#meanwhile i am losing my mind stressing about rushing around trying to get all this testing done

[dogbunni]

HELTH SUX!!!! (eating paste)

[shadyteacup]

Part two of Partners

Tw: None..only some fluff..

A plethora of muffled noises filled your ears. It felt as though you had been under water for as long as you remember, and had just peeked at the surface.  Your eyes were still closed, but you could see a white light above the surface. You push yourself to swim to the edge, towards that light. As you swam closer, the noises became clearer. Louder. It hurt your head. But you had to continue forward. So you pushed yourself to the surface.

Finally opening your eyes, it felt as though you had broken through the surface that was trapping you in a deep slumber. You were no longer under water. The voices became much clearer. You could hear multiple people. Some of whom you recognized.

You took in a deep breath, feeling the crisp air around you.

"Y/N?"

A silky voice said, right next to you.

You peered your eyes open a little more, fighting the sting of the brightness of your surroundings.

You could see a pale ceiling. And smell antiseptic. You were in the hospital.

Looking to your side, you were met with concerned brown orbs.

"Hey.." You smile at him.

All of a sudden, he hugs you. He buries his head in your neck, whispering an almost inaudible, "I almost lost you.."

You froze. You could smell his cologne. It was refreshing. Soft brown hair tickled your face as he stayed like that for a while. You didn't know what to do. You and Dazai have been friends for a really long time, and have hugged before. But this time it felt different. It felt deep and meaningful. You just stayed there, letting the feeling of his warm breath on your neck, his strong arms around your shoulders, and the concerned, timid tone of his voice sink in.

Abruptly pulling back, he stands up straight, facing away from you. Placing his hands in his pockets, he mumbles,

"I'll tell the others."

With that, he was out of the room in an instant.

You were so confused. Did he just hug you? Does he care about you? Did he fear losing you?

And what's this warm feeling? Do you like him?? Well, ofcourse you like him. But does he like you too?

"You're awake!"

Kunikida strides in, followed shortly by Yosano and Ranpo.

"I'm so glad!", Yosano says as she hugs you, kissing your cheek.

You hug her back, smiling at them.

"Hey, guys!"

Ranpo was quietly watching you.

"Hey Ranpo San.. "

He acknowledged you with a nod.

"Is everything ok??", you ask, worried about him.

His green eyes bore into yours.

"I was worried about you. Don't do that again. I missed you."

That was huge coming from him.

"Come here" you open your arms, inviting him for a hug.

You hugged the emerald eyed man child; Yosano forcefully pulling Kunikida along with her to join you guys. You lot bonded over a group hug.

"Y/N San!! Are you OK! I was so worried! I'm so glad you're awake!"

Atsushi rushed into the room, followed by Kyoka and Kenji, hot on his heels.

He and Kenji joined in the hug.The usually conserved Kyoka also jumped into the hug. You kissed their tiny heads, telling them how much you had missed them.

A few moments later, the president walked in, carrying a cup of tea for you. He said that he was glad that you were feeling better. The tea he had gotten had healing qualities, so he pretty much forced it down your throat.

"President, about the case.. What happened?"

The president filled you in.

The girl you two encountered, Sakura Yagami, wasn't the one that was kidnapped. She was an ability user who could mess with minds. She wasn't very experienced, but she had mastered the art of making her opponents see a different face when they saw her, making them believe that she was someone else entirely. Her height and build matched that of the girl that was taken. She used her ability to manipulate your mind, and make you believe that she looked like Aiko, the missing girl.

Sakura had used the help of light and shadows to mask majority of her features. Afterall, the ambush had taken place in a dark, abandoned warehouse, where there were no artificial sources of light. This resulted in half of her features being hidden in the shadows, making it difficult for Dazai, who wasn't affected by her ability, to recognize a different face. Most of the time, Dazai stayed behind Ito and Sakura, and hence never got a chance to properly inspect her facial features.

Meanwhile, Aiko has been kept in some hideout. The ability users will shortly be interviewed, and hopefully, the location of the missing girl will be known.

"I see. So she was the mastermind of the entire fiasco, not Ito."

"Correct."

The president then excused himself, along with Yosano and Ranpo, who had to carry out the interrogation.

Atsushi and Kyoka were forced out by Kunikida, who believed that they would only cause ruckus in here.

"Have you talked to Dazai yet?"

He asked you.

"Yes, and no."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I did get to say hi, but didn't get a chance to say anything more.."

"I see... He was very worried. The most worried, actually."

Oh?

"I'll go get him."

Kunikida left to get Dazai. He didn't return, only sending Dazai to the room.

Dazai walked into the room with a smile, one that didn't reach his eyes.

"Y/N! Don't tell Kunikida, but I stole his glasses "

You giggled.

"You really don't change, do you?"

He grinned boyishly at you.

"Never!"

You hesitate to ask him, but you do anyways.

"Dazai, why were you so worried about me?"

He blinked for a moment, processing what you had asked him, choosing his next words carefully.

"Because you are a valued member of the organization, ofcourse!"

Your heart sank at his words. Maybe you had overthought. Maybe it was just one sided. You had always liked him. He had a certain aura around him that dragged you in. But you were never able to guage whether he liked you back. So you never said anything. You understood him, in a way. The darkness that he tries so hard to hide, is pretty easy to notice for you.

You have been through quite a lot, seen a lot, and have experienced a similar darkness. You used to be a part of that darkness too. But not anymore. Now, you were trying to heal. And so was he. You thought you understood him to a deep level, because you both were going through the same process; the process of healing. But maybe, you were reading a little too much. Maybe, there isn't anything in between the lines. Maybe, he doesn't get you, or maybe you don't get him at all.

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason!", there it was. Your own mask. Dazai was amazing at hiding his emotions behind a façade. But so were you.

"Ne, Dazai, what are you going to do with those glasses? Do you have anything planned? I want to join in the prank!"

You say, grinning at him.

He stays silent, observing your face.

"What are you thinking?"

He moves closer to you, seating himself on the chair next to your bed.

"Y/N.. I.."

His heart was thumping in his chest. It was beating so hard, he felt that at any second, it would jump out and start dancing on the floor.

He had seen your expressions just now. It was just for a split second, but you had let your guard down, and a variety of emotions had run through your eyes. He had seen that. He had seen the slight disappointment in your eyes when he had closed himself up from you.

Nobody understood him the way you did. Whenever he was having a bad day, you would always cheer him up. And not always in a traditional way, either. You could read his feelings. He felt like an open book when you were around. He couldn't hide his thoughts from you, even if he tried. You would accurately gauge what he was feeling, and do whatever you deemed would make him feel good. And it always worked. Sometimes, it was a random walk at 3 am, when he would text you telling you that he couldn't sleep.. Sometimes it was some stupid prank that you would devise, roping him in, and relieving him of the pent up stress he was experiencing. At other times, you would randomly show up at his house, carrying cans of crab, or bottles of sake and beer , distracting him from his dark thoughts. He didn't know how you managed to do that, how you always knew that he needed you, and what you needed to do to make him feel better. He really cherished having you in his life.

He had harbored a crush on you for months now. He hadn't said a word about it, fearing that all you felt for him were friendly feelings. He always held himself back, and had to control his urge to shout his feelings for you from the top of some building. He liked you so much, he knew it was love. Lord, you hadn't even started dating yet! Still, he knew he loved you. You are a unique, amazing person, and he couldn't imagine his life without you in it. So when you were hurt today, when you passed out from the pain, he almost lost it. He couldn't think straight. He doesn't even remember what he did afterwards. All he remembers is thinking ,'Please be ok, please be ok ' on repeat. His sole purpose was to get you to safety. When you had finally gained consciousness, he had let all his guards down. He couldn't help the overflow of relief that flooded his body at that moment. So he hugged you.

He thought that maybe this is the right moment to finally tell you how he truly felt. But what if you don't like him back?

No. He had seen your expressions. You could read him easily, but he could read you too. He knew now, for a fact, that you felt the same way. He had seen it on your face. But what if he's wrong?

Well, one must take a chance to know the result.

"I like you, Y/N."

He finally says.

You look at him wide eyed. Then start laughing.

"You're scaring me."

You wipe your tears.

"No, please don't misunderstand... I like you too! Oh my God, I was so worried! I thought you didn't like me back..."

You continued laughing. Dazai sighed in relief, happy to know that his feelings were reciprocated.

"How long have you liked me, Dazai?"

You ask him.

"How long have you liked me, Y/N?"

He countered.

"Ha! Don't turn the question on me! Answer me, first!"

Dazai stuck his tongue out, shaking his head like a child.

"No way. I bet you have been liking me for over a year now. I'm so charming, afterall!"

You gasp at that.

"Don't tell me.... you've been liking me for months now, haven't you!"

"Hah?? I never said that!"

"Oh, but you made it quite clear!"

"How so?!"

"You said 'you must've liked me for a year'!"

Dazai scoffed.

"That  doesn't prove anything!"

"It does! You tried to quote a time period greater than yours, to seem superior!" You exclaim, pointing your finger at him.

"It's simple psychology. You should know this by now.", you say smugly, smirking at him.

"You're a terrible person reader!"

"Seriously? 'Person reader'? Improve your vocabulary."

"Haah?! You tell me what it's called, then!"

"It doesn't matter what I say! You suck!" You stick your tongue out this time.

You two are children, I swear.

"I suppose you leave me no other choice."

Dazai smirks, leaning closer to you.

"Oh? And what are you going to do exactly? You lost. Accept it-"

He shut you up with a kiss.

Your face flushes a deep red, but you don't miss the light red that coated his cheeks.

"You're blushing!" , you say.

"That's funny coming from you!"

"I'm not blushing, idiot.. "

Dazai pinches your cheeks.

"Aww.. is my baby embarrassed?"

You push his hand away, annoyed at his antics.

"Oh my, you really are embarrassed! How cute of-"

This time, you shut him up. With a kiss. A slightly more heated one.

He just stares at you with wide eyes, a deep red tint on his face.

You smirk at him, proudly announcing your win.

You two continued bickering, until a nurse had forcefully shoved Dazai out, as he wasn't letting you take rest.

[wheresmynaya]

Hate to Date Ch.7 | Brittana

A/N - And just like that, Lockdown 6.0 is upon us LOL. Good news, more time to write. Bad news, boredom looms. Anyway, thank you to those who have left lovely reviews and/or have gifted me with a coffee through ko-fi. I hope you all know that those emails are some of the first I read when I wake up in the morning - instant happiness! 🥰

Available on ff.net (x) ao3 (x) & under the cut!

Being ambushed by parents ends up turning into a trend for Santana when the following weekend Maribel decides to make a spontaneous trip to New York. Apparently there’s some banquet dinner Eddie is attending which Maribel’s accompanying him to.

The invite was extended to Santana as well, but those dinners are always super boring so she blew it off with an excuse about spending time with Brittany instead since their schedules have been so busy.

What she didn’t expect is for Maribel to make an unexpected pit stop at hers and Puck’s place beforehand, hoping to at least say hi to the happy couple.

Problem is – half of said couple isn’t here.

“Mami, we’re just really busy with this assignment,” Santana tries – hoping that it would be enough to deter her mom for awhile considering Brittany isn’t around. “It’s really getting down to the wire, can’t we see you tomorrow?”

“Ay Santana, I’m already on the way,” Maribel replies in a huff. “It’s only a quick visit and we’ll be on our way.”

“Can’t you just like…skip it and continue on your way?”

“I haven’t seen you since New Year’s and I came all this way to see you – “

“You’re not even here for me, you’re here for Eddie.”

Suddenly there’s a pause and Santana wonders if that little comment just got her into some hot water.

“Why don’t you want to see your mother?” Maribel asks instead. “Are you hiding something from me? You and Puck aren’t up to something again, are you? Roping in Brittany?”

Santana’s eyes go big and it feels like she’s just swallowed a handful of sand. Her heart rate’s picking up and she’s struggling to come up with an answer. She feels like she’s got a hot spotlight on her; thank God her mom can’t actually see her right now!

“We’re not,” Santana finally says. “Like I said, Brittany and I are just a little busy with this assignment…but I guess we can take a break for you.”

“That’s my girl,” Maribel praises. “We’ll be around in about twenty minutes.”

Santana gulps, “Great. See you then.”

Once she hangs up, she grabs the nearest pillow and yells into it. The muffled screams have Puck running out of his room so fast that he clips the doorframe with his shoulder. A loud thud echoes throughout Santana’s room as Puck stumbles and looks around frantically.

“What? What’s wrong?” He asks.

“We’ve got a Code Red,” Santana tells him.

His eyes drift down to her lap then back up as he starts to grimace, “Oh. Do you like…need things?”

Santana scrunches her brow but then she realizes what he’s talking about.

“No, not that Code Red,” She explains. “Mom’s on her way. I need to get Brittany over here ASAP!”

“Oh shit!” Puck curses and takes off to the living to start tidying.

The last time Maribel came around for a surprise visit, she basically tore Puck a new one. Long story short, his version of clean isn’t the same as Maribel’s and they spent an entire afternoon together going through the various cleaning products that should be used around the house and what they should be used for.

Meanwhile, Santana rushes to make the call. She just hopes that Brittany won’t give her a hard time for this, hopefully she answers the damn phone!

“Hi?” Brittany answers questioningly.

“Hey,” Santana replies.

“Did you butt dial me or something?”

“What? No.”

“You just – you never call me.”

“Yeah well…I don’t have much time to explain, but I need you to come over like right now.”

“Uhh, I’m kind of in the middle of something.“

“Brittany, please,” Santana begs. “My mom’s on her way over and she’s fully expecting you to be here too.”

“Oh! Okay, yeah. Why didn’t you lead with that?”

“Because I’m freaking out, that’s why!”

“Okay, well don’t freak out. It’ll be fine. How much time do I have?”

“Not much.”

“Great. Thanks for the warning.”

Santana rolls her eyes, “Look, it took me by surprise too.”

“Alright well, find your cool. We can’t have her suspecting anything’s up.”

Santana nods, already feeling a little calmer. “Just hurry, okay?”

“I’m on my way now. Don’t worry.”

\\

When Maribel comes knocking on Santana’s door, the brunette loses all cool once again because Brittany’s still nowhere in sight. Santana’s looking at Puck, but he has no idea what to do either. Maybe they can stall until she gets here, but how? Maribel would totally think something’s up if they refuse to let her inside!

“Just let her in?” Puck whispers, “We can say Britt went to pick up our take-out?”

“And further confirm that I don’t fucking cook here? No way.”

“Well, what else can we do?”

“I don’t kn –“

“Santana?” Maribel calls out from the hall after another knock. “Hello?”

Puck’s eyes go wide, “She can hear us.”

“No shit, she knows I’m home.”

“Okay, okay. I’m thinking, fuck! Why am I so stressed out?”

Santana and Puck go back and forth trying to come up with some way to stall, but it’s impossible under the pressure.

“I think we have to let her in,” Santana tells Puck in a grave tone.

Puck looks at her uneasily, “I think so too.”

After checking her phone once more for an update from Brittany – there isn’t one – Santana goes to let Maribel and Eddie in. They’re both dressed to the nines, must be a fancy banquet dinner.

“Hi!” Santana greets, attempting to mask her uneasiness.

She’s quickly embraced in a motherly hug while Puck compliments his coach on his sick suit.

“How are you, mija?” Maribel asks as she cups Santana’s cheek. “You’re looking a little pale.”

“Am I?” Santana feels the nerves rattling within her. Where the hell is Brittany?!

“Yes,” Maribel looks her over. “You’re not getting sick are you?”

Santana swallows dryly, “Just tired.”

“Because exams are coming up,” Puck clarifies.

“That’s right,” Santana nods. “Lots of studying to do if I want to ace them.”

Maribel nods, seemingly pleased by Santana’s work ethic.

“Yeah, plus her and Britt have also been super busy with this assignment they’re doing together,” Puck adds. “It’s a lot.”

“Ah yes,” Maribel looks around. “Where is Brittany?”

Santana clenches her jaw and looks to Puck. There’s a guilty smile on his face as he secretly mouths out a sorry. Still though, she has to think on her feet.

“She’s in the bathroom,” Santana replies. It’s not her best work, but it was the first thing she thought of. Maybe they can work with it?

“Yeah, I think she had a bad salad for lunch,” Puck tries again.

Santana glares at him and mouths a shut up that goes unnoticed by Maribel and Eddie.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate,” Maribel frowns.

“Those salads are always a hit or miss,” Eddie confirms. “I try to stay away from them.”

“Don’t listen to Puck. It’s nothing like that,” Santana assures them. “Anyway, exam prep; super intense, long nights, tedious studying. I’m so ready for it to be over.”

Maribel looks apologetically at her, “Don’t work too hard.”

“That’s not what you taught me,” Santana quips.

“I know,” Maribel smiles. “I hope you’re at least wearing your glasses when you’re meant to. You know what all that reading can do to your eyes.”

“I am…”

“And rest, you still need it,” Maribel insists. “A tired mind won’t retain a thing.”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell her.”

The four swivel around to find Brittany coming out of Santana’s bedroom. Her cheeks are a little pink – probably from the run over – but she’s her usual cool and collected self as she saunters over.

Santana’s never felt so relieved to see the girl! Question is though, how the hell did she pull off such an entrance?

“Brittany! Hi,” Maribel greets happily. “Are you feeling okay?”

There’s a glimpse of confusion as Brittany looks to Santana for an explanation.

“Mami, I told you she’s not sick. She was only in the bedroom to finish up a call with her mom,” Santana lies.

“Yeah. That was my bad, Mama Lopez,” Puck speaks up.

“Right,” Brittany quickly catches on. “Just my daily phone call with mom. Sorry about that, we can get carried away.”

“Oh don’t be,” Maribel smiles then glances to Santana. “Where’s my daily phone call?”

Santana fights the eye roll, “I’m clearly not as great as Brittany.”

“Now that’s a first,” Brittany smirks as she curls her arm around Santana. “I think you’re plenty great though.”

Santana finds herself blushing, “Thanks.”

There’s another pleased smile on Maribel’s face as she admires the couple. It’s a look Santana has rarely seen when it comes to her past partners and it makes her chest fill with pride. Even months later, her and Brittany still got it!

“Well, as promised this is only a quick visit,” Maribel tells them. “We really need to get going now, but while I’ve got you here: when are you coming home for a visit?”

Santana and Brittany exchange a look. They weren’t looking to make a visit for another few weeks, at least until after Spring Break. Free time is hard to come by now that they’re getting closer to the end of the semester.

“You know Abuela would like to see you both again,” Maribel adds.

Santana’s brows rise, “Would she now?”

“I think she’s warming up to things,” Maribel says vaguely but Santana gets it. “Wouldn’t hurt to come see her though. You know seeing pictures of you two together on Facebook has become a highlight for her.”

“Told you we’re cute,” Brittany jokes as she hugs Santana to her side.

“I should’ve known, she likes every single one them,” Santana quips.

“She wants to spend time with you,” Maribel explains and looks to Brittany. “She wants to spend time with the both of you.”

Santana quirks a brow at that, “Really? Has something changed?”

Maribel only shrugs. “You’ll have to ask her for yourself.”

Santana and Brittany glance at each other, both suddenly curious about Abuela’s change of heart.

“How about you come down for Spring Break?” Maribel suggests.

“Uhhh,” Santana stammers as she looks to Brittany, “We’re going to have to talk about it first. Brittany might have to – “

“Spring Break is fine with me,” Brittany shrugs.

“I thought you were planning on going home?” Santana lies – trying to get Brittany to catch on. “Spend time with your family?”

The blonde only shakes her head, “Nope. I’d rather stay here with you.”

Santana feels herself deflate; usually Spring Break is her time to finally let loose but she guesses there’s not much else she could get up to since she’s fake dating Brittany. She might as well just use the time to reinforce that she’s capable of being in a long term relationship.

By then, her and Brittany would be together for four months – that’s the longest relationship yet! Surely, that’ll have to mean something to her family.

“Well sure,” Santana sighs in defeat. “I can’t imagine spending my Spring break any other way than by returning to Lima.”

Maribel gives her a gleaming grin, “Perfect.”

\\

Once Maribel and Eddie head off to their banquet, Santana and Brittany collapse together on the couch. Puck hands them both a beer before cracking one open for himself and taking a seat opposite them.

“Way to sell it,” Puck raises his bottle. “Great work! It was cool to see you two in action like that. I can see why everyone eats this shit up. You’re pretty believable.”

“Glad you enjoyed the show,” Santana quips.

“Looks like I came right on time too,” Brittany says.

“Yeah about that,” Santana looks to Brittany. “How the hell did you get into my room?”

“The window?” Brittany shrugs. “I’m surprised it wasn’t locked.

Santana’s eyes go wide, “You climbed through the window?”

“Well yeah, how else would I have gotten in? Through the vent?” Brittany jokes.

“Good thing we’re on the first floor,” Puck chuckles.

Brittany nods and clinks her bottle with his. Meanwhile Santana just stares at the blonde with her jaw slack. Not only did she run over here, she went through the effort of climbing through the window too!

The girl is crazy.

Santana doubts she would’ve gone to the same extent. No way she’d try getting her ass through a window, that’s just too much. But still, she supposes some thanking is in order.

“Well, I appreciate you going through all that,” Santana says bashfully. “I didn’t expect my mom to just pop up like that so…thanks for coming here so quickly.”

There’s a half-smirk on Brittany’s face and Santana anticipates her poking fun at how Santana’s actually thanking her for something, but it doesn’t come. Brittany just continues smiling as she clinks her bottle with Santana’s.

“That’s what fake girlfriends are for,” She tells her.

\\

Over the following days, Santana and Brittany often run into each other at the library. It’s not Santana’s preferred place to study but it’s hard for her to concentrate sometimes with Puck around.

Although Santana and Brittany are in the same place, they often sit separately.

Brittany keeps to her lone table in the study area while Santana sits somewhere in the upper level because she likes the view of the exit. It’s kind of like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, that tunnel being the designated hour she makes herself study.

However, on one particular day all of the tables in the upper level are occupied. Santana finds herself scowling at the randoms before making her way down to the level beneath – where the study area is kept.

