aren’t going to be disappointed, Tom. Your new songs are really good, and you have an amazing voice. If anything they’ll ask you to sing more.” Matthew said glaring at Thomas, daring him with a look to contradict him again. Alastair turned to Thomas, “New songs?” He asked quietly. Thomas just nodded glaring down at his salad. 

   “What are they about?” Alastair asked innocently, blissfully unaware of how strongly that affected Thomas. Thomas’ face caught fire and he made a sheepish sound. “Umm, I mean, a bunch of different things I guess. One’s about my sister, a few about a guy. I don’t know different things I guess.” 

   Thomas looks up with wide eyes and is momentarily confused until he realizes what he just said. He was about to stutter out an excuse when Alastair tilts his head and looks at him contemplatively. “You’re gay?” Thomas groans and puts his head in his hands, sliding down in his seat as far as he could. It didn’t help hide his face though, not with his too-tall frame.

   “That slipped out, kindly ignore that.” Alastair laughed and shook his head. “No way am I ignoring that but I won’t bring it up.” He said emphasizing it with a wink that made Thomas want the floor to swallow him whole. Thomas felt like his whole body was hot. “You’re not telling anyone.” Matthew said with a hint of threatening finality in his voice. Alastair looked at Matthew annoyed, “Obviously Fairchild. I’m not going to out him.” Matthew just rolled his eyes and slumped against James who was currently looking at something on his phone.

   Alastair turned back to Thomas about to say something when James made an alarming sound before proceeding to choke on his sandwich. Matthew turned around looking at him concerned before hitting his back roughly. James stopped choking and grabbed the water Lucie was offering him. “Jesus Jamie are you okay?” Matthew asked concern in his voice. James ignored him and glared at Thomas.

   “Thomas Lightwood how dare you not tell us!” Everyone looked at Thomas confused and he stared at James in equal confusion. “Excuse me?” Thomas asked uncomfortably. What had he not told them? James’ eyes narrowed further. “You’re sister! Barbara? Anything you wish to share?” Thomas barked a laugh rolling his eyes. “James, she wanted to tell people.” James stuck his tongue out. “That doesn’t mean you can just not tell us! We’re family!”

   Lucie cut in, “I’m sorry we seem to be missing a large portion of this conversation.” She said gesturing to the rest of them. Thomas smiled at her. “Oliver proposed to Barbara.” Matthew, Christopher, Lucie, and Cordelia all burst into excited chatter and Thomas laughs pulling out his phone.

   He called Barbara who answered on the second ring. “Hey, Tommy!” She said in his ear. He laughed, “They just found out Ollie proposed.” He said referring to her fiance by his nickname Barbara had given him when she was pining over him before they started dating. He heard her laugh and then moved his phone to the middle of the table so she could hear.

   He took it back after about twenty seconds. Alastair leaned over to him and Thomas felt his breath catch. Alastair was so close his lips were only centimeters away from Thomas’ cheek. Alastair stared Thomas in the eyes as he did so before whispering quietly, “Hello Barbara.” And moving back. Thomas let out a quick and shaky huff. “Who was that?” Barbara questioned over the phone. “Alastair,” Thomas said in a weak voice. Barbara squealed slightly, “Oh! Tell him I said hi and put me on speakerphone. I want to talk to Lucie.” Thomas did so.

   Lucie took the phone excitedly all but screaming into it when she got it. Thomas laughed and turned to Alastair who had an unreadable expression on. “Barabara said hello to you too,” Thomas said, leaning away from Christopher who was talking excitedly with his whole body. Thomas had learned it was safest to get out of arm's reach when Christopher got like this.

   It just so happened that he was leaning halfway on top of Alastair who was smirking at him. Thomas huffed and went to move back right as Christopher brought his hand, now in a fist, back. Christopher punched him in the face and Thomas let out a startled yelp falling back on Alastair.

  Christopher looked at him guiltily. “Sorry, Tommy.” He said frowning at Thomas’s cheek, which was now red. Thomas shook his head moving his jaw. “Christopher you are the only person I know who could accidentally punch someone in the face.” Lucie said looking at Thomas concerned. 

   Thomas felt something squirm beneath him and moved to get off, now acutely aware that he had fallen in Alastair’s lap. Alastair’s arms wrapped around Thomas’s waist, pulling his back down. He kept one arm around Thomas in an iron grip, the other going up to Thomas’ jaw to look at it. Thomas kept squirming, growing increasingly more uncomfortable. 

