#like. there are a thousand reasons. and getting upset with someone for not immediately spreading their work just comes across as so. nasty

[byeler]

i generally agree with the sentiment of the post about liking v reblogging, but i think at its core the issue is about being able to get work out there and seen by other people. i mean this with all the respect in the world as a big fan of your work, but i’d imagine as the author of the number one kudos’d byler fic in the world (no small feat and a testament to your skill seriously) you have established a solid platform for yourself. i think overall it’s a very interesting discussion and like i said, i agree with you! no one is entitled to an engagement, regardless of the merit of their work. i just also think this adds an extra layer that’s interesting to explore. i hope this comes across as respectful, and my fr deepest apologies if not. all the love.

i do fully understand where you're coming from, but i also was not joking when i mentioned that i've said this before. if you can't tell by the date or the fact that post got a whopping three notes, i really did not carry the same presence back then that i do now. any reblog on any post or fic of mine was (and still is!!) incredibly valuable to me. i know how important it is to encourage and share fics you enjoy because that is what did and still does continue to help me. i promise i didn't post that because i want to stop people from interacting with things that they enjoy.

what really, really bothers me is the guilt trips. i absolutely endorse and support posts that say "hey, if you want your favorite authors/artists/theorists to continue to create more of what you like, reciprocate and interact with them". what i do not condone is posts that boil down to "this fandom is dying because YOU are not reblogging enough" when there are several reasons that someone might just not want to reblog. and i just don't feel like my desire for engagement overrules anyone else's desires for what they want to do on their own blog.

at the end of the day, if i post a piece of writing for free on the internet, it's already written. while getting feedback often feels like a reward for the work i've put in, i've already done the work. if someone wants to read it and enjoy it and then choose not to like or reblog or kudos or comment or acknowledge it in any way, i still don't lose anything from that. i might not gain anything, either, but that is not a loss, because i'm not entitled to someone else's time. and on the flip side, it gives me a huge amount of appreciation for those that do take the time to otherwise engage with my work, because i know it's not a requirement, it's something they wanted to do.

i know it might sound like i'm coming from a place of privilege (?) being able to say this, and i won't fully disagree with you on that, but it's something i've felt strongly about long before my writing really had any sort of traction. i also want to be clear that i can only speak for myself, and that many other authors and artists likely disagree with me on this topic. but i simply do not want anyone to feel pressured to force some sort of interaction with me for whatever reason, regardless of how much they like my fics.

[honeycombstrawberry]

#131 and #132 with Adrian, please 🖤

losing my mind

pairing: adrian chase x reader (gn pronouns)

rating: gen+

word count: 1,398

prompt #131: “i’ll spend a thousand lifetimes coming back to you.”

prompt #132: “i didn’t think it was possible to love someone this much.”

author's note: i am going to load this man into my car and take him to a medical professional immediately and yes this is both a threat and a promise

read on ao3!

To say that you were upset would be an understatement.

To even say that you’re merely angry would be an understatement. You’re livid; you’re hurt; you’re terrified; you’re in agony; you’re confused; you’re proud; you can’t understand any of it, and yet you’re expected to process all of it.

One day, Adrian was declaring that he was going to make your community a safer place by going out as Vigilante. At first, it was just him, doing his thing. He never got more than a few injuries, and nothing more than he could handle. Before you knew it, though, Christopher fucking Smith was back in town, and Adrian was off helping him out, and suddenly Adrian’s getting hurt all the time. He gets beat up, cut up, burned; he’s in car accidents, he’s in explosions, he’s in gunfights.

Before he’d left to help Peacemaker, he’d told you, “Don’t worry, this will be no sweat, easy-peasy, we got this, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

That, as it turned out, was a fucking lie, and now you are— again, to understate things— very, very upset.

Ever since Chris had called you from the hospital to let you know that Adrian had apparently collapsed while at the hospital and so had been forcibly admitted for treatment, you were beside yourself. You’d immediately gathered your things to go to him, only to get a call from Chris not five minutes later informing you that Adrian had also snuck out of the hospital and was currently missing.

You stand there for a moment, just holding your phone to your ear, before you ask, “Sorry. He’s missing?”

“It looks like he jumped out the window and ran off,” Chris explains. “If we—”

“Chris, just— Stop,” you tell him. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“You—”

You hang up on Chris without waiting. You don’t have time to listen to him right now; you have to find Adrian. Chris is the reason Adrian’s hurt right now, and then he didn’t even keep an eye on him long enough to make sure he’d stay put. Adrian never takes proper care of himself; if Chris cared enough to pay attention to him, he’d know that.

You gather up your things anyways, running out to your car like you’d been planning to do. If Adrian didn’t have his clothes, then there are only a few places he’d likely be heading on foot from the hospital.

You drive directly towards the hospital from your place, but you don’t have to drive for very long before you see an all-too-familiar figure walking on the sidewalk alongside the road. You pull up alongside him without hesitating. He looks up at first, startled, backing up, but when he recognizes your car— and, more importantly, you in the driver’s seat— he immediately waves up at you, beaming.

You roll down the passenger side window, demanding, “Adrian Chase, get in this car right now.”

He looks back towards the road, then glances at your car again. He seems to actually weigh his options before climbing in alongside you. When he’s back in next to you, you turn the car around immediately.

“Where are we going?” he asks.

“Back to the hospital,” you tell him. “You’re hurt, Adrian.”

“How did—”

“Chris called me,” you inform him. “And even if he didn’t, Adrian— Look at you.”

He looks down at himself. After a beat, he twists up to look at you again, brow creased.

“You’re wearing a hospital gown,” you point out. “You have no shoes on, you— There’s blood on you, Adrian.”

He fists the material in his hand, a small bloodstain slowly spreading centimeter by centimeter, presumably over a stitch he’s busted or a wound he’s reopened by being a fucking idiot and running away from the hospital.

“I know you have insurance,” you tell him, fingers gripping the wheel tightly. “Even if you didn’t, I would just— I’ll get the money, you— You need treatment, Adrian. You’re hurt.”

You’re white-knuckling the steering wheel, so upset you can hardly see. Adrian’s hand reaches out to settle over one of yours on the wheel, and an exhale punches out of you, breath shuddering.

“Will you pull over?” Adrian asks. You shake your head, eyes burning. “Please?”

You take another shaky breath, then pull over onto the shoulder of the road. You’re embarrassed and frustrated by the burn of tears in your eyes, staying fixed ahead on the road even though you’re no longer driving. You’re embarrassed to look over at him, hating that you can’t control your response right now. Fuck it, you missed him; you were terrified for him. It’s all finally coming out of you now that you know he’s okay, now that you can let yourself feel the fear because you know he’s not dead in a ditch somewhere.

“Hey,” Adrian says. “I am really sorry. I didn’t mean to fuck up. I jumped out ‘cause I wanted to see you, and my phone got kinda— Uhh, shot— and nobody was letting me go, and I couldn’t find anyone there, and I figured that was the easiest way to get out. And I knew you’d be upset, but I couldn’t wait to see you anymore, and I hoped—”

You can’t listen to any more. You jerk towards him, heedless of the way your seatbelt yanks at you as you pull him into your arms. You have to stretch awkwardly across the center console to do it, but you do it, because you can’t stand not touching him anymore, being apart from him.

“I’m sorry,” you whisper into his hair. You kiss his temple hard, then tell him, “I was just— I was so scared you weren’t going to come back this time. I was so— I was so fucking scared.”

“Oh, hey, whoa, no,” Adrian says, separating the two of you so he can cup your face between his hands. He rattles you a little bit, tells you, “It’s never a matter of me coming back or not, babe. I promise you that. I’ll spend a thousand lifetimes coming back to you if I have to, I’m not going anywhere.”

You laugh tearfully, reaching up to swipe under your eyes.

“That’s better,” Adrian declares. You let your head fall in to press your forehead to us, just basking in his closeness, his nearness, in the knowledge that he’s here and alive and okay— as okay as he can be right now, anyway. “I hate it when you cry, don’t cry.”

“Sorry,” you apologize again. “I just— I didn’t think it was possible to love someone this much.”

Adrian’s silent for a beat. In that instant, you realize what you’ve said, and your heart flies up into your throat at the same time your lungs plummet down into your stomach. Mortified, face burning, you slam your eyes shut.

“I didn’t m—”

“You love me?” Adrian asks, and he sounds— excited, like he’s vibrating, and you tilt upwards to open your eyes and actually look at him, incredulous.

“I—” You can’t lie, not in the face of his obvious, bewildering joy. “Wh— I— Yeah, I— I do. I really do, I’m sorry, I know I—”

Adrian surges in to kiss you again, gripping at your hair like he can pull your faces together into one. When he draws back again, breathless and grinning, hectic splotches of color on his face, he rubs your noses together.

“I love you, too,” he tells you. “Like, way too fucking much. Like, I love you in a really, really gross way. In a lot of really gross ways—”

“Okay, just— Put your seatbelt back on,” you order him, finally separating the two of you so you can start driving again. Your heart’s hammering when you say, “I’m taking you back to the hospital, and this time, I’m keeping an eye on you myself.”

“Okay,” Adrian agrees easily, settling into his seat like he doesn’t mind at all. Your face still flushed, you pull back onto the road to get Adrian back to the hospital.

He reaches over after a moment, and you take his hand, threading your fingers with his over the center console.

“Nice,” Adrian says, and you can’t help the smile that spreads across your lips then. Adrian kisses the back of your hand, and you squeeze back, eyes on the road.

-

adrian chase taglist:

@violetrainbow412-blog @bigassbisaster @amysuemc @sunflowerfive @papitas-con-sal @saturnngal @neptuneswritingwork @jewishdelis @myguiltypleasures21 @pinkygunslingy @violinchick @r3tr0sp3ct @chaseadrian @breathing-in-waves @rishlurh @x-milf-hunter-x @goblynnrockz @theowritesstuff @jaysfav @themartiansdaughter @dallasvakarian @missscarlettangel @pieriinova @ohmybubbletea

[authornina]

The Tassle Worth the Hassle: Congratulations Sav!👨🏾‍🎓

***THIS HAS NOT BEEN THROUGH A TYPICAL EDITING PROCESS; ALL SHORTS ARE ROUGH DRAFTS***

Chi kept standing up screaming Sav’s name when it got quiet and he ducked his head like he didn’t know who the hell her crazy ass was. She was doing it to purposely embarrass him. 

“Sit your ass down!” Ivy whispered. “You making us all look crazy!” 

“I love you Dayvion! I’m so proud of you baby!” Chi said one last thing before taking her seat.

The ceremony was long and many people in the stadium started becoming drowsy. Thank goodness they didn’t bring any of their children because no way could a bunch of two and one-year olds sit through this.

After two hours of honoring specific students, and guest speakers, Sav was up. He was graduating Summa Cum Laude and Lake couldn’t have been prouder. He and some other students were sitting on the stage. They’d been chosen to represent the student body because they held the highest distinctions amongst their peers. Of the three who’d held the highest distinctions, they voted and chose him to give the speech. 

When Sav stood up the whole class erupted. He was popular on campus not only as a ladies man but the weed man as well. They absolutely loved him. He was one of the few African Americans that attended the prestigious university, so it was easy to stand out. 

“Why are they goin’ up for my husband like this?” Chi asked, being drowned out by the amount of cheering happening for Sav. 

“Chill, y’all,” Sav said over the mic. “Dean Lee said she not for my shit—” he slipped up and everyone laughed. “I mean stuff today.”

The Dean who was also black shook her head at his use of language, but she knew how Dayvion Porter, which she addressed him as could be. They’d had several run ins over the course of his college career. The young man with tattoos galore, foul mouth and pants off his ass was indeed by measure the smartest one in the sea of thousands of students. She wanted this young black scholar to have his moment even in its rawness. This was black excellence being shown at a PWI and she was proud nonetheless. 

“Ummm…everybody know I ain’t wanna do this.” Sav did not try to sound intelligent or put on for nobody. They wanted him to give this speech he was going to do it as him. Educated and all, he was true to himself. “I told Dean Lee I would be honest and y’all still chose me so here we go…” 

“Fucking right bro!” A white guy shouted from the crowd. 

“I know a lot of us struggled to make it to this stage. Not only the amount of work we had to put in to make it here but the pressure, financial restraints, family issues, our mental incapacities at times…a lot more goes into just getting a degree. Picking something you can actually apply and let’s be honest, make money from in this nut ass world. Shout out to y’all who got art degrees, it’s about to be hell,” Sav said honestly and the audience died of laughter. “I know some of y’all personally who went through some of this. To be honest, ion know what it look like. I couldn’t relate because I didn’t have those problems. Y’all probably thought I’m the made it out the hood specialty case. I had a big brother who not only kept pushing me to finish but made sure I didn’t have not one worry while doing it, so this was a breeze for me actually. I don’t need no college degree, but I did this for one person and one person only. My brother Lake. I wanna honor him with this because a lot of the great people, the ones behind the scenes who never get recognized are the real ones that make it happen. I was able to run a whole business, get married, have kids, live my life stress free. He gave me what I know a lot of people who look like me never get. A peace of mind. A care-free life, the tools I needed to be successful and I thank him for that every day.” Sav was looking right at Lake. “My brother the reason why I get to stand here right now…so this to the single moms out here doing it all on their own that got their kids to this day, to the dads working day and night to pay for tuitions, the grandparents, siblings, aunties and uncles who put their all into a kid to see them do better. If it wasn’t for y’all, I’m sure we wouldn’t be up in here falling asleep and waiting to hear our name called for a degree we couldn’t have gotten without y’all.” 

Although the ceremony wasn’t done after Sav’s speech all the students felt every word he said and so did the families there to support them. 

“Wait…” Dean Lee got up ready to stop them but it was too late all the graduates were up on their feet, throwing their caps in the air. It was like a big party started. It took twenty minutes to get everything settled then the degrees were finally handed out. 

“Dayvion Porter,” they called Sav’s name to receive his degree and it went crazy again. 

“That’s it!” the president of the school got up waving his hands then shouted in the mic. “Everyone please sit down!”                                                       ******* Lake waited patiently, watching Sav bump fists with a bunch of people because he wasn’t about to touch all them hands. He stood in his robe, medals and cords around his neck looking like a true scholar. He admired the hell out of his little brother. Not even for finishing but remaining authentic and true to himself during the process. Sav had his moments but everything he set out to accomplish, had been done. Lake couldn’t and wouldn’t ask anymore of him.

“You proud of me?” Sav asked, coming towards him with his arms out for hug.

“So proud man,” Lake smiled, embracing his baby brother. “I’m so fuckin’ proud.” 

“Thank you, where the fuck everybody go?” 

“Home, they didn’t want to stay around for the crowd and all the traffic.”

“Now you know that’s fucked up. Even my own wife? All this and them niggas dip on me? Take me home to my kids. Nobody better not say shit to me.”

“Chill, I wanted you to take a ride with me.”  

“Ion even feel like it.” Sav’s feelings were hurt. His whole family was worried about beating traffic than his big day. It upset him more because he didn’t even care about it as much as they did.

They had to get all of his gifts professors, the school, students and others got for him. Sav indeed was their favorite. Someone even gave him basketball season tickets. Once they were in the car Lake did his best not to laugh. Sav was really upset. 

“Why the fuck we here?” 

Lake pulled into to the strip club they used to frequent and Sav knew something was up now. His brother wasn’t allowed to be a hundred feet of no strippers per his wife’s rules. Only if she was DJing did Avery let him enter the building.

“Because I thought it would cheer you up.” 

“I told you I don’t feel like shit no more. Them niggas fucked my mood up. Especially, Chi, she really dipped on me. Her fuckin’ muscle head ass better hope ion divorce her.”

“Sav, relax, nigga,” Lake laughed lighting a blunt then passing it to him. “Hassan would be proud of you man.”

“Yea…” Sav put his head back blowing out smoke. “I be thinkin’ bout Daddy a lot.” 

“Me too, all the time actually…I wish he would’ve made it, seen you today. It’s moments like this that make life worth living.” Lake stared out the window. After a few seconds of silence, he reached in the back seat and handed Sav an envelope. 

“What’s this?” 

“I ain’t know what to get a nigga that got it all for a graduation gift.” 

“Aw man…” Sav looked at all the papers and got emotional. 

Lake knew it bothered him that he didn’t know where he came from for sure. He couldn’t do a traditional testing since their father was deceased and had been cremated. But there was sibling DNA test and because Sav, Lake, Vant and Wreck didn’t share the same mother, it was easy to get proof. If he wasn’t Hassan’s he’d have not an ounce of relation to them.  

“Sav even if that shit ain’t say what we already knew it wouldn’t have made you any less my brother. I hope you know that.” 

“Thanks man,” Sav dapped Lake up and he pulled him in for a hug.

“Why the fuck y’all sittin’ in here cuddling and shit?” Wreck was about to get in the back, but Lake had car seats. “Nigga, Avery whip don’t have nothing in it. I swear you and Vant the wives.” 

“Fuck you nigga,” Lake pushed him getting out the car. “Stop takin’ your anger out on everybody. I told you come talk to me, you wanna hide out and shit. Think Daly ain’t tell me the bullshit you been on.” 