Like always, Brittany’s sitting alone near the back and Santana finds herself walking over to her without a second thought. She wasn’t planning on sharing the table with her, just maybe say hi and leave her be, but as Santana approaches the table she finds something unexpected there:

Spanish for Dummies

Intrigued, Santana’s eyes roam the table and find all sorts of similar books on the Spanish language mixed in with Brittany’s actual coursework. Then Santana takes a peek at Brittany’s laptop, trying to figure out what has her so consumed that she’s yet to notice her standing there.

There’s a little green owl going over conjugations – Spanish conjugations – and Santana watches as Brittany jots down notes as she mouths whatever words she hears through her headphones. Santana’s completely dumbfounded and pulls up a chair, the motion finally causes Brittany to jolt and turn.

Blue eyes spark with surprise before the headphones quickly come off. The girl looks like she’s just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, but Santana can’t help the fascination.

“Santana!” Brittany gasps. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

“It’s the library,” She answers simply. “I’m here to study.”

“Oh, duh. Of cour – “

“Are you teaching yourself Spanish?” Santana interrupts.

Brittany looks from her screen to the books on the table to Santana. She seems a little timid as she minimizes the program on her laptop. Santana wonders if she’s going to attempt to lie, but there’s too much evidence against her. There’s no way she could convince Santana that she’s doing otherwise.  

“Yeah,” Brittany admits with a nervous laugh. “I am.”

Santana quirks her brow, “What are you doing that for? Surely not for fun?”

Brittany shrugs, “The shows on Univision are great but I’m tired of reading subtitles.”

“Really?” Santana doesn’t seem convinced. “That’s like…a lot of work. Besides, I thought nerds like to read?”

Brittany gives her an unimpressed look, “Well…I also figured that if I knew a little Spanish then it’ll give Abuela and I something to bond over. I remember your aunts mentioning this one show she likes so I’ve kind of been binging it.”

“You’ve been binging telenovelas?” Santana asks in disbelief.

“Well yeah, the drama is addicting.”

“Oh wow,” Santana sits back. “So you’re serious about this?”

“Aren’t you?” Brittany replies.

“Yeah, but this is a new level.”

“Don’t you want to be as convincing as you can be?”

“There’s convincing and then there’s this,” Santana jokes. “Your over-achiever tendencies are showing again.”

“You jealous?” Brittany fires back. “I know how much you love it when your mom compares us.”

“I’m not jealous,” Santana turns up her nose.

Brittany smirks, “Just checking. Afterall, this whole thing was your idea.”

“Technically it was Puck’s.”

“Whatever,” Brittany says. “I’m going to do all that I can to make this work because I’m committed. You continue doing…whatever it is that you do.”

Santana tenses her jaw at the jab. It reminds her of the game they played before– the constant one-upping of each other – and she wonders if they’re still playing it.

She thinks about how she accidentally introduced herself to Brittany’s parents as her girlfriend. She remembers how Brittany now has to keep up this façade with them too thanks to the slip-up. She thinks about who this Artie guy is and why Brittany’s parents were wondering where he went.

But most importantly, she thinks about how underwhelming she is as a girlfriend.

She’s nothing like Brittany; she isn’t kind and sweet and she isn’t someone people take home to meet their parents. Santana’s the girl that helps you get over your ex, she’s the one college girls experiment with, she’s down for one night stands, down for no-strings-attached kind of hook ups – she’s not actual girlfriend material.

And oddly enough, she kind of feels bad that Brittany’s stuck with her for the time being. This fake relationship thing wasn’t meant to go beyond convincing Maribel, but that’s exactly what’s happened now thanks to her big mouth.

“You really don’t have to do this, you know,” Santana says after the guilt starts setting in.

“I want to,” Brittany tells her.

Santana sighs; yet another reason why they’re so different.

“Learning a language just to get Abuela to like you?” Santana explains. “Don’t you think that’s kind of going overboard?”

“Not really. It’s kind of fun.”

“Fun?”

“Well yeah, I’ve always wanted to learn another language,” Brittany replies. “Why not start now? Plus I meant what I said about the subtitles thing. It would be so much easier not having to read.”

Santana chuckles as she shakes her head, “How do you find the time? I’m swamped with studying and assignments and cheer practice. Here you are learning another language for fun.”

“I kind of have a photographic memory.”

Santana rolls her eyes, “Of course you do.”

“I’m joking,” Brittany smirks. “I have a bunch of techniques that help cut down on the amount of time you’re actually studying so you don’t spend all your time doing it. I could…teach you some if you want?”

Santana lifts her chin, “I don’t need a tutor.”

“I didn’t say you did,” Brittany laughs. “Why are you always so quick to be on the defense?”

Santana crosses her arms and looks away, “I’m not.”

“Uh-huh,” Brittany grins. “I’ve got a study session with Puck on Thursday. I think it’s actually going to be at your place. We can not share study tips then if you want?”

Santana lets the offer roll around in her head but she doesn’t want to seem too eager.

“I might be around, depends if practice lets out on time.”

“Okay,” Brittany nods then looks at her laptop screen before glancing back at Santana who has yet to move. “So are you sitting with me now or…?”

“Oh!” Santana jolts to stand up. She gathers her bag from the ground and looks around for an empty table, but they’re all occupied.

“I’m not kicking you out, you know,” Brittany tells her without looking away from the screen. “You can stay if you’d like.”

Santana looks around indecisively. She’d rather study alone, but that doesn’t seem to be an option at the moment. She can’t go home either with Puck around, so she guesses staying with Brittany is the next best thing.

“Okay,” Santana replies. “I’ll stay.”

“I’ll clear some space for you,” Brittany says.

Santana moves to the opposite end of the table while Brittany gathers her things in order for Santana to have more room on the table for hers. They sit silently like that working on their respective things for awhile, getting lost in their work.

Brittany ends up leaving the table for a moment and Santana barely notices until she’s placing a coffee in front of her.

“Oh thanks,” Santana smiles at the unexpected gesture.

Brittany doesn’t say anything, just returns the smile as she sits back down.

Another moment later when Santana gets peckish, she pulls out a bag of trail mix. She barely gives it a second thought when she places it between them so that Brittany can have some too if she wants.

\\

When Thursday comes around, Santana ends up leaving cheer practice on time for once. She’s quick to get out of there so that she can wash up and change out of her uniform before Brittany arrives, but she finds that the blonde is already there by the time she gets home.

“What up, Lopez!” Puck calls out to her as he sits with Brittany at their tiny dining table.

Brittany looks up too, her eyes moving from their work to Santana who lingers by the front door. There’s a small smile that begins to curl her lips and Santana finds herself returning it with her own little grin.

“Hi,” She greets as she kicks of her tennis shoes. It was meant for Puck but it seems that it’s directed at Brittany.

“Hey,” Brittany replies.

“How was practice?” Puck asks, just now lifting his head from the work before him.

“Got bumped up to flyer,” Santana says casually although it’s pretty exciting news. She comes around to the kitchen for a drink, “Erica apparently has brittle bones from what Coach says.”

“No way!” Puck cheers, “That’s so awesome!”

“What’s a flyer?” Brittany asks, looking between the two.

“The girls that do stunts in the air,” Santana answers.

“Oh,” Brittany’s brows rise. “That’s…isn’t that kind of dangerous?”

“You worried about me?” Santana teases as she comes around to sit on the stool next to them. She crosses her legs, her cheer skirt hugging her thighs tightly. “Didn’t you say cheer was boring?”

Puck grins as he looks to Brittany for a rebuttal, but the blonde looks stumped.

Actually, the blonde looks distracted.

When Santana realizes that she’s staring at her legs, it’s like a personal victory for her. It was only a matter of time before the skirt wins!

Puck notices the distraction too and glances between his friends, a knowing smirk starting to form.

“Anyway,” Santana says as she finishes off her glass of water.

The sound of her voice breaks Brittany from her trance, but blue eyes are dark with something Santana’s familiar with but has yet to see on her. It makes her smirk; she’s missed having that kind of power over someone. It’s the sexual magnetism, it never fails her.

“Might hit the shower now,” Santana adds before looking to Brittany. “You going to be here much longer?”

Brittany nods, “Yeah. I only got here a little before you did.”

“Okay,” Santana can’t help the flirtatious tone now that she knows she’s got Brittany wrapped around her finger. The teasing is the most fun she’s had in awhile! “Maybe you can show me some things once you’re done with him?”

Brittany gulps, “Yeah sure.”

Puck notices what Santana’s doing and interrupts, “Uh…what’s happening right now?”

“Can it, Puckerman,” Santana waves off although her smile remains devilish. “What’s the point of having a fake girlfriend if I can’t fake flirt with them too?”

Brittany’s face goes a little red as she finally snaps back to reality.

“You call that flirting?” Brittany jokes.

“Fake flirting.”

Brittany shakes her head as she smirks, “I still don’t understand how you pick up any girls.”

“Judging by the look that’s been on your face since I walked in, I think you do.”

Puck looks back and forth between the two again like he’s watching an intense tennis match.

“How about I order a pizza for later?” He suggests in attempt to break up the bickering before it escalates.

“Sounds good,” Santana says without taking her eyes off Brittany.

“Yeah,” Brittany nods. “Sounds awesome.”

“Cool,” Puck replies and looks to Santana. “Go shower now. You’re distracting everyone.”

“She’s not distracting me,” Brittany said pointedly.  

Santana quirks her brow and smirks, “Keep telling yourself that, Britt-Britt.”

She lets her hips sway in that well-practiced way as she leaves the room. She doesn’t have to look to know that Brittany’s yet to stop staring and she struggles to hold back the laughter as she gets ready for a shower.

\\

Despite the teasing game she played earlier, Santana sits in Puck’s place at the tiny dining table across from Brittany with a scowl on her face. This studying thing? She’s had enough of it.

“This is pointless. Education is pointless. I’m gonna become a stripper instead,” Santana huffs.

“You'd probably make so much money!” Puck jokes from his place on the couch.

“Probably? Please,” Santana lifts her chin. “I'd make it rain every night!”

Puck laughs and throws his arm over the back of the couch to look at the pair.

“What do you think, Britt?” Puck presses with a smirk. “Think Santana would make it rain?”

Santana smirks too and looks to Brittany for answer.

“I think…I'm kind of hungry,” Brittany says. “How far away is the pizza?”

Santana’s smirk falls at the way Brittany deflects the question. Since Santana’s return, Brittany’s been a little quieter. Santana figured she’s just stuck in study mode and that she’d loosen up eventually, but she’s still waiting.

“I should probably head over now actually,” Puck realizes after checking his phone.

“Take me with you,” Santana jokes. “I think my brain is turning to mush.”

Brittany sighs, “Don’t be so dramatic.”

“You know that’s a struggle for me.”

“True,” Brittany jokes. “Hey, if we finish this chapter tonight I’ll let you use my pretty pens to take notes?”

"Tempting, but I don't need your pretty pens,” Santana says flatly. She rests back in her chair and stares at the ceiling. “What I need is alcohol and several orgasms. I clearly didn't think this fake dating thing through. I've never been so sexually deprived.”

Puck goes to grab his keys, “And on that note – I’ll be back in a few.”

Meanwhile, Brittany just snickers to herself but she isn’t laughing with Santana and it has the brunette frowning.

“What?” Santana questions as Puck leaves.

Brittany shakes her head, “It must be so hard for you to keep it in your pants for once.”

“You have no idea. Who knew that the last time would be the last time. I sure didn’t!”

Brittany shakes her head again and goes back to her work. It makes Santana feel a little on edge and straightens up in her chair.

“I'm obviously joking,” Santana adds and it makes Brittany look up. “What's it to you if I wasn't though?”

“What are you talking about?” Brittany asks.

“Your interest in my sex life.”

Brittany scoffs and looks back to her work, “I'd hardly call it an interest.”

Santana folds her arms across her chest, “So you're secretly some kind of prude?”

“It's not that.”

“Then what is it?”

Brittany sighs and looks up at her again, “Why are we even talking about this?”

Santana notices the change in her tone and perks up. She abandons her work all together in favor of leaning in.

“Because it's way more interesting?” Santana presses. “I know you're trying to deflect, you might as well just answer. If not, I'll assume the reason it gets your panties all in a twist is because you're secretly jealous.”

“I'm definitely not jealous.”

“So it’s the other option,” Santana says. “You’re a prude.”

“No!” Brittany huffs. She softens when she realizes she raised her voice. There’s a timidness to her when she explains, “I just, I guess I believe in developing the feelings part first before the physical happens.”

Santana softens too but for a different reason. It’s more so confusion than anything else.

"Why?” She asks.

“Because with feelings it's better,” Brittany says simply.

“Are you kidding?” Santana quips. “It’s better when it doesn’t involve feelings. I think it’s better when it doesn’t involve eye contact.”

“Wow. Seriously?” Brittany looks at her sympathetically. “That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. God, who hurt you?”

Santana didn’t expect her comment to strike a nerve. The memory of short blonde hair and a cunning smile sneaks its way past Santana’s defenses as she mutters, “One guess.”

Brittany looks at her curiously before something clicks, “Oh. The girl.”

Santana doesn’t like where this is going and pushes away the overwhelming feelings that beg to bust through. She walls herself up, holds her chin high and swallows back the lump.

“Yeah well,” Santana brushes off. “I think it's pretty unrealistic to go out there thinking every potential lay has to be relationship material first. Where's the fun in that?”

Brittany continues to eye her like she’s wounded and Santana hates it.

“The fun part is getting to know someone first so when it does happen,” Brittany pauses as she bites her lip. “It's meaningful.”

Santana averts her eyes, because staring into Brittany’s makes her feel far too exposed. Instead she retreats in on herself to place she’s comfortable, she takes the attention off of her.

“Gross. Who knew you were such a hopeless romantic,” Santana jokes.

Brittany sighs through a soft smile, “Call me old fashioned I guess.”

“Super old fashioned,” Santana quips. “Like, are you telling me you've never had a steamy quickie with a random? Everybody's got one.”

Brittany looks away and as she smirks, “Of course I have. I’m not that innocent.”

Santana perks up, “Really? Miss Goodie Two Shoes getting down and dirty without before being properly courted? God, I want details…”

Brittany snickers, “Not happening.”

“What?” Santana shifts in her seat excitedly. “Come on, what's a little girl talk between friends or are you the type that doesn’t kiss and tell because lame.”

Brittany looks up at her and smirks, “You saying we're friends?”

“Will it get you talking?”

Brittany laughs, “We should get back to work now. You've derailed us for long enough.”

“Come on, Britt-Britt,” Santana coos jokingly. “We've been at it for hours. I'm burnt out, sober and in dire need of sex.”

“None of that is my problem.”

“Sure it is,” Santana jokes. “The least you can do is tell me a couple of your kinky stories to get me through the night.”

“No.”

“Please?”

Brittany gives her a look, but Santana just bats her eyelashes. It makes Brittany laugh and she softens once again.

“Actually, I might be able to help you out.”

Santana sits straighter, “It was only a matter of time…”

Brittany rolls her eyes, “Get over yourself. Not every girl on campus wants you, including me.”

Santana laughs, “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Britt-Britt.”

“Anyway,” Brittany continues, “I'm talking about a swanky party – a ball even.”

“A ball, you say?” Santana’s interest is piqued.

“Totally.”

“You've got my attention…”

“Well, there’s going to be an open bar, free food, an excuse to dress up and let loose. That ticks off two out of three on your list.”

Santana quirks a brow, “And the catch?”

“No catch.”

“There's gotta be a catch.”

“Okay fine,” Brittany slumps. “It's the Brainiacs’ Ball.”

“The what?” Santana deadpans.

“The Brainiacs’ Ball,” Brittany clarifies. “It's open to all the academic decathlon clubs across the city, this year we’re hosting. The team with the highest winning percentage is named and also the award for Most Brilliant Brainiac is given out. It's the biggest night for the club.”

“Oh, hell no,” Santana chuckles. “There’s not enough free alcohol in the world to get me to go to that. Count me out.”

Brittany starts to frown, “What? Why?”

Santana shakes her head, “One of your matches was enough. I'm not going to a party where I have to be surrounded by all of you at once.”

“It won't be that bad,” Brittany sighs. “It's a night for celebrating. No trivia unless you count the bad puns you might hear.”

“I've seen the guys on your team,” Santana explains. “I can't be liable for the feelings I'd definitely hurt if I were to be around them. I’d be triggered by pocket protector.”

“But you'll mostly be with me,” Brittany tries.

“That doesn’t really help your case.”

Brittany gives her a look, “Well, I kind of need you to go.”

“You need me to go?”

“Well yeah, I don't want to be the only one there without a date,” Brittany reasons. “Plus wouldn't it be suspicious if you didn't go considering we're a thing?”

Santana lets out a laugh, thinking that she’s finally caught on.

“So that it explains it,” She says.

“Explains what?”

“The coffee the other day, sharing study tips, being here,” Santana goes on, “You’ve been setting yourself up to ask me to your dumb ball.”

Brittany tenses, “'First of all, it's not dumb.”

“Sorry. I should've said nerdy,” Santana clarifies.

“I wasn’t doing those things for this,” Brittany tells her. “I was… I did them to be nice. We don’t always have to be at each other. It doesn’t always have to be a competition.”

Santana shakes her head as she gets to thinking. She knows Brittany’s cunning too, she knows that she can play games so who’s to say she wasn’t playing this time?

“I'm not going,” Santana replies. “You can tell people I'm sick or something.”

Brittany lets out a bitter laugh, “Right. So this relationship thing only works when it's in your favor?”

Santana frowns at the harshness of Brittany’s tone, something that doesn’t feel right coming from the blonde.

“What are you talking about?” Santana huffs. “That’s not – “

“We always do what you want,” Brittany interrupts. “Whatever makes you look good but this one time I ask you for something and it's just a flat out no?”

Brittany’s face has gone a little red and Santana’s further surprised – she didn’t think it was this big of a deal. She doesn’t grasp why Brittany’s so worked up all of sudden. Why would she want someone there with her if they didn’t want to be there in the first place?

“Look, it's better if I don't go because if one dork in clunky black glasses wearing suspenders and a hideous bowtie crosses paths with me I won't be able to contain myself,” Santana argues. “I'll end up hurting someone's feelings and you said it yourself, it's a night for celebration.”

Brittany looks at her like she’s hit a new low. Hell, maybe she just did.

“You're unbelievable,” Brittany huffs as she stands and starts gathering her things.

“What?” Santana watches her with a sudden ache in her chest. “You’re leaving?”

“Clearly,” Brittany mutters. “I can’t be around you right now.”

“All because I don’t want to go?”

Brittany shakes her head, another bitter laugh escaping her.

“No,” She says gravely. “It’s because you’re the most selfish person I’ve ever met.”

Santana tenses at the way her words drip with disdain, but at the same time it puts her on the defense.

“Well sorry that I’m not like you,” Santana argues. “Sorry I can’t just slip into character with ease and be your perfect fake girlfriend whenever you want. Sorry I’m not on all the time like you are.”

Brittany just stares at her for a moment, studying Santana’s face before she speaks again.

“Just when I think I’ve figured you out,” Brittany continues. “Just when I think you’re actually a half-decent person and that maybe beneath this prickly exterior of yours, there’s actually something – someone – deserving of…of a friend you go and prove to me that I’m wrong.”

Santana slumps back in her chair, dejected and defeated.  

Even if Brittany didn’t physical hit her, those words sure did. She can’t even speak as she watches Brittany gather the last of her things and storm out. What’s worse is that she swears she sees blue eyes tinging red just before she turns away.

Santana slaps her hand at the table when the door slams shut behind Brittany. She instantly feels the sting of wood on her open palm.

Why? Why does she always have to screw things up like this?

\\

Puck comes through the door just a minute later, looking confused as well.

“So I just passed Britt in the hall,” He says hesitantly.

“Yeah, she left.”

Puck slowly closes the door behind him, “Why?”

“Because,” Santana lets out a long puff of air. She feels the lump forming again in her throat, strange and unwelcome. “Because I’m an idiot.”

“Dude,” His face falls. “Please tell me you didn’t try to make a move on her. The games earlier were cute and all but – “

“No,” Santana quickly answers. “I didn’t do that.”

“Then what happened?” Puck asks. “She looked really upset.”

Santana presses her lips tightly together, she’s almost ashamed to admit the truth.

“She wanted me to go to some ball with her,” Santana says dismissively. “I told her no.”

“You told her no?” Puck quirks a brow.

“I can’t.”

“You can’t?” Puck frowns. “After all the stuff she’s done for you, you can’t?”

“Look, I can see where I fucked up okay?” Santana snaps. “I don’t need you adding to it.”

Puck shakes his head as he backs off. “You really are an idiot.”

Santana agrees but she doesn’t tell him that.

“You know it’s not a good idea,” Santana tries convincing him. “It’ll be nothing but those academic decathlon nerds and not just the ones from Brittany’s team. It’ll be like ten times that! They’ll be from all over the city and you know how I am around the general public especially when I’m provoked. I could screw up and expose us both. It’s too risky.”

Puck doesn’t say anything, just listens to her excuses.

“I can’t do it,” Santana tells him with finality. “I can’t. Brittany might be pissed at me right now, but she’ll see it’s for the best. I’d just ruin her night because I don’t know how to act anyway. She’ll come around, she has to.”

“Sure Santana,” Puck dismisses and goes to flip open the pizza box. “So…does this mean I can have her pizza too?”

Santana just shakes her head, “Shut up.”

[dagoth-menthol]

Thinking in the rain

Marius sat in the workshop fidgeting with his pen, while trying to focus on the blueprint in front of him. He tried to work on this project since the finale of the tournament where Eliza and Jaimini had their big fight. Even a rock could see that everyone was more on edge these days, than ever before. 

This fight tore apart the whole team Rainbow. Everyone was now subconsciously sorted into seperate teams, each of them supporting either Eliza or Jaimini. It was natural that discussions would be happening and some of them would grow into more heated ones. Gustave and Harry had more work than ever. 

For the most part Marius was able to get around the conflicts, but it made him lonely in the process. A precaution he wasn't willing to take, but necessary.

His frustration grew by the minute and there was no way of stopping it.

