#no seriously this is so much fluff

[stormz369]

☕💖 Can I Get Your Number? ☕💖 Ch 1

Jason Todd x Chubby! Reader (fem) A/N: I don't know what I'm doing here, I'm not even much of a DC fan, but Jason Todd has quickly become my latest hyper fixation character (Harley Quinn too, do I just have a thing for Joker victims???) so ... thank you for giving me a place to put this energy I guess! 😂 I'm not super confident on the characterizations, but I'm going with it because I like it. If it's wildly ooc ... that tracks, given that the only DC comic I've read is Batman: Wayne Family Adventures. Read it, or don't, I just needed to get the thoughts out of my head. The art doesn't belong to me, but the writing does. Please do not post elsewhere!

written with a female reader in mind, first person pov, no use of Y/N, starting out fluffy, will probably get NSFW later so minors DNI, let me know if there's anything else I should tag this with!

word count: 1.7k

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

In a city known for its masked fighters, you learn pretty quickly that everyone and everything is a potential threat. Every approaching stranger on the street, every loud sound behind you, every dark alleyway. Being bigger than me certainly isn't a prerequisite to being a danger, but it does have a way of setting off my mental alarms. I've found that big men are used to getting their way, and they get all sorts of bent out of shape if you deny them their wishes. Especially when they think they're doing you a favor.

It died down a bit after high school; I learned to exist in public with ‘fuck off’ stamped across my face. Headphones on, reading a book, intentionally seated at the table furthest from the other cafe patrons. All the typical signs of someone who wants to be left alone; nothing about me said ‘please come talk to me'. So I was understandably on edge when I noticed someone standing by the chair across from me. I look up just a bit, gesturing to the chair with a nod. Silent consent to take it back to his table and leave me to my book.

No such luck. The man simply smiled and mimed taking headphones off. Putting a bored look on my face, I moved one off my ear. “... Hm?”

“Hi! I'm sorry to bother you, but my brother thinks you're really beautiful and is refusing to come tell you himself.” 

I could feel my expression turning to stone. “... What is this, middle school?”

His cheerful grin faltered ever so slightly; “hey, I know it's a bit silly, but he's awkward around cute girls, so what's a brother to do, ya know?”

I stared him down; “... You're not fooling anyone. Move on.”

“... Sorry, ‘fooling anyone’?”

“It’s not funny, it’s not even hurtful the 20th time, it's just annoying. Go. Away.” It was a lie; it was always painful to be on the receiving end of these pranks. But that was what these guys wanted, so I wasn't going to tell him that. My headphones back in place, the guy slunk away.

Ten minutes later, another person was standing by the chair. I pretended not to see him, continuing to read my book, until he plopped down in the seat. I looked up slowly and he smiled, another oddly warm smile, leaning forward on his elbows.

An incredibly put-out sigh later, I slid the headphones off one ear again. “What?”

“Hi, I'm Tim! I'm not sure what exactly my brother said to you, but I wanted to let you know - we're not trying to prank you or something. Our brother is just way too awkward with girls. It's painful to watch, really, so we figured we'd give him a hand.” He spoke much too fast for me to get a word in. I blinked a bit, raising an eyebrow.

“... You frat boys are really committing to the bit these days, huh?”

“Huh? No, really, I promise!”

My headphones were nearly back into place when a child showed up. His impatient expression matched how I felt about the whole situation. “As usual, Drake, your plans are far too convoluted to be effective. Watch and learn.”

He turned to me, nothing about his demeanor changing; “hello. Todd said we shouldn't bother you because you ‘clearly want to be alone’, but I am convinced the only way to stop their nonsense is if he comes over. May he have a moment of your time?”

Frowning a little, I stared at the kid. He stared right back, neither of us blinking for a solid minute as we sussed each other out. His expression barely changed, but the boredom in his eyes turned into determination. “... Well, you're definitely not a frat boy. So I'll make you a deal; you may report back that he has permission to come say hi. If he doesn't choose to, that's the end of this little charade. And if either of them” I gestured to the one sitting at my table; “comes back over here, I start stabbing. Got it?”

The boy nodded once, and I thought I saw a ghost of a smirk. “You have my word.” He dragged the other man out of the chair by his shirt, pulling him stumbling toward their table. That was when I saw him. The only person at their table who hadn't come over yet. Even hunched over the table he was enormous, probably close to six feet tall; exactly the kind of man I typically avoided. The kid spoke sharply, pointing in my direction, and his head shot up to look in my direction. Even from across the spacious patio, I could see his face turning red. The obnoxious, cocky smirk I was expecting to see was entirely missing; instead he seemed almost confused.

Headphones back on but turned off so I could hear if he approached, I returned to my book. But I only got through a few pages before the first one shouted; “and offer to get her another coffee or something!”

I looked over to see the tall one frozen halfway between our tables, a look on his face like he was considering jumping over the patio fence to get away. His demeanor reminded me of a lost puppy, and I couldn't help the chuckle that rose up out of my throat. I bookmarked my page, set the book aside, and slid my headphones down around my neck. I really thought he was about to bolt until I lifted one hand, curling my fingers to gesture for him to continue toward me.

He stopped short by a good several feet, eyeing the distance between himself and the chair, and took one extra step back. It seemed as if he was hyper aware of just how much he loomed over me; the way he stood was like he was trying to will himself to be smaller, and he kept his hands at his sides. “Um … hi. … Sorry, this is … this is really weird …”

I nodded, watching him. “It is a bit. … Todd, was it?”

“Jay… Jason.”

“Not Todd?”

“Jason Todd. Damian calls me Todd, he thinks using people's last names keeps them at an arm's length…” Jason Todd. The name felt familiar, but I couldn't place why. He continued to ramble about how important tone was in determining whether this Damian kid was referring to you with affection or disdain, and I watched him. He was admittedly very cute; he had a sort of a bad boy aesthetic -leather jacket, dark clothes, a white streak in his hair, some unusual scars on his face and arms-, which juxtaposed interestingly with the gentleness in his voice, bright eyes, and awkward mannerisms. That was actually the thing that made the most sense about this situation; bikers are often secret teddy bears.

“... Jason?”

He looked up at me, one hand sheepishly making its way into his hair. “Yeah, sorry, you want me to go. I'll get them to stop harassing you, so sorry-”

“Actually, I was going to say you don't have to stand the whole time.” I gestured to the chair across from me.

He hesitated, watching me. “... Y- you don't want me to go?”

I smiled softly and shook my head. “Sit?”

He quickly obeyed, a hesitant smile on his face, which was almost immediately hidden by his hand when his brothers whooped from their table. “... God, I'm so sorry … th- they mean well, really, they're not trying to be weird …”

I laughed softly, “it's fine, that's what siblings do, right?”

“... I guess so … I've been sort of … away for a while, but I guess this is pretty standard sibling behavior. … Right?”

“I mean, a little more insistent than mine, but not too far outside the realm of what I’d consider normal.” I shrugged, finishing my chai latte.

He smiled slightly, considering that. “... Hm … um … c- can I get you another?” He gestured to my cup.

“... Sure, I've got time.”