“I ain’t got nothing to say, and Daly a nut for bringin’ shit to you like I’m not a grown ass man! It’s fuck everything and that’s on my Daddy.” Wreck walked over and dapped Sav up. “I’m proud of you nigga.” 

“Are you really bro?” 

“Yea! Ion mean to be so hard on you. I apologize. Just…you know I’m dealin’ with my own shit right now, but I love you man.”

“I know, it’s cool, I love you too.” Sav felt bad for his brother. Wreck didn’t know which way he was going. It had spread about Gia breaking up with him. A simple, I don’t want to be with you anymore, was all the reason she gave him. That’s all he got from her. Wreck opened himself up to a woman for the last time. 

“Let’s go in here, I can’t be out for long or A will come lookin’ for me.” 

“Cause you a whipped ass—” 

“Y’all keep saying that,” Lake laughed, cutting Wreck off. “But I’m happy as fuck. I have no resistance in letting love take over me anymore.” 

“And you know what? I am genuinely jealous and that ain’t even me bro.” 

“Wreck,” Lake stopped walking. “I’m for real, come talk to me. Tomorrow, nigga.” 

“Everything already fucked up, bro. Gia will never be with me again.” 

“How?” Sav asked.

“Ion wanna talk about it.” 

“What the hell is taking so long?!” Chi pushed the door open. 

“Fuck is you doing here?” Sav looked at Lake confused. “I did not ask to come here, Chi. Lake brought me. I was on the way home.” He started defending himself immediately. 

“Get in here, Dayvion.” Chi pulled him along and it was dark as hell on the inside.

“SURPRISE!” the lights, loud ass music and cheering all happened at the same time. The whole club was decorated in his school colors with a big ass banner congratulating him. Everybody was holding cutouts of Sav’s head from his graduation photo. 

“You did this for me?” Sav wanted to cry.

“Mhm…” 

“I love you,” Sav kissed her all the way down on the couch. 

“Stop Sav!” Chi laughed. “My dress is comin’ up! You doin’ all this in front of people!” 

“Can I give my brother a hug now?” Dem asked and they let each other go. “I’m proud of you bul.” 

“Thank you.” Sav hugged Dem longer than he did his own wife. Chi was over trying to get in between something that Sav needed to literally survive, to breathe and have good days. They were working through a lot of things and as long as he prioritized her and their children then he could love on Dem all he wanted. 

“I’m so proud of you, boo boo,” Ivy said kissing her baby all over. 

“Ard come on with all that shit,” Vant tore them apart. “We got a surprise for you later,” he whispered making Sav laugh.

“Shout out to my young nigga Sav! Congratulations bro!” DJ AP shouted in the mic sounding like a nigga making everybody crack the fuck up. She was barely six weeks post-partum and came out to party for her favorite person much to Lake’s dismay. “This one for you baby!” Avery pointed at him then played Nicki Minaj Moment for Life. Sav wouldn’t openly admit he was a fan. 

“No, I'm not lucky, I'm blessed, yes, clap for the heavyweight champ, me! But I couldn't do it all alone, we!” Sav jumped on all his brothers. The moment was so nice. “Lake Porter raised me,” he remixed the lyrics. 

Lake looked at Wreck who was visibly sad and hugged his brother and in front of everyone Wreck received it because he really needed it. 

“It’s gon’ be okay, ard?” 

“Yea…” Wreck didn’t want to ruin his little brother’s day so he decided to just put his own issues aside for the time being. Vant handed him a drink patting his back. 

“It’s ard bro.” 

“Put ya drinks up,” Dem held his glass in the air with is arm wrapped around Sav. “It's a celebration, every time we link up, we done did everything, they can think of, greatness, is what we on the brink of!”

“I WISH THAT I COULD HAVE THIS MOMENT FOR LIFE!” everyone sang 

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Day 129: Pangea

cw: mentions homophobic slurs

It was their day off.

Their one day when they didn't have to work and their five year old was at the muggle nursery school. They often cleaned and did laundry on days like these, but they always made a point of spending some quality time together. Harry had realized shortly after they'd adopted Cassie that it really hurt their relationship not to have time they set aside for just the two of them.

Today they were headed to get some ice cream and talking about the slumber party they were going to be hosting in a few days and all of the arrangements that had to be made when Harry's mobile started to ring.

Draco watched curiously as Harry pulled it out of his pocket, "Hello?"

"Yes, hi, is this Mr. Potter Malfoy?" a woman asked.

He glanced at Draco and put the phone on speaker, "Yes, this is Harry."

"Hi," the woman said again, "This is Linda in the school office. We're going to need you to come pick Cassie up."

"What? Why?" Draco asked before Harry could reply. "Is everything alright?"

"Sorry, I have you on speaker so my husband could hear you."

The woman chuckled and Draco looked ready to reach through the screen and strangle her. "Everything's fine. She just had a little disagreement with one of the other students and is pretty upset. The head mistress will have a chat with you when you get here."

"The head mistress!" Draco hissed.

Harry laid a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Thanks for calling us. We'll be right in." He hung up and braced himself for the inevitable.

(Read more below the cut)

"What happened?" Draco asked immediately.

He rolled his eyes and turned around to walk back to their house so they could drive to school, "You heard what I heard," he said. "I don't know any more than you."

"Yes but you went to Muggle primary school!" he protested, walking quicker. "You should have some idea-"

"I don't."

"Do you think it was accidental magic?" Draco asked.

He shook his head. "That was not the sound of a call about accidental magic."

"Then what do you think she was fight about?"

"Draco, there are a thousand things to fight about. Muggle children are just as unpredictable as wizarding children." He reached over and took Draco's hand, "She's only five, how much trouble could she be in?"

----------

When they arrived Cassie was over talking to a different adult and the headmistress waved them in.

She seemed happy enough so Harry let her be and followed the headmistress in, Draco all but vibrating with nervous energy behind him.

"Mr. and Mr. Potter-Malfoy, thank you for coming."

"Harry and Draco are fine," he said.

"What happened?" Draco asked quickly.

Harry glanced at him, "Sorry. We've just never been called in before. Is Cassie in trouble?"

"This afternoon, Cassie told a story to her classmates about how the continents got separated."

"Gaia," Draco nodded. "It's one of her favorites, she likes to hear about how life thrives no matter what."

Harry took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Right," Headmistress Blake replied, "and that's great. Storytelling improves communication skills and it's great for students to share like that."

"So why are we here?" Draco asked.

"Jacob told her that Gaia wasn't real, that the whole story was made up, and tried to tell her about Pangea."

"Pangea?" Harry asked incredulously. "How old is this kid?"

She chuckled, "His parents are geologists."

"Still!" Harry said, "That's pretty advanced for a five year old." Draco looked completely befuddled as though he had no idea what they were talking about. "But I still don't understand why we're here."

"I'm getting to it," she said. "She tried to tell him that it was just a story that her father told her."

Draco nodded, "Should we not tell her stories like that?" he asked, sounding panicked.

"Not at all," she said, giving him a warm smile in an obvious attempt to diffuse his anxiety. "But Jacob called you a liar and used a bit of derogatory language."

Harry's entire body froze, "Excuse me?" He'd been hoping that she'd be in Hogwarts by the time other kids were old enough to understand the implications of having two dads. It wasn't a big deal in the wizarding world, but it mattered in the muggle world still.

Headmistress Blake nodded, "She told him it wasn't nice to talk about people that way and insisted that Draco wasn't a liar. When Jacob doubled down on the slurs, she punched him."

"Good." Harry covered his mouth, "Sorry," he said quickly. "Sorry, it's just-"

"We have taught our daughter not to hit," Draco insisted, glaring at Harry. And while this was true, they had, it was only because Draco was already teaching her the words for jinxes that would be more effective. She was going to be a terror once she got her wand. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid that I don't understand what sorts of slurs you're referring to."

The headmistress rubbed her eyebrow uncomfortably, "He called you poofs and said that fags can't be trusted," she said and Draco's jaw dropped, his hand clenching Harry's so hard that Harry was afraid he'd need a healing spell cast when this was over. "Other students overheard and told Miss Murray after the fact."

"We taught her not to hit," he said, "But we've also taught her that it's important to stand up for what is right," Harry said. "It sounds like she tried to use her words first and then when that didn't work she used a different means available to her."

"But the next step should have been talking to her teacher, not punching another child."

Harry nodded, "I can understand why you'd-"

"Excuse me, Harry," his husband interrupted, "But I can't," Draco said bluntly. "And here's why; we are raising our daughter to be strong and independent because Salazar knows that women are not taken seriously in this world. Teaching her now that there is someone to help her when she is being verbally assaulted will not help her when she is grown."

"Mr. Potter-Malfoy, I understand what you're saying but-"

Draco shook his head, "With all due respect, there is no but. If her teacher didn't notice that another child was shouting bigoted slurs at her because she has two fathers then no one was coming to her rescue."

The headmistress squared her shoulders, "Cassie's being suspended for two weeks."

"What?" Draco spat.

"We cannot set a precedent that allows for violence to be the answer."

"And what is Jacob's punishment?" Draco demanded.

She blinked at him, "He's got a broken nose."

"Setting aside that his actions still deserve a punishment from a source of authority so he doesn't continue to grow into a bigoted prick, let's just say for the sake of argument," Draco said, voice sharp as nails, "that she'd gone over and told Miss Murray about what he'd said what would his punishment have been?"

"He would to apologize," she replied.

"What? Just said he was 'sorry'?" he asked incredulously. "That's it?"

She nodded, "Yes. He's only five."

He turned to look at Harry completely outraged, "This whole school can fuck off," Draco said, standing from his chair and pointing at Harry, "I told you this was a bad idea."

Harry winced, he had in fact said this was not a great plan, just not for this reason.

"We'll be taking our daughter home today and she will not be coming back," he said. "And we will be telling this story to anyone who will listen."

"Mr-" she started, looking taken aback, since Draco had always been the polite one of the two of them.

"Oh, don't even start with me," he growled. "I run a very successful design business and while I do not understand how most of the social media works, I have someone who I pay to do it and she and I have been friends for a long time. Get ready to lose any family that you have that has a conscience, you can become the place for all backwards bigots." He started toward the door and Harry stood up.

"We'll sue you for slander," she said.

He looked over at her, completely unimpressed, "It's only slander if it's not true."

"It'll be your word against ours," she replied.

A pale eyebrow rose, "Yes it will. Lucky for me that I've recorded this entire lovely exchange," he said, twirling a pen that the Weasleys sold at the joke shop that did just that. "Feel free to contact our solicitor about anything else."

And with that he swanned out of the office.

Harry stared at her for a long moment, "Maybe you should consider educating your parents and students." Then he followed Draco out.

Draco was already squatting next to Cassie, murmuring softly to her, "yes, well done, my darling," he said pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"He was really mean, papa," she murmured.

His husband nodded, "I know, love."

"Hey, bean," Harry said, ruffling Cassie's curls and bending over to kiss her temple. "Let's get out of here, yeah? Do you have all of your things?"

She held up her unicorn backpack and nodded.

Harry helped her get her backpack on and then they set off, each of them holding one of her hands.

Cassie chattered away about the rest of her day, not even mentioning her run in with Jacob again.

-------------

After they put Cassie to bed they came back downstairs and Harry collapsed onto Draco on the sofa, resting his head in his lap.

"Pansy says that story is spreading like wildfire."

"Really?" Harry asked.

Draco nodded.

"S'kinda sexy," he said.

Draco laughed, "Sorry?"

He shrugged a shoulder, "You getting all livid and protective. It was sexy."

His husband's fingers combed through his fringe, "I'll always fight for you, for her, and for us," he promised.

"I know," he replied. "You're a good man Draco Potter Malfoy."

"It's only going to get harder," Draco said.

"Maybe, but we'll look for a more inclusive nursery school-"

Draco shook his head, "I mean when she heads to Hogwarts."

"I don't think so. People don't care about a man marrying another man," he said.

"But they care about the savior marrying a death eater and then disappearing for almost a decade and a half." He sighed, "I just wanted her to start somewhere where my sins wouldn't burden her and here we ar-"

"Hey," Harry said, sitting up and stopping the words coming out of his mouth. "You are not a burden to her and our marriage isn't a sin that could ever burden her-"

"I didn't mean to imply that you-"

"Listen to me," Harry interrupted. "Draco, you are a good dad," he said as he cupped his cheeks in his palms. "You are a good husband and you are a good person. We are both lucky to have you."

"Harry," he murmured, eyes downcast.

"You are," he promised. "I love you and Cassie loves you. and we are so blessed to have you."

"I love you too," he said, "But this isn't the last bully-"

"I know," Harry assured. "And we'll always be here for her, yeah?

Draco took a deep breath before nodding. "Yes. You're right."

"Ooh," Harry replied, crawling over him and straddling his hips. "I love it when I get to be right."

His husband rolled his eyes, "Just kiss me already."

And of course Harry obliged him.

Life wasn't always easy or perfect but they always had each other and Cassie always had two dads who would go to the end of the earth for her.

----------------------

Day 128: Snake | Day 130: Forfeit

[robininthelabyrinth]

Spilled Pearls

- Chapter 29 - ao3 -

“In the future, you should send your children to the Cloud Recesses for me to teach,” Lan Qiren said. He was sitting with Wen Ruohan on one of the rooftop gardens in the Nightless City, watching the moon and stars from a pavilion placed there for that purpose; their bodies were pressed close together, and it felt as if they were far away from all the things that were familiar. “You and Lao Nie both, and naturally I’ll come visit with you often as well, bringing my nephew. Between the three of us, we might even be able to teach them how to be proper human beings.”

Wen Ruohan laughed in his ear and pressed his lips to his cheek – he had taken to kissing him at random, spontaneous, as if still overwhelmed by the fact that he now had the right to do it.

“I will,” he promised. “I agree, I think they’ll turn out better that way…you would really have me educate your precious little A-Huan?”

“If I’m willing to entrust myself with you, why not him? Anyway, I can teach him music, and with the aid of the other teachers in my sect the sword in the Lan sect style, but you can teach him much more than that. You know how to look at the world and see it for what it is, and then bend it to your will, make it sing to your tune. He’ll be sect leader in the future; he needs to learn that, and you can teach it to him.”

“I can, and I will,” Wen Ruohan said, then thought for a moment and asked, “What does Lao Nie bring to the table?”

“Flexibility, mostly.”

Wen Ruohan barked out a laugh. “He certainly has that.”

He didn’t even sound bitter about it any more.

Lan Qiren smiled.

“In the meantime, I will handle the rest of it,” Wen Ruohan added, and Lan Qiren looked at him in silent question. “Come now, Qiren. Did you really think that I would allow you to remain caged in the Cloud Recesses your whole life?”

Lan Qiren paused. That was the sorest part of his heart, his most painful misery, but he didn’t think Wen Ruohan would bring it up casually. If anything, he was a bit more afraid of what Wen Ruohan might get into his head to do about it – there was very little Wen Ruohan wouldn’t dare.

“Da-ge –” he started warily.

“No, no,” Wen Ruohan said, lightly scolding. “Little Lan, be serious! I already rejected the opportunity to cage you here at the Nightless City, playing only for me, despite how much I longed to do so. I refused to do it – me, refusing myself – because I knew it would only make you sad. Do you really think I would allow other people a privilege that I have denied myself?”

Lan Qiren did not laugh, but he dearly wanted to. It might be the first time he’d ever wanted to laugh about his situation – not even Cangse Sanren had managed that. “Has anyone told you that you are extremely self-absorbed?” he asked instead. “Arrogance is forbidden. Do not be haughty and complacent.”

Wen Ruohan smirked back at him. “All true, little Lan, but don’t forget your favorite: Do not tell lies.”

Self-absorbed, narcissistic and arrogant, Lan Qiren concluded, and there was no helping it. It was clearly a terminal case.

He used his sleeve to hide his laughter.

“What are you planning, exactly?” he asked once he had recovered. “If you harm my sect, whether directly or indirectly by denying them my services, I would be even more upset than if you tried to lock me away in here.”

Wen Ruohan waved a hand dismissively. “Do you think me so incapable? I have already begun making arrangements. Discussion conferences may only be once or twice a year, being as they are tremendously irritating to arrange, but there’s no reason that we of the Great Sects should not recognize our greater duty towards the smaller sects, and not to mention our obligations to protect the mortal world –”

“You know that it exists, then?”

Wen Ruohan ignored him. “The resources of cultivation clans are limited, and the world large. There are many places which would benefit from aid that do not see any simply because they are far away or tucked in inconvenient places, and no sect lives nearby – naturally, it is our duty to fight evil no matter where it is encountered. Lao Nie has already agreed that it is critical that the sect leaders demonstrate our sincerity by fulfilling this duty in person, leading by example.”

Lan Qiren’s heart had already felt as if it were overflowing with warmth, and it felt even more so now, almost squeezed to pain by how much joy was there. More than he had known he could contain.

Bad luck in brothers, he thought to himself - but oh, he had such good luck in friends!

“I see,” he said, thankful that his usual neutral tone concealed how happy he felt. “And naturally, where you and Lao Nie go, Sect Leader Jin cannot be far behind in his eagerness not to lose out, and where three of the five Great Sects lead, naturally the rest cannot be far behind. So I, too, will be obligated to...what? Go out on night-hunts in inconvenient places?”

