#nobody speak to me. or look at me or in fact approach me ever again

[ariaxmu]

my shy, shy girl

a mattheo riddle x shy!femreader fic

summary: mattheo keeps trying to confess how he feels, and you keep running away.

warnings: alcohol usage, maybe a lil swearing, just cutesy fluff.

''y/n, can i talk to you for a second?'' i hear someone behind me speak up, as i quickly turn around to see him. i gulp, gripping onto my books as i step back a tiny bit, shaking my head no as i rush away.

''w- why?'' he calls after me as i internally cringe at myself, again.

this keeps happening. mattheo will somehow sneak up on me, ask to talk, i say no and run away like an idiot. i have always been a shy person, if you can even call it that. nervous, anxious person. i can speak to maybe two people without feeling like i cannot breathe.

and which makes it even worse, is that i know what mattheo wants to talk to me about. pansy has told me many, many times. and the fact i know makes me even more nervous. apparently he has been crushing on me for a while now, and wants to ask me our or tell me how he feels, i don't know.

but i like him too. i have admired him from afar for years now, too anxious to tell him. and i would love more than anything to be with him, but every time he approaches me, my fight or flight kicks in and i just run.

i go to my usual place, in the corner of the library, sitting down and cursing at myself again. i know how embarrassing it is, and i know he's going to get tired of it and give up. that is the last thing i want.

but i just don't know what to do. i take a deep breath, face palming as i notice pansy approaching me.

''it happened again didn't it.'' she says, crossing her arms.

i nod, shamefully.

''come on. i have an idea.'' she says sternly, grabbing my hand and pulling me away with her. i am dragged into the common room, and up to our dorm room.

''okay, now hear me out.'' she says softly, sitting me down beside her. ''my friend used to be the same as you. but do you know what helped?'' she says. ''alcohol''.

i raise an eyebrow. ''you think alcohol is going to help me?'' i giggle.

''there's a party at the black lake tonight. i have alcohol here. mattheo is going to be there. we are going to get you nice and drunk before we head down, and you're going to be so confident you won't know what to do with yourself'' she smiles proudly.

''i don't know...'' i say, already feeling nervous.

''let's at least give it a try, you could have the best night of your entire life, and if we don't do something soon then he's going to get tired of being shut down and you'll lose your chance to be with the guy i know you are in love with'' she says a little softer, putting her arm around me. i sigh, knowing she's right.

i nod, smiling softly. ''okay, but i can't go looking like this and i have no party clothes'' i say.

''don't worry, i do.'' she smirks, rushing over to her closet.

''oh boy...''

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

i look into the mirror, as pansy stands behind me very proudly. i'm wearing just a simple little back dress, my long black hair curled ever so slightly, and a little makeup too. i do feel pretty.

''you look beautiful. mattheo is going to die'' she grins, grabbing my drink and handing it to me. ''drink up, angel''.

and i do.

and i drink a little more.

aaand a little more.

and my body starts to feel a little tingly, my face feeling warm as i look over at pansy. ''let's go now before it wares off!!''

''it wont ware off, you just drink more. but sure, it's dark now so lets go!'' she giggles, topping up my lip gloss as we rush down to the party.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧

around two hours into the party, i am extremely drunk, and no sign of mattheo. he was supposed to be here, and nobody knows where he is. i look around for him, too drunk to really be nervous, just wanting to see him now.

''have you seen mattheo?'' i ask a random person.

''i just saw him go around there with some girl'' the guy says, pointing towards the castle. i furrow my brows, feeling a pit in my stomach as i rush around the wall, slightly peeking to see if i can see anybody.

and there he is. sitting very closely to a girl on the bench, smiling and laughing with her. it hits me like a truck, am i too late? please, please tell me i'm not too late. i slightly stumble to the side, a little too drunk from my own good and his head snaps towards me.

''y/n?'' he says confused, quickly standing up. the girl ushers him towards me, and she rushes off herself.

i sigh, beginning to feel tears well up in my eyes as he walks over.

''i'm really drunk please don't look at me'' i whimper, covering my face as i throw my red plastic cup to the floor.

''i-i didn't even realize you came to this party... who let you drink this much?'' he says, confused and worried, holding my hands so i don't fall over.

''p-pansy said that if i have alcohol then i wouldn't be so nervous to talk to you, and t=then you never showed up so i kept drinking so i wouldn't get anxious again, b-but now i'm just really drunk and emotional and im so sorry-''

''shh, shh it's okay'' he whispers, wiping a tear from my face. ''don't worry angel, come sit down for a minute, i have a potion here that'll make you feel better faster okay?'' he says softly, helping my walk over to the bench.

''i-i'm so sorry, mattheo. i promise i'm not avoiding you because i don't like you, because i'm really really in love with you'' -hiccup- ''but i get so nervous, and now seeing you w-with another girl i think i missed my chance and-''

''shh, shhh'' he coos, ''you did not miss your chance i promise. that girl was my friend, i have been getting advice from her about you and how to make you less nervous around me but- i guess this is one way to doit'' he giggled.

''drink some of this, we're going to sit here quietly for like 2 minutes and you will feel much better okay?'' he says quietly, passing me the potion, and i drink it. i nod, passing it back as i lay my head on his shoulder as i sniffle.

''god'' he gulps, cheeks a little flushed as i cuddle into him, not really realizing what i am doing.

but soon i do, the potion kicks in and i sit up, wiping the tears from my face as i feel like myself again.

''i-i'm sorry about that'' i whisper, realizing how much i had revealed and that i'm also sat centimeters away from him.

''don't apologize, baby. i'm just glad you're here'' he says softly, head tilting to the side as he looks at me with gentle eyes and smile.

“i-” i gulp. “i mean.. everything i said, though” i whisper.

“i know… i think i’ve probably been in love with you for even longer, and i just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable so i hid it for a while but uh” he stops and scoots a little closer to me. “my feelings got too strong for me to just ignore them anymore.” he says. god he looks so pretty too.

the moonlight illuminates each of us. “so.. what happens now then? i’ve never really done this before… as you can imagine” i say, fiddling with the rings on my fingers.

“it’s okay… we don’t have to rush anything, id just… really like to call you my- well, i don’t want anybody to think either of us are single if that makes sense?” he seemingly cringes at himself.

“are you asking me to be your girlfriend?” i ask quietly, smiling softly at him.

“god yes, please” he grins. it’s weird, im completely sober now but i don’t feel nervous. it just feels, comfortable.

“then yes, i’d like that” i giggle.

he lets out a breath, scooting even closer to me now.

“i know you’re probably going to freak out, but i want to do something.” he says plainly.

i nod.

“just, close your eyes” he whispers.

i close my eyes.

“take a deep breath, my shy girl” he whispers.

i take a deep breath.

its quiet for a moment, but then i feel it. his soft, warm lips pressing onto mine ever so slightly. i kiss back slightly, but he pulls away, searching my face for any dislike or uncomfortableness.

my eyes stay closed for a moment, just in shock.

before he attatched our lips together again, i let out a little squeak. he smiles against my lips, kissing me a little harder as my hands grip onto his shirt.

and after a moment of bliss he pulls away, cheeks flushed and eyes glazed over. i look at him, “oh my god i love you” i blurt out.

he grins, “oh i love you too”, pressing another small peck against my lips.

“come on, i’ll walk you to your dorm. you probably need a good sleep after today” he giggled. “come on, sweet girl.” he pulls me up, holding onto my hand as we walk quietly but comfortably up to my dorm.

he stands at my door, leaning against the door frame as i open it up.

“i’ll see you tomorrow, baby” he whispers, kissing my forehead, before stepping back and heading towards the stairs again.

i furrow my eyebrows. “wait!” i speak out to him.

he turns back, a relieved look on his face.

“i-i know we should sleep but i don’t want you to go yet” i whisper, as he walks back up to my door.

“thank god because i really don’t want to leave either”.

i giggle. “why don’t you sleep here tonight? i-i mean, pansy will be staying with blaise anyway so, nobody will be here” i say, shyly.

“i’d love that, let me grab my clothes from my dorm quickly and i’ll be right back, okay?”

i nod, and he presses a soft kiss against my lips, before grinning as he rushes out of the room.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧

i hope this was okay:3 i kind of yapped through most of this and im not even sure if its good. but i hope you enjoyed none the less. love u girls! xoxo

[togrowoldinv]

Sweetheart

College!Natasha Romanoff x Female Reader

You’re at a party when your friend’s older sister approaches you. One thing leads to another and you wind up alone with her

Warnings: Smut! 18+ please! Cursing, oral, fingering, daddy kink, dom!natasha

Note: This is spicy lol. Follow my library blog @togrowoldinvlibrary for fic updates! I’m aware a part cuts off on mobile. See the library reblog for more. Enjoy!

Natasha Romanoff Masterlist 1, Natasha Romanoff Masterlist 2, Main Masterlist

There she is. Standing across the room from you with a beer in her hand is the girl you have had a crush on from the moment you laid eyes on her. Natasha Romanoff.

Everyone’s favorite mystery girl that no one could seem to get with. The hottest guys and the hottest girls had no luck.

You are friends with her sister, Yelena, and there were countless times that people would ask her how to be approach her sister. She would warn them against trying. Nobody ever succeeded.

She catches you looking at her, but instead of shooting you a hard glare, she smirks at you and takes a sip of her drink. You shiver.

“What was that about?” Your friend Kate appears at your side.

“Huh?” You try to play dumb.

“Nat totally checked you out,” she says.

“What? No she didn’t!”

“Sure, okay,” Kate teases. “That’s why she’s coming this way.”

Before you can reply, Kate sneaks off probably to find her girlfriend. And you turn to walk the other direction, but you run directly into a person.

“Hey sweetheart,” Natasha says. She’s called you that since the first night she met you. Yelena had invited you home for the holidays and Nat coined the term for you. The close proximity to her makes your heart pound.

“Oh hey Nat,” you reply, trying your best to sound cool and collected.

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” Nat says. The party is crowded, but it feels like you’re the only two people in the room.

“Yelena has been busy with Kate, so-“

“That’s a shame,” Nat says. She moves closer to you. Her hand comes to your chin and lifts it up. It’s like she’s trying to memorize your face with how intensely she’s staring. “I missed you, pretty girl.”

You open your mouth to speak, but no words come.

“Cute,” she says. Her eyes look from your lips to your eyes and back. You think she just might kiss you when suddenly you’re interrupted. Natasha drops her hand from your face and steps back.

“Hey y/n,” a voice comes from behind you. You turn to see a girl that you’ve been out with a couple of times, but she ended up dating someone else instead.

“Oh hey Wanda,” you say.

“Are you here alone?” Wanda asks. You don’t miss the jealous glance she throws at Natasha.

Nat knows what happened between you and Wanda because Yelena had told her. Secretly, she asks after you often.

“Actually,” the redheaded woman interjects. She wraps an arm around your waist. “She’s with me tonight.”

Wanda is taken back by her words. She gives you a measly smile and walks away.

“What was that for?” You ask Nat once Wanda’s out of earshot.

Nat pulls you by your waist upstairs and into a room where you could hear each other better. She shuts the door behind you.

“Well?”

“She treated you like shit. You can’t fall back into that scheme she does. Sure she’s hot, but it’s not worth it,” Nat explains.

“You don’t get to make that choice for me. I didn’t mind telling her that I was here alone. And do you really think low enough of me that you think I’d fall back into her trap?” You ask her. You’re feeling yourself get angry, but Nat just smiles. You sigh. “What?”

“That is the most I have ever heard you speak,” Natasha says.

You feel heat rush up your neck. The fact that you’re alone here with Nat is finally sinking in.

“Oh, I guess I’m kinda quiet. But I just needed you to not have a bad opinion of me and think I’d try to get with her. She has a boyfriend and I would never,” you explain.

She crosses the room to get closer to you. Once again, she invades your space.

“You’re cute when you ramble,” she says. She’s just inches from your face.

“Natasha,” you say, practically breathless from how close she is. You’ve never seen her this up close before. She’s even more beautiful than you thought.

Nat takes your cheeks in her hands and rubs her thumbs over them.

“You’re gorgeous,” she says. You could shrink under her strong gaze, but you stand tall. “Did you know that?”

“No,” you mumble honestly. You’ve never been one to boast about your appearance.

“Oh that won’t do,” she says. “Can I make you know it?”

You’re not sure what you’re about to agree to, but you want to say yes more than anything in the world.

“Yes please,” your words come out and you feel embarrassed but Natasha doesn’t let that last.

She surges forward and presses a soft kiss to your lips. It feels like it never has before. One of her hands comes to the back of your neck as she deepens the kiss. Her tongue slips into your mouth and your knees actually do go weak. She gives you a break.

“Do you believe it now?” She asks.

“I might need some more convincing,” you try your best attempt at flirting.

Natasha smirks and nudges you onto the bed. She crawls onto it and straddles your waist.