The pleased grin on his face as he looked away to flag down a server surprised me. Then again, everything about him was surprising. Still, no one had ever looked at me quite like that before… 

The server sauntered over, clearly curious about my new companion. Jason smiled brightly; “Hi, can we get another for the lady? And I'll have a medium black coffee, sweet, please.”

Huh. He called me a ‘lady’. Not a girl, or a chick, a lady. That was … also surprising. We chatted for a little while, sipping our coffees, and tried to ignore his staring brothers. He was incredibly awkward, in a sweet, endearing way. I got the impression that he wasn't fully comfortable, but chalked it up to how weirdly this all started. After a while, the first one returned, a small grimace on his face.

I raised an eyebrow; “I'm pretty sure I told the little one that the next one of you to come over was getting stabbed.”

“I know, I know! I'm so sorry, but Jay, we gotta go. Bruce texted…”

That was when it clicked; why I knew the name Jason Todd. He was a Wayne … his death had dominated the news cycle for a week. His miraculous, frankly poorly explained, return was the story for at least two.

He looked, torn, between me and his brother. “Oh … um …”

The man I finally recognized as Dick Grayson leaned forward and fake-whispered, “the words you're looking for are ‘can I have your phone number'?”

Jason swatted him away, blushing bright red; “Seriously, Dick? … well, can I-”

His ears were turning red as I held my hand out for his phone. I added my contact info and, feeling unusually bold, I added ☕💖 after my name while Jason dropped a couple of bills on the table; I smiled a bit, realizing he was leaving enough to cover my first drink for me too. I passed his phone back, enjoying the look of wonder on his face when he checked the screen. The way he whispered my name, like a prayer meant only for god's ears, had my stomach doing backflips.

“thanks … I'll call you?”

“Sounds good. I'm a night owl, so not too early, yeah?”

He nodded eagerly. “Not too early, promise.”

Next ->

[chaosduckies]

*Throws this and runs away*

Cringe but free

No but seriously I love these two so much. I might color this later, but who knows? Enjoy these two lovelies in the meantime

[giggly-squiggily]

little v3 headcanon bc I miss Danganronpa:

Korekiyo likes having his hair played with. Whether it’s with a hairbrush or a persons fingers, but only if he trusts you enough. He will absolutely MELT

(Headcanons to Dabbles: OFFICIALLY CLOSED)

Oh this makes my heart so happy, you don't even know! Korekiyo my beloved; this is so wholesome and wonderful! I've gotcha covered!

Korekiyo paused what he was doing, the brush halfway towards his loose hair. “Do you wish to do it?”

You blinked, surprised at his offer. “Pardon?”

“Do you…wish to brush it?” He asked again, offering you the brush. His mask made his expression unreadable, but you’ve been around him long enough to tell he was nervous. You stared at the brush in his hand, considering.

“Well..if you’d want me too.” You took it with a smile, watching him turn his back to you. In Monokuma’s twisted little world, this was a horrible decision. Intrusive thoughts passed through your mind; the weight of the brush heavy in your hand as you pictured yourself using it as a weapon.

“(Y/N)?” You shook your head, shamed at your thoughts.

“Sorry. Hold still.” You reached out, taking the soft strands within your fingers. He stiffened some, just as tense. You carefully reached up and ran the brush through it in slow strokes.

“...You’re better at this than me.” He mused, relaxing his shoulders as you grew more comfortable. “I’m not nearly as careful when I do it.”

“It’s lovely hair. I’d hate to mess it up.” You admitted, trying not to become too mesmerized. It was so shiny, silky like spilled ink across a page. This close, you could see it had a greenish hue to it- like an emerald. “I’m sorry, Shinguji.”

“I told you, call me Kiyo. And what are you apologizing for?” He didn’t turn around- but there was a small catch in his voice.

“I had a bad thought when you gave me the brush.” You didn’t elaborate, but he didn’t stiffen more. If anything, he seemed to relax. “I’m sorry- I would never act on it. I just..”

“The fact you were willing to tell me says more than you know.” His voice was soft, kind. “It makes me happy I put my trust in you.”

You teared up, biting your lip at the rare but genuine words. “H-hey, don’t make me cry. I’ll accidentally snag your hair.”

“Hm. In that case, the fault would be mine.” He sounded amused, another new thing. You laughed gently as you carried on brushing his hair, feeling him ease fully.

You felt yourself getting closer to him that day.

[phoenixtakaramono]

There are only two episodes left in The Boys S4, but having seen the leaks and with what we got, I have some opinions.

My conspiracy theory is that they got too many cooks in the kitchen (writers in the writer’s room)—plus the writer’s strike and pandemic happening during this time—and it’s starting to make sense how they dropped the ball with this season.

[mqverick]

diet mountain dew || ꕤ

“Baby, stoppin' at 7-Eleven

There in his white Pontiac heaven.”

───────── ˚｡⋆ ( ၴႅၴ ⟡ ─────────

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

Daniel was looking at you with the smuggest smirk you’d ever seen on a man’s face before. His eyes were burning into yours, glistening under the light as he stared at you, his mouth slightly agape. You tried not to gulp as the question echoed in your ears, face hot and flustered.

You never thought you’d find yourself outside of Daniel Kaffee’s door, contemplating whether to knock on his door or not. You’d always had the first word with him, ever since the moment he burst in your office with that stupid apple of his.

He’s looked like an idiot then and he looked like an idiot now, all proud of himself, looking at you — forcing you to use the actual words you’d been practicing and itching to say to him for God knows how long. It was deeply humiliating.

“No,” you simply and coldly replied, but your voice weakened by the end of the two-lettered word.

“It sounded like you were asking me out on a date,” he argued, crossing his arms as he took a few steps closer to you, ignoring the baseball game on the television that played uninterrupted in the background. He slyly raised his eyebrows as if he was questioning your previous ‘no’.

You stood there robotically, fumbling with the end of your thin jacket as you avoided eye contact with Daniel, knowing very well that your knees would buckle under just one look from him.

“I wasn’t,” you continued firmly.

“Mm,” Daniel hummed, his face so close to yours that you swore he was asking to get roughly hit in the balls. You were a woman with dignity and respect, though, you had to be stronger than that. God, you were aware of the fact that he had one of the most self-absorbed, cocky personalities, but when had he gotten like that? “I’ve been asked out on dates before, and that’s what it sounded like.”

Regretting your life’s choices should’ve been a paid occupation for you at that point. You wondered what came over you, thought hard about the nerve in your burnt brain that screamed and cried for you to get up from the bed, have a good day and then ruin it all by finally gathering the courage to go alone to Daniel’s place and talk to him about something that wasn’t related to the case. Ask him out on a fucking date like the desperate, little, touch starved loser you were.

Men had been going after you, begging for a chance since forever… yet, there was Daniel.

Daniel Kaffee, who had graduated from law school a year ago, had gotten in the Navy freshly — around nine months ago — who was so admirably impressive and intelligent and a whole person of his own. Daniel, who couldn’t come to a realisation without his thinking bat.

How had you fallen so hard in love with him?

“Do you like seafood? I know a good seafood place,” you blurted out, mentally kicking and cursing yourself for how stupid you’d sounded.

“I’ll tell you if you admit you’re asking me out.”