“The world is too large, and the number of cultivators too few – and at any rate, there’s no point in setting up a full night-hunt which draws in every person from a thousand li for a few paltry fierce corpses or a ghost or two. I propose, instead, that we would send cultivators out alone, in pairs or in small groups, to wander for a few months through the remote places in the world and clean them up. Then, at the next discussion conference, the Great Sects could jointly agree that whoever was most enterprising would receive a reward, and naturally, stories of various exploits could be exchanged – ”

“Ah. Another reason for young men and women to gather and boast of improbable exploits.”

“Think of it as giving them more opportunities to win glory,” Wen Ruohan said. “And stop talking down about ‘young men’; you are a young man. Naturally you are also qualified to go out to do such things. Required, even: if our Great Sects do not set a proper example, who will?”

“Mm. A proper example. Even if I coincidentally happen to spend more time playing music than hunting demons?”

Wen Ruohan’s eyes were bright. “Even so. And naturally, you could always bring along someone more powerful to do the demon-hunting for you…”

“How convenient.”

Wen Ruohan smirked. “Do you doubt that I will be able to make it happen, little Lan?”

“No,” Lan Qiren said, then added, honestly: “I think you could take over the world if you wished.”

“Naturally! But it would be quite irritating, I think, if I had to also ensure that both you and Lao Nie did not disapprove of my methods…” He paused, lips twitching. “By coincidence, while we’re discussing convenience, I was thinking that it would be dangerous to send all those wild and reckless young men out there without proper support. Surely it would be only reasonable to set up a few convenient places here and there, not so far away, to provide them with supplies and a place to rest and recover –”

Convenient places that would fly the Wen sect’s flag and spread its influence, Lan Qiren presumed. Lanling Jin would be furious – using wealth to buy influence was their favorite technique, and they resented other people copying it – and would immediately insist on establishing their own set of “supply stations”, and then the rest of them would have to catch up and make their own. Yet another expense, and the Great Sects would need to do more than most; it would probably wreck havoc with the Lan sect’s annual budget.

On the other hand, well the remote parts of the world really did need the help. One of the Lan sect’s newly recruited guest disciples had been talking about a place not far from his hometown that specialized in making coffin goods; it was, according to him, the most inauspicious place that could possibly be imagined…

Not a place anyone might want to go, unless they truly were intent on traveling.

Lan Qiren smiled once again. He thought he might never stop smiling.

“Indeed,” he said, trying to sound dry and rational. “Very coincidental. No one will doubt that this is nothing but a scheme to expand your reach and power, rather than any personal motive.”

Wen Ruohan did not answer, but instead, matching a smile of his own to Lan Qiren’s, pressed his lips against Lan Qiren’s once more.

After a little while of silence, Lan Qiren cleared his throat and asked, “Do you intend to tell people?”

He was not referring to Wen Ruohan’s plans for the future.

Wen Ruohan understood.

“In time,” he said. “As much as I would love to shout that you are mine and I am yours from the rooftops and perhaps have bulletins be posted to every town -”

Lan Qiren grimaced. It would be one thing if he thought Wen Ruohan was exaggerating for romantic effect, but unfortunately it would be just like him to engage in that level of over-the-top grandstanding.

“– but your position is not yet certain, and my reputation is too questionable. People would make assumptions and spread malicious gossip, and I – I would not harm you to please myself.”

“Sweet-talker.”

“It’s not sweet-talking when it’s true,” Wen Ruohan protested, although he was chuckling. “When you are more renowned as a teacher than a sect leader, when little A-Huan is old enough to have passed the worst stretches of childhood – then we will announce it, and let the rest of the world choke on it if they like. You, me, Lao Nie…hmm. Jin Guangshan will probably think we’re concealing a conspiracy and ask to join in.”

Lan Qiren gagged. “I refuse,” he said. “I don’t care if I’m not physically involved, neither you nor Lao Nie are allowed to even think about it. That man has visited so many prostitutes that one might be forgiven for thinking he believes that the road to immortality is paved with venereal disease.”

“…thank you, that was an image I did not require.” A pause. “Jiang Fengmian –”

“Remember when he punched me in the face in a fight over a girl I didn’t even want?”

“It wasn’t a serious suggestion.” Wen Ruohan chuckled once more and pressed another kiss to his cheek. “Some years ago now, I swore to your Cangse Sanren that I would do right by you. I ought to invite her here and show her that I’ve made good on it.”

“You haven’t made good on it.”

“I haven’t?”

“No. Such a promise is fulfilled through the keeping – if you want to do right by me, there is no one singular moment that would qualify, but rather a continuing obligation.” Lan Qiren smiled up at him. “I’m sorry, da-ge. You’ll have to continue to do right by me for the rest of our lives.”

“I will,” Wen Ruohan said, and smiled back. “It would be my pleasure.”

-END-

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Crimson Ties (Bela Dimitrescu/Reader, Soulmate AU) Pt. 3

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language Warnings: Typical Vampire shenanigans + mentions of animal death Genre: Hurt + comfort Summary: Time to meet the family! What exactly has Cassandra told her mother? Can Bela convince her family to calm the hell down? We'll find out! Spoiler: there's the start of a cute date afterwards Notes: Once more we visit Bela's private study, which I first described in a chapter of Serenade. Added a few more details this time. PS reader is probably low-key a theater nerd with a hint of a goth phase, just saying. Also this chap is a little short, sorry. Previous Chapters: 1: Stem the Flow, 2: Tangled Strands

3: Rumbling Thunder

Heart racing, you step into the dining room, just behind Bela. Both of you are nervous, but find comfort in each other. Still, what you see upon entering only makes you feel worse. At the head of a large table stands none other than Lady Alcina Dimitrescu. Besides her is her middle daughter, the one who confronted you earlier, who sends you a knowing smirk as you walk in. Lady Dimitrescu, on the other hand, is scowling. Her eyes are squinted in a clear display of disapproval. If not for Bela’s hand squeezing your own, it was likely that you would have fainted from fear.

“I see Cassandra has wasted no time in spreading rumors,” Bela said bitterly. You’re amazed by her ability to stand tall in the face of her family’s tension. Yet there was a part of you that wondered if you were worth the struggle, at least for your soulmate. Thankfully, you are not given much time to ponder the thought. No, you’re being pulled towards the closest side of the tabe, guided next to an ornate seat. Neither Bela nor yourself sit yet, however. “Please, mother, do not be hasty to make your judgement. I promise that-”

“Do not presume to tell me of my own business, daughter. The timing of my judgement is my prerogative, not yours,” Lady Dimitrescu interrupted, staring right at you. A shiver runs down your spine at the eye contact. What did Cassandra say to her? You wonder, struggling to breathe past the lump in your throat. Even Bela becomes visibly nervous at the interaction. “Now… are you certain, without a doubt, that this is your soulmate?” Did she really even have to ask? What were the chances that Bela would save you, one person out of at least a dozen in the cellar, for any other reason? Still, your soulmate straightens up at the attention, and replies as confidently as possible.

“Yes, of course, mother. I would not dare risk your anger for any lesser reason,” Bela assured. Then she gives your hand another soft squeeze, before pulling hers back a little, catching the thread that bound you together with her fingers. Lifting it, she tugs it somewhat absentmindedly. Out of habit you immediately return the action. Unfortunately, those around you would be unable to see the display. For all they knew, the two of you could be faking it, simply attempting to get out of the situation unscathed. Surprisingly though, you see Alcina hesitate. Her left hand twitches as if she was thinking of her own red string. Has she ever met her partner? Did she know the pure joy that her daughter had so recently felt?... Maybe she’d be more sympathetic to your situation if she had.

“We will see if your defiance pans out in time, Bela. For now… Why don’t we hear what your pet has to say about themselves, hmm?” Lady Dimitrescu suggested, giving a somewhat devious smile. Next to you, Bela grimaces, then sends you a pleading look. Alas, you cannot read her mind, and can only guess as to how you’re supposed to respond. Bowing is a sign of respect in virtually all cultures, you think, probably a good place to start.

“It is an immeasurable pleasure to formally make your acquaintance, Lady Dimitrescu,” you said, before giving your full name. Then you rise from your bow, once more making eye contact. Out of the corner of your vision you see Cassandra rolling her eyes. “I know that I am a mere human, and hardly the epitome of a prime specimen. But I am determined to prove my worth, for there is no prize on this earth more grand than being allowed to love Lady Bela. Every ounce of my willpower is prepared to devote myself to this task, entirely, so that I may give Lady Bela the courtship and happiness that she is deserving. It is both an obligation and an honor.” Hopefully your soulmate wouldn’t mind you using the same line twice, at least under these circumstances.

In the seconds that follow, several things happen: One, you see Cassandra frown a little, and refuse to look in your direction. Two, Lady Dimitrescu makes a surprised face, but quickly shifts into an expression of satisfaction. Thirdly, Bela’s hand finds your own again, giving it an incredibly soft squeeze. Last but not least… someone you haven’t seen before enters the room. She has red hair, a green pendant around her neck, and eyes that light up with curiosity when she sees you. If you had to guess, you’d assume that she was another one of Bela’s sisters. Here’s hoping she’s a tad bit friendlier, you think.

“Did I miss anything? Ooh, please tell me we’re having this lovely stranger for breakfast?” She asked, grinning maniacally. So much for being friendlier, you think, figuring that she was being literal. Based on the way Bela tenses up in response, you’re probably right. Before she can protest, however, Lady Dimitrescu clears her throat and speaks.

“Ah, Daniela�� This stranger-” she says the word with far less venom than you anticipated, but it is venom nonetheless- “is your dear sister’s soulmate. We will not be draining them of blood. Again. Assuming that they behave themselves. Is that clear?” She asked, staring down at the newcomer. There’s a slight pause, tension still lingering in the air, followed by a sigh of relief from Bela. Much to your surprise, neither Cassandra nor Daniela seem particularly upset by this announcement. In fact, the latter simply shrugs and takes her seat at the table. Next thing you know everyone else is sitting as well, including Bela, who gestures for you to follow suit. “I’ll have one of the servants fetch you some more… appropriate food. Cynthia, my dear?” Soon enough a maiden, perhaps a decade or two older than yourself, hurriedly enters the room. With a bow, she addresses Alcina.

“Yes, Lady Dimitrescu?”

“Have Miss Bouregard make an extra plate of whatever it is you sort eat, and bring it here. We have an… unexpected guest,” Alcina explained. At that, Cynthia glances at you, her eyes briefly widening in surprise. Without another word she turns away, giving another bow before heading away to fulfill her task. Once more you’re the only human in the room. Oddly enough, you manage to feel quite at ease, as if surviving one round was enough to guarantee you’d win the overall game. Well, at the very least you now had a chance. Regardless of what was to come, you were glad for that, for this opportunity to be with your soulmate. At the end of the day… little else mattered to you.

———————————

Much to your relief, the rest of breakfast proceeded smoothly. Conversation was sparse, with most of it being hushed whispers from the other side of the table, but you hardly minded. Normally you would find it rude. Now, you were simply pleased that they weren’t being up front with their hostility. More so, it allowed you and Bela to have your own conversation, which mainly pertained to your plans for the day. Several times during your discussion, a glance elsewhere would show you that Alcina was paying attention. Exactly once you even saw her attempting to hide a smile. A sense of pride had swelled in your chest at the sight.

It has remained there, even until now, as you move into Bela’s private study. One quick survey of the room tells you a thousand things about your soulmate. For starters, it’s clear that she’s musically inclined. There’s a harp in one corner, adjacent to a folded music stand, as well as a small bookshelf dedicated entirely to sheet music. A couple medium sized instrument cases are nearby, but you don’t immediately recognize their shape. Further into the room is a rather old looking desk, slightly worn, yet clearly cared for. Possibly passed down the generations? Next to the desk is a massive window with a couple spare chairs. All across the walls were bookshelves and mementos, including several skulls (at least one of them human). Every book you looked over appeared to be well read, with many bookmarks inside, some held together by tape and prayers.

“This… this is sublime, my darling. I could rest here for a month and hardly finish cherishing half the space!” You said, grinning at your soulmate. She’s equally pleased, seeming a tad relieved as well. Perhaps she had worried you’d be thrown off by the skulls? Wanting to reassure her, you approach that particular shelf, examining them closely. However, you do not touch them, not wanting to risk damaging her collection. “Truly marvellous. Dare I ask where you got these specimens?” It’s a joke, but Bela stiffens nonetheless, making you quickly redact your statement. “My apologies, I meant it as a jest. Though you are welcome to tell me more about them if you so desire! I will listen with rapt attention, I promise.”

“Most of them are gifts from Cassandra. During the summers we hunt, her more so than Daniela or myself. I… dislike wasting anything, and there’s only so much to be done with most bones. They have quite a few ornamental uses, however. Useful for study, as well,” Bela mentioned, smiling softly. Then she moves to stand next to you, carefully reaching to grab one of the skulls. “This was from one of our hounds, actually. I raised her from puppy to adult, took her on every hunt, even let her sleep in my quarters on colder nights. When she got sick I…” A pause, mouth open but unmoving, eyes slipping shut. “I couldn’t bring myself to put her down. Even argued with my mother, night after night, begging for another choice. None came, of course, and in the end even I could not deny her the softest embrace of death… Still, you must think me strange, to keep such a thing as a reminder of her.”

“Not at all, my dear. We all remember, and grieve, in our own ways. I’ve often found myself intrigued by skulls, of all sorts,” you admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of your neck with your hand. “All we are, our minds or mayhap our souls, contained in one hard shell. It’s incredible, and terrifying, all at the same time, to hold one in my hands, or even merely examine one. Oh, what stories these bones could tell, if only they could talk… Though I suppose there are entire fields of science devoted to such a thought…” With that said, you look back at Bela just in time to see her staring fondly at the canine skull. Then she places it back on its perch, dusting her hands off afterwards, taking one last moment to appreciate her collection.

“I’m glad you and I agree on this,” she said softly. Once more she’s looking at you, smiling wide. “Now let’s make memories of our own, to hold in our bones forevermore, yes?”

[oh-ranpo]

something special.

pairing: chase davenport x reader an: this is purely self-indulgent because i’ve been re-watching Lab Rats and I forgot just how much i loved Chase lmao I’m about four years too late to this fandom but oh well 🤷🏻‍♀️this is also unedited so... woops. word count: 2k+

“I’m late.” Those were the first words out of his mouth once the dust settled. “She’s going to think I’m not coming,” were the next.

Bree and Adam couldn’t believe what they were hearing as they rushed over to their brother to help him to his feet. They had just managed to stop a massive explosion at the power plant a town over from theirs, and it had been one of the most taxing missions in a while. Bree and Adam were exhausted. They had no idea how Chase was even thinking clearly as he had been the one to take the brunt of the last bit of action.

“Dude, what are you talking about?” Adam asked, as he pulled Chase up and draped his arm over his shoulder. “We need to get you home.”

Chase adamantly shook his head as he tried to pull away, his feet stumbling slightly as he now fell into Bree instead. There was a panicked look on his face, and it was not from the intense situation that he had just gotten himself out of.

“No, no. YN. We had a date planned, she’s… she’s going to be upset if I’m not there.”

Suddenly, it all made sense. Adam and Bree exchanged a look as Chase stood up a little bit straighter. He wasn’t just babbling nonsense. He was babbling about you.

“I’m sure she’ll understand, but Chase, you aren’t fit to go anywhere. You can barely stand,” Bree murmured carefully as Chase quickly turned to look at her.

“Bree, I’m fine. I just… I have to go,” he insisted, and he quickly turned back to the transport that had brought the three of them to the power plant, forcing Bree and Adam to follow behind him. Bree looked to Adam for some assistance, but instead of support, she found him shrugging instead.

“He’s right. If he found a girl that’s willing to put up with him, he really needs to find a way to make it work. Who knows if he’ll find another girl as cool as her again.” Bree rolled her eyes and huffed as they continued making their way in the direction that Chase had disappeared to. Despite having so much taken out of him, he was moving surprisingly fast.

No one spoke the entire ride back, and as soon as they reached their house, Chase immediately turned and headed in the opposite direction.

“Tell Mr. Davenport I’ll be back,” he called over his shoulder, and while Bree could have easily caught up with him, and Adam could have easily stopped them, neither one of them did. Maybe they should have, but they could tell from the look in his eye how much this meant to him. Once he was with you, they had no doubts that he would be in good hands.

“I can’t believe he’s just going like this. He didn’t even change,” Bree mused, and Adam looked down at her.

“She already knows our secret. It’s not like she hasn’t seen him in his mission suit before. In fact, I’m sure it’s probably the best outfit he owns.” Bree rolled her eyes again, and the two of them headed inside to get some rest themselves.

Chase, on the other hand, was on a whole new mission. He had promised you that he would meet you at the ice cream shop nearby, and he was supposed to be there almost an hour ago. He didn’t have his phone on him, and he had no idea if you would still be there, but he could hope. Hope was all that was keeping him from collapsing on the side of the road.