And that was how time has been for the past month. He never imagined that he could work uninterrupted all by himself in the workshop. At first it was refreshing to work focused on everything, but after a week he grew sick of it.

He missed Dominic dropping by to discuss one of his creations or to just have a chat. And now the prankster wasn't really hanging out as much as he used to. 

Monika was also more or less doing her stuff alone. Most of the evenings he would drop by her room and they would discuss her own gadget improvements or her new stories. This reminded him about the last time she read a snippet to him. It ended with a cliffhanger. How will the story proceed further? But now she wasn’t feeling up to writing more.

Now he realised how stressed Elias was lately. Always trying his best to keep the Germans together. Their breaks were always spent together to eat in the mess hall, but now everyone just dropped by, when they felt like it. It was tiring to see how much Elias worked against his team falling apart slowly. He would just like to know the words to console everybody and to get everyone to work with each other as they did before. But how could he do that, when he didn't know how to help himself?

Marius was frustrated, these thoughts were circling in his head all the time when he started to work on his Magpies or on any other side project. They kept him from being productive. And many of the usual suspects in the workshop realized that this man had his head more in the clouds.

When he figured that it was impossible to concentrate on his project anymore, he got up from his chair in the workshop and decided to go for a walk. See what the others have been up to. So he walked around the workshop to look at the projects of the ones who were there at the moment. Only Shuhrat and Mark were, both of them focused on their work and not caring about Marius taking a look at their stuff. 

Since he didn't want to disturb their concentration, he silently got out of the workshop. 

As he got outside, it was as if he was finally coming out of the water. The air in the workshop was so heavy of all the metallic stenches from furious welding and soldering and any other chemicals that were used during their creative processes. Now the engineer was greeted by the smells of nature. 

Body stiff from all sitting in the wrong position while tinkering, made it crack at any movement. In order to get his body into a better shape, he decided to take a small walk outside. Also he befriended the idea of skipping his workshop projects in the evening, because he didn't want to exhaust himself because of the upcoming squad training the next morning. He knew himself so well that he could anticipate that if it weren't for the training, he'd stay there to tinker into the night.

It was a relief for him to finally be out of the tight space in the workshop, allowing himself some time to breath and settle his mind. So, he briefly went inside again to get himself a chair and a cold drink for sitting outside. Surely he seemed to be at peace for an outsider, but it was quite the contrary for him. The thought of their practice tomorrow made him a bit anxious. Who knows what they would be fighting over again? People are stressed and there was no way he could see to stop those tensions. His best option was to lay low, was it?

____________

The next morning came faster than anticipated. Being outside for so long, mulling over everything and nothing left him quite exhausted the following day. 

Tiredly he moved his body to get his morning coffee and decided to not eat, since stressing himself with sports and having a full stomach didn’t sit well with him. Also the engineer felt a bit nauseous when he woke up. 

The German quarters were already deserted, so he figured they had gone to eat breakfast in the mess hall. But they obviously chose to not wake him. Or maybe they tried, but he was still in a deep slumber. Yeah, that sounded more likely.

Still, or already exhausted, he walked to the mess hall by himself. As he finally reached the mess hall, it was already quite empty. What time was it anyways? 

The clock said 9 am sharp. He better hurry and eat his breakfast. After he wolfed it down, he left with the last ones to go to the training exercise. They had a rough day ahead that included many exercises and mock missions.

______________

Fuck them honestly. FUCK. THEM. Marius threw his helmet to the ground in anger, right beneath the feet of his team. He was so sick of everyone. Apparently it was his fault. Sure. His ADSs were the only gadgets that were protecting him, Dominic and Alexandr, who were the only three being "alive" to begin with. And if it wouldn't have been for Shuhrat who was the only one left on his team. Then they made the mistake of staying in the same room. And then they lost. Death by Matryoshka. 

Rookie mistake. Apparently one of Marius' Magpies had been destroyed already, so there was no way in hell that they could have protected them all at that moment. But sure. It was all his fault…

Dominic and Alexandr were now arguing loudly about how and why they had failed against one single opponent. Meanwhile Marius calmed a bit down from his outburst and collected his helmet. It didn't mean that he wasn't angry anymore, but not in the mood to jump at everyone's throats at least.

Angry because of the accusations against him, he went out of the training area by himself. On his way back to the facilities, he made a stop and went outside for a bit. He hadn't realized that it was already this dark out. Sadly the stars were covered by thick clouds, preventing even the moonlight from shining through. Time flies when you are not having fun and work endlessly without any long pauses to even get a glimpse of boredom.

The exhausted engineer put his helmet lazily under his arm and just looked at the sky. 

It was raining. Nothing unusual for England. The droplets were running down his face, cooling down his temper even more. Easing all the tension that was built up inside him.

He allowed his thoughts to drift away. 

Why was he here? What led up to it?

Easy to answer? No, not really.

But there was something else that dawned on him that his subconscious tried to tell him, it was only the right question that needed to be asked. 

Why was it here? What led up to it?

Easy to answer? Yes, with certainty.

First it started with a Big Bang and lots of dust began to expand through the universe. Masses formed that led to other masses forming around them. Like our own star system. The sun has the biggest mass and the planets have the smaller masses. The planets circle around the sun in an endless dance. 

As the planets formed, so did their surfaces. Earth's surface was rugged, dangerous and ever changing. Volcanoes spurt out their lava and caused the air to become toxic due to all the emitted smoke clouds from these eruptions. Over millions of years Earth stayed this angry and uninhabitable place.

For millions of years it rained and smoothed Earth's features. Only by cooling the surface, it was possible for the oceans to form. Calming Earth down was the inevitable step to create life and let it prosper. First it was the bacteria that could survive on its own, feeding from the Black Smoker. Later, the first bacteria came to life and made Earth like it is today. The air is breathable, not only for small bacteria, but also for bigger organisms that need air to breath. 

Countless species have formed and wander the Earth. 

One of them is Marius. 

The one who was standing outside of Hereford's training area, soaking wet from all the rain and thought about the miracle of life. 

A hand was placed onto his right shoulder. As adrenalin started to rush at lightning speed, he turned around quickly, almost losing his helmet already.

"I called out to you a few times. What were you thinking about for so long?" Asked Shuhrat. His voice sounded even more concerned than his worried eyes, the only part not being obscured by the balaclava he wore under his helmet.

"Uhm… the miracle of life. How life came to be on this rock that was flying through space."

There was silence. Both were standing next to each other, each of them back into their own minds, staring at the sky. Rain falling onto their clothes was the only sound they could hear. 

The wind picked up and it became quite uncomfortable in the now soaked clothing. 

"Why are you thinking about all that anyways?" Shuhrat asked after a while.

"I try to understand why it happened. I am not one to lose my cool that easily. Did you realize that everyone is more on edge than usual? You know, everything feels so connected."

"How so? Why think about the creation of the world, when your problems in that sense lie way more in the present?"

That made Marius think for a bit. Not because he didn't know the reason, but how to describe it to be understandable. In his mind it made all sense, but would it for his friend?

"You know. Earth in her beginnings was full of volcanoes. Like our problem. Imagine Team Rainbow as our many volcanoes. Each of them erupts at the slightest stress. And it is not even me, who snaps, but many others. And I don't know why and how to make it all like it used to be..." 

"Do you think there is something that could help?"

"The rain. Rain caused life to prosper, so when we get out of this kind of crisis, maybe we are able to be even greater and better than before?"

That got a thoughtful hum as an answer. Shuhrat being as engulfed in that thought as his friend. Both were standing there silently again, but now it felt like it could all be better again. The hope that they get over this was a pleasant and warming thought. It wasn't that cold now, since they stepped inside, so they remained there and enjoyed the light rain.

Note: 

This work is part of the for the writer artist pairup and based on Dorka's artwork that can find under this link: https://twitter.com/_freedert/status/1422107021785149440?s=20

It was a pleasure to work take part in the event and I hope that you enjoy what I wrote!

Speaking of writing, thank you very much @titan-wolfdog for beta-reading!!! (I am so sorry that this was quite a mess haha)

[extremelyblackandwhite]

handmaid - 08

PAIRING: mob!sebastian stan x ingenue!reader

WARNINGS: age gap, mentions of violence

A/N: hope you enjoy this chapter xxx

NEXT CHAPTER

The weather was chilly as they landed in mid French night. Y/N was the first one out the plane, feeling the wind hit her naked arms due to the short sleeved dress. Sebastian, on the other hand, was the first one out of the airport, excusing himself due to business which Gwen gave little care to. In all honesty, Y/N thought she was particularly fine with the idea of the only person powerful enough to order her around being as far as possible. After all, Paris is the city of love, endless possibilities in Gwen’s mindset.

They were driven to the hotel, the landscape from the nightly Paris making Y/N want to rush out the moving car and just sit down in the grass looking at the night sky. However, Gwen was tired and Y/N knew better not to argue. She would never win in an argument with Gwen, besides, she knew exactly how the heiress acted whenever she got her way. Thinking about it, maybe only once in their whole life had Y/N won an argument with her and that had been when she was 5 and not really understanding of her role in the family. Y/N was a handmaid, the literal definition of handmaid is a female servant so why should she put in danger her own survival? If Gwen really got mad at her and disposed of her or fired her, Y/N wasn’t entirely sure how to begin a new life. Sure, she had a degree, a perfect CV but other than working as a handmaid for the mob, she had never worked before and only know was she getting paid for it. She’d rather be silent about it than put her own stability at risk.

They arrived at the hotel at around 2 AM and were quickly checked into their bedrooms. As per usual, Y/N’s bedroom was always next to Gwen’s and normally on the top floor for safety reasons. Y/N rolled her suitcase into her bedroom, bidding Gwen goodnight as she went to sleep. She threw her bag onto the bed and rushed over to the window, opening it so the night air come could in. 

She huffed, leaning against the railing of the balcony, looking up to the full moon that light the dark night sky.  Her mind flew to Sebastian and his teasing comments at the plane. In any other occasion, maybe one where he wasn’t that angry at his associates, she would’ve fought him on her idea of dreaming. Dreaming. What did he even have to dream about? Like Gwen, he was filthy rich, heck even more than her. He had power, control ... if he had a dream, he could probably have it in a snap of his fingers. She guessed that at least she was in Paris and that was good, that was fantastic. 

Frankly, her mind was just wandering around the Sebastian Stan subject because, well, it didn’t want to leave the subject. The casual and messy styles she had caught him on both in sweatpants and with his dress shirt unbuttoned had glued to a psyche. Half her brain was telling her stop thinking about your friend’s future husband and the other half was telling her to go right ahead, not like Gwen would worry about it. 

Meanwhile, Sebastian was trying to handle a deal gone wrong. The most he could do was scream at them and threaten to have their head on a plate. Even with that, his associates would rather cry about spilled milk than go and try to fix it. His father was a great man but giving leadership of his French sector to Thompson Williams had been and would forever be the worse thing ever. It wasn’t like Sebastian could just demote him, it would make most of his supporters go against him and if he just killed everyone, who would do the dirty work after? 

       - It’s the second time this year. - Sebastian poured himself a glass of whiskey, trying to whisk away the fact that he’d much rather be in his hotel room, or probably Y/N’s, than dealing with a minor man’s mistake. - I’m starting to think Mr. Williams that we might have an issue here. 

       - The shipment was faulty, it is not my f ...

       - I told you the shipment was much too cheap for its value. I remember fucking telling you not to buy it and you still bought it behind my back and lost me over three million. I will have your fucking head on a stick if this isn’t solved by you, by tomorrow. - he spat at the much lower ranked mobster who was sat down on his guest office chair, except on his own office chair. - And not a single cut of the deal will fly your way. 

       - It was a good bet, I had to take it.

       - My fucking family is not fucking based on bets, it’s based on organised deals with serious fucking people who give a damn they’re part of it. - he slammed the glass hard enough against the desk to give way to a crack. - Fix it or I’ll cut your fucking hand off. 

He grabbed his jacket’s from the hanger, slung it over his shoulder and walked outside the lesser man’s office followed by his swarms of bodyguards. Did he need the bodyguards? No, it was mostly a show of power and someone who could do the dirty job if it was necessary. However, at this point, his brain was still processing at Upper East Side times and not Paris. In simpler words, he could feel his lids heavy and his temples hurt but his mind was going haywire. He should’ve fired him, god all he wanted to do was diminish him to serving drinks at his engagements. 

He reached the Hotel Montaigne closer to 4 AM and took off to his normally reserved suite. The hotel was his, or at least in the paperworks, his father’s therefore he had certain privileges such as being able to have his own room free from pesky guests, with the best view. A view of the Tower Eiffel. A view Y/N would probably enjoy.

      - Sebastian? - his head swiftly turned to the source of the noise. He noticed Y/N standing there with sleep filled eyes in a white set of pyjamas. - You banged the door a bit too loud.

      - Did I wake you up? - he tried to soften up his tone but, sadly, the business troubles were still very much present on his mind therefore his angry facade was still very much present too.

      - I’m a light sleeper. Besides, you looked worried and I thought you might want to talk about it. - she leaned against the door frame. 

      - Is that what you do when Gwen’s upset? - he pulled on the knot of his tie, successfully loosening it up and throwing it to the side.

      - No, when Gwen’s upset I lock myself in a bunker and hope she doesn’t come find me for stress relief. - Y/N closed the door behind her, trudging up to him who had now thrown his tie and jacket to the side, unbuttoning the top first buttons of his dress shirt. - I’m guessing the meeting didn’t go well.

     - Catastrophic would be underrated. 

     - You did all you could. - she gave him a soft smile, the type of smile a partner would give you when you came back from a long day. The type of smile that wrapped you in the false idea of a comfortable home life, at least, to him. Nevertheless, Y/N seemed to embody that warmth specially when she gave him that traditional signature smile of hers. His hand, mindlessly, laid upon her elbow as to which her gaze immediately lingered upon. Once again, that typical heat that made itself present when she was around him made itself known and she shifted from side to side, teeth coming to pull at the skin of her own bottom lip. - I feel like you’re upset because have an issue relinquishing control. 

Sebastian took a step back at her sentence, lips slightly open at her statement as he found it hard to reply to her. He wondered if there was something more to her ingenue environment or if that same ingenue atmosphere had given her the unknown courage of telling that to a mob boss. Of course he had to constantly have control, that was his job. 

     - You can’t control everything in your life, Sebastian. - she sat on top of his much comfortable looking duvet. Unlike her room which was decorated in shades of white, his bedroom was decorated in dark rich shades of scarlet red and light beiges. - It goes against the laws of nature itself doesn’t it?

    - Well ... - he took to sitting by her side, leaving not much of two inches between the beginning of both their hips. - I believe that humans are really good at controlling even the laws of nature. We decide when plants bloom, when and how animals should procreate and even their genetics ... why shouldn’t I believe I can control everything?

    - Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. If you worry about every single time you lose control over your business, it’s more like punishing yourself than punishing the ones you’re meant to. 

    - I’m really grateful for your concern, Y/N, but you’re not my handmaid, you don’t have to worry about me. 

   - Don’t tell me you even wish to control who worries about you and who doesn’t. - she crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at him but he merely chuckled at her. 

Y/N gaze moved from his inspections one to the window, eyes agape as she came in contact with the most beautiful view she could ever picture. Mindlessly, the young woman rushed over to the balcony, only stopping once the rails hit her stomach. The night air and the look at the Tower Eiffel looked exactly like what one of her very good dreams would entail. Her eye sparkle and wondrous look did not go unnoticed by the mob boss who paced over to her side, gaze fixed on her soft complexion and how the smallest things just seemed to have the largest effect on her. Maybe owning the hotel had made him forgot how breathtaking the view really was or maybe it was because she was over there in white pyjama shorts and shirt with the most striking look in her eyes. 

    - Woah, angel. - he put his hand on her abdomen, slightly pushing her back before she could cross over the railing. - We don’t want you to fall, do we?

    - It’s just marvellous. How can you even sleep with a view like this? - well, he would very much enjoy to fall asleep in that balcony if she were by his side. 

    - I’ve been seeing this since I was a kid, Y/N. It loses its charm. 

    - No, I don’t believe that. You just have no taste.

    - I have no taste? - he furrowed his eyebrows at her. - Angel, I’ve had people’s head for less.

    - Oh ... I’m sorry. - she took a step backward, playing with her hair. 

    - I was just playing. - his hand rested on her forearm, caressing the skin with the pad of his thumb. - Look, if you wa...

    - Mr. Stan? - the bodyguard knocked on the suite’s door, making Y/N take a few steps back becoming void of his touch. 

    - WHAT?! - Sebastian barked at the man, turning around, hand on top of his silver revolver just in case. Not that he was gonna shot the man in front of Y/N, he would probably traumatise her and Gwen would sue him. The man cowered in front of him, eyes settled on the young woman by his side knowing she was the only reason he wasn’t dodging a bullet.

   - There’s a call for you from Mr. Williams. 

   - You should go. - Y/N smiled, tired. - I should probably return to bed. 

   - Wait, angel, will you join me for breakfast tomorrow morning? I can get some room service, have it by the balcony.

   - I’m sorry, Sebastian. I already promised Gwen I would go shopping with her in the early morning. - sure, she’d rather be having breakfast with the Tower Eiffel in sight than having to go to the Champs-Élysées with Gwen for some high spending shopping. Yet, on the other hand, it felt odd to have breakfast with her friend’s fiancé. She shouldn’t.

Without giving too much of a look to Sebastian whose traits probably included persuasion, she returned to her bedroom, locked the door behind her and tucked herself into the comfortable sheets. Her eyes were set in the darkness of the bedroom, heart beating like a drum as his touch seemed to linger on her skin, almost like a ghost feeling. 

Y/N didn’t remember falling asleep, however it felt like she didn’t slept for long once her alarm went off. With a tiring motion, she lifted from her torso from the bed, rubbing the sleep off her eyes. She placed her feet on the floor and meandered around her room, hoping the cardio-like walk would wake her up a bit more. After sleep disappeared from her eyes she grabbed her clothing and walked off her bedroom, knocking on Gwen’s door. Much to her surprise, she was already prepared to go, sunglasses on and a dark velvet green dress on matched with brown boots.

     - Aren’t you excited? Paris shopping. - Gwen pushed her handmaid by the arm, followed by the bodyguards onto the lift. However, all Y/N could think of was Sebastian. She felt bad for denying his request, mostly because she really did enjoy the request but being on his company all the time would probably hurt his image or even worse hurt Gwen’s feelings. 

Maybe it had been her willingness to overthink a simple suggestion, but once her brain took her back to reality she was standing at the very long Champs-Élysées where Gwen was rushing around like a mad-men. Y/N always found the Champs-Élysées rather more accessible than the Upper East Side, mostly due to the existence of more low end shops and known banks than the New York district, yet, the overwhelming amount of high class shops like Marcs Jacobs and Channel made it look like a rich person’s playground. It definitely was that, but Y/N was most interested in the stores’ architecture and Paris’ landscape. However, she was not immune to some materialistic stuff, specially once the two stopped by the brilliantly built Ladurée. The shades of light turquoise like green made it look like something straight off a fairytale book and the sweets on the window display made everyone crave sugar.

    - You look very lost today. - Gwen commented, entering the shop along with her handmaid. - I haven’t seen you look this lost since you finished reading Gone Girl.

   - I’m just tired. - Y/N smiled tightly, dismissing her friend’s concerns, however, Gwen was much too curious to just let it go. - Couldn’t really sleep.

   - Alexander told me you were in Sebastian’s room last night. Is there something happening that you haven’t told me? Is it about me?

   - He just wanted to know how to get closer to you, Gwen. You know I wouldn’t tell him anything you didn’t want me to.

   - I don’t know, Y/N ... - she pointed at a pink box of what looked like macaroons on the display, handing the cashier her card. - You are very ... righteous sometimes. Pretty sure you can’t lie even without a gun to your head. 

   - You know I’m loyal to the Forrest family, I wouldn’t tell Mr. Stan anything that you didn’t allow me to. 

   - Good. I heard he was pissed about Thompson. I don’t know why he wasn’t placed a bullet in the middle of his eyes, I would. - the cashier handed her the pink box and the two women followed by the bodyguards walked back outside onto the street. 

   - You can’t just shot everyone you hate, Gwen. Who would you rule over then?

   - Newer, smarter people. 

They were out on the street until late afternoon when Gwen decided it was time to return to the hotel, which Y/N’s feet were eternally grateful for. As per usual, she had ended up carrying her fair share of bags along with the bodyguards and the weight plus all the walking had left her wanting nothing but to lay down and perish for a few seconds. 

After all the bags were in the heiress’ room and she had sneakingly, yet not that unnoticeably to Y/N, walked to the hotel bar with one of the bodyguards she was particularly found of, Y/N was finally free to return to her bedroom. Happily. she tapped her card against the bedroom door, a click indicating the door was ready to be open. Pushing her door open, her heart skipped a beat as a very familiar figure stood in the middle of her room. She let out a gasp, holding onto the handle of the door, ready to bolt off.

   - Please don’t be scared, Miss Y/N. - Mr. Williams prowled to her, a bit to close for comfort. - I just needed to have a word with you.

   - Mr. Stan and Ms. Forrest are not available, right now. Please leave my bedroom. - her knuckles held forcefully onto the handle of the door, hoping a bodyguard would notice the slightly creaked door. 

   - I wish to speak for you, please Miss. You must speak with Mr. Stan about me, try to get me in his good graces please.

   - I think you should speak with Ms. Forrest about that not me. - well good luck, she liked him even less than Sebastian and unlike the mob boss was rather reckless in her decisions.

   - I don’t think she is as influential as you are, Miss. With all due respect, I believe you’re the only one who can help me and maybe gain me some forgiveness. - his voice was honeyed, yet his words registered like nails on chalkboards on her brain. - Please, Miss Y/N, I’m sure if you ask him he won’t be as harsh. 

   - I think you misjudged my relationship towards Mr. Stan. I’m his employee, I would love to help but I don’t think he would care much for my opinion. 