You weren’t going to, not even if he held a gun to your forehead and threatened your life. He did not need that kind of boost for his ego, nor did you care for getting embarrassingly paralysed in front of him after the smile he’d give you in case you actually did convince yourself to admit that this was your horrible aspect of asking him on a date.

“N-Not a date,” you stuttered, hating yourself.

“The sweat forming on your forehead says otherwise.” He snickered when you hurriedly snatched your hand from your jean’s pocket to wipe the non existent sweat off your face. “Relax, I’m just messing with you. You know, I really wouldn’t say no to going out with you.”

“Well, you’re not. I just want to grab some dinner with my colleague is all. Will you come or should I get going? It’s late, they’ll close soon.”

You eventually gathered the courage to breathe, backing away from him as you headed towards the door, placing your hand on the handle. Daniel snatched you back by the arm, catching you off guard as you silently cried, mind short-circuiting after noticing how much closer he’d pulled you to him. His grip was strong on your elbow, fingers tightly pressing into your warm, reddening skin.

“Are you dismissing me?”

You cocked your head to the side.

“What?”

“I want to go on a date with you. Do you want to go on a date with me?” Fuck, he was killing you. You were an exceptional lawyer, distinguished, had even won service medals. And all of that just vanished, the words dying in your throat, just because Kaffee was holding you so painfully close to him that part of your mind subconsciously dared you to move your head just an inch further into him, invade completely his personal space.

“I…” you began, but trailed off, seeing as you were truly incapable of understanding what was going through your blinded head in that moment. Had his eyes always been so dazzlingly green and big? Had Daniel always looked so unbelievably pretty?

“I didn’t even know you liked me. I mean, if you like me. I won’t make you say it — I just want to know if you’re asking me out on a date. Which is sort of like asking you if you like me, so that automatically cancels out what I just said.”

Daniel was getting nervous as well. Both of you were so utterly fucked with each other, but none ever spoke about it out loud without jokingly throwing flirtatious innuendos. He was done with just guessing how you felt about him, though, decided to take the matter into his own hands if you didn’t have the guts to make a move first.

He didn’t know what he’d do if he lost you to another man just because his stupidity was too much of an obstacle to overcome. Died in silence every time he had to say goodbye or goodnight to you wherever you had to leave his apartment after judging that you’d all conversated enough about the case. Daniel knew that you had to be feeling something for him — even if that was a tiny spark.

All the secret glances, the way you commanded and spoke to him, the contained smiles; they had to mean something right? But why weren’t you trying anything with him? He thought he made it pretty obvious that he felt the same way about you, had been feeling like that for a long time.

He knew you knew.

“Danny, can you let — fuck, I can’t breathe when you hold me so close to you,” you accidentally confessed, eyes bulging the moment your words played loudly rent free in your brain right after they so easily and boldly left out of your mouth.

“You can’t?” he repeated softly, in awe as he tried to comprehend what you’d just said. “You can’t — you can’t say stuff like that to me and then tell me that you don’t want to ask me on a date. You can’t do that — you can’t fuck like that with my mind.”

You jerked away from him, brows furrowing.

“Me? I can’t say stuff like that to you? You’d known me only 12 hours when you told me you were sexually aroused. You’ve been looking at me as if I’m some sort of grand lawyer, like I amaze you or something — you know how hard it is for me to keep a fucking professional stance around you?” you were shouting for no reason now, practically admitting your feelings for him due to the anger that had fogged your brain.

Daniel closed his eyes in wonder, then looked at you dumbfounded. “What?” Fuck. “What did you just say?” he repeated hesitantly.

“Nothing.”

“No, don’t give me that bullshit. I thought you hated me. I always try so hard to impress you and I’m so afraid that I’ll do something wrong or offend you in some way I won’t even realize and you… You feel the same way about me?”

The question fell off his lips like he was terrified of the answer you’d give him. And it was true; he was, beat himself up for how little confidence he had around you even though his actions showed the opposite. He’d been melting for you.

Was captivated by your determination, the way you could make him feel so worthless just by giving him a weird look. Scary?

To Daniel, you were divine.

“I—I don’t feel a certain way about you, Danny.”

“You kill me,” he rushed to comment, cutting you off the second his nickname was mentioned. “Every single time you call me that, a small part of me dies. That sounds horrible, I didn’t mean it that way. You know how it feels to walk in a courtroom for the first time?”

You nodded with a slight chuckle. “Yeah, I do. I could never forget. Do you?”

“Because of you, I do. If you weren’t so damn stubborn and annoying, I couldn’t even dream of it. When I walked inside, my legs were trembling. It was a confusing, but beautiful feeling.”

Your knees were bucking — what was he doing?

“Fuck you, Kaffee,” you muttered under your breath, running a hand through your hair.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been saying. Fuck me. Fuck me, Commander, I’m already yours. I have been ever since you listed my entire life in front of my very own eyes, then proceeded to threaten my position in the case. How can you not know that? How can you act so surprised when the only reason why I keep calling both you and Sam at my place repeatedly every day is because I believe that there couldn’t possibly be any way I’d ever see you in my little, humble apartment under any other circumstances? Don’t you think we could’ve perfectly arranged another meeting spot?”

You’d lost touch with the environment. Daniel’s eyes looked as though he was about to burst into tears; all glassy and red, holding back a million words and emotions that he’d so successfully held back for such a long time, that they almost didn’t even feel real. He had to be kidding you.

“Is it too late to ask you on a date, then?”

Daniel let out a sigh of relief, a gorgeous smile cracking on his lips as he finally shut the game on the television off, moving dangerously toward you. He cupped his hands over your cheeks and pulled you tightly into him, capturing your lips with his own after what felt like ages. His eyes were forcefully closed, afraid of opening them and waking up to what could be just another dream. But no, this was reality, he decided after he discreetly opened them just an inch to make sure that the person he was smushing was real.

You weren’t kissing him back, though, and it made him pull away, feeling like a complete fool. Had he misread anything again, had he done something wrong? Had his hurried intrusive thought to kiss you been too much?

“I’m really sorry, I—”

Embarrassment welled up inside of him as he stared down at your feet, his mind still unable to process the taste of your lips as it barely even functioned for any other reason; talking like a normal person, for example. Harvard lawyer, they said. Lawyer his ass. What kind of lawyer was ever known to get so tongue tied in a situation?

“Your lack of response to my question makes me believe that you haven’t truly been asked out on any dates before,” you eventually spoke, opting to break the silence with sarcasm, just like it had always been between the two of you.

You pressed your mouth against his this time, smirking nobly as you heard him take a sharp inhale. You walked backwards, forcing him to do the same, then pushed him against the outside arm of his pathetic couch, causing him to fall.

You wasted no time with getting on top of him, straddling his lap firmly as your back arched on top of him, making the kiss get profoundly deeper and wetter as tongues got involved. You’d never been French-kissed like that (or in general, ) — your head felt like it would explode.

Daniel wasn’t skilled just as a lawyer. He was awfully good at kissing, sending you over the edge just by adding a little extra saliva in the kiss and letting his hands roam freely in your back, pulling you closer and closer to his scorching body. His soft brunet hair softly brushed against your forehead as he titled his head for a better angle and you could almost feel yourself die.

He winced when his bat dug into his back and the miserable sound he made caused you to moan.