“So you can flirt,” she marvels. She leans down and kisses you once again. Her lips feel even better this time. Soon, her lips find their way onto your neck. You feel her lips, tongue, and teeth against your skin.

“Oh Nat,” you moan out and she smiles against your neck.

“Keep doing that, baby. Tell me what you like,” she says between kisses.

“Okay,” you say.

She stops kissing you and lifts her head up. You take in the sight of her above you. She’s ethereal. Her fingers slip under your shirt hem.

“You’re going to have to answer me better than that,” Natasha commands. You look at her confusedly.

“Um- yes?” You try.

“No. Come on, baby girl, you know what I’m trying to get you to say. Can I take your shirt off?” She feeds you the question.

It hits you then what she means. You’ve not called anyone that before, but it feels right with her here taking such good care of you already.

“Yes daddy,” you say. She smirks.

“Good girl.”

Natasha picks up the pace from there. She takes off your shirt and her own before slipping off your bra as well.

She takes one breast in her hands as she licks your nipple on the other. Nat takes her time worshipping your body. Each second makes you wetter and wetter.

“Let daddy take care of you,” she says as she moves down your legs and unzips your pants, slipping them off expertly.

Nat litters soft kisses to your thighs. Your body is threatening to reach your peak without her even touching you right where you need her.

“Natasha, please,” you can’t help but beg. She stops kissing your thighs and you practically whine at the loss of contact.

“Patience, dorogoy,” she says. You don’t know what it means, but the accent she uses makes you even wetter.

She ghosts a finger over your panties and moans when she feels the wetness through them.

“Did anyone ever touch you like this?”

“No. Only you, daddy,” you answer.

“Where did my shy girl go?” She teases you. You turn red at her words.

She smirks and finally pulls your panties to the side before she slips her fingers through your wetness.

“Fuck,” she mumbles. “All for me.”

“All for you.”

She plunges a finger inside of you and immediately you’re moaning louder. Nat wastes no time adding a couple of more fingers and filling you up.

“You take my fingers so well, sweetheart. Imagine what you’d do to my strap.”

And you do imagine it. You can’t help but want that to happen with her.

“Nat I’m so-“

“Come for me, baby. Come for daddy,” she says.

And you do. You coat her fingers in cum and she works you through every moment of your orgasm.

“Fuck that was so hot,” Natasha says. She brings her fingers to her mouth and licks them.

You watch in awe as she keeps eye contact with you. She smirks and shifts to kiss you. Nat leaves you with a bite to your lip before she slips her fingers into your mouth. You suck on them as she wants you to. Once she relents, you try to take control.

“I want to taste you,” you tell her.

“Oh, do you?” Natasha teases.

“Please daddy.”

“Well, I can’t say no to that.”

She lays on the bed next to you and unhooks her bra. It falls to the side. Your eyes go wide at her breasts.

You move over her and suck on her nipples probably for far too long. But the moans you’re pulling from her are well worth it.

Eventually you move on and take her pants off. You’re careful as you pull them down her legs and she smiles at your softness.

“You’re not going to hurt me, sweetheart,” she says. You take them off. She’s wearing boxers underneath. Your brain is fuzzy as you slip them off of her as well.

“Natasha, you’re so beautiful,” you tell her as she lays there naked. She seems shy for first time.

You wonder if this is why no one ever succeeds in getting with her. She has more layers than you thought.

“Please,” she says.

You don’t tease her like she teased you and instead jump right in. You lick her softly and she pushes your head further into her center.

When you take her clit in your mouth, she moans and you add a finger to work in tandem with your mouth.

“Fuck baby,” she says. “I’m so close.”

“Come for me, daddy,” you say.

You love the taste of her against your tongue as she comes. She relaxes and you move up the bed to lay next to her. Nat turns her head to you and you feel shy again.

“Do you know you’re gorgeous now?” She asks.

In lieu of answering, you kiss her lips ever so softly. It takes all of your confidence, but the way she chases after your lips for another kiss gives you a boost.

“We should probably get back to the party,” she says.

“Yeah,” you agree.

But neither of you make the move to get up.

“Yelena’s gonna kill me,” you wonder out loud.

“Oh god. Please don’t say my sister’s name when I’m naked in bed with you,” Natasha says. She feigns disgust and you grin. “But I won’t let her kill you.”

“Thanks Nat.”

After a few more moments, you both get up and find your clothes.

“You ready?” She asks. It seems like another loaded question. You’re ready for everything with this woman and you hope so much that she’ll indulge you in this fact.

“I am,” you answer.

Nat surprises you when she intertwines her fingers with yours before you exit the room together.

You’re hand in hand with Natasha Romanoff, the woman you’ve been in love with for some time. It’s absolutely perfect.

[sdeprived]

The Oldest Dream & Kim Dokja's guilt.

Even if 100% kdj could've gone back with the Kimcom after their encounter with OD I highly doubt he would've been able to happily walk out of that train with them as if nothing happened. That kind of development was always impossible, bc kdj himself wouldn't DARE to imagine it after what he discovered when he met Oldest Dream.

He felt so much guilt that he couldn't and wouldn't be able to forgive himself, so that final act of heroism and salvation -stepping up as the OD and staying behind to maintain that world's existence- was also his self imposed punishment, and he needed that more than he needed his own happiness.

That's why the part of him that went back with the Kimcom was the half that didn't remember being OD. He wouldn't be able to look at his companions' faces knowing that all of the tragedies happened bc he dared to read some webnovel to escape his own.

And seeing things from his perspective, his reaction makes so much sense. Imagine you spend all of your time thinking and planning and trying to find a way out of hell for you and your dearest people just to find out you're "responsible" for their misery. That's tough. Even if nobody ever blamed him, it's like 99% impossible that he wouldn't blame himself.

It's commonly said in the fandom that kdj doesn't understand how loved he is, but I think things go a little more deep, bc kdj is no fool (at least the "rational" part of him lmao). He saw his friends sacrifice and fight for him, he heard them say and prove how much they cared for him, and he even felt guilty about how much his repeated deaths affected them, so he's very much aware of the FACT that he is loved and wanted. What I do think is that he refuses to accept all that love bc he thinks he doesn't deserve it after everything he has done.

He thinks he has to suffer and sacrifice himself eternally to atone for his original sin, and also due to his history of trauma, he has engraved in his mindset the thought that he's meant to be alone and separated from the world, that's how it's ought to be, so when the "narrative" had to form the ideal and ultimate torture scenario for him, it was exactly that.

And maybe it's up to interpretation, and this has an explanation inside the fantasy and world building (not up to that part of the Side Story but I've seen some mild spoilers). but that final part in which the Kimcom regressed together and crossed the whole 1865 worldline just for him, while he was reading almost simultaneously what was happening, that they were coming for him, to me personally felt very bittersweet, bc as much as he wanted to go back with them, he also wanted to stay firm in his decision of keeping himself away.

And that's exactly what he did. Him breaking into millions of pieces and scattering through universes to me feels like he -once again- ran away from his happiness. At least metaphorically speaking I believe it was meant to convey that in some way.

Maybe the "magical" consequence has its own explanation, but it also happened bc kdj himself wasn't able to "dream" an ending in which he didn't need to punish and isolate himself anymore.

And that's why the last attempt to bring him back was to reach all of his fragments and show them how he was seen from his companions eyes.

There are so much themes and symbols in orv that I find myself trying to interpret every single event in as much angles as possible. It is genuinely entertaining 'cause there are so many different approaches to this specific topic that could be made.

Btw this whole rant was inspired by this Twitter thread :D go give it a read if you want!

-Sleep🌵

[majoliish]

i know the obey me boys are all pretty rowdy in their own ways, especially once they've combined forces, but I do genuinely believe that each and every one of them would do their own thing to make sure you feel included in conversations, even if you happen to be a pretty quiet and shy person by nature.

under the cut: the seven demon brothers finding ways to help a reader who struggles to be heard/listened to during conversations

Lucifer commands attention when he's talking, it's just a known fact of the world. Barely anybody ever dares to interrupt him. It may take him a while to notice that you struggle to participate in conversations and interactions, but once he has, it lingers non-stop in his mind until he figures out a smooth way to rope you into the subject. He'll scold those who interrupt you, and sometimes just may randomly ask for your opinion on things, a bit like a teacher randomly calling on a student. Though he can be a bit of a bulldozer at times, he does make a conscious effort to make sure you feel seen and heard, and you get an opportunity to say your part in every conversation.

Mammon struggles with this a lot himself, on both sides - he often talks over others, but also gets talked over in turn, so it really frustrates him to see when you're not getting your turn to speak. He takes a headstrong approach to it, simply demanding for everyone else to shut up so you can speak. If anyone argues with him or interrupts when you're speaking, they'll earn a smack upside the head and a surprisingly stern look ("What, you didn't think I could take authority like that? I'm the second oldest, c'mon, give me some credit!"). He won't hesitate to try and preside over an entire conversation just to make sure everyone is getting a fair turn, and nobody is going on for too long. If all else fails and he knows you're still struggling to break into the conversation, he's more than happy to just pull you off to the side and inform you that you're allowed to say whatever you like to him, the others just get to miss out because they were all absorbed in whatever they were saying.

Leviathan is almost painfully ignorant of how much he can talk at times. He can go for minutes at a time with barely a break to take a breath, especially when it's a subject he's passionate about. He thrives at first when you seem to just let him talk a lot, but over time he begins to pick up on the signs, because he's had it happen to him, too (albeit in a much more over-the-top way from his brothers), and he soon starts to fret over you - he may categorise you as a 'quiet character' archetype in conversations but it's like it hurts him personally to see you try to enter a conversation only to fail. He works really hard to push conversations towards your interests and things you'd know about so you'll be given a fair go and an opportunity to shine and show off your knowledge! (Bonus points if it's also something he likes as well)

Satan is on the ball from the first time he sees it happen, and he silently seethes on your behalf, even if you don't seem all that upset. He agonises over it for a while, trying to hold in his anger until it just pops a few minutes later, and he goes off at anyone who talked over you or wouldn't listen to what you had to say. He's been ignored and spoken over his fair share of times, so it's a touchy subject to him, and he firmly believes that nobody else deserves that sort of treatment. If it happens again, he's on it right away, pointing out that you had something to say, and whoever spoke over you needs to wait their turn (usually in more unfriendly words). If it happens a third time, however, he'll just take your arm and drag you off and insist that he's more than happy to listen to you for as long as you like.

Asmodeus finds it to be a pretty baffling conundrum at first, he just doesn't quite grasp what the big deal is, it's not something he really notices, but if it's pointed out, or there's a certain subject he really wants your opinion on, he starts to pick up on it more and more, and it just won't sit right with him. The more he thinks about it, the sadder he gets on your behalf - to him, not being paid attention to is akin to a dagger in the heart. It's not long before he's figured out his own 'Asmo-coded' way of making sure you stay in the loop. He'll stand close by you when he can, sometimes draping an arm around you, twining your pinkies or holding hands - he has no problem keeping attention on himself, so by including you in his radiance, it's like the both of you are suddenly being listened to - it works like a charm, and you'll have any chance you like to fully dominate the conversation.

Beelzebub isn't really on the ball with social situations - he's a demon of few words, and those words are usually some variation of "I'm hungry.". However, he's had a few incidents where he's had something he felt was very important or genuine that he needed to say and has been talked over by his chattier brothers, so he knows what it's like. You'll notice that he always pays careful attention to you when you're speaking, and will keep his eyes on you even if you trail off as you get interrupted. He's experienced the same situation with Belphie a lot over the years, so knows what signs to look out for, and doesn't want you to go through the same grief his little brother has. He asks follow up questions to your statements and pays careful attention to the things you say - he may not have the greatest memory, but he tries really hard, and his warmth and kindness has a sort of comforting glow to it.

Belphegor, while it seems like he always has the attention of the others, knows exactly how you feel (albeit in a slightly different way). While he's heard, he's not listened to, and others tend to brush him and his words off pretty quickly, only to give praise to someone else when they say pretty much the exact same thing. Once he's started to notice the pattern, it's like he's always got an eye on you (when they're not both closed, that is). It's kind of like a mimicry of what Beelzebub does, but in his own signature way. It's kind of like, when he notices you're being shunned out of the conversation, he's pulling you into a separate little bubble off to the side and making sure that you know that you've got his attention and you're allowed to speak as much as you like to him without having to worry about being spoken over or not listened to.

Please don't repost, steal, copy or otherwise plagiarise my writing! This includes posting translations to other sites and using it to teach bots!

[agirlwithdemonblood]

Breaking Free: Chapter 2: In the Shadows of Lies

Pairings: AU! Mechanic Dean x Reader

Chapter Summary: Andrew isn't happy with Y/N, and Dean sees something he wished he didn't.

Warnings: Mentions of domestic assault, physical abuse, threatening, panic, angst.

Series Masterlist here!! & Main masterlist here!