   - You certainly have noticed you’re highly in his favour, Miss Y/N. Please, I’ll make it worth your while. - he grinned at her almost as if he was mocking her words, but that wasn’t what really was bothering Y/N. His presence bothered her, specially once his hand went over hers to pull the handle completely. - I would be grateful. 

 He opened the door completely, walking off and shutting it on the young woman. Almost out of memory, she locked the door and rushed over to her balcony to do the same thing. Y/N didn’t want to think about how he’d gotten in her bedroom, he clearly wasn’t in any of Sebastian’s favourite books and definitely not in Gwen’s. 

   - M’am? - her body trembled at the knock of the door but the voice soothed her. Thankfully, it was her bodyguard - It’s me, m’am. We can’t have the doors locked with you inside the room for safety measures.

   - I’m sorry. - Y/N’s hands shivered as she unlocked the door, opening it slightly to stare at the bodyguard. - I’m sorry, Elias. I was just not feeling very well. 

   - Oh, would you like me to notice Mr. Stan or Ms. Forrest?

   - No, it’s fine. It’s fine. - she gave him an understanding smile before closing the door again. Without much thought, she stripped off her clothes and jumped into the shower allowing the hot water to drip down her body. In his favour, she wasn’t in his favour. She was just his employee and his fiancée’s handmaid, meaning he shouldn’t really be rude to her.

It wasn’t like Y/N could just go on and tell him to go easy on one of his associates, she just couldn’t unless she wanted to be screamed at. Being screamed at is not something she really wanted but on the other hand, she didn’t want Gwen or Sebastian to shot him for no reason or for at least an unreasonable one. Besides, Mr. Williams looked scared. With that in her mind, she walked off the shower, putting on one of her sweater-like fabric dresses.

   - Y/N? - she hunched her shoulders, hand on top of her chest as the knocks reverberated within her room. God, why does everyone want to speak with her today?

   - Come in. - Sebastian came into the bedroom, back in his very business formal which somehow disappointed her. She definitely preferred the more relaxed style, at least on him. - Gwen is at the bar right now, if you’re looking for her. 

   - I own this hotel, angel. I know exactly where everyone is. I’m here because Elias told me you weren’t feeling well. - that little back stabber. - Was the shopping trip that bad?

   - I’m just a bit ... I think overwhelmed fits. 

   - Too overwhelmed for a surprise? 

   - I think I’ve had my fair share of surprises today, but I wouldn’t mind seeing what you have in store.

   - Well, c’mon then. - we checked his watch. - We have a few minutes.

She shrugged, getting up from the bed and following him into his bedroom, looking around to make sure Gwen wasn’t around to ask many questions. Her major issue was that her friend thought that she was feeding Sebastian information about her love life and maybe she would, if she remembered the last guy she was with. 

Sebastian pulled her until his balcony, setting her so that her sight laid on the sunset landscape and the Tower Eiffel. 

   - What am I looking at? - not that she didn’t love the sunset, she absolutely did, she just thought it wouldn’t be something Sebastian would be particular excited to show her. Not that he should be excited to show her anything. 

   - Just wait. - he checked his watch once again, ensuring her gaze didn’t leave the iron lady. As Y/N readied herself to ask him what he wanted her to see, the Tower Eiffel lit up and like the building so did her eyes as she gasped at the sight in front of her. If she thought the view from last night was stunning, she did absolutely thought this thing was merely out of this world. - It lights up at sunset. 

   - This is just beautiful. Thank you so much. - she wrapped her arms around him for a few seconds before returning to look at the lit up building. - Ugh, I could just live here forever.

   - You’re certainly easy to please. - he leaned against the railings, looking at her with the look of utter most adoration. How could someone in her field still enjoy the little things was always interesting. 

   - I ... I need to speak you. - she played with her nails, looking up to his eyes.

   - Should I be concerned?

   - It’s about Mr. Williams.

tag list: @sideeffectsofyou​ @lilya-petrichor​ @xoxohannahlee @irespostthingsiwanttoseelater @nikkipea @madisonpillstrom​ 

[factual-fantasy]

I gots 20 more asks for yalls :}

That’s so something he’d try, but of course everyone around him would stop him because duh, that’s a sure way to lose a finger. XD

Oh, I’m sorry, but due to my energy levels being through the floor, I’m not really taking requests at this time.. <:{

Happy new year to you too! I uh.. wish I could say I did heh..

Thank you! However uh.. I don’t think I’m going to be up for drawing anyone's suggestions. My energy has been completely drained lately and I have no energy to draw anything other than things I personally really want to.

I’m not usually one for live action movies, or particularly scary ones for that matter. But I’ll keep that one in mind. :}

Wh-where you goin?? I didn’t get to say I love you too!

Hi, thank you, glad to hear that you like my headcannons. :}

Although unfortunately I don’t have much to say about what I think would happen after the incident. :{

Perhaps the crew would be a little shaken after hearing about Pesos broken flipper? Injuries like that are a big deal, Peso is basically completely out of commission until he recovers. And that might stress the crew out a bit, you know, not having their medic firing on all cylinders for a while.

And I feel like Peso would have to teach some of the crew, like Kwazii and the Captain some extended first aid because no one knew what to do with his broken flipper. He would have to teach the crew first aid and some other important things because he cant always be there for them when something goes wrong.

I feel like it would bug the Captain somehow as well that Peso broke his arm. Like, he’s the Captain, how did he let this happen? Even though the situation couldn’t be helped, I feel like he’d still feel guilty over it all somehow.

Kwazii would probably hover around Peso a lot too. He’d be so worried for his little buddy and would want to constantly check up on him. He’d probably play games with him, talk, do puzzles, whatever, just to keep the little guy company and help him feel better. Because despite how calm Peso seemed when it was first broken, I feel like it would freak him out later in. I know I would be too scared to move or even look at my arm if I broke it. Just the knowledge that the bones inside my arm are all screwed up would freak me out too much to do anything.

With Peso, I feel like he was calm because he was on a bit if an adrenalin rush, and after he calmed down I bet it really start to hurt. That could be why Kwazii spent so much time with him, he was just upset and hurting and just wanted someone to hang out with him until he got better.

A lot of artists seem to like fanart for some reason. I personally don’t..

It feels kind’a like you stole my character or idea and decided that you were going to do what ever you wanted with it. Which I know isn’t the case but that’s just how it feels.

It doesn't feel like a gift, it just feels like you stole something from me you know?

Fanart just doesn’t feel good to me, I cant understand why some artists like it. And I don’t understand why I don’t like it either, it just feels bad for some reason. Me not liking fanart is why I urge people to make sure the artist is okay with fanart before you draw something for them. <:}

Thank you, its nice to hear that you actually wanted to get all caught up heh.. Yeah I guess I started drawing a bunch of Octonauts stuff out of no where huh? When times get this low you just kind’a slink away into your comfort shows right? S’all normal.

As for going through a rough time? I sure am, we all are. I thought it was rough a few weeks ago, but now things have just come crashing down on me, and I cant even talk about it on here.

Thank you very much for all the kind words and encouragement! I really appreciate it, that’s just what I needed to hear. <:} ❤

I watched it, and man I cant wait to see what they do with that new gup! 

I was going to leave a link to the video here, but when I tried to go to the link you sent me the video had been removed..

As someone who is terrified of bees and other bugs, they better not come back.

Aww thank you! I’m very glad you like what I make! :}

I use FireAlpaca. Its a free art program that is simple enough that beginners can get the hang of digital art pretty easily, but has enough features to make some really complicated pieces. I’ve seen that you can even animate with it although I’ve never really gotten the hang of it..

Its got its weird quirks and there are a few annoying buggy things here and there that take some getting used to, but overall 8/10 would recommend. :}

Its interesting, although I don’t personally hold it as one of my headcannons, I have no issue with anyone that does. :}

Aww thank you, so far its been.. well terrible, but uh. hoping for a brighter future.. 

As for how they’d react to rain? Hmm..

I had this idea that the first time Bulkhead experienced rain he was out somewhere with Miko goofing around. It started to rain and at first Miko was just annoyed, thinking she’d have to go back to the base.

But then Bulkhead out of no where starts to flip out, he scoops up Miko, transforms and speeds away, all the while clearly having some kind of panic attack. He races to a nearby cliff and rushes into a little cave for cover. He’s rattling and is asking Miko questions like, “A-Are you okay? Did it get you?- W-We’re you burned??” Miko gets him to chill out a little and he manages explain why he’s freaking out.

Even after Miko comes out of cover and dances in the rain to show him that its safe, Bulkhead is still too frightened to go out there. He’s spent his whole life being afraid of rain because he knows that it burns you and can even kill you if you’re in it for too long.. So even though he’s being shown right before his optics that, clearly, its safe. That primal fear of rain is too much for him and he doesn’t move. 

They eventually called for a ground bridge and Bulkhead bolted through the rain and raced through it. He told the other bots about rain and how Miko claims that its safe on this planet, but that still didn’t stop them from experiencing that same primal fear when they came into contact with rain themselves.

There was supposed to be another time when Ratchet and Arcee were taking the kids home from the Base. Arcee had Jack and Ratchet had Miko and Raf.

They were almost into town when It started to trickle. Jack was surprised that it was going to rain in Jasper of all places, but he was also annoyed because he was going to get wet. But then Arcee and Ratchet both hit the brakes and freeze up. “Did you feel that?” Jacks about to ask “feel what?” when Ratchet says “Yeah, yeah I did..” Raf asked Ratchet what is wrong, but then the rain really picked up. Out of no where Ratchet starts freaking out, “RAIN!! GET TO COVER!!” Arcee and Ratchet Floor it for town. 

They rush into town and find cover in a run down gas station that’s on the edge of town. Ratchet’s alt form is literally shaking and Arcee is really freaking out. Both of their primal fears making them forget that rain is safe on this planet.

“Are you okay? Jack? Ratchet? How bad are your burns?“ Jacks just like “huh??” But Ratchet goes “I-I don’t know, I don’t feel anything yet, were you burned?” Jack tries to say something but Arcee goes, “No I don’t think so, Jack gave me cover, are you alright Jack? Were you burned?” Finally Jack gets a moment to talk and asks what the heck is going on. They explain that on their planet rain is acidic, Jack then stands in the rain to prove that its okay, but just like Bulkhead they’re still scared.

Miko gets out and jumps around in the rain to show that its safe while Raf tries to explain to them that its really only water. They’re both not convinced and stay put. Raf gets out, cups his hands together and collects some rain water. He brings the water up to Arcee and Ratchet to show them that its just water. He even drinks some of it to prove that its really okay and not acid.

This convinces Arcee and she slowly inches out into the rain, eventually managing to get into it. Although she’s still nervous, after realizing that its safe she encourages Ratchet to follow suit,

Ratchet manages to inch his way out too and they both shakily take the kids back home. They come back to base and tell everyone their story, but again, that fear of the rain cant be reasoned with right away. It takes a bot to experience it personally to help them realize that this planets rain is harmless.

With Bumblebee and Smokescreen it could’ve been just like Bulkhead. Out with one of the kids, it starts to rain, the bot panics and the kid calms them down and explains that its just water. With Optimus, I feel like a human wouldn’t have been around to explain it to him. There could have been a time where he was out on a solo mission and it began to rain.

Like every other bot, Optimus has this instinct to hide from the rain, so he does and finds cover. He contacts Ratchet and tells him the situation, Ratchet tells him that he’s been in the rain before and it shouldn’t hurt him. Optimus is still nervous but he steps out from undercover, sees that its okay and moves on without really mentioning it to anyone back at base. The very same thing could’ve happened to Ultra Magnus later on now that I think about it..

With Wheeljack? Imagine him, Bulkhead and Miko were out driving somewhere, Miko is with Bulk and Jackie is following behind them. It starts to rain and it freaks Bulkhead out a little but he’s mostly okay, Miko reminding him that its harmless. Meanwhile Jackie slams on the gas and swerves off the road into the forest. Clearly no one told him that Earths rain isn’t acidic.

Bulkhead follows him and finds him in his alt form rattling and tucked really tightly underneath a big tree. They’re trying to talk to him and get him to relax but he’s clearly stressed out. Miko climbs out, goes up to him and manages to talk him down. Explaining that Earth is different than Cybertron, and that their rain is not toxic or acidic. Its just water. He calms down enough to come out of hiding but he’s still clearly on edge. He sticks close to Bulkhead and doesn’t talk much for the rest of their trip.

I feel like all transformers, con or bot, had a freaking out over rain moment at some point. Except for soundwave probably, I think he’d feel a liquid falling on him from the sky and not react because it doesn't hurt.

“The Octonauts is a British children's television series, produced by Silvergate Media for the BBC channel CBeebies, and based on the children's books written by Vicki Wong and Michael C. Murphy.

The show follows an underwater exploring crew made up of stylized anthropomorphic animals, a team of eight adventurers who live in an undersea base, the Octopod, from which they go on undersea adventures with the help of a fleet of aquatic vehicles.

Although its technology is fictional, the exotic creatures and locations that the crew encounter are based on real marine animals in their natural habitats. The show's subject matter has been compared to that of Star Trek and Thunderbirds blended with Jacques Cousteau. The show was animated in Ireland by Brown Bag Films for its first four series. The show was renewed for a fifth series in 2018, with Canada's Mainframe Studios taking over animation work.

Two new "movies" have been available on Netflix only since October 2020: The Octonauts and the Caves of Sac Actun (which takes place in a cenote in Mexico) and Octonauts and the Great Barrier Reef (a musical)”

I feel like this quote from the Octonauts wiki does a better job of explaining it than I ever could. :}

I feel sorry for the poor thing. <:{

It was a Gup destined for greatness someday, but because of unfortunate circumstances it was converted into an artificial reef.

Its just like the old Octopod. Destined for greatness, just imagine all the adventures that ship could’ve had with the crew.. But because sea creatures got to it before they could, it was doomed to a life of darkness at the bottom of the ocean. 

I feel bad for those poor Gups and other mechs that just didn’t make it.. 😔

No I still have some bread left over, here  (╯°▽°)╯🍞 Sorry, it might be a wee bit stale.

Oh I bet he gets hurt all the time and tries to play it of a bit so he can keep running around. Usually he does something stupid and gets hurt and he’s too embarrassed to really go to Peso about it. Or sometimes the injury would seem insignificant to him or the pain is tolerable enough that he thinks it’ll just go away eventually.

Maybe Kwazii doesn’t really avoid Peso’s care on purpose? Maybe he could have a high pain tolerance? Like, imagine he does something kind’a dumb and as a result gets his arm got stick under the Gup-B or something. When he frees himself his arm does hurt a bit, but it looks fine to him so he just thinks “eh”. He figures that the Gup-B isn’t very big or heavy, his arm wasn’t stuck for very long, what could possibly be wrong with it?

He comes back to the Octopod and casually tells the Captain what happened. The Captain seeing Kwazii gritting his teeth and holding his bent out of shape arm like that instantly made him turn right around and go get Peso. Peso wants to examine his arm but Kwazii’s all like, “Nah its fine me hearty, Its probably just some bruising.”

Well, put his arm through an X-ray and turns out what do you know he broke his arm in three places.

And Kwazii’s just as surprised as everyone else that his arm is broken. He’s like, “It was only the Gub-B! Is it really heavy enough to crush my arm??” And the Captains like, “The gup was ON your arm?? Of course that can break it!”

XD I bet Kwazii gives everyone a headache.

Thank you! :} And well, its more innocent than you might think. People have wondered if they were self harm hints or something more dark like that, but really its not that at all.

You see, I’m a bit of a clean freak. I usually wash my hands up to 40 times a day, no exaggeration. I would usually wash my hands with dish soap, which really does a number on your skin.

So, washing my hands 40 times a day with dish soap, plus drawing on paper for several hours a day meant that my hands were so utterly dry that they’d bleed. My hands were always bleeding and covered in Band-Aids like 24/7.

All of this was going on around the time I made my blog and designed my little avatar character. I wanted to give my character something unique, like an accessory of some kind. Like gloves, a watch, a scarf, a bag, something. 

Then I looked at my hands and thought you know? What if this strange aspect of myself was added to my character? Its ominous, its unique, it looks cool.. I think I’ll do that.

So now my avatar has bloodied banged all over its hands. Later on down the road today I try to wash my hands a wee bit less and I lather my hands in lotion religiously now. So my hands are much better and don’t bleed anymore. But those bloodied hands are now like a trademark of my character, so I haven’t removed them,

Although with this new uh, “playful” cat I have, I suppose the Bandages now resemble my real hands once again haha.

I looked it up and I didn’t find any info saying that its common or even normal for cats to have just one baby. So its safe to assume that Kwazii must have had at least a few siblings. As to where they are or what happened to them?. Well..

The life of a pirate is a dangerous one. And I find it odd that with how often he’s mentioned his Grandfather, he’s never mentioned any siblings..

Perhaps... they’re.. you know.. dead? Kwazii’s Grandfather could be the last living member of his family. Which is why if he ever mentions his family or his pirate days, he only ever talks about his Grandpa. Maybe talking about his siblings would be too much for him?..

Man, I gotta polish that into a headcannon or something, that stuff is angsty as crap. Imagine if he was attached to the Octonauts in a way no body really understood? What if his old crew was like his mom, dad, siblings etc, and he mostly became an Octonaut because he had no where else to go after loosing them? Now that his family are all gone and his Grandpa is missing, all he has is this new crew. He would become hyper attached to his new crew and all of his care and tenderness comes from a fear of losing them just like he did his real family. 

[lorei-writes]

Dalmatian

Theodorus van Gogh x MC Fluff

Suggested by one and only @nad-zeta, the prompt being Theo taking care of an MC who works herself into a state of exhaustion. I hope it holds together ^^”

Content Warnings: none

She pushed forward, however, each and every day – with a smile and kind words, at least to the very best of her ability… Until she could not anymore, her mind going blank as she let her head rest on her desk, a sudden jolt of her elbow knocking over the ink bottle. She straightened her back abruptly, terrified of what had transpired. “No no no no no no no,” she chanted, getting up as to search for some cloth to save her journal. The chair fell down with a loud thud. Rushed steps came from outside – and she stood there, utterly frozen and unable to move by an inch.

When pushed past a certain point, a tired body becomes exhausted. It’s agility drops, focus growing hard to maintain, the limbs being sluggish and losing their coordination. Yet it is far from the worst, the scale extending beyond said state and reaching into fatigue, where breathing turns laborious in itself, the very existence being draining. It is not uncommon for one to live in said condition – and unfortunately, neither it is so for one to invite themselves to it. Hours of work, endless stress, deadlines piling up, lack of rest, all slowly eating away at the stamina and causing each day to be more challenging than the previous one, until the body breaks and refuses to answer to the commands of the mind.

It happened so that she ran herself in such corner, the work of an assistant combined with tasks entrusted to her by other residents of the mansion weighting down on her shoulders and nearly bringing her down to her knees. She pushed forward, however, each and every day – with a smile and kind words, at least to the very best of her ability… Until she could not anymore, her mind going blank as she let her head rest on her desk, a sudden jolt of her elbow knocking over the ink bottle. She straightened her back abruptly, terrified of what had transpired. “No no no no no no no,” she chanted, getting up as to search for some cloth to save her journal. The chair fell down with a loud thud. Rushed steps came from outside – and she stood there, utterly frozen and unable to move by an inch.

The door to her room opened, a head of brown hair peaking inside. “Puppy? What is this noise all about?” Theo asked, seemingly having been prepared to tackle an intruder. She did not reply, however, her hands curling into fists as she stood there, surrounded by mess. As to better assess the situation, Theo took a step forward, his lover turning to face him, a splash of ink marking her cheek. Her chin trembled, tired tears beginning to pool in equally fatigued eyes – and perhaps it was only exhaustion that stopped them from overflowing, even this activity being too much. “Pupje…” he let out, reaching as to cup the clean side of her face. It appeared he was too slow, the gravity pulling her forward at much greater pace, the step she tried to take turning into a fall. He let her, however, her head soon resting against his shoulder as she sobbed quietly in an attempt to calm down, his arms closed around her – and his shirt being ruined, although he could not care much.

Clearly, she would not answer even if he asked. As such, Theo looked around, the first and most obvious stop for his eyes being her desk, her journal, the pages being completely soaked. He blinked fast. Of course… Yet why the crying and why the chair…? Theo looked down, realisation dawning onto him. He clenched his jaw. How could have he not noticed any sooner? Wordlessly, he picked her up. “Theo?” “I might have taken the dog talk too far, you’ve almost turned into a Dalmatian. Let’s get this ink out.” “But my journal…” “I will take care of that.”

***

Steam glittered in the air as she exited the bath, the dark marks refusing to come off her skin. A nightgown thrown over her body, she stared at her reflection, dark circles under her eyes seemingly glaring at her. A knock on the door. “Yes?” “Can I come in?” Theo asked. “Yeah.”

The door closed fast yet too slow to keep the cooler air of the corridor at bay. Goosebumps grew over her arms, shivers beginning their hike up her spine. “I got your room back in order. The empty part of your journal wasn’t salvageable and you have lost a couple pages, but the rest seems to be in a good shape,” he reported, setting a small bowl of warm water on the counter. “Meanwhile, you’re still spotted.” She sat down on a stool, Theo keeping her chin in place with one hand, the other one wielding a wash cloth soaked in hot soapy water. He rubbed on the residual ink, rough thumb brushing against her cheek every now and again, as if trying to soothe her. “Theo, be gentler. It’s starting to hurt,” she complained, her brows knitting together. “I am gentle.” “You can do better. Think of holding a valuable painting.” “Like the one you’ve almost dropped the other day?” he chuckled. “It’s your fault, I said that I could carry it, not that I should have,” she bickered back, touching her fist to his chest, as to “punch” him. To her surprise, Theo grew quiet, seemingly contemplating something, his touch becoming lighter.

Theo sighed. “You’re right,” he spoke again. “You’re right and you have to rest more. I can handle the next few days myself.” “But –” “I don’t want you to knock off things and cry because you’re so tired,” he cut her off, leaving no room for disagreement. His face relaxed, however, his lips curling into a smile. “Oh look, my puppy isn’t a fake Dalmatian anymore.” She giggled, Theo turning around as to wring the cloth and leave it to dry. He looked at her again, recognising a bit of mischief playing in her eyes. Having decided to play along, he asked: “What are you waiting for? Go to sleep, you need rest.” “I’m too tired to go myself, you see. Carry me.” Theo shook his head, already moving to do as she demanded. “Fine.” “While we’re at it… I think I won’t fall asleep alone…” she yawned.