“Are — Are you going to ask me out?”

You ignored him, grasping on his shoulders as you accidentally ground against his crotch, losing your mind and grip over yourself when you felt his semi-erection rub just the right away over your jeans and panties, your wet core clenching around absolutely nothing disappointedly.

“Let’s go to the seafood place, yeah?” you exclaimed against his mouth.

“As a date?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

You untangled yourself from him, still neatly seated on his legs as if you couldn’t feel him flush and hard, aching to be freed from his trousers.

“You know I’m very intimidated by you, right?”

Daniel gave you a peck on the before getting up to sit normally on the couch. “I do not, Ma’am.”

“Shut up.”

“Pretty impressive, huh?” he mocked, just like he’d said to you the first time you met. God, you really, deeply hated his self-absorbed guts. But you loved him. Loved him like crazy.

“I changed my mind.”

“About what?”

“I don’t want to go out to eat.”

Daniel’s face dropped when you got up from the couch and began putting your jacket back on. He’d messed up, he’d messed up, he’d messed up… Fuck him and how he never thought before doing. You were going to leave him, of course you were. You were scared of how fast he’d moved.

Except you really weren’t, you just really found joy into toying with his lowered remaining patience.

“What?” he asked, nearly like a whisper.

“I’ll see you at court tomorrow at 10. Don’t be fucking late, Lieutenant, or I’ll just might have to cancel the dinner reservations I’m planning. Up until then, you’ll do well with your very manly and grown up Yoo-Hoos,” you walked up to his door, feeling your heart beat rapidly in your chest as the corner of your eye caught him almost stumbling into the coffee table in his hurry to get to you.

“Is it going to be a—”

“And before you ask, yes, it’s a date.”

FIN.

@honeymvnt 𝜗𝜚

[highlynerdy]

I am completely gone on these two. Just...them.

[pxgeturner]

milkshakes and confessions — t.m.r

pt. 1 — kiss it better, m.list, reblogs are extremely appreciated

you’re trying to make plans with your friends and end up telling your bf you love him for the first time.

an. so i forgot to put this on my wip list hope y’all like this. can be imagined w a r from any house but kinda hufflepuff coded!r :)

wc. 1.8k

You wrap your arms around luna from behind. “luna~” your look to your right, “‘ginny!” and around the people surrounding your friends: hermione, ron, harry, and others “hey guys,” you say looking at no one in particular.

that gets you a lot of weird stares. You look at luna, then at ginny. “did i say something?”

“harry potter is right there!” this kid, who you think is named seamus talks to you like you are an idiot.

“i’m not friends with harry potter.”

“he’s the son of james and lily potter!” ron is turning red.

“that doesn’t make him a saint?” you furrow your brows and wave you hand at him. “i mean good for him but it’s not like he's a merlin reincarnate or something.” you click your tongue at them, “besides i said hi to all of you”

“why are you over here?” a voice sounds from behind you.

“hi tommi,”

“you should be eating over there with me.”

“i’m just hear to- oh!” you look back at luna, “ok hogsmeade trip this weekend, right?”

“right,”

“i thought you and ginny could come with me to go get milkshakes!”

“Sounds good to me!” ginny pips in.

“sll right, milkshakes this weekend.” agrees luna.

“you spend trips to to hogsmeade with me.” tom protests. You remove yourself from luna to turn to your boyfriend.

“and you’re lucky that i love you, otherwise i would’ve plucked out your eyeballs for being so overprotective a long time ago.”

“ok, so see you in class later–” you’re yanked back, “tommi! ah! what are you-” he’s picked you up now, “moon!” you cry out for your friends knowing your boyfriend won’t listen to you.

she giggles and waves, “have fun!”

tom carries you all the way to the abandoned girl’s bathroom. He sets you down in front of a wall.

you laugh, pushing at his chest “what was that tommi?”

he leans into you, hands at either side of your head. “you can’t take things like that back, and you shouldn’t say things you don’t mean.”

“huh?” your noses are touching and you really want to kiss him.

“you said you love me.” you cup his face, toying with a few short strands at your fingertips.

“uh-huh, i do.” he steps back, disconnecting from you completely.

“you shouldn’t.”

You take hold you his hand, rubbing circles into the back of his palm. “you’re my boyfriend, and we’ve been together almost a year.”

tommi mumbles something.

You put a hand under his chin to make him meet your eyes instead of looking at the ground. “what was that?” you smile up at him.

“love potion,”

“i’m not under a potion, silly. or am i acting crazy and obsessive?”

“not you, me! I was born because of a love potion.” he rips his hand out of yours.

“is this you telling me you want to break up?”

“it would be for the best.”

“you asked me out first, do you remember?” you block him from leaving.

“of course i do.”

“i had a crush on you for months my friends would tease me all the time for liking the slytherin prince who only ever studies.” you rest your hands on your hips. “they said i was a fool.”

“i get where this is going-”

“but you asked me out! on valentines day! like an absolute dork!”

“i said. i remember.” he grits his teeth. why won’t you let him leave?

“you like me! you care about me! you make sure i’m drinking water and study with me before exams.”

“like isn’t love!” he has fire in his eyes as he plants his hands on your shoulders, trying to get you to move. “it’s not enough! You deserve more!”

“like turns into love! i don’t believe in that love potion bullshit!”

“i want to love you-”

you’re seriously getting angry, how can the smartest guy in school be so stupid. “then do it! it just takes time! It’s not like one day fireworks and wedding bells are going to go off in your mind because your brain flipped a switch.”

“i don’t want to hurt you.”

“the only way you’re going to hurt me is by leaving right now.”

“what if i never love you?”

“if you ever need to force yourself to do things that typically come naturally then we can be over.” you deflate at the thought, now it’s you looking at the ground.

“if i can love anyone, it’s you. i can’t see myself with anyone else.” he comes in close you, holding your face in his hands, wiping away tears. when did you start crying? and you try to take a deep breath in but it’s all too intense, so it catches in your throat and you have to grab onto tommi’s robes to steady yourself. he pulls you into his chest, rubbing your head.

“i- i love you.” you hiccup, “so, much.” and you wiggle your head to look at him, brown eyes now soft with worry. “And it’s ok that you’re not there yet.”

“i know,” he brushes some hair off your forehead, “i- i know, princess.”

“can we go eat lunch now?

“how can i say no to my best girl?”

“are there other girls?” you’re trying to seem sarcastic.

“my best and only girl.” he kisses your forehead as you two begin to walk back to the great hall. You lean into him as you walk, latched onto his arm. He squeezes your hand, grateful for the fact that you did not let go.

your friends welcome you back with smiles and jokes.

“hello lovebirds, glad you two could finally deign to join us.” mattheo jokes, tom glares at him. you stay leaning on him even sitting down, he winds an arm around your back to support you. he loves his family, he’d do anything for mattheo or mother. in regard to father, he’s not sure, father isn’t like mother, there is no quality time or kind smiles. tom thinks he loves his father, but that’s more complicated. love is confusing and overly complicated, and essentially useless. that’s what he used to tell himself, when he thought he couldn’t experience romantic love. why would he bother with something that is useless. sex on the other hand, sex has purpose, and was experienced physically unlike love. which is just your mind playing tricks on you. sex is an itch that can be easily scratched

but then you arrived. one day just tagging along with pansy with smiles, energy and gentleness. as if you took a flint and steel to his cold heart to spark a fire that burns for you and only you. he understood that romance isn’t just a trick or manipulative tactic used by girls to trap boys. with you he started to think that maybe, just maybe love doesn’t have to be complicated. with you things come easy to him.

you twist your head to press a kiss to his jaw.