The next morning, I woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed despite the drama of the previous day. There was a faint glimmer of hope in my heart, perhaps sparked by Dean, the man I'd met. Yet, I couldn't ignore the reality: I hardly knew him.

Why was I so eager to see him again?

My plans were clear: get my car fixed, leave town with whatever money I had left, avoid Andrew and his lies, and start fresh. Oddly, the thought of not seeing Dean after my car was fixed stung a bit, why was I going to miss him?

After getting ready, I headed to the bank and withdrew my remaining money, closed my account, and opened a new one to prevent Andrew from accessing my funds again. It was a small victory, but it felt like progress.

Next stop was the coffee shop I went to every morning, trying to get back into my routine before I left for good. Sitting at the bar, I ordered breakfast, trying to ignore the curious glances I recieved. Why did they look at me like they knew something? Did Andrew spread lies here too?

The waitress came by, and instead of greeting me normally, she stood by the counter, her eyes narrowing down at me.

"Listen... I don't know what you heard about me but.."

She quickly cut me short, leaning closer to me. "Listen, people aren't comfortable with you being here. From what we heard from Andrew, it's best if you don't come back.

My heart raced, ears blocked, and I struggled to breathe as the panic rose. "With all due respect, you don't have the full story." I managed to say quietly.

She chuckled softly, "We all know Andrew. He's the friendliest guy around."

I nodded, looking away. "And what have you heard about me?"

"We heard you used him, got tired of playing second fiddle, acted out for attention. Issues with drinking, violence... then you took his money and disappeared. Now you're back to torment him."

I froze, tears welling up. Why was Andrew spreading these lies to isolate me? “That’s not true at all. He hurt me. I could take off my makeup and show you. Andrew is not a nice guy and even though he seems like it, he has darkness inside of him.”

She rolled her eyes and scoffed,"Look, I'm not trying to cause a scene, but I think it's best if you just leave."

Nodding, I got up from my seat and left. I couldn't handle the fact that he was right, nobody was ever going to believe me.

Back at the motel, I saw Dean's truck outside and my heart stopped momentarily. I quickly wiped my eyes and tried to compose myself before walking closer, he didn't need to see me cry. He probably wouldn't even care, nobody cared, they just wanted me gone.

Has Dean heard these rumours?

He smiled warmly until I stepped closer, noticing the redness in my eyes. "Y/N? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied unconvincingly. His lingering gaze suggested he saw through my facade, but I pushed my head down, eyes focusing on my boots.

"Uh, so your car's ready. Four new tires," he said, trying to distract me.

"Thank you. How much?" I questioned, trying to hide the anxiety at whatever number he was about to drop.

Dean hesitated, a small shy smile spreading on his lips. "Instead of payment, I was wondering if I could I get your number?"

My breath caught in my throat as i stared up at him, "What?"

His cheeks flushed with embarrassment, a nervous smile playing at his lips. "Sorry, that was forward. I meant, I don't need you to pay me back. I just thought maybe we could grab some dinner sometime?"

I urged myself to respond but no words came out. My mouth opened, but before I could speak, Andrew's voice cut through, causing me to flinch. He approached angrily, distrupting the moment. "Y/N, can I speak with you?"

I faced Dean, smiling nervously. "I-I'm sorry, I have to go.."

Dean looked puzzled, but stayed put, watching cautiously as Andrew closed in on me. Fear gripped me. I wanted to hide behind Dean, but I couldn't burden a stranger with my troubles.

Andrew closed the distance, flashing his fake smile and standing beside Dean and I. "Andrew Wilson, nice to meet you."

"Uh, Dean Winchester. Nice to meet you too."

Andrew stopped, a wide grin spreading across his face as he tried to win Dean's favour. "Winchester, like Winchester mechanics?"

Dean nodded in response.

"Wow, small world. I was going to call John for an interview tomorrow. How cool is that?"

I knew Andrew was trying to manipulate Dean, and he seemed to sense it too. "Anyways, I need to talk to Y/N for a minute. Afterward, she can settle the bill with you."

Dean glanced at me, noticing my fear and perhaps the bruises beneath my makeup. He nodded and settled back in his truck, keeping an eye on us. He couldn't ignore the tight grip of Andrew's hand on my arm or the tremors of fear coursing through my body.

He wished he could intervine, to punch Andrew and pull me from the scene, but he knew it wasn't his fight-at least not yet. He barely knew me; stepping in now might complicate things further.

But as Andrew led me forcefully toward the motel room, Dean's cheeks burned with anger and worry. He sensed trouble brewing, a sinking feeling that something was very wrong.

Stepping out of his truck, Dean leaned against the wall, the sound of screaming filling his ears and shattering his heart.

Andrew's voice was furious, accusing me of lying and staining his reputation. He advanced on me aggressively, trapping me against the wall. The punch he aimed at the wall beside me made tears well up-I knew he intended to hurt me again.

"You're a fucking bitch." Andrew spat, his face twisted with rage. "Telling your stupid fucking lies. Tomorrow, you're going back and telling everybody you were drunk and you lied."

"N-No." I stammered, fear gripping me as he pressed closer, his hand on my cheek. "I'm not going to."

He laughed bitterly, his eyes threatening. "You will, or I'll drag you there myself. I can make your life hell, believe me."

"Get off me, Andrew!" I pleaded, desperation creeping into my voice.

He laughed again, his hand tightening on my face. Panic overwhelmed me-I had to act. Summoning all my courage, I slapped him hard across the face, pushing him away before bolting for the door.

I grasped the doorknob, but Andrew's grip on my arm yanked me brutally to the ground. He dragged me back, pinning me down. In that moment of terror, all I could do was scream, praying that Dean might hear from outside.

"Please! Help me please!" I screamed, but Andrew's hand clamped over my mouth, his voice commanding me to shut up.

The door swung open, and Andrew quickly scrambled off me, casually leaning against the wall as if nothing had happened, while I remained laying on the ground, tears streaming down my face.

"Get away from her, now!" Dean's voice rang out sharply.

Andrew scoffed, stepping closer. "This isn't what it looks like. She attacked me. Look at my face, she hit me, this is what she does!"

Dean stood silent, his gaze piercing through Andrew before settling on me. His heart sank seeing me in this state-crying, shaking, my face flushed with fear. He knew the truth of what had happened.

"You need to leave." Dean ordered.

With a dismissive laugh, Andrew turned towards the door, pausing just above me. "I'll see you soon, Y/N. Remember what I said."

As Andrew exited, a wave of relief washed over me, though the fear still gripped me tight, making me unable to move, still shaking and sobbing uncontrollably.

Dean crouched down beside me, his touch on my shoulder making me flinch. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"

I shook my head, hiding my face in my hands, mortified by the whole scene. I was sure Dean would regret asking me out now, maybe he even believed Andrew's lies.

He shifted his hand to my back, helping me sit up, and then did something unexpected—he pulled me onto his arms, wrapping me in a protective hug.

I sobbed into his neck, gradually calming down as Dean reassured me that everything was okay now that Andrew was gone.

When I finally mustered the courage to meet Dean's eyes, I found only gentleness and understanding in his gaze.

Dean stood up, helping me to my feet. "You going to be okay?"

I nodded, wiping my tears away, but when Dean noticed my bruises now that the makeup was faded, his face fell.

He gently touched my cheek, his voice filled with concern. "Did he do this to you?" Dean asked softly.

I swallowed hard, avoiding his gaze, afraid of what he might think of me. But Dean nodded knowingly and drew me into a light hug. "I’m sorry you went through that."

I shrugged, fighting back tears. "It’s alright. I should have known better than to irritate him."

"From what I saw, you weren’t provoking him at all. You were just trying to move on, and he clearly has some issues to sort out," Dean reassured me firmly.

I stayed silent, unsure of how to respond. Opening up about Andrew before had only led to pain. Would it be the same with Dean?

Dean rubbed his neck awkwardly as we walked back to his truck, grabbing some papers from the seat.

"Um, I know this is probably bad timing, but I still don’t want you to pay for the tires. And I'd still like to take you out to dinner," Dean said sincerely.

Despite the situation, I couldn't help but laugh softly at his persistence. "Dean, why do you want to take me out after everything you've heard about me?"

He turned to face me, muscles flexing as he crossed his arms. "Because none of it seems true to me. You seem kind, funny, and beautiful. I don’t believe Andrew’s lies, and I'd like to get to know you better."

I was stunned by his sincerity, feeling a flutter in my chest at his words. Without overthinking it, I closed the distance between us, my hands resting on his chest.

Dean looked surprised, his eyes fluttering shut as I leaned up to kiss him. It was a moment of relief and hope, feeling a connection I hadn't expected.

When we pulled apart, his shy smile left me breathless. "Um, so is that a yes to dinner?" Dean asked, cheeks tinted pink.

I giggled softly, nodding as I took the papers from him to jot down my number. "Definitely yes."

Dean grinned broadly. "Great. I’ll call you, and we can figure out the details, okay?"

"Sounds perfect. Thank you, Dean, for everything," I said gratefully.

He nodded and winked at me, sending my heart racing. In that moment, I knew Dean was special. He had already begun to change my life, and I wanted to do the same for him.

Dean's POV

I couldn't get that kiss out of my head. It was incredible, especially after everything Andrew put you through. You initiated it, and it made my head spin and my heart race. I barely knew you, but I knew I wanted to protect you. This whole situation was insane, but maybe it was the good kind of crazy.

I parked my truck in the shop's lot, instantly spotting my dad marching over, his anger obvious.

Great, another problem.

As I stepped out, he came closer until he was right in front of me, swinging a punch that caught me off guard.

"What the hell, Dad?" I protested, stumbling back against the truck.

"Don’t 'what the hell, Dad' me," he snapped. "Andrew Wilson just called. Winchester Mechanics had an interview lined up, but he claims you caused a scene with his ex-girlfriend at the motel. I told you to stay away from her!"

Anger simmered inside me. "Dad, if you had seen what Andrew was doing to her, you would've done the same. She was covered in bruises, and Andrew's lying about her."

"It’s not our damn business! Are you willing to risk our shop over some girl?"

I rolled my eyes, leaning back against the truck. "You don’t understand. You should have seen her."

He scoffed and pushed me against the truck, inches from my face. "You better hope Andrew reschedules that interview. All this fuss over a girl is ridiculous."

He walked away, leaving me to wipe the blood from my lip. I didn't care about the interview or Andrew's games. All that mattered was making sure Andrew never laid a hand on you again.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Chapter 3 coming soon stay tuned!

Like, comment, and reblog, feedback is my fuel 💕

[hannahssimblr]

I don’t mean to slam the paper onto the examiners desk quite this hard. Hard enough that he looks over the rim of his glasses with alarm. He doesn’t say anything to me, nor I to him, because I can’t remember the circumstances under which I am allowed to speak in the exam room. 

He peers at my paper, my name and exam number scrawled on the top in the boxes where they are supposed to be, nods, and looks away. I feel he should say or do something, something in acknowledgement of the fact that I’ve just completed the leaving cert, but he might not even know that, and if he does, he might not care.

The moment doesn’t feel as momentous as it should.

So I exit quietly into the hallway. Empty, and warm from the bright June sun that streams onto the old linoleum flooring. I’m conscious that this is the last time I will ever see these floors, and that the steps I take over them are my last, so I do what I did when I was a kid. I try to remember this moment, I try to savour it, to linger in the way that I used to linger in the holiday resort hotel room after we packed our bags, to preserve the memory.

I realise quickly that I don’t want to remember this place. I might like to forget all the details instead.

Mr. Doherty is by the main door, I don’t know why. Maybe he is on duty to ensure that nobody was hiding cheating materials in the bathrooms, and if so he’s not doing a good job. He’s chatting the ear off the secretary, leaning on the reception desk and adjusting his cap over his big bald head as he jaws on about some recent event surrounding the football players who practise at his local pitch.

He spots me approaching and makes a big show of checking his invisible watch. 

“Turner! Leaving the exam a bit early, are you?”

“Finished it, sir.”

“I hope you took the time to check your answers,” He winks at the secretary as though she’s in on whatever joke this is, “I hope you didn’t make some silly auld mistake, now, did you?”

“Don’t think so,” I reply, as though it actually matters, as though he or anyone in the Berlin art academy has a remote interest in my applied maths exam. 

“Where you off to now then, the pub, I’d say, are you?”

I shrug noncommittally, “Might.”

“Well, don’t go mad,” He pokes the tip of his tongue between his front teeth, snickering, and glances quickly at the secretary to check that she’s laughing too, and she is, sort of, more smiling politely in that way that women do when they’re trying to placate men like him, but I bet he can’t tell the difference. “I don’t want to see you around the town tonight in some awful state, falling about, and whatnot, as you’re known to do.”

I just smile, “No, sir.”

“No, Mr Turner?”

“No. You’ll never see me again, sir.” I head straight for the door and heave it open.

The sun blinds me.

I breathe in the air, and it’s the same, everything looks and smells and feels the same as it always has, but it isn’t.