   Alastair let out an aggravated groan. “Lightwood stop moving. I’m just trying to see your jaw so would you please stop squirming.” Thomas sighed and stopped moving, his entire body was tensed. Alastair relaxed his grip and let his hand rest on Thomas’ hip. Thomas felt as if he hadn’t had anything to drink in a week, his throat was so dry.

   After what felt like ages, Alastair dropped his hand from where it had been cupping Thomas’ jaw. “It’ll bruise but you’ll be okay.” Thomas rolled his eyes and got up, only slightly disappointed that Alastair hadn’t stopped him again.

   “I’m going to get a coffee. Anyone want anything?” Thomas asks looking around the table, there was a chorus of no’s. Thomas nods and turns around, instead of going to the counter though he goes outside. It had been much too claustrophobic in there and the cool air from outside had made Thomas feel as if he could finally breathe. 

   He had dealt with anxiety for as long as he could remember. That tended to happen when you grew up listening to bullies and always waiting to be messed with. Thomas shuddered at the thought and turned his head slightly as two who were staring in the window of the shop started squealing. “It is them! I told you Jesslyn! It’s all three bands! Oh my god, it’s Alastair!” A girl with hair so blonde it looked white said.

   Thomas rolled his eyes, Alastair’s fans tended to find him wherever he went. The other girl, who had bubblegum pink hair laughed. “You and your love for Alastair! I’m much more excited to see Matthew. I swear we’re soulmates.” Thomas smirked at that. It was common knowledge for anyone that had ever met him that Matthew was one hundred percent head over heels for James. If they didn’t end up together (which Thomas knew for a fact they would) Matthew would end up alone.

   “Where’s Thomas?” The blonde one said, Thomas was about to say something when the pink-haired girl laughed. “Maybe they finally got rid of him. God knows no one likes him, maybe they finally came to their senses.” Thomas felt a chill settle in his bones. He was well aware of the fact that he was probably the least loved by their fans (hundreds of posts and comments proved that correct) but to hear it said aloud hurt him more than he would admit.

   The blonde girl shoved her friend playfully but laughed. They walked into the cafe, probably hoping to talk to his friends inside but Thomas just huffed and walked away. He wasn’t in the mood for company right now. He pulled his phone out to let Matthew know he wasn’t coming back right now and was only vaguely surprised that he already had a  few texts from him.

 

Matthew Unfairchild:

You okay?

 

Matthew Unfairchild:

You don’t look so good.

 

Matthew Unfairchild:

Where are you going?

 

Matthew Unfairchild:

Tommy?

 

   Thomas sighs and sends Matthew a text before turning his phone off completely walking quickly, trying to shake off my thoughts.

 

Tommy:

I’m fine, I just need a minute. I’ll be back in 20 minutes.

 

   Thomas keeps walking, playing the girl’s words in his head over and over. Maybe they finally got rid of them, god knows no one likes him, maybe they finally came to their senses. Thomas can feel himself shaking. Is that what everyone thought of him? Do his bandmates think of him like that? He knew logically that they didn’t and they wouldn’t be a band without him but he couldn’t help the thoughts slipping through.

   Thomas was brought back to his senses when he felt a hand grab his arm. Thomas let out a pathetic whimper that only made his anxiety shoot up even more. “Let go!” He gasped pulling his hand away and stumbling when the person let him go abruptly. “Lightwood it’s just me! Calm down!” Thomas looked at him and was aware that he knew the person standing in front of him but his brain was still short-circuiting and he couldn’t quite place them.

   “Thomas are you alright?” Thomas stumbles back again shaking his head. He turns abruptly and walks down a small alley that sits between two buildings. He turns at the end and slides down the back wall of the building. He was aware the person was still with him but he was too focused on trying to calm himself down to care.

   The person sits next to him and puts their hand on Thomas’ knee. “You’re okay Thomas. Is this a panic attack?” Thomas felt himself nodding before he processed the words. The person rubbed his knee comfortingly. “Okay, that’s okay. It’s just me, Alastair. We’re behind a fishing shop. Dreadfully awful place if I do say so myself. Smells too much like fish.” Thomas felt himself give a breathless laugh despite himself.