***

A few days passed, her break being over – although somehow, the residents seemed to be more mindful of asking her things. She dressed herself and tied her hair up, almost ready to leave for the day… “Pupje?” Theo asked from the other side of the door. “Come in!”

She froze, her lover holding a new journal in hand – almost identical to her previous one.

Tag List: @cheese-ception​​ , @kisara-16, @nad-zeta If you want to be tagged for my works, please, do let me know :D Please, specify fandoms as well (IkeSen, IkeVam, OM).

[shadowsfascination]

Shadamy swordland AU - part 4

The air was knocked out of Amy’s lungs by his statement and her skin paled, drawing long shadows over her usually cheerful face. Her head began to ache and she rubbed her forehead as if to rub to swirl of emotions inside her away. Shadow on the other hand crossed his arms and legs, a hint of sorrow playing his ruby eyes.

Amy hunched her back and leaned on her hands, eyed Shadow and drew a breath. She intended to speak, but found no words. Instead she watched the light of the flickering candle cast constantly changing shadows on him, the warm tones of its’ flame contrasting with the now chilly atmosphere between them.

Unaware of it Shadow gritted his teeth in distress. At a total loss for words or the slightest idea how to behave in this situation, he chewed his lip and mildly pinched his arms. He couldn’t talk anymore. It was somehow beyond his control and he despised powerless it made him feel. His body froze and the longer the silence lasted, the further the words drifted away from him. Meanwhile his mind became a cacophony of tangled, blurry thoughts.

I have to snap out of this!

Shadow took a deep breath and closed his eyes, tracing the source of the messed up chaos energy in his body and changing it into a state of tranquillity again.

“Amy.”

The sudden renewed confidence in him broke not only the silence, but the seal between them as well. She couldn’t somehow deny his gaze and locked eyes with him, her eyes full of questions and expectations. He took her hands to cover them in his own. They were warmer than she’d expected.

“I cannot explain any of this to you.”

Amy frowned at him in annoyance and backed off to escape his hold, her eyes starting to blaze. A series of angry growls escaped her lips and she clenched fists. Her knuckles made a cracking sound from it.   “Please, oh please tell me you’re joking!”

He blinked twice, innocence and incomprehension written all over his face.

“I’m not. It would be a poor jest.” “You can’t just drop this bomb on me, fall quiet and then not explain any of it!”

She was prepared for a whole lot of it, but this? – she thought to herself. As soon as the thought landed in the conscious part of her mind she labelled herself a fool, questioning what she did expect from him. She knew Shadow… Why did she keep getting so thrown off by his untactile behaviour?

Blood rushed through her veins at high speed, causing a rustle in her ears. There it was again: the unwanted announcement of her bad temper. He’d soon have to deal with it if he didn’t make haste with properly explaining this… mess! At this rate, she still had control over her temper, but that could change in the blink of an eye. “You’re not saying anything yourself either. Although, knowing you, I hardly believe you don’t have any questions. I’m not throwing that in your face, am I?” “Well, can you blame me?!” “A little, yeah. You carry your heart on your tongue. You always know what to say.” “I don’t right now!” “I don’t believe you. I think you’re trying to spare my feelings and I don’t care for it.”

“Oh no, Shadow. You’re NOT shifting YOUR responsibility to explain who you actually are to me.” “I’m not.” The pink female whirled around and caught his attention with her fierce turquoise orbs. The warm, yellowish tones of the dancing flame were fighting for precedence with the luminary aqua in her eyes. He could see her hands gesturing, signalling him her upset internal state in the blurry background of his view.

“Then talk.”

“I can’t.” “Blast, Shadow! I can’t believe how incredibly rude you are to me! I’m your girlfriend! You’re keeping so many important things from me…I wonder how you in 300 darn years still achieve to be totally oblivious about how to act polite and chivalrous around a woman!”

“You should know me better than to mistake me for a soft, gooey fool who drops every aspect of his personality when with a woman. I might be a knight, but surely I’m not going to be your imaginary heroic boyfriend. Or always treat you like a queen when you’re being a huge pain in the ass, Amy. If that’s what you want, than better rethink your choices…”

Another of her romantic bubbles burst by another blunt statement, one he made her aware of she had it in the first place. Amy shifted her headstrong gaze to the red, green and blue-checked woolen blankets on the bed. Ignoring him, she distracted herself to follow the lines from the wrinkles on them with her fingers. The raw texture of the wool prickled through her gloves. It was a unpleasant feeling and she wondered how he was able to sleep under them.

“… Besides: I’m sharing my deepest secrets with you! Do you think that’s easy for me? What more could you possibly want?” “I want you to explain who on Mobius you are!” she shouted. “I want you to explain how it’s even possible to be that old? I wanna know what you are. A ghost? Some divine creature? And what about your strange, dark powers and the stone?! Did you have kids in the past? What does this all make you?!” Both their ears fell back, the awkward silence became deafening on them. Amy’s eyes reddened from the upcoming tears and anger. She bit her lip and bravely fought against the waterworks. A few salty tears quietly dripped down her cheeks though. Amy battled the strong tendency to cry once more. She felt so hideous whenever she cried- and she did see herself cry before. She felt she looked awful and so she did her uttermost best to hide it- in comparison to when she was a young girl. “What’s it make us? Just tell me.. something! ANYTHING will do!”

Her loud, hoarse voice cracked and she sniffed. Shadow’s hand squeezed and crinkled the blanket with force. He cursed under his breath.

“I KNOW, OKAY?! I know ANY words will do, but there are no words! NONE! They’re stuck! I don’t mean to be rude or inconsiderate of your feelings. Plagues! If anything, that’s what’s making me freeze up. I have no idea at all how to handle this!”

An upcoming sense of guilt sent a series of shivers down her spine. Her stupid pride and temper pushed him too far. A lump in her throat now accompanied the already present stress-related stomach aches.

“I don’t either… It’s scaring me.”

“That makes two of us.”

“Shadow, I don’t want to be the reason you’re holding back. And don’t tell me I’m not, because I know I am. Sorry about that. Just spill. I’ll learn to deal with it.”

“It’s not just that. I can’t verbalize all this.”

He concentrated on the chaos energy in his body once more, shards of them whirling around like a hive of bees. They seemed impossible to catch. His focus shifted to his irregular, high paced breathing and he breathed out some of the stress in his body. The shards immediately lowered their impossible-to-follow rhythm and he was finally able to catch some of them.

I never lose my confidence.

With a certain determination Shadow grasped her gloved hands. They were tensely folded into fists. Their touch revealed the quivers they were both trying to control. Shadow suddenly scooped her onto his lap and then rose to carry her bridal style, all much to Amy’s confusion.

“However, I can show you.”

His signature self-sufficient smile now curved his lips.

“Come on, I’ll carry you. I know how much you love this romance-stuff and I am a knight after all.” He blew out the candle, letting the darkness swallow them entirely before calling out the ‘Chaos control’. With this single chant he overcame the barrier of space and time. The darkness around them swiftly faded into a serene surrounding, filled with flowy, intertwining ruby, royal blue, shiny silver and regal gold ribbons of light.

They weightlessly soared through the pacifying, outstretching void. A sea of glowing orbs laid ahead of them and with confidence. Shadow commanded some of them to come closer, each carrying a memory. He let some fragments play out before her eyes to see for herself what happened in his past, for he was unable to tell her.

It was all there, right before Amy’s eyes: the mystery of what he was, his unknown origin and lonesome existence by surviving everyone he’d ever cared for in the past. He had roamed around the planet for years and years in order to keep his immortality a secret.

There was also a set of painful memories in which he was fighting, on the run or hiding for the many different faces of danger. They were a tad blurry and she couldn’t quite capture the meaning of it. The memory of the unknown hero neared and she witnessed his amazing powers, bravery and strength. It replaced her unsettling state of being with much softer feelings, easing her temper away. Amy smiled when concluded to herself that neither his physics or personality had seemed to change. The Shadow she knew now was as stubborn, blunt, socially awkward, dedicated, loyal and brave as in his past. Without having to verbalize he answered everything she wanted to know and more. Amy’s sweet, caring nature calmed her temper and she empathized with Shadow. She felt for the challenges his long life had brought upon him and pulled him into a deep, consoling hug.

“Shadow, I’m sorry I pushed you. I misjudged and jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

The scenery of his bedroom slowly faded in again and Shadow gently put her down. He lit the candle again. A shameful blush coloured his cheeks and played his eyes. His ears drooped backwards. Shadow felt like he was stripped to the bone. “I know everyone thinks I excel in many things, but communicating my inner state isn’t one of them. It heaves me down whenever I… feel strongly about something. Actions speak louder than a thousand words to me.”

“Thank you for being honest with me, for showing me all this. I imagine it must’ve been hard on you. You seemed so lonesome all these years.”

Hiding his face in his hands, he stared without focal point in his gaze. Shadow broke down internally, forcefully biting the insides of his lips to prevent him from crying like an infant.

“You’ve seen it for yourself now. You’ve seen me fight…My past…It’s the most private thing that I carry with me.”

“You don’t have to carry this burden all by yourself.” “You’re the very first to learn about it.”

“I already assumed I was, given your struggle to share it with me. I’m glad you told me.”

Amy smiled, trying to lighten up the mood again. “It’s awful and humiliating to share. I even killed in the past. I can’t help but feel like a monster sometimes. It haunts me.”

“You’re a knight. There’s times where you’re left no other choice than to eliminate your enemies. If anything, you’re a hero, Shadow.”

“I’m not! You weren’t there! Y-you d-d-don’t…You don’t know…”

He whimpered almost inaudibly while his shaking body sank into her embrace. Amy petted his back and caressed his quills while he hid his face in her chest. She cupped his tear-stained muzzle and made him look her in the eye. When his red, bloodshot eyes met her aqua ones they showed the strong-minded, yet hopelessly emotional Amy Rose Shadow had fallen for.

“There’s still so much that I don’t understand, but my emotional compass tells me you’re reliable and trustworthy. I’d like to believe you must’ve had your reasons… Tell me whenever you’re ready.”

She let herself fall back on the bed and pulled Shadow onto her, snuggling up to him under the prickly woolen blankets. On any other night the knight would’ve protested and let his self-discipline never allow her to stay over, but they were exhausted. Shadow and Amy couldn’t battle their minds anymore and forgot about the possible consequences they’d have to deal with in the morning. It didn’t seem to matter anymore. None of it. Even though their minds were loaded with troubles, which usually would’ve kept them awake, it somehow did not tonight.

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I struggled with this chapter. I’ll try to make the next one more uplifting (: Sometimes it seems to me that neither of these two dorks know a single thing about relationships, yet they have so much love to give to one another. 

I’d appreciate if you share your thoughts and send me a message if you find any annoying typo’s or grammar mishaps. 

@shadamyheadcanons, here you go!

[flowesona]

Strength - Yandere! Yoongi x reader

The Tarot Series

“You won’t be able to play to the best of your ability if you’re slouching.” A warm hand pushed (Y/N)’s back into a straighter position and lingered for a second before being withdrawn.

“Try again for me. And try to play a bit faster this time. It’s meant to be 120 bpm and you’re only at 100 right now.” She nodded, eyes set on the sheet in front of her as her fingers once again began to dance with the keys, trying her best to appeal to Yoongi’s high standards.

(Y/N) could only hear the notes she was playing. Not an inch of her attention was given to her teacher standing behind her, a warm smile overcoming his face as she played.

Upon her hands falling on the final chord, she jumped at the feeling of his hands on her arms. With her being still, he moved his hands down towards her fingers, intertwining them with his own.

“That’s the best I’ve ever heard you perform this piece.” He whispered into her ear, placing a soft kiss on the shell. “I’m so lucky to be the one who gets to hear this.”

“Am I ready for the exam yet?” He frowned, his hot breaths sending shivers down (Y/N)’s spine amidst the silence as she waited for a response.

“No. You’ve still got so much to learn from me. We won’t stop until you’re perfect.” The kisses that were pressed against (Y/N)’s neck, trailing down further until he started to fiddle with her clothes, were little to consolidate the dissatisfaction that haunted her mind.

 *.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*

Days were like walking through a sandstorm until her relief came in the form of her piano lessons. Yoongi was her relief amidst the stress of modern life, the person who saved her from going insane. It was his kisses and his touch that could wipe her mind of confusing symbols. But his effect was both a blessing and a curse.

“You simply aren’t meeting our standards, (Y/N). Unless your test results improve, we’ll suggest that you leave this school for a more appropriate one.” The young woman’s eyes were lowered to meet her lap as she tried not to cry.

“You’re a talented musician, (Y/N). But we need you to be well balanced in theory. I hope you understand.”

“I… I understand sir. Thank you for this opportunity.” She said, bowing politely before leaving, her stomach heavy with emotion.

Meanwhile, Yoongi was tapping his foot impatiently in the small practice room. She was already twenty minutes late, and she hadn’t even bothered to text. It was then he decided to go and look for her; perhaps she’d been caught up in some funny business, and she needed his help?

Yoongi couldn’t help but to walk as fast as humanly possible, pushing past his students without a second glance to reach the classroom (Y/N) should have been in. There was no sign of her.

It was as if the walls were closing in. Desperately his eyes scanned every part of the corridors that he hurried through, needing (Y/N) more than ever in that moment.

Thankfully, he found her outside the executive offices. However, he found her in a terrible state, crying endlessly.

“(Y/N)! Baby!” He rushed to hold her, but she pushed him away.

“Not here.” She mumbled, and he nodded understandingly. It was only after they had found an abandoned storage cupboard that she finally collapsed into him, sobbing.

“We have to end this, Yoongi.” (Y/N)’s whimpers alarmed the pianist, his breathing quickening.

“What do you mean? Why?” He asked, rubbing her back gently.

“I’m failing my theory class. I have to stop… this. Our lessons, our affair, everything. I’ll be kicked out otherwise.” The words tugged at Yoongi’s heartstrings more than anything.

“But we need to keep going! How else will you become-”

“No, Yoongi.” (Y/N) sniffed, looking up at him. “I don't need you.”

“But I need you. I need us, (Y/N). Please.” His whines were nothing to deter (Y/N). She was set on being the best musician she could be, and she wouldn’t lose her means for that because of her stupid attractive piano teacher.

“I’ll see you around, Yoongi.”

*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*

With (Y/N) no longer needing him, Yoongi felt as if his life had no meaning any longer. He couldn’t live in such a dull way, only tutoring lackluster students who didn’t have a glimmer of the talent & beauty that (Y/N) exuded.

Soon, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Just brushing shoulders with her in the corridor was not enough skinship for Yoongi. He needed her back, to return to what they had.

This led him to purchase a voice scrambler and a cheap phone to make his move. If (Y/N) couldn’t see him due to failing grades, he wouldn’t let her fail. 

He dialed the number of her theory professor, resisting the shake of his leg as he waited for him to pick up.

“Hello?” The older man answered with some caution to his tone.

“Good evening. There’s something I need you to do for me.” Yoongi spoke into the voice scrambler, hoping that it would hide the shake of his voice.

“Who is this?”

“That’s none of your business, Professor. As long as you do as I say, we will have no further business.” 

“Why should I do as you say? Who are you?”

“Your boyfriend. Park Jimin. He works night shifts, correct? When he’s all alone in the middle of the night, terrible things could happen to him. Don’t get on my bad side, Mr Kim.” By the way the line had fallen silent, Yoongi knew he’d hit the professor’s weak point.

“I want all your students to be given a passing grade. No exceptions.” 

“B-but if I’m found to be faking grades, I c-could be fired!” The man on the other side of the line whined.

“Would you rather that, or have your boyfriend’s severed head on your doorstep?” Yoongi hissed.

“I-I understand. O-okay, I’ll do it.” 

“I’ll check regularly. Don’t go back on your words, or your precious Jimin is as good as dead.”

“Wait, how will you-”

Yoongi ended the call before smashing the phone on the table, to leave no evidence of his doings in case anyone started snooping. After doing so, he gave himself the chance to breathe. The hard part was over, he just had to collect his prize.

 *.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*

As (Y/N) made her way to her lunch break, she was practically glowing. Finally, the stress of her exams was off her shoulders, and she could enjoy her degree rather than live in fear of failing. 

Whilst mulling over what she was going to eat, she felt herself colliding with someone. Her accidental assailant caught onto her arms as she stumbled back, keeping her stable. It was only then she recognised him.

“Yoongi?” He gave her a shy smile as he steadied her.

“(Y/N).” For a moment they were silent, just staring at each other.

“I’ve missed you, Baby.” (Y/N)’s face dropped. 

“I told you, we can’t do this.” She shook her head, closed her eyes as if to not get drawn back in. “I can’t go back to failing my classes, I can’t have… this… when I need to focus on my career.”

Yoongi paused, trying to contain his bubbling emotion as he spoke.

“(Y/N), I can help you. If you think you don’t need me and you’re better than me, you’re wrong. I helped you get these grades!”

A beat. 

“Did you mess with the grades so I would go back to our lessons? Yoongi, you could be fired!” She looked aghast. “I want my grades to be legitimate. I don’t care if I fail, I’m going to report you for this.”

Yoongi glowered at her raised voice, glancing around before pulling her into the practice room next to them.

“(Y/N), please understand. Everything I do is for our future, you see?” He said firmly.

“What future? Yoongi, you’re not my partner! You’re hot and great and all that, but this was never going to last.” 

“(Y/N), don’t play with my heart.” Yoongi pleaded. “Don’t make me the bad guy!”

“Just don’t talk to me anymore! I won’t tell anyone about it, just let me move on.” (Y/N) sighed.

“I can’t let you do that.”

(Y/N)’s body was pressed onto the table, as Yoongi used both his hands to hold her neck in place.

“I was worried you wouldn’t be as grateful as I hoped, so I had a backup plan.” (Y/N) tried to retaliate with all the energy she had left, but she was nothing beneath the maniac.

“I’m sorry I have to do this baby, but I can’t stay away any longer. No one can prevent us from being together now, not even you.”

[kirstinmaldonado]

CHAPTER TWELVE 2.0

I started the last two chapters, happy to have something of substance to talk about, me being at home, improvements I was seeing, maybe even some rightful disappointment at some people’s lack of care in their actions…but like clockwork the beginning of the week brought in new developments and my mind drifted focus. My fingers lost the spark to write about feel-good situations when the chaos in the world seemed to extinguish the flame.

I was in Texas just two weeks ago but it honestly feels like forever, as if time is confused on what pace its on. The USA seems to be confused as well.

Theme parks across the nation are opening up. Some flights are back to full capacity. The world seems caught on a pendulum of thought: “Are we good enough to pretend and pass like we can go back to normal?”

Meanwhile, people are still getting sick. People are still dying. Protests are still happening, although it apparently doesn’t serve the media to still be airing that. Justice has still not been served for those we’ve lost: Breonna Taylor, Vanessa Guillen, Elijah McClain, and so many more. The media and internet is ablaze with people ridiculing, attacking, or making fun of each other, on top of everything going on.

I wonder if I’m a part of that sometimes. While I still think protesting for “bar lives” is unfathomable and tone deaf, while it was so easy to ridicule because it was so insanely insensitive to compare to the BLM movement, did I help to further a narrative full of spite? Did I egg on anger and divisiveness, did I unintentionally help create arguments online? Did I give a platform that I don’t agree with more attention by calling attention to it?

I’m all for the hard but important conversations. I love them, to be honest. My family and I had many thought-provoking conversations when I was home, about what they’ve experienced with racism, about our opinions on all sides. It was wonderful to expand our ways of thinking using past and present! I think we all walked away with more rounded backing to our opinions, me included, and I’m thankful to have a family that can be so open and willing to discuss.

Yet, those conversations can’t be condensed into however many characters can fit in to a tweet. The art of negotiating is not all about winning, it’s also about empathizing. It’s about explaining and getting the opponent to understand your side and school of thinking; if you just tear them apart for their lack of understanding or different opinion, how can they ever fully understand or want to, especially if you are the one trying to teach them something not in their wheelhouse?

Racism, of course, is non-negotiable.

Everything else, and it’s a lot, that we have encountered in the last few weeks (mainly dealing with COVID) feels like it’s cumulatively driven us to a breaking point, to a point where I don’t really feel like I live in the “United” States of America. I feel like we are now all pitted against each other, immediate to defend our point, and jumping to 10 because honestly we are tired of the bullshit.

I get it. I do. But in the last few days while I’ve watched coronavirus cases develop, “Karens” making a fool of themselves in public places and endangering people’s lives with their sense of entitlement, while watching Hamilton for the first time and seeing good and bad critiques, Kanye running for president, while I’ve cried over Vanessa and what happened to her only to have someone try to belittle my reaction compared to others we’ve lost, I realized something.

Chaos. All chaos.

How can we make real change when we are all just screaming? How can we move mountains when we are pushing from two opposing sides? And while we have made progress, will we have the sensibility to keep with it or will our boiling frustrations overrule and distract us from our end goal, lasting and transformative change for the betterment of BIPOCs and everyone?

I’m not hating on our progress. And I’m not vilifying people’s reactions to things not in your school of thought, albeit insanely frustrating things. I’ve been there and am there. The amount of Facebook posts I’ve written novels for, the shock I feel on a daily basis for some people, is all still there. Yet, my sadness for this world and how to heal it has crept in and bated me.

What can “I” do to make a difference?

Hating and bashing things is our new normal, our humor has become intertwined with it so much that we ridicule and make jokes out of everything. Click-bait headlines only stoke the flames. Coronavirus is still surging every day, and you know what, some people can’t pretend to go back to “normal” amongst it all.

The entertainment business, for example, won’t be back up and running for… who knows? I wouldn’t be surprised if Broadway was closed for longer than a year. We rescheduled our tour in hopes that we would be able to go, but with the way things are looking I can’t help but feel distressed about the outlook for the entertainment industry/shows all around. So many people’s “normal” won’t come back at all until we get a headway on this virus, and it’s gonna take us all coming together for that to work as well. We have to truly be THE UNITED states of america.