This is the last time. It’s finally over.

Beginning // Prev // Next

[zombiewhor3]

THE END OF US

fem reader x carl grimes

WARNINGS: main character death, spouse loss, angst, grief, implications of depression,

impatiently she waited, well in her mind it had felt like years, when in reality it had only been months since she watched Glenn die.

Now she was waiting for a letter from Carl,

she waited for a letter that explained what was happening in Alexandria while she was staying at Hilltop.

everyday felt like hell without any word from Carl, and with the war still going on nobody from Alexandria ever visited Hilltop.

Unless it was necessary, unless they needed supplies or even people to fight with them.

And even then Hilltop hadn't had that much to offer as their own food source and weapon source began to grow smaller and smaller.

Y/n rested on her knees her hands wearing gloves as she gently placed in the last tomato plant into the garden bed Maggie had created.

Once covered with soil she slipped off her gloves and used a watering container to drizzle water over the plants in hope they grow full and healthy with fresh vegetables for them to eat.

she could hear the guards yell a signal to open the gates to which she rushed and stood just at the opening watching as people from Alexandria started to fill in.

Rick, Daryl, Rosita and Tara all there with nothing but false expressions trying to hide the fact they had just lost another person.

Without a doubt y/n wrapped her arms around Daryl and she could sense something was off, not just by the lack of the hug back but from the way he hadn't said anything to her.

the gates shut behind them and they had stepped foot into hilltops territory, Rick had looked down at his shoes after seeing Maggie approaching to see what news there was.

Carol and Morgan gathered behind her and other members of hilltop stopped their job to look at the leader Rick Grimes in front of them.

"what's happening?" Carol asked and could see as Daryl made an eye contact with her, a sad one, one that was swallowing back sadness.

"Carls dead" the words from ricks mouth struck her like lightning, her eyes widened and everything in her body seemed to freeze.

her knees dropped to the ground and it felt like the world had stopped, her vision blurred and her lungs collapsing inside her.

Maggie had wrapped her arms around her, because she understood the pain, the pain of losing someone without even a goodbye.

-

Now she hadn't eaten anything in days, nothing except small sips of water to keep her mouth from running unbearably dry.

she sat at the guard tower day and night, she was ignoring the fact she needed sleep.

a gun was rested in her holster as she desperately waited for something, anything to come by the gates of Alexandria.

now that Carl was gone what was the meaning of this god forsaken place? Was one dead boy really going to stop a war?

she had been transported to Alexandria by Maggie and Jesus in hopes that she would maybe be able to properly mourn.

because it was carls body buried on that land, he was buried right next to where all the others were, where they all rested peacefully.

but she hadn't visited his grave, no matter how much she wanted to face the reality that he was gone it was all just to much.

She could feel a palm press against her shoulder blade and it had made her jump a little.

"relax kiddo it's me" Daryl spoke and could see as she let out a relived breath, she took a seat on the railing and watched him do the same.

"you shouldn't be up here all the time" Daryl spoke and could see as she shrugged,

and just as he was about to speak again he heard giggles coming from just below them.

they peaked their head down to see Judith who was running out of the house, her blonde hair bouncing around in her face.

y/n had climbed down the ladder to grab her before she had gotten to far from Michonne or ricks reach,

Holding her in her arms and seeing her smile had made her start to quiver a little,

she had a sad and soft expression as she looked at the joyful child who had no clue what was happening except that she was running.

Not from something or a monster she was running because she was a gleeful child, who was simply trying to play like every child should. 

she only imagined what the future would be like without Carl, birthdays and holidays would go by as his and Judith's hand print on the front porch would soon start to wither away from the rain and all sorts of weather that had occured.

she would spend her nights alone and when in doubt of making the right decision she had no one to guide her, no one to settle her emotions when they were all torn up into shreds. 

she never understood why carl was so nice of heart, why he was so willing to let a stranger come into their home, he gave him food and water and yet he was still re-paid from the world with a walker bite, one that couldn't be cured or amputated. 

there was nothing he could do but turn into rotting flesh, turn into one of those monsters. 

everyone else in the community could sense her ache as they walked past, as they could see the lack of sleep and the pity that always seemed to linger in her eyes after he died. 

especially Daryl, he could see how she sat at his grave for hours at a time flipping through his old comic books or just staring blankly at it almost like she was thinking and yet he knew exactly what was in her thoughts because he had the same ones.

the same ones of if he had made the right choice would Glenn be alive? if he hadn't let his temper escape him what would've happened? 

she couldn't help herself but think if she'd stayed in Alexandria with him maybe she could've prevented the bite, prevented all the ache the rotting corpses caused to their family.

maybe he'd still be alive right here and now and standing up for what he believed in. 

she sat at the foot of her grave as Judith played with a stuffed toy in her lap, y/n could feel her heart ache a little at the fact of the child's innocence how sweet she was and how the world truly didn't deserve her or her brother. 

but in the end she still had all the memories and rememberance of the sweet words he used to say, the comic books he left by her bedside and oh, the crafted necklace he made her. 

and if she ever needed to talk he'd be there buried.

[mopeyy]

Forgotten Love

Nor x Fem Na'vi Reader

angst

Summary: Reader is in love with Nor, but he's still in love with her dead sister.

Inspired by this post!!

The soft ground of pandora glowed with each step you took, the leaves rustling from the soft wind. The glowing plants and moon guided you safely through the forest. You thought back to what led you out here tonight, how nobody in the resistance could find Nor, and you were tasked to look for him. Of course, you were the only one who knew where he'd be. You knew Nor more than anyone here, you'd memorized him from the many years you spent together in the RDA.

You stepped over a log, making your way towards the top of the waterfall, his favorite spot. You weren't surprised to see his figure sitting there, his legs dangling over the edge. Since the resistance rescued all of you, he often came up here to think. You didn't try to be quiet as you approached him, not wanting to accidentally scare him. His sharp ears twitched when you took a step. He knew you were there.

He said nothing when you took a seat next to him, still keeping his gaze on the view infront of him. Determined to end the silence, you spoke first. "Everyone is looking for you, Priya sent me to go and find you." He let a soft smile pass his face, "Well than you've found me." His gaze was unwavering, still not turning to look at you. You took note to the crease in his brows, and how his ears were slightly pinned back, he was upset. "Is this about the Aranahe? I know we spoke about it last time." You questioned.

Was he still upset? Scared that the Na'vi might view him different? Your thoughts came to an end when he replied, "No, not this time. its just-" He paused, contemplating on wether to not to tell you, "Its nothing, don't worry yourself" He ended, deciding to keep whatever he was thinking about private. You let out a soft sigh. With everything going on it was not a good time to keep secrets from one another. You placed a hand on his shoulder, "I don't mind worrying, you are my friend. Tell me, what's on your mind?" He glanced at you from the corner of his eye before placing his hand on top of yours.

He opened his mouth to speak, "Im just thinking about Aha'ri. How unfair it is that we get to be here and she doesn't. " You stayed silent, leading him to continue, "She would have loved it here, to be Na'vi. She was so brave and adventurous." A smile overtook his face as he spoke about her. You watched how his eyes held a different look in them. It was a look you haven't seen before. Why did he look this way when speaking about your sister? "I don't know I just...well, do you ever think about her?" He asked, turning to face you and watch for your response.

You swallowed before answering, "Of course I do, everyday. She was the only family I had left." you whispered, voice growing quiet and sad at the thought of her. He took your silence as his turn to speak, "I sometimes wonder what things would be like if she was still here. How different they would be." You raised a brow at this, confused you asked, "Different how?" He paused once again, thinking about his next words, "I haven't told anyone this before but, when we were children I.." he hesitated, taking a short pause before continuing, "When we were children I was in love with her. And...sometimes I think I still am." He confessed. He watched your face for any sort of reaction but you couldn't believe what you were hearing. Yes, Nor often talked of your sister but you just thought it was because he missed her like the rest of you did, you had never imagined that he may have loved her. You knew for a fact that your sister had not felt the same. When you were children all she focused on was escaping and keeping your Sarentu culture alive. She wasn't focused on love. and never once had she mentioned such a thought about Nor. How could he love someone who didn't feel the same, someone who was no longer here? How could he still love her when you were right here, in love with him.

Your eyes fell to your lap and your ears pinned to your head. You removed your hand from his shoulder and stood up. Watching you, he stood up too. "Im sorry, was that too much? I know speaking of her can bring back the memories for you and that was never my intention." He explained, he felt bad thinking that the thought of your sister made you sad all over again. You shook your head and began walking away from him, "Its not that Nor, its nothing don't worry." He started to walk behind you. He didn't want you to leave the conversation upset. "What happened to being friends and telling each other what's on our minds?" He questioned, using your words against you. When you didn't respond he grabbed your arm. Soft enough not to hurt you, but tight enough to stop you from walking away. He put his other hand on your hip, turning you to face him. "Y/n, what is it?" He pleaded.

You let out a soft breath before looking up at him through your lashes, begging your eyes not to water. "Its you Nor" You spoke. His face changed to one of confusion. His eyes narrowed and his brows creased in confusion. "I-what?" He replied, the confusion evident in his tone. You rolled your eyes. How could he be so dense? "Im upset because of you Nor. How could you love my sister when I've been here the whole time? How could you love her when I love you." You mumbled the last part. When he stayed quiet you continued to speak, "Why do you think its always me who finds you when no one else can? Why do you thinks its always me who comforts you when your upset? Why do you thinks it me who knows what concerns you? Why do you think its me who knows you." You finished.

Upon your confession his grip on you loosened. You took this as your chance to leave. Your broke free of his grip and walked away into the forest. he didn't follow after you.

comment if you want part 2!

[stargazer-sims]

Cake

Vika was hungry (again), so she walked down the hill to the café to get some chocolate cake, and look who she met outside:

Dash: Hello, beautiful lady. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you around here before.

Vika: You’re speaking to me?

Dash: Do you see any other beautiful ladies around at the moment?

Vika: Excuse me. My English is bad. You said two times, I’m beautiful.

Dash: Because you are.

Vika: You don’t know me.

Dash: Do I need to know you to recognize your beauty?

Vika: Maybe I’m evil. What then?

Dash: Are you? Evil, I mean.

Vika: Sometimes, in bedroom.

Dash: Ooh… are you indeed? Now I’m intrigued.

Vika: What means ‘intrigued’?

Dash: Well, it means I’m very interested and curious to know more about you.

Vika: You can know my name. It’s Viktoriya.

Dash: It’s nice to meet you, Viktoriya. My name is Dash.

Vika: Dash? Like… running very fast?

Dash: *laughing* Yes, exactly like that, as a matter of fact. My real name is Richard, but nobody ever calls me that. It’s always been Dash, ever since my father stuck me with the nickname when I was a young child.

Vika: My family calls me Vika.

Dash: May I call you Vika?

Vika: Buy me cake. Then I decide.

Dash: Nothing like the direct approach, is there? If you want cake, then you shall have cake. My treat.

Vika: Thank you.

The café was super busy, but Vika and Dash didn’t seem to mind.

Dash: How’s the cake?

Vika: Tastes like you can call me Vika.

Dash: Ha! Success! If I can get this far with cake, imagine what might happen if we went out for dinner sometime.

Vika: I like food. Also pretty men. I could have dinner with you, and dessert.

Dash: Cake for dessert?

Vika: Yes, but also dessert you don’t eat.

Dash: *amused* My favourite kind.

Uh-oh… Look who just came in from the bookshop next door.

Vika: Dash, we should go.

Dash: Why?

Vika: I see… somebody.

Dash: Who?

Vika: No! Do not look. I try not to be noticed.

Dash: It’d be hard not to notice you.

Vika: I know.

Dash: Is this person someone you’re afraid of? I’ll give him a talking to.

Vika: Is not him. Is her. And I’m not afraid of her, but my brother is. She should be afraid of me.

Dash: And… you don’t want to be involved in a scene?

Vika: I don’t want to be arrested by police in foreign country. If I’m in same room with her for long time, it won’t be scene. It will be entire crime film.

Dash: Ah, okay then. Let’s get out of here and go for a walk. I just met you. I don’t want our first date to be at the police lockup, or for you to get sent home for breaking the law.

Vika: Good. I don’t want to go back to my country yet, and orange is not my colour anyway.

[mrbensonmum]

TV Show - Dr. House | House M.D. VII

Unstoppably we are approaching the end of the third season (currently at S3E20, House Training), and I'm wondering, as my memory refuses to reveal, what major event occurs that causes House to reform his team or leads to drastic changes. Yes, I admit, I'm really looking forward to seeing Thirteen (Olivia Wilde) and also Martha M. Masters (Amber Tamblyn), although I think Masters might take a little longer to appear.

It's quite exciting when you've seen everything already, can remember a lot, but a rewatch helps to put all the puzzle pieces back in the right order. Yes, one could think about it, but I enjoy the suspense.