   Of course, it was Alastair who found him. He had no idea why the world hated him so much but he couldn’t bring himself to be too mad because at least someone was here. Thomas was still shaking uncontrollably, he was starting to get light-headed and cursed himself for not realizing sooner that he wasn’t breathing right. Alastair’s hand stopped rubbing gently and instead grasped Thomas’ knee tightly.

   “Thomas, you need to breathe. What do you want me to do.” Thomas shook his head and gasped loudly. Come on Thomas breathe, he told himself. He hated this part, being aware of what was happening but being far too gone to really control it. “A-Alastair.” Thomas stuttered attempting to undo the top buttons of his shirt with shaky hands. Stupid button-ups.

   Alastair was kneeling in front of him within seconds, gently tugging Thomas’ hands down. “Thomas breathe. Please breathe.” He said urgently undoing the top buttons of Thomas’s shirt with minimal difficulty. Thomas gasped as if unbuttoning the shirt had really helped him breathe. Thomas was too aware of the fact that his heart was beating too hard and the ground was disgusting. 

   He groaned and reached out to Alastair who took his hands easily, his thumbs drawing soothing circles over Thomas’s hands. Thomas let his head fall on Alastair's chest, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as his head went with it. He focused on the rising and falling trying to match his breaths, which were still coming much too fast, with Alastair's.

   His breathing was almost matched with Alastair’s when he realized that one of Alastair's hands had come up to his head and his thumb was now rubbing circles behind Thomas’s ear. Thomas found that that was all it took to calm him down the rest of the way.

   He was still shaking, something he had gotten used to after having so many panic attacks. He let his head rest on Alastair’s chest a moment longer, trying to gather his thoughts and debating if he wanted to apologize or just pretend it hadn’t happened at all.

   He pulled his head back, deciding to just apologize, and let the building hold him up. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for you to see that.” Thomas said softly looking at the ground, playing with a pebble. Alastair shook his head quickly. “Thomas, don’t apologize for that. Please don’t apologize for that. Are you okay?” 

   Thomas let out a shaky breath. ”I’m fine. Thank you.” Alastair smiles softly at him. “Anytime. Does that happen often?” Thomas bit his lip and looked away. He didn’t really want to tell Alastair that it did indeed happen quite often, but he couldn’t lie. Not to Alastair.

   “Yeah but it's fine.” Alastair shook his head sadly. “That’s not fine Thomas. If you don’t mind me asking, what set it off.” It occurred to Thomas then, that Alastair had been referring to him as Thomas and not as Lightwood. “Um, just some people outside. Have you been calling me Thomas?” Alastair let out a nervous laugh and Thomas could have sworn that he was blushing.

   “Yes? You weren’t reacting well to Lightwood and Thomas was calming you down a little.” Thomas nodded. That made sense, he hadn’t been very aware when Alastair had called him Lightwood so it had confused him. “Yeah, I’m sorry I wasn’t thinking straight.” Alastair rolled his eyes an amused smile gracing his lips, something Thomas was desperately trying not to stare at.

   “After what you said earlier I can see how thinking straight would be a problem.” Thomas stared at him for a minute and Alastair’s face fell a little before Thomas surprised him by bursting into laughter. “Did- did you just make a joke about me being gay?” Thomas said through his laughter. Alastair looked proud, “Yes I did.” Thomas just laughed harder, Alastair joined in.

   After a few minutes, Alastair stood up and reached his hand out to Thomas who took it gratefully. Alastair helped him up and Thomas swayed slightly on his still shaky legs. Alastair reached out to steady him but Thomas batted his hands away. “I’m fine.” He said proudly.

   Alastair rolled his eyes, “Of course, don’t know why I tried.” He said moving closer so he could catch Thomas if the need arose. Thomas rolled his eyes and took a couple of shaky steps forward. “What time is it?” He asked Alastair who pulled out his phone with a raised eyebrow. “It’s 5:15.” Thomas cursed, he had told Matthew twenty minutes but it had already been almost forty. He walked faster, Alastair jogging to keep up.

   “Lightwood would you please slow down? You may have freakishly long legs, but those of us  with normal legs cannot walk as fast as you, you plastered giant.” Thomas laughed and slowed down so Alastair wasn’t running anymore. “If you call your legs normal I would hate to see what short looks like. Alastair grinned and shook his head.