As a side-note, Pentatonix has never been this stationary since we started…and that’s bittersweet too. Never take anything for granted, guys.

So while I dissolved into a puddle over Vanessa and how I don’t even know how to help mediate the world anymore, with people at each others throats literally and figuratively all the time, with good people and bad people on every side, I returned to a very old school of thought for myself. 

Be kind. 

What can “I” do every day? 

Yes, use my platform as a strong voice of advocacy, try to filter through everything to make sure I’m posting facts and not scare-mongering or leading anyone astray from what they should be seeing.

I’ve protested. Signed petitions. Written emails. I tried to raise awareness and bring everyone along with me on my journey as I learned, which I thought was helpful.

But I forgot about the most important thing, the thing that’s been ingrained in my head since I was a child for better for worse, the one thing that even though practiced vehemently, never always comes back guaranteed.

Be kind.

I lost that somewhere along the way, a bit. I could feel my soul hardening at how cruel some people can be, I felt how easy it was to smite and bash people’s names who have done far worse. I felt my eyes cloud with hate.

For a long time I thought the battle was human vs earth and I was always so sad to see how easily we destroyed such a precious gift. 

Now I know at its core that the real problem is human vs human: how to one up each other, how to be more successful, how to win, how to be MORE all the time. That feeling has been slowly poisoning us and our empathy and compassion towards others. That feeling is not about bettering oneself, it’s about greed and it spreads like cancer. 

For a long time, I didn’t want to “be kind” like a Disney princess anymore. I was tired of trying to use kindness as a shield as if people’s actions did not hurt me. I was mad at my kindness for blinding me and letting me get hurt. I thought the phrase “kill them with kindness” was stupid, because I was the one that kept getting hurt.

But my kindness did not do that to me. I did not do that to me.

People did. Hurt people. Confused people. People that had problems within themselves that were in no way a reflection of me. People with opposing views. Those people are not my fault. Those people don’t get to have their anger bleed in to my life, they don’t get to poison my disposition with their greed and animosity.

What can I do?

Every day, I can make a point to not be divisive. To not so easily make fun of things, belittle, call names, etc.

I can tone down my “complaining” online. I can not get so upset and rush to attack people that would be hard to get my point across to anyway online, so I don’t work myself up for hours about one internet troll when I could be doing other more important things. Why lose sanity over someone only wanting to argue? Why revert to the name bashing, why invite more stress and anger in to my life, even though there’s enough anyway with what’s going on in the world?

As I uncovered more history, had more awakenings and understandings, and dealt with my own personal stresses, I felt my strength oscillating and now I know why. I was so hardened with hate and disbelief, I felt like a fool living in a world that said it was something else. And...I left my best ally behind in my own rush for MORE.

Kindness. 

Empathy. Understanding. Patience.

So for July, I’ve decided to take care of myself a little more. Take care of others. Make sure that I am not contributing to anyone’s pain, and only being an ally to amplify voices that need to be heard. 

There’s a kinder way to say everything. There’s a kinder way to live. Amongst all this chaos, maybe if we were all a bit kinder, we could ease the waves of tension and calm the storm. Maybe if we could see past ourselves, we could make a lasting change for us all.

I changed my bio the other day. We must be like the sunflowers, pulling toxicity from the ground and air. Nature’s helper. I said I would be like that.

They don’t contribute anything negative, they just stand tall and strong, a mediating force in a world that needs purifying. 

So, I will armor myself with my strength, knowledge, and kindness. 

And see about tomorrow. 

[thatwildnya]

haha riddle v-card go poof

hi

this is my first smut

please give feedback thanks-

quick explanations:

Loki is one of my oc’s, they have the ability to change their gender on whim which is why they/them pronouns are usually used. They’re half snake but can only transform their lower half.

Their “boys” and “girls” are a herd made of many variations of horses and their mythical variations.

TW: naughty adult time themes, it’s hinted at rape has occurred in the past but otherwise nothing that’s not consented to happens

“So. Who do you want to top? I’m fine either way.”

The book in Riddle’s hands landed on his face with a tiny thud, earning an amused snort from the body underneath, “P-pardon?”

“What, did you really think I wouldn’t notice?~” Loki singsonged, lifting their head to bump it on the back of his own “I’m much more experienced in this field compared to most from my homeland, I know all the hints. Plus I overheard the conversation about ways to help relieve stress. And the return of bedtime fidgeting? It was a dead giveaway~” they laughed at his muffled grumble to shut up.

The redhead didn’t answer immediately, opting to keep his face hidden in the book. Loki didn’t press for an answer awaiting his response patiently. They reached back to cup his cheek after a few minutes. Riddle leaned into their hand on contact from habit. He smiled softly feeling their thumb poke his cheek. He retaliated the playful gesture with a gentle pinch on the arm, an unspoken exchange said through their actions. “There’s no rush. Take your time.” “Thank you.”

“I-is it alright if we… do that thing couples do...” he wanted to bang his head against a table. Superb job Riddle. Excellent work. Speech 100. Just thinking about it was enough to make his cheek flush redder than the roses in the dorm’s garden. Now having to say it outloud? To the target person of doing said activity with? Anyone would think he was sick if they saw his face. And Loki’s response did not help to calm his speeding heart.

“What ‘couple thing’ are you referring to? I’m gonna need you to be more specific.” “y’know that... intimate thing they do…” “bunny there are multiple things befitting that category.” “You know which one I’m talking about!” “do I?” “you-!” “Riddle.” his mouth clamped shut. His head turned just enough to look at their face. Loki’s chin rested on their forearms, eyes closed, no signs of continuing evident. This… discussion wasn’t over he knew. Certain changes (big or small) in one’s tone can send various different messages, removing the need to say it outright.

A minute later an eye opened to meet his gaze, “I’ll be done soon, just gotta check in with the boys and let the girls loose. It’d be a real mood killer to get a distress call from my boys for more backup, wouldn’t you agree?” flashing him a lazy smirk, their eye closed again, “then I’m all yours~”

While waiting he attempted to calm his speeding heart by counting. Unfortunately this had the opposite effect. With each number meant Loki was getting closer to finishing. Then their talk would resume. Riddle was certain Loki could feel his heart beating, they were laying back to back. Should he roll off? Would it be weird if he did so suddenly? It’s not like either were uncomfortable. When did it get so hot, are only his hands getting sweaty? What about his back? Being sweaty isn’t the most pleasant feeling he should move after all-

“-ddle, hello?” The perfect was brought out of his thoughts “time to return from lala land~”. In a single movement Loki flipped their positions so they faced each other. Riddle’s arms moved to rest around their shoulders from habit, Loki’s own wrapping around his backside as he straddled their lap.

At first nothing was said, only gazing at the other. It was peaceful, soothing. No sounds of shouting, items being knocked to the floor, music blasting from the next room, nothing. Just silence. Neither wouldn’t mind being stuck like this forever, leaving all worries and duties behind to be together forever. A wonderful dream, it was. Alas, every dream comes to an end when it was time to rejoin reality once again.

“I want to make sure you are 100% confident you are ready to lose your virginity,” the one to wake them was Loki, “when I lost mine I didn’t have a say. I didn’t have the option of refusal.” their voice cracked at the last few words. Riddle rested his head on his love’s shoulder, giving their cheek a kiss as his arms hugged them tighter. It took a few moments for Loki’s voice to be found again. Taking a deep breath, they continued.

“Until you can look me in the eyes and tell me you are ready to and want to have sex with me I refuse to partake in any sexual activities with you.”

Riddle wanted to slap himself.

Loki trusts him enough to share a part of their past (something that no one should have to experience) and other secrets very few or none knew. That was how much faith they had in him, how much they loved him. And here he was, being a horny teenager thinking only of himself.

“But it’s okay,” he reminded himself, “Loki has already forgiven me. I made a mistake and they’re aware I’m taking responsibility.” 

Gathering up all the courage within him, he straightened up locking eyes with them. In the most confident voice he could muster, Riddle gave his answer.

“Please take care of me.”

It felt like an eternity passed waiting for a response, anxiety increasing with every second ticking by.

“Safe word?” he exhaled deeply letting the breath he’d been holding out, falling forward and burying his face into the crook of Loki’s neck.

***~~~***

Riddle’s body stiffened as Loki began kissing his neck, starting at his collarbone continuing up to his lower jaw. He let out a squeak when Loki nipped his ear. A violent shiver wrecked through him as a hand slowly creased his belly upward. A second squeak escaped him when the hand reached his chest, thumb rubbing circles around a nippel.

Why is it getting warmer? When did the temperature start rising? These hands are familiar but the touches are foreign. Should he return the touches? How should he do that? What should he do? What are the rules he should be following?

“Boo, that’s not very nice bunny~ Your attention should be on me~” Loki suddenly pressed their fingers into his side causing Riddle to let out a third squeak. “H-hey!” he curled inward and tried to wiggle away, “q-qu-quit it-!” his struggles were in vain, the legs and arms trapping him were too strong. All he could do was flail trying to escape the fingers pressing into his sides, laughing.

The red bunny was able to escape the snake's hold with all his wiggling and tried to hop away. However the snake had plenty more agility and strength compared to the smaller. The bunny let out a squeal when the snake had him coiled in their grip again.

“Ah ah ah~” the reptile tutted, a devilish smirk gracing their lips “you’re not getting away that easily~”

The snake ruthlessly assaulted the bunny, laughing with its prey. Soon tears brimmed the prey’s eyes and he struggled to breathe, begging for mercy. The hunter chortled but decided to grant his wish. While the bunny wheezed and caught his breath the snake was pulling him close.

“I love you, Riddle.” his breath caught in his throat and Loki chuckled at the look upon his face, “you heard me. I love you. I love you, Riddle Rosehearts.”

“I love your grey eyes, red hair, and squishable cheeks. The way your eye color softens with your gaze and becomes fiery when you get competitive. I love the difference in our height, you fit perfectly in my arms. Having you snug within my embrace fills me with unending happiness. I love your voice, your singing soothes my mind after long days of work. When I hear you laugh my lips never fail to curl. I love your sleepy voice when you begin to drift off, your morning voice when you’ve just woken up, your strict yet gentle scolding voice, your cute cooing voice, all of them.” they just kept going on and on, listing thing after thing they loved about him, gaze filled with love.

Riddle could feel his face flushing with every word spilt from their lips. He attempted to hide his face in his hands. Loki, however, wasn’t having any of that. They gently pried them off with their own, their smile and gaze so soft and genuine he couldn’t -didn’t want to- look elsewhere. He was so fixated he took no notice of the other slowly maneuvering their body to hover above his own.

Cupping his cheek, they ran their thumb across his lips with their final statement, “I am deepy, utterly in love with the man known as Riddle Rosehearts. I wish to spend the rest of my life,” they leaned down to rest their forehead on his “and every life after that with him. His soul is the one and only soul I wish for mine to meet over and over again and again for all eternity.” lips centimeters away from touching, Loki whispered one last thing before closing the distance.

So much. Never before had Riddle felt so loved, appreciated, wanted. It was almost overwhelming, all the emotions swirling within. He wanted to cry, laugh, and scream. More. He wanted more.

He felt his partners smile widen when he chased their lips, pulling them back together with a tug on their shirt. This wasn’t enough, he wants more. He needs more. And he’s getting just that.

“Tongue.” was the demand when they parted for air. “Hm?” Loki blinked innocently “what was that, bunny?~ Did you say something?~”

His breath was coming out in short pants, hands tightly gripping their shirt. “Tongue.” he repeated, mouth hanging ajar slightly as an invitation, “I want kisses with tongue.”

Loki was taken back, the little bunny asking for a kiss so bluntly? A french one at that? “Shit,” they cursed, fulfilling the smallers demand “can’t say no when he looks at me like that- {*#*#*}.” Loki cursed in their native language hearing his soft moan. Adorable yet lewd. Meanwhile the only thought cycling through the others head was a ‘more’.

“T-tight,” he whined between kisses, “p-pants, they’re too tight.” Loki grinded their body against his pelvis with a smirk. “Hm?” they teased, smirk widening at his wanton mewls “your pants are too tight?” he nodded vigorously, whimpering “Well, that simply won’t do! Here, let me help you with that~” he hissed once his hardened cock was freed, slick with precum.

Loki leaned down to kiss his face, lower body shifting into a snake tail, “How do you want to do this, bunny? You better tell me quick,” they added, using their tail to open a drawer of the nightstand “I won’t need as much prep as you and I might lose it at this rate.” Riddle barely registered their words with how clouded his head was becoming from pleasure. “I-I want you in,” he gazed up, panting and half ladened eyes swirling with lust “I want to be taken by Loki. Please take me Loki, please please.” Loki groaned, “this kid will be the death of me.” “did you remember condoms and lube?” Riddle’s stomach dropped.

“You forgot, didn’t you?” Loki snickered. “Sh-shut up!” his already flushed face turned a darker shade of red. “Did bunny get so excited he overlooked some things?” they poked his cheek. With a pouty “humph!” Riddle flipped onto his front side, hiding his face in the pillows. “Aw, don’t be like that bunny~” Loki cooed, “I’m just teasing~ I’ve got lube, but no condoms.”

“What’s that?” Loki’s smile softened into one that was more reassuring. Pouring the clear contents inside the glass vail in their hand they answered, “it’s a type of lube made specially for virgins and the inexperienced. In case you start getting scared or nervous it will cause your body to send stronger distressed signals so the pleasure doesn’t completely hijack your mind.” Riddle shivered when Loki started massaging his lower back with the liquid, “it also acts as a stimulant making you wetter quicker and heightens your sense of touch. In other words,” he shivered at Loki’s hot whisper next to his ear, “you’re gonna experience some top notch pleasure soon~”

***~~~***

Riddle felt like he’d come any second now. His cock hasn’t been touched yet everything felt so good. If he’s on cloud nine right now, where would he be once he and Loki were connected? He shuddered from anticipation at the thought.

Meanwhile Loki kept a close eye on their partner, looking for any signs of discomfort or anxiety. “Riddle, bunny,” tracing a finger down his side Loki gently grasped his hip “lift your hips a bit.” he didn’t need to be told twice.

“Remember the safe word?” Loki bent their body over him, their chin resting on his shoulder. Using their tail they poured more lube in their hand. Reaching back, Loki rested a finger on Riddle’s taint and gently pressed against it.

“Patience Bunny,” they softly warned, pulling away when he tried to push back “I don’t want to hurt you.” he whimpered but did his best to keep still. His body tensed when their finger finally entered however.

“You need to relax, Bunny,” “easier said than done.” they chuckled lightly at his words but didn’t respond to them. Using their free hand they took a hold of his chin, guiding their mouths together. Their slit tongue slipped in his mouth as a distraction. It wasn’t a surprise how well this worked, given they were very skilled at french.

***~~~***

“This should be enough…” they thought, fingers pulling out, “that should do it, are you rea-” “Lokiii,” Riddle began whining impatiently, “why’d you stooop? Don’t stop, it feels so sooooo good.” they blinked.

“C’mooooooon, hurry up!” the whining continued, “it doesn’t feel good. I don’t like this feeling of emptiNESS!” Loki flipped him onto his back. “Eager, eager, are we now?~” they slowly traced a finger up his cock which was practically crying with precum, “I mustn’t disappoint then~” Lifting his hips, Loki’s tail slid under to wrap around his belly once.

Riddle’s eyes widened seeing their cock for the first time that night. He’d seen it before (they’ve been living together for months after all) but it was a LOT bigger now. Loki smirked following his gaze, “enjoying the view?” “will it fit?” their lips softened, leaning forward to give his forehead a kiss “yes but if it’s too much we can stop. There’s a safe word for a reason, remember?” he couldn’t help but gulp.

Lining them up, Loki waited for the okay. Riddle let out a loud gasp as they entered, hands clumsily searching for a grip. Loki adjusted their position so he could hug them.

A few times he had to ask them to pause so his body got used to the stretch. His breath was coming out in short pants by the time Loki bottomed out. He felt so full, almost to the point it was painful.

“Riddle? Riddle, bunny, are you doing okay?” Loki moved to pull back but went still at the grip on their shoulders tightening, “Don’t m-move…”

A handful of minutes ticked by of them staying like that, Loki murmuring sweet nothings and soothing words to help Riddle relax his body and mind. They made small talk about their day, assignments due once the break was over, anything.

He felt small. Yes, he wasn’t the tallest guy around but that wasn’t it. It was more of an emotional feeling than physical. None of that mattered though. He liked this sensation of tenderness. It was like he was being gently cocooned in silks spun specifically for him to make a perfect nest of safety and warmth.

Eventually, muscles relaxed and breathing steadied.

“Y-you can move…”

“Are you sure?” “Mhm.”

“Alright, let me know if you want to stop.” “M’kay…”

Loki adjusted so they could see Riddle’s face better. They pulled out halfway before sliding back in, setting a slow and steady rhythm. They kept their eyes trained on his face, searching for any hints of discomfort or pain. Riddle closed his own as he sank into a bliss of pleasure, moaning softly. That is, until a certain spot was tapped.

Soon Riddle was crying from pleasure, nails digging into Loki’s shoulders making the other groan. “There” “faster” “Loki” ran from Riddle’s mouth like a faucet, spurring Loki on to increase their speed. It didn’t take long for him to see stars as he reached his climax.

Back arching perfectly, Riddle let out a long, loud moan. Falling back into the sheets panting heavily, he waited for his vision to clear. “You doing fine bunny?” Loki kissed the corner of his eye, tongue slipping out to lick off tears spilt from pleasure. “Y-yeah,” realizing they were still hard he asked “aren’t you gonna finish?” they smiled and gave him another kiss. “I’ll take care of myself, do you want anything? Perhaps a bath? Maybe tea?” he wrapped his legs around Loki when they tried to pull out, “more.”

Loki blinked, “eh?” “more,” he repeated, “I want more of you.”

Capturing their lips with his own, Riddle nibbled at their bottom lip kissing them. A second later he was, once again, flipped that night. Hoisting up his hips, Loki draped their body over his. “Normally I’d settle for teasing but I’ll be merciful this time.” they purred slamming back in.

***~~~***

Riddle stared at the ceiling, eyes wide and speechless.

“Someone seems to have enjoyed themselves.” he gripped the covers, eyes still on the ceiling, answering “it was- you just- it felt- everything-” he was at a loss for words.

Loki laughed, pulling him closer while leaning on their arm, “good to know I still got it. I’d feel terrible if I couldn’t satisfy my mate-” “again.” it wasn’t often Loki got taken by surprise, but this was one of those times. “... eh?”

Ignoring the dull ache in his lower body, Riddle threw off the covers and straddled Loki. “I wanna go another round.” Loki stared up at him with genuine shock. Once recovered they cleared their throat, “um, no.” They pulled Riddle down, tail wrapped around him while he whined for demanded an explanation.

“Because your body is already fragile and I don’t want to push it.” caging him in their arms, they ran their fingers through his hair, “sorry bunny, but you’ll have to wait awhile before I truly take you to town.” they pulled at his pouty face “don’t give me that look, you know you can’t take anymore right now.” Riddle let out a humph when they let go.

“Aw, don’t be like that bunny,” Loki started covering his face with sloppy kisses, “that face makes me want to tease you til you’re so red a tomato couldn’t compare~” he half-heartedly pushed their face away, still pouting.

“Get some rest,” Loki pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. “Your body needs it,” they said, breaking the kiss, “and I have some things that need to be checked on anyway.” Loki reached over to pull the covers back up.

“What about you?” “I’ll join you soon,” they booped his nose, “until then make yourself comfortable.” with a swish of their finger, the light went out.

***~~~***

The following morning, a snake was awoken by a bunny sitting atop its belly, begging for it’s carrot. It was a good thing the break had only just started.

[estrxlar]

The Ghost Of You

02 - Growth

Chapters songs:

Peach Fuzz: Tyler The Creator

Nice Boys: TEMPOREX

Money: The Drums

— Y. L. Perspective

I walk into the lunchroom empty-handed and nervous. Like the idiotic person I am, I had forgotten my bento on the bus and surely couldn't depend on any of the students to possibly find it and give it back to me.

And so, I begin searching for my fellow third-year friends. It was hard due to the countless students looking for their friends to discuss a simple ten-day break, which I didn't get why it was such a big deal. But it wasn't like I could relate in any way, I had three measly friends who spent every hour of the day with me.

Suddenly, an underclassman boy decided to run across my path hastily, causing me to trip over his shoes, and fall onto the ground.

"What're you doing on the floor, Y/n?" A strong hand reaches to my face, waiting for approval to lift me. His blonde hair shuffles between his free hand.

"Thanks, Toruku," I say, pleased I found 1/3.

He pulled me up and assembled a smile onto his pale face. "No problem. Mind helping me find Giki and Hikishi?" He asks as I dust off my fingers. "The bell is bound to ring soon, so we'll be able to get lunch then. But not if we don't find them."

"Yeah, that's what I've been doing for the past five minutes," I say, with a slightly worried tone. I wasn't trying to spend my entire lunch looking for a place for us to sit. "How about we split up? I'll find us a table, and you find them?"

"No need. We're already here!" Says my black-haired friend, Giki, who stood next to Hikishi.

"Finally, now can we go eat? I wanna catch the lunch line before it gets full." Before another voice calls for me. I sharply turn around, ready for the confrontation.

"Yes?— oh!" My eyes widen at Suga, who plastered a worried expression onto his face.

"Sorry to interrupt you, it's just, you left your lunch on the bus. I came to return it to you." He explains, holding his hand out for me to take the item. It looked just as before; a little scraped and worn out, but still the same.

"..really? Wow, thank you." I take it back, looking back up at him. "It means a lot. I was about to die of hunger. Plus, I've had that since middle school."

"Y-Yeah! Of course. I couldn't just leave it there." Sugawara brushes his hands together, still mumbling something to me. But my eyes were focused on the box, feeling the warmth of his hands that still lingered. "But it's no problem!"