He didn’t even stop once to think about his appearance. He didn’t bother getting cleaned up or changing his outfit, so imagine your surprise when you stepped out of the ice cream shop, just as he was walking up, and turned to see him covered in ash and soot.

“Chase?” The sound of your voice cut him out of his trance, and Chase felt like he had found his second wind. The look on your face was filled with worry, but that didn’t stop him from rushing into your arms, pulling you into a hug as he pressed his face into your neck.

“I was afraid I missed you,” he murmured against your skin just before pulling away. Your hands immediately came up to cup his cheeks, your eyes scanning his face for any signs of injury.

“Did you just come from a mission?” You asked quietly so that no one could overhear you. You backed him away from the door and towards the side of the building so that people inside the shop couldn’t see him through the window and question the strange outfit he was wearing. “Why are you still in your suit?”

Chase didn’t look down at his outfit as he was too busy studying your face. He had a photographic memory, but the mental images of you never compared to the real thing. He was always captivated by every freckle and dimple, no matter how many times he saw them.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” he replied, ignoring your previous questions. “Things took a little bit longer than we expected, but then I rushed straight here. I didn’t… I didn’t want you to think that I stood you up on purpose.”

The expression on your face softened as he spoke, and your hand caressed his cheek gently. Sure, while you had been confused about where he could be for the past hour, you knew that something had to have come up. It wasn’t like Chase to leave you hanging. And considering you knew about his bionics, you were sure there was a logical reason. You had been correct.

“You could have just called me when you got home,” you told him as his head leaned into your touch. “I would have understood. But you look exhausted. You should probably get home.”

“No!” He interjected instantly, causing you to jump. “I mean, no. I want to be here. I want to be with you. Right now.” You smiled softly before nodding.

“Can I at least get you some ice cream?” It was Chase’s turn to nod.

Since he was still dressed in his special mission suit, you went in to order by yourself, and then you brought it back out so that he could eat it while the two of you walked back in the direction of his house. You weren’t going to rush him inside, but you knew that he needed to be close to home in case he started to crash.

“You really are a mess, though,” you laughed, just as Chase managed to get a spot of ice cream on his nose. “Where was your mission? The dump?”

“Power plant, actually. There was a lot of dust from the fire that almost caused an explosion.”

“Fire? Explosion?” Your steps had come to a stop as you felt your heart plummet to your feet. “Chase, you were…”

It took a minute for his own words to process, and then his eyes widened as he stepped towards you. The ice cream in his hand was forgotten as he reached out for you.

“It’s fine, I’m fine! I promise. It was just a little thing, and we managed to put a stop to it before it got too bad.” You hated the way your body had reacted to the description of his mission, and you couldn’t stop yourself from folding yourself into him as his arms wrapped around you. You knew that he got mixed up in some dangerous things, but you never really thought about how dangerous.

Chase didn’t move for several seconds as he held you until you realized how ridiculous you were being. He had just been (almost) involved in an explosion, and he was the one holding you? It seemed a little backwards.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” You asked as you leaned your head back to look at him. He nodded before leaning in and resting his head against yours.

“I’m perfect now.”

His words were so quiet and soft, you weren’t sure that you were meant to hear them, but when they hit your ears, your stomach filled with butterflies. You had no idea how you had managed to find yourself here, in this position, but you wouldn’t change it for the world.

You and Chase had only recently started hanging out, and you knew before that he had a crush on you. You had a crush on him too. There was always something about him that held your attention, even though everyone else at school seemed to think that he was weird. He was smarter than most people, and when you had stumbled upon his bionic abilities by accident, you had learned just how true that was. Now, as you stood on the sidewalk just down the street from his house, with his arm around you, you were more grateful than ever that he had finally mustered up the courage to ask you out before you had to do it yourself.

“Chase,” you whispered as he lifted his head away from yours, his green eyes meeting yours curiously. You didn’t have anything else that you wanted to say, but you wanted him to be looking at you so that you could gauge his reaction as you lifted your hand to cup his cheek once more before moving in closer. The two of you had never shared a moment like this one before, and while you weren’t sure that the timing was perfect, you couldn’t wait any longer.

You and Chase hadn’t kissed before, and you knew that he was nervous about it. You were sure that there had been a few times he almost did, but then he chickened out. Chase was great at a lot of things, but knowing how to act around a girl that he liked was not one of them. This only became more clear as you leaned in closer, and he remained motionless, his eyes fixed on you, as if he had no idea what to do.

Slowly, your eyes slipped shut as you completely closed the distance between you, your lips pressing against his gently. As you kept them pressed together, you felt Chase sigh as his body melted against yours before finally kissing you back. You couldn’t quite explain the feeling that spread through you, but when you did finally break apart, you already knew that you couldn’t wait to do it again.

The look on Chase’s face was one of pure adoration, and you felt like putty in his hands. You had never met someone that could affect you in such a way with just one look, but here you were.

“I could go on a thousand missions like the one today if I had this waiting at the end of it,” he whispered softly, and you felt your heart jump in your chest as a bright smile spread across your face.

“Play your cards right, and it just might,” you teased back as your finger tapped his nose, causing his own smile to grow.

“Thank you for understanding,” he added a moment later. “I know this has to be confusing, and I know that it sucks when I get called out when we have plans but I…”

“You don’t have to explain,” you cut in, your arm falling away from him as you slipped your hand into his free one. “I get it.”

And you did. You knew it and Chase knew it, and it was one of the reasons he was so crazy about you. For most of the day, every day, Chase had to pretend to be something that he wasn’t. Normal. But with you, he could be exactly who he was. There was no holding back, there were no secrets, and he never wanted there to be. He didn’t know a lot about love or relationships, but he knew you were different, and he knew that whatever life threw at him next, he wanted you there with him.

Despite the chaos, you wanted the same thing. Chase was special in more ways than one, and you were grateful that you were the one that got to see just how much.

[the-a-word-2214]

Bundle of Joy

summary: (Y/N) reminisces on how she and Pierre met while carrying his child

pairing: Pierre Bezukhov x reader

word count: 1,488

warnings: pregnancy, fluff, mention of childbirth

As you gently run your hand over the ever-growing bump of your stomach, you can’t help but remind yourself of how you managed to get so lucky. It was all thanks to the man who had, quite literally, stumbled into your life.

————————————————

The cold splash of champagne alerted you as a figure stumbled forward into you. In an instant, you gasped and clutched your dress. The man in front of you mumbled a quick apology as he tried to stop the spread of the stain on your new dress.

“I do apologize a thousand times over, I’m very sorry madam.” He stutters as he tries to fix his mess.

“Oh, it’s alright. This dress could’ve used some spicing up anyways.” You chuckle as you gently touch the hand that was on your waist.

He laughs with you once he realizes that you weren’t mad at him. Sure, accidents happen but you’d heard the tale of the young man’s misfortune.

“Pierre Bezukhov, Miss. And you are?” He bows his head to you.

“(Y/N) (L/N). I’m no one, nothing to worry about. I won’t mortify you anymore for your accident. Truly, it’s fine.” You give the gentleman a warm smile.

Your father didn’t have an heir so you were expected to find a husband, specifically one with money.

Along with the pesky rumors of his misfortune, you’d also heard about how intelligent Pierre was for his age and his goofy demeanor. You found him to be endearing and kind, nothing short of a wonderful person at a first glance.

The way he stood back from a dancing crowd, preferring to watch from the side. How he figured he was too clumsy to dance without the right partner.

All of these things flooded your mind as he decided to stick by you for the remainder of the evening.

“So, madam, what brings you to an event like this? Are you intrigued by the festivities?”

You shake your head, laughing softly.

“My mother made me attend only to leave me by the door as soon as we walked in. I don’t know anyone here, so I suppose she expected me to mingle.” You shrug your shoulders as you drink from the champagne in your cup.

“I don’t care for the festivities myself, I tend to keep to myself as well.”

You quirk an eyebrow at him, a smirk toying at your freshly painted lips.

“So we do have something in common, Monsieur Pierre.”

————————————————

You’re pulled from your thoughts just as your husband walks into the room, his boots sounding on the floor as he swiftly approaches you.

“Are you alright, my love? How’s the baby?”

“We’re just fine, Pierre. No need to worry.”

Your husband was always concerned about your health and the state of the baby. His pacing when any little thing would happen would always make you nervous. You always had to reassure him, saying that nothing dangerous would happen and that everything was fine.

He was constantly reading about ways that the baby could be affected while in the womb. He also has doubts about his abilities as a father considering his relationship with his own father.

“Are you sure? I read that stress can affect the baby.”

“I’m sure, Pierre. I promise.” You hold out your pinky to him like you used to do when you first met him.

————————————————

You were both drunk as skunks, giggling to yourselves outside one of the obligatory parties that he had to attend. Your laughter filled the garden as you sipped from your third flute of champagne.

“Alright, hold your pinky out like this.”

You show him the pinky gesture that your mother used to show you when you were little.

“You use this little gesture when you want to make a sincere promise to someone.”

He mimics your gesture and smiles, hooking it around yours.

“This is very nice, it makes me feel like a child again.”

————————————————

Later in the evening, when it was time for you both to wind down and get some sleep, your hormones decided to give you a wake-up call.

It felt as if you had every reason to cry in that instant. The world felt as though it were crashing down, even though you knew that wasn’t true.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you sniffled and shook your husband’s arm. “Honey, are we really cut out to be parents?” You managed to get out as a sob wracked your body.

Pierre simply shushed you and held you close to him, stroking your back.

“It’s alright, love. I’m here for you. Is it the baby? Is that what’s upsetting you?”

You nod as you wipe away some of your tears.

“I’m sorry I’m being so dramatic. I know I’m being ridiculous.” You laugh and shake your head.

“It’s fine, my dear. You’re allowed to feel that way. I know that I was afraid when we first found out about your pregnancy.” He assures you.

————————————————

The Bezukhov family doctor was checking your health when he noticed something unusual in your urine. He also took into consideration your sudden morning sickness which seemed to be very unusual.

“I believe that you are pregnant, my dear.”

He told you as he packed up his kit of examining tools.

“Really? You think so. Pierre’s going to die.” He laughs at your comment and gives you a knowing smile.

“He’ll be fine, trust me, (Y/N).” He pats your arm before leaving, letting your husband come back into the room.

“Dear, there’s something that I should tell you.”

“Oh no, you’ve got a horrid disease.” He gasps as he takes a preparatory seat next you.

“No no, nothing like that. This is...good news actually.” You gather his hands in yours as you look him in the eyes.

“My love, we’re going to have a baby.”

Your heart nearly stops as he looks as if he might faint, his eyes a mix of fear and joy.

“I-I think that’s wonderful, (Y/N). A baby, who’d ever think that Pierre Bezukhov would father a child.” He lets out a laugh in disbelief as he pulls you closer for a heartfelt kiss.

————————————————

A few nights later, you were awoken in the late hours of the night to pain in your abdomen. It was unlike anything you’d felt before and you knew that the baby’s birth was nearby.

“Pierre, Pierre wake up. The baby’s coming.” You urged him awake as he jerked up, putting on his glasses.

“Oh my, the baby. Yes!” He shoots up, grabbing a nearby candle and taking it with him down the stairs.

“Everyone! The baby is coming, notify the midwife!” He calls out as he rushes down the stairs, almost tripping in the process.

————————————————

As the crowd in your room gathered, it began to add to your anxieties. Pierre stayed by your side the entire time, his hand latched onto your own to give you something to grip onto.

His hand was practically turning white from your strength. As one of your final contractions hit, you and nearly every other woman in the room breathed through the pain as a groan slipped past your lips.

“That’s it, dear. You’re almost done.” The midwife assured you as she gently helped the baby along.

With a final push, the baby was out. Everyone rushed to see it. Pierre had finally had enough though.

“Everyone, please! Give us some space. Might you give us that courtesy?!” He shouts to them as you steady your breathing. It was a miracle that you’d survived at all considering how dangerous the birthing process was.

Pierre made sure that in the final moments of it, that you weren’t disturbed like you had been through the first part of the process.

The aristocrats before you looked to each other before leaving the room. You sighed in relief as you mouthed a quiet “thank you” to your husband.

The midwife cleaned off the baby before handing it back to you, lying it’s head on your chest. Tears pooled in your eyes again as you gently kissed the infant’s head.

The brunette above you smiled and gently stroked the baby’s head as he watched in awe at the human that you’d made together.

“She has your eyes, my love. Look.” She slowly opens her eyes to look up at her father. Her eyes were indeed the beautiful shade of green that his were.

“That she does. She has your nose though, it’s cute as a button.”

“Congratulations to you both.” The midwife curtsies before excusing herself out of the room.

Pierre sits by you as you both relish in the moment together with your daughter. Of course this is made short as your other relatives welcome themselves back inside, immediately doting over the new future countess.

All was well, your lives forever changed for the better by the bundle of joy in your arms.

[wild-west-wind]

Hey! Just saw your post on the rock carvings. I understand why rock painting is an issue (introducing microplastics and other chemicals into the ecosystem when the paint inevitably erodes away), and I understand why carving trees or other hardwood plants is an issue (damaging a plant's external defense system makes it susceptible to parasites/disease), but what are the issues in carving rocks?

I definitely think there's a pervasive mentality of humans being entitled to nature and interacting with it in permanent ways like this, and I think that's not something worth bringing with us into natural spaces (I am no saint- I'm guilty of absconding with the occasional rock/piece of foilage for memories). It just never occurred to me that there could be an ecological impact from rock carving. Thoughts?

There are a few different angles that I’m going to zoom over:

Ecologically rocks are vital habitat for animals large and small. Under each rock is a pocket of moist, dark space that supports insects, arachnids, amphibians, and so much more. They’re vital locations for laying eggs, safe from large predators. When you pick up a rock, you instantly destroy that little habitat, forcing its denizens to scatter. Furthermore carving like the person in that post on both sides, is going to encourage people pick it up again and again. In large number moving rocks can cause major ecological issues in rocky streams. One of the big threats facing already majorly imperiled riparian ecosystems is people changing stream flow by taking out all the rocks and building towers.

Sociologically it’s common that once people start doing something, more follow. A clean wall might be clean for weeks or years, but once one person tags it, more follow. When folks carve their name in a tree that grew for 50 years without being touched, more follow. Locks on bridge fences, gum on walls, the painted rocks on every college campus, etc build up into actions done by hundreds of people. What one person does, even if causing a minimal issue to the environment, often can’t be done equally by one hundred, or one thousand, or one million.

Geologically disturbing rocks distributed across the surface alters water and wind flow, and can both increase erosion in an area, and upset the formation of new soil. Carving a rock creates new channels on which erosion can operate, and can increase the rate at which that rocks break down and feeds nutrients into the surrounding soil.

Aesthetically we are drawn to natural places by a desire to be part of something beyond ourselves. We go for quiet, and to get away from other people. Once people start leaving trash around, it stops carrying the same weight. It becomes another place that people have degraded, broken down, and changed, and not for any practical reason.

Indigenous people often reshaped the places they lived, foragers may remove plants and fungi from the space, but they (SHOULD) leave something to propagate for the future. People can live in harmony with natural spaces, they can change them to benefit themselves, they can make them more accessible, they can use them respectfully. All of that is good.

Carving a rock just carves a rock. It benefits no one, and it permanently change that space for no other reason than satisfying someone’s weird call-of-the-void wish to leave a mark.

So my short advice to everyone who enjoys nature: Try not to change anything, try to leave things similar to how you found them. If you are going to change/remove something, you or someone else should have a semi-immediate positive effect from the change/removal of something from the ecosystem, and the place you were should be changed only in ways it can quickly recover from, with minimal short or long term harm to the organisms that live there. Harvesting some mushrooms for yourself or a friend? Good, make sure to leave some mushrooms to spread spores and make the next generation of mushrooms. Harvesting flowers to make medicine? Rad, leave some to go to seed. Spray painting a tree with your name? Bad, no one benefits, the tree is harmed.

[ediths]

The Beginning of the End

Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader 

Word Count: 1,041

Summary: Harry doesn’t know how to get Y/N to realize that he doesn’t hate her. Thankfully, Mitch has the perfect idea.

Warning(s): Some swearing, plotting and planning, Harry being a complete lovesick fool, Y/N isn’t present in this, it’s a hitch friendship moment.

A/N: This is technically part of the The View From Both Sides of The Mirror universe! (If you haven’t read the fic it’s based upon, you can always read that here) Anyways, I am completely in love and entirely invested in their story, so this is just one of the many blurbs that I have planned (as of right now there are two or three others that I’m thinking about writing!!)

As always, positive feedback is appreciated! If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all, and make sure to reblog to share with your friends if you enjoy it!

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*

~Approximately two weeks before the beginning of The View From Both Sides of The Mirror.~

Harry audibly groans, drawing the attention of the other man in the room, causing him to snap his attention towards the sound. His long brown hair is almost down to his shoulders again, so the strands sway for a moment after his attention has been trained on the, obviously upset, young man.

“What’s wrong this time, H?” Mitch asks, his soft-spoken manner a stark contrast of the outburst that just wracked through Harry’s body.