“everything all right, my girl?” he whispers into your ear as theo keeps talking. uou nod into his neck.

“want some of mine?” the little food you put on your plate is already gone. You take his fork and steal some potatoes.

“theo stop exaggerating, snape isn’t that bad.”

Theo sets his fork down, “he’s a bitter old man who needs to stop projecting his hurt onto others. he likes the girls more, and you’re a sweetheart.”

“aww, thank you, t.”

pansy looks up from her phone, “now that you mention it, he does favor the fairer sex.”

draco looks nauseated, “why would you say it like that?” he pretends to vomit on the floor, splashing his juice on the floor.

you wave your arm at him, “oye! draco! clean that up right now!”

“yes, ma’am.” he salutes you, grabbing a wad of napkins.

mattheo, who’s next you on your left, turns to you, “can we do our divination projects together?”

“matteo, you have to do your own project. but if you’re struggling, i can help you study the cards.” you offer

“ugh, that class is useless, you can’t predict the future.” tom says, his warm breath hitting your hair.

you tilt your head up, and boop his nose. “you only say that because your mojo is logical classes, but divination is intuitive. it uses your heart, not your brain.” your boyfriend scoffs. “If you’d let me read for you, you’d see–” he puts his hand over your mouth. You wiggle and yell into his hand, trying to get him to let go while your friends merely laugh. he lets go soon though, and you turn to face him, “you actually hate me.” you point a finger at him at look at him accusingly.

“quite the opposite actually,” he says softly, kissing your cheek. that makes your friends go quiet. for some reason, your face goes hot and you turn your body completely away from him, and cover your face with your hands.

your feet that were propped against matteo thighs get pushed down. “get your stinky feet off of me.”

that snaps you out of it, “y’know mattheo, you’re such an asshole.”

mattheo glares back at you, opening his mouth to respond, but closes it, suddenly interested in his food.

tom puts his chin to your shoulder, “don’t bother with him.” he presses another kiss to your cheek and convinces you to leave to go to the library. sitting at your usual table, tom tutors you in a particularly frustrating unit in transfiguration.

“so milkshakes on saturday at fortescue’s?” he mentions randomly.

“yeah with luna and ginny.” you try to go back to the question you were answering before he interrupted.

“why would they join us?” he presses.

“i’m having milkshakes with luna and ginny, you can hang out with the others.” you correct him.

“why would you do that?”

you roll your eyes. “i eat breakfast with you, i eat lunch with you, i eat dinner with you. and we’re studying right now.” you look up from your paper, “if i spend any more time with you I will become you.”

“not all the time,” he refutes, “and you just said you love me, and now you want to cancel hogsmeade?”

you grab his chin and squish his cheeks, “and i do love you! but i do have non slytherin friends. it's not fair to them or me if we never get to see each other.”

he makes a sound of discontent.

you softly tug his ear.

“fine milkshakes on saturday for you. and… something else for me.”

now you kiss his cheek.

he might not be perfect, but he’s yours. and all that matters is that he tries. it might take a couple of attempts, but he’s such a quick learner.

it’s what you love about him.

[dreams-and-drabbles]

because his drip marketing is tomorrow (probably) i request more Alhaitham stuff 😭

i was hoping you'd write about the reader shyly asking him to do it after years of dating and he'd be gentle the whole time until he isnt cuz he cant take it anymore foams in the mouth

IT’S TOMORROW?! HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?! 😭 TYSM FOR THE ASK AND OFC!!!

(( MINORS DO NOT INTERACT—!!! ))

Al Haitham stared at you, his eyes wide.

It was one of the few times you could say you’d seen him genuinely surprised, but that was to expected, you supposed.

The two of you had been together for a few years, and you’d never once broached this topic.

“I m-mean… I’m sorry if it bugs you, but we’ve been together for a while now, so I thought…”

Al Haitham raised a hand, shaking his head with a small smile.

“I was just surprised. Pleasantly so. There’s no need to worry over that. I’d been considering asking you myself for a while now, but I didn’t want to seem too impatient. I’m glad you asked.”

The scribe spoke, his tone a mixture of amusement and shock.

He paced around the room, his arms crossed.

You giggled at the sight, earning a sharp look from your boyfriend.

“Let me prepare a few things, Dear. We don’t have everything for this because as you said, it’s been some time…”

Al Haitham said his tone serious, causing you to break into a fit of laughter.

“Right, of course… Then I’ll see you here soon?”

You asked, your cheeks tinged pink.

Al Haitham smirked, nodding his head.

“You can count on it.”

You smiled, glancing down bashfully.

“See you, then…”

Al Haitham huffed a small chuckle, pressing his lips against yours, before leaving the house.

Once he’d left, you buried your face in your hands, silently cursing your awkwardness.

You’d never spoken about this before, and while you were glad Al Haitham was willing, you should have known there were things missing.

That was the most embarrassing part, you thought, your cheeks flaring with heat.

You shook yourself from your musings, and headed to the bedroom to straighten up some.

This was huge, right?

There was a way to go about these things, or you’d hoped so, at least.

After forty minutes or so passed, you were beginning to feel a little nervous.

Al Haitham didn’t live too far off—

Just as you began to worry, you heard footsteps outside.

The doorknob shook sightly and you glanced up, your eyes wide in excitement, as Al Haitham entered.

To your surprise, he held a large bouquet of flowers in his hands.

You peered at him, curiously.

Al Haitham met your gaze, shaking his head a bit.

He offered you a small smile, before running a hand through his hair with a sigh.

“Kaveh demanded to know where I was going in such a rush. I didn’t think he needed to know what exactly we were going to be up to, so I told him I was meeting you for a date. Of course, then he lectured me, going on about flowers and the likes, and how important they are to dating. As such, here we are—“

Al Haitham explained, handing you the flowers.

You laughed, your eyes tearing up slightly.

“That is such a Kaveh thing to do.” You said, earning an amused smile from Al Haitham.

“Isn’t it, though? Regardless, that’s what kept me for so long.”

You nodded, fighting off the urge to laugh.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here now… Are you ready for our date?” You teased, your tone light.

Al Haitham’s lips quirked upwards into a smirk, and his eyes shone with mirth.

“Of course.” He responded, his tone silky.

You grinned, grabbing Al Haitham’s hand and pulling him towards the bedroom.

He chuckled at your excitement, as the two of you approached the bed.

You flopped down on the bed, as Al Haitham sat down beside you. He pulled off his top, giving you a few full of his toned chest.

He raised a teasing brow, before smirking at you. “Enjoying the view?”

You grinned, nodding. “Immensely.”

Al Haitham snorted, shaking his head in amusement. “Well, there’s more than that to enjoy.”

You flushed at his words, before pulling off your clothes, as well.

“Right… Uncharted territory…” You responded, your tone light.