One of the scenes that made me laugh a lot back then has already come up, namely when House compares a patient's body to the German railway system. Back then, the comparison might have been somewhat accurate, and yes, even in the original, he makes the same comparison with the same cities (Berlin & Düsseldorf), but unfortunately, the German trains, whether regional or long-distance, are nowhere near as good and punctual anymore. I've been wondering the whole time if it was like that back then, but no, today it's definitely worse. Just thinking about how many times I got stranded at a train station last year, BIG UFF!

Otherwise, after the Tritter thing, things are moving rather slowly, and I don't think that's a bad thing at all. The highlight, of course, is the romance between Chase and Cameron, although it's almost over by now. I vaguely remember a wedding in the future and maybe even a divorce? No, I'm sure about the wedding, but I don't think there was a divorce. Oh, I also remember the big bus accident involving Wilson's girlfriend. There's a lot more to come!

Speaking of which, I think the dynamic between Wilson and House has changed a lot since the incident with the prescription pad. At first, it seemed like everything was over and they had no future, but now the connection seems stronger than ever. We also saw that in the story with Cuddy, when they both tested each other to see how far they would go. And then just saying "Night House!" "Night Wilson!" to each other, that's a true bromance, ladies and gentlemen! (I know, I'm late to that party!)

But now there's a very heavy episode on, as once again, an important topic is being addressed, one that often unfortunately gets overlooked in every society, Alzheimer's & dementia. Foreman's mother suffers from Alzheimer's, and I know, it really affected me back then because my grandmother died of Alzheimer's, and my mother is showing the first signs of it now. This disease steals the mind first, then the body, and we should talk about it much more and do much more against it. I know what it's like to watch a person lose themselves in the darkness of this disease, and believe me, you wouldn't wish it on anyone. Once again, a topic highlighted by the series and one that should continue to be addressed. I'm currently wondering if House is airing anywhere on regular TV in Germany, but I don't think so at the moment. That should change because yes, it can be fun and enjoyable for about 45 minutes, but it's also a topic of conversation that might find resonance in the workplace or similar institutions, and suddenly a disease is lifted from its obscurity and brought into the real world. THAT'S IMPORTANT! However, there is another important aspect in this episode that must not be overlooked. Doctors make mistakes, and these mistakes can end up being deadly! Of course, nobody wants to talk about it in the real world, and doctors usually don't admit to such things. It's another issue that's hushed up, but the series brings it back to light, brilliantly! Also, the fact that House performs an autopsy afterward for research purposes may seem strange and odd at first, but it's also about finding out where things went wrong. Yes, it's also to stroke one's own ego, but it's also to prevent such things from happening again.

I won't manage to finish the end of the third season today, but there was another remarkable appearance. In the last episode (S3E19, Act your Age), part of the supporting cast of Bones made an appearance. We saw Joel David Moore and Carla Gallo. And in the episode before that (S3E18, Airborne), Pej Vahdat was one of the passengers or Foreman's substitute.

A little thank you to everyone who diligently reads and shares my Dr. House posts. I'm just doing this for fun, but it's cool that it's well-received and my little analyses are being shared. Thank you very much!

[buffkitties]

"their actual dynamic is very interesting and actually pretty similar to regular Komahina"

What do you mean by that?

It means exactly what it looks like.

There are many timelines and scenarios in which Hinata and Komaeda stick together as remnants that would fit their characters and would honestly make more sense than them being apart or barely interacting.

Anyway, first, you have to look at their actual characters and what they're like. They're both observers, in a way. As remnants, neither of them truly caused that much harm, and they both most likely just found themselves in the wrong places at the wrong times.

Komaeda was definitely docile, unlike the other remnants, and he wouldn't kill or harm anybody unless he really needed to. Any real damage would be done by his luck or indirectly brought by him pulling the strings for something. Acting otherwise would be against his character, anyway, since everything he does is for a reason.

Kamukura was in a similar boat, living during the tragedy as nothing more than an observer. He wouldn't harm or kill anybody unless it was necessary, either, and most likely avoided pointless things like that to carry out what he was meant to do and survive since the world wasn't safe for anybody.

Anyway, as servant, Komaeda would rather stay alive than die, which was definitely why he searched safety in Towa City in the first place. If you take a good look at his character, he yearns for self-sacrifice, not out of desire to die, but rather to die a death that means something. As a whole, Komaeda constantly talks about death in a really important way (people say that he talks about it like it's nothing, but that's simply not true), because he, himself, can not avoid death. As many of us know, Komaeda is sick. His life was always going to end sooner than it should ever have since he enrolled in the academy.

Realistically speaking, dying from a disease is a meaningless death:

1. His death will be for nothing; a hopeless outcome, holding nothing but grief and suffering.

2. He will die alone because he has nobody. No family, friends, you get it.

That is a scenario he would rather avoid, which is why he was okay with dying by getting murdered and honestly, much preferred. In the stimulation, he started the killing game because at least ONE person getting to leave would be better than all of them being stuck there, which was hopeless because if we're being honest, one is better than zero. In that scenario, if he was murdered, his death would not only mean something and serve hope—at least one person getting to leave—but he wouldn't be alone in his last moments because he would work with the killer and get murdered by them. Another is chapter 4, when everybody suggested they would rather starve than kill, he was uncomfortable with that fact because at least one of them living would be better. If you approached him for a free time, he even suggested that they could cannibalise him if they needed to, because again, logically, the good his death would bring severely outweighs the fact he'd die, and his death would serve something good (they wouldn't starve to death).

During the tragedy, there was no way he could die without it being meaningless, and despite being brainwashed and his beliefs getting messed up by despair, they are still rooting very deep and he would rather stay alive because his death, just like everybody else's, would be for nothing, but to simply die. Horrible scenario. Also, I believe that in UDG, he hasn't mentioned self-sacrifice once (correct me if I'm wrong).

I believe that this is a case in which he would talk about talent, despair, and hope often. He wouldn't mention it in every sentence, but any conversation COULD turn into that with a wrong turn. Komaeda only talks about them when he's stressed or nervous, and the more disturbed he feels, the more he talks about them. The tragedy was a very traumatic time, and he would undoubtedly spiral into this kind of talk often. In fact, I think nobody would be able to tell that he was a remnant until he started speaking or he was recognised by somebody, because he was really disturbed at the time, and Komaeda is unfiltered and he would voice what goes through his mind. He would most likely speak non-sense a lot, too, often contradicting himself or saying things he would never say, and he would lack self-awareness unless somebody pointed out that he was incoherent and he got confused and began questioning his own words (good example for that is actually chapter 0 of Sdr2, when he talks to Kamukura on the ship)

Kamukura, or rather Hinata, was a wanderer and observer who didn't do anything during the tragedy except for when Junko Enoshima was using him for her plans. Cursed with frustrating understimulation and lack of interest and entertainment in things around him, he allowed himself to be manipulated to get out of an empty room that was basically a cell for him, to feel something. Even if he knew he was being manipulated, he would be used one way or another, if not by her, then by the school or someone entirelt else, and Enoshima's offer seemed much better, at least at the time.

People constantly portray Hinata during those times as emotionless, but he has emotions. They're just severely stunted, and any time he feels something, it passes very fast because he already knows what to expect and can predict almost everything.

I'm too lazy to dig deeper into their characters AGAIN because it should be obvious at this point, but all I'm saying is if you look into them, it'll make sense. These are just small summaries to kinda give you an idea I suppose

Moving on, when it comes to them together, people always give them a bedroom dynamic, and it really annoys me. In reality, they're more likely to simply travel together because it would benefit both of them and give them a better chance at survival or reaching their goals, whatever they would be. They would still feel a draw and trust, and that's because they're connected as characters in general, and one could not exist without the other, so they could never avoid each other, not even then.

Their traits are also very similar. For example, both of them are blunt and docile, and both of them serve a purpose only when it comes to other people. They have other very interesting traits, too, such as that Komaeda would be overly expressive and emotional. Meanwhile, Kamukura would be the complete opposite. Both of them are pretty stubborn, etc.

I think they would find each other's company pleasant, and they wouldn't mind staying together since they wouldn't be bothersome to each other at all. I think there are many cases where Kamukura would keep him safe, too, for many reasons.

Anyway... Hinata and Komaeda are still two sides of the same coin, and they wouldn't be able to stay away from each other, despair or no despair. That part of their dynamic will always remain. When I say that it's pretty similar to regular Komahina, I mean exactly that.

Their dynamic is interesting because their original characters kind of get thrown out, I guess, and they're forced into an environment where they can not act like they usually would because the world doomed them, yet they still mirror each other and have these weirds things linking them and stand out from the rest.

It's honestly more surprising that they were separated in the canon timeline or that they didn't meet before the Kamukura thing, rather than if they were together during the tragedy. I feel like they got seriously lazy writing the anime and UDG

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Hi it's me again!! I rembered my idea :3

So like, Narinder is the bishop of death and, putting it lightly, death is EXTREMELY SCARY. So when he's defeated and recruited, other followers are kinda scared of him. Then the reader comes along, and they don't really care. Death as a concept never really scared them so they're totally chill with Narinder. Also maybe like... he won't say it but it's nice having somebody not be afraid of him.

(Btw can I be known as Forgetful Anon because I will be back)

As Narinder witnessed yet another elder collapse dead near the shrine, he couldn't help but lightly smirk at the followers who gasped at the sight. Some looked terrified, other sickly, and a few were mildly uncomfortable as they wondered where their beloved leader was.

'How strange, they've seen countless followers pass on, haven’t they? I would assume they'd be desensitized to it...oh well.' He just sighed, deciding to go over to prepare the body for burial.

Nobody else could be damned to.

"Out of my way." He gnashed his teeth into a snarl as he pushed past the group, ignoring their terrified stares. "Get back to work."

Obviously, he wasn't the Lamb. So it's usually not his place to give them orders.

Yet...they obeyed him out of blind fear and left him alone.

Honestly, it was nice to still be feared and revered like the fallen god once was. The Lamb was gravely mistaken if they thought he’d be subservient to their demands just because they spared his life.

Oh no.

Death bowed to no one. 

Even in this semi-mortal coil, he remained the symbol of death--the inevitable end for every living creature. 

Every follower in this cult is well-aware of who he is. They should absolutely be terrified by his presence alone-

“You know, we usually bury the dead with their gifts.”

“By the Great Ones-!!” Narinder hissed upon hearing a voice abruptly speak, snapping his head up to see you standing there with a wheelbarrow at the ready. 

Almost instantly, he calmed down, his fur becoming less bristled as he laid the skull pendant back down on the corpse’s chest. “Don’t sneak up on me like that. I was just..checking for dirt and grime.” He made up a lie.

“We polish it during funeral services.” You mentioned, which only further annoyed him. “You’d..probably know that if you attended our gatherings.”

“Well I don’t exactly feel welcomed. Besides, I already know how your rituals go. I saw them all through the crown. And don’t try to tell me “it’s different in-person”. I would only disrupt the service by scaring everyone.” He honestly didn’t know why he bothered talking to you--or why you even approached him.

Were you trying to make him look like an idiot who didn’t know the rules?

“That’s nonsense. All our welcomed in Lamb’s temple.”

He ignored that comment, instead going back to wrapping the body in bandages. You then looked down at the skull necklace, smiling. “The skull pendant is truly phenomenal. The power to extend a life..it’s incredible, isn’t it?”

“Hmph..yes..incredible at only delaying the inevitable.” He scoffed. “It doesn’t change the fact that your mortal lives will remain short..ever-fleeting.” Pausing in his work, he gazed at you ominously. Tell me something, [y/n]..”

“Yes, Narinder?”

“..do you fear death?”

“No.”

He was taken aback by your immediate response. “Really now? Not in the slightest?”

“Nope.” You smiled. “It’s easy to be scared of it, but...I’ve always seen it as a natural part of life. Of course, it’s sad when I see elders die or someone I talked to a second ago being sacrificed or sent off..but it doesn’t scare me, you know? It’s hard to explain but..I’m just indifferent to it, I guess.”

There was a long pause as Narinder stared at you; his face was stoic but his mind was in wonder. Perhaps you grew up on that doctrine: to not fear death. He could very well see it in your traits from the moment you arrived here.

That would explain why you approached him so willingly.

Because he, the epitome of death, didn’t intimidate you one bit.

“Fascinating..but what if you knew your time was running out, and you still had regrets? What then?”

“I wouldn’t dwell on them.” You shrugged. “I’d just make the most of my life and die knowing I did my best.”

“...I see.”

“Yeah, haha.” Remembering the task at hand, you gestured to the wheelbarrow. “Once you’re done I’ll take the body to the cemetery.”

“..o-oh, right. Of course. So Lamb couldn’t handle the burden of carrying their deceased anymore?” He chuffed as he tossed the wrapped body in. “It’s funny..they would’ve eagerly sacrificed this poor soul if I asked them to...if only I still had my power.”