“She hates me, man.” He groans, the chestnut curls atop his head falling slightly out of place as he drops his head to his hands. He uses his palms to begin massaging his eyes and his fingertips to knead at the sensitive skin of his temples, trying to soothe the headache that had been plaguing him for the majority of the day.

“Who?” Mitch, of course, already knows the answer to his query, the only thing that the young star had been talking about for the past few weeks was Y/N. 

“Oh, shut it, Mitch. You know who I’m talking about.” Harry grumbles. The older man can’t help but chuckle. He doesn’t understand how Harry can be so adamant on making Y/N think that he hates her when he’s actually head over heels for her.

“Why don’t you just cut the act already?” Harry scowls at the suggestion, already having a thousand reasons why that just won’t work. “The worst she can do is continue to hate you. There won’t be much of a change.”

Harry heaves the throw pillow that he was clutching, almost hitting Mitch square in the face.Thankfully, the guitarist has quick instincts, so he catches the pillow just before it makes contact. 

“Shut the fuck up.” Harry grumbles. Mitch didn’t know what he was talking about. Harry couldn’t just all of a sudden change how he’s been acting about her. That would look too suspicious. And it’s not like he was up for the rejection.

“Just stop being a little bitch and talk to her.” MItch pitches the pillow back at harry, who easily catches it before hugging it back to his chest. “What’s so different about her? What’s so different from the other girls, the ones that you seem to have no trouble talking to?”

“I don’t know.” Harry sighs, rearranging himself until he’s spread across the couch. “She’s just so pretty. And even when she’s arguing with me and hurling nasty comments, she’s still so sweet about it somehow.” To Mitch, this makes absolutely no sense, but he’s going to continue to let Harry ramble, knowing that he’ll feel better after he just talks it out. “And she lights up every space that she enters. God, I don’t know how she does it, but she can make the cloudy thunder storming days seem like it’s sunny outside.” Harry nuzzles his face into the pillow he’s still holding onto. “And the way she looks at me, bloody hell, it’s a privilege to be looked at by her. Her eyes are so fucking beautiful, and the way that she seems to look at who you really are, even for just a moment, makes my heart squeeze.

“I feel like I can’t breathe around her, but in the best way possible.” Mitch is just staring at him now, no more smirks or snide remarks running through his head. The only thing that he can piece together while listening to Harry gush on and on about this girl is, wow, he’s got it bad. Of course, he’ll never say that to him, knowing that he’d immediately brush it off. Harry isn’t the best with emotions, and he’s even worse when it comes to commitment. “And, lord, Mitch, when she brushes past me and her skin touches mine? I feel like every one of my nerve endings are on fire.

“She makes me feel things that I never thought I’d feel again. I thought for a long time that I was unlovable, that I was the problem.” Harry’s throat begins to get closed up, the words sounding more and more forced, but he continues. “And I’ve just started to think that maybe I’m worth it, you know?” Mitch nods, although he knows that Harry won’t bother looking over at him. “And there’s just something about her that makes me want to risk it all.”

“Then do it. If she’s worth it, then go for it.” Mitch can sense his hesitance, so he quickly elaborates on his thought. “You can take it slowly. Try to find ways to be nicer to her. I know you’ll still come off as a dick because you’re used to doing so by now, but just try to ease into it.” Mitch stops for a moment, trying to gauge Harry’s reaction. All he gets is a wave of Harry’s hand, signaling for him to continue. “Just start to find ways to let her know that you care. Don’t rush either of you into it.”

“Yeah, maybe I could do that.” Harry conceded, knowing that Mitch is a lot wiser than him. And if his relationship with Sarah has anything to say for him, he’s a lot better at relationships as well. “I just don’t know when we’ll spend enough time together for me to do anything.”

Mitch is quiet for a moment, thinking it over. “Aren’t you going on that vacation with Sam and Lexi?” Harry just nods, not understanding what that has to do with anything. “And you said there was room for one more person?” He gives yet another nod, still not comprehending what Mitch is trying to say. “Make sure that she goes. Regardless of what it takes, make sure that she is on the flight.”

The realization finally washes over Harry, and he doesn’t think that he’s ever had someone give him such a great idea.

‘Yeah, I think I can do that.” He assures Mitch, who just nods.

And at that exact moment, Harry decides that this trip will be the week that changes the way Y/N perceives him. It will be the end of them as enemies, and hopefully be the beginning of them as lovers.

*

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[missskzbiased]

I Hate That I’m Afraid to Love You (16)

Genre: Romance, Friendship, Angst, Hurt /Confort , Suggestive, Fluff, College Au, Enemies to Friends to Lovers Au, REALLY Slow burn, Love Square (?)

Pairing: Hyunjin X Fem!Reader  X Han X OC

WC: ~ 4,5,K

[Previous] [Chap] [Next]

Masterlist

Warnings (general*): Language, Mentions of (Physical abuse, Death/ Loss of Loved One, Child Abandonment/Neglect, Divorce, Toxic Parents, Cancer, Mental disorder, Anxiety Attack, Alcohol, Food), Suggestiveness

Notes: It’s Paris’ Pov and the next one will be Hyunjin’s Pov. I just thought it was good to point it out. Songs mentioned: “Both Of You- Steven Universe” and “Count on Me - Bruno Mars”

Updates: Tuesdays

                                                       ////

   PARIS’ POV

    Holy. Bloody. Cow.

    Honestly? Although you enjoyed teasing Y/N about her suspicious relationship status with Hyunjin, you would never ever ─ even in a thousand million years ─ imagine that he would just pin her against a wall and kiss her in front of everybody. And by everybody, you meant you and Han, because nobody else seemed to give a... Thought about that. Okay, you found kinda odd the fact that they kept trading that book without a real reason… Even so! Wouldn’t Y/N have told you about it?

    There was no way they were together.

    She just denied everything a couple of minutes ago! She would never lie straight to your face like that. You knew it. Then again… The way her hands were pressing against his chest instead of pushing him away immediately kinda told a lot about the situation.

  On a normal day, you probably would have said something ─ maybe take a picture to send Chan so you could tease the hell out of them ─ but right now you couldn’t bring yourself to do any of this. The intimacy of the situation made you embarrassed to keep looking at them, prompting you to avert your eyes. Maybe it was destiny, but out of everything you could meet, Han’s deeply hurt eyes were the first thing you came across with, which made your stomach drop.

  He was devasted.

  You didn’t need to think twice to turn your back to Y/N and Hyunjin ─ who would still hear a lot about it at some point ─ and go after Han that was already rushing away from the scene. You hopped some steps, trying to get closer to him as fast as you could but it wasn’t a coincidence that Han was an athlete and you were a musician.

    “Han!” You yelled loud enough for him to hear but he didn’t turn around. He should thank God for loving him to the point of letting him ignore you exactly at the time you hadn’t your guitar in your hands. You really needed to buy a new one anyway… “The baby is yours!” You screamed, and this time he turned around.

    “What are you doing?!” He hissed, wide eyes darting around to see if anyone bought your bluff.

  “Getting your bloody attention!” You spat while trying to ease your breathing, finally reaching him.

  So what now?

  As you stared at him ─ letting an awkward silence set between you two ─, you couldn’t help but think about what Hyunjin said. Han wasn’t there to talk to Y/N because of you… It was because of her. You tried not to let this affect you more than necessary but it was too late. Did he really need someone to convince him to go to your performance? Didn’t all those years mean anything for him? Was he talking to you for all those years just because of Y/N?

  You clenched your jaw.

  “So that’s it? You’re going to ignore me now that you were rejected?” You scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest “We spent years hanging around, eating together, going to each other’s games and performances… And now you’re going to throw all of this out of the window?” You inquired, frowning as you studied his features.

  “That’s not really what I’m trying to do…” He muttered under his breath, clearly embarrassed of his actions. You huffed in disbelief, shaking your head before looking straight into his eyes.

  “Honestly, Han?” You sighed “I really believed you liked me… I thought we were good friends, you know?” You shrugged, lowering your gaze “Now I look back and… What was it that we had between us? Was I only a way for you to get to her? Am I really your friend? Do you even consider me as someone you’d like to have around?” You felt your heart tightening inside your chest, making your breathing heavy.

  “No! Of course, I like you, Paris!” He rushed to say, hands shooting to your shoulders to give a reassuring squeeze “I just can’t find it inside me to go there and—“ You snorted, grimacing as you pushed his hands away from you.

  “You can’t find it inside you?” You snickered “Good Lord… You’re so selfish!” He gasped, surprised to see you upset like this “How would you feel if Y/N didn’t find it inside her to go to each one of your games?! How would you feel if she dropped you just like you were nothing?! How would you feel if she avoided you like the plague?!” You shouted, gesturing around mindlessly to get the anger out of you.

  “That’s different…” He tried to reason.

  “But it is not!” You interrupted him, high-pitched as you tried to hold back your tears “I love you, Han!” You wailed, face twisting in a crying frown “I love you, and even if I knew that you loved her, I was right there at your side at all times!” You said rather accusatorily, finger going to poke his chest “Say it! Tell me one damn time I wasn’t right there by your side! Tell me!” You demanded, tears flowing freely on your face.

    He opened his mouth but not a sound came out of it.

    “You can’t, right?!” You snorted, wiping your tears away “I was always there for you… I always found it inside me to go there and see how you looked at her with sparkling eyes instead of looking at me!” You grabbed his collar, though the grip was too loose to be even called a grip “And now you tell me that you can’t handle one rejection and go to my performance? One that you know how much it means to me?” You asked, narrowing your eyes at him.

  “Paris… I had no idea” He mumbled, eyes wavering to look at you.

  “It shouldn’t matter anyway… Are you going to go now because you pity me?” You scorned “You should go because you want to keep me with you, Han! Even though you had your problems with Y/N, I should still be your friend!” You let him go, hand going to press your eye “At least you could have come to talk to me… You could have said you wouldn’t be coming… You could have done something, you know? Anything. If you really cared about us”

  “I swear to God I didn’t have my mind in the right place, Paris” He took your hand in his, and you tried to ignore the fluttering that spread in your chest “I was too busy with all the stuff that is going on… I had to talk to my father, and I can’t really quit the team out of now—“

  “Wait- What?!” You gawked at him “You're going to quit the volleyball team?” You asked, taken aback by the revelation.

  “Didn’t Y/N tell you?” He asked surprised “I mean… I told her so I kinda assumed she would –“ You scoffed, poking your cheek with your tongue as you shook your hands to get away from his hold.

  “She wasn’t the one supposed to tell me about your life, though” You sighed “See? That’s what I’m talking about… You have classes with me, Han” You reminded him, looking at him as if you had no more expectations inside you “Couldn’t you tell me this? Is there anything else you expected her to tell me instead of actually looking for me to talk?” You sneered.

  “Well…” He let out a heavy sigh, looking at you uncertain “To tell you the truth, Paris… I’m kinda lost right now” He admitted, throwing you off for a second at the seriousness in his words “I never ever thought about actually getting out of the team, to be honest… I talked to Y/N and I realized a few things that made me want to try and pursue my own dreams instead of living to make other people happy”

  You didn’t notice it before but Han looked awful right now.

  He had messy hair that wasn’t really styled to look like this, and you figured he probably was getting less sleep than usual. The dark circles under his eyes were enough to confirm your suspicions. He seemed more tired as well, not only a lack of sleep thing but his shoulders were dropped and his eyes seemed to be filtering a lot of thoughts at once, narrowed and stern.

  “I want to be a musician” He paused, looking for your reaction but you couldn’t do anything else besides gasp in surprise “Yeah… I know it’s kinda unexpected if you consider I’m an athlete and all that…” He sighed once more, and you could swear that there was a shadow darkening his eyes “But that’s what I really love, and that’s what I want to do” He tried to offer you a small smile but failed, lips twisting in a weird grimace.

  “This is huge, Han” You admitted, reaching for his shoulder to give him some reassurance “I bet you have a lot to think about too…” You muttered, embarrassed at the number of things you just threw on his face out of nowhere.

  “Yeah… I mean, I told Y/N I was going to quit the team and I had already made my decision but…” He snorted “The truth is that I’m not really sure of what I should do, you know? I mean… I’ll pursue this dream. That’s what I want to do. But what about everything else?” You nodded, pursing your lips as you slid your hand through his arm to hold his hand.

  “It will take more time but you’ll eventually get there” You promised “You took some classes with me already, so you have some of those… I guess you’ll have to bear till the end of the semester to quit the team, right? But apart from that…” You tried to comfort him but he scoffed, shrugging.

  “Apart from that, I have an entirely uncertain future... I don’t know if it’ll go alright… I’m literally leaving behind an offer to play on a great team to pursue some silly dream and –“ You squeezed his hand, taking his other one into yours.

  “It’s not silly, Han… Isn’t that what you love?” You asked, trying to look into his eyes but he lowered his gaze “We’ll be here for you… You can take as many years as you need, if this means you’re going to be happy in the end, that’s what really matters” You placed your hand on his face, guiding him to look at you.

    “I wasn’t just avoiding you guys… I had to talk with my dad about a lot of stuff… Also, my mom is quite disappointed with my decision… I’m trying to put Minho in contact with the team that would hire me… I’m trying to get over my feelings for Y/N… I’m trying to figure out my whole future…” His voice faltered for a bit, and you shushed him, caressing his cheek before pulling him into a hug.

   “I get it… You’ve been through a lot” You mumbled, rubbing his back to soothe him “I just wished you had talked to us… We thought you were just wary because of the rejection…” You admitted, and he chuckled, hugging you back and resting his head on your shoulder.

  “Well… I mean, you’re not wrong” He laughed “I’m kinda embarrassed to talk to both of you… I mean- Well, it’s not exactly easy to act normal when you have been rejected” He pointed out, and you chortled at that, nodding.

  “Yeah, I know” You joked, and he seemed to realize that you had said you loved him not too long ago. He snapped away from your arms, straightening his back and clearing his throat as he glanced at you.

  “Sorry… I mean… I really like you bu—“ You laughed, waving your hand dismissively.

  “I’ve known for a long time that you don’t like me back” You reassured him “You don’t need to reject me or try to stay away from me” You rolled your eyes as you put your hands on your hips “Don’t make it one more thing to think about when you have so much going on” You arched your brow in a silent warning.

  “Sorry…” He smiled sheepishly at you, ducking his head into his shoulders.

  “That’s okay, I guess…” You sighed “I mean- I’m not happy about it but what can I do? Love is about sacrifice… I’ll have other performances in the future” You shrugged, though you couldn’t lie to yourself… You were hurt. You would have done it for him “I’d talk it through with Y/N, though… She’s really in the dark there and I won’t be your messenger” You warned him.

  “I know… I’ll try to talk to her and maybe… Maybe I can try to drop by?” He suggested unsurely.

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep” You forced a small smile, patting his shoulder before parting ways.

                                                         ////

  You should have asked him to come after all.

  You were the next ─ and finally the last ─ presentation for the night, and you couldn’t help but walk around with your guitar in your hands, playing some random notes in hopes to get calmer. The anxiety was creeping into your head little by little, and you couldn’t count how many times you had already tried to peek behind the curtains to see if they have already arrived. What if Han didn’t show up after all?

  Of course, you understood his situation now… He was overwhelmed by everything happening in his life at once, and you couldn’t really blame him if he didn’t show up. Or could you? No! You shouldn’t blame him! You had already learned your lesson with Y/N… You shouldn’t expect people to act like you… It was wrong.

  But missing your performance after all this time wasn’t really right either!

  Push away that thought! You ordered to yourself.

  It shouldn’t matter if he was going to be there or not… What was the difference? Would he play the song for you? So what you had changed the song to fit both of your stupid friends that couldn’t handle love like grown-ups?! It wasn’t their fault…

  Don’t push your standards on them! You reminded yourself.

  Love is about sacrifice!

  Sacrifice is about doing what is better for everyone else!

  Love is about sacrifice!

  If he showed up then it would be good! If he didn’t show up then it would be good too! He wasn’t in love with you. He wasn’t going to sacrifice for you. He didn’t have anything to do with the fact that you kept torturing yourself over and over again. He wasn’t in love with you. There was no need for him to prove anything. You can’t order people around. You should live your own life.

    What if he showed up just to talk to Y/N?

  Yeah… You could kinda let it go if he didn’t come at all but what if he came just to talk to her? What if he didn’t really care about you after all? That wasn’t the point… You had to be happy for them. If he came and talked it through with her and everything turned out to be okay… Then that was it. So what he didn’t do it for you? At least he did it for someone…

    That’s right.

    You loved both of them and they should be happy.

    If you love someone, you should behave properly, Paris… You reminded yourself, just like your mother told you for so many nights. You had to control your feelings and your urges and get to this stage and nail it. Han or no Han. You should act as if none of this really mattered to you.

    You did it before… It shouldn’t be too hard to do it tonight.

    The round of applause burst into your senses, getting you away from your thoughts for a moment and making you realize that the previous performance had already ended. You were the next one. You took a deep breath, hands shaking and sweating as you tried to hold onto your guitar firmly, making your way to the stage as soon as your name was announced.

    The lights blinded you for a second but you kept walking as if it was nothing, hearing the polite claps people offered you as you entered the stage. The creaking wood replaced the clapping soon enough, and as the silence settled all around the place, you sat on the woody stool, searching for your friends and family. Someone coughed quietly, breaking the silence once more, and you forced a smile for the audience.