Al Haitham scooted closer to you, his lips pressed close to your ear.

“We’ll simply have to explore it, then. Find the best route…”

You laughed, turning your head slightly, to meet his gaze.

Al Haitham smiled at you, bringing his hand to lightly cup your cheek. He ran his thumb along your jawline, soothingly, before pressing his lips against yours.

You leaned forward into the touch, Al Haitham pressing his form against yours, and causing you to sink further into the bed.

His hand made its way into your hair, as he deepened the kiss.

The scent of parchment and pine overrode your senses as he kissed you, his lips frantically overtaking your own.

Al Haitham pulled away from the kiss, and instead began trailing kisses across your bare form. He ran his tongue across your collarbone, before nipping down gently.

You trembled at the contact, your eyes sparkling with glee.

“Al Haitham… the date…”

You murmured, and he chuckled, wrapping an arm around your center.

“Of course, love. I’ll be gentle this time…”

He murmured, before pulling you closer to him.

Your heart pounded in anticipation, as Al Haitham’s legs pressed up against yours.

Al Haitham’s hand snaked around your thigh, rubbing circles along its inside and you jerked back at the contact.

He chuckled, his tone warm.

“Hmm, that’s a spot. Let’s explore some others, then…”

He cooed at you, his tone a thick honey.

Al Haitham’s hand edged past your thigh, and your legs clenched.

The weight of him against you increased, as Al Haitham pressed his form closer to yours, giving you an up close view of his chest.

Your cheeks burned, as Al Haitham brought his arm back up, to pull you closer to him.

He thrust against your form, and you gasped in surprise.

He picked up the pace, his grasp on you tightening.

If this was what intimacy was like, then you’d been missing out on a lot.

Al Haitham’s pace quickened once more, and you yelped at the sudden ferocity to his approach, your eyes widening.

“A- Al Haitham!! You—!!!” You rasped, your words slightly slurred, as your mind struggled to form what you wanted to say.

Al Haitham pulled you closer to himself once more, his weight against yours increasing, as a tremor ran through your form.

His eyes widened, and he pulled back, his cheeks flushed. “A-Ah… I got too excited…”

He spoke, his voice a husky rasp.

You stared at him your eyes wide, and your mouth slightly agape.

“Mm… next time…don’t rush…” You managed, as Al Haitham pulled away.

He nodded, laying down beside you.

“Next time, I’ll be gentle…”

You huffed, averting your gaze.

“‘s what you said this time…” You whined, rolling over on your side.

Al Haitham rolled over, so that he was facing you. “Forgive me…?”

You pretended to think about it, before giggling some.

“‘s fine… Couldn’t be made anyways…”

He hummed, before wrapping and arm around you, then pulling the covers over your heads.

You smiled, burying your face into his chest.

He laughed, and you could feel the rumble of it, from your spot against his chest.

“You really like my chest, don’t you?”

You nodded, pressing your face in further.

“‘Makes a good pillow…”

He ran his fingers through your hair, before smiling and letting his hand fall.

“I’m glad you find my chest so comfortable…”

You blinked at him, sleepily, and he chuckled.

Al Haitham pulled you a bit closer, rubbing circles on your back.

“You seem tired, dear. You may as well put that pillow to good use…”

[dracosiwa]

in need of a marauders lord of the rings au, where jegulus goes on a quest, would pretty much fit the narrative of all the gay relationships as most of the characters are men but would be fun to put the girls as fairies or elves even if they don’t actually are there in the movies

[obliviouskara]

Should I reread a supercorp fic OR start reading a completely different one? also, suggestions?

[tightjeansjavi]

I have a pre-outbreak!joel miller x f!reader idea that I really want to write 😀 like Joel taking Sarah for horseback riding lessons and the reader is her riding instructor? Joel is hard-core crushing on you and Sarah starts catching on and she brings it up to you after one of her riding lessons. You’re helping her groom one of the horses and Sarah just blurts out, “My dad has like the most astronomical enormous crush on you.”

Then you get all red in the face because you 100% had checked her dad out on a handful of occasions when he’s brought her for her lesson and Sarah sees you get all flustered, drop the curry comb, nearly knock over a bucket before you regain your composure.

“Sarah, don’t be silly! He totally doesn’t.”

and she’s just got that little mischievous smile and says, “wellll, I may or may not have been begging him for weeks to ask you out already.”

“You didn’t!”

“I sure did! You should totally offer to teach him how to ride as well. He’s mentioned it a few times before but he gets all shy about it.”

“You want me, to teach your dad how to ride horses?”

“Absolutely!”

Then you just casually have a conversation with Joel and praise Sarah for how much hard work she’s put in to riding and spending time with the horses. You’re leaned up against one of the stalls, your own horse nuzzling into your shoulder as you talk and you can tell he wants to come over and pet him so you step to the side.

“You wanna come over and pet him? He’s super friendly. Might even give ya some kisses if he really likes you. C’mon”

So then Joel walks over and without hesitation, you grab his hand and gently place it against your horses neck.

“He really loves a good pat, but he’ll love you forever if you give him some good ear scratches.”

Joel is still processing you grabbing his hand and he’s definitely a little red in the face while he watches you gently scratch your horses ear while he’s giving him some much deserved pats and he catches your little smile as your horse nuzzles against your side contently.

“So, what do you think about me potentially teaching you how to horse back ride, you interested? It’s a lot of hard work, but I’m sure you can manage it.”

He’s completely taken aback as he looks at you, already feeling the sweat beading on his forehead from you, and the hot Texas air. He clears his throat, gently giving your horse a light scratch behind his ear.

His Texas drawl is thick as he speaks, “Really? Yeah, I’d uh-I’d really like that.”

Sarah is totally eavesdropping from the next stall over and she leans over and whispers to her lesson horse, Remy as she’s gently running a brush through his mane. “My dad has NO idea what he’s signing up for.”

🥹🥹🥹 yeah, I’m gonna have to write this

[louwhose]

you ever think about how oot link and ed have the same hairstyle? me neither

...and that's even before unpacking all the trauma they both absolutely have

[exilynn]

The fact that Lily used 'the wild feelings And side Of eddie in (Flight Of Icarus(Love's Dragons)

I become so freakin hhdtthssgxkkk

[munchkin1156]

tiny riding on a gecko that climbs walls to get around more efficiently fight me

New friend? :D

This is the only g/t head cannon that matters to me. This is the best one.

Took me two seconds to make that drawing, but when I tried making a one where they were riding the gecko somehow managed to look more shitty than right now, so sorry bout that

shit I forgot the taglist-

@i-am-beckyu, @brick-a-doodle-do

[thesparklingwriter]

@zhongrin | Zhongli + Itto = crystalise

“Gods, demons, vision bearers, the visionless… We’re all the same, really, aren’t we?”

tags: zhongli and itto are fighting for your affections, female reader, it's Lantern Rite but i forgot how it works in canon, reader lives in liyue, literally pure fluff, itto knows Zhongli is an archon

If there’s anything your life doesn’t lack, it’s drama.

Travelling across Teyvat does nothing but provide you with new companions to meet, and oftentimes it also leads to violent clashings of character. You thought you’d seen the worst of it when you accidentally reunited the Ragvindr brothers, but the most dramatic encounter was yet to come. Right now, though, you're enjoying the brief period of peace, as you walk alone through the bustling Liyue streets.