   He stared at Thomas for a while, his face switching back and forth between slight expressions and expressionless. Thomas took that time to stare at Alastair in response. 

   He looked at Alastair’s eyes, those pretty dark eyes that Thomas swore he could get lost in at any point. His hair, which Thomas almost found himself angry with. Why would he want to hide something so beautiful? Why would he want to dye it something so common, when his dark hair was anything but? Thomas felt his eyes go to Alastair's lips unconsciously. Thomas spent so many years wondering what it would be like to kiss Alastair. He wondered how soft Alastair’s full lips would be. He wondered what it would feel like to feel Alastair smile against his mouth.

   He hadn’t realized they were leaning in until he heard someone laughing and turned to see Lucie turning the corner. Matthew was ahead of the group and was standing there with his mouth open staring at the two of them.

   Thomas felt his face heat up and he pulled away hastily. Was he really about to kiss Alastair? Had Alastair really been about to kiss him? He turned away and cleared his throat, glancing at Alastair out of the corner of his eye. Alastair had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Thomas shook his head and walked towards Matthew.

   He couldn’t comprehend anything that was going on, his head too caught up in the fact that he was about ninety percent sure that he had almost kissed Alastair. What just happened?

[gingerteaonthetardis]

Rose gets a nose piercing.

this isn’t the prompt i said i’d post, but i sat down and wrote this thing in one sitting, completely unexpectedly. also, anon, i’m... fairly certain i wrote something completely different than you intended. but i can’t help myself. have some ninerose.

p.s. i have two of the three piercings rose gets, and they were fairly painless. but i’ve heard the third is not quite so nice.

read on ao3.

-

𝕊𝕦𝕣𝕖

-

The guy standing behind the glass display case is kind of hot.

Rose isn’t the only person who thinks this, apparently. There’s a bouncy little blonde girl lingering off to the side of the counter. Is she waiting in some sort of one-person line? Does she work here? Did she see the banging hot piercer through the shop window, decide, “What the hell, I’d let him put a needle in me!” and just wander in?

If she did, Rose can’t exactly blame her.

Because, okay—he’s very hot.

That is, he’s very obviously too old for her, and he’s frowning at the bubbly blonde like she’s the sole cause of every problem he’s ever had in his life, but he’s doing it gorgeously. He’s got those true-blue eyes that remind Rose of aquamarine gemstones or the light slicing through clear water or something else equally clichéd. He’s got two armfuls of tattoos, twisting up around his forearms in a series of images that she wants to stare at—even if she won’t, because she’s polite and he’s a professional—before disappearing into his pushed-up cuffs. And his voice—

“You’ll have to schedule an appointment,” the guy says firmly, staring down the potential-customer. His voice is brusque and Northern. “I’m booked for the afternoon, Lynda.” The girl looks disappointed, but not surprised as she turns away from the counter, her eyes momentarily skimming over Rose with an envious expression. There’s something in it that Rose can’t identify. Hunger, maybe.

Rose realizes she’s hovering in the doorway when the girl—that is, Lynda—pauses in front of her, and she very nearly trips out of the way, allowing the dejected blonde to exit. The quiet jangle of a bell signals that she is now alone in the shop—alone with him, and she wonders exactly what she’s gonna do, now that she’s standing inside—right where he can see her, his eyes glinting like the stones beneath the glass. Narrowed and intent.

She hasn’t made an appointment.

“Hi, I’m Rose,” she greets, awkwardly shuffling forward onto the old Persian rug that adorns the main part of the tattoo and piercing parlor. It’s thick and plush and she imagines it would be nice to walk over barefoot—and she doesn’t know why that’s the thing that comes to mind, with the tall, broad, tattooed bloke staring at her. “Sorry,” she adds. “I don’t have an appointment. It, er, said online that you took walk-ins and—”

His expression cracks for just a second. It doesn’t quite soften, really, but he somehow doesn’t look so grumpy either. “You don’t need an appointment,” he replies. And then he’s quiet again. No explanation.

So, she didn’t need an appointment, but Lynda—whoever she was—did? Rose’s brow furrows at the seeming injustice of the situation.

The guy almost smiles, then. At her frown, like he finds her dismay amusing. How odd.

“Ex-girlfriend,” he clips out, his jaw working steadily. “She needs an appointment.”