    You spotted your mother and stepfather, as expected.

    You spotted Hyunjin and Y/N sitting side by side, as expected.

    You spotted the empty seat on Y/N’s side…

    As expected.

    You strummed the guitar, focusing your gaze on the strings before lifting your head to stare at the audience. The moment was partially broken by someone storming inside the place, making you snap your eyes at them even if you didn’t stop the song. The big foam glove caught your attention immediately, the “#1” prompting you to bit your lips to hold back your laughter.

    You watched as Han made his way ─ trying to be as discrete as possible but failing it greatly ─ to Y/N’s side, sitting down and raising his hand shyly for you to see. You smirked, lowering your gaze to the guitar to recompose yourself. The last thing you wanted was to laugh in the middle of the song and blew up your chances.

    “Why don’t you talk to each other?” You sang, lifting your head with a smile “Why don’t you talk to each other? Just give it a try” You roamed your eyes all around, confidence slowly making its way to your brain “Why don’t you talk about what happened?” You darted your eyes to Y/N and Han, staring at them as you sang the verse “I know you’re trying to avoid it but I don’t know why…”

   You caught the way they glanced at each other, shifting in their seats.

    “You might not believe it…” You strummed the strings, closing your eyes for a second “You might not believe it… But you got a lot in common… You really do” You offered them a small smile as you opened your eyes “You both love me and I love both of you” The chanting made you emotional for a second, but you tried your best not to choke.

   You watched as both of them looked at each other, eyes softening as they met one another. Y/N seemed to find amusing the glove he brought, glancing at it before chuckling, hand sliding to rest on top of Han’s. He seemed uncomfortable and yet relieved by the contact, ducking his head into his shoulders as he smiled at her, holding her hand before returning his gaze to you and shaking the glove.

    “I know you both need it… I know you both need it” You glanced at Hyunjin, smiling at him, happy to see Han and Y/N on a truce “Someone who knows what you’re going through…” You sang, noticing how his eyes seemed to harden for a second, fixing on their hands with a glint of something… A little bit off “You might not believe it…” Hyunjin raised his gaze to Y/N, watching her with longing eyes that almost made you gasp “You might not believe it… But you got a lot in common… You really do”

    You stared at him in wonder as he hesitated to take her hand.

    “You both love me and I love both of you…” He chickened out, placing his hand on his lap as he averted his eyes, looking into yours “You both love me and I love both… Of you” You finished, watching as he blushed under your gaze, clearly aware of his slip-up.

    There was no way in hell he didn’t like her…

                                                    ////

    Hyunjin was eavesdropping on their conversation.

    You shook your head in amusement as you got closer to him, studying his antics. You placed your hand on his shoulder, smiling as he yelped, snapping his head at you in a startled motion. He grimaced, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to trick you but ready to try it anyway.

  “I’m waiting for them to finish their talk…” He shrugged as if he didn’t care at all, and you hummed, nodding in acknowledgment.

    “Yeah… And you had to do it here where you could hear everything they’re saying” You pointed out, a knowing smile adorning your features. He sighed, looking at you unimpressed before scowling, mocking the way you talked.

   “Shh! They’re going to hear you” He nagged, hand going to cup your mouth as you laughed at his face “I was curious, okay?” You took his hand away from your mouth, snorting at his uneasiness.

    “Were you also curious to know how it felt to kiss her earlier?” You taunted, knowing far too well that the kiss was fake by now ─ as Y/N explained to you already ─ but enjoying seeing him flustered nevertheless.

   “I didn’t really kiss her… I had my thumb over her mouth…” He muttered, and you grinned at him as you nudged his side.

   “And I’m quite sure that you regret it by now” You mocked, watching as his face set aflame. You couldn’t believe that Hyunjin ─ the greatest fuckboy of all times ─ was blushing right in front of your eyes for the mere mention of a kiss “She totally swept you off of your feet” You mused, getting a scoff from him.

  “Will it make any difference if I tell you that I’m not into her?” He asked warily, and you shook your head “Whatever… Just keep your mouth shut as I did for you to Han” He asked you, glancing at you unsurely.

   “I can’t believe my ship is finally sailing!” You chirped, squeaking as you clasped your hands together.

   “You ship her with literally any male around” He pointed out.

   “That’s not true! I just shipped her with you and Chan!” You defended yourself, pouting. He threw a look, arching his brow in wonder before peeking at Han and Y/N. You followed his gaze, watching as Han positioned your guitar on his lap “How is it going? Did they make up?” You asked mindlessly.

   “They didn’t talk much…” He admitted, tilting his head “We talked for a while before Han decided to talk to her in private… We were wondering about that man who came to talk to you” He explained, “Was he really a producer?” He asked curiously, averting his eyes from them to look at you.

    “Oh! Yeah… Yeah, he was” You beamed at him “I got a record” He gasped, brows shooting up in pure bliss before he hugged you tight, laughing. You chuckled as you returned the hug, satisfied by the outcome of the night. You were hoping for it but you couldn’t be sure that someone would actually want you to record something.

    You were pretty proud of yourself, you wouldn’t going to lie.

   “This is awesome, Paris!” He chirped, holding your shoulders to take a better look at you “You did it!” He beamed “Oh my God… This is incredible!” You snorted, nudging him.

   “Shouldn’t we be silent so they won’t catch on us?” You reminded him, and he shrugged his shoulders, waving his hands dismissively.

   “Who cares?! This night is about you!” He pointed out “You got a record!” He giggled, and you laughed at his reaction. It was kinda cute the way he was beaming at something you conquered “What about your family?! Did you tell your mom?” He asked excitedly.

   “Yes! She’s really proud!” You giggled “We’re going to do something together tomorrow… After she saw Han hugging me… Well, she didn’t want to meddle” You felt your face burning, and this time Hyunjin smiled teasingly.

   “So cute” He cooed, and you pushed him lightly.

  “If I were you, I wouldn’t keep teasing –“

  “If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea…I'll sail the world to find you” Han began to sang, playing the song on the guitar “If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see… I'll be the light to guide you” You saw him smiling at her, receiving a small smile back “We'll find out what we're made of… When we are called to help our friends in need…” You noticed how he stressed the word friends, trying to reassure her that he was going to get through his feelings somehow.

    You smiled fondly at the scene, watching him strumming the instrument and recalling the way he held you in his arms, squeezing you and engulfing your body in his warmth. He had slammed his body onto yours, twirling both of you once before burying his face in your shoulder, congratulating you over and over again.

  Even if he had come to talk to her, he was also there for you…

  “You can count on me like one, two, three! I'll be there… And I know when I need it, I can count on you like four, three, two! And you'll be there…” He widened his smile, looking directly at her “'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh, yeah…” She giggled as he playfully howled to the next part, laughing.

   “Are you okay with this?” Hyunjin asked you stiffly, making you chuckle.

  “Yeah” You nodded “Why? Are you jealous?” You teased, and he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “As if” He huffed but you noticed how he had that uneasy expression all over his face “This is so cheesy… I can’t believe she likes serenades and things like this” He grimaced, and you couldn’t help but laugh at him, placing your hand on his shoulder and giving him a reassuring squeeze.

  “You’re being bitter” You chuckled “Stop being creepy and let’s sit somewhere else and let them talk in peace… If you want to impress her like him, try and do a song for her” You rolled your eyes “Don’t pretend to be cool when you were literally blushing when I said you wanted to kiss her” You teased.

    “I’m not being bitter” He whined “If anything, I’m being too hot for this” He joked, and you chortled as both of you made your way to the closest bench.

    “Nice joke” You arched your brow to him, smirking “But if you keep being too hot for this, you may get burned” You warned, and his playful grin dissolved into a frown “She’s a good catch, and if I were you, I’d be more attentive… Maybe you should ask Chan for some advice…” You suggested, and Hyunjin seemed to think about it.

    The setting had been made…

    … Now you would have to convince Chan to play along with it.    

                                                       ////

Tagging List: This time I’m trying a new way to make my tag list. If you guys want to join, you don’t even need to ask/interact [my fellow shy beans], just click in this and DON’T INTERACT WITH THE POST, just “FOLLOW” it [Turn on the notifications for this post]. I’m not sure yet it’ll work but let’s see!

[rymndsmth]

querencia (jang han seo)

🎤 hello and gather around fellow himbo lovers, here is a small fic about our beloved and his life after That guy kicks the bucket. also idk how i managed to turn this into a love story? anyways lmfao, hope y’all enjoy! 

Everything felt so different.

Truthfully, Han Seo never imagined what his life could be like, would be like, without the proverbial ever tightening noose around his neck. One that had been unexpectedly and disappointingly placed on him as a child by the one person that was supposed to remove such things. He was now free of that person, and the fear that stemmed from veering off the path set by them, but wasn’t entirely too certain that he was free of that feeling. 

His muscles couldn’t shake it. The sudden chill to the bone, the anticipation of retaliation from an act that hadn’t yet occurred. Such an act that could never occur anymore given that his brother was dead. He knew this, but his mind had never been good at accepting possibilities that were positive. 

This much was evident in the case of his relationship with Vincenzo. There was no reason why the stoic yet baby faced Mafia member would want to keep him around, at least not any that he could see. So, Han Seo spent the first few weeks asking the question both silently and aloud, will you kill me? Vincenzo had the motive, it’s not exactly like his hands were clean in his previous dealings with Babel, and he most certainly had the means.

It wasn’t until Han Seo was told that because he was trying to make amends, he wouldn’t end up in the Jang family crypt well before his time that he started to feel at ease. Still, for months after that conversation, he still had the nagging feeling that some invisible fist was lurking around every bend. 

Regardless of that, Han Seo decided he would not waste his liberation however short lived it might have been. He made up his mind that he was going to do all the things that he was either too scared or outright forbidden to do before. The first thing on his list was to clean up his business. Luckily for him, the Guillotine file made it easy to weed out the snakes in the grass and allow him to steer Babel in the direction that the core of the business was about. 

The hardest part was going to be restoring the public’s faith in the organization. Cha Young told him as much, and advised him not to agonize over it as there will be new corruption that will grab their attention (and hers). He intended to be the Chairman that such a company deserved, and therefore continued to study no matter how nonsensical and outdated the information seemed. 

The second order of business was moving out of the place that felt more like a prison than a home to one that he liked. The realtor immediately recommended a few luxury places, but he turned them down to their surprise. Maybe it was due to the fact that he had seen what the quest for material wealth had done to his family (or more realistically because he wanted to be closer to newfound hyung  and his girlfriend). 

Either way, the house he settled on had its luxuries, but in a more affordable and quaint neighborhood. Han Seo even went as far as to attempt painting on his own, which went as well as expected for someone that didn’t even know the difference between a brush and a roller. 

Being able to do what he wanted proved to be chaotic at times. There was no one to stop him from going on last minute trips to Jeju just for oranges and a quick dip into the ocean. Or to take away all the sweet and savory snacks that he found at these things called convenience stores. 

He would stay up all night sometimes, not to binge watch all the shows he missed out on, but just to sit in silence. He didn’t know that the quiet could be so nice. That it was a space of tranquility and relaxation rather than one filled with anxiety. Of course, Han Seo more often than not regretted the choice not to sleep and ended up at the cafe a few blocks from his place. 

While obviously no one had better coffee than the one at Babel, he found himself going to the cozy spot with increasing frequency because of her. The first time he saw her, she was deciding on which apple to choose from the basket beside the register. He then noticed that her canvas bag was filled with art supplies, and decided that it was a brilliant idea to draw a conclusion. 

I think the one to the right would make a great subject on paper, he grinned. 

She stared at him in a way that made him contemplate whether to not she was related to Vincenzo hyung before replying flatly:

I’m looking for the tartest one to go with my tea. 

He was left a bumbling mess of flustered sounds and rapidly blinks, not getting the opportunity to insert some retort that undoubtably would’ve put him deeper into the realm of idiot. 

The following morning he went again. No cup of coffee, not even the ridiculously overpriced espresso at Babel, would give him that jolt of electricity he felt under her gaze. And sure enough, she was there. This time her apple sat upon a folded napkin right beside her tea, and in front of them both was her sketchpad. On the page? A picture of the fruit. He couldn’t control the noise of exasperation that left him as he passed her table. On his way out he tossed over his shoulder with a grin so wide it hurt:

Nice drawing. 

Their interactions continued in that same vein. Short, filled with just the right amount of bite. The balance of who had the best and last say constantly shifting, becoming somewhat of a competition. 

You’re outside today, is that weed your subject?

As if there weren’t enough clowns in this neighborhood already.

You buy a lot of lattes for an artist that’s supposed to be starving.

Ironic coming from the gentrifier walking around a working class neighborhood in thousand dollar shoes.  

He had look up what that g word meant after their last exchange.

There was something else he never got to do in his past. Sure, Han Seo had the occasional date or two, but commitment? That was out of the question. It wouldn’t have served his brother well if there was anyone around that would motivate him to step out from his hold. The realization that he never had a serious relationship hadn’t hit him until he started to have inconvenient thoughts during board meetings about stuff like taking a long afternoon stroll, and holding hands with her.

Han Seo could barely focus on the stack of jargon dense reading before him. He sent Vincenzo a text saying that he was coming over with soju, not waiting for a reply before making the short journey to Geumga. Cha Young’s face fell when she answered the door, muttering that she thought he was her delivery, but lit up once she saw he brought along alcohol. After poking around the rice he begged for them to share and sighing loudly for half an hour, Vincenzo ushered him out. He implored him to get a hobby so that these late night visits wouldn’t become a habit.  

He was confused by that. Weren’t studying and running a company hobbies? On his walk back home he spotted a flyer that someone was offering private classes for beginners painting. The nightmare of a time he had trying to get the walls in his kitchen evenly colored popped up in his brain, instantly making him tear off one of the numbers. He didn’t exactly know how learning to paint homes was going to be a practical hobby, but hell, he would have something to show Vincenzo later. 

While he was on one of his impromptu trips to the seaside, Han Seo had his assistant set up the class for him to take when he returned. As a gift for the instructor, he thought it would be nice to bring them an extra bag of oranges. If the session sucked, or if he hated it, at the very least there was going to be something to brighten the mood. 

The day he got back, he even went as far as to tidy up the place on his own and put some fresh flowers around so the air was lightly scented. He practically waited at the door until the alarm sounded to let him know that his instructor arrived. 

Is this a joke? She huffed.

No, I didn’t even know you were the teacher! His protest was adamant. I was on a trip and even brought back Jeju- He paused. Han Seo knew he wasn’t the brightest, but bringing up the oranges seemed like it would upset her given their previous history. 

You brought back what? Her brow raised.

Mmm, good energy! Don’t you feel the vibes from the ocean? He spread his arms wide. 

Han Seo waved her inside hurriedly, trying desperately to get past the awkward exchange. Of all people, he never would’ve thought it would be the neighborhood’s cute sass machine. A small noise of happiness couldn’t be stopped from escaping him as she accepted the invitation. Her eyes scanned the place without restraint, nose wrinkling when she took a look at the kitchen. 

Where are your supplies? A slender finger ran across the surface of his counter. 

Supplies? He thought that was included in the price for the lessons. 

She sighed, placing a sketchbook, brushes, and small pots of paint onto the table. It was now very apparent to him that the advertisement did not mean what he thought it did. Thank goodness he also didn’t decide to open his mouth about that beforehand, it probably would’ve made her smack him with her bag. 

Here, the materials were slid over when he sat. Paint something.

His facial expression surely mirrored what he was thinking. Han Seo had no recollection of ever trying to do this, not even during the course of his way overpriced private school education. She urged him on with a nod, only relaxing into her chair when he flipped open the book and picked up a fine brush. 

There was nothing in particular he wanted to paint. Hell, he didn’t even know if he wanted to paint at all. This was simply something random that came up when he needed it. 

To avoid being chastised, he dipped his brush into the light blue color and started swiping randomly across the blank page. He swapped the brush and added some dark green, then pink, and finished if off with small dots of white. At the end it looked like something a toddler would’ve considered a masterpiece. She eyed it with surprising interest. 

You clearly didn’t know what you wanted to achieve with this, or why you were doing it at all. 

Han Seo was about to interject with a prideful defense before she continued. 

That’s good. It’s better to work with an unbiased mind. Her eyes met his. Your technique is shit though. 

He laughed, like truly laughed. It was a full bellied, unashamedly loud, attack of sonic waves. She seemed to find it amusing, a hint of a smile dancing across her lips. 

Alright, let’s start with how to actually hold a paintbrush. 

There was no telling when their interactions had gone from less than playful banter to warm and friendly (still with a side of joking). Han Seo couldn’t put his finger on it. Did it happen during the second lesson where he mistakenly put paint on her hands, and didn’t settle for no when he said he would wash them off for her? 

Or was it the time he was running late for work, but the barista already had his order prepared because she told them that he was on the way? Perhaps it was the time she had to reschedule their Saturday morning for the evening instead, and all he could think about was trying to replicate the color of her alcohol flushed cheeks onto the page before him. 