“Hey Sunshine!” Itto creeps up beside you, the smile on his face reflecting the smile blossoming in his heart. Yes, it's taken him a good few days to get to Liyue, and yes, everyone on board the ship really, really really loved beans, but he didn’t really mind. He gets to see you, so the sickness is worth it.

You spin around to see your favourite oni, his long white hair combed and braided to perfection, and his fanged smile wider than you’ve ever seen before.

“Was that supposed to make me jump?” You chuckle as he falls into step beside you.

“What? No. It was supposed to make you smile.” he grins. “And that it did.”

How is anyone not supposed to smile around him? He exudes energy and an optimistic naivety that you’ve not seen in anyone for a long time. His cheerfulness is even more impressive when you knew the things he’d experienced. He’d seen hell in person, but he chose to live every day pretending it didn’t exist.

“How was the trip?" you ask. "I wasn’t expecting you to get here so soon.”

“You knew I was coming?"

“Mmm,” you reply, watching as stalls begin to pop up for the upcoming Lantern Rite—undoubtedly your favourite festival of the year. “You put a sign on the message board saying that Liyue better be ready for The One and Oni Arataki Itto to show them how a real festival is done. I couldn't have missed it.”

Itto laughs heartily. “That means my work was done perfectly, as always. I should thank Shinobu. If I remember.”

“I’ll send her something on your behalf, don’t worry. I’ll grab something from the Lantern Rite stalls.”

“You would? You’re amazing. Seriously.” Itto grins. “So when’s Lantern Rite? Can I come? Do I get to set up a stall or something?”

“You put that message up on the board without even planning anything in advance?” You ask. His response sends you into a fit of giggles—one that pricks the ears of the retired geo archon.

It’s not like he’s jealous. You’re not his property, and never will be. But he is intrigued by this…demon who makes you giggle like that. You’d never laughed so heartily whenever you spent time with him. Maybe he'd get a slight chuckle at him and his antics, but nothing more. Not that he cared.

You didn't even notice you’d walked past the funeral parlour in the midst of your laughter—and you always noticed.

He’s not upset. At all. That would be absurd of him. He’s simply curious. You associate with people from all over Teyvat, a quality of yours that he’s always loved, so he’s not surprised. Either way, he decides to find out who this man is for himself—by bumping into you guys by chance.

“So are you going to let me come or not?” Itto huffs. You’d been talking about the history of the Lantern Rite for so long that he’d nearly forgotten his original question.

“A friend of mine has agreed to take me around this year, so you should definitely come with. He’s great with the history, and he knows where all the good food spots are.” Itto’s steps slow down almost comically.

“I’m going to have to share you?”

“Yes…?”

“Can I at least meet the guy?” he pouts. He came all this way to see you, and he's going to have to share your attention with another guy? He’s not a fan. He’s also not a fan of the creepy old man watching him from across the street, with his fancy jacket and tailored trousers and lean frame. What is he doing, staring at you?

“Sunshine, some weird guy over there is staring at you.” he nudges your side slightly. “You need me to tell him off or something?”

You glance over at the guilty party, who its watching you with an almost forced placidity. “Oh, that’s just my friend. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Itto tilts his head to the side slightly. He knows that in order for someone to get along with him they’d have to be a certain kind of fearless and non-judgemental, but this is something new. Instead of being afraid of the weird dude making eyes at you, you call him your friend?

“Are you sure? I can deal with him if you like. You don’t need to be so chill.”

“Itto, it’s fine.” You grin, taking his hand and dragging him along with you. “Hi Zhongli!”

The man's blank expression breaks into a slight smile. “Hello, yn. It’s a pleasure to see you.”

“How many times have I told you to quit it with the formalities?” you giggle, squeezing his arm.

“Plenty of times.” Zhongli says. He glances at your hand—the one holding Itto’s—and his smile drops imperceptibly. “It’s impolite to not introduce your acquaintances, you know.”

“Hey, old man, don’t stick your big words on me. Me and yn are bona fide buddies. None of this acquaintance business. You make us sound like we work together.” He scowls. Admitting that he and you were friends was kind of…irritating. He liked being your friend, but he wanted more than that. He wanted you to light up his day with that smile of yours all the time. He wanted to you to be his. But he also wanted you to want that—and he doesn’t know where you stand on that front.

“Itto. Manners.” You poke his stomach lightly. “He’s my friend from when I went to visit Inazuma. He may not look it or sound it, but he’s a bit of a cynic.”

“Hmm.” Zhongli hums. “And a demon.”

Itto scowls. “An Oni. Look at the horns.”

“They’re almost shiner than mora. There’s no way I could miss them.” Zhongli retorts. Itto beams, not aware that Zhongli’s comment wasn’t exactly a compliment.

“Thanks, dude. Anyway, Sunshine here says that you’re taking her to the Latern Rite. I myself have an affinity for festivals and music and all that jazz, and she said I could tag along. That alright with you?”

Zhongli hums. “I suppose.” He doesn’t want Itto there. Inviting you to Lantern Rite was his attempt to get you on your own, to talk to you and see whether you share the same feelings, and now it’s been foiled. He can’t even be mad, because the the demon beside you makes you smile. He loves the sound of your laugh, and so, he has to appreciate anyone who makes you do that. “Do you know much about Lantern Rite?”

“Nope. But I am good with festivals. I held a drum-along in Inazuma. The drum was dirt cheap so we made a massive profit. So many people showed up, it was awesome.”

Zhongli raises an eyebrow. “The drum-along? I was told that was a menace to all involved.”

“Li,” You hiss. “Drop it. That’s a sensitive subject.”

“No, no, Sunshine. Let the man speak.” Itto smiles amicably. “I like to know what people are saying about me.”

Zhongli’s eyes flash amber for a second. “I heard nothing else. I do apologise for speaking out of turn, you’re more than welcome to join us tomorrow, Itto. And on that note, would you mind terribly if I stole yn from you?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Itto shrugs. Zhongli nods and turns to walk away.

“Hey Itto,” You grin, chucking your house keys at him. “You know where I live. Make yourself comfortable, I’ll take you out for dinner when I get back.” You wink at him before turning around to catch up with Zhongli. “My treat!”

Itto wants to complain, but you looked so happy at the thought of going out for dinner that he chokes down his disappointment at your being stolen and traipses to your house. How has an old man with creaky knees and a vocabulary straight out of the archon war period managed to fill up your time so thoroughly that you would pick him over Itto?

Zhongli is boring and quiet and judgemental. The sheer opposite of what he is. But at the same time, that makes him the opposite to you, and opposites attract, right? And then he decides to stop himself falling down the self hating wormhole he’s skirting, and makes himself at home in your living room.

“So, Sunshine,” Zhongli chuckles as you walk to the nearest tea shop.

You grin at him, chuckling lightly. “Why did you say it like that?”

“I’m just intrigued by the company you keep,” Zhongli hums. “I never would have expected you to get along so well with a demon.”

“Gods, demons, vision bearers, the visionless… We’re all the same, really, aren’t we?”