Then, I had remembered the entire reason I rushed out of the bus. Bearing another moment around him after sleeping on him would have killed me. "Listen, about this morning. I'm really sorry, I was really tired this morning. I never meant to invade your space or anything—"

"Oh, about that!" He suddenly interrupted, eager to go into the conversation. "There's no need to apologize for it. I'm actually kind of used to it, since I go on a lot of road trips with the volleyball team, we get pretty tired after games. Not that it relates or anything! But you seemed pretty embarrassed. I wish we could have talked more."

"I'm sorry, I really am. I was just in a rush, it's not something you should stress about." I explain to Sugawara, as he shifts from one foot to the other.

"Of course, if you'd like to talk more then... I guess we could. It has been quite a while, I'm still a bit curious to learn more about you." He replies, looking down in a bashful way. It surprised me such a social, popular, and beautiful guy like Sugawara would want to talk to me out of all people.

"...I don't mind. Although, it confuses me why you'd want to." I laugh, placing my hands into the pockets of my uniform.

"Why wouldn't I? We used to be good friends!" He smiles at me brightly, as he continues. "Besides that, I'm interested in what you do. Music, I mean—"

"Ahem!" Toruku interrupts with the clearing of his throat, leaning over my shoulders while side eying me. "If you don't mind, could we go eat now? We've all had a long day."

"Oh!" Suga is brought out of his concentration on our conversation. "Sorry! How inconsiderate of me to keep your friend stuck talking to me!"

My hand gently pushes away his face, and my eyes look back at Suga's. "If my buddies don't mind, we can teach you all about that." I turn to the three students that stood behind me wide-eyed. "It's okay, right?"

They straightforwardly shrug, meanwhile, Toruku looks grim. "Yeah, it's fine."

"A-Are you sure? I feel like I'd be intruding on something!" Sugawara says, worried my friends wouldn't be very accepting of him. But truth was, we saw each other more than we saw our parents, so thirty minutes with an additional person wouldn't be too much of a problem.

"It's alright," Giki says, meanwhile we walk towards an empty table near the stage. Sugawara's feet stutter, contemplating whether or not to go along with a couple of social rejects.

"If you don't want to, that's fine too. Just don't hold us up." I grin, looking over my shoulder at his confused look. "Hurry, Sugawara!"

"Oh, alright then," he mumbles, following the rest of us.

After stealing ourselves, I let out a big yawn, opening what sat in my bento: white rice, pickled vegetables, and soba that I had microwaved this morning. "You're not having anything, Suga?" I question him, while the rest of my friends open their bentos as well.

"Oh, no thanks. I usually eat after school." He returned. But as if he were in mute, I start shuffling around my book bag to find something I might have. Finally, I find a simple orange: not too old and not too new.

"Here, eat this." I toss it to him, and he quickly catches it. "I keep extra good in case I get hungry. Plus, don't you do volleyball? You've gotta way to be strong!" I say in a raspy voice, mimicking a coach or older adult.

He giggles, and thanks me for the small gesture. Even if I'd just started talking to him again, it felt as if I was comfortable around him already, just like before.

"You do volleyball?" Toruku questions him, placing his feet onto the table. He laid back with his arms behind his head, and the collar of his uniform unbuttoned. He was trying to prove something to him.

"Sensei Tamaki is gonna yell at you again.." I sing, placing a lump of rice into my mouth. The rest of them agree, and Suga just giggles while peeling his orange.

Suga nods at him, giving him a light smile. "Yes, I'm a setter. I coordinate the attacks and basically everything else."

"Oh..?" Giki, Hikishi, and blondie all utter confused at the new term. Thankfully, I had the slightest experience in volleyball, which meant I could explain to them.

"Being a setter means you're like the control tower of the team. Like Giki; without her drums, there wouldn't be a steady beat to a song. Or take Hikishi; the base is what makes a base tune. That's the best I can explain in your language." I explain, looking to Suga for any corrections.

"That's right, yeah. How'd you know?" He leans on his arm.

"I may not look like it but I used to play back in middle school. But really, I just played because of my friend group. All of them were the athlete type." I reply to him, meanwhile eating before loudly being interrupted.

"TORUKU AIZAWA!" The expected teacher yells at him, pulling many people's attention. "I WILL NOT START WITH YOU THIS SCHOOL YEAR! FEET OFF THE TABLE..!"

"Okay, okay!" He rolls his eyes, placing them back onto the floor, and crosses his arms. "That old hag.."

Suga laughs softly. His hand crept around the fruit, peeling it as he discussed more. The only thing that was embarrassing was that his words spoke about me. "So, I've heard Y/n is really talented. You know, I would have figured that out if she wasn't so introverted as a first-year."

Hikishi makes a small noise of agreement, before sealing their food, and responding. "Oh, yes. Y/n his her vocal skills from us for quite a while before we brought her out of her shell. Not only that, but she's really good at guitar. Ever heard her?"

Sugawara shakes his head, looking back at me. "No, but I'd love to hear! I understand she's quite angelic."

"I— Uhm, no!" I smile sarcastically, leaning over the table to stuff a piece of chicken in Hikishi's mouth. "Now you be quiet!"

Sugas head perks up, as he begins, "So are you guys signed? Better yet, do you have a band name?" He questions, leaning on his hand while he talks.

"Grimlace." Giki responds, resting her head on her folded arms. Why was he so invested in this conversation? Hell if I knew.

Still, it seemed they had no problem with meeting Sugawara. Well, except for Toruku. But he was always suspicious of any boy I was comfortable with that wasn't him.

While he discussed with my cremates about different subjects on music, I quietly ate my food, observing Sugawara while he had absolutely no idea.

When he was fifteen, I remember loathing the first few moments around him. He'd only ever talk and have energy inside him, like a living Red Bull bottle with an extra shot of caffeine. Of course, the next few times I saw him I'd already gotten used to him and his tiny crush on me. His aura was what inspired me to rebuild myself. Sad thing was that when I was done grieving, he had just begun.

I heard that one of his parents had passed away and that it was a big impact on him. I couldn't even imagine losing one of my parents, even if they hardly even raised me. How I wish I could go back to last year, and find him again, meanwhile searching for the old him. But it seemed that the agony that weighed his kind soul was light, and once again, I met fifteen-year-old Sugawara and that bright smile of his.

—

"It was fun talking to you all. It's not always that I get to converse with such a different group than what I've known." Sugawara mentions as he stands up from the lunch chair, along with the rest of us. "You all must know Karasuno isn't a very divergent school."

"Ah yes, we're aware," Toruku says, slinging his shoulder bag where it belongs. "It was nice talking to you as well, but we've outta get going now. Have a good one, Sugawara!"

"Hey," I say, drawing his attention back towards me. "I might stay a little bit late after school. If—..if you've got practice today maybe you can help me get back to the neighborhood." I silently prayed he didn't catch my stutter. "It'll be pretty dark, wouldn't want me to get lost, now would you?"

Shortly after, he replies, "Why, of course. Although, practice usually ends around five to six. Mind if I swing by once it's done, that way I can wait for you?"

Hikishi quickly swung an arm around my shoulder, and smiles at the grey-haired boy."That would be great! Maybe our Y/n can play a little something for you since you're so invested in her. Isn't that right, Y/n— ow!" He yelps at the harsh pinch of my fingers on his face. I sharply turn once more, bowing to Suga.

"Thank you. We'll be in music room 3007. Though I doubt I'll make a fool out of myself and perform for you," I say, as a small laugh leaves my lips. "I'll see you then."

"Got it, have yourself a good day."

"Yeah, you as well."

—-

Hello folks! Thanks for coming back to read. I really appreciate it! Please vote for my chapters, I work very hard on them and would love some love :) make sure to get good rest and drink lots of water. Love you♥️♥️

- Sugawara's beauty mark☆

[ourloveisforthelovely]

The Fall 3

Harry Potter AU 

Pairings: Sirius Black x Reader 

Link to Chapter 2 

Rating: M- sensitive themes.

_______

Sirius stood a moment longer before turning and rushing down the stairs. Harry and Ron looked up when he came skidding in.

“Harry, where is Y/n?”

Harry pointed to the door.

“You just missed her. She just left with Kinglsey and Tonks. There was apparently a job that came up.”

Ron nodded.

“She seemed excited to get out of here.”

Sirius ran a hand over his face as Remus stepped into the room and waved him over. Remus looked a little annoyed as Sirius stepped into the dining room.

“What are the two of you doing?”

Sirius didn’t even have to ask Remus to further elaborate on the meaning of his question. The other man knew.

“Beats the hell out of me.”

Sirius muttered and went in search of the fire whiskey that was hidden in one of the cabinets. Remus was following him like an angry two year old.

“I thought you were going up there to fix things with her. She came down here almost in tears. Do you really think that drinking is going to fix anything?”

Sirius shrugged before taking a drink from the bottle.

“Nope. Y/n probably won’t talk to me ever again so this bottle and I are about to become really good friends.”

Remus rolled his eyes. This was just like the two of you. The two of you get in a fight, you get drunk, and whine about how Y/n is never going to have anything to do with you again.”

Sirius laughed bitterly.

“This time it's different.”

Remus took a breath before sitting down.

“What are you talking about?”

Sirius sighed. He didn’t even want to think about what you told him but it wasn’t leaving his mind. It was like some fucked up record player that wouldn’t stop reminding him of how fucked up his life had really turned out to be. It wasn’t only Sirius’ life but he had ruined your life too!

“Remus, Y/n was pregnant.”

Remus frowned.

“When?”

Sirius' dark eyes rolled up with that clearly annoyed expression that he wore so well.

“When she and I were together! What do you think?”

This was totally news to Remus. You had never mentioned being pregnant. That would have been something that he remembered.

“Sirius…”

“She had a miscarriage because of all of the hell that I put her through. It's entirely my fault! She tried to tell me and I told her to get away from me.”

Remus was silent for a moment as he took in what his best friend was telling him. He opened his mouth to speak a few times but always stopped himself.

“She never told me.”

Remus finally managed to get out. Sirius took another sip of the whiskey in front of him. You had never said a word to Remus years beforehand. This slightly bothered him. Remus had always prided himself on taking care of you in Sirius’ absence. Now his “I’m a good friend” feelings were not so great. If he was such a great friend, wouldn't he have noticed what you were going through?

“Well, congratulations because I just figured it out too.”

Remus sat quietly for a few moments. It was obvious that he needed to be gentle with Sirius right now. His friend was one brick short of losing it!

“Sirius, I am going to say this once. Y/n and yourself have the worst communication skills that I have ever seen! You wouldn’t acknowledge her letters when you were in prison when she was practically dying to hear from you. Now she won’t let herself listen to you when you are rolling around like a shameless puppy in front of her.”

Sirius looked totally offended by Remus’ comment.

“I tried talking to her. Hell, I even kissed her.”

“You kissed her?”

Remus asked incredulously. Sirius nodded. He smiled that little cocky smile that Remus knew too well.

“Yep. She kissed me back too...granted it was for a few seconds but it was a kiss.none the less. Y/n seemed totally into it until she went back into the little safety cocoon that she made for herself. Remus, oh boy she and I still have it too!”

Remus rolled his eyes and reached out to pour himself a glass of whiskey finally. If Sirius went into some X rated daydream, he was bailing out!

“Of course, she kissed you back. She loves you.”

Sirius stood up slowly.

“I’ll try to talk to her again when she comes home. I never thought that some woman would have me around her finger so tightly.”

Remus leaned back in his chair. He was clearly pleased by Sirius’ comment. Remus considered threatening to lock the two of you in a room until the issues were resolved but let it drop.

“Good.”

Meanwhile,

You sat across from Kinglsey and Tonks in a muggle dinner. The three of you were waiting for more information on a dark wizard that needed to be rounded up. Kingsley and Tonks were talking about a date that Kinglsey went on. You were half-listening as you stirred the tea in front of you.

Your mind wasn’t on your “work wife” and “work husband’s” conversation. As much as the three of you were together, a close friendship had been created. If something was wrong and it couldn’t be solved on an individual basis, the three of you handled it together.

“Y/n, are you with us?”

Tonk’s gentle voice pulled you from your thoughts. Looking up, you sighed seeing both Tonks and Kingsley watching you closely.

“Sorry. I’ve been preoccupied. Home life…”

Both nodded. Kinglsey and Tonks knew well about your homelife. They both knew that you were probably struggling being back with Sirius full time

“Is it Sirius?”

Kingsley asked calmly. You nodded.

“Yeah.”

Tonks reached across the table for your hand.

“Talk to us.”

You sighed. Talking was a lot easier said than done. There were so many things that you hadn’t told anyone. Maybe keeping everything bottled up wasn’t so healthy?

“He kissed me.”

Both Kinglsey and Tonks looked at each other with smirks before turning back to you.

“How was it?”

Tonks asked with a grin.

“Are the two of you back together?”

Kingsley followed. You laughed.

“Oh no. I ruined that moment. I totally poured gasoline on it and set it on fire.”

“Y/n…”

Tonks started but stopped when you began talking.

“Look, I have never told anyone about this. Before Sirius was locked up, I found out that I was pregnant. Long painful story short, I miscarried about three months in because of stress. I told Sirius and he freaked out. He told me to get away from him.”

Tonks’ mouth dropped. She couldn’t look away from you.

“Y/n...I had no idea! I’m sure that he was just shocked.”

“It had to be shocking. I’m sure Sirius will speak to you soon. He’s probably stunned.”

Kingsley said in a comforting tone.

“I can only hope.”

A few hours later… You quietly walked back into the house with your hand wrapped in bandages. After an eventful chase, you took a curse to the hand that left you burnt. You planned on just dealing with it that night and making a nice potion in the morning.

As soon as you closed the door, Walburga Black’s portrait started screeching about blood traitors followed by Sirius yelling random obscenities at her.

“Merlin.”

You muttered before walking into the living room.

“You are no son of mine!”

Walburga started screeching. One look at Sirius and you could tell that he was drunk off of his ass.

“Wow, that is some insult!”

“Sirius!”

You hissed his name as Walburga’s dark eyes rounded on you.

“Potter! You are nothing but trash! You stole my son from me!”

Rolling your eyes, you walked over pulling the curtain back in front of the portrait.

“Yeah, I stole him alright. He came running!”

After securing the portrait, you turned back to Sirius who was glaring at the place his mother once vacated. You sighed.

“Arguing with her isn’t healthy”

Sirius rolled his eyes. He was ready to argue with someone and someone was going to argue with him!

“She called me weak.”

He snapped. You frowned. That was the last thing that Sirius was. That insult alone made you want to argue with Walburga’s photo a little more.

“You smell like a bar.”

You said, hoping to change the conversation. Sirius rolled his eyes.

“You're a pain in my ass, you know that?”

You took your coat off and gingerly flexed your hand. Sirius was in a fighting mood and nothing that you would have to say would be calming.

“Right back at you.

You said, starting for the stairs.

“I wanted to apologize to you but you ran off! You are always running from me.”

He yelled, following you to the stairs. You spun around shushing him.

“Would you quiet down? You are going to wake the whole house up with your loudness!”

Sirius walked to you.

“I’m in love with you and you just don’t get it. I just want to be with you again. We were so happy.”

It took all that you had to not reach out to fix his messy hair. Even in the dark, you could see that he was close to angry tears.

“Sirius, I need you to calm down. You are drunk and are not talking rationally.”

“I am too!”

He snapped. You took a breath before reaching out and taking his hand in your good one.

“Come on, let's get you in bed. You are going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning.”

“I’m not sleepy!”

He argued as you led him down the hallway and into his room. You silently prayed that no one in the house was listening to you trying to talk some sense into the man. This was going to either be one embarrassing moment for Sirius or one that he wouldn’t remember.

You closed the door behind you as he laid down.

“Now go to sleep. We can talk in the morning.”

Your voice softened. Sirius looked up quickly.

“Don’t leave me yet. C’mere and cuddle me.”

What a bad idea! Do not get into bed with him!

Your mind screamed. This was just being cruel to your own heart. What if he didn’t remember this in the morning and once he was sober wanted nothing to do with you again? It would be soul-crushing but it could also be a memory that you could cling to... our last night together…

“Sirius..”

You started. He shook his head and wiggled his hand like a child wanting their parents to pick them up. He was quickly going from ready to fight to needy Sirius.

“Y/n, please! I miss you.”

You stood a moment longer before slowly taking off your shoes and joining him on the bed. Sirius waited a total of three seconds before grabbing you in his arms.

“You’re my princess.”

He muttered, snuggling his face into your hair. You sighed, enjoying the closeness.

“I’ve always wanted nothing more than to be your princess.”

You said, feeling suddenly emotional. Sirius quickly sat up enough to look down at you. He sat there dumbfounded watching the tears roll down your cheeks.

“You’re too pretty to cry. We can fix everything. We can have that baby that you always wanted and raise Harry together. We don’t have to keep yelling and screaming at each other. Let me make you happy.”

Sirius said before leaning down and kissing you. You wanted to cry harder against his lips. The innocent comment that he made shattered your heart more. You knew that the next morning, Sirius would be angry with you again.

“Let's just focus on going to sleep.”

You whispered against his lips. Sirius shook his head.

“I’m not done kissing you.”

You gladly let him kiss you for a few more moments. Maybe you should let the walls down and give him a chance? Maybe for your own sanity, it could be a good thing?

“You can kiss me all you want tomorrow.”

You replied in a soft voice. Sirius looked pleased with the promise of kisses the next day. He laid back down against the pillow before wrapping his arms around you.

“That sounds nice.”

You lay silently as Sirius drifted off to sleep. For a few moments, you thought about getting up and going to your own room but you didn’t...you couldn’t. At the moment, all that you wanted was a better tomorrow!

____

@lilulo-12

@li0nh34rt

@brokencasbutt67-writer

@authoressskr

@hankypranky

@fandom-trash-worth-it

@summer-novak

@emiwrites3reads

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts

@shitfaceddaniel

@untoldshortsofthefandoms

@maggiolim

@marichromatic

@deanwherescas

@wontlookaway

@stuckinsaudi1 

@knight-of-gleefulness

@mycuddlycorner

@shaylybaby2032

[ode-to-the-bugs]

Intrulogical ~ Human AU

"Don't get eyeshadow on my bed." Roman told, as Remus planted himself, face first, into the white sheets.

A drawn out groan - bordering on a growl - elicited from his obstructed mouth before he turned his head towards his brother and half-heartedly hid a dark smear beneath his palm.

Roman sighed, capping his mascara and checking his face in the mirror, before turning on his stool to the mess that insisted on invading his space.

They locked eyes; an uncharacteristic distress displayed within Remus'. The lack of a crude nickname or greeting was just another cause for concern.

An eyebrow raise and another pitiful groan from Remus later made certain that he wasn't going to leave soon.

"Okay, what's the deal? Why are you in here?" He relented.

Remus huffed before speaking,"I'm having emotions."

"And..?"

"And, I wanted to ask you a question."

Roman grimaced internally, fearing the direction of the conversation.

"Go ahead?"

"So..you know how you stole my bestfriend and domesticated him with your gross affection and whatever?"

"How did I steal- domesticated?!"

"Yeah, alright, whatever, I'm not done. So, what I mean is, you love him, right?"

Having said this, Remus sat up and crossed his legs, awaiting a response. In his brother's confused/shocked/thoughtful silence, he abducted a small, plushed lion from beside him and sat it on his knee, staring into its soulless glittery pink eyes. Feel lucky that you don't have these problems.

His eyes snapped up when Roman finally gave an answer, albeit a useless one, "I mean, yeah, I love him. I adore Janus more than anything."

"Gross. But, how did you know? Like, how does that feel?" He asked, carding his fingers through short, synthetic fur.

Something clicked in Roman's head and he couldn't resist a small smile.

"Why? Is Remus perhaps harbouring feelings or… dare I say, a crush?"

Another groan, as his head fell back into the wall, "can you just answer the question? What's it like? And spare me the 'stomach butterflies' and longing."

"I mean, alright, but you know how ~awful~ I am with words-"

Remus scoffed.

"-so, yeah, there is the butterflies, they are a thing. But, I don't know, there's this security and trust you find in this person and being with them; sometimes you don't even realise because you're just so comfortable with them. And, just this overwhelming happiness and warmth that makes you want to cry because you feel so special. And sometimes, you just- Are you okay?"

Remus seemed to be curling back into the wall more and more, his expression was downcast while his eyebrows furrowed in thought. Looking up at Roman's concern, he nodded and moved to leave.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." He mumbled, getting up and wiping the corner of his eye.

As he came close to passing, Roman reached out to him.

"Hey, you can talk to me you know. I think I can handle your weird emotions well enough: you don't have to leave" Roman explained, letting laughter potentially lighten the mood as it fell into his words.

"Ew-"

"No, I'm allowed to care about you. I made the righteous decision not to absorb you in the womb and you’ve been my problem ever since; we're brothers."

He shuffled awkwardly.

"..ew-"

"Sit back down."

With reluctance, he did as he was told, settling back down and finding a grip on the small lion once again.

"Now, I'm no Patton, but I know something's wrong," he started, "I assume you won’t tell me who it-"

"No. I’m trying to keep some things to myself.”

"Okay then. But, you like them?"

"I think so. It isn't anything like you said, though."

"Yeah?" Roman pushed him to continue while standing from his seat and stretching his back before moving to sit on the opposite side of the bed. He nestled into the pillows at his headboard and looked over to Remus at the opposite end, who was avoiding eye contact and watching his own bare toes curl and uncurl on top of the white fabric.

"It's not all happy and warm, it's confusing. He's confusing. Always using these big words and talking rings around me, letting me know that he's so much smarter than me-"

Remus paused, smiling his usual crooked smile as his hands circled in contemplation, trying to put his strange infatuation into words. Meanwhile, realisation was knocking at a door in Roman's mind, so obvious yet not quite loud enough.

“-but then sometimes, it’s like he’s the only person that’s genuinely interested in my mad ramblings. He’s no longer this valedictorian with his head above everyone else - just a dork: a friend.”

“Aw-“

“And I hate it. It makes my stomach hurt and my head warm. And I just want him to feel that hurt. I want to scrape my teeth down his neck and pull his hair: see if he feels like this too, see if he even feels anything..”