Han Seo had never done the whole confession thing before, so he wasn’t sure about how it worked. An unfamiliar kind of anxiety crept up his spine as he poured glasses of wine and organized a fruit plate. Soft music played in the background accompanied by the crackle of the expensive candles he bought specifically for the occasion. Her mouth parted slightly as she took everything in once she arrived for what was supposed to be an ordinary session involving watercolors. 

Wow, got a hot date later or something? Her legs seemed to automatically take her to the table. 

Actually, He brought the glasses over to where she sat. It’s for you. 

Oh…She gasped. A few seconds passed that felt more like minutes before she picked one up and held it high. Cheers then!

Something about it made him feel like he made a mistake. Did he misread their change in demeanor towards one another? Was she truly just being kinder to him because she considered him to only be a friend? Han Seo tried to not let the embarrassment he felt seep into the room, keeping a smile locked and loaded for when she made a witty remark about stuff like him painting in the most inappropriate white button down. 

Don’t you have something to say to me? She quipped, neatly putting her things away after he finished. 

Me? I- no…I... He clenched his fists. Why couldn’t he come out and say it?! This was as good as a chance as he was ever going to get. If he let this opportunity slip, he wasn’t sure if there would be one again. He had to act, he had to-

What sounded like a small growl came from her as she raked her hand through her hair. She pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt, her nose just shy of rubbing against his. 

Jang Han Seo, when are you gonna stop driving me insane? She murmured, labored breaths dancing across his cupid’s bow. 

If only she knew how true and reciprocated that question was to him too. From the moment he couldn’t fight against thoughts about her entering his mind, to the smile she wore when he stepped across his threshold, and the way she said his goddamned name, it was all enough to make him want to combust. To burst out of his skin, transforming into something or someone else entirely. A person that fully accepted that there were no more restraints on their lives, that they was no more fear and no more betrayal. Someone that was completely in control, and free to take what was theirs. And so he did. 

It was painful, almost, the first time he kissed her. The second time even more so. By the third time, coupled with the question of her tongue prodding at his bottom lip, Han Seo had shedded the last of his previous being. He cupped her face, thumbs toying with her curled sideburns as he consumed her. Quiet whimpers made way for desperate cries, shivers were replaced by the searing heat of skin on skin. 

The high he’d chased fruitlessly so many times throughout his life was finally achieved with his arms wrapped tightly around her, their bodies pressed together as she shuddered and sighed his name. He was in disbelief that what he had experienced was real, so he chased it again and again, receiving the same result each time his sweat slicked forehead bowed to meet hers. 

Han Seo would learn that it could be obtained outside of that space they filled with the tangible evidence of their desire. It was also in buying melon flavored ice pops to eat in the park together on sunny days. The look on Vincenzo and Cha Young’s face when he timidly made the introduction. Her expression when she took her first bite of Hee Soo’s tteokbokki. When Mr. Nam and her had an hour long debate on which shade of red made the most realistic fake blood color. The flashing Best Chairman Ever coming from her phone when Babel secured their biggest deal yet without any dirty deals behind the scenes. 

That feeling, one that outshone the other by such a long shot that it was nearly eradicated, had been there all along in the life he’d made. She just helped him see it.  

[monst]

I have this cute idea on my mind and i Have to share it with someone, do whatever u want with it I just wanna write it down ajdjskkw. So!! Shigaraki with a s/o who likes wearing lipstick,, okay hear me out,,, who also Really likes giving Shigaraki lots of kisses,,, all over his pretty face,,, now,,,,, get ready,,, Shigaraki,,,, with tiny kiss shaped lipstick stains on his cheeks,,,, and nose,,,,, and forehead,,,,, oN hIs FiNgErTiPs (individually cause yeah) ,,h,,hnng soft shiggy baby 💋

Selfless💋

Pro hero! Shigaraki Tomura (Shimura Tenko) x Reader

Warnings: None…? I’ve been dying to do a pro hero Shiggy Au thing? Not as many kisses as I’d hoped to inlude tho

           “Ugliest pro hero huh…” Try as he might his fingers continued to scroll, vermillion eyes absorbing the various comments of agreement. There were a couple comments defending his appearance but the number of likes on the thread… just kept rising. He had refreshed the page a couple of times and with every load his lips drooped.

           He knew he had a plethora of fans. People who adored him and left loving and supporting comments on his social platforms. However, the negative ones stuck the most. They pierced his eyes and nested in his brain where they hatched and expanded. It spread in a slow black ooze until it consumed his confidence. His teeth sunk into his chapped bottom lip as he sunk his phone into his pocket and made his way to the nearest looking glass.

           He shouldn’t have entertained his insecurities, but it was hard not to, especially since they laid right there before him. Sickly pale skin frayed like the edges of a palmier, the skin surrounding his deep pools of unsettling blood looked as though a farmer had plowed his skin in rows in preparation for sowing. The tips of his fingers brushed over his lips…. Rough and chapped. The dry skin there flaked off and fluttered to the ground.

           Decay. A heavy sigh deflated his body as he took in the effects of his quirk. And like poison his mind whispered the ills of his quirk. ‘Dangerous’  ‘A destructive quirk’  ‘…Evil’ He shook his head clear of those thoughts, ignoring the pang of guilt that racked his body as he remembered the horror of when his quirk first manifested. The loss of his late puppy still loomed over him, it had burrowed deep within his soul. Its roots had sunk in deep and it was without a doubt one of his biggest insecurities.

‘What if I hurt someone…’  The thought never left him even as he aged. It was that thought that had thrust him into his current reality. As his fingers pressed into the dips underneath his eyes, he remembered how he ran away from his home. He snorted sarcastically as he recalled running into the nearest police station to turn himself in for murder.  He continued to prod at his face, his mind traversing memory lane when you walked in.

“Sorry but he’ll be busy that day, can we reschedule?” His gaze turned to you as you shut the door. When his eyes met what hung around your wrists, he took off towards you tugging the smiling plastic bags off your arms. A grin crawled onto your face at the action and you continued to try to end your current conversation. You furrowed your brows when you caught Shimura staring at the open box of fried rice, his chopsticks hung in mid-air as he looked to the food then to his lean frame.

“You okay?” You asked. “No not you. Listen I’ll get back to you later.” You hung up and sat down across from Tenko. He avoided your probing gaze and as to avoid conversation he begun to eat. He was unusually unenthusiastic about it and your lips curved into a frown. You knew the hero in front of you like you knew where your secret stash of candy was, something had obviously upset him. He hadn’t answered your previous question, so you didn’t pry knowing he’d spill eventually.

And spill he did. As soon as you broke apart your chopsticks his lips parted, his words barely above a whisper.

“(Name)…. Am I ugly….” Your eyes shot up to his face immediately! Your eyes were wide, your jaw slack as the words settled into your ears.

“W-Wha- Who? Who the fuck called you that?” You seethed. He showed you the thread and you exhaled in annoyance. His eyes were downcast his teeth chewing on his lower lip. You sighed, being angry wasn’t going to help anyone you noted. “No babe you’re not ugly.” You smiled.

“Don’t lie (Name)…. I look in the mirror everyday too.” He muttered bitterly.

“Well then you’re clearly looking into the mirror all wrong.” You shrugged.

His face scrunched up in confusion. “…How do you look into a mirror wrong?” He questioned. A slick smile slithered onto your lips as you stood and motioned him to follow. The both of you stood in front of the mirror.

“Okay, tell me what you see.” You ushered.

“A crusty mummy.” He shot back without hesitation. You frowned at that.

“Touya needs to shut the fuck up.” You scoffed with a roll of your eyes.

“He’s not wrong.” He shrugged. “Look babe I’m fine with looking like this…”

“Love.” You began “When has Touya ever been right?”

Tenko drew a blank, his friend had a knack for being wrong… most of the time… The scarred man sighed and side-eyed you. “Well then what exactly do you see.” He sassed. “Even if Touya’s wrong my eyes work fine.”

“Well then” You clapped turning his face towards the mirror. “When I look at this,” You thumbed underneath his eyes. “I see pain and hardship.”

“How is tha-“

“Shhh let me finish.” You shushed softly pressing your finger against his lips. “I see pain and hardship which leads to growth. They show resilience and strength. To me they tell a story about a boy who turned his trauma into a way to help others. And this.” The tip of your finger traced the scar running down his eye. “This shows how selfless you are.” You mumbled, “So do these.” You hummed caressing all of his wounds and scars.

“Every time your skin cracks and withers there’s always a reason behind it.” You chirped looking into his puzzled eyes, a smile lit your eyes at his confusion. Your fingers hooked underneath the arm of his sweater and you rolled up the sleeve. “Do you remember Kamino? When that one villain practically flattened everything?” He nodded. “There were so many people trapped under the crumbling rubbish, and you got there in time to dust the structures before they could crush thousands of people. This.” You raised his arm “Is a testament to that.”

“You save people at the cost of your own body Tenko.” You whispered brining his arm to your chest. “Your absolutely selfless and brave and that’s incredibly beautiful.” You confessed and lifted his fingers to your lips to press feathery kisses at their tips.

Tenko gazed at you in stunned silence. And you took advantage of it and swirled a finger around a lock of cotton-candy blue. “Your beautiful in your own way.” You added, kissing the skin underneath his scar, staining it with the pigment of your lipstick. You continued to lavish his marred skin with your lips leaving prints of your love with every smooch. A breathless chuckle escaped you when you looked at your handywork. The last lingering kiss was placed on his parted lips and as you pulled back you whispered against them “And downright sexy too. Have you seen the fics people write about you?”

A scoff left his lips at that. His eyes bore into his reflection, he knew that he would rather have scars than not be able to save others however, he sometimes wished he were a bit less… flaky. He voiced out his concern watching as you pursed your lips.

“Well it wouldn’t hurt you to have a skin care routine.” You smiled. “Your fans send you so many products so that you can take better care of your skin. Hell, Thirteen even goes out of her way to send you the high end stuff.”

“Is that what that is?” He frowned. You pinched his cheek in annoyance.

“Yes, of course you never touch it ‘cause you always go for the games they get you.” You nagged. His eyes lit up a reddish fire and he sprinted to where he kept his fanmail eager to get started.

.

.

.

“Tenko you can’t just lather it all on…”

Needless to say, the hero quickly fell in love with his new routine. He felt confident and even though he knew some effects were irreversible he reminded himself of the stories behind them and when he looked into the mirror. He was okay.

[demonicheadcanons]

can you do a HC of 18th century Obey Me brothers?? I'm super into historical drama at the moment and would love to see classical Obey Me AU

AN: Thanks for sending this in!! I’m not very good with history, so please forgive any mistakes as I have pretty much just skimmed a few different websites trying to find whatever info I could pick up ;u; This isn’t a traditional headcanon set, but rather an overall ‘18th century Devildom’ headcanon. I hope that’s alright!!

It is occurring to me as I write that this probably isn’t what you want at all because this ask says ‘historical drama’. Sorry ;u; I kind of just ran with whatever came to my head.

I make some references to things that happen later on in the game, around Lesson 15/16. I don’t mention anything outright, but there are definitely hints at some spoilers, so please don’t read this if you haven’t gotten that far ^^

Obey Me - 18th Century AU

The brothers are less put-together than they are in the actual game, with a few hundred years less development under their belt. It shouldn’t make much of a difference as they’re all at least a few thousand years old, but because of some issues between the brothers that have been dragged into the Human Realm, the Devildom is a disaster.

Issues like... Satan and Beelzebub have been having an ongoing argument, contributing to the many wars and famines across the globe. In his free time, Satan has been travelling to the human realm and assisting global leaders from the sidelines, to relieve stress and to cause chaos for his own amusement. Beelzebub’s anger causes food to spoil easily in the Human Realm. Belphegor watches it all from the sidelines, enjoying watching the Human Realm crumble under the demons’ grasps. He doesn’t like seeing Beel upset, and encourages him to take it out on the humans. Beel himself is reluctant to do so, and most of the damage he does is accidental. He feels guilty for it, but is confused because it seems to make Belphie a lot happier than he has been.

Diavolo decides to put a stop to it, and settles on an exchange program of sorts. He puts it into action immediately, banning the brothers from travelling to the human realm and pulling a few humans into the Devildom. The first exchange goes... poorly. There isn’t any way for the news to really spread in the Human Realm, so the disappearance of a few humans is easily covered up. The next time, the MC is pulled into the Devildom and put into the care of Mammon, who is less hostile than his other brothers.

Mammon believes he can personally benefit from a stronger bond between humans and demons - he’s already in contact with witches, and it would help him gain their trust. At the same time, he’s also willing to follow Lucifer’s lead irregardless of how reluctant he may seem. Because of this, he puts effort into actually protecting his human this time; last time, things hadn’t gone well, and he really hadn’t enjoyed the cleanup. He hadn’t been attached to the humans then, and now that he feels a pull to the MC he’s going to be by their side constantly so they don’t meet the same fate.

Asmo loves the clothing, and is one of the first to bond with the MC. The secrecy of it all! What do you really look like? Why do you insist on covering up so much? He treats the MC like a forbidden treat, but genuinely loves the outfits they wear and, with a few adaptations, starts trying to get similar clothing trending in the Devildom, with some genuine success. His forward and suggestive nature is somewhere between disturbing and almost refreshing - its nice to be around someone so open once you get used to it.

Levi is the same as ever, but without all of his technology. The Devildom is still more advanced than the Human Realm, but I can see him with a typewriter writing out poetry and such. Perhaps he and Satan are closer during this time, Levi not being quite so much of a shut-in, and the two read and write together at times. Levi also helps contribute when Satan travels to the human realm to cause chaos - he doesn’t really care all that much, but its fun to lead any navy, even if its a pathetic human navy, and it helps him to de-stress and gives him some inspiration for his writing.

This changes when the MC arrives. He meets them on that first day when Mammon runs away, and they still go through with the pact plan. He’s a little less awkward, but still talks down to the human until they break their seemingly quiet and controlled nature and snap at him. It creates an interest for him, because he’s never seen humans up so close when he’s not fighting them, and he’d only paid attention to the fictional humans in his books. He ends up watching the MC and spending time with them when Mammon isn’t, one of the more controlled brothers who doesn’t really feel like hurting them because there isn’t some big game to play on a watery battlefield.

Lucifer is... busy. RAD isn’t what it is yet in the game - its tough trying to wrangle the demons in and to get them to adapt and better themselves. He’s determined to help Lord Diavolo however he can, but between getting everything set up and dealing with his brothers’ outbursts, he’s rarely able to see the MC.

When he does, he’s a bit of a mess, jumping between being proud and acting like a nobleman, to teasing them because before they’ve adapted to Asmo’s nature, their reactions to everything are entertaining. He’ll flirt and be downright inappropriate at times to get a reaction out of them, using it to help him stay calm amidst all the chaos. Because he usually ends up feeling calm or excited around them, he takes a liking to them quickly enough and ends up quite defensive.

He has quieter moments with them, too, if they know how to play the pianoforte. He invites them to play duets together, and likes to listen to them sing or work their way through the sheet music he has laying about. One day they quietly make their way through an old, old song he last heard hundreds of years ago, and he stands silently in the doorway before walking off to spend some time with his brothers, the memories of easier times fresh in his head.

Satan is also a mess but for different reasons. He’s suddenly lost his main output, and now there’s a human here that he’s not supposed to mess with? He might be a little manipulative at first, but one day he walks into the library and the MC is curled up reading one of the many books, or has discovered some of his writings and is smiling to themself as they read it before carefully and gently setting it back where it was. He changes after that, becomes quieter and tends to watch them a lot when the two are in the same room together. Were all humans like this when they weren’t fighting with each other? When they didn’t immediately rise to his words? It’s not that he feels guilty for the things he’s done, because he doesn’t feel he has done much other than offer advice to people already wanting to fight and conquer. But a soft spot develops for the quieter moments in human lives, where they create - through embroidery, drawing, painting, singing, etc. He finds a new output through them.

Beel tends to avoid the human, not wanting them to realise that he’s potentially been a catalyst for some of their struggles in the Human Realm. However, he begins to feel left out as his brothers are all one-by-one getting attached and spending more and more time with the human. They remind him of something, some old memories he’d long since pushed down, and now he isn’t sure whether he wants to remember or forget about them. They become easier, softer, to hold onto with this human around, and so he stays by their side whenever he can. They seem almost enchanted by him too, Beel being different from how most humans present themselves at the time. A common curiosity is what holds the two together, really.

Belphegor stays the same as he is in game. When the two eventually do bond, its because of Beel, and because all of his brothers are already so attached to the MC. He wanders around silently for the first few days he’s able to, watching them read with Satan or sneak into Levi’s room to write letters together, listening to them laugh with Mammon and Beel, and play piano with Lucifer - it’d been so long since he’d heard that song, since he’d heard Lucifer sing like that. Its hard not to get attached, and he realises that there’s no ill will in their heart at all despite everything the demons had done. One day he’s in the planetarium, laying on the floor with his eyes closed, taking a break from watching the stars. The MC walks in and freezes when they see him there, and they lay a blanket over him before leaving, and it settles everything into place for him. He could trust them.