“It is a heavy burden. So I volunteered to take it off their shoulders. And I clean all the shrines and plant new flowers on the graves if they’re wilted.” You’ll admit that you took some pride in your duties. “Care to accompany me?”

“I have nothing better to do, so I suppose I could.”

There was not an ounce of enthusiasm to be found in his voice, but you chuckled and started heading there. “Well c’mon, slow-poke. There’s a lot to be done in this cult!”

Narinder followed you silently, ignoring the confused looks of followers who stared at you, wondering why you’re chatting with Death like he was a friend,

Because whether he wanted to admit it or not..you were the only one who treated him as such.

[razorblade180]

Thief’s Gambit

After a routine patrol of Vacou, Carmine sits on a rooftop, quietly on a rooftop. Normally she’d be ready to return home, but tonight she was given an anonymous request to wait at the Kingdom’s central location. Not one to ignore suspicious events, Carmine didn’t dare ignore the request. She’d get her answers soon enough. After all, there was someone already approaching behind her.

???: Such a goodie two shoes. It’s really impressive.

Carmine:What do you want, Mona?

Mona:Abrasive as ever. I thought you would’ve been a little surprised to learn I sent the request. After all, I really can’t stand you.

Carmine:Which is why I’m not surprised. *turns around* So what? Is this where you pull your daggers out and “settle the score?” I have to warn you I am incredibly tired and won’t hesitate to arrest-

Mona:Blah blah blah! Let me speak god damnit! You long winded types are so annoying. I’m here to ask you for a once in a lifetime favor. And before you say anything, no, it has nothing to do with a dumb relic sword.

Carmine:Wasn’t thinking about it until you said something. Not like I have access to it anyway. Cut to the chase already.

Mona:Later on tonight, I will be meeting with Aero and officially be resigning from his little gang. Do not tell him I’ve met with you. Soon I shall-

Carmine:No.

Mona:What? I haven’t even told you my favor in full yet!

Carmine:My opinion of you is rock bottom. Even so, you’re no idiot and do think of other’s feelings. It’s the leash Aero has on you that stops me from arresting you repeatedly and you know that. So…leaving the gang only means one thing. You’re planning on doing something completely out of line. You don’t want them associated and you don’t care about going to jail.

Mona:Heh, wow. There really is brain behind those annoying scarlet eyes. Too bad it only works for justice and is only half right. I don’t plan on rotting in a cell. If- When I pull this off, it’ll mean you’ll never see me again.

The air between them fell silent, Carmine’s curiosity piqued. Though she wasn’t sure that was good, given how Mona casually walked closer with her hands behind her head and stopped the the building’s ledge to look at the kingdom.

Mona:May favor is simple. I am going to do something horrible, and I need you to look the other way.

Carmine:I think you forgot how I spend my days making sure horrible things don’t happen. Plus I’d never make a promise with something that vague.

Mona:Ugh, I can see why you don’t have friends. Listen, I’m not telling you to not do your job. As a matter of fact, do all you can to save the innocent, but only that. Don’t come after me. Keep your pretty little eyes on the situation at hand and be the good little girl people think you are. Although we both know despite my “goodie little two shoes” remark, you’re more than willing to raise a little hell for the sake of humanity. It’s the only fun thing about you.

Carmine:You’re doing a really bad job of asking for favors.

Mona:Come now. Don’t pretend you don’t love the idea of never dealing with me again. You hate me as much as I hate you.

Carmine:I couldn’t care less about you honestly. You’re a broken person who’s no good for the people around her. Not that it’s your fault for being so…you. In fact if there’s anything we can agree on it’s how your mother should be put through hell and back.

Mona:Heh, fair enough. You saying we might’ve actually enjoyed each other’s company?

Carmine:Hell if know. As it stands, you’re like an ill dog in the Pound. Nobody can afford to take you in and nobody will be surprised when you suddenly aren’t around anymore.

Mona:Won’t stop a certain someone for being sad though. Perhaps I haven’t been phrasing this correctly. Don’t count this a favor to me. Consider it as doing Aero one. Like you said, nobody can afford to take me in and I personally never planned on turning my life around. Shouldn’t you be doing everything possible to cut me out of his life as quickly as possible?

Carmine:….

Mona:Look, I can’t promise you completely safety of civilians, but this kingdom has no shortage of heroes and huntsmen. All I can tell you is this, be near the slums at eight at night. Not s minute before, understand? I’m sure between you, your mother, father, and Aero’s parents, no innocent people will die. After all, I’m not trying to hurt innocent people.

Carmine:But you are trying to hurt someone?

Mona:Duh. It’s not like you don’t do the same to further your agenda. Let me fulfill mine and the rest is history.

Carmine:…I refuse to promise I will turn a blind eye. However, I won’t tell Aero. And maybe…I’ll drag my feet a little.

Mona:Hahaha! Works for me I guess. You really are stubborn, but not unreasonable. You have an annoying way of knowing the best course, even when it isn’t popular. I guess that’s the one thing I admire about you.

Mona took off the scarf that symbolized her affiliation to the gang. Honestly she was never the biggest fan of it considering it was inspired by the very girl who stood before her. It’s only fitting it should return to her.

Carmine stared with unblinking eyes at Mona’s gesture. Strange. The notorious bandit held a twinge of pain in her eyes. Maybe…no, Carmine didn’t allow herself to even fantasize about a different outcome between them. In the end, some things are simply beyond anyone’s control. Carmine took the thin, blue silk scarf into her custody; at the very least she could treat this request seriously no matter her final decision when it comes to pass. Carmine tore the scarf in half from the middle and wrapped a portion around Mona’s arm.

Mona:What are you doing?

Carmine:For better or for worse, you were once apart of something bigger. I see no reason for you to leave empty handed. I’ll find a use for the other half eventually.

Mona:Whatever you say. Welp, see ya never, probably. At least not in this scorching dump. Remember, this talk never happened. Oh, one final thing, a token of wisdom from your elder. You might want to consider working on your people skills.

Carmine:…..

And just like that, the notorious gem of the slums fell back into the city lights. Carmine couldn’t even see the woman anymore. She’d be lying if she said she felt unbothered. No good comes from a person as chaotic as Mona getting serious. All Carmine was certain of was despite her own gifts, this was the last time she’d see that messy blue hair in Vacou ever again.

[ninjakk]

At the beginning of mdzs, there is this scene which is not said much in my opinion. The way Wei WuXian got so worried about Lan WangJi when he asked one of the Lans where is Han GuangJun. I would like to know your thoughts on this as you have read mdzs without knowing the love interests in this.

Wei WuXian is really protective of Lan WangJi if we look closer to all of his dialogue. At the second siege in burial mounds, Wei WuXian take close care even to the cut on Lan WangJi's finger. Wei WuXian love Lan WangJi so much. Just as one of your meta said, they love each other equally.

Hi Anon ☺️

Do you know what - I actually love that scene and the entirety of chapter 19. I think it sets up the rest of the novel quite nicely. It shows the reader just how well the pair work together so naturally and it helps establish the interesting mystery that they are about to embark on.

I have to say, although I originally read the novel unaware it included any romance - by the point you are referencing above, I was pretty much convinced there was going to be! Personally, I think I deserve a medal for resisting the urge to find out if the novel had undertones of romance in it! But I held myself back, because I was enjoying the idea of being somewhat in the dark about it all. So it was still just my assumptions, but I was certainly looking for any signs of romance by this point 😍

So let's take a look at the scene in question.

It was extremely scary for an accident to happen during the spirit summoning ritual, since nobody would know what being it would summon or what would happen if someone broke in. And, ever since the mingshi was built, there were almost no cases where the summoning failed. This made everyone more worried. Seeing that Lan WangJi didn’t appear, Wei WuXian had a foreboding feeling. If Lan WangJi was still in the Cloud Recesses, he would have hurried over immediately, as he heard the alarming chimes of the bell, unless…

Chapter 19 ExR translations

So first things first, WWX is more than aware LWJ is capable of looking after himself, but that doesn't stop him worrying or making a fuss about him at times! Even on a first read, we can tell from the Cloud Recesses flashbacks and the way everyone seems to be somewhat in awe of LWJ's skills, he must be quite formidable.

This is the first time we see WWX (in his second life) essentially running towards LWJ, rather than running away and 'trying to escape'. In fact the whole scenario was a perfect opportunity for WWX to grab a jade token and leave the Cloud Recesses, while everyone was distracted. But instead of taking advantage of the commotion, he is more concerned about LWJ. WWX instantly comes to the conclusion that LWJ must be inside the mingshi, where something has gone wrong, making him rather anxious. Which again, on my first read, added to my ever growing assumption that WWX had the hots for LWJ since they were teenagers.

Wei WuXian grabbed his hand at once, speaking in a low voice, “Which being’s spirit are you summoning? Who else is inside? Where’s HanGuang-Jun?!” It seemed as if the disciple had trouble breathing, “HanGuang-Jun told me to run away…” Before he finished his sentence, dark-red blood gushed out of his nose and mouth. Wei WuXian pushed him into Lan SiZhui’s arms. With the hastily created bamboo flute still by his waist, he went up the stairs in just a few strides. He kicked the mingshi’s door and commanded, “Open!”

WWX quickly approaches the person who escaped the mingshi, trying to gather as much information as he can and determine if LWJ is inside. It's quite telling that the only thing WWX manages to find out from the injured disciple is that LWJ is inside, yet he rushes towards the mingshi's door the minute he hears he might be in trouble. WWX dashes towards the door, unperturbed by the fact he might be attracting a lot of attention in doing so. Considering he managed to gain access to the mingshi so effortlessly and he is meant to be playing the part of a crazy subpar cultivator, he's not doing the best job of keeping in character! But I suppose we can let him off, because he's obviously worried about LWJ.

WWX has always cared about LWJ, more than he ever realised in his first life. Even during the Xuanwu of Slaughter chapters we can see WWX moves almost instinctively whenever he is worried about LWJ. Although WWX was most likely about to step in and help MianMian anyway, it's his concern for LWJs safety that causes him to do so in the end. Prior to that, he was being held back by JC. Seeing that LWJ was about to be attacked, without any means to defend himself, was the catalyst that finally encouraged him to go against JCs wishes and become embroiled in the situation. Later in this arc, LWJ is bitten by the Xuanwu of Slaughter, after pushing WWX out of the way to save him and WWX reacts reflexively once again.

If it dragged Lan WangJi inside, then he’d most likely never come out again! Wei WuXian broke into a sprint. Just as the head was about to shrink inside, he threw himself over, clinging to one of the teeth on its upper jaw. His strength could never have been able to compete with such a monster’s. Yet, under the life-or-death situation, superhuman strength had exploded within him.

Chapter 53

WWX himself even admits that his strength was no match for the beast, but he still rushed to help LWJ. He reacted so fast, even LWJ was shocked WWX managed to catch up before the beast disappeared into its shell. WWX manages to overcome the beasts ferocious jaws with sheer determination and his utter refusal to let LWJ die.

At times, WWXs rationale is even momentarily overridden by concern when LWJ is involved. We see this more in his second life.

Having heard a few clashes of the blades, Wei WuXian’s heart suddenly tightened. He blurted out, “Lan Zhan? Are you hurt?!” From afar, there came a muffled grunt, as if someone had received a critical injury. It clearly wasn’t Lan WangJi’s voice, though. Lan WangJi, “Of course not.” Wei WuXian grinned, “So it seems!”

Chapter 34

During the Yi City arc, we can see WWX react in a similar way to the scene at the mingshi. WWX can't see LWJ and he starts to worry about his safety once again. Granted it was quite a dire situation and LWJ was certainly at a disadvantage in the fog with a glowing sword, while up against someone who was not only familiar with his moves, but also had their sword glare masked. But as we later see, once WWX has calmed his emotions and his logic returns, he has total faith in LWJs abilities.

Lan JingYi approved, “Well, obviously. Of course HanGuang-Jun is good. He just never likes to show it off. He is very low-key, right?” The “right?” was directed at Wei WuXian, who replied in confusion, “Are you asking me? Why are you asking me?” Lan JingYi was on the verge of being angered, “So you think that HanGuang-Jun is not good?!” Wei WuXian touched his chin, “Hmm. He’s good. Of course. He’s really good. He’s the best.” As he talked, he couldn’t help but break into a smile.

Chapter 38

WWX is well aware of LWJ's impressive skills, but he can't help his feelings bubble up to the surface at times, whenever LWJ is in a situation that might get him hurt. Thus his rationale momentarily disappears on occasion!

As much as LWJ loves to take care of WWX, he in turn loves to take care of LWJ and make a fuss over him as well. We see this time and time again throughout the novel. As you said, the small but sweet scene where WWX cleans and covers LWJs wound using his own robes, during the second siege at the Burial Mounds, is one example of this.