“Right.” She nods, some of the tension releasing. But she still feels a bit shy of approaching the piercing case, for whatever reason. Maybe it’s the way the man’s heavy blue eyes track her movements across the room, hawk-like and attentive. She wanders over to one wall instead and looks up, to where a framed print of some flash tattoos hang; they’re all based on constellations. A lady in chains—Andromeda. Two children on the back of a leaping ram—Aries. A regal-looking dog with piercing eyes, almost a wolf—Canis Major. The art style is simple, and yet, Rose can’t take her eyes off of the figures.

“Did you do these?”

He nods, and her eyes return to the print. Down in the corner is a little signature, simple and contained within a precise circle. The name Jonathan Noble.

“Piercing or tattoo?” Jonathan Noble says, after she’s been silent for too long. 

It’s funny—Rose isn’t normally an anxious person. She’s still in her early twenties, young and brash and careless by nature, and she’s wanted to get this done for years now, ever since Keisha got hers. And he’s just a bloke like any other, even if he’s tall and tattooed and desperately hot. Not scary. But she has to take a breath and blows it out before answering. “I was thinking… a nose ring?” It comes out as a question, and the guy’s lips curl on one side.

“You don’t sound sure.”

She blinks. “I am sure.”

“All right.” He nods, taking her at her word, though she feels a flash of irritation that he hadn’t the first time. Or had it been a joke? Gesturing down at the case, he interrupts her thoughts. “Come pick your stud, then.”

The rather obvious word association makes Rose blush. But she steps up to the counter and looks down at the glimmering studs. Some are simple—just plain metal, or with a single small stone. Some are larger, with multiple gems arranged in delicate starbursts, colorful flowers, tapered teardrops. They’re all gorgeous. But her eye is caught by a smaller piece of jewelry: a single stone, deep navy blue with tiny chips of light emerging from its facets, tiny seams of color, like a rainbow has been caught and scattered within it. It reminds her of the night sky, of the photos taken by long-range telescopes. She points down and says, confidently, “That one.”

She waits a long moment for him to prod her. To ask if she’s sure.

But when she looks back up, his lips are tilted up in a small smile. “Good choice.”

-

She comes back less than a month later.

“Hullo, Rose,” Jon greets. He catches sight of her the second she walks through the door, the little bell jangling behind her, and doesn’t look away. She brushes her shoes off on the welcome mat before stepping forward onto the Persian rug. “How’s the stud treating you?”

“Good!” She pushes her hands deeper into her pockets, fending off the residual winter chill. And her blush. She knows it’s just a more accurate word for “nose ring,” but bloody hell, does he have to look like that while he says it? “Like it so much, I came back for more.”

“Yeah?” His eyes brighten, and she can’t help but wonder why he’s so nice to her when he has no reason to be. When, for all intents and purposes, he mostly seems like a giant grump. Or, like he wants people to think he’s a giant grump. “What am I punching a hole in this time?”

“Gross.” Rose’s nose wrinkles at the unpleasant imagery, but she can’t help smiling anyway. “How about my navel?”

Jon leans forward, his elbows dropping to the display case, his long forearms stretching across the glass. She can make out a series of circles that look like planets, like the solar system, connected by dotted lines and flight paths. Are there little numbers on the line? Measurements of distance? Before she knows it, she’s walking right up to the glass with the intent to examine his tattoos.

“You don’t sound sure,” he says seriously. She looks up, and his expression is wolfish.

Rose’s lips stretch wider. “I am sure.”

And she is.

-

Eight weeks later, she passes out on his piercing table.

When she comes to, the first thing to swim into view is Jon—his sharp cheekbones and his bright blue eyes. He’s shaking his head, looking mildly amused even if his pale face gives it away: he was worried. How long was she out?

“Told you it would hurt,” Jon chides, his arms crossed against his chest. She can make out the edge of Saturn’s rings up near his elbow and, beyond it, a trail of stardust. Around the planet, the sky is a hazy navy-black that reminds her of looking up from the roof of her old flat, on the estate. Where she’d almost been able to make out the speckle of stars on clear nights.