Diavolo throws a lot of balls / parties for everyone to get acquainted, and because he heard it was common in the Human Realm. He has the MC and other humans help to teach the brothers some dances, and in return the brothers and himself teach them dances common in the Devildom. This sparks a jealousy between the brothers, who have all in one way or another, started to become attached to the MC. It becomes a silent battle of who can ask them to dance first, who gets to spend the most time with them, and so on.

Diavolo himself joins in if only to see the brothers reactions, and to see how well his plans have all worked out. The human seems content, seems to feel safe, and they smile calmly up at him and he feels guilty because he himself has accidentally caused harm to their kind before. How can they look up at him as if they’re safe in his arms, how can they laugh as the two dance together, practicing and developing a new dance that combines human and demon tradition together to form something new, to begin a new era? He relaxes over time, especially with Barbatos’ guidance and input. The plans are working and the MC is happy, and he feels like both are equal accomplishments.

Barbatos himself is happy to watch it all from the sidelines. He trusts that Diavolo will lead things where they need to go, and if anything happens, he knows he himself is capable of taking care of it. He finds himself curious about the human, who has settled into a life so different from what it had been. He doesn’t get too involved, but regularly brings them treats and, if he passes them at RAD, asks about how they’re doing. He mainly keeps Diavolo updated on anything he notices.

The angels aren’t brought into the picture yet, but a second exchange program is held shortly after that involves the Celestial Realm as well, and both Simeon and Luke quickly grow attached to the MC. They’ve helped so much with settling the Devildom and helping peace grow between the realms. Luke clings to them and asks about how they can cope around so many demons, and enjoys participating when they bake or draw or paint. Simeon’s interest is quieter, and he mostly enjoys watching how they interact with Lucifer, and seeing what traditions they have kept from the human world. Like Satan and Levi, he finds them to be an inspiration, and asks if he can write a story based on them.

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: 手下留情

Relationship: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Characters: Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji, Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian

Additional Tags: Introspection, Grief/Mourning, Gossip, Anger, Getting Together, Conversations, Chief Cultivator Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén in Seclusion, Cultivation Sect Politics

Summary: Wei Wuxian had been back in the Cloud Recesses a week when he first heard the gossip. He was only somewhat surprised—if any rule was going to be broken, that one would be first anywhere. The cultivation world loved gossip, and even if the Lan sect was founded by a monk, his descendants weren’t all ascetics by any definition despite their airs.

Notes: The title is an idiom that often means “do not judge me too harshly.” Initially I imagined this fic would be Lan Xichen-centric from Wei Wuxian’s perspective, but it went in a different direction. I’m not unhappy with it. 

AO3 link

-----------

Wei Wuxian had been back in the Cloud Recesses a week when he first heard the gossip. 

He was only somewhat surprised—if any rule was going to be broken, that one would be first anywhere. The cultivation world loved gossip, and even if the Lan sect was founded by a monk, his descendants weren’t all ascetics by any definition despite their airs. 

The surprise was in the content: that Zewu-Jun’s seclusion was bitterly scorned by the Lan elders and Lan Qiren in particular, that his mourning was seen as distasteful.

In particular, that it had been compared to Lan Zhan’s mourning of him, something still seen as distasteful. 

He wanted to rail at all of them for their audacity but knew it would change nothing. 

It had taken him most of the afternoon, several hours amongst the bunnies, to calm down. 

He still wasn’t calm when Lan Zhan found him, and his zhiji could see right through his smile, his gaze immediately questioning the reason for his upset. 

“Ah, Lan Zhan. I just didn’t know they disdained your right to grieve,” he finally said, letting the smile fall away when it was clearly ineffective. 

Tension immediately made Lan Zhan’s stance almost taut, like a bow. 

Wei Wuxian didn’t know what to say, but that had never stopped him before. Rambling allowed him to make his point more often than not. 

“Would they decry Lan An for returning to the temple?” he mused. “If it happened today, would they quote that rule, ‘Do not grieve in excess,’ like it has any meaning at all? He became a monk the rest of his life, after all.”

He watched as Lan Zhan carefully folded himself to sit nearby amongst the bunnies, but barely paused. 

“Honestly, who decides what ‘excess’ is? Who gets the right to arbitrarily decide someone else’s grieving is enough? Someone whose only claim to fame is living longer? It’s mind-boggling, Lan Zhan.”

Lan Zhan made no reply, except to manifest his guqin and begin playing ‘Clarity’—the real one, not the twisted one Wei Wuxian had seen in Chifeng-Zun’s memories during ‘Empathy’—as though it could help settle his turmoil. 

He kind of hated that it worked. 

Wei Wuxian let the music fill the air, taking the place of his words for a few minutes, letting it settle him because he knew it would please Lan Zhan. 

“They say you grieved over a decade for a heretic, for someone unworthy of mourning, a scourge whose death was a relief, wearing only white all that time, and that Zewu-Jun does the same.”

It was nothing he hadn’t heard before about himself. That it was used to disparage Lan Zhan he could not abide. That the same description was applied to Jin Guangyao, a villain of the cultivation world’s own creation, their biases and hideous pride twisted into a creature whose instincts at self-preservation had been learned through trauma…

The cultivation world believed the death of Meng Yao (as they had oft started to refer to him publicly, as though the corruption of the Jin hadn’t honed him) had excised the evil from themselves, when the truth was that he had just been the visible tumor—one they’d grown themselves. 

Wei Wuxian didn’t know if Lan Xichen was mourning Jin Guangyao, Nie Mingjue all over again, or both. Or maybe he could see the infection spread across the cultivation world and grieved for that. 

He’d long had time to come to terms with it, himself. It wasn’t that he saw himself in Meng Yao or Xue Yang, not that he understood their actions. But he understood how they had been created. He’d had his whole death to come to terms with it, even if he didn’t remember it, and a year besides. 

His plan initially upon his return had been to resolve the curse and then leave it all behind. 

But ultimately he couldn’t leave Lan Zhan. 

A discordant note interrupted his zhiji’s playing, rippling through the air with a shiver. It resonated in the air, followed by silence. 

“It is true,” Lan Zhan said into that silence. “What they say.”

Wei Wuxian had left many things unsaid between them, a knot of tension between them that neither of them had time to unravel before he’d set off with Little Apple, parting atop a foothill. 

Lan Zhan had agreed to be Chief Cultivator, and the Yiling Patriarch’s presence would detract from the job he had to do. If anyone stood a chance of saving the cultivation world from itself, it was him. 

And Wei Wuxian… He wasn’t quite sure the cultivation world could be saved, or that it really deserved to be. So he had set off to be among the common people, to see the light among them that cultivators were supposed to protect and nurture. 

He hadn’t had the energy to try to untangle the knot. Not then. 

“All those years?” he asked. 

He wasn’t able to keep his voice from breaking at the idea of Lan Zhan waking up every day to that magnitude of grief. If it had been Lan Zhan who had died, he isn’t sure he could have survived it. 

After all, he hadn’t survived his grief over Jiang Yanli’s death. 

“I had A-Yuan,” Lan Zhan said, his voice soft. “And if I worked to make the world better, make it brighter…”

Wei Wuxian could hear the sentiment unspoken. That maybe he would come back. And it makes his initial thoughts upon his resurrection all the more painful to remember, that he wished to leave his zhiji in his grief, even unknowing. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“Between us—”

“I know. But still.”

Lan Zhan turned to him, and Wei Wuxian felt pierced by his gaze.

“I have never blamed you.”

“I know,” he said again. 

He felt a bit like they were on a precipice, one he wasn’t sure he was ready to go over. Maybe it was inevitable, but right now…

“You had the right to grieve. Your brother has the right to grieve. Fuck them for criticizing either of you for it.”

Lan Zhan inclined his head in agreement. For a while they sat quietly, the bunnies hopping around them contentedly. 

“You know, you’re acting sect leader. The last acting sect leader added like a thousand rules because he was pissed at one person,” Wei Wuxian said casually. “One defining excess wouldn’t be out of line, would it?”

A huff of quiet laughter told him his point had been made. 

The gentle sound of the guqin rose again, this time the song Wei Wuxian still didn’t know the title to, an invitation to ask. 

He took it, and the knot unraveled with a single word. 

The Cloud Recesses would wake to two new rules engraved in the wall, one flawlessly carved to replace the one about not speaking to Wei Wuxian.

Do not be petty. 

Do not criticize the emotions of others.

It would not stop the gossip, but despite the rage of the elders in general and Lan Qiren in particular, no fault could be found with these particular additions, aside from an insistence that the rules were themselves somehow petty. 

Honestly, the blindness of old men…

They were less happy with Lan Zhan’s announcement that he was courting the Yiling Patriarch, either, which took the focus off the new rules and Zewu-Jun rather nicely. 

Despite Lan Xichen’s self-imposed seclusion, Wei Wuxian made it a point to sit outside his door daily thereafter and tell him about one of the people he had met on his journey, each one having helped restore his faith that there was good in the world. 

He tried not to be excessively pleased with himself when Zewu-Jun eventually opened the door. 

[kpop-zone]

Blackpink reaction to their s/o being insecure because of shippers

Jisoo

Jisoo had noticed that something was bothering you for quite some time already. You didn’t speak up about your worries though and she didn’t want to pressure you into talking. Therefore, she kept quiet and simply opted to observe you in case your state would worsen. But overall, you seemed to be fine, so weeks passed without Jisoo ever figuring out what was wrong, and it took a stupid TV commercial to open her eyes.

The two of you were watching some TV when the teaser for the upcoming KBS Music Festival came on which caused Jisoo to chuckle.

“Great, now the shippers will go crazy again.”

She laughed amused, because the clip was cut very unfavorable and showed Jinyoung and her in the same scene.

Since they had been the special MCs for an award show together, countless dating rumors circulated, and a surprisingly high number of fans actually wanted to see them together. For Jisoo, this situation was really funny. She liked Jinyoung, he was a decent guy, but she couldn’t ever picture herself with him. Mostly, of course, because in her head, you were a fixed part of her future, but also because she didn’t think that Jinyoung and her were a good match. Therefore, she sometimes read all the weird conspiracy theories by the fans when she wanted to have a good laugh.

Apparently, however, you weren’t able to laugh about this situation. When Jisoo glanced at you, she could see that you were gulping thickly as if you were choking down some tears. Her demeanor immediately changed, and she reached out to grab your hand.

“What’s wrong, Y/N?”

She asked concerned, but you only shook your head in response.

It was clear to Jisoo though that something was bothering you. Intently, she thought about what could have caused your sudden mood change until the penny dropped at last.

“Jagiya, you’re not worried about Jinyoung and me, right?”

You stayed quiet for a while, confirming Jisoo’s assumption which made her feel guilty for not realizing it sooner.

“I’m not worried that you’ll cheat on me. But the rumors always remind me how much better than me you could do and that your fans would probably tear me apart if they knew that you are dating someone like me.”

Your words knocked the air out of Jisoo’s lungs, and she almost gasped in shock.

“What are you talking about? Please don’t say something like that ever again. You are the only one I want to be with and the only one that can make me happy.”

She stated clearly, wondering whether she hadn’t made her love for you obvious enough in the past.

“If you want to, I can talk with the management and ask whether they can make an official statement, denying the rumors.”

Jisoo wouldn’t let any possibility slide to make you realize that the rumors were absolutely ridiculous and that she didn’t want anyone else beside her but you. If those shippers were making you sad, she had to find a way to handle them.

Jennie

“What’s wrong, baby?”

Your question ripped Jennie from her train of thought, and she cursed herself inwardly for not being able to hide her emotions better.

“Nothing, I’m fine.”

She smiled, hoping that you would believe her. It would be selfish of her to complain about a thing that she knew was making you insecure. Exes were a delicate topic in every relationship, but those conversations were even harder when there were thousands of people out there that still wanted to see you together with your ex.

“I can see that you’re lying, Jennie.”

You softened your voice and laid one hand on her thigh in order to catch her attention.

In defeat, Jennie sighed, but still avoided your gaze. She couldn’t make a scene now, but if she saw the concern in your eyes, she knew that she would probably break down.

“It’s nothing important; just the same old. Rumors have spread again about...Kai and me. Just because we’ve been spotted in the same part of the city on the same night.”

Only saying those words were making Jennie feel nauseous. They brought back the memories about all the hate that she had received during her dating scandal and now every ship with another idol that she was being associated with made her anxious.

“Oh.”

You answered simply, causing Jennie to feel guilty for bringing it up.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N. I swear, I would have never gone to that restaurant if I had known that he was in the area too.”

She immediately apologized, feeling tears starting to pool in her eyes.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jennie. None of that was your fault.”

You tried to flash her an encouraging smile, but Jennie could still see the insecurity in your eyes.

“I’m so sorry that you have to go through all of that because of me. If I could make it all stop, I would.”

She grabbed your hand and you squeezed hers tightly.

“It’s ok. I guess we both have to learn how to live with all those rumors.”

You sighed while smiling sadly.

Jennie wished that there was a way to stop people from stirring up both of your insecurities over and over again, but there was none. The only thing you could do was to try giving each other strength. Therefore, Jennie pulled you into a hug while apologizing once more for causing all that trouble.

Chaeyoung

New dream couple? 10 reasons why BTS’ Jungkook and Blackpink’s Rosé are a perfect match

When Chaeyoung read the headline of the newest article on one of South Korea’s most popular news pages, she rolled her eyes. For some reason, there seemed to be an army of shippers out there that wanted to see her and Jungkook together and were analyzing every little “interaction” of theirs to the smallest detail. In the beginning, she had ignored them, because there were a million rumors about her going around and she couldn’t pay attention to all of them. But when the voices of the people claiming that they were dating got louder and louder, she began to be bothered. Not because of herself, but because of you.

It was obvious that you were starting to feel insecure, because of the countless fans and reporters that were claiming that Jungkook and her were the perfect match. This article would only rub salt into your wound once more, causing Chaeyoung to feel endlessly guilty. Therefore, she immediately rushed home after work with your favorite takeout and some flowers in her arms.

“Hey baby.”

She greeted you happily right when she entered the apartment before snuggling up to you, causing you to chuckle.

“Hi to you too. What have I done to deserve all this love?”

You joked, but Chaeyoung just played it off.

“I love you and only you. That’s all.”

She smiled, but in that moment, you seemed to have realized what all of this was about.

“So this is about the article...”

Your expression changed immediately, and instead of your cute smile, a heavy frown was decorating your face now.

“I’m so sorry about that, Y/N. I don’t know where that is coming from again. I swear, I haven’t done anything. You are the only one for me. I would never do anything to fire up those ridiculous rumors. Please don’t worry about them.”

Chaeyoung started rambling, but she simply needed to make sure that you weren’t feeling upset. She knew where those insecurities of yours were coming from and they were absolutely valid, but she still wanted to free you of them; not only now, but sustainably.

Therefore, Chaeyoung started to be even more careful in the future. Not that she would have done anything to encourage the rumors in the past, but now she was paying even more attention to everything she was saying or doing. At award shows, for example, she always made sure to stand as far away from BTS as possible, so that there was not a single picture released that showed Jungkook and her in the same frame. In return, however, that lead to a number of opposing headlines.

All about the breakup of Jungkook and Rosé

Why do BTS and Blackpink hate each other?

Chaeyoung couldn’t care less about those articles though. As long as they helped to ease your insecurities, she would bare the hate.

Lalisa

“Which one sounds better, babe? LaBam or BamLisa?”

Lisa laughed while reading the newest articles about another addition to her countless ships; with her best friend BamBam. It was really amusing to her to watch all those fans colleting evidence to prove her relationship with the other Thai idol. Although she had to admit that if she wouldn’t know better, she might have believed those rumors too. Their stories sounded pretty conclusive sometimes.

“I didn’t even notice that I was looking at him!”

Lisa gasped before giggling when she looked at another Twitter post that made it look like she was looking at her friend in awe.

Her amusement soon died down, however, when Lisa realized that she wasn’t hearing any laughter from you. Confused, she averted her gaze from her phone to pay attention to you. You were staring ahead while the glistening in your eyes almost made it seem like you were about to cry.

“Y/N?”

Lisa called out your name in order to shake you from your trance.

“You would make a cute couple, wouldn’t you?”

You smiled, but the sadness in your eyes was giving away that you weren’t joking.

“What?”

Lisa asked perplexed, being caught off guard by your insecurities. She had never known that you were thinking about such things. The two of you were so happy together and Lisa had never even thought about dating BamBam.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Look, Leo is climbing up the curtain!”

Quickly, you tried to play off your statement by drawing attention to the cats, but while Lisa had to rush off to save her curtains, your question was still stuck in her brain.

This didn’t come from nowhere; you must have been seriously insecure all this time. A massive wave of guilt immediately washed over Lisa and she knew that she had to make it up to you. Therefore, she got off work early the next day in order to spoil you and treat you to a nice, homecooked dinner later that night. It took her several hours and some tries to get it right, but in the end, she managed to make some dishes that were actually enjoyable, and everything was ready for you when you came home.

“What is this??”

You gasped astonished and Lisa immediately wrapped her arms around your waist to pull you into the apartment.

“A token of my love and a thank you for always being by my side. I wouldn’t want to conquer this crazy world with anyone else.”

Lisa smiled, causing you to blush cutely.

It seemed like she had to surprise you more often from now on.