There are numerous other examples of WWX making a fuss of LWJ, both in WWXs first and second life. We have WWX seeing to LWJs wounds in the cave, intending to use all of the medicinal herbs on him and ignoring his own injuries. Depending on if you believe the theory WWX obtained the perfume pouch for LWJ in the first place - there is also that. WWX even gives LWJ his cleaner inner robes, keeping his dirty outer robe for himself. It's all very sweet!

In his second life, we see WWX tenderly wash a drunk LWJ's face, worry about him not eating enough and fuss over his clothes when he accidentally gets blood on them. I think my favourite example of WWX looking after LWJ in his second life is from a scene at Guanyin Temple. WWX lovingly covering LWJs ears, to protect him from JCs painfully noisy attempt at distributing JGYs dark melody on his guqin - is just the cutest thing!

I find it quite funny as WWX is very much "HanGuang-Jun is just amazing! He can beat anyone!" and at the same time "Lan Zhan! Are you okay?! You have a tiny cut, let me see to that for you." Of course LWJ is exactly the same. He is also aware WWX is more than capable of looking after himself, but his reflexes are to protect him nevertheless. It's just so natural for them both! It's so sweet how instinctive it has always been for WWX to think this way about LWJ, even in his first life 💕

[skzcoffee]

meant 2 be | k. seungmin

Pairing: Seungmin x fem¡reader

Genre: fluff, lots of fluff

- Academic rivals to lovers trope (my favorite)

Word count: 3.1k

Synopsis: Seungmin & y/n have been silently competing against eachother academically since the beginning of college. They both try to one-up eachother in everything, absolutely everything and they always end in a tie.

Warnings: none honestly

—------------------—------------------—----------

You had always been a high-achiever when it came to school. Well, not always but ever since you won the academic excellence award in middle school, you’ve been the top of all your classes. You even graduated as valedictorian during highschool.

To nobody's surprise, things didn't change much during college. You were still top of your class, and had the highest grades, sometimes. Your outstanding academic status was interrupted by a guy from your physics course, Seungmin Kim.

You couldn't help but silently compete against him in everything, but for some reason, he always seemed to one-up you. It frustrated you, it killed you seeing someone do better in school than you, but for some reason, there was also a part of you that admired him for his hardwork and his ambitious energy.

“Okay class, you will now be assigned your partners for your final big project before we go on break. Please come up to my desk as I call your name” You heard the professor mention in his usual slow and boring voice. It didn't help much the fact that you got absolutely no sleep the night before trying to study for your calculus exam you had that day, so you were trying to stay awake as much as possible.

The class ended and you never heard your name being called upon, so as you were about to approach the professor to ask about your partner, he called you and your classmate first. “Ms.y/l/n, Mr. Kim. May I speak with the both of you?” You two looked at each other in confusion before walking towards the professor.

“You two are probably wondering why I called on you at the last minute. Well, we all know you two are the smartest and most hard-working of the class, the entire generation even. I decided to pair you two up for the final project. Your topic and dynamic is completely up to you two. Amaze me.”

The professor left the room, and you were standing in your place staring at the floor zoned out, you snapped back to reality and you looked up at Seungmin, “So, I guess we’re finally working together” you chuckled.

“Yeah, I guess we are. Do you think you could give me your number, so we can decide when to meet up and stuff…” he asked. You gave him your number and waved goodbye.

Soon after your calculus exam, you arrived home tired and a bit moody since the exam didn't go very well. You studied your ass off for that exam yet you still failed (You didn't fail, you missed 2 questions but your academic maniac brain thought it was failure). As you started to wash up to go to bed, you heard your phone vibrate a couple of times, you ignore it thinking it’s a message from your friend, but it vibrates again, so you decide to finally look at your phone.

Unknown number: Hii!! Sorry for messaging you so late.

Y/N: Who is this?

Unknown number: Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Seungmin from your physics class. I said I’d text you, remember? 😓

Y/N: Oh, hi Seungmin! I’m really sorry, I'm just really tired and didn't connect the dots very well.

Seungmin from physics: Oh, you should probably rest then, I’ll talk to you tomorrow :)

Y/N: Oh, it’s no big deal Seungmin, I can talk for a bit :)

Seungmin from physics: Okay, I'll make it quick. How about we meet tomorrow afternoon at my place to get started on the project? Are you free?

Y/N: Sure, no problem. Mind sending me your address? 😅

Seungmin from physics: Right. *insert address*

Y/N: Thank you, see you tomorrow!!!

Seungmin from physics: Bye y/n, sleep well 💤

Y/N: Goodnight Seungmin :)

You were getting ready and decided to wear something comfortable to go to Seungmin’s, a hoodie and some sweatpants will do. You packed your bag and headed out the door. You typed his address on the maps app and you realized you didn't live too far from his place, just a few blocks away, so you walked over there, soon you arrived and rang the bell.

“Hi! Come on in, make yourself comfortable” He smiled.

“Thanks, where can I put my bag?” You asked, pointing at your bag.

He took your bag kindly and placed it on the couch. You looked around and noticed his apartment is actually pretty nice, it’s simple, but neat, you would've never guessed a MAN lived there.

“Have you eaten already? Are you hungry?”

“Actually, I didn't have time to eat dinner before I came…I-”

“No problem, I’ll make something for you, does pasta sound fine?”

“That would be nice, thank you.”

“Of course, you can take a seat at the dining table if you wish”

You sat down and watched as Seungmin cooked for you. That's when you realized Seungmin is a really nice boy, he’s a gentleman, smart, kind, neat and he can cook. I mean, COME ON, and he’s cute?! You stare at his cooking figure, the way he chops up vegetables and sautés them, the way he puts together your plate and his.

“All done, sorry for the wait.” He apologized as he placed the plates on the table. He sat down at the dining table right in front of you and waited for you to take a bite.

“Oh my god, this is really good!” You complimented his cooking with your mouth full, getting pasta sauce on your left cheek.

“I’m glad you like it, you got some pasta sauce on your cheek, let me clean that for you” He picked up a napkin and held your face with one hand and started wiping your cheek with the other. You looked at him and for the first time you realized, he’s kinda cute. You pushed those thoughts away quickly.

The two of you finished eating and got straight to work. You pulled out your laptop and started typing, he did the same. Then, you started working on a shared document and started to plant ideas for the project. You did an endless amount of research and so did he. It started getting late so you decided it was time to go home.

“Hey Seungmin, it’s getting pretty late I should get back home”

“I’ll walk you home” He got his jacket and put on his shoes.

“It’s okay you don't have to, it’s pretty close from here anyways”

“What if something happens to you? What would I do?”

You finally agreed to let Seungmin walk you back home. As you stepped outside you realized it was raining. Seungmin pulled out and umbrella and put it over your heads, you had to walk pretty close together to avoid getting wet, and something about being under an umbrella with him felt so, intimate. You arrived home and thanked him for the walk and the food, you had fun.

“Same time next week?” He asked as he left you on the front porch.

“Okay, fine by me. Bye Seungmin”

“Bye Y/N, goodnight.”

You went inside your home and washed up to get ready for bed as you thought about Seungmin. He wouldn't get out of your head for some odd reason. You pushed those thoughts away once again and went to sleep.

The following week you showed up to his apartment once again, this time bringing him a cup of coffee.

“Hey Seungmin, got you coffee!”

“Thank you! Come on in”

And you did this for a few weeks, you’d sometimes go two or three times a week. You didn't only get lots of work done during this time but you also got to know Seungmin a lot better. You found yourself laughing and having a good time everytime you were with Seungmin, not fully aware that you were catching feelings for the boy.

One of the days however, it seemed like a normal day of working on the project at first. You two had dinner together, made by Seungmin obviously, since it was so good, talked about life and got to work on the project. After a few hours of hard-work your eyes started to shut slowly and you ended up falling asleep on Seungmin’s couch.

“Hey y/n it’s getting pretty lat-” He noticed you were already sleeping. He didn't want to wake you up since it was already 2 am and he knew that you hadn't slept very well the past week, so he carried you to his room and tucked you in.

“You know Y/N, the more I spend time with you, the more I find myself attracted to you. I don't think I’ll be able to suppress these feelings for too long, I wish you were mine.” He whispered hoping you were deep asleep so you wouldn't hear him. He pulled out his phone and took a photo of your sleeping figure, smiled at it and went to sleep on the couch that night.

You woke up the next morning and noticed you were in an unfamiliar setting, you immediately got out of bed worried and walked out of the room and realized you had fallen asleep at Seungmin’s apartment.

“Good morning Y/N, sorry to startle you. Help yourself to some breakfast” He insisted.

“Oh, thank you. You really didn't have to” You smiled and sat down at the table.

“Y/N, what do you think about going out somewhere today? Just the two of us. I mean, we’ve been woking pretty hard these past couple of weeks, I thought maybe we could go somewhere and take a break, we deserve it” He hesitated.

“I’d love to, I just need to go to my place to wash up and change, then we can go anywhere you’d like”

“Sounds good”

You both walked back to your place, he waited for you patiently in the living room as you changed and washed up. You didn't know where you two were going today but Seungmin seemed to be wearing something simple and comfortable, yet presentable. You figured you’d do the same. You put on a lovely pair of jeans and an oversized knitted sweater to go with it.

“Where do you want to go Min?”

“Min? That’s a new one. I was thinking maybe we could go to the arcade, what do you think?”

“I like that idea, let's go”

Even though Seungmin knew how to do absolutely everything, there was one thing he couldn't do, drive. So, you offered to drive the two of you to the arcade. When you arrive there you start to play a couple of games. You totally crush him playing basketball, and air hockey, but he’s so good at the dance machine game. “He’s a good dancer” you thought, and he looked cute as hell doing it too.

“How are you so good at dancing and so bad at basketball?” You teased.

“I used to be in a dance group in high school, it’s my well kept secret. How are you so bad at dancing and so good at basketball anyways?”

“Well unlike you, I wasn't on any basketball team during high school but sometimes I’d play basketball with my dad during the weekends”

You two discovered a lot of things about eachother, and realized you and him had a lot more in common than you thought. You also found out he sings, dances and plays the guitar? How charming.

After the arcade you both went to get ice cream and went for a walk at the park nearby. You two talked some more, your fingers brushing against each other every now and then and the tension between you two was growing larger each minute that passed by. You two stopped and decided to sit down on a bench and rest a bit, you looked into each other's eyes, his eyes were glowing, so cute it resembled a cute puppy’s eyes. You immediately melted, he was so cute you couldn't take it anymore.

“Seungmin.” You looked into his glassy puppy eyes.

“Yes?”

“You-you’r-you-you’re…” You stuttered like never before it was actually incredibly embarrassing.

“Are you okay Y/N?”

“You-you-you're so cute it's not fair! I can't look into your eyes and not melt.” You cried, you couldn't tell him how you exactly felt since he made you so nervous, so you ended up blurting some stupidity out.

Seungmin’s cheeks started heating up and turned into a bright shade of pink, and his ears a burning red shade. He froze, not knowing what to say, he was a bit hesitant on making a move but then he slowly started to lean in closer to you until his nose was barely a centimeter away from yours .

“You’re pretty cute yourself Y/N” He leaned in even closer until your lips connected softly with his. Your stomach was going absolutely insane, like a billion butterflies flying around. His lips were soft and smooth, he was absolutely charming. You melted under his presence and you were completely vulnerable to his soft touch.

“I like you Y/N, I’ve buried my feelings for you for too long.”

You liked him too, it was so obvious.

“This is probably very obvious by now but, I like you too, a lot.” Your face was all red, you were barely able to get those words to come out of your mouth.

You kissed him once again. “So then, what are we, Min?”

“Boyfriend and girlfriend? If you want to be.”

You immediately nodded and hugged him. He was the cutest freaking guy ever, you could never say no to a guy like him.

“Hey min, could you send me the photos we took together? We’ll take more in a bit, now that I can kiss you in the photos'' You giggled. He sent the photos to your phone and your phone started to vibrate from the notifications. You turn your phone on just to remember how you had him saved in your contacts.

“Seungmin from physics? Seriously? After all this time we’ve spent together? You're joking, change it now!!!” He exclaimed. It was funny not gonna lie, Seungmin found it kinda funny too. Embarrassed as hell, you changed his contact name.

*Edit contact*

Name: Cute puppy guy from physics <3

“Hey! That’s still not my name Y/N!” You quickly shut him up with a kiss.

“You’re a cute puppy guy though, aren't you?”

You two spent the next couple of hours playfully arguing over his contact name on your phone and teasing each other about all the tension buildup that had been happening up to the very moment you confessed to each other.

Everything was going so well until you looked at the time and realized it was already 11pm. It was getting really late and you were getting very sleepy.

“Minnie I’m sleepy, I think we need to go home” You yawned. Seungmin knew that you had to drive home since he couldn't and you couldn't just leave the car there.

“You look so cute sleepy darling but you need to drive us home, remember?”

“Oh right, I’ll drive us home, don't worry” You widen your eyes and drop some water on your face to wake you up, it wasn't the best idea but it’s all you had at the moment. As you drove home, Seungmin was in the passenger seat on his phone. He was texting his friends about what had happened, he was so excited, literally the cutest puppy ever.