“I would argue that gods are a little higher on that pyramid.” He mutters as he pulls out a chair for you to sit on.

“You’re such a jealous little man,” You chuckle. “You can’t even bear to see me with my friend.”

“I am also your friend, and I admit that I often have ulterior motives for wanting to be around you. It’s perfectly natural for me to be suspicious.” he shrugs.

“I’m pretending I didn’t hear that.” You smile. “Anyway, what did you want to show me?”

~~~

Allowing Zhongli and itto to come with you to Lantern Rite was a mistake.

Itto wants to check out all the fun stalls, which you want to do. But Zhongli wants to tell you about the history of the festival, which you also want to do. Watching them try to subtly fight for dominance is too funny for you to keep a straight face throughout.

“Oh come on, old man, Why should I listen to you talk when we could be getting street food? Sunshine, what do you want?”

You cover your mouth to try and stop yourself from laughing at Zhongli’s expression. He looks hilarious. The archon is the picture of placidity, the only giveaway that he’s three seconds away from slicing Itto’s prized horns off being the slight clenching of his jaw.

“I’ll take a kebab, please.” You smile. Itto runs off to get you something to snack on and you turn back to Zhongli, whose eyes soften slightly. “You may continue.”

“I’m struggling to understand why you’ve invited both of us,” He hums. “You clearly know our personalities clash. Why subject yourself to this?”

You don’t answer him straight away. You’re not an idiot—you’re aware that both of them like you, and you might even admit to being guilty of egging them on slightly today. But all in all, you enjoy both of their company. Sure, you could separate them, but you're greedy.

“You’re both hilarious.” You reply finally, turning to look back at the sky.

“We both know you’re a lot smarter than you’d like most to believe.” Zhongli pushes. “You’re fully aware of what’s happening here. Why not put us all out of our collective misery?”

“You want to be put out of your misery?” You ask innocently, turning back to face him properly. He hums lightly. “Then fight for it.” Zhongli clenches his jaw slightly, lost for words. Never in his life has he been told what to do in a way that makes him want to obey, but he supposes there's a first time for everything.

Itto returns with the the kebabs and you take them excitedly, gushing over how fresh they were. “How did you get these so quickly?”

“Trick of the trade. I saw a firework stall thingy. Wanna try it out?”

“Sure!” You beam. You look behind you to check if Zhongli is coming along, but’s he’s disappeared, and you let him go. If that’s the kind of man he is, maybe you're better off not bothering. “Let’s go.”

You go around the stalls, dancing with the musicians and trying out all the delicacies on your way to make the fireworks. By the time you make it there, the sun is beginning to set, and Zhongli still isn’t back. You genuinely didn’t think he’d just give up.

“What colour should I pick?” you mutter to yourself. “Oh, I can’t decide. Where’s Ushi? He always has the answers.”

“I left him in Inazuma. He doesn’t like boats very much.”

“I still can’t believe you took a boat. There are teleport waypoints all across Teyvat.”

“Seeing you after such a long time isn’t the same without a gruelling journey to make me miss you more,” He jokes, patting your head lightly. “Anyway, knowing him, he’d probably suggest brown. You know how he is.”

“Then brown it is,” you smile, pouring the relevant chemicals into the tube. You have zero clue how this works, and neither does Itto. He asks the lady at the stall to explain it, but once she starts bringing up chemicals, his eyes glaze over, and you realise he’s just nodding every twenty five seconds. “Thank you!” he says, once she’s finished. “That was super interesting. I understood every word.”

You swipe away the tear that began to form as a result of how hard you were trying to not burst into laughter. He's trying his best, he really is.

“Come on, come on, I want to see how these look in the air.” He takes your hand. “There’s a spot up there.”

You cross your arms, looking up at the big cliff. “Uh uh. No way. I am not walking all the way up there.”

“What? Why? I’ll carry you. C’mon!”

You shake you head. “My feet hurt and I really cannot be asked. And I know you, you’ll fall asleep at some point and then I will have to drag you back down.”

Itto scratches his head, his face taken over by a thought ful expression. “Okay, new idea. I’ll go up there. Set them off, and then come back down.”

“Or you can just leave her with me, and we can partake in an activity that does not involve cliffs.” Zhongli huffs, holding a lantern in each of his hands. Itto looks at him with scathing disdain.

“Not you again! What is it with you and just swooping in to steal my friend?” Itto stomps his foot in frustration, and once again, you find yourself holding back a laugh. He can be so cute sometimes.

“I simply find activities that yn will enjoy. That is all.” Zhongli crosses his arms, the lanterns before him hovering in the air with a faint golden glow—a subtle reminder of the power he holds.

Itto almost pouts. “Yn, were you enjoying yourself with me?”

“I enjoyed myself plenty.” You quip. “But I really don’t want to go up the cliff. Sorry.”

“Hey, no sweat! Don’t apologise.” He roughs your hair up. “I get it.”

“Well, if you’re done being so gracious, yn and I will be on our way.”

“Now, when did she say you could take her?” Itto scowls, crossing his arms. “You do realise she’s like a whole human and everything. Being a demoted god or whatever doesn't give you the right to boss her around.”

“I didn’t expect you to stoop so low as to start throwing insults.” Zhongli sighs. “Be honest with yourself, demon. Did you really—”

“I’m plenty honest! More honest than you and your big fancy words that mean nothing.”

You retreat slightly, watching as the two men argue. Or rather, watching as Itto argues. Zhongli’s face is as passive as ever, retaliating with calmly spoken facts that only seem to infuriate him further.

“Are you going to tell him where to get off?” Itto says to you finally, and you snap out of your own, peaceful, thoughts.

“No.” You sigh. “And frankly, this has gone past the point of being funny. I really just wanted to enjoy my festival with both of you, becasue I enjoy your company. The bickering was kind of entertaining at first, but now it’s just boring. Go home or something. Both of you.”

And with that, you leave them in the dust, making your way back home. You’d been too greedy, you decide. They both deserve better than this weird limbo you’ve left them in. So on your way home, you try to make a decision between the two men. Either would have the decency to accept being your friend, so which would you rather be stuck with?

You can’t make up your mind.

When you get home, you flop onto your bed, leaving your decision to wait until the morning. And whilst your dreams are plagued with the dilemma you face in the real world, you wake up with a beautiful clarity that leaves you feeling bright and cheerful.

You get dressed, ready for another day of Lantern Rite festivities, but as you leave your house, you notice two bouquets of flowers at the front door. One is bright and colourful, full of Inazuman flowers and spilling out of its vase, whilst the other is a lot less vivid and put together with slightly more precision.

You chuckle lightly to yourself as you take one of the vases and display it in your front window. And although you feel bad about the arrangement that you leave seated on your porch, you know it’s a decision that you would have had to make eventually.

a/n i am actually proud of myself for getting this done in time, i actually checked this before(!!) i posted it so if there are any errors someone tell me before rin reblogs and then the incorrect version is left to be seen by the world

i tried to make the ending ambiguous but we all know i chose Zhongli right? cause i picked Zhongli. I don't know about you but Zhongli is my favourite. Literally i love h

[infinityinakiss]

this goes out to all the fic authors that are holding my barely stable mental health together with 4k words about gays cooking spaghetti together. cheers.