Remus looked confused again: confused and conflicted between ideas. Pale shades of flesh spread under the tanned skin of his knuckles as he gripped his sleeves tighter and tighter.

Soon, a small smile crept back to his face as he continued, “..and he’s got these eyes. He needs to hide them behind these stupid glasses but..they sparkle when he’s happy. Talking about space- he loves astronomy-

o- Pluto’s his favourite planet-

or when I ask about a book he’s reading- he’s a nerd..” he laughed to himself quietly, “they sparkle, Ro. I like it, I like it so much. I want to keep it myself, my sparkles. Like, I could gouge them out so only I could see them, but then he’d be sad.”

He fell into his own small fits of laughter, completely in his own head, under the eyes of his brother. Speaking of Roman, he sat, unmoving, watching in casual fear and astonishment. Sure, he’d grown used to Remus years ago, but, then again, Remus wasn’t someone that anybody could truly ‘get used to’,even in a lifetime. So, before he could try to wrap his mind around the words, he was speaking again.

“...and, I don’t scare him Ro. He doesn’t find me gross or..scary,” he trailed off, picking absentmindedly at the covers with band-aid littered fingers, ”he says I’m interesting. Oh! And he likes my bugs-“

He paused to hold up the resin-cast beetle he wore around his neck in a tiny jar; one of dozens.

“-he keeps some himself, he showed me pictures. He’s got this big tank of moths and he takes them out and just lets them crawl all over him. And they don’t even fly away...not that I blame them.”

Yeah, Roman had opened that door quite a while back now. Now, it hung open, absorbing new information and planning the perfect game of matchmaker for his brother.

“-he said that when any of them die, I can have them and make one of these-“ he lifted the necklace again, “and I-“

“Rem, can I stop you there?”

“What?”

“If this is so painful, why don’t you just tell him?”

He bit his lip and looked away, “I don’t know. It’s hard.”

He snickered quickly before falling quiet again.

“You can’t seriously be shy. You? Come on.” Roman joked, straightening the cuff of his jeans.

“I know. He just..gets to me.”

“Look, take it from me. Things are easier when you get it out in the open. Just tell Logan, I’m sure he can’t have much more experience in this than you.”

Remus' eyes widened and it didn’t take Roman very long to follow.

“I promise- ‘Twin Swear’- that I won’t tell him.”

Remus looked at him for a small moment before jumping up and rushing towards the door, discarding the plush more violently than he would have liked.

“Remus, come on. You’ve flirted with him so much, I’m honestly surprised I haven’t realised already.”

“But you didn’t know it might have been real then.”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because you’ve broken promises before. I don’t want to lose him, Roman. I can put up with hurting.”

Stressed, he fled to his own room, and pushed aside the curtain, curling up on the windowsill.

[mikauzoran]

Marichat: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: Kiss Seventeen

Read it on AO3: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: ...to distract.

“Marinette, My Love,” Chat Noir called gently as he frowned at the clock on his staff’s readout. “I think it’s time to call it quits. It’s getting kind of late.”

“What? What time is it?” She didn’t even look up from her sewing machine as she fed the fabric through, hands rock steady.

He propped himself up on the chaise. “One-o-five.”

“Meh. That’s not too bad. I can still get another hour or two of work in,” she replied with a subtle shrug of her shoulders so as not to throw off her stitch. Then she sighed and muttered, “I had hoped to be further along on the dress Clara Rossignol commissioned, but I’m not really used to working with such high-end fabric, so I’m having a little trouble with how it’s behaving.”

Chat made a mental note to bring his girlfriend presents of different types of expensive fabrics more often. If he split the gifts between Chat and Adrien, he’d be able to give her more without her scolding him for spending too much on her.

He’d finally found an upside to her thinking he was two separate people.

“You look like you’re getting the hang of it, though. You’re such a quick learner. I’m sure you’ll be able to finish in record time now that you’ve got some practice with it,” he encouraged, sitting up.

She blew out a breath, her bangs billowing up. “Maybe, but I’m still behind where I thought I’d be, and I need to get to work on my entry for the Dior contest if I’m going to meet the deadline in a month. I need to come up with something that’s really going to wow Maria Grazia Chiuri, so I want to be able to take my time with it.”

Chat got up and went over to her, depositing a kiss to the top of her head. “Tomorrow, Princess. Right now, you need to sleep…and I need to be taking my leave.”

She stopped sewing to turn and gawk at him. “You’re going home? After what your father said to you?” she snorted incredulously.

Chat winced, remembering Gabriel’s scowl and his clipped voice as he’d succinctly raked Adrien over the coals for fumbling an interview question that had caught him off guard.

Apparently, Adrien’s awkward response about his dating life had brought shame upon the family and dishonor to the company.

He only hoped that Gabriel hadn’t guessed the real reason why Adrien had kind of freaked out a little and stuttered for a full ten seconds when asked if there was a girl or guy he was interested in. The possibility of being outted on live, national television was kind of terrifying, so he thought that his reaction was understandable, but, according to Gabriel, Agrestes were prepared for any situation and conducted themselves with poise. No son of Gabriel’s would ever behave in such an undignified manner.

So, that was kind of like getting disowned for being bi, he figured. It felt like it at least.

He’d told Marinette that his father had given him a dressing down and soft-core disowned him for not living up to expectations during a company marketing event. Now he was wishing he would have come as Adrien so that he could tell her the truth, but he hadn’t been thinking straight in his rush to transform and get away.

“No,” he responded quietly. “I’m not going home tonight. Maybe, when I’m discovered missing by his assistant tomorrow morning, he’ll think about what he said to me. For now, I’m going to head over to the Liberty. I kind of want to talk to Luka, and even though your parents said it was okay for me to sleep over when I needed a safe space, I still feel kind of awkward. I don’t want your dad thinking we’re…like…you know.” He cringed.

She gave him a warm smile and a pat on the arm. “If you want, I can explain the asexual thing to them, if that’d make you more comfortable. I want you to feel at ease here.”

“I do,” he hurriedly assured. “I am. I just… Sleeping over would feel different now that we’re in a relationship. I kind of…” He chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to get his thoughts together.

She waited patiently.

Chat took a long inhale and blew it out slowly. “Thank you. I kind of want sleeping over to be more romantic and special than me running away from my troubled home life.”

“Okay.” She nodded, taking it in stride. “All right. Whatever you need, Minou.” She slipped her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Why don’t you head out, then, so you get to bed at a decent hour? I’m sure someone’s still up on the Liberty. Text me when you get there, though. I’m just going to get a little further on this dress, and then I’ll turn in too.”

“Marinette, you need to call it a night,” he sighed, mentally shuddering at her idea of “a decent hour”.

“I’ll wrap up within the hour. Promise,” she insisted, an innocent look on her face as if she really believed herself.

His eyes narrowed and mouth tightened into a disbelieving frown. “Princess, I know you. You’ll get caught up in your work, lose track of time, and fall asleep at your machine. Has your therapist talked with you about your self-care habits? What does she say about you burning yourself out?”

She groaned and rolled her eyes, spinning around in her chair to face her sewing machine once more. “She says I need to slow down and not take on so much,” Marinette scoffed. “She says I don’t have to save the world single-handedly because it’s not like I’m Ladybug.”

Chat’s eyes widened as he stared at the back of his girlfriend’s head, suddenly feeling like he was seeing double.

“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about,” Marinette grumbled. “I gave her a piece of my mind about how Ladybug doesn’t save the world single-handedly. She saves Paris, and she’s only able to do it because she has you. There’s no ‘single-handedly’ about it,” she huffed indignantly, completely oblivious to her boyfriend’s internal panic.

Meanwhile, Chat Noir felt like he had been hit with a truck.

Marinette’s therapist didn’t know what she was talking about, and suddenly Marinette’s chart-topping stress levels and unwillingness to talk about her problems made a whole lot more sense.

“Shit,” Chat breathed.

“What? What’s wrong?” Marinette spun around in alarm, eyes scanning for danger.

“Nothing!” He quickly slapped on a neutral smile, hoping it didn’t register on her BS meter. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s great. Except for the fact that you’re not getting enough sleep. Let’s fix that.”

In a fluid motion, he scooped her up and slung her over his shoulder.

Marinette gave an indignant yelp as he carried her up the ladder to her loft followed by a squeak as he deposited her onto her bed.

“Chat Noir!” she protested.

He pushed her down, silencing her with his lips.

Quickly, her complaints were forgotten as she enthusiastically lost herself in the kiss.

“P-Please take better care of yourself,” Chat entreated breathlessly when he pulled back.

Some of the haze faded from Marinette’s eyes as her brow furrowed. “Minou?”

“Please,” he begged. “I love you so much, Marinette. You’re the most extraordinary, smart, talented, wonderful, giving person I know. I know you’re tough, but I’m afraid you’re going to break if you keep pushing yourself so hard, so…please try to take care of yourself at least half as well as you take care of everybody else. I’m worried about you.”

“Oh, Minou,” she sighed, reaching up to caress his face. “I’m sorry, Chat Noir. I’m working on it. There’s just so much to do and so few hours in the day. It’s hard to fit it all in.”

“I know,” he whispered tenderly, leaning in to nuzzle her forehead. “Believe me. I know how hard it is to juggle everything, so I get it, but the first item on your checklist needs to be you. You’re too young to abuse your health like this.”

“I’m working on it,” she mumbled self-consciously. “I’m seeing the therapist and trying her suggestions.”

“You’re doing a good job,” he praised, pressing a kiss to her temple. “and I’m so proud of you, Marinette.”

He pulled back to look her in the eye. “How can I help?”

“Help?” she echoed, blinking.

“Mmhm.” He nodded. “Is there anything I can do? Anything I can take off your plate? Like, can I do coffee runs for you or help you study for tests or do homework with you? Maybe we can sit down and look at your to do list and see if we can organize things better. Literally anything you can think of that I could do to make your life easier.”

“Oh, Chat Noir,” she sighed, a grateful smile stretching across her lips. “Thank you, but I couldn’t add more to your load. You’re busy enough with your own stuff.”

“Not too busy for you,” he objected, wearing a serious expression “I’m your partner, My La—Love,” he quickly covered his near-disastrous slip. “I’ve always got your back. We’re a team, so don’t be afraid to lean on me for support. That’s what I’m there for. I want to help.”

She studied his face for a moment, taking in his earnest expression.

She smiled, pressing her lips lightly to his. “Okay. You’re right. You’re my partner, and I shouldn’t be afraid to rely on you. I’ll brainstorm and let you know what you can do.”

A bright, relieved smile exploded onto his lips, rivaling the sun with its radiance. “Thank you, Marinette.”

“Thank you,” she stressed. “…All right. I think the first thing you can do is head out so that I can go to sleep before I lose all self-control and start working on Clara’s dress again.”

“Uh-oh. Can’t let that happen,” he chuckled, stealing a quick kiss for the road. “Night, night, Princess. Love you.”

“Love you,” she giggled, watching him go. “Don’t forget to text me when you make it safely to the Liberty.”

“Will do,” he promised, disappearing up through the skylight.

As he bounded across the rooftops, following the Seine to the Pont de Grenelle near where the Liberty was docked, he muttered to his kwami, “Plagg, remind me to text her when we get there because I think I’m going to be too preoccupied freaking out because my girlfriend is Ladybug.”

[intelligentdumbass]

No I Cannot Get a Break(Part2)

(The first part’s over here)

“Athena? Have you seen Apollo?”

The grey-eyed goddess raised an eyebrow.

“Wasn’t he with you?”                                                                              

“Yes, but that was an hour ago.” Calliope frowned. “Hermes ran off to look for him but he hasn’t come back yet-”

Just then, two immortals came running out of the trees; it was the two gods that the muse was looking for. She immediately rushed towards them and inquired as to what had happened; Athena was about to do the same when her father’s voice thundered across the garden.

“AH-” “What’s this??” On his hand, he held out a fruit made out of pure gold. It had stuck him right on the face while he was chatting with his siblings, just like the messenger before him.

“Father.” Apollo suddenly spoke up and stared; one of his eyes twitching. “Father please, for the love of Troy, throw that into Tartarus!”

Before Zeus could respond, the apple was already gone; snatched out of his hands by the god of love. His wings instantly threw him up into air as he curiously stared at the fruit of gold.

“Pft, what’s wrong sunshine? Why so stressed?” Eros grinned mockingly at the sun deity. “Tis’ just a yellow apple with a few words craved onto it.” He cleared his throat in preparation to read the inscription. “To the fairest goddess of them all!”

Athena could’ve sworn Apollo’s fingers were twitching like he wanted to break Eros’ neck. Calliope and Hermes seemed to be holding him back; trying to calm him down. She gazed back at her father, who was just a tiny bit drunk, and he looked both confused and slightly concerned. This surprising turn of events had gotten a lot of the other immortals’ attention; even Artemis had took notice and quickly sped towards her twin.

Meanwhile Eros had flown over to his mother and exclaimed, “Well, well, well… I guess we all know who this trophy belongs to then now, don’t we?”

Aphrodite smiled, flattered by her son’s compliment. Just before she was handed the prize, however, a spear came hurling out of nowhere; piercing the fruit and pinning it against one of the trees.

“Wait.” Athena’s voice was commanding; briefly glancing back at her distraught younger brother. “This all feels a little off. Where did that apple even come from?”

Eros rolled his eyes. “Don’t know; don’t care Misses killjoy.” He flew over to retrieve the fruit; tossing the spear aside.

“I can assure you that I sense nothing of the like, no malicious auras or weird obscure magic, at least, not on the apple itself. If anything, this is probably just some secret admirer trying to praise their idol.” He smiled, but it was the kind of smile that proves he had a suspicion that wasn’t the case at all. “Besides, why do you care? Don’t tell me that this trophy was meant for you instead?”

“What-” “No!” The goddess seemed appalled that he would even consider that to be a possibility.

Then there was a loud sigh. It was from Hera.

“If that truly is why the apple exists,” She said. “Then for all you know it might’ve been intended for me instead. It landed very close to me after all; specifically onto my husband’s face. Maybe they just had bad aim?” It was hard to tell whether or not she was joking (‘She’s most likely joking’ Athena thought), but even Poseidon muttered against his breath that she did have a point.

Aphrodite just smiled. “Then why don’t we let the king of the gods decide?” She nodded at her son, who gave the fruit back to the lightning-bearer. “Tell us my lord, who do you think deserves to be awarded with the title of the fairest goddess of them all?”

Zeus blinked. “I…” “You want me to choose between you, Athena and Hera? With all of my possible biases I think I would be the least fitting judge for that matter.” He was still uneasy about his eldest son’s reaction; even quickly glancing back to make sure he wasn’t having a panic attack amidst all of this.

‘If only he hadn’t blocked my voice from his head.’ He thought. ‘Then I would know what’s bothering him so much.’

On the other hand, now that he was holding it again, Eros seemed to be right. It looked and felt like a normal and harmless shiny apple; a very pretty one at that.

“Let a mortal who is not part of any of your cults decide, and swear not to endanger their life over some trivial matter such as this.”

Aphrodite peered off the edge; her gaze landing on a young prince of Troy. “I think I already know who.”

Eros took the golden apple and flew down onto the earth. She motioned to the two goddesses to follow as well before morphing into a dove; flying just behind her son.

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

Paris stared at the three deities standing before him. At this rate, it looked like he was too shocked to be able to choose anyone at all. Athena internally sighed, wondering how she got herself involved into this mess.

“Okay well, how about this.” Aphrodite pondered for a moment. “If you choose me, I’ll give you the most beautiful mortal princess the world has ever laid their eyes on.”

Eros gave his mom a look, but she whispered to assure him that she was in fact not finding a way to get rid of Psyche.

Athena raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s just cheating-”

“Zeus never said anything against bribery~”

“In that case,” Hera said. “Choose me and you’ll get to rule the whole of Asia Minor.”

The war goddess thought that was an extremely irresponsible opportunity to give to someone as young as Paris, but then again maybe that was the point. She suddenly felt a little bad for the young prince.

“If you choose me, I can give you unlimited wisdom and glory in war.”

She could’ve sworn she heard Aphrodite curse. However, defying most of their expectations, Paris uttered the words, “I choose Aphrodite” and awarded the golden apple to the goddess of love.

‘Oh. Well, I tried to give him the least risky option.’

When she got back to the main event, it was almost like nothing had ever happened. Despite the incident that had killed the mood a few minutes ago, the party seemed to be back in full swing. She noticed one key difference though. Athena walked over to some of the muses; giving Clio a gentle tap on the shoulder.

“Where’s Phoebus?"

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

Apparently Apollo disappeared when they weren’t looking, so Hermes, Artemis and Dionysus had gone off to go look for him in the depths of the garden.

“I tried to approach him, but he wouldn’t even look at me.” Zeus sighed. “And I am still not able to hear his thoughts.”

“Don’t worry, if I see him I’ll try to talk to him.”

“…please do.”

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

There were already three gods searching for him among the trees, so she figured she might as well try looking inside the palace itself. Besides, if he really wanted to be left alone, he might’ve tried hiding somewhere else, far from where Hermes last found him. Plus, she had a few spots in mind that she could try checking out.

The silence was eerie, but also oddly comforting. There was nothing but the soft hollow thumps of her steps as she walked through the empty halls. As luck would have it, it didn’t take long for her to finally spot the god sitting on the railing of a certain balcony, the one that even their father himself often stood on.  

The blonde was tense, but when he turned around and saw Athena, he started to relax.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your steps scared kind of scared me. I thought I was having another vision for a second there… I mean, you are the real Athena right?” He laughed, but his breath was more than a little shaky.

“Of course I am the real Pallas Athena. Who else would I be?”

She allowed a full minute to pass by to let him fully process her statement to be true before moving to stand right next to him.

“What’re you doing here?” Apollo asked.

“I wanted a break from the party.”

“Oh, that makes sense.�� He paused. “You sure it’s not because you’re salty about the golden apple?”

Athena scoffed. “Don’t even think about trying to tease me. Why on earth would I care that much about some accursed fruit?”

“Aw, don't worry Athe. If I were him, I would've definitely chosen your deal instead."

"Well, of course, no surprise there. You choose what you don’t have after all."

“Wha-” “I was trying to cheer you up and this is what you do to me?!"

"So, you admit that what I just said is true?"

He had his hand over his chest as if he were offended; that forced smile on his face feeling just a little bit more genuine, until it slowly dropped entirely.

“Paris fucked up, Athena. Paris really fucked up.” He sighs. “Do you still remember their oaths?”

“Helen’s suitors?” She thought for a moment. “Apollo, I doubt Paris would still want to keep her after seeing the army that comes after-”

“But he will.” His voice suddenly hardened. “And he’ll keep her for over 10 fucking years and will become the torch that burns his city down to a crisp.”

Her tone softened. “How much did you see?”

“I don’t know, but I do know that Thetis is about to give birth to one of the greatest warriors in recorded history and-” “and-” He suddenly stopped, stuttering.

Athena placed a steady hand on his shoulder, as if he might fall.

Apollo’s grip on the railing tightened. “I-” “I don’t want to lose another one, Athena. Not now, it’s too fucking soon I literally just watched Asclepius-” The tears started trailing down his cheeks until they dissipated into thin air as a whiff of steam. “I just want a fucking break!”

There was a long pause before he continued.

“Why do I care so much?”

“I’d be more concerned if you didn’t. After all, I’m barely any better.”

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

“Athena?”

“Yes Phoebus?”

“What do you think dad’s going to do about this?”

“…I don’t know.” ------------------

“Apollo?”

“Hm?”

“Do you hate him?”

“…sometimes I wish I did”

“…”

“I-” “I’m sorry-”

“No, don’t be. I occasionally wished I did too, but it’ll never be that simple, no? Who would even replace him?”

“You?”

Athena laughed. “Weren’t you the one always asking to be his heir?”

“I was a very stupid toddler back then, hell, probably still am now. I mean, don’t tell me you actually trust me to run this thing?”

“True. I don’t blame you for not believing in yourself. Honestly, I don’t either.”

“I-” “Wow, you couldn’t have at least sugar-coated it a little?”

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

“Hey Pal, maybe we could share the throne?”

Athena immediately made a face of disgust. “But then if we kept our titles as King and Queen, someone might assume we married each other.”

“Wow!” Apollo tried his best not to laugh. “I mean, I don’t want to marry you either but still, you make it look like being with me is a bad thing!”

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

“I-” “I don’t want to get rid of him Apollo...”

“…I know.”

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

For a few minutes, all they did was stare and enjoy the view; looking down at the earth like they owned everything that the light could touch. Then with a flick of her hand the goddess summoned her spear and slung her shield over her back.

“Apollo, get your bow.”

“Wait-” “What? Why?” It took a few moments for him to realize what she was suggesting. "Athe, no matter how much I try, you know I’ll never stand a chance against you in close combat-"

“I did say get your bow, not your sword, didn’t I? I mean, you’re welcome to try if you want.” Her eyes were taunting him. “Father invited almost every single deity to Thetis and Peleus' wedding in Olympus. Excluding the mortals, the rest of Greece should be fairly empty right now."

"...I guess a duel does sound fun.”

"It certainly does. Besides, you really look like you could use one right now."

"Did-” “Did you just insult me by calling me out of shape or am I just over thinking this and you're genuinely trying to cheer me up?"

"Maybe both."

“…Fine. Only a few conditions: no one uses the aegis or the masterbolt, and that you better be a hundred percent sure father isn’t watching us right now.”

“Of course, wouldn’t want to embarrass you in front of him now, would we? I’m not that mean.”

After a few moments of consideration, Apollo summoned his signature bow and wore his golden quiver. Taking one last glance behind them to assure themselves that they were, in fact, alone; they went over the railing. It was faint and easy to miss, but when Athena saw the eager and determined look on his face, she couldn’t help but smile.

‘Now there's the arrogant bastard that I know.’

"Mt. Othrys?" She asked.

"Sure, the closer the more convenient.” He grinned. “Mt. Othrys it is.”

And so, they jumped off, straight into the abandoned ruins of a golden age long forgotten; landing in the middle of all of those towering columns and mighty slabs of black, the remains of their father’s decade long war.