Seungmin: Oh my god guys guys guys!

Chan: What’s up Seungmin?

Seungmin: The sky, idiot.

Chan: Okay nevermind, bye.

Jisung: LMAOOO

Minho: This better be something interesting Seungmin because I am trying to sleep.

Seungmin: I have a girlfriend.

Minho: WHAT??!!??

Jisung: FINALLY 🙏 About time man.

Minho: I mean, congratulations dude. Who’s the girl??

Changbin: Let me take a guess. Ummm, is she from college?

Seungmin: Yes Bin, you know I have no life outside college.

Changbin: Alright… from physics class?

Seungmin: Yeah…

Changbin: OH MY GOD IT’S Y/N I KNEW IT

Jeongin: Damn Seungmin, really? Congrats 🎉

Felix: I mean it was so obvious 🤓☝️ Ever since they got paired together for that physics project they’ve been together NONSTOP. Y'all really think they were working the whole time??? Half the time they were probably making out.

Seungmin: Not true, we kissed for the first time just today.

Hyunjin: When is it my turn to be happy? 💔💔💔

Jeongin: I’ll take you on a date Hyunjin hyung 😍🙏

Hyunjin: Actually.. I’ll pass.

Jeongin: You just missed one hell of an opportunity.

Changbin: Stop it, I wanna hear more about you and Y/N

Seungmin: I’m here with her right now in the car so I’ll have to leave you guys hanging, I’ll tell the full story tomorrow when we meet up okay?

Changbin: DAMN IT.

Minho: I swear to god Kim Seungmin…

Seungmin: BYE GUYS😅😅😅

You were about to drop off Seungmin at his place but stopped you before you could start the car again.

“Y/N, come crash at my place, I know you're tired and if you stay you’ll get a good breakfast tomorrow morning. I know you only eat properly when you're with me.” He made those innocent cute doe puppy eyes at you making it absolutely impossible to say no.

“Fine, I’ll stay, only ‘cause you’re cute” You kissed him on the cheek before parking your car in front of the apartment complex. As you two were getting ready for bed, he couldn't help but kiss you and hug you every 5 seconds. You two couldn't stay away from each other for more than five seconds that night.

—------------------—------------------—------------

“I'm scared Minnie, what if our project isn't good enough”

“We’re the smartest in the class, we’ll be fine. We are the perfect team, the perfect pair.” He reassured you with one last kiss before presenting your final project.

“Okay, lovebirds. It’s your turn to present.” The professor turned to his assistant who was helping with the grading. With an unusually excited voice he said:

“I put them together on purpose you know, they've been in love with each other since forever, they just needed that push to get them together. Look at me, I’m literally cupid! Now look at them… they really are meant to be.”

END

A.N: Y'all I had so much fun writing this thing, I know it's super corny and delulu and stuff but mind you I haven't been writing for very long, just reading. I hope you guys enjoyed it 'cause I definitely did 🙏

[kaseyskat]

hi hello everyone so this episode gave me really, REALLY big normal feels and a good amount of hermie feelings too and i've channeled that in the best way i know how: a 2k-long conversation about feelings. enjoy the oakworthies <3~

~

The King of Hell is enthusiastically speaking with Taylor (and Link by proxy: and Scary is hanging around them, as though she stands a chance at surprise murdering the literal king of hell) when Normal sneaks away from the group. 

Hermie shouldn’t care. In fact, there’s still a nagging voice in the back of his head, one that whispers about how Normal, the first person who had seen him in a way nobody ever has before, the one who had been kind and reassuring and truly the heart of the group like Hermie had told him so long ago, only wanted a perfect version of Hermie. It was embarrassing, and humiliating, especially when he’d been quietly lurking in the entire group as they bickered and argued, left to the background once again. 

And yet… 

…he remembers the way that Normal had looked after the encounter, the defeated look in his eyes, the slump to his shoulders after the broad declaration that he could finally like himself. It was so painfully relatable, Hermie only lingers with the rest of the group – with a father who does not reconize him, and people who are only his friends by proxy – for a few more seconds before he slinks off with a resigned sigh after his self-declared will they, won’t they partner. 

It would seem like having an uninterested father is common ground. Normal doesn’t look nearly as enthused about the encounter as Hermie would’ve thought for him; instead, he drops to the ground once he’s a reasonable distance away, slumping with his face in his hands. He does a pretty good job of holding his emotions back in ways that even Hermie himself is impressed by, but in the moment, he just looks sad. 

Hermie’s own feelings, he thinks, can wait in the face of this. 

When he approaches, Normal jerks like he’s reacting to the sound of footprints alone, wiping at his eyes as though that would do anything; they’re red enough as proof of what, exactly, he had slunk off on his own to do. Pathetic, the voice in Hermie’s head sneers, but he bats it away because all he can see is…

…himself. 

“Oh, hey Hermie,” Normal mutters when he finally glances up, and his voice too his glum, stripped of its characteristic chipper and dull around the edges. “I… sorry. I don’t think I apologized to you yet.” 

��I’m not really mad at you, you know,” Hermie says lightly, schooling himself into his more familiar, more flirtatious persona– his own real feelings can wait. “I just had to be all dramatic, you know how us theater kids are.” 

He thought it would make Normal laugh; or at the very least, make him nod along in agreement. Instead, Normal just shakes his head, and then buries it a little further into his arms, wound tightly around his knees in a way that just makes him look small. “No, it’s okay,” he says, his voice warbling. “I think I really screwed up this time… I mean, Scary’s no closer to admitting her mistakes or forgiving us, Link is still so angry, Taylor is literally in pieces… and clearly, my moment of pride really hurt you, and I just…”

Hermie frowns, and he takes a seat, scooting close to Normal. “What… was it like?” he voices, his voice smaller than he had intended. 

“What, the Pride level?” Normal asks, and when Hermie only makes a small noise of affirmation, he continues.” Well, it was… intense. It was like all the feelings I’ve been keeping inside were just… out, and free, because I had no shame in feeling them. It was like… I guess, it was like being on stage? Except the stage was just, the average world, and the role I was playing was just myself, and people just liked it? And it was exhilarating, because I knew what I wanted, who I was, in a way that I could never have predicted, and I just…” 

He shudders, here, his face all buried in his hands again so that Hermie cannot see his expression. “That must be why I was able to be so… confident,” he says, quietly, almost shamefully. “About… us. About this.” 

Something inside of Hermie goes ice-cold. 

“In my head, I had everything I wanted,” Normal continues. “Real friends. A social life. People who just… loved me, no questions asked. And I also had you, and I won’t lie, that wasn’t something I realized I wanted so badly until it was in front of me, until you were in front of me and I just knew that beyond anything, beyond the popularity and the friendships and loving myself, there was something else I wanted. Something real. Something more realistic. And I really, really never meant for that to hurt you, Hermie, I swear! I thought… I really thought…” 

“You’re a little stupid sometimes, you know that?” Hermie interrupts; it spills from his lips unbidden, uncontrolled, and even Normal himself blinks owllishly at the tone of his voice, peering up from where he had been all closed off and buried. “I think you were the one who told me that being someone likeable, someone worthy, wasn’t important in the long run, as long as you were unapologetically yourself. Even when you didn’t know what that meant yet.” 

It is brutally honest for him; he kinda tries to avoid these kinds of talks, because Normal is startlingly good at turning it right back around. This time, though, he just sniffs, rubbing at his red, red eyes, still sullen, still sad. 

Normal Oak, Hermie decides, does not look nearly as attractive when he’s sad. 

“It still feels so wrong,” Normal whispers. “How am I supposed to fix the world when I can’t even fix myself, or my friendships?” 

“Well, you could start by not being so hard on yourself for everything,” Hermie says– light-hearted, because despite the way he digs deep into the character he’s playing, the loving friend of Normal’s that can give him the advice he needs to continue, the one favor he owes Normal… he doesn’t actually really know much of what he’s talking about. 

“Yeah…” Normal seems to consider this, slowly coming out of his shell as he finally sits more upright, pulling his head out of his arms and blinking owlishly at Hermie once again. “I am still sorry, though.” 

“Ugh, please stop apologizing, you’re starting to make me feel bad,” Hermie complains. 

He expects that Normal will argue; or that he will list all the reasons why he’s actually in the right for being so apologetic, as he usually does. The strange glint in Normal’s eyes should’ve given away his actions, but Hermie finds himself drawn to it instead, staring at the way that Normal leans forwards without even a second to think about the implications. 

And then, Normal is kissing him. 

It’s not a good kiss. Hermie’s never actually had his first kiss – not a real one, anyways – but he’s had plenty of stage kisses and he knows right away that this is not a good kiss. Normal’s braces are in the way, and he doesn’t quite know what he’s doing, but Hermie blinks surprisingly and instinctively kisses him right back. For a first kiss, a real first kiss, it could definitely be worse, he concludes; at least Normal is enthusiastic. 

Hermie’s cheeks are burning, even the side that’s all burnt up already, as Normal pulls away, eyes alluring and half-lidded. 

For a moment, there’s silence. Normal touches his own lips in surprise, like he didn’t know he was going to do that, and Hermie snorts, the laughter teased right out of him. “That was awful,” he wheezes. 

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Normal immediately responds, and he jumps backwards, his cheeks a bright red– bright enough that they bring out his freckles in a very strange, endearing kind of way. “I don’t know what I was thinking, I just wanted to show you it was real, that I meant what I did in my haze, but that was… so impulsive of me, fuck, I’m sorry–” 

“Relax, I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Hermie drawls, and as Normal’s gaze darts back up to Hermie’s, he plasters his best seductive gaze onto his face, curling his lips just right. “You were trying to let me know you like me, right? For… me?” It comes out far more vulnerable and needy than he intends, and he instantly regrets the words, but his demeanor doesn’t shift in the slightest, composure kept perfectly. 

“Of course!” Normal says instantly, immediately. “That was kinda the thing I was so sorry about like, of course I like you! I just never felt like… well, it all came out so wrong, that’s all. I don’t think I liked myself enough to even let myself consider the thought of liking someone else, but… of course it’s you. You mean so much to me, and I just…” 

This time, Hermie takes the initiative, and he leans forwards, only hesitating to reach out and guide Normal forwards. It’s okay if he doesn’t know how to kiss; Hermie can show him. 

(Not that Hermie really has that much experience, but it’s definitely more than whatever Normal has, which means Hermie has the advantage and he’ll take it, thank you very much). 

Normal squeaks as Hermie kisses him, but he’s enthusiastic, letting Hermie tilt his head and lean into the kiss this time. It’s still bad, in the way that Normal’s breath stinks and he absolutely has no idea what he’s doing, but Hermie, despite himself, finds it endearing. 

Damn him. He’s always found Normal’s… unique charm to be endearing. It was never an act, was it? 

…maybe that’s why he’d been so jealous of a hell version of himself. 

This time, when he pulls away for air, he stays close, pressing his forehead gently against Normal’s as Normal too inhales, his cheeks still bright red. “No more flirting with hell versions of me, got it?” he teases, and Normal somehow flushes harder, looking like he wants to crawl into his jersey and never return. 

“I really did think it was the real you, by the way,” he says, quietly and almost shamefully just like before. “And I was so excited, because… I knew, I knew you’d be there for me no matter what. And that really does mean the world to me; I think you mean the world to me. Is that too forward?” 

“You have a big heart,” Hermie informs him, and he snorts, tugging Normal into his chest; Normal goes willingly, arms wrapping around him in the barest form of a hug. “Never change.” 

He doesn’t know how long they sit there. Normal, at least, seems comfortable in Hermie’s arms, and he’s warm, and strangely soft, and even though really, Hermie has no idea what he’s doing, at least this feels right. His jealousy feels like a thing from the past, because really he knows – just like he knew from the beginning, the way that his feelings had been hurt but in a way that just felt like some cosmic deity using them for laughs and comedy instead of anything real – that Normal doesn’t have the spoons to actually do something mean spirited, not even towards his friends. 

Even if they did have to go to the eighth level of hell because of him. 

God, Normal was just so cute. 

“Hey, lovebirds!” Scary’s voice used to be welcoming – a reminder about his role, even though Hermie had been loathe to listen and had only dragged himself through it by reminding himself about his character – but now she just sounds bored and mildly annoyed, even though she’s done nothing in the time they’ve been down here. Pathetic. “We’re getting a move on, you can stop being such weirdos now.” 

“Guess it’s time to go,” Normal whispers, his voice shaky and thin. “At least we can do this together?” 

It’s what he’s been preaching this entire time, to no avail. Well, Hermie thinks, the one benefit of the group forgetting about my existence is that I can wholeheartedly support Normal without him getting any backlash for it. That’s something, right? 

“Together,” he agrees out loud, and then he helps Normal to his feet, and they turn to face the world hand in hand; together.