It takes a few moments for her to catch her breath and for her to stop gritting her teeth. It takes even longer for her to realize that one of her arms is stretched off of the table, taut—her fingers like claws, embedded in his muscular, denim-clad thighs. Which—she shouldn’t know he has muscular thighs, obviously, because it’s totally inappropriate knowledge. Her eyes drift over, making note of it all: the black denim, the way her bloodless fingers grasp him. God, he must think she’s mental.

It takes all her willpower to un-clench each individual finger and to let her hand drop away from him, her shaking muscles leaving the limb to hang.

“That was awful,” she clips out, half-laughing, half-groaning. She can feel the little metal stud move; she is aware of it every time she takes a breath. Every inch of her exposed chest feels chilled except for one little pin-prick of blazing heat and pain that makes her want to scream.

Jon chuckles. And then his eyes skim down her body in a professional, assessing sort of way that still makes a flush rise in the hollow of her throat, climbing up her neck. “Still want me to do the other one?”

Her face pales, the blood rushing away as fast as it had gathered, running from the prospect of more pain. Swallowing thickly, she grits out one word. “Yeah…”

“You don’t sound sure.”

Rose just glares at him as fiercely as she can, given the tear-tracks that must be running down her cheeks. She can feel her hair plastered to her forehead, and she’s sure she looks as wrecked as she feels, but she holds his gaze, burning up at him until he breaks. His lips twist, and he reaches for the other clamp.

-

The first tattoo isn’t so bad after that.

-

It’s the height of summer when she pads out from behind the counter, the soles of her feet brushing over the soft, cozy carpet. It’s probably against some sort of sanitation code or something, for her to be wandering around a tattoo and piercing parlor in her bare feet. But she’s the only “client” Jon has today, and she knows he won’t mind. He never has before.

He’s just finishing cleaning up in the back room, actually, while she stretches her sore muscles. It had been a long session, and she’s a bit tender from where the needles had dug into her skin, over and over, turning her into a living canvas.

Her gaze—and shortly after, her feet—pull her toward the print that still hangs on the far wall. Simple, sharp shapes standing out against the bright white page. Her eyes trace over the familiar constellations. Andromeda, Aries, Cancer… Canis Major. Stories told in such an ancient, human way—painted across a canvas, pictorials. Hieroglyphs. They’re beautiful, and they stir something inside her even now. Something shining.

She only feels him standing behind her when he leans close, his breath fanning over the back of her neck and kicking up gooseflesh. “How’s this one healing?” he asks, his hand brushing over her shoulder to push aside the curtain of her hair. His thumb is gentle as it traces the tattoo. He was the one to put the ink there, and she knows he is possessive of it in the same way that she is of him.

There is a reason she’d gotten that particular tattoo, after all. The shape of something like a wolf. Canis Major. She’d been drawn to it, to its fierceness.

“You’d know better than me, Doctor Ink,” she teases, tilting her head to the side. He huffs out a laugh and then, very softly, presses a kiss to her wolf-adorned shoulder. He touches her so gently, even in the places that aren’t still healing. It’s almost funny, how afraid he is of causing her pain when he’s been the source of so much of it, professionally speaking. But he’s a tender partner. Cautious and kind. It had taken him months to even accept her invitation to drinks.

She turns, lifting her arms and draping them around his neck while his own hands settle unconsciously at her hips, skimming carefully over the fresh tattoo on her left side. He doesn't forget for a moment the discomfort she's in, doesn't even want to cause a flinch. Her heart feels close to bursting.

Rose knows that beneath the collar of his t-shirt, there is a tattoo of a rose. It’s not new; it was there before she met him, but likes it better for being his first tattoo. There's something almost fated about it. It’s still hers, in a way. She presses her cheek to his chest and breathes deep—breathes in the scent of the lemony antiseptic he uses on his tools, breathes in the scent of soap and his own deep skin smell that she can only identify as Jon—before looking back up.

“Hey,” she says softly, pulling his eyes away from the art on the wall. They soften as he gazes down at her and she smiles, the words wavering in her chest. Swallowed up by an emotion she hadn’t expected. An ache. “I am… so glad I met you.”

And Jon smiles. Properly, honestly—he smiles, mischief sparkling in the depths of those aquamarine eyes. It’s an expression so bright and vivid that she’s still adjusting to seeing it on his face. “You don’t sound sure,” he replies.

Rolling her eyes, she pushes up onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to his full lips. She is barely a breath away when she whispers, “I am sure.”

And she is.